JP5101404B2 - Fish sex determination apparatus and fish sex determination method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for discriminating the sex of fish.

  In fish, depending on how they are eaten, processing methods, distribution means, etc., either male or female may be useful. For example, in the case of madara, males are traded at a higher fish price than females because testes (hereinafter referred to as white cats) are traded at a mature stage. In the case of herring, the female is more valuable because the egg is prized as a casserole. On the other hand, in Europe there is a custom of eating herring males with vinegar, so males are more valuable.

  Therefore, as a middleman or processor, you want to make a sex determination, but even specialists such as fishermen and fishermen are difficult to discriminate from the outside of the fish body, and transactions are inevitably made in a mixed state. . For this reason, an appropriate price is not set.

  In addition, in the case of salmon, the processing process differs depending on the female salmon for manufacturing salmon and mussels and the male salmon that is provided for meat eating. It is also preferable in order to reduce costs.

  As described above, it has been conventionally desired to perform sex discrimination of fish, and various developments have been made on the discrimination method.

  Patent Document 1 uses the fact that the transmitted light amount of a male is smaller than the transmitted light amount of a female compared to a female transmitted light amount by measuring light transmission characteristics at one point in the gonad region by irradiating light from the outside to madara or herring. And a male / female discriminating apparatus for fishes that discriminates between males and females.

Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus for discriminating fish according to Patent Document 1, which is an improved apparatus for discriminating fish, and obtains information on the shape of a cross-section by scanning a measurement site. Are listed.
JP-A-51-100495 JP-A-2-76528

  However, in the fish sex determination apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the measurement result varies greatly depending on the size of the fish to be measured, the variation depending on the part, the light irradiation method, and the way the light enters the detector. Will reduce the accuracy. Further, in the fish sex determination apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the fish tissue is not a simple absorber for incident light, but also scatters. Therefore, the cross section is measured so that the internal structure is measured by X-ray CT. The structure cannot be obtained accurately. In addition, for example, madara has a red and black membrane that hardly transmits light outside the gonad region, and therefore it is difficult to measure internal information with good S / N.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a fish sexing apparatus and a fish sexing method capable of improving the sex discrimination.

  The fish sex determining apparatus according to the present invention includes (a) a light emitting means for generating irradiation light for irradiating the fish body, and (b) propagating light propagated through a part of the fish body or one of the fish body. A light detection means for receiving the reflected light reflected from the part and outputting an electric signal having a value corresponding to the amount of the propagated light or the amount of the reflected light; and (c) inserted into the body of the fish, And a probe for guiding propagating light or reflected light to the light detecting means, and (d) a discriminating means for discriminating the sex of the fish based on the value of the electrical signal from the light detecting means. Features.

  In the fish sex determination method of the present invention, a probe is inserted into the body of the fish, the irradiation light from the light emitting means is guided into the body of the fish, and the propagation light propagated through a part of the body of the fish or the fish The reflected light reflected from a part of the body is guided to the light detection means, and the sex of the fish is discriminated based on an electric signal having a value corresponding to the amount of propagating light or the amount of reflected light.

  According to this fish sexing apparatus and fish sexing method, the probe is inserted into the body of the fish and guides the irradiation light into the body of the fish. The reflected light that reflects a part of the body is guided to the light detection means, so it is stable without depending on the size of the fish to be measured, variation depending on the part, light irradiation method, and how light enters the detector. A measurement result of propagating light or reflected light can be obtained. In addition, according to the fish sex determining apparatus and the fish sex determining method, it is not necessary to accurately acquire the cross-sectional structure. Further, according to the fish sexing apparatus and the fish sexing method, even if the fish has a red-black film that hardly transmits light outside the gonad area, such as madara, it does not depend on this film. Measurement of propagating light or reflected light is possible. Therefore, according to the sex determination apparatus and the sex determination method for fish, it is possible to improve the accuracy of sex determination.

