KR20240022155A - Sensor for Scanning Nose Pattern of Animal, Nose Pattern Image Acquiring Apparatus Comprising the Sensor, and Nose Pattern Image Acquiring Method - Google Patents

Abstract

An inscription sensor for acquiring an inscription image of an animal, an inscription image acquisition device equipped with the inscription sensor, and a method for generating an inscription image are disclosed. The inscription image acquisition device of the present invention can acquire an inscription image by reading the difference in capacitance caused by the height difference between the valley and ridge of the inscription pattern when the inscription contacts the inscription contact surface. .

Description

An inscription sensor for acquiring an inscription image of an animal, an inscription image acquisition device having the inscription sensor, and a method for generating an inscription image {Sensor for Scanning Nose Pattern of Animal, Nose Pattern Image Acquiring Apparatus Comprising the Sensor, and Nose Pattern Image Acquiring Method}

The present invention is an inscription image acquisition device used for animal inscription authentication. It contacts the animal's nose directly, but reads the change in capacitance due to the difference in height between the valley and ridge of the nose to determine the inscription. It relates to an inscription image acquisition device that can acquire images and an inscription sensor used in the acquisition device.

For various purposes, it is necessary to authenticate whether the animals around us are the same individual, not just whether they are the same breed. For example, if you lose your dog, it is very difficult to identify your dog among several dogs of the same breed. In addition, it is necessary to confirm that the cattle raised in livestock farms are the same cattle whose management numbers have not changed during the breeding and distribution process, but it is difficult to simply confirm this based on their morphology.

As a way to solve this problem, the method of attaching RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags to the ears of cows has already been used for a long time, and in dogs and cats raised as pets, microchips are inserted into the skin or genetic information is inserted. The method of recording has been commonly used. Since 2013, a pet registration system has been implemented, and the government supports registration of microchips and genetic information.

However, since there is no way to verify RFID tags even if they are changed without permission, there are limits to identity authentication in the true sense. RFID tags are sometimes inserted across the skin, but the disadvantage is that they can cause side effects and pain to animals, and above all, they can be easily removed. The method of using a microchip has the same disadvantages in that it causes side effects and pain to the animal and can be easily removed. There is no possibility of modification in the method of registering genetic information, but it takes a considerable amount of time to confirm with conventional technology and cannot be confirmed immediately.

Therefore, a method of authenticating animals using inscriptions, that is, the shape of the wrinkles on the animal's nose, is attracting attention. The animal's nose has a shape divided into a valley and a ridge. The protruding part of this shape looks like an island, and the valley between the islands looks like a river. Therefore, the protruding part is called an ‘island’, and the non-protruding bone part is also called a ‘river’. The arrangement of the islands and rivers in the inscription has individual uniqueness, like a human fingerprint. Inscription authentication is a method of obtaining an image of an inscription, registering the shape of the inscription (or the characteristics of the shape), and then authenticating it.

Conventionally, the method of obtaining an inscription image for inscription authentication was a non-contact method of photographing the inscription using a camera (see Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0066323). However, the method of simply photographing the inscription with a camera is very affected not only by direct sunlight but also by the surrounding lighting conditions, and it is difficult to focus as the animal continues to move, making it difficult to obtain an image of the inscription with sufficient contrast. In inscription authentication, the resolution and contrast of the image are very important.

Unlike the non-contact method, it is possible to acquire the inscription image using the contact method. For example, like acquiring a fingerprint image, the inscription image can be obtained by directly contacting the animal's nose using an optical or semiconductor method. For example, Republic of Korea Patent No. 1706345 proposed an optical inscription authentication device using a prism. Because the inscription pattern can be divided into ridges and valleys like a fingerprint, the light illuminating the inscription travels in different optical ways through the ridges and valleys. Therefore, the inscription image can be obtained through contact by applying the optical fingerprint acquisition method used for fingerprint recognition.

