JP4219381B2 - Domestic animal population management system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a management system for domestic animal populations. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system capable of managing feeding operations and contents suitable for individual breeding animals and efficiently performing growth management, shipping time management and the like of the whole breeding animal population.

  In the case of raising livestock animals such as pigs, cows, and sheep, the weight of the animal individual is directly related to the shipping price. In the breeding management work of domestic animals such as pigs, cows, sheep, etc., it is generally performed to measure the individual body weight in a timely manner and select the food to be given based on the measurement data. For example, at the scheduled shipping time, the population that is predicted to be less than the planned shipping weight should be fed with nutritious food, and the population that is expected to reach the planned shipping weight may be switched to normal diet. Has been done.

  Therefore, weight management of livestock animals is a very important task in the livestock industry. For this reason, a technique for accurately measuring the body weight of a domestic animal has been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, an elongate road surface weighing unit, a detection unit that detects a load received by the weighing unit, and a weighing value obtained by the detection unit are input as signals, and the input value is processed. Thus, there is disclosed a walk-through weight measuring apparatus for livestock, comprising an arithmetic processing unit for determining the weight of livestock.

In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses that a weak electric shock is applied to a management work place where body weight is measured one by one from a state in which a large number of livestock are collected by touching the livestock line with livestock by remote control. Techniques for inducing livestock are disclosed. As can be seen from the proposal of such a technique, the operation of guiding an animal individual for the weight measurement operation is a very labor-intensive operation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-018087. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-237661.

  However, there is a lot of room for improvement in techniques related to weight management (growth management) of animals that are being bred and reduction of labor in shipping work. Therefore, the present invention controls and manages feeding operations and contents suitable for domestic animals by using a computer, and performs all operations artificially performed such as growth management and shipping time management of the entire domestic animal population. The main object is to provide a system that can efficiently perform the above.

  In this invention, the management system of the domestic animal population using a computer is provided. This system includes (1) animal solid imaging means arranged at the boundary between a resting area provided in a breeding ground and a plurality of feeding areas where different types of food are fed, and (2) this animal individual imaging means. Based on the acquired animal individual image information and distance data obtained by means for automatically measuring the distance to the animal individual, weight estimation means for performing an operation for automatically estimating the weight of the animal individual by a computer, 3) Solid distribution means for guiding and distributing animal individuals in the resting area to a predetermined feeding area by comparing the weight data obtained from the weight estimation means and a preset evaluation reference weight, Means (1) to (3) are provided.

  Then, in this system, a weight distribution database of the animal group being bred is created using the weight data group obtained from the animal individual image, and the number of deliverable individuals having a predetermined weight or more is predicted from the weight distribution database. To do. In addition, when performing the solid distribution work from the rest area of the breeding area to the feeding area, the weight of the animal population being raised is made uniform by changing the setting of the evaluation reference weight.

  In addition, in this system, the weight of each part of the animal solid is estimated from the individual animal image information and the distance data, and the shipping price of the animal solid is estimated using the weight data for each part and the weight data. . By summing up the shipping price for each individual, the total shipping price of the whole animal population being raised can be estimated in real time.

  According to the present invention, (1) easy growth management and control of the entire breeding animal population, (2) improvement of space efficiency of breeding grounds such as barns, (3) labor saving of shipping work, (4) breeding Improving the price value (asset value) of the entire solid group, (5) Easily and reliably predicting the number of individuals that can be shipped, the shipping date, the shipment price of each individual and the whole breeding population, the feed requirement rate, etc. Can do.

  Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this embodiment shows one Embodiment of this invention, and, thereby, the range of this invention is not interpreted narrowly.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the concept of a typical embodiment of a domestic animal population management system according to the present invention.

  Reference numeral C shown in FIG. 1 is a computer C that controls the entire management system of the breeding animal population according to the present invention, and reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes rearing designed so as to be adapted to this system. The field is shown in a top plan view. The breeding ground 1 is provided with a resting area 2 for breeding animal populations, and two feeding areas 3 and 4 adjacent to the resting area 2 are provided. Feeding boxes 31 and 41 are installed in these feeding areas 3 and 4, respectively.

  In addition, since there is no need for this breeding ground 1, no passage for workers is provided. For this reason, it is possible to efficiently allocate a limited area of the breeding ground 1 to the rest area 2 and the feeding areas 3 and 4.

