System and method

Abstract

To provide a system that can adjust the pressure of water supplied to a water supplier.SOLUTION: A system includes a water passage, a control device, and a water supplier. Water supplied from a water source to the water supplier through the water passage. The control device controls water pressure in the water passage, and the water supplier supplies water supplied from the water passage to livestock.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method. [Background technology]

[0002] Water supplied to livestock raised in barns is often supplied from sources with unstable water pressure, such as well water or water collected from mountainous areas. In such cases, the water pressure supplied to the water dispensers installed in the barns is adjusted manually. Securing workers to adjust the water pressure and passing on the skills to adjust the water pressure are issues. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a system that can regulate the water pressure of the water supplied to, for example, a water dispenser. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to [1] A system comprising a water supply line, a control device, and a water supply device, wherein the water supply line supplies water supplied from a water source to the water supply device, the control device controls the water pressure of the water supply line, and the water supply device supplies the water supplied from the water supply line to livestock; [2] The system according to [1], wherein the control device includes a proportional control valve capable of adjusting the water pressure in the water supply line and a control unit that controls the proportional control valve, and the control unit controls the water pressure by controlling the proportional control valve in accordance with the water pressure in the water supply line measured by the sensor; [3] The system according to [1] or [2], wherein the water supply device has a function of controlling the amount of water supplied, which is the amount of water that can be supplied to livestock; [4] The system according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the control device is capable of communicating with a computer device, the control device transmits the water pressure of the water supply line measured by the sensor to the computer device, and the computer device stores the water pressure of the water supply line measured by the sensor in association with the time when the water pressure was measured by the sensor or the time when the water pressure was received by the computer device; [5] A method comprising: a water supply line that supplies water supplied from a water source to a water supply device; a step in which a control device controls the water pressure of the water supply line; and a step in which the water supply device supplies the water supplied from the water supply line to livestock; This can be achieved by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0005] According to the present invention, the water pressure of the water supplied to the water supply device can be adjusted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a water supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments as long as they do not contradict the spirit of the present invention.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a water supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the water supply system 1 may include, for example, a water source 2, a livestock barn 3, a water supply channel 4, a control device 5, a water pressure sensor 6, a water supply device 7, and a server device 8.

[0009] The water source 2 is not particularly limited as long as it can supply water. The water source 2 may be, for example, a well, a river, a lake, or a tap. The water supplied from the water source 2 to the water supply device 7 via the water supply line 4 need not be pure water, but may be mixed with components other than water. For example, the water may be mixed with components that are nutritious or have medicinal properties for livestock. Even if a component other than water is mixed, it is sufficient that water is the main component (for example, water is 80% by mass or more).

[0010] The livestock barn 3 is not particularly limited as long as it is a building for raising livestock. Examples of the livestock barn 3 include a chicken coop, a pig barn, and a cow barn. The livestock raised in the livestock barn 3 are also not particularly limited. Examples of the livestock include chickens, pigs, and cows.

[0011] The water supply passage 4 is, for example, a cylindrical pipe for supplying water from the water source 2 to the water supply device 7. The water from the water source 2 passes through the water supply passage 4a, and the water pressure is adjusted in the control device 5. The water supply passage 4a is a water supply passage on the water source 2 side of the control device 5. The water whose water pressure has been adjusted passes through the water supply passage 4b ​​and is supplied to the water supply device 7. The water supply passage 4b ​​is a water supply passage from the control device 5 to the water supply device 7.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 5 includes a control unit 5a and a proportional control valve 5b. The control unit 5a may include a CPU, ROM, RAM (main memory), a storage unit, and a communication unit. The CPU executes programs stored in the storage unit and controls the control device 5. The storage unit is a memory area for saving programs and data. The control unit 5a receives the water pressure measured by the water pressure sensor 6 via the communication unit and transmits the received water pressure to the server device 8.

[0013] The control unit 5a transmits a control signal to the proportional control valve 5b via the communication unit. The proportional control valve 5b changes the valve opening in response to the received control signal. The proportional control valve 5b can change the valve opening continuously and without steps, making it possible to finely adjust the water pressure of the water supplied to the water supply line 4b, i.e., the water pressure of the water supplied to the water supply device 7.

[0014] The water pressure sensor 6 measures the water pressure in the water supply line 4b on the livestock house 2 side of the control device 5. The water pressure measured by the water pressure sensor 6 is sent to the control unit 5a of the control device 5.

[0015] The control unit 5a controls the water pressure in the water supply line 4b on the side of the control device 5 closer to the livestock house 2 to be within a predetermined range or to be at a constant value. If the water pressure in the water supply line 4b falls below the lower limit, it may not be possible to supply enough water to the water supply device 7. If the water pressure in the water supply line 4b exceeds the upper limit, too much water may be supplied to the livestock from the water supply device 7, or this may cause the water supply device 7 to malfunction.

