317results about "Testing eggs" patented technology

New devices and methods are provided for noninvasive and noncontact real-time measurements of tissue blood velocity. The invention uses a digital imaging device such as a detector array that allows independent intensity measurements at each pixel to capture images of laser speckle patterns on any surfaces, such as tissue surfaces. The laser speckle is generated by illuminating the surface of interest with an expanded beam from a laser source such as a laser diode or a HeNe laser as long as the detector can detect that particular laser radiation. Digitized speckle images are analyzed using new algorithms for tissue optics and blood optics employing multiple scattering analysis and laser Doppler velocimetry analysis. The resultant two-dimensional images can be displayed on a color monitor and superimposed on images of the tissues.

A game device and a method allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine. The gaming machine has a main display and a user interface. The game has a main game and a bonus game. The method includes the steps of (i) allowing the player to place a wager on the main game, (ii) playing the main game and randomly establishing a result of the main game, and (iii) awarding the player an award as a function of a paytable if the result of the main game is a win. The method further includes the steps of (iv) detecting an appearance of a predetermined bonus trigger symbol during the play of the main game and responsively, randomly selecting a bonus symbol from a set of bonus symbols, repeating steps (i)-(iv), and awarding the player a bonus award if a predetermined number of unique bonus symbols are selected.

Methods and apparatus for processing eggs based upon a characteristic such as gender are provided. Material is extracted from each of a plurality of live eggs, the extracted material is assayed to identify eggs having the characteristic, and then eggs identified as having the characteristic are processed accordingly.

An integrated apparatus capable of both molecular and elemental spectroscopic analysis includes, in an exemplary embodiment, a molecular spectroscopic analysis system, an elemental spectroscopic analysis system, and a computational and analysis module. The computational and analysis module is coupled to the molecular spectroscopic analysis system and to the elemental spectroscopic analysis system. The integrated apparatus also includes a display device coupled to the computational and analysis module.

A method for providing safety protection in an additive manufacturing apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed in an enclosable chamber, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article is provided. The method comprising the steps of providing a position detecting device connected to a control unit to detect whether a foreign matter is within the enclosable chamber. The method may also include, upon detecting that the foreign matter is within the enclosable chamber, either (1) switching off, via the control unit, at least one device associated with the additive manufacturing apparatus; or (2) providing power to a powder suction device. Associated safety protection devices are also provided.

Methods and apparatus for identifying live eggs utilize a cup having a photodetector therewithin that overlies a portion of an egg. The egg is illuminated via a light source positioned adjacent the egg. Variations in the intensity of light passing through the egg is detected via the photodetector which generates an output signal corresponding to detected light intensity. The output signal is processed to identify cyclical and non-cyclical variations in light intensity. The egg is designated as a live egg in response to identifying cyclical and / or non-cyclical variations in light intensity.

A hyperspectral method for detecting the present condition of an avian egg is disclosed in which a neural network algorithm is used to compare the spectrum of a test egg against a spectral library. The method can detect fertility with greater than 90% reliability on the day of laying and the gender of the chick with greater than 75% reliability on the 12th day after laying.

The invention relates to a machine vision technology based method for rapidly detecting egg internal quality, belonging to non-destructive testing technologies for agricultural and animal products. According to the method, a machine vision technology is used for acquiring characteristics on three aspects including a color space, an eggshell shape and an egg density from an egg transmission image so as to comprehensively judge the freshness characteristic of the egg. The machine vision technology based method specifically comprises the steps: acquiring the transmission image of an egg under a certain illumination condition, transmitting the transmission image to a computer through image acquisition equipment, acquiring the information on the three aspects including the color space, an egg yolk area and the egg density from the acquired egg image, fusing and screening the information on the three aspects, and finally obtaining a detection result of the egg freshness by means of a multi-variable analysis model in a standard library, wherein the information on the three aspects including the color space, the egg yolk area and the egg density is in one-to-one correspondence to three phenomena of diluted concentrated egg white, enlarged egg yolk area and raised gas cell height which are expressed under an egg freshness drop condition. In addition, grading can be carried out according to standards so that the egg freshness can be detected more objectively and accurately.

