Animal individual state information providing apparatus and method for an image base

Abstract

The animal individual state information providing apparatus for a video base according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a memory storing an animal individual state information generation program and a processor that executes the animal individual state information generation program. When the program is executed by the processor, it performs calibration on a camera in which an area of a linear passage through which an animal individual passes is set as a shooting area by an initialization operation, sets a scale for the actual length per pixel using the video data received from the camera, identifies an animal individual in the shooting area and counts the animal individuals for the video data to which the calibration is applied, calculates the size of the animal individual in the shooting area using the scale, estimates the weight of the animal individual based on the size of the animal individual, and outputs state information of the animal individual including the counted number of animal individuals and the estimated weight value of the animal individual.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated device and method capable of counting the number of animal individuals moving in a linear passage, automatically recognizing the size of the animal individuals, and estimating the weight of the animal individuals using this information.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, technologies for providing various state information of animal individuals based on images have been studied. For example, various technologies for respectively identifying animal individuals in an image, tracking the movement states of the animal individuals, and more conveniently managing the animal individuals have been studied. Such technologies can be used in livestock houses for raising a large number of livestock, spaces for managing various companion animals, and the like.

[0003] In the present invention, an apparatus is provided that automatically counts the number of animal individuals in real time using an image captured by a camera and automatically estimates their weight.

[0004] At this time, in order to estimate the weight of an animal individual, a technology for accurately measuring the size of the animal individual is required. Regarding this, conventionally, if information such as the angle of view of the camera, the length of the lens, and the focal length is not known in advance, the length of the photographed subject cannot be calculated mathematically. Therefore, there is a limitation in that it is difficult to mathematically calculate the length of the photographed subject without knowing information about the camera specifications.

[0005] Also, generally, when a specific area is photographed by a camera, there is a problem that the photographed image is distorted. Eventually, if the lack of information about the camera (or the shooting environment) and the problem of image distortion that can occur during the shooting process are not solved, the length of the subject cannot be accurately calculated.

[0006] A technology is proposed to solve the problems of such conventional technologies and accurately calculate the state information of animal individuals in an image.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention is for solving the above-described problems, and provides an animal individual state information providing apparatus and method capable of solving distortion of video that may occur during camera shooting and calculating state information such as the number and weight of animal individuals from the video. This is the technical problem.

[0008] However, the technical problems to be solved by this embodiment are not limited to the above-described technical problems, and other technical problems may exist.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to solve the above-described technical problems, the animal individual state information providing apparatus for a video base according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a memory storing an animal individual state information generation program, and a processor that executes the animal individual state information generation program. When the program is executed by the processor, calibration is performed on a camera in which an area of a linear passage through which an animal individual passes is set as a shooting area by an initialization operation, and a scale for the actual length per pixel is set using the video data received from the camera. For the video data to which calibration is applied, the animal individuals in the shooting area are identified and the animal individuals are counted, the size of the animal individuals in the shooting area is calculated using the scale, the weight of the animal individuals is estimated based on the size of the animal individuals, and state information of the animal individuals including the counted number of animal individuals and the estimated weight value of the animal individuals is output.

[0010] In addition, the information providing server according to the second aspect of the present invention provides animal individual state information collected from at least one or more animal individual state information providing devices, and includes a communication module, a memory storing an animal individual state information providing program, and a processor that executes the animal individual state information providing program. When the program is executed by the processor, it collects animal individual state information from at least one or more animal individual state information providing devices, and provides the animal individual state information through the user interface of the user terminal according to the request of the external user terminal. The animal individual state information includes the number of animal individuals and the estimated weight of the animal individuals collected by the animal individual state information providing devices respectively within a predetermined period. The number of animal individuals is collected through an operation of identifying and counting animal individuals in the shooting area of the camera by the animal individual state information providing device. The estimated weight value is collected through an operation of calculating the size of the animal individual using the scale set by the animal individual state information providing device through camera calibration and estimating the weight of the animal individual based on the size of the animal individual.

[0011] In addition, the method for generating animal individual state information of the animal individual state information providing device of the video base according to the third aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: performing calibration on a camera in which an area of a linear passage through which an animal individual passes is set as a shooting area; setting a scale for the actual length per pixel using the video data received from the camera; identifying and counting animal individuals in the shooting area for the video data to which calibration is applied; calculating the size of the animal individual in the shooting area using the scale; estimating the weight of the animal individual based on the size of the animal individual; and outputting state information of the animal individual including the counted number of animal individuals and the estimated weight value of the animal individual.