  The light emitting means and the light detecting means are preferably disposed inside the probe, and the probe is preferably inserted into the fish body such that the light emitting means and the light detecting means are disposed within the fish body. According to this, the physical size of the light emitting means and the light detecting means can be reduced, and the apparatus can be easily handled.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a probe has the 1st light guide means which propagates the irradiation light from a light emission means, and the 2nd light guide means which propagates propagation light or reflected light to a light detection means. According to this, the light emitting means and the light detecting means can be arranged outside the probe, and there is no restriction in terms of the outer shape and arrangement position of the light emitting means and the light detecting means.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the light emitting unit generates irradiation light having two or more different wavelengths, and the determination unit determines the sex of the fish based on the spectral information obtained from the electrical signal from the light detection unit. According to this, since the sex determination is performed based on the spectral propagation information or the spectral reflection information, that is, based on the propagation information or the reflection information of two or more wavelengths, it is possible to further improve the sex determination.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a discrimination | determination means discriminate | determines the sex of fish based on the spectral information obtained by analyzing a spectrum with a wavelength of about 550 nm or less. Since fish males and females have different spectral characteristics at a wavelength of about 550 nm or less, the difference in spectral information between males and females can be extracted more accurately, and the sex discrimination accuracy can be further improved.

  The light detection means is preferably a spectroscope. According to this, since the spectrum information can be measured in more detail, it is possible to further improve the sex discrimination.

  Further, a part of the fish body is an ovary part or a testis part, and the discrimination means preferably discriminates the sex of the fish based on the spectral information of the ovary part or the testis part. Fish ovary and testis have different spectral transmission characteristics and spectral reflection characteristics, that is, they have different transmission characteristics and reflection characteristics for each wavelength, so it is possible to increase the accuracy of sex discrimination. It becomes.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a part of the fish body is inside the tissue that continues from the entrance of the reproductive tract of the fish, and the discrimination means discriminates the sex of the fish based on the spectral information inside the tissue. Since the tissue that continues from the entrance of the reproductive tract of fish has different spectral transmission characteristics and spectral reflection characteristics depending on the sex, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of sex determination. The "inside of the tissue that continues from the entrance of the genital tract" described here is the part of the tubular tissue that connects to the white pupae that are formed in the tuft of grapes in the case of males, and the tubular that connects to the ovaries in the case of females Shows the tissues themselves, or the eggs themselves in the ovaries.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the precision of the sex determination of fish can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[First Embodiment]

  FIG. 1 is an electrical view of a fish sex determining apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 includes a light emitting unit (light emitting unit) 10, a light detecting unit (light detecting unit) 20, a notification unit 30, and a control unit 40.

  The light emitting unit 10 generates irradiation light for irradiating the fish body in response to a command from the control unit 40. For example, as will be described later, in order to discriminate between males and females based on the amount of spectral reflection, the light emitting unit 10 emits irradiation light of two wavelengths of 500 nm green light and 800 nm near infrared light. The light emitting unit 10 includes a drive circuit 11 and a light emitting element 12.

  The drive circuit 11 supplies a drive current to the light emitting element 12 in accordance with a command from the control unit 40. For example, in order to make it easy to determine which wavelength of light is detected by a single photodetector, the drive circuit 11 applies pulse currents of different wavelengths to the light emitting element 12 at different timings so that the light emission does not overlap. Supply (time division lighting). The light emitting element 12 emits light according to the drive current from the drive circuit 11. For the light emitting element 12, an LED, an LD, or the like can be used.

  The light detection unit 20 receives propagating light that is propagated while being scattered / absorbed in a part of the fish body or reflected light that is reflected from the part of the fish body, and corresponds to the amount of propagating light or the amount of reflected light. An electrical signal having a value is generated. The light detection unit 20 includes a light detector 21, a current-voltage conversion circuit 22, an amplification / integration circuit 23, and an A / D converter 24.

  The photodetector 21 generates a photocurrent having a value corresponding to the amount of propagating light or the amount of reflected light. For example, a PD can be used for the photodetector 21. The current-voltage conversion circuit 22 converts the photocurrent from the photodetector 21 into a voltage. The amplification / integration circuit 23 amplifies and integrates the voltage from the current-voltage conversion circuit 22 so as to obtain a necessary S / N ratio. The A / D converter 24 converts the analog voltage from the amplification / integration circuit 23 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the control unit 40.

