Aquaculture system

Abstract

To provide an aquaculture system that is capable of controlling supply of electric power to various devices and is easy to maintain.SOLUTION: An aquaculture system 1 includes a first fish cage 10A, a buoy 40, and a first relay device 30A to which electric power is supplied from the buoy 40. The aquaculture system further includes a first camera 21 provided in the first fish cage 10A. The first relay device 30A may supply electric power from the buoy 40 to the first camera 21. The first fish cage 10A may be a submersible fish cage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aquaculture systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Buoys that can be supplied with electric power have been used in the past. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a buoy is equipped with a solar power generator, a wind power generator, or the like to supply power to the power source (battery) of an underwater feeding device.

[0003] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses that an ultrasonic oscillator provided inside a buoy emits ultrasonic waves using electrical energy stored in a storage battery inside the buoy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-216639 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-113694 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, Patent Document 1 only envisages an underwater feeding device as a device to which the buoy supplies power, and Patent Document 2 only envisages an ultrasonic oscillator.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide an aquaculture system that can control the supply of power to various devices and that can be easily maintained. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An aquaculture system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first fish cage, a buoy, and a first relay device that receives power from the buoy. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present disclosure provides an aquaculture system that can control the supply of power to various devices and can facilitate maintenance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram (plan view) of an aquaculture system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (side view) of the aquaculture system of this embodiment when it is floating. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (side view) of the aquaculture system of this embodiment when it sinks. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a connection diagram showing the electrical connections of the aquaculture system of this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram (plan view) of an aquaculture system equipped with two fish cages. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an aquaculture system 1 according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] The aquaculture system 1 is used for culturing aquatic organisms. In this embodiment, a case where the aquaculture system 1 is installed in the ocean will be described, but the installation location of the aquaculture system 1 is not limited. The aquaculture system 1 may be installed in, for example, a river, a lake, a reservoir, or the like.

[0012] 1 and 2 show a schematic diagram (plan view) of an aquaculture system 1 of this embodiment and a schematic diagram (side view) of the aquaculture system 1 of this embodiment, respectively. As shown in Figure 1, the aquaculture system 1 in this embodiment comprises a fish tank 10, equipment 20 (camera) installed in the fish tank 10, a relay device 30 connected to the equipment 20 via a cable 50, and a buoy 40 connected to the relay device 30 via the cable 50. The type of aquatic organisms that can be cultured in the aquaculture system 1 of the present disclosure is not limited.

[0013] The fish cage 10 of this embodiment is a sink-float type fish cage. Figure 2 shows a side view of the sink-floating cage (cage 10) when it is floating on the sea surface S (when it is floating). Figure 3 shows a side view of the sink-floating cage (cage 10) when it is placed in the sea (when it is submerged). The sink-floating type net cage refers to a net cage 10 whose floating and sinking can be controlled by adjusting the buoyancy. Note that the net cage 10 of the present disclosure is not limited to a sink-floating type net cage. The net cage 10 may be, for example, one that is always placed near the sea surface S and maintained in the state shown in FIG. 2.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, the shape of the fish cage 10 of this embodiment is octagonal in plan view. The shape of the fish cage 10 in plan view is not limited to an octagon. The shape of the fish cage 10 in plan view may be circular or polygonal (for example, a regular polygonal shape).

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the fish pen 10 of this embodiment has a peripheral portion 11 and a main body portion 12. The peripheral portion 11 refers to the frame portion of the fish pen 10 that is exposed above the sea when it is raised. In other words, the shape of the peripheral portion refers to the shape of the fish pen in a plan view. The main body portion 12 refers to the portion that houses aquatic organisms, and is formed, for example, by suspending a bag-shaped net from the peripheral portion 11.

[0016] Various devices 20 used for managing aquatic organisms are installed in the fish preserve 10. Examples of the devices 20 installed in the fish preserve 10 include cameras, feeding devices, and temperature sensors. There are no limitations on the number, types, installation methods, etc. of the devices 20.