  Next, reference numeral 5 in FIG. 1 denotes an individual distribution device that guides and distributes the animal group in the rest area 2 to the predetermined feeding area 3 or 4. In the individual distribution device 5, a photographing device 51 is disposed at an upper position. Further, the individual distribution device 5 includes a door 52 that opens and closes the feeding area 2, a door 53 that opens and closes the feeding area 4, and a door 54 that opens and closes the feeding area 4. And have. FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which only the door 53 is opened. The doors 52, 53, and 54 are controlled by the computer C to open and close.

  Reference numerals 32a and 32b shown in FIG. 1 are doors through which an animal individual moving from the feeding area 3 to the resting area 2 passes after eating food. One sign 42a, 42b is a door through which an animal individual moving from the feeding area 4 to the resting area 2 passes after eating food. The doors 32a, 32b, 42a, 42b may also be controlled by the computer C for all opening / closing operations.

  The location of the partition 33 that forms the boundary between the rest area 2 and the feeding area 3 or the location of the partition 43 that forms the boundary between the rest area 2 and the feeding area 4 can be freely changed according to the purpose. May be. For example, the arrangement location may be automatically changed under the control of the computer C. For example, when the number of individuals to be guided to the feeding area 3 is predicted to be larger than the number of individuals to be guided to the feeding area 4, the partition 33 may be moved to the rest area 2 side.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the individual distribution operation of the individual distribution device 5. This will be described below in the order of (A), (B), and (C) in FIG.

  (A) Stage. At this stage, only the door 52 of the individual sorting apparatus 5 is opened, and a state in which one animal individual P (here, a pig is illustrated) is guided into the measurement region 55 of the apparatus 5. It is shown. The opening amount of the door 52 is changed based on the control of the computer C according to the age of the animal population being bred, so that it is effective to enter the measurement region 55 at the same time with two of the animals. Can be prevented.

  (B) Stage. At this stage, a state where one animal individual P has entered the measurement region 55 is shown. At this time, the door 52 on the side of the rest area 2 is locked so that the animal individual P does not return to the rest area 2 and the subsequent animal individual P does not enter together. Then, the doors 53 and 54 on the feeding areas 3 and 4 side are also locked for a predetermined time so that the animal individual P does not come out in order to secure the photographing time.

  An imaging device (for example, a digital video camera) 51 disposed above the measurement area 55 is always in operation, and constantly monitors the situation such as the invasion of the animal individual P into the measurement area 55. When the animal individual P enters a predetermined position in the measurement area 55, the imaging device 51 automatically operates under the control of the computer C to automatically image the animal individual P from above. The computer C recognizes the contour when the animal individual P is viewed from above based on the animal individual image information sent from the imaging device 51 and automatically calculates the area inside the contour figure. At the same time, an automatic distance measuring device (not shown) provided in the measurement region 55 measures the distance from the measuring device to the animal individual P, and obtains a body height value of the animal individual P based on the measured distance data.

  Note that, depending on the animal individual P, it is predicted that the imaging apparatus 51 may not be able to accurately recognize the contour because the body surface is dirty or has a pattern. In such a case, a color filter, polarization, etc. It can be solved by a filter, an infrared camera or the like.

  As the “automatic distance measuring device”, for example, a distance measuring device using laser light such as a laser pointer device, a distance measuring device using sound waves, or the like can be employed. When the laser pointer device is used, the body height value of the animal individual P may be measured based on distance data obtained by irradiating laser light toward two points on the back of the animal individual P. . The body height can be measured using a method of analyzing image data taken from the side of the animal individual P, a method of using other distance measuring means, or the like.

  When an optical photographing means or an optical distance measuring means is employed, direct sunlight may enter depending on the structure of the barn. In such a case, it may occur that the contour of the animal individual P becomes unclear and cannot be measured in a short time, or an error occurs and the reliability of the data decreases. Such a problem can be solved by blocking direct sunlight with a shielding plate, a translucent plate, a chiller, etc., or changing a program related to optical processing.

  In the computer C, by performing automatic calculation processing based on a predetermined weight prediction formula using the contour figure area value of the animal individual P obtained from the animal individual image information and the body height value obtained by the automatic distance measuring device, the animal C The weight of the individual P is estimated. Unlike the conventional weighing method, such a weight measurement method does not cause a measurement error due to movement of an animal individual or soiling of a weighing unit, and the animal individual P searches for a measurement area 55 for food. In the process of passing, there is an advantage that weight measurement can be performed without applying stress to the individual.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, by analyzing the image data from the imaging device 51 in more detail, in addition to the total body weight of the animal individual P, the weight of each specific part (for example, shoulder loin, thigh meat, etc.) By estimating the back fat thickness and the like, the appropriate shipping price of the animal individual P can be predicted more accurately.

