Rearing device

Abstract

To provide an effective technique for improving the survival rate of living organisms in a rearing device that rears the living organisms such as insects.SOLUTION: A rearing device 1 includes: a body frame 10 which forms a rearing space 11 for living organisms; a rearing unit 20 which is housed in the rearing space 11 of the body frame 10; multiple stop members 22 which are arranged in the rearing unit 20 with gaps 23; a conveyor belt 42 which is positioned on the lower side of the rearing unit 20; and a feed container 50 in the bottomed box shape which is placed on the multiple stop members 22 of the rearing unit 20. A mesh-like opening which is smaller than the feed E but larger than an unwanted solid matter produced by the living organisms is provided on a bottom 50a of the feed container 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a breeding device. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 describes a conventional cricket breeding device. This breeding device is equipped with a feeding device for supplying food to the crickets breeding in the breeding area. The feeding device is arranged on the upstream side of the frame in the conveying direction of the belt conveyor, and is configured to supply food to the upper surface of the belt conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-84103 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above breeding device, if food is supplied to the top of the conveyor belt, the crickets' carcasses, shed shells, excrement, etc. will accumulate on the top of the feed, burying the feed and making it unable to function as a feeding area. In addition, if food is supplied to the top of the conveyor belt, the crickets will stay on the top of the conveyor belt, reducing the utilization rate of the stop members provided in the breeding area. This may induce cannibalism among the crickets, which may be a factor in reducing the survival rate.

[0005] The present invention provides a technique that is effective for improving the survival rate of organisms in a breeding device for breeding organisms such as insects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is A breeding device for living organisms, comprising: A main body frame that forms a breeding space for the organism; A rearing unit accommodated in the rearing space of the main body frame; A plurality of stop members arranged at intervals in the rearing unit; A floor portion located below the rearing unit; A bottomed box-shaped food container arranged at a higher position than the floor portion; Equipped with a bottom of the food container is provided with a mesh-like opening smaller than the food and larger than unnecessary solid matter generated by the organisms; is located. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In the breeding device of the above-mentioned aspect, a bottomed box-shaped food container is placed at a higher position than the floor located below the breeding unit. The mesh-like opening at the bottom of this food container is sized to be smaller than the food and larger than the unwanted solid matter generated by the living organisms. Food is placed in this food container to feed the living organisms.

[0008] The organisms are attracted to the inside or outside of the bait container to eat the bait. The organisms can eat the bait inside the bait container or through a mesh-like opening from below the bottom of the bait container. While the bait remains inside the bait container, some or all of the unnecessary solids such as excrement generated by the organisms fall through the opening at the bottom of the bait container under their own weight and accumulate on the floor. This makes it possible to prevent the unnecessary solids from accumulating on the bait inside the bait container, and the inside of the bait container can be maintained as a hygienic environment as a feeding area. At this time, the unnecessary solids remaining inside the bait container are reduced and the bait remains hygienic, so there is less need to collect the unnecessary solids from the bait container together with the bait, which is effective in reducing bait loss.

[0009] In addition, by attracting the creatures to the food container that is higher than the floor, it is possible to prevent the creatures from settling on the floor when the floor is used as a feeding area, and to increase the utilization rate of the stopping members of the rearing unit. In this case, since the bottom of the food container is provided with a mesh-like opening, the creatures can easily notice the food from below the food container, and the effect of attracting the creatures to the food is increased.

[0010] From the above, the rearing device having the above configuration has the effect of preventing cannibalism among the living organisms and suppressing a decrease in the survival rate, which results in an increase in the yield of the living organisms and a reduction in the cost of rearing the living organisms.

