JP2020204504A - Observation apparatus for egg being incubated - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an observation apparatus for an egg being incubated that can be used even in an incubator.SOLUTION: An observation apparatus 10 for an egg being incubated according to the present invention comprises light irradiation parts 21a, 21b and a light reception part 22, and observes an internal state of the egg E being incubated based upon change of light received by the light reception part 22. The irradiation parts 21a, 21b irradiate the egg E being incubated with light. A light reception part 22 receives light, passed through the inside of an egg E and emitted to the outside from a surface of the egg E, of irradiation light from irradiation parts 21a, 21b. An observation apparatus 10 for the egg being incubated according to the present invention further comprises a pad part 23, a connection part 24, and an energization part 25, and at least either of the irradiation parts 21a, 21b and the light reception part 22 is arranged in the at least one pad part 23. The observation apparatus comprises two or more pad part 23 which can elastically deform in contact with the one egg E being incubated. The connection part 24 connects the respective pad parts 23. The energization part 25 energizes the respective pad parts 23 toward each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to an observation device for eggs during hatching.

Incubating eggs used for the production of chicks and vaccines are hatched in an environment such as a predetermined temperature and humidity, and during the incubation, a test for determining the activity status of the embryo inside the egg, that is, life or death, etc. Is done. As such an inspection device, a device for identifying a living egg described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This device removes the incubating eggs placed on the tray from the incubator and then places them on a conveyor for several seconds.

Special Table 2005-532046 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-255431

The temperature, humidity, wind, etc. in the incubator are maintained in an atmosphere suitable for incubation, and it is not preferable to expose the eggs during incubation to the outside of the incubator for a long time for the above-mentioned inspection. Therefore, the present inventor considers observing the incubating egg without removing the incubating egg from the incubator.

In the incubator, an operation called egg turning is performed to prevent the embryo in the egg from adhering to the eggshell (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Specifically, the tray in the incubator is swayed from one tilted state to the other tilted state at predetermined time intervals. An observation device capable of responding to such movement of eggs during hatching has not been conventionally considered.

The present invention provides an incubating egg observation device that can also be used in an incubator.

The device for observing an egg in the process of hatching of the present invention includes an irradiation unit and a light receiving unit, and observes the internal state of the egg in the process of hatching based on a change in the light received by the light receiving unit. The irradiation unit irradiates the egg during hatching with light. The light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the surface of the egg through the inside of the egg among the light emitted by the irradiation unit. The in-hatching egg observing device of the present invention further includes a pad portion, a connecting portion, and an urging portion, and at least one of an irradiation portion and a light receiving portion is arranged inside at least one of the pad portions. .. The pad portions are elastically deformable in contact with one hatching egg, and are provided with two or more pads. The connection part connects each pad part. The urging portion urges each pad portion in a direction approaching each other.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an observation device for incubating eggs that can be used even in an incubator.

The above and other objectives, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention as understood in connection with the accompanying drawings.

It is a figure which shows the state of attaching the observation part to an egg in the middle of hatching. It is a figure which shows the state which observes the egg in the middle of hatching that the air chamber is in a normal position. It is a figure which shows the state which observes the egg in the middle of hatching that the air chamber is in an abnormal position. It is a top view which shows typically the state of observing an egg in the middle of hatching. It is a figure which shows the ON / OFF control sequence of an irradiation part. It is a schematic diagram which shows the casing of an incubator. It is a figure which shows the state which observes the egg in the middle of hatching on the tray tilted in the casing. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 2 of the observation apparatus of an in-hatching egg according to the first modification of this invention. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 4 of the observation apparatus of the egg in the middle of hatching which concerns on the 2nd modification of this invention. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 4 of the observation apparatus of an in-hatching egg according to the third modification of the present invention. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 4 of the observation apparatus of the egg in the middle of hatching which concerns on the 4th modification of this invention. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 4 of the observation apparatus of the egg in the middle of hatching which concerns on the 5th modification of this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The in-hatching egg observing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment observes the internal state of the in-hatching egg E (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “egg E”) based on the change in light. The incubating egg observing device 10 individually observes the eggs E on the tray T arranged on the shelf Ia in the incubator I. At least a part of the egg observing device 10 during hatching (for example, the light receiving part 22, the circuit board 6, the frame 8, etc.) is arranged above the egg E to be observed, and the inside of the casing Ib is maintained in an atmosphere suitable for incubation. Observe the eggs E on the trays T arranged in multiple layers.

The tray T includes a plurality of egg seats T1 provided two-dimensionally. In each egg seat T1, a plurality of protrusions T3 for supporting the egg E from below are formed on the frame portion T2 for supporting the seed egg from the side according to the shape of the egg E, and the egg E is sided. Hold from the side and from below. Each egg E is filled in the egg seat T1 with its sharp end E1 facing downward and its blunt end E2 facing upward. The shape of the tray T and the storage direction of the egg E are not limited to those shown in the figure.

