AU597057B2

AU597057B2 - Warning device for monitoring discrete moving elements, monitoring system comprising such devices and their use for the management of stalling

Info

Publication number: AU597057B2
Application number: AU72348/87A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jacques Huneau; Jean Lanzo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-04-11
Filing date: 1987-04-10
Publication date: 1990-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 2007-04-10
Also published as: WO1987006113A1; EP0262205A1; FR2596950A1; AU7234887A; FR2596950B1

Description

rriJY i AU-Ai-72348/87 DCO RG5 A %MO? NTELLECTUELLE DEMANDE INTERNATIONALE PUBLIEE EN VERTU DUTRAE DE OOPERATION EN MATIERE DE BREVETS (PCT) (51) Classification internationale des brevets4 (11) Numbro de publication internationale: WO 87/ 06113 A61B 5/07, A01K 29/00 Al (43) Date de publication internationale: 22 octobre 1987 (22.10.87) (21) Numbro de la demande internationale: PCT/FR87/00118 (81) Etats disignes: AT (brevet europ6en), AU, BE (brevet europeen), CH (brevet europ~en), DE (brevet euro- (22) Date de dep6t international: 10 avril 1987 (10.04.87) p6en), FR (brevet europeen), GB (brevet europ6en), IT (brevet europ6en), LU (brevet europeen), NL (brevet europ6en), SE (brevet europeen), US.

(31) Numero de la demande prioritaire: 86/05221 (32) Date de priorite: 11 avril 1986(11.04.86) Publie Publike (33) Pays de priorite: FR Avec rapport de recherche internationale.

Avec revendications modifides.

(71)(72) Deposantsetinventeurs: HUNEAU, Jacques [FR/ FR]; 7, impasse des Cerisiers, Change, F-53940 St.

Berthevin LANZO, Jean [FR/FR]; 15, rue du Muguet, Beauzelle, F-31700 Blagnac (FR).

(74) Mandataire: MARTIN, Jean-Jacques; Cabinet Regim- A r)Lt 0 DEC 1987 beau, 26, avenue K16ber, F-75116 Paris (FR).

AUSTRALIAN

Tils ckvurnent contains the alendillenits made under NOV 1987 _ction 49 and is correct for printing. PATENT OFFICE (54)Title: WARNING DEVICE FOR MONITORING DISCRETE MOVING ELEMENTS, MONITORING SYS- TEM COMPRISING SUCH DEVICES AND THEIR USE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF STALLING (54) Titre: DISPOSITIF TEMOIN DE SURVEILLANCE D'ELEMENTS DISCRETS MOBILES, SYSTEME DE SUR- VEILLANCE COMPRENANT DE TELS DISPOSITIFS ET LEUR UTILISATION A LA GESTION DE LA STABULATION (57) Abstract The warning device for monitoring dis- 601 500 100 400 crete moving elements comprises a body in 300 contact with an element to be monitored and, in- 603 side said body, sensor means of which the sensitive element is flush with the wall (10) in contact with the element. Means for processing electric signals generated by the sensors are provided in order to obtain condition variables 602 304 representative of the element to be monitored 20 04 30 21 305 and transmission-reception means 5) provide I for the transmission of information to and/or from a central monitoring station. Application to the management of stalling for domestic animals, to the monitoring of predetermined objects.

(57) Abrege Dispositif t6moin de surveillance d'61&ments discrets mobiles. Le dispositif comprend un corps de dispositif en contact avec un el6ment A surveiller et A l'intrieur du corps des moyer.s capteurs dont 1'616lment sensible affleure la paroi (10) en contact de l'16ment. Des moyens de traitement de signaux &lectriques engendr6s par les capteurs permettent d'obtenir des variables d'6tat representatives de l'elment A surveiller et des moyens d'6mission-r6ception 5) qui permettent d'assurer la transmission d'information vers un et/ou A partir d'un poste central de surveillance. Application A la gestion de li stabulation pour animaux domestiques, A la surveillance d'objets d6termines.

