JP5657872B2 - Water quality monitoring device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a water quality monitoring device.

When inspecting the water quality of rivers and ponds, an unspecified number of toxic substances cannot be detected by a water quality inspection device using an industrial instrument. In addition, depending on the type of toxic substance, it takes time for pretreatment and component analysis, making it difficult to respond quickly.
Therefore, water-related facilities such as water purification plants often detect abnormalities in water quality using not only industrial instruments but also organisms such as fish. In recent years, the behavior of fish is photographed and the images are processed. Techniques have been developed to determine water quality abnormalities based on abnormal behavior of fish recognized by doing so.

  There are two methods for photographing the behavior of fish: a method for photographing the behavior of fish kept in the aquarium from the side and a method for photographing the behavior of fish from the surface of the water. Both methods are based on abnormal behavior of the fish. Research is underway to accurately determine water quality abnormalities.

The technique of patent document 1 is developed as a method of photographing the behavior of fish from the water surface.
The technique of Patent Document 1 is a technique for photographing the behavior of a fish from the surface of the water and judging the water quality based on the amount of change in the luminance of the pixel associated with the movement of the medaka. A plurality of monitoring regions are arranged along the water flow formed in the aquarium. By dividing into two, a reference value for the amount of change in luminance that serves as a reference for determining water quality can be set in each divided region. For this reason, there is a description that even if there is a situation unique to each divided area, for example, the rippling of the water surface, the influence of these on the water quality recognition can be removed.

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 is a technique for preventing an error by changing a reference value of a luminance change amount, that is, a detection sensitivity, and is not a technique for directly removing an error factor. Therefore, unless the error factors and their effects are accurately grasped, the detection sensitivity cannot be set appropriately. However, it is difficult to grasp such an appropriate detection sensitivity, and the accuracy of water quality recognition is substantially reduced. Can not be improved so much.

JP 2009-74840 A

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a water quality monitoring apparatus that can accurately determine a water quality abnormality without causing a determination error of the water quality abnormality.

(Housing member)
A water quality monitoring device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a water quality monitoring device that photographs fish bred in an aquarium and judges the water quality based on the photographed image, from the water surface provided above the aquarium. A photographing means for photographing fish; an illuminating means for irradiating light on the water surface of the aquarium; and an accommodating member for accommodating a fish to be monitored, which is immersed in water in the aquarium. The illuminating means is disposed on a side surface of the water tank, and is disposed so as to irradiate light onto the water surface from the side surface of the water tank, and the housing member includes a plurality of walls erected on the bottom surface of the water tank. The plurality of walls are arranged so as to form a monitoring space for accommodating a fish to be monitored surrounded by the plurality of walls, and among the plurality of walls, The wall located on the illumination means side is an inclined wall inclined toward the illumination means It is, the inclined wall, the light from the illumination means, characterized in that inclined shadow is not formed an angle of the inclined wall to the fish activity area.
The water quality monitoring device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the water quality monitoring device according to the first aspect, wherein the housing member is formed such that upper ends of the plurality of walls are positioned above a water level during water quality monitoring work. A bottom plate disposed between the lower end portions, and among the plurality of walls, an inflow hole for introducing water into the monitoring space is formed in one wall, and the wall facing the one wall; A drain outlet for discharging water from the monitoring space is formed between the bottom plate and the bottom plate.
A water quality monitoring device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the water quality monitoring device according to the second aspect, wherein the inflow hole is formed to be positioned below a water level during water quality monitoring work, and the wall facing the one wall is near the water level. An overflow hole is formed so as to be located in the area.
The water quality monitoring device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the water quality monitoring device according to the second aspect, wherein the housing member is detachably attached to the water tank, and the housing member connects the lower ends of the plurality of walls. A bottom plate is provided.
(Optical arrangement)
A water quality monitoring device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a water quality monitoring device for photographing fish bred in an aquarium and judging the water quality based on the photographed image, from a water surface provided at the upper part of the aquarium. Imaging means for photographing fish, illuminating means for irradiating light on the water surface of the aquarium, and direct light and / or reflected light on the water surface among the illuminating means and / or light irradiating the water surface from outside the aquarium Is provided with a light-shielding member that prevents light from directly entering the imaging means, and the light-shielding member is attached to an upper opening of the water tank, and has a water tank-side light-shielding member having an observation window formed at the center thereof. has been immersed before Symbol water tank, provided with a housing member for keeping accommodating the fish to be monitored, said illuminating means is arranged on the side of the tub, the water tank It is arranged to irradiate the water surface from the side. The housing member has a plurality of walls erected on the bottom surface of the aquarium, and the plurality of walls form a monitoring space for housing a fish to be monitored surrounded by the plurality of walls. Of the plurality of walls, the wall located on the illumination means side is an inclined wall inclined toward the illumination means, and the inclined wall is the illumination The light from the means is inclined at an angle at which the shadow of the inclined wall is not formed in the active area of the fish.
The water quality monitoring device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the water quality monitoring device according to the fifth aspect, wherein an inspection window that communicates the inside and outside of the water tank is formed on one side surface of the water tank, and the inspection window includes the inspection window. An inspection door that opens and closes is provided, and the inspection door and the side surface of the water tank are light-shielded.
The water quality monitoring device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the water quality monitoring device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the photographing means is housed in a container disposed above the water tank, and the photographing means is disposed on the lower surface of the container. A photographing window which is a through hole provided for photographing fish is formed, and the container is provided with an intake means for introducing outside air into the container.
(Turbidity judgment)
A water quality monitoring device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention includes, in the first or fifth aspect, water quality determination means for determining water quality based on an image photographed by the photographing means , wherein the water quality judgment means is photographed. A turbidity determination unit that determines the turbidity of water based on the contrast between the fish shadow and the background in the image is provided.
(Activity judgment)
A water quality monitoring device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention comprises, in the first or fifth aspect of the invention, water quality judgment means for judging the water quality based on the image photographed by the photographing means , wherein the water quality judgment means is photographed. Based on the image, an activity number detection unit that calculates the number of activities that is the number of fish moving more than a certain amount, a determination period activity number that is the number of activities per unit time within a certain determination period, and more than the determination period And a water quality determination unit that determines the water quality based on the number of activities in a reference period, which is the number of activities per unit time within a long reference period.
The water quality monitoring device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the water quality monitoring device according to the ninth aspect , wherein the water quality determination unit calculates an activity rate that is a value obtained by dividing the number of determination period activities by the reference period activity number, and based on a change in the activity rate It is characterized by water quality.
(Water supply / drainage system)
A water quality monitoring device according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the water quality monitoring device according to the first or fifth aspect , wherein the water quality is judged on the basis of the behavior of the fish bred in the aquarium, and water supply / drainage means for supplying and discharging water to the aquarium The water supply pipe for supplying water to the water tank in the water supply / drainage means is provided with a pump and a filtration means for filtering water so as to be arranged in this order from the upstream side, A bypass pipe for returning a part of the water that has passed through the filtering means to the upstream side of the pump is provided.
A water quality monitoring device according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention includes, in the eleventh aspect , a water sampling means for collecting water in the water tank, the water sampling means including a water sampling container for containing water, the water sampling container, A communication pipe that communicates with the water tank; and an exhaust pipe that discharges the gas in the water sampling container. The communication pipe includes a valve that blocks communication between the water sampling container and the water tank. The exhaust pipe is provided with a gas passage valve that allows only gas to pass therethrough.
A water quality monitoring device according to a thirteenth aspect is characterized in that, in the eleventh aspect , the water supply pipe is provided with a heating means for heating water supplied to the water tank from the outer surface of the water supply pipe.
(Multiple tanks)
A water quality monitoring device according to a fourteenth aspect of the invention is accommodated in the first or fifth aspect of the invention, rather than the monitoring water tank provided separately from the monitoring water tank in which fish for photographing images are bred, and the monitoring water tank. A reserve water tank having a large amount of water and a water supply pipe for supplying water to be monitored for water to the monitoring water tank, the water supply pipe being connected to the monitoring water tank. A branch pipe for supplying the same water as the water supplied to the water tank is provided, and the amount of water supplied from the branch pipe to the reserve water tank is from the water supply pipe to the monitoring water tank. It is characterized by being adjusted so that it may become less than the quantity of the water supplied.

