Comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system, comprehensive livestock barn monitoring method, and program

The comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system addresses the lack of comprehensive monitoring by integrating a dung removal device, sensors, and a monitoring device with machine learning for failure prediction and consumable judgment, enhancing labor efficiency and livestock health management.

JP3254018UActive Publication Date: 2025-12-15SEKINE CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2025001445U
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Utility models
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-05-09
Publication Date
2025-12-15
Estimated Expiration
2034-04-18

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing livestock barn monitoring systems only focus on environmental conditions and lack comprehensive monitoring of livestock barns, particularly through the perspective of livestock manure, which is crucial for labor-saving and precise livestock management.

Method used

A comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system that includes a dung removal device, sensors for manure and urine data collection, a control unit for device operation, and a monitoring device for analysis and notification of device status and livestock condition, utilizing machine learning for failure prediction and consumable replacement judgment.

Benefits of technology

Enables comprehensive monitoring of livestock barns by predicting failures, determining consumable needs, and estimating livestock health and growth status based on manure and urine data, facilitating early detection of issues and efficient management.

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Abstract

Comprehensive monitoring of livestock sheds in terms of livestock manure. [Solution] A livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system 1 that comprehensively remotely monitors a livestock barn in which a livestock barn dung removal device 10 is installed, and includes an equipment control unit (control unit 32) that controls the livestock barn dung removal device 10 and collects operation data related to the operation of the livestock barn dung removal device 10, a memory unit 130 that stores the operation data, an operation status analysis unit 102 that analyzes the operation status of the livestock barn dung removal device 10 based on the history of the operation data stored in the memory unit 130, and a notification control unit 121 that notifies a terminal (user terminal 200) located remotely from the livestock barn of the analysis results of the operation status analysis unit 102.
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system, comprehensive livestock barn monitoring method, and program for remotely monitoring an entire livestock barn. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, due to a lack of successors and an aging population, the number of livestock farming households has been declining at an accelerating pace, and there is a demand for labor-saving, labor-intensive, and more precise operations. As a result, smart livestock farming using ICT, IoT devices, robots, etc. is attracting attention. In Japan in particular, livestock such as pigs, cows, and chickens spend most of their lives in barns, so it is said that barns are the foundation for promoting smart livestock farming.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a livestock barn management device that can maintain a good environment within the barn by observing environmental information within the barn and controlling equipment and facilities for improving the environment within the barn based on the observed data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-81692 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As mentioned above, livestock spend most of their lives in barns, so it is desirable for livestock farmers to comprehensively monitor the barn, that is, to monitor the barn environment as well as the condition of the livestock in the barn, in order to reduce the amount of labor and manpower required for work. However, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can only monitor the environment of the livestock barn, and is not capable of comprehensively monitoring the inside of the livestock barn. Incidentally, livestock manure is related to both the environment of the livestock barn and the condition of the livestock there, so it can be said that manure is one key to comprehensively monitoring the inside of a livestock barn.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system, a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring method, and a program that comprehensively monitor livestock barns from the perspective of livestock manure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Form 1: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system for comprehensively remotely monitoring a livestock barn equipped with a livestock barn dung removal device, the system comprising: a device control unit that controls the livestock barn dung removal device and collects operation data related to the operation of the livestock barn dung removal device; a memory unit that stores the operation data; an operation status analysis unit that analyzes the operation status of the livestock barn dung removal device based on the history of operation data stored in the memory unit; and a notification control unit that notifies a terminal located remote from the livestock barn of the analysis results of the operation status analysis unit.

[0008] Form 2: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system, characterized in that the memory unit stores replacement information regarding the replacement of consumables for the livestock barn dung removal device, and is equipped with a replacement judgment unit that judges whether or not the consumables for the livestock barn dung removal device can be replaced based on the operating data history and the replacement information, or the replacement information, and the notification control unit notifies the judgment result of the replacement judgment unit.

[0009] Form 3: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system that includes a failure prediction unit that inputs the analysis results into a failure prediction model to predict the occurrence of a failure, and the notification control unit notifies the user when a failure is predicted by the failure prediction unit.

[0010] Form 4: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system characterized in that sensors are installed in various locations within the livestock barn, including the livestock barn manure removal device, and a livestock condition estimation unit is installed that estimates the condition of the livestock based on feces and urine data regarding the livestock collected by the sensors.

[0011] Form 5: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system in which the sensor is a urine analysis sensor, and the livestock condition estimation unit estimates the health condition of the livestock based on information about the components contained in the urine collected by the urine analysis sensor.

[0012] Form 6: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system characterized in that the memory unit stores attribute information of the livestock, and the estimation unit estimates the condition of the livestock based on the feces and urine data and the attribute information.

