Bird repellent device for livestock barn and livestock barn

Abstract

To provide a laser irradiation technology for bird repellent of a livestock barn, the technology being designable in consideration of stress given to a livestock itself.SOLUTION: A bird repellent device for a livestock barn (laser device) 1 includes: an oscillation module 15 that oscillates a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength having an irradiation distance of 25 m or more; and a deformation control part 16 that deforms the oscillated laser beam so as to form a geometric pattern in the irradiation destination and performs control to change a shape of the geometric pattern.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bird repellent device for livestock houses and livestock houses, and more particularly to a bird repellent device for livestock houses and livestock houses that are suitable for preventing crows from entering cattle houses. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, birds would sometimes invade livestock sheds for cows, horses, pigs, chickens, etc. For example, cow sheds are often open, making it easy for large birds such as crows to invade.

[0003] Crows in particular not only peck at livestock feed, but can also peck at cows' udders and necks with their mouths, causing them to bleed. This causes stress to the cows, impairing the fattening condition of fattening cows, and directly impeding milking in dairy cows. In the case of calves, it leads to poor growth. Even if it is not a crow, sparrows or pigeons approaching or riding on the backs of cows can be stressful for them.

[0004] Methods of deterring birds include using nets, scarecrows, eye-shaped balloons, sound repellents, and light repellents. In particular, light repellents have traditionally been known as using highly reflective ribbons, but in recent years, laser light repellents have become popular.

[0005] For example, Reference 1 discloses a technique for scattering or changing the position of laser light using a diffraction grating. Furthermore, Document 2 discloses a technique for adjusting the direction of laser light irradiation and changing the laser wavelength depending on the target bird or animal pest. Furthermore, document 3 discloses a device that, when it detects the intrusion of a harmful bird, emits a green laser light during the day and a red laser light at night toward the detected location for a predetermined period of time, and then automatically stops.

[0006] However, in conventional technology, the laser light was simply emitted, deformed, and irradiated in a tracking manner without taking into account the actual size of the livestock barn, and the light source was not designed with consideration for the stress that the laser light would cause to the livestock themselves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent application 2019-156977 [Patent Document 2] Registered Utility Model No. 3212816 [Patent Document 3] Registered Utility Model No. 3205752 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a laser irradiation technology for bird repellent in livestock sheds that can be designed taking into consideration the stress that it causes to the livestock themselves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The bird repellent device for livestock sheds described in claim 1 is characterized by comprising an oscillator unit that emits laser light of a predetermined wavelength with an irradiation distance of 25 m or more, a deformation unit that deforms the emitted laser light so as to form a geometric pattern at the irradiation destination, and a shape control unit that controls the change of the shape of the geometric pattern.

[0010] In other words, the invention of claim 1 uses laser light that has an irradiation distance that takes into account the actual size of the livestock barn, does not increase the irradiation energy excessively, and does not fall below the effective irradiation intensity in any location, and dynamically changes its shape to prevent birds from becoming accustomed to it, thereby achieving a long-lasting bird repellent effect.

[0011] The irradiation distance is a distance that does not fall below the light intensity at which the repellent effect is exerted, and is a distance that is correlated with the oscillation intensity. Examples of output power include 1 mW to 50 mW. "Transforming laser light" has a broad meaning and means transforming the laser light so that it is not a pinpoint light point that is stationary in both time and space and travels in a straight line without diffusing. Examples include a mode in which the direction of laser light emission is moved at high speed to form a geometric pattern as a residual image, or a mode in which a geometric pattern is formed by passing the laser light through a lens, slit, or grid. The geometric pattern may be a straight line, a curve, a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, a cross, or a combination of these, and also includes modes of continuous dynamic transformation including expansion and contraction.

[0012] The bird repellent device for livestock houses according to claim 2 is the bird repellent device for livestock houses according to claim 1, characterized in that the laser light source is configured to oscillate in the ultraviolet range in addition to the visible light range.

[0013] In other words, the invention of claim 2 takes advantage of the difference between birds, which can see four primary colors including the ultraviolet range, and mammalian livestock, which can see only the two primary colors of red and blue, to effectively deter birds while minimizing stress to the livestock.

[0014] For the visible light region, for example, an InGaN-based element that oscillates in green can be used. For the ultraviolet region, for example, a YLF-based element can be used. The wavelength can be shortened by passing the light through an appropriate optical crystal.