One of the difficulties in acquiring inscription images using the contact method is that it is difficult to contact the animal's nose for a certain period of time. The optical method requires the animal's nose to contact the prism surface, and the semiconductor method requires the animal's nose to contact a narrow, hard surface. Since authentication is done using the nose image, the characteristics of the inscription must be well captured in the inscription image. Therefore, in the contact method, 'touching the nose' means a high level of close contact, so you must hold the animal's head and press the animal's nose with the inscription recognition device to make it adhere closely. Taken together, these situations make it difficult for the animal to maintain nose contact, even if only for a few seconds. In addition, because the nose of a healthy animal is slightly wet, the animal's nose slips on the glass prism, which is one of the reasons why it is difficult to maintain contact with the inscription on the inscription recognizer.

Nevertheless, the contact method has the advantage of being able to obtain an inscription image with fixed resolution and good contrast.

KR 10-2233244 B (Invention name: Optical inscription image acquisition device and inscription registration method)

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inscription image acquisition device used for inscription authentication, which contacts the animal's nose directly and reads the change in capacitance due to the difference in height between the valley and ridge of the nose to determine the inscription. The aim is to provide an animal inscription image acquisition device that can acquire images and an inscription sensor used in the inscription device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for generating a contact inscription image using electrostatic capacitance.

inscription sensor

According to the present invention for achieving the above object, an inscription sensor that scans an inscription to generate an inscription image includes a touch signal detection unit and an oil and moisture absorption unit. The touch signal detection unit includes a capacitance sensor in which a plurality of capacitance measurement cells are arranged in a grid to detect changes in capacitance caused by the nose of an animal in contact with a protective plate disposed at the top, the protective plate, and the electrostatic discharge. It is equipped with a signal processing circuit that extracts and outputs inscription scan information based on the output of the capacitive sensor.

The oil and moisture absorbing unit is disposed on the front of the protective plate and has an absorbent membrane that absorbs liquid on the nose when the nose contacts the protective plate, and has a structure in which the absorbent membrane can be removed so that an inscription can be entered when the nose contacts the protective plate. It is implemented as Here, the inscription scan information includes the coordinates of a measuring cell whose capacitance has changed and a capacitance measurement value, and the touch signal detection unit outputs the inscription scan information at preset time intervals while the inscription is input.

Depending on the embodiment, the oil and moisture absorbing part may include the absorbing film, the absorbing film frame, and the fixing part. The absorbent film is made of a material that can remove liquid from the animal's nose, and can absorb some of the moisture and oil on the nose when the nose comes into contact with it. The absorbent film frame supports all or part of an edge of the absorbent film and has a front surface open so that the absorbent film is exposed toward the front. The fixing part is provided to mount and detach the absorbent film frame, and fixes the absorbent film to the front of the protection plate when the absorbent film frame is mounted.

Inscription image acquisition device

The present invention also extends to an inscription image acquisition device equipped with the inscription sensor. The inscription image acquisition device includes the inscription sensor and a control unit that generates an inscription image using the inscription scan information output by the touch signal detection unit.

Depending on the embodiment, the control unit recognizes islands for each inscription scan information output at the preset time interval, and generates at least one normal inscription scan information where there is no island with an area larger than the standard size among the recognized islands. By extracting, the inscription image can be generated using the at least one normal inscription scan information. Here, the reference size can be set as the maximum area statistically recognized in the island of the inscription of the target animal.

Method for generating contact inscription image using electrostatic capacitance

The present invention also extends to a method of generating a contact inscription image using electrostatic capacitance. The method for generating an inscription image of the present invention includes the steps of mounting an absorbent film on an oil and moisture absorbing portion disposed in front of a protective plate of the touch signal detection portion; contacting the animal's nose with the absorbent film to adsorb and remove liquid on the nose, and removing the absorbent film from the oil and moisture absorbing portion so that the animal's nose can contact the protective plate to input an inscription; While the inscription is being input, the capacitance sensor of the touch signal detection unit detects a change in capacitance caused by the animal's nose in contact with the protective plate, and the signal processing circuit of the touch signal detection unit based on the output of the capacitance sensor. A scanning step of repeating the process of extracting inscription scan information and outputting it to the control unit at preset time intervals; A step of the control unit generating an inscription image of an animal in contact with the protective plate using the inscription scan information output by the touch signal detection unit.

