WO2017126467A1

WO2017126467A1 - Chicken egg inspection device, chicken egg sorting/gathering system, and chicken egg inspection system

Info

Publication number: WO2017126467A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/001205
Authority: WO
Inventors: 伸一藤谷; 貴之長谷川
Original assignee: 株式会社ナベル
Priority date: 2016-01-22
Filing date: 2017-01-16
Publication date: 2017-07-27
Also published as: JP2017127277A; JP6558774B2; KR20170088311A

Abstract

A chicken egg inspection device (2) is provided with a vibrating unit (3), a vibration detection unit (4), and a determination unit (5). The surface of an eggshell (E1) of a chicken egg (E) being inspected is vibrated by the vibrating unit (3). Vibration caused by the vibrating unit (3) is detected in the vibration detection unit (4). In the determination unit (5), whether or not the chicken egg (E) being inspected comes from a group of young chickens is determined on the basis of the rate of attenuation of the amplitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit (4).

Description

Egg inspection device, egg sorting and assembly system, and egg inspection system

The present invention relates to an egg inspection apparatus, an egg sorting and collecting system, and an egg inspection system, and in particular, an egg testing apparatus for determining whether or not an egg is derived from a young chicken group, and an egg sorting set provided with the inspection apparatus. The system and the egg inspection system.

Ordinarily, laying hens of the same age (or weekly) are kept in the same poultry house, and there are laying hens of various ages in multiple poultry houses throughout the poultry farm. In general, it is known that when the parent chicken group is young, the egg produced from the parent chicken group has a light egg weight and shifts to a heavier egg weight as the day progresses. In some cases, the sorting process is performed in a state where the range of egg weight distribution is widened by mixing eggs born from a plurality of parent chicken groups having different ages by utilizing this in the sorting assembly system.

By the way, it is also known that the egg quality deteriorates as the age of the parent chicken group advances (for example, see Patent Document 1 or Non-Patent Document 1). For example, the egg how unit from an older parent flock is lower than the egg how unit from an older young flock, and the egg yolk coefficient is lower than that of a young fowl. Is lower. The how unit is one of the indices representing the freshness of the chicken egg, and is determined from the egg mass and the height of the thick egg white. The how unit shows a value of around 90 immediately after egg laying, and the value decreases with time.

Furthermore, based on the premise that the split egg quality of young and old chicken eggs is the same, it has been reported that the egg yolk destruction rate of old chicken eggs is higher than that of young chicken eggs. . Thus, it can be said that even if the eggs belong to the same egg weight category, the quality differs depending on whether the eggs are born from young young chickens or eggs born from older old chickens.

As an example, for example, eggs belonging to the egg weight categories SS, S, and MS are rarely shipped to a supermarket as a shelled egg, and after splitting, they are shipped to a mayonnaise factory or cake manufacturing factory as a liquid egg. Often. At that time, among eggs belonging to the egg weight categories SS, S, MS, eggs born by older chicks that are older are different from eggs born by younger chicks when used as liquid eggs. The yolk membrane quality deteriorates and the yolk is easily broken.

As a result, it becomes difficult to separate egg yolk and egg white, and the range of use as a liquid egg is limited. For these reasons, there is a demand for the supply of “eggs laid by young chickens” with excellent processing characteristics. Note that the egg weight categories SS, S, and MS are the weights of the eggs divided into six (LL, L, M, MS, S, SS) based on the egg weights prescribed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It corresponds to the three categories of lighter.

In addition, chicken eggs shipped as shell eggs to boiled egg processors require the supply of eggs with uniform processing characteristics due to boiled time and other factors, especially the MS size produced by young chickens with excellent processing characteristics. Of eggs "is preferred. As described in Non-Patent Document 2 below, this can be understood from the research result that the coagulability of the egg white decreases when the freshness of the chicken egg decreases.

As can be seen from these circumstances, there is a need to separate eggs produced by young, young chickens with different egg qualities from eggs produced by older, older chickens.

JP 2006-238812 A

One object of the present invention is to provide a chicken egg inspection apparatus capable of discriminating egg quality in a non-destructive manner, and another object is to provide a sorted assembly system equipped with this inspection apparatus, Yet another object is to provide an egg inspection system.

In the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the following means are taken. That is, the egg testing apparatus according to the present invention includes a vibration unit that vibrates the eggshell surface of the egg to be inspected, a vibration detection unit that detects vibration generated by the vibration unit, and the vibration detection unit. And a determination unit that determines whether or not the chicken egg to be inspected is a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group based on the speed at which the amplitude of vibration detected in this way decays.

