Disinfection equipment for livestock barns

Abstract

The objective is to provide a disinfection system for livestock barns that uses ozonated water to disinfect the inside of the barn, which enables efficient disinfection and is easy to maintain. [Solution] A disinfection system for a livestock barn that disinfects the inside of the barn by spraying ozonated water, comprising: an ozonated water generator that generates ozonated water; a flow pipe installed in the livestock barn through which the ozonated water flows; and one or more spraying units connected to the ozonated water generator via the flow pipe and spraying the ozonated water, wherein the spraying units are set at a height above the livestock area, which is the area in the livestock barn where livestock are kept, and their placement space is set on the non-livestock area side, which is the area in the livestock barn other than the livestock area.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a disinfection facility for livestock houses that sprays ozone water to disinfect the inside of livestock houses.

Background Art

[0002] A disinfection facility for livestock houses is known that includes an ozone water generator for generating ozone water, a flow pipe that is piped inside the livestock house and through which the ozone water flows, and one or more spraying parts that are connected to the ozone water generator via the flow pipe and spray the ozone water. The spraying part is disposed at a position above the livestock in the livestock house in a feeding area that is a range where livestock are raised in the livestock house (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The disinfection facility for livestock houses in the above document utilizes the disinfection effect of ozone water and can remove viruses and bacteria without using pesticides or disinfectants, so it is possible to maintain the health of livestock well. Therefore, it is economical, has no residues, and can save the labor of its treatment. In particular, the spraying part is disposed at a position above the livestock in the livestock house in a feeding area that is a range where livestock are raised in the livestock house, and ozone water is efficiently sprayed into the space where the livestock are, so it is possible to perform disinfection efficiently.

[0004] On the other hand, in the disinfection facility for livestock houses in the above document, since the spraying part is disposed on the feeding area side of the livestock house in plan view, it is difficult for people to approach that area and difficult to perform its maintenance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] <00000The present invention aims to provide a disinfection system for livestock barns that disinfects the inside of the barn by spraying ozonated water, which enables efficient disinfection and is easy to maintain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, a disinfection system for a livestock barn that disinfects the inside of the barn by spraying ozonated water comprises: an ozonated water generator that generates ozonated water; a fluid pipe that is piped into the livestock barn and through which the ozonated water flows; and one or more spraying units that are connected to the ozonated water generator via the fluid pipe and spray the ozonated water, wherein at least one of the spraying units is set at a height above the livestock area, which is the area in the livestock barn where livestock are kept, and the space in which it is installed is set on the non-livestock area side, which is the area in the livestock barn other than the livestock area.

[0008] The spraying unit may be configured to spray and distribute the ozonated water.

[0009] The non-animal-feeding area is a passageway used by people, and the spraying unit may be positioned higher than the people passing through the passageway and spray the ozonated water downwards.

[0010] The system may also be equipped with a blower that blows air along the direction of the passage in a plan view.

[0011] The aforementioned flow pipe may be supported on the wall, column, or beam side of the non-feeding area in the livestock shed.

[0012] The ozone water generator may be equipped with a compressor for pumping water, and the ozone water generator may be configured to generate ozone water from the water pumped from the compressor.

[0013] The compressor may be configured to pump water supplied from the water supply system to the ozone water generator.

[0014] The system may also include a water storage tank for temporarily storing water supplied from the aforementioned water supply equipment, and the compressor may be configured to pump the water stored in the water storage tank to the ozone water generator.

[0015] The system may include a timer or control unit for controlling the operation of the compressor, and the control unit may be configured to control the timing of the spraying of the ozonated water. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The spraying unit is positioned above the livestock in the rearing area within the livestock barn, and is located on the non-retailing area side of the barn where people can be present. This allows for efficient disinfection and high maintainability. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a disinfection device to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] This is a simplified cross-sectional view showing the layout of a livestock barn. [Figure 3] This is a simplified side cross-sectional view showing the layout of a livestock barn. [Figure 4] This is a bottom view showing the configuration of the spraying unit. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing the fixing structure for the flow pipe to the column. [Figure 6] This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure for fixing the fluid pipe to the beam. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of a spraying unit according to a different embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a disinfection device to which the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan and side cross-sectional views simply showing the configuration of a livestock shed. The disinfection equipment shown in these drawings is configured to disinfect the inside of the livestock shed 51 by spraying ozone water. Incidentally, the livestock raised in the livestock shed 51 are assumed to be various animals such as chickens, pigs, cows, etc.

[0019] Inside the livestock shed 51, a gauge 52 is installed. This gauge 52 is configured in a plurality of upper and lower stages (for example, two or three stages). One or more livestock are raised on each stage of the gauge 52. In the illustrated example, inside the livestock shed 51, a plurality of gauges 52 whose entire lengths are oriented in the longitudinal direction thereof are arranged side by side in a direction intersecting (specifically, in a perpendicular direction) the longitudinal direction thereof.