According to an embodiment, the step of generating the inscription image may include the step of the control unit recognizing islands for each inscription scan information output at the preset time interval; The control unit extracting at least one normal inscription scan information in which there is no island with an area larger than a standard size among the recognized islands; The control unit generates the inscription image using the at least one normal inscription scan information.

The inscription image acquisition device of the present invention can acquire an inscription image by reading the difference in capacitance caused by the height difference between the valley and ridge of the inscription pattern when the inscription contacts the inscription contact surface. .

The inscription image acquisition device of the present invention does not need to be equipped with an optical configuration such as an optical type, so it can be implemented in a relatively thin and small size, and since it is a contact type in which the inscription is in direct contact, it produces an inscription image with better resolution than a non-contact type captured with a camera. can be made.

The inscription sensor is equipped with an absorbent film to remove liquid from the animal's nose before contact with the inscription, preventing inscription input errors caused by liquid.

In addition, if a certain amount of liquid remains despite the oil and water removal procedure or the contact pressure when entering the inscription is relatively large, if an island of a certain size or larger is found in the inscription image, it can be treated as an error and a normal inscription image can be obtained.

1 is a diagram showing an inscription image acquisition device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 and 3 are diagrams showing an example of an inscription sensor;
Figure 4 is a flow chart provided in the description of the inscription image acquisition method of the present invention, and
Figure 5 is an example of an inscription image that can be acquired with an inscription image acquisition device.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the inscription image acquisition device 100 according to the present invention includes an inscription sensor 101 that the animal's nose touches, and a control unit 103 that generates an inscription image using the output of the inscription sensor 101. ) is provided.

The inscription sensor 101 is a device that scans an inscription and measures the change in capacitance for generating an inscription image. It is equipped with a touch signal detection unit 110 and an oil and moisture absorption unit 130 to measure the change in capacitance. The inscription sensor 101 can have various shapes, but is preferably in the shape of a flat panel or a flat hexahedron as shown in FIG. 2.

The touch signal detection unit 110 is a sensor that has a capacitance sensor array corresponding to the resolution of the inscription image and is capable of recognizing multi-point contact. The touch signal detector 110 measures the capacitance (or the change in capacitance) in the island and river areas of the inscription due to the height difference between the island and the river in contact with the protective plate 111 and sends it to the control unit 103. Print out.

The touch signal detection unit 110 may be implemented in various structures. Referring to the example shown in FIG. 1, the touch signal detection unit 110 includes a protection plate 111, a capacitance sensor 113, and a signal processing circuit 115.

The protection plate 111 is provided on the top of the capacitance sensor 113, and the entire or part of the upper surface of the protection plate 111 is exposed to the outside to serve as an input surface 111a that receives the animal inscription (AN). The protection plate 111 can be implemented using, for example, one selected from sapphire, glass, tempered glass, plastic, PC (polycarbonate)-based synthetic resin, and PI (polyamide)-based synthetic resin.

The capacitance sensor 113 can be implemented in a variety of ways known in the art, and is a sensor array in which a plurality of capacitance measurement cells are arranged in a grid to provide sufficient resolution to generate an inscription image. )am. The 'measurement cell', which is a commonly known unit structure of the capacitance sensor 113, is a structure in which two electrodes are spaced apart from each other on the lower surface of a dielectric substrate. Capacitance is created between two electrodes through a dielectric. If the inscription touches the dielectric substrate, the electrostatic capacity (capacitance) between the two electrodes changes. When a capacitance detection signal is input to the first electrode, the detection signal is differentiated by the capacitance between the two electrodes and output to the second electrode. Therefore, the capacitance (or change in capacitance) is measured by measuring the signal output from the second electrode. ) can be detected. For example, the capacitance can be read by inputting a pulse as a detection signal and detecting a change in the peak value of the output signal.

