Movable Partition Walls for Pig Breeding Buildings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pig breeding buildings cannot accommodate new practices that require larger spaces for sows to move freely after farrowing without reducing sow numbers or constructing new, expensive facilities, as they lack adjustable box surfaces to ensure animal welfare and prevent piglet crushing.
Innovation Solution
A modular pig breeding building design featuring movable partition walls that adjust to increase box size, allowing the sow to move freely while maintaining a safe area for piglets, utilizing guide and actuating means to change the partition wall's position and incorporating a movable door in the containment cage for the sow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the box surface is enlarged to allow sow movement and piglet safety, then animal welfare is improved, but the building footprint and construction cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall is made movable between two positions: a first position where it does not encroach on the corridor (providing larger box area for sow movement and piglet safety) and a second position where it encroaches on the corridor (providing access to the sow trough). This dynamic adjustment allows the box surface area to be enlarged when needed while maintaining corridor access when required, without permanently increasing the building footprint.
2Ease of operation
If the partition wall is moved to encroach on the corridor to access the sow trough, then ease of operation is improved, but the box area available for the sow and piglets is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall's position is dynamically adjusted based on operational needs. When the breeder needs to access the sow trough, the partition wall is moved to the second position (encroaching on the corridor). When animal welfare is the priority, the partition wall is moved to the first position (not encroaching on the corridor), providing maximum box area for the sow and piglets. This dynamic system allows both requirements to be satisfied at different times.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall alternates between two positions during different operational phases: during feeding time it encroaches on the corridor to allow access to the trough, and during animal welfare periods it retracts to maximize the box area. This periodic switching between positions resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and box area availability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing buildings are modified to accommodate larger boxes, then adaptability to new practices is improved, but construction cost and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall is divided into a fixed portion and a movable portion, allowing selective adjustment of the box area without modifying the entire building structure. This segmentation enables adaptability to new practices while minimizing structural complexity, as only the partition wall needs to be made movable rather than redesigning the whole building.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall is made movable between two defined positions, providing adaptability to accommodate both traditional practices (when the wall encroaches on the corridor for easy access) and new welfare-oriented practices (when the wall retracts to provide larger box area). This dynamic feature allows existing buildings to adapt to new practices without requiring complete structural reconstruction.
Data Source
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Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a livestock building (100) for raising pigs, said building (100) comprising a corridor, a pen (108) arranged along the corridor and separated from the corridor by a partition wall (110) which runs along the corridor, guidance means provided for guiding each partition wall (110) from a first position, where the partition wall (110) does not encroach on the corridor, to a second position where the partition wall (110) encroaches on the corridor and vice versa, and actuation means provided for moving each partition wall (110) from the first position to the second position and vice versa.The livestock building (100) is characterized in that at least one pen (108) is equipped with a restraint cage (112) whose side panel closest to the partition wall (110) is parallel to the partition wall (110), in that said side panel constitutes a movable door (124) between a closed position and an open position, and in that fastening means are provided to fix the door (124) to the partition wall (110) and in that when the partition wall (110) is moved from the first position to the second position, the door (124) moves at the same time from the closed position to the open position.