Fish feeding devices, fish feeding methods, and gravity cage aquaculture systems

Abstract

This invention discloses a fish feeding device, a fish feeding method, and a gravity-fed cage aquaculture system, relating to the field of marine aquaculture technology. The fish feeding device includes a feed storage bin for storing fish feed; a discharge port at the bottom of the feed storage bin; a pressure sensing unit for measuring the current weight of the feed storage bin; and an acceleration sensing unit for measuring the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin during its buoyancy-wave motion under wave force. The technical solution provided by this invention can accurately measure the current weight of the feed storage bin, thereby obtaining accurate feed feeding data and reducing the occurrence of overfeeding or underfeeding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of marine aquaculture technology, and in particular to a fish feed feeding device, a fish feed feeding method, and a gravity cage aquaculture system. Background Technology

[0002] Gravity cage aquaculture system refers to the use of gravity cages for marine fish farming. By utilizing the characteristic that wave height decreases proportionally with water depth, gravity cages can effectively reduce the damage and impact of wave forces on the cages and farmed fish, thereby increasing the economic benefits of marine aquaculture.

[0003] In existing technologies, the fish feed feeding device in a gravity cage aquaculture system is installed on the gravity cage. Because the gravity cage is affected by ocean waves, it will float and sway, which will cause the fish feed feeding device to also float and sway accordingly. As a result, when the fish feed storage bin is in a state of floating and swaying, there will be a large error in measuring the current weight of the feed storage bin using a pressure sensor unit. This makes it impossible to calculate the amount of feed by subtracting the weight of the feed storage bin after feeding from the weight of the feed storage bin before feeding. When the amount of feed cannot be determined, the operators are prone to overfeeding or underfeeding.

[0004] It should be noted that the above content is only used to help understand the technical solution of the present invention, and does not represent an admission that the above content is prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a fish feed feeding device, a fish feed feeding method, and a gravity-fed cage aquaculture system, which aims to accurately measure the current weight of the feed storage bin, thereby obtaining accurate feed feeding data and reducing the occurrence of overfeeding or underfeeding.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this invention proposes a fish feeder for use in gravity-fed cage aquaculture systems; the fish feeder includes:

[0007] A feed storage bin for storing fish feed; the bottom of the feed storage bin is provided with a discharge port.

[0008] A pressure sensing unit, the pressure sensing unit being used to measure the current weight of the feed storage bin;

[0009] An acceleration sensing unit is used to measure the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin when it undergoes floating and undulating motion under the action of wave force.

[0010] In one embodiment, the upper part of the feed storage bin is cylindrical, and the lower part of the feed storage bin is frustum-shaped. The end of the frustum-shaped structure with a relatively large diameter is connected to the cylindrical structure, and the end of the frustum-shaped structure with a relatively small diameter is provided with the discharge port.

[0011] In one embodiment, the discharge port is equipped with a feed conveying device, which adopts a screw-type conveying structure.

[0012] In one embodiment, the fish feed dispensing device includes a communication control unit, a first data terminal of which is electrically connected to the pressure sensing unit, the acceleration sensing unit, and the feed conveying device, and a second data terminal of which is electrically connected to a shore-based control center.

[0013] In one embodiment, the fish feed feeding device includes a mounting frame, and the feed storage bin is connected to the gravity cage of the gravity cage aquaculture system via the mounting frame; there are at least three connection ends between the mounting frame and the gravity cage.

[0014] In one embodiment, the fish feed feeding device includes a video monitoring device for monitoring the feed discharge status at the outlet and the sea surface conditions.

[0015] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also proposes a fish feeding method, including the fish feeding device described in any of the above claims; comprising the following steps:

[0016] The pressure sensing unit is used to measure the first measured weight g1 of the current feed storage bin, and the acceleration sensing unit is used to measure the first longitudinal acceleration a1 of the current feed storage bin when it is floating and undulating under the action of wave force; the first actual weight G1 is calculated based on the first measured weight g1 and the first longitudinal acceleration a1, where G1=g1 / a1;

[0017] Open the discharge port to feed the fish.

