Vision system with leg detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9807972-B1
Application number	US-201615239477-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 17, 2016
Priority date	Aug 17, 2016
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A system that includes a three-dimensional (3D) camera configured to capture 3D images of a dairy livestock. The system further includes a memory operable to store a thigh gap detection rule set and a processor operably coupled to the 3D camera and the memory. The processor is configured to obtain the 3D image, to identify one or more regions within the 3D image comprising depth values greater than a depth value threshold, and to apply the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify a thigh gap region. The processor is further configured to demarcate an access region within the thigh gap region. The processor is configured to reduce the width of the access region by shifting a first vertical edge and a second vertical edge of the access region and to determine position information for the first vertical edge and the second vertical edge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A leg detection system comprising:
a three-dimensional (3D) camera configured to capture a 3D image of a rearview of a dairy livestock in a stall, wherein each pixel of the 3D image is associated with a depth value;
a memory storing a thigh gap detection rule set; and
a processor coupled to the 3D camera and the memory, and configured to:
obtain the 3D image;
identify one or more regions within the 3D image comprising depth values greater than a depth value threshold;
apply the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify a thigh gap region among the one or more regions, wherein the thigh gap region comprises an area between hind legs of the dairy livestock;
demarcate an access region within the thigh gap region, wherein:
the access region comprises a first vertical edge and a second vertical edge defining a width of the access region;
the width of the access region corresponds with a dimension of the access region between the hind legs of the dairy livestock;

reduce the width of the access region by shifting the first vertical edge and the second vertical edge, wherein shifting the first vertical edge and the second vertical edge comprises:
shifting the first vertical edge toward the second vertical edge; and
shifting the second vertical edge toward the first vertical edge; and

determine position information for the first vertical edge and the second vertical edge of the access region.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the thigh gap detection rule set identifies a marker positioned between the hind legs of the dairy livestock at a lower edge of the 3D image; and
applying the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify the thigh gap region comprises:
discarding regions from the one or more regions that do not comprise the marker; and
identifying a region from among the one or more regions that comprises the marker as the thigh gap region.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the thigh gap detection rule set indicates a minimum area to be considered the thigh gap region; and
applying the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify the thigh gap region comprises:
comparing the area of each of the one or more regions to the minimum area value to be considered the thigh gap region;
discarding regions from the one or more regions with an area less than the minimum area value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
identifying a region from among the one or more regions as the thigh gap region when the region has an area greater than or equal to the minimum area value to be considered the thigh gap region.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the thigh gap detection rule set indicates a maximum height value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
applying the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify the thigh gap region comprises:
comparing the height of each of the one or more regions to the maximum height value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
discarding regions from the one or more regions with a height greater than the maximum height value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
identifying a region from among the one or more regions as the thigh gap region when the region has a height less than or equal to the maximum height value to be considered the thigh gap region.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the thigh gap detection rule set indicates a minimum width value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
applying the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify the thigh gap region comprises:
comparing the width of each of the one or more regions to the minimum width value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
discarding regions from the one or more regions with a width less than the minimum width value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
identifying a region from among the one or more regions as the thigh gap region when the region has a width greater than or equal to the minimum width value to be considered the thigh gap region.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the thigh gap detection rule set indicates a maximum width value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
applying the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify the thigh gap region comprises:
comparing the width of each of the one or more regions to the maximum width value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
identifying a region from among the one or more regions as the thigh gap region when the region has a width less than or equal to the maximum width value to be considered the thigh gap region.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the thigh gap detection rule set identifies a first edge and a second edge of the 3D image; and
applying the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify the thigh gap region comprises:
discarding regions from the one or more regions that share an edge with at least one of the first edge and the second edge; and
identifying a region from among the one or more regions that does not share an edge with the first edge or the second edge as the thigh gap region.

8. An apparatus comprising:
a memory storing a thigh gap detection rule set; and
a processor coupled to the memory, and configured to:
obtain a three-dimensional (3D) image of a rearview of a dairy livestock in a stall, wherein each pixel of the 3D image is associated with a depth value;
identify one or more regions within the 3D image comprising depth values greater than a depth value threshold;
apply the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify a thigh gap region among the one or more regions, wherein the thigh gap region comprises an area between hind legs of the dairy livestock;
demarcate an access region within the thigh gap region, wherein:
the access region comprises a first vertical edge and a second vertical edge defining a width of the access region;
the width of the access region corresponds with a dimension of the access region between the hind legs of the dairy livestock;

reduce the width of the access region by shifting the first vertical edge and the second vertical edge, wherein shifting the first vertical edge and the second vertical edge comprises:
shifting the first vertical edge toward the second vertical edge; and
shifting the second vertical edge toward the first vertical edge; and

determine position information for the first vertical edge and the second vertical edge of the access region.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the thigh gap detection rule set identifies a marker positioned between the hind legs of the dairy livestock at a lower edge of the 3D image; and
applying the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify the thigh gap region comprises:
discarding regions from the one or more regions that do not comprise the marker; and
identifying a region from among the one or more regions that comprises the marker as the thigh gap region.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the thigh gap detection rule set indicates a minimum area value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
applying the thigh gap detection rule set to the one or more regions to identify the thigh gap region comprises:
comparing the area of each of the one or more regions to the minimum area value to be considered the thigh gap region;
discarding regions from the one or more regions with an area less than the minimum area value to be considered the thigh gap region; and
identifying a region from among the one or more regions as the thigh gap region when the region has an ar

Assignees

• Technologies Holdings Corp

Inventors

• Foresman Mark A
• Prevost Bradley J

Classifications

• G06V10/25

  Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI] · CPC title

• G06T2207/10004

  Still image; Photographic image · CPC title

• G06T7/0081

  Physics · mapped topic

• A01J5/017

  Automatic attaching or detaching of clusters · CPC title

• A01J5/007 Primary

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