Visual egg lighting point light source control system and control method

Abstract

The invention provides a visual egg candling point light source control system and a control method, and aims to solve the problems of low egg candling efficiency, low recognition rate and mutual interference of light sources of existing mechanical egg candling equipment. The system comprises a point light source lifting device, an egg tray conveying device, a camera device and a control module. The control module is in signal connection with the point light source lifting device, the egg tray conveying device and the camera device and used for controlling movement of the point light source lifting device, movement of the egg tray conveying device and starting and stopping of the camera device. The point light source lifting device is used for moving the point light source device to a specified position; the egg tray conveying device is used for conveying the egg trays to the designated position according to the preset speed. The influence of the damaged egg on the smudginess of the lens is solved, the interference between two adjacent light sources is avoided, and the recognition accuracy is improved; the actions of the light source and the camera are better matched with the actions of the egg tray, the overall photographing speed is increased, and the efficiency and accuracy are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of egg candling, and in particular relates to a visual egg candling point light source control system and a control method. Background Art

[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] Egg candling refers to the process of using an egg candling lamp to examine the embryos in the dark after they have been incubated for a certain period of time, in order to check the development of the chick embryos and remove unfertilized eggs and early dead embryos. Egg candling is an indispensable part of the incubation process.

[0004] Existing egg candling technologies all have certain shortcomings and limitations. The traditional egg candling method is to manually illuminate the embryo eggs after the entire tray is transferred to the location. This egg candling method makes the embryo egg recognition efficiency low; there is also a point light source layout under the embryo eggs. Broken eggs will affect the light intensity of the point light source, thereby affecting the recognition efficiency and accuracy; there is also a point light source for illuminating a row or a column of embryo eggs at the same time. In this way, the empty eggs and infertile eggs are too bright, which will affect the recognition accuracy of the embryo eggs next to them. In addition, the way machine vision takes pictures of embryo eggs will also affect the egg candling effect and recognition accuracy. The movement of the light source and the camera does not match the movement of the egg tray, resulting in slow overall photography speed and low efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a visual egg candling point light source control system and control method. Through the precise joint control between the control module, the point light source lifting device, the camera device and the egg tray conveying device, the problems of low egg candling efficiency, low recognition rate, mutual interference of light sources, etc. in the existing egg candling technology are solved, and the accuracy of egg candling inspection is improved.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, one or more embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

[0007] The first aspect of the present invention provides a visual egg-candling point light source control system, comprising:

[0008] Point light source lifting device, egg tray conveying device, camera device and control module;

[0009] The control module is respectively connected with the point light source lifting device, the egg tray conveying device, and the camera device by signals, and is used to control the movement of the point light source lifting device, the movement of the egg tray conveying device, and the start and stop of the camera device;

[0010] The egg tray conveying device is used to receive the conveying signal of the control module, convey the egg tray to the designated position, and feed back the information after the egg tray is in place to the control module;

[0011] The point light source lifting device is used to receive the lifting signal of the control module, move the point light source to a specified position above the egg tray, and receive the point light source start signal of the control module to start the point light source for lighting;

[0012] The camera device is used to receive the start-up and shutdown signals of the control module. When the point light source is turned on, the camera takes pictures and feeds back the picture information to the control module.

[0013] As an embodiment, it also includes a vertical servo drive and a frame, and the vertical servo drive is installed on the frame.

[0014] As an implementation manner, the point light source lifting device includes a point light source, a point light source bracket, a cylinder, a soft spring and a soft suction nozzle.

[0015] As an implementation manner, there are 28 point light sources, which are divided into four groups, and each group includes seven point light sources.

[0016] As an implementation mode, there are 28 cylinders installed on the point light source bracket.

[0017] As an implementation manner, one end of the point light source is connected to the cylinder via a soft spring, and the other end of the point light source is in contact with the embryo egg via a soft suction nozzle.

[0018] As an implementation mode, the vertical servo drive drives the point light source bracket to rise and fall, and the point light source bracket drives the cylinder to move in the vertical direction.

[0019] As an implementation method, the control module includes a point light source driver and an industrial computer.

[0020] As an embodiment, the camera device includes four groups of cameras, one group of four cameras, and each group of cameras is arranged front and back along the direction of the egg tray conveyor, with two cameras in the front and two cameras in the back.