[0018] The pressure sensing unit is used to measure the second measured weight g2 of the current feed storage bin, and the acceleration sensing unit is used to measure the second longitudinal acceleration a2 of the current feed storage bin when it is floating and undulating under the action of wave force; the second actual weight G2 is calculated based on the second measured weight g2 and the second longitudinal acceleration a2, where G2=g2 / a2;

[0019] The feed amount W is calculated based on the first actual weight G1 and the second actual weight G2, where W = G1 - G2.

[0020] In one embodiment, the step of opening the discharge port to feed the fish includes the following steps:

[0021] Select a feeding mode and perform fish feeding operations according to the feeding mode; wherein the feeding modes include real-time mode, timed mode, and quantitative mode; specifically,

[0022] The real-time mode allows operators to control whether to stop feeding fish based on the real-time feeding situation.

[0023] The timed mode stops feeding fish when a preset time is reached.

[0024] The quantitative feeding mode involves setting a preset feeding amount, and stopping the fish feeding operation when the feed amount reaches the preset feeding amount.

[0025] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also proposes a gravity cage aquaculture system, including the fish feed feeding device of any of the above-mentioned methods, or adopting the fish feed feeding method of any of the above-mentioned methods.

[0026] The technical solution of this invention involves installing a pressure sensing unit and an acceleration sensing unit on the feed storage bin. The pressure sensing unit measures the current weight of the feed storage bin, and the acceleration sensing unit measures the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin during its buoyancy motion under wave force. According to the mass calculation formula m=G / g (where m is mass, G is gravity, and g is gravitational acceleration), the gravitational acceleration at rest is approximately 9.8 N / kg. However, because the feed storage bin in this application experiences buoyancy motion under wave force, its movement generates a longitudinal acceleration. Furthermore, its longitudinal acceleration is not equal to gravitational acceleration, so an additional acceleration sensing unit is needed to measure the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin. Gravity G can be understood as the current weight of the feed storage bin measured by the pressure sensing unit, and mass m can be understood as the actual weight of the feed storage bin. Therefore, by dividing the current weight of the feed storage bin by the measured current longitudinal acceleration, the current actual weight of the feed storage bin can be obtained. This enables accurate measurement of the current weight of the feed storage bin, thereby obtaining accurate feed feeding data and reducing the occurrence of overfeeding or underfeeding. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the fish feed dispensing device provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the steps of an embodiment of the fish feeding method provided by the present invention.

[0030] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0031] 1. Feed storage bin; 101. Discharge port; 2. Pressure sensing unit; 3. Acceleration sensing unit; 4. Feed conveying device; 5. Mounting frame; 6. Video monitoring device;

[0032] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of this invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a portion of the embodiments of this invention, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0034] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0035] Furthermore, it should be noted that the descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., in this invention are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination of technical solutions should be considered non-existent and not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0036] In existing technologies, the fish feed feeding device in a gravity cage aquaculture system is installed on the gravity cage. Because the gravity cage is affected by ocean waves, it will float and sway, which will cause the fish feed feeding device to also float and sway accordingly. As a result, when the fish feed storage bin is in a state of floating and swaying, there will be a large error in measuring the current weight of the feed storage bin using a pressure sensor unit. This makes it impossible to calculate the amount of feed by subtracting the weight of the feed storage bin after feeding from the weight of the feed storage bin before feeding. When the amount of feed cannot be determined, the operators are prone to overfeeding or underfeeding.

[0037] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this embodiment discloses a fish feed feeding device applied to a gravity-fed cage aquaculture system.

[0038] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment of the present invention, the fish feed dispensing device includes:

[0039] Feed storage bin 1 is used to store fish feed; the bottom of feed storage bin 1 is provided with a discharge port 101.

[0040] Pressure sensing unit 2 is used to measure the current weight of feed storage bin 1.