Here, “chicken egg derived from a young chicken group” refers to an egg born from a relatively young day-old chicken from about 150 days of age when it begins to lay eggs until it becomes a waste chicken.

The present inventors repeated various experiments on the relationship between eggshell vibration and shells in order to investigate the difference in the quality of eggshells from young chickens and eggs from old chickens. Obtained knowledge. That is, an egg born from a young day-old chicken has a strong bond between the eggshell and the eggshell membrane. Therefore, when the eggshell surface is vibrated by the vibrating portion, the eggshell membrane acts as a damper that absorbs the vibration of the eggshell, and the vibration is attenuated relatively quickly. On the other hand, an egg born from an old chicken has a weak bond between the eggshell and the eggshell membrane, and if the eggshell surface is vibrated by the vibrating part, the eggshell membrane hardly absorbs this vibration even if the eggshell vibrates. For this reason, the vibration is not easily attenuated.

According to the above egg egg inspection apparatus using such characteristics discovered by the present inventors, it is possible to inspect the egg quality based on the speed at which the vibration is attenuated. In other words, split eggs of eggs with high processing characteristics and high egg units, that is, eggs from younger flocks, and eggs with lower processing units that have lower processing characteristics, that is, eggs from old flocks. It can be determined without destruction.

In the egg test apparatus according to the present invention, more preferably, the vibration detection unit detects a vibration sound generated by the vibration unit, and the determination unit quantifies the speed at which the vibration sound attenuates. When the value quantified by the calculation unit is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the egg to be inspected is an egg derived from a young chicken group.

In the egg test apparatus according to the present invention, more preferably, the vibration detection unit detects the vibration generated by the vibration unit in contact with the eggshell, and the determination unit determines the speed at which the amplitude of the vibration is attenuated. An arithmetic unit for digitization is provided, and when the value digitized by the arithmetic unit is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the egg to be inspected is an egg derived from a young chicken group.

The egg sorting and gathering system according to the present invention has been described above with respect to a transport device that transports eggs arranged in a plurality of rows and whether or not the eggs transported on the transport device are eggs from a young chicken group. A chicken egg inspection device and a distribution device that is arranged on the downstream side of the inspection device and distributes eggs based on the inspection result of the inspection device.

One egg inspection system according to the present invention includes a rotation applying unit that rotates an egg to be inspected, a vibration unit that vibrates the eggshell surface of the egg on the rotation applying unit a plurality of times, and the vibration unit. Based on the average value of the vibration detection unit that detects the vibration generated by the vibration detection unit and the speed at which the amplitude of the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit attenuates, the egg to be examined is derived from a young chicken group. And a determination unit for determining whether or not the egg is a chicken egg.

Here, the “average value” is a concept including not only the arithmetic mean but also other representative values used in statistics such as median and mode.

Another egg inspection system according to the present invention includes a rotation imparting unit that rotates an egg to be inspected, a vibration unit that vibrates the eggshell surface of the egg on the rotation imparting unit a plurality of times, and the vibration unit. A vibration detection unit that detects vibrations generated by the test, a crack egg determination unit that determines whether or not the egg to be inspected is a cracked egg, and whether or not the egg to be inspected is from a young chicken group And a quality judgment unit for judging whether or not. The cracked egg determination unit and the quality determination unit perform determination based on the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a chicken egg inspection apparatus capable of discriminating egg quality in a non-destructive manner, a sorting and collecting system equipped with this inspection apparatus, and a chicken egg inspection system.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the egg test apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the sample data for demonstrating Hilbert transformation based on the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the vibration sound data of the chicken egg derived from the young chicken group which concerns on one Example. It is a figure which shows the vibration sound data of the hen egg derived from the old-age chicken group which concerns on one Example. It is a figure which shows the envelope which performed Envelop processing on the vibration sound data shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows the envelope which performed the envelope process to the vibration sound data shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the envelope in the chicken egg derived from the young chicken group which concerns on one Example. It is a figure which shows the other example of the envelope in the chicken egg derived from the aged chicken flock which concerns on one Example. It is a scatter diagram which shows distribution of the average value of the vibration sound data which concerns on one Example. It is a figure which shows the determination result which concerns on one Example. It is a microscope picture which shows the cross section of the shell of the egg from the young chicken group which concerns on one Example. It is the schematic which showed typically the microscope picture shown by FIG. It is a microscope picture which shows the cross section of the shell of the hen egg derived from the old-age chicken group which concerns on one Example. It is the schematic which showed typically the microscope picture shown by FIG.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The egg sorting and collecting system according to the present embodiment includes a transport apparatus 1, an egg inspection apparatus 2, and a distribution apparatus. In the transport device 1, the chicken eggs E arranged in a plurality of rows are transported. In the egg test apparatus 2, it is inspected whether or not the egg E transported by the transport apparatus 1 is an egg derived from a young chicken group. In the distribution device, the eggs E are distributed based on the inspection result of the egg inspection device 2. In FIG. 1, the distribution device is not shown. The distribution device is arranged on the downstream side of the egg test apparatus 2.

