KR101587350B1 - System and Method for Animal Confinement in Certain Area Using Image Recognition - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided an animal restraint system and method for preventing an animal managed by a human using image recognition technology from escaping from a specific area. The system includes a camera installed on a ground or a ground structure to image the specific area; A marker worn by an animal having a predetermined color, shape, or color and shape; An apparatus provided with means for stimulating the animal to apply a stimulus and worn on the animal; And a control device for controlling an apparatus to be worn by a camera and an animal, the memory including a memory for storing an image of a boundary of the specific area and an image of the marker, the control device comprising: And controls to apply a stimulus to the animal by driving a stimulus application means of the device worn by the animal when the image of the marker approaches the boundary of the specific region. According to this system and method, it is possible to build, change and maintain a high-accuracy system with a simple configuration and method, and freely set the boundary of an area where the animal is not separated.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to an animal restraint system and method for a specific region using image recognition,

The present invention relates to a system and method for controlling an animal, and more particularly, to an animal restraint system and method for preventing a pet such as a dog or a cat or an animal such as a livestock from escaping or approaching a specific area from a specific area.

BACKGROUND ART It has been widely used to prevent animals, especially wild animals, from attacking a specific area such as farmland by fencing. In addition, there is a case in which a high voltage current is supplied to the fence to prevent wild animals from entering the fence due to an electric shock when the wild animal touches the fence. However, these electric fences have side effects such as unintentional electric shock when humans, livestock or pets are contacted, not wild animals.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 (U.S. Patent No. 5,870,973) discloses that a high-frequency receiver capable of applying a stimulus such as an electric shock to a neck of a dog is attached, and a wire , A fence) on the ground, the transmitter transmits a high frequency signal through this wire, and when a dog approaches the wire and the high frequency receiver on the dog's neck detects a high frequency signal, Thereby preventing access to the fence.

In addition, Patent Document 2 (U.S. Patent No. 8,297,233) discloses a technique in which a central base station for transmitting a high frequency at a specific point is provided and the reception sensitivity of a high frequency signal from a base station When the temperature falls below a predetermined value, a wireless fence system for applying a stimulus to a dog as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is disclosed.

In addition, in Patent Document 3 (US Patent No. 6,903,682), a receiver equipped with a stimulus applying function, a GPS receiving function and a memory is mounted on the neck of a dog, and a boundary of a specific region is stored (set) A system has been disclosed in which a stimulus is applied to a pet dog as in Patent Document 1 when a receiver receives a GPS signal from a satellite and grasps the current position of the dog and approaches the boundary of the set specific region.

However, in the case of the system disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 3, there are the following problems.

First, in the case of the system of Patent Document 1, it is troublesome to embed a wire (transmission antenna) along a boundary of a specific area, and it is troublesome to move a wire once installed and a wire unexpectedly disconnected It is difficult for a general person (owner of a pet dog) to find and repair it. In the case of the system of Patent Document 2, the boundary of a specific region can be set only in a circular form having a certain radius from a central base station, and a desired boundary and an actual implemented boundary can be different when there is an obstacle such as a building in the boundary . Also, in the case of the system of Patent Document 3, it can not be used indoors and can be influenced by reception of signals from satellites depending on the weather conditions, and there is an error in the position measurement by the GPS system.

In addition to the inherent problems, each of the above-described systems basically measures the current position of the animal on the basis of a high-frequency communication technology. Therefore, the disturbance of the surrounding environment such as an obstacle or noise and the directionality of the high- There is a problem that the error of the position measurement can not be ignored. Of course, this error can be reduced to some extent by using expensive communication components with high accuracy, but this introduces another problem of increased system construction and maintenance costs.

Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent No. 5,870,973 Patent Document 2: U.S. Patent No. 8,297,233 Patent Document 3: U.S. Patent No. 6,903,682

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for setting a boundary of an animal, And an object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for restraining an animal in a specific area.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention measures the position of an animal managed by humans, such as a pet or a livestock, using image recognition technology instead of a high frequency communication technique.

That is, the animal access prevention system according to one aspect of the present invention is an animal restraint system for preventing an animal managed by a human from being separated from a specific area that is not separated from the animal. The animal restraint system is installed in a ground or ground structure, A camera for capturing an image; A marker having a predetermined color, shape, or color and shape and worn on the animal; A device for applying stimulation to said animal, said device being worn on said animal; And a control device for controlling a device to be worn by the camera and the animal, the control device comprising: a memory for storing a boundary of the specific area and an image of the marker; And recognizes the image of the marker and controls the stimulation to be applied to the animal by driving the stimulation applying means of the device worn by the animal when the image of the marker approaches the boundary of the specific region.

A method for preventing access to an animal according to another aspect of the present invention is also a method for preventing an animal managed by a person from escaping from a specific area where the animal is not to be separated from the animal by applying a predetermined color, A marker having a shape, and a stimulation applying means; Installing a camera so as to capture a range including the specific area; Capturing a range including the specific area by the camera; Setting the specific area in an image captured by the camera; Recognizing, by the control device, an image of the marker in an image captured by the camera; And applying a stimulus to the animal by the stimulus applying means when the image of the marker approaches the boundary of the specific region in the image captured by the camera.

