A pig house manure cleaning robot and a manure cleaning method

Abstract

The application discloses a pig house excrement cleaning robot and a pig house excrement cleaning method. The pig house excrement cleaning robot comprises a robot body, and a squeezing type collecting mechanism is arranged at the bottom of the robot body. The pig excrement is collected in a container in a squeezing manner. The pig house excrement cleaning method comprises the following steps: controlling the pig house excrement cleaning robot to walk according to a preset path, controlling a vertical telescopic mechanism to work, so that the cylinder intermittently presses and lifts according to a set frequency, the pig excrement is picked up into the inner cavity of the cylinder every time the cylinder presses on the pig excrement, and the excrement in the inner cavity of the cylinder is pushed out when the pig house excrement cleaning robot moves to the end point. The pig house excrement cleaning robot solves the technical problems that the pig house is difficult to be cleaned and the residual amount is large by using a simple robot structure and mode. The pig excrement identification sensor and the corresponding algorithm are omitted, the cost and the implementation difficulty of the excrement cleaning robot are greatly reduced, and the excrement cleaning process has the advantages of small noise and small stress on the pigs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of pig farm manure cleaning robots, specifically relating to a pigsty manure cleaning robot and a manure cleaning method. Background Technology

[0002] The management of pigsty cleanliness and hygiene is a crucial aspect affecting the health of pig herds, labor costs, and manure treatment. Faced with the harsh working environment of high humidity and high ammonia levels in pigsties, coupled with the intensive manure cleaning tasks, the difficulty and high cost of hiring labor has always been a bottleneck restricting the development of large-scale, intensive pig farms. Using manure cleaning robots offers multiple advantages. Firstly, for pig farm management, it solves the labor shortage problem, reduces labor costs, and improves manure cleaning efficiency. Secondly, for pigs, it reduces manure accumulation and residue, lowers the generation of harmful gases such as ammonia, effectively improves the living environment for pigs, and enhances animal welfare.

[0003] There are two main types of existing pigsty manure removal machines: scraper-type and manure collection-type. The manure collection type primarily uses two methods: a horizontal auger and negative pressure adsorption. A motor drives the horizontal auger mechanism to rotate, pushing the manure from the scraper into the storage bin. However, this method has a generally poor manure collection efficiency and leaves a large amount of residue (when cleaning clumps of manure, the residual manure accounts for approximately 30% of the initial manure volume). Negative pressure adsorption is mainly suitable for fluid manure. However, due to the viscosity of pig manure, especially clumps, it often fails to adsorb the manure. Furthermore, this method is noisy and can easily cause stress to pigs. More importantly, under normal circumstances, pig manure is clump-shaped and sticky, and it doesn't disperse for a day or several days, making it difficult to clean effectively. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the technical problems mentioned in the background art, the present invention aims to provide a pigsty manure cleaning robot and manure cleaning method.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solution.

[0006] A pigsty manure removal robot includes a robot body with a compression collection mechanism at the bottom of the robot body, which uses compression to collect pig manure into a container.

[0007] As one preferred embodiment, the compression collection mechanism includes a vertical telescopic mechanism. The lower end of the telescopic rod of the vertical telescopic mechanism is connected to a cylindrical body, which is arranged horizontally. The side wall of the cylindrical body has several arrayed through holes, and the cylindrical body serves as a container for collecting and storing pig manure. Furthermore, both ends of the cylindrical body are rotatably connected to the vertical telescopic mechanism, and a manure outlet is provided on the side wall of the cylindrical body. As a second preferred embodiment, the compression collection mechanism includes a vertical telescopic mechanism. The lower end of the telescopic rod of the vertical telescopic mechanism is connected to the top of the cylinder. The cylinder is arranged vertically, and its bottom wall is provided with several arrayed through holes. The cylinder serves as a container for collecting and storing pig manure, and the through holes also serve as manure outlets. Furthermore, a piston is provided in the inner cavity of the cylinder, and the piston is connected to a telescopic device. The telescopic device drives the piston to move axially within the inner cavity of the cylinder.