In the transport apparatus 1, the direction of the sharp end and the blunt end of the egg E are aligned by a direction aligning device (not shown), and then the egg E is transported in six rows at equal intervals. Here, the chicken egg E is held and transported by a pair of nail-type rollers 11 adjacent to each other in the front and rear directions with the major axis of the egg E being substantially horizontal. In addition, the conveying apparatus 1 is provided with a measuring unit (not shown) that sequentially measures the weight of the egg E.

The egg egg inspection device 2 inspects the egg quality. The egg testing apparatus 2 includes a vibration unit 3, a vibration detection unit 4, and a determination unit 5. The surface of the eggshell E1 of the chicken egg E to be inspected is vibrated by the vibration unit. In the vibration detection unit 4, vibration generated by the excitation unit 3 is detected. In the determination unit 5, it is determined based on the rate at which the amplitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 4 is attenuated whether or not the egg E to be inspected is an egg derived from a young chicken group.

The vibration unit 3 is a rotary solenoid driven hammer for applying the same impact to the surface of the eggshell E1 of the egg E placed on the transport device 1.

The vibration detection unit 4 detects the vibration generated by the vibration unit 3 in a non-contact manner. As the vibration detection unit 4, specifically, a microphone that receives vibration sound generated when the vibration unit 3 gives an impact to the egg E is used.

The determination unit 5 constitutes a part of the control device 7. The control device 7 is a so-called microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and appropriate peripheral elements. The control device 7 includes a program for quality determination processing regarding whether or not the egg E to be inspected is an egg derived from a young chicken group, a program for realizing the operation of each part of the egg inspection device 2, and the like. It has been incorporated.

The determination unit 5 includes a calculation unit 6 that quantifies the speed at which the vibration sound attenuates. The quality determination process executed by the determination unit 5 is based on the rate at which the amplitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 4 attenuates, more specifically, based on the calculated value quantified by the calculation unit 6. Done.

As the calculated value, for example, the time average value of the envelope (envelope) obtained by performing the envelope processing on the waveform of the vibration sound data obtained within a predetermined time after hitting the eggshell E1 by the vibration unit 3 Used. When envelope processing is performed on the waveform of vibration sound data, a known Hilbert transform may be used (see Non-Patent Document 3).

For example, when vibration sound data (input signal) indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2 is obtained, the input signal is subjected to Hilbert transform, and an analysis composed of a real part signal f (t) and an imaginary part signal h (t). A signal z (t) (= f (t) + ih (t)) is generated. Next, the signal values of the real part signal f (t) and the imaginary part signal h (t) are squared. Next, the sum (= f (t) ² + h (t) ² ) of the squared real part signal f (t) and the squared imaginary part signal h (t) is obtained. Calculated. That is, the instantaneous power p _n at time t is calculated.

Then, by calculating the square root of the instantaneous power _{p n,} the instantaneous amplitude _a _n (= √p n) is calculated. Based on the instantaneous amplitude a _n at the respective times, the envelope indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2 is obtained. This envelope represents a time series of instantaneous amplitudes. In addition to the above-described Hilbert transform, a known signal processing technique may be arbitrarily employed for the envelope extraction. Hereinafter, the instantaneous amplitude calculated by the above-described envelope processing is referred to as envelope amplitude. In other words, the height of the envelope graph is the envelope amplitude.

Here, the average value of the envelope amplitude refers to the envelope amplitude obtained by performing the envelope process when the chicken egg E is vibrated with a specific hammer and the vibration sound data is acquired within a certain data acquisition time. A value obtained by dividing the integrated value by the time width (amplified integrated value / time width). In addition to this, other representative values used in statistics such as the median value or mode value of the time series data of the envelope amplitude may be used. The data acquisition time (predetermined time described above) can be freely set within a time range in which the vibration sound of the egg E to be inspected and the vibration sound of the egg E to be hit next do not interfere.

In the determination unit 5, when the calculated value is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold T1, it is determined that the egg E to be inspected is an egg derived from a young chicken group. On the contrary, when the calculated value exceeds the predetermined threshold value T1, it is determined that the egg E to be inspected is an egg derived from an old-age chicken group. Here, as an egg derived from a young chicken group, an egg born from a chicken of about 150 to 300 days of age is assumed.

