Self-calibrating ultrasonic removal of ectoparasites from fish

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11490601-B2
Application number	US-202017132874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2020
Priority date	Dec 23, 2020
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-storage media, for self-calibrating ultrasonic removal of sea lice. In some implementations, a method includes generating, by transducers distributed in a sea lice treatment station, a first set of ultrasonic signals, detecting a second set of ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of the first set of ultrasonic signals through water, determining propagation parameters of the sea lice treatment station based on the second set of ultrasonic signals that were detected, obtaining an image of a sea louse on a fish in the sea lice treatment station, determining, from the image, a location of the sea louse in the sea lice treatment station, and generating a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
generating, by ultrasonic transducers distributed in a sea lice treatment station, a first set of ultrasonic signals;
detecting, by the ultrasonic transducers, a second set of ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of the first set of ultrasonic signals through water in the sea lice treatment station;
determining propagation parameters of the sea lice treatment station based on the second set of ultrasonic signals that were detected;
obtaining an image of a sea louse on a fish in the sea lice treatment station;
determining, from the image, a location of the sea louse in the sea lice treatment station; and
generating, by the ultrasonic transducers and based on the propagation parameters and the location of the sea louse in the sea lice treatment station, a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse comprises:
determining, from the image, that a portion of the fish is not between a particular ultrasonic transducer and the sea louse; and
based on determining, from the image, that the portion of the fish is not between the particular ultrasonic transducer and the sea louse, generating an ultrasonic signal of the third set of ultrasonic signals with the particular ultrasonic transducer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse comprises:
determining, from the image, that a portion of the fish is not between a particular ultrasonic transducer and the sea louse; and
based on determining, from the image, that the portion of the fish is not between the particular ultrasonic transducer and the sea louse, determining not to generate an ultrasonic signal with the particular ultrasonic transducer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting, by the ultrasonic transducers, a second set of ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of the first set of ultrasonic signals through water in the sea lice treatment station comprises:
detecting, by a first ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of a first ultrasonic signal that was generated by a second ultrasonic transducer; and
detecting, by the first ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of a second ultrasonic signal that was generated by a third ultrasonic transducer after the first ultrasonic signal was generated.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining propagation parameters of the sea lice treatment station based on the second set of ultrasonic signals that were detected comprises:
determining at least one of: a pulse width of ultrasonic signals of the second set of ultrasonic signals, a spectral width of ultrasonic signals of the second set of ultrasonic signals, time offsets between detections of the second set of ultrasonic signals and generation of the first set of ultrasonic signals, or reflections of the first set of ultrasonic signals.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising obtaining sensor data from at least one of a water temperature sensor, a water pressure sensor, or a water salinity sensor,
wherein determining propagation parameters of the sea lice treatment station is based on the sensor data and the second set of ultrasonic signals that were detected.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating, by the ultrasonic transducers and based on the propagation parameters and the location of the sea louse in the sea lice treatment station, a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse comprise:
determining phases of continuous wave ultrasonic signals in the third set of ultrasonic signals.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating, by the ultrasonic transducers and based on the propagation parameters and the location of the sea louse in the sea lice treatment station a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse, comprises:
determining time delays of pulsed ultrasonic signals in the third set of ultrasonic signals.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
determining that ultrasonic signals generated by a particular ultrasonic transducer satisfy self-cleaning criteria; and
based on determining that ultrasonic signals generated by the particular ultrasonic transducer satisfy self-cleaning criteria, generating, by the ultrasonic transducers, a fourth set of ultrasonic signals that focus energy at the particular ultrasonic transducer.

10. A system comprising:
one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
generating, by ultrasonic transducers distributed in a sea lice treatment station, a first set of ultrasonic signals;
detecting, by the ultrasonic transducers, a second set of ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of the first set of ultrasonic signals through water in the sea lice treatment station;
determining propagation parameters of the sea lice treatment station based on the second set of ultrasonic signals that were detected;
obtaining an image of a sea louse on a fish in the sea lice treatment station;
determining, from the image, a location of the sea louse in the sea lice treatment station; and
generating, by the ultrasonic transducers and based on the propagation parameters and the location of the sea louse in the sea lice treatment station, a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein generating a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse comprises:
determining, from the image, that a portion of the fish is not between a particular ultrasonic transducer and the sea louse; and
based on determining, from the image, that the portion of the fish is not between the particular ultrasonic transducer and the sea louse, generating an ultrasonic signal of the third set of ultrasonic signals with the particular ultrasonic transducer.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein generating a third set of ultrasonic signals that focuses energy at the sea louse comprises:
determining, from the image, that a portion of the fish is not between a particular ultrasonic transducer and the sea louse; and
based on determining, from the image, that the portion of the fish is not between the particular ultrasonic transducer and the sea louse, determining not to generate an ultrasonic signal with the particular ultrasonic transducer.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein detecting, by the ultrasonic transducers, a second set of ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of the first set of ultrasonic signals through water in the sea lice treatment station comprises:
detecting, by a first ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of a first ultrasonic signal that was generated by a second ultrasonic transducer; and
detecting, by the first ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic signals in response to propagation of a second ultrasonic signal that was generated by a third ultrasonic transducer after the first ultrasonic signal was generated.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein determining propagation parameters of the sea lice treatment station based on the second set of ultrasonic signals that were detected comprises:
determining at least one of: a pulse width of ultrasonic signals of the second set of ultrasonic signals, a spectral width of ultrasonic signals of the second set of ultras

Assignees

• X Dev Llc

Inventors

• Young Grace Calvert
• Knoll Matthew Aaron
• Remesch Bryce Jason
• Kimball Peter

Classifications

• G01N29/34

  Generating the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves {, e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor} · CPC title

• A01K61/13 Primary

  Prevention or treatment of fish diseases · CPC title

• G01N29/36

  Detecting the response signal {, e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor} · CPC title

• G01N29/00

  Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object (G01N3/00 - G01N27/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06T7/00

  Image analysis · CPC title