Monitoring system for poultry house

Abstract

Provided is a monitoring system for a poultry house that uses, for raising poultry, a cage row layer (90L) obtained by stacking, in a plurality of stages, cage rows (90R) composed of a plurality of cages arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, the monitoring system comprising: a camera (30) for imaging the cages; a compressed air supply device comprising an air compressor that compresses air suctioned through a filter attached to an intake port; and a nozzle (40) that jets the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply device toward a lens (31) of the camera (30).

Description

Chicken Coop Monitoring System

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system for a chicken coop in which chickens are raised in cages.

[0002] In large-scale chicken coops, a large number of chickens are raised using cage row layers. A cage row layer is a structure in which cage rows are stacked in multiple tiers. A cage row consists of a large number of cages arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. In such a chicken coop, feeding, watering, egg collection, manure removal, etc. are mechanized, and a small number of workers raise a large number of chickens.

[0003] On the other hand, when workers try to check the situation of the chickens by making rounds, the number of cages is very large, so the labor burden on the workers is great and it takes time. In response to such problems, it has been proposed to grasp the situation inside the cages by using the images of cameras installed in the chicken coop (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). In the invention of Patent Document 1, a plurality of monitoring cameras are installed in the chicken coop, the inside of the cages is photographed, and the images are projected onto a monitor TV in the management building. In the invention of Patent Document 2, a camera is attached to a device that moves inside the chicken coop, and the life and death of the chickens are determined based on the images of the inside of the cages photographed by the camera.

[0004] However, the air in the chicken coop contains a lot of dust, such as fine chicken feathers and feed that has risen when feeding the feed from the feeding device to the trough. Therefore, there is a problem that the quality of the images captured by the camera deteriorates due to the dust in the air adhering to the lens of the camera. Such a deterioration in image quality may hinder the grasping of the situation inside the cages, and improvement has been desired.

[0005] Japanese Patent Publication No. 07-085696, International Publication No. 2023 / 195063

[0006] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system for a chicken coop that can suppress a deterioration in the quality of images captured by a camera.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the chicken coop monitoring system according to the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as the "monitoring system") is a monitoring system for a chicken coop in which chickens are raised using cage row layers in which cage rows consisting of a plurality of cages arranged in a horizontal direction are stacked in multiple stages, comprising a camera for photographing the cages, a compressed air supply device equipped with an air compressor that compresses the air sucked in through a filter attached to an air intake, and a nozzle that ejects the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply device toward the lens of the camera.

[0008] In this configuration, an air compressor compresses air (compressed air) and ejects it from a nozzle towards the camera lens. This forceful ejection of air effectively removes dust adhering to the lens. As a result, the quality of images captured by the camera is prevented from being degraded due to dust on the lens.

[0009] Furthermore, in this configuration, a filter is attached to the air intake of the air compressor. If the air compressor were to draw in the air from inside the chicken coop without passing it through a filter, the dust contained in the air would be blown onto the lens, potentially causing new dust to adhere to the lens. In contrast, with this configuration, clean air from which dust has been removed by the filter is compressed and blown towards the lens. Therefore, the lens can be thoroughly cleaned by the clean air.

[0010] In addition to the above configuration, the monitoring system according to the present invention may also be configured such that "an air inlet is provided in a first wall of the chicken house located on one side in the direction in which the cage row extends, and an exhaust port is provided in a second wall of the chicken house located on the other side in the direction in which the cage row extends, and the air compressor is installed inside the chicken house between the first wall and the cage row layer."

[0011] In a chicken coop with an air inlet in the first wall and an exhaust vent in the second wall, an airflow occurs from the inlet to the exhaust vent. Because many chickens are kept between the inlet and exhaust vents, chicken feathers and feed are stirred up, resulting in more dust in the air further downstream in the airflow.

[0012] In this type of chicken coop, the air compressor is installed between the first wall and the cage row layer. The area between the first wall and the cage row layer is located upstream in the airflow, and therefore contains less dust than the downstream area. Because the air compressor is installed in this low-dust area, it draws in less dusty air and, by passing it through a filter, produces cleaner compressed air. This makes it possible to more effectively suppress the degradation of image quality captured by the camera due to dust adhering to the lens.

[0013] In addition to the above configuration, the monitoring system according to the present invention may further include a moving device that reciprocates along the cage row layer in the direction in which the cage row extends, a plurality of cameras are attached to the moving device according to the height of each of the multiple rows of cage row, and a plurality of nozzles are attached to the end of each of the multiple rows of cage row on the first wall side within the movement range of the moving device.

