Ingestible low power sensor device and system for communicating with same

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for an ingestible sensor device are described. The ingestible sensor devices may be swallowed by an animal to diagnose one or more conditions of the animal. The ingestible sensor device may include a sensor configured to receive a stimulus inside the gastrointestinal tract of an animal, wherein the sensor is configured to output a signal having a characteristic proportional to the received stimulus. The ingestible sensor device may further include a communications module that transmits a signal modulated with the sensor output signal and a housing configured to have a size that is swallowable, wherein the housing substantially encloses the sensor and communications module.

1 .- 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A method, comprising:
 attaching a sensor link module to a skin of an animal; and   causing the animal to swallow a ingestible sensor device;   wherein an acoustic communication signal is transmitted from the ingestible sensor device located within a gastrointestinal tract of the animal, the communication signal including sensor data obtained by the ingestible sensor device in the gastrointestinal tract; and   wherein the communication signal is received by the sensor link module.   
     
     
         18 . A method, comprising:
 in a link module attached to an animal, receiving a first acoustic communication signal from an ingestible sensor device located within the gastrointestinal tract of the animal;   storing sensor data received in the first communication signal; and   transmitting the sensor data to a computing device in a second communication signal.   
     
     
         19 . A method, comprising:
 receiving a communication signal from a computing device, the communication signal including sensor data obtained by a sensor in an ingestible sensor device located in the gastrointestinal tract of an animal;   processing the sensor data; and   diagnosing a condition of the animal based on the processed sensor data.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , comprising:
 providing an assessment of the diagnosed condition to the animal.