Sheep dynamic weighing mechanical device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mechanical device for dynamically weighing sheep using automatic control, and in particular to the livestock breeding process, and belongs to the field of mechanical and electronic technology. This device connects a weighing and collecting platform to a sheep pen fence through an inlet and outlet fence to form a closed channel, and weighing is completed within a circle; a sheep driving mechanism is placed between the sheep pen fence and the weighing and collecting platform, and the driving fence moves to move the sheep from one side to the other, and the sheep enter the weighing and collecting platform through a relatively narrow channel. The collection system reads the sheep ear tag information through a card reader, collects the sheep weight data through a weighing transmitter, processes the data to obtain the sheep weight, and sends the sheep weight and other related data to the cloud for storage through a wireless network. The present invention greatly reduces the stress response of sheep, improves their growth conditions, and improves the work efficiency of the farm. It can timely adjust the feeding plan according to the changes in weight during the growth period, improve the feed-to-meat ratio, and improve the economic benefits of breeding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a mechanical device for realizing dynamic weighing of sheep by utilizing automatic control, in particular to a livestock breeding process, and belongs to the technical field of mechanical electronics. Background Art

[0002] Mutton is tender, delicious, low in fat and cholesterol, and rich in nutrients. With economic development and rising incomes, living standards are constantly improving, and residents are shifting toward more nutritious, rational, and scientifically tailored diets. Mutton is gradually becoming a staple on the dining table. While my country's mutton industry has grown significantly over time, it currently relies primarily on small-scale, decentralized farming. Further development of large-scale livestock farming requires advanced facilities and equipment, including scientific management, disease prevention and control capabilities, and pollution control measures. Therefore, highly automated farming equipment has become an inevitable trend in the livestock farming industry. While many large and medium-sized farms abroad are already using intelligent, automated equipment, domestic farming equipment is still less advanced and comprehensive.

[0003] In response to the problems of extensive meat sheep breeding environment and low resource utilization rate of breeding waste in my country, new materials and new technologies are combined with pen design, and large-scale sheep house feeding facilities, disinfection and manure cleaning equipment, environmental monitoring equipment, Internet of Things and intelligent management and other facility automation technologies are integrated to establish practical sheep house demonstration models suitable for different scales and breeding methods, and carry out demonstration and promotion of standardized sheep house facilities. Nanjing Agricultural University has undertaken the national key R&D project "Integration and Demonstration of Key Technologies for Large-scale, Efficient and Safe Goat Breeding". According to the project requirements, it has carried out research on "Standardized Sheep House Design, Environmental Control and Facility Engineering Technology Integration and Application" to promote and realize the automation of sheep farm supporting equipment and facilities.

[0004] Traditionally, sheep weights at sheep farms or experimental bases are typically collected by holding the sheep (lambs) in their arms and standing on a scale. The weight is then removed, or several people restrain the sheep, immobilizing them, and then weighing them again. These weighing methods are inefficient and can cause stress in the sheep, leading to persistent gastrointestinal ischemia, intestinal flora disturbances, and digestive dysfunction. This leads to reduced feed intake, decreased protein synthesis, and reduced feed conversion rates, impacting their health and growth. Furthermore, after weighing, the weight information needs to be manually sorted and categorized. Therefore, increasing the automation and intelligence of feeding machinery and equipment is a current development trend.

[0005] According to the requirements of the key R&D project, we plan to develop a device that can realize the dynamic automatic weighing of sheep. After consulting relevant research, we found that the invention patent applied for by Minqin Zhongtian Sheep Industry Co., Ltd.: An automatic sheep weighing device (CN201410780113.8) failed to solve the following problems:

[0006] 1. The invented facility is placed at the exit of the sheep pen. Without the action of driving the sheep, it is difficult for the sheep to enter the weighing platform on their own initiative. The use of feeding to attract the sheep will cause congestion and make it impossible for the sheep to pass through the weighing platform normally.

[0007] 2. This invention still uses the static weighing method. After the sheep enter the weighing platform, they are restrained by the fixed bracket guardrail on one side of the base and the movable bracket guardrail on the other side. This structure has no automatic adjustment mechanism to meet the needs of different individual sheep, and will cause stress reactions in the sheep during the restraint process.

[0008] 3. This invention achieves a state where there is no need for people to hold the sheep or tie them up before weighing them, but other information collection still needs to be done manually. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical device based on a sheep driving mechanism and automatic sheep weighing.