[0014] In this configuration, a moving device is provided that reciprocates in the direction in which the cage rows extend, and multiple cameras are attached to this moving device. If there were no moving device, in order to photograph all the cages, it would be necessary to install at least one camera for each cage, and accordingly, the same number of nozzles would need to be installed as there are cameras. In that case, in addition to requiring a large number of cameras and nozzles, a large number of long air pipes would also be required to extend from the air compressor to the nozzles.

[0015] In contrast, in this configuration, multiple cameras are mounted on the mobile device, corresponding to the height of each of the multiple rows of cages. Furthermore, the nozzles are not moved with the mobile device, but are mounted on the first wall end within the mobile device's range of motion. The height of the nozzles is set to match the height at which each of the multiple cameras is installed on the mobile device. Therefore, in this configuration, all cages can be photographed with a small number of cameras as the mobile device moves. In addition, fewer nozzles are needed, and the air piping from the air compressor to each nozzle can be shortened.

[0016] In addition to the above configuration, the monitoring system according to the present invention may further include: "an air tank that receives air from the air compressor; a main supply path connected to the discharge port of the air tank; a plurality of branch supply paths that branch off from the main supply path and extend to one or more nozzles; solenoid valves provided in each of the branch supply paths on a line directly connected to the branching point with the main supply path; and a solenoid valve control device that controls the opening and closing of the plurality of solenoid valves, wherein the solenoid valve control device controls the plurality of solenoid valves to open at two or more different timings."

[0017] In this configuration, the multiple branch supply lines of the compressed air supply device each branch off from the main supply line and extend to one or more nozzles. The branch supply lines may further branch off from the main supply line once more, extending to multiple nozzles, or they may extend to a single nozzle without further branching. In any case, since a nozzle is connected to the end of each branch supply line, if compressed air were to be ejected from all of the nozzles at the same time, the pressure of the air blown onto the lens would decrease, potentially resulting in insufficient dust removal.

[0018] In contrast, this configuration includes a compressed air supply device equipped with multiple solenoid valves and a solenoid valve control device. The multiple solenoid valves are installed on lines directly connected to the branching point from the main supply line in each branch supply line. The solenoid valve control device controls the multiple solenoid valves to open at two or more different timings. As a result, each nozzle ejects compressed air at two or more different timings. Therefore, a drop in the pressure of the air supplied to the nozzles is suppressed, and dust adhering to the lens can be sufficiently removed.

[0019] As described above, the present invention provides a chicken coop monitoring system that can suppress the deterioration of the image quality captured by the camera.

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a chicken coop using a monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a side view of the mobile device and cage row layer shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the mobile device in Figure 2. Figure 4(a) is a perspective view of area A1 in Figure 2, Figure 4(b) is a perspective view of area B1 in Figure 2, and Figure 4(c) is a perspective view of area C1 in Figure 2. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the schematic configuration and control of the compressed air supply device shown in Figure 1. Figure 6(a) is a diagram illustrating another example of air piping in the compressed air supply device, and Figure 6(b) is a diagram illustrating yet another example of air piping.

[0021] Hereinafter, a monitoring system, which is one embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The monitoring system 1 of this embodiment is used in a chicken coop 100 where chickens are raised. Multiple cage row layers 90L are arranged in rows in the chicken coop 100. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, each cage row layer 90L is a structure in which multiple cage rows 90R, each consisting of a large number of cages arranged horizontally, are stacked in multiple layers. A long feeding trough 95 is arranged horizontally along each cage row 90R.

[0022] In the cage row 90R and cage row layer 90L, the side where the feeding trough 95 is located is referred to as the "front," and the opposite side is referred to as the "back." In a typical chicken coop, two cage row layers 90L are supported by a frame (not shown in the diagram) with their backs facing each other. The frame is supported by pillars 93 that are erected on the installation surface. The cage row layer 90L is supported by the pillars 93 such that the lowest cage row 90R is higher than the installation surface.

[0023] The feeding troughs 95 are supported from below by trough supports 96 attached to the frame and are positioned slightly above the cage floor 91. This allows birds that stick their heads out of the cage to peck at the food supplied inside the feeding troughs 95. Below each feeding trough 95 is an egg collection conveyor 98. The floor 91 slopes downward towards the egg collection conveyor 98. This is so that the eggs laid by the birds in the cage roll across the floor 91 by their own weight and are collected by the egg collection conveyor 98. Sometimes, a tray made of mesh is used instead of the egg collection conveyor 98.

