Movable sheep body size character measuring device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a movable sheep body size character measuring device and method, the device comprises an image acquisition system, a scale, a control system and the like, a thermal infrared camera and a digital X-ray camera are arranged around a sheep holding device, a carriage is rotatable and is provided with a supporting unit, and a sheep information reading device is an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device). The method is based on the device, and comprises the steps of obtaining breeding sheep information and image data, inputting a prediction model to obtain a body size evaluation result, and calculating a stage body size increase amount to determine a sheep performance grade. The measuring device is movable, flexible and efficient, and can be quickly arranged and put into operation to improve the collection efficiency; the method comprehensively processes thermal infrared and X-ray image data, the data is comprehensive and accurate, body size measurement data can be provided for evaluation and feedback, excellent breeding sheep are selected and reserved for breeding improvement, and the problems that an existing measurement technology is high in cost, low in utilization rate, low in data accuracy and the like are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of animal body size shape data measurement, in particular to a movable breeding sheep body size trait measurement device and method. Background Art

[0002] According to the national industry standard "Technical Specifications for Breeding Sheep Production Performance Measurement", the body size traits of breeding sheep include: body height, body length, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest width, chest depth, waist angle width, and cross height. There are two main technologies used to measure body size traits: one is the traditional performance measurement technology, that is, the measurer uses measuring tools such as a stick ruler and a tape measure to measure, and the other is the photo performance measurement technology, that is, using a camera to take pictures of the side and top of the sheep, and obtain side view photos and top view photos, which are further processed to obtain relevant data. However, both of the above forms have shortcomings: the first traditional measurement technology requires a large number of personnel to cooperate during the measurement period, and will temporarily summon surrounding breeding farms or residents to the site, resulting in a series of epidemic prevention problems, and most of them have not received professional training, the measurement efficiency and accuracy are relatively low, and the amount of data generated is relatively small, which is not suitable for the new paradigm of modern breeding. The second photo measurement technology requires taking photos of the breeding sheep at different angles, then processing the overhead and side photos of the sheep with graphic technology to obtain the image contour, and then calculating the body size data through a model algorithm. This technology has the following problems: (1) Since sheep are fur animals, the thickness of wool of different breeds and different growth periods varies greatly, and it cannot be effectively corrected only by photographic technology. Therefore, the body size data obtained is relatively inaccurate compared with traditional measurement data. In the prior art, patent CN114159049A discloses an animal body size measurement system and method using a stereo infrared camera. In this method, only external morphological data such as body height, body length, chest circumference and tube circumference can be obtained, while chest depth, waist angle width and cross height data cannot be effectively calculated; (2) The existing measurement devices are all built in the breeding farm and are fixed devices. They can only measure the breeding farm themselves, and cannot measure across breeding farms. The equipment cannot be effectively utilized. The technology for measuring with a stereo infrared camera in patent CN114159049A requires installing the stereo infrared camera in the animal's living area, collecting data for a few days and then analyzing it to obtain the animal's body size data. This method of measurement is obviously very inefficient and is not suitable for big data collection. Summary of the invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a movable breeding sheep body size trait measuring device and method which has comprehensive data collection, high collection efficiency, and can quickly and comprehensively collect breeding sheep body size data in a breeding farm within a target area.

[0004] Technical solution: To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the movable sheep body size trait measuring device of the present invention comprises an image acquisition system, a ruler, a control system and a power supply system; the image acquisition system comprises a thermal infrared camera;

[0005] It also includes a mobile body and a carriage installed on the mobile body; the carriage is provided with a breeding sheep securing device and a breeding sheep information reading device;

[0006] There are multiple thermal infrared cameras, and all of the thermal infrared cameras are arranged around the breeding sheep restraining device to obtain multi-view images of the breeding sheep;

[0007] The image acquisition system also includes two digital X-ray cameras, which are used to obtain images of the shoulder blade position and the cross position of the breeding sheep respectively.

[0008] Furthermore, the carriage can rotate relative to the moving body; both ends of the length direction of the carriage are provided with openable doors, and both ends of the length direction of the carriage can be provided with walking passages.

