Cattle evaluation device and cattle evaluation method

Abstract

To provide an evaluation device of cattle and an evaluation method of cattle, applicable to various breeding sites.SOLUTION: An evaluation device 100 of cattle includes an image acquisition unit 30 for acquiring a two-dimensional captured image 50 captured by imaging standing cattle approximately from the rear or the front, an extraction unit 32 for extracting a contour line 60 of the cattle from the captured image 50, a calculation unit 34 for calculating an index value for showing the degree of inclination of at least one crest part 61a of two crest parts 61a and 61b present on right and left both sides at the upper part of the contour line 60, and an evaluation unit 36 for evaluating beef meatiness from the index value calculate by the calculation unit 34.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for evaluating cattle and a method for evaluating cattle.

Background Art

[0002] In order to evaluate the energy balance in cattle breeding management, it is common to evaluate the state of body fat attachment (fleshing state) in cattle. One of the indicators showing the state of body fat attachment is the body condition score. Usually, the determination of the body condition score is performed by veterinarians or dairy farming experts. However, since the determination is made by humans, the criteria are ambiguous and variations occur in the determination. On the other hand, a method for evaluating a score indicating the physical state based on a three-dimensional image of an animal (for example, Patent Document 1) and a method for evaluating a score indicating the physical state based on a two-dimensional image of an animal (for example, Patent Document 2) are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the evaluation method described in Patent Document 1, since a score indicating the physical state is calculated using a three-dimensional image of an animal, imaging at a specific location where large-scale equipment is installed is required, and it is difficult to apply it to various breeding sites. In the evaluation method described in Patent Document 2, although a two-dimensional image of an animal is used, since a two-dimensional image of the animal taken from above is used, imaging at a specific location where equipment capable of imaging the animal from above is installed is required. Similar to Patent Document 1, it is difficult to apply it to various breeding sites.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an apparatus for evaluating cattle and a method for evaluating cattle that can be applied to various breeding sites.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The apparatus for evaluating cattle of the present invention includes an image acquisition unit that acquires a two-dimensional captured image of a standing cattle captured from behind or in front, an extraction unit that extracts the contour line of the cattle from the captured image, and at least one of two peak portions corresponding to one and the other hip angles of the cattle on the contour line. A calculation unit that calculates an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion in terms of an angle, and an evaluation unit that evaluates the fattening of the cattle from the index value calculated by the calculation unit. , the mountain part has a first curved part extending from the apex of the mountain part specified on the contour line to one side and a second curved part extending from the apex to the other side, and the calculation unit specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first tangent line drawn from a point on the first curved part and a second tangent line drawn from a point on the second curved part while varying the position of the point, and calculates a value obtained from the plurality of specified angles as the index value. 。 The beef evaluation device of the present invention includes an image acquisition unit that acquires a two-dimensional captured image of a standing cow captured from behind or in front, an extraction unit that extracts the contour line of the cow from the captured image, and a calculation unit that calculates an index value indicating the degree of inclination of at least one of two mountain parts corresponding to one and the other lumbar angles of the cow on the contour line in terms of an angle, and an evaluation unit that evaluates the beefiness of the cow from the index value calculated by the calculation unit. The mountain part has a first curved part extending from the apex of the mountain part specified on the contour line to one side and a second curved part extending from the apex to the other side. The calculation unit specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting a first point where a circle centered on the apex intersects the first curved part and the apex and a second line segment connecting a second point where the circle intersects the second curved part and the apex while varying the radius of the circle, and calculates a value obtained from the plurality of specified angles as the index value.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, an apparatus for evaluating cattle and a method for evaluating cattle that can be applied to various breeding sites can be obtained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

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Figure 17

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] 《First Embodiment》 Hereinafter, the bovine evaluation device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the configuration of the bovine evaluation device 100 according to the first embodiment. The evaluation device 100 is a portable information device that is carried and used by, for example, a user. As the evaluation device 100, for example, a smartphone, a tablet personal computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), smart glasses, etc. can be adopted. In this first embodiment, it is assumed that the evaluation device 100 is a smartphone. The evaluation device 100 has a telephone function, a mail function, a communication function for connecting to the Internet, etc., and a data processing function for executing programs.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the evaluation device 100 includes a display unit 12, an operation unit 14, a communication unit 16, an imaging unit 18, a storage unit 20, and a control unit 22.

[0011] The display unit 12 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays images, various information, and operation input images such as touch operation buttons.

[0012] The operation unit 14 includes a touch panel and a switch. The touch panel accepts information input in response to being touched by the user, and transmits the received operation information to the control unit 22. The touch panel is, for example, incorporated in the display unit 12. Therefore, the touch panel accepts various information inputs in response to the user touching the surface of the display unit 12. The switch is an operation member that accepts an operation on the evaluation device 100 from the user, and transmits the received operation information to the control unit 22.

[0013] The communication unit 16 performs short-range wireless communication (for example, NFC (Near Field Communication)) with other devices, or wireless communication (for example, communication using a mobile phone line or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network)) with other devices connected to a network.

[0014] The imaging unit 18 includes a lens, an imaging element, an image processing unit, etc., and captures images such as still images and moving images. The imaging unit 18 captures images in response to an operator who carries the evaluation device 100 operating the operation unit 14. When the operator evaluates the fatness of a cow, the imaging unit 18 captures an image of the standing cow from substantially directly behind. Capturing from substantially directly behind means capturing within a range where the contours around the left and right hip angles of the cow are captured. Therefore, for example, the operator enters from a position several meters (e.g., 1 m to 2 m) behind the cow to the feet of the cow so that the contours around the left and right hip angles of the cow are captured.

