In vivo ruminant health sensor

• US 20040133131A1
• Filed: 01/03/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daniel Kohn, David L. Kuhn
• Original Assignee: Daniel Kohn, David L. Kuhn
• Inventors: Kohn, Daniel, Kuhn, David L.
• Application Number:
  US10/336,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20040133131A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/593
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/007 Boluses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1473 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter A61B5/1482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4238 stomach

Abstract

A system and method of determining a physiological state of a ruminant animal by monitoring the pH and temperature of the animal'"'"'s stomach. A battery-less, single unit sensor and transmitter is placed within the rumen or reticulum of the animal. pH and temperature measurements are taken and transmitted along with the animal identification code to a wireless receiver. The physiological state of the animal is determined using the mathematically analyzed pH and temperatures.

Claims

1. An in-vivo sensor device for ingestion and retention in the rumen or reticulum of a ruminant animal, comprising:

a wireless transmitter and associated electronics including antenna and memory;

temperature and pH sensors;

encapsulated in an inert material forming single, battery-less unit,

powered by the said internal pH sensor and inductance from a remote interrogator through said antenna.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein encapsulation material is epoxy.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein encapsulation material is ceramic.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein encapsulation material may be coated with Teflon.

5. A method for determining a physiological state of a ruminant animal by monitoring the pH of the contents of the rumen or reticulum comprising the steps of:

providing a bolus within the rumen or reticulum of the ruminant animal, said bolus including a pH sensor and a transmitter;

sensing the pH within the stomach using said sensor;

transmission of air-borne signal from the bolus to a remote receiver using said antennae, the signal representing said pH;

mathematically analyzing one or more of said pH measurements;

determining the physiological state of the ruminant animal using said mathematically analyzed pH measurements.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said mathematical analysis step includes the substep of buffering multiple pH measurements in volatile or persistent electronic data format.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said mathematical analysis step comprises the substep of calculating the mathematical difference between said pH measurement and at least one threshold value.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said mathematical analysis step comprises the substep of calculating the difference of two or more pH measurements.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said mathematical analysis step comprises the substep of dividing the said difference of two pH measurements by the length of the time interval between the two measurements.