Method, a device and a system for detecting a state of an animal

Abstract

A device (5) attached to the neck (6) of an animal (2) includes an accelerometer (28) which produces first and second signals indicative of movement of the animal (2) and the raised and lowered states of the head of the animal. A microprocessor (30) in the device (5) processes the first and second signals to detect ruminating, resting, feeding and three activity states of the animal during respective second predefined time periods of approximately 15 minutes duration. Data indicative of the states of the animal is stored by the microprocessor (30) in the device (5) and periodically transmitted to a cloud computer server which further processes the data to determine various health states and other issues of the animal.

1 . A method for determining a state of an animal, the method comprising storing data indicative of at least one predefined location visited by the animal. 
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  in which the time at which the animal visited the at least one predefined location is stored. 
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  in which the duration of the visit to the at least one predefined location is stored. 
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  in which the identity of the at least one predefined location is determined from an identification signal received when the animal is adjacent the at least one predefined location. 
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 4  in which the identification signal is received wirelessly. 
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in  claim 4  in which the identification signal is generated adjacent the at least one predefined location. 
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in  claim 4  in which the identification signal is derived from a means adjacent the at least one predefined location capable of producing or configuring a signal to be indicative of the at least one predefined location. 
     
     
         8 . A method as claimed in  claim 7  in which the means for producing or configuring the signal to be indicative of the at least one predefined location comprises a means for wirelessly transmitting a signal indicative of the at least one predefined location. 
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  in which data indicative of a plurality of respective predefined locations visited by the animal is stored. 
     
     
         10 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  in which data indicative of the time and the duration of the visit to each predefined location is stored and cross-referenced with the identity of the corresponding predefined location. 
     
     
         11 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  in which the state of the animal is determined from the stored data indicative of the time and the duration of each visit of the animal to each predefined location. 
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  in which the data indicative of the identity of each predefined location visited by the animal is communicated to one of a smart mobile device, a remote computing means and a cloud computer server. 
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in  claim 12  in which the times and the durations at which each predefined location is visited by the animal is communicated to the one of the smart mobile device, the remote computing means and the cloud computer server cross-referenced with the identity of the corresponding predefined location. 
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  in which signals from a sensor indicative of two sensed conditions of the animal are read, and at least one state of the animal is determined in response to the read signal being indicative of one of the sensed conditions being in a predefined state. 
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  in which a first one of the sensed conditions of the animal comprises the level of activity of the animal, and a second one of the sensed conditions of the animal comprises the state of the head of the animal. 
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  in which the signals are read from the sensor during respective first predefined time periods, and the state of the animal during each first predefined time period is determined from the read signals at the end of the corresponding first predefined time period and is stored. 
     
     
         17 . A method as claimed in  claim 16  in which the numbers of the first predefined time periods the animal is detected as being in the respective states is stored and cross-referenced with the identity of the corresponding states at the end of each of a plurality of second predefined time periods. 
     
     
         18 . A method as claimed in  claim 17  in which the data indicative of the predefined locations visited by the animal during each second predefined time period, the times at which the predefined locations are visited and the durations of the visits to the respective predefined locations are stored for each corresponding second predefined time period. 
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  in which the at least one state of the animal is communicated to the one of the smart mobile device, the remote computer and the cloud computer server along with the data indicative of the predefined locations visited by the animal, the times at which the predefined locations are visited and the durations of the visits to the respective predefined locations. 
     
     
         20 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  in which the sensor comprises an accelerometer configured to produce signals indicative of acceleration to which the accelerometer is subjected along two axes perpendicular to each other, and the accelerometer is configured for attaching to the animal so that the signal produced by the accelerometer indicative of the acceleration to which the accelerometer is subjected along one of the axes thereof is indicative of the state of the head of the animal, and the signal indicative of the acceleration to which the accelerometer is subjected along the other one of the axes is indicative of the level of activity of the animal. 
     
     
         21 . A device for carrying out the method of  claim 1  to determine the state of an animal, the device comprising a signal processor configured for reading an identification signal indicative of at least one predefined location visited by the animal.