Device and method for field estimation of animal population quantity or density

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and method for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the field. The method comprises the following steps: step 1, placing an infrared camera in a field area where animals frequently move close to a water source; step 2, installing a reference object A in a fan-shaped area 10-20m away from the infrared camera; step 3, installing a reference object B in a fan-shaped area 20-30 m away from the infrared camera; 4, a reference object C is arranged in parallel at the position 5-10 m away from the reference object A; and 5, selecting a reference object D at a position 5-10m away from the reference object B, and arranging the reference object D in parallel. According to the method, the camera and the reference object are regarded as a whole, the population number or density of animals distributed in the picture can be conveniently calculated by using the actually measured distance between the reference object and the camera through the animal picture shot in the field, the principle is simple, and the actual implementation is convenient; the problem of inaccuracy of estimating the number or density of animal populations by using photos can be effectively reduced, and the error risk of estimating the animal populations by using a field infrared camera through the shot photos is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of estimating the number or density of animal populations monitored by infrared cameras, and in particular to a device and method for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild. Background Art

[0002] Since there are many high-altitude and inconveniently accessible areas in my country, the basic data on biodiversity in these areas is scarce, which directly affects the development of conservation work in the areas. Therefore, the technology of monitoring animals with infrared cameras has the advantages of little interference with the environment, non-destructive recording, high concealment, low cost and all-weather operation. It is widely used in the monitoring, research and protection of wild animals. It is especially suitable for monitoring wild mammals that are secretive, scarce in number and easily disturbed.

[0003] Existing infrared cameras only provide captured image data, such as the local stereoscopic vision infrared camera system and method for wildlife monitoring proposed in 202010215625.5. Its image processing module corrects the binocular image according to the internal and external parameters and lens distortion information obtained by calibration, performs binocular matching on the overlapping parts of the field of view, and performs stereoscopic measurement of the size of wild animals. It is beneficial to expand the field of view, improve the effective detection efficiency of animal targets, and obtain high-precision size information of the target.

[0004] However, there is no simple and practical method to more accurately estimate the population size or density of animals in photos. Different shooting angles and different setting heights of the camera will affect the area of ​​the photo, which in turn affects the calculation of the population size or density of animals. Therefore, it is urgent to propose a device and method for estimating the population size or density of animals in the wild to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a device and method for estimating the size or density of animal populations in the wild. The device and method have the advantages of reducing the risk of error in estimating animal populations through photos taken by infrared cameras in the wild, having a simple structure and easy implementation, and solving the problem of inaccurate estimation of population size or density using photos.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a method for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild, comprising the following steps;

[0007] Step 1: Find an area in the wild where animals frequently move near water sources and place an infrared camera;

[0008] Step 2: Install reference object A in a sector area 10-20m away from the infrared camera;

[0009] Step 3: Install reference object B in a sector area 20-30m away from the infrared camera;

[0010] Step 4: Select reference object C and set it parallel to reference object A at a distance of 5-10m.

[0011] Step 5: Select reference object D and set it parallel to reference object B at a distance of 5-10m;

[0012] Step 6: The infrared camera takes photos of animals appearing in the reference object A, reference object B, reference object C and reference object D within a period of time n, and counts the number of animals a that appear, and the number of animals b that appear repeatedly, to obtain the number of animals ab that appear within a period of time n;

[0013] Step 7: Calculate the area M of reference object A, reference object B, reference object C and reference object D, and calculate the average animal density P in the area

[0014]

[0015] Step 8: Multiply the obtained average animal density P by the area S to obtain the estimated result of the animal population in the area N=D×S.

[0016] Preferably, the automatic sensing shooting distance of the infrared camera is 20m, the reference object A is within the shooting distance of the infrared camera, and the reference object B is placed outside the shooting distance of the infrared camera.

[0017] Preferably, the reference objects C and D are arranged in parallel with the reference objects A and B, and the measurement time is 5-7 days.

