Pet animal collar for health and vital signs monitoring, alert and diagnosis
Inventors
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10492473-B2
Publication Date
2019-12-03
Expiration Date
Abstract
A system for monitoring vital signs of a pet animal comprises an annular band, an accelerometer configured to measure at least one of resting patterns, activity patterns, movement patterns, position patterns relating to, for example the pet animal relieving itself, lameness and scratching, and a non-accelerometer sensor configured to measure at least one of the following non-accelerometer-measured bioparameters of the pet animal: temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate. One or more processors are configured to receive sensor output data and reference data concerning the measured bioparameters of the pet animal or of a population of the pet animal, and determine a suspicion of a specific medical condition by: (i) scoring at least two bioparameters and comparing a cumulative score to a threshold cumulative score or to a threshold cumulative range; or (ii) identifying an abnormal pattern. The processor(s) may send an alert if at least one specific medical condition is suspected.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a neck-worn collar system for monitoring a pet animal to determine whether a specific medical condition is suspected. The collar includes an annular band with a working surface configured to wrap around the pet animal neck, and at least two sensor elements situated along a circumference of the band, including an accelerometer and a non-accelerometer sensor.
The accelerometer measures accelerometer-measured bioparameters selected from resting patterns, activity patterns, movement patterns, position patterns, lameness, and scratching. The non-accelerometer sensor measures temperature and at least one of pulse rate and respiration rate, where the at least one of pulse rate and respiration rate is measured by at least one acoustic sensor. The local or remote processors receive sensor output data and reference data concerning measured bioparameters of the pet animal or a population, and determine suspicion using at least one of cumulative scoring of multiple bioparameters and abnormal pattern detection in at least one bioparameter.
Acoustic sensing is enhanced by providing at least one acoustic balancer projecting from a rear surface of the band and at least one acoustic concentrator integrally formed with the band and projecting radially inward from the working surface. The acoustic concentrator is configured to penetrate fur and reduce relative movement between the collar and the pet animal, and together with the acoustic balancer reduces noise, captures a low frequency sound, conducts a readable signal from the neck to the acoustic sensor, and improves accuracy of position outputs by the accelerometer.
The processors further perform a quality assurance test on sensor input data and use the test results to decide whether sensor output data is deemed a sufficient condition for detecting the specific medical condition, otherwise processing sensor output data from the non-accelerometer-measured bioparameters.
Claims Coverage
The document includes one independent claim directed to a method for monitoring a pet animal to determine a suspicion of a specific medical condition. The core claim contains multiple inventive features: a multi-sensor collar array with accelerometer plus non-accelerometer sensors, acoustic sensing of pulse and respiration rate, processor-based suspicion determination using cumulative scoring or abnormal pattern detection, and processor-side quality assurance gating tied to sufficient-condition determination.
Neck-worn collar with annular band multi-sensor array
A collar with an annular band having a working surface wrapping around a neck of a pet animal, and at least two sensor elements situated along a circumference of the band including an accelerometer and a non-accelerometer sensor.
Accelerometer and non-accelerometer bioparameter measurement
The accelerometer measures resting patterns, activity patterns, movement patterns, position patterns, lameness, and scratching, and the non-accelerometer sensor measures temperature and at least one of pulse rate and respiration rate.
Acoustic measurement of pulse rate and respiration rate
The at least one of pulse rate and respiration rate is measured by at least one acoustic sensor.
Acoustic concentrator and acoustic balancer for fur-penetrating low-noise acoustic sensing
At least one acoustic balancer projects from a rear surface of the band, and at least one acoustic concentrator integrally formed with the band projects radially inward from the working surface and is configured to penetrate fur and reduce relative movement between the collar and the pet animal, together with reducing noise, capturing a low frequency sound, conducting a readable signal from the neck to the at least one acoustic sensor, and improving accuracy of position outputs by the accelerometer.
Reference-data fusion and suspicion determination by scoring or abnormal patterns
Receiving sensor output data and reference data concerning measured bioparameters of the pet animal or a population, and determining whether a specific medical condition is suspected by scoring bioparameters relative to reference data and comparing a cumulative score to a threshold cumulative score or threshold cumulative range, or identifying an abnormal pattern in at least one bioparameter.
Quality assurance test gating of sufficient condition for detection and alerting
Performing a quality assurance test on sensor input data for the accelerometer-measured bioparameter and applying results of the quality assurance test to the sensor output data such that if the sensor output data passes the quality assurance test it is deemed a sufficient condition for detecting the specified medical condition and an alert is sent, and if it fails the quality assurance test sensor output data from the non-accelerometer-measured bioparameters is processed.
Across the independent claim, suspicion of a specific medical condition is determined by reference-data fusion of multi-sensor bioparameters using either cumulative thresholded scoring or abnormal pattern detection, with acoustic concentrator and balancer structures to enable readable low-frequency acoustic sensing and a processor quality assurance test to gate alerting based on sufficient-condition detection.
Stated Advantages
Improves noise reduction and capture of a low frequency sound for acoustic sensing from the neck.
Improves accuracy of position outputs by the accelerometer.
Enables sensor outputs to be deemed a sufficient condition for detecting the specified medical condition and sending an alert.
Maintains monitoring with sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio and sufficiently accurate accelerometer outputs to assist in diagnosing the health condition of the pet animal.
Documented Applications
Detecting or suspecting seizure using abnormal accelerometer-measured movement patterns including paddling, head shaking, or twitching in a lying-down context.
Detecting or suspecting gastric dilation-volvulus (GDV) by scoring at least two selected bioparameters and comparing a cumulative score, or range, to a threshold cumulative score.
Suspecting hyperthyroidism by scoring at least two specified bioparameters, comparing a cumulative score or pattern range to a threshold, and measuring persistence over time of the cumulative score or abnormal pattern.
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