Egg detection mechanism and egg counting device

Abstract

To make it possible to accurately detect eggs on a conveying belt even in a simple structure.SOLUTION: An egg detection mechanism for detecting eggs E conveyed by a conveying belt 12 made of a non-conductive material, comprises: a lower electrode 21 provided on a lower surface side of the conveying belt 12; an upper electrode 22 provided opposite to the lower electrode 21 without interfering with passage of the eggs E on an upper surface side of the conveying belt 12; and an egg detection part 23 for detecting the eggs E on the conveying belt 12 on the basis of a change in capacitance between the lower electrode 21 and the upper electrode 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an egg detection mechanism and an egg counting device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a device for counting eggs conveyed by an egg collection belt, as shown in Patent Document 1, a device using a photosensor such as a reflection type has been considered.

[0003] However, in a device using a photosensor, it is easily affected by dirt such as feathers and dust in the chicken coop and ambient light, and there is a risk of counting errors.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to accurately detect eggs without being affected by dirt such as feathers, dust, and ambient light in the chicken coop.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] That is, the egg detection mechanism according to the present invention detects eggs conveyed by a conveyor belt made of a non-conductive material, and includes a lower electrode provided on the lower surface side of the conveyor belt, an upper electrode provided on the upper surface side of the conveyor belt so as not to obstruct the passage of the eggs and facing the lower electrode, and an egg detection unit that detects eggs on the conveyor belt based on a change in the capacitance between the lower electrode and the upper electrode.

[0007] This egg detection mechanism uses a simple configuration to accurately detect eggs without being affected by debris such as feathers, dust, or ambient light in the chicken coop. It also detects eggs on the conveyor belt based on changes in capacitance between the two electrodes, with lower and upper electrodes provided above and below the conveyor belt. Furthermore, the capacitive sensor of this invention is less susceptible to the effects of debris and dust, thus reducing detection errors caused by them.

[0008] In order to calculate the distribution of eggs on the conveyor belt, it is desirable that the belt drive device that drives the conveyor belt generates an operation signal or a conveying distance signal, and that the egg detection mechanism further includes a recording unit that records the egg detection signal from the egg detection unit in association with the operation signal or the conveying distance signal.

[0009] In terms of specific implementations of the lower electrode, it is desirable that the lower electrode has a contact support surface that contacts the lower surface of the conveyor belt and supports the conveyor belt. With this configuration, since the lower electrode is in contact with the lower surface of the conveyor belt, it is possible to accurately detect the change in capacitance caused by the passage of an egg.

[0010] Eggs are randomly placed on the conveyor belt in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. In order to accurately detect and count the eggs in the width direction of this conveyor belt, the egg counting device according to the present invention is characterized by arranging a plurality of the egg detection mechanisms described above in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, and counting the number of eggs carried by the conveyor belt based on the egg detection signals obtained by the plurality of egg detection mechanisms.

[0011] In order to simplify the configuration of an egg counting device using multiple egg detection mechanisms, it is desirable that each of the multiple egg detection mechanisms be provided with an upper electrode, and that the lower electrode be a single common electrode. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] With the present invention configured in this way, eggs can be detected accurately with a simple structure, without being affected by debris such as feathers, dust, or ambient light inside the chicken coop. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of an egg counting device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the egg counting device in the same embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the egg detection method in the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of egg counting in the same embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the egg detection mechanism in a modified embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the egg detection mechanism in a modified embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of egg counting in a modified embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] An embodiment of the egg counting device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that, for the sake of clarity, all the following figures are schematic representations, with some details omitted or exaggerated as appropriate. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0015] <Device configuration> As shown in Figure 1, the egg counting device 100 of this embodiment counts eggs E on an egg collection belt 12, which is a conveying belt provided along a cage row 11 in an egg-laying hen house where multiple cages 10 are arranged in a row. This egg counting device 100 is installed at the downstream end of the egg collection belt 12 and detects and counts the eggs E that have been conveyed downstream by the egg collection belt 12.

[0016] Here, the egg collection belt 12 is driven by a belt driving device 13 and is made of a non-conductive material. The belt driving device 13 has a belt driving motor 131 and an encoder 132 provided on the belt driving motor 131. The encoder 132 generates an operation signal or a conveyance distance signal (encoder signal) of the egg collection belt 12, and transmits it to an egg detection unit 23 or a count unit 3, which will be described later.

