RU2802597C2 - Electronic device worn by animal for health control - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: veterinary.

SUBSTANCE: frame with two opposite sides is provided, on the sides of which there are magnets facing each other, the module is located between the specified sides and is equipped with magnets interacting with the magnets on the sides, whereas a metal plate is installed under the module from the condition of contact with the magnets on the sides, protrusions are made on the outer surfaces of the frame sides, and reciprocal grooves are made on the opposite ends of the metal fastening plate to accommodate said protrusions of the frame sides.

EFFECT: increasing the reliability of attaching the monitoring module to the animal's collar.

1 cl, 14 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to the field of maintaining and promoting the health of pets, in particular to devices and methods for tracking the general activity of pets.

A technical solution is known according to the US application US 2020068853 A1 (published 03/05/2020) “NETWORK-BASED PET TRACKING AND REPORTING SYSTEM / SYSTEM FOR TRACKING PETS AND INFORMATION TRANSMISSION VIA THE NETWORK”, which discloses the implementation of the possibility of providing pet owners with control over the activity of their pet and nutritional stability on an ongoing basis. To do this, they use a tracking device, which is an electronic activity tracker that tracks the movement of a dog or other pet. The tracking device has a waterproof case, on the outer surface of which the company's graphic logo is applied.

The tracking device can record steps (walking or running), distance traveled, total time tracked, and other motion-based activities. The tracking device is attached or otherwise integrated with the collar. The device can also be modified to attach to any clothing the dog is wearing, such as a vest or similar item of clothing. The tracking device may be equipped with wireless communications such as Bluetooth, a subscriber identification module (SIM) or SIM card, wireless communications (Wi-Fi) and a display such as a touch screen or similar display device. Sensors that are structurally included in the device can include a gyroscope, barometer, temperature sensor, ambient light sensor, heart rate sensor, respiration rate sensor, etc. The device is powered by a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Additional components are remote devices in the form of accelerometers that are attached to the pet’s legs and transmit the corresponding data to the tracking device, which generally acts as a “mother” device that communicates with the owner’s smartphone.

In turn, the pet owner, through a smartphone with a specially installed application on it, carries out two-way communication with the mentioned tracking device on the one hand, and with the cloud service on the other.

Technical solutions are also known under patents RU 131203 U1 (published on August 10, 2013), US 6388612 B1 (published on May 14, 2002), generally consisting of a tracker containing a means of attaching it to a controlled object - a bracelet or similar product.

The disadvantages of the known technical solutions are the low level of control over the condition of an animal of a certain species, including in the event of a danger to the health of the animal. In addition, no solution has been developed for a safe and convenient means to implement the proposed method.

The achieved technical result can be expressed in increasing the level of remote control and expanding the arsenal of means for monitoring location, monitoring the condition and other parameters of domestic animals, in particular dogs.

The claimed technical result is achieved as follows.

An electronic device worn by an animal to monitor its health contains a 3-axis digital accelerometer and/or 3-axis digital gyroscope and/or digital magnetometer, GPS/GLONASS receiver, temperature sensor and/or pressure sensor, Wi-Fi scanner networks, and/or Bluetooth, and/or iBeacon, GSM transceiver and/or NB-IoT transceiver, and is configured to transmit and store collected data of animal health and behavior parameters on an information platform for processing the received data using machine learning and comparison algorithms received data with the parameters of an animal of the corresponding breed and age and sending an information message to the user’s mobile device, including information about the compliance of the animal’s behavior with basic parameters and/or information about the location of the animal, and/or recommendations for adjusting the behavior and nutrition of the animal, and/or a message that the animal is in danger, and also made with the possibility of attaching it to the animal’s collar by means of a frame with two opposite sides, on the sides facing each other there are magnets, the module is located between said sides and is equipped with magnets that interact with the magnets on the sides , while a metal plate is installed under the module in order to contact with the magnets on the sides, protrusions are made on the outer surfaces of the frame sides, and on the opposite ends of the metal fastening plate there are reciprocal grooves for placing said frame side protrusions.

