ANIMAL HANDLING ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD
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Abstract
A method and arrangement for determining a gut fill level of the rumen of an animal uses a three-dimensional camera and an image processing system. The three-dimensional camera is located in a station, wherein the animal is forced to stand essentially still during recording of the three-dimensional image. The three-dimensional camera is located on the left side of the animal at a height above the rumen triangle of the animal, longitudinally in essence in level with the rumen triangle, and is directed downwards towards the rumen triangle during the image recording. The image processing system automatically determines a depth and/or volume of a convexity or concavity of the rumen triangle, and determines the gut fill level of the rumen of the animal based on the determined depth and/or volume.
7 Citations
42 Claims
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1-22. -22. (canceled)
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23. A method for determining a gut fill level of a rumen of an animal having a rumen triangle defined by a paralumbar fossa of the animal, comprising the steps of:
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forcing the animal to stand essentially still within a station; with the animal standing essentially still in the station, and with a three-dimensional camera (11) located at a position on a left side of the animal, at a height above the rumen triangle of the animal, longitudinally in essence in level with the rumen triangle, and directed downward towards the rumen triangle, recording a three-dimensional image of at least a portion of the animal; automatically image analyzing the recorded three-dimensional image within an image processing system; and using the image processing system, automatically determining the gut fill level of the rumen of the animal based on the analyzed three-dimensional image, wherein the gut fill level of the rumen is automatically determined by the image processing system first automatically determining at least one of i) a depth of one of a) a convexity of the rumen triangle and b) a concavity of the rumen triangle, and ii) a volume of one of a) a convexity of the rumen triangle and b) a concavity of the rumen triangle, and second automatically determining the gut fill level of the rumen of the animal based on the determined at least one of the depth and the volume of the convexity or concavity of the rumen triangle. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A system for determining a gut fill level of a rumen of an animal (10) having a rumen triangle defined by a paralumbar fossa of the animal, the system comprising:
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a three-dimensional camera (11) located, within a station where the animal is forced to stand essentially still, at a position on a left side of where the animal would stand, at a height above the rumen triangle of the animal, longitudinally in essence in level with the rumen triangle, and directed downward towards the rumen triangle, wherein the thus located and positioned three-dimensional camera records a three-dimensional image of at least a portion of the standing-still animal; and an image processing device (12) operatively connected to the three-dimensional camera and that receives the recorded three-dimensional image from the three-dimensional camera, wherein the image process device (12) automatically analyzes the three-dimensional image and determines the gut fill level of the rumen of the animal based on the analyzed three-dimensional image, the gut fill level of the rumen being automatically determined by the image processing system first automatically determining at least one of i) a depth of one of a) a convexity of the rumen triangle and b) a concavity of the rumen triangle, and ii) a volume of one of a) a convexity of the rumen triangle and b) a concavity of the rumen triangle, and second automatically determining the gut fill level of the rumen of the animal based on the determined at least one of the depth and the volume of the convexity or concavity of the rumen triangle. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method for determining a gut fill level of a rumen of an animal having a rumen triangle defined by a paralumbar fossa of the animal, comprising the steps of:
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with the animal standing still, and with a three-dimensional camera (11) located at a position on a left side of the animal, at a height above the rumen triangle of the animal, longitudinally in essence in level with the rumen triangle, and directed downward towards the rumen triangle so that a bottom of the rumen triangle concavity is visible in the three-dimensional camera, recording a three-dimensional image of at least a portion of the animal so that the bottom of the rumen triangle concavity is visible in the three-dimensional image; automatically image analyzing the recorded three-dimensional image within an image processing system; and using the image processing system, automatically determining the gut fill level of the rumen of the animal based on the analyzed three-dimensional image, wherein the gut fill level of the rumen is automatically determined by the image processing system first automatically determining at least one of i) a depth of one of a) a convexity of the rumen triangle and b) a concavity of the rumen triangle through, and ii) a volume of one of a) a convexity of the rumen triangle and b) a concavity of the rumen triangle, and second automatically determining the gut fill level of the rumen of the animal based on the determined at least one of the depth and the volume of the convexity or concavity of the rumen triangle.
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Specification