Animal noses are electrically conductive. When the inscription AN is in contact with the input surface 111a, the electrostatic capacity changes in the part where the island part AN1 of the inscription AN is in contact, but the electrostatic capacitance changes in the area corresponding to the strong part AN2 of the inscription AN2. There is no change or it is relatively small. This is because the steel portion AN2 does not contact the input surface 111a. The amount of change in capacitance varies depending on the pressure at which the inscription is in contact, the humidity of the inscription, etc.

In the inscription from which the liquid has been normally removed, the capacitance changes only in the island portion (AN1), or at least the change in capacitance in the island portion (AN1) and the strong portion (AN2) is different, so the shape of the islands arranged throughout the inscription (AN) can be obtained, and an inscription image like that in Figure 5 can be obtained by arranging the islands. If the capacitance changes only in the island part (AN1), an inscription image can be obtained by simply reading the coordinates where the capacitance has changed, and the difference in capacitance between the island part (AN1) and the river part (AN2) can be distinguished by a predetermined reference value. If so, an inscription image can be obtained by reading the coordinates at which the capacitance has changed beyond the reference value. The resolution of the inscription image is determined according to the resolution of the sensor array of the capacitive sensor 113.

The signal processing circuit 115 extracts 'inscription scan information' based on the output of the capacitance sensor 113 and outputs it to the control unit 103. The inscription scan information includes the coordinates of a measurement cell in which the inscription AN is contacted on the input surface 111a and the capacitance changes, and the capacitance value detected in the measurement cell.

1 and 2 show an example where the signal processing circuit 115 and the control unit 103 are connected by a cable 117, but the inscription sensor 101 and the user terminal 10 are connected using a wireless communication module such as Bluetooth (not shown). ) and can be connected without the cable 117.

The oil and moisture absorbing part 130 includes an absorption film 131, an absorption film frame 133 supporting the absorption film 131, and a fixing part ( 135), and removes liquid from the animal's nose.

The nose of a healthy animal is wet with liquid due to secretions coming from the skin of the nose area and saliva being applied with the tongue. The liquid on the nose is a mixture of various body fluids such as water, oil, and somatic components, and has a slight viscosity. This liquid also has electrical conductivity, so if it is in the animal's nose above a certain level, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the grooves and ridges of the epitaph due to electrostatic capacitance, and the difference in capacitance due to the height difference between the valleys and ridges of the epitaph may not occur. Therefore, in order to acquire the inscription image using the capacitive method of the present invention, it is necessary to remove the liquid from the nose to a certain level. The absorption film 131 is mainly made of a material capable of adsorbing moisture and oil, and is preferably capable of adsorbing some of the moisture and oil on the inscription when it comes into contact with the inscription. Since the absorption film 131 is a consumable component, the absorption film 131 must be replaceable.

The absorbent film frame 133 supports all or part of the edge of the absorbent film 131 and has an open front surface so that the absorbent film 131 is exposed toward the front. In the example of FIG. 2, the absorption film frame 133 is a square frame with an open center to support the edges of the square absorption film 131. All or part of the edge of the absorption film 131 is fixed to the absorption film frame 133. If the absorption film 131 has a shape other than a square, the absorption film frame 133 may also be implemented in a different shape accordingly, and the fixing part 135 may also have a shape or structure depending on the shape of the absorption film frame 133. may change.

