Automatic nebulization administration system for early warning of cough in pig population in farm

Abstract

Automatic atomization drug delivery treatment system after cough early warning of farm pig group. The present application relates to the field of automatic breeding technology of animal husbandry. The system comprises a cough monitoring unit, a central control unit, an atomization execution unit and an environmental control linkage unit. The cough monitoring unit carries a data interface to collect and identify pig cough sounds in real time. When the cough frequency reaches the preset threshold, the atomization execution unit is automatically triggered. The atomization execution unit uses high-pressure cutting atomization technology to produce 3-7 μm atomized particles, and carries a cold power system that does not heat throughout the process. The atomization duration is set to 60-120 min. The environmental control linkage unit automatically reduces the ventilation volume to 30%-50% of the normal level during atomization to prolong the retention time of the liquid medicine. The special treatment agent is a water-soluble atomized preparation of tilmicosin. The present application realizes the unmanned automatic linkage of cough monitoring and atomization drug delivery, solves the three defects of large atomized particles, heating damage to drug efficacy during atomization process and the inability of cough monitoring and atomization control to be linked, and significantly improves the drug deposition efficiency through environmental control cooperation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated livestock farming, specifically to an automated atomized drug delivery system for treating pigs after a cough warning is issued in a pig farm. Background Technology

[0002] Intensive, high-density farming has become the mainstream model in the global pig industry, but it has also led to a persistently high incidence of respiratory diseases in pigs, seriously affecting farming efficiency. The pig's respiratory system consists of the upper respiratory tract, lower respiratory tract, and lungs: the upper respiratory tract can pass particles with a diameter of 5–10 μm, the lower respiratory tract particles of 1–5 μm, and the alveoli of 0.1–1 μm. Pasteurella and Bordetella primarily colonize and damage the upper respiratory tract, while Mycoplasma and PRRS virus mainly damage the lower respiratory tract and alveoli, collectively causing persistent coughing in pigs. To ensure effective treatment of coughing in pigs on farms, automated nebulizers are typically used.

[0003] Current technologies treat coughing in pigs by collecting and analyzing the sound signals of the pigs' coughs, enabling automatic identification and alarm for respiratory diseases. When the sound monitor collects information about the pigs' coughs, it automatically activates the nebulizer to treat the coughs. After the nebulizer has been running for a preset time, it automatically stops working, thus completing the treatment of the pigs.

[0004] However, when using automatic nebulization to treat coughs in pigs, the atomized particles of the nebulizer are larger than 10μm, which cannot form Brownian motion and cannot achieve full coverage of the pigsty. Furthermore, the nebulization process will increase the temperature of the drug, change the physicochemical properties of the drug, and lead to a decrease in efficacy or even inactivation. Therefore, an automatic nebulization drug delivery system after a cough warning is issued for pigs in farms is proposed to address the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and solve at least one of the technical problems mentioned in the background art, the present invention proposes an automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pigs in a farm after a cough warning.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: an automatic nebulized drug delivery and treatment system for pigs in a farm after coughing warning, including a cough monitoring unit, a central control unit, a nebulization execution unit and an environmental control linkage unit; S1. Cough monitoring unit: includes multiple microphones, sound signal preprocessing subunits and cough recognition subunits deployed in the pigsty, used to collect and recognize the coughing sounds of pigs in the pigsty in real time, and count the frequency of coughing within a preset time period; the cough monitoring unit is equipped with a data interface to support communication with an external control system. S2, Central Control Unit: Electrically connected to the cough monitoring unit, nebulization execution unit and environmental control linkage unit respectively, used to receive cough frequency data and warning level data uploaded by the cough monitoring unit, generate a drug administration plan and send control commands to the nebulization execution unit; S3, Atomization Execution Unit: Includes multiple drug delivery sub-units deployed above the pig pen. Each drug delivery sub-unit includes a drug storage tank, a high-pressure cutting atomizing device, a cold power system, a drug delivery pipeline, a drug delivery nozzle array, and a drug delivery control valve, used to automatically spray atomized drug solution into the target pig pen according to the instructions of the central control unit. S4, Environmental Control Linkage Unit: Electrically connected to the central control unit and the pig house environmental control system, used to automatically reduce the ventilation volume of the pig house during atomized drug administration.

