Fish farm feeding control method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fish farm feeding control method by which the feeding amount of feed is controlled on the basis of the change pattern of dissolved oxygen levels such that very low-cost installation is possible, high durability is provided, and application to various water quality environments and various types of fish is possible, and thus significant financial help can be provided to fish farmers who experience difficulties of rising feed costs and the like.

Description

Feeding control method in aquaculture farms

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm, and more particularly, to a method for controlling the amount of feed supplied during a feeding time period by predicting changes in the activity level of fish based on a change pattern in the dissolved oxygen content in a fish tank in a fish farm.

[0002] Recently, due to the negative impacts of climate change such as typhoons, red tides, high water temperatures, and large inflows of fresh water, as well as pollution of marine landscapes, there has been a shift from offshore cage aquaculture to land-based aquaculture, and related projects are being carried out to cultivate high-value, high-functionality fish species through large-scale land-based aquaculture.

[0003] Successful land-based aquaculture requires significant investment in facilities, and sustained profitability is crucial for business sustainability. This requires reducing feed waste and mortality, regulating the timing of shipment of high-quality fish, and maximizing profitability. Therefore, land-based aquaculture systems must be intelligent to achieve these goals, with interfaces that are easy for operators to understand and operate.

[0004] To reduce feed waste and mortality and control the timing of shipment of high-quality fish, optimal feed must be provided in an environment that promotes optimal fish growth. This optimal feed supply means providing the optimal amount at the optimal time, thereby accelerating fish growth and ensuring that no feed is wasted.

[0005] As an example of a recent study on a method for optimal feed supply using artificial intelligence to measure the movement of fish and convert this into feeding desires and feed when the feeding desires are active, Korean Patent No. 2570791 presents a technology for measuring the behavior of fish at specific times based on image data, extracting fish trajectory images, classifying the extracted fish trajectory images using a learning classifier to derive multiple stages of fish feeding desires, and then derive data on the amount of feed to be supplied to the tank by inputting the derived fish feeding desires and tank data measured from multiple sensors installed in the fish farm.

[0006] However, the above-mentioned prior art requires multiple cameras for underwater photography, leading to high installation costs and low durability of the filming system. Meanwhile, image-based systems have difficulty detecting fish such as shrimp that inhabit murky environments, and have difficulty detecting behaviors of small, schooling fish.

[0007] Meanwhile, Korean Patent Publication No. 2016-0141247 discloses a technology for determining the level of movement of flounders by analyzing acoustic signals according to the number of flounders when moving and jumping, utilizing the jumping habit of flounders according to feeding, and calculating the feeding amount through a feeding activity measurement value according to the level by designating the range, and Korean Patent Publication No. 2023-0100100 discloses a method for determining the location of a first fish-dense area in a tank using an acoustic detection device, a step of determining the location of a second fish-dense area using an image taken of the first fish-dense area, a step of calculating feed supply parameters based on the location of the second fish-dense area, and a method for controlling a feeder to supply feed based on the calculated feed supply parameters.

[0008] However, acoustic detection methods also have the disadvantages of high sensor system installation costs, low durability, and difficulty in detecting behavior even in small, schooling fish species.

[0009] Meanwhile, as an example of a feeding system using dissolved oxygen, Korean Patent No. 0923243 proposes a technology for establishing a standard aquaculture information database regarding data such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, type of fish, size of fish, and developmental stage of the aquaculture tank, and determining the type and amount of feed to be input based on this, and Korean Patent No. 2316269 proposes a technology for suppressing oxygen emissions because an environment in which it is difficult for fish to breathe may be created when the dissolved oxygen level in the aquaculture tank is higher than the standard.

[0010] In this way, most of the technologies that utilize dissolved oxygen in feeding systems only use dissolved oxygen as a criterion for judging water quality or as information for deciding whether to feed, and no technology has been presented for judging the feed intake of fish and controlling the feed supply amount based on the dissolved oxygen.

[0011] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method or system capable of controlling feed supply based on a dissolved oxygen content change pattern that is easy to measure and applicable to most fish species.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm is provided, comprising the steps of: measuring the dissolved oxygen content in a fish tank; calculating a pattern of change in the dissolved oxygen content during a feeding time period during a measurement period; predicting a change in the activity level of fish during a feeding time period based on the calculated pattern of change in the dissolved oxygen content; and controlling a feed amount during a feeding time period based on the result of the prediction of the change in the activity level of fish.