[0013] Form 7: One or more embodiments of the present invention propose a comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system, characterized in that the memory unit stores location information indicating the location of the livestock barn, and the notification control unit notifies the analysis results together with the location information of the livestock barn in which the livestock barn dung removal device is installed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] One or more embodiments of the present invention allow for comprehensive monitoring of livestock housing in terms of livestock manure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a livestock barn manure removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention and an installation example of the device. [Figure 4]2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an operational data DB according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram illustrating an operational status DB according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a diagram showing an exchange condition DB according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram illustrating an exchange data DB according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a device information DB according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 9] 3 is a flowchart showing the comprehensive livestock barn monitoring process of the comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or similar components will be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish between components of the same type, an identifier (numbers, letters, etc.) may be written in parentheses after a reference symbol that collectively refers to the components.

[0017] [Overview] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment. The comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system 1 is a system for comprehensively monitoring livestock barns from the perspective of livestock manure and urine, and includes a system for monitoring livestock barn dung removal equipment 10 that processes livestock manure and urine, and a system for monitoring livestock from their manure and urine.

[0018] Generally, a livestock barn has a plurality of stalls for raising livestock based on group management. The stalls are often located on both sides of a central aisle, and in this embodiment, the stalls are also located on both sides of the central aisle. The livestock kept in the stall is one or more animals, and there is no particular limitation on the type as long as it can be kept in the stall, including cows, pigs, chickens, etc.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the livestock house comprehensive monitoring system 1 includes a livestock house manure removal device 10, a sensor 20, a control device 30, a monitoring device 100, and a user terminal 200.

[0020] The control device 30 communicates with each of the livestock barn manure removal devices 10 and sensors 20 in the livestock barn, and controls each of the livestock barn manure removal devices 10 and sensors 20 and collects data (S1).

[0021] Here, the livestock barn manure removal device 10 is installed in a pit P arranged under the floor of the livestock stall, and collects manure that falls into the pit P in response to instructions from the control device 30. In this embodiment, at least one livestock barn manure removal device 10 is installed in each livestock barn, and the provided scraper collects manure that has fallen into the pit P into a manure collection groove G. The manure collected in the manure collection groove G is moved outside the livestock barn by a screw provided in the manure collection groove G, a livestock barn manure removal device, or the like. Furthermore, the livestock barn manure removal device 10 collects urine that falls into the pit P in a pipe installed under the rails that the livestock barn manure removal device 10 uses to move within the pit P. The collected urine is moved outside the livestock barn through a main pipe (installed, for example, along the central aisle) to which the pipe is connected. An example of a livestock barn manure removal device 10 installed in a pit P and the installation of the device is shown in FIG. The livestock dung removal device 10 shown in Figure 2 is a V Pit Cleaner (manufactured by Sekine Co., Ltd.), but is not limited to this as long as it is a device that can collect the dung that has fallen into the pit P. Furthermore, although the livestock dung removal device 10 in this embodiment and shown in Figure 2 is capable of separating feces and urine, it may also be one that is not capable of separating feces and urine.

[0022] In addition, at least one sensor 20 is provided at each location within the barn, including the barn manure removal device 10 (fences separating the barns, inside the barn, inside the pit P, manure ditch G, etc.), and transmits collected data to the control device 30. In detail, the sensor 20 is a sensor that acquires data on the livestock in the barn, in particular data on the feces and urine discharged from the livestock in the barn (hereinafter also referred to as feces and urine data), and is, for example, a urine analysis sensor, a weight sensor, an infrared sensor, a camera, etc.

[0023] The urine analysis sensor is a sensor that analyzes urine collected by the livestock barn manure removal device 10, and analyzes the pH, the presence or absence of protein, the presence or absence of occult blood, and the like. The weight sensors measure the weight of urine collected by the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and the weight of feces collected by the V-pit cleaner. The infrared sensor measures the number of times that livestock excrete feces and / or urine. Temperature may also be measured in addition to the number of times. The camera photographs feces and / or urine within the pit P. The sensor 20 is not limited to the above, and may collect information on other livestock, such as the surface temperature and activity level of livestock, in addition to the excreta of livestock.

[0024] The control device 30 communicates with the monitoring device 100 via the network, and transmits the data acquired from the livestock house manure removal device 10 and the sensor 20 in S1 to the monitoring device 100 (S2).