[0018] A device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild, including a measuring device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild, the measuring device is composed of an infrared camera and a reference object, the infrared camera includes an infrared video camera, the outer surface of the infrared video camera is provided with a protective shell, the back of the protective shell is provided with a binding belt, the left and right sides of the protective shell are fixedly installed with fixing plates, the front sides of the two fixing plates are provided with mounting grooves, the interior of the mounting grooves is provided with sliding openings, the interior of the sliding openings is movably installed with screws, the front side of the screws is threadedly connected with a limiting bolt, the back side of the screws is fixedly installed with a locking plate, and the back side of the locking plate is fixedly installed with a latch;

[0019] The reference object comprises a mounting rod, an indicator plate is fixedly mounted on the front of the mounting rod, two fixing belts are fixedly mounted on the back of the indicator plate, and an insertion shaft is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the mounting rod.

[0020] Preferably, the front side of the protective shell is hollowed out, and the camera and infrared sensor of the infrared camera are located in the hollowed out part.

[0021] Preferably, the protective shell and the fixing plate are both stainless steel plates, and the binding belt is an elastic belt.

[0022] Preferably, the limiting bolt is threadedly connected to the screw rod, and the limiting bolt is slidably installed inside the installation groove.

[0023] Preferably, the locking plate fits with the back side of the fixing plate, the latch is of conical design, and the two fixing plates are symmetrically designed on the left and right sides of the protection box.

[0024] Preferably, there are four reference objects, and the front sides of the four indicator plates are sprayed with reference object marks A, B, C and D, and the fixing belt is an elastic belt.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0026] 1. The present invention regards the camera and the reference object as a whole, and conveniently calculates the population size or density of animals distributed in the photos taken in the wild by using the measured distance between the reference object and the camera. The principle is simple and the actual implementation is convenient. It can effectively reduce the inaccuracy of estimating the population size or density of animals using photos, and reduce the error risk of estimating the animal population through photos taken by infrared cameras in the wild.

[0027] 2. The present invention can reduce the risk of error in estimating animal populations using photos taken by infrared cameras in the wild. It has a simple structure and is easy to implement, which reduces the problem of inaccurate estimation of population size or density using photos. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the infrared camera of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the fixing plate structure of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the reference object of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 2 A magnified view of the structure at center;

[0032] Figure 5 For the present invention Figure 1 A magnified view of the structure at B in the middle;

[0033] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of placing reference objects of the present invention.

[0035] In the figure: 1. infrared camera; 2. protective shell; 3. binding belt; 4. fixing plate; 5. mounting groove; 6. sliding mouth; 7. screw; 8. limit bolt; 9. locking plate; 10. latch; 11. mounting rod; 12. indicator plate; 13. fixing belt; 14. plug shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] Embodiment 1

[0038] Please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , in this embodiment, a method for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild includes the following steps;

[0039] Step 1: Find an area in the wild where animals frequently move near water sources and place an infrared camera;

[0040] Step 2: Install reference object A in a sector area 10-20m away from the infrared camera;

[0041] Step 3: Install reference object B in a sector area 20-30m away from the infrared camera;

[0042] Step 4: Select reference object C and set it parallel to reference object A at a distance of 5-10m.

[0043] Step 5: Select reference object D and set it parallel to reference object B at a distance of 5-10m;

[0044] Step 6: The infrared camera takes photos of animals appearing in the reference object A, reference object B, reference object C and reference object D within a period of time n, and counts the number of animals a that appear, and the number of animals b that appear repeatedly, to obtain the number of animals ab that appear within a period of time n;

[0045] Step 7: Calculate the area M of reference object A, reference object B, reference object C and reference object D, and calculate the average animal density P in the area

[0046]

[0047] Among them, ab represents the number of animals appearing within n time, n represents time, and M represents the area of ​​reference object A, reference object B, reference object C and reference object D.

[0048] Step 8: Multiply the obtained average animal density P by the area S to obtain the estimated result of the animal population in the area N=D×S.

[0049] In this embodiment, the shooting distance of the infrared camera is 20m, reference object A is set within the shooting distance of the infrared camera, reference object B is set outside the shooting distance of the infrared camera, reference object C and reference object D are set at parallel positions of reference object A and reference object B respectively, and a shooting cycle is 7 days.

