Animal body temperature detection system

Abstract

To provide an animal body temperature detection system capable of accurately detecting temperature information.SOLUTION: An animal body temperature management system 100 manages animal oral temperature in a time-series manner by using a thermometric device 1 including: water supply means 20 that supplies water; and temperature detection means 30 that is arranged in the vicinity of the water supply means 20 and detects an oral temperature of an animal at the time of drinking water. The animal body temperature management system 100 includes: drinking water motion detection means 112 that detects drinking water start and drinking water end of the animal; determination means 114 that determines whether it is effective drinking water motion information from information on drinking water start and drinking water end detected by the drinking water motion detection means 112; and temperature extraction means 115 that extracts oral temperature from the effective drinking water motion information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an animal body temperature detection system for managing the physical condition of animals such as livestock and laboratory animals. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, body temperature has been an important indicator reflecting the health status in the health management of animals such as livestock and laboratory animals. Since an animal's body temperature varies depending on the measurement location, it is necessary to measure deep body temperature to know the accurate body temperature. The deep body temperature of an animal is generally measured by restraining the animal and inserting a thermometer into the rectum. However, in recent years, it has become clear that the oral temperature of animals, particularly pigs, is less affected by the external environment and effectively reflects the deep body temperature. Furthermore, since pigs drink water regularly, the health of pigs is managed based on body temperature by continuously measuring their oral temperature in conjunction with this drinking behavior.

[0003] For example, the animal health management system shown in Patent Document 1 uses a temperature measuring device equipped with a drinking spout through which water is supplied and an infrared temperature sensor placed near the drinking spout to detect the temperature inside the pig's mouth.When the pig opens the drinking spout as it drinks water, the infrared temperature sensor can detect the temperature inside the pig's open mouth, i.e., its deep body temperature. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-133826 A (pages 5 to 6, Figure 4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, the temperature measuring device is configured so that temperature detection by the infrared temperature sensor begins when the pig holds the drinking spout in its mouth and ends when the pig releases the spout, making it possible to detect the temperature inside the pig's mouth while the pig is drinking. However, when the pig is drinking, for example, the tip of the nose may touch the spout, causing the water supply switch to be mistakenly operated. This may cause the infrared temperature sensor to start detecting the temperature when the pig is not actually holding the spout in its mouth, potentially detecting the temperature of a part of the body other than the pig's mouth. Furthermore, even if the pig is actually holding the spout in its mouth and drinking water, if the temperature inside the pig's mouth is detected near the tip of the nose, the deep body temperature may not be properly reflected, resulting in a problem of reduced accuracy of the temperature information.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and has as its object to provide an animal body temperature detection system that can detect temperature information with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the animal body temperature detection system of the present invention comprises: A body temperature detection system for animals that uses a thermometer device comprising: a water supply means for supplying water; and a temperature detection means that is disposed near the water supply means and detects the temperature inside the mouth of the animal when drinking water, and that manages the temperature inside the mouth of the animal over time, a drinking behavior detection means for detecting the start and end of drinking of the animal; a determination means for determining whether the information on the start and end of drinking water detected by the drinking action detection means is valid drinking action information; a temperature extracting means for extracting an oral temperature from the effective drinking behavior information; It is characterized by having: According to this feature, information on the start and end of drinking water from the animal's drinking behavior is judged to be valid drinking behavior information when it indicates that the animal is drinking water appropriately, and from this valid drinking behavior information, a valid oral temperature that appropriately reflects the animal's deep body temperature is extracted, thereby enabling highly accurate temperature information to be detected.

[0008] The determination means calculates the drinking time from the start of drinking to the end of drinking based on the information on the start and end of drinking and the time information corresponding to the start and end of drinking, and is characterized in that if the drinking time is longer than a predetermined time α, it determines that the drinking action information is valid. According to this feature, when the animal drinks water properly, the effective drinking behavior information, which indicates that the drinking time is longer than a predetermined time α, is extracted as an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects the animal's deep body temperature, thereby enabling highly accurate temperature information to be detected.

[0009] In a drinking behavior in which a drinking section from the start of drinking to the end of drinking and a non-drinking section from the end of drinking to the start of the next drinking are alternately successive, The determination means calculates the total time of the drinking time in the (n-1)th drinking interval and the drinking time in the (n-2)th drinking interval, and if the total time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time β different from the predetermined time α, determines that the nth drinking interval is the valid drinking action information. According to this feature, in a drinking behavior having multiple drinking intervals, the drinking time is longer than the predetermined time α due to proper drinking, and the two immediately preceding drinking intervals have sufficient drinking time, so that the effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects the animal's deep body temperature is extracted from the effective drinking behavior information corresponding to the nth drinking interval, thereby enabling more accurate temperature information to be detected.

[0010] The determination means calculates the drinking interval in the non-drinking interval between the nth drinking interval and the (n+1)th drinking interval, and determines that the nth drinking interval is valid drinking behavior information if the drinking interval is longer than a predetermined time γ that is different from the predetermined times α and β. According to this feature, in a drinking behavior having multiple drinking intervals, when drinking is performed properly, the drinking time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time α, and the two immediately preceding drinking intervals have sufficient drinking time, and the immediately following non-drinking interval has sufficient drinking interval, the effective drinking behavior information corresponding to the nth drinking interval is extracted as an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects the animal's deep body temperature, thereby enabling more accurate temperature information to be detected.