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S- r t A1 The present invention relates to an indicator device for monitoring discrete moving elements, to a monitoring system including such indicator devices, and to the use of monitoring indicator devices and of a system including such devices in the husbandry of store livestock.

At present, industrial processes can be monitored properly, insofar as such processes generally implement fixed station installations and therefore merely require suitably adapted sensors to be used.

In contrast, when the elements to be monitored are discrete moving elements, and where the monitoring of these elements is not limited to monitoring physical parameters, but includes, by way of non-exclusive example, the monitoring of physiological parameters in living organisms, the solutions available up to now have at best provided for no more than monitoring for a particular event, e.g. such as the beginning S 20 of parturition in a pregnant female.

Various proposals have been made for solving the above problem, in particular in French patent application number 2.389.368 published December 1, 1978. In the above-mentioned patent application, a device is described for monitoring and indicating the beginning of the birth of an animal such as a horse. In essence, this device makes use of detecting a change in the secretion of the sweat glands on the mother animal's neck, which change occurs during the appearance of phenomena precursory to birth.

Although this device is capable of giving satisfaction in the limited function for which it is intended, it will naturally be understood that general monitoring of a mare, or ae.o any other animal, cannot be provided.

The aim of the present invention is to remedy the abovementioned drawback by providing a monitoring indicator device and a corresponding indicator system which are of very general application, and indeed, said application is not limited to monitoring living organisms.

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5 5 Another object of the present invention is to provide an indicator device for multifunction monitoring, with the multifunction nature thereof being the result, in particular when monitoring living organisms, of detecting and monitoring a plurality of physiological parameters of said living organisms.

Another object of the present invention is to implement or use a monitoring indicator device in the form of an implant, with the device being implanted subcutaneously in the animal to be monitored.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an indicator device for monitoring a discrete moving element constituted by a living organism and providing physiological monitoring of said living organism 15 comprising a device body having an outside wall which is substantially smooth and is adapted to be implanted within a portion of said living organism, said device body having disposed therein: sensor means having at least one pick-up member flush with an inside surface of said outside wall which is adapted to come into direct contact with said portion of said living organism, said sensor means being sensitive to -at least one physiological phenomenon of said living organism and serving, in operation, to generate electrical signals representative 25 of said at least one physiological phenomenon; processing means responsive to said electrical signals for receiving and processing said electrical signals to generate and store state variables representative of the elements being monitored; and at least one high frequency transmitter! 30 receiver means connected to said processing means and adapted to transmit data to and receive data from a central control station, a power supply unit including rectifier components and D.C. voltage multiplier components for recharging power supply storage circuits from a high frequency carrier wave transmitted from the central control station, wherein transmission and reception between the central control station and the monitoring indicator device is performed from the central control station towards the monitoring indicator device by transmitting a modulated *goo 0 0 .00, 0 00 S. S 0 5 S S r i -2An i I high frequency carrier wave, said carrier wave being frequency or phase modulated by a binary code for the monitoring device, with the modulation being representative of an identification address for the monitoring indicator device so that on coincidence between the transmitted address and the identification address within the indicator device, data relating to said device is transmitted sequentially with the modulated high frequency carrier having the maximum amount of its energy used by rectification at the rectifier components in the monitoring device for the purpose of recharging the power supply storage means.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a system for monitoring discrete moving 15 elements comprising a plurality of monitoring indicator devices as described above, a controlling station suitable for transmitting data to and for receiving data from each of the indicator devices for monitoring discrete elements; and a plurality of remotely controlled stations suitable WO 20 for being controlled by the controlling station or central unit.

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S S The invention is applicable to providing assistance in managing and/or keeping track of discrete moving elements of any type, and in particular to providing assistance in the husbandry of store livestock, and also in the medical field.

