Control device, control method, and program

Abstract

A control device that can effectively utilize the processing capacity of a filtration facility is provided. [Solution] The control device 100 that controls the aquaculture system 1 includes an acquisition unit 101 that acquires tank information, which is information about the inside of the tank 11 of one tank unit 10; an allocation unit 103 that uses the tank information of one tank unit 10 acquired by the acquisition unit 101 to allocate the processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21 of two or more filtration units 20 to one tank unit 10; and a control unit 104 that controls two or more pumps 24 that adjust the flow rate of wastewater from the tank unit 10 flowing into the filtration unit 20 according to the allocation result by the allocation unit 103.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for controlling an aquaculture system for land-based aquaculture. [Background technology]

[0002] While natural marine resources are limited, global consumption of marine products is expanding. Therefore, a shift from fishing to raising fish is essential, and land-based aquaculture is attracting attention as a safe and secure production method (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-040950 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In land-based aquaculture, when a tank and a filtration facility are fixed in a one-to-one relationship, there is a problem that, even if there is excess processing capacity in a certain filtration facility, it cannot be used for other tanks.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a control device etc. that can effectively utilize the processing capacity of a filtration facility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention provides a control device for controlling an aquaculture system, comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit; at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit; the two or more connection units are connected; and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to two or more connection units.The control device comprises: an acquisition unit for acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium of one aquarium unit; an allocation unit for allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit using the aquarium information of one aquarium unit acquired by the acquisition unit; and a control unit for controlling two or more second adjustment mechanisms according to the allocation result by the allocation unit.

[0007] With this configuration, the processing capacities of the filtration equipment of two or more filtration units can be adaptively allocated to the aquarium units according to the information inside the aquarium. As a result, the processing capacities of the filtration equipment can be used effectively. For example, if the water quality of an aquarium is deteriorating, the processing capacities of multiple filtration equipment can be allocated to that aquarium, so that the water quality of that aquarium can be improved in a shorter period of time.

[0008] In the control device according to an aspect of the present invention, the control unit may also control one first adjustment mechanism according to the allocation result by the allocation unit.

[0009] With this configuration, it becomes possible to control the flow rate of the treated water flowing into one water tank unit.

[0010] In addition, in a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the information inside the aquarium may include at least one information selected from the group consisting of water quality, water temperature, oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, turbidity, information on the movement of the aquatic products, information on the color of the aquatic products, information on abnormalities on the surface of the aquatic products, the amount of aquatic products, the density of the aquatic products, and the amount of remaining food.

[0011] With this configuration, it becomes possible to allocate the processing capacity of the filtration equipment using information such as water quality, for example.

[0012] In addition, in a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the acquisition unit may receive sensor information acquired by a sensor in one aquarium unit, acquire information inside the aquarium using the sensor information, and the control unit may transmit control information for controlling the aquaculture system to the aquaculture system.

[0013] With this configuration, for example, it becomes possible to control multiple aquaculture systems with one control device.

[0014] In the control device according to one aspect of the present invention, the acquisition unit may acquire the information inside the aquarium using a sensor.

[0015] With such a configuration, for example, the aquaculture system can be controlled at a local location of the aquaculture system, and setting information for the control device can be facilitated.

[0016] In addition, a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a control device for controlling an aquaculture system, comprising one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products, two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit, and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to two or more connection units, and the control device comprises: an acquisition unit for acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium of one aquarium unit; an allocation unit for allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit using the aquarium information of one aquarium unit acquired by the acquisition unit; and a control unit for controlling one first adjustment mechanism according to the allocation result by the allocation unit.

[0017] In addition, a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a control device for controlling an aquaculture system, comprising one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products, two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit, and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to two or more connection units, and the control device comprises: an acquisition unit for acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium of one aquarium unit; an allocation unit for allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit using the aquarium information of one aquarium unit acquired by the acquisition unit; and a control unit for controlling one second adjustment mechanism according to the allocation result by the allocation unit.

[0018] In addition, a control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for controlling an aquaculture system comprising one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products, two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit, and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, the control method including the steps of acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium of one aquarium unit, allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit using the acquired aquarium information of one aquarium unit, and controlling two or more second adjustment mechanisms according to the allocation result.

[0019] In addition, a control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for controlling an aquaculture system comprising one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products, two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit, and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, the control method including the steps of: acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium possessed by one aquarium unit; using the acquired aquarium information of one aquarium unit, allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment possessed by the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit; and controlling one first adjustment mechanism according to the allocation result.

[0020] In addition, a control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for controlling an aquaculture system comprising one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products, two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit, and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, the control method including the steps of acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium of one aquarium unit, allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit using the acquired aquarium information of one aquarium unit, and controlling one second adjustment mechanism according to the allocation result. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the control device and the like according to one aspect of the present invention, the processing capacity of the filtration equipment can be effectively utilized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of an aquaculture system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a front view showing an example of a water tank unit, a filtration unit, and a connection unit connected together in the embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing a method for manufacturing an aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the water tank unit, the filtration unit, and the connection unit connected in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view showing another example of the water tank unit, the filtration unit, and the connection unit connected in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the water tank unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a front view showing another example of the water tank unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a water tank made up of separate parts according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of a connection state between the first conduit and the water tank in the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of a plurality of connection units according to the embodiment; [Figure 14] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connection state between the first conduit and the seventh conduit and a connection state between the second conduit and the eighth conduit in the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a connection state between the first conduit and the seventh conduit and a connection state between the second conduit and the eighth conduit in the same embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of an aquaculture control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] A flowchart showing a control method for an aquaculture system according to the embodiment. [Figure 18A] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of control of the aquaculture system in the embodiment. [Figure 18B] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of control of the aquaculture system in the embodiment. [Figure 18C] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of control of the aquaculture system in the embodiment. [Figure 18D] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of control of the aquaculture system in the embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the aquaculture control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the configuration of the aquaculture control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the appearance of a computer system according to the embodiment; [Figure 22] FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a computer system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The aquaculture system, the manufacturing method of the aquaculture system, the control device, and the control method according to the present invention will be described below using embodiments. Note that in the following embodiments, components and steps with the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and repeated description may be omitted.

[0024] (Embodiment 1) The scalable aquaculture system according to this embodiment includes one or more aquarium units, one or more filtration units, and one or more connection units that connect the aquarium units and the filtration units.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an example of the configuration of an aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment. The aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment is for land-based aquaculture and may include four aquarium units 10a-10d, two filtration units 20a and 20b, and four connection units 30a-30d, as shown in FIG. 1. When no distinction is made between the aquarium units 10a-10d, they may be referred to as aquarium units 10. The same applies to other components. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which the aquaculture system 1 includes four aquarium units 10, two filtration units 20, and four connection units 30, the aquaculture system 1 may include one or more aquarium units 10, one or more filtration units 20, and one or more connection units 30, and the number of each component included in the aquaculture system 1 is not important. However, typically, the number of aquarium units 10 and the number of filtration units 20 are independently the same as or less than the number of connection units 30. Here, in the aquaculture system 1, it is preferable that one or more aquarium units 10 and one or more filtration units 20 are connected to one or more connection units 30. "One or more aquarium units 10 connected to one or more connection units 30" may mean, for example, that each of one or more aquarium units 10 is connected to at least one of the connection units 30. "One or more filtration units 20 connected to one or more connection units 30" may mean, for example, that each of one or more filtration units 20 is connected to at least one of the connection units 30.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of an example showing the connected aquarium unit 10, filtration unit 20, and connection unit 30. Fig. 2 also shows a perspective view of the interior of aquarium 11 and filtration equipment 21. Note that Fig. 2 omits the depiction of marine products inside aquarium 11, and omits the depiction of filter media and the like inside filtration equipment 21.

[0027] The aquarium unit 10 may have an aquarium 11 for cultivating aquatic products, a conduit 12 for conducting treated water treated in the filtration unit 20 to the aquarium 11, a conduit 13 for discharging wastewater from the aquarium 11 to the connection unit 30, a pump 14 for transporting treated water from the connection unit 30 to the aquarium unit 10 via the conduit 12, and an on-off valve 15 provided in the conduit 13.

[0028] The aquarium 11 may contain, for example, freshwater or seawater. The aquatic products to be cultivated may be, for example, seafood, seaweed, etc. The seafood may be, for example, fish, cephalopods such as squid and octopus, shellfish, crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, echinoderms such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers, etc.

[0029] The conduit 12 is for flowing the treated water from the connection unit 30 into the water tank 11. A first end of the conduit 12 may be detachably connected to a fourth conduit 34 of the connection unit 30. The fourth conduit 34 will be described later. A second end of the conduit 12 may be connected to the water tank 11. For example, the conduit 12 may allow the treated water to flow into the water tank 11 from above the water surface of the water tank 11.

[0030] Here, the detachable connection of the two conduits may be achieved, for example, by connecting flanges provided at the ends of the two conduits, or by using a connection mechanism other than flanges. When connecting the two flanges, for example, they may be connected via a sealant to prevent water leakage from between the two flanges. The connection of the two flanges may also be achieved by fastening them together using bolts and nuts, for example.

[0031] The conduit 13 is for draining wastewater from the aquarium 11 to the connection unit 30. A first end of the conduit 13 may be detachably connected to a third conduit 33 of the connection unit 30. The third conduit 33 will be described later. A second end of the conduit 13 may be connected to the aquarium 11. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the second end of the conduit 13 may be an overflow pipe that takes in water above a predetermined level and drains it to the connection unit 30 so that the water level in the aquarium 11 remains constant. Note that if water from the aquarium 11 is taken into the conduit 13 by a method other than overflow, the aquarium unit 10 may further include, for example, a water level adjustment mechanism for maintaining a constant water level in the aquarium 11. This water level adjustment mechanism may be, for example, a butterfly-type float valve for adjusting the water level, and may include a water level sensor that detects the water level in the aquarium 11 and an adjustment means for adjusting the amount of drainage so that the detected water level remains constant.

[0032] The pump 14 may send treated water from the connection unit 30 connected to the aquarium unit 10 to the aquarium unit 10 via the conduit 12. It is preferable that the flow rate of the pump 14 is adjustable. By adjusting the flow rate of the pump 14, for example, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of wastewater discharged from the aquarium 11. For example, if a large number of fish are kept in the aquarium 11 and the water quality of the aquarium 11 is likely to deteriorate, the flow rate of the pump 14 may be increased. Note that, for example, an on-off valve may be provided upstream or downstream of the pump 14 in the conduit 12. In this case, when the pump 14 is stopped, the on-off valve can be closed to more reliably stop the flow of water in the conduit 12.

[0033] The on-off valve 15 may open and close the drainage flow path from the aquarium unit 10 to the connection unit 30 connected to that aquarium unit 10. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a case where the drainage flow path through the conduit 13 is opened and closed by the on-off valve 15. The on-off valve 15 may, for example, be capable of adjusting the flow rate, or may not be capable of adjusting the flow rate. For example, if a disease occurs in the marine products of a certain aquarium unit 10 and it is desired to completely separate that aquarium unit 10 from the filtration unit 20 and other aquarium units 10, the on-off valve 15 of that aquarium unit 10 may be closed. In this case, for example, the pump 14 that supplies treated water to the diseased aquarium unit 10 may also be stopped.

[0034] The filtration unit 20 may include a filtration equipment 21 that treats wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit 10, a conduit 22 that guides the wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit 10 to the filtration equipment 21, a conduit 23 that guides treated water from the filtration equipment 21 to the connection unit 30, a pump 24 that transports the wastewater from the connection unit 30 to the filtration equipment 21 via the conduit 22, and an on-off valve 25 provided in the conduit 23.

[0035] Filtration equipment 21 is equipment for filtering wastewater discharged from aquarium unit 10. Treated water that has been filtered by filtration equipment 21 is more suitable for aquaculture than wastewater. The filtration process by filtration equipment 21 may be a process for purifying wastewater. While FIG. 2 shows a case where filtration equipment 21 has the same configuration as aquarium 11, this is just one example. Filtration equipment 21 may be, for example, one or more pieces of equipment for performing filtration connected in series.

[0036] The filtration process may include, for example, physical filtration that physically removes debris floating in the water, biological filtration that uses the action of organisms such as bacteria to change substances harmful to seafood, such as ammonia, into other substances that are safer for seafood, chemical filtration that chemically adsorbs substances harmful to seafood, or other processes. Note that the filtration process in the filtration equipment 21 is already known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0037] The conduit 22 is for conducting wastewater from the aquarium unit 10 to the filtration equipment 21. A first end of the conduit 22 may be detachably connected to a third conduit 33 of the connection unit 30. A second end of the conduit 22 may be connected to the filtration equipment 21.

[0038] The conduit 23 is for flowing treated water from the filtration equipment 21 to the connection unit 30. A first end of the conduit 23 may be detachably connected to a fourth conduit 34 of the connection unit 30. A second end of the conduit 23 may be connected to the filtration equipment 21.

[0039] The pump 24 may deliver wastewater from the connection unit 30 connected to the filtration unit 20 to the filtration unit 20 via the conduit 22. The pump 24 preferably has an adjustable flow rate. By adjusting the flow rate of the pump 24, for example, the flow rate of the wastewater taken into the filtration equipment 21 can be adjusted. For example, if the filtration equipment 21 is capable of treating a larger amount of wastewater per unit time, the flow rate of the pump 24 may be increased. Furthermore, for example, if the number of aquarium units 10 included in the aquaculture system 1 is small, the flow rate of the pump 24 may be decreased. Note that, for example, an on-off valve may be provided upstream or downstream of the pump 24 in the conduit 22. In this case, by closing the on-off valve when the pump 24 is stopped, the flow of water in the conduit 22 can be more reliably stopped.

[0040] The on-off valve 25 may open and close the flow path of the treated water from the filtration unit 20 to the connection unit 30 connected to the filtration unit 20. Figures 1 and 2 show a case where the flow path of the treated water through the conduit 23 is opened and closed by the on-off valve 25. Note that the on-off valve 25 may or may not be capable of adjusting the flow rate, for example.