The distribution device is provided so as to be substantially orthogonal to a distribution conveyor (not shown). In the distribution device, the eggs E conveyed by the distribution conveyor are discharged to a predetermined gathering place. Specifically, six rows of eggs E weighed in eggs are transferred to a single-line distribution conveyor by a known transfer device (not shown), and then distributed to each gathering place by the distribution device. .

In addition, the setting of the selection division of each meeting place is arbitrary. Here, the selection division corresponds to each of LL size, L size, M size, MS size, S size, and SS size based on egg weight. The gathering place of the egg E is set. Further, for the MS size, S size, and SS size eggs E, the respective gathering locations of the MS size, S size, and SS size eggs E when the egg E is determined to be from a young chicken group. And each gathering place of the egg E of MS size, S size, and SS size when it is determined that the egg E is an egg derived from an old-age chicken group is set.

Next, the operation of the egg sorting and collecting system will be described.
The egg E (inspected egg) to be inspected placed on the conveyor is transported and reaches the impact applying position of the hammer. When the impact application position is reached, the hammer is driven by the rotary solenoid based on the drive signal from the determination unit 5 and an impact is applied to the egg E. The vibration sound generated at that time is received by the vibration detector 4 (microphone). The received vibration sound is input to the determination unit 5 as vibration sound data.

In the determination unit 5, it is determined based on the speed at which the amplitude of the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 4 is attenuated whether or not the egg E to be inspected is from a young chicken group. Specifically, the determination is made as follows based on a calculated value obtained by quantifying the speed at which the amplitude of vibration attenuates.

The calculated value is compared with a predetermined threshold value T1. At this time, when the calculated value is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold T1, that is, when the amplitude of the vibration sound is greatly attenuated within a predetermined time, the egg E to be inspected is an egg derived from a young chicken group. The quality information is determined and stored in the control device 7. On the other hand, when the calculated value is larger than the predetermined threshold T1, that is, when the amplitude of the vibration sound hardly attenuates within the predetermined time, it is determined that the egg E to be inspected is an egg derived from an old-age chicken group. The quality information is stored in the control device 7.

Then, when the egg E transported by the transport device 1 is weighed by the weighing unit, the egg weight information is stored in the control device 7. Thereafter, the distribution device is controlled based on the quality information and the egg weight information stored in the control device 7, and the eggs E are respectively discharged to appropriate gathering locations.

Thus, according to the egg sorting and gathering system according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not the egg E to be inspected is from a young chicken group. This makes it possible to perform sorting based on quality in normal eggs, instead of sorting based only on the determination of whether or not a normal egg has been variously performed as in a conventional chicken egg inspection apparatus. That is, the small-sized egg E derived from the young chicken group and the small-sized egg E derived from the old chicken group having different qualities such as processing characteristics can be collected in different places.

Next, an embodiment using the above-described egg test apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The present invention is not limited to this example.

Examples of the egg E to be inspected by the egg inspection apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment include an egg derived from a young chicken group (Y) and an egg derived from an old chicken group (O). These two types of eggs E are different from each other in age of the parent chicken group.

In younger chicken group (Y) chicken eggs, the parent chicken is 211 days old. The chicken species is Sakura Goto. The size of the egg is M size or L size. The eggshell color is pink. The number is thirty.

In the chicken egg derived from an old-age chicken group (O), the parent chicken is 700 days old. The chicken species is Sakura Goto. The size of the egg is M size or L size. The eggshell color is pink. The number is 29.

In the egg testing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, a rotary solenoid driven hammer similar to that used in a known cracked egg testing apparatus is used as the vibration unit 3. Further, as the vibration detection unit 4, a vibration sound receiving microphone similar to that used in a known cracked egg inspection apparatus is used.

FIG. 3 shows a graph of two typical vibration sounds of a chicken egg E derived from a young chicken group (Y) (see Examples 1 and 2). The vertical axis represents amplitude and the horizontal axis represents time. As the amplitude, a value obtained by amplifying the reception voltage of the vibration sound received by the microphone by the amplifier 41 and performing AD (Analogue Digital) conversion is shown. The measurement time is about 2.5 msec. As shown in Examples 1 and 2, in the case of a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group (Y), it can be seen that the amplitude of the vibration sound is attenuated over time.

On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows a graph of two typical vibration sounds of an egg E derived from an old-age chicken group (O) (see Examples 1 and 2). As shown in Example 1 and Example 2, in the case of an hen egg derived from an old-age chicken group (O), it can be seen that the amplitude of the vibration sound hardly attenuates and continues to vibrate.