[0011] The temperature extracting means extracts the highest temperature in the animal's mouth from the valid drinking behavior information. According to this feature, it is possible to extract an effective oral temperature from the effective drinking behavior information that is not influenced by the temperature of the water supplied by the water supply means and that better reflects the animal's deep body temperature, thereby enabling highly accurate temperature information to be extracted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a temperature measuring device used in an animal body temperature detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a livestock barn. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the temperature measuring device (front side) in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the temperature measuring device (rear side) in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the spout and detection duct of the temperature measuring device in the embodiment being held in the mouth of a pig. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an animal body temperature detection system in an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the definition of a drinking interval (one drinking action) in an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the definition of a non-drinking interval between the n-th drinking interval and the (n+1)-th drinking interval in an example. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for determining valid drinking behavior information by a determining unit (calculating unit, comparing unit) in the embodiment. [Figure 9](a) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from all drinking intervals in a certain drinking behavior; (b) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from a valid data group obtained by the judgment unit in the embodiment applying condition 1 (drinking time is 1 second or more) to all drinking intervals in the same drinking behavior as (a) and determining valid drinking action information; (c) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from a valid data group obtained by applying condition 3 (drinking interval is 1 second or more) to all non-drinking intervals in the same drinking behavior as (a) and determining valid drinking action information; and (d) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from a valid data group obtained by applying a combination of condition 1 (drinking time is 1 second or more) and condition 3 (drinking interval is 1 second or more) to all drinking intervals and non-drinking intervals in the same drinking behavior as (a) and determining valid drinking action information. [Figure 10] (a) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by the judgment unit determining valid drinking action information by applying condition 1 (drinking time is less than 1 second) for all drinking sections in the same drinking behavior as Figure 9(a), (b) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by applying condition 1 (drinking time is 2 seconds or more) to determine valid drinking action information, and (c) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by applying condition 1 (drinking time is 3 seconds or more) to determine valid drinking action information. [Figure 11] (a) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining valid drinking behavior information by applying condition 3 (drinking interval less than 1 second) for all non-drinking sections of the same drinking behavior as Figure 9(a); (b) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining valid drinking behavior information by applying the same condition 3 (drinking interval 2 seconds or more); and (c) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining valid drinking behavior information by applying the same condition 3 (drinking interval 3 seconds or more). [Figure 12](a) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining valid drinking action information by applying condition 2 (total time is 5 seconds or more) to all drinking sections of the same drinking behavior as Figure 9(a). (b) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining valid drinking action information by applying the same condition 2 (total time is 10 seconds or more). (c) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining valid drinking action information by applying the same combination of condition 1 (drinking time is 1 second or more) and condition 2 (total time is 10 seconds or more). [Figure 13] 9(a) is a graph showing all temperature information (all temperature information detected by the infrared temperature sensor) for the same drinking behavior as in FIG. 9(a), and FIG. 9(b) is a graph showing the results of extracting the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by the judgment unit of the embodiment applying the judgment method of FIG. 8 (a combination of condition 1 (drinking time is 1 second or more), condition 2 (total time is 10 seconds or more), and condition 3 (drinking interval is 1 second or more)) to all drinking sections and drinking intervals for the same drinking behavior as in FIG. 9(a) to determine valid drinking behavior information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A mode for carrying out an animal body temperature detection system according to the present invention will be described below based on examples. [Example]

[0014] An animal body temperature detection system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. FIG.

[0015] The animal body temperature detection system of the present invention is an animal body temperature detection system that manages the temperature inside the animal's mouth over time using a thermometer device that includes a water supply means for supplying water and a temperature detection means that is located near the water supply means and detects the temperature inside the animal's mouth when drinking water. In this embodiment, the animal body temperature detection system will be described taking as an example a case where it is applied to pigs that are raised and managed as livestock.

[0016] First, the temperature measuring device 1 used in the animal body temperature detection system 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0017] 1, the temperature measuring device 1 constituting the animal body temperature detection system 100 of this embodiment is mainly composed of a base part 10 fixed with screws or the like (not shown) to a structure such as a feed box 2 installed in a livestock barn where pigs A are raised, a drinking spout part 20 as a water supply means through which water is supplied, and a detection part 30 as a temperature detection means disposed near the drinking spout part 20 and detecting the temperature inside the animal's mouth. Note that "nearby" includes the drinking spout part itself and the vicinity of the drinking spout part.

[0018] 2 and 3, the spout 20 is cylindrically formed from a hard material such as resin or metal, with its front end projecting forward from the base 10. A water supply hose H (see FIG. 1) is connected and fixed to the rear end of the spout 20, allowing water to be supplied from the tip opening 20a of the spout 20.

