Egg positioning device
AssigneeIn Ovo Holding B.V.
InventorsWil Marijn Stutterheim, Leonard Van Bommel, Wouter Sebastiaan Bruins, Edwin Dijksterhuis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a computer-controlled system for non-invasively identifying the location of the air cell of an egg and determining a preferred extraction point relative to the position of the air cell of the egg, the system having an egg manipulator to hold and orient one or more eggs in a defined position; a candling unit with one or more light sources and one or more detectors; a system configured to run an algorithm for determining the location of the air cell and the preferred extraction point; and a system for positioning the egg relative to an extractor or an egg opener or vice versa from their initial position to the preferred extraction point.
Claims18
An automated system for non-invasively identifying the location of the air cell of an egg and determining a preferred extraction point relative to the location of the air cell, the system comprising:
- an egg manipulator to hold and orient one or more eggs in a defined position, wherein the egg manipulator comprises an egg rotator for rotating the egg;
- a candling unit comprising one or more light sources and one or more detectors, wherein the light source is position between the egg and the detector;
- a system configured to determine the location of the air cell and the preferred extraction point;
- and
- a system for positioning the egg relative to one or both of an extractor and/or an egg opener to allow extraction at a preferred extraction point.
A method for non-invasively identifying a location of an air cell of an egg and determining a preferred extraction point relative to the location of the air cell of the egg, the method comprising:
- holding and orienting the egg in a defined position;
- candling the egg using a light source positioned between the egg and a detector;
- determining the location of the air cell of the egg and the preferred extraction point using a system employing an algorithm configured to convert candling data into location data;
- rotating the egg;
- automatically positioning the egg relative to one or both of an extractor and an egg opener from an initial position, and
- opening the egg at the preferred extraction point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.