(Housing member)
According to the first invention, if the fish in the monitoring space of the housing member is photographed by the photographing means from above the water surface, the change in the water quality can be grasped by analyzing the movement of the fish obtained from the image. And the light is irradiated to the water surface from the side surface of the water tank by the illumination means, and the wall located on the illumination means side is inclined at an angle at which no shadow is formed in the monitoring space. Then, since it is possible to prevent the shadow of the wall from appearing on the fish body, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a recognition failure of the fish will occur, and to accurately determine the water quality.
According to the second invention, since the upper ends of the plurality of walls are located above the water level during the water quality monitoring operation, the water flows into the monitoring space of the housing member from the inflow hole of the one wall. It flows toward the wall opposite to the wall and is discharged from the drain. For this reason, since the deposit deposited on the bottom surface of the housing member can flow toward the drain outlet by the flow of water, the deposited deposit can be dropped from the drain port and discharged from the housing member. Further, when cleaning the housing member, if the sediment is moved toward the drain port, the sediment can be discharged from the drain port. It can be done efficiently.
According to the third invention, since the inflow hole is located below the water level during the water quality monitoring operation, floating substances such as bubbles, waves on the water surface, etc. existing upstream from the containing member flow into the monitoring space. Can be prevented. Then, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneous recognition of fish caused by suspended matter or the like. Further, since the wall facing the one wall is provided with an overflow hole near the water level during the water quality monitoring operation, suspended matter in the monitoring space can be discharged from the overflow hole by the water flow.
According to the fourth invention, the housing member is provided with a bottom plate, and if the housing member is lifted from the water tank, the fish can be taken out of the water tank together with the housing member. The replacement work can be performed easily and in a short time.
(Optical arrangement)
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the fish in the monitoring space of the housing member can be photographed from above the water surface through the observation window of the water tank side light shielding member by the photographing means, if the movement of the fish obtained from the image is analyzed, Can grasp changes in water quality. Moreover, the observation window of the aquarium-side light blocking member is provided so that illumination light or external light does not directly enter the photographing means, and illumination light or external light reflected from the water surface does not enter the photographing means. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of misrecognition of fish due to the effect of light incident directly on the photographing means, and misrecognition of fish due to the reflection of reflected light or scenery, etc., and accurately judge the water quality it can be. The lighting means is irradiated from the side of the aquarium light on the water, moreover, the walls located on the illuminating means side is inclined at an angle not its shadow is formed in the monitoring space. Then, since it is possible to prevent the shadow of the wall from appearing on the fish body, it is possible to reduce the possibility of fish recognition failure.
According to the sixth aspect of the invention , the side surface of the water tank and the inspection door are shielded from light, so that indirect reflection on the water surface is prevented even in places where strong external light exists in the vicinity. And can prevent fish from barking. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fish from acting abnormally due to causes other than water quality. In particular, if smoke or a half mirror is used for the shading process, it is possible to make the state of the fish in the aquarium clear to some extent while preventing the outside light and the human shadow from being seen from the inside. Also, if you open and close the inspection door on one side of the tank, you can usually prevent outside light from entering the tank through the inspection window. Maintenance work can be performed. Therefore, the maintenance of the water tank becomes easy while maintaining the inside of the water tank in a state suitable for photographing.
According to the seventh invention , the outside air introduced into the container by the intake means can be discharged from the photographing window. Then, since an air flow can be created around the photographing means, it is possible to prevent the lens of the photographing means from being fogged by steam or the like from the water tank. In addition, since the inflow of moisture into the container can be prevented, failure of the device in the container due to moisture can also be prevented.
(Turbidity judgment)
According to the eighth invention , since the turbidity of water is determined from the image photographed by the photographing means, installation of a commercially available turbidimeter or the like is unnecessary, and the equipment can be simplified. Moreover, early detection of the loss of water quality judgment function can be performed based on the detected turbidity of water, and the turbidity of water can be used as a guideline for filter replacement and sediment removal timing.
(Activity judgment)
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention , the number of activities in a state where the number of activities decreases relatively slowly due to changes in water temperature, water quality, pathogenic bacteria, activity stagnation time, etc. (number of reference period activities), and determination period activities within the determination period Since the water quality is judged by comparing the number, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a water quality judgment error. Moreover, since the average value per unit time is used as the number of activities, even if abnormal behavior of fish due to sudden phenomena other than abnormal water quality occurs, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination of such abnormal behavior as abnormal water quality. it can.
According to the tenth invention , the activity rate, which is a value obtained by dividing the number of determination period activities by the reference period activity number, is calculated, and the water quality is judged based on the change in the activity rate. Can be found.
(Water supply / drainage system)
According to the eleventh aspect, the turbidity of the water supplied to the water tank can be reduced by passing the filtering means. And since the bypass pipe is provided in the water supply pipe, even if the filtering means is clogged while maintaining the pump at a constant operating condition, only the flow rate and flow direction in the bypass pipe change, It is possible to prevent fluctuations in the water supply flow rate to the water tank due to clogging of the filtering means. Moreover, since the circulated water passes through the filtering means many times, the turbidity removing effect can be enhanced. On the other hand, since water can be directly supplied to the water tank through the bypass pipe, it is possible to prevent water supply to the water tank from being stopped even when the filtering means is completely clogged.
According to the twelfth invention , water in the water tank can be collected by opening a valve provided in the communication pipe. Moreover, when the collected water enters the exhaust pipe and reaches the position of the gas passage valve, the water sampling is naturally stopped. That is, since a predetermined amount of water can be automatically collected simply by opening a valve provided in the communication pipe, the sampling timing and the sampling amount can be easily controlled.
According to the thirteenth aspect , since the water before being supplied to the water tank is heated while flowing through the water supply pipe, the water in the water tank is compared with the case where the water in the water tank is heated by the heater immersed in the water tank. Water temperature can also be stabilized. Moreover, since the heating means does not come into direct contact with water like a heater immersed in a water tank, it is possible to prevent water from fouling, to suppress generation of water vapor from the inside of the water tank, and to a heater immersed in the water tank. It ’s safe because there ’s no fear of flying.
(Multiple tanks)
According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention , the reserve water tank stores a larger volume of water than the monitoring water tank, and the amount of water supplied is smaller than that of the monitoring water tank, so that the water quality in the water tank suddenly changes. And can keep the fish habitat more stable. In addition, the inflow rate of harmful substances is slower than the monitoring tank, and the concentration of harmful substances in the reserve tank is also reduced, so after anomalies are detected in the monitoring tank, the behavior of fish in the reserve tank is confirmed. Thus, the influence of the water quality abnormality can be visually observed in detail. Moreover, since the same water is supplied to both water tanks, the difference between the water quality in the reserve water tank and the water quality of the monitoring water tank can be reduced. Therefore, when the fish is transferred from the reserve water tank to the monitoring water tank, it is possible to prevent the abnormality of the fish due to the environmental change.

