Image Processing Algorithm for Weight Estimation of Dairy Cattle

The computer vision system was designed and constructed to measure the weight of a dairy cattle. Its development involved the functions of image capture, image preprocessing, image algorithm, and control integrated into one program. The experiments were conducted with the model dairy cattle and the real dairy cattle by two ways. First experiment with the model dairy cattle was conducted by using the indoor vision experimental system, which was built to measure the model dairy cattle in the laboratory. Second experiment with real dairy cattle was conducted by using the outdoor vision experimental system, which was built for measuring 229 heads of cows in the cattle facilities. This vision system proved to a reliable system by conducting their performance test with 15 heads of real cow in the cattle facilities. Indirect weight measuring with four methods were conducted by using the image processing system, which was the same system for measuring of body parameters. Error value of transform equation using chest girth was 30%. This error was seen as the cause of accumulated error by manually measurement. So it was not appropriate to estimate cow weight by using the transform equation, which was calculated from pixel values of the chest girth. Measurement of cow weight by multiple regression equation from top and side view images has relatively less error value, 5%. When cow weight was measured indirectly by image surface area from the pixel of top and side view images, maximum error value was 11.7%. When measured cow weight by image volume, maximum error weight was 57 kg. Generally, weight error was within 30 kg but maximum error 10.7%. Volume transform method, out of 4 measuring weight methods, was minimum error weight 21.8 kg.

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