Patent ID: 8574172

Claim:
A system for monitoring a pregnant breeding animal, comprising: a detecting device configured to detect a change of state, including a magnetoresisitive position sensor that measures variations in an electromagnetic field on three Cartesian axes to detect a condition of a delivery of offspring of the breeding animal, the sensor including a generating element configured to generate an electromagnetic field, and a detecting element that is sensitive to the electromagnetic field, each of the generating element and the detecting element being adapted to be secured to one of a single labium and different labia of the breeding animal, and a transmission circuit, operatively associated with the sensor, the transmission circuit configured to generate and transmit a notification signal based on a detection of the condition of the delivery; a processing unit, operatively associated with the detecting device the processing unit configured to receive the notification signal and to generate a corresponding communication signal for an operator, and the processing unit including a counter configured to count a number of the offspring which have been delivered by the breeding animal during the delivery, wherein the detecting device is configured to generate and transmit the notification signal at least one of continuously and at preset intervals throughout the delivery to continually indicate the condition of the delivery, the notification signal being relative to detection of at least one of passage of the offspring through a vaginal opening of the breeding animal and parting of vaginal labia of the breeding animal beyond a preset threshold, and wherein the notification signal is configured to indicate different states of at least one of the passage and the parting.