Further, the system and method according to the present invention may further comprise at least one boundary mark installed on the ground to set the specific area, and the control device may further include at least one boundary mark connecting the boundary mark from the image picked up by the camera It is possible to specify a curve or a curved line composed of a circle or ellipse having a predetermined radius around the boundary mark and set the curve as a boundary of the specific area and store the curve in the memory.

Further, in the system and method according to the present invention, it is possible that the stimulation applying means applies at least two or more different kinds of stimuli or stimuli of different strength to the animal, It is possible to control the stimulation applying means to apply different kinds of stimuli or stimuli of different intensities to the animal depending on the degree of the image of the marker approaching the boundary of the specific region in the sensed image.

On the other hand, the stimulus applied to the animal is at least one of sound, vibration, and electric shock stimulus.

Further, in the system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the camera is an infrared camera.

Alternatively, the marker may have at least its surface coated with a fluorescent material, a phosphorescent material, or a light reflecting material. Alternatively, the marker may have a light emitting element emitting light in a predetermined color or shape. In this case, it is preferable that the device worn on the marker or the animal further comprises a light amount sensor for detecting the amount of ambient light, and operates the light emitting element when the light amount sensed by the light amount sensor is less than a predetermined reference value.

Further, in the system and the method according to the present invention, the camera or the control device may further comprise: a light amount sensor for detecting an amount of ambient light; And a lighting unit for illuminating the specific area. The camera or the control unit can illuminate the specific area with the lighting unit when the light amount sensed by the light amount sensor is less than a predetermined reference value.

In this case, the apparatus to be worn on the animal may include a movement sensor for sensing movement of the animal; And a transceiver capable of wirelessly communicating with the control device, wherein the control device is further configured to transmit information of the motion sensor transmitted from the transceiver of the device worn by the animal, the light amount sensed by the light amount sensor being equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, It is preferable to illuminate the specific region with the illumination means when the movement of the animal is detected by the illumination means.

In addition, in the system and method according to the present invention, the device worn on the animal may further include: a movement sensor for sensing movement of the animal; And a transceiver capable of wirelessly communicating with the control device, wherein the control device controls the movement of the animal only when the movement of the animal is detected by the information of the motion sensor transmitted from the transceiver of the device worn by the animal, And the stimulation applying means can be operated.

In addition, in the system and method according to the present invention, the intensity of the stimulus applied to the animal by the stimulus application means can be adjusted, and the control device is configured such that, whenever the stimulation application means is driven, And the stimulation applying means stored in the memory can control the stimulation applying means to adjust the intensity of the stimulation based on the time when the stimulation applying means is driven.

In the animal access prevention system and method of the present invention, the current position of the animal is measured using the image recognition technology, so that the present position of the animal can be measured with high accuracy at a relatively low cost without using expensive communication parts.

It is also possible to freely set and change the boundaries and boundaries of the animal which are not to be removed or accessed by a simple method using a boundary mark or a user interface.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a system is constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic perspective view showing an apparatus to be worn on an animal in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an apparatus to be worn on an animal in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control apparatus in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of setting a specific area in a system and method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 to 10 are diagrams for explaining a setting process of a specific area in the system and method according to the embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart illustrating an animal restraining method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a process of recognizing a marker image in the animal restraint method according to an embodiment of the present invention and determining whether an animal approaches a boundary of a specific region.
FIG. 13 is a graph for explaining a process of adjusting the intensity of a stimulus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an animal restraint system and method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description, an animal which is prevented from departing from a specific region according to the present invention is typically described as a dog. However, the present invention is not limited to a pet such as a pet, Can be applied to any animal.

In addition, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed to be limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventor should appropriately define the concept of the term to describe its invention in the best way. It should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, various equivalents It should be understood that water and variations may be present.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a system is constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an apparatus to be worn on an animal in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control apparatus in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

1 to 4, an animal restraint system (hereinafter, simply referred to as a 'system') for preventing an animal managed by humans from escaping from a specific region 20, which is not to be separated, according to an embodiment of the present invention Refers to a device 100 that is worn on a body (e.g., a neck) of an animal 10 (hereinafter referred to as an 'animal-worn device' or simply a 'worn device') and an animal's body A camera 300 for picking up the specific area 20; and a control device 400 for controlling the wearer 100 and the camera 300. The marker 300 is used to pick up the specific area 20,

That is, the system of the present invention includes a marker 200 having a color and / or shape that is easy to see by the camera 300, and a stimulus applying means for applying a stimulus to the animal When the image of the specific area 20 is imaged by the camera 300 and the image of the marker 200 approaches the boundary 20 'of the specific area, The stimulation applying means of the wearer 100 is driven to apply a stimulus to the animal 10 to prevent the animal 10 from leaving the specific region 20. [

Hereinafter, each element constituting the system of the present invention, that is, the operation device 100, the marker 200, the camera 300, and the control device 400 will be described in detail.

