JP2022084075A - Watering unit and watering system for cowshed, and cowshed having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method for removing cow stress due to summer heat.SOLUTION: A watering unit 1 is constituted of a water pipe 10, a sprinkler system 14 connected to the water pipe, and a supporting material 12 for fixing the water pipe and the sprinkler system. The sprinkler system has a tributary pipe 30 communicating with the water pipe, an electromagnetic valve 32 provided on the tributary pipe, and a sprinkling tube 34 communicating with the water pipe, and having sprinkling holes 34h formed thereon toward one direction. Water is not wasted, since water is not sprinkled to a where there are no cows.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a watering device for cattle arranged in a barn.

In dairy farming, there is a problem that the conception rate of cows decreases in the hot summer, and the milking amount of cows after giving birth also decreases due to heat stress. To solve this problem, the amount of air blown in the barn is increased, and fine mist is applied at the same time as the air is blown. However, due to the influence of global warming in recent years, the heat in summer has never been so high, and the evaporation of wind and fine fog has not been enough to relieve the stress of cows in many cases.

In addition, the fine mist has a problem that the water droplets are too fine and are blown off by the wind from the fan, so that the fine mist can be effectively applied to the cow and the cooling effect cannot be shown. In terms of cooling, it is more effective to water the cow directly.

In ranches with wells, relatively cold water is easily available even in the summer, so direct cold water can be applied directly to the cow to reduce the stress on the cow. In Patent Document 1, a pipe attached to the upper part of a fence installed along the passage at the widthwise end of the passage of cattle provided in the barn and a pipe provided at a predetermined distance on the side of the pipe. A sprinkler device having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging water flowing in a pipe to sprinkle water on a cow and a water supply pump for supplying water to the pipe is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-008043

Patent Document 1 is a method that can be expected to be effective because water is directly sprinkled on cattle. However, in Patent Document 1, since the presence or absence of watering in the entire zone where the pipes are arranged is determined by the temperature / humidity index, wasteful watering is performed even in the absence of cattle, which increases the load of wastewater treatment.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, the length of the sprinkling pipe portion where water is sprinkled is limited to a short length so that water can be sprinkled for each sprinkling pipe.

More specifically, the watering unit for a barn according to the present invention is
Water pipe and
A sprinkler connected to the water pipe and
A watering unit composed of a support material for fixing the water pipe and the watering device.
The sprinkler is
A tributary pipe communicating with the water pipe and
The solenoid valve provided in the tributary pipe and
It is characterized by having a sprinkler tube which is communicated with the tributary pipe and has sprinkler holes formed in one direction.

In addition, this watering unit for a barn can be made into a watering system by connecting a plurality of watering units. A barn having this watering system is also included in the present invention.

The watering unit for a barn of the present invention is connected to a water pipe by a solenoid valve, and the presence or absence of watering can be selected by turning on / off the solenoid valve. It can be performed. Further, the watering unit for the barn of the present invention is assembled outside a factory or the like, and in the livestock barn at the site, the installation is completed only by connecting a plurality of watering units, so that the work at a high place is easy and the construction is saved.

Further, by attaching a motion sensor to the sprinkling unit and controlling ON / OFF of the solenoid valve, the sprinkling point can be controlled by the presence or absence of a cow.

Further, by using a material having a high elastic modulus such as silicone or rubber for at least the sprinkler hole portion of the sprinkler tube, it is possible to reduce water leakage from the sprinkler tube when the solenoid valve is turned off.

Due to these effects, the body temperature of cattle can be effectively cooled even in the summer. In particular, by sprinkling water on cows while waiting for milking, it is possible to reduce the decrease in milking volume, which is said to drop in the summer.

It is external perspective view of the sprinkler unit for a barn which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the front surface, the left side surface, the right side surface and a sectional view of a sprinkler. It is sectional drawing and front view of the sprinkler tube. It is a figure which shows the sprinkling area when the sprinkling system which concerns on this invention is arranged in a barn. It is a figure which shows the sprinkling area when the sprinkling system which concerns on this invention is arranged in the passage from a barn to a milking room. It is a main flow diagram which shows the processing flow of the control device of the sprinkling system which concerns on this invention. It is a flow diagram in the case of performing automatic control. It is a flow diagram in the case of performing manual control.

The cowshed watering unit and the watering system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following description is a description of one embodiment of the cowshed watering unit and the watering system according to the present invention, and is not limited thereto. The following embodiments may be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the cowshed watering unit 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a front view, a left side view, a right side view, and a cross-sectional view of the sprinkler device 14. The barn watering unit 1 is composed of a water pipe 10, a support material 12, and a watering device 14. The length of the sprinkler unit 1 is preferably 2 to 4 m for transportation, and it can be assembled outside a factory or the like, and can be connected and extended according to the livestock barn at the site.