[0041] Acceleration sensing unit 3 is used to measure the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin 1 when it undergoes floating and undulating motion under the action of wave force.

[0042] The technical solution of this invention involves setting a pressure sensing unit 2 and an acceleration sensing unit 3 on the feed storage bin 1. The pressure sensing unit 2 measures the current weight of the feed storage bin 1, and the acceleration sensing unit 3 measures the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin 1 when it undergoes buoyancy and undulation under the action of wave force. According to the mass calculation formula m=G / g (where m is mass, G is gravity, and g is gravitational acceleration), the gravitational acceleration g ≈ 9.8 N / kg in a static state. However, since the feed storage bin in this application will generate a longitudinal acceleration during its buoyancy and undulation under the action of wave force, ... Furthermore, its longitudinal acceleration is not equal to gravitational acceleration, so an additional acceleration sensing unit 3 is needed to measure the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin. Gravity G can be understood as the current weight of the feed storage bin measured by the pressure sensing unit, and mass m can be understood as the actual weight of the feed storage bin. Therefore, by dividing the current weight of the feed storage bin 1 by the measured current longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin 1, the current actual weight of the feed storage bin 1 can be obtained. This enables accurate measurement of the current weight of the feed storage bin 1, thereby obtaining accurate feed feeding data and reducing the occurrence of overfeeding or underfeeding.

[0043] There are many structural forms for the feed storage bin 1. In this embodiment of the invention, the upper part of the feed storage bin 1 is cylindrical, and the lower part is frustum-shaped. The larger diameter end of the frustum-shaped structure is connected to the cylindrical structure, and the smaller diameter end of the frustum-shaped structure is provided with a discharge port 101. This arrangement allows the cylindrical upper part to hold as much fish feed as possible, while the frustum-shaped lower part allows the fish feed to accumulate at its smaller diameter end under its own gravity and be discharged from the discharge port 101 located at that smaller diameter end.

[0044] More specifically, in an embodiment of the present invention, the discharge port 101 is provided with a feed conveying device 4, which adopts a screw-type feeding structure. With this configuration, the feed conveying device 4, using a screw-type feeding structure, can precisely control the amount of fish feed fed, driven by the internal screw. The screw-type feeding structure is prior art, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0045] More specifically, in embodiments of the present invention, the fish feed dispensing device includes a communication control unit (not shown in the accompanying drawings). The first data terminal of the communication control unit is electrically connected to the pressure sensing unit 2, the acceleration sensing unit 3, and the feed conveying device 4, and the second data terminal of the communication control unit is electrically connected to the shore-based control center. This configuration utilizes the communication control unit as a medium for information transmission and control, enabling the remote shore-based control center to monitor and control the fish feed dispensing device, thereby significantly saving manpower and time costs.

[0046] More specifically, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fish feed feeding device includes a mounting frame 5, and the feed storage bin 1 is connected to a gravity net cage (not shown in the attached drawings) of a gravity net cage aquaculture system via the mounting frame 5; there are at least three connection ends between the mounting frame 5 and the gravity net cage. This configuration allows the feed storage bin 1 to be installed on the gravity net cage using the mounting frame 5, resulting in a simple structure and strong practicality. Furthermore, based on the principle of three points determining a plane, this embodiment specifies that there are at least three connection ends between the mounting frame 5 and the gravity net cage, thereby ensuring that the mounting frame 5 can be stably installed on the gravity net cage.

[0047] More specifically, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fish feeding device includes a video monitoring device 6, which monitors the feeding status of the outlet 101 and the sea surface conditions. Understandably, the first data terminal of the video monitoring device 6 is also electrically connected to the communication control unit. With the support of the remote communication technology of the communication control unit, the video feed from the video monitoring device 6 is transmitted in real time to the shore-based control center, allowing personnel at the shore-based control center to observe the feeding status of the outlet 101 and the sea surface conditions in real time via a video terminal, thereby monitoring the feeding process and the fish's foraging behavior. In this embodiment, the video monitoring device 6 may employ a waterproof camera to prevent seawater from corroding and damaging the camera.