  The notification unit 30 notifies the determination result from the control unit 40 based on a command from the control unit 40. For example, the notification unit 30 has two colors of LEDs, and turns on one of the LEDs according to the determination result.

  The control unit 40 comprehensively controls the light emitting unit 10, the light detection unit 20, and the notification unit 30. The control unit 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs calculations, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a program for causing the CPU to execute each process, a threshold value for sex determination, and the like. With this configuration, the control unit 40 functions as the determination unit 41.

  The discriminating means 41 discriminates between males and females based on the spectral information obtained from the digital signal from the light detection unit 20, that is, using the value of the digital signal obtained by converting the propagation light or the reflected light for each wavelength. For example, the discriminating means 41 obtains a ratio between the value of the digital signal corresponding to propagation light or reflected light having a wavelength of 500 nm and the value of a digital signal corresponding to propagation light or reflected light having a wavelength of 800 nm, and this ratio is stored in advance. The male and female discrimination is performed by comparing with the threshold value. The discriminating means 41 instructs the notifying unit 30 according to the discrimination result.

  Here, as the spectral reflection characteristics in the body of fish, the spectral reflection characteristics of the female mandala's ovary (hereinafter referred to as fish egg) portion and the male spotted portion of male madara are exemplified. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example in which the spectral reflectances of the fish egg portion of the female spotted fish and the white spotted portion of the male spotted fish are measured. FIG. 2 shows measured data obtained by spectroscopically analyzing the reflected light from a fish egg portion of a female spotted fish or a white spotted portion of a male spotted fish using white light as irradiation light. In FIG. 2, a curve 61 indicates the spectral reflection characteristic of the fish egg portion, and a curve 62 indicates the spectral reflection characteristic of the baby egg portion. Note that these spectral reflection characteristics are normalized with a wavelength of 800 nm.

  According to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the spectral reflection characteristics of the fish egg and the baby egg are different. Specifically, it can be seen that the light reflectance of the fish egg relatively decreases as the wavelength becomes shorter (see curve 61). On the other hand, it can be seen that the light reflectivity of the baby is not greatly reduced even when the wavelength is shortened (see curve 62). When viewed with the naked eye, the fish eggs are a light red color. On the other hand, the white child is white, but there is a part through which blood vessels pass, and it is not pure white. For this reason, it is considered that the spectral reflection characteristics of the fish egg and the baby egg are different.

  From this, for example, the two-wavelength light reflection amount of green light of 500 nm and near-infrared light of 800 nm is measured, and the ratio of these spectral reflection amounts is different between males and females. You can see that it can be done. In the present embodiment, a ratio between the value of the digital signal corresponding to the amount of reflected light or propagation light having a wavelength of 500 nm and the value of the digital signal corresponding to the amount of reflected light or propagation light having a wavelength of 800 nm is obtained. The sex threshold is determined by comparing the stored threshold value. Therefore, this threshold value may be set to a digital signal value corresponding to an intermediate value between the male and female spectral reflection amount ratios or spectral propagation amount ratios, and may be obtained in advance by experiments.

  Next, a probe for guiding irradiation light from the light emitting unit 10 into the fish body and guiding propagating light or reflected light to the light detection unit 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a physical configuration of the probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3A and 3B show probes viewed from angles different from each other by 90 degrees. The probe 50 shown in FIG. 3 has an insertion part 51 and a handle part 52 that are inserted into the fish body through the genital tract A shown in FIG.

  The insertion portion 51 has a cylindrical shape, and a hemispherical lid is formed at one end on the distal end side of the probe 50. Thereby, when the insertion part 51 is inserted in the body of fish, it can prevent a damage | wound inside. As a material of the insertion portion 51, a transparent resin such as acrylic or glass can be used. The diameter of the insertion part 51 should just be set suitably according to the reproductive hole A of fish. For example, when the fish to be discriminated is a spotted fish, the diameter of the insertion portion 51 may be set to about 7 mm.

