SYSTEM AND METHOD OF AUTOMATED EXTRACTION
The present invention is an improved system and method of automatic extraction. The system of automatic extraction includes a processing line, a pan, a bile source, an imaging system, a targeting system, and an extraction tool. The processing line moves one or more pans with one or more bile sources on each pan. An imaging system and targeting system coordinate to target bile sources with an extraction tool using a coordinate system. A method of automatic extraction includes locating a bile source on a coordinate system, targeting the bile source, puncturing the bile source with an extraction tool, extracting bile from a source, and storing the extracted bile.
Latest Harrison Poultry, Inc. Patents:
Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) is one of two primary bile acids in human beings and facilitates lipid digestion. The pharmaceutical industry can use CDCA for therapeutic purposes including preventative care and treatments for gallstone disorders, cerebrotendineous xanthomatosis, liver disease, heart disease, and potentially even Hepatitis C. Another use of CDCA is the production of Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a secondary bile acid. UDCA has significant pharmaceutical importance for its uses relating to obesity, primary biliary cirrhosis, cystic fibrosis, and a number of other conditions.
CDCA can be synthesized, as shown in CN102060902A (“Chenodeoxycholic acid synthesis method”). Synthesis requires extraction and/or production of costly ingredients, along with intensive labor and time.
CDCA is naturally occurring not just in human beings, but in some animals including chickens and geese as well, providing a readily available source for CDCA. Some of these animals are used in the poultry industry, such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. Extraction of bile from chickens can yield 1.8-3.0 mL of bile per gall bladder. Individual poultry plants process upwards of 165,000 birds each shift, which could provide 200 or more liters of CDCA each shift. This represents a significant potential source of CDCA and could provide more CDCA for the pharmaceutical industry to treat more patients who need it.
Unfortunately, the extraction processes for obtaining the bile from these gall bladders is time consuming, labor intensive, and expensive. One exemplary method of the current processes is described in CN1850846B (“Production method for extracting chenodeoxycholic acid using chicken gall”). This process includes cutting and freezing chicken into thin slices, cooking the slices, and various other labor-intensive steps.
These highly labor intensive and inefficient processes are not currently compatible with the poultry industry. Poultry processing is highly automated and fast moving, using evisceration lines to prepare the birds. Evisceration lines at poultry processing plants can process 140 or more birds each minute as part of a finely tuned system. The inefficiency of these current CDCA processes makes integration into the evisceration lines infeasible as they would burden the preparation process significantly and vastly diminish the production volume.
SUMMARYAccordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system and method of automatic extraction. According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a system of automatic extraction may include a processing line, a pan, a bile source, an imaging system, a targeting system, and an extraction tool. A processing line may move one or more pans with one or more bile sources on each pan. An imaging system and targeting system may coordinate to target bile sources with an extraction tool using a coordinate system. According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a method of automatic extraction may include locating a bile source on a coordinate system, targeting the bile source, puncturing the bile source with an extraction tool, extracting bile from a source, and storing the extracted bile.
Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments thereof, which description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements, in which:
Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the description discussion of several terms used herein follows.
As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the described embodiments are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.
Further, many embodiments are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequences of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon execution would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the invention may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the embodiments described herein, the corresponding form of any such embodiments may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.
According to an exemplary embodiment, and referring generally to the Figures, various exemplary implementations of a system and method for automated extraction may be disclosed.
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
The imaging system 600 may produce a field of view 601 that includes a processing line 700. As shown in
The targeting system 500 may have an extraction tool 400 attached to it. The targeting system 500 may receive information from the imaging system 600, such as the location of a target, such as a bile source 300, or specifically a gall bladder surrounded by viscera. The targeting system 500 may use the location information from the imaging system 600 to align the extraction tool 400 with respect to a given target, such as bile source 300, as shown in
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
Turning now to exemplary
The foregoing description and accompanying figures illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art (for example, features associated with certain configurations of the invention may instead be associated with any other configurations of the invention, as desired).
Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. A system of automated extraction of bile from a bile source comprising:
- an imaging system configured to produce a field of view for capturing an image of a bile source;
- a targeting system configured to receive the image communicated from the imaging system; and
- at least one extraction tool configured to puncture a bile source and extract bile by suction,
- wherein the at least one extraction tool is configured to move towards a bile source based on the image communicated from the imaging system.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging system is equipped with a timer to capture images according a cycle time.
3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a processing line configured to carry at least one bile source, wherein the processing line is equipped with a variable speed drive to operate continuously and by variable speed.
4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the imaging system is equipped with a timer to capture images according to a timing mechanism synchronized with movement of the processing line.
5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the extraction tool and the processing line share a single power shaft such that movement of the extraction tool is synchronized with movement of the processing line.
6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the targeting system is attached to the at least one extraction tool.
7. A method of automated extraction of bile from a bile source, comprising:
- capturing an image of a bile source;
- targeting the bile source with at least one extraction tool based on the captured image of the bile source;
- puncturing the bile source with the at least one extraction tool; and
- extracting bile from the bile source by suction with the at least one extraction tool.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein targeting the bile source comprises moving and aligning the at least one extraction tool with the bile source based on the image provided by the imaging system prior to puncturing.
9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising placing a bile source on a moveable processing line, wherein the imaging system captures an image of the bile source on the processing line.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein moving the extracting tool is synchronized with movement of the processing line.
11. An apparatus for automated extraction of bile from a bile source comprising:
- an imaging system configured to produce a field of view for capturing an image of a bile source;
- a targeting system configured to receive the image communicated from the imaging system; and
- at least one extraction tool configured to puncture a bile source and extract bile by suction,
- wherein the at least one extraction tool is configured to move towards a bile source based on the image communicated from the imaging system.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the imaging system is equipped with a timer to capture images according to a cycle time.
13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a processing line configure to carry at least one bile source, wherein the processing line is equipped with a variable speed drive to operate continuously and by variable speed.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the imaging system is equipped with a timer to capture images according to a timing mechanism synchronized with movement of the processing line.
15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the extraction tool and the processing line share a single power shaft such that movement of the extraction tool is synchronized with movement of the processing line.
16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the targeting system is attached to the at least one extraction tool.
17. A computer implemented method of synchronized imaging, targeting, and puncturing a bile source and extracting bile therefrom, the method comprising:
- capturing an image of a bile source from an imaging system; and
- communicating to the targeting system the image of the bile source for aligning the at least one extraction tool with the bile source, puncturing the bile source with the at least one aligned extraction tool, and suctioning bile from the bile source.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 23, 2020
Publication Date: Dec 17, 2020
Applicant: Harrison Poultry, Inc. (Bethlehem, GA)
Inventors: David BLETH (Bethlehem, GA), Jens EYSTEINSSON (Monroe, GA)
Application Number: 16/750,474