[0020] One side in the width direction of each gauge 52 is open. A feed box 53 with an open upper part is installed over most or substantially the entire length direction of the gauge 52 near the open side. Also, a fence (not shown) that prevents livestock from escaping outside the gauge 52 and protects the livestock inside the gauge 52 from the outside is installed over most or substantially the entire length direction of the open part of the gauge 52.

[0021] Here, for the sake of convenience, the longitudinal direction of the livestock shed is defined as the left-right direction, the open side of the gauge 52 is defined as the front side, and based on this, the front-back and left-right are determined, and the following description is made on this premise.

[0022] Inside the livestock shed 51, between adjacent gauges 52 in the front-back direction, between one of the front-back walls 51a of the livestock shed 51 and the nearest gauge 52 thereto, and between the other wall 51b and the nearest gauge 52 thereto, passages 54 through which livestock workers who take care of feeding, etc. or workers who perform maintenance on the livestock shed 51 and the equipment installed therein (hereinafter simply referred to as "workers") pass are respectively formed.

[0023] Furthermore, within the livestock shed 51, spaces 56 and 57 are formed between one left or right wall 51c and each cage 52, and between the other wall 51d and each cage 52, respectively. One of the spaces 57 on the left or right is a passageway where workers can move around, and the other space 56 may also be set to a similar size and height.

[0024] Workers can move from one passage 54 to another passage 54 via the passage space 56. Also, workers who have entered the livestock shed 51 can move to any passage 54 via this passage space 56.

[0025] The interior space of the livestock shed 51, as described above, is divided into two areas: the rearing area, where livestock are kept, and the non-retaining area, which is the area outside of that. Specifically, the rearing area is the space within the cages 52, and the non-retaining area is the space within each passageway 54, each space 56, 57, and the space directly above each cage 52 and directly below the livestock shed 51.

[0026] This disinfection equipment comprises an ozone water generator 1 that generates ozone water, a compressor 2 that pumps water to the ozone water generator 1, a flow pipe 3 that flows the ozone water generated by the ozone water generator 1 from the water from the compressor 2, and one or more (many in the illustrated example) spraying units (spraying sections) 4 that are connected to the ozone water generator 1 via the flow pipe 3 and spray the ozone water generated by the ozone water generator 1.

[0027] The compressor 2 draws up water stored in the water storage tank 6 via the suction pipe 2a and discharges the water to the ozone water generator 1 via the discharge pipe 2b. Water such as tap water is supplied to the water storage tank 6 via the supply pipe 7. In this example, the supply pipe 7 is connected to the water supply equipment, including the water pipes.

[0028] As shown by the dashed line in Figure 1, the supply pipe 7 may be directly connected to the compressor 2, in which case the water storage tank 6 can be omitted. Also, as shown by the dashed line in the same figure, the supply pipe 7 may be directly connected to the ozone water generator 1, in which case the compressor 2 and the water storage tank 6 can be omitted. However, the water pressure in the supply pipe 7 must be maintained above a predetermined level.

[0029] Furthermore, the timing of spraying mist-like ozonated water into the livestock barn 51 may be controlled by a timer or control unit (not shown) such as a microcontroller located inside the compressor 2, thereby controlling the compressor 2 itself and the ozonated water generator 1. This enables more efficient disinfection.

[0030] Incidentally, the timing of spraying mist-like ozonated water into the livestock barn 51 may be controlled by a control unit 5, such as a timer or microcontroller, located outside the ozonated water generator 1 or compressor 2.

[0031] The above-mentioned ozone water generator 1 produces ozone water with high oxidative decomposition capacity. This ozone water is at a concentration that does not affect the health of the livestock mentioned above, and has the effect of killing viruses, bacteria, and germs in the livestock barn, as well as having a repellent effect against mites and other pests.

[0032] To explain in more detail, this ozonated water has strong oxidizing power and can kill bacteria and viruses in a short time, and is also effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). As a result, it can also effectively prevent outbreaks of avian influenza.

[0033] Furthermore, ozonated water is also effective against mites, pests, and external parasites such as mites (spiny mites). The mechanism is as follows: the strong oxidizing power of ozone breaks down the pheromones of mites and pests, creating an environment that these organisms avoid. As a result, the health of livestock is maintained and egg production can be stabilized more easily.

[0034] In particular, with regard to chickens among livestock, the elimination of mites in the livestock barn 51 is expected to improve the health of the chickens, stabilize egg production, reduce the number of contaminated eggs, and decrease chicken anemia and mortality rates.

[0035] In addition, it can prevent workers from being bitten and sucked by mites, thus reducing the causes of bronchial asthma and allergic diseases, and making it possible to provide a stress-free working environment.