[0041] The connection unit 30 is detachably connected to the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20, and may include a first conduit 31 through which wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit 10 flows, a second conduit 32 through which treated water treated by the filtration unit 20 flows, a third conduit 33 that guides wastewater from the aquarium unit 10 connected to the connection unit 30 to the filtration unit 20 connected to the connection unit 30, a fourth conduit 34 that guides treated water from the filtration unit 20 connected to the connection unit 30 to the aquarium unit 10 connected to the connection unit 30, an on-off valve 35 provided in the first conduit 31, and an on-off valve 36 provided in the second conduit 32. Two or more connection units 30 may be detachably connected. When two connection units 30 are connected, it is preferable that they are directly connected without any intervening structure. In some connection situations in the aquaculture system 1, the connection unit 30 may be connected to at least one of the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20, for example. That is, the connection unit 30 may be connected, for example, to both the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20, or may be connected to the aquarium unit 10 but not to the filtration unit 20, or may be connected to the filtration unit 20 but not to the aquarium unit 10.

[0042] The first conduit 31 is for forming a flow path for drainage. A first end of the first conduit 31 may be detachably connected to the first conduit 31 of another connection unit 30. A second end of the first conduit 31 may be detachably connected to the first conduit 31 of another connection unit 30.

[0043] When an end of the first conduit 31 is not connected to a first conduit 31 of another connection unit 30, it is preferable to attach a plug member 41 to that end to prevent water leakage from that end. For example, a plug member 41 is attached to one end of the first conduit 31a shown in FIG. 1 . The same applies to the second conduit 32, the third conduit 33, and the fourth conduit 34. Note that instead of the plug member 41, for example, an on-off valve may be used to prevent water leakage from the end of the conduit.

[0044] The second conduit 32 is for forming a flow path for the treated water. A first end of the second conduit 32 may be detachably connected to a second conduit 32 of another connection unit 30. A second end of the second conduit 32 may be detachably connected to a second conduit 32 of another connection unit 30.

[0045] The third conduit 33 is connected to the first conduit 31. Therefore, wastewater from the aquarium unit 10 connected to the connection unit 30 flows through the third conduit 33 to at least one of the filtration unit 20 connected to the connection unit 30 and the first conduit 31.

[0046] The fourth conduit 34 is connected to the second conduit 32. Therefore, treated water from the filtration unit 20 connected to the connection unit 30 flows through the fourth conduit 34 to at least one of the aquarium unit 10 connected to the connection unit 30 and the second conduit 32.

[0047] By opening and closing the on-off valves 35 and 36, a specific aquarium unit 10 or filtration unit 20 can be isolated from other aquarium units 10 and filtration units 20. For example, in the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1, closing the on-off valves 35a and 36b isolates the aquarium unit 10a and filtration unit 20a from the aquarium units 10b-10d and filtration unit 20b. In this case, wastewater and treated water flow only between the aquarium unit 10a and the filtration unit 20a. Therefore, for example, if a fish being cultivated in the aquarium unit 10a becomes ill, closing the on-off valves 35a and 36b isolates the aquarium unit 10a and the filtration unit 20a, thereby preventing the disease from spreading to the other aquarium units 10b-10d. The on-off valves 35 and 36 do not necessarily have to be capable of adjusting the flow rate.

[0048] The first conduits 31 and second conduits 32 of two or more connection units 30 may be detachably connected in series. Connecting multiple first conduits 31 in series forms a single, longer conduit through which wastewater flows. Connecting multiple second conduits 32 in series forms a single, longer conduit through which treated water flows.

[0049] In the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1, the dashed arrows indicate the flow of water, and the numerical values ​​written next to the arrows indicate, for example, the water flow rates. If filtration units 20a and 20b can each provide 100 liters of treated water per minute, aquarium unit 10a may take in 100 liters of treated water per minute, aquarium unit 10b may take in 60 liters of treated water per minute, aquarium unit 10c may take in 30 liters of treated water per minute, and aquarium unit 10d may take in 10 liters of treated water per minute. As an example, if large fish are cultured in aquarium unit 10a, medium-sized fish are cultured in aquarium unit 10b, small fish are cultured in aquarium unit 10c, and even smaller fish are cultured in aquarium unit 10d, the flow rates may be set to those shown in FIG. 1. On the other hand, if the filtration capacity becomes insufficient as the fish in the aquarium units 10b to 10d grow larger, the filtration capacity can be easily increased, for example, by adding a filtration unit 20 to the aquaculture system 1. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to increase not only the filtration units 20 but also the aquarium units 10. Furthermore, when the grown fish are shipped, for example, the aquarium unit 10a can be removed from the aquaculture system 1. Furthermore, when the aquarium units 10 are reduced, for example, the filtration units 20 can also be reduced. Thus, the aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment can provide a scalable aquaculture system 1, that is, an aquaculture system 1 in which the number of aquarium units 10 and the number of filtration units 20 can be easily increased or decreased. Furthermore, for example, if the flow rate of treated water taken in each of the aquarium units 10a to 10d can be reduced, the treatment amount in the filtration units 20a and 20b can be reduced, or some of the filtration units 20 can be turned off.

[0050] Each of aquarium unit 10, filtration unit 20, and connection unit 30 may have a support portion (not shown) for supporting, for example, conduits, pumps, on-off valves, etc. As an example, each component included in aquarium unit 10 may be disposed in a predetermined vessel such as a container, and each component included in filtration unit 20 may also be disposed in a predetermined vessel such as a container. The predetermined vessel such as a container may or may not be, for example, collapsible.

[0051] The arrangement of the ends of conduits 12 and 13 in aquarium unit 10 connected to connection unit 30, the ends of conduits 22 and 23 in filtration unit 20 connected to connection unit 30, and both ends of first to fourth conduits 31 to 34 of connection unit 30, as well as the detachable connection mechanisms at these ends, may be standardized. In such cases, aquarium units 10, filtration units 20, and connection units 30 having standardized connection portions can be arbitrarily combined to form aquaculture system 1. When the connection points of aquarium units 10, filtration units 20, and connection units 30 are standardized, it becomes possible to form aquaculture system 1 by combining aquarium units 10, filtration units 20, and connection units 30 manufactured by different manufacturers, for example.

[0052] Furthermore, the aquarium units 10 and filtration units 20 may be the same or different for each of the two or more aquarium units 10, except for the connection points with the connection unit 30, and may be the same or different for each of the two or more filtration units 20. As one example, the capacities of the aquariums 11 of the two or more aquarium units 10 may be different. As another example, the processing capabilities of the filtration equipment 21 of the two or more filtration units 20 may be different. On the other hand, it is preferable that the two or more connection units 30 have the same configuration, including the connection points with the aquarium units 10 and filtration units 20 and other points. In other words, the two or more connection units 30 may be the same.

[0053] 4 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing method of the aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment. This manufacturing method may be, for example, a manufacturing method used when initially manufacturing the aquaculture system 1, or a manufacturing method used when manufacturing an expanded aquaculture system 1 by adding units to an existing aquaculture system 1.

[0054] (Step S101) Two or more connection units 30 are connected. Note that, for example, when an aquaculture system 1 is initially manufactured, if the aquaculture system 1 to be manufactured includes two or more connection units 30, the processing of step 101 may be executed, and if the aquaculture system 1 to be manufactured includes only one connection unit 30, step 101 may be skipped. Also, for example, when expanding the aquaculture system 1, if the number of connection units 30 included in the aquaculture system 1 is increased, in step S101, a new connection unit 30 may be connected to an end connection unit 30 among the connection units 30 connected to at least one of the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20. When connecting the new connection unit 30, for example, the plug members 41 attached to the first and second conduits 31, 32 of the existing connection unit 30 may be removed, and the first and second conduits 31, 32 of the new connection unit 30 may be connected to the first and second conduits 31, 32 from which the plug members 41 have been removed.

[0055] (Step S102) Connect the aquarium units 10 and the connection units 30. For example, when expanding the aquaculture system 1, a new aquarium unit 10 may be connected to the newly connected connection unit 30, or a new aquarium unit 10 may be connected to the existing connection unit 30.

[0056] (Step S103) Connect the filtration unit 20 and the connection unit 30. For example, when expanding the aquaculture system 1, a new filtration unit 20 may be connected to the newly connected connection unit 30, or a new filtration unit 20 may be connected to the existing connection unit 30.

[0057] When expanding the aquaculture system 1, for example, only one of the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 may be newly connected to the connection unit 30. In this case, for example, one of steps S102 and S103 may be skipped.

[0058] Furthermore, plug member 41 may be attached to the open end of the conduit after aquarium unit 10, filtration unit 20, and connection unit 30 are connected. The order of the processes in the flowchart of Figure 4 is merely an example, and the order of the steps may be changed as long as the same results are obtained. For example, after connecting connection unit 30 to aquarium unit 10 or filtration unit 20, multiple connection units 30, each connected to aquarium unit 10 or filtration unit 20, may be connected.

[0059] Here, the case of expanding the aquaculture system 1 has been described. However, when downsizing the aquaculture system 1, at least one of the aquarium units 10 and the filtration units 20 may be removed from the existing aquaculture system 1. Furthermore, if the removal of the aquarium units 10 or the filtration units 20 results in a connection unit 30 to which neither the aquarium units 10 nor the filtration units 20 are connected, this connection unit 30 may also be removed. In this way, the aquaculture system 1 can be downsized to a scale suitable for cultivating marine products. Furthermore, after the aquarium units 10, the filtration units 20, and the connection units 30 are removed, plug members 41 may be attached to the open ends of the conduits.

[0060] Next, a method for manufacturing the aquaculture system 1 and a method for using the aquaculture system 1 will be described. When manufacturing the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1, for example, the first and second conduits 31, 32 of the multiple connection units 30a to 30d may be connected in series (step S101). Then, the aquarium units 10a to 10d may be connected to the connection units 30a to 30d, respectively (step S102). Furthermore, the filtration units 20a and 20b may be connected to the connection units 30a and 30b, respectively (step S103). Then, plug members 41 may be attached to the open ends of the conduits of the connection units 30a, 30c, and 30d, respectively. In this manner, the aquaculture system 1 can be manufactured.

[0061] Thereafter, water and marine products may be placed in each of the water tanks 11 of the water tank units 10a to 10d, and the on-off valves may be opened and the pumps operated to circulate water between the water tank units 10 and the filtration unit 20. In this way, land-based aquaculture of marine products can be realized.

[0062] Next, a method for expanding the aquaculture system 1 will be described. When expanding the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1 to the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 3, first, the plug members 41 attached to the ends of the conduits of the connection units 30c and 30d in the aquaculture system 1 shown in FIG. 1 may be removed. At this time, the on-off valves may be closed as appropriate to prevent water from flowing out from the ends where the plug members 41 have been removed. After that, a new connection unit 30e may be connected to the connection unit 30d (step S101). Furthermore, a new water tank unit 10e may be connected to the new connection unit 30e, and new filtration units 20c to 20e may be connected to the existing connection units 30c and 30d and the new connection unit 30e, respectively (steps S102 and S103). Finally, the plug members 41 may be attached to the open ends of the conduits of the connection unit 30e, and water or marine products may be placed in the water tank 11e of the added water tank unit 10e, and the closed on-off valves may be opened. In this way, the aquaculture system 1 can be expanded.

[0063] As described above, the aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment can be made scalable by connecting one or more aquarium units 10, one or more filtration units 20, and one or more connection units 30 to form the aquaculture system 1. Furthermore, by appropriately opening and closing the on-off valves provided in each unit, it is possible to separate some units from the other units. Therefore, for example, if a disease occurs in one aquarium unit 10, the disease can be prevented from spreading to the other aquarium units 10 by separating that aquarium unit 10 from the other aquarium units 10. Furthermore, if the aquaculture system 1 includes two or more filtration units 20, even if the pump 24 of one of the filtration units 20 breaks down, treated water from the other filtration units 20 can be supplied to each aquarium unit 10. Therefore, even if a pump 24 breaks down, the impact on marine products due to the failure can be reduced.

[0064] Although the present embodiment has been described primarily with reference to the case where the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 each have a pump, this is not necessarily the case. For example, if the aquarium unit 10 is located higher than the filtration unit 20, wastewater from the aquarium unit 10 may flow naturally into the filtration unit 20. Natural flow of water may refer to water flowing according to gravity. In this case, the filtration unit 20 may not have the pump 24. Instead of the pump 24, the filtration unit 20 may have a flow control valve for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration equipment 21. As another example, if the filtration unit 20 is located higher than the aquarium unit 10, treated water from the filtration unit 20 may flow naturally into the aquarium unit 10. In this case, the aquarium unit 10 may not have the pump 14. Instead of the pump 14, the filtration unit 20 may have a flow control valve for adjusting the flow rate of treated water flowing into the aquarium 11.

[0065] In this embodiment, water tank unit 10 and filtration unit 20 may not have pumps, and connection unit 30 may have a pump. In this case, as shown in Figure 5, connection unit 30 may further have pump 51 that sends treated water from filtration unit 20 to water tank unit 10 via fourth conduit 34, on-off valve 52 provided in fourth conduit 34, pump 53 that sends wastewater from water tank unit 10 to filtration unit 20 via third conduit 33, and on-off valve 54 provided in third conduit 33.

[0066] Pump 51 may be disposed, for example, on the side of fourth conduit 34 closer to water tank unit 10 than the connection point with second conduit 32. In this case, it is preferable that pump 51 be able to adjust the flow rate. By adjusting the flow rate of pump 51, for example, the flow rate of the treated water flowing into water tank 11 can be adjusted.

[0067] The on-off valve 52 may be disposed, for example, in the fourth conduit 34, closer to the filtration unit 20 than the connection point with the second conduit 32. With this configuration, the on-off valve 52 opens and closes the flow path of the treated water flowing out of the filtration unit 20. Note that the on-off valve 52 may or may not be capable of adjusting the flow rate, for example.

