Chick transport system allowing the movement of this chick to be monitored

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for transporting a chick comprising:- a conveyor (17) for transporting the chick along a transport path, the conveyor having a downstream end,- a chick movement tracking assembly (22, 23) configured to acquire digital images of the chick from a first point of the transport path, at least some of these digital images covering the downstream end of the conveyor, this tracking assembly assigning a unique digital identifier to the chick to assign the digital images thus acquired to the chick being moved,- a processing unit (U) for processing the digital images thus obtained by the chick movement tracking assembly, determining from these images thus processed at least one parameter of the chick, said at least one parameter being associated with the unique digital identifier,and producing at least one signal for determining the passage of the chick at a second point of the transport path, this second point being preferably located at the downstream end of this conveyor or at the downstream end of this conveyor. [Fig. 3],

Description

Title of the invention: Chick transport system enabling the movement of this chick to be monitored Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for transporting a chick allowing the movement of this chick on a conveyor to be monitored.

[0002] It also relates to an installation and a method for automatically determining the sex of a chick. Prior art

[0003] Monitoring the movement of a chick on a transport conveyor is essential for carrying out operations on a certain category of chicks, or on the contrary to ensure that operations are carried out on all the chicks placed on the conveyor.

[0004] Chick sexing is an important step in the poultry industry, allowing male chicks to be distinguished from females as soon as they hatch.

[0005] Such early differentiation of chicks is necessary to optimize their rearing by adapting management practices to each group of same-sex chicks, which helps to improve the efficiency and profitability of poultry farms.

[0006] It is well known that experienced operators are able to discern subtle details, allowing them to distinguish male chicks from females within the first few hours of the chicks' life.

[0007] Among the methods for sexing a chick, it is common to observe the feathers at the ends of the wings of a chick, preferably less than one day old, or even two days old, for reliability reasons.

[0008] The sexing of the chick by the wings is in fact linked to a different arrangement of the feathers at the ends of the wings in the female and in the male.

[0009] As illustrated in Figures 1 (female) and 2 (male), at the end of a chick's wings, two rows of feathers can be observed, the primary remiges and the primary covert feathers.

[0010] While in the male, the primary covert feathers are longer, or substantially the same size, as the primary remiges, in the female, the tips of the primary covert feathers are always shorter than the tips of the primary remiges.

[0011] This method of determining the sex of a chick is relatively quick and non-invasive.

[0012] However, when it comes to differentiating several thousand chicks per hour, every day, with a small margin of error, as is practiced in intensive laying hen farming, these operations can prove tedious for qualified operators.

[0013] Furthermore, it is currently difficult to find a large number of workers specialized in this field, which makes this necessary step relatively expensive.

[0014] Methods for automatic sexing of chicks are also known in the state of the art.

[0015] Patent FR 2 892 599 B1 in the name of the present applicant thus discloses an automatic chick sexing system using a camera to acquire images of the wingtips of a chick exposed to blue light and to identify, by analyzing these images, the characteristic arrangements of the feathers of the male or the female.

[0016] In order to ensure individual control of each chick, the latter are positioned in cups arranged in a line, with their wings kept apart by resting them on the edge of their respective cup.

[0017] Although giving good results, the wings being stable and therefore easily imaged, this method of automatic sexing of chicks can still be improved.

[0018] Indeed, this machine is relatively bulky and complex in terms of its maintenance.

[0019] Furthermore, this machine does not allow high processing rates, which are however sought after today in intensive poultry farming.

[0020] Also known from patent application EP 1 092 347 A1 is a method for determining the sex of a chick in which the chick is made to lose its balance to cause it to voluntarily spread its wings, then at least one wing thus spread is illuminated and said at least one wing thus spread is photographed in order to determine the sex of this chick.

[0021] Chick imbalance may result from various stimuli, such as being encouraged to jump, shaking the chick, or placing the chick near a source of acoustic shock or heat, or moving the chick across a vibrating surface.

[0022] However, and according to the teaching of this document, once the wings of the chick are deployed, they physically interact with one or more supports in order to stabilize them in the deployed position during the illumination of their ends and the capture of images.

[0023] This physical interaction with rigid objects occurs while the chick is moving rapidly through the chick sexing device, increasing the risk of potentially fatal injuries to the chick.

[0024] Furthermore, it is found that the method which involves vibrating a conveyor belt on which the chick is transported, in order to cause it to spread its wings, requires high vibration frequencies.

[0025] Therefore, the animal is subjected not only to vibrations throughout its movement on the conveyor belt, but also to high levels of mechanical noise.

[0026] The animal's well-being is seriously affected.

[0027] Furthermore, it has been found, in installations for determining the sex of chicks of the state of the art, that it was possible that a chick transported by a conveyor, and for which image captures of its wings had just been taken, was not the one expected at the exit of this conveyor.

[0028] For example, such a case may occur when another chick moves on this conveyor and takes the place of the chick initially expected at the exit of the conveyor, which had remained motionless during its transport.

[0029] This potentially results in an error in the routing of these two chicks, if it turns out that they are of different sexes.