In the determination unit 5 of the egg test apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the quality determination process is performed based on the speed at which the amplitude of the vibration sound detected by the microphone is attenuated. Specifically, a value obtained by averaging the envelope amplitude obtained by performing the envelope processing on the waveform (data) of the vibration sound obtained within a predetermined time after hitting the eggshell E1 by the vibration unit 3, and a predetermined value The threshold value T1 is compared.

FIG. 5 shows a graph (solid line) on which the envelope processing was performed on the vibration sound data of the egg E derived from the young chicken group (Y) shown in FIG. 3 (see Examples 1 and 2). FIG. 5 also shows the vibration sound graph (broken line) shown in FIG. On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows a graph (solid line) on which the envelope processing was performed on the vibration sound data of the chicken egg E derived from the old-age chicken group (O) shown in FIG. 4 (see Examples 1 and 2). 6 also shows the vibration sound graph (broken line) shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows three typical graphs other than the graph shown in FIG. 5 as the graph subjected to the Envelop treatment for the vibration sound data of the egg E derived from the young chicken group (Y) (Example 3). , Example 4 and Example 5). In addition to the graph shown in FIG. 6, typical three graphs are shown in FIG. 8 as graphs obtained by performing the envelope processing on the vibration sound data of the egg E derived from the old-age chicken group (O) ( Example 3, Example 4, Example 5).

A scatter plot in which the amplitude (Envelop amplitude) of the graph obtained by performing the envelope processing on the vibration sound data of the egg E is averaged over time, and the values are divided into the quality and size of the egg and plotted. 9 shows. The vertical axis represents the average value of the envelope amplitude. The horizontal axis shows M size eggs from young chickens (Y), L size eggs from young chickens (Y), and M sizes from old chickens (O) in order from the left. And (O) L-sized eggs derived from aged flocks.

∙ The spread of the plot in the horizontal direction within each size category is due to the order of the examined eggs and does not affect the correlation. In addition, about the egg of origin (O) derived from an old age flock, it is plotted also about the cracked egg. However, the vibration sound of a cracked egg is different from the vibration sound of a normal egg in the first place. For this reason, about the cracked egg, it cannot test | inspect (determine) whether it is the chicken egg E derived from a young chicken group (Y) by the egg test | inspection apparatus 2 which concerns on a present Example.

In the egg test apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the average value of the envelope amplitude = 100 is set as the predetermined threshold value. A chicken egg having an average envelope amplitude of 100 or less is determined to be a chicken egg E derived from a young chicken group (Y). On the other hand, about the egg whose average value of Envelop amplitude exceeded 100, it determines with it being the egg E derived from an old-age chicken group (O).

An example of the determination result is shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, a chicken egg E that is known in advance to be an egg E derived from a young chicken group (Y) and a chicken egg E that is known in advance to be an egg E derived from an old chicken group (O) About the result of having performed determination by the egg test apparatus 2 is shown. In FIG. 10, the former egg E is described as “derived from a young chicken group at the time of acquisition”, and the latter egg E is described as “derived from an old chicken group at the time of acquisition”.

Egg E, which is known in advance to be a young chicken group-derived (Y) egg E, was examined by the egg inspection apparatus 2 and correctly determined to be a young chicken group-derived (Y) egg E. The number was 24 out of 30. On the contrary, the number of the eggs that were erroneously determined to be the egg E derived from the old-age chicken group (O) was 6 out of 30. Therefore, in this case, the misjudgment rate when the egg E derived from the young chicken group (Y) was mistakenly determined to be the egg E derived from the old chicken group (O) was 20% (6/30). It was.

On the other hand, when the egg E, which has been previously known to be an egg E derived from an old-age chicken group (O), was examined by the egg inspection apparatus 2, it was correctly determined to be an egg E derived from an old-age chicken group (O). The number made was 20 out of 25. On the other hand, the number erroneously determined to be the egg E derived from the young chicken group (Y) was 5 out of 25. Therefore, in this case, the overlook rate at which the egg E derived from the old flock (O) could not be correctly determined as the egg E derived from the old flock (O) was 20% (5/25 )Met.

According to the evaluations by the inventors, for the values of the misjudgment rate and the miss rate, the values when only the M-sized eggs E are evaluated include the M-sized eggs E and the L-sized eggs E. It turned out that it becomes smaller than the value at the time of evaluating hen egg E.

In the egg inspection apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the quality affecting the processing characteristics is determined by nondestructive without breaking the egg E. In order to explain the principle of this egg test apparatus, the state of the cross section of the eggshell E1 of the egg E derived from a young chicken group (Y) is shown in FIGS. Moreover, the mode of the cross section of eggshell E1 of the egg E derived from an old-age chicken group (O) is shown in FIG. 13 and FIG.

