Monitoring Pig Body Temperature Using Infrared Sensors

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to verify the feasibility of using an infrared sensor to measure the body temperature of a sow. We first conducted experiments on three pigs by using three infrared sensors and one indoor temperature sensor. Methods: The three infrared sensors were installed inside our model house and were used to take temperature measurements per second of the backs of the pigs. While feeding, the temperatures of the backs of the pigs were measured at distances of 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm from the infrared sensors. Results: We concluded that the relation between the temperature of the pigs’ backs and the indoor temperature was y =0.549x + 18.459 at a measuring distance of 30 cm. The relation was y = 0.645x + 15.461 for a distance of 20 cm and y = 0.760x + 11.913 for a distance of 10 cm. We found high correlation between the indoor temperature and the temperature of the pigs’ backs. Conclusions: It is possible to use an infrared thermometer to monitor the temperature of pigs’ backs. This system seems to be feasible and effective in monitoring pig temperature. The use of an infrared thermometer will also make daily monitoring easy. In later experiments, the possibility of developing a system that can determine if an error can be corrected by using infrared sensor is explored by considering humidity variables.