IP Library Granted Patent US 10,149,617
Granted Patent B2
US 10,149,617 · App. 13/838,988 · Granted Dec 11, 2018

Multiple sensors for monitoring health and wellness of an animal

Inventor: John Couse (Toronto, CA)
Assignee: i4C Innovations Inc.
A61B5/0024A01K29/005A61B5/0022A61B5/1112A61B5/6802A61B5/7275A61B5/7285A61B5/746A61B2503/40A61B2505/07A61B2562/0219
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,149,617
App. No.
13/838,988
Granted
Dec 11, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for monitoring the health of an animal using multiple sensors is described. The wearable device may include one or more sensors whose resultant signal levels may be analyzed in the wearable device or uploaded to a data management server for additional analysis.

Claims (65)

1. A wearable device for an animal comprising:

a processor;

an accelerometer;

a microphone;

a clock;

an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar system including a first inward-facing antenna through which a UWB signal is transmitted and a second inward-facing antenna through which a return UWB signal is received; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive a signal from the accelerometer;

determine if the signal received from the accelerometer is over an acceleration threshold associated with a high impact;

after determining the signal received from the accelerometer is over the acceleration threshold associated with the high impact, retrieve microphone data that was collected before a time of the signal received from the accelerometer that is over an acceleration threshold associated with the high impact;

weight the signal received from the accelerometer and the microphone data;

determine, based on a combination of the weighted signal received from the accelerometer and the weighted microphone data, whether a probability that a high-impact event has occurred is over a threshold associated with the high-impact event;

based on determining that the probability that the high-impact event has occurred is over the threshold associated with the high-impact event:

generate a UWB signal by the UWB radar system and output the UWB signal through the first inward-facing antenna;

receive a return UWB signal from the second inward-facing antenna;

determine whether the return UWB signal received from the second inward-facing antenna indicates an abnormal condition; and

provide an alert that the UWB signal indicates the abnormal condition; and

in response to determining the signal received from the accelerometer is below a minimum threshold amount of acceleration over a time period:

receive a clock signal;

determine whether a current time is at night; and

in response to determining the signal received from the clock indicates the current time is at night:

generate a UWB signal by the UWB radar system and output the UWB signal through the first inward-facing antenna;

receive a return UWB signal from the second inward-facing antenna; and

process the return UWB signal to determine a baseline measurement of a vital sign of the animal.

2. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

return a second alert in response to determining the signal received from the accelerometer is over the acceleration threshold associated with the high impact.

3. The wearable device of claim 1 , further comprising one of a light meter or a sound meter, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive a signal from a sensor in response to determining the signal received from the accelerometer is over the acceleration threshold associated with the high impact;

determine if the signal received from the sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining the signal received from the sensor exceeds the predetermined threshold, provide the alert via the output to a user device.

4. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

in response to determining that the signal received from the accelerometer exceeds a first predetermined threshold, identify, from a plurality of events, one or more events associated with the animal that may have occurred based on information associated with the signal, the one or more events associated with the animal comprising a first event associated with the animal.

5. The wearable device of claim 4 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

in response to determining that data received from the UWB radar system does not exceed a second predetermined threshold, determine, from the plurality of events, a second event that has occurred based on information associated with the signal and on the data received from the UWB radar system.

6. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

in response to determining the signal received from the accelerometer exceeds a first predetermined threshold, trigger the UWB radar system to operate in a first mode.

7. The wearable device of claim 6 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

after triggering the UWB radar system to operate in the first mode receive the return UWB signal associated with determining whether a first event associated with the animal has occurred.

8. The wearable device of claim 6 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive, from the UWB radar system, data collected in a second mode different from the first mode.

9. The wearable device of claim 8 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine whether a first event associated with the animal has occurred based on data collected in the first mode and on the data collected in the second mode.

10. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

operate the UWB radar system in a mode comprising an intermittent operation to collect data associated with determining whether a first event associated with the animal has occurred.

11. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

in response to determining the signal received from the accelerometer exceeds a first predetermined threshold, trigger the UWB radar system to operate in a mode comprising continuous operation to transmit data associated with determining whether a first event associated with the animal has occurred.

12. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine a respiration rate of the animal from the return UWB signal.

13. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the UWB signal is directed toward a neck of the animal to collect physiological data associated with the animal.

14. The wearable device of claim 1 , comprising a light meter, and wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

retrieve light-meter data associated with the time of the signal received from the accelerometer that is over the acceleration threshold associated with the high impact;

weight the signal received from the accelerometer, the microphone data, and the light-meter data; and

determine, based on a combination of the weighted signal received from the accelerometer, the weighted microphone data, and the weighted light-meter data, whether the probability that the high-impact event has occurred is over the threshold associated with the high-impact event.

15. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine, based on the return UWB signal, a loss of blood volume by the animal.

16. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine a gait of the animal based on the signal from the accelerometer.

17. The wearable device of claim 16 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine, based on comparing the gait of the animal to stored attributes for a plurality of animals, an identity of the animal from among the plurality of animals.

18. The wearable device of claim 16 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine, based on comparing the gait of the animal to a stored profile for the animal, whether the gait of the animal changed after the high-impact event.

19. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine, based on the return UWB signal, whether the animal is experiencing an abnormal respiration condition.

20. The wearable device of claim 19 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine, based on the return UWB signal, whether the animal is experiencing one or more of panting while resting, labored breathing, asymmetrical breathing, increased breathing rate, decreased breathing rate, wheezing, coughing, or choking.

Assignments (7)
RELEASE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT RECORDED AT REEL 042440/FRAME 0779 Recorded Nov 19, 2018
From: PEAK6 INVESTMENTS, L.P.
To: INTERSECTIONS INC.; IISI INSURANCE SERVICES INC.; INTERSECTIONS ENTERPRISES INC.; INTERSECTIONS HOLDINGS INC.; I4C INNOVATIONS LLC
Reel/Frame 047600/0916 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2017
From: INTERSECTIONS INC.; IISI INSURANCE SERVICES INC.; INTERSECTIONS ENTERPRISES INC.; INTERSECTIONS HOLDINGS INC.; I4C INNOVATIONS LLC
To: PEAK6 INVESTMENTS, L.P., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 042440/0779 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 27, 2017
From: CRYSTAL FINANCIAL LLC, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: INTERSECTIONS INSURANCE SERVICES INC.; INTERSECTIONS INC.; I4C INNOVATIONS INC.; CAPTIRA ANALYTICAL, LLC; INTERSECTIONS ENTERPRISES INC.; INTERSECTIONS HOLDINGS INC.
Reel/Frame 042166/0851 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 22, 2016
From: SILICON VALLEY BANK
To: INTERSECTIONS INC.; I4C INNOVATIONS INC.; INTERSECTIONS INSURANCE SERVICES INC.
Reel/Frame 038062/0328 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 22, 2016
From: INTERSECTIONS INC.; CAPTIRA ANALYTICAL, LLC; INTERSECTIONS INSURANCE SERVICES INC.; INTERSECTIONS ENTERPRISES INC.; INTERSECTIONS HOLDINGS INC.; I4C INNOVATIONS INC.
To: CRYSTAL FINANCIAL LLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 038200/0490 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 9, 2014
From: INTERSECTIONS INC.; I4C INNOVATIONS INC.; INTERSECTIONS INSURANCE SERVICES INC.
To: SILICON VALLEY BANK
Reel/Frame 033934/0169 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 25, 2013
From: COUSE, JOHN
To: I4C INNOVATIONS INC.
Reel/Frame 030879/0825 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140275824A1 · Sep 18, 2014
Cited By (3)
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