It is a schematic front view of the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of this embodiment. It is a schematic side view of the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of this embodiment. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the water supply / drainage system 40 in the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of this embodiment. 1 is a schematic front view of a monitoring water tank 10. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a monitoring water tank 10. FIG. It is a schematic single-piece | unit side view of the monitoring water tank 10, Comprising: (A) is a right view, (B) is a left view. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a monitoring water tank 10. FIG. (A) is a schematic single-piece | unit top view of the monitoring cage | basket 20, (B) is the BB sectional drawing of (A). It is a schematic single-piece | unit side view of the monitoring cage | basket 20, Comprising: (A) is a right view, (B) is a left view. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing a photographing range of the photographing means 30. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the relationship between the imaging | photography range of the imaging | photography means 30, the water tank side light shielding member 91, and illumination.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The water quality monitoring device of the present invention is a device that monitors the water quality of rivers that are the source of tap water, drinking water, etc., the quality of water such as factory effluent, sewage treated water, etc., and the source water (raw water) is used as a water tank. It is a monitoring device that monitors the quality of the water in the aquarium, that is, the quality of the raw water, based on the behavior of the medaka that is introduced and bred in the aquarium.

First, based on FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the whole water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the code | symbol F has shown the water tank installation stand for installing the water tanks 10 and 70 for breeding a fish in the water quality monitoring apparatus 1, and another apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water tank installation base F includes a table T1 on which the monitoring water tank 10 is placed. As shown in FIG. 2, a spare water tank 70 is provided on the back of the table T1. A table T2 for mounting is provided.
A space is provided below the tables T1 and T2, and a piping system 40 for supplying and discharging water to and from the water tanks 10 and 70 is disposed in the space. The piping system 40 includes a water supply pipe 41 that supplies water to the water tanks 10 and 70 and a drain pipe 51 that discharges water from the water tanks 10 and 70 (FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a container B (hereinafter referred to as an electrical box B) supported by a pair of pillars C is provided above the table T1, that is, above the monitoring water tank 10. . In the electrical box B, there are housed a photographing means 30 for photographing the situation in the monitoring water tank 10 from the water surface, a control device, and the like.

  The photographing means 30 is, for example, a commercially available CCD camera or the like, and is disposed in the electrical box B so that its lens faces the monitoring water tank 10. The photographing means 30 is connected to a water quality judging means 80 such as a personal computer via a cable or the like, and the photographed image is transmitted to the water quality judging means 80. The water quality determination means 80 has a function of determining the water quality in the aquarium based on an image obtained by photographing a medaka, and monitors the water quality in the monitoring water tank 10.

  The control device in the electrical box B monitors and controls the operation of various devices (for example, the illumination means 13, the water level sensor 15, the water supply pump 42, etc.) provided in the water tanks 10, 70 and the piping system 40. is there. This control device has a function of stopping the operation of the device or issuing a warning when an abnormality occurs in the operation state of various devices. Further, it also has a function of issuing a warning when the water quality determination means 80 described above detects a water quality abnormality.

With the configuration as described above, according to the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, fish in the monitoring space of the monitoring cage 20 is photographed by the photographing means 30 from above the water surface, and the fish obtained from the image by the water quality judging means 80 is captured. By analyzing the movement, it is possible to grasp changes in water quality.
Moreover, in the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of this embodiment, since each apparatus is collectively installed in one water tank installation stand F, an installation space can be made small and the movement of an apparatus becomes easy.
Moreover, in the water quality monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment, since the walls of the water tanks 10, 70 and the piping system 40 are not provided around the water tanks 10, 70, visual confirmation of the water tanks 10, 70 and these Maintenance and the like can be easily performed.

  In addition, the water quality determination means 80 mentioned above may be installed on the water tank installation stand F (in the electrical equipment box B etc.) like other equipment, and the control equipment itself functions as the water quality determination means 80. It may be. However, when the water quality judging means 80 is a personal computer or the like, it is preferable to install it at a position away from the monitoring water tank 10 or the reserve water tank 70 (a place different from the water tank installation table F). With this arrangement, the water quality determination means 80 can prevent the influence of moisture generated from the monitoring water tank 10 and the like, and the water scattered during the maintenance work of the monitoring water tank 10 and the like is applied to the water quality determination means 80. Can also prevent.

The electrical box B is preferably provided with an intake means for introducing outside air into the electrical box B, such as a ventilation fan.
Since a photographing window for photographing the medaka in the monitoring water tank 10 by the photographing means 30 is formed on the lower surface of the electrical box B, if such a suction means is provided, the suction means places the photographing window 30 in the electrical box B. The introduced outside air can be discharged from the photographing window.
Then, since an air flow can be created around the photographing means, it is possible to prevent the lens or the like of the photographing means from being fogged by the vapor rising from the monitoring water tank 10.
Moreover, since it is possible to prevent moisture from flowing into the electrical box B due to the airflow discharged from the photographing window, it is possible to prevent a failure of the control device or the like in the electrical box B due to moisture.

(Description of various devices)
Next, each device of the water quality monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail.
Note that the fish bred in the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment are medaka, goldfish, and the like, and are not particularly limited. In the following, a case where medaka is bred as a representative will be described.

(Description of the monitoring water tank 10)
The monitoring water tank 10 is a water tank to which water to be inspected is supplied, and is for breeding medaka that is automatically monitored by the photographing means 30.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the monitoring water tank 10 has a water tank body 11 having an upper opening. In the water tank body 11, a water supply pipe 41 is disposed in the vicinity of one side surface (in the vicinity of the left side surface in FIGS. 4 and 5), and in the vicinity of the side surface facing the one side surface (in FIGS. 4 and 5). A drain pipe 51 is disposed in the vicinity of the right side surface).
Moreover, an overflow plate 11 b is provided between the water supply pipe 41 and the drain pipe 51 in the vicinity of the pipe 51 so as to stand on the bottom surface of the water tank body 11. The overflow plate 11b is provided for storing water at a predetermined water level (a water level suitable for water quality monitoring work) between the overflow plate 11b and the vicinity of the left side surface.
For this reason, when water is supplied from the water supply pipe 41 to the water tank body 11 in the water tank body 11, water flows from one side surface toward the overflow plate 11 b, and the water exceeding the overflow plate 11 b is drained from the drain pipe 51. . That is, the water tank body 11 is configured such that a water flow is formed from one side surface to the side surface opposite to this side surface, in other words, from one side surface to the overflow plate 11b.

In the water tank body 11, a monitoring basket 20 described later is disposed between the water supply pipe 41 and the drain pipe 51, and a medaka that is automatically monitored is bred in the monitoring space of the monitoring basket 20. The details of the monitoring car 20 will be described later.
Although not shown, the monitoring water tank 10 is provided with a feeder (for example, a commercially available feeder having a timer function) for feeding medaka.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, illumination means 13 is provided on the back surface of the water tank body 11. The illuminating means 13 is a commercially available fluorescent lamp, LED, or the like, and is arranged so as to irradiate light on the water surface in the water tank body 11 from obliquely above.
Moreover, the illuminating means 13 prevents the light irradiated on the water surface from the illuminating means 13 from directly entering the photographing means 30 and the light reflected from the water surface (illumination reflected light) from entering the photographing means 30. It is arranged. With this configuration, when the water quality determination unit 80 determines the water quality in the aquarium based on the image captured by the imaging unit 30, the water quality caused by the irradiation light or the reflected illumination light that directly enters the imaging unit 30. The occurrence of misjudgment can be suppressed.
For example, as shown in FIG. 11, if the angles θ1 and θ2 formed by the light irradiation angle of the illumination unit 13 and the vertical direction are set to be larger than the angle α formed by the field angle of the photographing unit 30 and the vertical direction. The illumination light from the illumination means 13 and the reflected light from the water surface can be prevented from directly entering the imaging means 30.