[0009] Furthermore, the breeding sheep restraining device comprises a movable neck support, a rear baffle, a left baffle, and a right baffle respectively arranged at the front, rear, left, and right positions of the measuring position;

[0010] The movable neck support comprises two left and right neck support halves that can be opened and closed with each other; after the two neck support halves are closed with each other, a notch is formed in the middle of the upper side of the movable neck support for supporting the neck of the breeding sheep;

[0011] The rear baffle comprises two left and right baffle doors which can be opened and closed mutually.

[0012] Furthermore, the left and right positions of at least one of the left baffle and the right baffle can be adjusted.

[0013] Furthermore, each of the cervical collar halves has an arc-shaped support body whose position can be adjusted up and down; and the notch portion is formed between two cervical collar halves corresponding to the two cervical collar halves.

[0014] Furthermore, the breeding sheep information reading device is an RFID identification device, and each breeding sheep to be measured is equipped with an RFID tag.

[0015] Furthermore, the bottom of the carriage has a support unit that can be deployed.

[0016] A method for measuring the body size traits of breeding sheep, based on the above-mentioned movable breeding sheep body size trait measuring device, the method comprises:

[0017] The breeding sheep information reading device obtains the breeding sheep information and sends the information to the data analysis module;

[0018] The image acquisition system acquires image data of the breeding sheep at a predetermined time interval and sends the image data to the data analysis module; the image data includes thermal infrared images and X-ray images;

[0019] The data analysis module inputs the image data and the label information into a pre-constructed breeding sheep body size prediction model to obtain the target breeding sheep body size assessment result.

[0020] Furthermore, the data analysis module inputs the image data and the label information into a pre-built breeding sheep body size prediction model to obtain the target breeding sheep body size assessment result, which specifically includes:

[0021] Removing background elements from the thermal infrared image data to obtain a thermal infrared image of the breeding sheep;

[0022] Embed the accurate position image of the bones of the key parts of the breeding sheep in the X-ray image into the corresponding position in the breeding sheep thermal infrared image to obtain an optimized breeding sheep thermal infrared image;

[0023] Extract key points from the optimized thermal infrared image of the sheep to determine the key points therein;

[0024] The outline and skeleton structure of the breeding sheep are determined according to the key points, and the body height, body length, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest width, chest depth, waist angle width, and cross height of the breeding sheep are determined according to the outline and skeleton structure.

[0025] Furthermore, the method further comprises:

[0026] Calculate the difference between the target sheep body size data corresponding to the thermal infrared image data collected within a preset time interval to obtain the stage body size growth amount;

[0027] Determining the body size trait evaluation result of the target breeding sheep according to the difference, specifically includes: in response to the difference being not greater than a preset threshold, determining that the performance of the target sheep is a first level; in response to the difference being greater than a preset threshold, determining that the performance of the target sheep is a second level; wherein the performance of the target sheep represented by the first level is better than the performance of the target sheep represented by the second level.

[0028] Beneficial effects: The movable sheep body size trait measuring device and method of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0029] Beneficial effects:

[0030] (1) The measuring device has a mobile property by using a mobile vehicle. The measuring device can be moved across sites to reach different destinations such as pastures and farms for mobile measurement operations. Compared with the traditional method of transporting breeding sheep to a fixed measurement location for measurement, the measuring device of the present invention is more flexible and efficient, and can quickly obtain accurate big data on body size traits of breeding sheep at different ages in a regional area, construct a body size performance evaluation model, and solve the problems of high investment cost, low utilization rate, and low data accuracy of current measurement technology.

[0031] (2) After the mobile vehicle stops, the measuring device can be quickly deployed and put into operation to measure the body size and traits of the breeding goats. The breeding goats to be measured enter the carriage from the walking channel on one side of the carriage and stand at the measuring position. After the image acquisition system acquires the image of the breeding goats standing at the measuring position, the breeding goats walk out of the carriage from the walking channel on the other side. In this way, the data acquisition efficiency can be greatly improved.