[0036] To ensure that the effects of ozonated water are fully realized, it is important to distribute the ozonated water as uniformly as possible within the livestock barn 51, and the configuration for this purpose will be described later.

[0037] On the other hand, since this ozonated water reverts back to oxygen and water after use, it can prevent residues from insecticides and other chemicals from having unintended effects.

[0038] Figure 4 is a bottom view showing the configuration of the spraying unit. The spraying unit 4 is located in the non-fed area (specifically, the passageway 54) of the livestock shed 51. The vertical height of the spraying unit 4 is higher than the livestock in the cages 52 of the feeding area, and also higher than the workers walking in the passageway 54. Specifically, it is located near the ceiling of the passageway 54.

[0039] This spraying unit 4, when viewed from below, has a frame 8 with the width direction of the passage 54 set in the longitudinal direction, a pair of spraying side pipes 9 formed in the short direction and arranged in parallel in the direction of the long side so as to be installed between the pair of long sides of the rectangular frame of the frame 8, and a connecting part 11 integrated with the frame 8.

[0040] A flow pipe 3 is connected to the connection part 11. Ozone water from the ozone water generator 1 is introduced into the spraying unit 4 via this connection part 11, and this ozone water flows into the spraying side pipe 9 at a predetermined pressure.

[0041] The spraying pipe 9 is equipped with multiple spray holes 9a or spray nozzles (in the illustrated example, spray holes 9a) arranged in the direction of its formation, which spray ozonated water that has been drawn into the pipe 9 from the flow pipe 3 via the connection part 11 downwards. The mist-like ozonated water floats inside the livestock shed 51 and diffuses throughout it.

[0042] The structure described above allows each spraying unit 4 to uniformly spray mist-like ozonated water into the space below it and into a wide area (spraying range E) surrounding it in a plan view. This spraying range E naturally includes the rearing area (i.e., the space within the cage 52). Incidentally, at least a part of the enclosure that makes up the cage 52 is breathable, allowing the mist-like ozonated water to pass through.

[0043] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, at least a portion of the above-mentioned flow pipe 3 is piped into the livestock shed 51. Specifically, the disinfection equipment is provided with the following as the flow pipe 3: passage-side pipes 3A that are individually piped to the ceiling side of each of the multiple passages 54; input pipes 3B that branch off from the passage-side pipes 3A in a T-shape or Y-shape towards the spraying unit 4 and input the ozonated water inside into the spraying unit 4; branch pipes 3C that are piped into the passage space 56 and connect to each of the multiple passage-side pipes 3A in a T-shape or L-shape to aggregate them (in other words, branch the ozonated water to each of the passage-side pipes 3A); and connecting pipes 3D that connect the ozonated water output side of the ozonated water generator 1 to the upstream end of the branch pipe 3C (the aggregated end).

[0044] Due to the piping structure of the flow pipe 3, the ozonated water generated by the ozonated water generator 1 flows from the connecting pipe 3D to the branch pipe 3C, and then the branch pipe 3C branches off to each of the multiple passage-side pipes 3A.

[0045] The passageway-side pipe 3A is installed in a straight line in the direction of passageway 54 at a height similar to that of the spraying unit 4 in passageway 54 (i.e., at a height above the heads of workers when they are present in passageway 54, which is a non-feeding area, specifically near the ceiling).

[0046] Each of the multiple spraying units 4, which are arranged in parallel in the direction of their formation, are connected to each of the passage-side pipes 3A via input pipes 3B. Therefore, the ozonated water flowing into the passage-side pipes 3A is sprayed in a mist-like manner from the multiple spraying units 4 that are directly connected to it.

[0047] The branch pipe 3C and connecting pipe 3D are routed from the ceiling-side portion of the livestock shed 51 to the height of the ozone water generator 1 installed on the floor side. Incidentally, if the ozone water generator 1 is installed inside the livestock shed 51, the connecting pipe 3D is routed inside the livestock shed 51, while if the ozone water generator 1 is installed outside the livestock shed 51, it is routed from the outside to the inside of the livestock shed 51.

[0048] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the fixing structure of the fluid pipe to the column, and Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the fixing structure of the fluid pipe to the beam. These fluid pipes 3 are attached and fixed to structural elements such as columns 58, walls, or beams 59 in the livestock shed 51 by fasteners 12. In the illustrated example, the fluid pipe 3 is supported and fixed to the structure by a metal saddle band as the fastener 12. Incidentally, in addition to the four types of walls 51a, 51b, 51c, and 51d mentioned above, partition walls that divide the interior of the livestock shed 51 can also be considered as walls.