[0068] The pump 53 may be disposed, for example, in the third conduit 33, closer to the filtration unit 20 than the connection point with the first conduit 31. In this case, it is preferable that the flow rate of the pump 53 is adjustable. By adjusting the flow rate of the pump 53, for example, the flow rate of the wastewater flowing into the filtration equipment 21 can be adjusted.

[0069] On-off valve 54 may be disposed, for example, on the side of third conduit 33 closer to water tank unit 10 than the connection point with first conduit 31. With this configuration, on-off valve 54 opens and closes the flow path for wastewater flowing out from water tank unit 10. Note that on-off valve 54 may or may not be capable of adjusting the flow rate, for example.

[0070] As an example, if aquarium unit 10 is placed at a higher position than filtration unit 20 and wastewater from aquarium unit 10 flows naturally into filtration unit 20, connection unit 30 may not have pump 53. As another example, if filtration unit 20 is placed at a higher position than aquarium unit 10 and treated water from filtration unit 20 flows naturally into aquarium unit 10, connection unit 30 may not have pump 51.

[0071] In this way, a pump for transporting wastewater or treated water may be provided in at least one of the water tank unit 10, the filtration unit 20, and the connection unit 30. In other words, at least one of the water tank unit 10, the filtration unit 20, and the connection unit 30 may have a pump that transports water between the water tank unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 via the connection unit 30.

[0072] Furthermore, in the aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment, detachable bypass conduits may be connected to any two or more connection units 30, thereby allowing wastewater or treated water to bypass some of the connection units 30. In this case, for example, as shown in Fig. 6, the first conduit 31 of the connection unit 30 may be provided with a connection part 55 for detachably connecting a fifth conduit 61, and the second conduit 32 may be provided with a connection part 56 for detachably connecting a sixth conduit 62. The connection parts 55, 56 may have, for example, flanges or other connection mechanisms.

[0073] The detachable connection between the connectors 55, 56 and the fifth and sixth conduits 61, 62 may be achieved, for example, by connecting flanges provided at the ends of the connectors 55, 56 and the fifth and sixth conduits 61, 62, or by using a connection mechanism other than flanges. Furthermore, when the fifth and sixth conduits 61, 62 are not connected to the connectors 55, 56, plug members may be attached to the connectors 55, 56 to prevent water leakage from the connectors 55, 56. Note that instead of plug members, water leakage from the connectors 55, 56 may be prevented by, for example, on-off valves.

[0074] The fifth conduit 61 may be a conduit for flowing wastewater between any two or more connection units 30. The sixth conduit 62 may be a conduit for flowing treated water between any two or more connection units 30. The fifth and sixth conduits 61, 62 may be made of a soft material such as rubber, vinyl, or flexible plastic. As an example, the fifth and sixth conduits 61, 62 may be hoses.

[0075] The connection portion 55 may be provided, for example, at the connection point between the first conduit 31 and the third conduit 33, as shown in FIG. 6, or may be provided at another location on the first conduit 31.

[0076] The connection portion 56 may be located, for example, at the connection point between the second conduit 32 and the fourth conduit 34, as shown in FIG. 6, or may be located at another point on the second conduit 32.

[0077] Fig. 7 shows a state in which water tank unit 10c and filtration unit 20c are separated and water tank unit 10d is connected to water tank unit 10b and filtration unit 20b using fifth and sixth conduits 61 and 62. Although connectors 55 and 56 are omitted in Fig. 7, fifth and sixth conduits 61 and 62 are connected to first and second conduits 31 and 32 via connectors 55 and 56, respectively.

[0078] In Figure 7, the black on-off valves 35b, 35c, 36c, and 36d are closed, while the other white on-off valves 35a, 36a, etc. are open. As shown in Figure 7, the first and second conduits 31 and 32 can be separated by closing the on-off valves 35b, 35c, 36c, and 36d on both sides of the connections between the third and fourth conduits 33c and 34c, which are connected to the aquarium unit 10c and the filtration unit 20c, and the first and second conduits 31c and 32c. In this case, the water in the aquarium unit 10c and the filtration unit 20c circulates only between them, without flowing to the other aquarium units 10 and 20. Furthermore, by connecting the first and second conduits 31b, 32b of connection unit 30b to the first and second conduits 31d, 32d of connection unit 30d using fifth and sixth conduits 61, 62, respectively, aquarium unit 10b and filtration unit 20b can be connected to aquarium unit 10d, allowing wastewater from aquarium unit 10d to be treated by filtration unit 20b, etc. For example, if a disease occurs in aquarium unit 10c, connecting fifth and sixth conduits 61, 62 as a bypass that bypasses aquarium unit 10c as shown in Figure 7 can prevent the disease from spreading beyond aquarium unit 10c.

[0079] Furthermore, aquarium unit 10 according to this embodiment may further include, for example, a sub-tank 16 into which treated water from filtration unit 20 flows, and a temperature adjustment mechanism 17 that adjusts the temperature of the treated water in sub-tank 16. FIGS. 8 and 9 are a schematic plan view and a schematic front view showing an example of aquarium unit 10 having sub-tank 16 and temperature adjustment mechanism 17. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, treated water may be sent to sub-tank 16 by pump 14. Then, treated water adjusted to a desired temperature in sub-tank 16 may flow into aquarium 11. The sent treated water from sub-tank 16 to aquarium 11 may be sent, for example, only by a conduit, or may be sent using a pump. In the former case, for example, in order to align the liquid level in the sub-tank 16 with the liquid level in the aquarium 11, a conduit may be used to connect a position below the liquid level in the sub-tank 16 with a position below the liquid level in the aquarium 11. Alternatively, water may be transported from the sub-tank 16 to the aquarium 11 through an overflow pipe that takes in water above a predetermined level and flows it into the aquarium 11 so that the water level in the sub-tank 16 remains constant. Temperature control in the sub-tank 16 may be performed continuously or batchwise. Thus, by using the sub-tank 16 and the temperature control mechanism 17, for example, treated water from the filtration unit 20 can be adjusted in the sub-tank 16 to a temperature suitable for the aquatic products being cultivated in the aquarium 11 before being introduced into the aquarium 11.

[0080] When the temperature adjustment mechanism 17 is used to increase the water temperature of the sub-water tank 16, the temperature adjustment mechanism 17 may be, for example, a heater or a heat pump. When the temperature adjustment mechanism 17 is used to decrease the water temperature of the sub-water tank 16, the temperature adjustment mechanism 17 may be, for example, a heat pump.

[0081] The temperature of the treated water in sub-tank 16 does not have to be adjusted. In this case, aquarium unit 10 does not have to have temperature adjustment mechanism 17. If aquarium unit 10 does not have temperature adjustment mechanism 17, adjustment of water quality other than temperature adjustment may be performed in sub-tank 16. As an example, if seawater is contained in aquarium 11, the salinity of the treated water in sub-tank 16 may be adjusted to be the same as the salinity of the seawater in aquarium 11, and the adjusted treated water may be sent to aquarium 11. As another example, a predetermined additive may be added to the treated water in sub-tank 16, and the treated water after the addition may be sent to aquarium 11. The additive added to the treated water may be, for example, a nutrient for the aquatic products cultivated in aquarium 11, a drug for preventing or treating aquatic product diseases, a water quality conditioner, or other additive. Furthermore, sub-tank 16 may be used to adjust the water level in aquarium 11 to a desired level, for example. In this case, the water level in water tank 11 may be measured using a water level sensor, and water may be sent from sub-tank 16 to water tank 11 via a pump or flow rate control valve so that the water level reaches a desired value.

[0082] In this embodiment, the description has been mainly given of the case where the aquarium unit 10 has one aquarium 11 or two aquariums, i.e., the aquarium 11 and the sub-aquarium 16, but it goes without saying that the aquarium unit 10 may have three or more aquariums.

[0083] Additionally, while the case where aquarium unit 10 has sub-tank 16 has been described above, filtration unit 20 may further have a sub-tank into which wastewater from aquarium unit 10 flows. The wastewater may then be subjected to temperature adjustment or other adjustments in the sub-tank before being sent from the sub-tank to filtration equipment 21. If temperature adjustment is performed on the wastewater, filtration unit 20 may further have a temperature adjustment mechanism that adjusts the temperature of the wastewater from the sub-tank.

[0084] Furthermore, in this embodiment, water tank 11 may, for example, be made up of a plurality of separate parts 71-75. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of water tank 11 made up of a plurality of separate parts 71-75. Water tank 11 shown in Fig. 10 may be made up by assembling a plurality of plate-shaped separate parts 71-75. Separate parts 71-75 may be assembled into water tank 11 by fastening them to each other using fastening means such as bolts and nuts, for example.

[0085] Furthermore, water tank 11 may be made of, for example, resin. By making water tank 11 out of resin, the weight of water tank unit 10 can be reduced, making water tank unit 10 easier to move.

[0086] Aquarium 11 may also be made of a heat-insulating material. As an example, each surface of aquarium 11 may be made of resin panel members with a honeycomb structure that have insulating properties. This configuration can improve the insulating properties of aquarium 11, and can improve heating efficiency, for example, even in cases where the water in aquarium 11 must be heated for aquaculture. Furthermore, for example, by using a honeycomb structure for the panel members, the rigidity of aquarium 11 can be increased, resulting in aquarium 11 that can withstand higher water pressure.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when water is conveyed between the water tank unit 10 and the filtration unit 20, if too much water flows into the first and second conduits 31, 32 of the connection unit 30, the desired water conveyance may not be achieved. Therefore, for example, the cross-sectional areas of the first and second conduits 31, 32 in a direction perpendicular to their longitudinal directions may be made larger than the cross-sectional areas of the other conduits in a direction perpendicular to their longitudinal directions. As an example, if each conduit is a pipe with a circular cross section, the inner diameters of the first and second conduits 31, 32 may be made larger than the inner diameters of the conduits 12, 13, 22, 23 and the third and fourth conduits 33, 34. By doing so, the first and second conduits 31, 32 can be used, for example, as a buffer water tank. The buffer water tank may be a tank for temporarily storing water to adjust the water volume. A flow path may be provided for allowing water to flow from the second conduit 32 to the first conduit 31 when the water level in the second conduit 32 reaches its upper limit. For example, this flow path may be an overflow pipe configured to take in water above the upper limit in the second conduit 32 and allow it to flow to the first conduit 31. By providing such a flow path, even if the pump 14 breaks down, for example, treated water will flow from the second conduit 32 to the first conduit 31, preventing the second conduit 32 from becoming full. The water tank unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 may also have a sub-tank that can temporarily store outflowing water. In this case, the sub-tank may function as a buffer tank.

[0088] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the pumps 14, 24 are operated even when there is no water in the first and second conduits 31, 32, there is a possibility that the pumps 14, 24 will malfunction. Therefore, a water level sensor may be used to acquire the water levels in the first and second conduits 31, 32, and the pumps 14, 24 may be stopped if the acquired water levels are lower than a threshold. This control may be performed, for example, by a control unit (not shown). As one example, a water level sensor may be provided for each pump 14, 24. As another example, a water level sensor may be provided at a connection point or end of any of the multiple first conduits 31, and each pump 24 may be controlled according to the water level acquired by the water level sensor. As another example, a water level sensor may be provided at a connection point or end of any of the multiple second conduits 32, and each pump 14 may be controlled according to the water level acquired by the water level sensor.

[0089] Furthermore, when the water levels in the first and second conduits 31, 32 are acquired using a water level sensor, the pumps 14, 24 may be controlled, for example, so that the water levels in the first and second conduits 31, 32 are higher than a lower threshold and lower than an upper threshold. The lower threshold may be, for example, approximately 20% of the maximum water level, and the upper threshold may be, for example, approximately 80% of the maximum water level. Such water level control may be performed, for example, by feedback control or based on the results of machine learning. In the latter case, for each combination of the number of aquarium units 10 and the number of filtration units 20 included in the aquaculture system 1, machine learning may be performed using the sum of the flow rates of one or more pumps 14 and the sum of the flow rates of one or more pumps 24 as input and the corresponding change in the water level in the first and second conduits 31, 32 as output. Then, using the learning model obtained by the machine learning, the pumps 14, 24 may be controlled so that the water levels in the first and second conduits 31, 32 are higher than a lower threshold and lower than an upper threshold. In this control, the current total flow rate of one or more pumps 14 and the total flow rate of one or more pumps 24 are input into the learning model to obtain changes in the water levels in the first and second conduits 31, 32. If the water level change predicts that the water level will rise above the upper threshold or fall below the lower threshold, the learning model may be used to identify the total flow rate of one or more pumps 14 and the total flow rate of one or more pumps 24 to prevent such an event from occurring, and the one or more pumps 14 and the one or more pumps 24 may be operated according to the identification result. Note that the change in water level may be, for example, the change in water level per unit time.

[0090] In this embodiment, the one or more pumps and one or more on-off valves included in the aquaculture system 1 may be operated, for example, manually or via a control unit. In the latter case, the control unit may control the pumps and on-off valves via, for example, a wired or wireless communication line. The on-off valves may also be electrically driven valves, such as solenoid valves.

[0091] Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described with reference to a case where each unit has an on-off valve, this is not necessarily the case. For example, if there is no need to stop the wastewater discharged from aquarium unit 10 or to adjust the flow rate of the wastewater, aquarium unit 10 may not have on-off valve 15, and connection unit 30 shown in FIG. 5 may not have on-off valve 54. For example, if there is no need to stop the treated water flowing out of filtration unit 20 or to adjust the flow rate of the treated water, filtration unit 20 may not have on-off valve 25, and connection unit 30 shown in FIG. 5 may not have on-off valve 52. For example, if there is no need to separate some of the aquarium units 10, etc. in aquaculture system 1, connection unit 30 may not have on-off valves 35 and 36.