[0011] According to the above-described aspect, in a breeding device for breeding living things such as insects, the survival rate of the living things can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the rearing apparatus of the first embodiment with a collection device connected to a main body frame. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the rearing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a state where the collection device is separated from the main body frame. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the rearing apparatus of FIG. 2 as seen from the collection device side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rearing unit and food container in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the rearing unit and food container in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 3 is a perspective view of the collecting device in FIG. 2 as viewed from the main body frame side. [Figure 7] A front view showing the state in which the rearing unit in Figure 3 is supported by the support part of the collection device. [Figure 8] 8 is a side view showing a state before the comb teeth of the separating member are inserted into the gap of the stopping member of the first rearing unit in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 8 is a side view showing a state in which the comb teeth of the separating member are inserted into the gaps of the stopping members of the first rearing unit in FIG. 7. [Figure 10]FIG. 4 is a front view of the rearing apparatus of the second embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a specific structure of the rearing apparatus according to one embodiment of the above aspect will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] In this specification and drawings, unless otherwise specified, the up-down direction of the breeding apparatus is defined as the X-axis direction, the horizontal direction of the breeding apparatus is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is defined as the Z-axis direction.

[0015] (Embodiment 1) 1. Subjects to be kept The living organisms to be reared in the rearing device are, for example, small organisms such as arthropods. The living organisms to be reared are, for example, organisms used for food, feed, research, etc. For example, insects such as crickets, locusts, grasshoppers, etc. can be reared. In particular, the living organisms to be reared are arthropods that undergo incomplete metamorphosis, in which larvae directly metamorphose into adults, and furthermore, incomplete metamorphosis larvae are preferable. In this embodiment, among insects, crickets and locust larvae of the order Orthoptera are described as preferable examples of living organisms to be reared. However, adults (emerged incomplete metamorphosis arthropods) may also be reared. Moreover, the rearing device may rear organisms from eggs, or rear organisms after hatching.

[0016] 2. Basic configuration of the breeding device As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rearing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment is used for rearing living organisms to be reared. Figure 1 illustrates an example of the rearing apparatus 1 suitable for rearing crickets, a type of insect. The rearing apparatus 1 can also be suitably used for insects that are reared in large quantities and at high density, similar to crickets. The rearing apparatus 1 includes, as its basic components, a main body frame 10, a plurality of rearing units 20, and a collection device 30.

[0017] The main body frame 10 is placed on an installation surface for the breeding device 1. The main body frame 10 is configured to form a breeding space 11 for the organism C. Although not shown in FIG. 1 for convenience, the outer periphery of the main body frame 10 is covered by a wall portion (not shown) that partitions the breeding space 11. For this reason, the breeding space 11 is always kept sealed during the breeding period, and this sealed space is appropriately set to an environment suitable for the growth of the organism C.

[0018] 3. Internal structure of the main frame In this embodiment, two rearing spaces 11 are formed in two levels, one above the other, in the X-axis direction inside the main body frame 10. That is, a first rearing space 11a located in the upper level in the X-axis direction and a second rearing space 11b located in the lower level in the X-axis direction are formed as the rearing spaces 11. The first rearing space 11a and the second rearing space 11b are spaces of the same dimensions.

[0019] 1 and 2, the multiple rearing units 20 are housed in a rearing space 11 inside a main frame 10. The multiple rearing units 20 include three first rearing units 20A on the upper level and three second rearing units 20B on the lower level. The first rearing units 20A and the second rearing units 20B have the same shape.

[0020] The three first rearing units 20A are housed in the first rearing space 11a in a state of being arranged side by side in the Z-axis direction. The three second rearing units 20B are housed in the second rearing space 11b in a state of being arranged side by side in the Z-axis direction. Note that the number of each of the first rearing units 20A and the second rearing units 20B is not particularly limited and can be appropriately changed as necessary.

[0021] The main body frame 10 includes a plurality of support parts 12a, 12b each extending in the Z-axis direction. The two support parts 12a are components for supporting each of the first breeding units 20A so that they can slide in the Z-axis direction, and extend parallel to the Z-axis direction while being spaced apart from each other in the Y-axis direction. The two support parts 12b are components for supporting each of the second breeding units 20B so that they can slide in the Z-axis direction, and extend parallel to the Z-axis direction while being spaced apart from each other in the Y-axis direction.