[0030] There is therefore a pressing need for an installation and a method for the automatic determination of the sex of a chick, the original design of which makes it possible to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art set out above. Subject of the invention

[0031] The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a system and a method for transporting a chick, simple in their design and in their operating mode, allowing monitoring of the movement of a chick over at least part of its transport path to guarantee that the chick arriving in a switching zone is indeed the one expected.

[0032] Another object of the present invention is to propose an installation and a method for the automatic determination of the sex of a chick, simple in their design and in their operating mode, making it possible to ensure the well-being of the animal and to preserve its health.

[0033] Another object of the present invention is such an installation and such a method for automatically determining the sex of a chick allowing extremely rapid processing rates, and by way of illustration, greater than 70,000 chicks per hour.

[0034] Another object of the present invention is such an installation and such a method for automatically determining the sex of a chick guaranteeing a highest resolution rate in determining the sex of the chick and increased reliability. Statement of the invention

[0035] To this end, the invention relates to a system for transporting a chick comprising - a conveyor for transporting the chick along a transport path, the conveyor having a downstream end, - a chick movement tracking assembly configured to acquire digital images of the chick from a first point of the transport path, at least some of these digital images covering the downstream end of the conveyor, this tracking assembly assigning a unique digital identifier to the chick to assign the digital images thus acquired to the chick being moved, - a processing unit for processing the digital images thus obtained by the chick movement tracking assembly, determining from these images thus processed at least one identified parameter of the chick, said at least one parameter being associated with the unique digital identifier, and producing at least one signal for determining the passage of the chick at a second point of the transport path, this second point being preferably located at the downstream end of this conveyor or at the downstream end of this conveyor.

[0036] For purely illustrative purposes, the identified parameter of the chick may be its sex or its quality, the latter being able to correspond to the state of its down, the color of the down or even the state of its legs.

[0037] According to a particular embodiment of this system, the chick movement tracking assembly is configured to acquire digital images of the chick from a first point of the transport path placed in a central part of the conveyor.

[0038] According to another particular embodiment of this system, the entire monitoring of the movement of the chick comprises one or more digital cameras placed above the conveyor.

[0039] According to yet another particular embodiment of this system, the entire tracking of the movement of the chick comprises at least two digital cameras spaced from each other along the transport path, each digital camera placed along this transport path after a first camera having a first field of vision, having a field of vision determined to ensure partial overlap with the field of vision of the camera placed immediately before it along the transport path so as to allow effective tracking of the chick.

[0040] According to another particular embodiment of this system, the conveyor is a linear conveyor.

[0041] According to yet another particular embodiment of this system, it comprises a device for applying a stimulus to said chick so as to cause the chick to voluntarily deploy its wings, at the first point of the chick's transport path.

[0042] According to another particular embodiment of this system, the conveyor is a belt conveyor comprising a tensioned conveyor belt for freely transporting the chick.

[0043] According to yet another particular embodiment of this system, the belt conveyor comprises a frame configured so that the conveyor belt is driven in a trough shape to automatically center the chick during its transport.

[0044] According to another particular embodiment of this system, the first transport path point belongs to a part of the conveyor belt intended to be lifted by at least one rotary cam placed under this conveyor belt, this cam being driven in rotation around an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to the direction of movement defined by the conveyor belt, the cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with the conveyor belt and thus lift a part of it during this contact.

[0045] According to another particular embodiment of this system, the device for applying a stimulus comprises at least one rotary cam placed under the conveyor belt, this cam being driven in rotation around an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to the direction of movement defined by the conveyor belt, the cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with the conveyor belt and thus lift a part of it during this contact.

[0046] According to another particular embodiment of this system, the rotating cam comprises at least one active profile zone, said active profile zones coming into contact with the conveyor belt one after the other during the rotation of the corresponding cam, this or these active profile zones of the cam being shaped to ensure that the latter remains out of contact with this conveyor belt during at least part of its rotation.

[0047] According to yet another particular embodiment of this system, the conveyor comprises two rotary cams, placed under the conveyor belt while being spaced from each other along the direction of movement defined by the conveyor belt, each of these cams being driven in rotation about an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to the direction of movement, each cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with the conveyor belt and thus lift a part of it during this contact.

[0048] According to yet another particular embodiment of this system, the two rotary cams are spaced apart from each other and shaped to move the portion of the conveyor belt placed between said cams between a free, or non-contact, trough-shaped configuration and a raised flat, or substantially flat, configuration. flat, so that the chick follows at least partially a straight or substantially straight trajectory.

[0049] The present invention also relates to an installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick comprising a transport system as described above.

[0050] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, this installation comprises at least one light source for illuminating the wings of the chick when they are deployed in response to a stimulus, said assembly for tracking the movement of the chick being configured to capture one or more images of the chick and in particular of its wings thus illuminated.

[0051] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the conveyor comprises a frame configured so that the conveyor belt is driven in a trough shape to automatically center the chick during its transport.

[0052] The present invention also relates to an installation for treating a chick comprising a chick transport system as described above.

[0053] The present invention also relates to a method of transporting a chick comprising - transporting the chick on a conveyor along a transport path, the conveyor having a downstream end, - acquiring digital images of the chick from a first point on the transport path, at least some of these digital images covering the downstream end of the conveyor, - assign a unique digital identifier to this chick to assign the digital images thus acquired to the chick being moved, - process these digital images and determine from these images thus processed at least one parameter of the chick, said at least one parameter being associated with the unique digital identifier, and produce from these images thus processed, at least one signal for determining the passage of the chick at a second point of the transport path, this second point being preferably located at the downstream end of this conveyor or at the downstream end of this conveyor.