The observing device 10 for eggs in the middle of hatching includes an observing unit 2 and a control unit 4. The observation unit 2 makes an observation for determining the life or death of the egg E in the tray T at the “observation position” attached to the egg E from above. The control unit 4 controls the observation unit 2. Specifically, the control unit 4 irradiates the irradiation units 21a and 21b in a time-division manner.

The observation unit 2 includes irradiation units 21a and 21b, a light receiving unit 22, and a pad unit 23 which is a light-shielding cap. The irradiation units 21a and 21b, the light receiving unit 22 and the pad unit 23 are provided on the connection unit 24. The connecting portion 24 connects the two pad portions 23. The two pad portions 23 are urged inward by the urging portion 25 in a direction approaching each other. In the drawing, the urging portion 25 is shown not by the member itself but by the direction of the force applied to the pad portion 23.

The observation unit 2 continuously or intermittently observes the state of the egg E attached to the egg E outside the incubator I at the start of incubation and then placed in the incubator I. The positional relationship between the irradiation units 21a and 21b and the light receiving unit 22 and the egg E was kept constant while being attached to the egg E on the tray T that was shaken in the casing Ib maintained in an atmosphere suitable for incubation. Is done.

The irradiation units 21a and 21b irradiate light from the side surface E4 other than the sharp end E1 and the blunt end E2 of one egg E toward the central axis connecting the sharp end E1 and the blunt end E2. The two irradiation units 21a and 21b irradiate one egg E with light from different directions. The two irradiation units 21a and 21b are arranged so as to face each other. The irradiation units 21a and 21b are provided at the lower ends of the connection unit 24. A part of the connecting portion 24 is composed of a tubular body (arm) adjacent to the side of the egg E at the observation position. The lower end of the connecting portion 24 is located near the equator of the egg E at the observation position. The irradiation units 21a and 21b are, for example, LEDs, but may be laser light emitting elements or the like, or the light source may be arranged at another location using an optical guide.

The light receiving unit 22 receives the light emitted from the surface of the egg E through the inside of the egg E among the light irradiated by the irradiation units 21a and 21b. The light that has passed through the inside is the light that the light from the irradiation units 21a and 21b is reflected and diffused by the embryo inside the egg E. The light received by the light receiving unit 22 is converted into an electric signal and sent to the identification unit (not shown) wirelessly or by wire. The identification unit identifies live eggs by analyzing the electrical signal of the light received by the light receiving unit 22.

The pad portion 23 is elastically deformable and is in close contact with the side surface E4 of the egg E arranged in the egg seat T1 at the observation position. The pad portion 23 is arranged between the egg E and the two irradiation portions 21a and 21b, respectively. Each pad portion 23 has a tubular shape, and a first irradiation portion 21a and a second irradiation portion 21b are arranged therein. The pad portion 23 is a light-shielding cap that shields light between the irradiation portions 21a and 21b and the egg E.

Next, an example of how to use the in-hatching egg observation device 10 will be described. First, the observation unit 2 is attached to the egg E vertically housed in the tray T from above. Observation is performed in the incubator I with the egg E sandwiched between the pad portions 23 facing each other by the urging force of the urging portion 25. The observation operation is divided into two stages, a "air chamber position confirmation step" and a "biological signal measurement step".

First, in the "air chamber position confirmation step", as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 4 irradiates the two irradiation units 21a and 21b in a time-division manner. As shown in FIG. 2, in the case of the egg E in which the air chamber E3 is in the normal position, the light that can be used for the inspection is emitted regardless of whether the egg E is irradiated from the first irradiation unit 21a or the second irradiation unit 21b. Obtainable. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case of the egg E in which the air chamber E3 is in an abnormal position, the amount of received light when irradiated from the first irradiation unit 21a is higher than that when irradiated from the second irradiation unit 21b. Is too large to measure the biological signal accurately. This is because the light reflected by the air chamber E3 is received when irradiated from the first irradiation unit 21a.

After confirming which irradiation units 21a and 21b can be used for the inspection in the air chamber position confirmation step, the control unit 4 selects the irradiation units 21a and 21b to be used in the biological signal measurement step.

In the "biological signal measurement step", the irradiation unit 21b is irradiated, and among the light irradiated by the irradiation unit 21b, the light emitted from the surface of the egg to the outside through the inside of the egg E is received based on the change in the light. Observe the internal state of egg E. Since the same or similar method as the method conventionally performed in this field can be applied to the "biological signal measurement step", detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, the observing device 10 for the in-hatching egg of the present embodiment includes the irradiation units 21a and 21b that irradiate the in-hatching egg E with light, and the egg E out of the light emitted by the irradiation units 21a and 21b. A light receiving unit 22 that receives light emitted from the surface of the egg E to the outside through the inside of the egg E is provided, and the internal state of the egg E during hatching is observed based on the change in the light received by the light receiving unit 22. In particular, two pad portions 23 that can be elastically deformed by contacting one hatching egg E, a connecting portion 24 that connects each pad portion 23, and an urging that urges each pad portion 23 in a direction approaching each other. A unit 25 is provided. Irradiation portions 21a and 21b are arranged inside the pad portion 23.