The wearing device 100 is worn on the body (neck) of the animal 10 by a wearing means such as a belt 170, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, A radio transceiver 130 including an antenna 132, and a battery 140. The microprocessor 110 controls the microprocessor 110,

The stimulus applying means 120 may be used to provide an alert message to an animal as a means to apply an appropriate stimulus to the animal 10 when the animal 10 approaches a boundary 20 & But are not limited to, any one or more of typically sound, vibration or electric shock stimuli, animal odors, and the like. In the present embodiment, a buzzer 122 capable of applying a sound stimulus, a vibration means 124 including a piezoelectric element or a vibration motor capable of applying a vibration stimulus, An electric shock stimulus generator 126 for generating an electric pulse of 50 to 10,000 VAC and an electrode 127 for applying an electric pulse generated thereby to the neck of the animal 10. [ The electric shock stimulus generator 126 typically includes a transformer that receives low voltage power from the battery 140 and converts it into a high voltage pulse.

By providing a plurality of kinds of stimuli in this way, different kinds of stimuli can be applied to the animal 10 depending on the degree to which the animal 10 approaches the boundary 20 'of the specific region.

On the other hand, independently of the provision of the plural or single kind of stimulation applying means 120, it is preferable that the intensity of the stimulus applied by each stimulation applying means 120 is adjustable by the control device 400. [ By doing so, it becomes possible to apply stimuli of different strengths depending on the degree to which the animal 10 approaches the boundary 20 'of a particular region, especially when a single type of stimulation application means 120 is provided. Further, by making the intensity of the applied stimulus adjustable, it is possible to apply a stronger stimulus as the animal 10 approaches the boundary 20 'of the specific region, as described later in detail, more often as it approaches.

The intensity of the stimulating stimulus may vary depending on the type of the stimulus applying means 120. Typically, however, the duration of the stimulation is increased or decreased. In the case of a sound stimulus (buzzer) (Voltage), the pulse width, and the duty ratio of the electric pulse by adjusting the intensity or frequency of the vibration in the case of the electric shock stimulus (vibration means).

The wireless transceiver 130 is for wireless communication with the control device 400. In the present embodiment, the wireless transceiver 130 is described as being capable of bi-directional communication, that is, signal transmission to the control device 400 as well as signal reception from the control device 400 Way communication, that is, a receiver having only a receiving function, in order to simplify the apparatus 100 and consume low power. Specifically, the radio transceiver 130 receives an RF signal such as a stimulus application signal from the control device 400, and transmits an RF signal such as status information of the wearing device 100 to the control device 400 An amplifier for amplifying a weak RF signal, a filter for removing noise, and a signal output from the microprocessor 110 as a transmission RF signal or a signal that can be recognized by the microprocessor 110 from a received RF signal, Demodulator and the like.

The battery 140 supplies power to each component consuming the power of the wearing apparatus 100. It is preferable that the battery 140 uses a rechargeable secondary battery. Further, the wearable apparatus 100 may include a display 160 to display a remaining amount of the battery 140 on the display 160, thereby allowing the user to replace or charge the battery 140 at an appropriate time. The remaining amount information of the battery 140 is transmitted to the control device 400 through the wireless transceiver 130 so that the user interface 440 of the control device 400 So that the battery 140 can be properly replaced or charged.

In addition, the wearing device 100 preferably includes a motion sensor 150. The motion sensor 150 may, but is not limited to, be typically implemented with an acceleration sensor. When the movement of the animal 10 is sensed by the movement sensor 150, the movement is transmitted to the control device 400 through the wireless transceiver 130 described above to operate the system only when the animal 10 moves , The power consumption of the system can be minimized.

In addition, the wearable apparatus 100 may further include a light amount sensor 152 for detecting the amount of ambient light. As the light amount sensor 124, a typical light receiving element can be used. The light amount sensor 152 may cause the microprocessor 110 to operate the light emitting element of the marker 200 when the surroundings are dark (when the amount of ambient light detected by the light amount sensor 124 is less than a predetermined reference value) . That is, the light amount sensor 152 may be configured such that the marker 200 includes a light emitting element (to be described later in detail) and is electrically connected to the microprocessor 110 of the wearing apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. 3 The wearer 100 need not have the light amount sensor 152 when the marker 200 is not provided with the light emitting element. Furthermore, the light amount sensor 152 is not provided in the wearing apparatus 100, and the marker 200 may be provided in the marker 200 when the marker 200 includes a light emitting element and a separate battery.

The wearer 100 may also be provided with a switch 142 for setting the supply / cutoff of the power from the battery 140 or the operation / stop of the apparatus 100, (Not shown) such as a button or a switch for setting the kind of the stimulation (for example, setting the kind of the stimulation and the initial intensity).