[0092] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the connection unit 30 has been described as having the first and second conduits 31, 32, i.e., one set of conduits for wastewater and treated water, but this is not necessarily the case. The connection unit 30 may have two or more sets of conduits for wastewater and treated water. In this case, for example, two or more conduits for wastewater possessed by the connection unit 30 may not be connected, and two or more conduits for treated water possessed by the connection unit 30 may not be connected. In this case, for example, higher temperature wastewater or treated water may flow through one set of conduits, and lower temperature wastewater or treated water may flow through another set of conduits. In this way, water of different temperatures can be conveyed without mixing. As another example, seawater may flow through one set of conduits, and freshwater may flow through the other set of conduits. In this way, water can be conveyed without mixing between seawater and freshwater.

[0093] 11 and 12, the aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment may further include water tanks 85 and 86 detachably connected to the end of the first conduit 31 and the end of the second conduit 32, which are connected in series. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of the aquaculture system 1 including the water tanks 85 and 86, and FIG. 12 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of the connection between the first conduit 31 and the water tank 85. The connection between the second conduit 32 and the water tank 86 may also be similar to that shown in FIG. 12. In this way, when the water tanks 85 and 86 are connected to the ends of the first and second conduits 31 and 32, which are connected in series, water can be stored in the water tanks 85 and 86, thereby reducing the possibility of the first and second conduits 31 and 32 running out of water. This reduces the possibility of the pumps 14 and 24 running idly and breaking down. 12, the first conduit 31 and the water tank 85 are preferably connected so that the water levels therein are the same, or are arranged so that water that cannot be held in the first conduit 31, i.e., water that overflows from the first conduit 31, is stored in the water tank 85. In the latter case, for example, the water tank 85 may be arranged above the first conduit 31. The same applies to the second conduit 32 and the water tank 86.

[0094] In the aquaculture system 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the connection unit 30 may further include a seventh conduit 37 connected to the first conduit 31 and an eighth conduit 38 connected to the second conduit 32. The seventh and eighth conduits 37a-37d and 38a-38d in two or more connection units 30a-30d may be detachably connected in series. FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of an aquaculture system 1 including a connection unit 30 further including the seventh and eighth conduits 37 and 38. For ease of explanation, the aquarium units 10 and the filtration units 20 are omitted in FIG. 13. However, the aquarium units 10a-10d and the filtration units 20a and 20b may be connected to the connection units 30a-30d shown in FIG. 13, as in FIG. 1. The seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 may be similar to the first and second conduits 31, 32. In this case, the seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 can also be used to transport wastewater from the aquarium unit 10 and treated water from the filtration unit 20 between multiple connection units 30 connected in series. The seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 can also be used as water storage tanks, reducing the possibility of the first and second conduits 31, 32 running out of water.

[0095] The connection unit 30 may have, for example, one seventh conduit 37, or may have two or more seventh conduits 37. Furthermore, the connection unit 30 may have, for example, one eighth conduit 38, or may have two or more eighth conduits 38. When the connection unit 30 has two or more seventh conduits 37 or eighth conduits 38, for example, two or more seventh conduits 37 may be connected directly or via other conduits, and two or more eighth conduits 38 may be connected directly or via other conduits.

[0096] In the connection unit 30, for example, the first conduit 31 and the seventh conduit 37 may be arranged in parallel. In addition, in the connection unit 30, for example, the second conduit 32 and the eighth conduit 38 may be arranged in parallel. In addition, the cross-sectional areas of the seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction may be larger than the cross-sectional areas of the third and fourth conduits 33, 34 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0097] The first conduit 31 and the seventh conduit 37 may be connected via a connecting pipe 39, as shown in FIG. 13 , or via a conduit other than the connecting pipe 39, such as the third conduit 33. Alternatively, the two may be directly connected. In the connection unit 30, the first conduit 31 and the seventh conduit 37 may be connected at one location or at two or more locations. The first conduit 31 and the seventh conduit 37 may or may not be detachably connected. In the former case, the detachable connection may be achieved using, for example, a flange or other connection mechanism. The same applies to the connection between the second conduit 32 and the eighth conduit 38. The seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 may each be provided with an on-off valve, similar to the first and second conduits 31, 32.

[0098] The first conduit 31 and the seventh conduit 37 may be connected so that the water levels therein are the same, or may be arranged so that water that cannot be held in the first conduit 31, i.e., water that overflows from the first conduit 31, is collected in the seventh conduit 37. In the latter case, for example, the seventh conduit 37 may be arranged above the first conduit 31. The same applies to the second conduit 32 and the eighth conduit 38.

[0099] Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connection between the first conduit 31 and the seventh conduit 37, and between the second conduit 32 and the eighth conduit 38, and Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the connection. Both Fig. 14 and Fig. 15 are views of the first and second conduits 31, 32 and the seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 as viewed from the longitudinal direction. Fig. 14 shows a case where the first and second conduits 31, 32 and the seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 are connected via connecting pipes 39, and the seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 are disposed above the first and second conduits 31, 32. Also, Figure 15 shows a case where the first and second conduits 31, 32 are connected to the seventh and eighth conduits 37, 38 via the third and fourth conduits 33, 34, respectively, and the water levels inside the first conduit 31 and the seventh conduit 37 are equal, and the water levels inside the second conduit 32 and the eighth conduit 38 are equal.

[0100] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where aquarium units 10 are connected via connection unit 30 has been described, but this is not necessarily the case. Two aquarium units 10 may be directly connected. Similarly, two filtration units 20 may be directly connected. For example, by directly connecting two or more aquarium units 10, the capacity of aquarium 11 can be substantially increased. Furthermore, by directly connecting two or more filtration units 20, the processing capacity of filtration equipment 21 can be substantially increased.

[0101] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case where the first and second conduits 31, 32 are lengthened by connecting multiple connection units 30 to each other, i.e., the aquaculture system 1 as a whole includes one first conduit 31 and one second conduit 32, has been mainly described, but this is not necessarily the case. As an example, the connection units 30 may be connectable not only horizontally but also vertically. In this case, the first and second conduits 31, 32 may be connected to the connection unit 30 arranged on the upper side and the connection unit 30 arranged on the lower side, respectively. With this configuration, the aquaculture system 1 can also be expanded in the vertical direction. As another example, the first and second conduits 31, 32 of the connection units 30 may be connected in a star shape or a tree shape.

[0102] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where aquarium unit 10 and filtration unit 20 are directly and detachably connected to connection unit 30, and where two or more connection units 30 are also directly and detachably connected, has been mainly described, but this is not necessarily the case. For example, aquarium unit 10 and connection unit 30 may be detachably connected via another conduit, filtration unit 20 and connection unit 30 may be detachably connected via another conduit, and two or more connection units may be detachably connected via other conduits.

[0103] Furthermore, the connection unit 30 described in this embodiment is merely an example. The configuration of the connection unit 30 is not important as long as it can be detachably connected to the water tank unit 10 and the filtration unit 20, and two or more connection units 30 can be detachably connected to each other.

[0104] (Embodiment 2) A control device and a control method according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The control device according to this embodiment allocates the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the aquaculture system to one or more aquarium units.

[0105] FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of an aquaculture control system 200 according to this embodiment. The aquaculture control system 200 according to this embodiment includes an aquaculture system 1 and a control device 100 that controls the aquaculture system 1. The aquaculture system 1 may include, for example, one or more aquarium units 10, one or more filtration units 20, and one or more connection units 30 connected thereto. Two or more connection units 30 may be connected to one another. Note that this embodiment will mainly describe a case where the aquaculture system 1 includes one or more aquarium units 10 and two or more filtration units 20. For example, two or more aquarium units 10 and one or more filtration units 20 may be connected via two or more connection units 30, so that treated water from the filtration units 20 can be supplied to any of the aquarium units 10. Furthermore, for example, when the aquaculture system 1 includes two or more filtration units 20, wastewater from one or more aquarium units 10 can be supplied to any of the filtration units 20. The aquaculture system 1 may be the same as that described in the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the first embodiment, the aquaculture system 1 is mainly described as being detachably connected between the aquarium unit 10 and the connection unit 30, and detachably connected between the filtration unit 20 and the connection unit 30, but this is not necessarily the case in the present embodiment. They may also be connected in a non-detachable manner.

[0106] The control device 100 controls the aquaculture system 1 and includes an acquisition unit 101, a memory unit 102, an allocation unit 103, and a control unit 104. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 16, a case will be mainly described in which the control device 100 controls the aquaculture system 1 that includes three aquarium units 10, three filtration units 20, and three connection units 30 for connecting them, but the number of aquarium units 10, filtration units 20, and connection units 30 included in the aquaculture system 1 may each be one, or two or more.

[0107] The acquisition unit 101 acquires aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of each aquarium 11 of one or more aquarium units 10. The acquisition unit 101 may acquire the aquarium interior information using sensors 81a-81c arranged in each aquarium 11a-11c, for example. In this case, as an example, the acquisition unit 101 may include a sensor 81. The acquisition unit 101 may acquire sensor information using one or more sensors 81 for each aquarium 11 and acquire the aquarium interior information using the sensor information. The acquisition unit 101 may also receive sensor information, as described below, and acquire the aquarium interior information using the received sensor information. Note that while FIG. 16 shows a case where one sensor 81 is arranged in each aquarium 11, two or more sensors 81 may be arranged in each aquarium 11.

[0108] The aquarium information is not particularly limited as long as it is information about the inside of aquarium 11, but may include, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of water quality, water temperature, oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, turbidity, information about the movement of aquatic products, information about the color of aquatic products, information about abnormalities on the surface of aquatic products, amount of aquatic products, density of aquatic products, and amount of remaining food, or may include other information about the inside of aquarium 11. Note that the aquarium information is used when allocating the processing capacity of filtration equipment 21 to two or more aquarium units 10, and therefore preferably includes information that can be used to determine whether the water in aquarium 11 needs to be treated by filtration equipment 21. The aquarium information may, for example, be information that changes over time and is related to the degree of contamination inside aquarium 11.

[0109] The water quality may be, for example, the concentration of nitrogen-hydrogen compounds in the water in the aquarium 11. The nitrogen-hydrogen compounds may be, for example, at least one of ammonia, ammonium compounds, nitrite compounds, and nitrate compounds. As an example, the ammonia concentration, the nitrite concentration, and the nitrate concentration may each be acquired by the sensor 81. In this case, the sensor information acquired by the sensor 81 may be the concentration of nitrogen-hydrogen compounds themselves, such as the ammonia concentration, the nitrite concentration, or the nitrate concentration.

[0110] The water temperature may be acquired by, for example, a sensor 81 that measures the temperature of the water in the water tank 11. In this case, the sensor information acquired by the sensor 81 may be the temperature itself.

[0111] The oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration may be acquired by, for example, a sensor 81 that measures the oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration of the water in the aquarium 11. In this case, the sensor information acquired by the sensor 81 may be the oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration of the water in the aquarium 11 itself.

[0112] The turbidity may be acquired by, for example, a sensor 81 that measures the turbidity of the water in the aquarium 11. In this case, the sensor information acquired by the sensor 81 may be the turbidity itself.

[0113] The information regarding the movement of the marine product may be, for example, the distance traveled by the marine product per unit time, i.e., the speed of the marine product. For example, the information regarding the movement of the marine product may be acquired when the marine product is a living organism that moves in water, such as a fish. When multiple marine products are present in the aquarium 11, the information regarding the movement of the marine product may be, for example, a representative value for the multiple marine products, or information regarding the movement of each of the multiple marine products. In the latter case, for example, the information regarding the movement of the marine product may be a set of velocities for each marine product. The representative value may be, for example, an average value or a median value. The acquiring unit 101 may acquire the information regarding the movement of the marine product using, for example, captured images acquired by a sensor 81 such as an image sensor. In this case, for example, the sensor information may be captured images, and the information regarding the movement of the marine product may be acquired from the sensor information. The captured images may be, for example, moving images. For example, the acquiring unit 101 may acquire the information regarding the movement of the marine product by identifying one or more marine products in the moving images and tracking the identified one or more marine products.

[0114] The information about the color of the marine products may be, for example, information indicating the color of the marine products. When multiple marine products are present in the aquarium 11 and the information about the color of the marine products indicates the color of the marine products, the information about the color of the marine products may be, for example, information indicating the color of each of the multiple marine products. The acquisition unit 101 may acquire the information about the color of the marine products using, for example, a captured image acquired by a sensor 81 such as an image sensor. In this case, for example, the sensor information may be a captured image, and the information about the color of the marine products may be acquired from the sensor information. The captured image may be, for example, a moving image or a still image. For example, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the information about the color of the marine products by identifying one or more marine products in any frame of a still image or a moving image and identifying the color of the identified one or more marine products. The identification of the color of the marine products may be performed, for example, by identifying a representative value of the color in the area of ​​the marine products in the captured image. The representative value may be, for example, an average value.

[0115] The information regarding abnormalities on the surface of the marine products may be, for example, information regarding abnormalities that appear on the surface of the marine products when the level of contamination in the aquarium 11 is high. If the marine products are fish, for example, the surface of the marine products may be, for example, the body surface of the marine products. If multiple marine products are present in the aquarium 11, the information regarding abnormalities on the surface of the marine products may be, for example, information indicating whether the multiple marine products include a marine product with an abnormality on its surface, or information indicating whether an abnormality appears on the surface of each of the multiple marine products. The acquiring unit 101 may acquire information regarding abnormalities on the surface of the marine products using, for example, captured images acquired by a sensor 81 such as an image sensor. In this case, for example, the sensor information may be captured images, and information regarding abnormalities on the surface of the marine products may be acquired from the sensor information. The captured images may be, for example, moving images. For example, the acquiring unit 101 may identify one or more marine products in the moving images, determine for each identified marine product whether an unusual pattern or shape exists on the surface of the identified marine product, and acquire information regarding abnormalities on the surface of the marine product based on the determination result. For example, if a fish or other seafood product becomes sick due to deterioration in water quality or if the seafood product is infected with parasites, such abnormal patterns or shapes may appear on the body surface, and information regarding abnormalities on the surface of the seafood product can be obtained based on the abnormal patterns or shapes. Note that the abnormal shapes may be, for example, scratches on the body surface of the fish or other seafood product.