[0016] The water supply device 7 is connected to the water supply channel 4b in the livestock barn 2, and water flowing in the water supply channel 4b is supplied to the water supply device 7. A plurality of water supply devices 7 are attached to the water supply channel 4b in the livestock barn 2. The water supply channel 4b in the livestock barn 2 is configured in a straight line, and a plurality of water supply devices 7 are installed in a straight line at predetermined intervals.

[0017] There is no particular limitation on the method of supplying water to livestock from the water supply device 7. For example, a water supply device 7 can be employed in which a valve of the water supply device 7 opens when the livestock pecks at part of the water supply device 7, and the water in the water supply device 7 is discharged to the outside.

[0018] It is also possible to employ a water supply device 7 that discharges water to the outside regardless of whether the livestock pecks at part of the water supply device 7. This type of water supply device 7 may be one that discharges water continuously or one that discharges water intermittently.

[0019] In a water supply device that continuously discharges water or that continuously discharges water intermittently, the water supply device 7 may have a function of controlling the amount of water discharged to the outside per unit time (hereinafter referred to as the water supply amount). For example, the water supply device 7 can control the water supply amount according to the time of day, temperature, humidity, and / or the growth status of the livestock, etc.

[0020] When controlling the amount of water supplied according to the time of day, it is possible to control the amount of water supplied so that it is higher during times when the livestock are more active and lower during times when the livestock are less active (or to set the amount of water supplied to zero). Since the times when the livestock are more and less active differ depending on the type of livestock, the times when the amount of water supplied is higher and lower also differ depending on the type of livestock.

[0021] When the amount of water supply is controlled in accordance with the temperature inside the livestock house 2 or the temperature in the vicinity of the livestock house 2, the amount of water supply can be controlled to increase as the temperature increases and decrease as the temperature decreases. When the amount of water supply is controlled in accordance with the humidity inside the livestock house 2 or the humidity in the vicinity of the livestock house 2, the amount of water supply can be controlled to decrease as the humidity increases and increase as the humidity decreases.

[0022] When controlling the amount of water supply according to the growth status of the livestock, the amount of water supply can be controlled to increase as the livestock grow. In this case, for example, the amount of water supply can be controlled to vary according to the age of the livestock. Also, an imaging device can be installed in the livestock house 2, images of the livestock can be captured by the imaging device, and the size of the livestock can be identified based on the image data of the captured images, and the amount of water supply can be controlled to vary.

[0023] The control of the amount of water dispensed can be performed by the control unit 5a. The control unit 5a is capable of communicating with each of the multiple water dispensers 7 via wired or wireless communication. The control unit 5a transmits a control signal to each of the multiple water dispensers 7 according to the above conditions. When each of the multiple water dispensers 7 receives the control signal, the water dispenser 7 increases or decreases the amount of water dispensed according to the control signal.

[0024] As described above, the control unit 5a can control the water pressure of the water supplied to the water supply device 7 and / or the amount of water supplied by the water supply device 7, but it is also possible to control this by utilizing a learning model based on machine learning. For example, a learning model can be used that is trained by machine learning using environmental information and / or livestock house information of the livestock house as input data and the water pressure of the water supplied to the water supply device 7 that is appropriate for the livestock house corresponding to the environmental information and / or the livestock house information as output data. Similarly, a learning model can be used that is trained by machine learning using environmental information and / or livestock house information within the livestock house as input data and the water pressure of the water supplied to the water supply device 7 that is appropriate for the livestock house corresponding to the environmental information and / or the livestock house information as output data.

[0025] Here, the environmental information may be any information that can identify the environment in which the livestock barn is located, and may be, for example, information including any of the temperature, humidity, or weather in or around the livestock barn, or a combination of these pieces of information.Furthermore, the livestock barn information may be information about livestock and / or the barn, and may be, for example, information including any of the type of livestock, the number of livestock, the age of the livestock in months and years, the number of waterers, or information that can identify the type and type of waterer, or a combination of these pieces of information.

[0026] The machine learning algorithm is not particularly limited and any known algorithm can be used, but it is preferable to use deep learning using a multilayer neural network. The multilayer neural network has an input layer, an output layer, and multiple intermediate layers. Weights are set for the edges connecting nodes in each layer. Weights corresponding to each input to the node are set for the edges, and the input to the node is multiplied by the weight corresponding to each input, and the value obtained by multiplying these weights and the bias are added. The value obtained by the addition is subjected to nonlinear transformation using an activation function to calculate an activation value. The calculated activation value becomes the input value passed to the node in the next layer. The number of intermediate layers can be designed as appropriate.

[0027] The control unit 5a stores the learning model. The control unit 5a can specify the water pressure of the water to be supplied to the water supply device 7 and / or the amount of water to be supplied by the water supply device 7 by performing calculations using the learning model based on environmental information such as the temperature, humidity, or weather in the livestock barn 2 that is the target of control or in the vicinity of the livestock barn 2, and livestock barn information such as the type of livestock, the number of livestock, the age in months and years of the livestock, the number of water supply devices, or information that can identify the type and type of the water supply device in the livestock barn 2 that is the target of control.