[0049] In disinfection facilities configured as described above, if the livestock are chickens, mites can feed on the chickens' blood and breed in the poultry farm. This stress can lead to a decrease in egg production, the occurrence of contaminated eggs, anemia, and death in the chickens. Therefore, insecticides are often sprayed to control them. However, spraying insecticides carries the risk of health hazards to the spraying workers themselves, as well as the risk of insecticide residue remaining in the chickens' bodies and eggs. Furthermore, the possibility of bacteria and viruses developing resistance to the insecticides used for control cannot be ruled out.

[0050] These various inconveniences can be rectified by using the disinfection equipment of the present invention to spray ozonated water instead of insecticides. Furthermore, the risk of workers developing asthma or other illnesses due to mites can also be rectified, leading to reduced stress for workers. Moreover, costs can be reduced compared to the use of insecticides.

[0051] Next, based on Figure 7, we will explain the differences between another embodiment of the present invention and the above-described embodiment.

[0052] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of a spraying unit according to another embodiment. The spraying unit 4' shown in the figure comprises a blower fan (blower) 13 and a spraying nozzle 14 that sprays ozonated water supplied under pressure from an input pipe 3B.

[0053] The blower fan 13 has multiple blades 17 that protrude radially from the rotating shaft 16 and rotate around the rotating shaft 16 as a pivot point to generate airflow, and a shroud 18 that covers the blades 17 from the outside in an axial view of the rotating shaft 16 and guides the airflow. The spray nozzle 14 protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the shroud 18 that houses the blades 17 toward the blades 17, and is configured to spray and distribute ozonated water.

[0054] The direction of the blower fan 13 is set to blow air along the direction of the passageway 54. The airflow from this blower fan 13 helps to distribute the mist-like ozonated water more uniformly within the livestock barn 51.

[0055] The spraying unit 4' configured in this way is installed in the passageway 54 in the non-animal area in the same manner as the spraying unit 4 of the above configuration.

[0056] With the above configuration, it becomes possible to widen the spraying range E of each spraying unit 4', and in some cases, a single spraying unit 4' can cover the necessary area within the livestock barn 51 (for example, the entire barn or the entire rearing area).

[0057] In addition to the passageway 54, the spraying unit 4 may also be installed in the space (non-feeding area) formed directly above the cage 52, and this space should be large enough for an employee to be present.

[0058] Alternatively, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1, the operation of the blower fan 13 may be controlled by the control unit 5.

[0059] Furthermore, the spray nozzle 14 may be used independently as the spraying unit. It is also possible to install the blower fan 13 separately from the spray nozzle 14 within the livestock shed 51. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1. Ozone water generator 2 Compressors 3. Flow pipe 4. Spraying unit (spraying section) 4' Spraying unit (spraying section) 5. Control Unit 6 Storage tanks 13. Blower fan (blower device) 14. Spray nozzle (spraying part) 51 Livestock shed (chicken coop) 51a 54 aisle 58 Pillar (Structure) 59 Beam (structure)

Claims

1. A disinfection system for livestock barns that disinfects the inside of livestock barns by spraying ozonated water, An ozone water generator that produces ozone water, A flow pipe installed within the livestock shed through which the ozonated water flows, It comprises one or more spraying units connected to the ozone water generator via the flow pipe and for spraying the ozone water, At least one of the spraying units is positioned so that its height is above the livestock in the rearing area within the livestock shed, and its placement space is set on the non-reatment area side of the livestock shed, which is the area outside the rearing area. Disinfection equipment for livestock barns, characterized by the following features.

2. The spraying unit is configured to spray and distribute the ozonated water. Disinfection equipment for livestock barns as described in claim 1.

3. The aforementioned non-animal area is a passageway used by people. The spraying unit is positioned higher than the people passing through the passage and sprays the ozonated water downwards. Disinfection equipment for livestock barns as described in claim 1.

4. The system includes a blower that blows air along the direction of the passage in a plan view. Disinfection equipment for livestock sheds as described in claim 3.

5. The aforementioned flow pipe is supported on the wall, column, or beam side of the non-feeding area in the livestock shed. Disinfection equipment for livestock barns as described in claim 1.

6. The ozone water generator is equipped with a compressor for pumping water, The ozone water generator is configured to generate ozone water from water supplied under pressure from the compressor. Disinfection equipment for livestock barns as described in claim 1.

7. The compressor is configured to pressurize water supplied from the water supply system to the ozone water generator. Disinfection equipment for livestock sheds according to claim 6.

8. The facility includes a water storage tank for temporarily storing water supplied from the aforementioned water supply equipment, The compressor is configured to pump the water stored in the water storage tank to the ozone water generator. Disinfection equipment for livestock barns according to claim 7.

9. The compressor is equipped with a timer or control unit that controls the operation of the compressor, The control unit is configured to control the timing of the ozone water spraying. Disinfection equipment for livestock sheds according to claim 6.

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