Egg gender detection system

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an egg gender detection system, and relates to the technical field of agricultural intelligence. The method comprises: at least two egg supporting units, an egg supporting unit is provided with an egg supporting part, and an isolation part is arranged between adjacent egg supporting units, each egg supporting part is used for placing one egg to be detected; a light source area is arranged below the egg supporting unit, the direction of light of the light source in the light source area is vertically upward, each light source corresponds to irradiate the egg to be detected in one egg supporting unit; a spectrum acquisition part is arranged above the egg supporting unit and is used for acquiring light from each egg supporting unit; and a shell, the material of the shell is light-proof material. The present disclosure can compensate for the non-uniform light intensity caused by the difference in light transmission and incubation stage of different eggs, ensure the consistency of the output signal intensity of each unit, and improve the comparability and stability of the spectrum data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of intelligent agricultural technology, and in particular to an egg sex detection system. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of egg sex determination, optical detection methods have become a focus of current research due to their advantages such as non-destructiveness, lack of pollution, and high-speed detection.

[0003] As the embryo develops, the internal structure of the egg becomes increasingly complex, and the eggshell thickness and light absorption characteristics change significantly. This leads to a substantial decrease in the intensity of transmitted light in the later stages, making optical signals easily attenuated or even unable to penetrate, thus limiting detection during the mid-to-late incubation stages. There is an urgent need for a data acquisition device capable of stably acquiring internal optical information of the egg at any stage of incubation, and to achieve accurate detection of the egg's sex through innovative optical path structures. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this disclosure is to propose an egg sex detection system that can specifically solve existing problems.

[0005] Based on the above objectives, in a first aspect, this disclosure proposes an egg sex detection system, comprising: at least two egg tray units, each egg tray unit containing an egg tray, with an isolation component between adjacent egg tray units, each egg tray being used to place one egg to be detected; a light source area, disposed below the egg tray units, wherein the light source in the light source area is directed vertically upward, and each light source corresponds to illuminating one egg to be detected in one egg tray unit; a spectral acquisition component, disposed above the egg tray units, for acquiring spectral information of light from each egg tray unit; and a shell, wherein the shell is made of an opaque material.

[0006] In summary, this disclosure offers at least the following advantages: The multi-cell design enables parallel detection, improving detection efficiency. The design, with one light source per egg and independent control of each light source, compensates for uneven light intensity caused by differences in light transmittance or incubation stage among different eggs, ensuring consistent output signal intensity across all units and enhancing the comparability and stability of spectral data. Attached Figure Description

[0007] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals throughout the various drawings denote the same or similar parts or elements. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that these drawings depict only some embodiments disclosed in this disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

[0008] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an egg sex detection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 2 A line drawing of an actual egg sex detection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0009] The present disclosure will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0010] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this disclosure can be combined with each other. This disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0011] Figure 1 An egg sex detection system of this disclosure is illustrated. In an embodiment of this disclosure, the system includes: At least two egg tray units 1, each containing an egg tray 11, with an isolation component 12 between adjacent egg tray units 1, and each egg tray 11 is used to place one egg to be tested; a light source area 2, located below the egg tray units 1, with the light source 21 in the light source area 2 emitting light vertically upwards, and each light source 21 corresponding to an egg to be tested in one egg tray unit 1; a spectral acquisition component 3, located above the egg tray units 1, used to acquire spectral information of the light from each egg tray unit 1; and a shell 4, the shell 4 being made of an opaque material.

[0012] The outer casing 4 can surround the entire perimeter of the device. The number of egg tray units 1 is the same as the number of light sources 21.

[0013] The eggs can be placed with the larger end facing upwards, and the direction of light exposure should match the egg's structure. Light enters the egg from the bottom through the pointed end (the smaller end), and then the spectral acquisition component 3, or light-collecting component, above collects the light. In this way, a stable transmitted signal can be obtained in both the early and late stages of incubation.

