METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PREDICTING CALVING

• US 20100331739A1
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Afimilk Agricultural Cooperative, Ltd., Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center (Government of Israel)
• Original Assignee: Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center (Government of Israel), S.A.E Afikim
• Inventors: Maltz, Ephraim, Flexer, Hagai
• Application Number:
  US12/599,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20100331739A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/588
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 17/008 for detecting birth of animals, e.g. parturition alarm

Abstract

A method and a system for predicting a calving date of an animal comprises monitoring a behavioral pattern of an animal, determining a given change in the behavioral pattern, and predicting the calving date responsive to the given change in the behavioral pattern.

Claims

1. A method for predicting a calving date of an animal, the method comprising:

monitoring a behavioral pattern of an animal based on a pattern of leg postures of the animal with a calving sensing device configured and adapted to be attached to a leg of an animal;

determining a given change in the behavioral pattern while the calving sensing device is positioned on the leg; and

predicting the calving date responsive to the given change in the behavioral pattern.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the behavioral pattern is an activity pattern.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein monitoring the activity pattern of the animal includes monitoring at least one of a laying time of the animal, and a laying frequency of the animal.

6. The method according to claim 2 wherein monitoring the activity pattern of the animal includes monitoring at least one of a number of leg movements of the animal, and a number of leg movements per hour of the animal.

8. The method according to claim 2 wherein monitoring the activity pattern of the animal includes monitoring a standing time of the animal.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the behavioral pattern of the animal includes monitoring a frequency of passes by a central communication unit.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the behavioral pattern of the animal is performed at a specified time period of a day.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein the given change in the activity pattern comprises a change in at least one of a laying time of the animal, and a change in a laying frequency of the animal.

13. The method according to claim 2, wherein the given change in the activity pattern comprises a change in at least one of a number of leg movements of the animal and a number of leg movements per hour of the animal.

15. The method according to claim 2, wherein the given change in the activity pattern comprises a change in a standing time of the animal.

16. The method according to claim 2, wherein the given change in the activity pattern is a change in a ratio of a number of leg movements of the animal and a laying time of the animal.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the given change in the behavioral pattern is a change in the behavioral pattern over a day divided by an average of the behavioral pattern over a number of previous days.

18. The method according claim 1, wherein the given change in the behavioral pattern is a change in the behavioral pattern over a day divided by a standard deviation of the behavioral pattern over a number of previous days.

19. The method according claim 1, wherein the given change in the behavioral pattern is a change in the frequency that the animal passes by a central communication unit.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the given change is a change over a defined threshold.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calving date is predicted as being a day after the given change in the behavioral pattern.

23. The method according to claim 1 wherein the calving sensing device is operative to sense a tilt in an orientation of the leg of the animal.

24. The method according to claim 23 wherein the calving sensing device includes a tip-over switch.

25. The method according to claim 24 wherein the tip-over switch is omni-directional.

26. The method according to claim 24 wherein the calving sensing device includes an ID tag.

27. The method according to claim 1 comprising transmitting a monitored behavioral pattern to a central communication unit.

49. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calving date is predicted as being at least 8 hours after the change in the behavioral pattern and within a day after the change in the behavioral pattern.

50. The method according to claim 1, comprising indicating that calving is to occur within 8 to 24 hours or within a pre-determined time range between 8-24 hours.

51. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predicting occurs between 8 to 24 hours prior to the calving date predicted.

3. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

28. A system for predicting a calving date of an animal comprising:

a calving sensing device configured and adapted to be attached to a leg of an animal and operative to monitor a behavioral pattern of the animal based on a pattern of leg postures of the animal while positioned on the leg of the animal; and

a processing unit operative to predict the calving date based on the behavioral pattern of the animal.

29. The system according to claim 28 wherein the behavioral pattern is an activity pattern.

30. The system according to claim 28 wherein the calving sensing device is operative to sense a laying time of the animal.

31. The system according to claim 28 wherein the calving sensing device is operative to sense a number of leg movements of the animal.

32. The system according to claim 28 wherein the calving sensing device includes at least one tilt switch to sense an orientation of the leg of the animal.

33. The system according to claim 32 wherein the tilt switch is a tip-over switch.

34. The system according to claim 33 wherein the tip-over switch is omni-directional.

35. The system according to claim 33, wherein the tilt switch is configured to sense laying time.

36. The system according to claim 33, wherein the tilt switch is configured to sense number of leg movements.

37. The system according to claim 28 comprising a pedometer.

38. The system according to claim 37 wherein the pedometer and the calving sensing device are integrated into a single housing.

39. The system according to claim 28 comprising a central communication unit, central communication unit comprising a central receiver to receive data from one or more of the calving sensor devices.

40. The system according to claim 39 wherein the central communication unit includes a central transmitter operative to transmit a signal to the calving sensing device.

41. The system according to claim 40 wherein the signal operative to be transmitted to the calving sensing device is operative to wake-up the calving sensing device.

42. The system according to claim 39 wherein the central receiver is an RF receiver.

43. The system according to claim 39, wherein the central communication unit is configured to be positioned in a passage way through which the animal passes at least once a day.

44. The system according to claim 39, wherein the central communication unit is configured to communicate with the calving sensing device at a distance of approximately 30 cm or less.

45. The system according to claim 39 comprising a central processing unit, the central processing unit comprising:

a central processor operative to predict a calving data based the behavioral pattern of the animal; and

a central interface unit operative to relay information to a user regarding a prediction date for calving.

46. The system according to claim 45 wherein the central processing unit comprises a personal computer operative to communicate with a central communication unit and to process data received from the central communication unit.

47. The system according to claim 45 comprising a plurality of central communication units in communication with a single central processing unit.

48. The system according to claim 45, wherein the central processing unit is to display data corresponding to calving date prediction.

52. The system according to claim 28, wherein the processing unit is operative to predict that calving is to occur within 8 to 24 hours or within a pre-determined time range between 8-24 hours.