  The illumination unit 13 is preferably installed at a position that does not appear on the water surface within the imaging range of the imaging unit 30 and is as high as possible. This is because the difference in the brightness of the medaka caused by the distance from the illumination means 13 can be reduced by irradiating light from a position higher than the water surface. That is, if the illuminating means 13 is arranged at a position higher than the water surface, the difference in the medaka recognizability due to the distance from the illuminating means 13 can be reduced.

(Description of light shielding member)
Moreover, not only the light irradiated to the water surface from the illumination means 13, but also when external light (for example, sunlight or light from room lighting) is transmitted through the side surface of the water tank body 11 or the like, the external light is reflected on the water surface. There is a possibility that the reflected light (external reflection light) enters the image capturing means 30 and the water quality judgment error due to the external reflection light may occur. In addition, an external scenery or a person's image may be reflected on the water surface through the side surface of the aquarium body 11, and there is a possibility that a misjudgment of water quality due to this reflection may occur.

  Therefore, in order to prevent misjudgment of water quality due to such external reflection light or reflection, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and 10, the water tank side light shielding member 91 of the light shielding member is provided on the upper part of the water tank body 11. Is preferably provided.

The water tank side light shielding member 91 is a member provided so as to cover the entire upper opening of the water tank body 11, and is formed of a material that does not transmit light, such as a black acrylic plate, a transparent acrylic plate subjected to light shielding treatment, or the like. ing.
The water tank side light shielding member 91 is formed with a through-hole (observation window 91h) that transmits light in the center thereof so that the photographing means 30 can photograph the inside of the water tank body 11. The observation window 91h is formed so that the photographing means 30 can photograph the entire monitoring space, and the incident reflected light on the photographing means 30 and the reflection on the water surface such as scenery do not occur.

  For example, when the distance from the water surface to the photographing means 30 is 50 cm, the monitoring space is 40 cm long × 30 cm wide, and the distance from the water surface to the water tank side light shielding member 91 is 25 cm, the observation window 91h is photographed at the center. If the optical axis of the means 30 passes and is formed so that the size thereof is 20 cm long × 15 cm wide, externally reflected light does not enter the photographing means 30 and are not reflected on the water surface. Can be.

  In order to prevent external reflected light from entering the photographing means 30 and reflection on the water surface such as scenery, it is necessary to prevent external light from entering the water tank body 11 from the side surface of the water tank body 11. More desirable. For example, in the aquarium main body 11, if all the side surfaces other than the side where the light from the illumination means 13 enters are subjected to a light shielding treatment, the external light does not enter the aquarium main body 11, so that the external reflected light or reflected light is reflected. Can be prevented. And if you can prevent the reflection on the surface of the water, you can prevent the medaka from acting abnormally in the shadow of the reflection on the surface of the water. Can do.

  The light shielding process described above is, for example, a process of coloring the water tank side light shielding member 91 or the side surface of the water tank main body 11 with a black paint, but may be any process that can prevent light from being transmitted. In particular, if a smoke process, a half mirror, or the like is used as a shading process, an external figure cannot be seen from the inside of the aquarium body 11, but the state of the medaka in the aquarium body 11 can be understood to some extent from the outside. Is preferable. For example, the above effect can be effectively obtained by providing a half mirror on the inner side of the side surface of the water tank body 11 and performing a smoke treatment on the outer side.

  Further, if the upper surface of the water tank side light shielding member 91 and the lower surface of the electrical box B are surfaces that easily reflect light, when the outside is bright, the scenery and the human figure reflected on these surfaces are reflected on the water surface. there is a possibility. In order to prevent the occurrence of such reflection, an antireflection treatment such as black coating or adhesion by attaching a black rubber plate to the upper surface of the water tank side light shielding member 91 or the lower surface of the electrical box B is performed. More preferably. In addition, when the rubber plate is bonded, even if a monitoring person who cleans the monitoring water tank 10 accidentally bumps his / her head against the electrical box B, it is possible to obtain a safety measure effect of preventing injury.

(Description of inspection window 11h)
On the other hand, when checking the state of the medaka in the water tank body 11 in more detail, such as when a water quality abnormality or turbidity alarm is generated, it is necessary to visually check the medaka directly. However, when the light shielding process is performed on the side surface of the water tank body 11, the medaka can be directly observed only from the upper surface of the water tank body 11. And when the water tank side light shielding member 91 is also provided, it is also necessary to remove the water tank side light shielding member 91.
Therefore, when a light shielding process is performed on the side surface of the water tank body 11, an inspection window 11h that communicates the inside and the outside of the water tank body 11 and an inspection door 12 that opens and closes the inspection window 11h may be provided. preferable. For example, it is preferable to provide an inspection door 12 attached to the side surface of the water tank body 11 by a trillion number or the like. In this case, if the inspection door 12 is opened and closed, it is usually possible to prevent outside light or the like from entering the tank body 11 through the inspection window 11h. If the inspection door 12 is opened, the medaka can be removed through the inspection window 11h. Direct visual confirmation is possible. Then, if it is a simple maintenance work such as collection of dead medaka or simple cleaning of the water tank main body 11, it is possible to work by putting a hand through the inspection window 11h. Therefore, maintenance management of the water tank main body 11 becomes easy while maintaining a light-shielding state suitable for photographing inside the water tank main body 11.

  Note that the inspection window 11h may be provided in a water tank whose side surface is not subjected to light shielding treatment. Even in this case, since the work can be performed from the inspection window 11h closer to the water surface than the upper surface of the water tank, the work efficiency such as a simple maintenance work can be improved. If the light shielding process is not performed on the side surface, the inspection door 12 for opening and closing the inspection window 11h may not be provided.

(Description of the monitoring basket 20)
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, a monitoring cage 20 (corresponding to a housing member in the claims) is provided between one side surface and the overflow plate 11 b in the monitoring water tank 10. Yes. The monitoring basket 20 is a hollow member formed in a box shape with an open top, and is provided so as to be detachable from the monitoring water tank 10.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the monitoring car 20 is provided so as to connect the four walls (the front wall 22, the pair of side walls 23 and 24, and the back wall 25) and the lower ends of the four walls. And a bottom plate 21.

For this reason, if the monitoring basket 20 is arranged in the monitoring water tank 10 and the medaka is arranged in the space surrounded by the four walls, the activity range of the medaka can be limited, and the area for monitoring the medaka is made a certain area. Can be maintained. The space surrounded by the four walls is a monitoring space for storing medaka.
Since the monitoring basket 20 is detachably attached to the monitoring water tank 10 and the bottom plate 21 is provided below the monitoring space, the monitoring basket 20 can be taken out of the monitoring tank 10 by removing the monitoring basket 20. The medaka can be taken out from the monitoring water tank 10 together with 20. That is, the medaka can be caught only by taking out the monitoring basket 20 from the monitoring water tank 10. Then, since the trouble of catching the medaka with a net or the like during the cleaning work or the medaka replacement work can be omitted, each work is simplified and the working time can be shortened.

