# US 10,499,620 B2 · Sieving techniques for pupae separation

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- Number: US 10,499,620 B2
- Document ID: US10499620B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/269,451
- Filed: 2019-02-06
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2017-03-23
- Assignees: Verily Life Sciences LLC
- Applicants: Verily Life Sciences LLC
- Inventors: Robert Sobecki; Charles Behling
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10499620B2

## CPC

- A01K 67/36: Industrial rearing of insects, e.g. insect farms
- B07B 1/28: Moving screens not otherwise provided for, e.g. swinging, reciprocating, rocking, tilting or wobbling screens
- B07B 1/46: Constructional details of screens in general; Cleaning or heating of screens
- B07B 1/469: {Perforated sheet-like material}
- B07B 1/55: with fluid jets
- B08B 3/045: {using perforated containers, e.g. baskets, or racks immersed and agitated in a liquid bath (using perforated drums B08B3/06)}
- B08B 3/047: {Containers specially adapted therefor}
- B07B 2230/01: Wet separation
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- B07B: SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL (wet separating processes, sorting by processes using fluent material in the same way as liquid B03; combinations of dry separating apparatus with wet separating apparatus B03B; using liquids B03B, B03D; sorting by magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B04; hand sorting, postal sorting, sorting by switching or other devices actuated in response to detection or measurement of some feature of articles or samples of material B07C)
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A sieving method for separating insect pupae is described. The method may include causing an actuation system of a sieving apparatus to cycle between a first elevation and a second elevation to cyclically submerge a sieve surface of a sieving device in a liquid held within a basin so as to separate a population of insect pupae present in the sieving device with respect to size. The method may also include causing actuation of one or more valves to drain the liquid from the basin in order to retrieve a first part of the population of insect pupae. Corresponding computer-readable devices and systems that perform the sieving method are also described.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method, comprising:
causing an actuation system to cycle between a first elevation and a second elevation to cyclically submerge a sieve surface of a sieving device in a liquid held within a basin, wherein a population of insects present in the liquid is separated into a first group of insects and a second group of insects as a result of the cycling;
causing a valve to open to drain the liquid from the basin, the first group of insects disposed in the liquid; and
causing the actuation system to move the sieving device from a first position over the basin to a second position other than over the basin, the second group of insects disposed in the sieving device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein an upper portion of a sieve frame of the sieving device is not submerged in the liquid while the sieving surface is cyclically submerged in the liquid.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the second group of insects remain within the sieve frame while the sieving surface is cyclically submerged in the liquid.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:
the basin is a first basin; and
the second position is a position over a second basin disposed adjacent to the first basin.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:
when the sieving device is at the second position, causing the actuation system to rotate the sieving device about a rotational axis from a first orientation to a second orientation; and
when the sieving device is in the second orientation, instructing removal of the second group of insects from the sieving device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein instructing removal of the second group of insects comprises causing a spray nozzle to spray the sieving device to remove the second group of insects.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
causing a first valve to open to drain the liquid from the basin, the liquid passing through a perforated drain tube disposed within a drain manifold prior to draining from the drain manifold;
after the liquid has drained from the drain manifold, causing a second valve disposed downstream from the perforated drain tube to open, the first group of insects located in the perforated drain tube; and
instructing flushing of the perforated drain tube to move the first group of insects from the perforated drain tube and into a container located downstream from the second valve.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein instructing flushing of the perforated drain tube comprises, with the second valve open:
causing the first valve to open; and
causing a fill nozzle to add a different volume of the liquid to the basin.

### Claim 9

One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer systems, cause the one or more computer systems to:
cause an actuation system to cycle between a first elevation and a second elevation to cyclically submerge a sieve surface of a sieving device in a liquid held within a basin, wherein a population of insects present in the liquid is separated into a first group of insects and a second group of insects as a result of the cycling;
cause a valve to open to drain the liquid from the basin, the first group of insects disposed in the liquid; and
cause the actuation system to move the sieving device from a first position over the basin to a second position other than over the basin, the second group of insects disposed in the sieving device.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein an upper portion of a sieve frame of the sieving device is not submerged in the liquid while the sieving surface is cyclically submerged in the liquid.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the second group of insects remain within the sieve frame while the sieving surface is cyclically submerged in the liquid.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein:
the basin is a first basin; and
the second position is a position over a second basin disposed adjacent to the first basin.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer systems, cause the one or more computer systems to:
when the sieving device is at the second position, cause the actuation system to rotate the sieving device about a rotational axis from a first orientation to a second orientation; and
when the sieving device is in the second orientation, instruct removal of the second group of insects from the sieving device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein instructing removal of the second group of insects comprises causing a spray nozzle to spray the sieving device to remove the second group of insects.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer systems, cause the one or more computer systems to:
cause a first valve to open to drain the liquid from the basin, the liquid passing through a perforated drain tube disposed within a drain manifold prior to draining from the drain manifold;
after the liquid has drained from the drain manifold, cause a second valve disposed downstream from the perforated drain tube to open, the first group of insects located in the perforated drain tube; and
instruct flushing of the perforated drain tube to move the first group of insects from the perforated drain tube and into a container located downstream from the second valve.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein instructing flushing of the perforated drain tube comprises, with the second valve open:
causing the first valve to open; and
causing a fill nozzle to add a different volume of the liquid to the basin.

### Claim 17

A system, comprising:
a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions; and
a processor configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to at least:
cause an actuation system to cycle between a first elevation and a second elevation to cyclically submerge a sieve surface of a sieving device in a liquid held within a basin, wherein a population of insects present in the liquid is separated into a first group of insects and a second group of insects as a result of the cycling;
cause a valve to open to drain the liquid from the basin, the first group of insects disposed in the liquid; and
cause the actuation system to move the sieving device from a first position over the basin to a second position other than over the basin, the second group of insects disposed in the sieving device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein an upper portion of a sieve frame of the sieving device is not submerged in the liquid while the sieving surface is cyclically submerged in the liquid.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the second group of insects remain within the sieve frame while the sieving surface is cyclically submerged in the liquid.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein:
the basin is a first basin; and
the second position is a position over a second basin disposed adjacent to the first basin.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The system of claim 20, further comprising:
when the sieving device is at the second position, causing the actuation system to rotate the sieving device about a rotational axis from a first orientation to a second orientation; and
when the sieving device is in the second orientation, instructing removal of the second group of insects from the sieving device.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The system of claim 21, wherein instructing removal of the second group of insects comprises causing a spray nozzle to spray the sieving device to remove the second group of insects.

### Claim 23 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to access the memory and execute additional computer-executable instructions to at least:
cause a first valve to open to drain the liquid from the basin, the liquid passing through a perforated drain tube disposed within a drain manifold prior to draining from the drain manifold;
after the liquid has drained from the drain manifold, cause a second valve disposed downstream from the perforated drain tube to open, the first group of insects located in the perforated drain tube; and
instruct flushing of the perforated drain tube to move the first group of insects from the perforated drain tube and into a container located downstream from the second valve.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The system of claim 23, wherein instructing flushing of the perforated drain tube comprises, with the second valve open:
causing the first valve to open; and
causing a fill nozzle to add a different volume of the liquid to the basin.