[0008] To facilitate the collection of pig manure, the through-hole has a structure that is thicker at both ends and thinner in the middle.

[0009] As a preferred option, the robot body is a tracked robot or a wheeled robot, and the cylinder is made of polytetrafluoroethylene material. This solution can further reduce the amount of fecal residue after cleaning.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the maximum diameter of the through hole is 18~25mm, the spacing between adjacent through holes is 8mm (the distance between the end faces of two adjacent through holes), and the diameter of the middle part of the through hole (the thinnest part of the through hole) is 10~12mm.

[0011] The manure removal method using the aforementioned pigsty manure removal robot includes the following steps: Step 1: Control the pigsty manure cleaning robot to move along the preset path; Step 2: Control the vertical telescopic mechanism to make the cylinder intermittently press down and lift up at a set frequency. Whenever the cylinder presses down on the pig manure, it picks up the pig manure into the inner cavity of the cylinder. Step 3: When the pigsty cleaning robot moves to the endpoint, control the telescopic device to push out the manure from the inner cavity of the cylinder.

[0012] As a preferred option, the cylinder is pressed down at a frequency of 30 times per minute.

[0013] Beneficial effects: This invention solves the technical problem of difficult cleaning of lumps of manure and large amounts of residue in pigsties with a minimal robot structure and method. It eliminates the need for pig manure identification sensors and corresponding algorithms, greatly reducing the cost and implementation difficulty of the manure cleaning robot. It also has advantages such as low noise and low stress on pigs during the manure cleaning process. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the pigsty cleaning robot in Example 1; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the pigsty cleaning robot in Example 1; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the pigsty cleaning robot in Example 1; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the pigsty cleaning robot in Example 2; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the pigsty cleaning robot in Example 2; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the pigsty cleaning robot in Example 2; Figure 7 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the through-hole of the pigsty manure cleaning robot in the embodiment. The cut-off position can be referred to... Figure 5 Part A in the middle. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. In the present invention, the power source in the robot body can be a lithium battery (not shown in the figure), and the telescopic mechanism can be an electrically driven telescopic mechanism. Example 1

[0016] Combination Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a pigsty manure removal robot includes a robot body 10. The robot body 10 is a wheel-type robot (i.e., the walking wheels of the robot body 10 are wheel-type). A compression collection mechanism is set at the bottom of the robot body 10 to collect pig manure in a container by compression. In this embodiment, the compression collection mechanism includes a vertical telescopic mechanism 1. The lower end of the telescopic rod of the vertical telescopic mechanism 1 is connected to the cylinder 2 via a connector 7 (the lower end of the telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the connector 7, and both ends of the connector 7 are rotatably connected to the cylinder 2 via shafts and bearings, as long as the cylinder 2 can rotate). The cylinder 2 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene material, with a wall thickness of 12mm. The cylinder 2 is arranged horizontally, and its side wall is provided with several arrayed through holes 3. The cylinder 2 serves as a container for collecting and storing pig manure. Both ends of the cylinder 2 are rotatably connected to the vertical telescopic mechanism 1, and a manure outlet 6 is provided on the side wall of the cylinder 2. A piston 4 is provided inside the cylinder 2, and the piston 4 is connected to a telescopic device 5. The telescopic device 5 drives the piston 4 to move axially within the cylinder 2. Figure 7 As shown, the through hole 3 has a structure that is thick at both ends and thin in the middle. The maximum diameter of the through hole 3 is 20mm, the spacing between adjacent through holes 3 is 8mm, and the diameter of the middle part of the through hole 3 (the thinnest part of the through hole 3) is 10mm.

