Crustacean Trap with Optical Detection for Species Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current crab harvesting methods are inefficient and often result in the capture of protected species, leading to unnecessary time consumption and potential legal restrictions, as they rely on manual decision-making without real-time data on crab distribution and species identification.
Innovation Solution
A crab harvesting system utilizing traps equipped with digital cameras and flash mechanisms that send images to a remote station for analysis, allowing for real-time identification and prevention of protected species entry, and adjustable grid spacing based on image data for optimized crab catch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If manual trap retrieval and decision-making is used, then operational simplicity is maintained, but time consumption increases and protected species capture risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of protected species using image recognition before the trap is fully retrieved or before harvesting operations proceed. This allows advance detection and prevention of protected species capture, eliminating the need for time-consuming post-retrieval sorting and reducing legal risks before they materialize.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection and human decision-making with an automated optical detection system using cameras and image recognition algorithms. This substitution of mechanical/human processes with automated systems dramatically reduces time consumption while enabling more precise species identification.
2Productivity
If trap grid spacing is reduced to increase coverage, then harvesting efficiency improves, but time and resources for trap deployment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses real-time or near-real-time image data from traps to provide feedback on crab distribution patterns and species composition. This feedback enables dynamic adjustment of trap grid spacing - allowing tighter spacing in areas with high crab density and lower spacing in areas with low density - thereby optimizing harvesting efficiency while minimizing unnecessary trap deployment time and resources.
3Measurement precision
If protected species are allowed to enter traps, then monitoring accuracy improves, but legal compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by detecting protected species through image recognition and automatically triggering trap closure mechanisms before the protected species can enter or be harvested. This preemptive measure prevents harmful outcomes (legal violations) while maintaining the ability to accurately identify and monitor protected species populations.
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 system reduces time consumption and minimizes the capture of protected species by enabling informed decision-making and efficient trap placement, thereby optimizing crab harvesting while adhering to legal regulations.
Implementation Method 1
a flash mechanism, the assembly being directed at an area immediately outside of the entrance and being tuned to return a maximum signal from crustaceans
Data Source
AI summary
A crustacean trap adapted to permit blocking entry to a crustacean of a protected species, including a cage, enclosing a volume and a crustacean entrance that can be closed to prevent entry, responsive to a first signal and opened to permit crustacean entry, responsive to a second signal received at the trap. Also, an image forming assembly includes a digital camera and a flash mechanism, the assembly being directed at an area immediately outside of the entrance and being tuned to return a maximum signal from crustaceans of the protected crustacean species so that a protected species crustacean appears as brightly lit in images formed, and being communicatively connected to a remote station that is equipped to receive-images from the assembly. Finally, there is a connector for connecting the cage to a signal source for receiving the first and second signals and for sending the images formed.