[0024] In the chicken coop 100, the direction in which the cage rows 90R extend is referred to as the "cage row direction," and the direction perpendicular to the cage row direction and horizontal is referred to as the "front-to-back direction." The front-to-back direction is the direction connecting the "front" and "back" mentioned above. As shown in Figure 1, an air inlet 102 is provided in the first wall 101 of the chicken coop 100, which is located on one side in the cage row direction. An exhaust vent 104 is provided in the second wall 103 of the chicken coop 100, which is located on the other side in the cage row direction.

[0025] Multiple exhaust fans 105 are attached to the exhaust port 104. The exhaust fans 105 expel the air inside the chicken coop 100 to the outside through the exhaust port 104, allowing clean air to be drawn into the chicken coop 100 from the outside via the air inlet 102. This creates an airflow from the air inlet 102 towards the exhaust port 104, enabling forced ventilation inside the chicken coop 100.

[0026] The monitoring system 1 of this embodiment comprises a moving device 10, a slide drive mechanism, a camera 30, a compressed air supply device, a nozzle 40, a movement control device, and a determination device.

[0027] The moving device 10 is provided for each cage row layer 90L and is a device that reciprocates along the front of the cage row layer 90L in the direction of the cage row. The moving device 10 mainly consists of a moving body 11, a slider 12, and guide members (first guide member 14, second guide member 18). The moving body 11 is a bar that extends in the vertical direction.

[0028] The slider 12 slides along the opening edge of the feeding trough 95. In this document, when simply referred to as the "opening edge" of the feeding trough 95, it refers to the opening edge that is away from the cage row 90R. In this embodiment, the slider 12 slides along the opening edge of the feeding trough 95 that is located along the second row of cage row 90R from the top. In the second row of feeding troughs 95 from the top, a reinforcing cover 95e is placed over the opening edge from above to increase its mechanical strength (see Figure 4(a)). The reinforcing cover 95e is a long member having an angular inverted U-shaped cross-section and is attached along the entire length of the feeding trough 95.

[0029] Specifically, the slider 12 is a member that extends in the direction in which the cage row 90R extends, and is equipped with a support roller 12a and a pair of guide rollers 12b at each end in the longitudinal direction. The support roller 12a is a free roller that can rotate around an axis parallel to the front-rear direction and is in contact with the reinforcing cover 95e from above. The guide rollers 12b are each free rollers that can rotate around a vertical axis. The distance between the pair of guide rollers 12b is approximately equal to the thickness of the opening edge of the feeding trough 95 when the reinforcing cover 95e is placed over it. As a result, the pair of guide rollers 12b sandwich the opening edge from the front and back via the reinforcing cover 95e. In this state, the support roller 12a and the pair of guide rollers 12b can roll along the opening edge of the feeding trough 95 (see Figure 4(a)). The slider 12 is fixed to the moving body 11, and the moving body 11 and the slider 12 move together as a single unit.

[0030] The guide members include a first guide member 14 that guides the movement of the mobile device 10 along the third feeding trough 95 from the top, and a second guide member 18 that guides the movement of the mobile device 10 along the lowest feeding trough 95. The first guide member 14 and the second guide member 18 are each equipped with guide rollers 14r and 18r that roll along the opening edge of the feeding trough 95.

[0031] Specifically, the first guide member 14 has an intermediate section 15 extending in the same direction as the cage row 90R, and inclined sections 16 that bend and extend from each end of the intermediate section 15, with guide rollers 14r at the tip of each inclined section 16. These guide rollers 14r are free rollers that can rotate freely around a vertical axis. The intermediate section 15 is fixed to the moving body 11. The length and angle of the inclined sections 16 are set so that the guide rollers 14r contact the opening edge of the feeding trough 95 from the front and roll (see Figure 4(b)).

[0032] The second guide member 18 protrudes from the moving body 11 toward the feeding trough 95 and is equipped with two guide rollers 18r. These guide rollers 18r are spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and the distance between them is approximately equal to the thickness of the opening edge of the feeding trough 95. The two guide rollers 18r can roll along the opening edge of the feeding trough 95 while sandwiching it from the front and rear (see Figure 4(c)).