[0015] The storage unit 20 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, and stores various information.

[0016] The control unit 22 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The control unit 22 controls the entire evaluation device 100 by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM or the like.

[0017] When evaluating the fatness of a cow, the control unit 22 functions as an image acquisition unit 30, an extraction unit 32, a calculation unit 34, and an evaluation unit 36 as shown in FIG. 2 by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM or the like.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows an example of an imaging image 50 of a cow acquired by the image acquisition unit 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the image acquisition unit 30 acquires an imaging image 50 of a standing cow captured from substantially directly behind. The acquired imaging image 50 of the cow may be an image captured by the imaging unit 18, or may be an image received by the communication unit 16 from an image captured by another device. Also, the acquired imaging image 50 of the cow may be one stored in the storage unit 20. The image acquisition unit 30 may display the acquired imaging image 50 of the cow on the display unit 12. Thereby, the operator can visually recognize the cow whose fatness is to be evaluated on the display unit 12.

[0019] Figures 4 and 5 show an example of the processing executed by the extraction unit 32 and the calculation unit 34 when evaluating the marbling of beef in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the upper part of the contour line 60. In FIG. 5, for clarity, the upper part of the contour line 60 is schematically shown (the same applies to the following similar figures). As shown in FIG. 4, the extraction unit 32 extracts a contour line 60 tracing the contour of the cow from the captured image 50 of the cow acquired by the image acquisition unit 30. For the extraction of the contour line 60, generally known image processing techniques can be used. The extraction unit 32 may display an extracted captured image 51 representing only the extracted contour line 60 of the cow on the display unit 12. Thereby, the operator can visually recognize on the display unit 12 the contour of the cow whose marbling is to be evaluated from now on. The outer shape of the extracted captured image 51 is the same as the outer shape of the captured image 50, and the position of the cow with respect to the frame of the image is the same between the extracted captured image 51 and the captured image 50.

[0020] On the left and right sides of the upper part of the contour line 60, there are peak portions 61a and 61b. The peak portion 61a has a first curved portion 63a extending from the vertex 62a to the upper side of the contour line 60 and a second curved portion 64a extending from the vertex 62a to the side portion side of the contour line 60, with the substantially central point on the contour line 60 of the peak portion 61a as the vertex 62a. Similarly, the peak portion 61b has a first curved portion 63b extending from the vertex 62b to the upper side of the contour line 60 and a second curved portion 64b extending from the vertex 62b to the side portion side of the contour line 60, with the substantially central point on the contour line 60 of the peak portion 61b as the vertex 62b.

[0021] The identification of the apex 62a of the mountain part 61a and the apex 62b of the mountain part 61b can be performed, for example, by the following method. For example, in the extracted captured image 51, a first inclined straight line inclined from top to bottom left is brought closer to the contour line 60 from the left upper end point 52 of the extracted captured image 51, and the point where the first inclined straight line first contacts the contour line 60 may be identified as the apex 62a of the mountain part 61a existing on the left side. Similarly, in the extracted captured image 51, a second inclined straight line inclined from top to bottom right is brought closer to the contour line 60 from the right upper end point 54 of the extracted captured image 51, and the point where the second inclined straight line first contacts the contour line 60 may be identified as the apex 62b of the mountain part 61b existing on the right side. The first inclined straight line and the second inclined straight line are preferably straight lines inclined by, for example, 30° to 60° from the horizontal line in the extracted captured image 51, more preferably straight lines inclined by 40° to 50°, and even more preferably a straight line inclined by 45°. Further, for example, the apex 62a of the mountain part 61a may be the point with the shortest distance from the left upper end point 52 of the extracted captured image 51 in the contour line 60, and the apex 62b of the mountain part 61b may be the point with the shortest distance from the right upper end point 54 of the extracted captured image 51 in the contour line 60. Note that the apex 62a of the mountain part 61a and the apex 62b of the mountain part 61b may be identified by a method other than the above method.

[0022] The calculation unit 34 calculates an index value indicating the degree of inclination of at least one of the two peak portions 61a and 61b existing on the left and right sides of the upper part of the contour line 60. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the calculation unit 34 determines the angle α1 formed by the first tangent line 66a at a point on the first curve portion 63a and the second tangent line 68a at a point on the second curve portion 64a (the angle of the angle formed by the first tangent line 66a and the second tangent line 68a that faces the vertex 62a). Further, the calculation unit 34 determines the angle α2 formed by the first tangent line 66b at a point at a different position on the first curve portion 63a and the second tangent line 68b at a point at a different position on the second curve portion 64a. Furthermore, the calculation unit 34 determines the angle α3 formed by the first tangent line 66c at a point at an even more different position on the first curve portion 63a and the second tangent line 68c at a point at an even more different position on the second curve portion 64a. In this way, the calculation unit 34 determines a plurality of angles formed by the first tangent line at a point on the first curve portion 63a and the second tangent line at a point on the second curve portion 64a while varying the position of the point.

[0023] A plurality of tangent lines can be generated for the peak portion 61a, and the angles formed by the first tangent line at a point on the first curve portion 63a and the second tangent line at a point on the second curve portion 64a also take various magnitudes. It can be said that the smallest angle among such variously sized angles well reflects the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the calculation unit 34 selects the smallest angle α min (for example, α3 in FIG. 5) as the index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a.

