HATCHING EGG INSPECTION APPARATUS

• US 20150138537A1
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabel Co., Ltd., Yamamoto Corp.
• Original Assignee: Nabel Co., Ltd., Yamamoto Corp.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Mitsuo, Yamamoto, Tsuyoshi, Fujitani, Shinichi, Tahara, Takatsugu, Ohashi, Toyoaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,131,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/53
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 43/00 Testing, sorting or cleaning eggs investigating or analysing eggs, e.g. by candling G01N33/08; Conveying devices for batteries A01K31/165; Pick-up devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/49 within a body or fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/534 by measuring transmission alone, i.e. determining opacity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/59 Transmissivity G01N21/25 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/085 by candling

Abstract

A hatching egg inspection apparatus includes a loader unit, an inspection unit for determining the viability or the like as to whether a hatching egg is an unfertilized egg or a growth-stopping egg, a rejection unit for rejecting a hatching egg determined to be an unfertilized egg or the like, and an unloader unit for sending a hatching egg toward the next step. The inspection unit is provided with a light emitting unit for emitting prescribed light toward the hatching egg, a cap attachment unit through which the light having been emitted to the hatching egg and having transmitted through the hatching egg passes, and a light receiving unit for receiving the light that has passed through the cap attachment unit. The cap attachment unit includes a cylindrical cap coming into contact with the hatching egg, and a plate to which the cap is attached.

Claims

1. A hatching egg inspection apparatus for inspecting a plurality of hatching eggs (E) each arranged at a prescribed position, comprising:

a light emitting unit (11) including a light emitting element (13) arranged to correspond to said prescribed position and emitting prescribed light from said light emitting element (13) toward each corresponding hatching egg (E);

a cap attachment unit (16) having;

a cap (20) which is arranged to correspond to said prescribed position, which comes into contact with said hatching egg (E), and which allows the light having been emitted from said light emitting element (13) and having transmitted through the inside of or diffused in said hatching egg (E) to pass through; and

a base (17) to which said cap (20) is attached;

a light receiving unit (22) including a light receiving element (24) for receiving the light that has passed through said cap attachment unit (16) via said cap (20); and

a holding unit (21) for detachably holding said cap attachment unit (16).

2. The hatching egg inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said cap (20) includes a first opening portion (203) coming into contact with said hatching egg (E), a second opening portion (204) spaced apart from said first opening portion (203), and a connecting portion (205) interposed between said first and second opening portions (203, 204),

said first opening portion (203) is formed to come into close contact with an outer surface of said hatching egg (E), and is formed such that the light having transmitted through the inside of said hatching egg (E) is incident through the outer surface of said hatching egg (E),

said connecting portion (205) is formed such that the light incident from said first opening portion (203) travels toward said second opening portion (204), and is formed to expand and contract in a direction substantially vertical to said first opening portion (203), and

said second opening portion (204) is formed such that the light having passed through said connecting portion (205) exits toward said light receiving unit (22).

3. The hatching egg inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a light receiving unit protection unit (25) arranged between said cap attachment unit (16) and said light receiving unit (22) to protect said light receiving unit (22), said light receiving unit protection unit (25) being made of a material that allows the light of a particular wavelength range associated with the light emitted by said light emitting unit (11) to transmit through.

4. The hatching egg inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a light receiving unit protection unit (25) arranged between said cap attachment unit (16) and said light receiving unit (22) to protect said light receiving unit (22), said light receiving unit protection unit (25) being detachable together with said cap attachment unit (16).

5. The hatching egg inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a light emission intensity of each said light emitting element (13) is adjusted.

6. The hatching egg inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a light emitting unit protection unit (14) arranged between said cap attachment unit (16) and said light emitting unit (11) to protect said light emitting unit (11).

7. The hatching egg inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said cap attachment unit (16) includes:

a first cap attachment unit (16) having a first base (17) to which a plurality of said caps (20) each having said first opening portion (203) of a first opening diameter are attached; and

a second cap attachment unit (16) having a second base (17) to which a plurality of said caps (20) each having said first opening portion (203) of a second opening diameter are attached.

8. The hatching egg inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said cap attachment unit (16) includes:

a third cap attachment unit (16) to which a first cap (20) is attached, said first cap (20) having a first cap opening diameter as a cap opening diameter of a cap opening of said cap (20) located on a side coming into contact with said hatching egg (E); and

a fourth cap attachment unit (16) to which a second cap (20) is attached, said second cap (20) having a second cap opening diameter different from said first cap opening diameter as said cap opening diameter.

9. A hatching egg inspection apparatus for inspecting a plurality of hatching eggs (E) that allow light to transmit through, with said hatching eggs (E) each arranged at a prescribed position, comprising:

a light irradiation unit (11) for emitting the light toward said hatching eggs (E);

a plurality of light passing units each of which is arranged to correspond to said prescribed position, which allows only the light having transmitted through the inside of said hatching egg (E), of the light emitted from said light irradiation unit (11), to pass through, and which blocks the passing light from the other light; and

a light receiving unit (22) spaced apart from said light passing units and receiving the light having passed through each light passing unit, wherein

each light passing unit includes a cap (20) that comes into contact with said hatching egg (E) and can be separated from said light receiving unit (22),

said cap (20) includes a first opening portion (203) coming into contact with said hatching egg (E), a second opening portion (204) spaced apart from said first opening portion (203), and a connecting portion (205) interposed between said first and second opening portions (203, 204),

said first opening portion (203) is formed to come into close contact with an outer surface of said hatching egg (E), and is formed such that the light having transmitted through the inside of said hatching egg (E) is incident through the outer surface of said hatching egg (E),

said connecting portion (205) is formed such that the light incident from said first opening portion (203) travels toward said second opening portion (204), and is formed to expand and contract in a direction substantially vertical to said first opening portion (203), and

said second opening portion (204) is formed such that the light having passed through said connecting portion (205) exits toward said light receiving unit (22).

10. The hatching egg inspection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said connecting portion (205) is formed in a shape of bellows to expand and contract in a direction substantially vertical to said first opening portion (203).

11. A hatching egg inspection apparatus for inspecting a plurality of hatching eggs (E) each arranged at a prescribed position, comprising:

a light emitting unit (11) for emitting prescribed light toward said hatching eggs (E);

a cap attachment unit (16) having;

a cap (20) which is arranged to correspond to said prescribed position, which comes into contact with said hatching egg (E), and which allows the light having been emitted from a light emitting element (13) and having transmitted through the inside of or diffused in said hatching egg (E) to pass through; and

a base (17) to which said cap (20) is attached;

a light receiving unit (22) including a light receiving element (24) for receiving the light that has passed through said cap attachment unit (16) via said cap (20); and

a holding unit (21) for detachably holding said cap attachment unit (16).