[0010] To solve the above problems, the sheep driving mechanism and the sheep automatic weighing mechanical device of the present invention are implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0011] The invention relates to a sheep dynamic weighing mechanical device, comprising a sheep driving motion mechanism part and a weighing and collecting stand part.

[0012] The sheep driving movement mechanism includes a mobile base, a combined vertical guide rail, a left and right lifting frame, a driving fence lifting winch, a combined pulley, a linear guide rail, a left and right traction slider fixing frame, a fixing frame and a driving fence connecting pin, a driving fence, and a driving fence left and right traction winch; the weighing and collection stand includes a sheep entry channel fence, an entry and exit channel light curtain sensor, an entry and exit door drive motor, a motor drive belt, an entry and exit double door transmission gear, an entry and exit double door drive belt, a door shaft rotation drive belt, a torque limiter, a door shaft connecting plate, an entry and exit door shaft, a sheep entry and exit door frame, a door opening and closing position travel switch, an entry and exit channel fence connecting a weighing platform support plate, a weighing platform aisle fence, a weighing sensor, a weighing sensor support plate, a sheep exit channel fence, an RFID card reader, and a card reader bracket column.

[0013] The device connects the weighing and collecting platform with the two side doors of the sheep pen fence through the sheep inlet and outlet fence channels to form a closed channel, so that the sheep can be weighed in one sheep pen; a sheep driving movement mechanism is placed between the sheep pen fence and the weighing and collecting platform, and the driving fence is lifted by the left and right lifting frames before weighing to make it pass over the height of the sheep pen fence, and the driving fence is rotated 90 degrees and then placed in the sheep pen. The driving fence is pulled by the left and right traction winches to drag the driving fence to move slowly, forcing the sheep to move to one side, and the sheep entering the weighing and collecting platform through the door on one side of the sheep pen enters the channel fence. The spacing of the light curtain sensors on both sides of the channel fence and the relatively narrow channel ensure that only one sheep can pass through, the entrance door frame on the entrance side of the weighing platform aisle fence is opened, and the exit door frame on the exit side of the weighing platform aisle fence is closed. When the tail of the sheep passes through the light curtain sensor, the entrance door frame on the entrance side is closed, and the door frame is pressed against the sheep body (the torque is adjusted by the torque limiter to ensure that the sheep is not injured) The RFID reader reads the electronic information of the sheep ear tag and the transmitter connected to the weighing sensor using RS485 communication to start collecting the sheep weight data. The data is processed to obtain the current sheep weight data. The weighing collection and control system sends the sheep weight-related data to the cloud database for storage through the wireless network. After the weighing is completed at a scheduled time, the exit door frame on the exit side of the weighing platform aisle fence opens, and the sheep leaves the weighing platform aisle fence. When the sheep's tail passes through the exit light curtain sensor, the exit door frame on the exit side of the weighing platform aisle fence is closed. The sheep that have completed weighing return to the sheep pen through the exit side fence. When the exit side door of the weighing platform aisle fence is closed, the entrance door frame on the entrance side of the weighing platform aisle fence opens, and the sheep waiting to be weighed start the next weighing. The entire weighing process for each sheep is set to 20 seconds to complete.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention uses a driving fence mechanism to drive the sheep in a single pen to actively enter the weighing platform, avoiding direct driving by people and stubborn behavior of the sheep, greatly reducing the stress response of the sheep, and improving their growth conditions; the collection system automatically reads the identity of the sheep and the dynamic weight of the sheep, obtains the sheep weight through data processing, and communicates with the remote server database for storage, thereby providing necessary conditions for the intelligent management of the sheep farm, improving the work efficiency of the farm, reducing the labor intensity of the breeder, and more importantly, being able to timely adjust the feeding plan according to the changes in weight during the growth period, improve the feed-to-meat ratio, and improve the economic benefits of sheep farm breeding. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the working process of the dynamic weighing mechanism for sheep;

[0016] Figure 2 This is the main view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in a non-working state;

[0017] Figure 3 It is a top view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in a non-working state;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a left view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in a non-working state;

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of part I of the top view;

[0020] Figure 6 This is the main view of the working state of the sheep driving movement mechanism;

[0021] Figure 7 It is a top view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in working condition;

[0022] Figure 8 This is a left view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in working condition;

[0023] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the sheep driving mechanism driving the fence to raise and lower the working;

[0024] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the sheep driving movement mechanism driving fence driving movement work;