The microprocessor 110 controls the operation of each component of the wearing device 100 constructed as described above. The microprocessor 110 basically decodes the signal when the stimulus application signal is received from the control device 400 through the wireless transceiver 130 and transmits a stimulus of the type and intensity according to the signal to the animal 10 . In addition, in the embodiment of the above-described configuration, the movement information of the animal by the motion sensor 150, the remaining amount information of the battery 140, and the like are transmitted to the control device 400 through the wireless transceiver 130. Further, the light emitting element of the marker 200 is operated according to the amount of light sensed by the light amount sensor 152.

The marker 200 to be worn on the body of the animal 10 has a predetermined color, shape, or color and shape so that it can be easily seen by the camera 300 described later. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the marker 200 has a circular shape and is shown to be worn on the body of the animal 10 by means of a belt or the like, one by one, And the number of worn parts and the number of worn parts can be variously changed as long as the visibility by the camera 300 is good and it is easy to distinguish from surrounding objects so as to be suitable for image recognition. The image of the marker 200 is stored in the memory 420 of the control device 400 so that the controller 400 can recognize the image of the marker 200 in the image captured by the camera 300 And is stored in advance.

On the other hand, when a visible light camera is used as the camera 200 described later, it may be difficult to identify and recognize the image of the marker in the image captured by the camera 300 in the dark night. In contrast, at least the surface portion of the marker 200 may be formed of a fluorescent material, a phosphorescent material, or a light reflecting material, or may be coated with a fluorescent material, a phosphorescent material, or a light reflecting material. Alternatively, the marker 200 may include a light emitting element that emits light in a predetermined color or shape. In this case, as described above, the marker 200 or the wearer 100 is provided with a light amount sensor 152 for detecting the amount of ambient light. Only when the light amount sensed by the light amount sensor 152 is less than a predetermined reference value, The light emitting element may be operated.

The camera 300 is installed in a ground or terrestrial structure so as to be able to capture a range of ground including the specific area 20 where the animal 10 is not to be taken off, typically on a well-viewable roof or eave. The camera 300 may be implemented with, for example, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) imaging device. In addition, the camera can use a visible light camera that senses light in the visible light wavelength region and an infrared camera that senses light in the infrared light region. In the nighttime, the movement of the animal 10 It is desirable to use an infrared camera so that it can be easily seen and identified. On the other hand, recently, a closed circuit camera installed in various facilities for security can be used. Further, as will be described later in detail, since the image captured by the camera 300 is not moving image for audition, it is not necessary to use an expensive high-performance camera, and it is not necessary to use a high- It would be.

On the other hand, when a visible light camera is used as the camera 300, the image captured in an environment where there is no separate illumination such as a street light or an outdoor light at night is dark and it may be difficult to identify and recognize the image of the marker 200 . In contrast, the system (camera 300 or control device 400) of the present embodiment may further include one or more illumination means 310. The specific type, installation location or number of the illuminating means 310 is not limited as long as it can appropriately illuminate the ground of the imaging range. It is preferable that the lighting unit 310 is electrically connected to the microprocessor 110 of the control unit 400 so that the lighting unit 310 can be controlled to be turned on and off by the control unit 400.

Further, the system (the camera 300 or the control device 400) of the present embodiment further includes a light amount sensor 320 that detects the amount of ambient light. When the light amount sensed by the light amount sensor 320 is less than a predetermined reference value So that the lighting means 310 can be operated. Alternatively, the control device 400 recognizes the brightness of an image captured by the camera 300 without providing a separate light amount sensor, so that the camera 300 may also serve as a light amount sensor.

In addition, when the marker 200 is configured to have a specific color, the camera 300 may include a filter that allows only light having a wavelength band of the specific color to pass therethrough.

The control device 400 controls the elements constituting the system of the present embodiment including the above-described wearing device 100 and the camera 300 to execute the animal restraining method of the present invention. The control device 400 includes a microprocessor 410, a memory 420, a wireless transceiver 430, and a user interface 440. The components of the camera 300, the light amount sensor 320 and the lighting unit 310 and the control unit 400 may be electrically connected to each other as a logical division, It does not need to be integrated with or installed adjacent to the apparatus of Fig. Thus, for example, the wireless transceiver 430 may be installed integrally with or proximate to the camera 300 and may include a microprocessor 410, memory 420, and user interface 440, except for the wireless transceiver 430. [ May be implemented as a general personal computer or a smart terminal. In this case, the camera 300 including the wireless transceiver 430 and the personal computer or smart terminal may be connected by a wired connection or a wireless LAN method such as Wi-Fi.

The memory 420 stores information on the image of the marker 200 described above, specifically, the specific area 20 and the boundary 20 ' Data including ID information and status information of the device 100, history data with stimulus applied to the animal 10, and programs executed by the microprocessor 410, and the like.

