Method and system for monitoring livestock
A system for monitoring livestock in a ranching environment. The system includes tag sensors attached to animals, and configured to collect monitoring data from the animals, a first access point, configured to receive the collected monitoring data from the tag sensors and to process the collected monitoring data, an Internet of Things (IoT) link established between each of the tag sensors and the access point, and an IoT communication protocol overlay that enables synchronized uplinks from the tag sensors to the first access point via the IoT links. The IoT communication protocol overlay governs transmissions of monitoring data by the tag sensors to the access point. The system further includes a hub/cloud platform configured to receive the processed monitoring data from the first access point, perform data analytics on the processed monitoring data, and provide a user interface that enables a user to monitor the livestock.
1. A system for monitoring livestock in a ranching environment, the system comprising:
tag sensors attached to animals, and configured to collect monitoring data from the animals;
a first access point, configured to receive the collected monitoring data from the tag sensors and to process the collected monitoring data;
a second access point;
a third access point;
an Internet of Things (IoT) link established between each of the tag sensors and the first, second and third access points, wherein the IoT link coverages of the first, second and third access points overlap in an overlap region of the ranching environment;
an IoT communication protocol overlay that enables synchronized uplinks from the tag sensors to the first access point via the IoT links,
wherein the IoT communication protocol overlay governs transmissions of monitoring data by the tag sensors to the access point; and
a hub/cloud platform configured to:
receive the processed monitoring data from the first access point;
perform data analytics on the processed monitoring data; and
provide a user interface that enables a user to monitor the livestock,
wherein one of the tag sensors of an animal in the overlap region performs a transmission, using the IoT communication protocol overlay,
wherein the transmission is received by the first, the second, and the third access points,
wherein the first, the second, and the third access points estimate a distance of the tag sensor from the first, the second and the third access points, respectively, using time difference of arrival (TDOA) methods, and
wherein the system estimates a location of the tag sensor, based on the three distances, using triangulation, and
wherein the estimated location is included in the processed monitoring data received by the hub/cloud platform.
2. The system of claim 1 , where the system estimates a location of one of the tag sensors using received signal strength indication (RSSI) methods.
3. The system of claim 1 , where a location of one of the tag sensors is obtained using a GPS unit of the tag sensor.
4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cloud environment configured to provide analytics services to the user via the hub/cloud platform, wherein the cloud environment is operatively connected to the access point.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a hub, configured to establish an interface between the access point and a cloud environment,
wherein the hub/cloud platform jointly executes on the hub and in the cloud environment to provide analytics services to the user.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the analytics services comprise behavioral analytics that enable the user to monitor a well-being of the livestock.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the analytics services are configured to trigger an alert when the well-being of the livestock is found to be at risk.
8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the execution of the hub/cloud platform is at least partially redundant, enabling the user to access hub/cloud functionality via the hub or via the cloud.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein one of the tag sensors comprises:
sensors configured to obtain measurements from the animal equipped with the tag sensor;
a processor configured to process the obtained measurements;
an IoT transceiver, configured to transmit the processed measurements to the first access point;
a battery that powers the tag sensor; and
a fastener configured to affix the tag sensor to the animal.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the tag sensor further comprises an RFID tag, programmed with an identifier of the animal that can be read out by an RFID reader in proximity of the animal.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the sensors comprise at least one selected from a group consisting of an accelerometer, a temperature probe, a heart rate sensor and a blood pressure sensor.
12. The system of claim 9 , further comprising an in-vivo sensing capsule configured to obtain at least one physiological measurement of the animal that is provided to the tag sensor, which relays the physiological measurement to the first access point, and
wherein the tag sensor comprises an in-vivo transceiver configured to receive the at least one physiological measurement.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the sensing capsule is one selected from a group consisting of ingested and implanted.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first access point is further configured to provide a broadband data interface to broadband equipment in the ranching environment.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the broadband equipment comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a drone, a camera, a laptop and a smartphone.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing of the collected monitoring data comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of tag sensor data aggregation, tag sensor data filtering, tag sensor data fusion, tag sensor data compression and tag sensor data encryption.
17. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the first access point is installed on a first site of the ranching environment and
wherein a second access point is installed on a second site of the ranching environment, separate from the first site,
thereby establishing a multi-site monitoring system.
18. The system of claim 1 , configured to separately monitor a first subset of the animals associated with a first tenant, and a second subset of the animals associated with a second tenant, thereby establishing a multi-tenant monitoring system.