Horse carriage

Abstract

To provide a horse transport vehicle capable of transporting a plurality of racehorses from one racecourse to the next while maintaining their health, and capable of preventing temperature rise and excessive dryness inside the vehicle. [Solution] Within the compartment 3 of the horse trailer 10, separator plates 4 that separate each horse H are shifted forward on one side in the left-right direction of the compartment, creating multiple rows of compartments 5, and in each compartment, each horse is stored with its head H1 facing inward and its buttocks H2 facing outward from the compartment, and a spray nozzle N is placed above the buttocks of each horse in this stored state, spraying dry mist DM towards the buttocks of each horse, and a mist generator 8 that supplies dry mist to each spray nozzle is provided outside the compartment, and the mist generator is powered by a battery B and DC-AC converter 20 installed on the vehicle, and electric fans F are placed on the left and right inner walls of the compartment on the driver's seat side.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a horse transport vehicle that can transport multiple racehorses from one racecourse to the next while maintaining their health, and particularly to a horse transport vehicle that can prevent temperature increases and excessive dryness inside the vehicle during the summer. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, horse races have been held at racecourses across the country, and once the race is over, it is essential to transport the horses to the next racecourse under meticulous management to maintain their health. When transporting racehorses (including general horses and competition horses), various horse transport vehicles have been proposed to transport them under strict health management. One of the proposals is to install air conditioning systems in vehicles that transport racehorses. The air conditioning system is characterized by the fact that it is installed not only in the horse stall but also in the passenger compartment, which includes the driver's seat. The usual method is to install multiple cooling units on the roof of the horse stall and another cooling unit on the roof of the passenger compartment. However, adding multiple cooling units increases expenses and costs. Therefore, by sharing some of the cooling units, the number of units can be reduced, and because the cooling units are completely separated from the horse stall, there are no hygiene issues. (See Patent Document 1.)

[0003] The other is a horse transport vehicle having a horse storage section for accommodating horses, and including a mat laid on the floor of the horse storage section, a sprinkler pipe for sprinkling water on the mat, a water supply tank for sprinkling water on the mat, a water supply hose connecting the water supply tank and the sprinkler pipe, a drain outlet provided between the floor of the horse storage section for draining water sprinkled from the sprinkler pipe, a drain tank for storing water drained from the drain outlet, and a drain pipe connecting the drain tank and the drain outlet (see Patent Document 2).

[0004] Furthermore, as can be seen in facilities around town, there are facilities that spray mist from multiple nozzles into the space directly below, so that it reaches people passing by, and on ranches, spray nozzles placed high up in cowsheds and pigpens spray onto the bodies of horses, cows, and pigs, removing body heat from the entire body as evaporative cooling, creating a cool and humid atmosphere. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Unexamined Utility Model Patent Publication No. 62-198116 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5253678 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1, published utility model publication No. 198116 / 1987, is configured to simply blow cool air into the horse enclosure from a cooling unit located on the roof of the enclosure, and does not manage the quality of the air inside the enclosure (particularly humidity), which could lead to an extreme drop in humidity and cause problems with the health management of horses that are forced to be transported long distances for long periods of time.

[0007] The above-mentioned Patent Document 2, Patent No. 5253678, is configured with a mat laid on the floor of the horse storage area, a sprinkler pipe for sprinkling water onto the mat, a water supply tank for sprinkling water onto the mat, a water supply hose connecting the water supply tank and the sprinkler pipe, and a drainage outlet installed between the floor of the horse storage area for draining the water sprinkled from the sprinkler pipe, so the horses being transported are essentially placed in an environment where light rain is falling constantly.This creates an abnormal environmental situation in terms of health management of the horses, as they are forced to be transported long distances for long periods of time, which may lead to problems with the horses' health management.