[0015] The bird repellent device for livestock houses described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the bird repellent device for livestock houses described in claim 2, the output intensity of the laser light in the ultraviolet range is greater than the output intensity of the laser light in the visible light range.

[0016] That is, the invention according to claim 3 can effectively repel birds while varying the oscillation intensity and reducing stress on livestock.

[0017] The visible light range is green, so the light is virtually invisible to livestock, making it stress-free, while humans can recognize where it is being irradiated and check its operation. Depending on the specifications, the oscillation strength of each element can be varied by pulsating it, which can further prevent pest birds from becoming accustomed to the light.

[0018] The bird repellent device for livestock houses described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the bird repellent device for livestock houses described in claim 1, 2 or 3, it further comprises a drive unit that changes the elevation angle or depression angle and azimuth angle of the housing that houses the oscillator, and a drive control unit that controls the drive unit to change the emission direction of the laser light.

[0019] In other words, the invention of claim 4 not only transforms the laser light as described in claim 1, but also easily realizes dynamic laser light irradiation by moving the entire light image, thereby preventing birds from becoming accustomed to the light and achieving a highly lasting repellent effect.

[0020] By changing the elevation, depression and azimuth angles, it is possible to achieve orientation in all directions. Therefore, when installing it in a livestock shed, it can be attached to the top or bottom of the wall, or to a corner of the shed, allowing for any orientation, increasing the degree of freedom in installation. Naturally, the housing may be configured to accommodate the deformation portion as appropriate.

[0021] The livestock shed described in claim 5 is characterized in that the livestock shed is a cowshed, the object to be repelled is crows, and one or more bird repellent devices for livestock sheds described in any one of claims 1 to 4 are arranged so that all locations within the livestock shed are within 25 m of the nearest bird repellent device for livestock sheds.

[0022] In other words, the invention according to claim 5 can irradiate the entire livestock barn with laser light, leaving no blind spots, and can provide a practical crow-repellent barn. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a laser irradiation technology for bird repellent in livestock sheds that can be designed taking into consideration the stress on the livestock themselves. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the external configuration of a bird repellent device for livestock houses according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a bird repellent device for livestock houses according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating an example of the transition of the irradiation shape of the laser light of the bird repellent device for livestock houses of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic plan view of a livestock house of the present invention in which a bird repellent device for livestock houses of the present invention is placed in a cowshed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, an example will be described in which the bird repellent device for livestock houses of the present invention is installed in a cowshed to keep crows away, thereby ensuring safe cow rearing. Hereinafter, the bird repellent device for livestock houses will be referred to as a laser device as appropriate.

[0026] FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram of a laser device 1. As shown in FIG. The laser device 1 is generally composed of a housing 10 and a base 20, and as will be described later, the base 20 functions to move the housing 10 up and down and left and right, dynamically changing the direction of laser light irradiation. The housing 10 has a generally columnar shape with a hexagonal cross section, and the laser light is emitted to the outside from an exit window 11 located in the axial direction. In addition, a canopy 12 is formed on the top surface to protect the exit window 11. Although not shown in the drawings, the base 20 is provided with a mounting portion so that it can be attached appropriately to pillars, roofs, beams, etc. inside the cowshed.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the laser device 1. The housing 10 accommodates an oscillation module 15 and a deformation control unit 16. The base 20 is composed of a drive unit 25 and a drive control unit 26 .

[0028] The oscillation module 15 oscillates (emits) laser light. In this embodiment, Nd:YVO4 (fundamental wavelength 1064 nm) is used as the light source. After oscillation, the light is passed through a nonlinear crystal to change the wavelength to 532 nm (green: second harmonic), and then a beam splitter is used to make one side into an intact 532 nm laser beam, while the other side passes through another crystal to change to a 355 nm (ultraviolet: third harmonic) laser beam. The optical system is designed so that these laser beams become parallel rays. With the above configuration, two parallel laser beams, one in the green and one in the ultraviolet range, are emitted from a single light source. The optical system is also configured so that the beam diameter does not actually expand up to 25 m from the exit window 11 (an oscillation module or optical system that guarantees an irradiation distance of 25 m or more is used). The output class is Class 1M, but it can also be Class 2 or 2M. In particular, the output of the ultraviolet latitudinal beam is adjusted to be greater than the output of the green beam. This makes it less likely to cause eye damage even if the beam enters the human eye, and conversely, it can provide an effective repellent effect for birds such as crows.

