US 12,256,710 B2
Service animal tracking evaluation system using metrics
Gordon Daniel Oke Templeton, Winnipeg (CA)
Filed by Gordon Daniel Oke Templeton, Winnipeg (CA)
Filed on Feb. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/673,990.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/168,438, filed on Mar. 31, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0312730 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. A01K 11/00 (2006.01); A01K 29/00 (2006.01); G01S 19/26 (2010.01); G01S 19/47 (2010.01)
CPC A01K 11/008 (2013.01) [A01K 29/005 (2013.01); G01S 19/26 (2013.01); G01S 19/47 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tracking evaluation system for measuring tracking ability of a service animal accompanied by a handler while tracking a prescribed path during a tracking event, the system comprising:
a tracking device arranged to be carried with the service animal, the tracking device comprising a location sensor arranged to sense animal location data representative of a location of the service animal as the service animal travels along an animal path during the tracking event;
a measurement unit operatively connected to the tracking device, the measurement unit being arranged to measure auxiliary data related to movement of the tracking device in real time as the tracking device is displaced along the animal path during the tracking event; and
a computer apparatus comprising a memory storing programming instructions thereon and a processor arranged to execute the programming instructions so as to be arranged to (i) store target location data representative of the prescribed path, (ii) receive the animal location data from the tracking device, (iii) calculate a rank metric which represents a measure of similarity between the animal location data of the animal path and the target location data of the prescribed path, along the prescribed path, such that the rank metric is calculated in real time as an instantaneous value that varies along the animal path, (iii) store the auxiliary data in association with the instantaneous value of the rank metric and (iv) calculate an animal signature representative of a relationship between the auxiliary data and the rank metric for different instantaneous values of the rank metric.