  (C) Stage. At this stage, in response to the completion of the individual weight estimation calculation process by the computer C, if the estimated individual weight W obtained by the calculation process is less than the preset evaluation reference weight M, the apparatus 5 The door 53 is automatically opened to guide the animal individual P to the feeding area 3. In the feeding area 3, in order to promote the growth of the animal individual P, a highly nutritive feed is given.

  Although not shown, when the estimated individual weight W obtained by the calculation process is equal to or greater than the preset evaluation reference weight M, the door 54 of the device 5 is automatically opened and the animal individual is moved to the feeding area 4. Induce P. In the feeding area 4, the animal individual P is fed with a normal nutritional value.

  By performing the above-described stages A to C on all the animal populations in the resting area 2, the individuals less than the evaluation standard weight M and the individuals above the weight M are selected, and the feeding area 3 And 4 and can be fed with a nutritional value suitable for each population. Furthermore, by repeating such operations, it is possible to gradually eliminate the variation in the weight of the animal population.

  The setting of the evaluation reference weight is changed according to the purpose. For example, in a normal rearing stage, the evaluation reference body weight can be gradually raised for each sorting operation to increase the average body weight of the entire population, or the spread of the body weight distribution can be further narrowed. In the shipping stage, the evaluation reference body weight is set to a body weight required for shipping, and a population over this weight is guided to the feeding area 4. Therefore, in this case, the feeding area 4 functions as a shipping area.

  FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of the individual sorting apparatus 5.

  The individual distribution device 5 has a measurement region 55 surrounded by a frame 56. The measurement area 55 is designed to have a volume that is assumed to accommodate one animal individual to be reared. An animal individual photographing device 51 and an automatic distance measuring device (not shown) are arranged in the frame body portion above the measurement region 55.

  In addition, on one side of the measurement area 55, there are provided entrance doors 521 and 522 arranged on the rest area 2 side and exit doors 531 and 532 that can be opened to the feeding area 3. On the side, outlet doors 541 and 542 that can be opened with respect to the feeding area 4 are provided. Reference numeral 57 denotes an operation panel on which operation switches, operation adjustment buttons, and the like of the individual sorting apparatus 5 are arranged.

  The entrance-side doors 521 and 522 have a so-called double door structure, and at least the innermost bars 521a and 522a of each door are devised to rotate in accordance with the contact accompanying the movement of the animal individual P (FIG. 3). (See arrows X and X in the middle). This device facilitates the guidance of the animal individual P into the measurement region 55 and prevents damage caused by contact of the animal individual P.

  The operations of the photographing device 51 and the door groups 521, 522, 531, 532, 541, and 542 of the individual distribution device 5 are automatically controlled by the computer C, and the operations described above based on FIG. 2 are automatically performed. (Refer to the description using FIG. 2).

  In addition, in the individual distribution apparatus 5, you may devise so that the exit door which performs each opening / closing operation | movement toward three or more feeding areas may be provided. Furthermore, a dedicated door for guiding only a specific individual, for example, a sick individual or an individual with extremely low weight (an individual with slow growth) to a predetermined area may be provided.

  As a method for identifying a specific individual as described above, for example, the back of the specific individual is colored in advance, the presence / absence of this coloring is discriminated by the imaging device 51, and only a colored individual is selected and selected. You can be guided to the area.

  By increasing the number of coloring colors and the number of colored parts, for example, it is possible to identify sick individuals and extremely low weight individuals (slowly growing individuals), etc., and guide them to different areas. . It should be noted that a large number of individual identifications can be made by combining the type of color and the number of colored parts.

  In recent years, traceability has been highlighted from the viewpoint of food safety and safety. Currently, there is an individual identification technique in the so-called IC tag system. However, since the present system is configured to use the photographing device 51, the photographing device 51 can easily identify simple characters such as numbers in addition to colors. For example, it is also possible to identify the animal individual P by attaching a serial number (ID number) (which does not easily disappear) to the back of the animal individual P and recognizing it by the imaging device 51.

FIG. 4 is an example of a bar graph of the weight distribution of the animal population displayed or output by the computer C. The vertical axis represents the number of individuals (heads) that have passed through the individual sorting apparatus 5, and the horizontal axis represents body weight (Kg). In this example, the evaluation reference body weight is set to 114 kg, and an individual group of less than 114 kg is allocated to the feeding area 3, and an individual group of 114 kg or more is allocated to the feeding area 4.

