# US 9,872,482 B2 · Systems and methods for analyzing and monitoring alligator growth

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- Number: US 9,872,482 B2
- Document ID: US9872482B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/169,098
- Filed: 2016-05-31
- Published: 2016-12-08
- Granted: 2018-01-23
- Earliest claimed: 2015-05-29
- Assignees: ClicRweight, LLC
- Applicants: ClicRweight, LLC
- Inventors: Dorian Garcia; Joseph A. Spicola, Jr.; Joseph A. Spicola, Sr.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9872482B2

## CPC

- A01K 29/005: {Monitoring or measuring activity}
- A01K 29/002: {for monitoring or measuring size or weight of the animal, e.g. monitoring growth}
- G06T 7/11: Region-based segmentation
- G06T 7/194: involving foreground-background segmentation
- G06T 7/60: Analysis of geometric attributes
- G06V 10/42: Global feature extraction by analysis of the whole pattern, e.g. using frequency domain transformations or autocorrelation
- G06V 40/103: {Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition}
- H04N 23/51: Housings
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

Described herein are methods and systems for determining one or more dimensions of an alligator based upon an image. A sensor coupled to a computing device captures an image of an alligator. The computing device extracts a portion of the image that corresponds to a silhouette of the alligator and determines a contour of the silhouette. The computing device transforms the contour to a predetermined position and/or rotation and determines one or more dimensions of the alligator based upon the transformed contour.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A chute assembly for capturing images of an alligator, the chute assembly comprising:
a base;
a ceiling;
a plurality of guides connecting the base and the ceiling, each guide comprising a support attached to the base and a concentric, free-moving cylinder attached to the ceiling;
a bed attached to the plurality of guides and positioned between the ceiling and the base, the bed including one or more floats attached to an underside of the bed, wherein the floats operate to keep the bed at a waterline when the chute assembly is placed into a water tank; and
a camera box attached to the ceiling, the camera box comprising an imaging device coupled to a processor and a memory, the imaging device operable to capture images of the bed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The chute assembly of claim 1, wherein the bed includes one or more lights that illuminate a surface of the bed.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The chute assembly of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to process the images to extract a silhouette of an alligator in the images, determine a contour of the silhouette, transform the contour to a predetermined position and/or rotation, and determine one or more dimensions of the alligator based upon the transformed contour.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The chute assembly of claim 3, wherein the predetermined position and/or orientation is a horizontal body axis with a head of the alligator facing left.

### Claim 5

A computerized method for determining one or more dimensions of an alligator based upon an image, the method comprising:
capturing, by a sensor coupled to a computing device being housed in a camera box of a chute assembly, an image of an alligator positioned on an illuminated bed of the chute assembly;
extracting, by the computing device, a portion of the image that corresponds to a silhouette of the alligator;
determining, by the computing device, a contour of the silhouette;
transforming, by the computing device, the contour to a predetermined position and/or rotation; and
determining, by the computing device, one or more dimensions of the alligator based upon the transformed contour.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined position and/or rotation comprises a horizontal body axis with a head of the alligator facing left.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the contour of the silhouette is determined by classifying one or more pixels of the image that belong to the alligator, classifying one or more pixels of the image that belong to the illuminated bed, and extracting the contour based upon the classified pixels.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the contour is transformed by aligning the contour horizontally, determining a first moment of inertia of silhouette pixels, determining a first moment of inertia of contour pixels, and rotating the contour 180 degrees if the first moment of inertia of the silhouette pixels is not to the left of the first moment of inertia of the contour pixels.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more dimensions comprise a length of the centerline of the alligator, a width of the alligator, and a length of one or more limbs of the alligator.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising determining, by the computing device, a weight of the alligator based upon the dimensions.