[0024] Note that, regarding the number of angles formed by the first tangent at a point on the first curve portion 63a and the second tangent at a point on the second curve portion 64a, which are specified by the calculation unit 34, there is no particular limitation. However, in order to obtain an angle that well reflects the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a, it is preferable to vary the positions of the points at which the first tangent and the second tangent are drawn on the first curve portion 63a and the second curve portion 64a in various ways and to increase the number of specified angles as much as possible. The calculation unit 34 may set points at predetermined intervals for each of the first curve portion 63a and the second curve portion 64a of the contour line 60, and perform, for each combination of adjacent points, a process of setting a straight line connecting pixels corresponding to the adjacent points as the first tangent and the second tangent, and obtaining the angle formed by the first tangent and the second tangent for each combination of the executed first tangent and the second tangent.

[0025] Here, the relationship between the index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a calculated by the calculation unit 34 and the body condition score will be described. The body condition score is an index indicating the state of attachment of body fat. For example, it may be scored from 1.00 to 5.00, and the larger the value, the better the fleshing.

[0026] FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c) are captured images 50a to 50c of cows with different fleshing. FIG. 6(a) is a captured image 50a of a cow with poor fleshing, FIG. 6(b) is a captured image 50b of a cow with better fleshing than that in FIG. 6(a), and FIG. 6(c) is a captured image 50c of a cow with even better fleshing. The body condition score of the cow in FIG. 6(a) was evaluated as 2.25 by an expert. The body condition score of the cow in FIG. 6(b) was 3.00, and that of the cow in FIG. 6(c) was 4.00. As shown in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c), it can be confirmed that due to the different fleshing (i.e., different body condition scores), the fleshing around the hip angle changes and the shape of the hip angle when the standing cow is viewed from almost directly behind is different.

[0027] Figures 7(a) to 7(d) are diagrams showing the relationship between the degree of inclination of the peak portions 61a and the angle formed by the first tangent line and the second tangent line in the first embodiment. In Figures 7(a) to 7(d), the upper portions of the contour lines 60 obtained from the captured images 50 of cows with different amounts of fat are schematically shown. FIG. 7(a) shows the contour line 60 of a thin cow, FIG. 7(b) shows the contour line 60 of a cow fatter (with better beefiness) than the cow in FIG. 7(a), FIG. 7(c) shows the contour line 60 of a cow fatter (with better beefiness) than the cow in FIG. 7(b), and FIG. 7(d) shows the contour line 60 of a cow fatter (with better beefiness) than the cow in FIG. 7(c). In Figures 7(a) to 7(d), a plurality of angles formed by the first tangent line at a point on the first curved portion 63a and the second tangent line at a point on the second curved portion 64a are specified while varying the position of the point, and the smallest angle α among the plurality of specified angles min is shown as the first tangent line 66z and the second tangent line 68z.

[0028] As shown in Figures 7(a) to 7(d), as the fatness improves, the peak portions 61a and 61b, which are the portions corresponding to the hip angles, become rounded, and the overhang of the peak portions 61a and 61b decreases. For this reason, the angle α min increases as the fatness improves. Therefore, in at least one of the peak portions 61a and 61b, a plurality of angles formed by the first tangent line at a point on the first curved portion 63a and the second tangent line at a point on the second curved portion 64a are specified while varying the position of the point, and the smallest angle α among the plurality of specified angles min is considered to be able to evaluate the fatness of the cow.

[0029] Therefore, an experiment was conducted to investigate the correlation between the body condition score evaluated by an expert such as a veterinarian and the angle formed by the first tangent line at a point on the first curved portion 63a of the peak portion 61a and the second tangent line at a point on the second curved portion 64a, by specifying a plurality of such angles while varying the position of the point, and taking the smallest angle α min among the plurality of specified angles. The experiment was conducted on dairy cows (Holstein breed).

[0030] Figure 8 shows the experimental results of investigating the correlation between the body condition score and the angle α min The horizontal axis (X-axis) in Figure 8 is the body condition score evaluated by an expert, and the vertical axis (Y-axis) is the angle α minIt is. In FIG. 8, a plurality of black circles indicate each of the dairy cows experimented on, and the dotted straight line indicates an approximate straight line. As shown in FIG. 8, as the angle α min increases, the body condition score also increases. The approximate straight line (dotted straight line) was obtained as y = 29.828x - 15.056, and the coefficient of determination R 2 was 0.9119. From this, it was confirmed that there is a strong correlation between the body condition score and the angle α min . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the evaluation unit 36 uses the score information in which the angle (index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion 61a) calculated by the calculation unit 34 and the body condition score are associated, and from the smallest angle α min calculated by the calculation unit 34, evaluates the beefiness (body condition score) of the cow.

[0031] Returning to FIG. 2, the evaluation unit 36 uses the score information in which the angle (index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion) stored in the storage unit 20 and the body condition score are associated, and from the angle α min calculated by the calculation unit 34, evaluates the body condition score.

[0032] Table 1 shows an example of the score information stored in the storage unit 20. As shown in Table 1, in the score information, the angle (index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion) and the body condition score are associated. For example, the body condition score when the angle is less than a° is 1.00, and the body condition score when the angle is a° or more and less than b° is 1.50, etc., so that the angle and the body condition score are associated. Note that in Table 1, the case where the body condition score is in increments of 0.5 is shown as an example, but other cases are also possible. For example, it may be in increments of 0.25, or it may be in increments of 0.25 between 2.00 and 4.00 and in increments of 0.50 otherwise.

Table 1

[0033] Note that the score information stored in the storage unit 20 may be other than the score information shown in Table 1 as long as it is information in which the angle and the body condition score are associated. For example, a linear function (y = ax + b) such as the approximate straight line shown in FIG. 8 may be stored in the storage unit 20 as score information. In this case, the body condition score may be evaluated by performing rounding, ceiling, or truncation processing on the value of x obtained by substituting the angle into y.