The wireless transceiver 430 is for wireless communication with the wearing device 100 and is described as being capable of receiving signals from the wearing device 100 as well as sending signals to the wearer 100 in the present embodiment Directional communication, that is, a transmitter having only a signal transmission function, in order to simplify the devices 100 and 400 and consume low power. Specifically, the wireless transceiver 430 includes an antenna (not shown) that transmits an RF signal such as a stimulus application signal to the wearer 100 and receives an RF signal such as status information of the wearer 100 from the wearer 100 An amplifier for amplifying a weak RF signal, a filter for removing noise, and a signal output from the microprocessor 410 as a transmission RF signal or a signal that can be recognized by the microprocessor 410 from a received RF signal A demodulator / demodulator for converting the signal.

The user interface 440 includes a monitor, a keyboard, a speaker, a microphone, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a keypad, and the like, which allows the user to access the system of the present embodiment and perform operation control such as initial setting, , A touch pen, and the like. In addition, the monitor also has a touch screen function, so that the setting and changing of the specific area 20 can be made more convenient, as will be described later in detail.

The microprocessor 410 controls the operation of each component of the control device 400 configured as described above. The microprocessor 410 basically sets the specific area 20 in the image captured by the camera 300 and recognizes the image of the marker 200 in the image picked up by the camera 300, The type and intensity of a stimulus to be applied to the animal 10 is specified to the wearer 100 through the wireless transceiver 430 when the image of the animal 200 approaches the boundary 20 ' And transmits a stimulus signal. In addition, the microprocessor 410 transmits the movement information of the animal by the motion sensor 150, the remaining amount information of the battery 140, and the like from the wearing device 100 to the wireless transceiver 130 in the above- And controls the operation / suspension of the entire system on the basis thereof, and notifies the user of necessary information through the user interface 440. [ More specific operations of the microprocessor 410 will be described later.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral '30' is a boundary mark for use in setting a specific region 20 to be described later or for enhancing the learning effect of the animal 10, and is particularly useful for system construction and initial modification. In other words, if the animal 10 and the camera 300 are provided with a visual marking 30 with good visibility at the boundary of the specific area 20 where the animal is not to be separated, The animal 10 is naturally learned the range of the specific region 20 by repeating the action of stimulating the boundary mark 30 at the time of the animal 10 when approaching the animal 20 ' . This boundary marker 30 can be removed or omitted if it is determined that a sufficient learning effect has been achieved by the boundary marker 30 as an optional means. On the other hand, although the flags are shown as the boundary markers 30 in Fig. 1 as an example, they are not necessarily flags and may be any markers with good visibility.

Next, a preferred embodiment of an animal restraint method for preventing an animal from escaping from a specific area 20 using the system according to the embodiment of the present invention constructed as described above will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 13 .

First, a system according to an embodiment of the present invention is constructed. The construction of this system is carried out by attaching the marker 200 and the wearing device 100 as described above to the animal's body (for example, the torso and the neck respectively) and photographing a range including the specific area 20 (300) is installed, for example, on a roof or eaves. In addition, the system construction and initial setting are completed by setting the specific area 20 in the image captured by the camera 300. [ Herein, the initial setting may include setting of initial setting of the wearer's apparatus 100, in particular, selection of a stimulus to be applied in the case of having various stimulus applying means 120, order of application thereof, setting of stimulus intensity, The initial setting of the stimulus applying means 120 may be performed through a button provided on the wearing apparatus 100 or through the user interface 440 of the control apparatus 400. [

Next, during the initial setting operation, the setting process of the specific area 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. The following process is performed by the microprocessor 410 executing a specific area setting program stored in the memory 420 of the control device 400. [ Preferably, the program is run interactively utilizing the user interface 440. However, if the physical action of the user is required as in the following step S10, a message requesting the action of the user is displayed on the user interface (monitor), and when the user presses the continue button after completing the requested action And then proceeds to the next step.

The setting of the specific area 20 is basically performed in the image captured by the camera 300, but the border mark 30 may or may not be used. First, the case of using the boundary mark 30 will be described.

First, the user places at least one boundary marker 30 on the ground, which indicates the boundary of the specific area where the animal 10 should not deviate (S10). Subsequently, the camera 300 is used to capture the ground on which the boundary mark 30 is installed (S20). Then, an image 500 as shown in Fig. 6 is obtained. In the example shown in FIG. 6, five boundary markers 30 are provided at the corners of the specific area 20, respectively. However, only one or two boundary markers 30 may be provided Will be described later with reference to Fig. 9).

The control device (specific area setting program) first sets the boundary of the boundary mark 30 within the image 500 picked up by the camera 300 (step S30) And recognizes an image. To this end, the image of the border mark used by the present system is stored in the memory 420 in advance. Therefore, in this example, five boundary markers 30 are recognized, and then a closed curve (pentagon) connecting the five boundary markers 30 is extracted. However, as shown in Fig. 7, since there are four closed curves which are successively generated by the five boundary markers 30, the control device (microprocessor 410) displays all four closed curves on the monitor According to the user's selection, a closed curve (for example, a pentagon connecting points P1 to P5 shown in FIG. 7 (a)) is set as a boundary 20 'of a specific area.