[0021] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for controlling a point light source for visual egg candling, comprising:

[0022] Taking out the egg tray containing embryonated eggs from the egg cart, and placing the embryonated egg tray on the egg tray conveyor line for conveying;

[0023] According to the condition of the embryo egg tray, whether to continue to send the embryo egg tray to the egg candling area is selected. If so, when the embryo egg tray is sent to the corresponding position of the visual egg candling, the point light source lifting device above the egg tray is started to drive the point light source to the specified position;

[0024] When the point light source reaches the designated position, the point light source is divided into two groups and lights up alternately. When each group of point light sources lights up, the camera above the embryo egg tray takes pictures;

[0025] After the shooting is completed, the point light source lifting device rises, and the embryo egg tray moves to a preset position, and the above process is repeated until all embryo egg trays are photographed.

[0026] One or more of the above technical solutions have the following beneficial effects:

[0027] In this embodiment, through the coordinated cooperation of the point light source device, the point light source lifting device, the egg tray conveying device and the control module, the overall speed of taking pictures is improved, the efficiency and accuracy of egg illumination are greatly improved, and the subsequent embryo egg detection and identification are more accurate.

[0028] In this embodiment, the setting of the camera device solves the problem of the influence of broken eggs on the lens being dirty, improves the recognition accuracy and efficiency, reduces the time and cost of manual cleaning, and fixes it in a position to make shooting more stable, safer for the camera line, and saves the cost of replacing parts and the labor cost generated by replacing parts.

[0029] In this embodiment, the interference between two adjacent point light sources is avoided by setting up a point light source lifting device, etc., thereby improving the recognition accuracy. At the same time, the movement of the point light source and the camera is more matched with the movement of the egg tray, the overall speed of taking pictures is improved, and the efficiency is greatly improved.

[0030] Advantages of additional aspects of the present invention will be given in part in the following description, and in part will become obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings in the specification, which constitute a part of the present invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute improper limitations on the present invention.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a visual egg-candling point light source control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a point light source device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a camera device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the control module structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the arrangement layout of breeding eggs in an egg tray according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6This is a flow chart of a method for controlling a point light source for visual egg illumination according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0038] Among them, 1. camera, 2. point light source, 3. vertical servo drive, 4. embryo egg tray, 5. cylinder, 6. soft spring, 7. soft nozzle, 8. first point light source, 9. second point light source, 10. third point light source, 11. fourth point light source, 12. fifth point light source, 13. sixth point light source, 14. seventh point light source, 15. point light source bracket, 16. point light source driver, 17. first camera, 18. second camera, 19. third camera, 20. fourth camera, 21. industrial computer, 22. rack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0040] It should be noted that the terms used herein are for describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting of exemplary embodiments according to the present invention.

[0041] In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features of the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0042] Embodiment 1

[0043] The first aspect of the present invention discloses a visual egg-candling point light source control system, comprising:

[0044] Point light source lifting device, egg tray conveying device, camera device and control module;

[0045] The control module is respectively connected with the point light source lifting device, the egg tray conveying device, and the camera device by signal, and is used to control the movement of the point light source lifting device, the movement of the egg tray conveying device, and the start and stop of the camera device;

[0046] The egg tray conveying device is used to receive the conveying signal of the control module, convey the egg tray to the specified position, and feed back the information after the egg tray is in place to the control module;

[0047] The point light source lifting device is used to receive the lifting signal of the control module, move the point light source to the specified position above the egg tray, and simultaneously receive the point light source start signal of the control module to start the point light source for lighting;

[0048] The camera device is used to receive the start and stop signals from the control module. When the point light source is on, the camera takes pictures and feeds back the picture information to the control module.

[0049] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the point light source lifting device is composed of a point light source 2, a point light source bracket 15, a cylinder 5, a soft spring 6 and a soft suction nozzle 7, and the point light source lifting device is installed on a frame 22.

[0050] In this embodiment, there are 28 point light sources 2, which are divided into four groups, each with seven point light sources forming a group. Each group of point light sources is installed in parallel in sequence along the direction of the egg tray conveyor on a point light source bracket 15 that can move in the vertical direction. The point light source bracket 15 is installed on the vertical servo drive 3, and the vertical servo drive 3 is installed on the frame 22.

[0051] The first group of point light sources includes a first point light source 8 , a second point light source 9 , a third point light source 10 , a fourth point light source 11 , a fifth point light source 12 , a sixth point light source 13 , and a seventh point light source 14 .

[0052] In this embodiment, there are 28 cylinders 5 installed on the point light source bracket 15. The vertical servo drive 3 drives the point light source bracket 15 to rise and fall to ensure its stability. The point light source bracket drives the cylinders to move in the vertical direction.