[0014] Fertilized eggs can be distinguished by sex; specifically, the sex of the chicken that hatches from the egg is the sex of the egg itself.

[0015] Figure 1 The protruding part at the top of the inner shell 4, located on the outside of the outer shell 4, can be a bracket for fixing the camera.

[0016] The light source 21, the egg tray unit 1, and the spectral acquisition component 3 can all use standardized interfaces. The light source 21 can be replaced with light sources 21 for different wavelengths (visible light, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared).

[0017] Both the light source 21 and the hyperspectral camera can be replaced modules, enabling multi-band and multi-throughput detection.

[0018] In some cases, the aforementioned system may also include a host computer. This host computer can be various electronic devices, such as terminal devices.

[0019] The light source in this disclosure can be an LED light source, a laser, or a broadband white light source.

[0020] This disclosure utilizes a multi-cell design to achieve parallel detection, thereby improving detection efficiency. By designing one light source per egg and independently controlling each light source, it compensates for uneven light intensity caused by differences in light transmittance or incubation stage among different eggs, ensuring consistent output signal intensity across all units and improving the comparability and stability of spectral data.

[0021] In some optional implementations of any embodiment of this disclosure, the egg to be tested is placed upright, and the light from the light source 21 illuminates the egg along its central axis.

[0022] By irradiating along the central axis, the light can travel a longer distance through the egg, ensuring a stronger detection signal and capturing more information from inside the egg, which helps improve detection accuracy.

[0023] In some optional implementations of any embodiment of this disclosure, the at least two egg tray units 1 include multiple rows of egg tray units 1, and each row of egg tray units 1 includes multiple egg tray units 1; the material of the egg tray unit 1 includes a matte material.

[0024] The egg tray unit 1 can be made entirely of matte material, or it can include other materials. Specifically, the egg tray 11 and the separator can be made of matte material.

[0025] By setting up an array of egg tray units 1, detection efficiency can be improved. The individual cells, made of matte material, achieve optical isolation between adjacent eggs, effectively avoiding optical crosstalk when multiple light sources 21 are lit simultaneously.

[0026] In some optional implementations of any embodiment of this disclosure, the isolation component 12 is an upright isolation plate.

[0027] The isolation component 12 can also be an isolation cavity. The height of the upper edge of the isolation plate is greater than the height of the top of the egg to be tested.

[0028] The isolation component 12 ensures that the spectral information obtained by each egg tray unit 1 channel has a single signal source and a clear path, thereby improving the system signal-to-noise ratio.

[0029] In some optional implementations of any embodiment of this disclosure, the spectral acquisition component 3 is a hyperspectral camera.

[0030] The upper hyperspectral camera's field of view covers all egg tray units 1. For example, if at least two egg tray units 1 are arranged in a row, the field of view covers the entire row of eggs. The hyperspectral camera expands the spatial sampling range and spectral dimensions, providing a more comprehensive sample base for subsequent deep learning model processing.

[0031] Optionally, the hardware structure of the hyperspectral camera is a linear pushbroom structure or a variable field-of-view array structure.

[0032] When the hardware structure of a hyperspectral camera is a linear pushbroom structure, linear scanning produces many lines. A variable field-of-view array structure means that neither the camera nor the egg moves, but a motor inside the camera enables 360° scanning, resulting in a dome-shaped, three-dimensional image.

[0033] These two hardware structures enable efficient egg detection.

[0034] In some optional implementations of any embodiment of this disclosure, each light source 21 is an independent adjustable light source 21, and the adjustable parameters of the light source 21 include brightness, wavelength and / or operating mode, wherein the operating mode refers to the range of light sources 21 illuminated in each light source 21.

[0035] In these implementations, each egg to be tested is equipped with a light source 21 located below it, with the light source 21 aligned with the bottom of the egg. This means each egg is equipped with an independent, controllable light source 21 module, whose brightness, wavelength, and operating mode can be adjusted independently. The operating mode can be a single light source 21 on, a single row of light sources 21 on, or all rows of light sources 21 on.

