Vision system with teat detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10499608-B2
Application number	US-201816192535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2018
Priority date	Aug 17, 2016
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A system that includes a laser configured to generate a profile signal of at least a portion of a dairy livestock and a processor. The processor is configured to obtain the profile signal and detect one or more edge pair candidates in the profile signal, compare the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to a minimum distance gradient length to be considered an edge pair, and identify an edge pair from among the one or more edge pair candidates as a teat candidate based on the comparison. The processor is further configured to determine position information for the teat candidate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vision system comprising:
a laser configured to generate a profile signal of at least a portion of a dairy livestock, wherein the profile signal comprises:
one or more rising distance gradients indicating an increase in the distance between the dairy livestock and the laser; and
one or more falling distance gradients indicating a decrease in the distance between the dairy livestock and the laser; and

a processor operably coupled to the laser, and configured to:
obtain the profile signal;
detect one or more edge pair candidates in the profile signal, wherein each of the one or more edge pair candidates comprises complementary distance gradients comprising a rising distance gradient and a falling distance gradient;
compare the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to a threshold value to be considered an edge pair;
identify an edge pair from among the one or more edge pair candidates as a teat candidate based on the comparison; and
determine position information for the teat candidate.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein identifying the edge pair from among the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate further comprises:
comparing the edge pair to a teat model; and
identifying the edge pair as the teat candidate in response to determining the edge pair corresponds with the teat model.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein comparing the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to the threshold value comprises:
comparing a complementary distance gradient spacing of the edge pair to a minimum complementary distance gradient spacing to be considered a teat candidate; and
identifying the edge pair from the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate when the edge pair has a complementary distance gradient spacing greater than or equal to the minimum complementary distance gradient spacing to be considered a teat candidate.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein comparing the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to the threshold value comprises:
comparing a complementary distance gradient spacing of the edge pair to a maximum complementary distance gradient spacing to be considered a teat candidate; and
identifying the edge pair from the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate when the edge pair has a complementary distance gradient spacing less than or equal to the maximum complementary distance gradient spacing to be considered a teat candidate.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein comparing the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to the threshold value comprises:
comparing the complementary distance gradient lengths of the edge pair to a maximum distance gradient length to be considered a teat candidate; and
identifying the edge pair from the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate when the edge pair has a complementary distance gradient length less than or equal to the maximum distance gradient length to be considered a teat candidate.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein comparing the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to the threshold value comprises:
comparing the complementary distance gradient lengths of the edge pair to a minimum distance gradient length to be considered a teat candidate; and
identifying the edge pair from the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate when the edge pair has a complementary distance gradient length greater than or equal to the minimum distance gradient length to be considered a teat candidate.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a processor in signal communication with a laser, configured to:
obtain a profile signal of at least a portion of a dairy livestock, wherein the profile signal comprises:
one or more rising distance gradients indicating an increase in the distance between the dairy livestock and the laser; and
one or more falling distance gradients indicating a decrease in the distance between the dairy livestock and the laser; and

detect one or more edge pair candidates in the profile signal, wherein each of the one or more edge pair candidates comprises complementary distance gradients comprising a rising distance gradient and a falling distance gradient;
compare the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to a threshold value to be considered an edge pair;
identify an edge pair from among the one or more edge pair candidates as a teat candidate based on the comparison; and
determine position information for the teat candidate.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein identifying the edge pair from among the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate further comprises:
comparing the edge pair to a teat model; and
identifying the edge pair as the teat candidate in response to determining that the edge pair corresponds with the teat model.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein obtaining the profile signal of at least the portion of the dairy livestock comprises performing a laser scan of a surface of the dairy livestock.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein comparing the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to the threshold value comprises:
comparing a complementary distance gradient spacing of the edge pair to a minimum complementary distance gradient spacing to be considered a teat candidate; and
identifying the edge pairs from the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate when the edge pair has a complementary distance gradient spacing greater than or equal to the minimum complementary distance gradient spacing to be considered a teat candidate.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein comparing the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to the threshold value comprises:
comparing a complementary distance gradient spacing of the edge pair to a maximum complementary distance gradient spacing to be considered a teat candidate; and
identifying the edge pairs from the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate when the edge pair has a complementary distance gradient spacing less than or equal to the maximum complementary distance gradient spacing to be considered a teat candidate.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein comparing the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to the threshold value comprises:
comparing complementary the distance gradient lengths of the edge pair to a maximum distance gradient length to be considered a teat candidate; and
identifying the edge pair from the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate when the edge pair has a complementary distance gradient length less than or equal to the maximum distance gradient length to be considered a teat candidate.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein comparing the complementary distance gradients of each of the one or more edge pair candidates to the threshold value comprises:
comparing the complementary distance gradient lengths of the edge pair to a minimum distance gradient length to be considered a teat candidate; and
identifying the edge pair from the one or more edge pair candidates as the teat candidate when the edge pair has a complementary distance gradient length greater than or equal to the minimum distance gradient length to be considered a teat candidate.

14. A teat detection method comprising:
obtaining, by a processor, a profile signal of at least a port

Assignees

• Technologies Holdings Corp

Inventors

• Foresman Mark A
• Prevost Bradley J

Classifications

• G06V20/10

  Terrestrial scenes (scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59) · CPC title

• G06F18/2113

  by ranking or filtering the set of features, e.g. using a measure of variance or of feature cross-correlation · CPC title

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · CPC title

• G06T7/75

  involving models · CPC title

• A01J5/007 Primary

  Monitoring milking processes; Control or regulation of milking machines · CPC title