[0013] Here, it is desirable to correct the measured dissolved oxygen amount to the value at the reference temperature and then calculate the pattern of change in dissolved oxygen amount during the feeding time period for the corrected value.

[0014] And it is more preferable that the method further includes a step of measuring the current dissolved oxygen amount during the feeding time, a step of comparing the change pattern of the measured current dissolved oxygen amount with the change pattern of the dissolved oxygen amount calculated in advance, and a step of changing the feeding amount determined based on the comparison result.

[0015] Additionally, the method may further include a step of measuring the electrical conductivity of the aquaculture tank and a step of predicting the activity level of the fish based on the measured dissolved oxygen level and electrical conductivity.

[0016] In addition, if the temperature of the aquaculture tank is outside the normal activity temperature range of the fish species, it is possible to correct the predicted activity level of the fish based on the temperature and control the amount of feed supplied by reflecting the corrected value.

[0017] According to the present invention, by controlling the amount of feed supplied based on the change pattern of the dissolved oxygen content, it is possible to install at a very low cost, has high durability, and is applicable to various water quality environments and various fish, so it has the effect of providing great economic help to aquaculture businesses that are suffering from difficulties such as increasing feed prices.

[0018] Figure 1 illustrates the configuration of a feed control device for a fish farm according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 illustrates the detailed configuration of the feed control device.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 is a measurement graph showing the amount of dissolved oxygen measured during the measurement period.

[0022] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process for controlling the feeding amount in real time in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 7 is a measurement graph showing electrical conductivity measured during the measurement period.

[0025] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] The embodiments described in the present invention and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not express all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the rights of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments and drawings described in the text. That is, since the embodiments can be modified in various ways and can have various forms, the scope of the rights of the present invention should be understood to include equivalents that can realize the technical ideas. In addition, the purpose or effect presented in the present invention does not mean that a specific embodiment must include all of them or only such effects, and therefore the scope of the rights of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereby.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to be consistent with their meaning within the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted to have idealized or overly formal meanings not explicitly defined herein.

[0028]

[0029] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0030]

[0031] Fig. 1 illustrates the configuration of a feed control device in a fish farm according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 illustrates the detailed configuration of the feed control device.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, the feed control device for a fish farm according to the present invention is configured to include sensors (11 to 13) installed in a tank (10), a feed control device (20), and a feed supply device (30).

[0033] The sensor includes a temperature sensor (11) for measuring the water temperature inside the tank, a dissolved oxygen meter (12) for measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen inside the tank, and a conductivity sensor (13) for measuring the conductivity inside the tank.

[0034] The temperature sensor (11) is a typical temperature sensor, and various types of sensors that can measure the temperature of the water inside the tank can be used.

[0035] The dissolved oxygen meter (12) measures the concentration of dissolved oxygen, which is the amount of oxygen dissolved in water, and a sensor using a method such as the diaphragm oxygen electrode method, the Winkler-sodium azide method, or the optical dissolved oxygen measurement method can be used.

[0036] The conductivity sensor (13) is the degree to which a substance or solution can carry an electric charge, which is the reciprocal of resistivity, and its unit is Siemens (S, Siemnes) / m or 1 / Ωm. An electrode-type conductivity meter or an inductive conductivity sensor can be used as the conductivity sensor (13), and salinity can be measured through conductivity. Alternatively, it is also possible to indirectly measure electrical conductivity using a salinometer.

[0037] The feeding control device (20) controls the operation of the feed supply device (30) based on the measurement values ​​of the sensors, and as shown in Fig. 2, may be configured to include a measurement value calculation unit (21), a measurement value correction unit (22), a fish activity prediction unit (23), and a real-time feeding control unit (24).

[0038] The measurement value generating unit (21) performs the function of converting sensor signals input from a temperature sensor (11), a dissolved oxygen meter (12), and a conductivity sensor (13) into measurement values. In the present invention, the conductivity sensor (13) is optionally used, and basically, the dissolved oxygen amount measured using the dissolved oxygen meter (12) is used, and the temperature value measured by the temperature sensor (11) can be used to correct the dissolved oxygen amount or the fish activity amount calculation value.