[0025] The monitoring device 100 performs a device state analysis process to analyze the state of the livestock house dung removal device 10 based on the operation data relating to the operation of the livestock house dung removal device 10 acquired from the control device 30 (S3). In detail, based on the operation data, the monitoring device 100 analyzes the operating status of the livestock dung removal device 10, determines whether or not consumables of the livestock dung removal device 10 need to be replaced, and predicts the occurrence of a malfunction of the livestock dung removal device 10. The operating status specifically includes the operating rate, unit operating time, total operating time, error occurrence history, and the like.

[0026] Furthermore, the monitoring device 100 performs a livestock condition estimation process to estimate the condition of the livestock based on the livestock excrement data acquired from the control device 30 (S4). In particular, the monitoring device 100 estimates the health status of the livestock and / or the growth status of the livestock based on the manure data. The health condition is estimated as, for example, "good," "needs observation," or "needs caution." The growth status is also estimated as, for example, "good," "slightly poor," or "poor."

[0027] The monitoring device 100 communicates with the user terminal 200 via the network and transmits to the user terminal 200 the status of the livestock dung removal device 10, including at least one of the analysis results of the operating status of the livestock dung removal device 10, whether consumables can be replaced, and predictions of malfunctions, as well as the status of the livestock, including at least one of the health status and growth status of the livestock (S5).

[0028] The user terminal 200 displays the status of the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and / or the status of the livestock received from the monitoring device 100 (S6). Here, the user of the user terminal 200 is a person related to the livestock barn, such as a person in charge of the livestock farm who manages the barn, or a person in charge of the company that maintains, manages, and operates the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and the like. The user terminal 200 is, for example, a tablet or a smartphone.

[0029] According to this type of comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system 1, the state of the livestock barn dung removal device 10 can be determined based on the operation data of the dung removal device that processes the manure and urine of the livestock in the barn, and the state of the livestock can be estimated based on the manure and urine data discharged by the livestock, and the results of the determination of the state of the livestock barn dung removal device 10 and / or the results of the estimation of the state of the livestock can be notified to a user terminal. As a result, the status of the livestock barn manure removal device 10, whose operating status affects the environment within the barn, and / or the status of the livestock within the barn can be monitored from the user terminal, and the environment and status of the livestock can be monitored from the perspective of livestock manure, allowing comprehensive monitoring of the barn.

[0030] [Function Configuration] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the livestock house comprehensive monitoring system 1 includes a livestock house manure removal device 10, a sensor 20, a control device 30, a monitoring device 100, and a user terminal 200.

[0031] The control device 30 includes a communication unit 31 , a control unit 32 , and an acquisition unit 33 . The communication unit 31 communicates with the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and the sensor 20 via short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or wired communication, and also communicates with the monitoring device 100 via a network such as the Internet. The control unit 32 controls the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and the sensor 20 based on instructions from the user and preset programs. The control unit 32 is, for example, a control panel.

[0032] The acquisition unit 33 acquires data from the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and the sensor 20 via the communication unit 31 at predetermined intervals or sequentially, and transmits the acquired data to the monitoring device 100 via the communication unit 31. In detail, the acquisition unit 33 acquires operation data from the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and manure data from the sensor 20 , and transmits them to the monitoring device 100 . The acquisition unit 33 transmits the acquired data to the monitoring device 100 sequentially or at predetermined intervals. The acquisition unit 33 may acquire data from the livestock house manure removal apparatus 10 in response to a change in the operating state.

[0033] The monitoring device 100 is composed of an operation data acquisition unit 101, an operation status analysis unit 102, a replacement determination unit 103, a failure prediction unit 104, a manure data acquisition unit 111, a livestock condition estimation unit 112, a notification control unit 121, a communication unit 122, and a memory unit 130. The storage unit 130 includes an operation data DB 131 , an operation status DB 132 , an exchange condition DB 133 , an exchange data DB 134 , a learning model DB 135 , a feces and urine data DB 136 , and an equipment information DB 137 . In this embodiment, the monitoring device 100 is a cloud server, but it may also be on-premise.

[0034] The operation data acquisition unit 101 acquires operation data from the livestock house manure removal apparatus 10 via the control device 30 and stores the data in the operation data DB 131.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the operation data DB 131 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the operation data stored in the operation data DB 131 includes an apparatus ID for identifying the livestock dung removal apparatus 10, the date and time when the operation data was acquired, the operation status of the livestock dung removal apparatus 10, an error ID for identifying an error that has been preset in the livestock dung removal apparatus 10, etc. The operating status may be, for example, "in operation," "on standby," or "stopped."

[0036] The operational status analysis unit 102 analyzes the operational status of the livestock house manure removal apparatus 10 based on the history of operational data stored in the operational data DB 131. The operating status may be, for example, the total operating time, number of operations, operating rate, unit operating time, error occurrence history, etc. of the livestock barn manure removal device 10, and is preferably analyzed for each manure device, but may also be analyzed for each barn and each livestock. The operational status analysis unit 102 stores the operational status, which is the analysis result, in the operational status DB 132 of the storage unit 130 .

