Robot Arm Navigation for Dairy Teat Treatment Using Leg Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot devices for performing teat-related operations on dairy animals face challenges in reliable and safe navigation due to limited field of view, reduced illuminance, and risk of collision, especially when historical data is unavailable or inaccurate, leading to inefficient and potentially harmful milking processes.
Innovation Solution
A method where the robot arm moves laterally outside the animal-positioning area to recognize and position itself relative to the dairy animal's legs without relying on historical data, ensuring safe entry by displacing in a longitudinal direction until a leg is recognized, then adjusting to a predetermined positionary range to minimize collision risk and maintain optimal camera distance for clear imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the camera is positioned far from the dairy animal to avoid collision, then the risk of collision with legs is reduced, but the illuminance and signal/noise ratio in the image deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm performs preliminary scanning movements outside the animal-positioning area to detect the presence and position of legs before entering the milking area. This preliminary detection allows the system to plan a safe entry path that avoids collision while maintaining optimal imaging distance
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-dimensional approach (moving directly toward the animal) to a multi-dimensional scanning approach, moving the robot arm in longitudinal and lateral directions to create a safe entry path while maintaining optimal camera positioning for image quality
2Ease of operation
If the robot arm enters the animal-positioning area directly, then the distance to teats is reduced for better operation, but the risk of collision with legs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scanning and path planning outside the animal-positioning area before the robot arm enters. This preliminary action identifies safe entry paths that avoid legs while maintaining optimal positioning for teat operations
Solution Approach 2:
The camera acts as an intermediary sensor that detects leg positions from a distance, providing information that mediates between the robot arm's need to approach the teats and the need to avoid collision with legs
3Adaptability or versatility
If a wider field of view or rotatable camera is used to track moving legs, then the ability to follow rear legs is improved, but the mechanical complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the robot arm's own movement and positioning to bring the camera into optimal viewing positions for detecting legs, rather than relying on complex camera rotation mechanisms. The camera remains relatively simple while the robot arm performs the adaptive positioning
4Measurement precision
If historical data is used to guide the robot arm, then the initial positioning is improved, but the system fails when historical data is unavailable or inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously scans for legs using camera feedback during the approach phase, allowing real-time detection and adjustment of the entry path. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable operation whether historical data is available or not, as the system adapts to the actual current position of the animal's legs
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method for performing a teat-related operation on a dairy animal (3) in an animal-positioning area (2) using a robot device (1). The robot device has a robot arm (14) with a camera (20) and a teat-treating device (25). The method comprises providing the robot arm outside the animal-positioning area, at least once performing determining an image of the environment by means of the camera, searching for a leg (5, 6) in the image, if no leg has been recognised in the image: displacing the robot arm in longitudinal direction outside the animal-positioning area until a leg has been recognised in the image, determining the longitudinal position of the leg with respect to the camera, displacing the robot arm in the direction of a predetermined positionary range with respect to the determined leg as long as the determined position is not in the predetermined positionary range, displacing the end part of the robot arm at right angles to the longitudinal direction from outside the animal-positioning area as far as under the dairy animal, and performing the teat-related operation. Furthermore, a robot device with a robot arm, a teat-treating device and a camera for performing the method is provided.