[0032] (3) In the method for measuring the body size traits of breeding sheep, by performing comprehensive data processing on the thermal infrared image data and the X-ray image data, the target data of the measured breeding sheep, such as body height, body length, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest width, chest depth, waist angle width, and cross height, can be obtained at one time. The data is comprehensive and the measurement is accurate.

[0033] (4) The present invention can subsequently evaluate the body size measurement data provided by the mobile breeding sheep body size measurement device, and feed the results back to the breeding entity. The core breeding farm selects excellent breeding sheep based on the evaluation results, and on this basis, carries out continuous breeding and improvement, and collects correct breeding data and results. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the first state of the movable breeding sheep body size trait measuring device;

[0035] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of the second state of the movable breeding sheep body size trait measuring device;

[0036] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the movable breeding sheep body size trait measuring device in the second state;

[0037] Figure 4 This is the layout diagram of the image acquisition system and the breeding sheep restraining device;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a breeding sheep restraining device;

[0039] Figure 6 This is a flow chart of the method for measuring body size traits of breeding sheep.

[0040] In the figure: 1-mobile body; 2-carriage; 21-carriage door; 22-walking passage; 23-support unit; 24-horizontal passage; 3-sheep restraining device; 31-movable neck support; 3a-neck support half; 3b-door; 3c-arc-shaped support body; 32-rear baffle; 33-left baffle; 34-right baffle; 4-thermal infrared camera; 4a-front camera; 4b-rear camera; 4c-side camera; 4d-top camera; 4e-bottom camera; 5-digital X-ray camera; 5a-first X-ray camera; 5b-second X-ray camera. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0042] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 The movable breeding sheep body size trait measuring device shown comprises a mobile body 1 and a carriage 2 installed on the mobile body; the carriage 2 is provided with a breeding sheep restraining device 3, a breeding sheep information reading device 6, an image acquisition system, a ruler, a control system and a power supply system; the image acquisition system can simultaneously acquire images of the animal and the ruler, and the control system calculates the body size of the animal based on the image of the ruler in the acquired image, and the ruler plays a role in correcting the measurement result; the image acquisition system comprises a thermal infrared camera 4.

[0043] There are multiple thermal infrared cameras 4, all of which are arranged around the sheep restraining device 3 to obtain multi-view images of the sheep; specifically, the side view, top view, top view, front view and rear view images of the sheep can be obtained. Based on the collected infrared light images, the data of the sheep's height, body length, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest width and chest depth can be obtained.

[0044] The image acquisition system further comprises two digital X-ray cameras 5, which are used to obtain images of the shoulder blade position and the cross position of the breeding sheep respectively.

[0045] Preferably, the carriage 2 is rotatable relative to the mobile body 1; Figure 3 As shown, both ends of the carriage 2 in the length direction are provided with openable doors 21, and both ends of the carriage 2 in the length direction can be provided with walking passages 22, and a horizontal passage 24 is provided in the carriage, and two sets of horizontal passages 24 are respectively located at the front and rear sides of the breeding sheep restraining device 3. Preferably, the walking passage 22 is U-shaped, and a sliding shaft that can slide relative to the main body of the carriage 2 is installed at its end, and the walking passage 22 can be received horizontally in the carriage 2. When it is needed, the walking passage 22 is pulled outward so that the sliding shaft reaches the edge of the carriage 2, and then the walking passage 22 is rotated relative to the sliding shaft as a whole, so that the walking passage 22 becomes inclined.

[0046] In this way, after the mobile vehicle 1 stops, the measuring device can be quickly arranged in place, and the measurement of the body size and characteristics of the breeding sheep can be quickly put into operation. The breeding sheep to be measured enters the carriage 2 from the walking passage 22 on one side of the carriage 2 and stands at the measurement position. After the image acquisition system acquires the image of the breeding sheep standing at the measurement position, the breeding sheep walks out of the carriage 2 from the walking passage 22 on the other side. In this way, the data acquisition efficiency can be greatly improved.

