Egg Crack Detection Device

Abstract

A device for detecting cracked eggs, particularly one comprising a fulcrum at one end of a striking rod and a vibration sensor at the other end, a suspension element above the vibration sensor for suspending the striking rod, and a triangular lifting element below the fulcrum. When the egg to be tested moves along the inclined surface of the lifting element, the vibration sensor is lifted upwards. When the egg passes the lifting element, the vibration sensor strikes the egg downwards. The device detects and distinguishes between cracked and intact eggs by measuring the acceleration characteristic value of the eggshell response.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The egg crack detection device of the present invention is mainly used in the quality detection technology of egg cracks. Prior Art

[0002] Eggs are the primary source of protein for Taiwanese consumers. Over the past 60 years, egg consumption in Taiwan has increased tenfold, from an average of 30 eggs per person per year to over 300, translating to an average of one egg every one to two days. The quality of poultry eggs is not only crucial for food safety but also impacts the taste and processing properties of subsequent foods (such as gelling, emulsification, and foaming properties). In recent years, Taiwan has faced numerous food safety issues, particularly the use of cracked eggs as food ingredients, which has led to serious food safety concerns. The government plans to enact new laws to strengthen inspections and actively improve food ingredient management mechanisms, aiming to address food safety issues at the source. To ensure the safety and quality of eggs, eggshell inspections for cracks, blood stains, and meat stains are essential to identify damaged or substandard eggs and safeguard the health of Taiwanese consumers.

[0003] Currently, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries mostly rely on manual testing for egg quality. This method lacks accurate standards and is extremely labor-intensive. With the rapid global economic development, labor costs are expected to increase significantly in the future, making automated testing imperative. Cracks in commercially available chicken and duck eggs can significantly reduce their shelf life and even contribute to the proliferation of Salmonella. Processed eggs, which are mostly sold as preserved and salted duck eggs, can develop cracks during egg laying or transportation. This can lead to excessive chemicals or impurities entering the eggs during processing and curing, potentially impacting human health and the success rate and quality of the final product. Therefore, strict accuracy and precision are required for crack detection in both fresh and processed eggs. Therefore, it is hoped that a sound raw material management system can be established to prevent food safety issues at the source.

[0004] The global output value of automated egg testing is estimated to be hundreds of billions of yuan. However, many major domestic egg cleaning and grading equipment manufacturers currently lack automated crack detection capabilities in their products, failing to more accurately meet current egg testing needs. Their lack of international competitiveness prevents them from competing with major international manufacturers such as those from the Netherlands and Japan for the egg quality testing market.

[0005] The applicant in this case filed an application on July 24, 2020, under application number 109125141. The application was approved on March 1, 2021, under certificate number I720924, for an invention patent titled "Inspection Module for Poultry and Egg Quality Inspection Machine." The invention patent states that: The rotating axis of the inspection module and the striking rod are equipped with two magnets that attract each other. With each rotation of the rotating axis, the two magnets cause the striking rod to strike downward once due to their mutual attraction. The striking rod is equipped with upper and lower buffers, and a return spring is located at the rear end of the striking rod. The detection module's sound collecting tube is equipped with a sound amplifier and a soundproof cover at the upper and lower ends. A microphone is installed at the upper end of the sound amplifier. An elliptical space is provided inside the sound amplifier. A covering element is provided on the outside of the sound collecting tube and the sound amplifier to reduce the interference of environmental noise with the knocking signal received by the microphone. The sound enters the sound amplifier through the sound collecting tube, is amplified in the elliptical space, and then collected by the microphone. The sound is converted into a spectrum signal through fast Fourier transformation, and then analyzed and detected based on the spectrum.

[0006] However, in actual operational applications of the aforementioned invention patent for "Detection Module for Poultry Egg Quality Inspection Machine," although the sound detection module already processes the sound signal, it is still susceptible to the introduction of mechanical and environmental noise. Sometimes, the size of the egg can also affect the volume of the knocking sound, causing the sensor to misjudge. These are existing problems and shortcomings that need to be overcome. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The inventor, currently engaged in the manufacture and design of related products, has accumulated years of practical experience and insights. Addressing the existing issues and shortcomings of the aforementioned "Detection Module for Egg Quality Inspection Machine" patent, he actively engaged in innovation and improvement, resulting in the development of a device for detecting cracks in eggs.