[0036] The light source array 21 is connected to the camera via a hardware synchronization signal to achieve millisecond-level synchronized exposure. It can collect data in the egg tray unit 1 or trigger each unit in parallel, ensuring the time consistency of spectral acquisition and the superposition of data.

[0037] Each light source 21 can be individually switched on / off, dimmed, or frequency-controlled. The system disclosed herein may also include a control module, which allows for time-sharing or synchronous lighting of different light sources 21 at different times, and also enables adaptive brightness control. Here, dimming refers to adjusting the brightness of the light source.

[0038] By independently controlling each lamp, the uneven light intensity caused by differences in light transmittance or incubation stage among different eggs is compensated, ensuring consistent output signal intensity across all channels and improving the comparability and stability of spectral data.

[0039] In some optional implementations of any embodiment of this disclosure, the system further includes: an embedded control interface component for connecting to a pushbroom camera or an automatic feeding system.

[0040] The connection here can be a physical or communication connection between the egg sex detection system and the pushbroom camera or automatic feeding system. The embedded control interface component may contain a communication interface, which can then work in conjunction with the pushbroom camera or automatic feeding (egg) system, providing basic hardware support for intelligent hatcheries and automated detection platforms. The automatic feeding system can be various machines, such as robots.

[0041] In some optional implementations of any embodiment of this disclosure, the egg tray 11 may be perforated, with the edges of the perforation used to hold the lower part of the egg to be tested.

[0042] The hole is positioned to place the egg to be tested. The edge of the hole holds the lower part of the egg in place. The lower part refers to the area below the egg's equator. The egg equator is the circumference perpendicular to the egg's long axis, dividing the egg into two halves (when the egg is upright).

[0043] The perforated design allows the bottom of the egg to receive more light and allows more light to enter the egg from below.

[0044] In some optional implementations of any embodiment of this disclosure, the at least two egg tray units 1 are arranged in a straight line or in a ring.

[0045] When the egg tray units 1 are arranged in a ring, they form a circle. This ring arrangement allows for 360° multi-angle data acquisition.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown in the figure, a line drawing of an actual egg sex detection system is displayed. To demonstrate the internal structure of the system, the front of the outer shell is shown as transparent.

[0047] It should be noted that: In the foregoing text, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in this disclosure is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0048] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this disclosure, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0049] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. These are merely specific implementations of this disclosure, but this disclosure is not limited to the specific implementations described above. The specific implementations described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An egg sex detection system, characterized in that, include: At least two egg tray units, each containing an egg tray, with an isolation component between adjacent egg tray units, and each egg tray is used to hold one egg to be tested; The light source area is located below the egg tray unit. The light from the light source in the light source area is directed vertically upward, and each light source illuminates the egg to be tested in one egg tray unit. A spectral acquisition component is located above the egg tray unit and is used to collect spectral information of light from each egg tray unit; The outer casing is made of an opaque material.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The egg to be tested is placed upright, and the light from the light source shines along the central axis of the egg.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least two egg tray units include multiple rows of egg tray units, and each row of egg tray units includes multiple egg tray units; the material of the egg tray units includes a matte material.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The isolation component is an upright isolation plate.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spectral acquisition component is a hyperspectral camera, and the light source area is physically connected to the spectral acquisition component. This physical signal connection is used to transmit synchronization execution signals.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The hardware structure of the hyperspectral camera is either a linear pushbroom structure or a variable field-of-view array structure.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each light source is an independent adjustable light source, and the adjustable parameters of the light source include brightness, wavelength and / or operating mode, wherein the operating mode refers to the range of light sources illuminated in each light source.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Embedded control interface components for connection to pushbroom cameras or automatic feeding systems.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The egg tray is perforated, and the edges of the perforation are used to hold the bottom of the egg to be tested.

10. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least two egg tray units are arranged in a straight line or in a ring.

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