[0039] The measurement correction unit (22) corrects the measured dissolved oxygen amount to a value at the reference temperature and then calculates the dissolved oxygen amount change pattern during the feeding time period based on the corrected value. The dissolved oxygen amount varies depending on the temperature.

[0040] Temperature and dissolved oxygen are inversely proportional. Therefore, it's possible to pre-store a graph of the relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen in a table and convert the measured dissolved oxygen to a value at a reference temperature.

[0041] The fish activity prediction unit (23) can predict and calculate fish activity by taking into account not only measured dissolved oxygen, or dissolved oxygen corrected to a reference temperature, or dissolved oxygen, but also electrical conductivity values. A specific method for this will be described in detail through the flow chart in Fig. 3 and below.

[0042] The real-time feeding control unit (24) controls the amount of feed supplied based on the value predicted by the fish activity prediction unit (23). It is desirable to provide a large amount of feed during feeding times when the predicted fish activity is high, and to reduce the amount of feed as the predicted activity decreases, thereby minimizing the amount of feed lost.

[0043]

[0044] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process of performing a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The first embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm using only the amount of dissolved oxygen in a tank.

[0045] Referring to Fig. 3, the measurement value generating unit (21) measures the dissolved oxygen amount inside the tank using a dissolved oxygen meter (12) for a certain period of time (S10) and analyzes the change pattern of the dissolved oxygen amount during the feeding time period (S20).

[0046] Figure 4 is a graph showing the dissolved oxygen content during the measurement period. Figure 4 shows the results of measuring the dissolved oxygen content inside the tank for four consecutive days. The red sections in Figure 4 indicate the feeding times, with feed provided daily at 6:00-7:00, 9:00-10:00, 1:00-4:00, and 5:00-6:00. Examining the graph, it can be seen that the dissolved oxygen content decreases during the feeding period and then increases again, suggesting that the activity of the fish due to feeding increases during the feeding period and then gradually decreases.

[0047] Therefore, changes in fish activity during feeding time are predicted based on the change pattern of dissolved oxygen content (S30).

[0048] Furthermore, the feed amount during the feeding period is controlled based on the predicted changes in fish activity (S40). For example, the average change pattern in fish activity and actual feed amount during the feeding period over several days can be analyzed to determine the feed amount for the next day's feeding period.

[0049] Next, FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process for controlling a feed amount in real time in the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a method for controlling a feed amount in real time by measuring the real-time internal dissolved oxygen amount or the change in dissolved oxygen amount inside the tank while supplying the feed amount for a feeding time zone determined based on the result of predicting changes in fish activity levels.

[0050] To this end, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the current tank is continuously measured while feeding feed during the feeding time based on the results of predicting changes in fish activity (S50).

[0051] As the measured dissolved oxygen amount is continuously accumulated, the hourly dissolved oxygen amount change pattern is calculated (S60).

[0052] The fish activity prediction unit (23) compares the measured current dissolved oxygen change pattern with the previously calculated dissolved oxygen change pattern (S70), and the real-time feeding control unit (24) determines that the fish activity is different from the predicted value if the difference between the patterns is outside the standard range, and controls the feed supply device (30) by changing the feeding amount based on the current dissolved oxygen change pattern.

[0053]

[0054] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a measurement graph showing electrical conductivity measured during a measurement period.

[0055] Fig. 6 is a method for predicting or determining the activity level of fish by using electrical conductivity values ​​in addition to dissolved oxygen content, unlike the first embodiment.

[0056] Dissolved oxygen is affected not only by fish activity but also by the amount of feed supplied. Therefore, depending on the situation, it may be ambiguous whether the change in dissolved oxygen during feeding time is primarily due to fish activity or feed supply. Looking at the electrical conductivity graph (blue graph) in Figure 7, it can be seen that electrical conductivity also shows a certain pattern during feeding time. However, many measurements have shown that electrical conductivity sometimes shows outliers or abnormal patterns compared to the dissolved oxygen graph. Therefore, using the measured value of dissolved oxygen as the primary judgment criterion and electrical conductivity as a supplementary judgment criterion has the advantage of allowing for more accurate prediction of fish activity.