[0029] The deformation control unit 16 changes the direction of the beam so that it forms a geometric pattern at the irradiation destination. For example, to create a circular light, the beam itself is pinpoint irradiated, but the beam direction is controlled to be changed so that it traces the same orbit 20 times per second so that the afterimage effect makes it appear circular. Here, the drive control is performed to oscillate the oscillation module 15, but the oscillation module 15 itself may remain stationary and the drive control may be such that the direction of the mirror is changed after emission. The transformation control unit 16 also dynamically changes the drawn figure, such as changing the size of the circle of a circular beam, continuously changing from a perfect circle to an ellipse, and switching patterns one after another, such as drawing a circle followed by a triangle, then a square, a pentagon, a hexagon, and then a + (plus) figure. A random pattern may be used to prevent crows from becoming accustomed to the pattern.

[0030] The drive unit 25 moves the housing 10 up and down and left and right. Two motors with orthogonal axial directions are built in, enabling the housing 10 to oscillate. In this example, the drive unit 25 can move the direction of projection of the image drawn by the laser beam.

[0031] The drive control unit 26 controls the drive unit 25 to determine the type of swing motion. As described above, the range of motion is 270° left and right in horizontal rotation and 80° in vertical rotation in elevation and depression, but it goes without saying that angle restrictions are imposed depending on the installation location so as not to hit a wall or the like.

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of image transition. Columns and beams are also shown so that the image movement can be understood. As shown, the image changes size and moves, and the image itself also changes. The control by the drive control unit 26 may also be random to prevent the crows from becoming accustomed to it.

[0033] Next, an example in which the laser device 1 is installed in a cowshed will be described. Figure 4 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the laser device 1 is installed in a cowshed. The example shown in the figure is a 96-bed (4 rows x 24 beds) dairy cow barn measuring 28m x 40m. In this case, a single laser device would exceed the designed irradiation distance, so four laser devices 1 are installed as shown in the figure. The roof ridge height is 5.5m and the eaves height is 2.8m (neither is shown), so in this example, the laser device 1 is installed at a height of 2.5m. This height is preferable because, even when workers are working, they often have to look down, reducing the possibility of them looking directly at the laser device.

[0034] In actual barns where the product was introduced, the intrusion of crows, which had been particularly prevalent in the mornings and evenings, was effectively deterred. It was also confirmed that the repellent effect continued even after six months. [Industrial Applicability]

[0035] In addition to application to cowsheds, the laser device of the present invention can also be installed in horse stables and pigpens to keep crows away. Depending on the specifications, it may also be installed in free-range chicken coops. In this case, in order to deter the intrusion of sparrows and other migratory birds, it is necessary to install it at a height of, for example, 30 cm above the ground, taking into account that chickens do not fly, and irradiate the laser light above the horizontal (i.e., at an elevation angle) to repel harmful birds. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Laser device 10. Cabinet 11 Exit window 12 Eaves 15 Oscillator module 16 Transformation control section 20 pedestal 25 Drive unit 26 Drive control unit

Claims

1. an oscillation unit that oscillates a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength having an irradiation distance of 25 m or more; a deformation unit that deforms the oscillated laser light so as to form a geometric pattern at an irradiation destination; a shape control unit that controls changing the shape of the geometric pattern; A bird repellent device for livestock houses, comprising:

2. 2. The bird repelling device for livestock houses according to claim 1, wherein the laser light source is configured to oscillate in the ultraviolet range in addition to the visible range.

3. 3. A bird repelling device for livestock houses according to claim 2, wherein the output intensity of the laser light in the ultraviolet region is greater than the output intensity of the laser light in the visible light region.

4. a drive unit that changes the elevation angle or depression angle and azimuth angle of a housing that houses the oscillation unit; a drive control unit that controls the drive unit to change the emission direction of the laser light; 4. The bird repellent device for livestock houses according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising:

5. The livestock shed is a cowshed, the target of repelling is crows, A livestock shed characterized in that one or more bird repellent devices for livestock sheds described in any one of claims 1 to 4 are arranged so that all locations within the livestock shed are within 25 m of the nearest bird repellent device for livestock sheds.

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