KR102319823B1 - System and Method for Monitoring Activity and Forecasting Healthcare of Livestock - Google Patents

Abstract

A livestock activity monitoring and health surveillance system and method are provided that can improve the breeding environment and observe signs of disease through real-time identification of the body temperature and activity of livestock and respond quickly in advance. Livestock management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in the livestock, a reference heating element that generates heat to a set temperature; a thermal imaging camera that generates a thermal image by photographing livestock raised in a livestock house and a reference heating element; and a processor that detects the temperature of the reference heating element and the body temperature of the livestock from the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera, and predicts the health of the livestock using the identified temperature of the reference heating element and the body temperature of the livestock.
Accordingly, it is possible to quickly respond in advance by monitoring the animal's body temperature and activity in real time, improving the breeding environment and observing disease signs.

Description

System and Method for Monitoring Activity and Forecasting Healthcare of Livestock

The present invention relates to livestock management technology, and more particularly, to a system and method for monitoring the body temperature and activity amount of livestock such as pigs and cattle, and predicting health based on the monitoring results.

Recently, as large-scale and automation of livestock industry is rapidly advancing worldwide, high productivity at low cost is required. For this purpose, real-time health management for each head and herd of livestock is emerging as an important factor.

In the case of the pig industry, various diseases such as wasting diseases such as swine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and post-weaning systemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) and various pneumonias are constantly threatening the pig industry, and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a legal infectious disease in Korea, and Africa Pig fever (ASF), etc., is inevitably subject to mass slaughter when infected, so it spreads to other industries such as the pig industry as well as related food and restaurant culture, causing serious national losses. Early detection of these disease signs and A rapid response is highly demanded.

In addition, the change of the four seasons is distinct, the temperature difference is large, and the domestic pig industry conditions with many dense breeding environments always expose pigs to the stress of the breeding environment, thereby lowering their immunity and acting as a factor that triggers diseases all the time.

As a result, the number of domestic marketed pigs per sow per year (MSY) is 17 to 18, which is significantly lower than that of 25 to 28 in advanced livestock countries, so it is an urgent problem to improve it.

Pigs suffering from wasting disease are crouched down due to reduced activity, and if the intake of feed and drinking water is reduced to grow atrophied, or if the disease expands by missing the treatment period, it will reach high fever and die.

Therefore, breeding management that closely grasps the activity of all individuals with frequent frequency, the amount of feed and drinking water consumed, and the signs of disease, brings high productivity.

For this reason, so far, in the domestic pig industry, managers have mostly used methods to visually check pigs' activity or disease signs from time to time, but they are not regular and consistent, and it is difficult to predict the exact condition.

In addition, some have been using remote monitoring devices based on CCTV, but this also has a problem in that it is not a fundamental alternative because people must check it with the naked eye.

In measuring the body temperature of livestock, the body temperature of livestock has been measured and managed by putting a thermometer in the anus, but it is quite cumbersome and difficult to measure all the animals one by one.

In addition, very few have tried to measure the body temperature of the whole livestock using infrared thermal imaging cameras. However, to measure the body temperature of livestock, the measurement accuracy must be less than ±1℃, but the accuracy of a general-purpose thermal imaging camera is ±5℃, which is a large error. It is difficult to apply, and thermal imaging cameras with accuracy of less than ±1°C cost several hundred to tens of thousands of won, so there is a problem in that the system that is installed and installed at all times is expensive and unrealistic.

Registered Patent No. 10-1866226 (2018.06.04) Registered Patent No. 10-1768450 (2017.08.09)

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the breeding environment and observe disease symptoms through real-time identification of the body temperature and activity of livestock, thereby enabling rapid response in advance. To provide a monitoring and health surveillance system and method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a livestock activity monitoring and health observation system and method capable of accurately measuring the body temperature of livestock with a thermal imaging camera having a measurement accuracy of ±1° C. or less at a low cost.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a livestock activity monitoring and health monitoring system and method that can automatically and accurately determine the breeding and mortality of livestock.

