当前的相机陷阱使用被动红外触发器;因此,它们仅在动物的表面温度与背景温度大不相同时才捕获图像。吸热动物,比如哺乳动物和鸟类,为触发摄像机提供足够的温度对比,而放热的动物,比如两栖动物,爬行动物,和无脊椎动物,不要。因此,能够监测体温变化的相机陷阱可以扩大对体温变化的动物的生态研究能力。这项研究提出了设计,发展,以及评估太阳能供电和人工智能辅助的相机陷阱系统,该系统能够监测吸热和放热动物。该系统是使用中央处理单元开发的,集成图形处理单元,摄像头,红外光,闪存驱动器,印刷电路板,太阳能电池板,电池,麦克风,GPS接收器,温度/湿度传感器,光传感器,和其他定制电路。它使用运动检测算法连续监测图像帧,并在白天或晚上检测到移动的动物时开始记录。田间试验表明,该系统成功记录了大量动物。使用人工生成的运动进行的实验室测试表明,该系统以0.99的高精度成功记录了视频帧,并提供了5.208W的优化峰值功耗。在现场试验中,共有27台摄像机节省了85,870个视频片段,其中423个视频片段成功记录了放热动物(爬行动物,两栖动物,和节肢动物)。这种新开发的相机陷阱将使野生动物生物学家受益,因为它成功地监测了吸热和放热的动物。
Current camera traps use passive infrared triggers; therefore, they only capture images when animals have a substantially different surface body temperature than the background. Endothermic animals, such as mammals and birds, provide adequate temperature contrast to trigger cameras, while ectothermic animals, such as amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates, do not. Therefore, a camera trap that is capable of monitoring ectotherms can expand the capacity of ecological research on ectothermic animals. This study presents the design, development, and evaluation of a solar-powered and artificial-intelligence-assisted camera trap system with the ability to monitor both endothermic and ectothermic animals. The system is developed using a central processing unit, integrated graphics processing unit, camera, infrared light, flash drive, printed circuit board, solar panel, battery, microphone, GPS receiver, temperature/humidity sensor, light sensor, and other customized circuitry. It continuously monitors image frames using a motion detection algorithm and commences recording when a moving animal is detected during the day or night. Field trials demonstrate that this system successfully recorded a high number of animals. Lab testing using artificially generated motion demonstrated that the system successfully recorded within video frames at a high accuracy of 0.99, providing an optimized peak power consumption of 5.208 W. No water or dust entered the cases during field trials. A total of 27 cameras saved 85,870 video segments during field trials, of which 423 video segments successfully recorded ectothermic animals (reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods). This newly developed camera trap will benefit wildlife biologists, as it successfully monitors both endothermic and ectothermic animals.