[0037] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating the operational status DB 132 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the operational status stored in the operational status DB 132 includes a device ID, an analysis period, a total operating time, an operating count, an operating rate, a unit operating time, an error occurrence history, and the like.

[0038] In detail, the operation status analysis unit 102 calculates, for each livestock barn manure removal apparatus 10, the total operation time from the start of operation of the livestock barn manure removal apparatus 10 to the present, the total operation time for a specified period such as daily / weekly / monthly, the number of operations for a specified period such as daily / weekly / monthly, and the operation rate for a specified period such as daily / weekly / monthly, for example, based on the history of operation data. Furthermore, the operation status analysis unit 102 calculates the operation time for each operation based on the operation data history, and calculates the average operation time for each operation over a predetermined period, such as from the start of operation to the present, daily, weekly, or monthly, as the unit operation time. Furthermore, the operational status analysis unit 102 acquires an error occurrence history in which the error IDs are associated with the dates and times of occurrence and arranged in chronological order.

[0039] Then, the operational status analysis unit 102 stores the calculated or acquired data as the operational status in the operational status DB 132. Furthermore, the operational status analysis unit 102 creates tables and graphs from the calculated or acquired data, and visualizes the operational status of the livestock barn manure removal apparatus 10.

[0040] The replacement determination unit 103 determines whether or not the consumables of the livestock house manure removal apparatus 10 can be replaced based on the replacement condition DB 133, the replacement data DB 134, and the operation data DB 131, or based on the replacement condition DB 133 and the replacement data DB 134. The possibility of replacement is determined for each livestock dung removal device 10 and for each consumable item.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the exchange condition DB 133 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the replacement conditions stored in the replacement condition DB133 include a consumable ID, a replacement period indicating the period until the consumable is replaced, the number of replacements indicating the number of times the consumable used in the feces removal device must be operated before it is replaced, and a replacement error ID indicating an error that requires the replacement of the consumable.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing exchange data DB 134 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the replacement data stored in the replacement data DB 134 includes a device ID, a consumable item ID, the last replacement date of the consumable item, and the like. The exchange data may include information about which exchange conditions were used for the exchange, and in that case, may further include the number of operations and error ID at the time of the previous exchange.

[0043] The replacement conditions, ie, the replacement period, the number of replacements, and the replacement error ID, which are used by the replacement determination unit 103 to determine whether or not a consumable item can be replaced will be described below. In addition, when there are multiple judgment conditions, the replacement judgment unit 103 may determine the judgment result based on the judgment result of the judgment condition with the highest priority that has been set in advance, or may determine the judgment result by comprehensively judging the multiple judgment results.

[0044] When determining whether or not a consumable item can be replaced based on the replacement period, replacement determination unit 103 first obtains, based on replacement condition DB 133 and replacement data DB 134, a replacement planned date when the replacement period has elapsed since the previous replacement date. Then, the replacement determination unit 103 compares the acquired replacement planned date with the current date to determine whether or not the consumable item can be replaced. If the current date is after the scheduled replacement date, replacement determination unit 103 determines that replacement is necessary. At this time, the replacement determination unit 103 may obtain the number of days that have passed since the scheduled replacement date until the present time, and include this in the notification by the notification control unit 121, which will be described later. On the other hand, if the planned replacement date is earlier than the current date, the replacement determination unit 103 determines that replacement is not necessary. At this time, the replacement determination unit 103 may obtain how many days after the replacement date it is based on the replacement date and the current date, and include this information in a notification from the notification control unit 121, which will be described later.

[0045] When determining whether or not a consumable item can be replaced based on the number of replacements, the replacement determination unit 103 first refers to the operation data DB 131 and counts the number of operations from the previous replacement date to the present. Then, the replacement determination unit 103 compares the counted number of operations with the number of replacements to determine whether or not replacement is possible. If the number of operations is equal to or greater than the number of replacements, the replacement determination unit 103 determines that replacement is necessary. At this time, the replacement determination unit 103 may obtain the excess operation count from the replacement count, and include the excess operation count in the notification by the notification control unit 121, which will be described later. If the number of operations is less than the number of replacements, the replacement determination unit 103 determines that replacement is not necessary. At this time, the replacement determination unit 103 may obtain the number of remaining operations until the replacement count is reached, and include this information in a notification from the notification control unit 121, which will be described later.