Magnets can be placed inside the housing of an electronic device.

At the same time, it is well known that the life process of a domestic animal, for example, a dog, is associated with its constant mobility - walking, playing and similar physical activities on the one hand, while taking into account the age, breed, size of the animal, such activity can be of a high nature. On the other hand, the process of direct operation of an electronic device is also associated with the periodic need to remove it from the pet’s collar to update firmware, install applications, download readings and other actions, and, consequently, to reinstall the electronic device on the collar after completing the above actions. As a result, the indicated factors - physical activity and the need for periodic removal/installation of an electronic device, were taken into account by the authors when creating the claimed design, namely:

The magnets used in the design as a means of directly fixing the frame to the collar and then the electronic device to the frame act as a simple and reliable fastening device, allowing the elimination of buckles, fasteners and other traditional components that can injure the skin of the animal, and in the process of direct operation of the device, allowing the owner of the animal remove/install the electronic device with one hand, with the other controlling the position of the animal, for example, holding it by the collar, while the reverse process of removing the electronic device is also significantly simplified, since it is done with one simple movement of the hand to remove the device from the frame with a natural force sufficient to overcoming magnetic forces; In addition, the installation greatly facilitates the process of fixing the device on the collar, without requiring removal of the latter from the animal.

The following is a description of a possible way to implement the proposed technical solution using dogs as an example.

A method for ensuring control over the health of an animal includes:

- the presence of a mobile device and an electronic device worn by the animal connected to each other through the information platform;

- use of an information platform, including a database and an information processing unit containing parameters whose values characterize the body and behavioral characteristics of animals, ranked by breed and age, including basic parameters, the values of which characterize a healthy animal and parameters whose values differ from the basic parameters, and recommendations for the animal’s walking and feeding regime corresponding to each parameter value;

- using an electronic device worn by an animal to collect data on one or more parameters of the animal’s health and behavior, wherein the electronic device worn by the animal contains a component that measures the state of the animal’s body: weight and/or body temperature, and/or blood pressure , and/or pulse, and a component that determines the movement of the animal: location and/or speed of movement;

- transfer and storage of data on the information platform;

- processing of received data using machine learning algorithms;

- comparison of the received data with the parameters of the animal, the corresponding breed and age contained on the information platform and sending an information message to the mobile device, including information about the compliance of the animal’s behavior with basic parameters, and/or information about the location of the animal, and/or recommendations for adjusting the behavior regime and feeding the animal, and/or a message that the animal is in danger.

Parameters, the values of which characterize the organism and behavioral characteristics of animals, are mainly displayed on a mobile device in the form of images, graphs, ring charts, progress indicators and text information;

Parameters, the values of which characterize the body and behavioral characteristics of animals, are mainly selected from the following series: the period of sleep and wakefulness of the animal, the number of kilometers traveled by the animal, the number of steps taken by the animal, the duration of periods of activity of the animal (the device is switched to active mode), the duration of periods of passivity of the animal ( the device is switched to passive operating mode), the frequency of the device transition from active to passive operating mode and back to active.

Information about the location of an animal includes, as a rule: data on the animal’s movements in the form of trajectory lines on a map, stored in a database, with the ability to obtain them in a mobile application for any past day, tied to the time of day.

The invention is illustrated by the images in FIGS. 1-14.

With reference to Fig. 1, the frame 1 of the inventive electronic device 5 worn by an animal has two sides 2 oppositely located relative to each other. The inner surface of each of these sides can, for example, be made with a slope from top to bottom. On these internal surfaces there are magnets 3, which serve to fix the electronic device worn by the animal on the frame 1, while the corresponding response magnets 8 are located either inside the body of the electronic device or on its corresponding side surfaces (see Fig. 5).