[0022] A plurality of support rollers 13 are provided along the Z-axis direction on the inner surfaces of the support parts 12a and 12b in the Y-axis direction. The support rollers 13 are rotatable members such as rollers or bearings, and are configured to rotate on their own axes when an input is received in the Z-axis direction.

[0023] The main body frame 10 is provided with a distribution information detection unit 14 that detects distribution information of the organisms in each of the first breeding unit 20A and the second breeding unit 20B. A photographing camera for photographing the breeding space 11 can typically be used as the distribution information detection unit 14. The photographing camera is configured to continuously capture images by receiving light reflected by the surfaces of the organisms in the breeding space 11 with an imaging element, and to display the captured images on a monitor (not shown). This allows the user to check the distribution information of the organisms in each of the first breeding unit 20A and the second breeding unit 20B. A CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor can be used as the imaging element.

[0024] 4. Structure of the conveying unit 40 3, when the rearing device 1 is viewed from the direction A in FIG. 2, a transport unit 40 is provided below each of the first rearing unit 20A and the second rearing unit 20B inside the main body frame 10. The transport unit 40 in this embodiment is a belt conveyor, and includes a pair of rollers 41, 41 spaced apart in the Z-axis direction, an endless conveyor belt 42 looped around the pair of rollers 41, 41, and a motor (not shown) that drives one of the rollers 41.

[0025] In each transport section 40, a motor drives one of the rollers 41, so that a transport surface 42a of the conveyor belt 42 moves continuously. At this time, the conveyor belt 42 forms a floor portion located below the rearing units 20. The conveyor belt 42 may be rotatable in only one direction in the Z-axis direction, or may be rotatable in both directions in the Z-axis direction.

[0026] The conveying unit 40 conveys at least one of the following: the living organisms themselves, which are the breeding targets; eggs of the living organisms; excrement of the living organisms; corpses of the living organisms; moisture; and dust. For example, the conveying unit 40 can be used to convey early-stage living organisms or eggs of living organisms from the outside to the breeding spaces 11a and 11b. Also, the living organisms being raised in the breeding space 11 need moisture. Therefore, the conveying unit 40 can be used to supply moisture to the breeding spaces 11a and 11b from the outside. Also, during the breeding of the living organisms, excrement of the living organisms, corpses of the living organisms, leftover food, and the like are accumulated at the bottom of the breeding spaces 11a and 11b. Therefore, the conveying unit 40 can be used to discharge these from the bottom of the breeding spaces 11a and 11b to the outside. Also, after the breeding of the living organisms is completed, the conveying unit 40 can be used to collect the living organisms.

[0027] 5. Structure of the breeding unit 3, when the first rearing unit 20A is housed in the first rearing space 11a inside the main body frame 10, both ends of the holding part 21 in the Y-axis direction are supported from below by the multiple support rollers 13 of the support part 12a. When the second rearing unit 20B is housed in the second rearing space 11b inside the main body frame 10, both ends of the holding part 21 in the Y-axis direction are supported from below by the multiple support rollers 13 of the support part 12b, similar to the first rearing unit 20A.

[0028] 3 and 4, each of the multiple rearing units 20 (first rearing unit 20A and second rearing unit 20B) has multiple stop members 22 and a holding part 21 that holds the multiple stop members 22. Each rearing unit 20 uses the multiple stop members 22 to form an area where living creatures can hide, and is also called a "hideout."

[0029] As shown in Fig. 4, the multiple stop members 22 all have the same shape and are configured to hang down from the underside of the holding portion 21, which serves as a top plate. The multiple stop members 22 extend downward from the end closer to the holding portion 21 as a base end 22a to a lower end 22b. The multiple stop members 22 are arranged in the Y-axis direction, separated by gaps 23 indicated by dimension a in Fig. 3. That is, the multiple stop members 22 are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the Y-axis direction.