The water pipe 10 is connected to the water source 20 via the pump 22. If the water source 20 is well water, cold water can be obtained even in summer. It is desirable that the water pressure gauge 24 is arranged between the pump 22 and the sprinkler unit 1. Further, a control device 16 for controlling ON / OFF of watering and a motion sensor 18 may be provided. Further, it may be directly connected to the water supply, and by stabilizing the supply pressure by using the pressure reducing valve, the pump becomes unnecessary.

<Water pipe>
The end of the water pipe 10 opposite to the pump 22 may be a closed end or may be returned to the water source 20. FIG. 1 shows a case of returning to the water source 20. When returning to the water source 20, it is better to return to the water source 20 via the throttle valve 26. The throttle valve 26 is operated when the pressure in the water pipe 10 is reduced and the pressure in the water pipe 10 is increased.

<Support material>
The support material 12 is used when fixing the water sprinkler 14, the motion sensor 18 described later, and the water pipe 10. The sprinkler tube 34 of the sprinkler device 14 is preferably made of a material that is lightweight and easily forms the sprinkler holes 34h. Many of these materials have no so-called waist, and by themselves, it is difficult to fix them to the water pipe 10. Therefore, the sprinkler tube 34 is supported by the support material 12. The support material 12 has a U-shaped cross section, has strong bending strength, and can accommodate wiring inside. As the material of the support material 12, a light metal or a resin is preferably used.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is preferable to use an electric wire support material (a straight raceway of Negros Electric Works) having a U-shaped cross section and folded end faces as the support material 12. This is because the height can be easily adjusted by using the attached suspension member (not shown), it can be installed at a low position within the reach of cows, and water can be sprinkled without being affected by the wind.

<Sprinkler>
The sprinkler 14 is composed of a tributary pipe 30, a solenoid valve 32, and a sprinkler tube 34. The tributary pipe 30 is a pipe that connects the water pipe 10 and the sprinkler tube 34 and draws the water flow from the water pipe 10 into the sprinkler tube 34. The tributary pipe 30 is provided with a solenoid valve 32 so that the water flow in the tributary pipe 30 can be stopped.

<Sprinkling tube>
The sprinkler tube 34 is a tubular member provided with a sprinkler hole 34h, and one end thereof is closed. The length can be arbitrarily determined, but a length of about 2 to 4 m is preferable. It is preferable to set the watering range to about the body length of a cow because watering to unnecessary parts can be restricted. As the watering tube 34, a lightweight and easy-to-process resin can be preferably used.

The type of the watering tube 34 may be changed depending on the place where water is sprinkled. For example, in a barn with a feeding area or bedding, a small amount of water is sprinkled at a relatively low pressure so that the food and bedding are not easily exposed to water. In such a case, a soft material or a thin tube can be selected.

On the other hand, since there is nothing to avoid water in the passage from the barn to the milking room, water may be sprinkled at a relatively high pressure. In such a case, a tube having a large diameter when water is flowed can be selected. FIG. 2C shows a sprinkler tube 34 having a flat cross section, but when water flows, the cross section becomes circular, and the sprinkler tube 34 can withstand a relatively high pressure.

Further, in the watering tube 34, the portion where the watering hole 34h is formed is made of a material having a high elastic modulus such as silicone or rubber, and the watering hole 34h is formed by a cross cut (cross cut) or a laser-processed fine hole. Then, when water pressure is applied, water can be ejected through the sprinkler hole 34h, but when the water pressure is no longer applied, the sprinkler hole 34h may be closed. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the amount of water that leaks when watering is stopped.

<Sprinkler hole>
FIG. 3 shows a cross section (FIG. 3 (a)) and a front view (FIG. 3 (b)) of the sprinkler tube 34. The sprinkler hole 34h is formed in a range of ± θ with respect to the main sprinkling direction (hereinafter referred to as “sprinkling axial direction 34ha”). Here, θ is preferably 10 ° to 45 °. With reference to FIG. 3B, the range of water discharged from the sprinkler hole 34h is the sprinkling source region 34hr when viewed from the front. The sprinkler hole 34h is a through hole having a diameter of about 50 μm to 300 μm. It may be a cross cut that opens only when water is discharged.