[0048] This embodiment also discloses a fish feeding method, including the fish feeding device of any of the above embodiments; see attached drawing. Figure 2 It includes the following steps:

[0049] Step S10: Use the pressure sensing unit to measure the first measured weight g1 of the current feed storage bin, and use the acceleration sensing unit to measure the first longitudinal acceleration a1 of the current feed storage bin when it is floating and undulating under the action of wave force; calculate the first actual weight G1 based on the first measured weight g1 and the first longitudinal acceleration a1, where G1=g1 / a1;

[0050] Step S20: Open the discharge port to feed the fish;

[0051] Step S30: Use the pressure sensing unit to measure the second measured weight g2 of the current feed storage bin, and use the acceleration sensing unit to measure the second longitudinal acceleration a2 of the current feed storage bin when it is floating and undulating under the action of wave force; calculate the second actual weight G2 based on the second measured weight g2 and the second longitudinal acceleration a2, where G2=g2 / a2;

[0052] Step S40: Calculate the feed amount W based on the first actual weight G1 and the second actual weight G2, where W = G1 - G2.

[0053] The technical solution of this invention is based on the mass calculation formula m=G / g (where m is mass, G is gravity, and g is gravitational acceleration). In a static state, gravitational acceleration g≈9.8N / kg. However, since the feed storage bin in this application undergoes floating and undulating motion under the action of wave force, its motion process will generate a longitudinal acceleration, and its longitudinal acceleration ≠ gravitational acceleration. Therefore, it is necessary to set up an additional acceleration sensing unit 3 to measure the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin 1. Gravity G can be understood as the current weight of the feed storage bin measured by the pressure sensing unit, and mass m can be understood as the actual weight of the feed storage bin. Therefore, by dividing the current weight of the feed storage bin by the measured current longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin, the current actual weight of the feed storage bin can be obtained.

[0054] Based on the above principles, before feeding the fish, a pressure sensor unit and an acceleration sensor unit are used to measure the current first measured weight g1 and the first longitudinal acceleration a1 of the feed storage bin, respectively. The first actual weight G1 is calculated according to the formula G1=g1 / a1. After feeding the fish, a second measured weight g2 and a second longitudinal acceleration a2 of the feed storage bin are measured using the same pressure sensor unit and acceleration sensor unit, respectively. The second actual weight G2 is calculated according to the formula G2=g2 / a2. Finally, the feed amount W is calculated based on the first actual weight G1 and the second actual weight G2, where W=G1-G2. This allows for accurate measurement of the current weight of the feed storage bin, thereby obtaining accurate feed amount data and reducing the occurrence of overfeeding or underfeeding.

[0055] Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the step of opening the discharge port to feed fish includes the following steps: selecting a feeding mode and feeding fish according to the feeding mode; wherein the feeding mode includes a real-time mode, a timed mode, and a quantitative mode; in this way, the operators at the shore-based control center can freely select a suitable feeding mode according to the site conditions, thereby improving the flexibility of fish feeding.

[0056] Specifically, in the above steps,

[0057] The real-time mode allows operators to control whether to stop feeding the fish based on real-time feeding conditions. In this mode, operators observe and judge the fish's feeding behavior through video monitoring devices and then choose the time to stop feeding. Understandably, when it is observed that the fish's interest in the fish feed decreases, it can be determined that the fish's satiety level has reached the preset level. At this time, the feed delivery device can be turned off through the communication control unit to stop the feeding operation and prevent feed waste.

[0058] The timed mode involves setting a preset time, during which the feeding operation stops. In this mode, operators can set a preset time, such as one hour, and when the feeding time reaches one hour, the communication control unit will automatically shut down the feed delivery device, stopping the feeding operation. This eliminates the need for operators to constantly monitor the fish foraging, greatly saving labor costs.