[0030] The stop member 22 is a plate-like member extending on a plane determined by the X-axis and Z-axis directions with the Y-axis direction being the plate thickness direction. The stop member 22 is configured to enable the rearing target organism to stay on its surface. The stop member 22 may be formed in a flat plate shape or a corrugated shape. In this embodiment, the stop member 22 is formed in a flat plate shape.

[0031] The material of the stop member 22 is not particularly limited, but as an example, metals such as iron and aluminum, resin, wood, paper, etc. can be used. The stop member 22 preferably has a mesh structure with many through holes formed over the entire surface so as to serve as a foothold for the organism C. For example, the stop member 22 can be formed of punching metal, wire mesh, etc.

[0032] 4, the holding part 21 is formed in a frame shape, and when the rearing unit 20 is viewed from above in the X-axis direction, the base end 22a of each stop member 22 is exposed through an opening in the holding part 21. The multiple stop members 22 may be directly attached to the holding part 21, or a separate member may be interposed between the holding part 21 and the multiple stop members 22.

[0033] 6. Structure of the food container 50 3 and 4, the rearing device 1 includes a bottomed box-shaped food container 50 that is placed directly on the multiple stop members 22 of each rearing unit 20, and a food supply unit 52 for automatically supplying food E to the food container 50. The food container 50 is placed higher than the conveyor belt 42, which is a floor portion located below each rearing unit 20. The food container 50 may be placed above the multiple stop members 22 at an interval. The size and number of the food container 50 can be changed as appropriate.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, both the bottom 50a and the side 50b of the bait container 50 are provided with a mesh-like opening 51 over almost the entire surface. That is, the opening 51 is formed so as to penetrate through each of the bottom 50a and the side 50b. At this time, the size of the mesh in the opening 51 is set to be smaller than the bait E to be given to the living organism C and larger than the unnecessary solid matter generated by the living organism C. In addition, the size of the mesh in the opening 51 is set to be smaller than the dimension a of the gap 23 of the stop member 22. The opening 51 is difficult for the bait E to pass through, and is easier for the unnecessary solid matter to pass through than the bait E. The shape of the opening 51 is not particularly limited, and may be an appropriate shape such as a rectangle or a circle. The bait E may be in the form of pellets, granules, flakes, etc. Typical examples of the unnecessary solid matter include excrement of the living organism C, and other examples include carcasses, shells, etc.

[0035] For example, the bait container 50 can be made of a net cage. Alternatively, the bottom 50a and the side 50b of the bait container 50 can be made of punched metal or wire mesh. If necessary, the mesh-like openings 51 may be provided only in the bottom 50a of the bait container 50.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 4, the bait supplying unit 52 includes a hopper 53 capable of storing bait E, and a driving unit 54 for automatically moving the hopper 53 relative to the bait container 50. The hopper 53 has an inlet 53a and an outlet 53b for the bait E, and is disposed so that the outlet 53b is located above the bait container 50. The driving unit 54 may be a driving mechanism having an actuator such as an electric motor, or may be a robot arm that is controlled by teaching. The bait supplying unit 52 makes it possible to supply bait E from the hopper 53 to the bait container 50 at the required timing, or to stop the supply.

[0037] 7. Function of the food container 50 As shown in Fig. 5, in the feed container 50 configured as described above, the feed E supplied to the feed container 50 remains inside the feed container 50, while the unnecessary solid matter S falls partly or entirely through the opening 51 in the bottom 50a of the feed container 50 to the bottom of the feed container 50 due to gravity. The unnecessary solid matter S becomes fine particles over time inside the feed container 50. Therefore, the feed container 50 functions as a "sieve" or "filter" for separating the feed E from the unnecessary solid matter S.

[0038] As an example, when the feed container 50 has a sieve net with square meshes and this feed container 50 is used for a living organism C such as a cricket, the mesh size of the sieve can be set to 5 to 10 mm. In this case, the size of the feed E can be set to 10 to 15 mm, and the size of the unnecessary solid matter S can be set to 1 to 5 mm. Note that these numerical values ​​are merely illustrative and are changed as appropriate depending on the type of living organism C being raised.