[0017] In this embodiment, two cameras (devices 20), a first camera 21 and a second camera 22, are installed to monitor the state inside the fish pen 10. The two cameras are hung by ropes (not shown) and are arranged on the central axis of the fish pen 10. For example, the first camera 21 is used to check for feeding, and the second camera 22 is used to check for dead fish. The number of cameras is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more.

[0018] In this embodiment, a relay device 30 is installed on the periphery 11 of the fish cage 10. FIG. 4 shows a connection diagram of the aquaculture system of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the relay device 30 of this embodiment has a hub 31 and is connected to each of the electronic devices 20 (first camera 21, second camera 22) installed in the fish pen 10 via a cable 50. The relay device 30 of this embodiment is a device that relays, for example, power and / or information (at least one of power and information) to the equipment 20 installed in the fish pen 10.

[0019] The relay device 30 is not limited to a device that relays power and / or information. For example, the relay device 30 may be a device that is connected to a feeding device provided in the fish pen 10 and distributes feed to the fish pen 10.

[0020] A buoy 40 floating on the sea surface S is installed around the fish pen 10. The buoy 40 has an antenna 41, a storage section 42, and a router 42a and a power supply device (battery 42b) placed in the storage section 42. The buoy 40 of this embodiment is connected to the relay device 30 via a cable 50. More specifically, the router 42a and the power supply device (battery 42b) of the buoy 40 are connected to the hub 31 of the relay device 30 via the cable 50.

[0021] The buoy 40 does not necessarily have to have the antenna 41 and the router 42a. In this embodiment, the power supply device mounted on the buoy 40 is a battery 42b (for example, a cell (specifically, a storage battery)). The power supply device mounted on the buoy 40 is not limited, and may have a power generation function such as solar power generation, for example.

[0022] Hereinafter, the connection relationships between the elements of the aquaculture system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the aquaculture system 1, the router 42a and battery 42b of the buoy 40 are connected to the hub 31 of the relay device 30 via a cable 50, and the hub 31 of the relay device 30 is connected to equipment 20 (first camera 21, second camera 22) installed in the fish tank 10 via a cable 50.

[0023] The relay device 30 may be mounted on the buoy 40. When the relay device 30 is mounted on the buoy 40, for example, in the buoy 40, the router 42a is connected to the battery 42b, the battery 42b is connected to the relay device 30, and the relay device 30 is connected to the equipment 20 installed in the fish pen 10 via a cable 50. When the relay device 30 is mounted on the buoy 40, the relay device 30 may be mounted inside the buoy 40 or outside the buoy 40.

[0024] In this embodiment, the cable 50 is a PoE (Power over Ethernet; registered trademark) cable. A PoE cable is a cable that can transmit power and perform communication by supplying power through a LAN cable. The cable 50 may be fastened to the periphery 11 of the fish pen 10 and near the relay device 30.

[0025] In the aquaculture system 1 in which the components are connected in this manner, power and information are transmitted, for example, as follows. Electric power transmitted from the battery 42b of the buoy 40 is distributed to the equipment 20 (first camera 21, second camera 22) via the relay device 30 and the cable 50. The equipment 20, which operates on electric power, acquires information, for example. The information acquired by the equipment 20 may be an image if the equipment 20 is a camera as in this embodiment, or may be a measured temperature if the equipment 20 is a temperature sensor. The information acquired by the equipment 20 is transmitted to the buoy 40 via the relay device 30 and the cable 50.

[0026] In this embodiment, an antenna 41 is installed on the buoy 40. Therefore, for example, signals (such as signals for controlling the supply of power and the operation of the device 20) transmitted by a manager from a remote location can be received, and information acquired by the device 20 can be transmitted to a remote terminal.

