Biological activity management system

Abstract

To provide a biological activity management system capable of accurately managing a biological activity state.SOLUTION: The system comprises a biological tank having a gas outlet, and a gas sensor for measuring a concentration of a predetermined gas contained in the gas discharged from the biological tank, wherein the gas sensor is disposed at a position in contact with a total flow rate of the gas discharged from the outlet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for managing the activity of a living organism. [Background technology]

[0002] Biological treatment that uses microorganisms to purify water has been used in various fields. For example, a sewage treatment system is known in which sewage discharged from each house in a housing complex is treated through a series of processes in an anaerobic treatment tank, a biological treatment tank, and a treatment water tank of a septic tank, and then a series of processes in a disinfection tank and a storage tank, and then the sewage is directly discharged from the septic tank into a public water area (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-139683 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such biological treatment using microorganisms, the activity state of the microorganisms in the biological treatment tank is important. However, in the biological treatment tanks of conventional sewage treatment systems, it is difficult to accurately grasp the activity state of the microorganisms.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide a living organism activity management system capable of accurately managing the activity state of a living organism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The biological activity management system of the present invention comprises a biological tank having a gas outlet and a gas sensor for measuring the concentration of a specified gas contained in the gas discharged from the biological tank, the gas sensor being positioned in contact with the total flow rate of the gas discharged from the outlet.

[0007] In the organism activity management system according to the present invention, the organism tank may have a function of supplying gas from the outside.

[0008] In the organism activity management system according to the present invention, the predetermined gas may be CO2, and the gas sensor may be configured to sense a region where the concentration of the CO2 is 5000 ppm or less.

[0009] The biological activity management system of the present invention is equipped with an inflow water sensor that measures the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into the biological tank, and the biological tank has an inlet for the inflow water, and is configured to determine whether the inflow water is harmful to the biological tank based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor and the detection value of the gas sensor, and to sound an alarm if it is determined that the inflow water is harmful to the biological tank.

[0010] The biological activity management system of the present invention is equipped with an inflow water sensor that measures the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into a biological tank, and the biological tank has an inlet for the inflow water, and is configured to determine whether the inflow water is harmful to the biological tank based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor and the detection value of the gas sensor, and to stop the introduction of the inflow water if it is determined that the inflow water is harmful to the biological tank. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a living organism activity management system capable of managing the activity state of a living organism with high accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a living organism activity management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a living organism activity management system according to the present embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing a gas sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a change in gas concentration according to the embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the gas sensor according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the inventions according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. The drawings are schematic diagrams in which emphasis, omission, and ratio adjustments have been appropriately made to illustrate the present invention, and may differ from the actual shapes, positional relationships, and ratios.

[0014] [Configuration of the organism activity management system according to this embodiment] First, an overview of a biological activity management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be given. The biological activity management system 1 according to this embodiment generally comprises a biological tank 10 and a gas sensor 30, as shown in Fig. 1. The biological activity management system 1 also comprises an inflow water sensor 20. Furthermore, the biological activity management system 1 also comprises a control device 50, as shown in Fig. 2.

[0015] Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the biological tank 10 will be described as being a biological treatment tank for water treatment, but is not limited thereto. The biological tank 10 may be, for example, an aquarium, a fish preserve, a fermenter used in the production of fermented foods and fermented beverages, a biomass reaction tank, etc. In addition, in this embodiment, the living organisms will be described as microorganisms described later in the biological tank 10, but are not limited thereto and may be any of various living organisms depending on the type of the biological tank 10. For example, the living organisms may be plants, insects, livestock such as cows, pigs, and chickens, and aquatic animals such as fish and crustaceans (including ornamental fish).

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the biological tank 10 has a gas outlet 14. The biological tank 10 also has an inlet 12 for inflow water. In this embodiment, the biological tank 10 is sealed, and is configured so that all gas within the biological tank 10 is discharged from the outlet 14. The biological tank 10 has a pipe (not shown) connected to the inlet 12, and an exhaust duct (not shown) connected to the outlet 14. The biological tank 10 may also have an outlet for discharging fluid within the biological tank 10.