An evaluation piece was prepared by splitting the egg E and cutting the eggshell E1 and eggshell membrane E2 near the trunk hit by a hammer into appropriate sizes with scissors. FIG. 11 and FIG. 13 are cross-sectional photographs obtained by photographing the cross section of the evaluation piece with a digital microscope. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional photograph of an eggshell E1 of a chicken egg E derived from a young chicken group (Y), and FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional photograph of an eggshell E1 of a chicken egg E derived from an old chicken group (O). FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing the cross-sectional photograph shown in FIG. 11 in order to explain the structure of an eggshell or the like. FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically showing the cross-sectional photograph shown in FIG. 13 for explaining the structure of an eggshell or the like.

Generally, the eggshell E1 is composed of a sponge substrate E3 and nipple processes E4 in which small holes are distributed in a sponge shape. The surface of the eggshell E1 is covered with a cuticle layer E5. However, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, in the eggshell E1 of the egg E derived from a young chicken group (Y), the papillary process E4 is not observed, and the boundary between the eggshell E1 and the eggshell membrane E2 is not clear. I understand that. This is considered to be due to the strong binding between the eggshell E1 and the eggshell membrane E2 in the egg E derived from the young chicken group (Y). For this reason, the eggshell membrane E2 plays the role of a damper, and it is considered that the vibration attenuates with time after the chicken egg E is vibrated with a hammer or the like.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, in the eggshell E1 of the egg E derived from the old-age chicken group (O), there are a large number of papillary processes E4 between the eggshell E1 and the eggshell membrane E2. Recognize. It can also be confirmed that there is a portion where a gap E6 is formed between the nipple protrusion E4 and the nipple protrusion E4 adjacent to each other. In the egg E derived from the old-age chicken group (O), the binding between the eggshell E1 and the eggshell membrane E2 is considered to be weak. Therefore, after the egg E is vibrated with a hammer or the like, it is considered that the vibration is hardly attenuated even if time elapses.

(Effect of this embodiment)
As described above, the egg test apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment includes the vibration unit 3, the vibration detection unit 4, and the determination unit 5. The vibration unit 3 vibrates the surface of the eggshell E1 of the egg E to be inspected. In the vibration detection unit 4, the vibration of the eggshell E <b> 1 generated by the vibration unit 3 is detected. In the determination unit 5, it is determined based on the rate at which the amplitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit 4 is attenuated whether or not the egg E to be inspected is an egg derived from a young chicken group.

By this, the egg E derived from a young chicken group having a high How unit with excellent processing characteristics and the egg E derived from an old chicken group having a low How unit having inferior processing characteristics can be produced without breaking without breaking the eggs. Can be determined.

Also, the vibration detection unit 4 in the egg inspection apparatus 2 detects the vibration sound generated by the vibration unit 3. The determination unit 5 includes a calculation unit 6 that quantifies the speed at which the amplitude of the vibration sound attenuates. In the determination part 5, when the value quantified by this calculating part 6 is below predetermined threshold value T1, it determines with the egg E to be examined being a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group.

Therefore, in the egg inspection apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the conventional vibration sound detection type crack egg inspection apparatus, that is, the vibration of the eggshell E1 due to the impact of the hammer (the air vibration) is indirectly detected by the microphone. Unlike the method of determining whether or not the tested egg is normal using the cracked egg inspection apparatus that detects the egg, it is possible to determine whether or not the egg E is from a young chicken group with good egg quality.

Further, the egg E sorting and gathering system according to the present embodiment includes a transport apparatus 1, an egg inspection apparatus 2, and a distribution apparatus. In the transport device 1, the chicken eggs E arranged in a plurality of rows are transported. In the egg inspection apparatus 2, it is determined whether or not the egg E transported on the transport apparatus 1 is an egg derived from a young chicken group. The distribution device is arranged on the downstream side of the egg inspection device, and the eggs E are distributed based on the inspection result of the egg inspection device 2.

Therefore, the egg E determined to be derived from the young chicken group and the egg E determined to be derived from the old chicken group by the egg inspection apparatus 2 can be distributed to different gathering locations. In general, eggs from young flocks have better egg quality with higher How Unit values than eggs from old flocks. Therefore, for example, when a high-quality egg is required as a product, if the egg E derived from a young chicken group is collected, there is a possibility that more good-quality egg E can be collected. Rise.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.
The egg test apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus that measures the quality of an egg to be inspected using vibration generated when an eggshell is vibrated. Various well-known mechanisms for inspecting the presence or absence of cracks in the eggshell using vibrations generated when the eggshell is vibrated can be applied.