[0027] When the relay device 30 is provided on the peripheral edge 11 of the fish pen 10, as shown in Fig. 1, it is preferable that the relay device 30 is installed at a position on the peripheral edge 11 that is closest to the buoy 40. Furthermore, when the shape of the fish pen 10 in a plan view is a polygon having sides 11a and corners 11b (angles), it is preferable that the relay device 30 is installed at the corner 11b of the peripheral edge 11 that is closest to the buoy 40. Here, the corner 11b of the peripheral edge 11 refers to the position corresponding to the corner of the polygon.

[0028] The aquaculture system 1 of this embodiment has one net cage 10. The number of net cages 10 is not limited. As shown in FIG. 5, the number of net cages 10 may be two, i.e., a first net cage 10A and a second net cage 10B. The number of net cages 10 may be, for example, two or more. When the number of net cages 10 is two or more, a relay device 30 may be provided for each net cage 10. For example, a first relay device 30A may be installed in the first net cage 10A, and a second relay device 30B may be installed in the second net cage 10B. The first relay device 30A and the second relay device 30B may be installed, for example, at adjacent corners 11b of each net cage 10A and 10B. Furthermore, one relay device 30 may relay power and information to multiple net cages 10. When one relay device 30 relays power and information to multiple fish pens 10, the relay device 30 may be installed in any one of the multiple fish pens 10, or may be mounted on a buoy 40.

[0029] When there are two or more fish cages 10 and each fish cage 10 is provided with a relay device 30, it is preferable that the relay device 30 be installed in the corner 11b of the peripheral portion 11 that is closest to the buoy 40. Note that when the shape of the fish cage 10 is circular, i.e., when it does not have a corner 11b, it is preferable that the relay device 30 be installed in the position that is closest to the buoy 40.

[0030] As described above, the aquaculture system 1 includes the first net cage 10A, the buoy 40, and the first relay device 30A to which power is supplied from the buoy 40. Conventionally, the power supply device that supplies power to the equipment 20 (e.g., cameras) installed in the fish pen 10 has been installed at the upper end of the fish pen 10. However, when the power supply device is installed at the upper end of the fish pen 10, workers have had to travel to the fish pen 10, which is installed offshore, for example, to replace or maintain the power supply device (e.g., battery 42b). Here, replacing a power supply device refers to the process of replacing a power supply device with another power supply device that is full of electricity when the power runs out due to the use of electricity from the power supply device. Furthermore, for example, if the net cage 10 is a sink-and-float type net cage, if a power supply device is installed in the net cage 10, the net cage 10 must be raised to the surface for maintenance of the power supply device. In a configuration in which power is supplied from the buoy 40 to the relay device 30 as in the present disclosure, the distance traveled by the worker can be shortened compared to when the worker travels to the net cage 10 installed offshore, for example, facilitating maintenance and replacement of the power supply device mounted on the buoy 40 and facilitating supply of power to the equipment 20 installed in the net cage 10 via the relay device 30. Furthermore, even if the net cage 10 is a sink-and-float type net cage, since the power supply device is mounted on the buoy 40, which is always floating on the sea surface S, there is no need to raise the net cage 10 to perform maintenance on the power supply device. Therefore, the power supply to various equipment 20 can be easily controlled depending on the usage situation, resulting in an aquaculture system 1 that is easy to maintain.

[0031] The first relay device 30A may also be provided in the first cage 10A. With this configuration, power can be supplied from the buoy 40 to the relay device 30 on the fish pen 10, and the power can be distributed from the relay device 30 to the devices 20 provided in the fish pen 10. This makes it easier to supply the power supplied from the buoy 40 to the electronic devices 20 provided in the fish pen 10. Therefore, the supply of power to various devices 20 can be easily controlled depending on the situation of use, making it possible to provide an aquaculture system 1 that is easy to maintain. Furthermore, if a walkway is provided around the periphery 11 of the first cage 10A and the first relay device 30A is provided in the walkway of the first cage 10A, workers can perform maintenance on the relay device 30 from the walkway. This makes maintenance of the relay device 30 even easier.