[0025] Figure 11 This is the main view of the weighing and collection stand;

[0026] Figure 12 This is a top view of the weighing and collection stand;

[0027] Figure 13 This is the left view of the weighing collection stand. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the working process of the dynamic weighing mechanism for sheep; Figure 2 This is the main view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in a non-working state; Figure 3 It is a top view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in a non-working state; Figure 4 This is a left view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in a non-working state; Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of part I of the top view; Figure 6 This is the main view of the working state of the sheep driving movement mechanism; Figure 7 It is a top view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in working condition; Figure 8 This is a left view of the sheep driving movement mechanism in working condition; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the sheep driving mechanism driving the fence to raise and lower the working; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the sheep driving movement mechanism driving fence driving movement work; Figure 11 This is the main view of the weighing and collection stand; Figure 12 This is a top view of the weighing and collection stand; Figure 13 This is the left view of the weighing collection stand.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG, the schematic diagram of the working process of the dynamic sheep weighing mechanical device illustrates the positional relationship between the sheep driving device, the weighing and collecting platform and the sheep pen fence.

[0031] like Figures 2 to 8 As shown, the sheep driving motion mechanism part of a dynamic sheep weighing mechanical device of the present invention includes: a crossbeam frame 1, a linear guide rail 2, a driving fence fixing pin 3, a left and right traction slider fixing frame 4, a mobile base 5, a combined vertical guide rail 6, a left lifting frame 7, a driving fence rotating pin 8, an inclined column 9, a driving fence lifting winch 10, a driving fence left and right traction winches 11, a right lifting frame 12, a driving fence 13, a traction slider 14, and a lifting frame guide pulley 15.

[0032] like Figures 11 to 13 As shown, the weighing and collecting frame part of a dynamic weighing mechanical device for sheep of the present invention includes: a sheep entry channel fence 1, a door shaft connecting plate 2, a sheep entry channel fence connected to a weighing platform support plate 3, an entry and exit door shaft 4, a torque limiter 5, a weighing sensor 6, a weighing sensor support plate 7, a weighing platform aisle fence 8, an RFID card reader 9, a sheep exit channel fence connected to a weighing platform support plate 10, a card reader bracket column 11, a sheep exit channel fence 12, an entry and exit double door drive belt 13, an entry and exit double door drive gear 14, a motor drive belt 15, an entry channel light curtain sensor 16, an entry door drive motor 17, a sheep entry door frame 18, a sheep exit door frame 19, a exit door drive motor 20, and an exit channel light curtain sensor 21.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, move the sheep driving device to both sides of the front and rear doors of the sheep pen fence and fix them appropriately, then move the weighing platform and collection stand to the outside of the sheep driving device, and use prefabricated hooks to fix the sheep inlet and outlet fences, the weighing platform and collection stand and the front and rear doors of the sheep pen to form a closed passage.

[0034] like Figures 2 to 10 As shown, Figure 2 The inclined steel wire rope fixed on the inclined column 9 pre-tensions the front end of the driving fence 13 until the universal wheel at the lower end is approximately separated from the ground to ensure that the driving fence is in a horizontal state as a whole when it rises (the front and rear ends of the driving fence remain horizontal); the crossbeam frame 1 is fixedly connected to the left lifting frame 7 and the right lifting frame 12 to realize the lifting of the crossbeam frame, and the left lifting frame 7 and the right lifting frame 12 are connected to the combined vertical guide rail 6 through Figure 5The lifting frame guide pulley 15 shown in the figure realizes the limitation in the front and rear and left and right directions, and the combined vertical guide rail 6 uses 4 round tubes ( Figure 5 As shown in FIG, the linear guide rail 2 is fixed on the crossbeam frame 1 to improve the straightness of the guide (increase the rigidity) and reduce the weight of the sheep driving movement mechanism. The left and right traction slider fixing frames 4 are fixed with two traction sliders 14 on one side and connected with the rear end of the driving fence 13 on the other side through the driving fence rotating pin 8, so that the driving fence 13 is located at the right side when it is raised or lowered. Figure 2 traction slider 14 and the linear guide rail 2 are assembled by sliding so that it can slide along the guide rail.

