Automated Teat Cup Attachment Using Relative Position Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated milking systems face challenges in quickly and accurately attaching teat cups to dairy animals due to variations in teat position and orientation, which can result in delayed or aborted milking processes and animal stress, especially when not all teats are visible to the imaging camera.
Innovation Solution
A method using 2D image processing with distance information to determine teat positions and relative positions among teats, allowing for teat cup attachment even when not all teats are in the camera's field of view, by updating stored relative position information with current data and using a TOF sensor for high-resolution depth imaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If automated milking systems wait for all teats to be visible in the camera field of view before attachment, then positioning accuracy is improved, but milking process time increases and animal stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by determining the positions of all teats using stored relative position information before the attachment process begins. This allows the system to have all position data ready in advance, eliminating the need to wait for all teats to become visible during the actual attachment process, thus reducing milking time while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary element - stored relative position information - that mediates between the camera's limited field of view and the need for complete teat position data. By using this stored information as a mediator, the system can calculate and determine teat positions even when not all teats are directly visible to the camera, resolving the contradiction between visibility requirements and process efficiency.
2Reliability
If the system requires all teats to be visible for position determination, then positioning reliability is improved, but automation capability deteriorates due to potential manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies self-service by automatically determining teat positions using stored relative position information without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by maintaining and updating its own position data, eliminating the need for operator input even when teats are not fully visible, thus preserving both reliability and full automation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously updating stored relative position information based on camera images. This feedback mechanism ensures that the system maintains accurate position data over time, allowing it to reliably determine teat positions automatically without manual intervention, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and automation extent.
3Productivity
If the system uses stored relative position information to determine teat positions, then attachment speed is improved, but position accuracy may deteriorate if the stored information is outdated
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by making the stored relative position information updateable rather than static. The system dynamically updates this information based on new camera images, allowing it to adapt to changes in teat positions due to animal movement or udder fluctuations, thus maintaining both attachment speed and position accuracy simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of stored position information from fixed to variable by implementing update mechanisms. This allows the system to adjust the position data based on current conditions, ensuring that the information remains accurate despite potential changes in teat positions, thereby resolving the contradiction between speed and precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and stress-free automated teat cup attachment by providing up-to-date teat position information, reducing delays and animal stress, even when some teats are partially or completely covered, and allowing for accurate positioning without user intervention.
Implementation Method 1
an imaging time-of-flight (TOF) technique, in which a single camera is used to create a two-dimensional image of the teats and to obtain distance information for each pixel
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for automatically placing teat cups (7) onto teats of a milk-producing animal, in particular a cow, comprising the following steps: – producing a two-dimensional image of teats of the animal, wherein distance information is present for at least a plurality of pixels of the two-dimensional image; – evaluating the two-dimensional image and the distance information and establishing at least one position of at least one of the teats in a predetermined coordinate system; – determining a further position of further one of the teats on the basis of the at least one previously ascertained position using the stored relative position information relating to a relative position of the teats of the animal in relation to one another; and – applying one of the teat cups (7) to the further teat using the further position. The invention further relates to a device for automatically placing teat cups (7) onto teats of a milk-producing animal, in particular a cow, comprising a present process controller configured to carry out such a method, said process controller evaluating the information from the sensor and actuating the placement device.