[0032] The first relay device 30A may also be provided on the periphery 11 of the first cage 10A. With this configuration, the distance that an operator must travel to the relay device 30 installed in the fish pen 10 can be minimized. This makes it easier to maintain the relay device 30 installed in the fish pen 10. Furthermore, compared to when the relay device 30 is installed outside the peripheral portion 11 of the fish pen 10, for example, the distance from the buoy 40 to the relay device 30 can be shortened, making it easier to supply power from the buoy 40 to the relay device 30. Therefore, the supply of power to various devices 20 can be easily controlled depending on the situation of use, making it possible to provide an aquaculture system 1 that is easy to maintain.

[0033] The first relay unit 30A may be provided in a corner 11b of the first cage 10A. With this configuration, when the fish cage 10 has a polygonal shape having sides 11a and corners (corners 11b), the relay device 30 can be installed avoiding the sides 11a of the fish cage 10 where ships are likely to come alongside. This means that the relay device 30 is less likely to get in the way when workers disembark. Furthermore, for example, when power is supplied from one buoy 40 to multiple net cages 10 (first net cage 10A, second net cage 10B), assuming that power is supplied from the buoy 40 to the first relay device 30A of the first net cage 10A and the second relay device 30B of the second net cage 10B, by providing the first relay device 30A in the corner 11b of the first net cage 10A and the second relay device 30B in the corner 11b of the second net cage 10B opposite this corner 11b, it is possible to shorten the distance from the buoy 40 to the first relay device 30A and the distance from the buoy 40 to the second relay device 30B. Therefore, the supply of power to various devices 20 can be easily controlled depending on the usage situation, and the aquaculture system 1 can be easily maintained.

[0034] The fishery may further include a second fish cage 10B and a second relay device 30B that receives power from the buoy 40, and the second relay device 30B may be provided in the second fish cage 10B. With this configuration, the aquaculture system 1 includes a first net cage 10A and a second net cage 10B, with the first net cage 10A including a first relay device 30A and the second net cage 10B including a second relay device 30B. By configuring the first relay device 30A and the second relay device 30B to be supplied with power from the buoy 40, it becomes easy to replace the power supply device (e.g., battery 42b) of the buoy 40 and to supply this power to the devices 20 provided in the first net cage 10A and the second net cage 10B. Therefore, it is possible to easily control the supply of power to various devices 20 depending on the situation of use.

[0035] The device may further include a cable 50 that connects the buoy 40 and the first relay device 30A. With this configuration, even if the buoy 40 and the relay device 30 are far apart, power can be reliably supplied from the buoy 40 to the relay device 30. Therefore, the supply of power to various devices 20 can be easily controlled depending on the situation of use.

[0036] The cable 50 may be a PoE (registered trademark) cable. With this configuration, by connecting the buoy 40 and the relay device 30 with a PoE (registered trademark) cable, it is possible to supply power from the buoy 40 to the relay device 30 and to communicate between the buoy 40 and the relay device 30 using a single cable 50. This makes it easy to supply power from the buoy 40 to the relay device 30 and to communicate between the buoy 40 and the relay device 30. This makes it easy to control the supply of power to various devices 20 depending on the situation of use.

[0037] The cable 50 may be fastened to the peripheral edge 11 of the first cage 10A and in the vicinity of the first relay device 30A. With this configuration, maintenance of the cable 50 connecting the buoy 40 and the relay device 30 becomes easy, and it becomes possible to suppress the tension of the cable 50 from acting on the relay device 30. Therefore, the aquaculture system 1 can be easily maintained.

[0038] The first fish cage 10A may further include a first camera 21 provided in the first fish cage 10A, and the first relay device 30A may supply power from the buoy 40 to the first camera 21. With this configuration, by supplying power from the buoy 40 via the relay device 30, it is possible to more reliably supply power from the buoy 40 to a camera that is far from the buoy 40. It also becomes possible to reliably transmit image data from the camera to the buoy 40. Therefore, it is possible to easily control the supply of power to various devices 20 depending on the situation of use, and to reliably transmit data from the device 20 (camera).

