Dynamic Cooling Subgroup Control for Livestock Enclosures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for domestic animals, such as cattle, face inefficiencies in energy and water usage, particularly when animals are not continuously moving through the enclosed area, leading to unnecessary energy peaks and water pressure requirements.
Innovation Solution
The cooling system subdivides cooling units into subgroups, with a control unit that detects the position of a moving element within the enclosure to activate and deactivate subgroups accordingly, ensuring that only the necessary units are active when animals are present, thereby reducing energy and water consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling units are continuously operated to ensure animal comfort, then animal cooling effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption and water usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system transitions from static continuous operation to dynamic controlled operation. The control unit dynamically adjusts the operational state of cooling units based on real-time detection of animal presence, ensuring cooling is provided only when and where needed, thus reducing energy consumption while maintaining animal comfort effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control by using detectors to sense animal presence and position, then using this information to control the activation and deactivation of cooling units. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures cooling resources are allocated efficiently based on actual demand, preventing wasteful continuous operation.
2Area of stationary object
If cooling units are activated throughout the entire enclosed area, then cooling coverage is improved, but water pressure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple independently controllable cooling units distributed across the enclosed area. Each unit can be activated or deactivated based on local animal presence detection, allowing comprehensive area coverage capability while operating at reduced water pressure since only active units require full pressure, not the entire system simultaneously.
3Temperature
If all cooling units remain active, then animal comfort is maintained, but unnecessary energy peaks occur when animals are absent
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of animal presence and position before activating cooling units. This preliminary action allows the control unit to pre-activate only the necessary cooling units in the areas where animals are detected, avoiding energy waste from activating cooling units in empty areas while ensuring comfort is maintained where needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach minimizes energy and water usage by ensuring that cooling units are only active when animals are in specific areas, reducing overall energy consumption and maintaining animal comfort without excessive water pressure demands.
Implementation Method 1
a spray-fan cooling system serves to conduct away surface heat and increases the vaporization of moisture from the skin of the cow
Implementation Method 2
generate a flow of a cooling medium that will either directly or indirectly contribute to the cooling of said animals
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
An animal housing arrangement comprising an enclosed area (1) arranged as to house domestic animals and a cooling system (5) for cooling domestic animals, said cooling system (5) comprising a plurality of cooling units (6) provided to generate a flow of a cooling medium that will either directly or indirectly contribute to the cooling of said animals, and a control unit (27) arranged to control the operation of said cooling units (6), wherein said animal housing arrangement comprises an enclosed area (1) which is arranged to house said animals and which is provided with an entrance (3) in one end and an exit (4) at another end, and wherein, in said area, there is provided an element (28) which is arranged to move in a direction from the entrance (3) towards the exit (4) and thereby to permit or force animals to move in said direction inside the enclosed area (1). Said plurality of cooling units (6) are subdivided into at least two separate subgroups (11-15) of cooling units (6), each subgroup (11-15) covering at least a part of said enclosed area (1) and comprising at least one cooling unit (6), wherein the control unit (27) is arranged to detect the position of said element (28) as the latter moves in said direction and to based on this detected position control at least one subgroup (11-15) on a first side of said element (28) to be in active mode and simultaneously control at least one other subgroup (11- 15) on an opposite second side of said element (28) to be in inactive mode.