[0017] The biological tank 10 also has a function of supplying gas from the outside. The function of supplying gas includes, for example, blower aeration, gas supply by an ejector, gas introduction by pressurization, and the like.

[0018] Furthermore, at least microorganisms capable of biologically treating the inflowing water are accommodated in the biological tank 10. The microorganisms in the biological tank 10 generate CO2 (carbon dioxide) when they decompose the organic matter contained in the inflowing water.

[0019] The inflow water sensor 20 is configured to measure the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into the biological tank 10. In this embodiment, the inflow water includes not only liquids but also liquids mixed with slurries, powders, solids, etc. In this embodiment, the inflow water sensor 20 is an EC sensor. Moreover, the physical property of the inflow water measured by the inflow water sensor 20 is electrical conductivity (electrical conductivity).

[0020] In this embodiment, the inflow water sensor 20 measures the electrical conductivity of the inflow water flowing into the biological tank 10 through the piping, but is not limited to this. The inflow water sensor 20 may measure the electrical conductivity of the inflow water at the inlet 12.

[0021] 1, the gas sensor 30 is configured to measure the concentration of a predetermined gas contained in the gas discharged from the biological tank 10. In this embodiment, the gas sensor 30 is a CO2 sensor, and the predetermined gas is CO2. The gas sensor 30 is configured to sense a range where the CO2 concentration is 5000 ppm or less.

[0022] The gas sensor 30 is provided at a position where it comes into contact with the total flow rate of gas exhausted from the exhaust port 14. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the gas sensor 30 has a sensor body 32 and a case 34 in which the sensor body 32 is attached, and is attached between the exhaust ducts.

[0023] The case 34 has a housing section that houses the sensor main body 32, and a connection section that is configured to be able to communicate with the exhaust duct. The connection section has a cylindrical section with a diameter that allows communication with the exhaust duct, and a cross-shaped reinforcing section is formed inside the cylindrical section. By having the reinforcing section, the connection section can be prevented from being damaged when the exhaust duct and the connection section are fastened with a hose band, but the reinforcing section is not necessary.

[0024] The sensor body 32 is attached to the housing of the case 34 in such a direction that the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical part of the connection part and the surface of the sensor body 32 are perpendicular to each other, and is configured so that the total flow rate of the gas flowing into the case 34 from the exhaust duct hits the surface of the sensor body 32. In this embodiment, the CO2 concentration measurement range of the sensor body 32 is preferably 0 to 50,000 ppm, and more preferably 0 to 5,000 ppm.

[0025] The configuration of the gas sensor 30 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and various arbitrary configurations can be adopted as long as the gas sensor 30 is provided at a position where it comes into contact with the total flow rate of the gas discharged from the exhaust port 14. For example, the gas sensor 30' may include a sensor body 32' and a case 34' as shown in FIG.

[0026] The case 34' may have a storage section for storing the sensor main body 32', a connection section configured to be able to communicate with an exhaust duct, and a gas guide section 36. The storage section is provided on the wall surface of the case 34'. The sensor main body 32' is attached to the storage section of the case 34' so that the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical section of the connection section is parallel to the surface of the sensor main body 32'.

[0027] The surface of the sensor body 32' is attached to face radially inward of the cylindrical portion. The gas guide portion 36 has a shape that guides the flow of gas so that the gas discharged from the exhaust port 14 comes into contact with the surface of the sensor body 32'. Specifically, the gas guide portion 36 has a shape of an inclined wall that gradually approaches the sensor body 32' from the upstream side to the downstream side of the case 34'.

[0028] Furthermore, the gas sensor 30 may measure the concentration of CO2 at the exhaust port 14, without measuring the concentration of CO2 contained in the gas exhausted from the biological tank 10 through the exhaust duct. In other words, the gas sensor 30 may be installed at the exhaust port 14, rather than in the exhaust duct.

[0029] 2, the control device 50 includes a control unit 60 and a storage unit 70. The control device 50 may also include an input unit and a display unit. In this embodiment, the control device 50 is, for example, a microcontroller, a single board computer, a personal computer (notebook PC, desktop PC), a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like.