[0017] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the egg counting device 100 has a plurality of egg detection mechanisms 2 arranged along the width direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X of the egg collection belt 12, and counts the number of eggs E conveyed by the egg collection belt 12 based on the egg detection signals obtained by the plurality of egg detection mechanisms 2. FIG. 2 shows a configuration having four egg detection mechanisms 2, but the number of egg detection mechanisms 2 is not limited to this.

[0018] Each egg detection mechanism 2 includes a lower electrode 21 provided on the lower surface side of the egg collection belt 12, an upper electrode 22 provided on the upper surface side of the egg collection belt 12 so as to face the lower electrode 21 without obstructing the passage of the egg E, and an egg detection unit 23 that detects the egg E on the egg collection belt 12 based on the change in the capacitance between the lower electrode 21 and the upper electrode 22.

[0019] In the present embodiment, in the plurality of egg detection mechanisms 2, the upper electrodes 22 are provided independently, and the lower electrode 21 is a single common electrode 2A.

[0020] Further, the common electrode 21A, which is the lower electrode 21, has a contact support surface 21x that contacts the lower surface of the egg collection belt 12 and supports the egg collection belt 12. Here, the egg collection belt 12 has a curved shape in which the central portion in the width direction is recessed downward, and the lower surface of the egg collection belt 12 also has a curved shape in which the central portion in the width direction is recessed downward. Therefore, the contact support surface 21x has a curved shape in which the central portion in the width direction is recessed downward corresponding to the lower surface of the egg collection belt 12.

[0021] The egg detection unit 23 detects changes in capacitance between the lower electrode 21 and the upper electrode 22, and based on the amount of change in capacitance, it detects that an egg E has passed between the lower electrode 21 and the upper electrode 22. When an egg E, which is a conductor, enters between the lower electrode 21 and the upper electrode 22, the capacitance increases, and by detecting this increase in capacitance, it is possible to detect that the egg E has passed through.

[0022] Specifically, the egg detection unit 23 includes a capacitance sensor 23a that detects the capacitance between the lower electrode 21 and the upper electrode 22, and an egg detection circuit 23b that detects an egg E by comparing the capacitance detected by the capacitance sensor 23a with a predetermined threshold.

[0023] Figure 3 shows an example of detection by the egg detection circuit 23b. When the capacitance C obtained by the capacitance sensor 23a exceeds a predetermined threshold K, an egg E is detected. In Figure 3, the capacitance C exceeds the predetermined threshold K three times, resulting in the detection of three eggs E. Here, the system may be configured to detect an egg E simply when the capacitance exceeds the threshold K, or it may be configured to detect an egg E when the capacitance exceeds the threshold K for a predetermined period of time continuously or when the capacitance exceeds the threshold K for a predetermined distance continuously.

[0024] The egg detection circuit 23b receives an operation signal or a transport distance signal (encoder signal) from the belt drive device 13 (encoder 132), and the operation signal or transport distance signal is linked to the egg detection signal of the egg detection circuit 23b.

[0025] Furthermore, the egg counting device 100 of this embodiment includes a counting unit 3 that counts the number of eggs E carried by the egg collection belt 12 based on the egg detection signals detected by the egg detection unit 23 of each egg detection mechanism 2, and a recording unit 4 that records the egg detection signals from the egg detection unit 23 or the count information from the counting unit 3 in association with the operation signal or transport distance signal from the belt drive device 13 (encoder 132). In addition, the egg counting device 100 may also include an egg distribution calculation unit that calculates the egg distribution on the egg collection belt 12 from the count information obtained by the counting unit 3 and the operation signal or transport distance signal from the belt drive device 13 (encoder 132).

[0026] The egg detection unit 23, the counting unit 3, and the recording unit 4 may be composed of one information processing device or multiple information processing devices.

[0027] Here, an example of counting eggs E on the egg collection belt 12 using four egg detection mechanisms 2 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4(a), when eggs E are placed on the egg collection belt 12, the change in capacitance C1 to C4 in the four egg detection mechanisms 2 over time is as shown in Figure 4(b).

[0028] At time t1, the capacitance of C2 exceeds the threshold K, and this is counted as one egg E passing through. At time t2, the capacitance of C1 exceeds the threshold K, and this is counted as one egg E passing through. At time t3, the capacitance of C3 exceeds the threshold K, and this is counted as one egg E passing through. At time t4, the capacitances of adjacent C2 and C3 exceed the threshold K, and this is counted as one egg E passing through. At time t5, the capacitances of adjacent C1 and C2 exceed the threshold K, and this is counted as one egg E passing through.