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i I- I 3 The invention will be better understood from reading the following description and from observing the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a monitoring indicator device in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a variant embodiment of the monitoring indicator device shown in Figure 1; Figure 3a is a section view on a plane of symmetry containing an axis of circular symmetry/\ of an advantageous embodiment of an indicator device in accordance with the present invention, and Figures 3b and 3c show an embodiment of the circuits for implanting the various electrical components inside the indicator device shown in Figure 3a; Figures 4 and 5 constitute a block diagram of the microprocessor implanted in the circuit shown in Figures 3b and 3c; Figure 6 is a summary chart or flow chart showing the functions performed by the above-mentioned microprocessor; Figure 7 is a block diagram of a monitoring system in oe accordance with the invention; and 20 Figures 8a and 8b are diagrams showing different embodiments of a monitoring indicator device which is fixed either by clipping to a cartilaginous member such as the ear of an animal, or else by being implanted subcutaneously.

An indicator device for monitoring discrete moving elements in accordance with the invention is initially described with reference to Figure 1.

00In said figure, the device comprises a device body referenced 1 having at least one wall 100 for coming into contact with an element to be monitored. Inside the device o 30 body, as shown highly diagrammatically in Figure 1, there are 0 sensor means 2 whose pick-up element is flush with the wall 100 that is intended to come into contact with the element to be S monitored. The sensor means 2 are sensitive at least to the contiguous presence of the element to be monitored and the wall, and serve in operation to generate electrical signals representative of said presence. Electrical signal processor means responsive to said electrical signals serve to generate

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.P4~ iI--r-F f 4 and store state variables representative of the element(s) to be monitored. Transmitter/receiver means referenced 4, provide data transmission to and/or from a central monitoring station.

The indicator device for monitoring discrete moving elements as shown in Figure 1 may be used advantageously for keeping track of or monitoring moving objects, such as administrative files, domestic or commercial articles, or the like.

However, a monitoring indicator device in accordance with the invention is described in a more specific application in which the discrete moving elements to be monitored are living organisms.

In this case, and for the purpose of providing physiological monitoring of said living organisms, the body of the device has at least one outside wall 100 as shown in particular in Figure 2, which wall is substantially smooth, and is intended to come into direct contact with the skin or with an internal tissue of the living organism. Sensor means referenced 20 20, 21, and 22 are also provided and these sensors are flush with the wall 100 which is intended to come into direct .o contact with the skin or with the internal tissue of the living organism.

In accordance with the invention, the above-mentioned sensor means are sensitive to at least one physiological phenomenon of the living organism and, in operation, serve to generate electrical signals representative of said physiological phenomena. The state variables naturally correspond to the physiological phenomena, and make it possible to provide a parametric representation of the living organism being monitored.

In accordance with an advantageous characteristic of the monitoring indicator device of the invention, the abovespecified sensor means may comprise a plurality of sensors such as bio-electrical sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, or light sensors.

r i i The term "bioelectrical" sensors is used to designate a sensor including, for example, electrodes made of silver chloride, or nonpolarizable electrodes, or mic:'oelectrodes such as those used in heart stimulators, with the distance between the two electrodes constituting a single sensor lying between 1 cm and 1.5 cm. Such a sensor serves to detect electrophysiological parameters of the living organism, and can be used, for example, to obtain electromyogram signals or electrocardiographic signals. These signals can be used to establish parameters concerning the state of contraction of the muscles of the living organism.

The pressure sensors used may, for example, be miniature pressure sensors which are available commercially, such as the sensors sold under the references SX 01 to SX 150, under the trademark SENSYM by the company SENSORTEC. Depending on the location of the monitoring device of the invention, this type of sensor makes it possible to use plethysmography for establishing state parameters relating, for example, to the heart rate of the living organism or to the ruminology of 20 animals.