[0033] The slide drive mechanism is a mechanism that drives the reciprocating motion of the moving device 10, and comprises a drive pulley 21, a driven pulley 22, a wire 23, and a motor 25 (see Figure 3). The wire 23 forms an endless loop with a connecting plate 23p interposed therebetween. This endless wire 23 is wrapped around the drive pulley 21 and the driven pulley 22 and is stretched horizontally. The output shaft of the motor 25 is connected to the rotation shaft of the drive pulley 21. The connecting plate 23p is connected to the moving body 11 by a connector 24. Although not shown, the motor 25, drive pulley 21, and driven pulley 22 are supported by the frame of the cage row layer 90L.

[0034] Multiple cameras 30 are attached to the mobile body 11. One or more cameras 30 are provided at each height of the multiple cage rows 90R. Figure 2 illustrates a case where one camera is provided at the height of each cage row 90R. The lens 31 of each camera 30 is directed toward the cage row 90R. Cameras 30 can be of any type, such as a type that acquires only still images, a type that acquires only moving images, or a type that acquires both still and moving images. Cameras 30 may be equipped with lighting that illuminates the subject to be photographed, or a separate lighting device may be provided close to the camera 30.

[0035] Multiple nozzles 40 are attached to the cage rows 90R according to the height of each of the multiple rows of cage rows 90R (see Figure 2). One nozzle 40 is provided for each camera 30. That is, the nozzles 40 are attached to the cage rows 90R according to the height of the camera 30 attached to the mobile body 11 according to the height of each of the multiple rows of cage rows 90R. The nozzles 40 blow compressed air supplied from a compressed air supply device, which will be described later, toward the lens 31 of the camera 30, blowing away dust adhering to the lens 31. Each nozzle 40 is attached to the end of the cage row 90R on the first wall 101 side within the range of movement of the mobile device 10. In this embodiment, since the mobile device 10 reciprocates along the cage row 90R in the direction of the cage row, the nozzles 40 are attached to the end of the cage row 90R on the first wall 101 side. Here, the nozzle 40 is shown attached to the edge of the egg collection conveyor 98 as an example, but it is not limited to this, and can be attached anywhere as long as the ejected compressed air can reach the lens 31, such as the support column 93, feeding trough 95, trough support 96, or cage.

[0036] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the compressed air supply system mainly consists of an air compressor 50, an air tank 52, air piping (main supply line 53, branch supply line 54), a solenoid valve 55, and a solenoid valve control device 60. The air compressor 50 compresses the air drawn in through a filter 51 attached to the air intake and discharges it into the air tank 52. The air compressor 50 discharges compressed air until the internal pressure of the air tank 52 exceeds a preset value.

[0037] The air piping consists of a main supply line 53 connected to the discharge port of the air tank 52, and multiple branch supply lines 54 that branch off from the main supply line 53 and extend to one or more nozzles 40 (see Figure 5). In this embodiment, the main supply line 53 is a loop-shaped pipe, but it is not limited to this, and may be a one-way pipe with different starting and ending points. In this embodiment, the branch supply lines 54 branch off once more from the main supply line 53 and extend to multiple nozzles 40.

[0038] Specifically, multiple nozzles 40 belonging to one cage row layer 90L are grouped together, and a branch supply passage 54, which branches off from the main supply passage 53, branches off once along the way to supply air to the multiple nozzles 40 constituting one group. However, it is not limited to this, and as illustrated in Figure 6(a), multiple nozzles 40 belonging to one cage row layer 90L may be divided into multiple groups, and air may be supplied to each group from a branch supply passage 54 that branches off from the main supply passage 53. Alternatively, as illustrated in Figure 6(b), a branch supply passage 54 that branches off from the main supply passage 53 may extend to a single nozzle 40 without branching along the way. Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are partial diagrams illustrating the supply of air to nozzles 40 for two cage row layers 90L.

[0039] The solenoid valve 55 opens and closes the branch supply passage 54 (see Figure 5). The solenoid valve 55 is installed on the line that is directly connected to the branching point from the main supply passage 53 in each branch supply passage 54. In other words, it is installed between the point where the branch supply passage 54 branches off from the main supply passage 53 and the point where it branches further down the line. As shown in Figure 6(b), when one branch supply passage 54 is connected to one nozzle 40, the entire branch supply passage 54 is the line that is directly connected to the branching point from the main supply passage 53. In this case, a solenoid valve is installed for each nozzle 40.