[0007] Preferably, the atomized particles generated by the high-pressure cutting atomizing device have a particle size range of 3–7 μm, and the proportion of atomized particles with a particle size of 3–7 μm is ≥92%, which meets the requirement that Brownian motion can be formed and dense coverage can be achieved in the entire pig house when the particle size is <10 μm. The cold power system ensures that no temperature rise occurs during the atomization process, and the temperature difference before and after atomization is <0.5 ℃, which does not change the physicochemical properties of the drug. The drug storage tank is equipped with multiple independent drug storage compartments to store therapeutic drugs with different effects. An electromagnetic switching valve is installed between the drug storage tank and the high-pressure cutting atomizing device. The central control unit selects the appropriate drug storage compartment by controlling the electromagnetic switching valve.

[0008] Preferably, the cough monitoring unit includes an early warning judgment module, which includes a first threshold and a second threshold, wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold; when the frequency of coughs within a preset time period reaches the first threshold but is lower than the second threshold, it is determined to be a mild early warning state; when the frequency of coughs reaches or exceeds the second threshold, it is determined to be a severe early warning state.

[0009] Preferably, the central control unit is set to administer nebulized medication for 60–120 minutes, and automatically stops when the set time is reached.

[0010] Preferably, the environmental control linkage unit automatically reduces the ventilation volume of the pigsty to 30%–50% of the normal ventilation volume after the atomized drug administration is started, and automatically restores the environmental control parameters after a delay of 15–30 minutes after the atomized drug administration is stopped.

[0011] Preferably, the environmental control linkage unit includes a safety protection subunit, which is used to monitor the temperature parameters inside the pigsty in real time, and prioritize temperature control safety when the temperature inside the pigsty exceeds the preset safety range.

[0012] Preferably, the data interface of the cough monitoring unit supports standard industrial communication protocols, enabling plug-and-play use of cough monitoring signals, and the central control unit and the cough monitoring unit can be linked through this interface.

[0013] Preferably, the drug delivery nozzle array is evenly distributed above the corresponding pig pen, and the installation height of the drug delivery nozzle array is set according to the average standing shoulder height of the pigs, with the spray direction forming an angle of 0° to 30° with the vertical direction.

[0014] Preferably, the central control unit is also equipped with a safety protection mechanism, supporting dual-mode switching between automatic and manual modes, immediately stopping and alarming in case of malfunction, power failure, or abnormal door opening, and allowing full traceability of cough records, nebulization records, and ventilation records.

[0015] Preferably, the system workflow is as follows: Step 1: Real-time sound monitoring. Multiple microphones deployed in the pigsty collect audio signals in real time, which are then pre-processed and input into the cough recognition subunit.

[0016] Step 2: Cough recognition and early warning judgment. The cough recognition subunit identifies cough sounds and counts the frequency. When the cough frequency within a preset time period reaches the first threshold, a mild early warning is triggered. When it reaches the second threshold, a severe early warning is triggered.

[0017] Step 3: Data interface linkage. The cough monitoring unit uploads the early warning signal to the central control unit through a dedicated data interface, ensuring stable communication and rapid response.

[0018] Step 4: Automatic triggering of nebulized drug delivery. The central control unit generates a drug delivery plan based on the warning level and immediately starts the nebulization execution unit to deliver the drug through nebulization according to the set drug delivery plan. The duration of nebulized drug delivery is set to 60–120 minutes.

[0019] Step 5: Environmental control and coordinated regulation. At the same time as the atomized drug delivery is started, the environmental control linkage unit sends a regulation signal to the environmental control system to reduce the ventilation volume of the pig house to 30%-50% of the normal ventilation volume, thereby prolonging the residence time of the drug solution in the pig house.

[0020] Step Six: Safety monitoring and security mechanisms operate throughout the process. The machine will immediately stop and alarm in case of malfunction, power outage, or abnormal door opening.

[0021] Step 7: Automatic stop. After the set nebulization drug delivery time is reached, the system will automatically stop. After a delay of 15–30 minutes after stopping, the environmental control linkage unit will automatically restore the environmental control parameters to normal.

