Egg Candling Using Green Light Shadow Casting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current egg candling methods fail to accurately differentiate between living and dead eggs, especially at the end of incubation, and do not provide information on embryo development stage or egg orientation, shell integrity, and are not suitable for early stages of incubation or determining fertilized/unfertilized states.

Innovation Solution

A method using green light between 510 and 570 nm to illuminate eggs, capturing images before and after embryo excitation, and analyzing these images to determine embryo vitality and egg state, including the presence and position of the air chamber and shell integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional candling methods using white light are used, then the process is simple and equipment is basic, but the ability to differentiate between living and dead eggs is poor and internal structures are not visible

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedifferentiation accuracy between living and dead eggsVSAvoidcandling system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the wavelength parameter of the light source from traditional white light to green light with wavelength between 510-570 nm. This specific wavelength parameter change enables the blood network to cast visible shadows on the egg shell, allowing accurate differentiation between living and dead eggs while maintaining a relatively simple candling system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes the color property of green light (510-570 nm wavelength) which interacts specifically with the blood network in the embryo. The green light causes the blood vessels to cast dark shadows on the egg shell, creating a visible color contrast that reveals embryo vitality without requiring complex imaging equipment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

2Reliability

If candling is performed at the end of incubation period using transparency, then fertilized eggs appear opaque, but it is impossible to distinguish normally developed eggs from contaminated or rotten eggs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecertainty of differentiation between normal and abnormal eggsVSAvoidinformation on egg quality and embryo state
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the detection parameter from overall light transparency to specific wavelength interaction (green light 510-570 nm) with the blood network. This enables detection of embryo vitality through shadow casting, providing reliable differentiation between normally developed eggs and abnormal eggs (contaminated or rotten) even when both appear opaque at the end of incubation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses the blood network as an intermediary structure that casts shadows on the egg shell when illuminated with green light. This shadow-casting mechanism serves as a mediator that reveals embryo vitality and egg quality information without requiring direct observation of internal structures, thus preventing loss of diagnostic information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If traditional candling methods are used at early incubation stages, then the process can be performed, but the embryo size is too insignificant to determine fertilized or unfertilized state with certainty

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracy of embryo stateVSAvoidtime delay in determining egg fertility
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the detection parameter to sensitivity to the blood network's shadow-casting effect using green light (510-570 nm). This parameter change enables detection of embryo presence and vitality at earlier incubation stages when the embryo is still small, as the blood vessels cast visible shadows before the embryo itself becomes large enough for traditional transparency-based detection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Measurement precision

If manual candling with white light is used, then the method is simple to operate, but the visibility of internal structures including blood network is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisibility of blood network and internal structuresVSAvoidoperational simplicity of candling method
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the light wavelength parameter to green light (510-570 nm) which specifically enhances the visibility of the blood network by causing it to cast dark shadows on the egg shell. This parameter change achieves high visibility of internal structures while maintaining operational simplicity, as the method still involves basic illumination and observation without requiring complex imaging or processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 method allows for precise determination of embryo vitality, differentiation between living and dead eggs, and assessment of egg orientation and shell integrity, improving accuracy across various stages of incubation.

Implementation Method 1

the illumination of an egg with a wavelength between 510 and 570 nm, preferably between 530 nm and 550 nm, so as to make it appear visually on the shell of the egg a cast shadow of the blood network

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectShadow: Shadow

Implementation Method 2

Green light is used whose wavelength is between 510 and 570 nm... this green light mainly causes 3 zones to appear from top to bottom of the egg

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight absorption: Absorption (EM radiation)

Data Source

PatentEP2538215B8Egg candling method
Publication Date: 2018.11.07 EGG CHICK AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGIES

AI summary

The method involves lighting an egg with light having wavelength between 440 nanometers (nm) and 570 nm and capturing an image of the lighted egg. The image is processed to determine a living state or dead state of the egg according to the presence or non presence of bloodstream (18) in the image, where the bloodstream supplies embryo (17) of the egg, and the light is a green light whose wavelength ranges between 530 nm and 550 nm and a blue light whose wavelength ranges between 440 nm and 510 nm. An independent claim is also included for an automatic egg miraging device comprising a lighting unit provided with a green or blue light source for lighting an egg.