  The light emitting element 12 and the photodetector 21 are disposed in the inner hole of the insertion portion 51. The light emitting element 12 and the photodetector 21 are arranged apart from each other, and a light shielding member 53 is provided between them. For example, the inventors of the present application arranged the light emitting element 12 and the photodetector 21 at a distance of about 15 mm in the experiment. Thereby, the light emitted from the light emitting element 12 can be prevented from directly entering the photodetector 21 without propagating inside the fish. As the material of the light shielding member 53, for example, a black light absorbing material is used.

  The light shielding member 53 is formed by notching a portion 51a of the tube wall on the light emission side in the insertion portion 51 and filling it there. In this way, the material of the part 51a of the tube wall between the light emitting element 12 and the photodetector 21 is made of a material or structure in which light does not easily propagate, so that the light propagates through the tube wall of the insertion portion 51 and emits light. It is possible to prevent light from the element 12 from entering the photodetector 21.

  The other end of the insertion portion 51 is connected to and supported by the handle portion 52. The handle portion 52 has a cylindrical shape, and the inner hole is preferably filled with a light shielding member. According to this, it can prevent that extraneous light enters from the inner hole of the handle part 52, and can aim at the improvement of a measurement precision. Furthermore, it is preferable that the handle 52 is filled with the light shielding member from the photodetector 21 in the inner hole of the insertion portion 51. According to this, it can prevent that extraneous light injects from the part which is a part of insertion part 51, and is not inserted in the body of fish, and can aim at the improvement of a measurement precision.

  The light emitting element 12 and the photodetector 21 are connected to the external drive circuit 11 and the current-voltage conversion circuit 22 by electrical wirings wired in the inner holes of the insertion part 51 and the handle part 52, respectively. Yes.

  The insertion part 51 in the probe 50 is arranged at a place where the light emitting element 12 and the photodetector 21 arranged inside the insertion part 51 are buried in a fish egg in the case of a female, and in the case of a male. Is inserted into the fish from the reproductive tract A so that it is placed in a place so as to pass between the larvae. When the fish to be discriminated is a spotted fish, it is preferable that the depth of insertion into the reproductive hole A, that is, the depth of the measurement position is about 5 to 7 cm. In the probe 50, the irradiation light is emitted in the direction of 90 ° with respect to the axis extending in the insertion direction, and the reflected light from the same direction is detected.

  Next, the operation of the fish sex determination apparatus 1 of the first embodiment will be described, and the fish sex determination method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  First, the insertion part 51 in the probe 50 is inserted into the fish from the reproductive hole A. At this time, the light emitting element 12 and the light detector 21 arranged inside the insertion portion 51 are arranged in a place where they are buried in a fish egg in the case of a female, and in between the white cats in the case of a male. It is arranged in such a place.

  Next, in accordance with a command from the control unit 40, drive currents having a wavelength of 500 nm and a wavelength of 800 nm are sequentially generated by the drive circuit 11, and irradiation light having a wavelength of 500 nm and a wavelength of 800 nm is sequentially generated by the light emitting element 12 Is irradiated. Then, these irradiation lights are reflected by a fish egg or a baby egg or propagated while being scattered / absorbed, and enter the photodetector 21 as reflected light or propagation light.

  Thereafter, a photocurrent corresponding to the amount of propagating light or reflected light is generated by the photodetector 21, converted into a voltage by the current-voltage conversion circuit 22, amplified and integrated by the amplification / integration circuit 23, and A / It is converted into a digital signal by the D converter 24.

  Thereafter, the control unit 40 functions as a discriminating means, the ratio of the digital signal of two wavelengths is obtained, and the ratio is compared with a threshold value stored in advance to perform sex discrimination. For example, in the case of madara, as shown in FIG. 2, if the value of a digital signal with a wavelength of 500 nm is D5 and the value of a digital signal with a wavelength of 800 nm is D8, and the ratio D8 / D5 of the two-wavelength digital signal is equal to or greater than a threshold value If it is determined to be female and less than the threshold value, it is determined to be male.

  Next, the control unit 40 instructs the notification unit 30 according to the determination result, and the notification unit 30 notifies the male and female determination result. For example, when the determination result is female, a red LED is lit, and when male is male, a green LED is lit.