The invention relates to a device and a method for detecting hatching egg incubation quality based on computer vision, belonging to the technical field of agricultural product detection. The device comprises a CCD camera, an optical chamber, an object stage, a light source, an image acquisition card and a computer. The method comprises the following steps: adopting the CCD camera to acquire a perspective image of an egg, and then transmitting the image into the computer through the image acquisition card; processing the image to extract a color feature parameter; and discriminating whether theegg is fertilized or not according to a Bayes discrimination model for egg incubation quality. The invention detects the hatching egg incubation quality by applying a computer vision method and can reduce the labor intensity and the interferences of artificial subjective factors and obtain a more objective and accurate result. Proved by experiments, when the method is used for detecting the hatching egg incubation quality, the detection accuracy on the sixth day of a white-shell hatching egg reaches 100 percent, and the accuracy for verifying the model reaches 100 percent; the detection accuracy on the sixth day of a brown-shell hatching egg reaches 97.1 percent, and the accuracy for verifying the model reaches 100 percent.

An apparatus for detecting a pointer within a region of interest includes a first reflective element extending along a first side of the region of interest and reflecting light towards the region of interest. A second reflective element extends along a second side of the region of interest and reflects light towards the region of interest. The second side is joined to the first side to define a first corner. A non-reflective region generally in the plane of at least one of the first and second reflective elements is adjacent the first corner. At least one imaging device captures images of the region of interest including reflections from the first and second reflective elements.

Following exposure to an external light source, determining: 1) the fertility of an avian egg by measuring the photon intensity (photons per second) of the egg's biophoton and luminescence; and 2) the gender of an avian egg by measuring the photon spectrum of the egg's biophoton emission and luminescence. The external light source is either an incandescent, fluorescent, LED, (pulsed or continuous wave) monochromatic or dichromatic laser light source. The detector of the photon intensity is either a low light sensing photomultiplier tube (PMT), silicon based photon counting sensor, or Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode detector. The detector of the photon spectrum is a spectrometer. Following exposure to the referenced light sources, fertile avian eggs will exhibit a higher intensity of photons than that of unfertilized avian eggs, and avian eggs of the female gender will emit a different spectrum of photons than will avian eggs of the male gender.

In one embodiment, a system for custom-polarized photolithography illumination includes an illuminator operable to generate an illumination pattern of light, a polarizer unit operable to variably polarize the light, and a mask pattern defining photolithographic pattern features in two dimensions. The mask pattern is associated with a mask capable of transmitting at least a portion of the variably polarized light through the mask pattern.

The invention discloses a device used for quick online nondestructive detection on cracks of poultry eggs on the basis of acoustic characteristic and a method thereof; the poultry egg is arranged on a supporting idler wheel; a stepping motor is connected with the supporting idler wheel and drives the supporting idler wheel; a microphone which is arranged beside the poultry egg is sequentially connected with a computer by a signal amplifier, a filter and an A / D converter; when the poultry egg rolls on a chain, different parts of the poultry egg are mechanically knocked at multi-point by a knocking rod; sound signals collected by the microphone are amplified by the signal amplifier, filtrated by the filter and converted by the A / D converter and subsequently input to the computer, thus comprehensively judging the cracking situation of the poultry eggs. The device and the method can adapt to poultry eggs with different types and different sizes, realize the classification and automatic detection of the poultry eggs during the production processing and circulation process, and can be popularized and applied to the nondestructive detection on the hardness and the maturity of agricultural products such as fruits, vegetables, and the like.

The invention relates to a fowl eggs quality non-destroying automatic detection apparatus and method therefore, wherein the apparatus includes an operation system which comprises supervisory instrument of breakage eggs discrimination for programmed computer system control, picture pattern acquisition and information supervisory instrument for eggs quality identification, and a grading machine assembly for rejecting breakage eggs and accomplishing fractionation.

The invention discloses a photographing and sorting device for egg separation. A conveying system is arranged on a mounting bottom frame and comprises a conveyor belt and a conveying tray; bearing through holes for placing eggs are formed on the conveying tray; a photographing system and a sorting system are arranged on the mounting bottom frame; the photographing system comprises a light source and a camera which are respectively positioned on the upper side and the lower side of the bearing through holes during use; a cross sliding table structure which is used for correspondingly and movably adjusting the camera in the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction is arranged on the mounting bottom frame; the sorting system comprises a pneumatic suction disc mechanism for sucking the eggs; the pneumatic suction disc mechanism comprises a suction disc and a gas circuit control system which is communicated with the suction disc and is used for extracting or inflating gases in the suction disc; and the mounting bottom frame is provided with a cross sliding table structure which is used for correspondingly and movably adjusting the suction disc in the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction. By the photographing and sorting device, the eggs can be photographed and sorted, so that the operations of manually observing and selecting abnormal eggs in the prior art are effectively replaced.

