Thermal Imaging Egg Candling for Orientation Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing candling techniques struggle to accurately identify live and non-live eggs, particularly inverting eggs within a carrier, leading to reduced hatch rates and inefficiencies in vaccine production, as they may misidentify eggs due to thermal variations and inability to detect inverted or side air cell orientations.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus utilizing thermal imaging to analyze the surface temperature of eggs, distinguishing live and non-live eggs by temperature differences, and identifying inverted or side air cell eggs by temperature variations across the egg surface, enabling rapid detection and correction of egg orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If thermal imaging is used to identify live and non-live eggs, then detection speed and automation are improved, but accuracy is reduced due to thermal variations and inability to detect inverted eggs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines thermal imaging technology with computer vision algorithms to create an integrated system that maintains high detection speed while improving identification accuracy. The thermal camera captures temperature distributions, and the computer vision system processes these images to distinguish live from non-live eggs based on thermal patterns, thereby resolving the contradiction between speed and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary thermal imaging detection on all eggs before incubation or injection procedures. By pre-identifying live eggs and their correct orientations using thermal patterns, the system ensures that subsequent operations are performed only on suitable eggs, maintaining both high productivity and accuracy without requiring re-detection.
2Productivity
If automated in ovo injection is performed without accurate live egg identification, then processing efficiency is improved, but treatment effectiveness deteriorates due to injection of non-live eggs
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal imaging system provides real-time feedback on egg viability and orientation status before injection. The computer vision system analyzes thermal images and provides feedback signals to the automated injection system, enabling it to selectively inject only live eggs in correct orientations. This feedback mechanism ensures high treatment effectiveness while maintaining processing efficiency through automation.
3Ease of operation
If eggs are not accurately oriented before processing, then handling simplicity is improved, but processing quality deteriorates due to inverted eggs receiving incorrect treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical orientation detection and correction systems with thermal imaging and computer vision algorithms. The thermal camera detects temperature distributions that indicate egg orientation, and the computer vision system automatically identifies inverted eggs. This substitution maintains ease of operation by eliminating complex mechanical handling while improving processing quality through accurate thermal-based orientation detection.
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 solution achieves high accuracy in identifying live and non-live eggs, correctly detecting inverted eggs, and side air cell orientations, improving hatch rates and reducing waste in vaccine production by ensuring precise egg handling and processing.
Implementation Method 1
obtain a thermal image of downwardly or of upwardly facing surfaces of the eggs in the carrier
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 3B
AI summary
Egg candling methods and apparatus are provided wherein non-live eggs, inverted egg, and side air cell eggs can be quickly identified. A method of candling eggs includes exposing a plurality of incubated eggs to an environment having a temperature different from a temperature at which the eggs were incubated; obtaining a thermal image of the eggs; and analyzing the thermal image to obtain surface temperature information for each egg. The surface temperature information is utilized to designate each egg as live/non-live, inverted, or having a side air cell.