Feeding system, feeding method, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique of controlling a feeding amount to each individual.SOLUTION: A feeding system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first determination part configured to determine necessity of eating of an individual on the basis of a feeding request to the individual to be fed; and a control part configured to control supply start and supply stop of a feed when eating by the individual is determined to be necessary.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a feeding system, a feeding method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Pork carcasses are graded based on criteria such as weight, appearance, meat quality, fat color, etc. (Non-Patent Document 1). For example, to be graded as "excellent," the weight of a half carcass must be between 35 kg and 39 kg after skinning and between 38 kg and 42 kg after boiling.

[0003] Because the trading price of pork carcasses varies depending on the grading grade of the pig, livestock farmers need to properly manage the weight of their pigs in order to increase their economic value and ensure that the weights of pigs shipped at the same time are as uniform as possible. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Overview of pork carcass trading standards, Internet<URL:http: / / www.jmga.or.jp / assets / commons / doc / pamphlet_pork.pdf> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, livestock farmers raise hundreds to thousands of pigs, and it is difficult to manage the weight of each individual pig and ensure that all pigs shipped at the same time have a uniform weight. Meanwhile, a pig's weight is correlated with the amount of feed it receives; generally, a larger amount of feed leads to increased weight gain, while a smaller amount of feed inhibits weight gain. Therefore, by providing each individual with an appropriate and uniform amount of feed, it is thought possible to ensure that each individual's weight is appropriate and close to uniform.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a technique for controlling the amount of feed given to each individual. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A feeding system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first judgment unit configured to judge whether an individual to be fed needs to eat based on the feeding request of the individual, and a control unit configured to control the start and stop of feed supply when it is determined that the individual needs to eat. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] Techniques are provided to control the amount of food given to each individual. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a feeding system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the feeding management device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio wave intensity range table. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a feeding presence / absence table. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an opening / closing / standby time table. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a feeding control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of a feeding process according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the following embodiment, a feeding system 1 capable of controlling the amount of feed fed to each individual pig will be described, focusing on pigs, which are an example of livestock animals. The feeding system 1 according to this embodiment can, for example, provide an appropriate and uniform amount of feed to each individual pig, thereby making it possible to make the weight of each individual pig appropriate and close to uniform. Here, an appropriate weight refers to the weight at which a pig has the highest economic value, for example, the weight required for a carcass to be graded "prime."

[0011] Therefore, by using the feeding system 1 according to this embodiment, it is possible to increase the economic value of pigs. In addition, because the weight of each individual pig shipped at the same time is uniform, it is possible to reduce the selection work at the time of shipping, and it is also possible to reduce the workload of livestock farmers at the time of shipping.

[0012] However, targeting pigs is just one example, and the embodiment described below can be targeted to various animals that require weight management for each individual.

[0013] <Example of overall configuration of feeding system 1> An example of the overall configuration of a feeding system 1 according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the feeding system 1 according to this embodiment includes a feeding management device 10, one or more feeding control devices 20, one or more tags 30, one or more feed tanks 40, and one or more feed boxes 50. Here, the feeding management device 10 and each feeding control device 20 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a communication network N, which may include, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. Furthermore, each feeding control device 20, each feed tank 40, and each feed box 50 are installed in a pigpen T where pigs P, each equipped with a tag 30, are fattened.

[0014] The feeding management device 10 is a server or a group of servers that manages whether or not to feed the pig P and the amount of feed to be fed. When the feeding management device 10 receives a feeding request including a pig ID, which is identification information for identifying the pig P, from the feeding control device 20, the feeding management device 10 determines whether or not to feed the pig P, and if it determines that feeding is necessary, sends a control instruction to the feeding control device 20 to feed the pig P a certain predetermined amount of feed.

[0015] The feeding control device 20 is a device that receives pig IDs from tags 30 via RFID (radio frequency identification), transmits feeding requests including the pig IDs to the feeding management device 10, and controls the opening and closing of the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 in accordance with control instructions received from the feeding management device 10. Here, the feeding control device 20 is installed above the opening 51 of the feed box 50, and is equipped with a directional antenna for receiving radio waves near the opening 51. This directional antenna enables the feeding control device 20 to receive the pig ID from the tag 30 attached to a pig P that approaches the opening 51 of the feed box 50 (in other words, the feeding control device 20 also functions as an RF receiver or RF reader that receives RFID radio waves (electromagnetic waves) near the opening 51).