A method of determining the viability of an egg at least approximately 50% through its incubation period, which method comprises the steps of: (a) causing electromagnetic radiation to impinge upon the egg, the electromagnetic radiation having one or more wavelengths in the infra-red part of the spectrum; (b) receiving at least a part of the infra-red radiation that has passed through the egg and generating an output signal representative of the received infra-red radiation; and (c) processing said output signal to determine whether there is a cyclical variation in the intensity of the infra-red radiation leaving the egg corresponding to action of a heart, the existence of said cyclical variation indicating that the egg is viable; wherein step (a) is performed by directing infra-red radiation so that it passes through the shell for reflection from an outer surface of a vascular structure adjacent an inner surface of said shell, and step (b) is performed by receiving any infra-red radiation so reflected.

The invention relates to methods for determining the sex of birds' eggs. It can be used for an early determination of the sex, in particular in poultry farming, and in this respect also with non-incubated eggs. In the method in accordance with the invention, electromagnetic radiation is emitted onto the blastodisk of an egg by a radiation source and, after a switching off of the radiation source, the decay behavior of the autofluorescence intensity excited by the electromagnetic radiation is detected by a detector at the irradiated region of the blastodisk with time resolution and spectral resolution for at least one wavelength of the autofluorescence. The fractal dimension DF is calculated using the determined measured intensity values and the value of the fractal dimension DF is compared with a species-specific and sex-specific limit value, wherein, when the limit value is exceeded, the respective egg is classified as female and, when it is not reached, the egg is classified as male.

A fiber optic guide pin is provided that has an end portion that is smooth and continuous. The smooth and continuous portion may be shaped to approximate an ellipse or a parabola. The end portion may also have a generally flat portion that is surrounded by the smooth and continuous portion.

A device for centrifugation and robotic manipulation of specimen samples, including incubating eggs, and uses thereof are provided. The device may advantageously be used for the incubation of avian, reptilian or any type of vertebrate eggs. The apparatus comprises a mechanism for holding samples individually, rotating them individually, rotating them on a centrifuge collectively, injecting them individually with a fixative or other chemical reagent, and maintaining them at controlled temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric composition. The device is applicable to experiments involving entities other than eggs, such as invertebrate specimens, plants, microorganisms and molecular systems.

The invention relates to a system applicable to an installation for candling eggs, to determine the presence of fertilized eggs in the cells of the egg crate grid moving on a conveyor. Row by row, the analyzing device synchronously monitors the light emission on the eggs of the row and detection of the attenuated light of emerging beams. The monitoring includes at least two close cycles of light emission. During the first cycle, which is of short duration to avoid causing glare of the detectors of the detecting device, the coordinates of possible empty cells in a row are determined and stored. During the second cycle, which is of longer duration, the coordinates of fertilized eggs of the row are determined and stored. The egg candling installation advantageously also marks the eggs, depending in particular on whether they are fertilized or not.

An egg transfer system for providing automated inspection and tracking of eggs prior to entering an egg breaker, as well as broken egg contents following breaking, and in which the transfer system includes a series of processing and inspection component interfacing with a central processor for grading and segregating the eggs into one of a number of classes including removal eggs. Removal gates are provided at intermediate locations of the egg transfer system, prior to the egg breakers, and are associated with removal of varying classes of eggs. The central processor interfaces with the various stations in order to assemble a dedicated data packet of egg related data which is assigned to a progressing location on the egg conveyor upon which a specified egg is located, and which can further include the central processor assigning the data packet to a location subsequent to the breakers holding specified shell egg contents. At least one, and typically two, manual removal locations are additionally provided, such as associated with the intermediate egg detection and removal station as well as the post-breaker station.

The invention discloses a poultry egg detection method and a device in an automatic grading assembly line of poultry eggs. Crack detection equipment, transmitting detection equipment and illumination detection equipment are successively fixed above a transmission link and between two big sprockets; a cam weighing mechanism which is in contact with the transmission link is arranged below the transmission link and between the two big sprockets; a drive plate is matched with a geneva wheel on a middle transmission shaft; one end of a roller push rod is connected with a cam, and the other end of the roller push rod is connected with an electronic scale; the transmission link is driven by the big sprockets to go forward; the geneva wheel carries out intermittent movement under the driving of the drive plate to finish transmitting the poultry eggs within movement time and finish weighing the cam weighing mechanism within stopping time; and the detection equipment detects within the transmission link stopping time. The invention can ensure that the poultry eggs can be stably and flexibly transmitted in the detection device to lead the poultry eggs to be automatically turned over on the transmission link so as to carry out multilateral detection on the poultry eggs and comprehensively and accurately detect the poultry eggs on line in real time.