[0019] The detection unit 30 is primarily composed of a detection conduit 31, which is arranged in juxtaposition with the drinking spout 20 in the left-right direction, and an infrared temperature sensor 32, which is positioned and fixed to the rear end of the detection conduit 31. The detection unit 30 measures the amount of infrared rays emitted from the surface of an object within the range facing the tip opening 31a of the detection conduit 31 using a detection surface (not shown) provided at the tip of the infrared temperature sensor 32, and detects the temperature by converting this amount of infrared rays into a temperature. Note that by including the infrared temperature sensor 32, the detection unit 30 has an extremely fast response time of less than one second.

[0020] The detection conduit 31 is cylindrical and made of a hard material such as resin or metal, with its front end projecting forward from the base 10. The detection conduit 31 is thinner than the drinking spout 20, and its tip opening 31a projects slightly forward beyond the tip opening 20a of the drinking spout 20 (see Figures 2 and 4). The tip opening 31a of the detection conduit 31 is larger than the measurement field of view of the infrared temperature sensor 32.

[0021] 2 to 4, the base unit 10 is made up of a fixed member 11 that is directly fixed to the feed box 2 (see FIG. 4) with screws or the like (not shown), and a tilting member 12 that is tiltably attached to the front side of the fixed member 11 with a hinge (not shown). Also, a water supply switch 21 that is turned on when the tilting member 12 is tilted is provided on the top of the base unit 10. The water supply switch 21 is connected to the control unit 111 of the control circuit 110 by a signal line L2 (see FIG. 1) on the rear side (see FIG. 5).

[0022] The tilting member 12 is made of a hard material such as resin or metal and has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. Two through-holes 12a, 12b (see FIG. 3) are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, penetrating the tilting member 12 in the front-rear direction. The rear end of the spout 20 is fixed to the through-hole 12a from the front side. The rear end of the detection conduit 31 is arranged and fixed to the through-hole 12b from the front side via a fixing member 33, and the front end of the infrared temperature sensor 32 is arranged and fixed to the through-hole 12b from the rear side. In this way, the tip opening 31a of the detection conduit 31 and the detection surface (not shown) provided at the tip of the infrared temperature sensor 32 are arranged approximately parallel to each other. The infrared temperature sensor 32 is connected to the control unit 111 of the control circuit 110 by a signal line L1 (see FIG. 1) (see FIG. 5).

[0023] The fixing member 11 is made of a hard material such as resin or metal and is generally H-shaped when viewed from the front, with a rounded rectangular through-hole 11a (see Figure 3) that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction. A water supply hose H (see Figure 1) that is connected and fixed to the rear end of the drinking spout 20 and the tip of the infrared temperature sensor 32 that is arranged and fixed on the back side of the fixing member 33 are inserted through the through-hole 11a. A space is formed in the vertical direction between the inner surface of the through-hole 11a and the water supply hose H or the infrared temperature sensor 32, allowing the water supply hose H and the infrared temperature sensor 32 to tilt together with the tilting member 12 relative to the fixing member 11.

[0024] The tilting action of the tilting member 12 will now be described. The tilting member 12 tilts clockwise as viewed in the drawing due to the weight balance between the drinking spout 20 and detection conduit 31 protruding forward and the infrared temperature sensor 32 and water supply hose H protruding rearward. The tilting member 12 is configured to tilt clockwise as viewed in the drawing due to contact with the fixed member 11, so that the drinking spout 20 and detection conduit 31 are held in a substantially horizontal position (see FIG. 1). As pig A drinks water, the front ends of the drinking spout 20 and detection conduit 31 protruding forward are grasped by pig A, and a force acts substantially downward, causing the tilting member 12 to tilt counterclockwise as viewed in the drawing (see FIG. 4). At this time, the infrared temperature sensor 32 or a portion of the water supply hose H contacts the inner circumferential surface above the through-hole 11a of the fixed member 11, restricting further counterclockwise tilting of the tilting member 12. In this embodiment, the spout 20 and the detection conduit 31 can be held in a position tilted downward by approximately 25 degrees from a generally horizontal position. The tilt angle of the spout 20 and the detection conduit 31 may be changed as appropriate depending on the installation location of the temperature measuring device 1, the size of the animal using the temperature measuring device 1, etc.

[0025] Furthermore, when pig A finishes drinking water and the generally downward force acting on the front end of the drinking spout 20 and the detection conduit 31 is removed, the tilting member 12 tilts clockwise due to the weight balance described above, and the drinking spout 20 and the detection conduit 31 return to a generally horizontal position.

[0026] Next, we will explain how the water supply switch 21 is turned on by tilting the tilting member 12. In this embodiment, the water supply switch 21 is connected to the control circuit 110 (see FIG. 5), and is turned off when the drinking spout 20 and detection conduit 31 are held in a substantially horizontal position. This closes an electromagnetic water supply valve (not shown) that controls the supply of water to the drinking spout 20, and controls the infrared temperature sensor 32 to a standby state. The water supply valve may be located inside the drinking spout 20, or at the connection between the drinking spout 20 and the water supply hose H, or at the connection between the water supply hose H and the piping or water storage tank that constitutes its upstream section.