[0022] The advantages of this invention are: This invention achieves direct linkage between cough monitoring and nebulization control through a dedicated data interface of the cough monitoring system. Upon reaching a threshold, nebulization drug delivery is automatically initiated. From cough recognition to automatic drug delivery, the entire process is completed automatically by the system without manual intervention. Simultaneously, high-pressure cutting atomization technology ensures stable atomized particles of 3–7 μm, accounting for ≥92%, meeting the requirement that particles <10 μm can form Brownian motion, achieving uniform and dense distribution of the drug solution throughout the pigsty. Furthermore, equipped with a cold-powered system, no temperature rise occurs during the entire nebulization process, with a temperature difference of <0.5 ℃ before and after nebulization, preserving the physicochemical properties of the drug. The group nebulization drug delivery method allows the drug solution to directly enter the lungs through the respiratory tract, resulting in high absorption rate, rapid efficacy, and no impact on the pigs' appetite. This invention achieves the effect of automatic nebulization drug delivery treatment for coughing pigs in farms, solving the problems of atomized particles larger than 10 μm failing to form Brownian motion and thus unable to achieve dense distribution throughout the pigsty; and the problem that the nebulization process raises the drug temperature, altering the physicochemical properties and leading to decreased efficacy or even inactivation. Attached Figure Description

[0023] 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.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the system structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a system workflow diagram of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments 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.

[0026] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-2 This application will be described in further detail. This application discloses an automatic nebulized drug delivery system for treating coughing in pig herds in a farm: Reference Figure 1 An automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pigs in a farm after a cough warning is issued includes a cough monitoring unit, a central control unit, a nebulization execution unit, and an environmental control linkage unit. S1. Cough Monitoring Unit: Includes multiple microphones, sound signal preprocessing subunits, and cough recognition subunits deployed in the pigsty, used to collect and recognize the coughing sounds of pigs in the pigsty in real time and count the frequency of coughing within a preset time period; The cough monitoring unit is equipped with a data interface to support communication with an external control system. S2, Central Control Unit: Electrically connected to the cough monitoring unit, nebulization execution unit and environmental control linkage unit respectively, used to receive cough frequency data and warning level data uploaded by the cough monitoring unit, generate a drug administration plan and send control commands to the nebulization execution unit; S3, Atomization Execution Unit: Includes multiple drug delivery sub-units deployed above the pig pen. Each drug delivery sub-unit includes a drug storage tank, a high-pressure cutting atomizing device, a cold power system, a drug delivery pipeline, a drug delivery nozzle array, and a drug delivery control valve, used to automatically spray atomized drug solution into the target pig pen according to the instructions of the central control unit. S4, Environmental Control Linkage Unit: Electrically connected to the central control unit and the pig house environmental control system, used to automatically reduce the ventilation volume of the pig house during atomized drug administration.

[0027] Reference Figure 1 The cough monitoring unit includes multiple microphones deployed within the pigsty, a sound signal preprocessing subunit, and a cough recognition subunit. The microphones are evenly spaced at preset intervals above the ceiling and along the walls of the pigsty to collect audio signals in real time. The sound signal preprocessing subunit filters, denoises, and amplifies the collected audio signals, removing interference signals such as ventilation noise and feeding equipment noise from the pigsty environment. The cough recognition subunit incorporates a deep learning-based cough recognition model trained on a large number of labeled pig cough samples. It can accurately identify coughing events from the preprocessed audio signals and count the frequency of coughs within a preset time period. The cough monitoring unit also features a dedicated data interface for the cough monitoring system, supporting standard industrial communication protocols. It can be directly connected to existing cough monitoring equipment in the pig farm or deployed independently, achieving plug-and-play signal usage.

[0028] The cough monitoring unit includes an early warning judgment module, which sets a first threshold and a second threshold, where the first threshold is lower than the second threshold. When the frequency of coughs within a preset time period reaches the first threshold but is below the second threshold, a mild early warning state is identified; when the frequency of coughs reaches or exceeds the second threshold, a severe early warning state is identified. The early warning judgment module also includes a duration judgment subunit, used to determine the duration for which the cough frequency reaches each threshold, to rule out false triggers caused by occasional coughs.

[0029] Furthermore, the central control unit is electrically connected to the cough monitoring unit, the nebulization execution unit, and the environmental control linkage unit. The central control unit includes a data receiving subunit, a decision-making subunit, and a control command output subunit.