[0029] As described above, if adjacent capacitances increase at the same time, it is considered that the capacitance increased due to a common egg E, and it is counted as one egg E passing through. Similarly, if one capacitance increases, it is counted as one egg E passing through. However, if non-adjacent capacitances increase at the same time (for example, C1 and C3, or C1 and C4), it is counted as two eggs E passing through. Note that the method for counting eggs E for each capacitance change is not limited to the above and can be set in various ways.

[0030] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the egg counting device 100 of this embodiment, a lower electrode 21 and an upper electrode 22 are provided above and below the conveyor belt 12, respectively. Since the eggs E on the conveyor belt 12 are detected based on the change in capacitance between the lower electrode 21 and the upper electrode 22, the device can accurately detect and count eggs E with a simple configuration without being affected by dust, debris such as feathers, or ambient light in the chicken coop.

[0031] <Modified Embodiment of the Invention> However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0032] For example, as shown in Figure 5(a), the lower electrode 21 may not be a common electrode, but may be provided independently in each of the multiple egg detection mechanisms 2, similar to the upper electrode. Alternatively, some of the multiple lower electrodes 21 may be used as a common electrode. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5(b), the egg collection belt 12 may be made flat, and the lower electrode 21 may also be configured to have a flat contact support surface 21x corresponding to the egg collection belt 12.

[0033] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the upper electrode 22 was fixed and the distance between the lower electrode 21 and the upper electrode 22 was constant. However, as shown in Figure 6, the distance between the upper electrode 22 and the lower electrode 21 may be variable. Specifically, the upper electrode 22 may be provided so as to be vertically movable relative to the egg collection belt 12, and when a large egg E passes, the upper electrode 22 may be lifted by the egg E, as shown in Figure 6(b), so as not to obstruct the passage of the large egg E. In the example shown in Figure 6, the upper electrode 22 is configured to move vertically by rotating around the hinge portion 24. Also, the upper electrode 22 is normally held at a predetermined height by the stopper 25. By providing the upper electrode 22 so as to be vertically movable in this way, the distance between the upper electrode 22 and the lower electrode 21 can be reduced under normal conditions to improve the detection accuracy of eggs E, while detecting eggs E of various sizes without obstructing their passage.

[0034] Furthermore, the following methods can also be considered for counting by the counting unit 3. As shown in Figure 7, the counting unit 3 acquires capacitance data from the capacitance sensors 23a of multiple egg detection mechanisms 2 and the operation signal or transport distance signal from the belt drive unit 13, and can calculate contour line data indicating the magnitude of the capacitance from these. The counting unit 3 can then count the number of peaks in the calculated contour line data as the number of eggs.

[0035] Furthermore, the egg counting device 100 may also have a notification unit that notifies the worker if, despite the egg collection belt 12 being in operation, the egg detection unit 23 fails to detect any eggs E for a certain period of time or distance, indicating that some kind of abnormality has occurred.

[0036] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 100... Egg counting device E...egg 10 ···Cage 11 ···Cage row 12 ···Egg collection belt (conveyor belt) 13. Belt drive system 131... Belt-driven motor 132... Encoder 2. Egg detection mechanism 21...lower electrode 21x...contact support surface 2A...Common electrode 22...Top electrode 23 ···Egg detection unit 23a...Capacitive sensor 23b...Egg detection circuit 3 ···Counting section 4 ···Records Department

Claims

1. This device detects eggs being transported by a conveyor belt made of a non-conductive material. A lower electrode provided on the lower side of the conveyor belt, An upper electrode is provided on the upper side of the conveyor belt, facing the lower electrode without obstructing the passage of the egg, An egg detection mechanism comprising an egg detection unit that detects an egg on the conveyor belt based on a change in capacitance between the lower electrode and the upper electrode.

2. The belt drive device that drives the aforementioned conveyor belt generates an operation signal or a conveying distance signal. The egg detection mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a recording unit that associates and records the egg detection signal from the egg detection unit with the operation signal or the transport distance signal.

3. The egg detection mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower electrode has a contact support surface that contacts the lower surface of the conveyor belt and supports the conveyor belt.

4. Multiple egg detection mechanisms according to claim 1 or 2 are arranged in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying belt, An egg counting device that counts the number of eggs being transported by the conveyor belt based on egg detection signals obtained by the aforementioned plurality of egg detection mechanisms.

5. The egg counting device according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of egg detection mechanisms is provided with an upper electrode, and the lower electrode is a single common electrode.

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