[0054] The invention also relates to an installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, comprising: - a belt conveyor comprising a conveyor belt, preferably flexible, under tension for freely transporting said chick, said conveyor belt defining a direction of movement, - a device for unbalancing the chick and causing it to voluntarily spread its wings as it moves along at least part of said conveyor belt, - at least one light source for illuminating the chick's wings thus spread, - at least one imaging device for capturing one or more images of the chick's wings thus illuminated, - a central unit configured to process the images acquired by said at least one imaging device in order to isolate on at least some of these images the end of at least one of the wings of said chick, analyze the configuration of the feathers at said at least one end and determine from this configuration whether it is a male or female chick or whether the sex is undetermined. According to the invention, said device for unbalancing the chick and causing it to voluntarily spread its wings comprises at least one rotary cam placed under said conveyor belt, each cam being driven in rotation around an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to said direction of movement, said cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with said conveyor belt and thus lift a part of it during this contact.

[0055] Advantageously, the original design of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick guarantees free movement of the chick, in a less noisy and less stressful environment, which contributes to the well-being of the latter.

[0056] This installation advantageously allows high automatic processing rates typically greater than 70,000 chicks per hour, or even greater than 90,000 chicks per hour.

[0057] The expression "freely transporting said chick" means that the latter is transported without constraint, being carried only by the conveyor belt during its movement along the conveyor. Thus, when the chick is balanced, it is generally in contact only with this belt, by means of its legs. Similarly, when the chick spreads its wings under the effect of a stimulus causing its imbalance, there are no external supports, such as ramps placed laterally to the conveyor belt, for these spread wings to rest on.

[0058] Each rotary cam therefore makes it possible to temporarily lift, or even momentarily, a part of the conveyor belt when it comes into contact with it, to form an elevation, advantageously localized, of this conveyor belt, such as a hump or depending on the number and the respective positioning of at least two cams, a plate raised relative to the rest of the external surface of the conveyor belt. The configuration of the rest of the surface of the conveyor belt placed at a distance from said at least one rotary cam remains unchanged.

[0059] Of course, depending on the spacing between two adjacent rotary cams, it is possible that the surface of the conveyor belt placed between two zones of this belt in direct contact with these rotary cams is itself raised.

[0060] Advantageously, the inventors have found that the formation or disappearance of this or these temporary elevations makes it possible to unbalance the chick, causing it to spread its wings. This objective is achieved while guaranteeing transport without stress for the animal and without danger to its health.

[0061] The stimulus causing the chick's wings to open thus results from an imbalance of the latter caused by a localized change in configuration of the conveyor belt, and in particular by the generation of an elevation such as a bump or a raised plateau, or even by the disappearance of this elevation. Preferably, the height of this elevation is between 10 mm and 35 mm, preferably between 15 mm and 30 mm, and even more preferably between 17 mm and 25 mm relative to the rest of the external surface of the conveyor belt.

[0062] By varying the number of cams used and the rotation frequency of the latter, the maintenance of the chick's wings deployed is observed over a period of time sufficient for the illumination and capture of a plurality of images of the latter.

[0063] According to an embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, each cam comprises at least one active profile zone, said active profile zones coming into contact with said conveyor belt one after the other during the rotation of the corresponding cam when there are several of them, said active profile zone(s) of said cam being shaped to ensure that the latter remains out of contact with this conveyor belt during at least part of its rotation. Advantageously, each active profile zone can also be equipped with ball bearings to reduce friction with said rotating conveyor belt.

[0064] According to another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, each cam comprises at least one rounded active profile zone, such as semi-cylindrical.

[0065] Preferably, the cam(s) are shaped to lift the conveyor belt portion by a height of between 17 mm and 25 mm. This cam may also comprise two active profile zones, alternately coming into contact with said conveyor belt. For example, the cam may comprise a body containing the axle and the bearings and a cage, this cage comprising a front branch and a rear branch connected to the body by arms, each of these branches having a rounded profile.

[0066] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, it comprises two rotating cams, placed under said conveyor belt while being spaced from each other along the direction of movement defined by said conveyor, each of these cams being driven in rotation around an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to said direction of movement, each cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with said conveyor belt and thus lift a part of it during this contact so as to cause said chick to voluntarily spread its wings when the latter is in said part of the conveyor belt thus lifted.

[0067] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, said cams placed under the same conveyor belt being identical, said installation is configured to operate them synchronously in order to lift at the same time, or even simultaneously, a part of the conveyor belt. Alternatively, said installation can still be configured to operate these identical rotating cams, placed under the same conveyor belt, asynchronously.

[0068] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, said cams, placed under the same conveyor belt, are different, said installation being configured to operate them synchronously.

[0069] Alternatively, said installation may be configured to operate these rotary cams asynchronously.

[0070] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, the frame of said belt conveyor is configured so that said conveyor belt is driven in a trough shape to automatically center said chick during its transport. Thus, when the portion of the conveyor belt descends after being lifted by the cam(s), this portion resumes its trough shape, which allows the chick to be recentered on the conveyor belt and prevents it from physically interacting with the edges of the conveyor.