[0030] The data receiving subunit receives cough frequency data and warning level data uploaded by the cough monitoring unit, and achieves seamless signal connection with the cough monitoring unit through the data interface, ensuring stable communication and rapid response. When the cough frequency reaches a preset threshold, the central control unit immediately triggers the nebulization execution unit to start drug delivery.

[0031] The decision-making subunit generates a dosing plan based on the warning level, including dosing duration, dosage, and nebulization parameter settings. The nebulization duration is set to 60–120 minutes to ensure adequate treatment. The subunit also includes a safety mechanism, supporting automatic and manual modes, and immediately stopping and alarming in case of malfunction, power outage, or abnormal door opening. Cough records, nebulization records, and ventilation records are fully traceable.

[0032] Furthermore, the administration unit includes multiple drug delivery sub-units deployed above the pig pens, with each sub-unit corresponding to a specific pig pen. Each drug delivery sub-unit includes a drug storage tank, a high-pressure cutting and misting device, a cooling system, drug delivery pipelines, a drug delivery nozzle array, and a drug delivery control valve.

[0033] High-pressure cutting atomization device: Utilizing high-pressure cutting atomization technology, the liquid medicine is cut to the 3–7 μm level, resulting in uniform and stable particle size, with atomized particles of 3–7 μm accounting for ≥92%. This particle size range meets the requirement that Brownian motion can be formed evenly within a particle size of <10 μm, enabling uniform and dense distribution of the liquid medicine throughout the entire pigsty. Compared to existing ultrasonic atomization technology and piezoelectric ceramic atomization technology, high-pressure cutting atomization is not affected by the viscosity of the liquid medicine, has a wider range of applicable liquid medicines, and offers higher atomization efficiency, enabling high-throughput continuous atomization.

[0034] Cold Power System: Equipped with a cold power system, the entire atomization process does not generate a temperature rise, and the temperature difference before and after atomization is less than 0.5 ℃. It does not change the original physicochemical properties of drugs, disinfectants, and vaccines. It operates at room temperature throughout the process, protecting the drug activity and solving the problem of decreased efficacy or even inactivation of drugs caused by temperature rise in existing atomization equipment.

[0035] Medicine storage tank: Used to store preset therapeutic medicine solutions. The medicine storage tank can be equipped with multiple independent medicine compartments to store different therapeutic medicine solutions. An electromagnetic switching valve is installed between the medicine storage tank and the high-pressure cutting mist generation device. The central controller selects the appropriate medicine compartment to use by controlling the electromagnetic switching valve.

[0036] Dosing nozzle array: The dosing pipeline delivers the atomized medication to the dosing nozzle array, which is evenly distributed above the corresponding pig pens. The installation height of the dosing nozzle array is set according to the average standing shoulder height of the pigs, and the angle between the spray direction and the vertical direction is 0° to 30°, allowing the atomized medication to naturally settle within the pigs' breathing height range. The dosing control valve is used to control the on / off state and flow rate of the dosing pipeline.

[0037] Timed nebulization function: The central controller sets the nebulization time to 60–120 minutes, and automatically stops when the set time is reached. After the nebulization unit starts, it continuously nebulizes for 60–120 minutes to ensure adequate drug delivery and stable treatment effect.

[0038] Furthermore, the environmental control linkage unit is electrically connected to the central control unit and the pigsty environmental control system. The environmental control linkage unit includes a ventilation volume control subunit and a safety protection subunit.

[0039] After the central controller issues a command to start atomized drug delivery, the ventilation control subunit automatically sends a control signal to the environmental control system, reducing the ventilation volume in the pigsty to 30%–50% of the normal ventilation volume. Specifically, the variable frequency fan operates at a reduced frequency, and the fixed speed fan switches to an intermittent start-stop mode; simultaneously, side windows and roller shutters are kept closed to reduce lateral airflow interference. The purpose of this design is to reduce the ventilation volume during atomization, prevent the drug solution from being rapidly discharged by the fan, prolong the residence time of droplets in the pigsty, and improve the deposition efficiency of the drug in the respiratory tract.

[0040] The safety protection subunit monitors the temperature parameters inside the pigsty in real time. When the temperature inside the pigsty exceeds the preset safety range, it prioritizes temperature control safety and automatically restores ventilation or reduces the atomization intensity.

[0041] The environmental control linkage unit also has a delayed recovery function: after the nebulized drug delivery is stopped, the environmental control parameters will automatically recover to the normal state after a delay of 15–30 minutes.