[0039] In addition, in this embodiment, since the openings 51 are provided on both the bottom 50a and the side 50b of the bait container 50, the living organisms C can not only eat the bait E from inside the bait container 50, but also eat the bait E from the outside of the bottom 50a and the side 50b of the bait container 50 through the openings 51. Therefore, the bait container 50 has the effect of increasing the area of ​​the feeding area and increasing the area of ​​the access path for the living organisms C to the bait E, thereby improving accessibility.

[0040] Moreover, by placing the food container 50 having the above-mentioned configuration on the multiple stopping members 22 of the breeding unit 20, the living organisms C can first be attracted to the multiple stopping members 22. At this time, the multiple stopping members 22 function as a movement path connecting the conveyor belt 42 and the food container 50 so that the living organisms C can move freely between them, in addition to their original function as hiding places. This improves the accessibility of the living organisms C to the food container 50.

[0041] In the breeding device 1 of this embodiment, it is preferable to set the placement state (placement location, orientation, number, etc.) of the food containers 50 based on distribution information of the organisms C in the breeding unit 20 detected by a distribution information detection unit 14 (see FIG. 1) provided on the main frame 10. By grasping the distribution of the organisms C in the breeding unit 20 and placing the food containers 50 in a location on the multiple stopping members 22 where few organisms C have settled, for example, it is possible to make the settlement of the organisms C uniform. Note that the distribution information detection unit 14 is not essential and may be omitted if unnecessary.

[0042] 8. Structure of the collection device As shown in Fig. 2, the collection device 30 is a device separate from the main body frame 10, and is used when collecting the organism C after the breeding period has ended. The collection device 30 is connected to the main body frame 10 when collecting the organism C (see Fig. 1), and is detached from the main body frame 10 when breeding the organism C (see Fig. 2). As shown in Fig. 6, the collection device 30 includes a main body 3, two separating members 32, and two cases 36.

[0043] The main body 31 includes a plurality of support parts 31a, 31b each extending in the Z-axis direction. The two support parts 31a, like the support part 12a, are components for supporting the plurality of first breeding units 20A so that they can slide in the Z-axis direction, and extend parallel to the Z-axis direction while being spaced apart from each other in the Y-axis direction. The two support parts 31b, like the support part 12b, are components for supporting the plurality of second breeding units 20B so that they can slide in the Z-axis direction, and extend parallel to the Z-axis direction while being spaced apart from each other in the Y-axis direction.

[0044] A plurality of support rollers 37 similar to the support rollers 13 are provided along the Z-axis direction on the inner surfaces in the Y-axis direction of each of the support portions 31a and 31b. Similar to the support rollers 13, the support rollers 37 are configured to rotate on their own axes when receiving an input in the Z-axis direction.

[0045] A plurality of casters 31c that enable the collecting device 30 to travel are provided on the bottom of the main body 31. Therefore, the collecting device 30 can be moved freely relative to the main body frame 10 by an operator manually operating the collecting device 30.

[0046] When the collecting device 30 is at the connection position P1 (see FIG. 1) connected to the main body frame 10, the support portion 31a is disposed on an extension of the support portion 12a of the main body frame 10. Similarly, the support portion 31b is disposed on an extension of the support portion 12b of the main body frame 10. Therefore, when the collecting device 30 is at the connection position P1, each of the first breeding unit 20A and the second breeding unit 20B can be freely slid in the Z-axis direction between the main body frame 10 having the support rollers 13 and the collecting device 30 having the support rollers 37. The support rollers 37 have the same structure as the support rollers 13.

[0047] 7, when the first rearing unit 20A moves from the main body frame 10 side to the collection device 30 side, both ends of the holding part 21 in the Y-axis direction are supported from below by the multiple support rollers 37 of the support part 31a. When the second rearing unit 20B moves from the main body frame 10 side to the collection device 30 side, similarly to the first rearing unit 20A, both ends of the holding part 21 in the Y-axis direction are supported from below by the multiple support rollers 37 of the support part 31b.