The sprinkler holes 34h are arranged at substantially equal densities in the length direction of the sprinkler tube 34. Further, the sprinkling tube 34 is rotatably attached to the support member 12 to be fixed in the sprinkling axis direction 34ha. This is so that the angle (referred to as "sprinkling angle") of the watering axis direction 34ha from the horizontal direction can be adjusted when actually arranged in the barn 50 (see FIG. 4). Basically, the watering angle is oriented horizontally to downward in the range of 20 ° to 90 °.

<Human sensor>
The motion sensor 18 is a sensor that detects the presence of a person and outputs an ON / OFF signal. Generally, a motion sensor 18 is of a type that detects a person using infrared rays, but if it can detect a cow in front of a sprinkler tube 34, it is a type that detects a person by a method other than infrared rays. It may be a thing. In the present invention, the object to be detected is a cow, but it is generally called a "presence sensor".

It is desirable that at least one motion sensor 18 is provided for the sprinkler tube 34. This is to sprinkle water when there is a cow in front of the watering tube 34. Therefore, the motion sensor 18 needs to be provided so as to be able to detect a cow in the watering axis direction 34 ha. Further, when there is only one motion sensor 18, the mounting position is preferably the center of the sprinkler device 14. This is because if it is provided at the end, water may be sprinkled even though there is no cow in front of the sprinkler 14.

<Control device>
The control device 16 is connected to the solenoid valve 32 and the input / output device 16c (see FIG. 1). Further, it may be connected to the input / output device 16c, the pump 22, the water pressure gauge 24, the motion sensor 18, and the throttle valve 26. Further, the control device 16 has a timer 16t inside. Therefore, the control device 16 can intermittently open and close the solenoid valve 32.

Further, the input / output device 16c can accept input of various settings and present information that can be known by the control device 16. Further, it is possible to control the on / off and rotation speed of the pump 22, receive the signal from the water pressure gauge 24, receive the signal from the motion sensor 18, and control the opening degree of the throttle valve 26.

<Watering system>
The sprinkler unit 1 of the present invention becomes a sprinkler system 2 (see FIG. 4) by connecting a plurality of sprinkler units 1. In the watering system 2, the control device 16 individually controls a plurality of watering units 1.

<Installation>
The watering system 2 according to the present invention is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the feeding area 58 of the barn 50 and in the passage from the barn 50 to the milking chamber 80 (see FIG. 5). The passage to the milking room 80 and the milking room 80 may also be a part of the barn 50. FIG. 4A is a plan view of a part of the barn 50, and FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view thereof. There are various types of barn 50, but basically watering is not performed in the feed 58a or the stall zone 52. This is because when water is sprinkled on the bait 58a or the bedding 52a, it is difficult to dry, and there is a high possibility that various problems will occur in terms of hygiene.

Here, a stall zone 52, a cow passage 54, a feeding area 58, and a barn 50 having a feeding passage 60 will be described. With such an arrangement, the watering unit 1 is attached along the girder of the fence 56 between the cow passage 54 and the feeding passage 60. In this case, the watering axis direction 34ha is directed in a direction in which the feeding ground 58 is not exposed to water (see FIG. 4B). In the case of FIG. 4B, it can be said that the watering axis direction 34ha of the watering unit 1 is provided in the direction opposite to the feeding area 58 when viewed from the fence 56.

In FIG. 4, the water source 20 and the like are not shown. Further, the range in which water is sprinkled (hereinafter referred to as "sprinkling area 40") is up to the cow passage 54, and the sprinkling tube 34 is rotated so as not to enter the stall zone 52 in which the bedding 52a is laid. Adjust the water pressure in the axial direction 34ha and the pump 22.

With such an arrangement, when the motion sensor 18 detects the presence of a cow, the cow in front of the detected watering tube 34 is sprinkled with water. No water is sprinkled from the sprinkler tube 34 where the cow is not in front. In FIG. 4A, the cow in front of the sprinkler 14 is sprinkled as indicated by the sprinkling region 40. On the other hand, in front of the watering device 14 without cattle, there is a non-watering area 42, and watering is not performed.

Further, water can be sprinkled from a predetermined sprinkling tube 34 by a direct instruction from the input / output device 16c. In this case, watering is performed even if there is no cow in front of the watering device 14.

FIG. 5 shows a case where the milking chamber is installed in the moving passage 70 to the milking chamber 80. 5A is a plan view of the moving passage 70, FIG. 5B shows a case where the gate fence 78a is lowered, and FIG. 5C shows a case where the gate fence 78a is raised. In the following, cows will be described as dairy cows.