The fixing part 135 fixes the absorption film frame 133 to the outer surface of the inscription sensor 101, but must not cover the absorption film 131 fixed to the absorption film frame 133 so that it is exposed. In the example of FIG. 2, the fixing part 135 is a structure that can fix the position of the absorption film frame 133 to the outer surface of the inscription sensor 101 by inserting or combining all or part of the square absorption film frame 133. , at least an insertion hole 135a through which the absorption film frame 133 can enter is provided, and the front surface is open so that the inscription can contact the absorption film 131. When the absorption film frame 133 enters through the open front of the fixing part 135, a separate insertion hole may not be needed. However, when the oil and moisture absorbing part 130 is disposed on the front of the protective plate 111, the insertion hole 135a is provided on the upper surface of the fixing part 135 so that the absorbing film frame 133 can enter in the vertical direction. good night. This is because it is easy to replace the absorbent film frame 133 during the inscription image acquisition process.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the inscription sensor 101 has a flat panel shape and the protective plate 111 is disposed on the front, the oil and water absorption unit 130 is disposed on the front of the protective plate 111 and connects the oil and moisture absorption and the inscription input in a process. It is desirable because it can be processed. In order for the inscription to contact the input surface 111a after removing the absorbent film 131, the back of the fixing part 135 facing the protective plate 111 must also be opened. According to another embodiment, the oil and moisture absorbing part 130 may be disposed on the opposite side where the protection plate 111 is exposed (the back side of the inscription sensor).

The control unit 103 creates an inscription image using the ‘inscription scan information’ provided by the signal processing circuit 115. The control unit 103 is shown as a separate configuration from the inscription sensor 101, but may be installed within the inscription sensor 101. When the control unit 103 is configured separately from the inscription sensor 101, the control unit 103 may be installed in the user terminal 10. Here, the user terminal 10 corresponds to a portable terminal such as the user's mobile phone, tablet, etc., or a personal computer.

The control unit 103 generates an inscription image by recognizing the island portion using the inscription scan information provided by the signal processing circuit 115. In a simple way, the control unit 170 can generate an inscription image by processing all cells with changed capacitance as 'islands'. Additionally, since the capacitance may change even in the strong portion (AN2), although it may be relatively small compared to the island portion (AN1), the control unit 170 sets a 'reference value' for the change in capacitance (or capacitance) and Cells with changes greater than the reference value can be treated as 'islands'. The standard value at this time will be a larger value than that used for noise removal. Additionally, the control unit 170 may display the inscription image in gray level based on the size of the change in capacitance.

Depending on the embodiment, the control unit 103 may include an authentication unit that generates authentication information using an inscription image.

How to create an inscription image (Figure 4)

Hereinafter, the capacitive inscription image acquisition method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

<Removal of liquid applied to the inscription: S401 to S405>

The absorption film frame 133 on which the absorption film 131 is mounted is fixed by inserting it into the fixing part 135 (S401). The inscription AN is brought into contact with the absorption film 131 of the oil and moisture absorbing part 130, and the liquid on the inscription is removed before inputting the inscription on the input surface 111a (S403).

After the inscription comes into contact with the absorption film 131, the absorption film frame 133 is pulled out and removed from the fixing part 135 so that the protective plate of the inscription sensor 101 is exposed to the inscription (S405).

<Enter inscription: S407>

When the inscription (AN) is contacted with the protective plate 111 of the inscription sensor 101, the capacitance sensor 113 recognizes the change in capacitance due to contact with the inscription, and the signal processing circuit 115 detects the capacitance sensor 113. ) Based on the output, the inscription scan information is output to the control unit 103. The inscription scan information includes the coordinates of a cell whose capacitance has changed on the input surface 111a and its capacitance value.

The signal processing circuit 115 detects the inscription scan information at preset time intervals while the inscription contact is maintained and repeatedly outputs the inscription scan information to the control unit 103.

<Island part recognition by inscription scan information unit: S409>

The control unit 103 recognizes all islands of the inscription using the inscription scan information provided by the signal processing circuit 115. Each time inscription scan information is provided from the signal processing circuit 115, the control unit 103 repeats island portion recognition in units of inscription scan information (or preliminary inscription image units).

<Check inscription status: S411>

In step S409, whenever island portion recognition is performed in units of inscription scan information, the control unit 103 determines whether there is an island portion whose area is larger than a preset standard size among the island portions extracted from the corresponding inscription scan information.

The standard size is the maximum area recognized in the inscription island of the target animal and can be determined by statistical or experimental methods. Islands larger than the standard size can be determined to have been created by liquid on the animal's nose or when the inscription was excessively adhered to the input surface 111a. Therefore, the inscription scan information is processed as an 'error'.