  In the present invention, when a weight distribution operation is carried out once for the animal group being bred, the weight distribution of all the individual groups (the individual group that has passed through the individual distribution device 5) as shown in FIG. Obtainable. By referencing this weight distribution data, the average weight of the animal population currently being bred, the spread of the weight distribution (variation), the number of heads that can be shipped, the estimated shipping price (current asset value), and the next individual allocation work It is possible to judge or determine the evaluation standard weight or the like.

  Further, in the system according to the present invention, as described above, since the weight distribution data of the domestic animal population is held, the present invention is applied to the weight dynamics of the domestic animal population within the predetermined period, and the predetermined period. The so-called “feed requirement rate (feed amount (kg) necessary to increase 1 kg of body weight)” can also be used as a system for timely measurement based on the amount of feed supplied to the barn.

  The method for measuring the amount of feed supplied to the barn is not particularly limited. For example, the amount of feed in the feed tank is measured in real time using a known weighing means, optical sensor means, or ultrasonic sensor means. You may make it do.

  Since the upper surface (interface) of the feed existing in the feed tank is uneven or inclined, if an optical sensor means or an ultrasonic sensor means is used, a measurement error occurs depending on the irradiation position. A method may be adopted in which a photographing device is provided at a location (for example, an upper position) and the amount of feed in the feed tank is estimated in a timely manner from image information data obtained by the photographing device.

  Using this feed volume data, calculate the feed volume (feed feed volume) supplied into the barn within a predetermined period, and calculate the feed requirement rate in a timely manner from this feed volume and the weight gain of the breeding animal group during the predetermined period. can do. Based on the feed request rate obtained in this way, it is possible to select an appropriate feed supply amount and feed type in accordance with the growth level of the domestic animal population. As a result, the efficiency of livestock management and cost reduction can be reduced.

  The present invention can be used as a growth management system for domestic animals and the whole population. In addition, the present invention is used for predicting systems such as the number of individuals that can be shipped, the shipping period, the shipment price (asset value) of each individual and the entire breeding population, the feed requirement rate, and the isolation system for specific individuals such as diseased individuals. be able to.

  For example, in Japan, the thickness of back fat is an important factor for pigs due to differences in how they eat. Accumulation of back fat thickness can be carried out by accumulating correlation data between pig population image data and actual back fat thickness data in cooperation with a slaughterhouse. Further, by accumulating the correlation data between the image data of the animal individual group and the actual weight of each part, it is possible to more accurately estimate the weight of each part. From this point of view, the present invention can contribute to efficient livestock management.

It is a figure for demonstrating the concept of typical embodiment of the management system of the domestic animal population which concerns on this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating one embodiment of the individual distribution operation | movement of an individual distribution apparatus (5). It is an external appearance perspective view of one example of an individual distribution apparatus (5). It is an example of the bar graph of the weight distribution of the animal population displayed or output by the computer (C).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Breeding ground 2 Rest area 3, 4 Feeding area 5 Individual distribution device 51 Individual imaging device C Computer

Claims (5)

A management system for domestic animal populations using a computer,
Animal individual photographing means arranged at the boundary between a rest area provided in the breeding ground and a plurality of feeding areas where different types of food are fed,
Based on the animal individual image information acquired by the animal individual photographing means and the distance data obtained by the means for automatically measuring the distance to the animal individual, an operation for automatically estimating the weight of the animal individual by a computer is performed. Weight estimation means to perform;
Solid distribution means for guiding and distributing animal individuals in the rest area to a predetermined feeding area by comparing weight data obtained from the weight estimation means and a preset evaluation reference weight,
A domestic animal population management system comprising:   2. The domestic animal population management system according to claim 1, wherein a weight distribution database of the animal population being raised is created using the weight data group obtained from the animal individual image.   3. The management system of domestic animal populations according to claim 2, wherein the number of individuals that can be shipped from a weight distribution database is predicted. When performing solid sorting work from the rest area to the feeding area,
2. The domestic animal population management system according to claim 1, wherein the weight of the animal population being raised is made uniform by changing the setting of the evaluation reference weight.   2. The breeding according to claim 1, wherein the weight of each part of the animal solid is estimated from the individual animal image information, and the shipping price of the animal solid is estimated using the weight data for each part and the weight data. Animal population management system.

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