[0042] Furthermore, this system uses only respiratory medications for treating cough, with the core proprietary medication being tilmicosin water-soluble nebulized formulation.

[0043] Tilmicosin, a new generation of antibacterial veterinary drug, is characterized by its broad spectrum, low toxicity, safety, and high efficacy. It is primarily used to prevent and treat respiratory diseases in pigs, such as coughing and wheezing, caused by porcine mycoplasma pneumoniae, infectious pleuropneumonia, and Haemophilus parasuis. Tilmicosin exhibits strong lung targeting, good water solubility, low irritation, and no precipitation, making it suitable for use with high-pressure cutting atomization technology.

[0044] Tilmicosin solution must be prepared and used immediately, fully dissolved, and filtered before use. Oil-based formulations, suspensions, high-viscosity solutions, those prone to crystallization, and highly irritating drugs are prohibited. Tilmicosin exhibits stable atomization during high-pressure cutting atomization processes, without clogging, stratification, or loss of potency.

[0045] Reference Figure 2 The system workflow of this invention is as follows: Step 1: Real-time sound monitoring. Multiple microphones deployed in the pigsty collect audio signals in real time, which are then pre-processed and input into the cough recognition subunit.

[0046] Step 2: Cough recognition and early warning judgment. The cough recognition subunit identifies cough sounds and counts the frequency. When the cough frequency within a preset time period reaches the first threshold, a mild early warning is triggered. When it reaches the second threshold, a severe early warning is triggered.

[0047] Step 3: Data interface linkage. The cough monitoring unit uploads the early warning signal to the central control unit through a dedicated data interface, ensuring stable communication and rapid response.

[0048] Step 4: Automatic triggering of nebulized drug delivery. The central control unit generates a drug delivery plan based on the warning level and immediately starts the nebulization execution unit to deliver the drug according to the set plan. The duration of nebulized drug delivery is set to 60–120 minutes.

[0049] Step 5: Environmental control and coordinated regulation. At the same time as the atomized drug delivery is started, the environmental control linkage unit sends a regulation signal to the environmental control system to reduce the ventilation volume of the pig house to 30%-50% of the normal ventilation volume, thereby prolonging the residence time of the drug solution in the pig house.

[0050] Step Six: Safety monitoring and security mechanisms operate throughout the process. The machine will immediately stop and alarm in case of malfunction, power outage, or abnormal door opening.

[0051] Step 7: Automatic stop. After the set nebulization drug delivery time is reached, the system will automatically stop. After a delay of 15–30 minutes after stopping, the environmental control linkage unit will automatically restore the environmental control parameters to normal.

[0052] Working principle: Eight microphones are placed at approximately 4-meter intervals above the ceiling of the pigsty, and four microphones are placed on each of the two side walls of the pigsty, forming a sound acquisition network covering the entire pigsty. The audio signals collected by each microphone are transmitted to the central control unit via wired connection. The sound signal preprocessing subunit uses bandpass filtering and spectral subtraction to remove environmental noise. The deep learning model embedded in the cough recognition subunit is trained with 200,000 labeled pig cough sound samples. Therefore, multiple microphones can be used to monitor the cough of the pigs in the pigsty in real time.

[0053] In the early warning judgment module, the first threshold is set to 5 times / minute, and continuous monitoring is conducted for 10 minutes. The second threshold is set to 10 times / minute. When the cough frequency in any pig pen reaches 5 times / minute, a mild early warning is triggered. The dosing regimen generated by the central control unit is set to: dosing duration of 60 minutes and atomized particle size of 5–7 μm. When the cough frequency reaches 10 times / minute, a severe early warning is triggered. The dosing regimen is set to: dosing duration of 120 minutes and atomized particle size of 3–5 μm. Therefore, the cough recognition subunit in the early warning judgment module of the cough monitoring unit can be used to judge the coughing sounds of the pigs in the pig house. When the cough frequency in any pig pen reaches 5 times / minute, a mild early warning is triggered. The dosing regimen generated by the central control unit is set to: dosing duration of 60 minutes and atomized particle size of 5–7 μm. When the cough frequency reaches 10 times / minute, a severe early warning is triggered. The dosing regimen is set to: dosing duration of 120 minutes and atomized particle size of 3–5 μm.