  Next, details of each part of the monitoring car 20 will be described.

(Configuration of the back wall 25)
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, in the monitoring car 20, the back wall 25 is an inclined wall inclined with respect to the bottom plate 21. If it demonstrates in detail, the back wall 25 will incline so that the upper end may be located outside rather than a lower end. And the back wall 25 is formed so that the inclination | tilt angle (theta) may be set to about 40 degrees-70 degrees.
With such a configuration, when the monitoring basket 20 is arranged in the monitoring water tank 10 so that the back wall 25 is positioned on the lighting means 13 side (see FIGS. 5 and 6), the light is emitted from the lighting means 13. Thus, it is possible to prevent the shadow of the back wall 25 from appearing on the fish in the monitoring space. Then, since possibility that the recognition failure of the medaka resulting from the shadow of the back wall 25 will arise can be made low, water quality can be judged correctly.

  The inclination angle of the back wall 25 with respect to the bottom plate 21 is not limited to the above angle, and is arranged so that a shadow is not formed in the water in the surveillance space (in other words, in the active area of the medaka) by the light from the illumination means 13. It only has to be done. For example, if the angle formed between the bottom plate 21 of the monitoring basket 20 and the extension of the region through which the light emitted from the illumination means 13 passes is larger than the inclination angle θ of the back wall 25, the shadow of the back wall 25 is within the monitoring space. Can be prevented from being reflected on the surface of the water. For example, when the inclination angle θ is set to 70 degrees or less, there is a high possibility that an effect of preventing the shadow of the back wall 25 from being reflected when the illumination unit 13 irradiates light from the side.

(Configuration of the pair of side walls 23 and 24)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, in order to keep the medaka in the monitoring space of the monitoring car 20, the monitoring car 20 has all its walls (front wall 22, pair of side walls 23, 24 and back wall 25. ) Is higher than the water level during water quality monitoring work. In other words, all the walls of the monitoring car 20 are formed so that the height thereof is higher than that of the overflow plate 11b.
For this reason, since water does not flow over the wall of the monitoring car 20 and flow into the monitoring space or flow out of the monitoring space, the monitoring car 20 has an inflow hole for introducing water into the monitoring space, An outlet for discharging water from the space is provided.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, when the monitoring basket 20 is arranged in the monitoring water tank 10 so that the back wall 25 is located on the lighting means 13 side (see FIGS. 4 and 6), the water supply pipe The side wall 23 located on the 41 side is provided with a through hole 23 h that penetrates the side wall 23.
On the other hand, when the monitoring basket 20 is arranged in the monitoring water tank 10 so that the back wall 25 is located on the illumination means 13 side, a gap 20h is formed between the side wall 24 located on the drain pipe 51 side and the bottom plate 21. Is provided (see FIG. 8).

Since a flow from the water supply pipe 41 toward the drain pipe 51 is formed in the monitoring water tank 10, the water supplied from the water supply pipe 41 flows into the monitoring space through the through hole 23h of the side wall 23. And flows toward the side wall 24. And it is discharged | emitted from the clearance gap 20h between the side wall 24 and the baseplate 21, and flows to the drainage piping 51 through the notch etc. which were provided in the lower end of the side wall 24. FIG.
Then, a flow from the side wall 23 toward the side wall 24, in other words, a flow from the side wall 23 toward the gap 20h is also formed on the bottom plate 21, so that sediments such as excess food and medaka feces are left on the bottom plate 21. Even if they are deposited, these precipitates can be made to flow naturally toward the gap 20h by the flow of water. Since the sediment that has flowed to the gap 20h falls from the gap 20h, it can be easily discharged out of the monitoring space through the gap 20h. That is, the self-cleaning effect in the monitoring space by the water flow can be obtained.

  When deposits that cannot be discharged only by the water flow accumulate on the bottom plate 21, the monitoring personnel must clean the monitoring space. However, even during such cleaning, if the deposit is moved toward the gap 20h, it can be discharged out of the monitoring space. It can be done efficiently.

  Since the through-hole 23h and the gap 20h correspond to the inflow hole and the drain port referred to in the claims, hereinafter, the through-hole 23h and the gap 20h are referred to as the inflow hole 23h and the drain port 20h.

(About the arrangement of the inflow hole 23h)
The plurality of inflow holes 23h described above may be arranged so that water of a degree capable of breeding medaka can be introduced into the monitoring space, but the following configuration is more preferable. .

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the plurality of inflow holes 23h are formed such that the uppermost inflow hole 23h is located below the upper end of the overflow plate 11b. In other words, the plurality of inflow holes 23h are arranged so that all the inflow holes 23h are located below the water surface during the water quality monitoring operation.
In such a state, even if bubbles or waves are generated on the water surface upstream of the monitoring car 20 (the water surface between the wall surface of the monitoring water tank 10 and the side wall 23), the water quality is being monitored. These bubbles and waves cannot pass through the plurality of inflow holes 23h. Then, it is possible to prevent bubbles and waves on the upstream water surface from flowing into the monitoring space, so that the water surface in the monitoring space can be kept in a state suitable for photographing medaka. In other words, if bubbles or waves flow into the surveillance space, there is a possibility that bubbles or waves may be mistakenly recognized as medaka, or bubbles or waves may interfere with medaka shooting. If 23h is configured as described above to prevent the entry of bubbles, waves, etc. into the monitoring space, such problems can be prevented.

  In addition, since the inflow hole 23h is provided at a position somewhat away from the bottom surface of the water tank body 11, it is possible to prevent the sediment that has flowed into the monitoring water tank 10 from the water supply pipe 41 from flowing into the monitoring basket 20. In addition, as described later, there is also an effect that water is left in the monitoring basket 20 when the monitoring basket 20 is taken out from the monitoring tank 10 together with the medaka.

(About overflow hole 24h)
On the other hand, when only the drainage port 20h as described above is provided, if floating material such as bubbles is generated in the monitoring space, the floating material should be discharged from the drainage port 20h located at the bottom of the monitoring space by a water flow. It is difficult. Such a floating substance can be removed by the monitoring person if found by the monitoring person. However, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, a plurality of overflow holes 24h are provided in the side wall 24 opposite to the side wall 23. If you do, suspended matter can be discharged by the water flow. Then, the work burden on the observer can be reduced, and the generated suspended matter can be quickly discharged from the monitoring space, so that it is possible to prevent a water quality judgment error due to the presence of the suspended matter.
The plurality of overflow holes 24h are provided so as to be located above the uppermost inflow hole 23h in the plurality of inflow holes 23h. Specifically, the height HO from the lowest overflow hole 24h to the lower end of the monitoring car 20 is higher than the height HI from the uppermost inflow hole 23 to the lower end of the monitoring car 20. Are provided with a plurality of overflow holes 24h.
With such an arrangement, all the inflow holes 23h are formed so as to be positioned below the upper end of the overflow plate 11b. Therefore, among the plurality of overflow holes 24h, some of the overflow holes 24h are the upper ends of the overflow plate 11b. It can be located below. That is, some overflow holes 24h can be positioned near the water surface. Then, most of the water in the monitoring space is discharged from the drain port 20h, but part of it is also discharged from the overflow hole 24h, so that suspended matter generated in the monitoring space during the water quality monitoring work is It can be discharged from the overflow hole 24h.

