Automatic egg sorting device

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic egg sorting device, and belongs to the technical field of egg sorting, and the automatic egg sorting device comprises a feeding and detecting mechanism used for conveying eggs and carrying out image acquisition and recognition on eggshell colors of the eggs; the sorting mechanism is connected with the feeding and detecting mechanism and used for receiving the identified eggs and guiding the identified eggs to different discharging paths according to identification results; the discharging mechanism is driven by the feeding and detecting mechanism to screen the eggs one by one, and the discharging mechanism is connected with the sorting mechanism. A three-channel combined threshold value sorting method based on an HSV color space is adopted, color, vividness and brightness are separated, hue H is not sensitive to the change of illumination intensity, and the stability of color judgment is guaranteed; meanwhile, noise pixels caused by stains, shadows, light reflection and the like are effectively filtered through S and V channels, and the misjudgment rate of white shells and dirty eggs, brown shells and dark spots and green shells can be remarkably reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an automated egg sorting device, belonging to the field of egg sorting technology. Background Technology

[0002] The diversity of eggshell color stems from the precise regulation of pigment deposition by the hen's genes, representing an important research dimension in egg biology and agricultural breeding. The main component of the eggshell is calcium carbonate, and its surface color is determined by two types of endogenous pigments: protoporphyrin IX deposition results in brown or red shells, while biliverdin and its zinc chelate deposition produces blue or green shells. White-shelled eggs, lacking these pigment deposits, only exhibit the natural color of calcium carbonate. This pigment synthesis process occurs in the uterine segment of the oviduct, lasting 18–20 hours. The pigment directly penetrates the eggshell matrix, rather than being coated on the surface; therefore, the inner wall of blue-shelled eggs is also blue. Different chicken breeds exhibit significant genetic differences: White Leghorn chickens produce white-shelled eggs, while Lohmann Brown and Hy-Line Brown breeds, among others, produce white-shelled eggs. The Chinese-specific mottled green-shelled chicken and the South American Arauken chicken consistently produce green-shelled and blue-shelled eggs, respectively. Green-shelled eggs are primarily due to the superposition of brown and blue pigments. Studies show that eggshell color is a highly heritable trait (heritability 0.58–0.76), controlled by multiple genes, and is not directly related to the nutritional components inside the egg. Core nutritional indicators such as protein, vitamin D, and calcium show no statistically significant differences among different eggshell types. However, there is an indirect correlation between eggshell physical properties and color—brown-shelled eggs have a slightly thicker shell than white-shelled eggs, resulting in a relatively lower breakage rate; as hens age, their pigment synthesis capacity declines, leading to a generally lighter eggshell color, and reduced calcification efficiency, resulting in thinner shells and an increased breakage rate.

[0003] Existing egg sorting equipment mostly relies on RGB machine vision or spectral colorimeters to identify eggshell color. This is easily affected by light fluctuations and surface stains, resulting in a misjudgment rate of 8%-12% for white-shelled and dirty eggs, and brown-shelled and green-shelled eggs. Although there are general color classification methods, multi-dimensional criteria have not been constructed based on the characteristics of eggshell pigmentation. In addition, sorting equipment mostly adopts continuous conveyor belt direct push discharge. Although it can achieve color sorting, the concentrated pushing of eggs of different color groups is prone to collision and squeezing at the exit, causing the breakage rate to rise to 3%-5%. In order to optimize the existing sorting equipment to meet market demands, we propose an automated egg sorting device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated egg sorting device to address the issues raised in the background art, such as improving the accuracy of color recognition under non-ideal lighting conditions and when eggshells have slight stains. This involves optimizing the mechanical design of the sorting and discharging mechanisms to achieve "flexible temporary storage" and "orderly and controllable release" of eggs, thereby significantly reducing the collision and breakage rate at the sorting exit.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: Compared to existing technologies, the design provided by this invention... An automated egg sorting device includes: The feeding and testing facility is used to transport eggs and collect and identify images of their shell colors. The sorting mechanism, connected to the feeding and detection mechanism, is used to receive the identified eggs and guide them to different discharge paths according to the identification results; The discharge mechanism, driven by the feeding and detection mechanism, sieves the eggs to discharge them one by one, and is connected to the sorting mechanism; The sorting mechanism restricts the eggs in the discharge mechanism, and the restriction on the eggs in the discharge mechanism is periodically lifted during the drying process of the discharge mechanism.

