Animal instrumentation

• US 8,166,923 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Equusys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Equusys Incorporated
• Inventors: Davies, Michael Allan Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): ABBOTT, YVONNE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US12/687,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20100179454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 119/712, 119/859, 119/421
• US Class Current: 119/712
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/008 incorporating GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/027 Exercising equipment, e.g. tread mills, carousels equipment for racing or riding sports events A63K
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An approach to monitoring, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment or conditioning of animals such as horses does not require use of restrictive equipment such as treadmills or force plates and that can provide either or both of more or less immediate or continuous processing of data to perform the monitoring or diagnosis. One or more wireless sensors are attached to the animal, for example, to measure motion-related parameter associated with one or more parts of the animal. Sensor data is received from the sensors and processed to identify a characteristic of the motion of the animal, such as a quality of gait. The sensor data can also be used to avoid injury to the animal and/or the rider, and to verify the identity of an animal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving first data from one or more sensors attached to an animal, the sensors including a sensor configured to measure a parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal, wherein the parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal includes a parameter selected from the group consisting of an arc or trajectory of a limb or a portion of a limb, a magnitude and timing of joint angles, a flexion or extension of a limb or of a portion of a limb, and a range of limb motion;

determining an attribute of motion of the animal based on the received first data;

comparing the determined attribute of motion with a prior attribute of motion determined based on second data previously received from one or more sensors attached to the animal; and

evaluating a change in a condition of the animal on the basis of the comparison of the attributes of motion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of motion includes a trajectory attribute of motion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the trajectory attribute of motion includes a quality of a gait of the animal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the trajectory attribute of motion includes a trajectory of a limb of the animal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating a change in the condition of the animal includes identifying an injury or a possible injury to the animal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating a change in the condition of the animal includes determining at least one of a level of fitness of the animal and a strength of a muscle of the animal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising assessing a degree of rehabilitation of an injury to the animal on the basis of the evaluated change in the condition of the animal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a recommendation for a treatment for an injury to the animal on the basis of the evaluated change in the condition of the animal.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising assessing a progress by the animal in a conditioning program on the basis of the evaluated change in the condition of the animal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a recommendation for a training program for the animal on the basis of the evaluated change in the condition of the animal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the second data; and

determining the prior attribute of motion based on the received second data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors include a sensor configured to measure a physiological parameter of the animal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing the measured physiological parameter with a prior physiological parameter; and

evaluating the change in the condition of the animal further on the basis of the comparison of the physiological parameters.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal includes a parameter selected from the group consisting of:

stride length;

stride rate;

height and length of a foot flight arc;

alterations in foot flight;

magnitude and timing of joint angles;

extension of a limb;

range of limb motion; and

relative force and pressure on different hooves.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal includes a parameter selected from the group consisting of:

stride length;

stride rate; and

height and length of a foot flight arc.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal includes a parameter selected from the group consisting of:

alterations in foot flight;

magnitude and timing of joint angles;

extension of a limb;

range of limb motion; and

relative force and pressure on different hooves.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal includes a parameter associated with an arc or trajectory of a limb or a portion of a limb.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal includes a magnitude and timing of joint angles.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal includes a flexion or extension of a limb or of a portion of a limb.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter associated with motion of a part of the animal includes a range of limb motion.