Automated Fertilization Test Apparatus for Water Toxicity Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional fertilization test for determining contaminant levels in water samples is time-consuming, costly, and prone to human error, leading to accuracy and precision issues due to its manual and subjective nature.
Innovation Solution
An automated method and apparatus that analyze images of sea urchin eggs using image processing techniques to detect and count fertilized eggs, reducing manual labor and enhancing accuracy by using a CCD camera, microprocessor, and image processing algorithms to identify cell properties and determine fertilization based on membrane edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual fertilization testing is performed by lab technicians, then the test can be completed with existing equipment and expertise, but the process is time-consuming and prone to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical inspection process with an automated image processing system. A CCD camera captures images of sea urchin eggs, and a microprocessor analyzes these images to detect fertilization membranes automatically, eliminating the need for manual microscope inspection and significantly reducing testing time while improving consistency and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of the fertilization test process through image capture and processing. Instead of directly observing eggs through a microscope, the system captures images and processes digital representations, allowing for automated analysis and eliminating human variability in visual inspection while maintaining the ability to detect fertilization membranes.
2Productivity
If automated image processing is used to analyze fertilized eggs, then processing time is reduced and accuracy is increased, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a microprocessor that performs multiple functions: capturing images via CCD, processing images to detect edges and contours, identifying fertilization membranes, and calculating fertilization ratios. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be separate complex systems into a single integrated device, improving productivity while managing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a CCD camera as an intermediary between the biological sample and the analysis process. This intermediary converts optical information into electrical signals that can be processed digitally, enabling automated analysis without requiring direct mechanical or human interaction with the sample, thus improving speed while keeping the added complexity manageable through standard imaging technology.
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
The automated system significantly reduces processing time, increases accuracy, and improves the reliability of fertilization test results, minimizing human error and labor costs while providing a more efficient method for analyzing toxicity in aqueous samples.
Implementation Method 1
The technician then views the water sample through a bright field microscope
Data Source
AI summary
From a sample image, a fertilization test method determines the ratio of fertilized cells in the image by identifying cells in the image and calculating cell properties for each cell. An area is determined between a cell body and an outer search limit to search for a fertilization membrane. A cell outline is defined for each cell and cell membrane edges are found within the search area by changing the cell outline size between the cell body boundary the outer search limit, checking for a match with detected cell membrane edges. A cell is determined to be fertilized based on matches between detected cell membrane edges and the cell outline, patterns of contrast changes indicated by a cell membrane, or circles fit to cell membrane edges.