HK40017211B - Livestock health monitoring system and method of use - Google Patents

Description

Livestock health monitoring system and using method

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for determining the health of livestock (livestock), and more particularly to a livestock health monitoring system for data collection and detection of abnormal health conditions.

Background

Systems and methods for determining livestock health are well known in the art and are effective means for detecting disease and administering treatment in livestock. For example, fig. 1 depicts a simplified schematic diagram of a conventional animal monitoring system 101 having an animal manager 102 monitoring a plurality of animals 103 and communicating with a veterinarian 104. As shown in fig. 2, a flow chart 201 describes an example of the processing of system 101. Animal handler 102 monitors animals 103 via visual inspection. When unusual behavior of the animal occurs as an indication of disease, animal manager 102 contacts veterinarian 104, and veterinarian 104 makes a prognosis and initiates treatment accordingly, as shown in boxes 203 and 206.

One of the problems typically associated with system 101 is inadequate monitoring and/or inexperience by livestock managers. For example, the monitored process may involve a large number of animals, making the monitoring process difficult. In addition, this process is subject to a great deal of human error because many livestock diseases are visually imperceptible and/or livestock managers cannot adequately determine whether livestock is ill.

Accordingly, while there have been great advances in the art of systems and methods for determining livestock health, there are still many drawbacks.

Drawings

The novel features believed characteristic of the embodiments of the application are set forth in the appended claims. The embodiments themselves, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a general livestock method of determining livestock health;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the process of the simplified schematic of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of an animal health monitoring system according to a preferred embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the health monitoring device from FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the process of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic diagram of a system according to an alternative embodiment of the present application; and

fig. 7 is a flow chart depicting a preferred method of use.

While the system and method of use of the present application are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the application as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the system and method of use of the present application are provided below. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions should be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The system and method of use according to the present application overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned problems typically associated with conventional animal monitoring systems. In particular, the invention provides a fast and efficient means for monitoring a large number of livestock and reducing the risk of human error. These and other features of the system and method of use are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The system and method of use, both as to its structure and operation, will be understood from the accompanying description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of a system are presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts and features of the different embodiments may be combined and/or interchanged with one another, all within the scope of the present application, even if not all variations and specific embodiments are shown in the drawings. It will also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from the present disclosure that features, elements and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless described otherwise.

The preferred embodiments described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. The preferred embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its application and practical use to enable others skilled in the art to follow its teachings.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several views, fig. 3 depicts a front view of an animal health monitoring system 301 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present application. It is to be appreciated that the system 301 overcomes one or more of the above-listed problems typically associated with conventional systems and methods of monitoring livestock health.

In a contemplated embodiment, the system 301 includes a health monitoring device 302 in communication with an animal 303 via an ear attachment 304. During use, the ear attachment 304 is secured to the ear of the animal (not shown) via one or more fasteners generally known in the art. To accomplish this feature, the ear attachment 304 includes a body having a bore 701, wherein the bore 701 extends through the body. The fastener is secured to the hole 701, which hole 701 is in turn secured to the ear.

As shown in fig. 4, health monitoring device 302 comprises one or more data collection chambers 401, an on/off push switch 402, both of which communicate with ear attachment 304 via a rotating device 403, and with a temperature probe 404 via a wire 405. In a preferred embodiment, an elongated temperature probe 404 is positioned through the rotational device 403 and comprises a material capable of changing stiffness when a particular temperature is reached. In addition, the data collection room 401 may contain a notification device 406 and be encapsulated in weather resistant (weather resistant) plastic. In a preferred embodiment, the notification device 406 is a light that can be seen by the worker; however, it should be appreciated that the notification device 406 may be an audible speaker and/or a transmitter configured to provide notifications to a remote computer, as described in FIG. 6.

A computer system with the necessary software, hardware and power supply is carried within the housing 401 to determine whether a temperature threshold has been reached and whether the device 406 is activated.

In fig. 5, a flow chart 501 depicts a preferred process of the system 301. The health monitoring device 302 is secured to the animal's ear 305 via the ear attachment 304 and is turned on by the on/off push switch 402, as shown in blocks 502 and 503. A temperature probe 404 of suitable length is placed in communication with ear 305 and transmits a temperature record to data collection room 401 via wires 405, as indicated by blocks 504 and 505. The temperature monitoring device 302 monitors the body temperature of the animal and may provide a notification when a user-set parameter is violated, as shown in block 506.

It will be appreciated that body temperature measurements of livestock may indicate useful information about disease, illness, distress and hormone levels.

It should be appreciated that one of the unique features considered to be characteristic of the present application is the incorporation of an on/off push switch 402. It will be appreciated that this switch will reduce the risk of the animal deactivating the health monitoring device. During use, a worker may determine whether the system is active by pressing the switch 402.

An additional unique feature that is believed to be characteristic of the present application is the material of the rotational feature 403 and temperature probe of the health monitoring device 302 that is capable of varying hardness. It should be appreciated that these features allow for stabilization and comfort of temperature probe 404 in animal ear 305.

