Livestock monitoring device based on a multi-camera system embedded in a single-board minicomputer.

Description

1 / 6 Livestock monitoring device based on a multi-camera system embedded in a single-board minicomputer. UTILITY MODEL FIELD (001) This utility model refers to equipment consisting of a box-type physical structure, which internally has a system composed of a single-board computer, managing four digital cameras, two of which are 5 MP, one of which is 8 MP and another of which is 12.3 MP, of which the first two are night vision and the other is called wide-angle vision, together with specific software for management, control and user interaction with the cameras, and a web interface for recording images and videos of animals in a livestock production environment, for the assembly of databases for computer vision. (002) In this way, the present device aims to provide a portable and easy-to-operate and use system, focused on recording images and videos of terrestrial animals in a livestock production environment, in a non-invasive way, to enable the development of a database for use in modeling computer vision algorithms. (003) In this context, the utility model falls under the International Patent Classification, Section A - Human Necessities; Subsection A01K - Livestock; Poultry farming; Beekeeping; Fish farming; Fishing; Breeding or reproduction of animals, not included elsewhere; new animal breedings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the device. Figure 2 shows a detail of the internal base of the equipment. Figure 3 represents the top view and position of the single-board computer with battery. Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, page 17 / 24 2 / 6 Figure 4 represents the side view of the lower part of the equipment. Figure 5. Detail of the USB, Ethernet, and Charger ports. Figure 6. Position of the hole for mounting the single-board computer. Figure 7. Top part of the equipment, containing the LCD screen and the location for the cooling system. Figure 8. Camera positioning. Figure 9. Side view showing the location of the cooling system. Figure 10. Detail of the protection for the USB, Ethernet and battery charger ports. Figure 11. Dimensions of the USB port covers. Figure 12. LCD screen dimensions. Figure 13. Dimensions of the refrigeration system guards. Figure 14. LCD screen protection. Figure 15. Dimensions and position of the LCD screen. Figure 16. Dimensions of the LCD screen mounting structure. Figure 17. Dimensions of the camera assembly mounting structure. Figure 18. View of the equipment components, rear part. Figure 19. View of the equipment components, front part. DESCRIPTIVE REPORT (004) The present device consists of a system containing a single-board computer embedded in a 3D printed case, this single-board computer being responsible for controlling and managing four camera modules (Picamera2) through a multiplexer device (Mux), these installed inside the equipment, as shown in Figure 2. (005) The physical structure of the equipment can be seen in Figure 1. This device is composed of two main parts that constitute the body of the equipment. Figure 7 represents the upper part of the equipment, where the LCD, the cooling system and the acrylic protection for the camera modules are installed. Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, page 18 / 24 3 / 6 (006) The lower part of the equipment can be seen in Figures 3 and 4. This part houses the single-board computer, the system battery, the power button, the USB, Ethernet and battery charging ports, as well as the mounting structure for the four cameras that make up the system. Figure 4 details the mounting holes for the lower structure to the upper structure. (007) The single-board computer is responsible for running the system management software, including the cameras, the user interface, and internet connectivity for transmitting files, images, and videos captured by the device. Its location on the equipment can be seen in Figures 2 and 3. It is fixed to the device structure using the feature detailed in Figure 3. (008) The cameras that make up the device are four digital cameras with flat cables: 12.3 MP, 8 MP, Night Vision 5 MP and Wide Angle Vision 5 MP, fixed to the front of the device, as shown in Figure 19, allowing the user four different camera options for assembling the databases. (009) The camera management software performs the selection of which camera the user has selected, through a multiplexer device installed on top of the single-board computer, and this multiplexer is accessed through the use of the GPIO pin connections of the single-board computer. (010) The structure shown in Figure 17 represents the supports for attaching the four cameras that make up the system. This structure has a grid of holes that facilitates the positioning and adjustment of the cameras during the assembly of the equipment. (011) Figure 9 represents the front view of the camera positioning in relation to the front support and the lower physical assembly of the equipment. Figures 18 and 19 show the location of the camera support and details of the holes for fixing them. Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, page 19 / 24 4 / 6 (012) The device has an internal battery, as shown in Figure 2, with an operating autonomy of 16 hours, and has an input for charging the same, as shown in Figure 5, thus not requiring a continuous power supply. (013) The device has an LCD touchscreen for user interface, as shown in Figure 7, facilitating interaction with the equipment system. (014) Figure 12 represents the dimensions of the LCD screen installed in the equipment, and Figure 15 represents the dimensions of the positions for fixing it in the equipment. Additionally, Figure 16 represents the mounting bracket for the LCD screen in the physical device. Figure 14 represents the magnetically attached protection developed to protect the LCD screen from direct sunlight; this should be used when the user is not interacting with the equipment. In Figures 1 and 7, the position of the screen and the protection in relation to the equipment can be observed. (015) The device has four USB ports, as shown in Figure 5, to enable the connection of external devices, such as mice, keyboards or data storage and transfer systems. (016) The device has an Ethernet input, as shown in Figure 5, and Wi-Fi connection to enable the use of the Internet in the interface with the equipment. (017) Figure 13 represents the dimensions of the structure used for the installation of the equipment's cooling system, composed of an external cooler and heat sink, and an internal cooler and heat sink, isolated at the installation location to prevent air exchange with the environment, avoiding contamination by particles and water. Figure 8 shows the position and dimensions where the system is installed on the equipment. In Figures 18 and 19, the position of the system in relation to the equipment and other components can be observed. (018) The device has impact and splash protection for the USB, Ethernet and battery charger ports in order to prevent Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, page 20 / 24 5 / 6 possible damage to these devices. The dimensions of this protection can be seen in Figures 10 and 11, as well as its position on the equipment, which can be verified in Figure 18. (019) To enable the use of this device in an animal production environment, a support was developed, as shown in Figure 6, on the lower part of the equipment, which allows the device to be attached to both camera support tripods and articulated monitor arm supports, for installation of the equipment in locations according to the user's needs. (020) It should be noted that, although not shown in Figures 2, 3, 18 and 19, there are wire and cable connections that connect and power the internal devices of the equipment. There is a USB-C-USB cable for battery power, a USB-USB-C cable from the battery to power the single-board computer, an Ethernet cable that connects the external Ethernet connector to the Ethernet switch of the single-board computer, two USB 2.0 cables from the single-board computer to two USB connectors on the external ports, two USB 3.0 cables from the single-board computer to two USB connectors on the external ports, a flat communication cable between the single-board computer and the multiplexer, four flat cables from the multiplexer to the four cameras, one for each camera, a USB-μUSB cable to activate the touchscreen of the LCD screen and a μHDMI-HDMI cable to connect the single-board computer to the LCD.In addition, there are two wires, one positive and one negative, that connect the power supply GPIOs of the single-board computer to the system's cooling fans. (021) It should be noted that, although not shown in Figures 1, 2, 7, 10, 13 and 14, the device has, installed on its external faces, a thermal coating made of aluminum sheeting to protect the equipment from direct sunlight, reducing wear on external components, lowering the internal temperature of the equipment, increasing the efficiency of the cooling system and the performance of the electronic components. (022) Regarding how to configure the cameras, schedule the start and stop of image and video recordings, as well as the interface Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, page 21 / 24 6 / 6 with the web, these are performed through specific software developed for the equipment. (023) The camera settings that the user can access are: automatic exposure control mode and automatic gain control, brightness adjustment restriction modes, white balance adjustment, white balance mode adjustment, image brightness adjustment, camera shutter exposure time adjustment, color gain adjustment, red color channel saturation adjustment, blue color channel saturation adjustment, image contrast adjustment and capture rate adjustment for videos. (024) The start and end of image and video recording processes is done through the software, which has the options to start the process manually or by scheduling a date and time, and the end of the process can also be done manually or by scheduling a date and time. (025) The web interface, for monitoring image and video recordings, is carried out by the developed software, using the Flask framework, with which it is possible to view the files and also download them, enabling the transmission of the generated files without the need to be near the operating location of the equipment. Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, page 22 / 24