[0008] The technical means used by the invention to solve the problem and its effectiveness compared with the prior art are as follows: the applicant of this case proposes a new sensing method to solve the above-mentioned problem, especially replacing the sound sensor with a vibration sensor, providing a fulcrum at one end of the knocking rod, and providing a vibration sensor at the other end of the knocking rod, and providing a suspension element at the top of the knocking rod near the vibration sensor for suspending the knocking rod, and providing a triangular lifting element at the bottom of the knocking rod near the fulcrum. When the poultry egg to be tested moves along the inclined surface of the lifting element, the vibration sensor can be lifted upward, and when the poultry egg to be tested passes through the lifting element, the vibration sensor can knock the poultry egg to be tested downward, and it is only necessary to measure the acceleration characteristic value of the response to the knocking eggshell, and analyze and detect cracked poultry eggs and intact poultry eggs based on this, so that my country's egg equipment has international competitiveness and can move towards Southeast Asia and other international markets. The present invention helps egg processors to increase the speed of egg crack screening and improve the success rate of finished product processing, and ultimately develops an intelligent egg crack detection device with improved performance, which is the main purpose of the invention.

[0009] The egg crack detection device described above comprises two detection devices located at the tip and blunt end of the egg to be tested, and three detection devices located in the middle of the egg to be tested. The three detection devices are arranged in an isosceles triangle, so that the egg to be tested forms a triangular surface during the movement and tapping process. The detection points include two detection points located at the tip and blunt end of the egg to be tested, and twelve detection points located in the middle of the egg to be tested. Simple diagram description

[0010]

[0011] FIG1 is a side view of the vibration sensor of the present invention before striking.

[0012] FIG2 is a side view of the vibration sensor of the present invention when it is lifted upward.

[0013] FIG3 is a side view schematic diagram of the vibration sensor of the present invention when struck.

[0014] FIG4 is a front view diagram of the vibration sensor of the present invention before being struck.

[0015] FIG5 is a front view diagram of the vibration sensor of the present invention when struck.

[0016] FIG6 is a top view of the continuous action of the present invention during striking. Implementation Method

[0017] In order to help professionals familiar with this technology to have a deeper understanding of the structure and functional benefits of the present invention, a specific embodiment is listed below and described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0018] A device for detecting cracks in poultry eggs. Please refer to the first figure: it is a schematic diagram of the side-view plane action of the vibration sensor of the present invention before striking. The second figure: it is a schematic diagram of the side-view plane action of the vibration sensor of the present invention when it is lifted up. And the third figure: it is a schematic diagram of the side-view plane action of the vibration sensor of the present invention when striking. The main points are: the detection device 10 is provided with a striking rod 11, and a fulcrum 12 is provided at one end of the striking rod 11, so that the striking rod 11 can swing downward and at an appropriate angle with the fulcrum 12 as the center of the circle, and a vibration sensor 13 is provided at the other end of the striking rod 11, and a suspension element 14 is provided at the upper part of the striking rod 11 near the vibration sensor 13, and a fixed point 15 is provided at the upper end of the suspension element 14, and the lower end of the suspension element 13 is connected to the striking rod 11 for the purpose of suspending the striking rod, and the striking rod 11 is close to the lower part of the fulcrum 12 A lifting element 16 in the shape of an inverted right triangle is provided at the position of the lifting element 16. The lifting element 16 has an inclined surface 17. When the egg 1 to be inspected moves along the inclined surface 17 of the lifting element 16, the vibration sensor 13 can be lifted upward. When the egg 1 to be inspected passes through the lifting element 16, the vibration sensor 13 can strike the egg 1 to be inspected downward, so that the vibration sensor 13 and the striking point of the egg 1 to be inspected remain in a vertical and orthogonal state. Only the acceleration characteristic value of the response to the striking of the eggshell needs to be measured to analyze and detect cracked eggs and intact eggs based on this.