[0035] Drive fence lifting winch 10 press Figure 9 In the wire rope connection shown, the left hoist frame hoist wire rope is wound onto the drum from the rear lower portion of the drive fence hoist drum via a redirecting pulley, while the right hoist frame hoist wire rope is wound onto the drum from the front upper portion of the drive fence hoist drum via a redirecting pulley. This allows the hoist to rotate forward while simultaneously retracting both wire ropes, raising the left and right hoist frames. The hoist then reverses, releasing the wire ropes, lowering the left and right hoist frames. Synchronous wire ropes 1 for the left and right hoist frames are fixed at one end to the lower end of the right hoist frame and at the other end to the upper end of the left hoist frame via a redirecting pulley. Synchronous wire ropes 2 for the left and right hoist frames are fixed at one end to the lower end of the left hoist frame and at the other end to the upper end of the right hoist frame via a redirecting pulley. The provision of synchronous wire ropes further ensures that the left and right hoist frames can be raised and lowered synchronously, preventing any jamming during the lifting process.

[0036] Drive fence in Figure 2 As shown in the position, the driving fence lifting winch 10 is started to rotate forward, the drum is wound into the lifting wire rope of the left and right lifting frames, the left lifting frame 7 and the right lifting frame 12 rise synchronously, and the crossbeam frame 1 fixedly connected to the left and right lifting frames drives the left and right migration slider fixed frames 4 and the driving fence 13 to rise. When the lower end of the driving fence 13 can go over the height of the sheep pen fence, the driving fence lifting winch 10 is stopped; the driving fence 13 rotates 90 degrees around the driving fence rotating pin 8 to Figure 7 Position, start the driving fence lifting winch 10 to reverse, in the opposite direction of the above, drive the fence 13 down until its front end universal wheel contacts the sheep pen ground, stop the rotation of the driving fence lifting winch 10, use the driving fence fixing pin 3 to connect the driving fence 13 with the pin holes on the left side of the left and right traction slider fixing frames 4, so that the driving fence 13 cannot rotate around the driving fence rotating pin 8.

[0037] Drive fence left and right traction winch 11 press Figure 10The wire rope connection shown in the figure has one end of the left traction wire rope fixed to the left side of the left and right traction slider fixing frame, and the other end is wound onto the drum from the upper rear of the left and right traction winch drum of the driving fence via the changing pulley. One end of the right traction wire rope is fixed to the right side of the left and right traction slider fixing frame, and the other end is wound onto the drum from the lower front of the left and right traction winch drum of the driving fence via the changing pulley, so that when the winch rotates, the wire rope is retracted on one side and released on the other side, so that the left and right traction slider fixing frames can move left and right when the winch rotates forward and backward.

[0038] like Figures 6 to 8 As shown, the driving fence 13 moves slowly from one side of the sheep pen fence to the other side under the traction of the left and right traction winches 11 of the driving fence. The sheep in the sheep pen fence automatically enter the weighing entrance one by one as the space they are in shrinks under the condition of forming a conditioned reflex. After all the sheep are weighed, the driving fence returns to the starting position, and the driving fence lifting winch 10 is started to lift the driving fence and return. Figure 2-Figure 4 The position shown is used to complete the weighing of sheep in a single sheep pen.

[0039] like Figures 11 to 13 As shown, the sheep entering the channel fence is connected to the weighing platform support plate 3 and the sheep leaving the channel fence is connected to the weighing platform support plate 10. The weighing platform aisle fence 8 is suspended from the universal wheel support through the weighing sensor support plate 7, so that the weighing sensor 6 is in the working state. Under the above-mentioned driving, the sheep enters the sheep entering channel fence 1, the weighing control system is started to initialize the door frame position of the entry and exit, close the sheep leaving door frame 19 to the exit door closed limit switch position, and open the sheep entering door frame 18 to the entrance door open limit switch position; the sheep enters the weighing platform aisle fence from the sheep entering channel fence 1. When the sheep's tail passes through the entry channel light curtain sensor 16, the falling edge of the photoelectric switch triggers the entry door drive motor 17 to rotate forward, and the motor drives the belt 15 A pair of meshing in-and-out double-door transmission gears 14 are driven to rotate in two directions. This power is transmitted to the torque limiter 5, the door shaft connecting plate 2, and the in-and-out door shaft 4 through the in-and-out double-door drive belt 13. The sheep enters the door frame 18 and starts to close the door. During the door closing process, the double-side door frames are immediately pressed against the sheep's body. The working torque of the torque limiter 5 is adjusted to ensure that the door frame squeezes the sheep but does not cause crushing injuries to the sheep, so as to prevent the following sheep from following and entering the weighing platform aisle fence; when the sheep enters the weighing platform aisle fence and enters the door frame 18 to the entrance door closing limit switch position, the RFID card reader 9 installed on the card reader column 11 is triggered to read the sheep's ear tag information, and weighing sampling and data analysis and processing are started according to the preset sampling frequency and time, displaying the sheep's weight and uploading the data to the remote server database for storage via the wireless network.