[0012] Furthermore, a method for providing, by an information providing server according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, animal individual state information collected from an animal individual state information providing device to a user terminal includes the steps of collecting animal individual state information from at least one or more animal individual state information providing devices, and providing the animal individual state information through a user interface of the user terminal according to a request of an external user terminal. The animal individual state information includes the number of animal individuals and an estimated weight value of the animal individuals collected by the animal individual state information providing devices during a predetermined period respectively. The number of animal individuals is collected through an operation of identifying animal individuals in the shooting area of a camera by the animal individual state information providing device and counting the animal individuals. The estimated weight value is collected through an operation of calculating the size of an animal individual using a scale set by the animal individual state information providing device through camera calibration and estimating the weight of the animal individual based on the size of the animal individual.

Effects of the Invention

[0013] The animal individual state information providing device and method for a video base according to an embodiment of the present invention can solve the distortion of a video that may occur due to camera shooting, can calculate the length of livestock in the video more accurately, and can estimate the weight of the livestock based on this.

[0014] Also, in this way, by transmitting the collected state information of animal individuals to an information providing server and providing it to a user terminal, each user can confirm in real time the animal individual state information collected through the animal individual state information providing device provided in their own farm or the like.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can easily implement it. However, the present invention can be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in the drawings, in order to clearly explain the present invention, parts not related to the explanation are omitted, and similar reference numerals are given to similar parts throughout the specification.

[0017] Throughout the specification, when a part is "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected", but also the case where it is "electrically connected" with other elements interposed therebetween. Also, when a part "includes" a certain component, this means that, unless otherwise stated to the contrary, it does not exclude other components, but may further include other components, and it should not be understood as precluding the existence or possibility of addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0018] The following examples are detailed descriptions for helping the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the scope of rights of the present invention. Therefore, inventions within the same scope that perform the same functions as the present invention should belong to the scope of rights of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an animal individual state information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the configuration of an animal individual state information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, the animal individual state information providing system 10 includes a plurality of animal individual state information providing apparatuses 100, 102, 104 arranged for each farm or each livestock house, an information providing server 200, and a plurality of user terminals 300, 302. The animal individual state information providing apparatuses 100, 102, 104 directly identify an animal individual from video data captured by a camera, count the number of animal individuals, calculate the size of the animal individual, and estimate the weight of each animal individual using the size of the animal individual. Each of the animal individual state information providing apparatuses 100, 102, 104 is arranged on a linear passage along which the animal individual moves, and the animal individual state information collected by the animal individual state information providing apparatus 100 is transmitted to the information providing server 200 through data communication.

[0021] The information providing server 200 stores the animal individual state information in a database together with the identification information of each animal individual state information providing device 100, and these are managed for each measurement time point. Further, the information providing server 200 provides the animal individual state information to the user terminals 300 and 302 in accordance with requests from the user terminals 300 and 302. At this time, the information providing server 200 allows restricted access rights only to the animal individual state information collected by the animal individual state information providing device 100 registered by matching with each user account. Thereby, each user can confirm in real time, through the user terminal 300, the animal individual state information collected from the animal individual state information providing device 100 provided in the farm or livestock house that the user manages. On the other hand, the information providing server 200 may operate in a cloud computing service model such as SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), or may be constructed in a form such as a private cloud, a public cloud, or a hybrid cloud.

[0022] The user terminal 300 outputs, through a dedicated application or a web page, the animal individual state information collected by the animal individual state information providing device 100 provided at each location, through the user UI. At this time, various animal individual state information displayed through the user terminal 300 will be described later.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of an animal state information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] As shown in the drawings, the animal individual state information providing device 100 includes a memory 110 and a processor 120. Further, the animal individual state information providing device 100 may further include a communication module 130, a camera 140, a display 150, and a database 160.

[0025] The memory 110 records a program that provides state information of an animal individual based on an image. When the animal individual state information generation program is executed by the processor 120, calibration is performed on a camera in which an area of a linear passage through which the animal individual passes is set as a shooting area by an initialization operation, a scale for the actual length per pixel is set using the video data received from the camera, the animal individual in the shooting area is identified and the animal individuals are counted, the size of the animal individual in the shooting area is calculated using the scale, the weight of the animal individual is estimated based on the size of the animal individual, and state information of the animal individual including the counted number of animal individuals and the estimated weight value of the animal individual is provided.