[0040] Although not shown in the diagram, the air piping may be equipped with a filter to remove foreign matter, moisture, and oil contained in the compressed air flowing through the piping, and a regulator to reduce the pressure of the compressed air and stabilize the pressure.

[0041] In this embodiment, the air compressor 50 is installed in the area 107 between the first wall 101 and the cage row layer 90L inside the chicken coop 100 (see Figure 1). Inside the chicken coop 100, air flows from the air inlet 102 towards the exhaust port 104. Therefore, there is less dust in the area 107 on the first wall 101 side, which is closer to the air inlet 102, relative to the cage row layer 90L. The air compressor 50 is installed in such a dust-free area 107. Inside the chicken coop 100, there is an electrical room 108 connected to area 107 via a door (not shown), and since this electrical room 108 also has little dust, the air compressor 50 may also be installed in the electrical room 108.

[0042] The movement control device (not shown) is attached to the mobile body 11. The movement control device is mainly composed of a computer comprising a storage device consisting of a main memory and an auxiliary storage device, a processor, and a communication device that communicates with the determination device and the solenoid valve control device 60. The storage device stores a program that causes the computer to function as a movement control means and a program that causes the computer to function as a shooting control means.

[0043] The movement control means moves the moving device 10 by controlling the motor 25 of the slide drive mechanism. When the moving device 10 reaches a predetermined shooting point, the moving device 10 is stopped or moved at a low speed, and a signal is sent to the shooting control means. Upon receiving this signal, the shooting control means sends a signal to the camera 30 to capture an image (a still image or a moving image). The shooting points are set such that at least one image is captured for each cage. The captured image is sent to the determination device with cage information for identifying the cage being photographed attached thereto.

[0044] Here, the cage information can be generated based on the reference position from which the moving device 10 starts moving, the moving speed of the moving device 10, the pitch of the cages in the cage row 90R, and the height at which the camera 30 is attached to the moving body 11 (a height corresponding to the height of the cage row 90R). Alternatively, a two-dimensional code may be attached to a location on the cage row layer 90L and used as the reference position for movement. In this case, when one of the cameras 30 acquires an image of the two-dimensional code, it can be assumed that the moving device 10 has reached the reference position, and the processing of the movement control means can be performed.

[0045] Alternatively, if an identification code is displayed within the range captured by the camera 30 for each cage and the image is captured including the identification code, the cage information can be obtained by analyzing the image of the identification code.

[0046] The determination device (not shown) is mainly composed of a computer including a storage device consisting of a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, a processor, a communication device for communicating with the movement control device, an alarm device, an input device such as a keyboard, and an output device including a display. A program for causing the computer to function as a determination means is stored in the storage device. While the movement control device is configured to move together with the moving device 10, the determination device is separated from the moving device 10 and installed in an electrical room 108 or the like. The determination device and the movement control device communicate wirelessly.

[0047] The determination means has the function of a life-or-death determination means for determining the life or death of the birds in the cage based on the image captured by the camera 30. This determination means has the same function as the first determination means and the second determination means disclosed in International Publication No. 2023 / 195063, which is an application filed by the applicant of the present application, and a detailed description of the determination means will be omitted. In addition to determining the life or death of the birds, the determination means may also perform, based on the image captured by the camera 30, determination of abnormalities appearing on the appearance of the surviving birds, determination of the sufficiency or insufficiency of the feed in the feeding trough, and determination of the retention of eggs on the egg collection conveyor.

[0048] The solenoid valve control device 60 is mainly composed of a computer including a storage device consisting of a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, a processor, and a communication device that communicates with the movement control device. A program for causing a computer to function as a solenoid valve control means is stored in the storage device. The solenoid valve control device 60 is installed in the electric chamber 108 in the same manner as the determination device. The solenoid valve control device 60 and the movement control device communicate wirelessly.

[0049] In the present embodiment, the reference position from which the moving device 10 starts moving is set at the end on the first wall 101 side within the moving range of the moving device 10, that is, the end on the first wall 101 side of the cage row 90R. When the movement control means reciprocates the moving device 10 along the cage row 90R and returns it to the reference position, the movement control means stops the moving device 10 and sends a signal to the solenoid valve control means. The solenoid valve control means that receives this signal opens the solenoid valve 55 for a predetermined valve opening time. As a result, compressed air is ejected from the nozzle 40 toward the lens 31, and the dust adhering to the lens 31 is removed. The time for opening the solenoid valve 55 can be, for example, 1 second, but is not limited thereto.