[0071] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, said first cam and said second cam are spaced from each other and shaped to move the part of the conveyor belt placed between said cams between a free, or non-contact, trough-shaped configuration and a raised flat, or substantially flat, configuration so that said chick follows at least partially a rectilinear or substantially rectilinear trajectory. These rotating cams can thus be arranged so that the flexible conveyor belt is stretched between them. Advantageously, it has been observed that such a configuration of the portion of conveyor belt placed between the cams ensures optimal acquisition of images of the chick, in particular of the tips of its wings, the chick then moving substantially horizontally, i.e. at a constant, or substantially constant, elevation under the camera(s). It is then observed that the captured images are perfectly clear.

[0072] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, each cam is configured to, during its rotation, lift a part of said conveyor belt and transmit an impulse to said chick placed on said part of conveyor belt in order to propel the latter into the air above said conveyor belt. In an advantageous embodiment, it is possible to ensure that the chick takes off as little as possible following the lifting of the conveyor belt by the cam(s), or even simply cushions the change in configuration of the conveyor belt with its legs. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, it may be sought to ensure that the chick is suspended above the external surface of the conveyor belt. Said rotating cams of the installation are then configured to cause the chick to be lifted above the part of the conveyor belt thus raised. Here, "lift" is understood to mean the fact that the chick adapts to the variation in height of the conveyor belt thus raised by compensating with its legs and opening its wings to seek to balance itself in this constant imbalance. It then gives the impression of moving forward on the conveyor at a substantially constant height, which remains higher than the lowest level of the conveyor belt thus raised.

[0073] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, said conveyor is horizontal.

[0074] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, said or at least one of the light sources is configured to emit a blue light. Advantageously, said or at least one of the light sources is configured to emit violet light at a wavelength between 380 nm and 420 nm, and even better, violet light at a wavelength centered on 405 nm.

[0075] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, each imaging device is a matrix camera for detecting at least the visible light reflected by said chick when it is illuminated by said at least one light source.

[0076] Preferably, said conveyor comprising two rotary cams and two matrix cameras spaced along said conveyor, the field of vision of a first of said cameras covers a first zone of the conveyor belt, at least a majority of which is placed downstream of the first rotary cam, the “downstream” position being considered relative to the direction of transport of the chick along said conveyor, and the field of vision of a second camera covers a second zone of the conveyor belt covering or not a part of said first zone of conveyor belt, a portion of said second zone of the conveyor belt thus imaged being placed downstream of the second rotary cam. It is thus possible to carry out individual tracking of each chick until it leaves the conveyor and consequently, to guarantee monitoring of the appropriate treatment of each chick. At least the first camera thus covers a majority of the part of the conveyor belt located between the portions of the conveyor belt in contact with the rotating cams.

[0077] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, said conveyor comprises in its output zone, a device for ejecting the chick configured to send the latter towards a first processing conveyor or towards a second processing conveyor separate from the first, depending on the sex of the chick identified during the processing of said images.

[0078] Preferably, the field of vision of the second camera also covers said exit zone of said conveyor to ensure individual monitoring of the chick at least until its arrival, or passage, at the ejection device.

[0079] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, it comprises at least two belt conveyors arranged parallel to each other to process several chicks at a time, each conveyor being equipped with one or more rotary cams placed under the conveyor belt of the corresponding conveyor, each cam being driven in rotation about an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to the direction of movement defined by the corresponding conveyor, each cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with the conveyor belt of the corresponding conveyor and thus lift a part of it during this contact.

[0080] According to yet another embodiment of this installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick, it comprises n rectilinear belt conveyors arranged in series, n being greater than or equal to 2, the output of each conveyor thus opening onto the input of the immediately following conveyor, all of these conveyors defining a transport path, each conveyor comprising one or more rotary cams placed under the conveyor belt of the corresponding conveyor, each cam being driven in rotation about an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to the direction of movement defined by the corresponding conveyor, each cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with the conveyor belt of the corresponding conveyor and thus lift a part of it during this contact, only the conveyor placed furthest downstream, comprising said at least one imaging device and said at least one light source, said conveyor(s) placed upstream of the latter making it possible to prepare said chick for the determination of its sex on the conveyor placed furthest downstream.

[0081] It is advantageously noted that such a phase of learning the chick by its passage on one or more so-called learning conveyors, ensures a spontaneous reaction of the chick, and therefore a faster deployment of its wings, on the conveyor placed furthest downstream at the critical moment of carrying out the illumination and image capture operations in order to determine its sex.

[0082] The present invention also relates to a method for automatically determining the sex of a chick in which the following steps are carried out: - moving a chick on a conveyor belt comprising a tensioned conveyor belt, said conveyor defining a direction of movement of the chick, - momentarily lifting at least a portion of this conveyor belt on which the chick is transported freely to generate at least one elevation of this conveyor belt such as a bump or a plateau raised relative to the rest of the conveyor belt, in order to unbalance said chick and cause the voluntary deployment of its wings, this elevation comprising at least the portion of the belt with which said chick is directly in contact, - illuminating at least one wing thus deployed of said chick, and - detecting at least part of the light reflected by said at least one wing thus illuminated, - process the images thus acquired in order to isolate on at least some of these images the end of at least one of the wings of said chick, analyze the configuration of the feathers at said at least one end and determine from this configuration whether it is a male or female chick or whether the sex is undetermined.