[0116] The amount of marine products may be, for example, the number of marine products in the aquarium 11. The acquisition unit 101 may acquire the number of marine products using, for example, a captured image acquired by a sensor 81 such as an image sensor. In this case, for example, the sensor information may be a captured image, and the number of marine products may be acquired from the sensor information. The captured image may be, for example, a moving image or a still image. As one example, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the number of marine products by identifying one or more marine products in a still image or any frame of a moving image and counting the number of the identified one or more marine products.

[0117] The density of the seafood may be, for example, the number of seafood per unit area or unit volume in the aquarium 11. The acquisition unit 101 may acquire the seafood density using, for example, a captured image acquired by a sensor 81 such as an image sensor. In this case, for example, the sensor information may be the captured image, and the seafood density may be acquired from the sensor information. The captured image may be, for example, a moving image or a still image. As an example, the acquisition unit 101 may identify one or more seafood products in any frame of the still image or the moving image, count the number of the identified one or more seafood products, and divide the count result by the area or volume of the aquarium 11 to acquire the seafood density.

[0118] The amount of remaining food may be, for example, information indicating the amount of remaining food in aquarium 11 a predetermined time after feeding has been performed in aquarium 11, or information indicating the amount of remaining food per unit area or unit volume in aquarium 11. The acquisition unit 101 may acquire the amount of remaining food using, for example, a captured image acquired by a sensor 81 such as an image sensor. In this case, for example, the sensor information may be a captured image, and the amount of remaining food may be acquired from the sensor information. The captured image may be, for example, a moving image or a still image. For example, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire the area of ​​the food region in any frame of a still image or a moving image, and acquire information indicating the amount of remaining food, which is a value corresponding to that area. The acquisition unit 101 may acquire information indicating the amount of remaining food per unit area or unit volume by dividing that area by the area or volume of aquarium 11. The food from which the amount of remaining food is acquired may, for example, be food that floats on the water surface.

[0119] For example, the photographing performed to acquire information about the inside of the aquarium may be performed using a camera positioned so that its optical axis is vertical or nearly so. In this case, the photographed image may be, for example, an image photographed from above downward by a camera positioned above the water surface. As another example, the photographed image may be an image photographed by a camera positioned underwater.

[0120] The acquisition unit 101 preferably acquires the aquarium interior information for each of the multiple aquarium units 10 included in the aquaculture system 1. The acquisition unit 101 may store the acquired aquarium interior information in the storage unit 102, for example.

[0121] The storage unit 102 may store, for example, the information inside the aquarium acquired by the acquisition unit 101. The storage unit 102 may also store other information, such as a formula for calculating information indicating the degree of contamination of the water in the aquarium 11, the maximum processing capacity of each filtration unit 20 included in the aquaculture system 1, and the like.

[0122] The process by which information is stored in the storage unit 102 is not important. For example, information may be stored in the storage unit 102 via a recording medium, information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the storage unit 102, information input via an input device may be stored in the storage unit 102, or information may be accumulated in the storage unit 102 by another component such as the acquisition unit 101. The storage unit 102 is preferably realized by a non-volatile recording medium, but may also be realized by a volatile recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.

[0123] The allocation unit 103 allocates the processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21 of one or more filtration units 20 to one or more aquarium units 10 using the aquarium interior information for each one or more aquarium units 10 acquired by the acquisition unit 101. Note that if the aquaculture system 1 includes two or more filtration units 20, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21 of each of the two or more filtration units 20 to one or more aquarium units 10 using, for example, the aquarium interior information for each one or more aquarium units 10. This case will be mainly described in this embodiment. For example, the allocation unit 103 may allocate a larger processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21 to an aquarium unit 10 whose aquarium interior information acquired by the acquisition unit 101 indicates that the water in its aquarium 11 is highly polluted, and allocate a smaller processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21 to an aquarium unit 10 whose aquarium interior information indicates that the water in its aquarium 11 is less polluted.

[0124] The processing capacity of filtration equipment 21 may be, for example, the amount of water that filtration equipment 21 processes per unit time. The amount of water may be, for example, the volume of water. In other words, the amount of water processed per unit time may be a treatment flow rate, which is the flow rate of wastewater that filtration equipment 21 can process. The treatment flow rate is the amount of water processed per unit time. As an example, if three filtration equipments 21a to 21c shown in FIG. 16 can process a maximum of 300 liters of wastewater per minute, allocation unit 103 may allocate the treatment flow rate of 300 liters / minute to three aquarium units 10a to 10c based on the aquarium information. Furthermore, allocation unit 103 may allocate a larger treatment flow rate to aquarium 11 with more polluted water. For example, if the water tank information indicates that the levels of contamination of the water in water tanks 11a-11c are high, medium, and low, respectively, allocating unit 103 may allocate treatment flow rates of 150 liters per minute, 100 liters per minute, and 50 liters per minute to water tank units 10a-10c, respectively. In this manner, allocation by allocating unit 103 may be allocation of the treatment flow rate of filtration equipment 21 to each water tank unit 10. When a predetermined treatment flow rate is allocated to a certain water tank unit 10, treated water at the allocated predetermined treatment flow rate will flow into that water tank unit 10.

[0125] For example, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the total maximum processing capacity of each filtration unit 20 included in the aquaculture system 1 to each aquarium unit 10 included in the aquaculture system 1, or may allocate a treatment flow rate that is less than the total maximum processing capacity to each aquarium unit 10. In the latter case, for example, when the filtration equipment 21a to 21c can treat a maximum of 300 liters of wastewater per minute, the allocation unit 103 may allocate treatment flow rates of 120 liters / minute, 80 liters / minute, and 40 liters / minute to the aquarium units 10a to 10c, respectively.

[0126] The allocation unit 103 may, for example, use the aquarium information acquired by the acquisition unit 101 to calculate contamination information indicating the degree of contamination in the aquarium 11 for each aquarium unit 10, and use the contamination information to allocate processing capacity. If the degree of contamination of the water in the aquarium 11 is known, the degree of cleanliness of the water in the aquarium 11 can be determined accordingly. Therefore, the contamination information can also be considered as information indicating the degree of cleanliness of the water in the aquarium 11. Furthermore, the degree of contamination indicated by the contamination information may, for example, be the current degree of contamination, or may include a prediction of the future degree of contamination, such as the degree of contamination after feeding. For example, the contamination information may indicate that the larger the value, the greater the degree of contamination, or that the smaller the value, the greater the degree of contamination. In this embodiment, the former case will be mainly described.

[0127] The contamination information may have a larger value, for example, as the concentration of nitrogen-hydrogen compounds included in the aquarium information increases. The concentration of nitrogen-hydrogen compounds may be, for example, at least one of an ammonia concentration, a nitrite concentration, and a nitrate concentration.

[0128] The contamination information may have a larger value, for example, as the deviation of the water temperature included in the water tank information from the reference water temperature increases. The reference water temperature may be, for example, an ideal water temperature for the water in water tank 11, and may be the temperature of treated water supplied from filtration equipment 21. As an example, if water tank unit 10 is placed in an environment with a temperature different from the reference water temperature, a decrease in the amount of treated water flowing into water tank 11 increases the deviation of the water temperature from the reference water temperature. Therefore, if the deviation increases, the amount of treated water flowing into water tank 11 decreases, and as a result, the degree of contamination in water tank 11 is expected to increase. Therefore, the relationship between the water temperature and the contamination information may be as described above. Note that the deviation of the water temperature from the reference water temperature may be, for example, the absolute value of the difference between the water temperature acquired by acquisition unit 101 and the reference water temperature.

[0129] For example, the lower the oxygen concentration included in the aquarium information, the higher the value of the contamination information. Furthermore, the higher the carbon dioxide concentration included in the aquarium information, the higher the value of the contamination level. This is because when the oxygen concentration is low or the carbon dioxide concentration is high, it is generally considered that there are more fish or other aquatic products that consume oxygen in the aquarium 11, and therefore the likelihood of the water becoming contaminated is high.

[0130] For example, the dirt information may have a larger value as the turbidity included in the water tank information increases, because it is generally considered that the dirtier the water in the water tank 11, the greater the turbidity.

[0131] The dirt information may have a larger value, for example, as the information on the movement of the fishery product included in the aquarium information deviates from a reference value. The reference value may be, for example, a value related to the movement of the fishery product when the fishery product is healthy. As an example, if the information on the movement of the fishery product differs from the reference value, it is possible that some kind of malfunction has occurred in the fishery product, and the malfunction may be caused by water contamination, so the relationship between the dirt information and the information on the movement of the fishery product may be as described above. Note that, if the information on the movement of the fishery product is, for example, a representative value related to multiple fishery products, the deviation between the information on the movement of the fishery product and the reference value may be the absolute value of the difference between the representative value and the reference value. Furthermore, if the information on the movement of the fishery product is, for example, information related to the movement of the fishery product for each of multiple fishery products, the deviation between the information on the movement of the fishery product and the reference value may be the largest absolute value of the difference between the value for each fishery product included in the information on the movement of the fishery product and the reference value.

[0132] The dirt information may have a larger value, for example, as the deviation of the information on the color of the seafood included in the aquarium information from a reference color increases. The reference color may be, for example, the color of the seafood when the seafood is healthy. As an example, if the information on the color of the seafood differs from the reference color, it is possible that some kind of problem has occurred with the seafood, and the problem may be caused by contamination of the water. Therefore, the relationship between the dirt information and the information on the color of the seafood may be as described above. Note that if the information on the color of the seafood is, for example, information on the color of each of a plurality of seafoods, the deviation between the information on the color of the seafood and the reference color may be the largest value among the differences between the color of each seafood included in the information on the color of the seafood and the reference color. The color difference may be obtained, for example, by the distance between two colors in a predetermined color space. The color space may be, for example, an RGB color space, a CMY color space, an HSV color space, or the like.

[0133] The contamination information may have a larger value, for example, when the information on abnormalities on the surface of the seafood indicates that an abnormality exists on the surface of the seafood. As one example, the contamination information may have a larger value when the information on abnormalities on the surface of the seafood indicates that a seafood product includes a seafood product with an abnormality on its surface. As another example, when the information on abnormalities on the surface of the seafood indicates whether an abnormality exists on the surface of each of a plurality of seafood products, the contamination information may have a larger value as the number of seafood products with an abnormality on their surface increases.

[0134] For example, the dirt information may have a larger value as the amount of marine products included in the tank information increases, because a larger amount of marine products may indicate a greater degree of water pollution.

[0135] For example, the dirt information may have a larger value as the density of marine products included in the tank information increases, because a higher density of marine products may indicate a higher degree of water pollution.

[0136] For example, the dirt information may have a larger value the greater the amount of remaining food included in the aquarium information, because if the amount of remaining food is large, the water is likely to be correspondingly dirty.

[0137] The allocation unit 103 may acquire the dirt information for each aquarium unit 10 using the aquarium interior information acquired from the aquarium unit 10, for example, in accordance with the relationship between each value included in the above-mentioned aquarium interior information and the dirt information. For example, the dirt information p i may be calculated as follows: i,1 ,x i,2 ,…,x i,N may be N values ​​included in the aquarium interior information acquired from the ith aquarium unit 10. N is an integer equal to or greater than 1. For example, aquarium units 10a to 10c may be the first to third aquarium units 10, respectively. Also, as an example, x i,1 is the concentration of nitrogen-hydrogen compounds, the function F is i,1 It may be an increasing function of p i =F(x i,1 ,x i,2 ,…,x i,N )

[0138] The allocation unit 103 allocates the dirt information p acquired for each water tank unit 10. i The water exchange amount per unit time may be obtained for each aquarium unit 10 using the following equation. The water exchange amount per unit time may be the amount of treated water flowing into the aquarium 11 per unit time. For example, the allocation unit 103 may use the following equation to calculate the water exchange amount E per unit time for the i-th aquarium unit 10: i Here, the function G may be calculated based on the argument p i In other words, the function G may be a function that takes a larger value as the degree of dirt indicated by the dirt information increases. i and the amount of water exchanged per unit time E iThe correspondence may be established by a table other than a function, for example. E i =G(p i )

[0139] The allocation unit 103 may, for example, calculate the total amount of water exchange per unit time acquired for each aquarium unit 10, and if the total does not exceed the total maximum processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21 in the filtration units 20 of the aquaculture system 1, allocate a treatment flow rate, which is the calculated amount of water exchange per unit time, to each aquarium unit 10. In other words, the treatment flow rate allocated to the ith aquarium unit 10 is the amount of water exchange per unit time E i It may be the following.

[0140] On the other hand, if the total amount of water exchange per unit time acquired for each aquarium unit 10 exceeds the total maximum processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21 in the filtration units 20 of the aquaculture system 1, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the total maximum processing capacity to each aquarium unit 10 in the ratio of the amount of water exchange per unit time for each aquarium unit 10. In this case, the processing flow rate allocated to the i-th aquarium unit 10 is the corrected amount of water exchange per unit time E m i In the following equation, S is the total maximum processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21. In addition, the amount of water exchanged per unit time E in the denominator of the following equation i The sum of may be taken for all the aquarium units 10 included in the aquaculture system 1. E m i =S×E i / (ΣE i )

[0141] When two or more filtration units 20 are present, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the processing capacities of the two or more filtration units 20 to one or more water tank units 10, respectively, and then allocate processing flow rates to the two or more filtration units 20. In this case, it is preferable that the processing flow rates be allocated to the two or more filtration units 20 so that the total processing flow rates allocated to the one or more water tank units 10 is equal to the total processing flow rates allocated to the two or more filtration units 20. Note that when only one filtration unit 20 is present, or when only one filtration unit is desired to be operated, the total processing flow rates allocated to the two or more water tank units 10 may be allocated to that one filtration unit 20.