[0019] Please refer to FIG4, which is a frontal view schematic diagram of the vibration sensor of the present invention before being struck. FIG5, which is a frontal view schematic diagram of the vibration sensor of the present invention during being struck. A conveyor device 20 is provided below the detection device 10. A plurality of equally spaced gears 21 are provided on the left and right sides of the conveyor device 20. Each of the gears 21 on the left and right sides is provided with a plurality of parallel rollers 22. Between the rollers 22, a plurality of egg wheels 23 are provided. Each egg wheel 23 has arcuate recesses 24, forming a space for the eggs 1 to be tested between adjacent recesses 24. The egg wheels 23 are continuously rotated by the gears 21 meshing with a rack 25.

[0020] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a top-down diagram of the continuous tapping action of the present invention. Two detection devices 10 are installed at the tip and blunt ends of the egg 1 to be inspected, and three are installed in the middle of the egg 1. These three detection devices 10 are arranged in an isosceles triangle. The detection points include two detection points at the tip and blunt ends of the egg 1 to be inspected, and twelve detection points at the middle of the egg 1 to be inspected. This allows the egg 1 to form a triangular surface during the tapping process, simultaneously detecting cracks within its range. The four groups of three detection devices 10 perform tapping operations, significantly shortening the detection distance and providing a more comprehensive inspection of the egg 1 to be inspected, thereby improving the accuracy of crack detection in the egg 1 to be inspected. The egg crack detection device provided by the present invention can be designed as a single-line egg quality inspection system, a two-line egg quality inspection system, or even a multi-line egg quality inspection system.

[0021] In summary, the present invention provides an egg crack detection device. After actual fabrication and repeated operational testing by the inventors, it has been confirmed that the device achieves the intended functional benefits. Furthermore, it is a novelty, unprecedented in the industry, and possesses industrial value. This device meets the requirements for practicality and advancement of invention patents. Therefore, in accordance with the provisions of the Patent Law, an application for an invention patent has been filed with the Patent Office.

[0022]

[0023] 1: Poultry eggs to be tested

[0024] 10: Detection device

[0025] 11: Percussion stick

[0026] 12: Fulcrum

[0027] 13: Vibration sensor

[0028] 14: Suspension components

[0029] 15: Fixed point

[0030] 16: Lift the component

[0031] 17: Incline

[0032] 20: Conveying device

[0033] 21: Gear

[0034] 22: Roller

[0035] 23: Egg Wheel

[0036] 24: Depression

[0037] 25: Rack

Claims

1. A poultry egg crack detection device, mainly comprising: a detection device is provided with a knocking rod, a fulcrum is provided at one end of the knocking rod, the knocking rod is allowed to swing downward and at an appropriate angle with the fulcrum as the center of the circle, a vibration sensor is provided at the other end of the knocking rod, a suspension element is provided above the knocking rod near the vibration sensor, a fixed point is provided at the upper end of the suspension element, and the lower end of the suspension element is connected to the knocking rod for suspending the knocking rod, and the knocking rod is close to the A lifting element is provided below the fulcrum, and the lifting element is provided with an inclined surface. When the poultry egg to be detected moves along the inclined surface of the lifting element, the vibration sensor can be lifted upward. When the poultry egg to be detected passes through the lifting element, the vibration sensor can knock the poultry egg to be detected downward, so that the vibration sensor and the knocking point of the poultry egg to be detected are kept in a vertical and orthogonal state. Only the acceleration characteristic value of the response to the knocking of the eggshell needs to be measured, and cracked poultry eggs and intact poultry eggs are detected based on the analysis.

2. The egg crack detection device as described in claim 1, wherein: The lifting element is in the shape of an inverted right triangle.

3. The egg crack detection device as described in claim 1, wherein: Two detection devices are arranged at the tip and blunt end of the poultry egg to be detected, and three detection devices are arranged in the middle of the poultry egg to be detected. The three detection devices are arranged in an isosceles triangle, so that the poultry egg to be detected can form a triangular surface during the moving and knocking process. The detection points include two detection points for knocking at the tip and blunt end of the poultry egg to be detected and twelve detection points for knocking at the middle of the poultry egg to be detected.

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