For example, the vibration unit and the vibration detection unit can be variously changed without being limited to the above-described hammer and microphone. As an example, a mode may be used in which a piezoelectric element or the like is used as the vibration detection unit, and the piezoelectric element or the like is directly or indirectly brought into contact with an eggshell to detect vibration generated by the vibration unit.

As described above, even when the egg testing apparatus directly captures the vibration of the eggshell, the determination unit includes a calculation unit that quantifies the speed at which the amplitude of the vibration is attenuated, and the value quantified by the calculation unit is What is necessary is just to determine with the egg of test object being a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group when below a predetermined threshold value.

Further, in the above-described embodiments and examples, the case where the same hammer as that used in a known cracked egg inspection apparatus is used as the excitation unit is taken as an example. Moreover, the case where the same microphone as that used in a known cracked egg inspection apparatus is used as the vibration detection unit is described as an example. The vibration unit and the vibration detection unit are not limited to this, and various changes can be made.

In addition, in order to detect the presence or absence of a crack, it is necessary to vibrate a plurality of locations (for example, 8 locations over the entire circumference of an egg) for one egg, whereas the egg inspection apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment. Then, it is possible to discriminate whether or not the eggs are from a young chicken group by simply shaking one place at least once per egg.

In the above-described embodiments and examples, it is assumed that the average value of the envelope amplitude is calculated based on the speed at which the amplitude of the vibration sound based on one excitation is attenuated. Needless to say, a plurality of locations may be vibrated a plurality of times for each egg in order to increase the reliability of the data.

Also, the egg testing apparatus according to the present invention may be used in association with a cracked egg testing apparatus that tests for the presence or absence of cracks. As such an inspection system, you may provide the rotation provision part, the vibration part, the vibration detection part, the crack egg determination part, and the quality determination part. The rotation imparting unit rotates the egg to be inspected. Examples of the rotation imparting unit include a catching roller. The vibration unit vibrates the eggshell surface of the chicken egg on the rotation imparting unit a plurality of times. The vibration detection unit detects the vibration generated by the excitation unit. The cracked egg determination unit determines whether or not the chicken egg to be inspected is a cracked egg. In the quality determination unit, it is determined whether or not the egg to be inspected is a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group. The quality determination unit corresponds to the determination unit described in the above-described embodiment and examples.

Examples of the cracked egg determining unit and the quality determining unit include those that perform determination based on the vibration detected by the vibration detecting unit. Here, the vibration sound data used in the cracked egg determination unit and the vibration sound data used in the quality determination unit may be separate vibration sound data or the same vibration sound data.

The case where separate vibration sound data is used is, for example, a case where the egg inspection apparatus and the cracked egg inspection apparatus according to the present invention are arranged in parallel. In this case, after inspecting for cracks, it can be determined whether the eggs are derived from a young chicken group.

On the other hand, the case where the same vibration sound data is used is, for example, a case where the vibration operation and vibration detection operation in the cracked egg inspection apparatus are shared with the vibration operation and vibration detection operation in the egg inspection apparatus. In this case, from one vibration sound data, the presence or absence of a crack can be determined, and further, it can be determined whether or not the egg is derived from a young chicken group.

Here, an example will be described in which it is determined whether or not the egg is derived from a young chicken group after checking for cracks. The cracked egg inspection apparatus includes a vibration unit, a vibration detection unit, and a cracked egg determination unit. The vibration unit and the vibration detection unit may share parts with the vibration unit (hammer) and the vibration detection unit (microphone) in the egg test apparatus described above. The cracked egg determination unit determines cracks in the egg to be inspected based on the vibration sound data detected by the vibration detection unit.

An example of the inspection method will be described. First, in a cracked egg inspection apparatus, an egg to be inspected is vibrated by a hammer. The vibration sound generated by the vibration is detected by the microphone, and the crack egg determining unit determines whether or not there is a crack. Next, it is determined whether or not the egg to be inspected as an egg without a crack (normal egg) is a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group by the egg inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

First, vibration sound is detected after the egg to be examined is vibrated with a hammer. Next, based on the vibration sound data, the determination unit determines whether or not the egg is derived from a young chicken group. Thus, by arranging a known cracked egg testing apparatus and the egg testing apparatus according to the present invention in parallel, it is possible to check not only the presence of cracks but also the quality of the eggs.

Next, an example of determining whether or not there is a crack from one vibration sound data and further determining whether or not the egg is from a young chicken group will be described. The egg inspection apparatus includes a vibration unit (hammer) and a vibration detection unit (microphone).

As an example of an inspection method, first, an egg to be inspected is vibrated several times with a hammer. The vibration sound generated by the vibration is detected by the microphone, and based on the vibration sound data, it is determined whether or not there is a crack by the crack egg determination unit.

