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US 8,798,315 B2Granted
Method for detecting, in particular counting, animals
AssigneeN.V. Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek NEDAP
InventorsJeroen Martin Van Dijk, Bernard Jan Gerrit Schreurs, Vincent Hakvoort
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for detecting, in particular counting, animals that pass a predefined place in a walk-through direction with the aid of at least a camera, wherein the camera successively records pictures of the defined place and wherein the camera generates signals that represent these pictures and supplies these signals to signal processing means for further processing, wherein a multiplicity of the recorded pictures are processed with the aid of the signal processing means.
Claims32
A method for detecting, in particular counting, animals that pass a predefined place in a walk-through direction with the aid of at least a camera, wherein the camera successively records pictures of the defined place and wherein the camera generates signals that represent these pictures and supplies these signals to signal processing means for further processing, characterized in that the picture lines of the successively obtained pictures include an angle different from zero degrees with the walk-through direction, wherein a multiplicity of the recorded pictures are processed with the aid of the signal processing means, comprising:
- a. in a group of at least two successively obtained pictures, within these pictures at least one pattern is searched for that occurs in each of these pictures, and further at least one difference between the positions of a found pattern within the respective at least two successively obtained pictures of the group is determined if such a pattern is found and a difference between the positions of the pattern within the successively obtained pictures is present;
- b. if in step a. within at least two pictures of the group the difference in the positions has been determined, from this difference a measure for the speed of the respective pattern in the walk-through direction is determined if the pattern moves in the walk-through direction and a measure for the speed of the respective pattern counter to the walk-through direction is determined if the pattern moves counter to the walk-through direction;
- c. if the pattern moves in the walk-through direction, a number of picture lines from one of the pictures of the group are entered next to each other in a fictitious picture, wherein the number of picture lines from the one picture of the group that is entered in the fictitious picture is a function of the determined measure of the speed in the walk-through direction, wherein the picture lines that are entered in the fictitious picture are selected in a predetermined manner within the picture from which these picture lines originate, wherein the number of picture lines that is entered increases when the measure for the speed in the walk-through direction increases, and if the pattern moves counter to the walk-through direction, a number of picture lines last entered next to each other is removed from the fictitious picture, wherein the number of picture lines that is removed is a function of the measure of the speed counter to the walk-through direction, wherein the number of picture lines that is removed increases when the measure for the speed counter to the walk-through direction increases;
- d. the fictitious picture is further built up by repetitively carrying out the steps a, b and c successively for consecutively obtained groups, wherein the picture lines that are entered in the fictitious picture are each time selected in the same predetermined manner within the picture from which these picture lines originate, wherein, each time for two consecutively obtained groups, it holds that a last recorded picture of a last obtained group of two consecutive groups was obtained later than a last recorded picture of the previously obtained group of two consecutively obtained groups;
- e. in the fictitious picture that has been obtained after carrying out step d, the individual animals are detected and in particular the number of animals is counted.
2 more elements
A system for detecting, in particular counting, animals that pass a predefined place in a walk-through direction comprising:
- a camera and signal processing means,
- wherein the camera successively records pictures of a defined place and wherein the camera generates signals that represent these pictures and supplies these signals to the signal processing means for further processing, characterized in that picture lines of the successively obtained pictures include an angle different from zero degrees with the walk-through direction, wherein a multiplicity of the recorded pictures are processed as follows by the signal processing means:
- a. in a group of at least two successively obtained pictures, within these pictures at least one pattern is searched for that occurs in each of these pictures, and further at least one difference between the positions of a found pattern within the respective at least two successively obtained pictures of the group is determined if such a pattern is found and a difference between the positions of the pattern within the successively obtained pictures is present;
- b. if in step a. within at least two pictures of the group the difference in the positions has been determined, from this difference a measure for the speed of the respective pattern in the walk-through direction is determined if the pattern moves in the walk-through direction and a measure for the speed of the respective pattern counter to the walk-through direction is determined if the pattern moves counter to the walk-through direction;
- c. if the pattern moves in the walk-through direction, a number of picture lines from one of the pictures of the group are entered next to each other in a fictitious picture, wherein the number of picture lines from the one picture of the group that is entered in the fictitious picture is a function of the determined measure of the speed in the walk-through direction, wherein the picture lines that are entered in the fictitious picture are selected in a predetermined manner within the picture from which these picture lines originate, wherein the number of picture lines that is entered increases when the measure for the speed in the walk-through direction increases, and if the pattern moves counter to the walk-through direction, a number of picture lines last entered next to each other is removed from the fictitious picture, wherein the number of picture lines that is removed is a function of the measure of the speed counter to the walk-through direction, wherein the number of picture lines that is removed increases when the measure for the speed counter to the walk-through direction increases;
- d. the fictitious picture is further built up by repetitively carrying out the steps a, b and c successively for consecutively obtained groups, wherein the picture lines that are entered in the fictitious picture are each time selected in the same predetermined manner within the picture from which these picture lines originate, wherein, each time for two consecutively obtained groups, it holds that a last recorded picture of a last obtained group of two consecutive groups was obtained later than a last recorded picture of the previously obtained group of two consecutively obtained groups;
- e. in the fictitious picture that has been obtained after carrying out step d, the individual animals are detected and in particular the number of animals is counted.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.