[0006] Furthermore, the feeding and testing mechanism includes: A support box, wherein a detection cylinder is fixedly installed inside the support box, and a connecting shaft is movably fitted inside the detection cylinder; A conveyor belt, used to transport eggs, is installed inside the detection cylinder; A turntable, located at the end of the conveyor belt, is used for intermittent transfer of eggs; An image acquisition unit and a supplementary light are installed next to the station on the turntable to acquire images of the eggs; The first servo motor drives the transmission of the connecting shaft to rotate the turntable; A guide cylinder is fixedly connected to the discharge end of the detection cylinder.

[0007] Furthermore, the sorting mechanisms include: The support frame is installed outside the material feeding and inspection mechanism. A sorting cylinder is rotatably mounted inside a support frame, and a second driven sprocket is fixedly fitted onto the outside of the sorting cylinder; The sorting trough is located inside the sorting cylinder, and the feed end of the sorting trough is connected to the discharge end of the feeding and detection mechanism. The second servo motor is mounted below the support frame. The output shaft of the second servo motor is connected to a second drive sprocket. A second transmission chain is movably fitted around the second drive sprocket and the second driven sprocket.

[0008] Multiple discharge troughs, each with its inlet end matching the outlet end of the sorting trough and pointing in different discharge directions; In this process, the sorting cylinder is rotated to align the designated sorting slot with the feed inlet to receive eggs.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes: A buffer assembly is provided at the end of each of the discharge troughs to temporarily block eggs from entering the discharge troughs; The discharge mechanism acts on the buffer assembly to remove its obstruction of the eggs, thereby achieving orderly discharge.

[0010] Furthermore, the buffer assembly includes an adjustment plate and a buffer block; in its natural state, the buffer block blocks the channel of the discharge chute to block eggs; in the discharge state, the buffer block is driven to rotate to make way for the channel, and the adjustment plate is fixedly installed on the outside of the sorting cylinder.

[0011] Furthermore, the discharge mechanism includes: The discharge block is axially movable. A drive assembly for driving the discharge block to move axially; When the discharge block moves axially, its end pushes the buffer block to rotate to a position that allows the discharge trough channel to open up.

[0012] Furthermore, the driving component includes: Off-center plate; A reset plate is fixedly installed above the discharge block. A reset spring is fixedly connected to one side of the reset plate and contacts the outer side of the eccentric disc. A first servo motor, with a first driving sprocket fixedly connected to the bottom of the output shaft of the first servo motor, a first driven sprocket movably supported above the support frame, an eccentric disc fixedly installed above the first driven sprocket, and a first transmission chain movably fitted around the first driving sprocket and the first driven sprocket. When the eccentric disk rotates, it pushes the reset plate and the discharge block to move axially.

[0013] Furthermore, the image acquisition unit is connected to an image processing unit, which is configured to perform joint threshold analysis on the hue (H), saturation (S), and lightness (V) channels of the eggshell image based on the HSV color space model to determine whether the egg belongs to the white-shelled, brown-shelled, or green-shelled category.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: This invention discloses an automated egg sorting device: it employs a three-channel joint threshold sorting method based on the HSV color space, which separates and processes color, vibrancy, and brightness. The hue (H) is insensitive to changes in light intensity, ensuring the stability of color judgment. At the same time, it utilizes the S and V channels to effectively filter noise pixels caused by stains, shadows, reflections, etc., which can significantly reduce the misjudgment rate of white-shelled eggs with dirty eggs, brown-shelled eggs with dark spots, and green-shelled eggs.

[0015] By gently blocking the eggs in the discharge trough with buffer blocks, direct falling and impact are avoided. During discharge, the movement of the discharge blocks is precisely controlled by a mechanically linked eccentric plate, releasing only one egg from the discharge trough at a time. This achieves single-row, controllable, and stable discharge, significantly reducing the breakage rate during the sorting process.