On the other hand, based on the vibration sound data generated and detected by at least one of the multiple vibrations, the quality determination unit determines whether the egg is derived from a young chicken group. In the quality determination unit, the determination may be made based on the speed at which the amplitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit attenuates. In the case where vibration sound data obtained by a plurality of vibrations is used, the determination may be made based on the average value of the vibration amplitude.

Furthermore, the calculation unit of the determination unit 5 in the egg inspection apparatus 2 according to the present invention is not limited to the one that calculates the average value of the envelope amplitude (envelope) as described above. As an example, there is a method of calculating an area surrounded by time and amplitude after the envelope processing of the waveform of the vibration sound data, and comparing the calculated area value with a predetermined threshold value (area value) in the determination unit 5. Conceivable. At this time, when the area value is small because the amplitude of the vibration sound is greatly attenuated within a predetermined time (area value ≦ threshold), it is determined that the egg to be inspected is a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group. That's fine.

As another example, the amplitude (instantaneous amplitude) at a specific time after the envelope processing of the waveform of the vibration sound data (not immediately after the excitation) is calculated, and the value of the instantaneous amplitude and the threshold value are calculated by the determination unit. A method of comparing At this time, when the time after the vibration elapses, the amplitude of the vibration sound is greatly attenuated so that the instantaneous amplitude becomes small (the value of the instantaneous amplitude ≦ the threshold value), the tested egg is a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group Can be determined.

As yet another example, there is a method of calculating the speed at which the amplitude is attenuated using a gradient connecting the amplitudes at a plurality of time points. Further, a method of inverting the amplitude appearing below the reference point of the vibration data above the reference point and calculating the speed at which the amplitude attenuates using the area of the waveform or the like is conceivable.

Moreover, as the determination part 5 in the egg test | inspection apparatus 2, it is not limited to the case where the egg to be tested is divided into two, that is, a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group or a chicken egg derived from an old chicken group. Absent. For example, by setting a plurality of threshold values, for example, a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group, a chicken egg derived from a medium-aged chicken group, and a chicken egg derived from an old chicken group are classified into three stages. In addition, more than three levels may be classified.

The embodiment disclosed this time is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the scope described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

The present invention can be used for an egg inspection apparatus, an egg sorting and collecting system, and an egg inspection system.

1 transport device, 2 egg inspection device, 3 excitation unit, 4 vibration detection unit, 5 determination unit, 6 operation unit, T1 threshold, E chicken egg, E1 eggshell.

Claims

A vibrating unit that vibrates the eggshell surface of the egg to be inspected;
A vibration detection unit for detecting vibration generated by the excitation unit;
A chicken egg, comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not the egg is a chicken egg derived from a young flock based on the rate at which the amplitude of vibration detected by the vibration detection unit attenuates Inspection device.
In the vibration detection unit, vibration sound generated by the excitation unit is detected,
The determination unit includes a calculation unit that quantifies the speed at which the amplitude of vibration sound attenuates,
The said egg determination apparatus of Claim 1 in which the said determination part determines with the said egg being a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group, when the value digitized by the said calculating part is below a predetermined threshold value. .
In the vibration detection unit, the vibration generated by the excitation unit is detected by bringing the vibration detection unit into contact with the eggshell,
The determination unit includes a calculation unit that quantifies the speed at which the amplitude of the vibration attenuates,
The egg test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the egg is a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group when a value digitized by the calculation unit is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value.
An egg sorting and assembly system comprising the egg testing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A conveying device for arranging and conveying the eggs in a plurality of rows;
A chicken egg sorting and collecting system, comprising: a distribution device that is arranged on the downstream side of the egg testing device and distributes eggs based on the inspection result of the egg testing device.
A rotation imparting unit that rotates the egg to be inspected;
A vibration unit that vibrates a plurality of times against the eggshell surface of the egg on the rotation imparting unit;
A vibration detection unit for detecting vibration generated by the excitation unit;
Based on the average value of the speed of attenuation of the amplitude of the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit for each of the plurality of vibrations, whether or not the egg is a chicken derived from a young flock An egg inspection system comprising a determination unit for determining whether or not.
A rotation imparting unit that rotates the egg to be inspected;
A vibration unit that vibrates a plurality of times against the eggshell surface of the egg on the rotation imparting unit;
A vibration detection unit for detecting vibration generated by the excitation unit;
A cracked egg determination unit for determining whether or not the egg is a cracked egg;
A quality determination unit for determining whether the egg is a chicken egg derived from a young chicken group,
The cracked egg determination unit and the quality determination unit are chicken egg inspection systems in which determination is performed based on the vibration detected by the vibration detection unit.