[0040] After the preset weighing time is reached, data collection is ended, and the departure door drive motor 20 is started to reverse. The motor drive belt 15 drives a pair of meshing entry and exit double door transmission gears 14 to rotate in two directions. This power is transmitted to the door shaft connecting plate 2 and the entry and exit door shaft 4 through the entry and exit double door drive belt 13. The sheep leaves the door frame 19 and opens to the exit door open travel switch position. When the tail of the sheep passes through the exit channel light curtain sensor 21, the falling edge of the photoelectric switch triggers the departure door drive motor 20 to rotate forward and the entry door drive motor 17 to reverse, so that the sheep leaves the door frame 19 and closes to the exit door closed travel switch position, and the sheep enters the door frame 18 and opens to the entrance door open travel switch position. At this time, the sheep waiting in the sheep entry channel fence 1 can enter the weighing platform aisle fence 8 to start new weighing collection.

[0041] The present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, which are not intended to limit the present invention. Any technical solutions obtained by equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dynamic weighing device for sheep, characterized in that : It mainly includes: sheep driving movement mechanism part and weighing and collecting stand part; The sheep driving mechanism includes a movable base, a combined vertical guide rail, left and right lifting frames, a driving fence lifting winch, a combined pulley, a horizontal guide rail, left and right traction slider fixing frames, a connecting pin between the fixing frame and the driving fence, a driving fence, and left and right traction winches for the driving fence; The weighing and collection platform includes the sheep entry channel fence, the entry and exit channel light curtain sensor, the entry and exit door drive motor, the motor drive belt, the entry and exit double door transmission gear, the entry and exit double door drive belt, the torque limiter, the door shaft connecting plate, the entry and exit door shaft, the sheep entry and exit door frame, the door opening and closing position limit switch, the entry and exit channel fence connecting the weighing platform support plate, the weighing platform aisle fence, the weighing sensor, the weighing sensor support plate, the sheep exit channel fence, the card reader bracket column, and the RFID card reader; The device connects the weighing and collecting platform part with the two side doors of the sheep pen fence through the sheep entrance and exit fence channel to form a closed channel, so that the sheep can be circulated in a sheep pen to complete the weighing; The sheep driving mechanism is placed between the sheep pen fence and the weighing and collecting platform. Before weighing, the driving fence is lifted by the left and right lifting frames to make it pass over the height of the sheep pen fence. The driving fence is rotated 90 degrees and then placed in the sheep pen. The driving fence is pulled by the winch on the left and right to drag the driving fence to move slowly, forcing the sheep to move to one side and enter the weighing and collecting platform through the door on one side of the sheep pen. The spacing between the light curtain sensors on both sides of the aisle pen and the relatively narrow passage ensure that only one sheep can pass through. The entrance door frame on the entrance side of the weighing platform aisle pen opens, and the exit door frame on the exit side of the weighing platform aisle pen closes. When the tail of the sheep passes through the light curtain sensor, the entrance door frame on the entrance side closes, and the door frame squeezes against the sheep's body. The torque limiter adjusts the pressure to ensure that the sheep is not injured and further prevents the following sheep from entering. After the sheep enters the weighing platform aisle pen, its front and rear doors are closed. The weighing collection and control system uses an RFID card reader to read the electronic information of the sheep's ear tag to obtain the sheep's identity and the transmitter connected to the weighing sensor uses RS485 communication to start. The weight data of the sheep is collected and processed to obtain the current weight data of the sheep. The weighing collection system sends the sheep weight-related data to the cloud server database for storage through the wireless network. After the weighing is completed on time, the exit door frame on the exit side of the weighing platform aisle fence opens, and the sheep leaves the weighing platform aisle fence. When the sheep's tail passes through the exit light curtain sensor, the exit door frame on the exit side of the weighing platform aisle fence is closed. The sheep that have completed weighing return to the sheep pen through the exit side fence. When the exit side door of the weighing platform aisle fence closes, the entrance door frame on the entrance side of the weighing platform aisle fence opens, and the sheep waiting to be weighed start the next weighing. The entire weighing process for each sheep is set to 20 seconds to complete.

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