# US 9,872,481 B2 · Metrics to assess collar fit quality of a wearable device

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- Number: US 9,872,481 B2
- Document ID: US9872481B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/969,705
- Filed: 2015-12-15
- Published: 2016-06-16
- Granted: 2018-01-23
- Earliest claimed: 2014-12-15
- Assignees: i4C Innovations Inc.
- Applicants: i4c Innovations Inc.
- Inventors: Albert Goldfain
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9872481B2

## CPC

- A01K 29/005: {Monitoring or measuring activity}
- A01K 11/008: {incorporating global positioning system [GPS]}
- A01K 27/001: {Collars}
- A01K 29/007: {for pets}
- A61B 5/11: Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor or mobility of a limb {(A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721)}
- A61B 5/1116: {Determining posture transitions}
- A61B 5/1121: {Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement}
- A61B 5/6831: {Straps, bands or harnesses}
- G06F 1/163: {Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt}
- G06F 1/1684: {Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675}
- G06F 3/0481: based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
- A61B 5/746: {Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms}
- A61B 2503/40: Animals
- A61B 2560/0238: Means for recording calibration data
- A61B 2562/0219: Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
- A61B 2562/06: Arrangements of multiple sensors of different types
- H04M 1/72412: using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)

## Abstract

A system and method for monitoring the health of an animal using multiple sensors is described. The wearable device may include one or more sensors whose resultant signal levels may be analyzed in the wearable device or uploaded to a data management server for additional analysis. One or more embodiments include variations of the sensor system to determine whether the wearable device is being worn properly by the animal so that the resultant signal levels are of optimal quality.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A wearable device for an animal comprising:
a housing;
an accelerometer configured to track a tri-axial acceleration of the animal and output the tracked tri-axial acceleration as signals including a first axis acceleration signal relating to a first axis, a second axis acceleration signal relating to a second axis, and a third axis acceleration signal relating to a third axis;
a memory storing computer-readable instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to perform processing steps including:
receiving the first axis acceleration signal from the accelerometer;
receiving the second axis acceleration signal from the accelerometer;
receiving the third axis acceleration signal from the accelerometer;
determining an acceleration vector from a combination of the first axis acceleration signal, the second axis acceleration signal, and the third axis acceleration signal;
correlating the first axis acceleration signal, the second axis acceleration signal, and the third axis acceleration signal with the acceleration vector; and
generating an alert signal when at least one of the three axis acceleration signals does not correlate with the acceleration vector,
wherein the alert signal relates to a fit quality of the wearable device based on a lack of correlation of the acceleration vector with each of the three axis acceleration signals.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processing steps further comprise:
determining a postural profile from a plurality of postural profiles, where a correlation between the acceleration vector and the first axis acceleration signal relates to a first postural profile, a correlation between the second axis acceleration signal relates to a second postural profile, and a correlation between both the first axis acceleration signal and the second axis acceleration signal relates to a third postural profile.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising:
a transceiver,
wherein the processor is further configured to transmit, via the transceiver and to a remote device, a message indicative of the fit quality of the wearable device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, based on the determined fit quality, record a calibration factor associated with the accelerometer.

### Claim 5

A method comprising:
receiving, at a processor located in a wearable device for an animal, a first axis acceleration signal from an accelerometer;
receiving a second axis acceleration signal from the accelerometer;
receiving a third axis acceleration signal from the accelerometer;
determining an acceleration vector from a combination of the first axis acceleration signal, the second axis acceleration signal, and the third axis acceleration signal;
correlating the first axis acceleration signal, the second axis acceleration signal, and the third axis acceleration signal with the acceleration vector; and
generating an alert signal when at least one of the three axis acceleration signals does not correlate with the acceleration vector,
wherein the alert signal relates to a fit quality of the wearable device based on a lack of correlation of the acceleration vector with each of the three axis acceleration signals.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising:
determining a postural profile from a plurality of postural profiles, where a correlation between the acceleration vector and the first axis acceleration signal relates to a first postural profile, a correlation between the second axis acceleration signal relates to a second postural profile, and a correlation between both the first axis acceleration signal and the second axis acceleration signal relates to a third postural profile.