[0028] Here, data measured by sensors or data input by a manager, etc. can be used as environmental information such as temperature, humidity, or weather in or around the livestock barn 2 that is the target of control. Also, livestock barn information such as the type of livestock in the livestock barn 2 that is the target of control, the number of livestock, the age of the livestock in months and years, the number of waterers, or information that can identify the type and type of waterer can be input in advance.

[0029] When the learning model is used to identify the appropriate water pressure of the water to be supplied to the water supply device 7, the control unit 5a controls the opening of the proportional control valve 5b so that the water pressure of the water to be actually supplied to the water supply device 7 becomes the identified water pressure (or approaches the identified water pressure). Also, when the learning model is used to identify the appropriate water supply amount of the water supply device 7, the control unit 5a controls the water supply device 7 so that the actual water supply amount of the water supply device 7 becomes the identified water supply amount (or approaches the identified water supply amount).

[0030] The control unit 5a can communicate with other computer devices (for example, a server device 8) via a communication network. The water pressure sensor 6 associates the measured water pressure of the water supply line 4b with the time at which the water pressure was measured and sends this to the control unit 5a. The control unit 5a associates the received water pressure of the water supply line 4b with the time at which the water pressure was measured and sends this to the server device 8. The server device 8 receives this information and can store the water pressure of the water supply line 4b in association with the time at which the water pressure was measured or the time at which the server device 8 received information such as the water pressure.

[0031] In addition to this, the control unit 5a can also acquire information measured by various sensors in the livestock pen 2. The control unit 5a associates this measured information with the measurement time and transmits it to the server device 8. Examples of information that can be measured by various sensors in the livestock pen 2 include the temperature, humidity, and amount of water supplied in the livestock pen 2. In this way, a history of various parameters measured in the livestock pen 2 can be acquired and stored.

[0032] However, if water remains stagnant in the water supply channel 4b during hot periods such as summer, the temperature of the water in the water supply channel 4b may rise to a temperature that the livestock will not drink. This problem is particularly likely to occur when a water supply device 7 is used in which the valve of the water supply device 7 opens when the livestock pecks at part of the water supply device 7, causing the water in the water supply device 7 to be discharged to the outside. Therefore, when the temperature of the water in the water supply channel 4b reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, some or all of the water in the water supply channel 4b can be replaced with water from the water supply channel 4a. The temperature of the water in the water supply channel 4b can be measured by a temperature sensor installed in the water supply channel 4b.

[0033] The water in the water supply line 4b that has been replaced can be discarded, or it can be cooled and returned to the water supply line 4a. The water in this water supply line 4b can be cooled by a cooling facility, or it can be passed through pipes buried underground, cooled, and returned to the water supply line 4a.

[0034] The replacement of water in water supply line 4b can be controlled by control unit 5a of control device 5. The temperature of the water in water supply line 4b measured by a temperature sensor is sent to control unit 5a at any time. If the received water temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature, control unit 5a sends a control signal to a gate valve connected to water supply line 4b to open the gate valve. When the gate valve receives the control signal, the gate valve opens and the water in water supply line 4b is returned to water supply line 4a.

[0035] According to the above embodiment, the water pressure of the water supplied to the water supply device can be automatically controlled.

[0036] The control device is equipped with a proportional control valve that can adjust the water pressure in the water supply line and a control unit that controls the proportional control valve, so that the control unit can control the proportional control valve to control the water pressure in accordance with the water pressure in the water supply line measured by the sensor.

[0037] The water supply device has a function of controlling the amount of water supplied, which is the amount of water that can be supplied to livestock, so that the amount of water supplied to livestock can be controlled.

[0038] The control device is capable of communicating with a computer device, and by transmitting the water pressure of the water supply line measured by the sensor to the computer device, the computer device can store the water pressure of the water supply line measured by the sensor in association with the time the water pressure was measured by the sensor or the time the water pressure was received by the computer device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Water supply system 2 Water source 3. Livestock barn 4 Water supply channel 5. Control device 6 Water pressure sensor 7 Water dispenser 8 Server equipment

Claims

1. A water supply line, a control device, and a water supply device are provided, The water supply channel supplies water from a water source to the water supply device, The control device controls the water pressure in the water supply channel, The water supply device supplies water from the water supply line to the livestock. system.

2. The control device a proportional control valve capable of adjusting the water pressure in the water supply line; a control unit that controls a proportional control valve; Equipped with The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the proportional control valve to control the water pressure in the water supply line measured by the sensor.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water supply device has a function of controlling the amount of water supplied, which is the amount of water available to livestock.

4. The control device is capable of communicating with a computer device, The control device transmits the water pressure of the water supply line measured by the sensor to the computer device; 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer device stores the water pressure in the water supply line measured by the sensor in association with the time when the water pressure was measured by the sensor or the time when the water pressure was received by the computer device.

5. The water supply channel supplies water from a water source to the water supply device, A control device controls the water pressure of the water supply line; A step in which the water supply device supplies water supplied from the water supply channel to the livestock. A method comprising:

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