Subsequently, any one of the two regions (pentagonal inner region and outer region) separated by a pentagon connecting the boundaries of the set specific region, that is, the points P1 to P5 shown in FIG. 7 (a) (S40), the setting of the specific area 20 and the boundary 20 'is completed (step S40) do.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user can set the specific area 20 and the boundary 20 'to a desired shape by simply installing the boundary mark 30 on the ground and selecting the area.

In the above description, the closed curve formed by the straight lines connecting the boundary markers 30 is directly set as the boundary 20 'of the specific area. However, if a skilled user or a finer change is required, ). ≪ / RTI > For example, as shown in Fig. 8, with respect to the closed curve P connecting the points P1 to P5 provided with the five boundary markers 30, the straight lines connecting the two points are selected and moved in parallel, P to Q can be changed. Furthermore, by selecting a straight line connecting two points and extending the middle portion to either one of them, a straight line connecting the two points can be changed to a curve. The parallel movement or curvilinearity of such a straight line can be implemented by a drag and drop method of a mouse or a touch pen as a user interface.

In the above description, the case where the boundary 20 'of the specific region is a closed curve made up of straight lines connecting the points is exemplified by using the plurality of boundary markers 30, but only one or two boundary markers 30 are used The specific region 20 and its boundary 20 'can be set. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when only one boundary marker 30 'is installed (when less than three boundary markers are installed), a closed curve connecting boundary markers is not extracted. Accordingly, in this case, as shown in FIG. 9, a circle R having a predetermined radius is displayed on the monitor centering on the boundary mark 30 '. Then, if necessary, the boundary 20 'of the specific region can be set by enlarging or reducing the radius of the circle R by the user's manipulation similar to the process of changing the boundary of the specific region. When two boundary markers 30 'are provided, an ellipse having a predetermined radius can be displayed and set as a boundary of a specific area around the midpoint between the two installation points.

On the other hand, in the example shown in Fig. 9, unlike the example of Fig. 8, the area outside the boundary R of the specific area is set as a specific area. In other words, the inside of the boundary R of the specific area becomes the forbidden area. As described above, in the present invention, the system and method for restricting the animal of the present invention to a specific area, as a relative concept, may be referred to as an animal access prevention system and method for preventing an animal from approaching a specific area.

9, the border mark 30 'is different from the border mark 30' in FIG. 8 in that the example shown in FIG. 9 sets a specific area according to FIG. 8, For convenience of explanation and convenience of program implementation, the same mark as that of the boundary mark 30 in Fig. 8 may be used.

As described above, the setting of the specific area described with reference to Figs. 6 to 8 and the setting of the forbidden area described with reference to Fig. 9 are combined as shown in Fig. 10, so that the inner area of the closed curve Q and the outer area The overlapping part (hatched part) becomes the final specific area.

In the above example, the specific area 20 and the boundary 20 'are set using the boundary mark 30, but the specific area 20 and the boundary 20' '). 8 and 9, the user directly uses the user interface 440 such as a touch pen or a mouse to directly enter the vertex P1 of the polygonal line in the image 500 without the border mark 30 To P5 or Q1 to Q5, or by drawing a closed curve, the specific region 20 and its boundary 20 'can be set and changed.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to set any specific area desired by the user in a simple method and configuration.

When the construction of the system is completed and the setting of the specific area 20 and the boundary 20 'is completed, the animal restraint method is executed as the full use of the system. At this time, the boundary marker 30 installed to set the boundary 20 'of the specific area may be immediately removed or removed when it is determined that the learning effect of the animal 10 has been sufficiently achieved after leaving for a while.

The animal restraining method of the present embodiment operates the system by turning on the operation switches of the power switch 142 and the control device 400 of the wearing device 100. [ When the system operates, the camera 300 captures a range including the specific region 20, recognizes the image of the marker 200 worn by the animal 10 in the captured image 500, When the image of the marker 200 approaches the boundary 20 'of the specific region 20, the control device 400 transmits a stimulus application signal to the wearer 100, The stimulation is applied to the animal 10 by the applying means 120. [

Specifically, when the movement of the animal 10 is detected by the movement sensor 150, the wearer 100 notifies the controller 400 through the wireless transceiver 130 (S110). When the movement of the animal 10 is detected, the control device 400 determines whether the surroundings are sufficiently bright using the light amount sensor 320 (S120). The illumination unit 310 is turned off (S140). If the surroundings are dark (when a light amount below a predetermined reference value is detected), the illumination unit 310 is turned on (S130). On the other hand, when the wearer 100 or the marker 200 has the light amount sensor 152 and the marker 200 has the light emitting element, the lighting means 310 according to the amount of ambient light by the controller 400, The lighting device is turned on / off by the wearer 100 or the marker 200 instead of being turned on / off. In any case, the system is operated only when the movement of the animal is detected using the motion sensor 150, and the illumination means 310 or the marker 200 is operated only when the surroundings are dark by using the light amount sensors 320 and 152, The power consumption of the wearer 100, the marker 200, the camera 300, and the control device 400 can be minimized by turning on the light emitting element of the control unit 400. [ On the other hand, as described above, when the infrared camera is used as the camera 300, the light amount sensor, the illumination means, and the light emitting element are not separately required.