[0050] By adopting the above technical solution, the height and size of the reference object can be adjusted according to the height and angle of the infrared camera. Reference object a is set within the effective distance of the infrared camera sensing and shooting, and reference object b is set outside the effective distance of the infrared camera sensing and shooting, which can be determined according to the actual shooting situation of the camera. Reference object c is set in parallel with reference object a, and reference object d is set in parallel with reference object b. The width between a and b, c and d is adjusted according to the actual observation distance; the reference object is set horizontally on both sides of the camera's field of view, and the actual width and length between the two reference objects are measured when setting. This observation method regards the camera and the reference object as a whole, and it is relatively convenient to calculate the population size or density of animals distributed in the photos taken in the wild by using the actual measured distance between the reference object and the camera. The principle is simple, the actual implementation is convenient, and it can effectively reduce the inaccuracy of estimating the number or density of animal populations using photos, and reduce the error risk of estimating animal populations through photos taken by infrared cameras in the wild.

[0051] In this embodiment, it is necessary to pay attention to the camera shooting area, the distance of the infrared camera flash, the effective working distance of the infrared camera's automatic sensing shooting, the distance between the reference object and the infrared camera's automatic sensing shooting, the width between the two reference objects, the length between the two reference objects, the reference objects are arranged within the field of view of the infrared camera, the distance between the reference object and the camera and the length and width between the two reference objects are measured and then arranged horizontally, and the population size or density of the animals in the photo is calculated.

[0052] It should be noted that the regional area estimation method refers to a technical means of estimating the area of ​​a specific area through certain measurement, calculation and extrapolation methods. Commonly used regional area estimation methods include direct measurement, indirect measurement and extrapolation. Among them, the direct measurement method refers to determining the regional area through field measurement; the indirect measurement method is to extrapolate the area based on known parameters such as length and angle; the extrapolation method is to estimate the regional area by extrapolating other relevant data. In actual engineering, choosing a suitable regional area estimation method is of great significance for accurately evaluating regional land use, environmental protection and resource utilization.

[0053] Embodiment 2

[0054] Please refer to Figure 1-5In this embodiment, a device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild includes a measuring device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild. The measuring device is composed of an infrared camera and a reference object. The infrared camera includes an infrared camera 1. A protective shell 2 is provided on the outer surface of the infrared camera 1. A binding belt 3 is provided on the back of the protective shell 2. Fixed plates 4 are fixedly installed on the left and right sides of the protective shell 2. The front sides of the two fixed plates 4 are provided with mounting grooves 5. The interior of the mounting grooves 5 is provided with a sliding opening 6. A screw rod 7 is movably installed inside the sliding opening 6. The front side of the screw rod 7 is threadedly connected with a limiting bolt 8. A locking plate 9 is fixedly installed on the back of the screw rod 7. A latch 10 is fixedly installed on the back of the locking plate 9.

[0055] The reference object comprises a mounting rod 11 , an indicator plate 12 is fixedly mounted on the front of the mounting rod 11 , two fixing belts 13 are fixedly mounted on the back of the indicator plate 12 , and an insertion shaft 14 is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the mounting rod 11 .

[0056] In this embodiment, the protective shell 2 adopts a hollow design, and the shooting lens of the infrared camera is placed in the hollow part. The protective shell 2 protects the infrared camera to prevent large animals from damaging the infrared camera. The protective shell 2 and the fixing plate 4 are made of stainless steel plates to further increase their strength and enhance the protection effect.

[0057] In this embodiment, a stretchable elastic band is used as the binding band 3, which can be freely extended and retracted, so that the infrared camera can be conveniently tied to tree trunks of different sizes. When tying, the protective shell 2 is tightened by adjusting the tightness of the binding band 3, and then reinforced by the fixing plate 4.

[0058] In this embodiment, the limit bolt 8 is threadedly connected to the screw rod 7 to fix the fixing plate 4, the pin 10 is of conical design, the two fixing plates 4 are symmetrically designed on the left and right sides of the protective box 2, four reference objects are designed, and the front of the four indicator plates 12 are sprayed with reference mark A, B, C and D. The fixing belt 13 is an elastic belt, which further improves the stability of the installation of the protective shell 2 and increases the protection effect.