[0039] The first fish cage 10A may further include a second camera 22 provided in the first fish cage 10A, and the first relay device 30A may supply power from the buoy 40 to the second camera 22. With this configuration, it becomes possible to supply power from the buoy 40 not only to the first camera 21 but also to the second camera 22, and it becomes possible to consolidate the cables 50 connecting each of the multiple cameras (first camera 21, second camera 22) to the buoy 40.

[0040] The first cage 10A may be a sink-float cage. When the net cage 10 is a sink-and-float type net cage, if a power supply device is installed in the net cage 10, the net cage 10 must be raised to the surface for maintenance or replacement of the power supply device. In the present disclosure, if power is supplied from the buoy 40 to the relay device 30, workers do not need to travel to the net cage 10, which is installed offshore, for example. This facilitates maintenance and replacement of the power supply device mounted on the buoy 40, and also facilitates supplying power to the equipment 20 installed in the net cage 10 via the relay device 30. Furthermore, even if the net cage 10 is a sink-and-float type net cage, the power supply device is mounted on the buoy 40, which is always floating on the sea surface S, so there is no need to raise the net cage 10 to perform maintenance on the power supply device. Therefore, the power supply to various equipment 20 can be easily controlled depending on the usage situation, resulting in an aquaculture system 1 that is easy to maintain.

[0041] The buoy 40 may include an antenna 41 . With this configuration, for example, an instruction issued on a ship away from the buoy 40 can be received by the buoy 40 via the antenna 41. Furthermore, the buoy 40 can transmit the received instruction to the relay device 30 via, for example, the cable 50, thereby operating the equipment 20 installed in the fish pen 10. This allows an operator to remotely operate the equipment 20 installed in the fish pen 10. Therefore, various equipment 20 can be easily controlled depending on the situation of use.

[0042] One embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and configuration changes, combinations, deletions, etc. are also included within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0043] For example, the aquaculture system 1 may not have the second cage 10B and the second relay device 30B. For example, the aquaculture system 1 may have only one device 20, and it may not be a camera. For example, the cage 10 may not be a sink-and-float type cage. For example, the buoy 40 may not have an antenna 41. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Aquaculture system 10 Fish Tank 10A First Tank 10B Second fish tank 11 Periphery 11b Corner 20 equipment 21 Camera 1 22 Second Camera 30 Relay Device 30A 1st relay device 30B Second relay device 31 Hub 40 Buoy 41 Antenna 50 Cable

Claims

1. The first fish tank, Buoy and a first relay device to which power is supplied from the buoy; Equipped with Aquaculture system.

2. The first relay device is provided in the first cage. The aquaculture system according to claim 1 .

3. The first relay device is provided on the periphery of the first cage. The aquaculture system according to claim 2 .

4. The first relay device is provided at a corner of the first cage. The aquaculture system according to claim 3 .

5. The second fish tank, a second relay device that receives power from the buoy; Further provided with The second relay device is provided in the second cage. The aquaculture system according to claim 2 .

6. a cable connecting the buoy and the first relay device; Further comprising:

6. An aquaculture system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The cable is a PoE (registered trademark) cable. The aquaculture system according to claim 6.

8. The cable is fastened to the periphery of the first cage and in the vicinity of the first relay device. The aquaculture system according to claim 6.

9. a first camera provided in the first cage; Further provided with The first relay device supplies power from the buoy to the first camera.

6. An aquaculture system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. a second camera provided in the first cage; Further provided with The first relay device supplies power from the buoy to the second camera. The aquaculture system according to claim 9.

11. The first cage is a sink-float cage.

6. An aquaculture system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. the buoy includes an antenna; 6. An aquaculture system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images