[0008] Therefore, simply stopping the watering of horses as in Patent Document 2 and switching to a shower-like spray of water (a continuous stream of large droplets of water) will result in large amounts of water droplets on the horse's back and entire body during long transport periods. This has been pointed out as a potential problem in terms of maintaining and managing the health of horses that are forced to be transported long distances for long periods of time. The present invention was developed based on these points, and its purpose is to provide a horse trailer that can prevent the temperature inside the vehicle from rising or becoming too dry in the summer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above object, the horse trailer according to claim 1 of the present invention has a rear compartment in which a number of rows of compartments are arranged side by side, with separator plates separating each horse shifted forward on one side in the lateral direction of the compartment, and each compartment houses a horse with its head facing inward and its buttocks facing outward, and each compartment is equipped with a spray nozzle above the buttocks of each horse in this state, which sprays dry mist from a mist generator toward the buttocks of each horse. The mist generator and its water tank that supply dry mist to each spray nozzle are located on the outside bottom of the compartment, and the mist generator is driven by a DC-AC converter connected to the vehicle's on-board battery, and electric fans are located on both the left and right sides of the interior wall of the compartment on the driver's seat side, causing the dry mist sprayed from each spray nozzle to circulate within the compartment. In addition, the horse trailer according to claim 2 is the horse trailer according to claim 1, characterized in that an air conditioner connected to a DC-AC converter is placed at the top near the center of the inner wall surface on the driver's seat side of the storage compartment, and the dry mist sprayed from each of the spray nozzles is circulated and circulated within the storage compartment while cooling and dehumidifying it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The above-mentioned means achieves the following effects. When the dry mist is sprayed toward each horse's buttocks from the spray nozzles installed above each horse's buttocks in the horse trailer, the heat emitted from each horse's buttocks raises the horse's body temperature and lowers the air temperature in the vicinity. For example, when a particularly fine mist of around 0.7 μm is set, the heat emitted from the buttocks and the area in front of them is cooled extremely efficiently to around 5-7°C by the heat of vaporization. This cools the air in the carriage and the heat emitted by each horse to an appropriate temperature. Furthermore, by placing electric fans on the left and right sides of the front of the room, which is on the driver's seat side, the temperature inside the room drops due to the heat of vaporization, and the air is maintained at a uniform room temperature by the airflow from the electric fans, providing an environment with optimal temperature and humidity for each horse and maintaining the health of each horse during transport.

[0011] If necessary, an air conditioner (heating and cooling equipment) can be placed in the center of the front of the enclosure, allowing for active and combined room temperature and dehumidification control. For example, during daytime transport in summer, the circulating dry mist flow provides active cooling and dehumidification, maintaining the horses' health even during long transport periods. In winter, the heating function provides a heating effect within the enclosure through the circulating dry mist flow, ensuring a comfortable transport for the racehorses.

[0012] In the horse trailer, the particle size can be controlled using a mist generator. That is, the particle size of the dry mist can be changed within a wide range from 0.7 μm to 60 μm. For example, by setting it to ultrafine particles of 0.7 μm, basic particles of 20 μm, or an appropriate range of 20 to 60 μm, various humidification conditions and cooling effects due to the heat of vaporization can be controlled. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the horse trailer of the present invention; [Figure 2]1 is a plan view of a horse trailer according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 3] 1 shows an embodiment of the horse trailer of the present invention, and is a control system diagram of the mist generator. [Figure 4] 1 shows an embodiment of the horse trailer of the present invention, showing mist sprayed onto the horses. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a horse trailer equipped with an air conditioner, showing a modified embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, each configuration of the horse trailer and dry mist supplying device of the present invention will be described in order with reference to Figs.

[0015] First, the overall structure of a horse trailer 10 and a dry mist supplying device 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. The horse trailer 10 comprises a driver's seat 1 at the front and a horse carriage 3 mounted on a base (car body frame) 2 connected to the rear of the driver's seat 1. As shown in Figure 2, the interior structure of the horse carriage 3 is such that separator plates 4·· for isolating each horse H are shifted forward on one side of the right side of the carriage 3 in the lateral direction (lateral direction of the vehicle) and multiple rows of private compartments 5·· are arranged side by side.