According to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, the livestock management system is installed in a livestock house, a reference heating element that generates heat to a set temperature; a thermal imaging camera that generates a thermal image by photographing livestock raised in a livestock house and a reference heating element; and a processor that detects the temperature of the reference heating element and the body temperature of the livestock from the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera, and predicts the health of the livestock using the identified temperature of the reference heating element and the body temperature of the livestock.

The processor may correct the body temperature of the livestock determined from the thermal image based on a difference between the 'set temperature of the reference heating element' and the 'temperature of the reference heating element determined from the thermal image'.

The processor may compare the corrected body temperature and normal body temperature of the livestock to determine whether the livestock is sick.

The set temperature of the reference heating element may be input through an input means and transmitted to the processor, or may be received from the reference heating element and transmitted to the processor.

The processor compares the 'temperature of the reference heating element identified from the thermal image' with the 'temperature of the livestock identified from the thermal image' to determine whether the livestock is sick, and the 'set temperature of the reference heating element' is the abnormal body temperature of the livestock may be

The reference heating element may be made of a metal or ceramic material, and a black paint may be coated on the surface to have an infrared emissivity similar to that of livestock skin.

The reference heating element may be installed at a point where the central optical axis of the thermal imaging camera meets the wall of the shed.

The livestock management system according to the present invention further includes a video camera that generates an image by photographing livestock raised in a livestock house, and the processor uses the image generated by the video camera and the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera. , at least one of livestock individuals, the number of breeding animals, and the number of dead animals can be identified.

The processor may further determine at least one of an activity amount for each individual, an activity amount for each group, and a disease symptom of the individuals by using the image and the thermal image.

The livestock management system according to the present invention may further include a communication unit configured to transmit information identified by the processor to an external device, and the external device may display the information identified by the processor on a screen.

The information identified by the processor may be displayed on an image in which the location of the livestock is expressed by a predetermined symbol.

The predetermined symbol may be displayed by being distinguished by a color determined according to the amount of activity, body temperature, disease symptom, and standing/sleep state of the livestock.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a livestock management method includes: generating a thermal image by photographing livestock raised in a livestock and a reference heating element installed in the barn to generate heat at a set temperature; and determining the temperature of the reference heating element and the body temperature of the livestock from the generated thermal image; and predicting the health of the livestock by using the identified temperature of the reference heating element and the body temperature of the livestock.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present invention, livestock management system, a reference object installed in the livestock; a thermal imaging camera that generates a thermal image by photographing livestock raised in a livestock house and a reference object; and a processor that detects the temperature of the reference object and the body temperature of the livestock from the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera, and predicts the health of the livestock using the detected temperature of the reference object and the body temperature of the livestock.

The reference object transmits its own temperature information, and the processor may correct the body temperature of the livestock determined from the thermal image based on the temperature of the reference object determined from the thermal image and the temperature of the reference object received from the reference object. .

As described above, according to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to quickly respond in advance by observing the improvement of the breeding environment and the signs of disease by grasping the body temperature and activity of livestock in real time.

In addition, according to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to accurately measure the body temperature of livestock with a thermal imaging camera having a measurement accuracy of ±1°C or less at a low cost, and it is possible to automatically accurately determine the breeding and mortality of livestock there will be

1 is a block diagram of a pig management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a view showing an example of installation of the reference heating element and the thermal imaging camera shown in FIG. 1;
3 is a detailed block diagram of the image processing terminal shown in FIG. 1, and
4 is a diagram illustrating a screen that provides the body temperature and activity amount of each pig in real time according to the location distribution of the individual pigs.

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

1 is a block diagram of a pig management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pig management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system for monitoring the body temperature and activity amount of pigs raised in a livestock house in real time, and predicting the health of pigs from the result.

The pig management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, which performs such a function, is, as shown in FIG. 1 , a reference heating element 110 , a thermal imaging camera 120 , an image camera 130 , an image processing terminal ( 140) is built.