  As explained above, according to the fish sex determining apparatus 1 of the first embodiment and the fish sex determining method of the present embodiment, the spectral reflectance or spectral transmittance in the body of the fish is measured. A stable measurement result of the propagation light or reflected light can be obtained without depending on the size of the target fish, the variation depending on the part, the light irradiation method, and the way the light enters the detector. Further, even if a red-black film that hardly transmits light is present outside the gonad area, such as a spotted moth, it is possible to measure propagating light or reflected light without depending on this film. Therefore, according to the fish sex determination apparatus 1 of the first embodiment and the fish sex determination method of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of sex determination.

  Further, according to the fish sex determination apparatus 1 of the first embodiment and the fish sex determination method of the present embodiment, based on the spectral propagation information or the spectral reflection information, that is, based on the propagation information or reflection information of two wavelengths. Thus, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of sex determination.

  In addition, according to the fish sex determining apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, the light emitting element 12 in the light emitting unit 10 and the photodetector 21 in the light detecting unit 20 are housed inside the probe 50, that is, in the same package. Therefore, the physical sizes of the light emitting unit 10 and the light detecting unit 20 can be reduced, and the handling of the apparatus becomes easy.

  In addition, according to the fish sex determination apparatus 1 of the first embodiment and the fish sex determination method of the present embodiment, the ovary or testis shows a spectral characteristic different from normal in fish out of the spawning season. In addition to the determination, it is also possible to determine whether or not the body has an egg and whether or not it has a baby.

Therefore, according to the fish sex determination apparatus 1 of the first embodiment and the fish sex determination method of the present embodiment, it becomes possible to selectively distribute only either sex after the sex determination. Can be reduced. In addition, it will be possible to add value to fish that have been landed, and branded fishery products.
[Second Embodiment]

  Next, a fish sex determination apparatus 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The electrical configuration of the fish sex determining apparatus 1A is the same as that of the fish sex determining apparatus 1 shown in FIG. The fish sex determination apparatus 1A is different from the first embodiment in that the fish sex determination apparatus 1 includes a probe 50A instead of the probe 50 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a physical configuration of a probe according to the second embodiment of the present invention. A probe 50A shown in FIG. 5 includes an insertion portion 51A instead of the insertion portion 51, and further includes optical fibers (first and second light guide means) 55 and 56, and is different from the probe 50. Yes.

  The insertion portion 51A is different from the insertion portion 51 in that a flat lid is formed at one end on the distal end side of the probe 50A. Thereby, it is possible to prevent refraction and interference of the irradiation light irradiated from the distal end side of the probe 50A and the propagation light and reflected light received on the distal end side of the probe 50A. Moreover, it is preferable that the edge part of the insertion part 51A has been chamfered. Thereby, when the insertion part 51A is inserted into the fish body, it is possible to prevent the inside from being damaged. Optical fibers 55 and 56 are disposed in the inner holes of the insertion portion 51 </ b> A and the handle portion 52.

  The optical fiber 55 guides the irradiation light from the light emitting element 12 arranged outside to the fish body through one end of the insertion portion 51A. The optical fiber 56 guides propagating light or reflected light incident through one end of the insertion portion 51 </ b> A to the external photodetector 21. For example, the inventors of the present application use optical fibers 55 and 56 having a diameter of about 1 mm in the experiment.

  In the probe 50A, the irradiation light is emitted in the insertion direction (forward direction of the rod-shaped probe), and the propagating light or reflected light from the same direction is detected.

  In the probe 50A, as with the light shielding member 53 of the probe 50, measures are taken to prevent light emitted from the optical fiber 55 from directly entering the optical fiber 56 without propagating inside the fish. preferable.

  In the fish sex determining apparatus 1A of the second embodiment, the same advantages as the fish sex determining apparatus 1 of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, according to the fish sex determining apparatus 1A of the second embodiment, the light emitting element 12 in the light emitting unit 10 and the photodetector 21 in the light detecting unit 20 can be arranged outside the probe 50. There are no restrictions on the outer shape and arrangement position of the light emitting element 12 and the photodetector 21.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  In the present embodiment, spectral information is measured using irradiation light with two wavelengths, but spectral reflection information or spectral propagation information may be measured using irradiation light with three or more wavelengths and used for sex discrimination. Further, the spectral reflection characteristic or the spectral propagation characteristic may be measured using a white light source, and the sex may be determined from the shape of the spectrum or the ratio of components between multiple spectra. Since a white light source has a plurality of wavelengths at the same time, the above time-division lighting method cannot be used. Therefore, when a white light source is used for the light emitting unit 10, the light detection unit 20 performs spectroscopy using a spectroscope to obtain spectral information. As the white light source, a lamp light source such as a halogen lamp or a tungsten lamp, a white LED, or the like can be used.