Claims

1 / 4 CLAIM (001) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by being a portable device with the option of using four digital cameras with flat cables: 12.3 MP, 8 MP, 5 MP Night Vision and 5 MP Wide Angle Vision, for recording images and videos of livestock herds, enabling the use of these images and videos for various applications, such as training computer vision algorithms in different image conditions. (002) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having camera operation management software, executable on the single-board minicomputer located inside the equipment.(003) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by, through the specific management software of the proposed device, being able to select which of the four cameras one wishes to operate, choose the option to record videos or capture images, adjust the image capture interval and configure the start and end mode of recording, either by manual initialization or by scheduling a date and time.(004) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by, through the specific management software of the proposed device and using the Picamera API, being able to access the settings of the four cameras installed in this device and configure the automatic exposure control mode and automatic gain control, brightness adjustment restriction modes, white balance adjustment, white balance mode adjustment, image brightness adjustment, camera shutter exposure time adjustment, color gain adjustment, red color channel saturation adjustment, blue color channel saturation adjustment, image contrast adjustment and video capture rate adjustment.(005) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having an adjustable structure for the cameras, in which it is possible to install four camera modules with flat cable for connection to the single-board minicomputer. Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, pp. 13 / 24. 2 / 4 (006) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having a single-board computer (SBC), which enables the use of four digital cameras with flat cable, four USB ports, Ethernet interface, Wi-Fi interface and touchscreen LCD in a single compact device. (007) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having four USB inputs, which enables the connection of the device with peripherals such as mice, keyboards or storage devices for file exchange.(008) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having an angled protection for the USB, Ethernet and charger inputs, thus enabling protection against mechanical shocks and direct water incidence on the ports. (009) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having an Ethernet and Wi-Fi interface, which enables the device to connect to the Internet, regardless of the protocol available at the operating location.(010) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having a web interface developed in Flask, in which it is possible to monitor the image and video files recorded by the device during its operation in the field, being possible to monitor the recordings via the Internet and download the files of these images and videos for applications, such as training computer vision algorithms. (011) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having a touchscreen LCD screen, which enables the use of the system without the need for a mouse. Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, p.14 / 24 (012) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having a removable protective cover for the LCD screen, fixed by magnetic fasteners, which enables the protection of the screen while the user is not directly interacting with the equipment, protecting it from direct sunlight and possible impacts on the screen. (013) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having a heat exchange system based on two exhaust fans with heat sinks, one positioned internally in the equipment and the other positioned externally, interconnected with direct metallic contact, using thermal paste to guarantee heat exchange performance, and isolated by sealing in the equipment's casing structure to prevent dirt and moisture from entering the system.(014) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having thermal insulation in aluminum blanket, which, together with item (008), allows the equipment to operate in direct sunlight and in an environment with a temperature above 30 °C, enabling its operation in both open and confined animal production environments. (015) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having a base for fixing to camera tripods and monitor mounts, which makes it a portable device that can be installed on tripod mounts and articulated monitor mounts, enabling installation in animal breeding environments, in closed or open facilities, without the need for continuous physical monitoring of this equipment.(016) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having an internally installed battery, with an input for charging the same in the system casing, making it unnecessary to access the battery to charge it. Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, pp. 15 / 24. 4 / 4 (017) HERD MONITORING DEVICE BASED ON A MULTI-CAMERA SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN A MULTI-PLATFORM SINGLE-BOARD MINICOMPUTER, characterized by having a battery installed internally in the equipment, which enables the system to have an operating autonomy of more than 16 hours, with simultaneous operation of the video capture system, internet transmission of files and cooling of the device, which enables its operation in the field without the need for continuous power supply. Petition 870250053116, dated 06 / 25 / 2025, page 16 / 24

Images