[0016] By using the first servo motor to simultaneously drive the feeding turntable and the orderly discharging mechanism, the automatic matching of the feeding, detection, and discharging cycles is achieved, reducing the number of motors and the complexity of the control system. All transmissions are mechanical structures, making maintenance convenient and suitable for long-term stable operation in dusty agricultural processing environments. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the array structure used in this invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the unit structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the eccentric disk structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the detection cylinder structure of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the support frame structure of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the sorting cylinder structure of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the sorting cylinder structure of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the discharge block structure of the present invention.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Support box; 2. Detection cylinder; 3. Connecting shaft; 4. Turntable; 5. Conveyor belt; 6. Image acquisition unit; 7. Fill light; 8. Guide cylinder; 9. Support frame; 11. First servo motor; 12. First drive sprocket; 13. First driven sprocket; 14. First transmission chain; 15. Eccentric disc; 17. Sorting cylinder; 18. Positioning ring; 19. Second servo motor; 20. Second drive sprocket; 21. Second driven sprocket; 22. Transmission chain; 23. Discharge block; 24. Limit ring; 25. Positioning block; 26. Adjustment plate; 27. Buffer block; 28. Guide groove; 29. ​​Sorting groove; 30. Discharge groove; 31. Return spring; 32. Return plate. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Please see Figure 1-9 The present invention provides a technical solution: An automated egg sorting device includes a feeding and testing mechanism, a sorting mechanism, and an orderly discharge mechanism.

[0022] The feeding and detection mechanism is used to continuously or intermittently transport eggs and to complete the image acquisition and intelligent recognition of the color of each eggshell.

[0023] The sorting mechanism is connected to the discharge end of the feeding and detection mechanism to receive eggs that have completed color recognition and guide them to preset different discharge paths according to the recognition results (white shell, brown shell, green shell).

[0024] The orderly discharge mechanism is connected to the outlet of the sorting mechanism: in a non-continuous manner controlled by an external drive, the eggs temporarily stored in the sorting mechanism are released one by one smoothly, thereby completely avoiding the problem of accumulation and collision at the outlet caused by multiple eggs rushing out at high speed at the same time in the traditional design.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the feeding and testing mechanism includes: Support box 1: as the overall frame.

[0026] Conveyor belt 5: Located at the inlet of support box 1, used for continuous feeding of eggs.

[0027] Turntable 4: Located at the end of conveyor belt 5, it is driven by the first servo motor 11 and the connecting shaft 3 to rotate intermittently. The edge of turntable 4 is provided with a groove to accommodate a single egg, so as to realize the step-by-step conveying of eggs.

[0028] Detection cylinder 2: Fixed inside the support box 1, covering the turntable 4 station to form a stable detection environment.

[0029] Image acquisition unit 6 and supplementary light 7 are positioned opposite each other on a specific workstation of turntable 4. When turntable 4 carries an egg to this workstation and stops, supplementary light 7 provides uniform and stable illumination, and image acquisition unit 6 acquires high-quality images of the eggshell surface.

[0030] Guide cylinder 8: Connected to the discharge end of the detection cylinder 2, it is used to guide the detected eggs to the sorting mechanism.

[0031] The sorting organizations include: Support frame 9: Installed on the outside of support box 1 to support sorting components.

[0032] The sorting cylinder 17 is rotatably mounted inside the support frame 9 and is driven to rotate by the second servo motor 19 through a chain drive mechanism, including the second driving sprocket 20, the second driven sprocket 21 and the second transmission chain 22.

[0033] Multiple sorting troughs 29 are provided circumferentially along the sorting cylinder 17. The feed end of the sorting trough 29 aligns with the outlet of the guide groove 28 inside the guide cylinder 8 during rotation to receive an egg. The rotation angle of the sorting cylinder 17 is supported and stabilized by the positioning ring 18 and the positioning block 25 to ensure that the sorting trough 29 can be accurately aligned with the discharge path of a specific color.

[0034] Multiple discharge troughs 30: The discharge troughs 30 are located inside the discharge block 23, with their inlet ports distributed around the periphery of the sorting cylinder 17. Each discharge trough 30 corresponds to a type of egg color: the first discharge trough corresponds to white shells, the second discharge trough corresponds to brown shells, and the third discharge trough corresponds to green shells. When the sorting cylinder 29 carrying eggs of a specific color rotates to align with the inlet of its corresponding discharge trough 30, the eggs roll into the discharge trough 30 due to gravity and the tilt angle of the trough.

[0035] The discharge mechanism of this invention integrates and drives a buffer component to achieve orderly discharge: Buffer assembly: Located at the end of each discharge trough 30. The assembly includes a rotatable buffer block 27 supported at one end of the adjustment plate 26 by a torsion spring. In its natural state, the buffer block 27 blocks the outside of the discharge trough 30, gently blocking and temporarily storing the rolling eggs inside the trough.

[0036] Orderly discharge mechanism: This mechanism is used to release the obstruction of the buffer block 27 as needed. It includes an axially movable discharge block 23 and a drive assembly for driving the discharge block 23.