  In the present embodiment, irradiation light of two wavelengths is generated using one light emitting element 12, but a plurality of different light emitting elements may be provided for each wavelength of irradiation light. According to FIG. 2, the amount of light absorption of fish eggs is larger in the shorter wavelength region than the vicinity of the wavelength of 550 nm, and the spectral reflection amounts or spectral values having a plurality of wavelengths having a sufficient wavelength difference across the vicinity of the wavelength of 550 nm. The amount of absorption may be measured, and sex discrimination may be performed based on these spectral reflection amounts or spectral absorption amounts.

  Here, the results of analysis focusing on a wavelength of 550 nm or less will be described. In this experiment, a probe having a coaxial optical fiber, which will be described later, that is, a probe having a structure in which an irradiation optical fiber and a light receiving fiber are bundled as shown in FIG. 11, is used. The reflection spectrum was measured by inserting the hole to a depth of about 50 mm. That is, the amount of spectral reflection inside the tissue that continued from the entrance to the genital pit of the pied eagle was measured. The number of madara samples subjected to spectrum measurement was 53. As the light source, a light source having a sufficiently wide wavelength band was used.

  FIG. 8 shows an example in which the spectral reflectance inside the genital tract of male madara is measured, and FIG. 9 shows an example in which the spectral reflectance inside the genital tract of female madara is measured. 8 and 9, it can be seen that there is a difference between the spectral reflectance inside the genital tract of male madara and the spectral reflectance inside the genital tract of female madara at a wavelength of 550 nm or less. From this, the spectral reflection amount or the spectral absorption amount in the tissue continuing from the entrance of the reproductive tract of the fish may be measured, and the sex determination may be performed based on the spectral reflection amount or the spectral absorption amount. Moreover, according to FIG.8 and FIG.9, it is preferable to perform sex discrimination based on the amount of spectral reflection or the amount of spectral absorption obtained by analyzing the spectrum of wavelength 550nm or less.

  Further, according to FIGS. 8 and 9, it can be seen that in the spectral characteristics in the wavelength range from 500 nm to 550 nm, the male madara has a negative gradient and the female madara has a positive gradient. From this, the sex determination may be performed using the gradient of the spectral characteristics in the wavelength range from 500 nm to 550 nm as an evaluation index.

  FIG. 10 shows the gradient of the spectral characteristics in the range from the wavelength 500 nm to the wavelength 550 nm in FIGS. FIG. 10 shows the measurement results of 53 madara. In FIG. 10, when the threshold value is set to the value indicated by the dotted line 101 and the sex determination is performed, the sex determination can be performed with an accuracy of 88%.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 40 uses a fixed value stored in advance as a threshold for sex determination, but the control unit has a learning function and a database function to store spectral information measured in the discrimination process, For example, the threshold value may be adjusted by obtaining the average of the spectral information. According to this, the determination accuracy can be further increased.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although one threshold value was set and the sex determination was performed, it is not limited to this. Two thresholds may be set, and the first group may be classified as male, the second group as female, and the third group as difficult to discriminate between males and females. The purpose of sex discrimination is to give a certain result to those who need discrimination, so those that are difficult to discriminate are excluded from the discrimination results and routed to different distribution routes or accurately by the hands of craftsmen. You may make it discriminate | determine.

  In the present embodiment, the gradient is used as an evaluation index by paying attention to the spectrum in the wavelength range of 500 nm to 550 nm. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to perform sex discrimination with higher accuracy using a statistical method such as multi-component analysis.

