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

A method for determining a state of an animal, the method comprising:

• providing a sensing means for sensing two conditions of the animal, a first one of the sensed conditions comprising an orientation of a head of the animal, and a second one of the sensed conditions comprising a level of activity of the animal, the sensing means comprising an accelerometer configured to produce signals indicative of acceleration to which the accelerometer is subjected along two axes perpendicular to each other,
• attaching the accelerometer to the animal to produce signals indicative of the first and second sensed conditions,
• providing a signal processor configured to read the signals from the accelerometer indicative of the first and second sensed conditions,
• operating the signal processor
• to read the signals from the accelerometer indicative of the first and second sensed conditions of the animal,
• to determine at least one state of the animal from a plurality of states as being ruminating in response to
• the read signals indicative of the first one of the sensed conditions being indicative of the head of the animal being in a raised state,
• two or more frequency components of the read signals indicative of the second one of the sensed conditions lying within a predefined frequency range indicative of ruminating, and
• an average value of magnitude values of the frequency components of the read signals of the second one of the sensed conditions lying within the predefined frequency range indicative of ruminating being within a predefined range of magnitude values indicative of ruminating.