[0142] When the total treatment flow rate allocated to each aquarium unit 10 in the aquaculture system 1 is equal to the total maximum treatment capacity of the filtration equipment 21 in each filtration unit 20 in the aquaculture system 1, all of the filtration equipment 21 will operate at the maximum treatment capacity. In this case, the allocation unit 103 may allocate a treatment flow rate equivalent to the maximum treatment capacity to each of the filtration units 20 in the aquaculture system 1.

[0143] On the other hand, if the total treatment flow rate allocated to each aquarium unit 10 in the aquaculture system 1 is less than the total maximum treatment capacity of the filtration equipment 21 of each filtration unit 20 in the aquaculture system 1, at least some of the filtration units 20 do not need to operate at their maximum treatment capacity. In this case, the allocation unit 103 may allocate a treatment flow rate equal to or less than the maximum treatment capacity to each filtration unit 20 in the aquaculture system 1. In this case, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the treatment flow rates so that the treatment flow rates of some of the filtration units 20 are zero, for example. This allocation will be described below.

[0144] (1) The allocation unit 103 may allocate the processing flow rate for each filtration unit 20 so that the processing flow rate for each filtration unit 20 is uniform. In this case, the allocation unit 103 may allocate to each filtration unit 20 the processing flow rate obtained by dividing the total processing flow rate allocated for each water tank unit 10 by the number of filtration units 20.

[0145] (2) The allocation unit 103 may allocate the treatment flow rate for each filtration unit 20, for example, so as to reduce the flow of wastewater or treated water in the first and second conduits 31, 32 of the connection unit 30. Therefore, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the treatment flow rate of a certain aquarium unit 10 to the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10, for each pair of aquarium units 10 and filtration units 20 that correspond to each other. The filtration unit 20 corresponding to aquarium unit 10 refers to the filtration unit 20 that is connected to the aquarium unit 10 via only one connection unit 30. For example, aquarium unit 10a and filtration unit 20a correspond to each other. Note that if the treatment flow rate of an aquarium unit 10 exceeds the maximum treatment capacity of the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10, or if there is no filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10 (for example, if there is no corresponding filtration unit 20, as in the case of aquarium unit 10c in the aquaculture system 1 of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment), part or all of the treatment flow rate of that aquarium unit 10 will not be allocated to the filtration unit 20. In this way, for the treatment flow rate of a certain aquarium unit 10 that could not be allocated to the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the treatment flow rate in order, starting from the filtration unit 20 closest to that aquarium unit 10. The filtration unit 20 to be allocated is a filtration unit 20 whose previously allocated treatment flow rate is less than the maximum treatment capacity. A filtration unit 20 closest to the aquarium unit 10 is a filtration unit 20 that has fewer connection units 30 between the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20.

[0146] (3) For example, if the total treatment flow rate allocated to the water tank units 10 can be covered without operating some of the filtration units 20, the allocation unit 103 may not allocate a treatment flow rate to some of the filtration units 20. In this case, for example, one or more filtration units 20 to which a treatment flow rate has not been allocated can be stopped, thereby saving energy. Note that the filtration units 20 to which a treatment flow rate has not been allocated may be, for example, predetermined, randomly determined, determined based on the total treatment rate of the filtration units 20, determined based on the lifespan of the filtration units 20, or one or more filtration units 20 identified in descending order of the treatment flow rate allocated to the corresponding water tank units 10. The total treatment rate of the filtration units 20 may be, for example, the amount (e.g., volume) of treated water flowing out of the filtration units 20 since the filtration units 20 were set up or since maintenance of the filtration units 20 was performed. The total treatment rate may be, for example, a theoretical value managed by the control device 100. For example, if a certain filtration unit 20 treats wastewater at a flow rate of 100 liters per minute for 10 days, the total treatment volume may be 1,440,000 liters. When using the total treatment volume for allocation, the allocation unit 103 may manage the total treatment volume of each filtration unit 20. That is, the allocation unit 103 may record the total treatment volume for each filtration unit 20. Then, for example, the allocation unit 103 may perform allocation such that a filtration unit 20 with a larger total treatment volume is stopped. Furthermore, the lifespan of a filtration unit 20 may be, for example, the period until the filtration unit 20 is stopped for maintenance or the treatment volume up to that point. For example, if the time at which the filtration unit 20 is stopped is determined, that time may be used to obtain the lifespan, which is the period up to that point. Furthermore, if the total treatment volume at the time of stopping the filtration unit 20 is determined, the lifespan may be obtained by calculating the difference between the total treatment volume and the current total treatment volume. Then, for example, the allocation unit 103 may perform allocation such that a filtration unit 20 with a smaller treatment volume is stopped for the period until its lifespan or the time until its end.The one or more filtration units 20 identified in ascending order of the treatment flow rates assigned to the corresponding water tank units 10 may be, for example, the filtration unit 20 corresponding to the water tank unit 10 with the lowest assigned treatment flow rate when there is one filtration unit 20 to be stopped, or may be the filtration units 20 corresponding to the water tank unit 10 with the lowest and second lowest assigned treatment flow rates when there are two filtration units 20 to be stopped. Note that for filtration units 20 without a corresponding water tank unit 10, the treatment flow rate assigned to the corresponding water tank unit 10 may be set to zero. Furthermore, for example, one or more predetermined filtration units 20 may be always operated. For example, if a certain filtration process is performed only in some of the filtration units 20, the filtration unit 20 performing that filtration process may always be operated and not be stopped. Furthermore, the allocation of treatment flow rates to the filtration units 20 to be operated may be performed, for example, as described in (1) or (2) above.

[0147] In addition, when the aquaculture system 1 includes one aquarium unit 10 and two or more filtration units 20, for example, the two or more aquarium units 10 described above may be combined into one aquarium unit 10, and the processing capacity of the filtration equipment 21 may be allocated accordingly. For example, if the water exchange volume per unit time acquired for one aquarium unit 10 can be covered by the filtration equipment 21 of one filtration unit 20, the allocation unit 103 may allocate a treatment flow rate, which is the water exchange volume, to the filtration equipment 21 of one filtration unit 20. In this case, the filtration unit 20 to which the treatment flow rate has not been allocated may be stopped. Furthermore, for example, if the water exchange volume per unit time acquired for one aquarium unit 10 cannot be covered by one filtration unit 20, the treatment flow rate, which is the water exchange volume, may be allocated to two or more filtration equipment 21 of two or more filtration units 20. This allocation of treatment flow rates may be performed, for example, as described in (1) or (2) above. Note that even if the water exchange rate per unit time acquired for one aquarium unit 10 can be covered by the filtration equipment 21 of one filtration unit 20, the allocation of the treatment flow rate may be performed, for example, as in (1) or (2) above. Furthermore, if the water exchange rate per unit time acquired for one aquarium unit 10 exceeds the total maximum treatment capacity of the filtration equipment 21 in the filtration units 20 of the aquaculture system 1, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the maximum treatment capacity of two or more filtration equipment 21 in two or more filtration units 20 to that one aquarium unit 10.

[0148] Control unit 104 controls one or more first adjustment mechanisms according to the allocation result by allocating unit 103. Control unit 104 may also control one or more second adjustment mechanisms according to the allocation result by allocating unit 103, for example. Control unit 104 may, for example, control the treated water so that an amount of treated water corresponding to the treatment flow rate allocated by allocating unit 103 flows into each water tank unit 10, and the flow rate of treated water for each water tank unit 10 does not change over time. This embodiment will mainly describe a case where such control is performed. As another example, control unit 104 may control the flow rate of treated water for each water tank unit 10 so that it changes over time. Even in this case, it is preferable that control is performed so that an amount of treated water corresponding to the allocation result by allocating unit 103 flows into each water tank unit 10. This control may, for example, be time-sharing control according to the allocation result. In the case of time-sharing control, when equal treatment flow rates are allocated to each of the three water tank units 10a-10c, the control unit 104 may, for example, control the treated water from all filtration units 20 to flow into water tank unit 10a for the first minute, control the treated water from all filtration units 20 to flow into water tank unit 10b for the next minute, and control the treated water from all filtration units 20 to flow into water tank unit 10c for the next minute, repeating this control. Note that time-sharing control may involve control to switch one water tank unit 10 to which treated water from all filtration units 20 is supplied in a chronological order, or control may be performed to change the inflow rate of treated water for each water tank unit 10 in a chronological order without setting the inflow rate of treated water to zero for each water tank unit 10. In either case, it is preferable that the amount of treated water supplied to each water tank unit 10 corresponds to the allocation result by the allocation unit 103.

[0149] Here, the first adjustment mechanism adjusts the flow rate of treated water treated by filtration unit 20 that flows into water tank unit 10, for example. The first adjustment mechanism may be pump 14, or if treated water flows naturally from filtration unit 20 to water tank unit 10, it may be a flow rate adjustment valve used in place of pump 14, or if connection unit 30 has a pump, it may be pump 51. Therefore, at least one of water tank unit 10 and connection unit 30 may have the first adjustment mechanism. In this embodiment, the case where the first adjustment mechanism is pump 14 will be mainly described.

[0150] The second adjustment mechanism adjusts the flow rate of wastewater flowing into filtration unit 20, for example. The second adjustment mechanism may be pump 24, or if wastewater flows naturally from aquarium unit 10 to filtration unit 20, it may be a flow rate adjustment valve used in place of pump 24, or if connection unit 30 has a pump, it may be pump 53. Therefore, at least one of filtration unit 20 and connection unit 30 may have the second adjustment mechanism. In this embodiment, the case where the second adjustment mechanism is pump 24 will be mainly described.

[0151] For example, the control unit 104 may also control the second adjustment mechanism when it is necessary to change the processing flow rate for the filtration unit 20 in accordance with the allocation result. Furthermore, when the control of the second adjustment mechanism is also performed, and when it is necessary to control the filtration equipment 21 in accordance with the control of the second adjustment mechanism, the control unit 104 may also control the filtration equipment 21. The case in which it is necessary to control the filtration equipment 21 in accordance with the control of the second adjustment mechanism may be, for example, when the filtration equipment 21 has components such as a pump or a flow rate adjustment valve that need to be adjusted in accordance with the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration equipment 21. The control unit 104 may, for example, control the first and second adjustment mechanisms, etc., via a wired or wireless path (not shown).

[0152] The control unit 104 may, for example, control a first adjustment mechanism such as the pump 14 of each aquarium unit 10 included in the aquaculture system 1 so that the flow rate of treatment water flowing into the aquarium 11 of that aquarium unit 10 becomes the treatment flow rate assigned to that aquarium unit 10. The control unit 104 may also, for example, control a second adjustment mechanism such as the pump 24 of that filtration unit 20 so that the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration equipment 21 of that filtration unit 20 becomes the treatment flow rate assigned to that filtration unit 20, for each filtration unit 20 included in the aquaculture system 1.

[0153] When the total treatment flow rate allocated to each aquarium unit 10 is equal to the total maximum treatment capacity of each filtration unit 20 in the aquaculture system 1, the flow rate of the treated water flowing into the aquarium 11 of the i-th aquarium unit 10 is equal to the corrected water exchange rate E m i In this case, the flow rate of the wastewater flowing into the filtration equipment 21 of each filtration unit 20 may be controlled to be a flow rate corresponding to the maximum treatment capacity. In addition, when the total treatment flow rate allocated to each aquarium unit 10 is less than the total maximum treatment capacity of each filtration unit 20 in the aquaculture system 1, the flow rate of the treated water flowing into the aquarium 11 of the ith aquarium unit 10 is controlled to be equal to or less than the water exchange rate E per unit time. i In this case, the flow rate of the wastewater flowing into the filtration equipment 21 of each filtration unit 20 may be controlled to be the treatment flow rate assigned to that filtration unit 20.

[0154] Next, the operation of the control device 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0155] (Step S201) The acquisition unit 101 determines whether or not to acquire the aquarium information. If the aquarium information is to be acquired, the process proceeds to step S202; if not, the process of step S201 is repeated until it is determined that the aquarium information is to be acquired. Note that the acquisition unit 101 may, for example, periodically determine that the aquarium information is to be acquired. Periodically may be, for example, every 30 minutes, every hour, or every two hours.

[0156] (Step S202) Acquisition unit 101 acquires sensor information using sensor 81 for each aquarium unit 10.

[0157] (Step S203) Acquisition unit 101 acquires the inside-aquarium information for each aquarium unit 10 using the sensor information acquired by sensor 81.

[0158] (Step S204) Using the acquired water tank information for each water tank unit 10, allocation unit 103 allocates the processing capacity of filtration unit 20 to each water tank unit 10. This allocation may be performed by allocating a processing flow rate to each water tank unit 10, as described above. Alternatively, allocation unit 103 may allocate a processing flow rate to each filtration unit 20.

[0159] (Step S205) Control unit 104 controls the first adjustment mechanism, for example, pump 14 for each water tank unit 10, according to the allocation result for each water tank unit 10 in step S204.

[0160] (Step S206) The control unit 104 determines whether to also control the second adjustment mechanism. If the second adjustment mechanism is also to be controlled, the process proceeds to step S207; if not, the process returns to step S201. Note that the control unit 104 may determine to also control the second adjustment mechanism if it is necessary to change the processing flow rate for each filtration unit 20 in accordance with the allocation result for each filtration unit 20 in step S204, for example, or may determine not to control the second adjustment mechanism if not.

[0161] (Step S207) The control unit 104 controls the second adjustment mechanism, for example, the pump 24 for each filtration unit 20, according to the allocation result for each filtration unit 20 in step S204. Then, the process returns to step S201.

[0162] If the allocation result in step S204 is the same as the previous allocation result, there is no need to control the first and second adjustment mechanisms, and therefore the process may return from step S204 to step S201. The order of the processes in the flowchart of Fig. 17 is an example, and the order of the steps may be changed as long as the same results can be obtained. In the flowchart of Fig. 17, the process may end due to a power-off or an interrupt to end the process.