  In addition, the vertical axis | shaft of the spectral characteristic measured in this embodiment does not need to be an absolute value. For example, if reproducibility can be obtained at the time of measurement even if calculation processing showing the absolute value is not performed by calibration of the transmittance of the probe or the spectral spectrum of the light source, it is suitable for each measurement system used. The male / female discrimination processing can be performed by setting the threshold value.

  In the present embodiment, the light detection unit 20 including the light detector 21, the current-voltage conversion circuit 22, the amplification / integration circuit 23, and the A / D converter 24 is illustrated. It is not limited to the embodiment. For example, the photodetection unit may use a charge amount voltage conversion circuit by directly integrating the output current of the photodetector instead of the current-voltage conversion circuit 22 and the amplification / integration circuit 23. Further, since the amplification / integration circuit 23 is provided to obtain a necessary S / N ratio, it is not essential and may be provided as necessary.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the alerting | reporting part 30 performed visual alerting | reporting using 2 color LED, the alerting | reporting method by the alerting | reporting part 30 is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the notification unit 30 may perform auditory notification using a high and low buzzer sound.

  In the first embodiment, the probe 50 is provided with one photodetector 21. However, the probe 50 provides information on different insertion depths with respect to the genital tract A, that is, information on measurement positions at different depths. In order to be able to measure, a plurality of photodetectors are arranged at a plurality of positions in the insertion portion 51 in different insertion directions, and the internal information of the fish is measured in more detail based on the information on the detected light quantity or light quantity ratio. May be.

  In the second embodiment, the probe 50A includes the irradiation optical fiber 55 and the light receiving optical fiber 56 separately. However, the irradiation optical fiber and the light receiving optical fiber have a coaxial structure. It is also possible to use a structure that can be operated with a single optical fiber. Thereby, a simpler system can be constructed.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of the structure of one optical fiber in which an irradiation optical fiber and a light receiving optical fiber are coaxial. As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of optical fibers (for example, 50 μm) having a thickness that can be easily handled are bundled, and an appropriate number near the center is used as an optical fiber 111 for irradiation. One optical fiber 113 may be configured as the optical fiber 112 for light reception. Note that the irradiation optical fibers 111 are not necessarily densely distributed, and are uniformly distributed within the diameter of the optical fiber 113 so that the irradiation light from the light emitting elements 12 can be uniformly irradiated into the fish body. May be.

  Further, part or all of the notification unit 30 and the control unit 40 may be separated from the light emitting unit 10 and the light detection unit 20 and communicated by wire or wirelessly. According to this configuration, the probes 50 and 50A are lightweight, and the handling of the probes 50 and 50A becomes easy.

  In this embodiment, the shape of the handle portion 52 of the probes 50 and 50A is a rod shape. However, in order to facilitate the operation of inserting fish into the body, the shape of the handle portion 52 is a pistol shape. It may be.

  Further, in this embodiment, in the insertion portions 50 and 51A of the probes 50 and 50A, one end on the tip side of the probe has a hemispherical shape and a flat plate shape, respectively, but the tip shape of the insertion portions 50 and 51A is the present embodiment. It is not limited to form. For example, the tip of the insertion portion 51A of the probe 50A is cut at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the longitudinal direction along the inner hole of the insertion portion, and a lid with an angle of 45 ° with respect to the longitudinal direction is formed. Also good. According to this, irradiation light is radiate | emitted in the direction of 90 degrees with respect to the axis | shaft extended in an insertion direction, and the propagation light or reflected light from the same direction will be detected.

  Moreover, the sex determination apparatus of the fish of this embodiment may be provided with the structure which automates sex determination. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration for automating sex determination by the fish sex determination apparatus of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, sex determination can be automated by a belt conveyor 71, a TV camera 72, a control PC 73, and a probe arm 74.

  First, the fish to be discriminated is moved at an appropriate speed by the belt conveyor 71. Next, the position of the reproductive hole of the fish to be discriminated is measured by the TV camera 72, and image processing is performed by the control PC 73 to digitize the position of the reproductive hole. Based on this digitized information, the probe 50 is inserted into the genital tract by a predetermined angle and a predetermined depth by the probe arm 74, and the above-described sex determination is performed. After that, it is preferable that the determination result is transmitted to the destination where the fish is sent by the belt conveyor 71, and the fish is moved to a separate place according to the determination result.