  The number of the overflow holes 24h is not particularly limited, but it is desirable that the area of the overflow hole 24h located in the water during the water quality monitoring work is about 1/3 of the area of the drain port 20h. With such an area, the amount of water discharged from the overflow hole 24h during the water quality monitoring operation can be reduced. Therefore, even if the overflow hole 24h is provided, the bottom surface 21 cleaning effect obtained by discharging water from the drain port 20h. Can be maintained.

  Moreover, although the case where the monitoring basket 20 was provided in the monitoring water tank 10 so that attachment or detachment was provided was demonstrated in the said example, the monitoring basket 20 may be fixed to the monitoring water tank 10. FIG. For example, if the monitoring cage 20 is formed by a method of standing each wall as a fixed wall on the bottom surface of the monitoring water tank 10, the same effect as described above can be obtained. When each wall is erected as a fixed wall, the bottom surface 21 is not necessarily provided, but it is preferable to provide the bottom surface 21 in order to obtain advantages such as a cleaning effect by a water flow. Since the drain port 20h cannot be formed when the bottom surface 21 is not provided, the overflow hole 24h described above may be provided as a discharge port for discharging water from the monitoring space.

The monitoring water tank 10 is preferably provided with a water level sensor for detecting the water level in the water tank.
If the overflow plate 11b as described above is provided, the water level during the water quality monitoring operation should be the height of the overflow plate 11b if the amount of supplied water is appropriate. However, when the amount of water supply is too large or when the drain pipe 51 is clogged, the water level becomes higher than the overflow plate 11b. Conversely, when the water tank leaks or the water supply stops, the water level overflows. It becomes lower than the plate 11b.
Therefore, if a water level sensor is provided, it is possible to detect the occurrence of the phenomenon as described above, and it is possible to notify the operator of an abnormality by an alarm or the like.
The water level sensor used for this purpose is not particularly limited, and a known water level sensor can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a transparent tubular member 15c that is disposed vertically and communicated with the water tank body 11 in the water tank body 11 of the monitoring water tank 10, and two optical types attached to the tubular member 15c. A water level sensor 15 comprising sensors 15a and 15b can be employed. In the case of such a water level sensor 15, by disposing the optical sensor 15a above the height of the overflow plate 11b and the optical sensor 15b below the height of the overflow plate 11b, the water level during the water quality monitoring operation is arranged. Whether or not is normal can be detected.

(Description of piping system 40)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the piping system 40 is disposed in a space below the tables T1 and T2.
As shown in FIG. 3, the piping system 40 includes a water supply pipe 41 that supplies water to the monitoring water tank 10 and a drain pipe 51 that discharges water from the monitoring water tank 10.

(About water supply piping 41)
As shown in FIG. 3, the water supply pipe 41 is a pipe for supplying water from a water source that supplies water to be monitored to the monitoring water tank 10. In this water supply pipe 41, a known water supply pump 42, a filtering means 43 such as a filter, a heating means 44 such as a heater, a flow rate sensor 45, an amount of water supplied to the monitoring water tank 10 from upstream to downstream ( A valve 46 for adjusting the (water supply flow rate) is interposed in this order. The water supply pipe 41 includes a bypass pipe 41a that communicates a portion downstream of the filtering means 43 (a downstream portion of the heating means 44 in FIG. 3) and a portion upstream of the water supply pump 42. The details will be described later.

The filtering means 43 is not particularly limited as long as it can remove dust and the like contained in water supplied from a water source.
In addition, the flow sensor 45 may not be provided, but the flow sensor 45 needs to be provided when a certain amount of flow must be secured, for example, when the amount of water supply is strictly controlled. In addition, it is preferable to provide the flow rate sensor 45 because it is a guide for adjusting the flow rate.

  The heating means 44 may be anything that can maintain the water temperature of the monitoring water tank 10 at a predetermined water temperature, but is preferably one that can heat the water in the water supply pipe 41 from the outer surface of the water supply pipe 41. For example, if a rubber heater is wound around the outer surface of the water supply pipe as the heating means 44, the water in the monitoring water tank 10 can be compared with the case where the heater is immersed in the water in the monitoring water tank 10. The advantage is that the temperature can also be stabilized. Moreover, since water and the heating means 44 do not contact directly, it can prevent water pollution, can suppress generation | occurrence | production of the water vapor | steam from the inside of the water tank 10 for monitoring, and the heater immersed in the water tank 10 for monitoring. It ’s safe because there ’s no need to worry about flying.

(About drain pipe 51)
As shown in FIG. 3, the drain pipe 51 is a pipe that discharges water from the monitoring water tank 10. One end of the drain pipe 51 is piped between the wall surface 12b of the housing member 12 and the left side surface of the water tank body 11 in the monitoring water tank 10 (see FIG. 4).

(Bypass piping 41a)
As described above, the water supply pipe 41 is provided with the bypass pipe 41a that communicates the downstream portion of the filtering means 43 (the downstream portion of the heating means 44 in FIG. 3) and the upstream portion of the water supply pump 42. ing. The bypass pipe 41a is configured such that water can freely flow in either direction in the bypass pipe 41a as shown by an arrow in FIG.

When such a bypass pipe 41a is provided, it is possible to adjust the feed water flow rate by adjusting the opening of the valve 46 while maintaining the feed water pump 42 at a constant operating condition, and to suppress the load fluctuation of the feed water pump 42. be able to. This is because, by providing the bypass pipe 41a, surplus water that is not supplied to the monitoring water tank 10 out of the water discharged from the feed water pump 42 can be returned to the upstream side of the feed water pump 42 through the bypass pipe 41a. It is.
In addition, with such a configuration, surplus water circulates between the discharge port and the suction port of the water supply pump 42, so that the surplus water that is circulated can be passed through the filtering means 43 and the heating means 44 many times. . Then, the effect which removes the turbidity of water can be made high, and a heat exchange rate can be improved. And since the temperature of the water supplied to the monitoring water tank 10 can be made closer to a certain temperature, stabilization of the water temperature in the monitoring water tank 10 can be expected.

If the bypass pipe 41a is provided, even if the filtering means 43 is clogged due to long-term use, only the flow rate of surplus water is reduced. Therefore, the operating conditions of the water supply pump 42 need not be changed. However, the feed water pressure to the monitoring water tank 10 can be kept substantially constant, and fluctuations in the feed water flow rate can also be prevented.
On the other hand, when the filtering means 43 is completely clogged, there is no water passing through the filtering means 43, and therefore the above effect cannot prevent fluctuations in the feed water flow rate. However, if water is supplied to the water supply pipe 41 at a certain water pressure from the water source, even if the filtering means 43 is clogged or the water supply pump 42 fails, the water supply pipe 41 directly passes through the bypass pipe 41a. Water flows from the water source to the monitoring water tank 10. Then, even if the function of the filtering means 43 is lost, the water supply to the monitoring water tank 10 can be continued, so that the water quality can be monitored.

  In order to increase the effect of removing turbidity in the filtering means 43, when the water supply pump 42 having a capacity five times or more the amount of water supplied to the monitoring water tank 10 is provided, even if the filtering means 43 is not clogged. The water supply pump 42 is always subjected to a load of a certain level or more. Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable to provide the bypass pipe 41a in order to prevent the water supply pump 42 from being broken.

