System and method for capturing and transmitting biometric data

A system comprising:

• a subdermal sensor unit:
• injectable under skin of an ear of an animal;
• and
• comprising:
• a subdermal housing;
• a set of biometric sensors:
• sealed in subdermal housing;
• and
• comprising:
• a temperature sensor configured to sense internal body temperatures of the animal;
• and
• an optical biometric sensor configured to sense dissolved blood oxygen levels of the animal;
• and
• a subdermal short-range wireless transmitter:
• sealed in the subdermal housing;
• and
• configured to stream a set of biometric data, representing internal body temperatures and dissolved blood oxygen levels of the animal during a sampling period and captured by the set of biometric sensors, and a unique identifier associated with the subdermal sensor unit at a first power level via a short-range wireless communication protocol during the sampling period;
• a superficial tag comprising:
• a tag housing;
• a controller configured to:
• calculate an average internal body temperature during the sampling period based on the set internal body temperatures;
• and
• calculate a heart rate, a heart rate variability, a breathing rate, and an average dissolved blood oxygen rate of the animal during the sampling period based on the set of optical data;
• a tag wireless communication module:
• sealed within the tag housing;
• configured to receive the set of biometric data broadcast by the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter in the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• configured to transmit the unique identifier and the average internal body temperature, the heart rate, the heart rate variability, the breathing rate, and the average dissolved blood oxygen rate of the animal during the sampling period to an access point at a second power level, greater than the first power level, via a longer-range wireless communication protocol;
• and
• a set of barbs configured to pass through the ear of the animal to:
• retain the tag housing to the ear of the animal;
• and
• locate the tag wireless communication module over the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter of the subdermal sensor unit to maintain wireless connectivity between the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter and the tag wireless communication module;
• and
• an operator portal:
• accessible via a computing device;
• and
• configured to:
• access a corpus of sets of biometric data, associated with the unique identifier;
• and
• render timeseries of average internal body temperature, heart rate, heart rate variability, breathing rate, and average dissolved blood oxygen of the animal based on the corpus of sets of biometric data.

A system comprising:

• a subdermal sensor unit:
• injectable under skin of an ear of an animal;
• and
• comprising:
• a subdermal housing;
• a set of biometric sensors sealed in subdermal housing;
• and
• a subdermal short-range wireless transmitter:
• sealed in the subdermal housing;
• and
• configured to broadcast a set of biometric data, captured by the set of biometric sensors, at a first power level via a short-range wireless communication protocol;
• and
• a local memory store module;
• and
• an inductive charging coil configured to receive energy from a battery in the superficial tag via an inductive charging cell;
• a superficial tag comprising:
• a tag housing;
• a tag wireless communication module:
• sealed within the tag housing;
• configured to receive the set of biometric data broadcast by the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter in the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• configured to transmit the set of biometric data to an access point at a second power level, greater than the first power level, via a longer-range wireless communication protocol;
• the battery;
• the inductive charging cell configured to transmit energy from the battery to the inductive charging coil of the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• access a sampling schedule;
• and
• trigger the inductive charging cell to transmit energy from the battery to the inductive charging coil of the subdermal sensor unit, during sampling periods defined by the sampling schedule, to activate the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• a set of barbs configured to pass through the ear of the animal to:
• retain the tag housing to the ear of the animal;
• and
• locate the tag wireless communication module over the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter of the subdermal sensor unit to maintain wireless connectivity between the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter and the tag wireless communication module;
• and
• wherein the subdermal sensor unit is configured to:
• receive energy via the inductive charging cell of the superficial tag during a first sampling period;
• via the set of biometric sensors, capture a first set of biometric data during the first sampling period;
• store the first set of biometric data in the local memory store during the first sampling period;
• receive energy via the inductive charging cell of the superficial tag during a second sampling period;
• via the set of biometric sensors, capture a second set of biometric data during the second sampling period;
• store the second set of biometric data in the local memory store during the second sampling period;
• and
• broadcast the first set of biometric data and a unique identifier associated with the subdermal sensor unit to the tag wireless communication module during the second sampling period.

A system comprising:

• a subdermal sensor unit:
• injectable under skin of an ear of an animal;
• and
• comprising:
• a subdermal housing;
• a set of biometric sensors sealed in subdermal housing;
• and
• a subdermal short-range wireless transmitter:
• sealed in the subdermal housing;
• and
• configured to broadcast a set of biometric data, captured by the set of biometric sensors, at a first power level via a short-range wireless communication protocol;
• and
• a superficial tag comprising:
• a flexible printed circuit board configured to elastically conform to the ear of the animal;
• a tag housing encasing the flexible printed circuit board;
• a tag wireless communication module:
• sealed within the tag housing and arranged on the flexible printed circuit board;
• configured to receive the set of biometric data broadcast by the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter in the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• configured to transmit the set of biometric data to an access point at a second power level, greater than the first power level, via a longer-range wireless communication protocol;
• a spring element:
• interposed between the tag housing and the flexible printed circuit board;
• and
• configured to bias the flexible printed circuit board against the ear of the animal to maintain proximity of the wireless communication module in the superficial tag to the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter in the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• a set of barbs configured to pass through the ear of the animal to:
• retain the tag housing to the ear of the animal;
• locate the tag wireless communication module over the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter of the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• cooperate with the spring element to maintain wireless connectivity between the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter and the tag wireless communication module.

