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US 9,282,725 B2Granted
Non-invasive temperature and physical activity measurement of animals
AssigneeBiomedical International R+D GmbH
InventorsErika Jensen-Jarolim, Ingo Flaschberger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for an observational screening method or a drug screening method, includes the steps of providing an enclosure for at least one animal with outer sidewalls, preferably 4 outer sidewalls; providing temperature sensing device for sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or activity measurement device for measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal; sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal; providing data processing device; and processing data related to body temperature and/or to the parameter related to physical activity.
Claims15
A method comprising:
- providing an enclosure for at least one animal with at least one outer sidewall;
- providing a temperature sensing device for sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or an activity measurement device for measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal;
- sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal;
- providing a data processing device;
- and
- processing data related to body temperature and/or to the parameter related to physical activity;
- wherein the temperature sensing device and/or the activity measurement device comprises a heat image camera, which is positionable above the enclosure;
- and
- wherein the method further comprises:
- capturing heat images, which are 2-dimensional images, by the heat image camera;
- calculating center-of-heat points for at least one of the at least one animal for a sequence of heat images;
- calculating a distance between the center-of-heat points of sequential heat images;
- and
- using the distances between sequential center-of-heat points to determine a parameter related to the physical activity of said animal.
11 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing an enclosure for at least one animal with at least one outer sidewall;
- providing a temperature sensing device for sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or an activity measurement device for measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal;
- sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal;
- providing a data processing device;
- and
- processing data related to body temperature and/or to the parameter related to physical activity;
- wherein the activity sensing device comprises at least one photo sensor unit, each comprising at least one transmitter and receiver, located outside the outer sidewalls of the enclosure, wherein said transmitters and receivers are adapted to function in the infrared regime and wherein the step of measuring the parameter related to physical activity comprises detecting how often an animal interrupts a light barrier defined by a transmitter and a receiver within a preset time frame, wherein the light barrier is orthogonal to the direction of gravity and adapted in height such that it is only interrupted when the animal rears.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing an enclosure for at least one animal with at least one outer sidewall;
- providing a temperature sensing device for sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or an activity measurement device for measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal;
- sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal;
- providing a data processing device;
- and
- processing data related to body temperature and/or to the parameter related to physical activity;
- wherein the temperature sensing device and/or the activity measurement device comprises a heat image camera, which is positionable above the enclosure;
- and
- wherein the step of measuring the physical activity comprises:
- capturing heat images, which are 2-dimensional images, by the heat image camera;
- defining a threshold temperature;
- defining a heat area in such a way that only parts of the heat image with a temperature being greater than the threshold temperature constitute part of the heat area;
- defining for the part of the heat image corresponding to a sub enclosure a threshold heat area such that the heat area in the part of a image being smaller, or greater, respectively, than the threshold heat area corresponds to a rearing animal and the heat area in the part of a image being greater, or smaller, respectively, than the threshold heat area corresponds to a non-rearing animal;
- and
- determining for the captured heat image whether the animal is in a rearing position.
12 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing an enclosure for at least one animal with at least one outer sidewall;
- providing a temperature sensing device for sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or an activity measurement device for measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal;
- sensing a body temperature of at least one animal and/or measuring at least one parameter related to physical activity of at least one animal;
- providing a data processing device;
- and
- processing data related to body temperature and/or to the parameter related to physical activity;
- wherein the device for measuring a parameter related to physical activity comprises a camera, which is positionable above the enclosure;
- and
- wherein at least one camera positioned above the enclosure comprises a depth sensor adapted to measure the distance of an object from the camera.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.