[0017] The manure removal method using the pigsty manure removal robot in this embodiment includes the following steps: Step 1: Control the pig manure cleaning robot to walk along a preset path in the pig manure defecation area of ​​the pig house. The pig manure defecation area is a solid floor / panel structure without slatted panels. Step 2: Control the vertical telescopic mechanism 1 to work so that the cylinder 2 intermittently presses down and lifts up at a set frequency. The cylinder 2 presses down at a frequency of 30 times / minute. After each press, the cylinder 2 is immediately lifted up. Whenever the cylinder 2 presses down on the pig manure, the pig manure is picked up and placed into the inner cavity of the cylinder 2. Step 3: When the pigsty cleaning robot moves to the end point, control the telescopic device 5 to push out the manure in the inner cavity of the cylinder 2. The manure is then discharged laterally from the manure outlet 6. Example 2

[0018] Combination Figures 4 to 7 As shown, a pigsty manure removal robot includes a robot body 10. The robot body 10 is a tracked robot (i.e., the walking wheels of the robot body 10 adopt a tracked structure). A compression collection mechanism is set at the bottom of the robot body 10 to collect pig manure in a container by compression. In this embodiment, the compression collection mechanism includes a vertical telescopic mechanism 1. The lower end of the telescopic rod of the vertical telescopic mechanism 1 is connected to the top of the cylinder 2 (the lower end of the telescopic rod is fixedly connected to a connector 7, which is fixedly connected to the top of the cylinder 2 and has a gate-shaped structure). The cylinder 2 is vertically arranged, and the bottom wall of the cylinder 2 is provided with several arrayed through holes 3. The cylinder 2 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene material, the wall thickness of the side wall of the cylinder 2 is 8mm, and the wall thickness of the bottom wall of the cylinder 2 is 15mm. The cylinder 2 serves as a container for collecting and storing pig manure, and the through holes 3 also serve as manure outlets. A piston 4 is provided in the inner cavity of the cylinder 2, and the piston 4 is connected to a telescopic device 5. The telescopic device 5 is installed on the connector 7, and the telescopic rod of the telescopic device 5 penetrates the top wall of the cylinder 2. The piston 4 is driven to move axially in the inner cavity of the cylinder 2 through the telescopic device 5. The through holes 3 have a structure that is thick at both ends and thin in the middle. The maximum diameter of the through hole 3 is 22mm, the spacing between adjacent through holes 3 is 10mm, and the diameter of the middle part of the through hole 3 is 12mm.

[0019] The manure removal method using the pigsty manure removal robot in this embodiment includes the following steps: Step 1: Control the pig manure cleaning robot to walk along a preset path in the pig manure defecation area of ​​the pig house. The pig manure defecation area is a solid floor / panel structure without slatted panels. Step 2: Control the vertical telescopic mechanism 1 to work so that the cylinder 2 intermittently presses down and lifts up at a set frequency. The cylinder 2 presses down at a frequency of 30 times / minute. After each press, the cylinder 2 is immediately lifted up. Whenever the cylinder 2 presses down on the pig manure, the pig manure is picked up and placed into the inner cavity of the cylinder 2. Step 3: When the pigsty cleaning robot moves to the end point, control the telescopic device 5 to push out the manure in the inner cavity of the cylinder 2, and the manure is discharged downward from the manure outlet 6.

[0020] The pig manure cleaning robot described in this embodiment was used to clean the pig manure (normal clump-shaped manure from one day of pig defecation) in the test area: first, normal clump-shaped manure from one day of pig defecation was collected, and then it was placed at intervals in the test area. After cleaning, the residual amount / percentage of manure was counted (residual amount / percentage of manure = weight of residual manure in the test area after cleaning / weight of initial clump-shaped manure). The results showed that after cleaning using the method in Example 1, the residual amount of manure was only about 9.5%, and after cleaning using the method in Example 2, the residual amount of manure was only about 5%.