The reference heating element 110 is a device that constantly generates heat according to a set temperature. It can be implemented to be settable within the range of 25~50℃, and it is used by setting it 1~2℃ higher than the normal body temperature of the pig to be monitored. In the case of pigs, the temperature 1~2℃ higher than normal body temperature is 39~40℃.

The reference heating element 110 is preferably manufactured to have an infrared emissivity of 1 or 0.97 similar to that of livestock skin by coating a surface of a metal or ceramic material with a black paint.

The thermal imaging camera 120 is a camera for generating a thermal image necessary to measure the body temperature of pigs. The thermal imaging camera 120 generates a thermal image by photographing the pigs and the reference heating element 110 together.

The reference heating element 110 and the thermal imaging camera 120 are installed in an appropriate number and position based on the size/structure of the livestock house, the number of pigs, and the like. 2 shows an example of installation of the reference heating element 110 and the thermal imaging camera 120 .

A barn divided into several unit areas is called a don room. Generally, a barn is composed of 10 to 20 don rooms. It is preferable to install one thermal imaging camera 120 per money room, but in order to reduce costs, one unit per several money rooms or one unit can be installed between the money rooms as shown in FIG. 2 .

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the thermal imaging camera 120 does not need to be implemented as an expensive high-performance thermal imaging camera having a measurement accuracy of ±1°C or less, and is a low-cost general-purpose thermal imaging camera with a measurement accuracy of ±5°C. It is also free to implement. This is because temperature correction using the reference heating element 110 is possible, which will be described in detail later.

The reference heating element 110 is preferably installed at a point where the central optical axis of the thermal imaging camera 120 and the wall of the shed (money) meet.

Again, it will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . The video camera 130 is a camera for generating an image necessary to grasp the activity of pigs.

The image processing terminal 140 measures the body temperature of pigs from the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera 120 to predict their health, and the image generated by the imaging camera 130 and the image generated by the thermal imaging camera 120 The activity of pigs is measured from thermal images to predict their health.

The image processing terminal 140 performing such a function will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram of the image processing terminal 140 shown in FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the image processing terminal 140 includes a camera interface 141 , a processor 142 , an input unit 143 , and a communication unit 144 .

The camera interface 141 is a communication means that is connected to the thermal imaging camera 120 and the image camera 130 to enable data communication, and receives thermal images and images from them, respectively.

The processor 142 measures the body temperature of the pigs from the thermal image transmitted through the camera interface 141 . This is based on the process of 1) extracting pigs from the thermal image to determine their body temperature, and 2) correcting the detected body temperature.

Body temperature correction is possible by reflecting the difference between the 'set temperature of the reference heating element 110' and the 'temperature of the reference heating element 110 determined from the thermal image' in the body temperature of pigs determined from the thermal image.

For example, if the 'set temperature of the reference heating element 110' is 40 °C, the 'temperature of the reference heating element 110 identified from the thermal image' is 37 °C, and the body temperature of the pig identified from the thermal image is 36 °C, 3°C (=40-37°C), which is the difference between the 'set temperature (40°C) of the reference heating element 110' and the 'temperature (37°C) of the reference heating element 110 identified from the thermal image', is identified from the thermal image In addition to the body temperature (36 ℃) of pigs, it is corrected to 39 ℃.

Since the reference heating element 110 is installed at the point where the central optical axis of the thermal imaging camera 120 and the wall of the shed (money) meet, the thermal image of the reference heating element 110 is the deterioration generated by the thermal imaging camera 120 . It will be located in the center of the top.

Accordingly, the processor 142 may handle the temperature of the reference heating element 110 with the temperature displayed at the center of the thermal image.

And, in order to be able to correct body temperature, the image processing terminal 140 needs to know the set temperature of the reference heating element 110 . To this end, the set temperature of the reference heating element 110 is inputted through the input unit 143 of the image processing terminal 140 , or the reference heating element 110 transmits the set temperature using its own communication means to the image processing terminal 140 . ) is required to be transmitted.

