Vision System Tail Positioner for Dairy Milking Automation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dairy milking operations face inefficiencies due to the inability of existing systems to accurately and efficiently position robotic arms amidst the movement and variability of dairy livestock, including leg, teat, and tail positions, leading to ineffective automation and potential interference with cow features.
Innovation Solution
A vision system equipped with a robotic arm, imaging devices (such as 3D cameras or lasers), and a tail positioner that allows real-time detection and compensation for leg, teat, and tail movements, enabling the robotic arm to adjust its position and avoid obstacles, and identify teat locations for precise milking operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a robotic arm is used for automated milking operations, then productivity is improved, but the system interferes with livestock features (tail, legs, teats) due to inability to detect and compensate for their movement
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system continuously captures images of the livestock and provides real-time feedback about tail position to the control system. The control system processes this feedback and dynamically adjusts the robotic arm's path and positioning to avoid the tail, enabling automated operations without interference with livestock features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical positioning systems with hard-coded movements with a vision-based control system. Instead of pre-programmed mechanical paths, the system uses imaging devices to detect tail position and dynamically calculates robotic arm trajectories, substituting mechanical rigidity with optical sensing and computational flexibility.
2Device complexity
If hard-coded movements and positions are used for robotic arm positioning, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of livestock feature positions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces simple mechanical positioning with a vision-based measurement system. Imaging devices capture images of the livestock, and image processing algorithms precisely determine tail position, teat location, and other feature coordinates, achieving high measurement precision without complex mechanical positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The vision system creates a digital copy or representation of the livestock's physical features through image capture and processing. This digital model of tail position and feature location allows the control system to plan robotic arm movements based on accurate virtual representations, achieving precision without complex physical positioning hardware.
3Reliability
If the imaging device operates continuously to detect tail position, then reliability of obstacle avoidance is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device operates periodically rather than continuously, capturing images at key moments during the robotic arm's approach and movement. The control system processes these periodic images to update tail position and adjust the robotic arm path, maintaining reliable obstacle avoidance while reducing energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
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
The system enhances the accuracy and speed of robotic arm operations by allowing real-time adjustments to avoid livestock features, improving the efficiency and reliability of dairy milking processes without the need for hard-coded movements, thereby facilitating more effective automation.
Implementation Method 1
an imaging device coupled to the robotic arm and configured to capture imaging data of a rearview of the dairy livestock through a field of view of the imaging device
Implementation Method 2
a hydraulic cylinder coupled to the tail positioner and configured to pivot the tail positioner between the up and down positions
Implementation Method 3
the tail positioner comprising a fluid diverter operable to divert fluid away from the imaging device
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A system includes a robotic arm (200), an imaging device (112) coupled to the robotic arm (200), a tail positioner (1710) coupled to the robotic arm (200), and a processor (102). The imaging device (112) captures imaging data of a rearview of a dairy livestock (202) through a field of view (1760) of the imaging device (112). The tail positioner (1710) is able to move from a down position to an up position. The processor (102) is coupled to both the imaging device (112) and the tail positioner (1710) and is configured to identify a tail (201) of the dairy livestock (202) within the imaging data captured by the imaging device (112) and send one or more instructions to raise the tail positioner (1710) from the down position to the up position, thereby moving the tail (201) out of the field of view (1760) of the imaging device (112).