[0047] like Figure 4 As shown, the front, rear, side, top and bottom of the measuring position are all provided with thermal infrared cameras 4, namely the front camera 4a, the rear camera 4b, the side camera 4c, the top camera 4d and the bottom camera 4e. Two digital X-ray cameras 5 are both installed on the side, namely the first X-ray camera 5a corresponding to the shoulder position of the breeding sheep and the second X-ray camera 5b at the cross position.

[0048] The above-mentioned measuring device has a mobile property by using the mobile vehicle body 1. The measuring device can be moved across sites to reach different destinations such as pastures and farms for mobile measuring operations. Compared with the traditional method of transporting breeding sheep to fixed measuring locations for measurement, the measuring device of the present invention is more flexible and efficient, and can quickly obtain accurate big data on body size traits of breeding sheep at different age stages in the regional range, construct a body size performance evaluation model, and solve the problems of high investment cost, low utilization rate, and low data accuracy of current measurement technology.

[0049] Preferably, if Figure 5 As shown, the breeding sheep restraining device 3 includes a movable neck support 31, a rear baffle 32, a left baffle 33, and a right baffle 34, which are respectively arranged in front of, behind, to the left and to the right of the measuring position. The movable neck support 31 includes two left and right neck support halves 3a that can be opened and closed with each other; after the two neck support halves 3a are closed with each other, a notch is formed in the middle of the upper side of the movable neck support 31 for supporting the neck of the breeding sheep; the movable neck support 31 can make the breeding sheep in a head-up state when being measured, so as to facilitate the test. The rear baffle 32 includes two left and right baffles 3b that can be opened and closed with each other.

[0050] When in use, when there is no breeding goat at the measuring position, the two neck support halves 3a of the movable neck support 31 are in a closed state, and the rear baffle 32 is in an open state, so that the breeding goat can enter the measuring position from the walking passage 22 on one side through the two baffles 3b, the movable neck support 31 holds the neck of the breeding goat, and then the two baffles 3b are relatively closed, and then the image acquisition system is controlled to perform image acquisition. After the image acquisition is completed, the two neck support halves 3a are relatively opened, and the breeding goat passes between the two neck support halves 3a and leaves the carriage 2 from the walking passage 22 on the other side.

[0051] Preferably, at least one of the left baffle plate 33 and the right baffle plate 34 can be adjusted in left and right positions. In this way, the width of the measurement position can be adjusted according to the size of the breeding sheep, ensuring that the posture of the breeding sheep during the measurement operation is reasonable. In this embodiment, the left baffle plate 33 is fixedly installed, and the right baffle plate 34 can be slid in the left and right directions to adjust the position, and a concave slot is provided at the bottom of the right baffle plate 34, and a pulley is provided in the slot to facilitate the movement of the position of the right baffle plate 34.

[0052] Preferably, each of the neck support half bodies 3a has an arc-shaped support body 3c whose position can be adjusted up and down; the notch is formed between the two neck support half bodies 3a corresponding to the two neck support half bodies 3a. With this structure, the arc-shaped support body 3c can be adjusted to a suitable height according to the average size of the breeding sheep, so that the breeding sheep can complete the measurement operation in a comfortable posture.

[0053] Preferably, the breeding sheep information reading device 6 is an RFID identification device, and each breeding sheep measured is equipped with an RFID tag. In this way, the control system can quickly obtain the breeding sheep information based on the information of the RFID tag obtained by the RFID identification device, and bind the collected data with the breeding sheep information and save it in the system. There is no need for manual entry, which can avoid errors and greatly improve the efficiency of data collection and entry.

[0054] Preferably, the bottom of the carriage 2 has a support unit 23 that can be deployed. The support unit 23 can be switched between a storage state and an deployed state relative to the main body of the carriage 2. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the length direction of the carriage 2 is along the moving direction of the moving body 1, and the support unit 23 is in the stowed state. When the carriage 2 is parked and ready for measurement, the carriage 2 is first rotated 90° relative to the moving body 1 so that the length direction of the carriage 2 is perpendicular to the moving direction of the moving body 1, and then the support unit 23 is unfolded so that the support unit 23 is supported on the ground. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The support unit 23 can be telescopically adjusted in length to ensure that it can adapt to uneven ground and provide a stable support for the main body of the carriage 2.