[0034] Next, an example of the beefiness evaluation method in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9. The process of FIG. 9 is executed by the control unit 22 of the evaluation device 100. It is assumed that an application (evaluation application) for evaluating the beefiness of cattle is installed as a premise of this process. Further, it is assumed that score information such as that shown in Table 1 is stored in the storage unit 20 as an example.

[0035] In the process of FIG. 9, first, in step S10, the image acquisition unit 30 of the control unit 22 waits until the evaluation application is started. In this case, when the control unit 22 starts the evaluation application in response to an operation by the operator (for example, an input to the operation unit 14 or a voice input to a microphone (not shown)), the process proceeds to step S12.

[0036] When transitioning to step S12, the image acquisition unit 30 acquires a captured image 50 of a cow for which meatiness evaluation is to be performed. As described above, the captured image 50 of the cow is an image of a standing cow captured from substantially directly behind. For example, the image acquisition unit 30 acquires a captured image of a cow imaged by an operator using the imaging unit 18, a captured image of a cow received from another device via the communication unit 16, or a captured image of a cow selected by the operator operating the operation unit 14 from among a plurality of captured images of cows stored in the storage unit 20. Note that after the evaluation application is started, the image acquisition unit 30 may start the camera function so that the operator can image a cow with the imaging unit 18. In this case, the captured image of the imaged cow and a selection button for asking whether or not to select this captured image are displayed on the display unit 12, and if the operator selects not to select, the camera function may be started again.

[0037] In step S14, the extraction unit 32 of the control unit 22 extracts a contour line 60 tracing the contour of the cow from the captured image 50 of the cow acquired in step S12. When extracting the contour line 60, the extraction unit 32 may perform a process of removing the background other than the cow in the captured image 50 in order to extract the contour line 60 with good accuracy.

[0038] Next, in step S16, the calculation unit 34 of the control unit 22 specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first tangent line drawn from a point on the first curve portion 63a of at least one of the two peak portions 61a and 61b existing on the left and right sides at the upper part of the contour line 60 and a second tangent line drawn from a point on the second curve portion 64a while varying the position of the point, and calculates the smallest angle among the specified plurality of angles as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a.

[0039] Next, in step S18, the evaluation unit 36 of the control unit 22 evaluates the meatiness (body condition score) of the cow shown in the captured image 50 from the angle calculated as the index value indicating the degree of inclination in step S16 and the score information as shown in Table 1 stored in the storage unit 20.

[0040] Next, in step S20, the evaluation unit 36 displays the body condition score evaluated in step S18 on the display unit 12 and stores it in the storage unit 20. For example, the evaluation unit 36 may display the body condition score on the display unit 12 together with the captured image 50 of the cow. Further, the evaluation unit 36 may store in the storage unit 20, in association with each other, the individual identification information such as the individual identification number of the cow input by the operator operating the operation unit 14 and the evaluated body condition score. Note that the evaluation unit 36 is not limited to the case where it acquires the individual identification information input by the operator operating the operation unit 14, and may acquire the individual identification information from the captured image captured by the imaging unit 18 of the image of the identification tag attached to the body of the cow, or may acquire it when the communication unit 16 receives the individual identification information from the RF tag attached to the body of the cow using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. Also, cameras and communication devices may be installed in the passageways inside and outside the cowshed so that cows passing through the passageways can be detected by sensors, and the communication unit 16 may acquire the captured image captured by the camera of the cows passing through the passageways, and acquire the individual identification information from the image of the identification tag shown in the captured image, or the communication device may receive the individual identification information from the RF tag attached to the cows passing through the passageways, and the communication unit 16 may acquire it by receiving the individual identification information from the communication device. Further, the evaluation unit 36 may store in the storage unit 20, as one piece of information, the individual identification number of the cow whose body condition score has been evaluated, the captured image 50 of the cow, the imaging date, and the body condition score of the cow, in association with each other.

[0041] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the image acquisition unit 30 acquires a two-dimensional captured image 50 of a standing cow captured from substantially directly behind. The extraction unit 32 extracts the contour line 60 of the cow from the captured image 50. The calculation unit 34, as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of at least one of the two peak portions 61a and 61b existing on the left and right sides of the upper part of the contour line 60, specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first tangent line drawn from a point on the first curved portion 63a of the peak portion 61a and a second tangent line drawn from a point on the second curved portion 64a while varying the position of the point, and calculates the smallest angle among the specified plurality of angles. The evaluation unit 36 evaluates the fatness of the cow depicted in the captured image 50 from the angle calculated by the calculation unit 34 as an index value indicating the degree of inclination. Thus, in the first embodiment, in order to evaluate the fatness of the cow using the two-dimensional captured image 50 of the standing cow captured from substantially behind, special equipment for three-dimensionally imaging the cow or special equipment for imaging the cow from above is not required, and it can be applied to various breeding sites. Further, since the fatness of the cow is evaluated from an angle, which is information having similarity on the two-dimensional image, the evaluation result is less affected by the size of the cow itself or the size of the cow depicted in the captured image 50, and the fatness of the cow can be evaluated well without performing processing such as normalization. Furthermore, when a person evaluates the fatness of the cow, the judgment criteria are ambiguous and variations occur in the judgment. However, in the first embodiment, since the control unit 22 performs the judgment of the fatness of the cow, variations in the judgment can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the fatness of the cow is evaluated using the two-dimensional captured image 50 of the standing cow captured from substantially directly behind, an evaluation device 100 having excellent portability and high versatility, such as a smartphone, can be used.