In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the health monitoring device 302 can operate independently through the notification lights 406 in violation of user-set parameters. For example, if the temperature of the animal increases to a certain value as set by the user, the notification light 406 will signal to the user that this parameter has been met. It will be appreciated that this feature allows for a fast visual identification of the sick livestock.

Accordingly, as shown in fig. 3-5, a notification system is disclosed herein in which a temperature probe is immobilized within an animal's ear and provides a notification when a threshold temperature reading is reached, preferably via a light. Thus, the system is configured to provide a notification when the animal falls outside of the determined temperature range. The notification may be via lights, audible noise, and/or wireless transmission, as discussed in the following disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a simplified schematic diagram of a system 601 is shown, according to an alternative embodiment of the application. The system 601 incorporates the features of the system 301 and is further provided with a transmission system 600 having a transmitter configured to wirelessly communicate to a cloud service 603 and/or a database 605 and/or a portable computer (such as a phone, tablet or personal computer).

During use, the system 601 allows multiple animals to be monitored simultaneously and reduces the chance of human error. For example, the computer 607 may provide a notification when the system 301 is triggered, thereby allowing a worker to visually inspect the animal.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow chart 701 depicting a preferred method of use is shown. The process includes activating the health monitoring device and placing the probe of the health monitoring device into the ear of the animal as described in blocks 703 and 707. This feature may be implemented via one or more of the devices described above. The temperature measured by the probe is then transmitted to a data collection room via one or more transmitters, as shown in block 708.

One of the unique features of the preferred method is the selection of a temperature threshold and the duration of time for the animal to reach and/or exceed the temperature threshold, as shown in block 709. One or more computers are utilized to record and determine whether the temperature of the animal remains above the threshold for a selected duration of time. If so, the health monitoring system provides the notification in the form of a visual or audible alert, as shown in blocks 711, 713. In addition, one or more computers monitoring the animal may provide visual or audible notifications via the display. In the alternative, if the threshold temperature does not last for the selected duration, a temperature reading is recorded but the health monitoring device does not provide an alert.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the embodiments may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the specification. Although the present embodiments are shown above, they are not limited to these embodiments, but various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

Claims (20)

1. An animal health notification system comprising:

an attachment body configured to securely engage with an ear of the animal;

an elongated temperature probe secured to the attachment body and configured to extend within the ear of the animal, the temperature probe comprising a material capable of changing stiffness upon reaching a particular temperature;

a housing fixed to the attachment body;

a computer disposed within the housing and operatively associated with the temperature probe, wherein the computer is configured to determine whether the temperature of the animal measured via the temperature probe reaches a selected temperature threshold for a selected duration; and

a notification device in data communication with the computer, the notification device configured to provide a notification if the temperature of the animal reaches a selected temperature threshold for a selected duration.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch secured to the housing and operatively associated with a computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the switch is configured to reset the computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is a light.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is a speaker.

6. The system of claim 1, the notification device having:

a transmitter configured to wirelessly communicate with a portable computer.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a database in communication with the computer;

wherein the database is configured to store data from the notification device.

8. An animal health notification system comprising:

a temperature probe configured to extend within and be secured to an ear of an animal, the temperature probe comprising a material capable of changing stiffness upon reaching a particular temperature;

a computer operatively associated with the temperature probe and configured to determine whether a temperature measured via the temperature probe reaches a selected temperature threshold for a selected duration; and

a notification device operatively associated with the temperature probe, the notification device configured to provide a notification if the temperature measured by the temperature probe reaches a selected temperature threshold for a selected duration of time.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

an attachment body configured to securely engage with the ear of the animal;

wherein the temperature probe is fixed to the attachment body.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a housing secured to the attachment body.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer is disposed within the housing.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a switch secured to the housing and operatively associated with the computer.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the switch is configured to reset the computer.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification device is a light.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification device is a speaker.

16. The system of claim 8, the notification device having:

a transmitter configured to wirelessly communicate with a portable computer;

wherein the portable computer is configured to determine whether the animal has reached the selected temperature threshold for the selected duration.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a database in communication with the computer;

wherein the database is configured to store data from the notification device.

18. A method of determining the health of an animal comprising:

placing a temperature probe within the ear of the animal, the temperature probe comprising a material capable of changing stiffness upon reaching a particular temperature;

fixing the temperature probe to the ear of the animal;

selecting a temperature threshold;

selecting the duration of time for the animal to reach the temperature threshold;

determining, by a computer affixed to the ear of the animal, whether the temperature probe has measured a temperature that reaches a selected temperature threshold for a selected duration of time; and is provided with

Notifying a worker with a notification device if the temperature of the animal measured via the temperature probe reaches a selected temperature threshold for a selected duration.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

a visual notification is provided if the measured temperature reaches the selected temperature threshold for the selected duration.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

the measured temperature is transmitted to the portable computer.