[0016] The tag 30 is an RF tag that is attached to the pig P (for example, attached to the ear of the pig P). The tag 30 holds the pig ID of the pig P to which the tag 30 is attached, and transmits the pig ID to the feeding control device 20. One tag 30 is attached to one pig P.

[0017] The feed tank 40 is a facility such as a tank that can supply feed to the feed box 50, and is installed above the feed box 50. The feed tank 40 is equipped with an opening / closing part 41, and the supply and stop of feed stored in the feed tank 40 can be realized by opening and closing the opening / closing part 41. In other words, by opening the opening / closing part 41, the feed stored in the feed tank 40 is supplied from the opening / closing part 41 through the opening 52 into the feed box 50. On the other hand, by closing the opening / closing part 41, the supply is stopped. The feed tank 40 may also be called a "feed pool" or the like.

[0018] The feed box 50 is a box into which feed is supplied from the feed tank 40. The feed box 50 has an opening 51 through which the pig P eats the feed (feed) in the feed box 50, and an opening 52 through which the feed tank 40 supplies the feed. When the pig P eats the feed in the feed box 50, the pig P eats the feed supplied into the feed box 50 through the opening 51.

[0019] It is assumed that one feeding control device 20 and one feed tank 40 are installed in correspondence with one feed box 50, but this is just an example and is not limited to this. For example, if one feeding control device 20 has N (N is an integer of 2 or more) directional antennas and each directional antenna receives radio waves near the openings 51 of the N feed boxes 50, one feeding control device 20 may be installed for the N feed boxes 50, and the N feed boxes 50 may be associated with the N directional antennas, respectively. Furthermore, if one feed tank 40 has N opening / closing units 41 and the supply and stop of feed can be realized with each opening / closing unit 41 for the N feed boxes 50, one feed tank 40 may be installed for the N feed boxes 50, and the N feed boxes 50 may be associated with the N opening / closing units 41, respectively.

[0020] The overall configuration of the feeding system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is an example and is not limited to this. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 1, the feeding management device 10 and the feeding control device 20 may be configured integrally, or the feeding management device 10, the feeding control device 20, and the feed tank 40 may be configured integrally, or the feeding management device 10, the feeding control device 20, the feed tank 40, and the feed box 50 may be configured integrally.

[0021] <Example of functional configuration of feeding management device 10> FIG. 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of the feeding management device 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding management device 10 according to this embodiment includes a feeding request receiving unit 101, a radio wave intensity determining unit 102, a feeding presence / absence determining unit 103, a time acquiring unit 104, a control instruction unit 105, an update request receiving unit 106, and an update unit 107. Each of these units is realized, for example, by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing one or more programs installed in the feeding management device 10. The feeding management device 10 according to this embodiment also includes a radio wave intensity range storage unit 108, a feeding presence / absence storage unit 109, and an open / close / standby time storage unit 110. Each of these storage units is realized, for example, by an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory. However, at least some of these storage units may be realized by a storage device such as a database server connected to the feeding management device 10 via the communication network N so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0022] The feeding request receiving unit 101 receives a feeding request transmitted from the feeding control device 20. Here, the feeding request includes a device ID, which is identification information for identifying the feeding control device 20 that transmitted the feeding request, a pig ID, and the radio wave intensity (radio wave reception intensity) when the feeding control device 20 received the pig ID from the tag 30.

[0023] The radio wave intensity determination unit 102 refers to a radio wave intensity range table 1100 stored in the radio wave intensity range storage unit 108 to determine whether the radio wave intensity included in the feeding request received by the feeding request receiving unit 101 is within a predetermined range. Here, the radio wave intensity range table 1100 is table-format data that stores, for each device ID, the minimum and maximum values ​​of radio wave intensity when the pig P is present near the opening 51 of the feed box 50 corresponding to the feeding control device 20 of that device ID. The radio wave intensity range table 1100 will be described in detail later.

[0024] When the radio wave intensity determination unit 102 determines that the radio wave intensity included in the feeding request is within a predetermined range, the feeding presence / absence determination unit 103 refers to the feeding presence / absence table 1200 stored in the feeding presence / absence memory unit 109 to determine whether the pig P with the pig ID included in the feeding request has already eaten feed in the current time period. Here, the feeding presence / absence table 1200 is data in a table format that stores, for each pig ID, whether the pig P with that pig ID has eaten feed in each time period in which feed needs to be fed. The feeding presence / absence table 1200 will be described in detail below.