[0059] The quantitative feeding mode involves setting a preset feeding amount, and stopping the feeding operation when the feed amount reaches the preset amount. In this feeding mode, operators can set a preset feeding amount, such as one ton, and use the above-mentioned feed amount calculation method. When the feed amount reaches one ton, the communication control unit automatically shuts down the feed conveying device, stopping the feeding operation. This eliminates the need for operators to constantly monitor the fish foraging, greatly saving labor costs.

[0060] This embodiment also discloses a gravity-fed cage aquaculture system, including the fish feed feeding device of any of the above embodiments, or the fish feed feeding method of any of the above embodiments. For the specific structure of the fish feed feeding device and the specific steps of the fish feed feeding method, please refer to the above embodiments. Since this gravity-fed cage aquaculture system adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it possesses at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0061] It should be noted that the fish feeding device and other contents of the gravity cage aquaculture system disclosed in this invention are prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0062] The above are merely optional embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any application of the present invention directly or indirectly in other related technical fields is included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for feeding fish, characterized in that: Includes a fish feeder, which is used in a gravity cage aquaculture system; The fish feeder includes: A feed storage bin for storing fish feed; the bottom of the feed storage bin is provided with a discharge port. A pressure sensing unit, the pressure sensing unit being used to measure the current weight of the feed storage bin; An acceleration sensing unit is used to measure the longitudinal acceleration of the feed storage bin when it undergoes floating and undulating motion under the action of wave force. The fish feeding method includes the following steps: The pressure sensing unit is used to measure the first measured weight g1 of the current feed storage bin, and the acceleration sensing unit is used to measure the first longitudinal acceleration a1 of the current feed storage bin when it is floating and undulating under the action of wave force; the first actual weight G1 is calculated based on the first measured weight g1 and the first longitudinal acceleration a1, where G1=g1 / a1; Open the discharge port to feed the fish. The pressure sensing unit is used to measure the second measured weight g2 of the current feed storage bin, and the acceleration sensing unit is used to measure the second longitudinal acceleration a2 of the current feed storage bin when it is floating and undulating under the action of wave force; the second actual weight G2 is calculated based on the second measured weight g2 and the second longitudinal acceleration a2, where G2=g2 / a2; The feed amount W is calculated based on the first actual weight G1 and the second actual weight G2, where W = G1 - G2.

2. The fish feeding method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The step of opening the discharge port to feed the fish includes the following steps: Select a feeding mode and perform fish feeding operations according to the feeding mode; wherein the feeding modes include real-time mode, timed mode and quantitative mode.

3. The fish feeding method as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The real-time mode allows operators to control whether to stop feeding fish based on the real-time feeding situation. The timed mode stops feeding fish when a preset time is reached. The quantitative feeding mode involves setting a preset feeding amount, and stopping the fish feeding operation when the feed amount reaches the preset feeding amount.

4. The fish feeding method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The upper part of the feed storage bin is cylindrical, and the lower part of the feed storage bin is frustum-shaped. The end of the frustum-shaped structure with a relatively large diameter is connected to the cylindrical structure, and the end of the frustum-shaped structure with a relatively small diameter is provided with the discharge port.

5. The fish feeding method as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The discharge port is equipped with a feed conveying device, which adopts a screw-type conveying structure.

6. The fish feeding method as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The fish feed dispensing device includes a communication control unit. The first data terminal of the communication control unit is electrically connected to the pressure sensing unit, the acceleration sensing unit, and the feed conveying device. The second data terminal of the communication control unit is electrically connected to the shore-based control center.

7. The fish feeding method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The fish feed feeding device includes a mounting frame, and the feed storage bin is connected to the gravity cage of the gravity cage aquaculture system through the mounting frame; there are at least three connection ends between the mounting frame and the gravity cage.

8. The fish feeding method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The fish feed feeding device includes a video monitoring device, which is used to monitor the discharge status of the feed outlet and the sea surface conditions.

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