[0042] 《Second Embodiment》 The configuration of the cow evaluation device according to the second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the cow evaluation device 100 according to the first embodiment in FIG. 1, and thus the illustration and description thereof are omitted. In the second embodiment, among the functional block diagrams in FIG. 2, the value calculated by the calculation unit 34 as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion is different from that in the first embodiment.

[0043] FIG. 10 shows an example of the processes executed by the extraction unit 32 and the calculation unit 34 when evaluating beefiness in the second embodiment. Since the process of the extraction unit 32 is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the calculation unit 34 specifies a plurality of angles α1, α2, α3,... by specifying a plurality of angles formed by a first tangent line drawn from a point on the first curve portion 63a of the peak portion 61a and a second tangent line drawn from a point on the second curve portion 64a while varying the positions of the points. Further, the calculation unit 34 specifies a plurality of angles β1, β2, β3,... by specifying a plurality of angles formed by a first tangent line drawn from a point on the first curve portion 63b of the peak portion 61b and a second tangent line drawn from a point on the second curve portion 64b while varying the positions of the points. Then, the calculation unit 34 calculates an average value or a total value of the values obtained from the plurality of angles α1, α2, α3,... specified in the peak portion 61a and the values obtained from the plurality of angles β1, β2, β3,... specified in the peak portion 61b as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion. When the evaluation unit 36 determines the body condition score, information in which an angle (index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion) and the body condition score are associated as shown in Table 1 can be used, but the angle column is set to a value corresponding to the above average value or total value.

[0044] For example, the calculation unit 34 calculates the smallest angle α among the plurality of angles α1, α2, α3,... specified in the peak portion 61a min and the smallest angle β among the plurality of angles β1, β2, β3,... specified in the peak portion 61b min and calculates the average value ((α min + β min ) / 2) or the total value (α min + β min ) as an index value indicating the degree of inclination.

[0045] According to the second embodiment, the average value or the total value of the values obtained from the plurality of angles specified by the mountain portion 61a and the values obtained from the plurality of angles specified by the mountain portion 61b is used as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portions 61a and 61b. Thereby, for example, even when the cow is imaged while being tilted, by using the values obtained from the angles specified by the left and right mountain portions 61a and 61b, it is possible to reduce the determination error of the fatness due to the cow being imaged while being tilted, and it is possible to accurately evaluate the fatness of the cow.

[0046] As in the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the calculation unit 34 specifies a plurality of angles formed by the first tangent line drawn from a point on the first curve portion of the mountain portion and the second tangent line drawn from a point on the second curve portion while varying the position of the point, and calculates, as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion, the value obtained from the plurality of specified angles. The evaluation unit 36 evaluates the fatness of the cow from the index value calculated by the calculation unit 34. Thereby, in various breeding sites, the fatness of the cow can be evaluated well.

[0047] 《Third Embodiment》 The configuration of the cow evaluation device according to the third embodiment is the same as the configuration of the cow evaluation device 100 according to the first embodiment in FIG. 1, so the illustration and description thereof are omitted. In the third embodiment, among the functional block diagrams in FIG. 2, the value calculated by the calculation unit 34 as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion is different from that in the first embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 11 shows an example of the processing executed by the extraction unit 32 and the calculation unit 34 when evaluating the marbling of beef in the third embodiment. Since the processing of the extraction unit 32 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 11, the calculation unit 34 determines an angle δ1 formed by a first line segment 86a connecting a point where a circle 80a centered on the apex 62a of the peak portion 61a intersects the first curve portion 63a and the apex 62a, and a second line segment 88a connecting a point where the circle 80a intersects the second curve portion 64a and the apex 62a. Further, the calculation unit 34 determines an angle δ2 formed by a first line segment 86b connecting a point where a circle 80b centered on the apex 62a of the peak portion 61a and having a radius different from that of the circle 80a intersects the first curve portion 63a and the apex 62a, and a second line segment 88b connecting a point where the circle 80b intersects the second curve portion 64a and the apex 62a. Furthermore, the calculation unit 34 determines an angle δ3 formed by a first line segment 86c connecting a point where a circle 80c centered on the apex 62a of the peak portion 61a and having a radius different from those of the circles 80a and 80b intersects the first curve portion 63a and the apex 62a, and a second line segment 88c connecting a point where the circle 80c intersects the second curve portion 64a and the apex 62a.

[0049] In this way, the calculation unit 34 determines a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting a point where a circle centered on the apex 62a of the peak portion 61a intersects the first curve portion 63a and the apex 62a, and a second line segment connecting a point where the circle intersects the second curve portion 64a and the apex 62a, while varying the radius of the circle. The radius of the circle is set to a value smaller than the distance between the apex 62a of the peak portion 61a and the uppermost point 91 located at the uppermost side of the contour line 60, for example, a value equal to or less than 1 / 2 of the distance between the apex 62a and the uppermost point 91.

[0050] FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b) are diagrams showing the relationship between the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a and the angle formed by the first line segment and the second line segment in the third embodiment. FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b) schematically show the upper part of the contour line 60 obtained from the captured images 50 of cattle with different marblings. The cattle in FIG. 12(b) has better marbling (i.e., a higher body condition score) than the cattle in FIG. 12(a). In FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b), the corresponding circles have the same ratio of the radius to the distance between the apex 62a of the peak portion 61a and the uppermost point 91.