[0027] As the tilting member 12 tilts counterclockwise, the trigger 21a (see FIG. 4) of the water supply switch 21, which is located at the top of the tilting member 12, is operated, turning the water supply switch 21 on. In this embodiment, the water supply switch 21 is turned on when the drinking spout 20 and the detection conduit 31 assume a downward tilted position relative to a generally horizontal position. This allows the water supply switch 21 to be turned on in time with when pig A begins drinking, preventing malfunction of the water supply switch 21 due to vibrations, slight contact, or the like. This on-state action opens the water supply valve that controls the supply of water to the drinking spout 20 and initiates measurement by the infrared temperature sensor 32. More specifically, a delay circuit is applied to the control unit 111 of the control circuit 110 connected to the water supply switch 21, and the above-mentioned on-state action controls the infrared temperature sensor 32 and then the water supply valve, in that order.

[0028] That is, when pig A begins to drink water and holds the drinking spout 20 and the front end of the detection conduit 31 in its mouth, causing the tilting member 12 to begin tilting, the water supply switch 21 is turned on, causing the infrared temperature sensor 32 to begin measurement first. After the infrared temperature sensor 32 detects the temperature inside pig A's mouth, the water supply valve opens after a predetermined delay, supplying water into pig A's mouth from the tip opening 20a of the drinking spout 20. This allows the infrared temperature sensor 32 to reliably detect the temperature inside pig A's mouth without being affected by the water supplied into pig A's mouth from the tip opening 20a of the drinking spout 20.

[0029] Next, the control circuit 110 constituting the animal body temperature detection system 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, the control circuit 110 constituting the animal body temperature detection system 100 of this embodiment is mainly composed of a control unit 111, an action detection unit 112 as a drinking action detection means, a timing unit 113, a judgment unit 114 as a judgment means, a temperature extraction unit 115 as a temperature extraction means, and a memory unit 116.

[0031] The control unit 111 is provided with information on all on and off operations detected by the water supply switch 21 and all temperature information (temperature inside the mouth of pig A) detected by the infrared temperature sensor 32. In this embodiment, the control unit 111 assigns information on the date and time of detection to all on and off operation information of the water supply switch 21 and all temperature information.

[0032] The action detection unit 112 is connected to the control unit 111, and detects the timing when the water supply switch 21 is turned on as the start of water drinking by pig A, and detects the timing when the water supply switch 21 is turned off after detecting the start of water drinking as the end of water drinking by pig A. All information on the start and end of water drinking detected by the action detection unit 112 is passed to the determination unit 114.

[0033] The timing unit 113 is connected to the action detection unit 112, and detects the timing when the action detection unit 112 detects information about the start of drinking as the drinking start time, and detects the timing when the action detection unit 112 detects information about the end of drinking as the drinking end time. The time information consisting of the drinking start time and the drinking end time detected by the timing unit 113 is passed to the determination unit 114.

[0034] The judgment unit 114 judges whether the drinking action information is valid, indicating that pig A is drinking water appropriately, based on the information on the start and end of drinking water detected by the action detection unit 112 from the data group (see Figure 8) passed from the action detection unit 112 and the timing unit 113.

[0035] More specifically, the determination unit 114 in this embodiment includes a calculation unit 114A and a comparison unit 114B. In the determination unit 114, the calculation unit 114A calculates a drinking time t from the start of drinking to the end of drinking based on information on the start and end of drinking from the action detection unit 112 and time information from the timing unit 113. n The comparison unit 114B calculates the drinking time t n is compared with the threshold value, a predetermined time α, and n If the predetermined time α is ≥ α, it is determined to be valid drinking behavior information. dSince drinking behavior varies among individuals, it is optimized by AI. n ≧α) is defined as Condition 1 (see FIG. 8). Condition 1 makes it possible to eliminate invalid drinking action information caused by, for example, erroneous operation of the water supply switch 21 due to the nose of pig A hitting the drinking spout 20 of the temperature measuring device 1.

[0036] The determination unit 114 also calculates the drinking time t in the (n-1)th drinking interval that satisfies the condition 1 by the calculation unit 114A and the comparison unit 114B. n-1 and the drinking time t in the (n-2)th water interval n-2 and holds.

[0037] In this embodiment, the period from the start of drinking water to the end of drinking water is defined as a drinking interval (one drinking action) (see FIG. 6). Also, the period from the end of drinking water to the start of the next drinking water is defined as a non-drinking interval (see FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 7, a non-drinking interval is a interval in which no drinking action occurs, for example, between the nth drinking interval and the n+1th drinking interval. Furthermore, the drinking behavior of Pig A is often a series of actions in which drinking intervals and non-drinking intervals alternate.

[0038] In addition, in the determination unit 114, the calculation unit 114A calculates the drinking time t n-1 and the drinking time t in the (n-2)th drinking interval. n-2 and the total time t n-1 +t n-2 The comparison unit 114B calculates the total time t n-1 +t n-2 is compared with a threshold value, a predetermined time β (β>α), and n-1 +t n-2 If the n-th drinking interval is longer than the predetermined time α (β>α), the n-th drinking interval is determined to be valid drinking behavior information. d Since drinking behavior varies among individuals, it is optimized by AI. n-1 +t n-2≧β) is set as condition 2 (see FIG. 8). Condition 2 makes it possible to exclude invalid drinking behavior information caused by, for example, pig A playing with the drinking spout 20 while drinking.