[0083] Preferably, this conveyor belt is flexible.

[0084] According to an embodiment of this method for automatically determining the sex of a chick, said at least one part of conveyor belt is lifted by one or more rotary cams placed under said conveyor belt, each cam being driven in rotation about an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to said direction of movement, each cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with said conveyor belt and thus lift a part of it during this contact

[0085] According to another embodiment of this method for automatically determining the sex of a chick, said at least one part of the conveyor belt being lifted by two rotating cams placed under said conveyor belt, the operations of the first cam and the second cam are synchronized. Alternatively, said at least one portion of conveyor belt being lifted by two rotating cams placed under said conveyor belt, the operations of the first cam and the second cam are asynchronous. The cams may or may not be identical.

[0086] According to yet another embodiment of this method for automatically determining the sex of a chick, the chassis of the belt conveyor being configured so that said conveyor belt is driven in a trough shape in order to automatically center said chick during its transport, a part of said conveyor belt is lifted to make it pass from a first configuration called free, in the shape of a trough, to a second configuration called flat or substantially flat, in which said part of the conveyor belt is flat or substantially flat.

[0087] According to yet another embodiment of this method for automatically determining the sex of a chick, the or each part of the conveyor belt thus raised has an elevation of between 8 mm and 16 mm relative to the rest of the external surface of said conveyor belt.

[0088] According to another embodiment of this method for automatically determining the sex of a chick, the rotation frequency of the rotary cam(s) placed under the conveyor belt of a rectilinear belt conveyor is adjusted, for a given running speed of this conveyor belt in order to obtain maximum spontaneous deployment of the chick's wings. Brief description of the drawings

[0089] Other advantages, aims and particular characteristics of the present invention will emerge from the description which follows, given, for explanatory and in no way limiting purposes, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: Fig.l

[0090] [Fig.l] shows views of the wingtip of a female chick; Fig. 2

[0091] [Fig.2] shows views of the wingtip of a male chick; Fig. 3

[0092] [Fig.3] is a partial schematic representation of an installation of automatic determination of the sex of a chick according to a particular embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4

[0093] [Fig.4] is another partial view of the automatic determination installation of the sex of a chick in [Fig.3], the conveyor belt is partially shown to better show the rotating cams; Fig. 5

[0094] [Fig.5] is a partial and sectional view of only the conveyors of the installation of determination of the sex of a chick from [Fig.3]; Fig. 6

[0095] [Fig.6] is a partial top view of the automatic determination installation of the sex of a chick of [Fig.3], showing the exit area of ​​this installation, the conveyor belt is partially shown to better show the rotating cams; Description of the embodiments

[0096] The drawings and the description below contain, for the most part, elements of a certain character. They may therefore not only serve to better understand the present invention, but also contribute to its definition, if necessary.

[0097] First of all, we note that the figures are not to scale.

[0098] Figures 3 to 6 schematically and partially illustrate an installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick according to a particular embodiment.

[0099] This installation comprises several identical processing lines 10 arranged in parallel in order to determine the sex of a plurality of chicks at the same time. The number of these processing lines 10 is not limited. It may, for example, be greater than or equal to 4 or greater than or equal to 6.

[0100] On the other hand, each processing line 10 of this installation comprises several conveyors, for example rectilinear ones, which are arranged in series. These are referred to as successive conveyors. The successive conveyors thus define a direction of movement, or axis of transport, of the chicks 11 to evacuation conveyors 12, 13 intended to transport each of the chicks of the same sex, after differentiation and separation of the latter according to their sex. The successive conveyors preferably define the same direction of movement.

[0101] On each processing line 10, a first conveyor 14, called a feed conveyor, can be placed upstream of the line, is configured to allow to organize and place in single file chicks deposited in bulk at the entrance of this first conveyor 14.

[0102] The output of this first conveyor 14 may lead to a second conveyor 15 called a separation conveyor, or a conveyor for placing the chicks in longitudinal or substantially longitudinal queue, or upstream conveyor. Its transport speed is, for example, greater than the transport speed of the first conveyor 14 to ensure spatial separation of the chicks.

[0103] The output of this second conveyor 15 can lead to the input of a third conveyor 16 called “chick training” or chick training. The training conveyor 16 can be rectilinear.

[0104] A single learning conveyor 16 is shown here but the installation could include one or more other conveyors 16 called chick learning conveyors in order to reinforce the latter's learning.

[0105] The output of this third conveyor 16 may lead to the input of a fourth conveyor 17 called “chick sex identification” or chick sex determination, or acquisition. This fourth conveyor 17 is for example a belt conveyor. It is configured to allow the actual capture of one or more images of at least one deployed wing of each chick transported by this conveyor via at least one imaging device.

[0106]

[0107] The installation comprises a processing unit for processing the images thus obtained, and determining from these images thus processed at least one parameter of the chick such as its sex or its quality (for example the state of its down, its color, the state of its legs).

