Patent ID: 7399220

Claim:
An apparatus for measuring the physical characteristics of first and second animals positioned respectively within first and second target zones, each of the animals having first and second sides and a top portion, said apparatus comprising: (a) an animal positioning device for defining the first and second target zones and for positioning the animals therewithin, said animal positioning device comprising first and second positioning chutes, each said first and second positioning chute having first and second sides, a floor and an upper portion and each said first and second positioning chute having: (b) a first camera array disposed on said first side thereof for obtaining a first range image of the animal positioned within said chute comprising an image of the first side of the animal; (c) a second camera array disposed proximate to said upper portion thereof for obtaining a second range image of the animal positioned within said chute comprising an image of the top portion of the animal; (d) a third camera array disposed proximate said second side thereof for obtaining a third range image of the animal positioned within said chute comprising an image of the second side of the animal; and (e) data processing means operably associated with said first, second and third camera arrays for acquiring said first, second and third range images produced thereby to produce a plurality of acquired range images and for processing said plurality of acquired range images to produce a three-dimensional point cloud data set corresponding generally to the shape of at least a portion of the surface of the animals.