[0039] In addition, in the determination unit 114, the calculation unit 114A calculates the drinking interval i in the non-drinking section (see FIG. 7) between the n-th drinking section and the (n+1)-th drinking section based on the information on the start and end of drinking from the action detection unit 112 and the time information from the timing unit 113. n The comparison unit 114B calculates the drinking interval i n is compared with a predetermined time γ where i is the threshold. n If γ is satisfied, the n-th drinking interval is determined to be valid drinking behavior information. d Since drinking behavior varies among individuals, it is optimized by AI. n ≧γ) is set as condition 3 (see Figure 8). Condition 3 makes it possible to determine valid drinking behavior information even if the nth drinking interval is the first drinking interval constituting a series of drinking behaviors of pig A.

[0040] 8, the determination unit 114 applies a determination method in which the comparison unit 114B performs determination in the order of Condition 1, Condition 2, and Condition 3 described above, thereby enabling the determination unit 114 to determine with high accuracy valid drinking motion information for the drinking behavior of pig A. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the determination unit 114 treats a group of valid drinking motion information as a valid data group, determines anything other than valid drinking motion information as invalid drinking motion information, and treats a group of invalid drinking motion information as an invalid data group.

[0041] The determination unit 114 is not limited to the one that applies a determination method in which the comparison unit 114B makes a determination in the order of condition 1, condition 2, and condition 3 described above, and the combination and order of the determination conditions may be changed as appropriate depending on the characteristics of the drinking behavior of the animal to which the animal body temperature detection system 100 of the present invention is applied. Also, the comparison unit 114B may apply a determination method that makes a determination based on one determination condition of condition 1, condition 2, and condition 3, or a determination method that makes a determination based on a combination of two determination conditions of condition 1, condition 2, and condition 3.

[0042] The temperature extraction unit 115 connected to the determination unit 114 extracts the effective oral temperature of the pig A from the effective drinking behavior information passed from the determination unit 114. In detail, the temperature extraction unit 115 extracts the highest oral temperature of the pig A from the effective drinking behavior information, thereby being able to extract an effective oral temperature that is not influenced by the temperature of the water supplied by the water supply means and that more appropriately reflects the deep body temperature of the pig A.

[0043] The temperature extraction unit 115 extracts the maximum temperature from among multiple pieces of temperature information in the drinking section determined to be valid drinking behavior information by the determination unit 114. The temperature extraction unit 115 may extract, for example, the single highest temperature point in the drinking section as the maximum temperature, or may extract a moving average of the temperature information in the drinking section as the maximum temperature.

[0044] Furthermore, the temperature extraction unit 115 is connected to the memory unit 116, and passes information on the valid oral temperature of pig A extracted from the valid data group to the memory unit 116. This makes it possible to store, for example, only a group of valid oral temperatures of pig A in the memory unit 116, thereby reducing the capacity of the memory unit 116.

[0045] In addition, the control circuit 110 may be provided with a memory unit (not shown) for separately managing the valid drinking behavior information (valid data group) and invalid drinking behavior information (invalid data group) determined by the determination unit 114, and may perform analysis of the number of times water is drunk during drinking behavior based on these data groups.

[0046] Although not shown for ease of explanation, the control circuit 110 may be equipped with a communication unit and configured to transmit various data by wire or wirelessly to a personal computer, tablet, or the like that constitutes the animal body temperature detection system 100. The control circuit 110 may also be configured to transmit information on the date and time when the individual identification information of an animal that is drinking water using the temperature measuring device 1 is recognized by a camera, tag reader, or the like installed in the vicinity of the temperature measuring device 1, by wire or wirelessly to a personal computer, tablet, or the like that constitutes the animal body temperature detection system 100. This allows changes in oral temperature to be recorded chronologically for each individual using the temperature measuring device 1, enabling highly accurate body temperature management of multiple animals.

[0047] Here, the oral temperature of pig A was actually detected using the animal body temperature detection system 100 of this embodiment, and the results of the temperature information extracted when the judgment conditions of the judgment method applied to the judgment unit 114 (comparison unit 114B) were changed are shown in Figures 9 to 13.

[0048] First, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the determination unit 114 compares the drinking time t n is more than 1 second (t n ≧1 (Condition 1)), the highest oral temperature (maximum temperature) of Pig A was extracted as the valid oral temperature by the temperature extraction unit 115 from the valid data group obtained by determining it as valid drinking behavior information, resulting in a temperature range of 32.26°C to 37.66°C. When this temperature range was compared with the result of Comparative Example 1 (no determination condition, see Figure 9(a)), in which maximum temperatures were extracted from all drinking sections of the same drinking behavior, the lower limit of the temperature range was increased by approximately 3°C, and the temperature variation was reduced.