[0037] Drive assembly: Its core is an eccentric disk 15 driven by a first servo motor 11 via a first drive sprocket 12, a first driven sprocket 13 and a first transmission chain 14. A reset plate 32 is fixed above the discharge block 23. The reset plate 32 is connected to the fixed component through a reset spring 31, and one side of it is in contact with the outer edge of the eccentric disk 15.

[0038] Image recognition algorithm: Unlike existing technologies that simply rely on RGB values, the image acquisition unit 6 in this invention is connected to an image processing unit, which is configured to perform the following steps: converting the acquired eggshell image from the RGB color space to the HSV color space model. Subsequently, joint threshold analysis is performed on the three channels of the image: Hue (H), Saturation (S), and Value (V). Using hue H as the primary criterion: pixels with H values ​​in the ranges of 0°–20° and 340°–360° are initially classified as white-shell features; those in the range of 15°–35° are classified as brown-shell features; and those in the range of 70°–100° are classified as green-shell features.

[0039] Meanwhile, saturation (S) and brightness (V) are introduced as a dynamic filtering mechanism: for the initially determined area, reasonable threshold ranges for S and V are set. For example, stains usually have extremely low saturation (S) values ​​close to 0 or abnormally low brightness (V) values. By setting thresholds for S and V, these interfering pixels can be effectively removed from the color determination, thereby ensuring that the final color determination is based on the real area of ​​eggshell pigment deposition, which greatly improves the recognition accuracy.

[0040] The workflow of this embodiment is as follows: First, the eggs are placed above the conveyor belt 5. The conveyor belt 5 continuously guides the eggs into the detection cylinder 2. Then, the first servo motor 11 is started, and the output shaft of the first servo motor 11 drives the first drive sprocket 12 to rotate, which in turn drives the coaxial connecting shaft 3 below to rotate. During the rotation of the connecting shaft 3, the turntable 4 at the bottom will rotate. The material trough outside the turntable 4 will move the first egg to rotate one station, so that the first egg moves between the image acquisition unit 6 and the supplementary light 7. After the supplementary light 7 illuminates the space, the image acquisition unit 6 takes pictures to monitor the color of the eggshell for sorting. Then, the turntable 4 drives the eggs to rotate, so that the eggs move back above the conveyor belt 5 and are transported to the outside of the turntable 4 by the conveyor belt 5.

[0041] The eggs are conveyed from the inside of the detection cylinder 2 to the guide cylinder 8. Simultaneously, a signal indicating completion of the detection is sent to the central control system to start the second servo motor 19. The output shaft of the second servo motor 19 drives the second drive sprocket 20 to rotate. Through the transmission chain 22, the second drive sprocket 20 drives the second driven sprocket 21 to rotate. During the rotation of the driven sprocket 21, the sorting cylinder 17 rotates. During this rotation, the sorting cylinder 17 is constrained by the positioning block 25 and the positioning ring 18, thus controlling the rotation of the sorting cylinder 17. The sorting trough 29 of the sorting cylinder is connected to the feed end of the corresponding discharge trough 30. During the rotation of the sorting cylinder 17, the buffer block 27 will rotate synchronously through the adjustment plate 26, so that the buffer block 27 is synchronously located at the end of the discharge trough 30 connected to the sorting trough 29. Then the eggs will enter the guide trough 28 inside the guide cylinder 8 and roll into the sorting trough 29 inside the sorting cylinder 17. Under the action of the inclination of the inner cavity of the sorting trough 29, they will roll into the discharge trough 30 and be blocked by the buffer block 27 at the end of the discharge trough 30.

[0042] Simultaneously, as the first servo motor 11 drives the first drive sprocket 12 to rotate 90 degrees, the first drive sprocket 12, through the transmission of the first transmission chain 14, drives the first driven sprocket 13, which is movably mounted above the support frame 9, to rotate 360 ​​degrees. This causes the first driven sprocket 13 to drive the eccentric disk 15 above it to rotate 360 ​​degrees. During the 180-degree rotation of the eccentric disk 15, it pushes the reset plate 32 to move, thereby causing the reset plate 32 to drive the discharge block 23 to move outward. At the same time, the discharge block 23 drives the limit ring 24 to move, using the limit ring 24 to complete the discharge. The limiting mechanism between the material block 23 and the sorting cylinder 17 allows the discharge block 23 to move only axially. During the movement of the discharge block 23, it pushes the buffer block 27, making the buffer block 27 parallel to the adjusting plate 26. Then, the eggs blocked by the buffer block 27 will be slowly discharged. As the eccentric disk 15 continues to rotate from 180 degrees to 360 degrees, the reset plate 32 will be reset under the action of the reset spring 31, so that one end of the discharge block 23 is once again in contact with the sorting cylinder 17. At the same time, the buffer block 27 is in contact with the discharge block 23 and the adjusting plate 26 orthogonally under the action of the torsion spring, thus completing the reset.