[0057] Therefore, the electrical conductivity is measured together with the dissolved oxygen content inside the water zone (S100, S100-1), and the change pattern of the dissolved oxygen content during the feeding time and the change pattern of the electrical conductivity during the feeding time are calculated together (S200, S200-1).

[0058] The fish activity prediction unit (23) predicts changes in fish activity by simultaneously considering the change pattern of dissolved oxygen and the change pattern of electrical conductivity (S300), and the real-time feeding control unit (24) applies a control signal to the feed supply device (30) to control the amount of feed supplied during the feeding time based on the result of the fish activity change prediction (S400).

[0059] For example, if the dissolved oxygen content decreases rapidly and the electrical conductivity increases, it can be determined that fish are becoming more active for feeding, and if the dissolved oxygen content decreases rapidly but there is no change in the electrical conductivity, it can be determined that the dissolved oxygen content has increased due to the supply of a large amount of feed rather than fish activity, and the feed supply can be reduced to prevent unnecessary feed loss.

[0060]

[0061] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of performing a method for controlling feeding in a fish farm according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] In the third embodiment, first, the temperature inside the tank is measured together with the amount of dissolved oxygen inside the tank (S100, S100-1).

[0063] Next, the pattern of change in dissolved oxygen content during feeding time is calculated (S200).

[0064] Therefore, changes in fish activity during feeding time are predicted based on the change pattern of dissolved oxygen content (S300).

[0065] However, here, the fish activity prediction unit (23) determines whether the temperature inside the tank is within the normal activity temperature range of the corresponding fish species, and if it is within the normal activity temperature range, it proceeds to step S700 and the feed supply amount during the feeding time period is controlled based on the calculated change prediction result (S700).

[0066] If the temperature inside the tank is outside the normal activity temperature range of the fish species, the corrected fish activity amount is calculated based on the measured temperature (S600), and the feed amount during the feeding time is controlled based on the corrected fish activity amount (S700).

[0067] Here, the normal activity temperature range refers to the range in which the fluctuation range of the activity of the fish species during feeding is below the standard value.

[0068] Each fish species exhibits different water temperature ranges for increased activity. Beyond these temperature ranges, activity often decreases significantly, often accompanied by a corresponding decrease in wet activity. Therefore, it is advisable to adjust feed intake by weighting the decrease in activity of the species within the temperature range where activity decreases. Furthermore, if the temperature significantly deviates from the optimal range, a temperature control device should be activated.

[0069]

[0070] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments mentioned above, various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the appended claims shall encompass such modifications and variations as fall within the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. Step of measuring the dissolved oxygen level in the aquaculture tank; A step of calculating the change pattern of dissolved oxygen content in the feeding time zone during the measurement period; A step of predicting changes in fish activity during feeding time based on the above-described dissolved oxygen amount change pattern; and A method for controlling feeding in a fish farm, characterized by including a step of controlling the amount of feed supplied during a feeding time period based on the results of predicting changes in the activity level of the fish.

2. In paragraph 1, A method for controlling feeding in a fish farm, characterized in that the measured dissolved oxygen amount is corrected to a value at a reference temperature and then a pattern of change in dissolved oxygen amount during the feeding time period is calculated for the corrected value.

3. In paragraph 1, A step for measuring the current dissolved oxygen level during feeding time; A step of comparing the change pattern of the measured current dissolved oxygen amount with the change pattern of the previously calculated dissolved oxygen amount; and A method for controlling feeding in a fish farm, characterized in that it further includes a step of changing the feeding amount determined based on the results of the comparison.

4. In paragraph 1, Steps for measuring the electrical conductivity of the aquaculture tank, A method for controlling feeding in a fish farm, characterized in that it further includes a step of predicting the activity level of fish based on the measured dissolved oxygen amount and electrical conductivity.

5. In paragraph 1, A method for controlling feeding in a fish farm, characterized in that when the temperature of a fish tank in a fish farm exceeds the normal activity temperature range of the corresponding fish species, the activity amount prediction value of the fish is corrected based on the temperature, and the feed amount is controlled to reflect the corrected value.

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