[0049] In addition, the drinking time t nWhen the predetermined time α was changed and the temperature extraction unit 115 extracted the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining the valid drinking behavior information, the temperature range when the drinking time was less than 1 second was 29.42°C to 34.6°C (see FIG. 10(a)). Compared to when the drinking time was 1 second or more (see FIG. 9(b)), the upper and lower limits of the temperature range were lower by about 3°C, and the temperature variation was larger. In contrast, when the drinking time was 2 seconds or more, the temperature range was 33.01°C to 37.66°C (see FIG. 10(b)), and when the drinking time was 3 seconds or more, the temperature range was 33.01°C to 37.66°C (see FIG. 10(c)). Compared to when the drinking time was 1 second or more (see FIG. 9(b)), the increase in the lower limit of the temperature range was less than 1°C, and there was almost no change in the temperature variation.

[0050] These results show that by determining the drinking interval in which drinking time is 1 second or longer due to proper drinking as valid drinking behavior information, it is possible to extract an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects Pig A's core body temperature.

[0051] Next, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the determination unit 114 compares the drinking interval i n is more than 1 second (i n ≧1 (Condition 3)), the maximum temperature was extracted by the temperature extraction unit 115 from the valid data group obtained by determining it as valid drinking behavior information, and the temperature range was 30.48°C to 37.66°C. When this temperature range was compared with the result of Comparative Example 1 (no determination condition, see Figure 9(a)), the lower limit of the temperature range was increased by about 1°C, and the temperature variation was reduced.

[0052] In addition, the drinking interval i nWhen the predetermined time γ was changed and the temperature extraction unit 115 extracted the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining the valid drinking behavior information, the temperature range when the drinking interval was less than 1 second was 29.42°C to 34.6°C (see FIG. 11(a)), which is lower by about 3°C ​​in the upper limit and about 1°C in the lower limit compared to when the drinking interval was 1 second or more (see FIG. 9(c)). In contrast, when the drinking interval was 2 seconds or more, the temperature range was 30.48°C to 37.66°C (see FIG. 11(b)), and when the drinking interval was 3 seconds or more, the temperature range was 30.48°C to 37.66°C (see FIG. 11(c)). There was no change in the temperature range and the temperature variation compared to when the drinking interval was 1 second or more (see FIG. 9(c)).

[0053] These results show that by determining the nth drinking interval, which satisfies condition 3 and has a sufficient drinking interval of at least 1 second immediately following the non-drinking interval, as valid drinking behavior information, it is possible to extract a valid oral temperature that appropriately reflects Pig A's deep body temperature.

[0054] Next, as shown in FIG. 9(d), the determination unit 114 compares the drinking time t n is more than 1 second (t n ≧1 (condition 1)) and drinking interval i n is more than 1 second (i n ≧1 (Condition 3)), the maximum temperature was extracted by the temperature extraction unit 115 from the valid data group obtained by determining the valid drinking behavior information, and the temperature range was 33.54°C to 37.66°C. When this temperature range was compared with the result of Comparative Example 1 (no determination condition, see FIG. 9(a)), the lower limit of the temperature range was increased by about 4°C, and the temperature variation was reduced. In the determination unit 114, the comparison unit 114B performed determination under Condition 1 and then Condition 3.

[0055] These results show that by combining conditions 1 and 3 to determine effective drinking behavior information, it is possible to extract an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects pig A's deep body temperature with higher accuracy than when conditions 1 or 3 are applied individually (see Figures 9(b) and (c)).

[0056] Next, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the determination unit 114 compares the drinking time t n-1 and the drinking time t in the (n-2)th drinking interval. n-2 and the total time t n-1 +t n-2 is more than 5 seconds (t n-1 +t n-2 ≧5 (condition 2)), the temperature extraction unit 115 extracted the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining it as valid drinking behavior information, and the temperature range was 29.42°C to 37.66°C. When this temperature range was compared with the result of comparative example 1 (no determination condition, see Figure 9(a)), there was no change in the temperature range, but the temperature variation was smaller.

[0057] In addition, the drinking time t n-1 and the drinking time t in the (n-2)th drinking interval. n-2 and the total time t n-1 +t n-2 is more than 10 seconds (t n-1 +t n-2 ≧10 (condition 2)), the temperature extraction unit 115 extracted the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining it as valid drinking behavior information, and the temperature range was 34.07°C to 37.66°C. When this temperature range was compared with the result of comparative example 1 (no determination condition, see FIG. 9(a)), the lower limit of the temperature range was increased by approximately 4.5°C, and the temperature variation was reduced.

[0058] These results show that by determining the nth drinking interval, which satisfies condition 2, where the two immediately preceding drinking intervals have a sufficient drinking time of 10 seconds or more, as valid drinking behavior information, it is possible to extract an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects Pig A's core body temperature.

[0059] Next, as shown in FIG. 12(c), the determination unit 114 compares the drinking time t n is more than 1 second (t n ≧1 (Condition 1)) and the drinking time t in the (n-1)th drinking interval n-1 and the drinking time t in the (n-2)th drinking interval. n-2 and the total time t n-1 +t n-2 is more than 10 seconds (t n-1 +t n-2 ≧10 (Condition 2)), the temperature extraction unit 115 extracted the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining it as valid drinking behavior information, and the temperature range was 34.6°C to 37.66°C. When this temperature range was compared with the result of Comparative Example 1 (no determination condition, see FIG. 9(a)), the lower limit of the temperature range was increased by about 5°C, and the temperature variation was reduced. In the determination unit 114, the comparison unit 114B performed the determination under Condition 1 and then Condition 2.

