# US 10,373,306 B2 · System and method for filtering data captured by a 3D camera > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,306 B2 - Document ID: US10373306B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/401,234 - Filed: 2017-01-09 - Published: 2017-04-27 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-28 - Assignees: Technologies Holdings Corp. - Applicants: Technologies Holdings Corp. - Inventors: Henk Hofman; Cor de Ruijter; Menno Koekoek; Peter Willem van der Sluis - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373306B2 ## CPC - G06T 7/0004: {Industrial image inspection} - A01J 5/007: Monitoring milking processes; Control or regulation of milking machines - A01J 5/0175: {Attaching of clusters} - A01K 29/005: {Monitoring or measuring activity} - G06T 7/20: Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) - G06T 7/593: from stereo images - G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) - H04N 7/18: Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast - H04N 7/183: {for receiving images from a single remote source} - H04N 13/204: using stereoscopic image cameras (stereoscopic photography G03B35/00) - H04N 13/271: wherein the generated image signals comprise depth maps or disparity maps - G06T 2207/10028: Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds - G06T 2207/30108: Industrial image inspection - G06T 2207/30128: Food products - H04N 2013/0081: {Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals} - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - A01J: MANUFACTURE OF DAIRY PRODUCTS - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A system for processing an image includes a three-dimensional camera that captures an image of a dairy livestock, wherein the image comprises a plurality of adjacent pixels, each pixel associated with a depth location. The system further includes a processor communicatively coupled to the three-dimensional camera. The processor determines that the depth locations of a first portion of the adjacent pixels fluctuate beyond a predetermined threshold over time, and discards the first portion of the adjacent pixels from the image based at least in part upon the determination. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for processing an image, comprising: a three-dimensional camera that captures an image of a dairy livestock, wherein the image comprises a plurality of adjacent pixels, each pixel associated with a depth location; and a processor communicatively coupled to the three-dimensional camera, wherein the processor: determines that the depth locations of a first portion of the adjacent pixels extend beyond a predetermined threshold; and discards the first portion of the adjacent pixels from the image based at least in part upon the determination. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further determines that the depth locations of a second portion of the adjacent pixels are within the predetermined threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the second portion of the adjacent pixels comprise visual data of the dairy livestock and the first portion of adjacent pixels comprise visual data of an object other than the dairy livestock. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the image of the dairy livestock comprises an image of a rear portion of the dairy livestock. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines the depth locations of the adjacent pixels by measuring the time of flight of a light signal between the three-dimensional camera and the adjacent pixels. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises a distance threshold. ### Claim 7 A method for processing an image, comprising: capturing an image of a dairy livestock, wherein the image comprises a plurality of adjacent pixels, each pixel associated with a depth location; determining that the depth locations of a first portion of the adjacent pixels extend beyond a predetermined distance threshold; and discarding the first portion of the adjacent pixels from the image based at least in part upon the determination. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising determining that the depth locations of a second portion of the adjacent pixels are within the predetermined distance threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the second portion of the adjacent pixels comprise visual data of the dairy livestock and the first portion of adjacent pixels comprise visual data of an object other than the dairy livestock. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the image of the dairy livestock comprises an image of a rear portion of the dairy livestock. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the depth locations of the adjacent pixels by measuring the time of flight of a light signal between the three-dimensional camera and the adjacent pixels. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the threshold comprises a distance threshold. ### Claim 13 A system for processing an image, comprising: a three-dimensional camera that captures an image of a dairy livestock, wherein the image comprises a first pixel associated with a depth location; and a processor communicatively coupled to the three-dimensional camera, wherein the processor: determines that the depth location of the first pixel extends beyond a predetermined threshold; and discards the first pixel from the image based at least in part upon the determination. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the processor further determines that the depth location of a second pixel are within the predetermined threshold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the second pixel comprise visual data of the dairy livestock and the first pixel comprises visual data of an object other than the dairy livestock. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the image of the dairy livestock comprises an image of a rear portion of the dairy livestock. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the processor determines the depth location of the first pixel by measuring the time of flight of a light signal between the three-dimensional camera and the first pixel. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the threshold comprises a distance threshold.