Egg Fertility and Gender Detection Through Germinal Disc Scattering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial hatcheries face low fertility and hatchability rates, with infertile eggs comprising up to 25% of incubated eggs, and sexing chicks at hatch creates waste disposal and animal welfare issues due to discarding unwanted genders.
Innovation Solution
An egg analysis system using a laser to illuminate eggs, a photon detector to capture scattered light fluctuations, and a processor to analyze the data for fertility and gender determination based on germinal disc size and structure, employing hyperspectral imaging and machine learning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sexing is performed at hatch, then gender identification is achieved, but waste disposal and animal welfare issues arise due to discarding unwanted chicks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs gender and fertility determination on eggs before incubation begins, using laser illumination and photon detection to analyze the germinal disc. This preliminary identification allows unwanted eggs to be removed from the incubation process entirely, preventing the waste and welfare issues associated with culling chicks after hatching.
2Measurement precision
If traditional fertility detection methods are used, then infertile eggs are identified after incubation, but 60-90% of incubated eggs are lost due to low hatchability
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines fertility status before incubation by analyzing light scattering patterns from the germinal disc structure. This allows hatcheries to identify and remove infertile eggs prior to the incubation process, ensuring that only fertile eggs are incubated and thereby maximizing hatchability rates.
3Loss of time
If in-ovo analysis is performed, then fertility and gender are determined before incubation, but system complexity increases with laser, photon detector, and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical or chemical analysis methods with optical detection. By using laser illumination and photon detection to measure light scattering patterns from the germinal disc, the system achieves accurate in-ovo fertility and gender determination through non-invasive optical measurements that can be processed automatically.
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
Improves fertility and gender detection accuracy before incubation, reducing waste and enhancing operational efficiency by identifying and separating infertile and unwanted eggs.
Implementation Method 1
a photon detector for detecting a fluctuation of scattered light emitted from the egg
Data Source
AI summary
An egg analysis system and computer-implemented methods are provided. The system comprises a light source for illuminating an egg, a photon detector for detecting a fluctuation of scattering light emitted from the egg, a processor, and a memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor configure the processor to receive scattering light data from the photon detector, digitize the scattering light data, and analyze the digitized scattering light data. One computer-implemented method comprises a light source illuminating an egg, a photon detector detecting a fluctuation of scattering light emitted from the egg, receiving scattering light data from the photon detector, digitizing the scattering light data, and analyzing the scattering light data. Another computer-implemented method comprises receiving angle, frequency and intensity data of scattering light from an egg illuminated using a light source, identifying a germinal disc in the egg from the scattering light data, and determining at least one of a fertility or a sex of the egg based on the size and structure of the germinal disc.