[0026] Also, the memory 110 performs a function of temporarily or permanently storing data processed by the processor 120. Here, the memory 110 may include a volatile storage media or a non-volatile storage media, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0027] The processor 120 executes the animal individual state information generation program stored in the memory 110. The processor 120 may mean a data processing device built in hardware that has a physically structured circuit for executing functions expressed by codes or instructions included in the program. As an example of such a data processing device built in hardware, processing devices such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) can be covered, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0028] The camera 140 is installed such that a region of a linear passage through which an animal individual passes is set as a shooting region (FOV). The linear passage is a passage through which an animal individual moves, which is formed to have a constant bottom width and a predetermined length, and is a space arranged in a normal animal breeding farm. The width of the linear passage is not particularly limited, but in order to more accurately photograph the length and size of the animal individual, it is preferably made to have a width that allows one or two animal individuals to move side by side. The camera 140 is fixedly installed at the upper part of the linear passage, and by particularly positioning it at the vertical upper part of the linear passage, the distortion of the video of the camera 140 is minimized. Also, since the animal individual state information providing device 100 can confirm in advance information regarding the specifications and installation position of the camera 140, etc., the device 100 can use such information to correct the distortion of the video generated by the camera 140. On the other hand, one camera 140 may be connected to each device 100, but it is also possible to install a plurality of cameras 140. At this time, when a plurality of cameras 140 are installed, the animal individual state information providing device 100 divides and sets the shooting regions for each camera 140, and processes the counting and weight estimation operations of the animal individuals in parallel for each video captured by each camera 140.

[0029] The communication module 130 transmits video data or a control signal between the animal individual state information providing device 100 and the camera 140. Also, the communication module 130 may receive a data request from the camera 140 and transmit data as a response thereto. Also, the communication module 130 performs data communication with the information providing server 200 or the user terminal 300. Here, the communication module 130 may be a device including the hardware and software necessary for transmitting and receiving signals such as a control signal or a data signal through a wired or wireless connection with other network devices.

[0030] The display 150 is provided on one side of the animal individual state information providing device 100 and outputs state information of the animal individuals including the number of animal individuals and the estimated weight of the animal individuals. The display 150 is a general flat panel digital display and may incorporate a touch function. The user interface displayed through the display 150 will be described later.

[0031] The database 160 may store characteristic information necessary for identifying animal individuals, identification information of animal individuals identified by a program, scale information calculated by a program, the size of each animal individual, or the estimated weight of each animal individual. Further, the database 160 may store information of a lookup table representing the correlation between the size and weight of animal individuals for each type of animal. The database 160 may be included as a separate component from the memory 110 or may be constructed in a partial area of the memory 110.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a specific example of the animal individual state information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] As shown in the drawing, the communication module 130 may be arranged outside the main body of the animal individual state information providing device 100. Further, the camera 140 may be arranged to face the lower shooting area from the ceiling of the passage. A display 150 may be coupled to the outside of the main body.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation method of the animal individual state information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] First, when the animal individual state information providing device 100 is provided as shown in FIG. 3, a step of calibrating the camera and setting the scale is executed at the initial stage (S410). For this purpose, the program may correct the distortion of the video based on the video obtained by shooting a checkerboard arranged in an area of the linear passage and set the scale.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the calibration process of the animal individual state information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] As shown in the drawing, the checkerboard is one in which a plurality of squares are arranged in an array. When the checkerboard is placed on a linear passage and then the camera 140 takes an image, it is confirmed that the area directly below the camera 140 is distorted in a form that relatively spreads further compared to the peripheral area. There are a plurality of vertices forming each grid of the checkerboard. The vertex in the middle is set as the focus of the camera 140, and the calibration operation is repeatedly executed on the video frame so that the degree of distortion of the checkerboard is minimized. In this way, the calibration operation using the checkerboard may be executed using a polynomial distortion model, also known as the Brown-Conrady model. That is, by adjusting the distortion parameters of the polynomial distortion model and the degree of unevenness, the size of the squares in the checkerboard becomes uniform, and the operation is executed multiple times so that the distortion is minimized. For example, the calibration operation is repeatedly executed so that the mean squared error (MSE) between the lengths of each line segment (red display) of each square in the uppermost row of the checkerboard and the lengths of each line segment (blue display) of each square in the lowermost row of the checkerboard is minimized. When the calibration operation is completed, the values of the distortion parameters constituting the polynomial distortion model are determined, and thereafter, the distortion of the newly captured video is corrected using the distortion parameters. Since the polynomial distortion model pertains to the prior art, for specific details, refer to the technical document at the link (https: / / docs.nvidia.com / vpi / algo_ldc.html).

[0038] In this way, the scale is set based on the video with distortion correction completed. For example, the length of a unit line segment defined by the length of one side of a square of the checkerboard is compared with the number of pixels displaying the unit line segment in the video data with the distortion of the video corrected, and the scale for the actual length per pixel is calculated. At this time, the information regarding the length of the unit line segment of the checkerboard may be input by the user or pre-stored in the animal individual state information providing apparatus 100. In this way, the calculated scale is used to calculate the size of the animal individual in the future. That is, when attempting to calculate the length of a specific part of the animal individual in the video with distortion corrected, the number of pixels displaying the length is counted, and the actual length of the specific part is calculated by applying the scale thereto.