With reference to Fig. 2, fixing an electronic device on an animal involves initially fixing the frame on the collar by placing it under the collar belt from the condition of the protrusion of the beads above such a belt and subsequent installation between the belt and the lower edge of the frame from the condition of contact with the magnets 3 of the metal plate 4. During operation, this plate ensures load distribution and prevents the device from sliding along the collar belt. To increase the reliability of fixation, protrusions 6 can be made on the outer surfaces of the sides of the frame, and at the opposite ends of the metal plate, reciprocal grooves 7 can be made to accommodate the said protrusions of the sides of the frame.

After installing the frame on the collar, the electronic device 5 is placed in the specified frame by simply aligning the magnets on the corresponding sides of the device elements - see Fig.3.

With reference to FIG. 4, through the use of an electronic device 5 worn by the animal, data about its condition is collected. This data is transmitted via the GSM/3G/LTE/NB-IoT mobile network, or via the animal owner’s mobile phone via Bluetooth to the information platform 9, processed using machine learning algorithms and returned in the form of recommendations and coordinates of the animal to the mobile application.

To obtain data on the condition of the animal, the following primary data sources are used - sensors:

- 3-axis digital accelerometer,

- 3-axis digital gyroscope,

- GPS/GLONASS receiver,

- temperature sensor,

- digital magnetometer,

- WI-FI network scanner,

- Bluetooth iBeacon

and others.

The main data sources for analysis are a 3-axis digital accelerometer and a navigation receiver. A complex analytical system (see Fig. 4), operating both at the level of the electronic device 5 worn by the animal and at the level of the information platform 9, allows you to interpret data on the movement of the animal, determine its location, draw conclusions about its behavior and dangerous cases for an animal.

The information platform 9 is designed to store and process data from the electronic device 5 worn by the animal, service and navigation information, allows you to activate and configure the SIM chip of the electronic device 5 worn by the animal, activate and remove the electronic device 5 worn by the animal from operation. Information platform 9 also stores various device configurations and allows you to configure and collect usage statistics and the profile of the subscriber device, and allows you to update the device over the air in a secure and fault-tolerant manner.

The information platform 9 is connected to the mobile phone 10 of the pet owner. The mobile application for managing the device and the user section allows you to activate various user scenarios and operating modes of the electronic device 5 worn by the animal.

Thus, the use of data processing algorithms and machine learning elements makes it possible to determine the following key parameters for animal owners:

- activity,

- dream,

- amount of energy expended,

- location,

- physical state.

In the event of an alarm (going beyond the perimeter, abnormal behavior, threat to life), the device switches to tracker mode and transmits coordinates with the highest possible frequency for quick localization of the animal.

Recommendations for care from veterinarians and data on the dog’s activity are transmitted to the mobile application.

Recommendations for animal care are made by current veterinarians based on data obtained from the device on sleep, activity and physical condition.

Animal activity:

One of the functions of the system is daily detection of the number of steps taken by the animal. This allows you to monitor your pet’s activity and create an individual plan for recommendations for caring for it.

The number of steps taken also affects the calculation of calories needed per day.

To keep your pet healthy, you need to walk at least 30-60 minutes a day. Very active dogs need more physical activity, for example 120-180 minutes.

It is also important that if the dog is overweight, it is worth walking with it for longer periods of time and over a greater distance.

Data about the dog's activity, including the number of steps taken, is measured by the device 5 and displayed in the mobile application.

An accelerometer is used as a measuring device, which detects acceleration in projections onto three axes of a rectilinear coordinate system - X, Y and Z (see Fig. 6).

The accelerometer is configured to output data at a frequency of 31 Hz. When using the power saving mode, data is output at a frequency of 40 Hz.

Based on the values of the acceleration projections on the three coordinate axes, the full value of the acceleration vector is calculated (see Fig. 7) in order to ensure the operation of the pedometer regardless of the position of the accelerometer.