[0030] The control unit 60 includes an inflow water determination unit 61, a change amount determination unit 63, and a harmfulness determination unit 65. The control unit 60 is also configured to be able to acquire the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30.

[0031] The inflow water determination unit 61 is configured to be able to acquire the detection value (electrical conductivity in this embodiment) of the inflow water sensor 20. The inflow water determination unit 61 determines whether or not the inflow water is likely to be harmful based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20. Specifically, when the electrical conductivity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the inflow water determination unit 61 determines that the inflow water is likely to be harmful. More specifically, when the electrical conductivity of the inflow water is equal to or greater than 1000 μS / cm, the inflow water determination unit 61 preferably determines that the inflow water is likely to be harmful, and more preferably determines that the inflow water is very likely to be harmful, when the electrical conductivity of the inflow water is equal to or greater than 5000 μS / cm.

[0032] The change amount determination unit 63 is configured to be able to acquire the detection value of the gas sensor 30 (in this embodiment, the concentration of CO2). The change amount determination unit 63 determines whether or not the amount of change in the concentration of the gas contained in the gas is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount of change based on the detection value of the gas sensor 30. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, the change amount determination unit 63 determines whether or not the amount of change in the concentration of the gas in a predetermined time Δt is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount of change. In addition, the change amount determination unit 63 is configured to be able to determine the activity state of the organism from the change in the concentration of the gas.

[0033] The harmfulness determination unit 65 determines whether the inflow water is harmful to living organisms based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30. Specifically, the harmfulness determination unit 65 determines that the inflow water is harmful to living organisms (in this embodiment, microorganisms in the biological tank 10) when the inflow water determination unit 61 determines that the inflow water is highly likely to be harmful and the change amount determination unit 63 determines that the change amount of the gas concentration is equal to or greater than a predetermined change amount. Furthermore, the harmfulness determination unit 65 is configured to issue a warning to the user, the manager of the biological activity management system 1, and the maintenance company when it determines that the inflow water is harmful to living organisms. Furthermore, the harmfulness determination unit 65 is configured to stop the introduction of the inflow water when it determines that the inflow water is harmful to living organisms.

[0034] Furthermore, the harmfulness determination unit 65 may determine whether or not the inflowing water is harmful to organisms based on other information in addition to the detection value of the inflowing water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30. Examples of the other information include information input by the user and status information of the biological tank 10. Status information of the biological tank 10 includes, for example, image information monitoring the inside of the biological tank 10, temperature change information within the biological tank 10, deviation from the normal detection pattern of the gas sensor 30, and no change in the detection value (CO2 concentration) of the gas sensor 30.

[0035] In addition, when harmful inflow water flows into the biological tank 10, the gas concentration does not change immediately, but events occur in the following order: harmful inflow water flows into the biological tank 10 → mass death of organisms occurs in the biological tank 10 → gas concentration changes. Therefore, in order to detect a causal relationship between the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30, it is preferable that the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30 referred to in the harmfulness determination unit 65 are values ​​detected at different times. Specifically, it is preferable that the harmfulness determination unit 65 determines whether the inflow water is harmful to organisms (in this embodiment, microorganisms in the biological tank 10) using the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 measured at a certain timing and the detection value of the gas sensor 30 measured a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 30 minutes) after that.

[0036] It is most preferable that the specified time be within 30 minutes, 10 minutes, or 5 minutes, but it is more preferable that the optimal specified time can be appropriately selected depending on the volume of the gas phase in the biological tank 10, the volume of the exhaust outlet 14, the volume from the exhaust outlet 14 to the gas sensor 30, and the amount of gas supplied.

[0037] For this reason, it is preferable that the harmfulness determination unit 65 determines that the inflowing water is harmful to living organisms when it is determined that the amount of change in the gas concentration is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount of change after the inflowing water determination unit 61 has determined that the inflowing water is likely to be harmful. For example, it is preferable that the harmfulness determination unit 65 determines that the inflowing water is harmful to living organisms when the concentration of CO2 drops to or greater than a predetermined amount of change after a predetermined time (e.g., 1 to 30 minutes) has elapsed after the inflowing water determination unit 61 has determined that the inflowing water is likely to be harmful.