The temperature sensors used may advantageously be 0G 0 constituted by miniature thermistors. These sensors can be used to obtain the state parameters on the temperature of the living organism as a function of its physiological state. The optical sensors used may advantageously comprise infrared transmitter-receivers using pulsed transmission. Because of S* selective absorption and of the variation in indices at the wavelength under consideration as a function of blood flow, in particular, this type of sensor may be used to determine the state parameters of heart beats or the like.

The set of state parameters defined in this way is processed by searching for inter-parameter correlation, and this multi-criterion type of treatment using matrix tables then S" makes it possible to define and establish a parametric representation of the living organism being monitored.

Thus, as can be seen in Figure 2, the body of the indicator device may advantageously be connected to a fixing strap h.

[I 6 or rod 6 by means of the wall opposite to the substantially smooth wall 100. When using a fixing strap, the strap may advantageously be constituted either by an adhesive strip or else by a strip sold under the tradename "Velcro". In the configuration shown in Figure 2, the monitoring indicator device of the invention is advantageously used for medical applications, since the device can be applied without inconvenience to a human being. In an advantageous embodiment of the monitoring indicator device of the invention, as shown in particular in Figure 3a, the body of the device may advantageously be substantially in the form of a body of revolution of about a central axis referenced in this case, the radius of curvature of the line of intersection between the outside wall of the body of the device and a plane containing the central axis A may be designed so as to vary continuously. Thus, the device is in the shape of a pellet or an ovoid. The above shape appears to be particularly advantageous when the *****monitoring indicator device of the invention is configured so as to constitute an implant. In this case, the body of the device is advantageously made of a biocompatible material, for example stainless steel, titanium, or surgical plastic.

As can also be seen in Figure 3a, the inside of the body see** of the device may advantageously be provided with a plate of the printed circuit type 300 having a chip or integrated circuit 30 implanted thereon and constituting the means for processing the signals together with the transmitter/receiver means. A transmit/receive antenna 5 is connected by means of a connection 304 to the transmitter/receiver circuits represented by the integrated circuit 30. The electrical power supply may 30 be provided, for example, by means of a battery 400 which may 55: advantageously be rechargeable, and serving in conjunction with a mechanical part 500 to provide mechanical cohesion for the assembly as a whole. The printed circuit 300 may advantageously be fixed to the inside wall of the device body by means of a mechanical part 305, or by gluing. The device body may be constituted by two complementary portions 601 and 602 which may be assembled by screwing or the like at 603 after the above- P ULI I f 7 described components have been put in place. The screwing 603 is naturally provided with a sealing ring for example with a silicone O-ring.

In another advantageous variant embodiment of the monitoring indicator device of the invention, for example, when a surgical plastic is used, the bod,- of the device may be made by being molded over its contents. In this case, the printed circuit 300, the battery 400 and the integrated circuit 30 are advantageously embedded in the plastic material.

In an advantageous variant embodiment of the monitoring indicator device of the invention, one or more zones of weakness marked 604 may be provided in the wall of the device body, said zones of weakness advantageously constituting the sensitive membrane(s) of the above-mentioned pressure sensor(s).

A diagram of the physical implantation of the integrated circuit 30 on the printed circuit 300 is now described briefly with reference to Figures 3b and 3c. The printed circuit 300 may advantageously have a metallized zone 302 on one of its faces for providing contact with the power supply element 400, S for example when the power supply element is constituted by a button-type battery, together with a further metallization zone 301 constituting a reference ground. On the opposite face of the printed circuit, the face on which the integrated circuit 30 is implanted, the ground plane 301 is also shown. The connection between the transmit/receive outlet aid the transmitter/receiver means contained in the integrated circuit 30 with the cable 304 connecting the integrated circuit to the transmit/receive antenna 5 can then advantageously be consti- 30 tuted by a metal strip 302 which, together with a ground plane, may constitute a coplanar line.

The antenna 5 may advantageously be an antenna of the whip antenna type constituted by a metal wire provided with a proo'.i tective sheath 50. The protective sheath 50 may advantageously be constituted by a biocompatible insulating material.