[0025] Here, when the radio wave intensity determination unit 102 determines that the radio wave intensity included in the feeding request is within a predetermined range, and when the feeding presence / absence determination unit 103 does not determine that the pig P with the pig ID included in the feeding request has already eaten feed in the current time period, this corresponds to a case where it is determined that the pig P needs to be fed. On the other hand, all other cases correspond to a case where it is not determined that the pig P needs to be fed.

[0026] If the feeding presence / absence determination unit 103 does not determine that the pig P with the pig ID included in the feeding request has already eaten feed during the current time period, the time acquisition unit 104 acquires the opening / closing time and standby time corresponding to the device ID included in the feeding request from the opening / closing / standby time table 1300 stored in the opening / closing / standby time storage unit 110. Here, the opening / closing / standby time table 1300 is data in a table format that stores, for each device ID, the opening / closing time indicating the time from when the opening / closing unit 41 of the feed tank 40 is opened to when it is closed, and the standby time indicating the time from when the opening / closing unit 41 is opened to when the next feeding request can be sent. Details of the opening / closing / standby time table 1300 will be described later.

[0027] The control instruction unit 105 generates a control instruction including the opening / closing time and the waiting time acquired by the time acquisition unit 104 , and transmits this control instruction to the feeding control device 20 .

[0028] The update request receiving unit 106 receives an update request transmitted from the feeding control device 20. Here, the update request is a request to update the feeding status stored in the feeding status table 1200, and includes the pig ID to be updated.

[0029] The update unit 107 updates the feeding status for the current time period of the pig ID included in the update request received by the update request receiving unit 106, among the feeding status stored in the feeding status table 1200.

[0030] The signal strength range storage unit 108 stores a signal strength range table 1100 .

[0031] The eating / non-eating storage unit 109 stores an eating / non-eating table 1200 .

[0032] The opening / closing / standby time storage unit 110 stores an opening / closing / standby time table 1300 .

[0033] <Radio wave strength range table 1100> An example of the radio wave strength range table is shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the radio wave strength range table 1100 stores the minimum radio wave strength value and the maximum radio wave strength value for each device ID.

[0034] For example, the first record of the radio wave intensity range table 1100 shown in Fig. 3 stores (device ID, minimum radio wave intensity, maximum radio wave intensity) = (R01, m1, M1). This means that if the radio wave intensity when a feeding control device 20 with device ID "R01" receives a pig ID from a certain tag 30 is within the range of m1 or more and M1 or less, a pig P with that pig ID is present near the opening 51 of a feed box 50 corresponding to that feeding control device 20.

[0035] Similarly, for example, the second record of the radio wave intensity range table 1100 shown in Fig. 3 stores (device ID, minimum radio wave intensity, maximum radio wave intensity) = (R02, m2, M2). This means that if the radio wave intensity when a feeding control device 20 with device ID "R02" receives a pig ID from a certain tag 30 is within the range of m2 or more and M2 or less, then a pig P with that pig ID is present near the opening 51 of a feed box 50 corresponding to that feeding control device 20.

[0036] Similarly, for example, the third record in the radio wave intensity range table 1100 shown in Fig. 3 stores (device ID, minimum radio wave intensity, maximum radio wave intensity) = (R03, m3, M3). This means that if the radio wave intensity when a feeding control device 20 with device ID "R03" receives a pig ID from a certain tag 30 is within the range of m3 or more and M3 or less, then a pig P with that pig ID is present near the opening 51 of a feed box 50 corresponding to that feeding control device 20.

[0037] In this way, the radio wave intensity range table 1100 stores, for each device ID, the minimum and maximum radio wave intensity values ​​when the pig P is near the opening 51 of the feed box 50 corresponding to the feeding control device 20 with that device ID. This makes it possible to determine whether the pig P has approached the opening 51 of the feed box 50.

[0038] <Eating Presence Table 1200> An example of the feeding presence / absence table 1200 is shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the feeding presence / absence table 1200 stores, for each pig ID, whether or not the pig P with that pig ID has eaten during each time period when it is necessary to feed the pig P.