[0053] In the present embodiment, the point light source 2 is connected to the cylinder 5 by a soft spring 6, which can play a buffering role. At the same time, the position of the point light source is adjusted by moving the cylinder in the vertical direction to ensure that the point light source can accurately reach the specified position above the egg tray to ensure its running stability. A soft suction nozzle 7 is installed at the place where the point light source 2 contacts the embryo egg, which further plays a buffering role. The soft suction nozzle 7 can make this device compatible with embryo eggs of different sizes, make it fit more closely, and reduce light leakage during egg illumination, reduce interference with the identification of surrounding eggs, and thus improve the accuracy and speed of egg illumination.

[0054] The point light source lifting device changes the traditional layout and combines the point light source, point light source bracket, soft spring and cylinder together to achieve the adjustment of the point light source position, ensuring that the point light source can accurately and stably reach the designated position above the egg tray.

[0055] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 As shown, the camera device is fixedly installed on the frame at an angle and connected to the control module signal for taking pictures.

[0056] In this embodiment, the camera device includes four groups of cameras, each group of four cameras, a total of 16 cameras, each group of cameras is arranged in front and back along the direction of the egg tray conveyor, two in the front and two in the back, to ensure that images of the front and back sides of the breeding eggs can be captured.

[0057] Taking a group of cameras as an example, the first group of cameras includes a first camera 17, a second camera 18, a third camera 19 and a fourth camera 20. Along the direction of the egg tray conveyor, the first camera 17 and the third camera 19 are located at the back, and the second camera 18 and the fourth camera 20 are located at the front.

[0058] The camera is fixed on the top of the frame. The camera does not move with the light source. Unlike the previous installation at the bottom, it can reduce the contamination of the camera lens by broken eggs, improve recognition accuracy and efficiency, reduce the time and cost of manual cleaning, and be fixed in one position to make shooting more stable and safer for the camera line.

[0059] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the egg tray conveying device includes an egg tray and an egg tray conveying line.

[0060] In this embodiment, the egg tray conveying device transports the embryo eggs to the specified position according to the preset speed. The control module controls the movement of the point light source lifting device according to the position information of the egg tray, and then adjusts the position of the point light source so that the point light source reaches the specified position above the egg tray, and starts the point light source. The point light source lights up to illuminate the embryo eggs. At the same time, the control module starts the camera device to ensure that the point light source and the camera are synchronized with the egg tray.

[0061] Specifically, the control module controls the movement of the egg tray conveyor line, which includes electronic gears. The electronic gears ensure that the point light source and each row of embryo eggs fit reliably during the movement, illuminate the embryo eggs and take pictures at the preset meshing position, and the control module controls the start and stop of the camera and the point light source respectively.

[0062] like Figure 1 , Figure 4 As shown, the control module includes a point light source driver 16 and an industrial computer 21 .

[0063] In this embodiment, the point light source driver 16 and the industrial computer 21 are respectively installed in two independent boxes above the rack 22 to avoid interference between the point light source driver and the industrial computer.

[0064] In this embodiment, the point light source driver 16 adopts an independent adjustable driver, and the start and shut down of the point light sources are controlled by the point light source driver 16, thereby ensuring the consistency of the 28 point light sources and also greatly improving the consistency of the embryo egg photography effect.

[0065] In this embodiment, the industrial computer 21 is used to control the movement of the point light source lifting device, the movement of the egg tray conveying device, and the start and stop of the camera, and receive camera pictures at the same time.

[0066] Industrial computer 21, according to the positional information of egg tray, passes signal to vertical servo drive 3, drives the movement of point light source lifting device by vertical servo drive 3, makes point light source move to the position of appointment above egg tray.When point light source driver 16 lights the point light source, when embryo egg is taken photo, industrial computer 21 starts camera device, embryo egg is taken photo.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the egg-illuminating process is as follows: when the embryo egg tray 4 is delivered to a certain position, the control module controls the lifting and lowering of the point light source lifting device, and the point light source 2 follows the point light source bracket to move downward, and when the soft suction nozzle 7 is buckled on the top of the embryo egg, the point light source is started, and the point light source 2 is alternately lit at intervals to avoid interference between two adjacent point light sources. At the same time, the control module controls the camera device, and the camera is started to take pictures, and finally the picture information is imported into the control module.

[0068] Specifically, the point light source lifting device is installed on the vertical servo drive 3, the vertical servo drive 3 is installed on the frame 22, the camera device is installed on the frame, and the egg tray conveyor is located below. In this embodiment, the control system is arranged, the camera is located above the point light source, and the point light source is located above the egg tray conveyor.