  In FIG. 3, a bypass pipe 41 a is provided between the downstream portion of the heating means 44 and the upstream portion of the water supply pump 42. However, the bypass pipe 41a only needs to be provided so as to communicate between the portion downstream of the filtering means 43 and upstream of the flow meter 45 and the upstream side of the water supply pump 42, and is located at the above position. It is not limited.

  As described above, when water flows directly from the water source to the monitoring water tank 10 through the bypass pipe 41a, it does not pass through the filtering means 43, so that dust contained in the water (raw water) from the water source is used for monitoring. There is a possibility of flowing into the water tank 10. Then, water becomes cloudy and it becomes difficult to recognize the medaka from the image photographed by the photographing means 30. Therefore, when the bypass pipe 41a is provided, it is preferable to provide a commercially available turbidimeter or the like in order to confirm the turbidity of water in the monitoring water tank 10. Further, the turbidity of water can be determined from an image photographed by the photographing means 30, and the method will be described later.

(Water sampling)
In the water quality monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment, the water quality is determined based on the image taken by the photographing means 30. For the detailed analysis of the water when a water quality abnormality alarm occurs, the water tank 10 for monitoring The water is tested by chemical analysis. In this case, since the water in the monitoring water tank 10 is required, the water quality monitoring device 1 is preferably provided with a water sampling means for collecting the water in the monitoring water tank 10. Although such water sampling means is not particularly limited, for example, a water sampling means having the following configuration can be employed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the monitoring water tank 10 is provided with a total drainage pipe 51 b separately from the drainage pipe 51. The total drainage pipe 51b is provided between one side surface and the overflow plate 11b, and a water sampling means 60 for sampling the water in the monitoring water tank 10 is connected to the total drainage pipe 51b. .
The water sampling means 60 includes a container for storing water, for example, a commercially available water sampling container 61 having a lid, and the water sampling container 61 is communicated with the whole drainage pipe 51b by a communication pipe 64. The communication pipe 64 is provided with, for example, a valve 64a such as an electromagnetic valve that cuts off the communication between the water sampling container 61 and the total drainage pipe 51b. The water sampling container 61 and the communication pipe 64 are arranged such that when the valve 64a is opened, the water in the monitoring water tank 10 flows into the water sampling container 61 by its own weight.
Further, the water sampling container 61 is provided with an exhaust pipe 62 for discharging the gas in the water sampling container 61, and this exhaust pipe 62 is provided with a gas passage valve 62a for allowing only the gas to pass therethrough. Yes.
Since it is this structure, if the valve 64a provided in the communication piping 64 is opened, the water in the monitoring water tank 10 can be sampled. Then, the state of the water in the monitoring water tank 10 can be grasped by examining the collected water.
Moreover, since the water in the monitoring water tank 10 is only flowing into the sampling container 61 by its own weight, the collected water naturally enters the exhaust pipe 62 and reaches the position of the gas passage valve 62a. Sampling is stopped. That is, if the volume of the water sampling container 61 and the position where the gas passage valve 62a is provided are adjusted, a predetermined amount of water can be automatically collected simply by opening the valve 64a provided in the communication pipe 64. The timing and amount of water to be collected can be easily controlled.

  If the valve 64a is controlled so that sampling is started when a water quality abnormality is detected, the water determined to be water quality abnormality can be automatically collected. Then, since the collected water can be analyzed in detail, it becomes possible to specifically use the harmful substance that caused the water quality abnormality.

(Description of spare tank)
In the case of a device that determines the water quality based on the movement of the medaka, like the water quality monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment, in order to reduce the influence of individual differences of the medaka to be monitored, A plurality (about 10) of medaka are raised. However, if the medaka is kept in the monitoring water tank 10 for a long period of time, the medaka is weak or dead, so it is necessary to replace the medaka or replenish the dead medaka every certain period.
The replacement or replenishment medaka may be bred in a water tank or the like provided separately from the water quality monitoring device 1, but the replacement and replenishment medaka is bred like the water quality monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment. It is preferable to provide the preliminary water tank 70 because the replacement work for the medaka becomes easy.
Hereinafter, the preliminary water tank 70 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the preliminary water tank 70 includes a commercially available water tank body 71, a commercially available illumination 72 disposed on the upper part of the water tank body 71, and a commercially available feeder 73. Unlike the monitoring water tank 10, the reserve water tank 70 is configured to provide a comfortable environment for the medaka, because the main purpose is to breed replacement medaka.
For example, the amount of water stored in the water tank body 71 is increased. The amount of water stored in the water tank body 71 is adjusted to be about 10 times the number of water stored in the monitoring water tank 10 during monitoring work (the number of medaka is 3 to 5 times). . In addition, the monitoring tank 10 is always irradiated with light from the illumination means 13 in order to monitor the water quality for 24 hours. However, in the reserve tank 70, the illumination 72 is turned off at night as in the natural environment. It has become. And since aquatic plants may be a cause of medaka misrecognition, they are not provided in the monitoring aquarium 10, but in the reserve aquarium 70, aquatic plants are also arranged to improve the habitat of medaka.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the spare water tank 70 is arranged on a table T2 provided on the back surface of the table T1 on which the monitoring water tank 10 is placed. That is, the preliminary water tank 70 is arranged in the vicinity of the monitoring water tank 10.
With such an arrangement, since the distance between the monitoring water tank 10 and the reserve water tank 70 is short, there is an advantage that the medaka can be easily and efficiently replenished to the monitoring water tank 10.

  In addition, although it is necessary to clean the monitoring water tank 10 and the reserve water tank 70 regularly, you may clean both water tanks at the same timing in that case. When cleaning, medaka must be taken out from both water tanks, and at that time, medaka taken out from both water tanks should be put in the same container. Then, since it becomes impossible to know which medaka was bred up to just before in which aquarium, a randomly selected medaka is to be monitored by the monitoring aquarium 10. In this case, since the number of medaka in the reserve water tank 70 is 3 to 5 times that of the monitoring water tank 10, even if selected randomly, the medaka in the monitoring water tank 10 is almost replaced. In addition, since there are medaka several times as many as medaka to be placed in the monitoring water tank 10, it is possible to select a medaka that is energetic and looks good on the camera.

In addition, the piping for supplying and discharging water to the auxiliary water tank 70 may be provided separately from the monitoring water tank 10, but if the piping system 40 of the monitoring water tank 10 is used, the piping system 40 can be simplified and the apparatus can be simplified. Can be made compact. For example, if a branch pipe 41b branched from the water supply pipe 41 is provided to supply water to the auxiliary water tank 70 and the drain pipe 54 for discharging the water in the auxiliary water tank 70 is connected to the drain pipe 51, the pipe The system can be simplified.
In this case, the drain pipe 54 is connected to the downstream side of the position where the communication pipe 64 is connected to the drain pipe 51. Then, it is possible to prevent the wastewater from the reserve water tank 70 from being mixed into the water sampled by the water sampling means 60.

  As described above, if the branch pipe 41b branched from the water supply pipe 41 is provided so that water is supplied to the spare water tank 70, the same water as the monitoring water tank 10 is allowed to flow into the spare water tank 70. Can do. Then, since a commercially available medaka can be acclimatized to raw water (water in the reserve water tank 70) and then put into the monitoring water tank 10, the medaka mortality in the monitoring water tank 10 can also be reduced.