[0059] In this embodiment, when installing the infrared camera and the reference object, the binding belt 3 is put on the tree trunk in the designated area, the pin 10 is inserted into the interior of the tree trunk, the position of the screw rod 7 is locked by the limit bolt 8, the limit bolt 8 is rotated to reduce the distance between the locking plate 9 and the limit bolt 8 to fix the position of the screw rod 7, and then the reference objects A, B, C and D are respectively fixed in the designated area. It has the advantages of reducing the error risk of estimating animal populations through photos taken by infrared cameras in the wild, simple structure and easy implementation, and solves the problem of inaccurate estimation of population size or density using photos.

[0060] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0061] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild, characterized by: The steps include: Step 1: Find an area in the wild where animals frequently move near water sources and place an infrared camera; Step 2: Install reference object A in a sector area 10-20m away from the infrared camera; Step 3: Install reference object B in a sector area 20-30m away from the infrared camera; Step 4: Select reference object C and set it parallel to reference object A at a distance of 5-10m. Step 5: Select reference object D and set it parallel to reference object B at a distance of 5-10m; Step 6: The infrared camera takes photos of animals appearing in the reference object A, reference object B, reference object C and reference object D within a period of time n, and counts the number of animals a that appear, and the number of animals b that appear repeatedly, to obtain the number of animals that appear within the period of n; Step 7: Calculate the area M of the reference area A, reference area B, reference area C and reference area D, and calculate the average animal density P in the area; Step 8: Multiply the obtained average animal density P by the regional surface S to obtain the estimated result of the animal population in the region.

2. A method for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic sensing shooting distance of the infrared camera is 20m, the reference object A is within the shooting distance of the infrared camera, and the reference object B is placed outside the shooting distance of the infrared camera.

3. A method for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reference objects C and D are arranged in parallel with the reference objects A and B, and the measurement time is 5-7 days.

4. A device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild, comprising the measuring device of the method for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The measuring device is composed of an infrared camera and a reference object, wherein the infrared camera comprises an infrared camera (1), the outer surface of the infrared camera (1) is provided with a protective shell (2), the back of the protective shell (2) is provided with a binding belt (3), the left and right sides of the protective shell (2) are fixedly installed with fixing plates (4), the front sides of the two fixing plates (4) are provided with mounting grooves (5), the interior of the mounting grooves (5) is provided with a sliding opening (6), a screw rod (7) is movably installed inside the sliding opening (6), the front side of the screw rod (7) is threadedly connected with a limiting bolt (8), the back side of the screw rod (7) is fixedly installed with a locking plate (9), and the back side of the locking plate (9) is fixedly installed with a latch (10); The reference object comprises a mounting rod (11), an indicator plate (12) is fixedly mounted on the front of the mounting rod (11), two fixing belts (13) are fixedly mounted on the back of the indicator plate (12), and an insertion shaft (14) is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the mounting rod (11).

5. A device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild according to claim 4, characterized in that: The front side of the protective shell (2) is hollowed out, and the camera head and infrared sensor of the infrared camera 1 are located in the hollowed-out part.

6. The device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild according to claim 4, characterized in that: The protective shell (2) and the fixing plate (4) are both made of stainless steel plates, and the binding belt (3) is an elastic belt.

7. The device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild according to claim 4, characterized in that: The limiting bolt (8) is threadedly connected to the screw rod (7), and the limiting bolt (8) is slidably installed inside the installation groove (5).

8. The device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild according to claim 4, characterized in that: The locking plate (9) is fitted with the back side of the fixing plate (4), the latch (10) is of conical design, and the two fixing plates (4) are symmetrically designed on the left and right sides of the protection box (2).

9. The device for estimating the number or density of animal populations in the wild according to claim 4, characterized in that: There are four reference objects, and the front surfaces of the four indicator plates (12) are sprayed with reference object marks A, B, C and D. The fixing belt (13) is an elastic belt.

Images