[0048] The collection device 30 is not used during the breeding period of the organism C. Therefore, the collection device 30 is connected to the main body frame 10 only when collecting the organism C, and during other periods, the collection device 30 can be separated from the main body frame 10 and moved from the use position P1 to the standby position P2 (see FIG. 2).

[0049] 6, the separating members 32 are provided to interfere with the living organisms C resting on the stopping members 22 of each rearing unit 20, and separate the living organisms C from the stopping members 22. The upper separating member 32 is provided to face the opening 11c (see FIG. 2) of the first rearing space 11a in the Z-axis direction. The lower separating member 32 is provided to face the opening 11d (see FIG. 2) of the second rearing space 11b in the Z-axis direction.

[0050] The separating member 32 has a support portion 33 fixed to the main body portion 31 and extending in the Y-axis direction, and a plurality of comb teeth 34. The support portion 33 supports the plurality of comb teeth 34, and the plurality of comb teeth 34 extend from the support portion 33 side to a tip portion. The separating member 32 can be in either an uninserted state in which each comb tooth 34 is positioned outside the gaps 23 of the plurality of stop members 22, or an inserted state in which each comb tooth 34 is partially or entirely inserted into the gaps 23 of the plurality of stop members 22.

[0051] The multiple comb teeth 34 are arranged at equal intervals in the same direction as the Y-axis direction, which is the arrangement direction of the multiple stop members 22, with gaps 35 between them. That is, the multiple comb teeth 34 of the separating member 32 are arranged parallel to the Y-axis direction. The multiple comb teeth 34 are inclined at a constant inclination angle θ from the support part 33 side to the tip with respect to the Z-axis direction, which is the relative movement direction with the rearing unit 20. At this time, the inclination angle θ can be appropriately set to an angle within the range of 30° to 90°. The multiple comb teeth 34 are all rod-shaped parts having the same shape. At this time, the cross-sectional shape of each comb tooth 34 is not particularly limited, and an appropriate shape such as a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, or a polygon can be adopted.

[0052] The case 36 is for receiving and collecting the organisms C that have been separated from the stopping member 22 by the separating member 32 from below. The case 36 is made of a box-shaped member with a bottom, and has a collection space 36a that is open at the top. The upper case 36 is provided below the upper separating member 32. The lower case 36 is provided below the lower separating member 32.

[0053] 9. Collection of Organism C The operation of collecting the living organisms C using the breeding apparatus 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to Figs.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 1, during the breeding period, the living organism C is bred in the first breeding space 11a and the second breeding space 11b inside the main body frame 10. After that, when the breeding period of the living organism C ends, the collection work is started. When the collection work of the living organism C is started, it is preferable to remove the food E from the food container 50 and move the living organism C below the food container 50. For example, if the food container 50 is vibrated to atomize the food E by friction, the food E can be dropped from the inside of the food container 50 through the opening 51 of the bottom 50a. When collecting the living organism C, it is preferable to use the habits of the living organism C to set the surrounding area of ​​the food container 50 to an environment that the living organism C dislikes, and to set the area below the food container 50 to an environment that the living organism C prefers, as in the case of the breeding described above. This allows the living organism C to be moved below the food container 50 when collecting the living organism C, thereby improving the collection efficiency of the living organism C.

[0055] In the collection operation of the organism C, first, the collection device 30 is set at the connection position P1 where it is connected to the main body frame 10. In this embodiment, since the first breeding unit 20A on the upper level and the second breeding unit 20B on the lower level operate in the same manner, for the sake of convenience, in the following explanation, only the operation of the first breeding unit 20A will be explained, and the explanation of the operation of the second breeding unit 20B will be omitted.