The invention discloses a knock response detecting device for tiny flaws on poultry eggs and a method thereof. The detecting device mainly comprises a detecting platform, a data acquisition device, an A / D converter and a computer, which are connected in turn. The method comprises the following steps: fixing a poultry egg on a platform base, and adopting a detection method of single-point excitation and three-point response; after the poultry egg is excited, triggering a response signal by a sensor signal, and collecting the response signal generated by a sensor through the data acquisition device; after conditioning and converting the signals through the A / D converter, carrying out fast Fourier transform to obtain a response frequency curve between 0 and 7,500Hz; after the response frequency is subjected to normalization treatment, taking highest amplitude to extract characteristic value and frequency characteristic value extracted by high-low amplitude in turn, and using principal component analysis and linear discriminant function analysis to carry out pattern recognition respectively. The method is not limited by environmental noise, eliminates interference of subjective factors during manual operation, and can accurately distinguish out the tiny flaws on the poultry eggs.

Egg candling methods and apparatus are provided wherein black rot eggs can be identified and removed. A method of identifying live eggs includes illuminating eggs in a carrier with light from a light source; receiving light passing through each egg at a light detector; generating an output signal that corresponds to light received at a light detector for each respective egg; analyzing the output signal for each egg to determine opacity of each egg; removing eggs having an opacity less than a first opacity value; and removing eggs having an opacity greater than a second opacity value that is different from the first opacity value.

The invention discloses a method for detecting a sulfanilamide medicine and a special enzyme-linked immunoassay reagent kit thereof. The enzyme-linked immunoassay reagent kit comprises a sulfanilamide medicine monoclonal antibody and the sulfanilamide medicine. The sulfanilamide medicine monoclonal antibody is secreted by the hybridoma cell line SAs of a sulfanilamide monoclonal antibody, whose preservation number is CGMCC No. 3393. In the enzyme-linked immunoassay reagent kit of the invention, an indirect competition ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assembly) method is mainly used for qualitatively or quantitatively detecting the content of the sulfanilamide medicine in products (especially milk, pork, chicken, eggs, honey, fish, shrimp and the like) eaten by animals or people. The reagent kit and the detection method of the invention have low requirements on the pretreatment of samples and simple pretreatment process of the samples and can detect mass samples quickly at the same time. By using the sulfanilamide medicine monoclonal antibody with high specificity, the detection method is convenient and simple, and the invention has the characteristics of high specificity, high sensibility, high precision, high accuracy and the like.

The invention discloses a device for detecting cracks on a poultry egg shell by using a volatile matter and a method thereof. The detection device mainly comprises a computer, an activated carbon filter, a first built-in pump, a gas tank, an air valve, a material container, a switch, a gas sensor array, a second built-in pump, a data acquisition unit and an A / D converter. The data acquisition unit acquires response signals of the gas sensor array; then the signals are transmitted to the computer after being conditioned and converted through the A / D converter so as to extract a representative characteristic value in a curve of each sensor; and by taking the extracted characteristic value as a parameter and the freshness index of poultry eggs as a goal, a quadratic regression model is established to analyze the correlativity between the freshness index of the poultry eggs and a response characteristic value of each sensor. The method excludes the interference caused by subjective factors of manual operation and overcomes the shortcoming of destructive detections, thereby achieving non-destructive detection on fine cracks on the poultry eggs nondestructively and accurately.

An egg candling method for determining a state of eggs between the 13th and the 17th day of incubation, particularly for identifying with certainty the living or dead state of that egg. The egg is illuminated with a green or blue light to visually show on the shell a shadow of the blood network supplying the embryo of the egg if it is present in the egg. At least one image of the egg is acquired then processed in order to determine a vitality level of the egg, based on the presence or not of this blood network and the size of the veins of said blood network. The method also determines the presence or absence of air cell in the upper portion of the egg and to thus define the inverted or uninverted position of the egg. Finally, the method also makes it possible to detect lesions on an egg shell and particularly cracked shells.

Methods of non-invasively locating blastoderms within avian eggs are provided. An opening is formed in the shell of an egg at a location under which a blastoderm is positioned based on the orientation of the egg; an image of an exposed inner shell membrane and underlying material is acquired; the acquired image is processed to enhance visibility of a blastoderm in the image; and the blastoderm is located in the image. A material may be applied to the egg to enhance transparency of the inner shell membrane prior to acquiring the image. Locating the blastoderm in the image may include determining location coordinates of the blastoderm in the image. These location coordinates may be transmitted to egg processing equipment for subsequent processing of the egg.