Imaging for Determination of Crustacean Physical Attributes

• US 20190029234A1
• Filed: 09/28/2018
• Published: 01/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Garland, John J., Sekretta, Gleb
• Granted Patent: US 10,638,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 61/90 Sorting, grading, counting or marking live aquatic animals, e.g. sex determination
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 69/08 Rigid traps, e.g. lobster pots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/956 Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10152 Varying illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30128 Food products
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to imaging for determination of crustacean physical attributes. An image of a shell of a live crustacean is captured and processed to determine a physical attribute of the live crustacean. In an embodiment a characteristic of a pattern indicative of moult stage of the live crustacean is detected, from the captured image. Multiple images may be used in some embodiments, including images of different types such as visible spectrum images, infrared spectrum images, and/or ultraviolet spectrum images.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a camera to capture an image of a shell of a live crustacean; and

a pattern detector, operatively coupled to the camera, to detect from the captured image a characteristic of a pattern on the shell indicative of moult stage of the live crustacean, and to provide a response as to the moult stage of the live crustacean based on the detection.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the pattern detector being further operable to detect a characteristic of a pattern indicative of moult stage of the live crustacean from a further image of the live crustacean captured by the camera, the pattern for the further image being different from the pattern for the image.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, the pattern detector comprising a processing device to execute vision detection software.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller, operatively coupled to the pattern detector, to control subsequent handling of the live crustacean based on the detection by the pattern detector.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the subsequent handling comprises one or more of:

grading of the live crustacean;

screening out lower quality crustaceans;

allowing or blocking entry of the live crustacean into a trap.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, implemented in one or more of:

a conveyor size grading system;

a boat or plant environment, wherein the live crustacean is placed under the camera;

a packing area, wherein the live crustacean can be viewed by packers on a monitor to screen out lower quality crustaceans while packing a box for shipment;

a mobile phone to detect quality and/or moult stage, wherein the camera comprises a built-in camera of the mobile phone;

a hand held device;

a trap that denies entry to lower quality live crustaceans based on the detection by the pattern detector.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, the pattern detector being operable to receive a plurality of images, including the captured image, captured by the camera, and to detect the characteristic of the pattern indicative of moult stage of the live crustacean based on the plurality of images.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, the plurality of images comprising images of different types.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, the characteristic comprising one or more of:

absence/presence of a predetermined pattern in the captured image of the shell;

brightness of the predetermined pattern in the captured image of the shell; and

brightness of an overall pattern of the shell in the captured image of the shell.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to provide location information to be associated with the captured image.

2-4. -4. (canceled)

6-8. -8. (canceled)

10-16. -16. (canceled)

22-24. -24. (canceled)

27. A method comprising:

capturing an image of a shell of a live crustacean;

detecting from the captured image a characteristic of a pattern on the shell indicative of moult stage of the live crustacean; and

providing a response as to the moult stage of the live crustacean based on the detecting.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

capturing a further image of the live crustacean;

detecting from the further image a characteristic of a pattern indicative of moult stage of the live crustacean, the pattern for the further image being different from the pattern for the image.

35. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

training vision detection software to detect the characteristic of the pattern.

38. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

controlling subsequent handling of the live crustacean based on the detecting.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the subsequent handling comprises one or more of:

grading of the live crustacean;

screening out lower quality crustaceans;

allowing or blocking entry of the live crustacean into a trap.

40. The method of claim 27,

the capturing comprising capturing a plurality of images, including the captured image,

the detecting comprising detecting the characteristic of the pattern indicative of moult stage of the live crustacean based on the plurality of images.

41. The method of claim 40, the plurality of images comprising images of different types.

45. The method of claim 27, the characteristic comprising one or more of:

absence/presence of a predetermined pattern in the captured image of the shell;

brightness of the predetermined pattern in the captured image of the shell; and

brightness of an overall pattern of the shell in the captured image of the shell.

46. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

collecting location information;

associating the location information with the captured image.

28-30. -30. (canceled)

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47. Use of a machine vision system to capture an image of a shell of a live crustacean, to detect from the captured image a characteristic of a pattern on the shell indicative of moult stage of the live crustacean, and to provide a response as to the moult stage of the live crustacean based on the detection.

48-94. -94. (canceled)