[0056] The collecting device 30 is disposed such that the upper separating member 32 faces the first rearing space 11a in the Z-axis direction, and the two supporting parts 31a each extend continuously to and are connected to the two supporting parts 12a of the main body frame 10. At this time, the collecting device 30 is connected to the main body frame 10 to guide the multiple first rearing units 20A to be continuously movable between the supporting part 12a on the main body frame 10 side and the supporting part 31a on the collecting device 30 side.

[0057] Next, the three first rearing units 20A housed in the first rearing space 11a are moved toward the collection device 30 in order from the one closest to the collection device 30. At this time, the rearing units 20A do not have a self-propelling means, and the operator can move the rearing units 20A by directly gripping them with his or her fingers and moving them manually.

[0058] 8, the first first breeding unit 20A is moved in the movement direction Z1 with both ends of the holding part 21 in the Y-axis direction supported from below by the multiple support rollers 13 of the support part 12a. At this time, the support part 12a of the main body frame 10 becomes a first support part that supports the multiple first breeding units 20A movably in the Z-axis direction relative to the stationary separating member 32. When this first breeding unit 20A is slid in the movement direction Z1, the remaining two first breeding units 20A are both in a standby state in the first breeding space 11a.

[0059] As the first breeding unit 20A slides, the separating member 32 moves in the Z-axis direction relative to the first breeding unit 20A. As a result, the front sides of both ends of the holding part 21 in the Y-axis direction in the moving direction Z1 ride on the support rollers 37 of the support part 31a and are supported from below. At this time, the support part 31a becomes a second support part that supports the multiple first breeding units 20A movably in the Z-axis direction.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 9, when the first rearing unit 20A is slid in the moving direction Z1, each comb tooth 34 of the separating member 32 interferes with the organism C that is resting on a part of the stop member 22, and the organism C can be physically separated from the stop member 22. Some of the organisms C that have been separated from the stop member 22 are collected in the collection space 36a of the case 36 located below the comb tooth 34, for example, by falling due to their own weight. Subsequently, the first rearing unit 20A is slid in the moving direction Z1 until the stop member 22 passes through the separating member 32. As a result, each comb tooth 34 of the separating member 32 physically separates the remaining organisms C that are resting on the stop member 22 from the stop member 22, and can be collected in the collection space 36a of the case 36.

[0061] 10. Effects Next, the effects of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 will be described.

[0062] According to the breeding device 1 of the first embodiment, the living organisms C are attracted to the inside or outside of the food container 50 to eat the food E. The living organisms C can eat the food inside the food container 50, or eat the food E from below the bottom 50a of the food container 50 through the mesh-like openings 51.

[0063] While the bait E remains inside the bait container 50, some or all of the unnecessary solids S, such as excrement generated by the living organisms C, fall through the opening in the bottom 50a of the bait container 50 due to their own weight and accumulate on the conveyor belt 42 of the conveying section 40. This prevents the unnecessary solids S from accumulating on the bait E inside the bait container 50, and the inside of the bait container 50 can be maintained as a hygienic environment as a feeding area. At this time, the unnecessary solids S remaining inside the bait container 50 are reduced and the bait E remains hygienic, so there is less need to collect the unnecessary solids S together with the bait E from the bait container 50, which is effective in reducing the loss of the bait E.

[0064] Furthermore, by attracting the living organisms C to the food container 50, which is higher than the conveyor belt 42, which is the floor, it is possible to prevent the living organisms C from staying on the conveyor belt 42 when the conveyor belt 42 is used as a feeding area, and to increase the utilization rate of the stop member 22 of the breeding unit 20. At this time, since the bottom 50a of the food container 50 is provided with a mesh-like opening 51, the living organisms C can easily notice the food E from below the food container 50, and the attraction effect of the living organisms C to the food E is increased.

[0065] From the above, the rearing device 1 has an advantageous effect of preventing cannibalism of the living organisms C and suppressing a decrease in the survival rate. As a result, the yield of the living organisms C increases, and it becomes possible to reduce the unit cost of rearing the living organisms C.

[0066] Therefore, according to the above-described first embodiment, in the breeding apparatus 1 for breeding the organism C, the survival rate of the organism C can be improved.