The graph of the total acceleration value is then processed by a high-pass filter to remove the gravitational field (see Fig. 8). The cutoff frequency is 1 Hz.

In fig. 9 the scale of the graph in Fig. is changed. 8 along the Y axis for clearer detail.

Next, the graph of the total acceleration value is processed by a low-pass filter to remove high-frequency noise (see Fig. 10). The cutoff frequency is 10 Hz.

The full acceleration value is then processed by a Kalman filter to smooth out sudden changes in amplitude.

A graph of the total acceleration value to the Kalman filter is shown in Fig. eleven.

A graph of the total acceleration value after the Kalman filter is shown in Fig. 12.

The overall acceleration value is then processed by the peak detector (see FIG. 13).

Step detection occurs if the acceleration amplitude exceeds a specified threshold value.

The threshold value depends on the height of the animal at the withers and, as a consequence, the length of its stride. Accordingly, the threshold value will be unique for each animal.

Recommended number of steps (recommended distance):

Mini (<3 kg): 3-4 km per day, 8500-11,500 steps

Small (3-10 kg): 4-7 km per day, 8000-12,000 steps

Medium (10-<25 kg): 5-10 km per day, 6250-13,000 steps

Large (25-<40 kg): 15-17 km per day, 15,000 – 17,000 steps

Giant (≥40 kg): 17-20 km per day, 13,600 – 15,000 steps

Step length for each type of dog:

Mini (<3kg) 0.3 ± 0.08 (m)

Small (3-10 kg) 0.45 ± 0.10 (m)

Medium (10-<25 kg) 0.74 ± 0.11(m)

Large (25-<40 kg) 0.95 ± 0.1 (m)

Giant (≥40 kg) 1.2 ± 0.1 (m)

Formula for finding the recommended number of steps:

Where – recommended number of steps,

– recommended distance,

– step length.

Formula for finding walking time:

seconds,

Where – walk time,

– the number of packets with step-by-step data transmitted from the device.

The formula for finding the distance traveled today at the current moment:

Where – distance traveled today to the current moment,

– the number of steps for today at the current moment,

– step length.

Recommended distance (distance) is a tabular indicator set for each typical size of dog, which is provided by the veterinarian.

Step length (stepLength) is a tabular indicator set for each typical dog size, which is provided by the veterinarian.

Target walking time is a tabular indicator set for each typical dog size, which is provided by the veterinarian.

The number of steps for today at the current moment is the total number of steps received from the electronic device at the current moment (the summation is performed on the cloud server, not on the device).

For each animal, the intensity is calculated for different periods of time (minute, hour, day, week, month, year).

Obtained from an electronic device worn by the animal, the maximum acceleration in 60 seconds is compared with the tabulated intervals of movement intensity according to the intensity reference book for each typical size.

Calculations based on the physical condition of the animal, as well as sleep:

Calculation of the animal's physical condition (whether it is in an abnormal state or is in danger) is carried out by accumulating empirical data for each of the five types of dogs.

Data is accumulated and aggregated by:

- maximum acceleration indicator,

- data on the duration of active and passive modes.

Active mode is one of the operating modes of the device, in which the animal moves and the accelerometer reads steps. The device switches to passive mode when the animal is at rest.

If at any period of time a state corresponding to the sleep pattern is recorded, then the dog of this type is considered to be sleeping.

If a dog does not behave in accordance with the normal behavior pattern for that type of dog, then it is considered that there is a risk that the dog is in danger. Over a certain period of time the device operates, a normal model of the dog’s behavior is built, based on its average activity during the day. If a dog's behavior deviates greatly from the normal pattern, then it is considered to be at risk of danger.

Implementation examples:

1) The temperature outside is too high or too low. The device continuously measures the temperature and, if the temperature is above or below a critical level, it sends a notification to the user’s mobile device that it is not recommended to walk for more than 30 minutes. If after 30 minutes the user has not completed the walk with the pet, an additional notification will be sent to the mobile device indicating that the recommended walk time has been exceeded.