<Creation of inscription image: S413>

As a result of the determination in step S411, the control unit 103 determines the inscription scan information without an island whose area is larger than the preset standard size as 'normal inscription scan information'. Multiple normal inscription scan information may appear. The control unit 103 generates an inscription image using at least one normal inscription scan information.

If there is a plurality of normal inscription scan information, the control unit 103 creates a plurality of inscription images by imaging all of the plurality of normal inscription scan information, and finally generates an inscription image by processing the plurality of inscription images using various methods. You can.

The inscription image generation of the inscription image acquisition device 100 of the present invention is performed by the above method.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and is commonly known in the technical field to which the invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or perspective of the present invention.

Claims (6)

In the inscription sensor that scans the inscription to generate the inscription image,
A capacitance sensor in which a plurality of capacitance measurement cells are arranged in a grid to detect changes in capacitance caused by the nose of an animal in contact with a protective plate disposed on the upper portion, the protective plate, and the output of the capacitance sensor. A touch signal detection unit including a signal processing circuit that extracts and outputs inscription scan information based on; and
It has an absorbent film disposed on the front of the protective plate to absorb liquid on the nose when the nose comes into contact with it, and an oil and moisture absorbing part that can remove the absorbent film so that an inscription can be entered when the nose comes into contact with the protective plate. Contains,
The inscription scan information includes the coordinates of measurement cells whose capacitance has changed and the capacitance measurement value,
The inscription sensor is characterized in that the touch signal detection unit outputs the inscription scan information at preset time intervals while the inscription is input.
According to paragraph 1,
The oil and moisture absorbing part,
The absorbent membrane is made of a material capable of removing liquid from the nose and is capable of adsorbing some of the moisture and oil on the nose when the nose comes into contact with it;
an absorbent film frame that supports all or part of an edge of the absorbent film and has a front surface open so that the absorbent film is exposed toward the front; and
The inscription sensor is provided to enable mounting and detachment of the absorption film frame, and includes a fixing part for fixing the absorption film to the front of the protection plate when the absorption film frame is mounted.
The inscription sensor of claim 1 or 2; and
An inscription image acquisition device comprising a control unit that generates an inscription image of an animal in contact with the protective plate using the inscription scan information output by the touch signal detection unit.
According to paragraph 3,
The control unit,
Islands are recognized for each inscription scan information output at the preset time interval, and at least one normal inscription scan information that does not have an island with an area larger than the standard size among the recognized islands is extracted, and the at least one normal inscription is The above inscription image is created using scan information,
An inscription image acquisition device, characterized in that the reference size is determined by the maximum area recognized in the island of the inscription of the target animal.
A method of generating a contact inscription image using electrostatic capacitance,
Mounting an absorbent film on the oil and moisture absorbing part disposed in front of the protective plate of the touch signal detection part;
contacting the animal's nose with the absorbent film to adsorb and remove liquid on the nose, and removing the absorbent film from the oil and moisture absorbing portion so that the animal's nose can contact the protective plate to input an inscription;
While the inscription is being input, the capacitance sensor of the touch signal detection unit detects a change in capacitance caused by the animal's nose in contact with the protective plate, and the signal processing circuit of the touch signal detection unit based on the output of the capacitance sensor. A scanning step in which the process of extracting inscription scan information and outputting it to the control unit is repeated at preset time intervals. The inscription scan information includes the coordinates of measurement cells whose capacitance has changed and the capacitance measurement value; and
A method for generating an inscription image, wherein the control unit uses the inscription scan information output by the touch signal detection unit to generate an inscription image of an animal in contact with the protective plate.
According to clause 5,
The step of generating the inscription image is,
The control unit recognizing islands for each inscription scan information output at the preset time interval;
The control unit extracting at least one normal inscription scan information in which there is no island with an area larger than a standard size among the recognized islands; and
The control unit generates the inscription image using the at least one normal inscription scan information,
A method for generating an inscription image, characterized in that the reference size is determined by the maximum area recognized in the island of the inscription of the target animal.

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