[0039] For example, the first record in the feeding presence / absence table 1200 shown in FIG. 4 stores (pig ID, (time period, feeding presence / absence)) = (001, ((6:00-8:00, no), (11:00-13:00, no), (16:00-18:00, no)). This means that the time periods in which pig P with pig ID "001" needs to be fed are "6:00-8:00," "11:00-13:00," and "16:00-18:00," and that pig P has not yet eaten any feed in any of these time periods.

[0040] Similarly, the second record in the feeding presence / absence table 1200 shown in Figure 4 stores (pig ID, (time period, feeding presence / absence)) = (002, ((6:00-8:00, no), (11:00-13:00, no), (16:00-18:00, no)). This means that the time periods in which pig P with pig ID "002" needs to be fed are "6:00-8:00," "11:00-13:00," and "16:00-18:00," and that pig P has not yet eaten any feed in any of these time periods.

[0041] In this way, the feeding presence / absence table 1200 stores, for each pig ID, whether or not the pig P associated with that pig ID has eaten during each time period in which it is necessary to feed the pig P. The time period in which feeding is necessary may differ depending on the pig ID. This is because the time period and frequency at which pigs are fed may differ depending on the type and growth rate of the pig P. For example, there may be cases where a certain type of pig P needs to be fed three times a day, while another type of pig P needs to be fed four times a day. Similarly, there may be cases where, depending on the growth rate of the pig P, it needs to be fed three times a day at one time, while it needs to be fed four times a day at another time.

[0042] <Opening / Closing / Waiting Time Table 1300> An example of the open / close / standby time table 1300 is shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the open / close / standby time table 1300 stores, for each device ID, an open / close time that indicates the time from when the feeding control device 20 of that device ID opens the open / close section 41 of the feed tank 40 to when it closes it, and a standby time that indicates the time from when the open / close section 41 is opened until when the next feeding request can be sent.

[0043] For example, the first record of the opening / closing time table 1300 shown in FIG. 5 contains (device ID, opening / closing time, waiting time)=(R01, T 11 ,T 12 ) is stored. This means that the opening and closing time from when the feeding control device 20 with the device ID "R01" opens the opening and closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 to when it closes it is T 11 The waiting time from when the opening / closing section 41 is opened until when the next feeding request can be sent is T 12 This means that...

[0044] Similarly, for example, the second record of the opening / closing time table 1300 shown in FIG. 5 contains (device ID, opening / closing time, waiting time)=(R02, T 21 ,T 22 ) is stored. This means that the opening / closing time from when the feeding control device 20 with the device ID "R02" opens the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 to when it closes it is T 21 The waiting time from when the opening / closing section 41 is opened until when the next feeding request can be sent is T 22 This means that...

[0045] Similarly, for example, the third record in the opening / closing time and standby time table 1300 shown in FIG. 5 contains (device ID, opening / closing time, standby time)=(R02, T 31 ,T 32 ) is stored. This means that the opening and closing time from when the feeding control device 20 with the device ID "R03" opens the opening and closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 to when it closes it is T 31 The waiting time from when the opening / closing section 41 is opened until when the next feeding request can be sent is T 32 This means that...

[0046] In this way, the opening / closing / standby time table 1300 stores, for each device ID, the opening / closing time from when the feeding control device 20 of that device ID opens the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 until it closes it, and the standby time from when the opening / closing part 41 is opened until the next feeding request can be sent. Here, since the amount of feed per unit time when the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 is generally constant, it is possible to appropriately adjust the amount of feed for each pig P by appropriately setting the opening / closing time.

[0047] The reason for providing the waiting time is to prevent the pig P eating the fed feed (feed) or the pig P that has finished eating from being erroneously determined to be approaching the opening 51 of the feed box 50 by opening and closing the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40. The waiting time is set, for example, taking into consideration the average time from when the pig P starts eating the feed (feed) to when it finishes eating and leaves the feed box 50. However, the waiting time is greater than the opening / closing time.

[0048] <Example of functional configuration of feeding control device 20> An example of the functional configuration of the feeding control device 20 according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6, the feeding control device 20 according to this embodiment includes a pig ID receiving unit 201, a feeding request unit 202, a control instruction receiving unit 203, an opening / closing control unit 204, and an update request unit 205. Each of these units is realized, for example, by a processor such as a CPU executing one or more programs installed in the feeding control device 20.