[0108] The output of this fourth conveyor 17 can lead to a sorting station 18, called a switching device, or ejection device, for the chicks according to their sex, previously identified by capturing images and processing these images with an appropriate algorithm, with a view to their evacuation to processing stations adapted to the sex of the chick 11.

[0109] Each of these conveyors may be a belt conveyor comprising a flexible conveyor belt under tension. These conveyors are preferably horizontal.

[0110] The frames of the second, third and fourth belt conveyors 15-17 are configured so that their conveyor belt is driven in a trough shape to automatically center a chick during its transport. The chick 11 is free and only carried by its legs when it is balanced on the corresponding conveyor belt.

[0111] The chick training conveyor 16 may comprise at least a first device for applying a stimulus to a chick in order to cause this chick to voluntarily spread its wings.

[0112] The chick sex determination conveyor 17 may comprise at least a second device for applying a stimulus to a chick to cause that chick to voluntarily spread its wings.

[0113] The chick training conveyors 16 and 17 for determining the sex of the chicks may form a system for preparing and triggering the deployment of the wings of a chick in response to a stimulus.

[0114] The first and second devices for applying a stimulus to the chick are preferably identical.

[0115] The longitudinal or substantially longitudinal queuing conveyor 15, also called the upstream conveyor, may comprise at least a third device for applying a stimulus to a chick in order to cause this chick to voluntarily spread its wings. The third device for applying a stimulus to a chick forms an upstream device for applying a stimulus to the chick.

[0116] The first, second and third devices for applying a stimulus to the chick are preferably identical.

[0117] The upstream conveyor 15 may be a belt conveyor comprising a conveyor belt. It may comprise edges 150 placed on either side of this conveyor belt, which are configured to delimit the passage of a single chick on the conveyor belt. The edges 150 are in this example shaped so that the straight cross-section of the assembly formed by the conveyor belt and the edges has a substantially U- or V-shaped shape.

[0118] In the illustrated example, the conveyors are belt conveyors comprising a conveyor belt and each device for applying a stimulus to the chick is a device for unbalancing the chick and causing it to voluntarily spread its wings is configured to, during operation, momentarily and in a cadenced manner raise at least a portion of the conveyor belt of the corresponding conveyor to generate, at each raising, at least one elevation such as a bump or a raised plateau, relative to the rest of the conveyor belt.

[0119] More particularly, each device for unbalancing the chick and causing it to voluntarily spread its wings comprises at least one rotating cam 19 placed under this conveyor belt.

[0120] Each conveyor 17 for determining the sex of the chicks comprises a central unit configured to process the images acquired by said at least one imaging device in order to analyze the configuration of the feathers at the end of at least one of the wings of the chick and determine from this configuration whether it is a male or female chick or if the sex is undetermined. The central unit can be configured to isolate on at least some of these images the tip of at least one of the chick's wings.

[0121] The third and fourth conveyors 16, 17 each comprise, for example, two rotating cams 19, placed under their conveyor belt 21, being spaced from each other. These rotating cams 19 are driven in rotation around an axis 20 placed perpendicular to the direction of movement.

[0122] These rotary cams 19 are preferably identical and synchronized at each conveyor 16, 17. Each rotary cam 19 may comprise an active profile zone, for example of semi-cylindrical shape, the rounded part being turned outwards. The configuration of the active profile zone of the cam ensures periodic contact, here at each revolution, with the conveyor belt 21 of the corresponding conveyor 16, 17.

[0123] Such contacting of the active profile zone of each rotary cam 19 thus makes it possible to temporarily lift a portion of this conveyor belt 21 so as to cause the chick 11 to voluntarily spread its wings, when the latter is on said portion of conveyor belt which is thus lifted.

[0124] This is indeed a temporary lifting of a portion of the conveyor belt 21, this lifting only existing during the time period during which the active profile zone of the rotating cam 19 is in contact with the conveyor belt 21.

[0125] When the active profile zone moves away from the conveyor belt 21, due to the rotation of the corresponding cam 19, the conveyor belt is no longer in contact with the rotating cam and therefore returns to its initial configuration, i.e. in the shape of a trough.

[0126] On each of the third and fourth conveyors 16, 17, the two rotary cams 19 are arranged to raise a portion of the conveyor belt 21, this raising having a straight longitudinal section of substantially trapezoidal shape (ascent, plateau, descent). This raising of a portion of the conveyor belt here has an elevation of between 17 and 25 mm.

[0127] The purpose of the third conveyor 16 is to train the chick to deploy its wings more efficiently and impulsively when they encounter the same elevation on the fourth conveyor 17.

[0128] Advantageously, this ensures spontaneous deployment of the wings of the chick 11 at the time of carrying out the operations of illumination and capturing one or more images in order to determine its sex.

[0129] This installation may comprise light sources 25 which are placed on either side of the conveyor belt and above it to illuminate the wings of the chick thus deployed. These light sources 25 are configured to emit light for example violet at a wavelength between 380 nm and 420 nm, and even better, violet light at a wavelength centered on 405 nm.

[0130] This installation also comprises a chick movement tracking assembly comprising, for example, two matrix cameras 22, 23 placed above a downstream part of this fourth conveyor 17 while being spaced from each other along this conveyor. The chick movement tracking assembly is configured to acquire digital images of the chick from a first point of the transport path, for example placed in a central part of the conveyor 17, at least some of these digital images covering the downstream end of the conveyor.