[0039] Next, referring to FIG. 4 again, the animal individual is identified in the video with distortion corrected, and the number of animal individuals is counted (S420). If an animal individual appears in the shooting area, the animal individual identification model included in the animal individual state information generation program automatically identifies the animal individual. For this purpose, the animal individual identification model is obtained in the form of a machine learning model that extracts the characteristics of the animal individual based on the video and assigns an identification number (ID) to each individual animal.

[0040] Also, the animal individual identification model can identify the type of animal. For example, in addition to breeding livestock such as cows, pigs, chickens, and horses, it is learned to be able to identify companion animals such as dogs and cats. Further, in the present invention, since the camera 140 located above the animal individual shoots the video, the back part of the animal individual is mainly shot, and the characteristics of the animal individual are extracted using this.

[0041] Also, even within the same species, each individual animal can be identified based on the visual characteristics (such as color, size, and skeleton) that the animal has. Therefore, an animal individual identification model may be constructed using learning data that includes images of many animals. At this time, as the learning network to be used, a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), an auto encoder, a GAN (Generative Adversarial Networks), a deep belief network (DBN), etc. may be used. In particular, a convolutional neural network (CNNs, Convolutional Neural Networks) may include one or more convolutional layers, a pooling layer, and a fully connected layer.

[0042] In this way, since animal individuals can be identified using images and identification information can be given to each individual, the number of animal individuals passing through the imaging area can be counted. Then, from the time when an animal individual is identified in the imaging area until the time when the animal individual is no longer identified, the counting and weight estimation operations of the animal individual are automatically executed. As a result, the counting and weight estimation operations of the animal individual are automatically executed without the administrator having to make separate settings. At this time, the counting and weight estimation of the animal individual may proceed cumulatively during the time period set by the user (for example, half a day, one day, etc.). Therefore, when counting a group of animal individuals together and estimating their weight, the movement of the animals may be temporarily interrupted and the identification of the animals may be interrupted, but if the animal individuals are identified again, the counting and weight estimation operations will be automatically executed together, so the counting and weight estimation for all animal individuals can be executed.

[0043] Next, the size of the animal individual may be calculated using the scale calculated above (S430). At this time, the size of the animal individual may indicate the horizontal length, the vertical length, or the length of a specific part. Here, the vertical length of the animal individual may mean the length of the back region of the animal individual or the overall length including the head and the back. Then, by counting the number of pixels displaying the length of a specific part of the animal individual in the corrected distorted video and applying the scale thereto, the actual length of the specific part can be calculated.

[0044] Alternatively, the size of the animal individual may mean the area of a specific part of the animal individual. Then, by counting the number of pixels displaying the area of a specific part of the animal individual in the corrected distorted video and applying the scale thereto, the area of the specific part can be calculated.

[0045] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the size of an animal individual according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] The animal individual state information providing apparatus 100 may recognize a plurality of preset key points from the back image of the animal individual recognized in the video data, and calculate at least one or more back lengths by connecting the plurality of key points. At this time, the key points may include at least one of both ends of the shoulders and both ends of the pelvis based on the neck, tail, and front legs of the animal individual.

[0047] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, seven preset points displayed on the back (body) of the pig may be recognized. Further, the animal individual state information providing apparatus 100 may selectively additionally recognize and use the length and direction of the pig's head. Then, the recognized key points may be connected to calculate the lengths L1 to L7 of various parts.

[0048] Next, the weight of the animal individual is estimated based on the size of the animal individual (S440).

[0049] The animal individual state information providing device 100 may estimate the weight of each animal individual by inputting the size information of the animal individual calculated above into a look-up table representing the correlation between the size and weight of the animal individual.

[0050] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the weight estimation process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] If the horizontal or vertical length of a specific part of the animal individual is calculated, the corresponding weight can be output in the look-up table shown in FIG. 7. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, by using a look-up table representing the correlation between the chest circumference and weight of the animal individual, the weight of the animal individual can be estimated using the chest circumference information of the animal individual calculated in step S430.

[0052] Such a look-up table may be provided in multiple according to the type of the animal individual. Then, by inputting the size information of the animal individual into the look-up table corresponding to the type of the animal determined at the time of identifying the animal individual, the weight of the animal individual can be estimated.

[0053] Also, in the look-up table, information regarding the size of the animal individual may be set to one or more. That is, the look-up table may be provided in a form in which the horizontal length, vertical length, and weight value of the animal individual are matched.

[0054] Next, the state information of the animal individual including the number of animal individuals counted in the above steps and the estimated weight value of the animal individual is provided (S450).

[0055] In this way, the state information of the animal individual may be directly output by each animal individual state information providing device 100 through the display 150, or may be output through the user terminal 300 via the information providing server 200.

[0056] At this time, the state information of the animal individual may include a statistical value of the estimated weight value of the counted animal individuals. For example, the average or standard deviation of the estimated weight value may be output.