When the body temperature of the pig measured in this way is higher than the normal body temperature, the processor 142 classifies the pig as a diseased pig.

On the other hand, it is also possible to classify diseased pigs without accurately grasping the pig's body temperature by body temperature correction. This is possible by determining whether the 'body temperature of the pig determined from the thermal image' is equal to or greater than the 'temperature of the reference heating element 110 determined from the thermal image'. If the former is more than the latter, it is classified as disease money. To this end, the reference heating element 110 should be set to be 1 ~ 2 ℃ higher than the normal body temperature of the pig.

Furthermore, the processor 142 analyzes the image generated by the video camera 130 transmitted through the camera interface 141 to identify pig objects, and the generated by the thermal imaging camera 120 to increase accuracy. See more thermal imaging.

In general, since the image camera 130 has a much higher image resolution than the thermal imager 120 , the image camera 130 is more advantageous in recognizing pigs. However, pigs have severe body contamination due to excrement, so it is difficult to accurately identify the object only with the image generated by the video camera 130 .

However, in the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera 120, the temperature difference from the surrounding objects is markedly different even for pigs heavily contaminated with manure, so that an accurate individual can be identified.

In addition, in the image generated by the video camera 130 , the sleeping pig and the dead pig appear in the same lying posture and cannot be distinguished. However, in the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera 120 , the two have different body temperatures and thus can be easily distinguished.

Accordingly, the processor 142 refers to the image of the video camera 130 and the thermal image of the thermal imaging camera 120 together to determine the number of pigs raised, the number of dead, and the like.

Furthermore, the processor 142 measures the activity amount of pigs for each individual and also for each group from the image and the thermal image, and predicts the disease symptoms of the pigs from the measurement result. Pigs whose activity level is below the standard are classified as diseased pigs.

The communication unit 144 transmits the disease symptoms identified from the body temperature and activity amount for each pig, the group activity amount, and the body temperature and activity amount detected by the processor 142 to an external terminal (not shown) or an external server (not shown).

In this case, the communication unit 144 may transmit an image showing the location distribution of pigs in the livestock house together. Here, the transmitted image may be configured by displaying the positions of pigs with predetermined symbols (eg, symbols such as ○, ◇, □, △, ☆) on the empty livestock image. This is to reduce the amount of information transmitted to an external terminal or an external server, thereby lowering traffic and reducing required storage space.

Furthermore, it is also possible to distinguish and display the above symbols indicating the positions of pigs in a color determined according to the amount of activity, the high and low body temperature, the presence or absence of disease signs, and the standing/sleep state.

The external terminal and the external server configure all or part of the information received from the communication unit 144 as a screen and provide it to the user/administrator. 4 exemplifies a screen that provides the body temperature and activity amount of each pig in real time according to the location distribution of the individuals.

So far, a preferred embodiment of the pig management system for monitoring the body temperature and activity amount of pigs raised in the barn in real time and monitoring the health of the pigs from the result has been described in detail.

In the above embodiment, the reference heating element 110, which is a reference in correcting the body temperature of a pig identified from the thermal image or directly determining whether the pig is a diseased pig, may be replaced with one having a different function.

For example, it is possible to replace the reference heating element 110 with a reference object capable of transmitting its own temperature information to external devices because it has a built-in thermometer and communication means. In this case, the image processing terminal 140 corrects the body temperature of the livestock detected from the thermal image based on the difference between the temperature of the reference object detected from the thermal image and the temperature of the reference object received from the reference object.

In the above example, thermal imaging was used only to measure the body temperature of pigs, but it can be further used to derive additional information. For example, in winter, it may be used to determine in real time whether a crosswind that causes respiratory diseases enters the barn.