[0049] The pig ID receiving unit 201 receives the pig ID transmitted from the tag 30 and measures the radio wave intensity when the pig ID is received.

[0050] The feeding request unit 202 generates a feeding request including its own device ID, the pig ID received by the pig ID receiving unit 201, and the radio wave intensity when this pig ID was received, and transmits this feeding request to the feeding management device 10. However, after the opening / closing unit 41 of the feed tank 40 is opened by the opening / closing control unit 204, the feeding request unit 202 does not generate a feeding request including this pig ID during the waiting time included in the control instruction received by the control instruction receiving unit 203, even if the pig ID is received by the pig ID receiving unit 201.

[0051] The control instruction receiving unit 203 receives a control instruction transmitted from the feeding management device 10. The control instruction includes an opening / closing time and a waiting time.

[0052] The opening / closing control unit 204 controls the opening / closing of the opening / closing unit 41 of the feed tank 40 corresponding to itself in accordance with the opening / closing time included in the control instruction received by the control instruction receiving unit 203. That is, after opening the opening / closing unit 41, the opening / closing control unit 204 closes the opening / closing unit 41 after the opening / closing time has elapsed.

[0053] After the opening / closing unit 41 is closed by the opening / closing control unit 204, the update request unit 205 generates an update request including the pig ID, and transmits this update request to the feeding management device 10.

[0054] <Feeding process flow> The flow of the feeding process according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 7. In the following, it is assumed that after the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 is opened by the opening / closing control part 204 of the feeding control device 20, at least a time equal to or longer than the waiting time corresponding to the device ID of the feeding control device 20 has elapsed.

[0055] The pig ID receiving unit 201 of the feeding control device 20 receives the pig ID transmitted from the tag 30 (step S101). At this time, the pig ID receiving unit 201 also measures the radio wave intensity when the pig ID is received.

[0056] Next, the feeding request unit 202 of the feeding control device 20 acquires the radio wave intensity measured when the pig ID was received in the above step S101 (step S102).

[0057] Next, the feeding request unit 202 of the feeding control device 20 generates a feeding request including the device ID of the feeding control device 20, the pig ID received in the above step S101, and the radio wave intensity acquired in the above step S102, and transmits this feeding request to the feeding management device 10 (step S103).

[0058] The feeding request receiving unit 101 of the feeding management device 10 receives the feeding request transmitted in the above step S103 (step S104).

[0059] Next, the radio wave intensity determination unit 102 of the feeding management device 10 refers to the radio wave intensity range table 1100 stored in the radio wave intensity range storage unit 108 to determine whether the radio wave intensity included in the feeding request received in step S104 is within a predetermined range (step S105). That is, the radio wave intensity determination unit 102 obtains the minimum radio wave intensity value and maximum radio wave intensity value corresponding to the device ID included in the feeding request from the radio wave intensity range table 1100, and determines whether the radio wave intensity included in the feeding request is equal to or greater than the minimum radio wave intensity value and equal to or less than the maximum radio wave intensity value.

[0060] If it is determined in step S105 above that the radio wave intensity included in the feeding request is equal to or greater than the minimum radio wave intensity value and equal to or less than the maximum radio wave intensity value, the following step S106 is executed. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the radio wave intensity included in the feeding request is equal to or greater than the minimum radio wave intensity value and equal to or less than the maximum radio wave intensity value, the following step S106 is not executed.

[0061] The feeding management device 10's feeding presence / absence determination unit 103 references the feeding presence / absence table 1200 stored in the feeding presence / absence memory unit 109 to determine whether the pig P with the pig ID included in the feeding request has already eaten feed during the current time period (step S106). That is, the feeding presence / absence determination unit 103 determines whether, among the feeding presence / absence stored in the feeding presence / absence table 1200, there is a feeding presence / absence that corresponds to the pig ID included in the feeding request and the time period that includes the current time, and whether the feeding presence / absence is "no."

[0062] If in step S106 above, there is a feeding status corresponding to the pig ID included in the feeding request and the time period including the current time, and it is determined that the feeding status is "no," then step S107 below is executed. On the other hand, if there is a feeding status corresponding to the pig ID included in the feeding request and the time period including the current time, and it is not determined that the feeding status is "no," then step S107 below is not executed.