[0057] FIG. 8 exemplarily shows a user interface output by the animal individual state information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] As shown in (a), the total count of animal individuals and the estimated weight (measure weight) of each individual may be displayed. Further, the average weight of the weights of the animal individuals identified so far may be displayed.

[0059] Also, as shown in (b), as a result of comparing a preset reference weight or a reference weight set by the user with the estimated weight, grades may be respectively displayed. For example, a conformity grade, an under grade, or an over grade divided by the difference between the reference weight and the estimated weight is output for each animal individual. For example, the conformity grade may be set when the difference between the reference weight and the estimated weight is within 5%, the under grade may be set when the estimated weight is less than 95% of the reference weight, and the over grade may be set when the estimated weight exceeds 105% of the reference weight, but this may be changed according to the user's setting.

[0060] Such display of the conformity grade, the under grade, and the over grade may be more intuitively displayed by using lighting displays (green, red, blue) of different colors on one side of the weight value as shown in (b).

[0061] Thus, the state information of the animal individuals collected by each animal individual state information providing apparatus 100 may be collected by the information providing server 200 and displayed through an app / web executed on the user terminal 300 according to a request of the user terminal 300.

[0062] FIG. 9 shows a detailed configuration of the information providing server 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] The information providing server 200 includes a memory 210, a processor 220, a communication module 230, and a database 240.

[0064] The memory 210 stores an animal individual state information providing program. The animal individual state information providing program collects animal individual state information from each animal individual state information providing device 100, and provides various animal individual state information through a web or app-based user interface executed on the user terminal 300 in accordance with a request from the user terminal 300. At this time, the animal individual state information includes the number of animal individuals and the estimated weight of the animal individuals collected by the animal individual state information providing device 100 for a predetermined period respectively. The number of animal individuals is collected through an operation in which the animal individual state information providing device 100 identifies animal individuals in the imaging area of the camera and counts the animal individuals, and the estimated weight value is calculated by the animal individual state information providing device 100 using a scale set through camera calibration to calculate the size of the animal individual, and is collected through an operation of estimating the weight of the animal individual based on the size of the animal individual. Further, the memory 210 executes a function of temporarily or permanently storing data processed by the processor 220. Here, the memory 210 may include volatile storage media or non-volatile storage media, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0065] Processor 220 executes the animal individual state information providing program stored in memory 210. Processor 220 may mean a data processing device built into hardware that has a physically structured circuit for executing functions represented by codes or instructions included in the program. As an example of such a data processing device built into hardware, it is possible to cover processing devices such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA), but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0066] Communication module 230 transmits various data between information providing server 200 and the animal individual state information providing device 100 and user terminal 300 which are external devices. In particular, communication module 230 continuously collects animal individual state information from animal individual state information providing device 100. Further, communication module 230 provides the collected animal individual state information to user terminal 300 according to the information providing request of user terminal 300. Here, communication module 230 may be a device including hardware and software necessary for transmitting and receiving signals such as control signals or data signals through a wired or wireless connection with other network devices.

[0067] The database 240 manages the profile information of each user account, the profile information of the animal individual status information providing device registered by each user account, and the animal individual status information collected through each animal individual status information providing device, respectively. As the profile information of the animal individual status information providing device, various information such as the identification information of the device 100, the information of the user who registered the device 100, the information of the camera connected to the device 100, and the maintenance-related information of the device 100 may be collected and managed. The animal individual status information collected through each device 100 may collect and manage various information such as the collection date, the number of individuals, the detailed information of the estimated weight value, and the user's log information together with the identification information of the device. The database 240 may be included as a separate component from the memory 210, or may be constructed in a partial area of the memory 210.

[0068] FIG. 10 is a diagram exemplarily showing the animal individual status information displayed through the user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] The information providing server 200 may provide the information collected from one or more animal individual status information providing devices 100 registered for each user account to the user through the user terminal. As shown in (a), the user terminal provides information about a plurality of farms and allows the user to select any one of them or register a new farm. At this time, one or more animal individual status information providing devices 100 may be registered in each farm, and when a specific farm is selected, the animal individual status information collected by the animal individual status information providing device 100 provided in the farm can be confirmed.

[0070] When a specific farm is selected in the interface shown in (a), the information providing server 200 enables the operation status of the animal individual status information providing device 100 provided at the farm to be confirmed through the interface shown in (b). In the first interface block 1010, information on a plurality of cameras installed on the farm may be sequentially displayed, and the user can select any one of them. For example, the first interface block 1010 may display information on a plurality of cameras in a manner of rotating the information on each camera in the horizontal or vertical direction. When the user selects a specific camera through the first interface block 1010, the captured video of the camera is displayed through the second interface block 1012, and information on the operation status of the camera is displayed through the third interface block 1014. For example, the third interface block 1014 displays information on whether the camera is working or on standby. The fourth interface block 1016 displays the setting information of the selected camera. Information such as the name assigned to the camera, the moving direction of the animal individuals in the shooting area, and the working time may be displayed.