[0016] Each horse H is housed in each compartment 5... with its head H1 facing inward and its buttocks H2 facing outward. A spray nozzle N... is located at the top of the compartment, spraying dry mist DM toward each horse's buttocks. As shown in Figure 3, each spray nozzle N... is connected to a mist generator 8, which receives dry mist via piping 7, as shown in control circuit system D of Figure 3. The mist generator 8 is connected to a water tank 9 containing water and a water pump P that pumps water from the water tank 9 and pumps it to the mist generator 8. These are mounted on the base 2 at the front bottom outside the housing chamber 3. The mist generator 8 delivers high-pressure water generated by a built-in pump, which then sprays the water through the fine holes in the spray nozzle N as a fine mist. In this embodiment, a mist generator under the trade name "DigiMist3" manufactured by Super Kogyo Co., Ltd. can be used as an example. This generates a fine mist with a particle size of approximately 20 μm. The particle diameter of the mist generator 8 is set appropriately within the range of 0.7 μm to 60 μm. The setting is adjusted by the discharge pressure of the built-in pump and the diameter of the injection nozzle. The power source is driven by a DC-AC converter 20 connected to the vehicle's onboard battery B. This DC-AC converter 20 is provided on the base body 2 below the accommodation chamber 3.

[0017] Electric fans F are disposed on both the left and right sides of the inner wall surface 3A on the driver's seat side of the accommodation chamber 3. This forces the dry mist DM sprayed from each of the spray nozzles N to circulate and circulate within the accommodation chamber 3. Each of the electric fans F is also connected to a DC-AC converter 20 of the control circuit system D shown in FIG. 3. The fans F can be started and stopped manually or automatically in conjunction with the generation of the dry mist DM.

[0018] In the dry mist supplying device 100 for a horse trailer configured as described above, as shown in Figures 1 to 2 and 5, when each horse H··· is carried into the enclosure 3 of the horse trailer 10, it is stored in each compartment 5 of the enclosure 3 with its rear end H2 facing outwards. In this state, the horse trailer 10 begins transport. The time at which the dry mist supplying device 100 starts operation is determined by manual operation by the driver or by automatic operation based on the indoor temperature of the enclosure 3.

[0019] During the above-mentioned transfer, when the temperature inside the storage chamber 3 starts to rise, the mist generator is automatically started by the control circuit system D of the dry mist supply device 100, for example. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the dry mist DM sprayed from each spray nozzle N is sprayed toward the rump H1 of each horse H in the enclosure.

[0020] The average body temperature of each horse is usually 38-39°C. At this time, the heat emitted from each horse's buttocks H1 due to the temperature rise inside the closed enclosure 3 raises the horse's body temperature and the surrounding air temperature. If, for example, a fine mist of dry mist DM with a particle size of about 20 microns is sprayed at this time, the heat emitted from each horse's buttocks H1 and their front parts H2 is cooled by about 2-3°C due to the heat of vaporization of the dry mist DM. This cools the air inside the enclosure 3 and the heat of each horse H... to an appropriate temperature.

[0021] The specific temperature values ​​and cooling effect for each horse are roughly set as follows. A horse's body temperature is usually between 38 and 39 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the air sprayed from the nozzle of Dry Mist DM is approximately 2 to 3 degrees Celsius lower than room temperature due to the effect of evaporative cooling, without wetting the horse's body. This spray of Dry Mist DM maintains the horse's body temperature at 38 to 39 degrees Celsius.

[0022] The Dry Mist DM can be used in a particularly fine mist of 0.7 μm, as this is expected to provide the most efficient cooling effect for each horse in the enclosure 3. The particle size of the dry mist DM can be set arbitrarily within the range of 20 to 60 μm. When the particle diameter is approximately 20 μm, the water droplets on the surface of the object sprayed with Dry Mist DM immediately evaporate, cooling the surface of the horse's body without drying it out. Therefore, it can also be used as a horse trailer 10 when transporting horses short distances in the summer. In addition, 20 μm mist particles are the basic Dry Mist DM and can be used for general purposes. They can float and move in the air, ensuring a cooling effect due to the heat of evaporation of the air.