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b), the more the meatiness is good, the rounder the ridge portions 61a and 61b, which are the portions corresponding to the hip angles, become. For this reason, the angle formed by the first line segment and the second line segment formed by the corresponding circles becomes larger as the meatiness is better. That is, the angles δa, δb, and δc in FIG. 12(b) are larger than the corresponding angles δa, δb, and δc in FIG. 12(a). Therefore, at least in one of the ridge portions 61a and 61b, that is, in the ridge portion 61a, a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting the vertex 62a of the ridge portion 61a and the point where the circle centered on the vertex 62a of the ridge portion 61a intersects the first curved portion 63a, and a second line segment connecting the vertex 62a and the point where the circle intersects the second curved portion 64a are specified while varying the radius of the circle, and it is considered that the meatiness can be evaluated by using the plurality of specified angles.

[0052] Therefore, an experiment was conducted to investigate the correlation between the body condition score evaluated by an expert such as a veterinarian and the value obtained from a plurality of angles specified while varying the radius of the circle, where the angles are formed by a first line segment connecting the vertex 62a of the ridge portion 61a and the point where the circle centered on the vertex 62a of the ridge portion 61a intersects the first curved portion 63a, and a second line segment connecting the vertex 62a and the point where the circle intersects the second curved portion 64a. The experiment was conducted on dairy cows (Holstein breed), and as the circles centered on the vertex 62a, four concentric circles having radii of 1 / 2 times (L / 2), 1 / 3 times (L / 3), 1 / 4 times (L / 4), and 1 / 6 times (L / 6) of the interval L between the vertex 62a and the uppermost point 91 were used.

[0053] Table 2 shows the experimental results of investigating the correlation between the body condition score and the angle formed by the first line segment and the second line segment obtained from a plurality of circles centered on the vertex 62a of the mountain part 61a. FIG. 13 shows a graph indicating the relationship between the body condition score and the standard deviation of a plurality of angles formed by the first line segment and the second line segment obtained from a plurality of circles centered on the vertex 62a of the mountain part 61a. FIG. 14 shows a graph indicating the relationship between the body condition score and the coefficient of variation of a plurality of angles formed by the first line segment and the second line segment obtained from a plurality of circles centered on the vertex 62a of the mountain part 61a. The horizontal axis (X-axis) in FIGS. 13 and 14 is the body condition score evaluated by an expert, and the vertical axis (Y-axis) is the standard deviation or the coefficient of variation. A plurality of black circles in FIGS. 13 and 14 indicate each of the dairy cows subjected to the experiment, and the dotted straight line indicates an approximate straight line. [Table 2]

[0054] As shown in FIG. 13, the smaller the standard deviation of the angle, the higher the body condition score. The approximate straight line (dotted straight line) was obtained as y = -5.994x + 36.488, and the coefficient of determination R 2 was 0.6808. From this, it was confirmed that there is a strong correlation between the body condition score and the standard deviation of the angle.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 14, the smaller the coefficient of variation of the angle, the higher the body condition score. The approximate straight line (dotted straight line) was obtained as y = -0.0465x + 0.2759, and the coefficient of determination R 2 was 0.7215. From this, it was confirmed that there is a strong correlation between the body condition score and the coefficient of variation of the angle.

[0056] Therefore, in the third embodiment, the calculation unit 34 specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting the vertex 62a of the mountain portion 61a and the point where the circle centered on the vertex 62a intersects the first curve portion 63a, and a second line segment connecting the vertex 62a and the point where the circle intersects the second curve portion 64a, while varying the radius of the circle, and calculates the standard deviation or coefficient of variation of the plurality of specified angles as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion 61a. Then, the evaluation unit 36 evaluates the body condition score (the beefiness) from the standard deviation or coefficient of variation calculated by the calculation unit 34 as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion 61a.

[0057] The evaluation unit 36 evaluates the body condition score from the standard deviation or coefficient of variation calculated by the calculation unit 34, using the score information in which the standard deviation or coefficient of variation and the body condition score are associated and stored in the storage unit 20. The score information stored in the storage unit 20 can be, for example, the one obtained by changing the column of the angles in Table 1 to the standard deviation or coefficient of variation. Note that the score information stored in the storage unit 20 may be any other case as long as it is information in which the standard deviation or coefficient of variation and the body condition score are associated. For example, a linear function (y = ax + b) such as the approximate straight line shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 may be stored in the storage unit 20 as the score information. In this case, the body condition score may be evaluated by performing rounding, ceiling, or floor processing on the value of x obtained by substituting the standard deviation or coefficient of variation into y.

[0058] According to the third embodiment, the calculation unit 34 specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting a vertex 62a of the peak portion 61a and a point where a circle centered on the vertex 62a intersects the first curve portion 63a, and a second line segment connecting the vertex 62a and a point where the circle intersects the second curve portion 64a, while varying the radius of the circle, and calculates the standard deviation or coefficient of variation of the plurality of specified angles as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a. The evaluation unit 36 evaluates the marbling of the cow from the standard deviation or coefficient of variation of the plurality of angles calculated by the calculation unit 34 as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a. Even in this case, similar to the first embodiment, in order to evaluate the marbling of the cow using the two-dimensional captured image 50 of the standing cow captured from substantially behind, it can be applied to various breeding sites. Also, since the marbling of the cow is evaluated from the angle, which is information having similarity on the two-dimensional image, the evaluation result is less affected by the size of the cow itself or the size of the cow shown in the captured image 50, and the marbling of the cow can be evaluated well without performing processing such as normalization. Furthermore, since the control unit 22 determines the marbling of the cow, the variation in the determination can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the marbling of the cow is evaluated using the two-dimensional captured image 50 of the standing cow captured from substantially directly behind, an evaluation device 100 with excellent portability and high versatility such as a smartphone can be used.