In addition, in the above embodiment, it was mentioned that the reference heating element 110 is installed at the point where the central optical axis of the thermal imaging camera 120 and the wall of the livestock (don room) meet, but it is also possible to install it at other points. . Furthermore, in FIG. 2 , it is assumed that a reference heating element 110 is provided for each thermal imaging camera 120 , and it is also possible to implement two thermal imaging cameras 120 to share one reference heating element 110 . For example, the reference heating element 110 is positioned between the two thermal imaging cameras 120 . However, in this case, it is necessary to determine the temperature of the reference heating element 110 by extracting the shape of the reference heating element 110 from the thermal image and finding its position.

Meanwhile, in the above embodiment, a system and method for managing pigs raised in a barn are presented, but the pigs mentioned are merely exemplary. Of course, in the case of managing other livestock such as cattle, chickens, and ducks, the technical idea of the present invention may be applied.

On the other hand, it goes without saying that the technical idea of the present invention can also be applied to a computer-readable recording medium containing a computer program for performing the functions of the apparatus and method according to the present embodiment. In addition, the technical ideas according to various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the form of computer-readable codes recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may be any data storage device readable by the computer and capable of storing data. For example, the computer-readable recording medium may be a ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical disk, hard disk drive, or the like. In addition, the computer-readable code or program stored in the computer-readable recording medium may be transmitted through a network connected between computers.

In addition, although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the technical field to which the present invention belongs without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims Various modifications are possible by those of ordinary skill in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or prospect of the present invention.

110: reference heating element
120: thermal imaging camera
130: video camera
140: image processing terminal

Claims (15)

reference object installed in the barn;
a thermal imaging camera that generates a thermal image by photographing livestock raised in a livestock house and a reference object; and
A processor that detects the temperature of the reference object and the body temperature of the livestock from the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera, and predicts the health of the livestock using the identified temperature of the reference object and the body temperature of the livestock;
The reference object is
a thermometer that measures its own temperature information; and
Including; communication means for transmitting the measured own temperature information;
The processor is
Livestock management system, characterized in that based on the temperature of the reference object grasped from the thermal image and the temperature of the reference object received from the reference object, correcting the body temperature of the livestock grasped from the thermal image.
delete The method according to claim 1,
The processor is
Livestock management system, characterized in that by comparing the corrected body temperature and normal body temperature of the livestock to determine whether the animal is sick.
delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The reference object is
Livestock management system, characterized in that it is installed at the point where the central optical axis of the thermal imaging camera and the wall of the livestock house meet.
The method according to claim 1,
A video camera that generates an image by photographing livestock raised in a livestock barn; further comprising,
The processor is
Livestock management system, characterized in that by using the image generated by the video camera and the thermal image generated by the thermal imaging camera, to determine at least one of livestock individuals, the number of breeding animals, and the number of dead.
9. The method of claim 8,
The processor is
The livestock management system, characterized in that by using the image and the thermal image, further identifying at least one of the individual activity amount, the group activity quantity, and the disease symptoms of the individuals.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising; a communication unit for transmitting the information identified by the processor to an external device;
external devices,
Livestock management system, characterized in that the processor displays the information grasped on the screen.
11. The method of claim 10,
The information obtained by the processor is
Livestock management system, characterized in that the position of the livestock is displayed on an image expressed by a predetermined symbol.
12. The method of claim 11,
Certain symbols are
Livestock management system, characterized in that it is distinguished and displayed in a predetermined color according to the activity amount, body temperature, disease symptoms, and standing/sleep state of the livestock.
generating a thermal image by photographing livestock raised in the barn together with a reference object installed in the barn; and
identifying the temperature of the reference object and the body temperature of the livestock from the generated thermal image;
Using the identified temperature of the reference object and the body temperature of the livestock, predicting the health of the livestock; including,
The understanding step is
Livestock management method, characterized in that the body temperature of livestock identified from the thermal image is corrected based on 'the temperature of the reference object detected from the thermal image' and 'the own temperature measured by the reference object received from the reference object'.
delete delete

Images