A more detailed description of the functional components constituting the integrated circuit 30 is now given with XOA "IAreference to Figure 4.

1 I' 8 In this figure, the integrated circuit advantageously comprises a microprocessor 4005 provided with analog inputs referenced 405 to which the various sensors referenced above as 21, and 22 are connected. The integrated circuit also includes a transmitter/receiver unit referenced 401, with the transmitter/receiver unit enabling a high frequency radio signal to be transmitted. The transmitter/receiver unit, as described in greater detail below, is controlled by the microprocessor 4005. In addition, a power supply unit 402 includes rectifier elements and D.C. voltage multiplier elements serving to recharge the power supply storage circuits from the HF carrier wave transmitted from the central station. It will be understood that the power supply component referenced 400 in Figure 3a may advantageously be constituted by a rechargeable battery connected in parallel with the power supply element 402.

A more detailed description of the integrated circuit is given with reference to Figure 5. In this figure, the various sensors are shown and referenced as before 20, 21, 22, and 23. The signals delivered by the sensors may, for S• example, be subjected initially to analog processing referenced 4001, which may consist, for example, in a filtering operation.

Thereafter, the analog processed signals are subjected to further processing by the integrated circuit 30, with these signals being applied to a multipath analog-to-digital converter 4002. The microprocessor per se referenced 4005 thus receives digital signals obtained by conversion in the analogto-digital converter 4002, and it may also optionally receive logical input signals from a logical input referenced 4003. An 30 internal clock, referenced 4007, mal advantageously be provided for the purpose of running the microprocessor 4005. A memory unit 4004 is also provided, said memory unit comprising a memory zone in which the sequential operating program of the monitoring indicator device of the invention is recorded, and a protected memory zone into which identification parameters and reference paraeters relating to the particular discrete element or living organism to be monitored may be recorded.

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9 The connection between the microprocessor 4005 and a transmitter/receiver unit 4008, 4009 is provided by means of a serial communication unit referenced 4006, with the connection between the transmitter/receiver unit 4008, 4009 and the antenna 5 being itself provided by means of a duplexer and an antenna coupler referenced 4010. Advantageously, the high frequency transmission may take place using a carrier at a frequency lying between 10 MHz and 100 MHz, and may even be as high as 500 MHz. In addition, the microprocessor 4005 may advantageously include a logical output referenced 4011 whose function may be adapted depending on the particular application envisaged.

The microprocessor provided with its basic software represented by 1000 in this figure serves firstly to monitor the state of the power supply, which step is referenced 1001.

Thereafter, initialization of the acquisition of physiological signals is performed at a step 1002. An appropriate subprogram handles the data memories, which subprogram acts at the step marked 1003. Thereafter, serial communications software oo S 20 performs a step 1004 by means of the high frequency transmit o oo S• and/or receive link between the monitoring indicator device of e°.i the invention and a central control station.

In accordance with the invention, transmission and/or Soo reception between the central control station and each of the monitoring indicator devices may be performed from the central control station towards the monitoring indicator devices by transmitting a high frequency carrier wave HF which is modulated in frequency or in phase, for example by a binary code. The maximum amount of energy in the modulated HF carrier 30 is used by rectification at the rectifier components of each of the monitoring devices in order to recharge the power supply storage means 400. These means may advantageously be constituted by a very low charging current rechargeable lithium battery as sold by CATALYST RESEARCH CORPORATION. On demodulation, the pulse train corresponding to the binary code transmitted thus includes an address identifying each of the monitoring indicator devices so as -to ensure that data is transmitted sequentially to the appropriate device by establishing coincidence between the transmitted address and the identification address provided in each indicator device. Data transmission encoded by frequency or phase modulation on a high frequency carrier is known in the state of the art and is not described in greater detail herein.

A detailed description of a system for monitoring discrete moving elements in accordance with the present invention is now described with reference to Figure 7.

