Animal health and wellness monitoring using UWB radar

• US 9,526,437 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: i4c Innovations Inc. (One Health Group, LLC)
• Original Assignee: i4c Innovations Inc. (One Health Group, LLC)
• Inventors: Tupin, Joe Paul Jr., Couse, John Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRINH T
• Application Number:
  US14/086,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20140182519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 119/859, 119/856, 119/857, 119/858, 119/863, 119/865, 600/484, 600/300, 600/301, 600/529, 600/481, 600/483
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/009 with electric-shock, sound, magnetic- or radio-waves emitting devices
• 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 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0507 using microwaves or terahertz waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6822 Neck
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00

Abstract

A collar with an ultra-wideband radar is described. A housing contains sensor electronics and the transmit and receive antennas are located separate from the housing around the circumference of the collar. A first example of the collar includes a first transmit antenna and a first receive antenna. A second example of the collar adds a second transmit antenna and a second receive antenna.

Claims

1. A collar comprising:

a housing containing a processor configured to control generation of an ultra-wideband radar signal and reception of one or more resultant signals, said housing located at a first circumferential position on said collar;

a transmit antenna separate from the housing, the transmit antenna configured to output the ultra-wideband radar signal directed at biological tissue, the transmit antenna having a beam width; and

a receive antenna separate from the housing, the receive antenna configured to receive the one or more resultant signals based on a reflection of the ultra-wideband radar signal from the biological tissue, the receive antenna having a beam width,

wherein the transmit antenna is located at a second circumferential position on said collar that is different from said first circumferential position, and

wherein the transmit antenna is located at a fixed angle relative to the receive antenna to maximize a magnitude associated with the one or more resultant signals such that the beam width of the transmit antenna is configured to overlap with the beam width of the receive antenna at the biological tissue.

2. The collar according to claim 1, further comprising a second housing,

wherein the housing containing the processor is a first housing, and

wherein both the transmit antenna and the receive antenna are located in said second housing.

3. The collar according to claim 1,

wherein the receive antenna is located at a third circumferential position on said collar that is different from each of said first circumferential position and said second circumferential position.

4. The collar according to claim 1, further comprising a counterweight located at a third circumferential position on said collar, said third circumferential position being different from said first circumferential position and said second circumferential position.

5. The collar according to claim 1, further comprising a tensioner located at a third circumferential position on said collar, said third circumferential position being different from said first circumferential position and said second circumferential position.

6. The collar according to claim 1,

wherein the transmit antenna is a first transmit antenna,

wherein the receive antenna is a first receive antenna, and

wherein the collar further comprises:

a second transmit antenna; and

a second receive antenna.

7. The collar according to claim 6,

wherein the first transmit antenna is circumferentially closer to said housing than said first receive antenna, and

wherein the second transmit antenna is circumferentially closer to said housing than said second receive antenna.

8. The collar according to claim 6,

wherein the first transmit antenna is circumferentially closer to said housing than said first receive antenna, and

wherein the second receive antenna is circumferentially closer to said housing than said second transmit antenna.

9. The collar according to claim 6,

wherein, when the first transmit antenna outputs said ultra-wideband signal, said first receive antenna receives said one or more resultant signals.

10. The collar according to claim 6,

wherein, when the first transmit antenna outputs said ultra-wideband signal, said second receive antenna receives said one or more resultant signals.

11. The collar according to claim 6,

wherein, when the first transmit antenna outputs said ultra-wideband signal, said first receive antenna and said second receive antenna receive one or more resultant signals.

12. The collar according to claim 6,

wherein, when the first transmit antenna and the second transmit antenna output said ultra-wideband signal, said first receive antenna receives one or more resultant signals.

13. The collar according to claim 1,

wherein the transmit antenna is configured to output the ultra-wideband signal to illuminate at least one of a carotid artery and a jugular vein, and

wherein the receive antenna is configured to receive the one or more resultant signals containing information relating to the position and motion of said at least one of the carotid artery and the jugular vein.

14. The collar according to claim 1,

wherein the transmit antenna is configured to output the ultra-wideband signal to illuminate muscles proximate to at least one of a trachea and an esophagus, and

wherein the receive antenna is configured to receive the one or more resultant signals containing information relating to the position and motion of said muscles proximate to at least one of said trachea and said esophagus.

19. The collar according to claim 1, wherein the angle is based on a type of tissue associated with the biological tissue.

20. The collar according to claim 1, wherein the angle is based on one or more structures between the biological tissue and at least one of the transmit antenna or the receive antenna.

21. The collar according to claim 1, wherein the angle is based on a type of physiological signal associated with the biological tissue.

15. A collar comprising:

a housing containing a processor configured to control generation of an ultra-wideband radar signal and reception of one or more resultant signals, said housing located at a first circumferential position on said collar;

a transmit antenna, the transmit antenna configured to output the ultra-wideband radar signal directed at biological tissue, the transmit antenna having a beam width; and

a receive antenna, the receive antenna configured to receive the one or more resultant signals resulting from a reflection of the ultra-wideband radar signal from the biological tissue, the receive antenna having a beam width;

wherein the transmit antenna and the receive antenna are located in the housing, and

wherein the transmit antenna is located at a fixed angle relative to the receive antenna to maximize a magnitude associated with the one or more resultant signals such that the beam width of the transmit antenna is configured to overlap with the beam width of the receive antenna at the biological tissue.

16. The collar according to claim 15,

wherein the transmit antenna is a first transmit antenna,

wherein the receive antenna is a first receive antenna, and

wherein the collar further comprises:

a second transmit antenna; and

a second receive antenna, and

wherein the second transmit antenna and the second receive antenna are located at a second circumferential position separate from the first circumferential position.

17. The collar according to claim 15,

wherein the transmit antenna is configured to output the ultra-wideband signal to illuminate at least one of a carotid artery and a jugular vein, and

wherein the receive antenna is configured to receive the one or more resultant signals containing information relating to the position and motion of said at least one of the carotid artery and the jugular vein.

18. The collar according to claim 15,

wherein the transmit antenna is configured to output the ultra-wideband signal to illuminate muscles proximate to at least one of a trachea and an esophagus, and

wherein the receive antenna is configured to receive the one or more resultant signals containing information relating to the position and motion of said muscles proximate to at least one of said trachea and said esophagus.

22. The collar according to claim 15, wherein the angle is based on a type of tissue associated with the biological tissue.

23. The collar according to claim 15, wherein the angle is based on one or more structures between the biological tissue and at least one of the transmit antenna or the receive antenna.

24. The collar according to claim 15, wherein the angle is based on a type of physiological signal associated with the biological tissue.