[0046] When determining whether or not a consumable item can be replaced based on the replacement error ID, the replacement determination unit 103 refers to the operation data DB 131 and determines whether or not the error ID of the latest operation data matches the replacement error ID. If they match, the exchange determination unit 103 determines that exchange is necessary, and if they do not match, it determines that exchange is not necessary.

[0047] Returning to FIG. 2, the failure prediction unit 104 predicts the occurrence of a failure in the livestock house manure removal apparatus 10 based on the operational status in the operational status DB 132 and the failure prediction model in the learning model DB 135. The operational status used for failure prediction is preferably analyzed including the latest operational data stored in the operational data DB 131. When the failure prediction unit 104 predicts that a failure will occur in the livestock house manure removal apparatus 10, the notification control unit 121, which will be described later, notifies the user terminal 200 that a failure has been predicted. If a countermeasure for the predicted failure is stored in the memory unit 130, the failure prediction unit 104 may obtain the countermeasure from the memory unit 130 and notify the user terminal 200 of the obtained countermeasure together with the fact that a failure has been predicted.

[0048] Here, the failure prediction model is data that models the relationship between the operating status of the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and whether or not a failure will occur using machine learning, and is data that correlates, for example, the error code when a failure occurs, the frequency / interval of error code occurrence, the order in which the error codes occur, the total operating time / operating rate / unit operating time when a failure occurs, and the pattern of change in the total operating time / operating rate / unit operating time, with whether or not a failure will occur.

[0049] The failure prediction model is preferably created by machine learning, but may also be created manually in advance by an administrator or the like based on past knowledge. In addition, the failure prediction model may further include data that models the relationship between the operating status of the livestock barn manure removal device 10 and the probability of a failure occurring, the time until a failure occurs, or the severity of a failure that is predicted to occur. The failure prediction model may be prepared for each type of failure, for each model of the livestock barn manure removal apparatus 10, or for each livestock.

[0050] Here, machine learning is a technology in which a computer learns rules by itself through learning from data and makes predictions and decisions in accordance with those rules. The learning method for machine learning may be any of supervised learning, unsupervised learning, deep learning, etc., or may be a combination of these learning methods. Machine learning techniques include perceptron, deep learning, support vector machine, logistic regression, naive Bayes, decision tree, random forest, etc., and are not limited to the techniques described in this embodiment.

[0051] The feces and urine data acquisition unit 111 acquires feces and urine data from the sensor 20 via the control device 30 and stores the data in the feces and urine data DB 136. The feces and urine data includes images of feces in the pit P (images showing the properties of the feces), feces / urine frequency, feces / urine weight, urine pH, presence or absence of urine protein, or presence or absence of occult blood in urine.

[0052] The livestock condition estimation unit 112 estimates the condition of each livestock based on the feces and urine data for each livestock acquired by the feces and urine data acquisition unit 111. Here, the condition of livestock refers to the health and / or growth conditions of the livestock. In this embodiment, multiple types of sensors 20 are installed for each livestock, one for each type, in order to estimate the condition of each livestock, but multiple types of sensors, one for each type, may also be installed in one livestock pen. This is because livestock in the same pen as livestock with poor health and / or growth conditions are also likely to be in poor health and / or growth conditions or will deteriorate in the future, so it may be advisable to identify the pen and take measures together.

[0053] In detail, the livestock condition estimation unit 112 estimates the health condition of each livestock using the feces analysis results and / or urine analysis results for each livestock and the health condition estimation model in the learning model DB 135. The estimated health status includes "good," "needs observation," "needs attention," as well as "malnutrition," "fever," and "suspected illness." Furthermore, the livestock condition estimation unit 112 may compare the feces analysis results and urine analysis results with a preset normal healthy range, and extract results that fall outside the normal healthy range. The estimated health condition, or the result that the health condition is outside the extracted normal range, is notified to the user terminal 200 by the notification control unit 121, which will be described later. If the health condition is "suspected of illness," the notification control unit 121 may notify not only the user terminal 200 but also the terminal of the veterinarian in charge or the terminal of the livestock insurance office.

[0054] Here, the feces analysis results include feces feature amounts, which are the results of analyzing images of feces and urine data using the feces feature model in the learning model DB 135 by the livestock condition estimation unit 112, the number of feces in the feces and urine data, and the feces weight of the feces and urine data. Feces features are properties that characterize feces (in this embodiment, shape, quantity, and color properties), and as described above, are obtained by analyzing images of feces and urine data using a feces feature model, which is information that associates feces images with each property of feces. It is preferable to create the feces feature model by machine learning, but it may also be created manually in advance by an administrator or the like based on past knowledge.

