Non-contact egg identification system for determining egg viability using transmission spectroscopy, and associated method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9977003-B2
Application number	US-201615341075-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2016
Priority date	Nov 18, 2013
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An egg identification system for determining viability of an avian egg is provided. Such a system includes an emitter assembly configured to emit electromagnetic radiation toward an egg. A detector assembly is axially aligned with the emitter assembly to detect electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the egg. The detector assembly is spaced-apart from the egg during operation thereof such that the detector assembly does not contact the egg. The detected electromagnetic radiation is processed using transmission spectroscopy analysis to determine whether the egg is viable. An associated method is also provided.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. An egg identification system for determining viability of an avian egg, comprising:
a conveyor system configured to convey an egg flat containing a plurality of eggs;
an emitter assembly configured to emit electromagnetic radiation toward one of the eggs conveyed in the egg flat, the emitter assembly having a collimation lens to collimate the electromagnetic radiation emitted therefrom;
a non-contact detector assembly axially aligned with the emitter assembly and having a spectrometer, the non-contact detector assembly being configured to detect the electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the egg, the non-contact detector assembly being disposed in a non-contact position such that the egg positioned for identification is spaced-apart from the non-contact detector assembly during operation thereof, the non-contact detector assembly having a light pipe comprising an optical filter and configured to reduce optical noise, and a collimation lens to collect the electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the egg within the field of view of the non-contact detector assembly; and
a processor in communication with the spectrometer and configured to process an output signal of the non-contact detector assembly for determining whether the egg is viable, the processor being configured to generate a spectrum based on the output signal that represents light intensity as a function of wavelength, the processor being further configured to compare the generated spectrum with at least one spectrum associated with a known egg condition to identify a viability condition of the egg.

2. An egg identification system according to claim 1 , wherein the spectrometer is configured to operate in one of infrared absorption spectroscopy mode and fluorescence spectroscopy mode.

3. An egg identification system according to claim 1 , wherein the emitter assembly comprises a modulator configured to modulate the electromagnetic radiation emitted therefrom in the form of a modulated signal.

4. An egg identification system according to claim 1 , wherein the emitter assembly and the non-contact detector assembly form an emitter-detector pair, and further wherein there are a plurality of the emitter-detector pairs divided into subsets, and further wherein a first subset of the emitter-detector pairs is configured to operate in an infrared absorption spectroscopy mode and a second subset of the emitter-detector pairs is configured to operate in a fluorescence spectroscopy mode such that each egg contained within the egg flat is subjected to both infrared absorption spectroscopy analysis and fluorescence spectroscopy analysis for determining viability of the eggs transported in the egg flat by the conveyor system.

5. An egg identification system according to claim 1 , wherein the emitter assembly is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength different than that detected by the non-contact detector assembly.

6. An egg identification system according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of the emitter assemblies being divided into subsets, wherein a first subset of the emitter assemblies is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation at a first wavelength and a second subset of the emitter assemblies is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation at a second wavelength different than the first wavelength.

7. An egg identification system according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of the non-contact detector assemblies being divided into subsets, wherein a first subset of the non-contact detector assemblies is configured to detect electromagnetic radiation at a first optical bandwidth and a second subset of the non-contact detector assemblies is configured detect electromagnetic radiation at a second optical bandwidth.

8. A method of determining viability of an egg, the method comprising:
conveying an egg contained in an egg flat using a conveyor system;
emitting electromagnetic radiation from an emitter assembly toward the egg, the emitter assembly having a collimation lens to collimate the electromagnetic radiation emitted therefrom;
receiving electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the egg at a non-contact detector assembly axially aligned with the emitter assembly, the non-contact detector assembly being spaced-apart from the egg, and the non-contact detector assembly having a light pipe comprising an optical filter and configured to reduce optical noise, and a collimation lens to collect the electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the egg within the field of view of the non-contact detector assembly; and
processing an output signal of the non-contact detector assembly for determining whether the egg is viable, by generating a spectrum based on the output signal that represents light intensity as a function of wavelength, and comparing the generated spectrum with at least one spectrum associated with a known egg condition to identify a viability condition of the egg.

9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein processing an output signal of the non-contact detector assembly comprises processing an output signal of the non-contact detector assembly in one of an infrared absorption spectroscopy mode and a transmission fluorescence spectroscopy mode.

10. A method according to claim 8 , wherein emitting electromagnetic radiation from an emitter assembly comprises modulating the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the emitter assembly in the form of a modulated signal.

11. A method according to claim 8 , further comprising providing a plurality of the emitter assemblies and the non-contact detector assemblies, each emitter assembly being associated with a respective non-contact detector assembly to form an emitter-detector pair, the emitter-detector pairs being divided into subsets, and wherein conveying the egg comprises conveying the egg past a first subset of the emitter-detector pairs implementing a transmission absorption spectroscopy mode and a second subset of the emitter-detector pairs implementing a transmission fluorescence spectroscopy mode such that the egg is subjected to both transmission absorption spectroscopy and transmission fluorescence spectroscopy for determining viability.

12. A method according to claim 8 , wherein emitting electromagnetic radiation from an emitter assembly further comprises emitting electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength different than that detected by the non-contact detector assembly.

13. A method according to claim 8 , further comprising providing a plurality of the emitter assemblies divided into subsets, and emitting electromagnetic radiation from a first subset of the emitter assemblies at a first wavelength and emitting electromagnetic radiation from a second subset of the emitter assemblies at a second wavelength different than the first wavelength.

14. A method according to claim 8 , further comprising providing a plurality of the non-contact detector assemblies divided into subsets, and detecting electromagnetic radiation from a first subset of the non-contact detector assemblies at a first optical bandwidth and detecting electromagnetic radiation from a second subset of the non-contact detector assemblies at a second optical bandwidth.

Assignees

• Zoetis Services Llc

Inventors

• Walukas Joel James
• Karimpour Ramin

Classifications

• G01N2201/061

  Sources · CPC title

• G01N2021/6417

  Spectrofluorimetric devices · CPC title

• G01N2201/0438

  Linear motion, sequential · CPC title

• G01N21/3563

  for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor · CPC title

• G01N33/08 Primary

  Eggs, e.g. by candling · CPC title