[0071] Then, as shown in (c), a report management interface displayed on the user terminal 300 is provided through the information providing server 200. The information providing server 200 may display information such as the working date, the number of animal individuals which is the main gist of the report, and the average weight through the fifth interface block 1020. Also, through the sixth interface block 1022, the user may set filtering conditions to display only the desired report among a plurality of reports. For example, conditions such as sorting order by time, importance conditions, and types of cameras may be set. Also, as conditions related to the type of shooting area or the moving direction of the animals, settlement use (one-way passage where animals come in from the outside), shipping use (one-way passage where animals go out to the outside), settlement / shipping combined use (two-way passage where animals can come in from the outside and go out), internal movement (movement between livestock rooms inside the farm), simple measurement (other movements), etc. can be selected.

[0072] Also, through the seventh interface block 1024, the weekly or monthly work status can be easily confirmed. The seventh interface block 1024 is a calendar-based interface, and the weekly or monthly interface may be changed through the user's swipe operation, or the number of work pieces may be displayed for each date. At this time, the number of work pieces means the number of times the counting of the number of animal individuals and the weight estimation work have been performed through the animal individual state information providing apparatus 100, and a report 1026 may be generated for each work. Also, when a specific date is selected through the seventh interface block 1024, the report for each work registered on the date may be displayed on the eighth interface block 1026 below it.

[0073] Also, the eighth interface block 1026 displays the report for each work in a list form adjacent to the seventh interface block 1024. At this time, the report for each work may be generated in a time unit determined by the user, such as a time unit or a weekly unit, or may be generated based on the time unit from the time when the identification of the animal individual starts to the time when the identification ends. The report for each work includes video data captured during the work, information on the number of animal individuals counted during the work, and the weight estimation value. The report for each work may be deleted 1028 by the user's selection. Also, in the case of a work in which the number of animal individuals is counted to be equal to or more than the threshold value, an emphasized display 1032 indicating the importance level may be displayed together.

[0074] FIG. 11 shows various statistical information providing interfaces displayed on a user terminal through an information providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] The user may set the desired population to be segmented by farm unit, camera unit, time unit, work unit, etc. The information providing server 200 or the user terminal 300 may display statistical information on the work in the population selected by the user. For example, statistics on the number of individuals and the average weight for the measurement work performed during a specific period in a specific farm selected by the user may be output through the first interface block 1110.

[0076] Also, based on the statistically calculated average weight value, the sub-standard weight and the over-standard weight may be output through the second interface block 1120. At this time, the sub-standard weight and the over-standard weight may be set in consideration of the normal distribution based on the average weight value. The third interface block 1130 may display the number and distribution status of animal individuals corresponding to the sub-grade, proper grade, and over-grade. The fourth interface block 1140 may also display the number and distribution status of animal individuals corresponding to the sub-grade, proper grade, and over-grade through the normal distribution curve.

[0077] Such work reports and statistical information may be generated by the information providing server 200 or the user terminal 300 through arithmetic operations based on the information collected through each animal individual status information providing device 100.

[0078] FIG. 12 shows a method for an information providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention to provide animal individual status information to a user terminal.

[0079] First, the information providing server 200 collects animal individual state information from at least one or more animal individual state information providing devices 100 (S1210). The animal individual state information includes the number of animal individuals and the estimated weight of the animal individuals collected by the animal individual state information providing devices 100 during a predetermined period respectively. In particular, the number of animal individuals is collected through the operation of the animal individual state information providing device 100 to identify and count the animal individuals in the shooting area of the camera. Also, the estimated weight is collected through the operation of the animal individual state information providing device 100 to calculate the size of the animal individual using the scale set through the calibration of the camera and estimate the weight of the animal individual based on the size of the animal individual.

[0080] Next, the information providing server 200 provides animal individual state information through the user interface of the external user terminal according to the request of the external user terminal (S1220). The animal individual state information may be provided in various forms through the user interface described above with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0081] One embodiment of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a recording medium including computer-executable instructions such as program modules executed by a computer. The computer-readable medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer, including all volatile and non-volatile media, and separable and non-separable media. Also, the computer-readable medium may include a computer storage medium. The computer storage medium includes all volatile and non-volatile, separable and non-separable media embodied by any method or technology for storing information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.

[0082] Although the method and system of the present invention have been described in connection with specific embodiments, some or all of their components or operations may be implemented using a computer system having a general-purpose hardware architecture.