[0055] The shape of feces can be specifically described by five characteristics, such as "hard stool," "normal stool," "soft stool," "muddy stool," and "watery stool," or by two characteristics, such as "hard" and "soft." Specifically, the amount of feces can be described by two characteristics: a lot or a little, or three characteristics: a lot, normal, or little. The color of feces may be expressed as a characteristic indicating whether it is a normal color, with ochre to brown being considered normal, or as a characteristic indicating whether it is particularly black (the color of so-called tarry feces).

[0056] The health status estimation model is data that has been modeled using machine learning to determine the relationship between fecal and urine analysis results and the health status of livestock. The health condition estimation model may be obtained by machine learning based on the feces and urine data stored in the feces and urine data DB136, or may be obtained by machine learning based on other feces and urine data. If a health condition estimation model is created for each livestock attribute information such as type, breed, sex, and age of livestock, the livestock attribute information can be used to estimate the health condition of the livestock in more detail. The livestock attribute information is stored in the storage unit 130.

[0057] The livestock condition estimation unit 112 estimates the growth condition of each livestock using the feces analysis results and / or urine analysis results for each livestock and the growth condition estimation model in the learning model DB 135. The estimated growth conditions include "good," "slightly poor," "poor," "suspected illness," etc. The livestock condition estimation unit 112 may compare the feces analysis results and urine analysis results with a normal growth range set in advance, and extract results that fall outside the normal growth range. The estimated growth condition and the extracted result that the growth condition is outside the normal range are notified to the user terminal 200 by the notification control unit 121, which will be described later. If the growth condition is "suspected of disease," the notification control unit 121 may notify not only the user terminal 200 but also the terminal of the veterinarian in charge or the terminal of the livestock insurance office.

[0058] The growth status estimation model is data that has been modeled using machine learning to determine the relationship between fecal analysis results, urine analysis results, and growth status. Like the health condition estimation model, the growth condition estimation model may be obtained by machine learning based on feces and urine data stored in feces and urine data DB136, or may be obtained by machine learning based on other feces and urine data. In addition, if a growth condition estimation model is created for each livestock attribute information such as type, breed, sex, and age of livestock, it will be possible to estimate the growth condition of livestock in more detail using the livestock attribute information when estimating the growth condition.

[0059] The notification control unit 121 causes the display unit 202 of the user terminal 200 to display the operational status of the livestock house manure removal apparatus 10 analyzed by the operational status analysis unit 102 via the communication units 122 and 201 . The notification control unit 121 may cause the display unit 202 of the user terminal 200 to display the operational data acquired by the operational data acquisition unit 101 together with the operational status. The operational status displayed on the display unit 202 may be data calculated or acquired by the operational status analysis unit 102, but is preferably a visualized table or graph.

[0060] Furthermore, the notification control unit 121 may refer to the device information DB 137 and display on the user terminal information about the farm or barn where the livestock barn manure removal device 10 is installed, together with the operating status. Furthermore, the notification control unit 121 may generate data showing the farm location and operating status on a map of a predetermined range based on the location information of the farm where the livestock barn manure removal device 10 is installed, obtained by referring to the device information DB 137, and the map DB (not shown), and may display the generated data on the user terminal 200.

[0061] FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the device information DB 137 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the device information stored in the device information DB 137 includes a device ID, the farm name of the farm where the livestock barn dung removal device 10 is installed, a farm location indicating the location information of the farm where the livestock barn dung removal device 10 is installed, a barn ID identifying the barn where the livestock barn dung removal device 10 is installed, and a livestock ID identifying the livestock raised in the barn where the livestock barn dung removal device 10 is installed.

[0062] Returning to Figure 3, the notification control unit 121 displays a replacement notification indicating that replacement is required for a consumable item that has been determined to require replacement by the replacement determination unit 103 on the display unit 202 of the user terminal 200 via the communication units 122, 201. The replacement notification should include at least the device ID of the manure equipment in which the consumable is installed in order to identify the consumable that needs to be replaced, and preferably at least one of the farm name, farm location, barn ID, and barn ID where the consumable is used, which are obtained by the notification control unit 121 by referring to the device information DB 137 based on the device ID. Furthermore, the replacement notification may include information acquired by the notification control unit 121, such as customer information using the livestock dung removal device 10, product information about the livestock dung removal device 10, and supplier information for consumables (stored in the memory unit 130 or an external memory device).

[0063] As described above, even for consumables that have been determined by the replacement determination unit 103 not to require replacement, the notification control unit 121 may cause the display unit 202 of the user terminal 200 to display a replacement schedule notification including the device ID of the manure equipment in which the consumable is installed, and preferably at least one of the farm name, farm location, livestock barn ID, and livestock pen ID where the consumable is used, as well as the scheduled replacement date and the remaining number of operations until replacement.