As shown in this figure, the system for monitoring discrete moving elements in accordance with the invention comprises a plurality of indicator devices for monitoring discrete elements and referenced Dl, D 2 DN as described above. A control station or central unit 600 serves to transmit data to each of the indicator devices for monitoring discrete elements and also to receive corresponding data therefrom. A plurality of remotely controlled stations .7001 to 700 M are suitable for bei ng controlled by the control station or central unit.

The remotely controlled stations or control units 7001 to 70 0 M mentioned above may advantageously consist, in the Sa event that the discrete moving elements are living organisms such as domestic livestock for example, in systems for controlling the opening and the closing of access doors to installations of a determined type. In this case, the control station or central unit 600 makes it possible for these control units or stations to be remotely controlled either directly fromn the central unit or otherwise, and in accordance with an advantageous aspect of the present invention by means of at 30 least one of the indicator devices for monitoring discrete elements Dl, D 2 to DN. Thus, for a given animal, it is possible to program the monitoring indicator device Dl, D 2 to DN associated therewith to have any degree of access or :nonaccess to a given installation, as a function of particular programs for any particular given case. Naturally, these particular programs may take account of the age of the animal, its feeding needs as a function of its age, and the real r" i ill LII__ 0

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situation of the animal relative to any husbandry parameter conventionally used with of this type of animal.

It will thus be understood that the monitoring indicator devices and/or in particular any monitoring system as described above, can advantageously be used for providing assistance in the husbandry of store livestock, in particular.

An embodiment of a monitoring indicator device in accordance with the invention installed on an animal is described with reference to Figure 8a.

In this figure, the monitoring indicator device D 1 may advantageously be fixed by being clipped in a cartilaginous portion of the animal such as an ear lobe, with the lobe being referenced L. In this case, clip fastening is performed using conventional techniques for installing inert markers or rings.

These techniques are well known in animal husbandry. The term cartilaginous zones is naturally used herein to cover a zone such as an ear lobe, but it also covers any other zone that could be used for the purpose. These zones nevertheless have sufficient blood irrigation to be able to make a parametric representation of the physiological state of the animal, as described above. In this case, and in non-limiting manner, the integrated circuit 30 may advantageously be provided with electrical power by means of photovoltaic cells disposed on the free surface of the clip on which the monitoring indicator 25 device in accordance with the invention is mounted. In Figure 8a, these photocells are referenced 800. A variant utilization of monitoring indicator devices of the invention and/or of the monitoring system using such devices is also described with reference to Figure 8b.

In this figure, the monitoring indicator device D 1 constitutes an implant which is advantageously inserted beneath the skin of an animal. In this case, the implant D 1 is put into place in conjunctive tissue referenced 14 by means of a trocar 10. The trocar 10 is inserted subcutaneously into the conjunctive tissue 14, and when the moving portion 10 A of the trocar is removed, the fixed portion 10 B is held in the S conjunctive tissue. The implant D 1 is then inserted in the j i 11-i-

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I 12 portion 10 B and is put into place by means of the moving portion 10 A, which acts as a piston after being re-engaged in the portion 10 B, thereby enabling the monitoring indicator device D 1 to be appropriately put into place in the conjunctive tissue. The entire trocar, i.e. both portions 10 A and B can then be removed leaving the antenna 5 appropriately deployed in the vicinity of the surface of the animal's skin.

The antenna 5 can then be cut flush with the animal's skin so as to avoid any excessive projection of the antenna beyond the orifice resulting from the insertion of the trocar.

Naturally, the dimensions of the implant or monitoring indicator device D 1 and the length of the antenna 5 may be adapted as a function of the size of the animal. In particular, with animals such as ruminants, the implant or monitoring device D 1 may have a maximum diameter of about 2 centimeters and the antenna may be about 10 centimeters long.

Other implant models, i.e. different models having dimensions adapted to the size of an animal may be provided.

