Egg Hatching Tray with Holes for Chick Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Previous methods for egg hatching and transport in poultry production caused significant stress to young animals due to the need for multiple crate transfers and challenges in automating the arrangement of eggs and chicks in systems with complex patterns of holes, leading to inefficiencies in filling and chick counting.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that uses an egg supporting tray with holes, allowing chicks to hatch into the tray which then doubles as a transport crate, with automated detection of unhatched eggs and objectionable chicks, enabling precise adjustment of chick numbers based on prior knowledge of egg arrangements to minimize stress and optimize transport efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional hatching crate and transport crate separation is used, then chicks can be hatched and transported, but multiple crate transfers cause considerable stress to young animals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the hatching crate and transport crate into a single integrated crate design. The crate serves dual purposes: it functions as the hatching environment during incubation and then automatically serves as the transport container after hatching, eliminating the need for separate crates and multiple transfer operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The crate is designed with multi-functionality to perform both hatching and transport functions. By incorporating features that support both functions within a single crate structure, the system eliminates harmful transfers while maintaining operational efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If automated egg arrangement systems with complex hole patterns are used, then egg positioning can be improved, but automation and filling processes become significantly more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the egg arrangement process into distinct phases: initial automated placement of eggs in specific patterns with holes, and subsequent manual or semi-automated supplementation of additional eggs. This segmentation allows the complex hole pattern to be filled systematically without requiring fully automated complex pattern recognition and filling systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary automated placement of eggs in predetermined positions corresponding to the hole pattern before hatching. This preliminary action establishes the basic structure and reduces the complexity of subsequent operations, as only supplementary eggs need to be added later rather than arranging all eggs through complex automation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If hatching crates are used as transport crates, then multiple transfers are eliminated, but determining accurate chick numbers becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system tracks the number of eggs initially placed in the crate, monitors hatching progress, and uses this information to determine the expected number of chicks. This feedback loop allows for accurate chick number determination by comparing initial egg counts with hatching outcomes, enabling precise control of chick numbers in the transport crate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary recording of the number of eggs placed in the crate before hatching occurs. This preliminary data collection establishes a baseline for expected chick numbers, making it easier to verify and adjust actual chick counts after hatching without requiring complex counting systems during the transfer process.
4Productivity
If trays are filled to exact egg positions except holes, then hatching efficiency improves, but the original filling degree must be precisely tracked for later chick number adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-service principles by automatically tracking the filling degree of the tray during the egg placement process. The control system records which positions are filled and which are holes, maintaining this information automatically without requiring external tracking or manual recording. This self-service tracking simplifies the overall complexity by integrating the tracking function into the existing automated placement system.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to methods and systems in egg hatching, based on hatching eggs in a tray (2), comprising arranging eggs in a pattern in or on the tray, comprising egg supporting positions and holes together defining the pattern, wherein the holes are dimensioned to allow chicks (27) after hatching to pass there through into a crate (4), detecting at least one of numbers of unhatched eggs (22) in or on the tray; numbers of dead chicks in the crate; and numbers of objectionable chicks in the crate, and supplementing or removing chicks to or from the crate in correspondence therewith.