A system comprising:

• a subdermal sensor unit:
• comprising:
• a subdermal housing;
• a set of biometric sensors sealed in subdermal housing;
• and
• a subdermal short-range wireless transmitter:
• sealed in the subdermal housing;
• and
• configured to broadcast a set of biometric data, captured by the set of biometric sensors, at a first power level via a short-range wireless communication protocol;
• and
• a polymer encasing the set of biometric sensors and the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter;
• defining a lozenge geometry characterized by a width less than 5/32 of an inch;
• and
• configured to inject under skin of an ear of an animal via a six-gauge hypodermic needle, the animal comprising a domesticated bovid ungulate;
• a superficial tag comprising:
• a tag housing;
• a tag wireless communication module:
• sealed within the tag housing;
• configured to receive the set of biometric data broadcast by the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter in the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• configured to transmit the set of biometric data to an access point at a second power level, greater than the first power level, via a longer-range wireless communication protocol;
• a light element configured to:
• illuminate in a first color responsive to absence of beacon signals received by the tag wireless communication module and emitted from the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• illuminate in a second color responsive to detection of a beacon signal received at the tag wireless communication module and emitted from the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• a set of barbs configured to pass through the ear of the animal to:
• retain the tag housing to the ear of the animal;
• and
• locate the tag wireless communication module over the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter of the subdermal sensor unit to maintain wireless connectivity between the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter and the tag wireless communication module.

A system comprising:

• a subdermal sensor unit:
• characterized by a first length;
• injectable under skin of an ear of an animal;
• and
• comprising:
• a first end and a second end;
• a subdermal housing;
• a set of biometric sensors sealed in subdermal housing;
• and
• a subdermal short-range wireless transmitter:
• sealed in the subdermal housing;
• and
• configured to broadcast a set of biometric data, captured by the set of biometric sensors, at a first power level via a short-range wireless communication protocol;
• and
• a superficial tag comprising:
• a tag housing;
• a tag wireless communication module:
• sealed within the tag housing;
• configured to receive the set of biometric data broadcast by the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter in the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• configured to transmit the set of biometric data to an access point at a second power level, greater than the first power level, via a longer-range wireless communication protocol;
• and
• a set of barbs:
• comprising:
• a first barb;
• and
• a second barb laterally offset from the first barb by a first distance greater than the first length of the subdermal sensor unit
• configured to pass through the ear of the animal to:
• retain the tag housing to the ear of the animal with the first barb, the second barb, the first end of the subdermal sensor, and the second end of the subdermal sensor aligned approximately colinearly;
• interfere with axial migration of the subdermal sensor unit within the ear of the animal;
• and
• locate the tag wireless communication module over the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter of the subdermal sensor unit to maintain wireless connectivity between the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter and the tag wireless communication module.

A system comprising:

• a subdermal sensor unit:
• injectable under skin of an ear of an animal;
• and
• comprising:
• a subdermal housing;
• a set of biometric sensors sealed in subdermal housing, the set of biometric sensors comprising:
• a temperature sensor;
• and
• an optical biometric sensor;
• a controller configured to:
• read a set of internal body temperatures of the animal, during a sampling period, from the temperature sensor;
• read a set of optical data, representing heart rate, breathing rate, and dissolved blood oxygen of the animal during the sampling period, from the optical biometric sensor;
• calculate an average internal body temperature during the sampling period based on the set internal body temperatures;
• and
• derive a heart rate, a heart rate variability, a breathing rate, and an average dissolved blood oxygen rate of the animal during the sampling period based on the set of optical data;
• and
• a subdermal short-range wireless transmitter:
• sealed in the subdermal housing;
• and
• configured to broadcast a set of biometric data and a unique identifier associated with the subdermal sensor unit to the tag wireless communication module, the set of biometric data comprising the average internal body temperature, the heart rate, the heart rate variability, the breathing rate, and the average dissolved blood oxygen rate of the animal, at a first power level via a short-range wireless communication protocol;
• and
• a superficial tag comprising:
• a tag housing;
• an external sensor configured to capture a set of external data;
• a tag wireless communication module:
• sealed within the tag housing;
• configured to receive the set of biometric data broadcast by the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter in the subdermal sensor unit;
• and
• configured to transmit the set of external data and the set of biometric data, associated with the unique identifier, to an access point at a second power level, greater than the first power level, via a longer-range wireless communication protocol;
• and
• a set of barbs configured to pass through the ear of the animal to:
• retain the tag housing to the ear of the animal;
• and
• locate the tag wireless communication module over the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter of the subdermal sensor unit to maintain wireless connectivity between the subdermal short-range wireless transmitter and the tag wireless communication module.