[0163] Next, the operation of the control device 100 according to this embodiment will be described using a specific example. In this specific example, the aquaculture system 1 is assumed to include three aquarium units 10, three filtration units 20, and three connection units 30, as shown in Figure 16. Furthermore, the maximum processing capacity of each filtration unit 20 is assumed to be 100 liters / minute.

[0164] First, when it is time to acquire the aquarium interior information, the acquisition unit 101 acquires sensor information using the sensor 81 for each aquarium unit 10, and uses the sensor information to acquire the aquarium interior information for each aquarium unit 10 and stores it in the memory unit 102 (steps S201 to S203).

[0165] When the water tank information for each water tank unit 10 is stored in the storage unit 102, the allocation unit 103 reads out the water tank information and uses the water tank information to allocate the dirt information p i Calculate the dirt information p i Using this, the water exchange amount E per unit time for each aquarium unit 10 is calculated. i It is assumed that the water exchange rates per unit time of the aquarium units 10a to 10c are 110, 20, and 50 liters / minute, respectively.

[0166] The allocation unit 103 reads out the maximum processing flow rate of 100 liters / minute, which is the maximum processing capacity of each filtration unit 20, stored in the memory unit 102, calculates the sum of these values, and calculates the water exchange amount E per unit time for each aquarium unit 10. i In this case, the total amount of water exchange per unit time, 180 liters / minute, does not exceed the total maximum processing capacity, 300 liters / minute, so the allocation unit 103 allocates the total amount of water exchange per unit time, E i is allocated as is to each water bath unit 10. That is, the treatment flow rates allocated to water bath units 10a to 10c are 110, 20, and 50 liters / minute, respectively.

[0167] In addition, the allocation unit 103 allocates the total processing flow rate of 180 liters / minute allocated to each water tank unit 10 to each filtration unit 20, and passes the results of the allocation of processing flow rates to the water tank unit 10 and filtration unit 20 to the control unit 104 (step S204).

[0168] As an example, when the treatment flow rate is allocated as in (1) above, 60 liters / minute is allocated to each filtration unit 20. In this case, the flow rates of water entering and exiting the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 are as shown in Figure 18A.

[0169] As another example, when the treatment flow rates are allocated as in (2) above, the treatment flow rates of 110, 20, and 50 liters per minute allocated to water tank units 10a-10c are first allocated to the corresponding filtration units 20a-20c. At this point, treatment flow rates of 100, 20, and 50 liters per minute are allocated to filtration units 20a-20c, respectively. Since 10 liters per minute of the treatment flow rate of water tank unit 10a cannot be allocated to corresponding filtration unit 20a, it is allocated to filtration unit 20b, which is closest to water tank unit 10a and has an allocated treatment flow rate lower than the maximum treatment capacity. As a result, 100, 30, and 50 liters per minute are allocated to filtration units 20a-20c, respectively. In this case, the flow rates of water flowing in and out of water tank unit 10 and filtration unit 20 are as shown in FIG. 18B.

[0170] As yet another example, when the processing flow rate is allocated as in (3) above, the number of filtration units 20 to be stopped is first calculated. This may be calculated, for example, by the following equation: where ceil in the following equation is a ceiling function. Here, it is assumed that the maximum processing capacity of each filtration unit 20 is equal. Number of filtration units to be stopped = Number of filtration units - ceil (total processing flow rate allocated to aquarium units / maximum processing capacity of one filtration unit)

[0171] In this example, the number of filtration units to be stopped is 3 - ceil(180 / 100) = 3 - 2 = 1. Also, in this example, when stopping filtration units 20, assume that filtration units 20c, 20b, and 20a are stopped in this order. As a result, filtration unit 20c is stopped. That is, the processing flow rate allocated to filtration unit 20c is 0. Also, in this example, assume that the processing flow rates allocated to filtration units 20a and 20b to be operated are determined according to (1) above. As a result, 90 liters per minute is allocated to each of filtration units 20a and 20b. In this case, the flow rates of water flowing into and out of aquarium unit 10 and filtration unit 20 are as shown in FIG. 18C. Since filtration unit 20c is not operated, energy is saved accordingly. Furthermore, by stopping filtration unit 20c for a certain period of time, the life of filtration unit 20c can be extended. Furthermore, even if some of the filtration units 20 are stopped for maintenance, the water quality of the aquarium 11 in each aquarium unit 10 can be maintained at an appropriate level by allocating processing capacity to the other filtration units 20.

[0172] Control unit 104 controls pump 14, which is the first adjustment mechanism, in accordance with the allocation result for each water tank unit 10 by allocation unit 103 (step S205). For example, when the allocation shown in Fig. 18A is performed, control unit 104 controls pump 14a to allow 110 liters / minute of treated water to flow into water tank 11a, controls pump 14b to allow 20 liters / minute of treated water to flow into water tank 11b, and controls pump 14c to allow 50 liters / minute of treated water to flow into water tank 11c.

[0173] Furthermore, if there is a change in the treatment flow rate allocated to each filtration unit 20, the control unit 104 may determine to also control the pump 24, which is the second adjustment mechanism, and control the pump 24 in accordance with the allocation result for each filtration unit 20 by the allocation unit 103 (steps S206 and S207). For example, when the allocation shown in Fig. 18A is performed, the control unit 104 may control the pumps 24a to 24c to allow 60 liters / minute of wastewater to flow into each of the filtration equipments 21a to 21c. The control device 100 may repeatedly execute such a series of processes at predetermined time intervals.

[0174] As described above, the control device 100 according to this embodiment allocates the processing capacity of the filtration units 20 to each aquarium unit 10 according to the aquarium information, thereby adaptively allocating the processing capacity of the filtration units 20 to multiple aquarium units 10. This allows for effective use of the processing capacity of the filtration units 20. For example, if the water quality of a certain aquarium 11 is deteriorating, the processing capacity of the filtration units 20 can be concentrated and allocated to that aquarium 11, thereby improving the water quality of that aquarium 11 in a short period of time. As a result, the impact of the deterioration of water quality on marine products can be minimized. Furthermore, even if some filtration units 20 are shut down for maintenance or the like, the processing capacity of the operating filtration units 20 can be appropriately allocated to multiple aquarium units 10. Furthermore, for example, if the processing capacity of the other filtration units 20 can cover the processing flow rate allocated to the aquarium unit 10 even when some filtration units 20 are shut down, energy can be saved by shutting down those filtration units 20.

[0175] Furthermore, if the fish being cultured are at different growth stages in each of the multiple aquarium units 10, for example, if fry are cultured in aquarium unit 10a, young fish are cultured in aquarium unit 10b, and adult fish are cultured in aquarium unit 10c, even if the maximum treatment capacity of one filtration unit 20 is not that high, the water in the three aquarium units 10 can be kept clean by adaptively allocating the treatment capacities of the three filtration units 20 to the three aquarium units 10. As a result of this adaptive allocation of treatment capacities, for example, the treatment flow rates may decrease in the order of aquarium units 10c, 10b, and 10a. Furthermore, for example, even if, after the adult fish in aquarium unit 10c are shipped, fry are placed in aquarium unit 10c, and the fry in aquarium unit 10a and the young fish in aquarium unit 10b grow into young fish and adult fish, respectively, the processing capacities of the three filtration units 20 can be adaptively allocated to the three aquarium units 10, thereby keeping the water in each of the three aquarium units 10 clean. In such a case, even if the maximum processing capacity of one filtration unit 20 is not enough to keep the water in one aquarium unit 10 containing only adult fish clean, allocating the processing capacities of the three filtration units 20 to the three aquarium units 10 makes it possible to keep the water in each of the three aquarium units 10 clean. Therefore, there is no need to unnecessarily increase the processing capacity of one filtration unit 20, and the aquaculture system 1 can be realized at a lower cost. For example, in the case of a fixed one-to-one relationship between aquariums and filtration equipment, as in the conventional example, it is necessary to use filtration equipment with processing capacity that can handle situations where the fish in the aquarium have grown into adult fish ready for shipment, and when the fish in the aquarium are fry or young fish, the filtration equipment will be operated inefficiently. On the other hand, in the aquaculture control system 200 according to this embodiment, it is possible to allocate the processing capacity of one filtration unit 20 to two or more aquarium units 10, thereby enabling more efficient operation.

[0176] Furthermore, when the aquaculture system 1 includes one aquarium unit 10 and two or more filtration units 20, for example, when the water quality of the aquarium 11 of that aquarium unit 10 is good, the processing capacity of only one filtration unit 20 can be allocated to the aquarium unit 10, thereby promoting energy conservation. On the other hand, when the water quality of the aquarium 11 of that aquarium unit 10 deteriorates, for example, the processing capacity of two or more filtration units 20 can be allocated to the aquarium unit 10, thereby improving the water quality in a shorter period of time. In this way, by adaptively allocating the processing capacities of two or more filtration units 20 to one aquarium unit 10, the processing capacity of the filtration unit 20 can be effectively utilized.

[0177] In this embodiment, when the aquaculture system 1 includes two or more aquarium units 10, the allocation unit 103 may allocate the aquarium units 10 so as to separate the aquarium units 10 in which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in the aquatic products from the other aquarium units 10. In this case, the control unit 104 may also control the on-off valves 35, 36 provided in the first and second conduits 31, 32 according to the allocation result by the allocation unit 103.

[0178] The allocation unit 103 may use the aquarium information to identify an aquarium unit 10 for which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in the aquatic product. For example, if the information on the movement of aquatic product included in the aquarium information indicates information on the movement of each aquatic product moving in water, such as a fish, and the information indicates the presence of an individual whose movement is below a threshold or the presence of an individual whose movement corresponds to a disease, the allocation unit 103 may identify the aquarium unit 10 corresponding to the aquarium information as an aquarium unit 10 for which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in the aquatic product. Note that the aquarium unit 10 corresponding to the aquarium information may be the aquarium unit 10 from which sensor information used to acquire the aquarium information was acquired.

[0179] As another example, when information on the color of aquatic products included in the aquarium information indicates the presence of an individual with a color corresponding to a disease, the allocation unit 103 may identify the aquarium unit 10 corresponding to the aquarium information as the aquarium unit 10 for which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in the aquatic product. Note that the individual with a color corresponding to a disease may be, for example, an individual for which the difference in color between the individual's color and the disease reference color corresponding to the disease is smaller than a threshold value.

[0180] Furthermore, when the allocation unit 103 identifies an aquarium unit 10 in which a disease has occurred using the aquarium information as described above, it may allocate the processing capacity of the filtration unit 20 so that the wastewater from that aquarium unit 10 is treated only in the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10. In this case, allocation is performed so that the processing flow rate allocated to the aquarium unit 10 in which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in aquatic products becomes the processing flow rate allocated to the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10, and the above-mentioned processing capacity allocation may be performed for the other aquarium units 10 and filtration units 20. In this case, the amount of water exchanged per unit time for an aquarium unit 10 for which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in aquatic products is calculated using the contamination information for that aquarium unit 10, and if that amount of water exchanged per unit time does not exceed the maximum processing capacity of the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10, then that amount of water exchanged per unit time becomes the treatment flow rate assigned to that aquarium unit 10, and if that amount of water exchanged per unit time exceeds that maximum processing capacity, then the treatment flow rate corresponding to that maximum processing capacity may become the treatment flow rate assigned to that aquarium unit 10. Also, the treatment flow rate assigned to the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10 may be the same as the treatment flow rate assigned to that aquarium unit 10.

[0181] The allocation unit 103 may also pass information about the aquarium unit 10 for which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in the aquatic products to the control unit 104. As an example, the allocation result may also include information about the aquarium unit 10 for which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in the aquatic products. The information about the aquarium unit 10 for which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in the aquatic products may be, for example, information identifying the aquarium unit 10, or information identifying the on-off valves 35, 36 that should be closed to separate the third and fourth conduits 33, 34 connecting the aquarium unit 10 and the filtration unit 20 corresponding to the aquarium unit 10 from the third and fourth conduits 33, 34 connected to other aquarium units 10 or filtration units 20.

[0182] The control unit 104 may control the first adjustment mechanism according to the allocation result by the allocation unit 103, and may also control the second adjustment mechanism as necessary. Furthermore, the control unit 104 may use, for example, information included in the allocation result regarding an aquarium unit 10 for which the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in aquatic products to close the on-off valves 35, 36 that should be closed to separate the third and fourth conduits 33, 34 connecting the diseased aquarium unit 10 to the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10 from the third and fourth conduits 33, 34 connected to other aquarium units 10 and other filtration units 20. For example, if a disease occurs in a certain aquarium unit 10, the on-off valves 35, 36 on both sides of the connection between the first and second conduits 31, 32 and the third and fourth conduits 33, 34 connecting the diseased aquarium unit 10 to the filtration unit 20 corresponding to that aquarium unit 10 may be closed.

[0183] Specifically, if the aquarium information indicates the occurrence of a disease in aquatic products in aquarium unit 10c, on-off valves 35b and 36c of first and second conduits 31 and 32 may be closed to separate aquarium unit 10c and filtration unit 20c from aquarium units 10a and 10b and filtration units 20a and 20b, respectively, as shown in FIG. 18D. In this case, on-off valve 35c may or may not be closed. This is because on-off valve 35c is located at the end of conduit 31 and its opening and closing does not affect the separation of aquarium unit 10c. In this case, a processing flow rate may be assigned to the separated filtration units 20a and 20b for the separated aquarium units 10a and 10b. For example, when a processing flow rate is assigned to filtration units 20a and 20b as in (1) above, the flow rates of water flowing in and out of aquarium unit 10 and filtration unit 20 are as shown in FIG. 18D.

[0184] Furthermore, for example, if the aquarium information indicates that a disease has occurred in the aquatic products in a certain aquarium unit 10, the control unit 104 may stop the flow of water into and out of the aquarium 11 of that aquarium unit 10, thereby isolating that aquarium 11 from the filtration unit 20 and the other aquarium units 10. In this case, the control unit 104 may control the pump 14 of the diseased aquarium unit 10 to stop and the on-off valve 15 to close. Note that, for the isolated aquarium 11, filtration may be performed using temporary filtration equipment different from the filtration unit 20, for example.