[0083] The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes, and those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains should be able to understand that it can be easily transformed into other specific forms without changing the technical idea and essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented dispersedly, and similarly, the components described as being dispersed may also be implemented in a combined form.

[0084] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the above detailed description, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In the video-based animal individual status information providing device, A memory storing an animal individual status information generating program; a processor that executes the animal individual status information generation program; The program, when executed by the processor, performs calibration on a camera whose shooting area is set to a region of a linear passage through which individual animals pass by an initialization operation, sets a scale for the actual length per pixel using image data received from the camera, identifies and counts individual animals in the shooting area for the calibrated image data, calculates the size of the individual animals in the shooting area using the scale, estimates the weight of the individual animals based on the size of the individual animals, and outputs status information of the individual animals including the counted number of individual animals and the estimated weight of the individual animals.

2. The camera; and a communication module for receiving the image data of the camera. The animal individual status information providing device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication module transmits the counted number of animals and the estimated weight of the animals to a user terminal or an external computing device.

3. The program is correcting distortion of an image based on an image of a checkerboard arranged in one area of ​​the linear passage, and setting the scale; The device for providing information on the status of an animal according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit line length of the checkerboard and a number of pixels representing the unit line length of the checkerboard in the image data in which image distortion has been corrected, to calculate a scale of the actual length relative to the pixel.

4. The program is The animal individual status information providing device of claim 1, which, when it recognizes that the animal has entered the shooting area, identifies the animal, identifies the animal based on characteristic information of each animal extracted from the video data or changes in pixel color within the video data, and counts the identified animal individuals.

5. The program is 2. The animal individual status information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the animal individual counting and weight estimation operations are automatically performed from the time when the animal individual is identified in the photography area to the time when the animal individual is no longer identified in the photography area.

6. The program is 2. The animal individual status information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the weight of the individual animal is estimated by inputting the calculated size information of the individual animal into a lookup table that represents a correlation between size and weight of the individual animal.

7. The program is storing characteristic information for each type of animal, and comparing the stored characteristic information for each type of animal with characteristic information of each individual identified from the video data to determine the type of animal of the identified individual animal; The animal individual status information providing device of claim 6, wherein the lookup table is provided in plurality according to the type of animal, and the weight of the individual animal is estimated by inputting the calculated size information of the individual animal into the lookup table corresponding to the determined type of animal.

8. The program is The animal individual status information providing device according to claim 1 , further comprising: outputting, as the status information of the animal individual, an average of the estimated weights of the counted animal individual.

9. The program is The animal individual status information providing device of claim 1, further outputting, for each individual animal, a conformity grade, an under grade, or an excess grade classified according to the difference between the reference weight and the weight estimated value as a result of comparing the weight estimated value with a preset reference weight or a reference weight set by a user, as the status information of the individual animal.

10. Further comprising a display; The animal individual status information providing device according to claim 1 , 8 or 9 , wherein the program outputs the status information of the animal individual through the display.

11. An information providing server that provides animal individual status information collected from at least one animal individual status information providing device, A communication module; A memory in which an animal individual status information providing program is stored; A processor that executes the animal individual status information providing program, The program, when executed by the processor, collects animal individual status information from at least one animal individual status information providing device, and provides the animal individual status information through a user interface of an external user terminal in response to a request from the user terminal; The animal individual status information includes the number of animals and the weight estimates of the animals collected by the animal individual status information providing device for a predetermined period of time, The number of animals is collected by the animal individual status information providing device through an operation of identifying and counting animals in a camera's photographing area, The weight estimation value is collected through an operation of the animal individual status information providing device calculating the size of the individual animal using a scale set through camera calibration, and estimating the weight of the individual animal based on the size of the individual animal.

12. The program is A first interface block executed on the user terminal is used to select one of at least one or more cameras installed in each farm; outputting an image captured by a camera selected through the first interface block through a second interface block; 12. The information providing server according to claim 11, further comprising a third interface block that outputs information about an operating state of the camera selected through the first interface block.

13. The program is Displaying the number of tasks for collecting animal individual status information for each date through a calendar-based interface executed on the user terminal; A report output interface block adjacent to the calendar-based interface displays a report for each task in list form; The report for each operation includes information on the video data captured during that operation, the number and weight estimates of animals counted during that operation, The information providing server according to claim 11, wherein the report for each task is generated in time units predetermined by the user or based on the time units from when identification of individual animals begins to when identification is completed.

14. The information providing server according to claim 13 , wherein the report output interface block outputs, for each report, a highlighted display indicating a level of importance for an operation in which the number of animal individuals counted is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

15. The program is Through a statistical information providing interface executed on the user terminal, Displaying information regarding animal population, average weight or standard deviation for measurements carried out at a particular farm selected by the user and for a particular period; 12. The information providing server according to claim 11, which displays the number and distribution of animals that fall into the underachievement, adequate and excess grades, taking into account normal distribution.