[0021] Some key technical points of this invention: Whenever the cylinder 2 presses down on the lumpy feces, the lumpy feces will be squeezed and enter / drill into the inner cavity of the cylinder 2 through the through hole 3. Even if part of the lumpy feces is flattened (the flattened feces) will not adhere to the outer wall of the cylinder 2. At this time, it is only necessary to slightly change the position of the cylinder 2 and then press down on the flattened feces again to further press most of the feces into the inner cavity of the cylinder 2. The feces collected in the inner cavity of the cylinder 2 are subsequently pushed out / squeezed out by the movement of the piston 4.

[0022] During use, the preset path and frequency of the robot's movement are set by those skilled in the art based on the actual conditions of the pigsty, but it is necessary to ensure that the trajectory traversed by the lower end / bottom of the cylinder 2 can cover the entire area where the pigs defecate.

[0023] This invention solves the technical problem of difficult and large amounts of lumpy manure in pigsties by using a minimalist robot structure and method. It eliminates the need for pig manure identification sensors and corresponding identification algorithms, which greatly reduces the structural cost, software cost and implementation difficulty of the manure cleaning robot. It also has advantages such as low noise (noise level below 60 decibels) and less stress on pigs during the manure cleaning process. In particular, it has the advantage of good stability during the manure cleaning process, because the stability of the robot is further enhanced each time the cylinder is pressed down.

Claims

1. A manure removal method using a pigsty manure removal robot, characterized in that, The pig manure cleaning robot includes a robot body (10), and a squeezing collection mechanism is provided at the bottom of the robot body (10) to collect pig manure in a container by squeezing. The compression collection mechanism includes a vertical telescopic mechanism (1), the lower end of the telescopic rod of the vertical telescopic mechanism (1) is connected to the cylinder (2), the cylinder (2) is arranged horizontally, and the side wall of the cylinder (2) is provided with several arrayed through holes (3). The cylinder (2) serves as a container for collecting and storing pig manure. The two ends of the cylinder (2) are rotatably connected to the vertical telescopic mechanism (1), and the side wall of the cylinder (2) is provided with a manure outlet (6). A piston (4) is provided in the inner cavity of the cylinder (2), and the piston (4) is connected to the telescopic device (5). The piston (4) is driven to move axially in the inner cavity of the cylinder (2) through the telescopic device (5). The cylinder (2) is made of polytetrafluoroethylene material. The through holes (3) have a structure that is thick at both ends and thin in the middle. The maximum diameter of the through holes (3) is 18~25mm, the spacing between adjacent through holes (3) is 8~15mm, and the diameter of the middle part of the through holes (3) is 10~12mm. or, The compression collection mechanism includes a vertical telescopic mechanism (1), the lower end of the telescopic rod of the vertical telescopic mechanism (1) is connected to the top of the cylinder (2), the cylinder (2) is arranged vertically, and the bottom wall of the cylinder (2) is provided with several arrayed through holes (3). The cylinder (2) serves as a container for collecting and storing pig manure, and the through holes (3) also serve as manure outlets. A piston (4) is provided in the inner cavity of the cylinder (2), and the piston (4) is connected to a telescopic device (5). The piston (4) is driven to move axially in the inner cavity of the cylinder (2) through the telescopic device (5). The cylinder (2) is made of polytetrafluoroethylene material. The through holes (3) have a structure that is thick at both ends and thin in the middle. The maximum diameter of the through holes (3) is 18~25mm, the spacing between adjacent through holes (3) is 8~15mm, and the diameter of the middle part of the through holes (3) is 10~12mm. The steps for manure removal include: Step 1: Control the pigsty manure cleaning robot to move along the preset path; Step 2: Control the vertical telescopic mechanism (1) to work so that the cylinder (2) intermittently presses down and lifts according to the set frequency. Whenever the cylinder (2) presses down on the pig manure, the pig manure is picked up into the inner cavity of the cylinder (2). The frequency of the cylinder (2) pressing down is 30 times / minute. Step 3: When the pigsty cleaning robot moves to the end point, control the telescopic device (5) to push out the manure inside the cylinder (2).

2. The manure removal method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot body (10) adopts a tracked robot or a wheeled robot.

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