[0050] Specifically, the solenoid valve control means performs the opening of each of the plurality of solenoid valves 55 at two or more different timings. As a result, each of the plurality of nozzles 40 ejects compressed air at two or more different timings, avoiding the situation where all the nozzles 40 eject compressed air simultaneously.

[0051] In this embodiment, multiple nozzles 40 belonging to one cage row layer 90L are grouped together, and the solenoid valve 55 is opened at different timings for each cage row layer 90L. For example, in the cage row layer 90L located closest to the electrical chamber 108 in the front-to-back direction, compressed air is first ejected from each nozzle 40 for a predetermined time. After that, a predetermined waiting time of several seconds is waited, that is, until compressed air fills the air tank 52 and air piping due to the operation of the air compressor 50. After the waiting time has elapsed, the solenoid valve 55 that supplies compressed air to the nozzle 40 of the next cage row layer 90L is opened. This operation is repeated for each cage row layer 90L.

[0052] The solenoid valve control means sends a signal to the movement control means when it has finished ejecting compressed air from each nozzle 40. The movement control means starts moving the moving device 10 after receiving this signal. As the moving device 10 moves back and forth, it passes through the space on the second wall 103 side, which is relatively dusty, so when it returns to the reference position and stops, dust adheres to the lens 31 of the camera 30. Between the start of the next reciprocating movement of the moving device 10, each nozzle 40 ejects compressed air at two or more different timings as described above to blow away the dust adhering to the lens 31 of each camera 30. If compressed air were to be ejected from all of the multiple nozzles 40 at the same timing, the pressure of the air blown onto the lens 31 would decrease, and dust removal would be insufficient. In contrast, in this embodiment, compressed air is ejected from multiple nozzles at two or more different timings, so the decrease in the pressure of the air supplied to the nozzles is suppressed, and dust adhering to the lens can be sufficiently removed.

[0053] As described above, in the monitoring system 1 of this embodiment, the air compressor 50 compresses air (compressed air) and ejects it from the nozzle 40 towards the lens 31 of the camera 30. The forcefully ejected air effectively removes dust adhering to the lens 31. This prevents the quality of images captured by the camera 30 from degrading due to dust adhering to the lens 31.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a filter 51 is attached to the air intake of the air compressor 50. If the air compressor 50 were to draw in the air from inside the chicken coop 100 without passing it through the filter 51, the dust contained in the air would be blown onto the lens 31, potentially causing new dust to adhere to the lens 31. In contrast, according to this embodiment, clean air from which dust has been removed by the filter 51 is compressed and blown towards the lens 31. Therefore, the lens 31 can be thoroughly cleaned with clean air.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the air compressor 50 is installed in the area 107 between the first wall 101 and the cage row layer 90L inside the chicken coop 100. This area 107 is located upstream of the airflow from the air inlet 102 to the exhaust port 104, and therefore has less dust. Because the air compressor 50 is installed in this low-dust area 107, the air that is already low in dust is further filtered before being taken in by the air compressor 50. Consequently, cleaner compressed air is obtained, and the degradation of the image quality captured by the camera 30 can be suppressed even more effectively.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a moving device 10 is provided that reciprocates along the cage row 90R, and multiple cameras 30 are attached to the moving device 10. If the moving device 10 were not present, in order to photograph all the cages, it would be necessary to install at least one camera for each cage, and accordingly, it would be necessary to install as many nozzles as there are cameras. In that case, in addition to requiring a large number of cameras and nozzles, it would also require many long air pipes extending from the air compressor to the nozzles. In contrast, in this embodiment, one or more cameras 30 are provided on the moving device 10 at each height of the multiple cage row 90R. The nozzles 40 are not moved together with the moving device 10, but are fixed to the cage row layer L at a reference position where the moving device 10 stops within the movement range of the moving device 10. The height of the nozzles 40 at the reference position is set to match the height at which each of the multiple cameras 30 is installed on the moving device. Therefore, in this embodiment, all cages can be photographed with a small number of cameras 30 as the moving device 10 moves. In addition, fewer nozzles 40 are needed, and the air piping from the air compressor 50 to each nozzle 40 can be shortened.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple branch supply passages 54 provided by the compressed air supply device each branch off from the main supply passage 53 and extend to one or more nozzles 40. If compressed air were to be ejected from all of the multiple nozzles 40 at the same time, the pressure of the air blown onto the lens 31 would decrease, potentially resulting in insufficient dust removal. In contrast, in this embodiment, the compressed air supply device is equipped with multiple solenoid valves 55 and a solenoid valve control device 60. The multiple solenoid valves 55 are provided on lines directly connected to the branching point from the main supply passage 53 in each of the branch supply passages 54. The solenoid valve control device 60 controls the multiple solenoid valves 55 to open at two or more different timings. As a result, compressed air is ejected from each nozzle 40 at two or more different timings, which suppresses a decrease in the pressure of the air supplied to the nozzles 40 and allows for sufficient removal of dust adhering to the lens 31.