The barn 50 and the milking room 80 are separate, and the cows move from the barn 50 to the milking room 80 several times a day to receive milk. During this time, it is necessary to move the dairy cow in the moving passage 70. The method of movement uses a moving elevating gate 78 provided between the girders of the side walls 72 (reference numeral 72a and reference numeral 72b) of the moving passage 70.

The mobile elevating gate 78 is composed of a moving beam 74, a pair of moving portions 76 (denoted as reference numerals 76a and 76b, respectively), a gate fence 78a, and a hanging strap 78b. Gears or wheels are arranged on the moving portion 76, and the moving portion 76 can move in synchronization with the girder of the side wall 72. The moving beam 74 is supported by a pair of moving portions 76 and can move along the moving passage 70.

Further, a pulling motor is provided in the moving beam 74, and the gate fence 78a can be lifted by winding the hanging strap 78b (see FIG. 5 (c)).

First, the dairy cow is put into the moving passage 70, and the gate fence 78a is lowered from the moving beam 74 at a predetermined number of cows from the front. Then, the dairy cow is advanced while moving the moving beam 74 forward. After advancing the dairy cow in front of the moving beam 74, the gate fence 78a is raised and moved backward, and at the predetermined number of cows, the gate fence 78a is lowered again to separate the predetermined number of dairy cows.

The watering system 2 according to the present invention is arranged along the girders (omitted in the figure) of the left and right side walls 72 on which the moving beam 74 is applied. When arranging in the moving passage 70, it is preferable to adjust the water pressure of the pump 22 and the sprinkling axial direction 34ha so that the water sprinkled from one of the sprinkling tubes 34 reaches the vicinity of the center of the moving passage 70.

In the moving passage 70, as in the case of the barn 50 in FIG. 4, if the dairy cow is in front of the sprinkler device 14, the sprinkling area 40 can be set. Further, if there is no cow in front of the watering device 14, the non-watering area 42 can be set.

<Operation>
The watering system 2 preferably performs intermittent watering. The reason for sprinkling water continuously is that it sprinkles too much water. In addition to automatic control using the motion sensor 18, watering can be intermittently sprinkled from the designated watering device 14 by an instruction from the input / output device 16c. An example of the operation flow of the watering system 2 is shown below.

<Main flow>
FIG. 6 shows the main flow of the watering system 2 according to the present invention. With reference to FIG. 6, when the system starts (step S100), the end determination is first performed (step S102), and in the case of termination (Y branch of step S102), the system is terminated (step S104). When continuing (N branch in step S102), the process is transferred to the next.

Next, automatic control or manual control is selected (step S106). In the case of automatic control, a motion sensor 18 is required. If automatic is selected (“automatic” branch in step S106), processing moves to step S108. If manual is selected (“manual” branch in step S106), processing moves to step S110. When the processing returns from each subroutine, the process returns to step S102 again. Of the plurality of sprinklers 14, the specific sprinkler 14 may be manually controlled and the others may be automatically controlled.

In the watering system 2 according to the present invention, after watering for a certain period of time, a certain time interval is opened. The former time is called "watering time" and the latter time is called "water stop time". For example, the "watering time" is 1 minute, the "water stopping time" is 9 minutes, and the like. The "watering time" and the "water stop time" can be freely set. The amount of water sprinkled is preferably an amount that evaporates during the water stoppage time. This is because it is possible to avoid sprinkling too much water. However, more water may be sprinkled than the amount that evaporates during the water stoppage time.

<Automatic control>
FIG. 7 shows a flow of automatic control processing. In the following flow, the same treatment may be performed for each sprinkler device 14. When the automatic control is started (step S108), the presence or absence of detection by the motion sensor 18 is checked (step S202). If the motion sensor 18 is not detected (N branch in step S202), watering is stopped (step S204) and the watering history is reset (step S206).

Here, the watering history is information indicating whether the watering device 14 to be controlled has currently detected the watering object (dairy cow) or has detected it for the first time. The fact that the sprinkling history is ON means that watering has already started for the object to be sprinkled, and the water is currently sprinkled (during the "sprinkling time") or is currently stopped (during the "water stop time"). ). If there is no detection by the motion sensor 18, regardless of whether the current state is "watering time" or "water stop time", watering is stopped and the watering history is also reset (turned off). That is.

When the target is detected by the motion sensor 18 (Y branch in step S202), it is determined whether or not the current watering history is ON (step S208). If the watering history is not ON (N branch in step S208), it means that the watering target is detected for the first time, the watering history is turned ON (step S210), and watering is started (step S212). At this point, the timer 16t for the watering device 14 to be controlled starts measuring the watering time.