[0060] These results show that by combining conditions 1 and 2 to determine effective drinking behavior information, it is possible to extract an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects pig A's deep body temperature with higher accuracy than when condition 1 or condition 2 is applied individually as a determination condition (see Figures 9(b) and 12(b)).

[0061] Next, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the determination unit 114 performs the determination method of FIG. 8, specifically, the drinking time t n is more than 1 second (t n ≧1 (Condition 1)) and the drinking time t in the (n-1)th drinking interval n-1 and the drinking time t in the (n-2)th drinking interval. n-2and the total time t n-1 +t n-2 is more than 10 seconds (t n-1 +t n-2 ≥ 10 (condition 2)) and drinking interval i n is more than 1 second (i n ≧1 (Condition 3)), the temperature extraction unit 115 extracted the maximum temperature from the valid data group obtained by determining it as valid drinking behavior information, and the temperature range was 36.18°C to 37.66°C. When this temperature range was compared with the result of Comparative Example 1 (no determination condition, see Figure 9(a)), the lower limit of the temperature range was increased by approximately 6.5°C, and the temperature variation was the smallest.

[0062] These results show that by applying the judgment method of Figure 8 (i.e., a combination of conditions 1, 2, and 3) as the judgment condition to be applied to the judgment unit 114 (comparison unit 114B), it is possible to judge as valid drinking behavior information a drinking period in which drinking is performed properly, with the drinking time being 1 second or more, and the two immediately preceding drinking periods having a drinking time of 10 seconds or more, and the immediately following non-drinking period having a drinking interval of 1 second or more, and thereby extracting with even greater accuracy an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects pig A's core body temperature.

[0063] Furthermore, for the same drinking water behavior as above, a distance sensor (not shown) was placed together with an infrared temperature sensor 32 in the detection duct 31 that constitutes the detection unit 30 of the temperature measuring device 1, and the insertion distance (depth) of the detection duct 31 into the mouth of pig A was determined to be 7 to 7.5 cm, and the state in which the tip opening 31a of the detection duct 31 was positioned at the back of the mouth of pig A was determined to be valid drinking water behavior information, and the temperature information at that timing was extracted, resulting in a temperature range of 36.36°C to 37.24°C, which is approximately the same temperature range as the result of applying the determination method of Figure 8 (see Figure 13(b)).

[0064] These results show that by applying the judgment method of Figure 8 as a judgment condition, it is possible to eliminate invalid drinking behavior information, which is a drinking section detected, for example, when pig A's nose touches the drinking spout 20 of the temperature measuring device 1 and the water supply switch 21 is erroneously operated, or when pig A plays with the drinking spout 20 and drinks from it, and to accurately determine the drinking section in which pig A's drinking behavior is performed properly as valid drinking behavior information, thereby enabling the extraction of a valid oral temperature that appropriately reflects pig A's deep body temperature with high accuracy.

[0065] Furthermore, when the results of Comparative Example 1 (see Figure 9(a)), in which the maximum temperatures were extracted from all drinking zones, for the same drinking behavior as above, were compared with the results of Comparative Example 2 (see Figure 13(a)), in which the maximum temperatures were not extracted, the lower limit of the temperature range was increased by approximately 5.6°C, and the temperature variation was reduced.

[0066] Furthermore, for the same drinking water behavior as above, the correlation between the maximum temperature extracted by the temperature extraction unit 115 from the valid data group obtained by the determination unit 114 and the maximum water temperature of the water supplied from the water supply means was r=0.335 in Pearson's correlation coefficient. In other words, this indicates that the correlation is weak, and the maximum temperature extracted by the temperature extraction unit 115 from the valid data group is not dependent on the water temperature.

[0067] These results show that by extracting the maximum temperature using the temperature extraction unit 115 from the valid data group obtained by the judgment unit 114, it is possible to reliably extract temperature information corresponding to the oral temperature that appropriately reflects the deep body temperature of pig A and is not affected by the temperature of the water supplied by the water supply means.

[0068] As described above, the animal body temperature detection system 100 of the present invention determines, using the judgment unit 114, information on the start and end of the animal's drinking behavior to determine that the drinking behavior is being performed properly as valid drinking behavior information, and can extract from the valid drinking behavior information an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects the animal's deep body temperature, thereby detecting highly accurate temperature information.

[0069] In addition, in the animal body temperature detection system 100, the determination unit 114 calculates the drinking time in the drinking section and the drinking interval in the non-drinking section based on the information on the start and end of drinking from the action detection unit 112 and the time information from the timing unit 113 using the calculation unit 114A, and determines the effective drinking action information using the comparison unit 114B, thereby making it possible to extract highly accurate temperature information using only the information (group of data) obtained from the temperature measuring device 1 without adding new equipment such as sensors or cameras.

[0070] In addition, the animal body temperature detection system 100 defines the number of times an animal drinks water (daily, weekly, monthly) based on drinking and non-drinking periods, and by managing this information together, it is possible to detect early signs of illness or estrus in animals.