[0038] Here, the "predetermined amount of change" is a threshold value for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the biological tank 10, and in the case where the gas sensor 30 is a CO2 sensor, it is a threshold value for detecting a decrease in the CO2 concentration due to mass death of organisms (e.g., microorganisms) in the biological tank 10. The threshold value of the "predetermined amount of change" in the CO2 concentration is, for example, a decrease in the CO2 concentration of 100 ppm or more. For example, if there is a decrease of 100 ppm or more per minute, the harmfulness determination unit 65 estimates that a sudden mass death of microorganisms in the biological tank 10 has occurred. Also, if the CO2 continues to decrease for a long period of time, it estimates that an abnormality has occurred in the activity of the microorganisms.

[0039] The memory unit 70 is configured with a storage device, and stores an activity management program 71. The memory unit 70 may also store the detection values ​​of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection values ​​of the gas sensor 30. The activity management program 71 causes the control device 50 to determine the activity state of the organisms in the biological tank 10 based on the detection values ​​of the gas sensor 30.

[0040] [Advantages of the organism activity management system according to this embodiment] As described above, the biological activity management system 1 of this embodiment comprises a biological tank 10 having a gas exhaust outlet 14, and a gas sensor 30 that measures the concentration of a specified gas contained in the gas exhausted from the biological tank 10, and the gas sensor 30 is provided at a position where it comes into contact with the total flow rate of the gas exhausted from the exhaust outlet 14.

[0041] Furthermore, by being configured in this manner, the biological activity management system 1 of this embodiment has the advantage that the total flow rate of gas discharged from the biological tank 10 comes into contact with the gas sensor 30, and the gas concentration in the biological tank 10 can be accurately obtained, thereby making it possible to accurately manage the activity state of the organisms in the biological tank 10.

[0042] In addition, in the organism activity management system 1 according to this embodiment, the organism tank 10 has a function of supplying gas from the outside. This configuration promotes the metabolism of the organisms (in the case of microorganisms, oxidative decomposition of coexisting organic matter, etc.) and has the advantage of enabling the organisms in the organism tank 10 to emit the gas to be detected with high accuracy.

[0043] Furthermore, in the organism activity management system 1 according to this embodiment, the predetermined gas is CO2, and the gas sensor 30 is configured to sense an area where the CO2 concentration is 5000 ppm or less. With this configuration, the sensing area of ​​the gas sensor 30 is limited to the area affected by the CO2 emissions of the organisms in the organism tank 10, so that it is possible to obtain changes in gas concentration with high accuracy without using an expensive gas sensor, and it has the advantage of being able to accurately manage the activity state of the organisms in the organism tank 10.

[0044] Furthermore, the organism activity management system 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with an inflow water sensor 20 that measures the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into the organism tank 10, and the organism tank 10 has an inflow water inlet 12, and is configured to determine whether the inflow water is harmful to organisms based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30, and to issue a warning if the inflow water is determined to be harmful to organisms. This configuration has the advantage that the activity state of the organisms in the organism tank 10 can be accurately managed, and that quick measures can be taken even if harmful inflow water should enter the organism tank 10.

[0045] The organism activity management system 1 according to this embodiment is also equipped with an inflow water sensor 20 that measures the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into the organism tank 10, and the organism tank 10 has an inflow water inlet 12, and is configured to determine whether the inflow water is harmful to organisms based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30, and to stop the introduction of the inflow water if it is determined that the inflow water is harmful to organisms. This configuration has the advantage that the activity state of the organisms in the organism tank 10 can be accurately managed, and that quick measures can be taken even if harmful inflow water should enter the organism tank 10.

[0046] [Variations] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Various modifications and improvements can be made to the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0047] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the biological tank 10 has been described as having a function of supplying gas from the outside, but this is not limited to this, and the biological tank 10 does not need to have a function of supplying gas from the outside.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the predetermined gas is CO2, and the gas sensor 30 is configured to sense a region where the concentration of CO2 is 5000 ppm or less, but this is not limited thereto. The predetermined gas may be, for example, N2, O2, H2, NH3, CO, O3, Cl2, CH4, H2S, odorous gas, volatile organic compounds, etc., instead of CO2. In this case, the gas sensor 30 may be appropriately selected from sensors capable of measuring the concentration of these predetermined gases. In addition, the gas sensor 30 may include a region where the concentration of CO2 is 5000 ppm or more in its sensing range.