Subsequently, the camera 300 picks up an image of the ground including the specific area 20 (S150). Here, since the image captured by the camera 300 is not for viewing, it is not necessary to be a high-quality moving image, and a still image capable of identifying and recognizing the marker image is sufficient. However, in consideration of the moving speed of the animal 10, it is preferable that the number of frames per second (about the shooting speed of the digital still camera) is set to not more than 20 frames per second.

Subsequently, the control device 400 (the microprocessor 410) identifies and recognizes the image of the marker 200 in the image captured by the camera 300 (S160). The process of recognizing the marker image is implemented by software using a widely known image recognition technology, which will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 12, reference numeral 500 denotes an image (still image) of one frame captured by the camera 300. The control device 400 receives the image 500 in real time from the camera 300, 500, the image of the marker 201-208 is recognized and recognized. Although FIG. 12 shows that there are a plurality of marker images 201 to 208 in one image 500, there may actually be marker images as many as the number of animals.

When the markers 200 are circular and one pair is worn on the right and left sides of the body 10 of the animal 10, the marker images 201 to 208 in the image 500 are displayed on the display unit 200, The number, size, and roundness vary depending on the direction of movement of the animal 10. Therefore, it is preferable to store in the memory 420 various roundness circles and ellipses that may exist in one image 500 by experiment in advance as a reference marker image. The control device 400 (microprocessor 410) then extracts a circle or an ellipse within the image 500 captured by the camera 300, The extracted circle or ellipse is enlarged / reduced or rotated as necessary, and is compared with the reference marker image stored in the memory 420 to recognize whether the animal 10 exists in the image 500. At this time, if there is no marker image in the image 500 or the marker image exists in the image 500 but the boundary 20 'of the specific region has already deviated, the user is notified through the user interface 440 S170) to take necessary measures.

On the other hand, in FIG. 12, the marker image recognition process is described by taking the case where the marker 200 is circular, but it goes without saying that the marker image recognition can be performed in the same manner even when the marker has a different shape such as a triangle or a rectangle. In addition, when the marker 200 has a specific color rather than a specific shape, the specific color may be extracted in the image 500 to determine the presence and position of the animal 10. [ In this case, as described above, by using a filter that allows only the light of the wavelength band of the specific color included in the camera 300, it is possible to efficiently recognize a marker image of a specific color.

When the marker image is recognized in step S160, the control device 400 (the microprocessor 410) determines whether the marker image 201-208 has approached the boundary 20 'or R of the specific area The wearer 100 transmits a stimulus signal to the wearer 100 through the wireless transceiver 430 when the user approaches the predetermined reference value or less, (S190).

At this time, as described above, when the stimulus applying means 120 uses two or more kinds of different types of stimuli, or when the intensity of the stimuli is adjustable, the marker images 201 to 208 are arranged at boundaries (Eg, in the order of sound stimulation, vibration stimulus, electric shock stimulus, or increasingly stronger in the same type of stimulus) depending on the degree of approach to the stimulus The learning effect of the animal 10 can be improved. To this end, the stimulus application signal transmitted through the wireless transceiver 430 is encoded by encoding the ID of the wearer 100 as a destination (in the case of two or more animals), the type of stimulus to be applied, .

In addition, in step S190, the strength or kind of the stimulus applied by the animal 10 can be adjusted by referring to the history (history of stimulation applied) that the animal 10 has previously approached the boundary 20 'of the specific region. That is, the control device 400 stores the time at which the stimulus application signal is transmitted every time a stimulus application signal is transmitted in the memory 420, and generates a stimulus application signal The intensity of the stimulus such as the intensity of the stimulus can be increased as the transmission frequency of the immediately preceding transmission is higher or the intensity of the stimulus can be increased as the time elapsed from the immediately preceding transmission time is shorter.

Specifically, as shown in the graph of FIG. 13, when the animal approaches the boundary 20 'or R of the specific region again within a predetermined short time from the previous stimulus application time (t ₂ , t ₃ , t ₇ ), A stimulus having a strength higher than that of the immediately preceding stimulus intensity (t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₆ ) is applied. If there is no approach to the boundary of the specific region for a longer time than the predetermined short time, The stimulation intensity is lower than the immediately preceding stimulation intensity or the initial stimulation intensity (s ₀ ) in the case where there is no approach to the boundary of the specific region for a predetermined time longer than this time (in the case of t ₄ ) (In the case of t ₅ , t ₆ ).

Next, it is determined whether the system power switch or the operation switch is turned off (S200). If the system power switch or the operation switch is turned off, the operation of the system is stopped. If the system power switch or the operation switch is still turned on, the process returns to step S110.