SoIn addition, in accordance with a particularly advanta- 20 geous aspect of the monitoring indicator device of the invention, the logical output referenced 4011 of the microprocessor 4005 may be connected to an external electrode flush with the substantially smooth contact surface of the monitoring indicator device D 1 so as to allow electrical 25 pulses to be generated suitable for exciting muscular and/or nervous centers in the animal. As a function of the zone in which the monitoring indicator device D 1 is implanted, this characteristic may advantageously and in accordance with the invention, constitute an electronic goad or simulator.

A monitoring indicator device for discrete moving elements and a monitoring system including such devices has thus been described, which devices and systems may be used (as a nonlimiting example) for monitoring inanimate objects such as articles of commerce, archive files, or the like, or on the contrary living organisms such as animals and even human beings.

If the monitoring indicator device of the invention is used for monitoring discrete moving elements constituted by L: -Il' I inanimate objects, the indicator device may be compared with a programmable label which particularly facilitates the management of the objects.

Otherwise, when the monitoring indicator device is used for monitoring discrete moving elements such as livestock, it may advantageously be used to simplify the operations of managing livestock feeding, it may facilitate veterinary diagnostics, and it may remove the need for personnel to collect and write down certain diagnostic aids. The particular case of store livestock husbandry is mentioned in which each animal needs feeding as a function of its own characteristics, in particular of its weight and its age. Health monitoring of livestock such as milk cows, pigs, animals for slaughter or for breeding, cen thus be provided and updated as a function of husbandry requirements simply by directly interrogating each of the monitoring indicator devices from the central station. It will be understood, in particular, that not only does the system of the invention provide assistance in stall management, where store livestock husbandry, where husbandry indoors or in pens requires relatively short distance movement by the animal, but also it allows animals to be followed when they move about, providing that the range of the transmitter/receiver means contained in the monitoring indicator devices of the invention is adequate. Under such circumstances, relay transmitter/recei 25 ver means may advantageously be provided in a given livestock zone, since the range of the transmitter/receiver means contained in the integrated circuit 30 can hardly exceed 200 meters to 300 meters in an open field.

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Claims

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said electrical signals representative of said physiological phenomena make it possible to establish state variables corresponding to said physiological phenomena and making it possible to provide a parametric representation of said living organism.
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said device body is comprised of a biocompatible material. A device according to claim 1, wherein said device body is substantialy in the form of an ovoid.
5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said processing means and 0 said transmitter/receiver means are constituted by a single integrated 00 circuit.
6. A device according to claim I, wherein said transmitter/receiver means includes a transmit/receive antenna. 15 7. A device according to claim 6, wherein said antenna is a whip type so antenna and comprises a metal wire provided with a protective sheath.
8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said sheath is made of a biocompatible insulating material.
9. A device according to claim 5, wherein said integrated circuit 20 comprises: a microprocessor provided with analog inputs to which said sensor means are connected; a high frequency transmitter/receiver unit controlled by said microprocessor; and said power supply storage means. A system for monitoring discrete moving elements, characterized in I that it comprises: a plurality of indicator devices for monitoring discrete elements 3- :according to any one of the preceding claims; a controlling station suitable for transmitting data to and for receiving data from each of said indicator device for monitoring discrete elements; and 4 4 1 II I 16 a plurality of remotely controlled stations suitable for being controlled by the controlling station or central unit.
11. The use of a device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said indicator device is implanted within livestock animals so as to provide assistance in the husbandry of such animals.
12. The use according to claim 11, wherein said indicator device comprises an implant and is inserted beneath the skin of an animal and is put into place in conjunctive tissue by means of a trocar, with said antenna then being cut flush with the skin of the animal.
13. An indicator device substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 20th day of February, 1990 *0 15 JACQUES HUNEAU and JEAN LANZO 0 S* 00 00 Q S RAD, *MELBOURNE, 3004, AUSTRALIA O PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 71 QUEENS ROAD, MELBOURNE, 3004, AUSTRALIA kc