Blunt-End Egg Hole for Non-Invasive Sex Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining the sex of bird eggs at an early stage of incubation require windowing the egg shell, which can negatively affect hatching rates due to damage from laser perforation and the need for egg rotation, leading to potential thermal damage and vertical movement of blood vessels.
Innovation Solution
A method that positions a measuring point on a blood-carrying vessel of an opened bird egg by creating a hole at the blunt end, preserving the inner shell membrane and minimizing egg rotation, allowing for spectroscopic examination of blood vessels without damaging the embryo, using a hole-producing unit and optical measuring device with temperature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a hole is created at the pointed end of the egg shell for optical measurement, then access for spectroscopic examination is achieved, but the hatching rate is negatively affected due to damage from laser perforation and shell membrane removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by creating the measurement hole at the blunt end of the egg shell instead of the pointed end. This inversion allows optical access to blood vessels while preserving the shell membrane integrity at the measurement site, thereby maintaining hatching rate without compromising measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by selectively removing only the outer shell membrane at the blunt end while preserving the inner shell membrane and maintaining shell integrity at other locations. This localized modification enables optical measurement access without the widespread damage that would reduce hatching rates
2Measurement precision
If laser perforation is performed at the pointed end of the egg, then optical measurement access is achieved, but thermal damage to the embryo occurs due to proximity to the embryo location
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the hole creation location from the pointed end to the blunt end, the patent positions the laser perforation away from the embryo's typical location at the pointed end. This spatial separation eliminates thermal damage to the embryo while still providing optical access to blood vessels for measurement
3Measurement precision
If the egg is rotated 180 degrees before and after measurement, then the measurement can be performed at the pointed end, but time delay is significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for egg rotation by inverting the measurement approach to the blunt end, where optical access is already available without requiring positional changes. This directly removes the time-consuming rotation steps while maintaining measurement capability
4Measurement precision
If the inner shell membrane is removed during hole creation, then access to blood vessels is achieved, but the blood vessels move vertically due to air escape from the air cell
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively removing only the outer shell membrane at the blunt end while preserving the inner shell membrane. This localized removal maintains the structural integrity and air pressure balance that stabilizes blood vessel position, while still providing optical access to the vessels for measurement
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the risk of embryo damage, maintains hatching rates, and eliminates the need for egg rotation, ensuring a minimally invasive and accurate sex determination without affecting embryonic development.
Implementation Method 1
The production of the hole at the blunt end of the bird egg is carried out by means of a hole-producing unit
Implementation Method 2
the blood is excited by means of a preset incident radiation, with the back-scattered radiation of the blood, which radiation is conducted through the intact inner shell membrane, being measured, detected and evaluated
Implementation Method 3
the blood, at least of the blood vessel, is spectroscopically examined
Implementation Method 4
Before and during the measurement, a temperature control of the egg holder and measurement environment of the egg can be performed
Data Source
AI summary
To determine the sex of a bird egg, a hole is produced at the blunt end of the bird egg, wherein the hole affects the calcareous shell and the outer shell membrane, whereas the inner shell membrane remains intact. In the region of the hole at the blunt end, beneath the intact inner shell membrane, at least one blood vessel is registered and the blood therein is excited by means of a preset incident radiation, the back-scattered radiation of which blood is measured, detected and evaluated for the sex determination.