[0058] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and design changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0059] For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the cage row 90R in the cage row layer 90L has four rows is illustrated, but the number of rows is not limited to this. Also, in the above embodiment, the case where there are four cage row layers 90L in the chicken coop 100 is illustrated using the drawings, but the number is not limited to this.

[0060] Furthermore, although the above embodiment illustrates a case where the movement control device, the determination device, and the solenoid valve control device 60 are composed of separate computers, the invention is not limited to this. The movement control device attached to the movement device 10 may also function as the determination device or the solenoid valve control device 60. Alternatively, the determination device or the solenoid valve control device 60, which is located separately from the movement device 10, may function as the movement control device and communicate wirelessly with the movement device 10.

[0061] Furthermore, although the above embodiment illustrates a case where the movement of one moving device 10 is driven by one slide drive mechanism, the invention is not limited to this. In the chicken coop 100, two cage row layers 90L are arranged in a row as a pair, with their backs facing each other. Therefore, two adjacent cage row layers 90L separated by a passageway face each other. The movement of the two moving devices 10 provided on each of these two cage row layers 90L can be driven by a single slide drive mechanism.

[0062] Furthermore, the mobile device 10 can also function as a feeding device. In this case, multiple hoppers (not shown) for supplying feed to the feeding troughs 95 are attached to the mobile body 11. The number of hoppers is equal to the number of rows in the cage row 90R in the cage row layer 90L, i.e., the number of feeding troughs 95. The height of each hopper is adjusted to a height that allows feed to be supplied to the feeding troughs 95 from above. The multiple hoppers are connected by ducts extending vertically. When feed is introduced from the feed supply device into the opening of the uppermost hopper, the feed is supplied to the feeding troughs 95 via each hopper.

[0063] This configuration has the advantage of allowing both image acquisition of the cages and supply of feed to the feeding trough 95 to be performed by a single device. However, the weight of the mobile device 10 increases by providing multiple hoppers to the mobile device 10. Therefore, if the mobile device 10 is moved along the opening edge of the feeding trough 95, it may place a heavy burden on the feeding trough 95. For this reason, in this case, it is desirable to provide a rail that engages with the slider 12 of the mobile device 10 on the upper part of the cage row layer 90L.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for a chicken coop in which chickens are raised using cage row layers in which multiple cages arranged horizontally are stacked in multiple tiers, comprising: a camera for photographing the cages; a compressed air supply device equipped with an air compressor that compresses air sucked in through a filter attached to an air intake; and a nozzle that ejects the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply device toward the lens of the camera.

2. The chicken coop monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that an air intake is provided in a first wall of the chicken coop located on one side in the direction in which the cage row extends, and an exhaust port is provided in a second wall of the chicken coop located on the other side in the direction in which the cage row extends, and the air compressor is installed inside the chicken coop between the first wall and the cage row layer.

3. The chicken coop monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising a moving device that reciprocates along the cage row layer in the direction in which the cage row extends, wherein a plurality of cameras are attached to the moving device according to the height of each of the multiple rows of cage row, and a plurality of nozzles are attached to the end of each of the multiple rows of cage row that is on the first wall side within the range of movement of the moving device, according to the height of each of the multiple rows of cage row.

4. The chicken coop monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the compressed air supply device comprises: an air tank that receives air from the air compressor; a main supply line connected to the discharge port of the air tank; a plurality of branch supply lines that branch off from the main supply line and extend to one or more nozzles; solenoid valves provided on lines directly connected to the branching point with the main supply line in each of the branch supply lines; and a solenoid valve control device that controls the opening and closing of the plurality of solenoid valves, wherein the solenoid valve control device controls the plurality of solenoid valves to open at two or more different timings.

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