2) The animal itches more often than during normal behavior. The device reads this using sensors and sends notifications and recommendations from veterinarians to the user's mobile device.

3) The animal runs for a long time and continuously, which does not correspond to the normal model of behavior; perhaps it is scared and in danger. The device tracks the animal’s movement route, notifies the owner in the mobile application, sends coordinates and builds a movement route.

Determination of the RER coefficient and the amount of kcal consumed per day:

Veterinarians' recommendations are based on calculating the RER coefficient (Resting Energy Requirements - energy to perform basic body functions, such as digestion, respiration, heart function, brain function, etc.), which determines the required daily amount of kcal consumed for the animal.

All animals are typed by weight, height at the withers and breed, which makes it possible to determine for each specific dog the amount of kcal consumed per day that is required from a physiological point of view. It is calculated using formulas for finding the RER index and depends on:

1) breed (body weight, height at withers, life stage),

2) lifestyle (sleep, activity, physical condition).

Breed data is entered into the mobile application and does not change. Based on them, the basic values necessary for expending kcal per day are constructed. Methods for finding baseline values are determined by veterinarians.

Lifestyle data (sleep, activity, physical condition) are measured by a device worn by the animal and determine the actual energy expended by the animal.

Next, the obtained data on lifestyle are compared with data on the breed, and based on them, recommendations for caring for the animal are determined.

Typing is done by weight and height at the withers of the dog. If these data are not indicated, then the classification is carried out by the breed. If it is not specified, activity indicators are not calculated. The classification of dog breeds by weight is presented in the form of tabular indicators, each weight having its own norms.

Factors influencing the calculation of the RER index:

Before you start using the device in the application, you must specify:

- sex of the animal,

- age of the animal,

- the animal is castrated or no (optionally for females it is possible to select the sub-items pregnancy (mutually exclusive with “castrated”) and lactation (mutually exclusive with pregnancy)),

- dog activity (for example, agility),

- whether the dog is a working dog (for example, herding dogs, police work, circus, etc.),

- the dog’s body condition according to a five-point scale,

- breed type by weight.

Each dog has its own model of energy expended per day.

Using a neural network, an estimated map of the animal’s fat layer is drawn up based on the photo. All parameters are linked to specially designed animal models.

The user enters the application, opens the condition assessment screen, which is a switched-on camera with an overlay of the outline of the ideal weight (3 points) of the dog in profile (side view). After the user takes a photo, the same screen is displayed, but with an outline of the dog in an overhead view. The user also takes a photo of the dog.

Next, the system analyzes how much the real outline of the dog goes beyond the boundaries of the ideal outline or does not reach it, and compares it with reference photographs. After this, the system assigns the dog a body condition from 1 to 5 (see Fig. 14).

Types of dog breeds by weight.

Based on weight, dogs are usually divided into 5 types:

- mini (<3 kg),

- small (<10 kg),

- medium (10-<25 kg),

- large (25-<40 kg)

- giant (≥40 kg).

RER calculation:

Formula for calculating kcal/day:

Where – energy needs at rest,

Most dogs will lose weight on this caloric intake. Therefore, there are amendments to the RER, implemented in the form of an amendment factor. Apart from the amendments indicated in the table, nothing else affects the RER.

– correction factor to , is a tabular indicator, the directory can be expanded,

– calories.