[0069] Put the embryo egg tray 4 into the egg tray conveyor line, the industrial computer 21 presets the conveying speed for the egg tray conveyor line, and specifies the position, and the egg tray conveyor line conveys the embryo egg tray 4 to the specified position according to the preset conveying speed; when the embryo egg tray 4 is delivered to the designated position, the industrial computer 21 drives the point light source bracket 15 to move in the vertical direction through the vertical servo drive 3 according to the position information of the embryo egg tray 4, and the point light source bracket 15 drives the cylinder 5 to move in the vertical direction, so that the point light source 2 arrives at the designated position above the embryo egg tray 4, when the point light source 2 follows the cylinder 5 to move downward, and the soft suction nozzle 7 is buckled on the top of the embryo egg, the point light source driver 16 starts the point light source 2, so that the point light source 2 is alternately lit at intervals, and the interference between two adjacent point light sources is avoided, and the embryo egg is accurately illuminated. At the same time, the industrial computer 21 controls the upper camera to take pictures, and finally the photo information is merged into the industrial computer 21.

[0070] Among them, after the control point light source 2 reaches the specified position, the point light sources light up alternately in sequence. Specifically, for the first group of point light sources, the first point light source 8, the third point light source 10, the fifth point light source 12, and the seventh point light source 14 light up for the first time, and the second point light source 9, the fourth point light source 11, the fifth point light source 12, and the sixth point light source 13 light up for the second time. The other three groups are illuminated in the same way.

[0071] Each time the point light source 2 lights up, the camera takes pictures. After taking a row of embryo eggs, the embryo egg tray 4 moves to a specified position on the egg tray conveyor line through an electronic gear, and the next lighting and photography are carried out.

[0072] like Figure 5As shown, in this embodiment, taking the arrangement layout of 42 embryo eggs in an egg tray as an example, 7 eggs are grouped together, for a total of 6 groups. The first camera 17 takes pictures of eggs No. 4, 3, 2, and 1; the second camera 18 takes pictures of eggs No. 1, 2, and 3; the third camera takes pictures of eggs No. 5, 6, and 7; and the fourth camera takes pictures of eggs No. 4, 5, 6, and 7, completing the collection of embryo egg images. The photographed photos are transmitted to the industrial computer 21 for AI recognition processing.

[0073] The control system in this embodiment is suitable for egg trays with egg holding capacity of 36, 42, and 150 embryonated eggs.

[0074] In this embodiment, the egg tray conveying device conveys the egg tray to a designated position according to the signal received from the control module, the control module controls the point light source lifting device to move the point light source to a designated position above the embryo egg tray, controls the start of the point light source, and controls the camera device to start, so as to realize the lighting and photographing of the embryo egg. Among them, the control module is connected with the signals of each device, and is responsible for controlling the conveying of the egg tray, the start and stop of the point light source, the lifting and lowering of the point light source, and receiving the camera photos.

[0075] Embodiment 2

[0076] like Figure 6 As shown, this embodiment provides a method for controlling a point light source for visual egg candling, comprising:

[0077] S1, take out the egg tray containing embryonated eggs from the egg cart, place the embryonated egg tray on the egg tray conveyor line for conveying;

[0078] S2, according to the embryo egg tray condition, select whether to continue to send the embryo egg tray into the egg candling area. If so, when the embryo egg tray is sent to the corresponding position of the visual egg candling, the point light source lifting device above the egg tray is started to drive the point light source to the specified position;

[0079] S3, when the point light source reaches the designated position, the point light source is divided into two groups and lights up alternately, and when each group of light sources lights up, the camera above the embryo egg tray takes pictures;

[0080] S4. After the shooting is completed, the point light source lifting device rises, and the embryo egg tray moves to a preset position, and the above process is repeated until all embryo egg trays are photographed.

[0081] In this embodiment, in step S1, an egg tray containing embryonated eggs is taken out from an egg trolley, and the egg tray containing embryonated eggs is placed on an egg tray conveyor line for conveyance.

[0082] Specifically, place the embryonated eggs in the egg tray according to Figure 5 Arrange the layout and then place the egg trays on the egg tray conveyor for transportation.

[0083] After the above steps, the embryo eggs can be arranged in a fixed position, which is convenient for the subsequent positioning of the embryo eggs.

[0084] In this embodiment, in step S2, whether to continue to send the embryo egg tray to the egg candling area is selected according to the condition of the embryo egg tray. If so, when the embryo egg tray is sent to the corresponding position for visual egg candling, the point light source lifting device above the egg tray is started to drive the point light source to the specified position.

[0085] After the above steps, the lighting of the embryo eggs is completed, which is convenient for subsequent photography.

[0086] When the breeding eggs in the egg tray conveying device have been photographed, the egg tray continues to be sent to the egg candling area. When the egg tray is sent to the corresponding position for visual egg candling, the control module controls the point light source lifting device above the egg tray to start, driving the point light source to the preset position.