[0131] This tracking assembly is configured to assign a unique digital identifier to the chick to assign the digital images thus acquired to the chick being moved. The digital identifier is a function of the parameters determined by the processing unit.

[0132] The processing unit is configured to produce at least one signal for determining the passage of the chick at a second point of the transport path, this second point preferably being located at the downstream end of this conveyor or at the downstream end of this conveyor.

[0133] These matrix cameras 22, 23 are for example arranged so that the field of vision of a first 22 of these cameras covers a first zone of the conveyor belt 21 of which at least a majority is placed downstream of the first rotary cam 19, while the field of vision of the other matrix camera 23 covers a second zone of the conveyor belt 21 placed downstream of this first zone.

[0134] More precisely, this second zone of the conveyor belt 21 thus covered by the field of vision 24 of the second matrix camera 23 comprises both an end of this first zone of conveyor belt imaged by the first matrix camera 22 and a zone of the conveyor belt placed downstream of the second rotary cam 19 so that there is an overlap between these two zones of the conveyor belt 21 imaged.

[0135] In addition, the field of vision of the second matrix camera 23 covers the exit area of ​​the fourth conveyor 17.

[0136] It is thus possible to ensure individual monitoring of each chick 11 from its entry onto the portion of the raised conveyor belt until its exit from the fourth conveyor 17.

[0137] The installation advantageously comprises a device for applying a stimulus to said chick so as to cause the chick to voluntarily spread its wings, at the first point of the chick's transport path.

[0138] At the exit zone of the fourth conveyor 17, an ejection device 18 can be placed, configured to send the outgoing chick 11 to a first 12 processing conveyor or to a second 13 processing conveyor separate from the first, depending on the sex of the chick identified after processing of the images acquired by the matrix cameras 22, 23.

[0139] This ejection device here comprises one or more blowers (not shown), or devices for producing a jet of pressurized air, to direct, or steer, a chick 11 towards a pre-established exit path according to its sex.

[0140] Of course, the distance separating the second rotary cam 19 from this ejection device 18 is determined so that the algorithm for processing the captured images of the chick's wings has the time necessary to identify the sex of this chick 11.

[0141] Tests were carried out with the installation described above in order to demonstrate the good results obtained with it, in determining the sex of a chick 11.

[0142] According to a first embodiment, the rotating cams 19 placed under the conveyor belt 21 of a so-called “image acquisition” conveyor are configured to lift a portion of the corresponding conveyor belt by a maximum height of 33 mm relative to the rest of the external surface of this conveyor belt.

[0143] The rotation speed (revolutions per minute = rpm) of these rotating cams 19 is set at 1800 revolutions per minute. Alternatively, and preferably, the rotation speed of these rotating cams 19 is set at 235 revolutions per minute or 336 revolutions per minute.

[0144] Each of these rotating cams 19 here has a single active profile zone having a semi-cylindrical shape.

[0145] In this mode of implementation, we advantageously observe a very low average error rate in identifying the sex of the chick.

[0146] According to another embodiment, the pair of rotary cams 19 placed under the conveyor belt of a first rectilinear belt conveyor called "chick learning" and the pair of rotary cams 19 placed under the conveyor belt 21 of a second rectilinear belt conveyor called "image acquisition" are identical and configured so that a first of the rotary cams of each pair, placed upstream of the corresponding conveyor, is configured to lift a portion of the corresponding conveyor belt by a height of approximately 25 mm relative to the rest of the external surface of this conveyor belt, while the other cam of the pair, placed downstream, is configured to lift a portion of the corresponding conveyor belt by a height of approximately 33 mm.

[0147] In addition, the rotation speed (revolutions per minute = rpm) of the rotating cams 19 of the so-called “chick learning” conveyor is set at 1500 revolutions per minute while the rotation speed of the rotating cams 19 of the second so-called “image acquisition” conveyor is set at 2400 revolutions per minute. Alternatively, the rotation speed of the rotating cams 19 of the learning conveyor is of the order of 235 revolutions per minute and the rotation speed of the rotating cams 19 of the image acquisition conveyor is of the order of 235 revolutions per minute.

[0148] We also note in this mode of implementation, a very low average error rate on the identification of the sex of the chick.

[0149] According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the pair of rotary cams 19 placed under the conveyor belt of a first rectilinear belt conveyor called "chick training" and the pair of rotary cams 19 placed under the conveyor belt 21 of a second rectilinear belt conveyor called "image acquisition" are identical and configured so that a first of the cams of each pair, placed upstream of the corresponding conveyor, is configured to lift a portion of the corresponding conveyor belt by a height of approximately 25 mm relative to the remainder of the external surface of this conveyor belt, while the other cam of the pair, placed downstream, is configured to lift a portion of the corresponding conveyor belt by a height of approximately 17 mm.

[0150] Furthermore, the rotation speed (revolutions per minute = rpm) of the rotating cams 19 of the first conveyor is set at 1800 revolutions per minute while the rotation speed of the rotating cams 19 of the second conveyor is set at 3000 revolutions per minute.

[0151] Here again, in this mode of implementation, we observe a very low average error rate in identifying the sex of the chick.