[0049] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the organism activity management system 1 is described as being configured to include an inflow water sensor 20 for measuring the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into the organism tank 10, the organism tank 10 having an inlet 12 for the inflow water, and determining whether the inflow water is harmful to organisms based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30, and issuing a warning when the inflow water is determined to be harmful to organisms, but is not limited thereto. The organism activity management system 1 may not be configured to include the inflow water sensor 20, and the organism tank 10 may not have an inlet 12. In addition, the organism activity management system 1 may not be configured to determine whether the inflow water is harmful to organisms based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30, and may not be configured to issue a warning when the inflow water is determined to be harmful to organisms.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the organism activity management system 1 is described as being configured to include an inflow water sensor 20 that measures the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into the organism tank 10, the organism tank 10 has an inflow water inlet 12, and determines whether the inflow water is harmful to organisms based on the detection value of the inflow water sensor 20 and the detection value of the gas sensor 30, and to stop the introduction of the inflow water when it is determined that the inflow water is harmful to organisms, but this is not limiting. The organism activity management system 1 does not have to stop the introduction of the inflow water when it is determined that the inflow water is harmful to organisms.

[0051] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the organism activity management system 1 has been described as including the inflow water sensor 20, but is not limited thereto, and the organism activity management system 1 may not include the inflow water sensor 20. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the inflow water sensor 20 has been described as being an EC sensor, but is not limited thereto, and the inflow water sensor 20 may not be an EC sensor. For example, the inflow water sensor 20 may be a pH sensor, a temperature sensor, a chromaticity sensor, a turbidity sensor, an ORP sensor, or the like. In addition to the physical properties of the inflow water, the inflow water sensor 20 may measure the inflow amount of the inflow water, as well as user-relevant information, image information capturing the state inside the organism tank 10, pattern data under normal conditions, and other information that the user may refer to.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the biological bath 10 has been described as having an inlet 12 for inflow water, but this is not limited thereto, and the biological bath 10 does not necessarily have to have an inlet 12.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 60 of the control device 50 has been described as including an inflow water determination unit 61 and a harmfulness determination unit 65, but this is not limited to this, and the control unit 60 does not have to include the inflow water determination unit 61 and the harmfulness determination unit 65. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1. Biological activity management system 10 Biological tank 12 Inlet 14 Outlet 20 Inflow water sensor 30,30′ Gas sensor 32,32′ Sensor body 34,34′ Case 36 Gas Guidance Section 50 Control device 60 Control section 61 Inflow water determination section 63 Change amount determination unit 65 Harmful Judgment Department 70 Storage section 71 Active Management Program

Claims

1. A biological tank having a gas outlet; a gas sensor for measuring the concentration of a predetermined gas contained in the gas discharged from the biological tank; Equipped with The gas sensor is disposed at a position where it comes into contact with the total flow rate of the gas discharged from the exhaust port. A biological activity management system.

2. The biological tank has a function of supplying gas from the outside. The organism activity management system according to claim 1.

3. The predetermined gas is CO2, The gas sensor is configured to sense a region in which the concentration of the CO2 is 5000 ppm or less. The organism activity management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An inflow water sensor is provided to measure the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into the biological tank; The biological tank has an inlet for the inflow water, determining whether the inflowing water is harmful to living organisms based on the detection value of the inflowing water sensor and the detection value of the gas sensor; The system is configured to issue a warning when it is determined that the inflow water is harmful to the living organisms. The organism activity management system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. An inflow water sensor is provided to measure the physical properties of the inflow water flowing into the biological tank; The biological tank has an inlet for the inflow water, determining whether the inflowing water is harmful to living organisms based on the detection value of the inflowing water sensor and the detection value of the gas sensor; and configured to stop introducing the influent when the influent is determined to be harmful to the organism. The organism activity management system according to claim 1 or 2.

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