  In place of the belt conveyor 71, as shown in FIG. 7, it is preferable to use a belt conveyor 71A having a V shape having a groove for fixing a fish. For example, the TV camera 72, the probe arm 74, and the probe 50 are disposed above in FIG. 7, and the fish is disposed in the V-shaped groove of the belt conveyor 71A with the belly up. According to this, since the fish can be fixed, the insertion state of the probe 50 such as the insertion depth can be made uniform. The TV camera 72, the probe arm 74, and the probe 50 may be disposed below, and the fish may be disposed in the V-shaped groove of the belt conveyor 71A with the belly down.

It is a figure which shows electrically the sex determination apparatus of the fish which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the spectral reflectance of the fish egg part of a female spotted fish, and the white part of a male spotted fish. It is a figure which shows the physical structure of the probe which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the insertion location of the probe shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the physical structure of the probe which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure for automating the sex determination by the sex determination apparatus of the fish of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of the belt conveyor shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example which measured the spectral reflectance inside the pipe | tube of the reproductive tract of a male spotted cod. It is a figure which shows an example which measured the spectral reflectance inside the pipe | tube of the reproductive tract of a female spotted fish. It is a figure which shows the gradient of the spectrum characteristic of the range of wavelength 500nm to wavelength 550nm in FIG.8 and FIG.9. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the structure of one optical fiber which made the optical fiber for irradiation, and the optical fiber for light reception coaxial.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1A ... Fish sex determination apparatus, 10 ... Light emission part (light emission means), 11 ... Drive circuit, 12 ... Light emitting element, 20 ... Light detection part (light detection means), 21 ... Photodetector, 22 ... Current voltage Conversion circuit 23 ... Amplification / integration circuit 24 ... A / D converter 30 ... Notification unit 40 ... Control unit 41 ... Determination means 50, 50A ... Probe 51,51A ... Insertion unit 52 ... Hand 53, a light shielding member, 55, 56, an optical fiber (first and second light guiding means).

Claims (9)

A light emitting means for generating irradiation light for irradiating the fish body;
Receives propagating light propagated through a part of the fish body or reflected light reflected from a part of the fish body, and outputs an electric signal having a value corresponding to the amount of the propagating light or the amount of the reflected light. Light detection means;
A probe that is inserted into the body of the fish, guides the irradiation light into the body of the fish, and guides the propagating light or the reflected light to the light detection means;
A discriminating means for discriminating the sex of the fish based on the value of the electrical signal from the light detecting means;
A sex determination device for fish, comprising: The light emitting means and the light detecting means are disposed inside the probe,
The probe is inserted into the fish body such that the light emitting means and the light detection means are arranged in the fish body.
The fish sexing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein   The probe has a first light guide means for propagating the irradiation light from the light emitting means, and a second light guide means for propagating the propagation light or the reflected light to the light detection means. The sex determination apparatus for fish according to claim 1. The light emitting means generates the irradiation light having two or more different wavelengths,
The determination means determines the sex of the fish based on spectral information obtained from an electrical signal from the light detection means,
The male / female discrimination apparatus for fish according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The sex determination apparatus for fish according to claim 4, wherein the determination means determines the sex of the fish based on the spectral information obtained by analyzing a spectrum having a wavelength of about 550 nm or less.   6. The fish sexing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the light detection means is a spectroscope. A part of the fish body is the ovary or testis;
The discrimination means discriminates the sex of the fish based on the spectral information of the ovary part or the testis part,
The fish sex determining apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: A part of the body of the fish is inside the tissue that continues from the entrance of the reproductive tract of the fish;
The discrimination means discriminates the sex of the fish based on the spectral information inside the tissue.
The fish sex determining apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: A probe is inserted into the body of the fish, and the irradiation light from the light emitting means is guided into the body of the fish, and the propagating light propagated through a part of the body of the fish or the reflected light reflected from a part of the body of the fish Led to light detection means,
Based on the electrical signal having a value corresponding to the amount of the propagating light or the amount of the reflected light, the sex of the fish is determined.
A method for discriminating the sex of fish.

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