[0055] The present invention also provides a method for measuring the body size characteristics of breeding sheep, which is based on the above-mentioned movable breeding sheep body size characteristics measuring device, such as Figure 6 As shown, the method includes the following steps S101-S103:

[0056] Step S101, the breeding sheep information reading device 6 obtains the breeding sheep information and sends the information to the data analysis module; in this embodiment, the information of the RFID tag on the breeding sheep is obtained through the RFID identification device.

[0057] In step S102, the image acquisition system acquires image data of the breeding sheep at a predetermined time interval and sends the image data to the data analysis module; the image data includes thermal infrared images and X-ray images; in this embodiment, the method of acquiring image data is specifically as follows: synchronous thermal infrared photography of the sheep is performed by the left, top, bottom, front and rear thermal infrared cameras 4 to obtain the side view, top view, front view and rear view images of the sheep; the key parts such as the left scapula position and the cross position are photographed by the digital X-ray camera 5 to obtain the corresponding bone position images.

[0058] Step S103: the data analysis module inputs the image data and the label information into a pre-built breeding sheep body size prediction model to obtain a body size assessment result of the target breeding sheep.

[0059] Preferably, the data analysis module in the above step S103 inputs the image data and the label information into a pre-built breeding sheep body size prediction model to obtain the target breeding sheep body size assessment result, which specifically includes the following steps S201-S204:

[0060] Step S201, removing background elements in the thermal infrared image data to obtain a thermal infrared image of a breeding sheep;

[0061] Step S202, embedding the accurate position image of the bones of the key parts of the breeding sheep in the X-ray image into the corresponding position in the breeding sheep thermal infrared image to obtain an optimized breeding sheep thermal infrared image;

[0062] Step S203, extracting key points from the optimized thermal infrared image of the breeding sheep to determine the key points therein;

[0063] Step S204, determining the outline and skeleton structure of the breeding sheep according to the key points, and determining the body height, body length, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest width, chest depth, waist angle width, and cross height of the breeding sheep according to the outline and skeleton structure.

[0064] In this step, body height is the vertical distance from the highest point of the shoulder blade to the ground; body length is the straight-line distance from the front edge of the shoulder to the end of the ischial tuberosity; chest circumference is the length of the rear end of the shoulder blade around the chest; tube circumference is the horizontal circumference of the thinnest part of the left forelimb tube; chest width is the straight-line distance between the left and right sides of the widest part of the shoulder blade; chest depth is the straight-line distance from the highest point of the shoulder blade to the pectoral process; waist angle width is the straight-line distance between the outer edges of the waist angle on both sides; cross height is the vertical distance from the cross to the ground.

[0065] Preferably, the method further comprises the following steps S301-S302:

[0066] Step S301, calculating the difference between the target sheep body size data corresponding to the thermal infrared image data collected within a preset time interval to obtain the stage body size growth amount;

[0067] Step S302, determining the body size trait evaluation result of the target breeding sheep according to the difference, specifically includes: in response to the difference being not greater than a preset threshold, determining that the performance of the target sheep is at the first level; in response to the difference being greater than the preset threshold, determining that the performance of the target sheep is at the second level; wherein the performance of the target sheep represented by the first level is better than the performance of the target sheep represented by the second level.

[0068] The present invention can subsequently evaluate the body size measurement data provided by the mobile breeding sheep body size measurement device, and feed the results back to the breeding entity. The core breeding farm selects excellent breeding sheep based on the evaluation results, and on this basis carries out continuous breeding and improvement, and collects correct breeding data and results.