16. 2. A method for generating animal individual status information of a video-based animal individual status information providing device, A step of calibrating a camera whose photographing area is set to a region of a linear passage through which an animal individual passes; setting a scale for an actual length per pixel using image data received from the camera; identifying individual animals in the image capturing area for the calibrated image data and counting the individual animals; Calculating the size of the animal in the photography area using the scale; estimating a weight of the individual animal based on the size of the individual animal; and outputting the counted number of animals and status information of the individual animals including an estimate of the weight of the individual animals.

17. The step of setting the scale includes: correcting distortion of an image based on an image of a checkerboard arranged in one area of ​​the linear passage, and setting the scale; The method for generating animal individual status information according to claim 16, further comprising: comparing the length of the checkerboard unit line segment with the number of pixels representing the checkerboard unit line segment in the image data in which image distortion has been corrected, to calculate a scale for the actual length relative to the pixel.

18. The step of identifying individual animals and counting individual animals includes: The animal individual status information generating method of claim 16, wherein when it is recognized that the animal has entered the shooting area, the animal individual is identified, the animal individual is identified based on characteristic information of each animal extracted from the video data or a change in pixel color within the video data, and the number of identified animal individuals is counted.

19. The animal individual status information generating method includes: The animal individual status information generating method according to claim 16, further comprising automatically executing the counting and weight estimation operations for the animal individual from the time when the animal individual is identified in the photography area to the time when the animal individual is no longer identified in the photography area.

20. The step of estimating the weight of the individual animal includes:

17. The animal individual status information generating method according to claim 16, further comprising estimating the weight of the animal individual by inputting the calculated size information of the animal individual into a lookup table that represents the correlation between size and weight of the animal individual.

21. The step of estimating the weight of the individual animal includes: storing characteristic information for each type of animal, and comparing the stored characteristic information for each type of animal with characteristic information of each individual identified from the video data to determine the type of animal of the identified individual animal; The animal individual status information generating method according to claim 20, wherein a plurality of the lookup tables are provided for each type of animal, and the weight of the individual animal is estimated by inputting the calculated size information of the individual animal into the lookup table corresponding to the determined type of animal.

22. The step of outputting the status information of the animal individual includes:

17. The method for generating individual animal status information according to claim 16, further comprising outputting an average of the estimated weights of the counted individual animals as the status information of the individual animals.

23. The step of outputting the status information of the animal individual includes: The animal individual status information generating method of claim 16, further outputting, for each animal, a conformity grade, an under grade, or an excess grade classified according to the difference between the reference weight and the weight estimated value as a result of comparing the weight estimated value with a preset reference weight or a reference weight set by a user, as the status information of the animal individual.

24. A method for providing animal individual status information collected from an animal individual status information providing device to a user terminal by an information providing server, comprising: Collecting animal individual status information from at least one or more animal individual status information providing devices; and providing the animal individual status information through a user interface of an external user terminal in response to a request from the external user terminal; The animal individual status information includes the number of animals and the weight estimates of the animals collected by the animal individual status information providing device for a predetermined period of time, The number of animals is collected by the animal individual status information providing device through an operation of identifying and counting animals in a camera's photographing area, The weight estimation value is collected by the animal individual status information providing device calculating the size of the individual animal using a scale set through camera calibration, and estimating the weight of the individual animal based on the size of the individual animal.

25. The step of providing the animal individual status information comprises: A first interface block executed on the user terminal is used to select one of at least one or more cameras installed in each farm; outputting an image captured by a camera selected through the first interface block through a second interface block; 25. The information providing method according to claim 24, further comprising outputting information about the operational state of the camera selected through the first interface block through a third interface block.

26. The step of providing the animal individual status information comprises: Displaying the number of tasks for collecting animal individual status information for each date through a calendar-based interface executed on the user terminal; A report output interface block adjacent to the calendar-based interface displays a report for each task in list form; The report for each operation includes information on the video data captured during that operation, the number and weight estimates of animals counted during that operation, The information providing method according to claim 24, wherein the report for each task is generated in time units predetermined by the user or based on time units from when identification of individual animals begins to when identification is completed.

27. 27. The information providing method according to claim 26, wherein the report output interface block outputs, for each report, a highlight indicating a severity level for an operation in which the number of animals counted is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

28. The step of providing the animal individual status information comprises: Through a statistical information providing interface executed on the user terminal, Displaying information regarding animal population, average weight or standard deviation for measurements carried out at a particular farm selected by the user and for a particular period; 25. The information providing method according to claim 24, further comprising displaying the number and distribution of animals that fall into the underachievement, adequate and excess grades, taking into account normal distribution.

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