On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, the case where one animal 10 is used is described as an example, but the present invention is also applicable to two or more animals 10. In this case, the plurality of wearing apparatuses 100 have respective IDs for identification, and the markers 200 also need to use a plurality of kinds. Furthermore, the specific region 20 and the boundary 20 'can be separately set for each animal.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where one camera 300 is used is described as an example, but two or more cameras may be included. Particularly, in the case where one camera can not capture the entirety of the specific area 20, it is possible to set a specific area more freely by installing two or more cameras and picking up each of the blind areas. In addition, more than two cameras can be used to more precisely locate the animal.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details thereof and that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. And various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

10: Animals
20: Specific area
20 ': boundary of a specific region
30, 30 ': boundary mark
100: An animal worn device, a worn device
110: Microprocessor
120: stimulant authorization means
130: wireless transceiver
140: Battery
150: Motion sensor
152: Light sensor
160: Display
200: Marker
201 ~ 208: Marker image
300: camera
310: Lighting means
320: Light sensor
400: control device
410: Microprocessor
420: memory
430: wireless transceiver
440: User interface
500: an image picked up by the camera

Claims (15)

An animal restraint system for preventing an animal managed by a person from escaping from a specific area that should not be released,
A camera installed on a ground or ground structure to image the specific area;
A marker having a predetermined color, shape, or color and shape and worn on the animal;
A device for applying stimulation to said animal, said device being worn on said animal; And
And a memory that stores a boundary of the specific region and an image of the marker and controls a device worn by the camera and the animal,
The control device recognizes the image of the marker in the image captured by the camera and drives the stimulation applying means of the device worn by the animal when the image of the marker approaches the boundary of the specific area, To the animal restraint system. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising at least one boundary mark installed on the ground to set the specific area,
Wherein the control device specifies a curved line connecting the boundary marker from the image picked up by the camera or a curved line composed of a circle or an ellipse having a predetermined radius centering on the boundary marker and setting the curve as a boundary of the specific area And stores the data in the memory. The method according to claim 1,
The stimulus applying means can apply at least two or more different kinds of stimuli to the animal,
The control device controls the stimulation applying means to apply different kinds of stimuli to the animal according to the degree of the image of the marker approaching the boundary of the specific region in the image picked up by the camera Of the animal restraint system. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the intensity of the stimulus applied to the animal is adjustable by the stimulus applying means,
The control device controls the stimulation applying means to apply the stimulus of different intensity to the animal according to the degree of the image of the marker approaching the boundary of the specific region in the image picked up by the camera Of the animal restraint system. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the stimulus applied to the animal is at least one of a sound, a vibration, and an electric shock stimulus. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Characterized in that the marker is coated at least on its surface with a fluorescent material, a phosphorescent material or a light reflective material. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Characterized in that the marker comprises a light emitting element emitting light in a predetermined color or shape. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the marker or the device worn on the animal further comprises a light amount sensor for detecting the amount of ambient light, and operates the light emitting element when the amount of light sensed by the light amount sensor is less than a predetermined reference value. 9. The method of claim 8,
The marker or the device worn on the animal may further include a motion sensor for detecting movement of the animal, and when the light amount sensed by the light amount sensor is less than a predetermined reference value and motion of the animal is detected by the motion sensor And activating the light emitting element. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the camera or the control device comprises: a light amount sensor for detecting an amount of ambient light; And illumination means for illuminating the specific region,
Wherein the camera or the control device illuminates the specific region with the illumination means when the light amount sensed by the light amount sensor is below a predetermined reference value. 11. The method of claim 10,
An apparatus to be worn on the animal includes a movement sensor for sensing movement of the animal; And a transceiver capable of wireless communication with the control device,
Wherein the control device controls the light source to detect the movement of the animal based on the information of the motion sensor transmitted from the transceiver of the device worn by the animal and the amount of light sensed by the light amount sensor is less than a predetermined reference value, RTI ID = 0.0 > Ill. ≪ / RTI > 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Characterized in that the camera is an infrared camera. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An apparatus to be worn on the animal includes a movement sensor for sensing movement of the animal; And a transceiver capable of wireless communication with the control device,
Characterized in that the control device operates the camera and stimulation applying means only when the movement of the animal is detected by the information of the motion sensor transmitted from the transceiver of the device worn on the animal. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the intensity of the stimulus applied to the animal is adjustable by the stimulus applying means,
The control device stores the time at which the stimulation applying means is driven in the memory every time the stimulation application means is driven so as to adjust the intensity of the stimulation based on the time at which the stimulation application means stored in the memory is driven And controls the stimulation applying means. As a method for preventing an animal managed by humans from escaping from a specific area which is not to be released,
Wearing a device on the animal with a marker having a predetermined color, shape, or hue and shape, and means for applying stimulation;
Installing a camera so as to capture a range including the specific area;
Capturing a range including the specific area by the camera;
Setting the specific area in an image captured by the camera;
Recognizing, by the control device, an image of the marker in an image captured by the camera; And
And applying a stimulus to the animal by the stimulus applying means when the image of the marker approaches the boundary of the specific region in an image captured by the camera.

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