[0043] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automated egg sorting device, characterized in that, include: The feeding and testing facility is used to transport eggs and collect and identify images of their shell colors. The sorting mechanism, connected to the feeding and detection mechanism, is used to receive the identified eggs and guide them to different discharge paths according to the identification results; The discharge mechanism, driven by the feeding and detection mechanism, sieves the eggs to discharge them one by one, and is connected to the sorting mechanism; The sorting mechanism restricts the eggs in the discharge mechanism, and the restriction on the eggs in the discharge mechanism is periodically lifted during the drying process of the discharge mechanism.

2. The automated egg sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding and testing mechanism includes: A support box (1) is provided, inside which a detection cylinder (2) is fixedly installed, and inside the detection cylinder (2) a connecting shaft (3) is movably fitted. Conveyor belt (5), used for conveying eggs, is installed inside the detection cylinder (2); A turntable (4) is provided at the end of the conveyor belt (5) for intermittent transfer of eggs; An image acquisition unit (6) and a supplementary light (7) are set next to the workstation of the turntable (4) to acquire images of eggs; The first servo motor (11) drives the transmission of the connecting shaft (3) to rotate the turntable (4); The discharge end of the detection cylinder (2) is fixedly connected to a guide cylinder (8).

3. The automated egg sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sorting organizations include: Support frame (9), the support frame (9) is installed on the outside of the feeding and detection mechanism, The sorting cylinder (17) is rotatably disposed inside the support frame (9), and a second driven sprocket (21) is fixedly mounted on the outside of the sorting cylinder (17). The sorting trough (29) is opened in the inner cavity of the sorting cylinder (17), and the feed end of the sorting trough (29) is connected to the discharge end of the feeding and detection mechanism; The second servo motor (19) is mounted below the support frame (9). The output shaft of the second servo motor (19) is connected to the second drive sprocket (20). The second drive sprocket (20) and the second driven sprocket (21) are externally fitted with a second transmission chain (22).

4. Multiple discharge troughs (30), the inlet end of each discharge trough (30) can match the outlet end of the sorting trough (29) and point to different discharge directions; in, By rotating the sorting cylinder (17), the designated sorting slot (29) is aligned with the feed inlet to receive eggs.

5. The automated egg sorting device according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A buffer assembly is provided at the end of each of the discharge troughs (30) to temporarily block eggs from entering the discharge troughs (30); The discharge mechanism acts on the buffer assembly to remove its obstruction of the eggs, thereby achieving orderly discharge.

6. The automated egg sorting device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The buffer assembly includes an adjustment plate (26) and a buffer block (27); in the natural state, the buffer block (27) blocks the channel of the discharge trough (30) to block the eggs; in the discharge state, the buffer block (27) is driven to rotate to make way for the channel, and the adjustment plate (26) is fixedly installed on the outside of the sorting cylinder (17).

7. An automated egg sorting device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The discharge mechanism includes: The discharge block (23) is axially movable; A drive assembly for driving the discharge block (23) to move axially; When the discharge block (23) moves axially, its end pushes the buffer block (27) to rotate to a position that allows the discharge trough (30) to pass through.

8. An automated egg sorting device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The driving component includes: Eccentric plate (15); Reset plate (32), the reset plate (32) is fixedly installed above the discharge block (23), and a reset spring (31) is fixedly connected to one side of the reset plate (32) and contacts the outer side of the eccentric disk (15); The first servo motor (11) has a first driving sprocket (12) fixedly connected to the bottom of its output shaft. The first driven sprocket (13) is movably supported above the support frame (9). The eccentric disk (15) is fixedly installed above the first driven sprocket (13). The first driving sprocket (12) and the first driven sprocket (13) are movably fitted with a first transmission chain (14). When the eccentric disk (15) rotates, it pushes the reset plate (32) and the discharge block (23) to move axially.

9. An automated egg sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The image acquisition unit (6) is connected to an image processing unit, which is configured to perform joint threshold analysis on the hue (H), saturation (S) and lightness (V) channels of the eggshell image based on the HSV color space model to determine whether the egg belongs to the white-shelled, brown-shelled or green-shelled category.

Images