Method of and animal treatment system for performing an animal related action on an animal part in an animal space
View Patent ↗A method determining a position of an animal part in an animal space in at least one direction, including: obtaining a two-dimensional image containing depth information; preprocessing the image according to first and second preprocessing modes, to provide respective first and second preprocessed images; comparing the first preprocessed image and the second preprocessed image to obtain at least one image difference; if the at least one image difference is below or equal to a respective predetermined threshold, processing the first preprocessed image according to a first position determining mode, and if the at least one image difference is above the predetermined threshold, processing the second preprocessed image according to a second position determining mode, to provide the position of the animal part. If a fast but not very accurate processing mode, and a slower but more accurate mode, are available, the method can suitably select one of these modes.
1. A method of performing an animal related action on an animal part of an animal in an animal space including an animal related device, the method comprising:
determining a position in at least one direction of the animal part of the animal, and controlling the animal related device to perform an animal related action on the basis of the determined position of the animal part, the determining the position comprising:
obtaining a two-dimensional image of a part of the animal space that can contain the animal part, and containing depth information, by a 3D sensor device;
preprocessing the image according to a first preprocessing mode, including noise-reducing the image according to a first noise reduction mode and assigning a group of pixels to the animal part according to a first set of rules, to thereby provide a first preprocessed image with a first image of the animal part;
preprocessing the image according to a second preprocessing mode, including noise-reducing the image according to a second noise reduction mode, and assigning a group of pixels to the animal part according to a second set of rules, to thereby provide a second preprocessed image with a second image of the animal part;
comparing the first preprocessed image and the second preprocessed image to obtain at least one image difference;
if the at least one image difference is below or equal to a respective predetermined threshold, processing the first preprocessed image according to a first position determining mode, to thereby provide the position of the animal part; and
if the at least one image difference is above the predetermined threshold, processing the second preprocessed image according to a second position determining mode, to thereby provide the position of the animal part.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein each preprocessed image has a total number of pixels, and the first and second image of the animal part each have a length, width, and area, as measured in pixels, and wherein at least one image difference comprises one of a difference in length, a difference in width, and a difference in area of the first and second image of the animal part.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined threshold is an absolute number of pixels or a percentage of a total number of pixels.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the processing the second preprocessed image according to the second position determining mode takes longer and/or more processing power, on average, than the processing the first preprocessed image according to a first position determining mode.
5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the animal is a milking animal, and wherein the animal part is an udder, an udder part, a rear of the animal, and/or a body position of the animal.
6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the animal related device is one of a milking device, a premilking device, a teat cleaning device, and an udder care device, and wherein the method is performed during a part of a milking operation.
7. An animal treatment system for performing an animal related treatment on a milking animal, comprising:
an animal related device; and
a controller for controlling the animal related device;
wherein the controller comprises a 3D sensor device configured to obtain a 2D image containing depth information of an animal part of the animal;
wherein the controller is configured to perform the method of claim 1 ; and
wherein the controller is configured to control the animal related device for performing the animal related treatment on the animal on the basis of the position of the animal part as determined in the method.
8. An animal treatment system according to claim 7 , wherein the animal related device is one of a milking device, a premilking device, a teat cleaning device, an udder care device, or a milking means comprising a robot arm and a plurality of teat cups, and wherein the controller is configured to position at least one of the robot arm and/or one or more of the teat cups based on a position of the animal part.
9. An animal treatment system according to claim 7 , wherein the sensor comprises an ultrasound sensor or an optical sensor.