[0069] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A movable device for measuring the body size and characteristics of breeding sheep, comprising an image acquisition system, a ruler, a control system and a power supply system; the image acquisition system comprises a thermal infrared camera (4); Features: It also comprises a mobile vehicle body (1) and a carriage (2) mounted on the mobile vehicle body; the carriage (2) is provided with a breeding sheep securing device (3) and a breeding sheep information reading device (6); The number of the thermal infrared cameras (4) is multiple, and all the thermal infrared cameras (4) are arranged around the breeding sheep restraining device (3) to obtain multi-view images of the breeding sheep; The image acquisition system further comprises two digital X-ray cameras (5), which are used to respectively acquire images of the shoulder blade position and the cross position of the breeding sheep.

2. The movable breeding sheep body size trait measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carriage (2) is rotatable relative to the moving vehicle body (1); both ends of the carriage (2) in the length direction are provided with openable doors (21), and both ends of the carriage (2) in the length direction are capable of being provided with walking passages (22).

3. The movable breeding sheep body size and trait measuring device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The breeding sheep restraining device (3) comprises a movable neck support (31), a rear baffle (32), a left baffle (33), and a right baffle (34) respectively arranged at the front, rear, left, and right positions of the measuring position; The movable neck support (31) comprises two left and right neck support halves (3a) that can be opened and closed with each other; after the two neck support halves (3a) are closed with each other, a notch is formed in the middle of the upper side of the movable neck support (31) for supporting the neck of the breeding sheep; The rear baffle (32) comprises two left and right baffle doors (3b) that can be opened and closed with respect to each other.

4. The movable breeding sheep body size and trait measuring device according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The left and right positions of at least one of the left baffle (33) and the right baffle (34) can be adjusted.

5. The movable breeding sheep body size trait measuring device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each of the cervical support half bodies (3a) is provided with an arc-shaped support body (3c) capable of adjusting its position up and down; the notch portion is formed between the two cervical support half bodies (3a) corresponding to the two cervical support half bodies (3a).

6. The movable breeding sheep body size and trait measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The breeding sheep information reading device (6) is an RFID identification device, and each breeding sheep to be measured is equipped with an RFID tag.

7. The movable breeding sheep body size and trait measuring device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the carriage (2) is provided with a support unit (23) which can be deployed.

8. A method for measuring the body size characteristics of breeding sheep, based on the movable breeding sheep body size characteristics measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method comprises: The breeding sheep information reading device (6) obtains the breeding sheep information and sends the information to the data analysis module; The image acquisition system acquires image data of the breeding sheep at a predetermined time interval and sends the image data to the data analysis module; the image data includes thermal infrared images and X-ray images; The data analysis module inputs the image data and the label information into a pre-constructed breeding sheep body size prediction model to obtain the target breeding sheep body size assessment result.

9. The method for measuring the body size characteristics of movable breeding sheep according to claim 8, characterized in that: The data analysis module inputs the image data and the label information into a pre-built breeding sheep body size prediction model to obtain the target breeding sheep body size evaluation result, specifically including: Removing background elements from the thermal infrared image data to obtain a thermal infrared image of the breeding sheep; Embed the accurate position image of the bones of the key parts of the breeding sheep in the X-ray image into the corresponding position in the breeding sheep thermal infrared image to obtain an optimized breeding sheep thermal infrared image; Extract key points from the optimized thermal infrared image of the sheep to determine the key points therein; The outline and skeleton structure of the breeding sheep are determined according to the key points, and the body height, body length, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest circumference, tube circumference, chest width, chest depth, waist angle width, and cross height of the breeding sheep are determined according to the outline and skeleton structure.

10. The method for measuring the body size characteristics of movable breeding sheep according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Calculate the difference between the target sheep body size data corresponding to the thermal infrared image data collected within a preset time interval to obtain the stage body size growth amount; Determining the body size trait evaluation result of the target breeding sheep according to the difference, specifically includes: in response to the difference being not greater than a preset threshold, determining that the performance of the target sheep is a first level; in response to the difference being greater than a preset threshold, determining that the performance of the target sheep is a second level; wherein the performance of the target sheep represented by the first level is better than the performance of the target sheep represented by the second level.

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