RER correction factors k x RER No data = 1.5 x RER Castrated = 1.6 x RER Uncastrated = 1.8 x RER Constitution 1 (Very thin) = 2.2 x RER Constitution 2 (Thin) = 2 x RER Constitution 3 (Ideal) + Uncastrated (or unknown) = 1.8 x RER Constitution 3 (Ideal)+Castrated = 1.6 x RER Constitution 4 (Overweight) + Uncastrated (or unknown) = 1.4 x RER Constitution 4 (Overweight)+Neutered = 1.2 x RER Constitution 5 (Obese) + Uncastrated (or unknown) = 1.1 x RER Constitution 5 (Obese)+Neutered = 1 x RER Active, working dogs = 3 x RER Puppies 0-4 months. = 3 x RER Puppies over 4 months. and up to 1 year = 2 x RER Elderly dog (over 10 years old) = 1.2 x RER Female (or gender not specified) + Lactation = 5 x RER Female (or gender not specified)+ Pregnancy (1.8-3) = 2.5 x RER

Calculation example

The user selects a point on a body condition scale from 1 to 5 for an adult dog 1-10 YEARS OLD (not working, not involved in heavy sports, not pregnant, not lactating).

1 point – the correction factor to RER 2.2 is used

2 points – correction factor to RER 2 is used

3 points – an adjustment factor to RER is used: 1.6 for castrated, 1.8 for non-castrated

4 points – the coefficient of correction to RER is used 1.2 for castrated, 1.4 for non-castrated

5 points – an adjustment factor to RER is used: 1 for castrated, 1.1 for non-castrated.

For example, a dog weighs 14 kg:

30 x 14 kg + 70 = 490 kcal

Let’s say this dog is 4/5 on the body condition scale, and the goal is to lose weight:

490 x 1.2 (because neutered, but overweight) = 588 kcal

Correction factor depends on the correction indicator and its value. The amendment indicators are not equivalent and have different priorities.

The correction factor directory data is dynamic and is formed from collected empirical data from electronic devices processed using machine learning.

The initial content of the directory is provided by a veterinary specialist. After that, data on the number of steps and intensity of movement, switching modes (active-passive) are processed and analyzed to what extent a given amount of calories is sufficient for a given typical size of dog (analysis by typical size, and not for each dog separately). If it is determined that the dog has enough/not enough calories consumed, the coefficients will change.

Feedback from application users is also analyzed, and the list of correction factors can be expanded based on feedback, joining the overall priority scheme.

Calculations by location:

To accurately calculate location, geodata is processed at four levels:

1. Physical. Receiving and storing raw data from devices via physical channels: GPS, Wi-Fi, LBS or iBeacon (depending on distance from the user).

2. Validation. Processing incoming geodata:

a. statistical using machine learning algorithms to smooth out routes, i.e. so that the location is readable to the user;

b. on the time track so that the next coordinate is later than the previous one;

c. taking into account coverage by geohashes, to take into account the accuracy and errors of position and ease of storage, as well as use;

d. taking into account the type of physical data on channels and their combinations.

3. Geographical. Bringing physical data to geodata format and saving it with reference to geohashes, users, devices.

4. Custom. Generating results based on custom triggers.

Claims (1)

An electronic device worn by an animal to monitor its health, containing a 3-axis digital accelerometer and/or a 3-axis digital gyroscope and/or a digital magnetometer, a GPS/GLONASS receiver, a temperature sensor and/or a pressure sensor, a Wi-Fi scanner -Fi networks, and/or Bluetooth, and/or iBeacon, GSM transceiver and/or NB-IoT transceiver, configured to transmit and save collected data of animal health and behavior parameters on an information platform for processing the received data using machine learning algorithms and comparing the received data with the parameters of an animal of the corresponding breed and age and sending an information message to the user’s mobile device, including information about the compliance of the animal’s behavior with basic parameters, and/or information about the location of the animal, and/or recommendations for adjusting the animal’s behavior and diet, and/ or a message that the animal is in danger, and also made with the possibility of attaching it to the animal’s collar by means of a frame with two opposite sides, on the sides facing each other there are magnets, the module is located between said sides and is equipped with magnets that interact with the magnets on the sides, while a metal plate is installed under the module for contact with the magnets on the sides, protrusions are made on the outer surfaces of the frame sides, and on the opposite ends of the metal mounting plate there are reciprocal grooves for placing said frame side protrusions.