[0071] In addition, the temperature measuring device 1 that constitutes the animal body temperature detection system 100 can monitor the body temperature of an animal by measuring the oral temperature, which appropriately reflects the animal's deep body temperature, in accordance with the animal's drinking behavior, thereby reducing stress on the animal and the effort of the person taking the measurement.

[0072] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0073] For example, in the above example, it was explained that by determining as valid drinking behavior information a drinking interval in which drinking time is 1 second or more due to proper drinking, and further the two immediately preceding drinking intervals have drinking time periods of 10 seconds or more, and the immediately following non-drinking interval has a drinking interval of 1 second or more, it is possible to extract with even greater accuracy an effective oral temperature that appropriately reflects pig A's deep body temperature. However, the values ​​of the predetermined times α, β, and γ are not limited to these, and as mentioned above, there are individual differences in drinking behavior, so it is preferable to apply values ​​of the predetermined times α, β, and γ optimized by AI for each individual.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the water supply switch 21 is turned on by utilizing the tilting of the tilting member 12 caused by the pig A holding the drinking spout 20 and detection conduit 31 that make up the temperature measuring device 1, but this is not limiting, and the infrared temperature sensor and water supply valve may be controlled by, for example, detecting that the animal has held the drinking spout or detection conduit using a contact sensor, camera, etc. In this way, the temperature measuring device is not limited to the configuration in the above embodiment.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the calculation unit 114A of the determination unit 114 calculates the drinking time in the drinking section and the drinking interval in the non-drinking section based on the drinking start and end information from the action detection unit 112 and the time information from the timing unit 113, and the comparison unit 114B determines the valid drinking behavior information. However, this is not limited to this. As long as the determination means can determine whether the drinking start and end information detected by the drinking behavior detection means is valid drinking behavior information, it is not limited to using time, such as the drinking time or drinking interval, as an indicator. For example, the determination means may determine a drinking section as valid drinking behavior information if the temperature information in the drinking section is above a predetermined temperature. Furthermore, the determination means may determine a drinking section as valid drinking behavior information if the insertion distance of the detection conduit into the pig's mouth, as detected by a distance sensor or camera, is within a predetermined range. Note that image processing technology using AI (artificial intelligence) may be used to detect the insertion distance using a camera.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the temperature extraction unit 115 has been described as extracting the highest temperature information from the effective drinking behavior information as the animal's effective oral temperature, but this is not limited to this, and the temperature extraction means may also extract temperature information above a predetermined temperature that is considered to be unaffected by the temperature of the water supplied by the water supply means.

[0077] Furthermore, the substance supplied from the drinking spout, which is the water supply means, is not limited to water, but may be, for example, liquid food or milk.

[0078] The animal body temperature detection system of the present invention may be applied to animals other than pigs, such as cows, sheep, and dogs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1. Temperature measuring device 10 Base 11 Fixing member 12 Tilting member 20 drinking spout (water supply means) 21 Water supply switch 30 Detection unit (temperature detection means) 31 Detection conduit 32 Infrared temperature sensor 33 Fixing member 100 Animal Body Temperature Detection System 110 control circuit 111 Control Unit 112 Action detection unit (drinking action detection means) 113 Timing section 114 Judgment unit (judgment means) 114A Calculation part 114B Comparison section 115 Temperature extraction section (temperature extraction means) 116 Memory section

Claims

1. A body temperature detection system for animals that uses a thermometer device comprising: a water supply means for supplying water; and a temperature detection means that is disposed near the water supply means and detects the temperature inside the mouth of the animal when drinking water, and that manages the temperature inside the mouth of the animal over time, a drinking behavior detection means for detecting the start and end of drinking of the animal; a determination means for determining whether the information on the start and end of drinking water detected by the drinking action detection means is valid drinking action information; a temperature extracting means for extracting an oral temperature from the effective drinking behavior information; An animal body temperature management system comprising:

2. The animal body temperature management system described in claim 1, characterized in that the judgment means calculates the drinking time from the start of drinking water to the end of drinking water based on the information on the start and end of drinking water and the time information corresponding to the start and end of drinking water, and judges the drinking time to be valid drinking behavior information if it is equal to or longer than a predetermined time α.

3. In a drinking behavior in which a drinking section from the start of drinking to the end of drinking and a non-drinking section from the end of drinking to the start of the next drinking are alternately successive, The animal body temperature management system described in claim 2, characterized in that the judgment means calculates the total time of the drinking time in the (n-1)th drinking interval and the drinking time in the (n-2)th drinking interval, and if the total time is longer than a predetermined time β different from the predetermined time α, judges the nth drinking interval to be the valid drinking behavior information.

4. The animal body temperature management system described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the judgment means calculates the drinking interval in the non-drinking interval between the nth drinking interval and the (n+1)th drinking interval, and if the drinking interval is longer than a predetermined time γ different from the predetermined times α and β, judges the nth drinking interval to be the valid drinking behavior information.

5. 2. The animal body temperature management system according to claim 1, wherein the temperature extracting means extracts the highest oral temperature of the animal from the effective drinking behavior information.

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