If the sprinkling history is ON (Y branch in step S208), it is determined whether or not it is currently sprinkling (step S214). Then, if it is not currently sprinkled (N branch in step S214), it is in the "water stop time", so it is determined whether or not the water stop time has ended (step S216). If the "water stop time" is completed (Y branch in step S216), watering is started (step S212). If the "water stop time" is not completed (N branch in step S216), the watering process (step 212) is skipped and the process is moved to the subroutine end determination (step S222).

If it is currently sprinkled (Y branch in step S214), it is determined whether or not the "sprinkling time" has elapsed (step S218). When the "watering time" has elapsed (Y branch of step S218), watering is stopped (step S220), and the processing is transferred to the subroutine end processing (step S222). At this time, the measurement of the water stop time of the water sprinkler 14 to be controlled is started.

If the "watering time" has not elapsed (N-branch in step S218), step S220 is skipped and the process is transferred to the subroutine end process (step S222).

In the subroutine end processing (step S222), it is determined whether or not to end the automatic control. The criteria for judgment are not particularly limited, but the judgment may be made based on an end instruction from the user or an error on the system such as the stop of the pump 22. When the automatic control is continued (N branch in step S222), the process is returned to step S202. When the automatic control is terminated (Y branch in step S222), the watering history is reset (step S224), and the process returns to the main routine (step S226).

<Manual control>
FIG. 8 shows the flow of manual control. When the manual control subroutine starts (step S110), it is determined whether or not the watering device 14 to be controlled has been activated by the ON / OFF instruction from the input / output device 16c (step S302). In addition, in step 302 of FIG. 8, it was described as "SW: ON?". If it has not been started (N branch in step S302), the process is returned to step S302.

If it is activated (Y branch in step S302), watering is started (step S304). Then, it is determined whether or not the "watering time" has elapsed (step S306). If the "watering time" has not elapsed (N branch in step S306), watering is continued. When the "watering time" has elapsed (Y branch of step S306), watering is stopped (step S308).

Then, it is determined whether or not to terminate the manual control subroutine (step S310). When it ends (Y branch of step S310), it returns to the main routine (step S312), and when it continues (N branch of step S310), the process returns to step 302.

As described above, when the sprinkler device 14 to be controlled is activated during manual control, water is sprinkled during the "sprinkling time", and as the sprinkling time elapses, the sprinkling is stopped and waits for the sprinkling device to be restarted. Will be.

Although the flow is not particularly shown, in the watering system 2, it is necessary to keep the water pressure in the water pipe 10 constant. Therefore, when the water pressure becomes equal to or less than a predetermined pressure by the signal from the water pressure gauge 24, the control device 16 performs control such as raising the water pressure by the water pressure of the pump 22 or closing the throttle valve 26. On the contrary, when the water pipe 10 is clogged and the water pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure, the pump 22 is stopped and the throttle valve 26 is opened.

The present invention can be suitably used for a barn for raising dairy cows.

1 Watering unit 2 Watering system 10 Watering pipe 12 Support material 14 Watering device 16 Control device 16c Input / output device 16t Timer 18 Human sensor 20 Water source 22 Pump 24 Water pressure gauge 26 Squeeze valve 30 Tributary pipe 32 Solenoid valve 34 Sprinkling tube 34h Sprinkling hole 34hr watering source area 34ha watering axis direction 40 watering area 42 non-watering area 50 barn 52 stall zone 52a litter 54 cow passage 56 fence 58 feeding ground 58a feeding 60 feeding passage 70 moving passage 72 side wall (72a and 72b)
74 Moving beam 76 Moving part (76a and 76b)
78b Hanging strap 78 Mobile elevating gate 78a Gate fence 80 Milking room

Claims (5)

Water pipe and
A sprinkler connected to the water pipe and
A watering unit composed of a support material for fixing the water pipe and the watering device.
The sprinkler is
A tributary pipe communicating with the water pipe and
The solenoid valve provided in the tributary pipe and
A watering unit for a barn, which has a watering tube that is communicated with the tributary pipe and has a watering hole formed in one direction. The watering unit for a barn according to claim 1, wherein the watering tube has a length of 1 to 4 m. At least one motion sensor provided on the support material and
It is equipped with a control device that opens and closes the solenoid valve in response to the output from the motion sensor.
The watering unit for a barn according to claim 1, wherein the control device intermittently opens and closes the solenoid valve while there is an output from the motion sensor. A watering system in which a plurality of barn watering units according to any one of claims 1 to 3 are connected. A barn having the watering system according to claim 4.

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