[0064] When the failure prediction unit 104 predicts that a failure will occur in the livestock barn manure removal device 10, the notification control unit 121 causes a failure notification indicating that a failure has been predicted to occur to be displayed on the display unit 202 of the user terminal 200 via the communication units 122, 201. The failure notification should include the device ID of the manure equipment for which a failure has been predicted by the failure prediction unit 104, and preferably at least one of the farm name, farm location, barn ID, pen ID, and device ID where the manure equipment is used, which are obtained by referring to the device information DB 137 based on the device ID. Furthermore, the failure notification may include the probability of failure, the time until a failure occurs, the severity of the failure that occurs, etc., obtained by the failure prediction unit 104, and may also include information obtained by the notification control unit 121, such as customer information using the livestock dung removal device 10, product information about the livestock dung removal device 10, and information about where to request repairs for the livestock dung removal device 10 (stored in the memory unit 130 or an external memory device).

[0065] The notification control unit 121 causes the livestock state estimation unit 112 to display the state of the livestock estimated on the display unit 202 of the user terminal 200 via the communication units 122 and 201 . In detail, the notification control unit 121 causes the livestock condition estimation unit 112 to display the estimated livestock condition on the display unit 202 of the user terminal 200 in a list by barn, by farm, by group separated by fences, by individual livestock, etc. The notification control unit 121 may display only livestock in a specific state, such as only livestock whose health condition is not "good" or only livestock whose growth condition is "normal."

[0066] The above-described functional configuration of the present system is merely an example, and one functional block (database and function processing unit) may be divided, or multiple functional blocks may be combined into one functional block. Each functional processing unit is realized by a computer program (such as a core software or an application that causes the CPU to perform the various processes mentioned above) that is read and executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) built into the device or terminal and stored in a storage device (storage unit) such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, SSD (Solid State Drive), or hard disk. In other words, each functional processing unit is realized by the computer program reading and writing necessary data such as tables from a database (DB) stored in a storage device or a storage area in memory, and in some cases controlling related hardware (e.g., input / output devices, display devices, communication interface devices). Furthermore, the database (DB) in this embodiment may be a commercial database, but it also means a simple collection of tables and files, and the internal structure of the database itself is not important.

[0067] [Comprehensive livestock barn monitoring process flow] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the livestock house comprehensive monitoring process in the livestock house comprehensive monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment. The acquisition unit 33 of the control device 30 acquires operation data from the livestock house manure removal device 10 (S11) and transmits it to the monitoring device 100, and the operation data acquisition unit 101 of the monitoring device stores the received operation data in the operation data DB 131. The operational status analysis unit 102 of the monitoring device 100 analyzes the operational status based on the history of operational data stored in the operational data DB 131 (S12). The analyzed operational status is stored in the operational status DB 132.

[0068] The replacement determination unit 103 of the monitoring device 100 determines whether or not the consumables of the livestock house manure removal device 10 can be replaced based on the replacement condition DB 133, the replacement data DB 134, and the operation data DB 131, or based on the replacement condition DB 133 and the replacement data DB 134 (S13). The possibility of replacement is determined for each livestock dung removal device 10 and for each consumable item. The failure prediction unit 104 of the monitoring device 100 predicts the occurrence of a failure in the livestock house manure removal apparatus 10 based on the operational status in the operational status DB 132 and the failure prediction model in the learning model DB 135 (S14). The order of S13 and S14 may be reversed, or they may be executed simultaneously.

[0069] The acquisition unit 33 of the control device 30 acquires the feces and urine data from the sensor 20 (S15) and transmits it to the monitoring device 100, and the feces and urine data acquisition unit 111 of the monitoring device stores the received feces and urine data in the feces and urine data DB 136. The livestock condition estimation unit 112 of the monitoring device 100 estimates the condition of the livestock using the feces and urine data stored in the feces and urine data DB 136 and the health condition estimation model / growth condition estimation model in the learning model DB 135 (S16). Note that S15 and S16 may be executed before or simultaneously with the processes of S11 to S14.

[0070] The notification control unit 121 of the monitoring device 100 notifies the user terminal 200 of the operating status analyzed in S12, the result of whether or not the consumables of the livestock barn manure removal device 10 can be replaced as determined in S13, the occurrence of a malfunction predicted in S14, and the condition of the livestock estimated in S16, and causes the display thereof (S17).