[0059] 《Fourth Embodiment》 The configuration of the cow evaluation device according to the fourth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the cow evaluation device 100 according to the first embodiment in FIG. 1, and thus illustration and description thereof are omitted. In the fourth embodiment, among the functional block diagrams in FIG. 2, the value calculated by the calculation unit 34 as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion is different from that in the third embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the calculation unit 34 specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting a vertex 62a of the peak portion 61a and a point where a circle centered on the vertex 62a intersects the first curve portion 63a, and a second line segment connecting the vertex 62a and a point where the circle intersects the second curve portion 64a, while varying the radius of the circle, and calculates the ratio of the magnitude of the change in the plurality of angles to the magnitude of the change in the radius of the circle (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the inclination) as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the peak portion 61a.

[0060] Figure 15 shows a graph indicating the relationship between the body condition score and the slope obtained from the experimental results in Table 2. The horizontal axis (X-axis) in Figure 15 is the body condition score evaluated by an expert, and the vertical axis (Y-axis) is the slope. A plurality of black circles in Figure 15 indicate each of the dairy cows subjected to the experiment, and the dotted line represents an approximate straight line.

[0061] As shown in Figure 15, the closer the slope approaches 0, the higher the body condition score. The approximate straight line (dotted line) was obtained as y = 1.2247x - 7.3673, and the coefficient of determination R 2 was 0.7008. From this, it was confirmed that there is a strong correlation between the body condition score and the slope.

[0062] Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the evaluation unit 36 evaluates the beefiness (body condition score) of the cow from the ratio (slope) of the magnitudes of changes in a plurality of angles to the magnitude of the change in the radius of the circle, which is calculated by the calculation unit 34 as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion 61a. The evaluation unit 36 evaluates the body condition score from the slope calculated by the calculation unit 34 using the score information in which the slope and the body condition score are associated and stored in the storage unit 20. The score information stored in the storage unit 20 can be, for example, the one obtained by changing the column of the angles in Table 1 to the slope. Note that the score information stored in the storage unit 20 may be other cases as long as it is information in which the slope and the body condition score are associated. For example, a linear function (y = ax + b) such as the approximate straight line shown in Figure 15 may be stored in the storage unit 20 as the score information. In this case, the body condition score may be evaluated by performing rounding, ceiling, or floor processing on the value of x obtained by substituting the slope into y.

[0063] According to the fourth embodiment, the calculation unit 34 specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting a vertex 62a of the mountain portion 61a and a point where a circle centered on the vertex 62a intersects the first curve portion 63a, and a second line segment connecting the vertex 62a and a point where the circle intersects the second curve portion 64a, while varying the radius of the circle, and calculates a ratio of the magnitudes of changes in the plurality of angles with respect to the magnitude of change in the radius of the circle as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion 61a. The evaluation unit 36 evaluates the marbling of the cattle from the ratio of the magnitudes of changes in the plurality of angles with respect to the magnitude of change in the radius of the circle calculated by the calculation unit 34 as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion 61a. Even in this case, similar to the fifth embodiment, the marbling of the cattle can be evaluated favorably at various breeding sites. Further, the evaluation of the marbling of the cattle can be performed using an evaluation device with excellent portability and high versatility such as a smartphone.

[0064] As in the third and fourth embodiments described above, the calculation unit 34 specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting a vertex 62a of the mountain portion 61a and a point where a circle centered on the vertex 62a intersects the first curve portion 63a, and a second line segment connecting the vertex 62a and a point where the circle intersects the second curve portion 64a, while varying the radius of the circle, and calculates a value obtained from the plurality of specified angles as an index value indicating the degree of inclination of the mountain portion 61a. The evaluation unit 36 evaluates the marbling of the cattle from the index value calculated by the calculation unit 34. Thereby, as described above, the marbling of the cattle can be evaluated favorably at various breeding sites.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the image acquisition unit 30 is described by taking as an example the case of acquiring a captured image obtained by imaging a standing cow from substantially directly behind. However, the case of acquiring a captured image obtained by imaging a standing cow from substantially the front may also be used. Fig. 16(a) is a captured image 50d obtained by imaging a standing cow from substantially directly behind, and Fig. 16(b) is a captured image 50e obtained by imaging the cow shown in the captured image 50d of Fig. 16(a) from substantially the front. As shown in Fig. 16(a), it is not limited to the case of imaging a standing cow from substantially directly behind, and as shown in Fig. 16(b), even in the case of imaging a standing cow from substantially the front, the cow can be imaged so that the contours around the left and right hip angles of the cow are captured.

[0066] Figures 17(a) and 17(b) are extracted captured images 51a and 51b in which the contour line 60 of the cow is extracted from the captured images 50d and 50e of FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b). As shown in FIG. 17(a), even when imaging a standing cow from substantially directly behind, and as shown in FIG. 17(b), even when imaging a standing cow from substantially the front, mountain portions 61a and 61b corresponding to the hip angles can be made to exist on both the left and right sides at the upper part of the contour line 60. Therefore, even when using a captured image obtained by imaging a standing cow from substantially the front, the beefiness of the cow can be evaluated by the same method as when using a captured image obtained from substantially directly behind. Also, even when using a two-dimensional captured image obtained by imaging a standing cow from substantially the front, similar to the case of using a captured image obtained from substantially directly behind, no special equipment for imaging the cow from above is required, and it can be applied to various breeding sites, and a portable information device such as a smartphone with excellent portability and high versatility can be used as the evaluation device 100.

