Apparatus and method for detecting disease in dairy animals
First Claim
1. An apparatus for detecting udder disease in dairy animals, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one accelerometer for attachment to a leg of a dairy animal; and
a processor operable at least to;
determine a measure of activity of the dairy animal to which the accelerometer is attached based on measurements from the accelerometer, wherein the determined measure of activity is a motion index which is the sum of measured net acceleration values, minus an offset for gravity, of the accelerometer, summed over a period of time;
determine that the dairy animal has an udder disease from a change in the measure of activity of the dairy animal based on measurement from the at least one accelerometer, and thereby detect the udder disease in the dairy animal based upon the determination; and
output a signal indicative of the detected udder disease to a data receiving unit.
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Abstract
Disclosed is apparatus and a method for detecting udder disease in dairy animals. An accelerometer is attached to each of a plurality of dairy animals. A processor determines a measure of the activity of the dairy animals to which the accelerometers are attached. Data is recorded by and automatically transmitted from a sensor unit secured to an animal, without the requirement for costly and time consuming chemical analysis of milk, or of visual or veterinary inspection of individual animals in a herd.
The development of an udder disease in a dairy animal, such as mastitis, may be identified from a decrease in the monitored measure of activity of a dairy animal. A separate baseline measure of activity may be determined for each dairy animal and the activity of a plurality of dairy animals in one or more herds may be taken into account, in order to reduce false positives due to external effects which are not specific to a single dairy animal.
24 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus for detecting udder disease in dairy animals, the apparatus comprising:
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at least one accelerometer for attachment to a leg of a dairy animal; and a processor operable at least to; determine a measure of activity of the dairy animal to which the accelerometer is attached based on measurements from the accelerometer, wherein the determined measure of activity is a motion index which is the sum of measured net acceleration values, minus an offset for gravity, of the accelerometer, summed over a period of time; determine that the dairy animal has an udder disease from a change in the measure of activity of the dairy animal based on measurement from the at least one accelerometer, and thereby detect the udder disease in the dairy animal based upon the determination; and output a signal indicative of the detected udder disease to a data receiving unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 20)
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6. A method of determining the presence of an udder disease in a dairy animal, comprising:
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determining a measure of activity of the dairy animal using at least one accelerometer attached to a leg of the dairy animal, wherein the determined measure of activity is a motion index which is the sum of measured net acceleration values, minus an offset for gravity, of the accelerometer, summed over a period of time; determining, using a computer processor, that the dairy animal has an udder disease from a change in the measure of activity of the dairy animal based on measurements from the at least one accelerometer, and thereby detecting the udder disease in the dairy animal based upon the determination; and transmitting a signal indicative of the detected udder disease to a data receiving unit. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 21)
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12. A method of detecting a health condition in a farm animal, comprising:
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determining a first measure of a first activity and at least one second measure of at least one second activity, of the animal using an accelerometer attached to the animal, wherein the first measure and second measure are different types of measures, and a first activity type of the first activity results in a net horizontal displacement of the animal and a second activity type of the second activity results in no net horizontal displacement of the animal, and the first activity type is different from the second activity type; determining, using a computer processor, that the animal may have, or has, a health condition from a change in the first measure, taking into account the at least one second measure wherein the first measure is a measure of a motion index of the farm animal, the motion index of the farm animal being the sum of measured net acceleration values, minus an offset for gravity, of the accelerometer, summed over a period of time. - View Dependent Claims (13, 23)
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14. An apparatus for detecting a health or welfare condition of a farm animal, comprising:
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an accelerometer, for attachment to a farm animal, operable to output activity related data, and a computer processor operable at least to; receive the output activity related data; and determine a first measure of a first activity and at least one second measure of at least a second activity, of the animal to which the accelerometer is attached, from the received activity related data a first activity type of the first activity results in a net horizontal displacement of the animal and a second activity type of the second activity results in no net horizontal displacement of the animal, and the first activity type is different from the second activity type, wherein the first measure is a measure of a motion index of the farm animal, the motion index of the farm animal being the sum of measured net acceleration values, minus an offset for gravity, of the accelerometer, summed over a period of time. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 24)
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18. A method of determining the presence of an udder disease in a dairy animal, comprising:
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determining a measure of activity of the dairy animal using at least one accelerometer attached to the dairy animal, and determining, using a computer processor, that the dairy animal has an udder disease from a change in the measure of activity of the dairy animal based on measurements from the accelerometer; and wherein the measure of the activity of the dairy animal is a measure of standing, or laying, or transitioning between standing and lying of the dairy animal; and wherein the measure is a measure of a motion index of the dairy animal, the motion index of the dairy animal being the sum of measured net acceleration values, minus an offset for gravity, of the accelerometer, summed over a period of time. - View Dependent Claims (19, 22)
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Specification