[0063] The time acquisition unit 104 of the feeding management device 10 acquires the opening / closing time and standby time corresponding to the device ID included in the feeding request from the opening / closing / standby time table 1300 (step S107).

[0064] Next, the control instruction unit 105 of the feeding management device 10 generates a control instruction including the opening / closing time and waiting time acquired in the above step S107, and transmits this control instruction to the feeding control device 20 that sent the feeding request (step S108).

[0065] The control instruction receiving unit 203 of the feeding control device 20 receives the control instruction transmitted in step S108 above (step S109).

[0066] Next, the opening / closing control section 204 of the feeding control device 20 transmits an open command to the opening / closing section 41 of the feed tank 40 corresponding to the feeding control device 20 (step S110). As a result, the opening / closing section 41 of the feed tank 40 opens, and the feed (feed) stored in the feed tank 40 is supplied from the opening / closing section 41 into the feed box 50.

[0067] After the opening / closing time included in the control instruction received in step S109, the opening / closing control section 204 of the feeding control device 20 transmits a closing instruction to the opening / closing section 41 of the feed tank 40 (step S111). This closes the opening / closing section 41 of the feed tank 40, and the supply of feed (feed) is stopped. Generally, the amount of feed supplied into the feed box 50 per unit time when the opening / closing section 41 of the feed tank 40 is opened is constant. Therefore, for example, if the amount of feed supplied per unit time is a and the opening / closing time is T i1 Then, the amount of feed to pig P with pig ID included in the feeding request is a×T i1 This becomes:

[0068] Next, the update request unit 205 of the feeding control device 20 generates an update request including the pig ID included in the feeding request, and transmits this update request to the feeding management device 10 (step S112).

[0069] The update request receiving unit 106 of the feeding management apparatus 10 receives the update request sent in the above step S112 (step S113).

[0070] The update unit 107 of the feeding management device 10 then updates the feeding status for the current time slot of the pig ID included in the update request received in step S113 above, among the feeding status stored in the feeding status table 1200 (step S114). That is, the update unit 107 updates the feeding status stored in the feeding status table 1200 that corresponds to the pig ID included in the update request received in step S113 above and the time slot that includes the current time, to "yes." This manages that the pig P with that pig ID has completed eating in the current time slot.

[0071] Here, after the open instruction is transmitted in step S110, until the waiting time included in the control instruction has elapsed, even if the pig ID is received by the pig ID receiving unit 201, the feeding request unit 202 does not generate a feeding request including this pig ID. This prevents a situation in which the opening and closing unit 41 of the feed tank 40 is opened and closed, resulting in an erroneous determination that the pig P eating the fed feed (feed) or the pig P that has finished eating has approached the opening 51 of the feed box 50. However, control to prevent this erroneous determination is not essential and may be unnecessary. In this case, the waiting time may not be acquired in step S107.

[0072] <Modification> Modifications of the above-described embodiment will now be described.

[0073] Variation 1 In the above embodiment, the pigs P that eat from the same feed box 50 are fed the same amount of feed, but the amount of feed may be varied depending on the pigs P.

[0074] For example, the amount of feed may be adjusted by varying the opening / closing time of the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 depending on the weight of the pig P approaching the opening 51 of the feed box 50. Specifically, if the weight of the pig P is heavier than a certain predetermined standard, the opening / closing time may be set to -α (where α is a predetermined constant) to reduce the amount of feed, and if the weight of the pig P is lighter than the standard, the opening / closing time may be set to +α to increase the amount of feed. In this case, the weight of the pig P may be measured, for example, by a scale installed in front of the opening 51 of the feed box 50, or by some other method.

[0075] Alternatively, for example, the amount of feed may be adjusted by varying the opening / closing time of the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 depending on the thickness of the neck of the pig P approaching the opening 51 of the feed box 50. Specifically, if the thickness of the neck of the pig P is thicker than a predetermined standard, the opening / closing time may be reduced by -α to decrease the amount of feed, and if the thickness of the neck of the pig P is thinner than the standard, the opening / closing time may be increased by +α to increase the amount of feed. This is because the thickness of the neck of the pig P is thought to be correlated with its body weight. In this case, the thickness of the neck of the pig P may be measured, for example, by a sensor installed at the opening 51 of the feed box 50, or by some other method.