[0152] It will be noted that the frequency of the rotating cams 19 on the second rectilinear conveyor called the image acquisition conveyor, or the capture of images of the deployed wings, is always higher than the frequency of the rotating cams on the first conveyor called the “learning” conveyor, because it is desired to cause the greatest imbalance in the capture zone of one or more images of the deployed wings of the chick.

[0153] According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the pair of rotary cams 19 placed under the conveyor belt of the so-called longitudinal or substantially longitudinal chick queueing belt conveyor is identical to the pairs of rotary cams 19 placed under the conveyor belts of the so-called learning and image acquisition conveyors, and configured so that a first of the cams of each pair, placed upstream of the corresponding conveyor, is configured to lift a portion of the corresponding conveyor belt by a height of approximately 25 mm relative to the rest of the external surface of this conveyor belt, while the other cam of the pair, placed downstream, is configured to lift a portion of the corresponding conveyor belt by a height of approximately 17 mm.

[0154] In addition, the rotation speed (revolutions per minute = rpm) of the rotating cams 19 of the longitudinal queuing conveyor is set at 336 revolutions per minute.

[0155] The conveyors described above may be belt conveyors each comprising a tensioned conveyor belt for freely transporting the chicks. The conveyors described may be linear conveyors. The conveyors described may be rectilinear conveyors.

Claims

Claims

1. A system for transporting a chick comprising: - a conveyor (17) for transporting the chick along a transport path, the conveyor having a downstream end, - a chick movement tracking assembly (22, 23) configured to acquire digital images of the chick from a first point of the transport path, at least some of these digital images covering the downstream end of the conveyor, this tracking assembly assigning a unique digital identifier to the chick to assign the digital images thus acquired to the chick being moved, - a processing unit (U) for processing the digital images thus obtained by the chick movement tracking assembly, determining from these images thus processed at least one parameter of the chick, said at least one parameter being associated with the unique digital identifier,and producing at least one signal for determining the passage of the chick at a second point of the transport path, this second point being preferably located at the downstream end of this conveyor or at the downstream end of this conveyor.,

2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the chick movement tracking assembly is configured to acquire digital images of the chick from a first point of the transport path placed in a central part of the conveyor.

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the whole of the monitoring of the movement of the chick comprises one or more digital cameras (22, 23) placed above the conveyor.

4. System according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the whole of the monitoring of the movement of the chick comprises at least two digital cameras (22, 23) spaced from each other along the transport path, and in that each digital camera placed along this transport path after a first camera having a first field of vision, has a field of vision determined to ensure a partial overlap with the field of vision of the camera placed immediately before it along the transport path so as to allow effective monitoring of the chick.

5. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a device (19) for applying a stimulus to said chick so as to cause the chick to voluntarily spread its wings, at the first point of transport path of the chick.

6. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveyor (17) is a belt conveyor comprising a conveyor belt (21) under tension for freely transporting the chick.

7. System according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the belt conveyor comprises a frame configured so that the conveyor belt (21) is driven in a trough shape to automatically center the chick during its transport.

8. System according to claims 5 and 6 or 7, characterized in that the device (19) for applying a stimulus comprises at least one rotating cam (19) placed under the conveyor belt, this cam being driven in rotation about an axis placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to the direction of movement defined by the conveyor belt, the cam being shaped to periodically come into contact with the conveyor belt and thus lift a part of it during this contact.

9. System according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the rotating cam (19) comprises at least one active profile zone, said active profile zones coming into contact with the conveyor belt one after the other during the rotation of the corresponding cam, this or these active profile zones of the cam being shaped to ensure that the latter remains out of contact with this conveyor belt during at least part of its rotation.

10. System according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the conveyor comprises two rotating cams (19), placed under the conveyor belt (21) being spaced from each other along the direction of movement defined by the conveyor belt, each of these cams being driven in rotation about an axis (20) placed transversely, or substantially transversely, relative to the direction of movement, each cam being shaped to enter periodically in contact with the conveyor belt and thus lift part of it during this contact.

11. System according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the two rotating cams (19) are spaced from each other and shaped to move the part of the conveyor belt placed between said cams between a free, or non-contact, trough-shaped configuration and a raised flat, or substantially flat, configuration so that the chick follows at least partially a rectilinear or substantially rectilinear path.

12. An installation for automatically determining the sex of a chick comprising a chick transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. Installation according to claim 12, characterized in that it comprises at least one light source (25) for illuminating the wings of the chick when they are deployed in response to a stimulus, said assembly for tracking the movement of the chick being configured to capture one or more images of the chick and in particular of its wings thus illuminated.

14. An installation for treating a chick comprising a chick transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 11

15. 1 1. A method of transporting a chick comprising - transporting the chick on a conveyor along a transport path, the conveyor having a downstream end, - acquiring digital images of the chick from a first point of the transport path, at least some of these digital images covering the downstream end of the conveyor, - assigning a unique digital identifier to this chick to assign the digital images thus acquired to the chick being moved, - processing these digital images and determining from these images thus processed at least one identified parameter of the chick, said at least one parameter being associated with the unique digital identifier, and - producing from these images thus processed, at least one signal for determining the passage of the chick at a second point of the transport path, this second point being preferably located at the downstream end of this conveyor or at the downstream end of this conveyor.

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