Because of this, the observation unit 2 can be attached to the egg E as if the over-ear headphones were attached with the blunt end of the egg E to be observed as the crown. The pad portion 23 can be brought into close contact with eggs E of various sizes, and can be easily attached and detached. In a state where the egg E is sandwiched between the pad portions 23 facing each other by the urging force of the urging portion 25, the positional relationship between the irradiation portions 21a and 21b, the light receiving portion 22 and the egg E in the middle of hatching is kept constant, and the egg turning operation is performed. Can be appropriately observed even in the incubator I where the above is performed.

Since the pad portion 23 is a light-shielding cap 26 that shields light between the irradiation portions 21a and 21b and the egg E during hatching, it is less likely to be affected by ambient light and the S / N ratio is improved.

Since the observing device 10 for the hatching egg of the present embodiment includes a control unit 4 that irradiates each irradiation unit 21a and 21b in a time-division manner, one light receiving unit 22 observes the two irradiation units 21a and 21b. It can be performed.

Further, the observing device 10 for the incubating egg of the present embodiment is attached to the incubating egg E on the tray T which is shaken in the casing Ib maintained in an atmosphere suitable for hatching, and the irradiation unit 21a, The positional relationship between the 21b and the light receiving portion 22 and the egg E during hatching is kept constant. Therefore, it is possible to observe the egg E without moving it at a time when the incubator I in and out of the incubator I tends to affect the survival rate of the egg E. Observation over multiple days will be easier. Only some eggs E in the incubator I may be observed, or all of them may be observed. The irradiation units 21a and 21b, the light receiving unit 22, and the pad unit 23 are made of members that can withstand the temperature inside the incubator I.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, an elastically deformable light-shielding cap 26 may be arranged between the egg E during hatching and the light receiving portion 22.

The number of pad portions 23 is not limited to two, and may be three or more. Various devices can be adopted as the devices arranged inside the pad portion 23. Hereinafter, in FIGS. 9 to 12, the relationship between the pad portion 23 and the hatching egg E is shown in a schematic plan view. The pad portion 23 may not have a light-shielding function.

The one shown in FIG. 9 includes three pad portions 23, a connecting portion (not shown), and an urging portion 25, and irradiation portions 21a and 21b are arranged inside the two pad portions 23, respectively. A temperature measuring unit 27 is arranged inside the pad unit 23. The temperature measuring unit 27 is for measuring the eggshell temperature of the egg E during hatching, and is arranged in association with the observation device 10. The three pad portions 23 are arranged at equal intervals.

The one shown in FIG. 10 includes two pad portions 23, a connecting portion (not shown), and an urging portion 25, and an irradiation portion 21b is arranged inside one pad portion 23 and the other pad portion. A temperature measuring unit 27 is arranged inside the 23. The one shown in FIG. 11 includes two pad portions 23, a connecting portion (not shown), and an urging portion 25, and an irradiation portion 21b is arranged inside one pad portion 23 and the other pad portion. A light receiving unit 22 is arranged inside the 23. The one shown in FIG. 12 includes four pad portions 23, a connecting portion (not shown), and an urging portion 25, and irradiation portions 21a and 21b are arranged inside the two pad portions 23, respectively. None of the irradiation units 21a and 21b, the light receiving unit 22, and the temperature measuring unit 27 are arranged inside the other two pad units 23, and the urging unit 25 is urged in the direction in which these pad units 23 approach each other. ing.

The embodiments disclosed this time are examples and are not limited thereto. The present invention is shown by the scope of claims, not the scope described above, and is intended to include all modifications in the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

The present invention can be used as an inspection device for eggs during hatching.

10 ... Observing devices for eggs in the middle of hatching 21a, 21b ... Irradiation part 22 ... Light receiving part 23 ... Pad part 24 ... Connection part 25 ... Biasing part 26 ... Light-shielding cap E ... Eggs in the middle of hatching Ib ... Casing T ... Tray

Claims (4)

The light receiving unit includes an irradiation unit that irradiates light toward the egg during hatching, and a light receiving unit that receives light emitted from the surface of the egg through the inside of the egg among the light irradiated by the irradiation unit. It is an observation device for eggs during hatching that observes the internal state of eggs during hatching based on the change in light received by the egg.
Two or more pads that can be elastically deformed by contacting one egg during hatching,
The connection part that connects each pad part and
It is provided with an urging portion that urges each of the pad portions in a direction of approaching each other.
An observation device for eggs in the middle of hatching, wherein at least one of the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit is arranged inside at least one pad portion. The observation device for an egg during hatching according to claim 1, wherein the pad portion is a light-shielding cap that shields light from the irradiation portion or the light receiving portion and the egg during hatching. The device for observing an in-hatching egg according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a control unit that irradiates each irradiation unit in a time-division manner. The positional relationship between the irradiation part and the light receiving part and the incubating egg is kept constant in a state of being attached to the incubating egg on a tray that is shaken in a casing maintained in an atmosphere suitable for incubation. The device for observing an incubating egg according to claim 1, 2 or 3.

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