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

A method for detecting at least one detectable state of an animal, the method comprising:

• locating an acceleration sensor on or in the animal, the acceleration sensor configured to produce signals indicative of movement of the head of the animal,
• providing a signal processor configured to read signals from the acceleration sensor,
• operating the signal processor
• to read a first signal from the acceleration sensor indicative of movement of the head of the animal,
• to compute a mean magnitude value of the first signal during each predefined time period of a plurality of predefined time periods,
• to count the positive and negative peaks of the first signal during each predefined time period, absolute magnitude values of which with reference to a mean magnitude value lie within a predefined range of absolute magnitude values, and
• to compute a maximum peak to peak value of the first signal during each predefined time period as a sum of absolute magnitude values of a maximum positive peak value with reference to the mean magnitude value and a maximum negative peak value with reference to the mean magnitude value of the first signal during that predefined time period,
• wherein the signal processor is configured to detect the detectable state of the animal as ruminating in any one of the predefined time periods in response to at least one of
• the count of the positive and negative peaks of the first signal which lie within the predefined range of absolute magnitude values exceeding a predefined ruminating threshold count during that predefined time period, and
• the computed maximum peak to peak value of the first signal lying between a lower predefined peak to peak threshold value and an upper predefined peak to peak threshold value during that predefined time period.