Delaval Holding Ab

Bohao Liao

Torbjorn Petterson

Thomas Axelsson

Mats Nilsson

Gösta Forsén

Ron Mulder

Anders Björk

Hans Holmgren

Torbjörn Petterson

Fulin Xiang

Kendra Kerrisk

Susanne Granz

Marilyn Krukowski

Klaus Schulte

Urban Dahlberg

Charlotte Hallén Sandgren

Henrik Rosenberg

A vision system for determining an identity of an individual animal in a population of animals with known identity is provided. A first image sensor arrangement is configured to capture three-dimensional or thermographic images of the individual animal. A second image sensor arrangement is configured to capture two-dimensional images of the individual animal. Control circuitry is configured to obtain a first image of the individual animal captured by the first image sensor arrangement and to detect a body part in the first image, and in response to detecting the body part, obtain a second image of the individual animal captured using the second image sensor arrangement, and to identify the individual animal by comparing metrics of the second image with the reference data in a data storage.

Animal identification using vision techniques

A flow measurement device includes a first sensor device that responds to stimulus from fluid medium flowing through a measurement section by registering a measure representing a physical characteristic, a processor, and a data storage including a look-up table containing a first collection of values representing a first value of flow of a first fluid or a first value of flow of a second fluid, and a second look-up table containing a second collection of the values representing a second value of the flow of the first fluid or a second value of the flow of the second fluid, the processor receiving the measures registered during a measurement time interval and estimating a flow pattern of the fluid medium during the measurement interval where the flow pattern describes how the first and second fluids are distributed in the measurement section over the measurement time interval.

Multiphase flow measurement

A flow measuring device includes a first sensor device that responds to one stimulus caused by a fluid medium flowing through a measurement section by registering a first measure representing a first type of physical characteristic of the fluid medium, and a second sensor device that responds to another stimulus caused by the fluid medium by registering a second measure representing a second type of physical characteristic of the fluid medium, the second measure being independent from the first measure, and the first and second measures both being dependent on the flow of the first fluid and on the flow of the second fluid in the fluid medium in the measurement section, the first measure and the second measure being sufficient to solve both a first function that defines the flow of the first fluid and a second function that defines the flow of the second fluid.

An arrangement for determining a body condition score of an animal comprises a three-dimensional camera system directed towards the animal and provided for recording at least one three-dimensional image of the animal; and an image processing device connected to the three-dimensional camera system and provided for forming a three-dimensional surface representation of a portion of the animal from the three- dimensional image recorded by the three-dimensional camera system; for statistically analyzing the surface of the three-dimensional surface representation; and for determining the body condition score of the animal based on the statistically analyzed surface of the three-dimensional surface representation.

Arrangement and method for determining a body condition score of an animal

A method and arrangement for determining a gut fill level of the rumen of an animal uses a three-dimensional camera and an image processing system. The three-dimensional camera is located in a station, wherein the animal is forced to stand essentially still during recording of the three-dimensional image. The three-dimensional camera is located on the left side of the animal at a height above the rumen triangle of the animal, longitudinally in essence in level with the rumen triangle, and is directed downwards towards the rumen triangle during the image recording. The image processing system automatically determines a depth and/or volume of a convexity or concavity of the rumen triangle, and determines the gut fill level of the rumen of the animal based on the determined depth and/or volume.

Animal handling arrangement and method

An arrangement, which is provided for determining the position of an animal, comprises a three-dimensional camera directed towards the animal and provided to record a three-dimensional image of the animal, and image processing means is provided for detecting the animal and determining its position in at least one spatial dimension based on the three-dimensional image of the animal. The image processing means may form a three-dimensional surface representation of a portion of the animal from the three-dimensional image of the animal, analyze the surface of the three-dimensional surface representation, and determine the position of the animal based on the analysis of the surface of the three-dimensional surface representation.

Arrangement and method for determining the position of an animal

An arrangement is provided for attaching teat cups to teats of a milking animal in a rotary milking system having a milking stall for housing the milking animal during milking. The arrangement comprises a three-dimensional camera configured to be directed towards the udder of the milking animal in the milking stall and to repeatedly record three-dimensional images of the udder of the milking animal in real time. The three-dimensional camera is further configured to be directed towards the teat cups located in a magazine and to repeatedly record three-dimensional images of the teat cups in real time. The arrangement also includes an image processing device configured to repeatedly detect the teats of the milking animal and determine the positions of the teats in three spatial dimensions based on said repeatedly recorded three-dimensional images of the teats. The image processing device is also configured to repeatedly detect the plurality of teat cups and determine the positions of the teat cups in three spatial dimensions based on said repeatedly recorded three-dimensional images of the teat cups located in the magazine. The arrangement also includes a control device configured to control a robot arm, based on the determined positions of the teats of the milking animal and the determined positions of the teat cups, to automatically attach at least one teat cup to at least one teat of the milking animal in the milking stall.

Arrangement and method for determining positions of the teats of a milking animal

This invention relates to a device and a method for allowing performance of several separate treatment of a teat of an animal. The device includes a cup-shaped body () having a surface () defining an inner space (), which is arranged to receive the teat of the animal. The device also includes a first delivery mechanism arranged to provide a first treatment by supplying a first medium () to the teat via at least a first passage having a plurality of openings () to the inner space () and at least one additional delivery mechanism arranged to provide an additional medium () to the teat, via at least an additional passage having a plurality of openings () to the inner space(). Thereby, the device provides at least two different treatments of the teats at different occasions.

Device and a method for allowing performance of several separate treatments of a teat of an animal

A method and device ( ) for controlling the movement of a movable part such as a robot arm ( ) in a milking robot ( ). A control ( ) controls the movement of the arm ( ) from an actual position (Pxa, Pya, Pza) to a desired position (Pxd, Pyd, Pzd) A detector ( ) detects the actual position of the robot arm ( ) and transmits signals corresponding to the actual position to the control ( ). The predicted position (Pxp, Pyp, PyP), that the robot arm ( ) will pass through as it moves from the actual position to the desired position our model (S). The control ( ) makes a comparison (S) of the actual positions of the arm ( ) against to the predicted positions, and the movement of the robot arm ( ) is modified if its actual position at any time differs by more than a predetermined amount from the predicted position at the same time.

Method and device for controlling the movement of a movable part

A protection device for controlling the motion of a pneumatic actuator, having at least one elongated cylinder provided with a piston, dividing the cylinder into a first chamber and a second chamber, an actuating pressure supply line connectable to at least one of the first and second chambers, a control unit for controlling the motion of the piston relatively to the cylinder, and a motion sensor adapted to sense a piston feature related to the piston motion and co-operating with the control unit. According to the invention, the control unit limits the motion of the piston as soon as signal from the sensor indicates that an excessive value of the piston motion has been established.

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Sollentuna, Sweden

Bohao Liao