[0067] In each of the above embodiments, the case where the evaluation device for evaluating the beefiness of the cow is a portable information device provided with the imaging unit 18 that is carried and used by an operator has been shown as an example, but other cases may also be possible. For example, it may be a stationary information device such as a server capable of communicating with other devices connected to a network. In this case, the operator transmits a captured image of the cow captured using a portable information device such as a smartphone to a stationary information device such as a server via a network. The stationary information device calculates an index value indicating the degree of inclination of at least one of the two mountain portions 61a and 61b existing on both the left and right sides at the upper part of the contour line 60, and evaluates the beefiness of the cow from this index value. Then, the stationary information device transmits the evaluation result of the beefiness of the cow to the portable information device carried by the operator via the network. Thereby, the load on the smartphone can be reduced. Also, a camera may be installed fixedly or movably in the cowshed, and a portable information device such as a smartphone and a stationary information device such as a server may acquire a captured image of a standing cow from substantially directly behind or substantially the front captured by the camera installed in the cowshed.

[0068] In each of the above embodiments, the case of evaluating the body condition score based on the fatness of cows has been described as an example. However, other indicators for evaluating the fatness of cows may also be evaluated. In addition, although FIGS. 8 and 13 to 15 show the experimental results for dairy cows, it is considered that beef cows having a similar skeleton will yield similar results. Therefore, each of the above embodiments is applicable not only to dairy cows but also to beef cows.

[0069] As described above in detail are the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0070] 12 Display unit 14 Operation unit 16 Communication unit 18 Imaging unit 20 Storage unit 22 Control unit 30 Image acquisition unit 32 Extraction unit 34 Calculation unit 36 Evaluation unit 50, 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e Captured images 51, 51a, 51b Extracted captured images 52 Left upper end point 54 Right upper end point 60 Contour line 61a, 61b Ridge portions 62a, 62b Vertices 63a, 63b First curve portions 64a, 64b Second curve portions 66a, 66b, 66c, 66z First tangents 68a, 68b, 68c, 68z Second tangents 80a, 80b, 80c Circles 86a, 86b, 86c First line segments 88a, 88b, 88c Second line segments 91 Highest point 100 Evaluation device

Claims

1. An image acquisition unit that acquires a two-dimensional captured image of a standing cow captured from behind or in front; An extraction unit that extracts the contour line of the cow from the captured image; A calculation unit that calculates an index value indicating the degree of inclination of at least one of two peak portions corresponding to one and the other hip angles of the cow on the contour line, in terms of an angle; An evaluation unit that evaluates the meatiness of the cow from the index value calculated by the calculation unit, comprising: The peak portion has a first curved portion extending from the apex of the peak portion specified on the contour line to one side, and a second curved portion extending from the apex to the other side; The calculation unit specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first tangent line drawn from a point on the first curved portion and a second tangent line drawn from a point on the second curved portion, while varying the position of the point, and calculates, as the index value, a value obtained from the plurality of specified angles. An apparatus for evaluating cows.

2. The calculation unit calculates, as the index value, the smallest angle among the plurality of specified angles. The apparatus for evaluating cows according to Claim 1.

3. The calculation unit calculates, as the index value, an average value or a total value of values obtained from the plurality of angles specified for each of the two peak portions. The apparatus for evaluating cows according to Claim 1.

4. An image acquisition unit that acquires a two-dimensional captured image of a standing cow captured from behind or in front; An extraction unit that extracts the contour line of the cow from the captured image; A calculation unit that calculates an index value indicating the degree of inclination of at least one of two peak portions corresponding to one and the other hip angles of the cow on the contour line, in terms of an angle; An evaluation unit that evaluates the meatiness of the cow from the index value calculated by the calculation unit, comprising: The peak portion has a first curved portion extending from the apex of the peak portion specified on the contour line to one side, and a second curved portion extending from the apex to the other side; The calculation unit specifies a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting a first point where a circle centered on the apex intersects the first curved portion and the apex, and a second line segment connecting a second point where the circle intersects the second curved portion and the apex, while varying the radius of the circle, and calculates, as the index value, a value obtained from the plurality of specified angles. An apparatus for evaluating cows.

5. The calculation unit calculates, as the index value, the standard deviation or the coefficient of variation of the plurality of specified angles. The apparatus for evaluating cows according to Claim 4.

6. The bovine evaluation device according to claim 4, wherein the calculation unit calculates, as the index value, a ratio of a magnitude of change in the plurality of angles to a magnitude of change in the radius of the circle.

7. The bovine evaluation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the evaluation unit evaluates a body condition score as an evaluation of the fatness of the bovine.

8. The bovine evaluation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising an imaging unit that images the bovine.

9. Extract the contour line of the bovine from a two-dimensional captured image of the bovine standing upright captured from the rear or the front, Calculate an index value indicating, in terms of an angle, the degree of inclination of at least one of two peak portions respectively corresponding to one and the other hip angles of the bovine on the extracted contour line, Evaluate the fatness of the bovine based on the calculated index value, The computer executes the process, The peak portion has a first curved portion extending from the apex of the peak portion specified on the contour line to one side and a second curved portion extending from the apex to the other side, The calculation of the index value includes specifying a plurality of angles formed by a first tangent line drawn from a point on the first curved portion and a second tangent line drawn from a point on the second curved portion while varying the position of the point, and calculating, as the index value, a value obtained from the plurality of specified angles, or specifying a plurality of angles formed by a first line segment connecting a first point where a circle centered on the apex intersects the first curved portion and the apex and a second line segment connecting a second point where the circle intersects the second curved portion and the apex while varying the radius of the circle, and calculating, as the index value, a value obtained from the plurality of specified angles. A method for evaluating a bovine, characterized by the above.

Images