[0076] Variation 2 In the above-described first modification, the amount of feed is varied depending on the weight and neck thickness of the pig P. However, for example, the amount of feed may also be varied depending on the past feed amounts of the pig P. For example, the amount of feed may be adjusted by varying the opening and closing time of the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 depending on the weight trend (or neck thickness trend) of the pig P and the past feed amounts. Specifically, for example, if the weight trend (or neck thickness trend) of the pig P is increasing compared to a certain predetermined standard, the amount of feed may be further reduced from the past feed amount, and if the weight trend (or neck thickness trend) of the pig P is decreasing compared to the standard, the amount of feed may be further increased from the past feed amount.

[0077] Variation 3 In the above embodiment, one pig P takes feed from the feed box 50, but multiple pigs P may take feed from the feed box 50. For example, if M pig IDs are received in step S101 of FIG. 7, a feeding request including these M pig IDs may be sent to the feeding management device 10, and a determination may be made as to whether or not feeding is required for each of these M pig IDs. In this case, if it is determined that feeding is required for the pigs P of all pig IDs, the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 may be left open for M × opening / closing time. This makes it possible to supply feed (feed) for M pigs from the feed tank 40 to the feed box 50.

[0078] Variation 4 In the above embodiment, whether or not each pig P eats during each time period is managed, so that, for example, if the number of times that the pig eats in one day or over a certain number of days is less than a certain standard value, an alert may be sent to a terminal used by the user, etc.

[0079] Variation 5 In the above embodiment, the update request was sent after the opening / closing part 41 of the feed tank 40 was closed (step S112 in FIG. 7), but for example, the update request may be sent if the radio wave intensity with the tag 30 attached to the pig P of the pig ID exceeds the threshold for a predetermined time (but less than the opening / closing time) after the opening / closing part 41 is opened. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which the feeding status for the current time period is updated to "feeding" even though the feed (feed) supplied from the feed tank 40 to the feed box 50 has not actually been eaten.

[0080] <Summary> As described above, the feeding system 1 according to this embodiment can control the number of feedings and the amount of feed per feeding session for each individual pig P based on whether the pig P feeds during each time period and the opening and closing times. Therefore, the feeding system 1 according to this embodiment can adjust the amount of feed given to each individual (for example, uniformly or according to the growth rate of each individual), making it possible to make the weight (growth rate) of each individual closer to uniform. As a result, it becomes possible to bring the weight of each pig P closer to an appropriate weight, thereby increasing the economic value of the pig P. In addition, it is also possible to reduce the workload on livestock farmers associated with managing the weight of each individual.

[0081] The present invention is not limited to the above-described specifically disclosed embodiments, and various modifications, changes, and combinations with known technologies are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1. Feeding System 10. Feeding management device 20 Feeding control equipment 30 Tags 40 Feed Tank 41 Opening and closing section 50 Feeder 51 Opening 52 Opening 101 Feeding request receiving unit 102 Radio field strength determination section 103 Feeding presence determination section 104 Time Acquisition Department 105 Control instruction section 106 Update request receiver 107 Update Department 108 Radio wave strength range memory unit 109 Feeding presence / absence memory unit 110 Opening / closing / standby time memory unit 201 Pig ID receiver 202 Feeding request section 203 Control instruction receiving unit 204 Opening and closing control section 205 Update request section 1100 Signal Strength Range Table 1200 Feeding Table 1300 Opening / Closing / Waiting Time Table N Communication Network P pig T Pigpen

Claims

1. a first determination unit configured to determine whether the individual has already eaten food in a current time period based on individual identification information that identifies the individual to be fed; a control unit configured to control the start and stop of feed supply when it is not determined that the individual has already eaten the feed in the current time period; A feeding system having:

2. A second determination unit configured to determine whether or not the reception strength of radio waves received from a wireless communication device attached to the individual is within a predetermined range, The first determination unit The feeding system of claim 1 , configured to determine whether the individual has already eaten food in the current time period if the reception strength is determined to be within the range.

3. a first determination step of determining whether the individual has already eaten food in the current time period based on individual identification information that identifies the individual to be fed; a control procedure for controlling the start and stop of feed supply when it is determined that the individual has not already eaten the feed in the current time period; The computer executes the feeding method.

4. a first determination step of determining whether the individual has already eaten food in the current time period based on individual identification information that identifies the individual to be fed; a control procedure for controlling the start and stop of feed supply when it is determined that the individual has not already eaten the feed in the current time period; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

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