Optical Seafood Tail Cutting for Consistent Langoustine Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The seafood industry, particularly langoustine processing, is labor-intensive and time-consuming due to manual separation of the body and tail, leading to inconsistent cuts and quality issues, especially in sea-based operations.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising conveyor belts, cameras, sensors, and computing devices with processing algorithms to identify and cut the meaty tail portion from the body, utilizing lighting to enhance contrast and an air blast system for separation, accommodating variations in langoustine shapes and orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual separation of body and tail is used, then flexibility in handling different langoustine shapes is maintained, but processing time increases and consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the langoustine's own visual characteristics (color contrast between head and tail) to automatically determine cut points, eliminating the need for manual assessment while maintaining adaptability to shape variations
Solution Approach 2:
The system processes multiple visual parameters (color, shape, orientation) simultaneously to identify cut points, allowing automatic adaptation to different langoustine shapes and orientations without sacrificing processing speed
2Device complexity
If manual separation is used, then equipment complexity is minimized, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inconsistent cuts
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical assessment with automated optical sensing and image processing, using the langoustine's visual characteristics to precisely identify cut points without complex mechanical positioning systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a visual copy (image) of the langoustine and processes this copy to determine cut points, eliminating the need for complex physical measurement devices while maintaining high precision
3Productivity
If automated visual identification is implemented, then processing speed increases, but device complexity increases due to cameras and computing devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary computational layer that processes visual information and translates it into cutting instructions, bridging the gap between simple optical sensing and precise mechanical cutting without requiring complex direct coupling
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a universal image processing approach that can handle various langoustine shapes, orientations, and lighting conditions with the same basic hardware configuration, reducing the need for specialized components for each scenario
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
Automates the separation process, ensuring consistent quality and reducing processing time, minimizing manual labor, and maintaining product integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a lighting system for illuminating the seafood to determine contrasting dark and light regions of the product as detected by the camera
Implementation Method 2
an air blast system for separating the heads and tails of the seafood
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2A
AI summary
The system for processing seafood includes processing equipment, multiple lanes, sensors, cameras, a computing device, a processing algorithm, a lighting system, an air blast system, and bins. The processing equipment identifies the end of a 'meat' section of a seafood tail and cuts the product at this point. The lanes, incorporated in the processing equipment, convey the product to an evaluation zone. The sensors and cameras, located at the evaluation zone, detect the product. The computing device processes images from the cameras. The processing algorithm determines various sections of the seafood and instructs the cut at an optimum point. The lighting system illuminates the seafood to help identify the cut point. The air blast system separates the heads and tails of the seafood. The bins receive the separated heads and tails for further processing.