[0054] The cough monitoring unit is equipped with a standard RS485 data interface, enabling seamless integration with the central control unit. When the frequency of coughs reaches a threshold, the central control unit responds within 0.5 seconds and activates the nebulization unit.

[0055] The high-pressure cutting atomizing device uses a high-pressure pump to pressurize the drug solution to 10–15 MPa, and then cuts the drug solution into atomized particles of 3–7 μm through a specially designed cutting nozzle. The particle size test results show that 3–7 μm accounts for 93.6%. The cold power system adopts a circulating cooling structure, and the drug solution temperature is maintained at 22–24 ℃ during the atomization process, with a temperature difference of <0.5 ℃ before and after atomization. Therefore, the central control unit can control the atomization execution unit to start atomization according to the dosing plan of the warning level in the warning module, and cut the tilmicosin drug solution into atomized particles of 3–7 μm through the specially designed cutting nozzle. At the same time, the cold power system adopts a circulating cooling structure, and the drug solution temperature is maintained at 22–24 ℃ during the atomization process, which can prevent the material properties of the tilmicosin drug solution from changing due to high temperature.

[0056] Each nebulization unit is equipped with a drug delivery subunit above each pigpen. The drug delivery nozzle array is evenly distributed at a height of approximately 1.2 meters above the pigpen, corresponding to the standing breathing height of the fattening pigs. The treatment solution uses tilmicosin water-soluble nebulization formulation, which is prepared according to the instructions and filtered through a 200-mesh filter before being added to the drug storage tank. During the high-pressure cutting nebulization process, tilmicosin does not cause clogging or stratification, and the potency of the nebulized solution remains above 95%. Therefore, the drug delivery nozzles adopt high-pressure cutting nebulization technology, which can cut the tilmicosin solution into 3–7 μm atomized particles. This particle size range meets the requirement that Brownian motion can be formed when the particle size is <10 μm, which can achieve uniform and dense distribution of the drug solution throughout the pigpen. This facilitates the nebulized tilmicosin solution to pass through the upper and lower respiratory tracts of the pigs to treat them.

[0057] After the atomization is started, the environmental control linkage unit automatically reduces the frequency of the variable frequency fan from 50 Hz to 20 Hz by 60%, and at the same time closes the side window air inlet. During the atomization period, the ventilation volume of the pig house is reduced to 40% of the normal level. The temperature sensor inside the pigsty monitors the temperature in real time. When the temperature exceeds 28 ℃, the safety protection subunit automatically increases the fan frequency to 30 Hz to ensure temperature control safety. After 120 minutes of atomization and shutdown, the fan frequency automatically returns to 50 Hz after a 20-minute delay, and the side window automatically opens. Therefore, the frequency of the variable frequency fan in the environmental control linkage unit can be reduced from 50 Hz to 20 Hz, while the side window air inlet is closed, allowing the atomized tilmicosin solution to remain in the pigsty for an extended period, ensuring that the atomized tilmicosin solution treats all pigs in the pigsty. After one treatment cycle, which consists of continuous administration for 3 days, once a day, 120 min each time, the entire process of monitoring, early warning, linkage, administration, environmental control coordination, and automatic shutdown is achieved, enabling unattended closed-loop control.

[0058] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claimed invention.

Claims

1. An automatic nebulized drug delivery system for treating coughing pigs in a pig farm, characterized in that: It includes a cough monitoring unit, a central control unit, a nebulization execution unit, and an environmental control linkage unit; S1. Cough Monitoring Unit: Includes multiple microphones, sound signal preprocessing subunits, and cough recognition subunits deployed in the pigsty, used to collect and recognize the coughing sounds of pigs in the pigsty in real time and count the frequency of coughing within a preset time period; The cough monitoring unit is equipped with a data interface to support communication with an external control system. S2, Central Control Unit: Electrically connected to the cough monitoring unit, nebulization execution unit and environmental control linkage unit respectively, used to receive cough frequency data and warning level data uploaded by the cough monitoring unit, generate a drug administration plan and send control commands to the nebulization execution unit; S3, Atomization Execution Unit: Includes multiple drug delivery sub-units deployed above the pig pen. Each drug delivery sub-unit includes a drug storage tank, a high-pressure cutting atomizing device, a cold power system, a drug delivery pipeline, a drug delivery nozzle array, and a drug delivery control valve, used to automatically spray atomized drug solution into the target pig pen according to the instructions of the central control unit. S4, Environmental Control Linkage Unit: Electrically connected to the central control unit and the pig house environmental control system, used to automatically reduce the ventilation volume of the pig house during atomized drug administration.

2. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-pressure cutting atomizing device produces atomized particles with a particle size range of 3–7 μm, and the proportion of atomized particles with a particle size of 3–7 μm is ≥92%, which meets the requirement that Brownian motion can be formed and dense atomization can be achieved throughout the pig house if the particle size is <10 μm. The cold power system ensures that no temperature rise occurs during the atomization process, and the temperature difference before and after atomization is <0.5 ℃, which does not change the physicochemical properties of the drug. The drug storage tank is equipped with multiple independent drug compartments to store therapeutic drugs with different effects. An electromagnetic switching valve is installed between the drug storage tank and the high-pressure cutting atomizing device. The central control unit selects the appropriate drug compartment by controlling the electromagnetic switching valve.

3. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cough monitoring unit is equipped with an early warning judgment module, which has a first threshold and a second threshold. The first threshold is less than the second threshold. When the frequency of coughs within a preset time period reaches the first threshold but is lower than the second threshold, it is determined to be a mild early warning state. When the frequency of coughs reaches or exceeds the second threshold, it is determined to be a severe early warning state.

4. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central control unit is set to administer nebulized medication for 60–120 minutes, and automatically stops when the set time is reached.

5. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The environmental control linkage unit automatically reduces the ventilation volume of the pigsty to 30%–50% of the normal ventilation volume after the atomized drug administration is started, and automatically restores the environmental control parameters after a delay of 15–30 minutes after the atomized drug administration is stopped.

6. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The environmental control linkage unit includes a safety protection subunit, which is used to monitor the temperature parameters inside the pigsty in real time and prioritize temperature control safety when the temperature inside the pigsty exceeds the preset safety range.

7. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cough monitoring unit is equipped with a data interface that supports standard industrial communication protocols, enabling plug-and-play use of cough monitoring signals. The central control unit and the cough monitoring unit can be linked through this interface.

8. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drug delivery nozzle array is evenly distributed above the corresponding pig pen. The installation height of the drug delivery nozzle array is set according to the average standing shoulder height of the pigs, and the angle between the spray direction and the vertical direction is 0° to 30°.

9. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central control unit is also equipped with a safety protection mechanism, supporting dual-mode switching between automatic and manual modes. It will immediately stop and alarm in case of malfunction, power failure, or abnormal door opening. Cough records, nebulization records, and ventilation records are all traceable.

10. The automatic nebulized drug delivery system for pig herd cough warning in a farm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system workflow is as follows: Step 1: Real-time sound monitoring. Multiple microphones deployed in the pigsty collect audio signals in real time, which are then pre-processed and input into the cough recognition subunit. Step Two: Cough Recognition and Early Warning Judgment. The cough recognition subunit identifies cough sounds and counts their frequency. When the cough frequency within a preset time period reaches a first threshold, a mild early warning is triggered; when it reaches a second threshold, a severe early warning is triggered. Step 3: Data interface linkage. The cough monitoring unit uploads the early warning signal to the central control unit through a dedicated data interface. The communication is stable and the response is rapid. Step 4: Automatic triggering of nebulized drug delivery. The central control unit generates a drug delivery plan based on the warning level and immediately starts the nebulization execution unit to deliver the drug according to the set plan. The duration of nebulized drug delivery is set to 60–120 minutes. Step 5: Environmental control and coordinated regulation. Simultaneously with the initiation of atomized drug delivery, the environmental control unit sends a control signal to the environmental control system, reducing the ventilation volume in the pigsty to 30%–50% of the normal ventilation volume, thus extending the residence time of the drug solution within the pigsty. Step Six: Safety monitoring and security mechanisms operate throughout the process. The system will immediately stop and trigger an alarm in case of malfunction, power outage, or abnormal door opening. Step 7: Automatic stop. After the set nebulization drug delivery time is reached, the system will automatically stop. After a delay of 15–30 minutes after stopping, the environmental control linkage unit will automatically restore the environmental control parameters to normal.

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