[0071] As described above, the livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment can notify a user terminal of the following: an operation status analysis result obtained by analyzing the operation status of the livestock barn dung removal device 10 based on operation data of the livestock barn dung removal device 10 that processes the manure of livestock in the barn; a replacement possibility determination result obtained by determining whether or not consumables can be replaced depending on the operation status of the livestock barn dung removal device 10; and a failure prediction obtained by predicting the occurrence of a failure of the livestock barn dung removal device 10 using a learning model of the pattern of the operation status of the livestock barn dung removal device 10 in the event of a failure obtained by machine learning.

[0072] Furthermore, according to the comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system 1 of this embodiment, the condition of the livestock (health condition, growth condition) can be estimated based on feces and urine data regarding the feces and urine excreted by the livestock in the barn, which is obtained at a center provided in the livestock barn manure removal device 10, and the condition of the livestock can be notified to a user terminal. As a result, the state of the livestock manure removal device 10 in the livestock barn and / or the state of the livestock in the barn can be monitored from the user terminal, and the environment and state of the livestock, i.e., the livestock barn, can be monitored comprehensively from the perspective of livestock manure and urine, making it possible to prevent environments that have a negative impact on the health of livestock and to detect livestock diseases early to prevent the damage from spreading.

[0073] Furthermore, the processing of the control device 30 can be recorded on a recording medium that can be read by a computer system, and the program recorded on this recording medium can be read and executed by the control device 30, thereby realizing the comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system 1 of the present invention. The computer system here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0074] Furthermore, if a WWW (World Wide Web) system is used, the "computer system" also includes the homepage providing environment (or display environment). The program may also be transmitted from a computer system in which the program is stored in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

[0075] The program may also be for realizing part of the above-mentioned functions. Furthermore, the above-mentioned functions may be realized in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, that is, a so-called differential file (differential program).

[0076] The above describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, all livestock barn comprehensive monitoring systems 1 that can be implemented by a person skilled in the art by appropriately modifying the design based on the above-described comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system 1 as an embodiment of the present invention also fall within the technical scope of the present invention as long as they include the gist of the present invention. Within the scope of the concept of the present invention, a person skilled in the art may conceive of various modifications and alterations, and it is understood that these modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, any embodiment in which a person skilled in the art appropriately adds, deletes, or modifies components or adds, omits, or modifies conditions of a process, is included within the technical scope of the present invention, as long as it contains the gist of the present invention.

[0077] Furthermore, other effects and advantages brought about by the aspects described in this embodiment that are clear from the description in this specification or that can be appropriately thought of by a person skilled in the art are naturally understood to be brought about by the present invention. Various ideas can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1. Comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system 10. Livestock barn dung removal device 20 sensors 30 Control device 100 Monitoring equipment 101 Operational Data Acquisition Unit 102 Operational Status Analysis Department 103 Replacement judgment section 104 Failure Prediction Department 111 Feces and Urine Data Acquisition Unit 112 Livestock Condition Estimation Department 121 Notification control section 122 Communications Department 200 user terminals

Claims

1. A livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system that comprehensively remotely monitors a livestock barn equipped with a livestock barn manure removal device, a device control unit that controls the livestock dung removal device and collects operation data related to the operation of the livestock dung removal device; a storage unit that stores the operational data; an operational status analysis unit that analyzes the operational status of the livestock house manure removal apparatus based on the history of operational data stored in the storage unit; a notification control unit that notifies a terminal remote from the livestock house of the analysis result of the operational status analysis unit; A comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system equipped with:

2. the storage unit stores replacement information related to replacement of consumables of the livestock house manure removal device, a replacement determination unit that determines whether or not the consumable item needs to be replaced based on the operation data history and the replacement information or the replacement information for the livestock house dung removal device; Equipped with 2. The livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit notifies the result of the determination by the replacement determination unit.

3. a failure prediction unit that inputs the analysis results into a failure prediction model to predict the occurrence of a failure; 2. The livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit notifies the failure prediction unit when the failure prediction unit predicts the occurrence of a failure.

4. A sensor is provided in the livestock house including the livestock house manure removal device, 2. The comprehensive livestock barn monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a livestock condition estimation unit that estimates the condition of the livestock based on feces and urine data relating to the livestock collected by the sensor.

5. The sensor is a urinalysis sensor, 5. The livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the livestock condition estimation unit estimates the health condition of the livestock based on information on components contained in the urine collected by the urine analysis sensor.

6. The storage unit stores attribute information of the livestock, 5. The livestock barn comprehensive monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the livestock condition estimation unit estimates the condition of the livestock based on the excreta data and the attribute information.

7. The storage unit stores location information indicating the location of the livestock barn, 2. The livestock house comprehensive monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit notifies the analysis result together with location information of the livestock house in which the livestock house manure removal device is installed.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Livestock barn management device, livestock barn and livestock barn management method

    JP2023081692A