[0087] After the above steps, the task of lighting and photographing a row of embryonated eggs is completed, which is convenient for the subsequent movement of the egg tray.

[0088] In this embodiment, in step S3, when the point light source reaches the designated position, the point light source is divided into two groups and lights up alternately. When each group of light sources lights up, the camera above the embryo egg tray takes pictures.

[0089] In order to reduce interference to the surrounding embryos and eggs, when the point light source reaches the preset position, the control module controls the point light source to light up alternately in two groups. When each group of light sources lights up, the camera above the embryo egg is controlled to shoot the embryo egg to complete the acquisition of the embryo egg image.

[0090] After the above steps, the point light sources are divided into two groups and light up alternately, which can avoid interference between two adjacent point light sources and make the captured images clearer and more accurate.

[0091] In this embodiment, in step S4, after the shooting is completed, the point light source lifting device is raised, and the embryo egg tray is moved to a preset position, and the above process is repeated until all embryo egg trays are photographed.

[0092] Through the coordinated cooperation of the point light source lifting device, camera device, egg tray conveying device and control module, the overall speed of taking pictures is improved, the efficiency and accuracy are improved, and the subsequent embryo egg detection and identification are more accurate.

[0093] The steps involved in the apparatus of the above embodiment correspond to the method embodiment 1, and the specific implementation method can refer to the relevant description part of embodiment 1. The term "computer-readable storage medium" should be understood as a single medium or multiple media including one or more instruction sets; it should also be understood to include any medium that can store, encode or carry an instruction set for execution by a processor and enable the processor to execute any method in the present invention.

[0094] Those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present invention described above can be implemented by a general-purpose computer device, or alternatively, they can be implemented by a program code executable by a computing device, so that they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, or they can be made into individual integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps therein can be made into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. The present invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

[0095] Although the above describes the specific implementation mode of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention without creative work are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A visual egg-candling point light source control system, characterized in that: include: Point light source lifting device, egg tray conveying device, camera device and control module; The control module is respectively connected with the point light source lifting device, the egg tray conveying device, and the camera device by signals, and is used to control the movement of the point light source lifting device, the movement of the egg tray conveying device, and the start and stop of the camera device; The egg tray conveying device is used to receive the conveying signal of the control module, convey the egg tray to the designated position, and feed back the information after the egg tray is in place to the control module; The point light source lifting device is used to receive the lifting signal of the control module, move the point light source to a specified position above the egg tray, and receive the point light source start signal of the control module to start the point light source for lighting; The camera device is used to receive the start-up and shutdown signals of the control module. When the point light source is turned on, the camera takes pictures and feeds back the picture information to the control module.

2. A visual egg-candling point light source control system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a vertical servo drive and a frame, and the vertical servo drive is installed on the frame.

3. A visual egg-candling point light source control system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The point light source lifting device comprises a point light source, a point light source bracket, a cylinder, a soft spring and a soft suction nozzle.

4. A visual egg-candling point light source control system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: There are 28 point light sources, which are divided into four groups, and each group includes seven point light sources.

5. A visual egg-candling point light source control system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: There are 28 cylinders installed on the point light source bracket.

6. A visual egg-candling point light source control system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: One end of the point light source is connected to the cylinder through a soft spring, and the other end of the point light source is in contact with the embryo egg through a soft suction nozzle.

7. A visual egg-candling point light source control system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The vertical servo drive drives the point light source bracket to move up and down, and the point light source bracket drives the cylinder to move in the vertical direction.

8. A visual egg-candling point light source control system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The control module includes a point light source driver and an industrial computer.

9. A visual egg-candling point light source control system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The camera device comprises four groups of cameras, each group having four cameras, and each group of cameras is arranged front and back along the direction of the egg tray conveying device, with two cameras in the front and two cameras in the back.

10. A method for controlling a point light source for visual egg candling, characterized in that: include: Taking out the egg tray containing embryonated eggs from the egg cart, and placing the embryonated egg tray on the egg tray conveyor line for conveying; According to the condition of the embryo egg tray, whether to continue to send the embryo egg tray to the egg candling area is selected. If so, when the embryo egg tray is sent to the corresponding position of the visual egg candling, the point light source lifting device above the egg tray is started to drive the point light source to the specified position; When the point light source reaches the designated position, the point light source is divided into two groups and lights up alternately. When each group of light sources lights up, the camera above the embryo egg tray takes pictures; After the shooting is completed, the point light source lifting device rises, and the embryo egg tray moves to a preset position, and the above process is repeated until all embryo egg trays are photographed.

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