[0023] The specific configuration and ratings of each of the above devices are set by the specifications of the dry mist generator 8 of the control circuit system shown in the block diagram of Figure 3. In other words, they are determined by the output of the mist generator 8 and the number and spray capacity of the spray nozzles N. The rated output of the DC-AC converter 20 is also determined by the capacity of each device installed, the volume of the housing room 3, and the number of horses installed.

[0024] Furthermore, electric fans F, located on the left and right sides of the front wall 3A of the enclosure 3, which is the driver's seat side of the enclosure 1, direct airflow E from the front of the enclosure, passing over the backs of each horse, to the rear of the enclosure, where it reverses and circulates to the front. Thus, the entire enclosure is maintained at a stable room temperature and humidity through the airflow and evaporative heat. This allows the air in the enclosure to be cooled by evaporative heat to maintain a uniform room temperature, providing an optimal temperature and humidity environment for each horse and ensuring the health of the horses during transport.

[0025] A modified embodiment of the overall structure of the horse carriage 10 and the dry mist supply device 100 is shown in Figure 5. It is equipped with an air conditioner (heating and cooling equipment) E0, and is operated for heating and cooling by a compressor CO. In other words, Figure 5 shows a modified embodiment in which the horse carriage 10 is equipped with the dry mist supply device 110 and the air conditioner E0. Since other components are the same, the same reference numerals are used and their explanations are omitted.

[0026] The dry mist supply device 110 described above actively combines room temperature control and dehumidification control with the airflow E1 blown out from the air conditioner E0, and during daytime transport in summer, the circulating and convective dry mist flow E actively cools, cools, and dehumidifies the horses H···, maintaining their health even during long transport periods. It also functions as a heater in winter, providing humidification within the enclosure with the circulating and convective dry mist flow E and the heating effect of the air conditioner (heating and cooling equipment) E0, ensuring a comfortable transport for the racehorses.

[0027] The horse trailer can be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention. For example, although the spray nozzles are only installed on the hindquarters of each horse, they may also be installed on the top of the compartment on the head side, with the spray direction directed both to the front and rear of the compartment. [Industrial Applicability]

[0028] The horse trailer of this invention is primarily intended for transporting racehorses, but it can also be used to transport cows, pigs, chickens, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1 Driver's seat 2 Base 3 Containment Room 3A Front wall 4 Separator plate 5 private rooms 7 Piping 8. Mist generator 9. Water tank 10 Horse carriage 20 DC-AC converter 100,110 Dry mist supply device B. Battery CO Compressor D Control circuit system DM Dry Mist E0 Air conditioner (heating and cooling equipment) E Dry mist flow E1 Outlet airflow F electric fan N Injection nozzle H horse H1 head H2 buttocks P Water supply pump

Claims

1. Within the rear compartment of the horse trailer, there are rows of individual compartments lined up, with separator plates isolating each horse shifted forward on one side in the left-right direction of the compartment, and each horse is stored in each compartment with its head facing inward and its buttocks facing outward. A spray nozzle is located above each horse's buttocks in this stored state, and each spray nozzle is equipped with a mist generator that supplies the dry mist and a water tank for the spray nozzle, located on the outside bottom of the compartment. The mist generator is powered by a DC-AC converter connected to the vehicle's onboard battery, and electric fans are located on both the left and right sides of the interior wall of the compartment on the driver's side, causing the dry mist sprayed from each spray nozzle to circulate and circulate within the compartment.

2. The horse trailer described in claim 1, characterized in that an air conditioner connected to a DC-AC converter is placed at the top near the center of the inner wall surface on the driver's seat side of the storage compartment, and the dry mist sprayed from each of the spray nozzles is circulated and convected within the storage compartment while cooling and dehumidifying.

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