[0067] Hereinafter, other embodiments related to the above-mentioned embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. In the other embodiments, the same elements as those in embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals, and the description of the same elements will be omitted.

[0068] (Embodiment 2) As shown in FIG. 10, the breeding device 2 of embodiment 2 is similar to the breeding device 1 of embodiment 1 in that the food containers 50 are positioned higher than the conveyor belt 42, which is the floor portion, but differs in that the food containers 50 are arranged side by side in the Y-axis direction of each breeding unit 20.

[0069] The breeding unit 20 of the breeding device 2 includes an attachment frame 24 extending downward from a holding portion 21, and is configured so that a food container 50 is placed on the attachment frame 24. The attachment frame 24 is also provided with a connection member 25 that connects the stop member 22 and the food container 50 so that the living organisms C can move between them.

[0070] The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0071] According to the rearing apparatus 2 of the second embodiment, the living thing C can move between the stopping member 22 and the food container 50 through the connecting member 25. Therefore, the living thing C can freely stop at the stopping member 22, and can also freely move from the stopping member 22 to the food container 50 to eat the food E.

[0072] In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0073] 11. Transformation Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiment, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment or structure. The present invention also includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and forms, and other combinations and forms including only one element, more than one, or less than one, are also within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the case where two rearing spaces 11 are formed in two levels, one above the other, in the X-axis direction inside the main frame 10 is exemplified, but the number and arrangement of the rearing spaces 11 are not limited to this and can be appropriately changed as necessary. For example, a structure in which only one level of rearing space 11 is formed inside the main frame 10, or a structure in which three or more rearing spaces 11 are formed in multiple levels, one above the other, in the X-axis direction inside the main frame 10, can be adopted. Increasing the number of levels of the rearing spaces 11 allows the upper space in the X-axis direction to be effectively utilized, which is effective in increasing the rearing efficiency of the organisms C per installation area of ​​the rearing device.

[0075] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given of the case where the floor below the rearing unit 20 is formed by the conveyor belt 42 of the transport section 40, but alternatively, the transport section 40 may be omitted and a plate member forming the floor may be placed below the rearing unit 20.

[0076] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given of a case in which the rearing unit 20 is moved in the Z-axis direction relative to a separating member 32 having a plurality of comb teeth 34 to separate the living organism C from the retaining member 22. However, instead of this, a separating member capable of moving up and down in the X-axis direction relative to the retaining member 22 may be used, and the living organism C may be separated from the retaining member 22 by utilizing the action of lowering this separating member from the raised position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1, 2: rearing device, 10: main body frame, 14: distribution information detection unit, 11: rearing space, 20: rearing unit, 22: stop member, 23: gap, 40: transport unit, 42: conveyor belt (floor unit), 50: food container, 50a: bottom, 50b: side, 51: opening, 52: food supply unit, E: food, S: unnecessary solid matter

Claims

1. A breeding device for living organisms, comprising: A main body frame that forms a breeding space for the organism; A rearing unit accommodated in the rearing space of the main body frame; A plurality of stop members arranged at intervals in the rearing unit; A floor portion located below the rearing unit; A bottomed box-shaped food container arranged at a higher position than the floor portion; Equipped with In this breeding device, a mesh-like opening is provided at the bottom of the food container, the mesh-like opening being smaller than the food and larger than the unnecessary solid matter generated by the organisms.

2. The rearing device according to claim 1 , wherein the openings are provided on both the bottom and the side of the food container.

3. The rearing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the food container is positioned on the plurality of stop members of the rearing unit.

4. The breeding device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a transport section provided below the breeding unit, the transport section having a conveyor belt as the floor section.

5. The breeding device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a distribution information detection unit that detects distribution information of the organisms in the breeding unit, and the arrangement state of the food containers is set based on the distribution information detected by the distribution information detection unit.

6. The breeding device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a food supplying unit for automatically supplying the food to the food container.

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