[0185] Furthermore, for example, if the aquarium information indicates that the aquatic products in a certain aquarium unit 10 have developed a disease but that the disease is mild, the allocation unit 103 may concentrate the allocation of the processing capacity of the filtration unit 20 to that aquarium unit 10. The allocation unit 103 may, for example, allocate the maximum processing flow rate to that aquarium unit 10. For example, if ozone treatment is being performed in the filtration unit 20, allocating a greater amount of the processing capacity of the filtration unit 20 can help the aquatic products in that aquarium unit 10 recover. Whether the disease of the aquatic products is mild may also be determined based on, for example, information about the movement of the aquatic products or information about the color of the aquatic products.

[0186] In addition, in this embodiment, the case where the acquisition unit 101 acquires information inside the aquarium using the sensor 81, i.e., the control device 100 acquires information inside the aquarium from the aquaculture system 1 at a local location of the aquaculture system 1 and controls the aquaculture system 1, has been mainly described, but the control device 100 may also be, for example, a server that controls one or more aquaculture systems 1.

[0187] When the control device 100 is a server, for example, as shown in Fig. 19, the aquaculture control system 200 may include three aquaculture systems 1a to 1c connected to each other by a communication line 500, and the control device 100 which is the server. Note that Fig. 19 shows a case where the aquaculture control system 200 includes three aquaculture systems 1, but the number of aquaculture systems 1 included in the aquaculture control system 200 is not particularly limited as long as it is one or more. The communication line 500 may be, for example, the Internet, an intranet, a public telephone network, or the like.

[0188] In this case, the acquisition unit 101 may receive sensor information acquired by the sensors 81 in one or more aquarium units 10, and acquire the aquarium interior information using the received sensor information. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 101 may receive the aquarium interior information of one or more aquarium units 10. The control unit 104 may also transmit control information for controlling the aquaculture system 1 to the aquaculture system 1. The transmitted control information may then be received by the aquaculture system 1, and the first and second adjustment mechanisms, for example, may be controlled in accordance with the received control information.

[0189] The first and second adjustment mechanisms may also be controlled in an autonomously distributed manner. In this case, the aquaculture control system 200 may include, for example, the same number of control devices 100 as the first adjustment mechanisms and the same number of control devices 100 as the second adjustment mechanisms. One control device 100 may control one first adjustment mechanism or one second adjustment mechanism. That is, the control unit 104 of the control device 100 may control one first adjustment mechanism or one second adjustment mechanism. In this way, the control unit 104 may control, for example, one or more first adjustment mechanisms included in the aquaculture system 1, and may control one or more second adjustment mechanisms included in the aquaculture system 1. For example, the two or more first adjustment mechanisms may be all of the first adjustment mechanisms in the aquaculture system 1, and the two or more second adjustment mechanisms may be all of the second adjustment mechanisms in the aquaculture system 1. FIG. 20 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of an aquaculture control system 200 including a plurality of control devices 100-1 to 100-6 that perform autonomous decentralized control. In this case, the control devices 100-1 to 100-3 may control the pumps 14a to 14c, which are the first adjustment mechanisms of the aquarium units 10a to 10c, respectively, and the control devices 100-4 to 100-6 may control the pumps 24a to 24c, which are the second adjustment mechanisms of the filtration units 20a to 20c, respectively. Note that each of the control devices 100-1 to 100-6 may be similar to the control device 100 described above, except that the control unit 104 controls only one first adjustment mechanism or one second adjustment mechanism. For example, the acquisition units 101 of the control devices 100-1 to 100-6 may acquire aquarium interior information using the sensors 81a to 81c arranged in each of the aquariums 11a to 11c, respectively.

[0190] It is preferable that the allocation units 103 and control units 104 of the control devices 100-1 to 100-6 allocate the processing capacity of the filtration unit 20 and determine the control content using the same algorithm. That is, the multiple allocation units 103 included in the control devices 100-1 to 100-6 may perform the same processing. Furthermore, the multiple control units 104 included in the control devices 100-1 to 100-6 may perform the same processing except for controlling different objects. In this way, even when the aquaculture system 1 is controlled by the control devices 100-1 to 100-6, the same results can be obtained as when the aquaculture system 1 is controlled by a single control device 100. The control devices 100-1 to 100-3 may be provided in the aquarium units 10a to 10c, respectively, for example. Furthermore, the control devices 100-4 to 100-6 may be provided in the filtration units 20a to 20c, respectively, for example. In this way, even when the first and second adjustment mechanisms provided in the aquaculture system 1 are controlled in a distributed manner, it is possible to achieve the same control as when the first and second adjustment mechanisms are controlled using only one control device 100. Note that when there is no need to control the second adjustment mechanism, the aquaculture control system 200 does not need to include the control devices 100-4 to 100-6 for controlling the second adjustment mechanism. A case where there is no need to control the second adjustment mechanism may be when no allocation is made regarding the filtration units 20, such as when each filtration unit 20 constantly operates at its maximum processing capacity.

[0191] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the aquaculture system 1 to be controlled by the control device 100 has been mainly described as being the aquaculture system 1 according to embodiment 1, but this is not necessarily the case. The aquaculture system 1 to be controlled by the control device 100 may be, for example, a non-scalable system.

[0192] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each process or function may be realized by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or may be realized by distributed processing by multiple devices or multiple systems.

[0193] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the transfer of information between components may be performed, for example, by one component outputting information and the other component receiving information if the two components transferring the information are physically different, or by moving from a processing phase corresponding to one component to a processing phase corresponding to the other component if the two components transferring the information are physically the same.

[0194] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, information related to the processing performed by each component, such as information accepted, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component, and information such as thresholds, formulas, and addresses used in processing by each component, may be temporarily or long-term stored in a recording medium (not shown), even if not explicitly stated in the above description. Furthermore, the storage of information in the recording medium (not shown) may be performed by each component or a storage unit (not shown). Furthermore, the reading of information from the recording medium (not shown) may be performed by each component or a reading unit (not shown).

[0195] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, if the information used by each component, such as thresholds, addresses, and various setting values ​​used by each component in processing, may be changed by the user, the user may or may not be able to change the information as appropriate, even if not explicitly stated in the above description. If the information is changeable by the user, the change may be realized, for example, by a receiving unit (not shown) that receives a change instruction from the user and a changing unit (not shown) that changes the information in accordance with the change instruction. The change instruction may be received by the receiving unit (not shown), for example, from an input device, by receiving information transmitted via a communication line, or by receiving information read from a predetermined recording medium.

[0196] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when two or more components included in the control device 100 have a communication device, an input device, etc., the two or more components may have a physically single device, or may have separate devices.

[0197] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. During execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing a storage unit or recording medium. The software that realizes the control device 100 in the above-described embodiments is a program such as the following. In other words, this program may be a program for controlling an aquaculture system comprising one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products, two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit, and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, wherein the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, and the program may cause a computer to execute the steps of acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium of one aquarium unit, using the acquired aquarium information of one aquarium unit to allocate the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit, and controlling two or more second adjustment mechanisms according to the allocation result.

[0198] Moreover, the software that realizes the control device 100 that controls one first adjustment mechanism in the above embodiment is the following program. In other words, this program may be a program for controlling an aquaculture system comprising one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products, two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit, and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, wherein the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, and the program may cause a computer to execute the steps of acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium of one aquarium unit, using the acquired aquarium information of one aquarium unit to allocate the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit, and controlling one first adjustment mechanism according to the allocation result.

[0199] Moreover, the software that realizes the control device 100 that controls one second adjustment mechanism in the above embodiment is the following program. In other words, this program may be a program for controlling an aquaculture system comprising one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products, two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit, and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, wherein the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, and the program may cause a computer to execute the steps of acquiring aquarium information, which is information about the inside of the aquarium of one aquarium unit, using the acquired aquarium information of one aquarium unit to allocate the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of the two or more filtration units to one aquarium unit, and controlling one second adjustment mechanism according to the allocation result.

[0200] In addition, in the above program, the steps of acquiring information and controlling the controlled object do not include processing that can only be performed by hardware, such as processing performed by a sensor in the step of acquiring information or processing performed by a communication device in the step of controlling the controlled object.

[0201] This program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or by being read from a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, or a semiconductor memory). This program may also be used as a program constituting a program product.

[0202] Furthermore, the computer that executes this program may be a single computer or multiple computers, and may perform centralized processing or distributed processing.

[0203] 21 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the appearance of a computer that executes the above program to realize the control device 100 according to the above embodiment. The above embodiment can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon.

[0204] In FIG. 21, computer system 900 comprises a computer 901 including a CD-ROM drive 905 , a keyboard 902 , a mouse 903 , and a monitor 904 .

[0205] 22 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a computer system 900. In FIG. 22, the computer 901 includes, in addition to a CD-ROM drive 905, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 911, a ROM 912 for storing programs such as a boot-up program, a RAM 913 connected to the MPU 911 for temporarily storing instructions for application programs and providing temporary storage space, a hard disk 914 for storing application programs, system programs, and data, and a bus 915 for interconnecting the MPU 911, the ROM 912, and the like. The computer 901 may also include a network card (not shown) for providing connection to a LAN, WAN, or the like. The computer 901 may also be connected to, for example, a sensor 81 used to acquire sensor information.

[0206] A program that causes the computer system 900 to execute the functions of the control device 100 according to the above embodiment may be stored on a CD-ROM 921, inserted into the CD-ROM drive 905, and transferred to the hard disk 914. Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to the computer 901 via a network (not shown) and stored on the hard disk 914. The program is loaded into the RAM 913 when executed. The program may be loaded directly from the CD-ROM 921 or the network. The program may also be read into the computer system 900 via another recording medium (e.g., a DVD) instead of the CD-ROM 921.

[0207] The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third-party program that causes the computer 901 to execute the functions of the control device 100 according to the above embodiment. The program may include only instructions that call appropriate functions or modules in a controlled manner to achieve a desired result. How the computer system 900 operates is well known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0208] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for specifically implementing the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments, and is intended to include modifications within the literal scope of the claims and within the scope of equivalent meanings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0209] 1, 1a-1c Aquaculture system 10, 10a~10e Aquarium unit 20, 20a~20e Filtration unit 30, 30a~30e connection unit 81, 81a to 81c sensors 100, 100-1 to 100-6 control device 101 Acquisition Department 102 Storage section 103 Allocation Section 104 Control Unit

Claims

1. 1. A control device for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, an acquisition unit that acquires aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; an allocation unit that allocates the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the aquarium in-tank information of one of the aquarium units acquired by the acquisition unit; a control unit that controls two or more of the second adjustment mechanisms in accordance with a result of allocation by the allocation unit.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit also controls one of the first adjustment mechanisms in accordance with the result of allocation by the allocation unit.

3. The control device of claim 1, wherein the information inside the aquarium includes at least one information selected from the group consisting of water quality, water temperature, oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, turbidity, information about the movement of the aquatic products, information about the color of the aquatic products, information about abnormalities on the surface of the aquatic products, the amount of aquatic products, the density of the aquatic products, and the amount of remaining food.

4. the acquisition unit receives sensor information acquired by a sensor in one of the aquarium units, and acquires the aquarium interior information using the sensor information; The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit transmits control information for controlling the aquaculture system to the aquaculture system.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the information about the inside of the aquarium using a sensor.

6. 1. A control device for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, an acquisition unit that acquires aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; an allocation unit that allocates the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the aquarium in-tank information of one of the aquarium units acquired by the acquisition unit; a control unit that controls one of the first adjustment mechanisms in accordance with a result of allocation by the allocation unit.

7. 1. A control device for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, an acquisition unit that acquires aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; an allocation unit that allocates the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the aquarium in-tank information of one of the aquarium units acquired by the acquisition unit; a control unit that controls one of the second adjustment mechanisms in accordance with a result of allocation by the allocation unit.

8. 1. A control method for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected to each other, the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units being connected to the two or more connection units, acquiring aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; a step of allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the acquired aquarium information of one of the aquarium units; and controlling two or more of the second adjustment mechanisms according to the allocation result.

9. 1. A control method for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected to each other, the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units being connected to the two or more connection units, acquiring aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; a step of allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the acquired aquarium information of one of the aquarium units; and controlling one of the first adjustment mechanisms in accordance with the allocation result.

10. 1. A control method for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit, and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, and the two or more connection units are connected to each other, the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units being connected to the two or more connection units, acquiring aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; a step of allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the acquired aquarium information of one of the aquarium units; and controlling one of the second adjustment mechanisms in accordance with the allocation result.

11. 1. A program for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit; and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, wherein the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, On the computer, acquiring aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; a step of allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the acquired aquarium information of one of the aquarium units; and controlling two or more of the second adjustment mechanisms according to the allocation result.

12. 1. A program for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit; and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, wherein the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, On the computer, acquiring aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; a step of allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the acquired aquarium information of one of the aquarium units; and controlling one of the first adjustment mechanisms in accordance with the allocation result.

13. 1. A program for controlling an aquaculture system comprising: one aquarium unit having an aquarium for cultivating aquatic products; two or more filtration units having filtration equipment for treating wastewater discharged from the aquarium unit; and two or more connection units connected to at least one of the aquarium unit and the filtration unit, wherein at least one of the aquarium unit and the connection unit has a first adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of treated water treated by the filtration unit and flowing into the aquarium unit; and at least one of the filtration unit and the connection unit has a second adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of wastewater flowing into the filtration unit, wherein the two or more connection units are connected, and the one aquarium unit and the two or more filtration units are connected to the two or more connection units, On the computer, acquiring aquarium interior information, which is information about the interior of the aquarium of one of the aquarium units; a step of allocating the processing capacity of the filtration equipment of two or more of the filtration units to one of the aquarium units using the acquired aquarium information of one of the aquarium units; and controlling one of the second adjustment mechanisms in accordance with the allocation result.

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