  In addition, during regular patrols, monitoring personnel ordinarily visually observe the state of the medaka. However, if the monitoring water tank 10 and the reserve water tank 70 have the same water quality, the observation of the medaka in the monitoring water tank 10 may be performed visually. Instead, by visually observing the medaka in the reserve water tank 70, the health status of the medaka can be confirmed. In this case, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a false alarm that occurs when an observer or the like visually observes the medaka in the monitoring water tank 10. For example, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a false alarm due to a shadow of a monitor or the like reflected on the surface of the water or an abnormal action of a medaka caused by the approach of a monitor or the like.

  Here, since the amount of water stored in the auxiliary water tank 70 is larger than that of the monitoring water tank 10, the amount of water supplied to the auxiliary water tank 70 is usually larger than the amount of water supplied to the monitoring water tank 10. Should be more. However, the following advantages can be obtained by making the amount of water supplied to the reserve water tank 70 smaller than the amount of water supplied to the monitoring water tank 10.

First, if the amount of water supplied from the branch pipe 41b to the auxiliary water tank 70 is reduced, a large volume of water may be stored in the auxiliary water tank 70 as compared with the monitoring water tank 10. As a result, rapid changes in water temperature and water quality can be suppressed, so that the fish habitat can be maintained in a more stable state.
If the amount of water supplied from the branch pipe 41b to the auxiliary water tank 70 is reduced, the inflow rate of the harmful substances becomes slower than that of the monitoring water tank 10 even if the raw water contains harmful substances. In addition, a large volume of water is stored in the auxiliary water tank 70 as compared with the monitoring water tank 10, and the concentration of harmful substances in the auxiliary water tank becomes thinner than that in the monitoring water tank 10. Then, after the abnormality is detected in the monitoring water tank 10, by confirming the behavior of the medaka in the reserve tank 70, the influence of the water quality abnormality can be visually observed in detail, and the toxicity in a state where the concentration of harmful substances is low. Can be evaluated.

(About water quality judgment means 80)
In the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, an image obtained by photographing the medaka in the monitoring space is transmitted to the water quality determination unit 80 by the imaging unit 30, and the image is analyzed by the water quality determination unit 80. Judging water quality.
Below, the water quality judgment processing method for the water quality judgment means 80 to judge water quality based on an image is demonstrated.

(Activity judgment)
When water quality is monitored using medaka, the most important diagnostic item for water quality judgment is medaka activity stoppage (medaka death). In other words, when the number of medakas moving above a certain level (hereinafter simply referred to as the number of activities) decreases, it is often determined that an abnormality has occurred in the water quality.

  However, even if there is no abnormality in water quality, medaka may die due to sudden changes in water temperature, water quality, or the spread of pathogenic bacteria, etc. It is possible that Medaka activities will cease. For this reason, when it is determined that the water quality is abnormal simply by reducing the number of activities, there is a possibility that the water quality is erroneously determined even if there is no abnormality in the water quality.

By the way, the decrease in the number of activities due to changes in water temperature, water quality, pathogenic bacteria, or time of activity stagnation is less than the decrease in the number of activities when high concentrations of harmful substances are mixed in the raw water that affects the health of the body. The decrease is moderate. For example, the killing of medaka due to the spread of the disease does not annihilate in about half a day, and the number gradually decreases over days to weeks. On the other hand, when a high concentration of harmful substances (acute toxicity) that can affect human health is mixed, medaka is characterized by being annihilated within a few hours.
In the water quality monitoring device 1 according to the present embodiment, the water quality determination unit 80 is configured to pay attention to the fact that the decrease in the number of medaka activities caused by the difference differs as described above. Judgment means 80 is provided. More specifically, the water quality determination means 80 reduces the number of activities due to changes in water temperature, water quality, pathogenic bacteria, or the time of stagnation of the activity, and high concentrations of harmful substances in the raw water that affect human health. Compared with the decrease in the number of activities when mixed, it has the function of judging water quality abnormalities.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water quality determination means 80 includes an activity number detection unit 81 and a water quality determination unit 82.

  The activity number detection unit 81 has a function of calculating the number of activities based on the image photographed by the photographing means 30. The calculation of the activity number in the activity number detection unit 81 is performed by the following method.

(Calculation of the number of activities)
The activity number detection unit 81 obtains the total number of medakas that are active within a certain determination period (for example, a period during which an image of 240 frames is taken) as the activity number. Also, an object that can be tracked at least for a predetermined period (for example, a period during which an image of 15 frames is captured, hereinafter referred to as a tracking period) and can be recognized as moving during the tracking period is determined to be an active medaka. doing. Here, tracking refers to the case where it is determined that the shape data of medaka extracted from individual images in the target period are all of the same medaka.

  Here, various methods can be adopted for determining whether or not the object is moving. For example, if the sum of the variances of the positions of both ends of the object within the tracking period (the part that corresponds to the head and tail in the medaka) is found, and the value exceeds a certain value (for example, 4 or more), the object is moving It can be judged.

Note that the sum of the variances within the tracking period can be obtained by the following formula, assuming that the coordinate data of both ends of the object in each image within the tracking period are (Xh, Yh), (Xt, Yt), respectively. In the following formula, <...> Represents the average of the coordinate data during the tracking period.
S = <Xh ² > + <Yh ² >-<Xh> ^2- <Yh> ² + <Xt ² > + <Yt ² >-<Xt> ^2- <Yt> ²

(Water quality judgment)
The water quality determination unit 82 has a function of determining the water quality based on the number of determination period activities and the number of reference period activities obtained based on the number of activities per unit time calculated by the activity number detection unit 81. .
The number of activities in the determination period is the number of activities per unit time obtained by dividing the total number of activities in the determination period by the determination period. The number of activities in the reference period is a reference period longer than the determination period (for example, , 6 hours, etc.) is the number of activities per unit time obtained by dividing the total number of activities by the reference period.

As a method for judging the water quality based on the number of reference period activities and the number of determination period activities, for example, the activity rate is calculated by dividing the number of determination period activities by the number of reference period activities (number of determination period activities / number of reference period activities). The water quality can be judged based on the change in activity rate.
When the number of activities changes greatly in a short time, the activity rate changes in proportion to the change in the number of activities during the determination period. On the other hand, when the number of activities changes in a long time, the activity rate is 1 It only fluctuates around. That is, the cause of the change in the number of activities can be grasped from the value of the activity rate.
For example, if the activity rate is a value close to 1, it can be determined that the number of activities is reduced due to changes in water temperature, water quality, pathogenic bacteria, or activity stagnation, etc. When it is smaller, it can be judged that there is a high possibility that the number of activities is reduced due to contamination of raw water with a high concentration of harmful substances that affect human health.

As described above, in the water quality monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the water quality determination means 80 causes the number of activities in a state where the number of activities is relatively moderate due to water temperature change, water quality change, pathogenic bacteria, activity stagnation time, etc. The number of period activities) is compared with the number of determination period activities within the determination period to determine the water quality, so that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a water quality determination error.
Moreover, since the average value per unit time is used as the number of activities, even if abnormal behavior of fish due to sudden phenomena other than abnormal water quality occurs, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination of such abnormal behavior as abnormal water quality. it can.

  In particular, the activity rate, which is a value obtained by dividing the number of activities in the determination period by the number of activities in the reference period, is calculated, and the water quality is judged based on the change in the activity rate.

The water quality determination based on the number of activities is not limited to the above method, and a method of estimating “the spread of disease” and “the risk level of harmful substances” to some extent from the relationship between the number of activities and the activity rate can also be adopted.
Even if the medaka is annihilated slowly due to illness or death, the water quality monitoring function itself will be lost if the medaka is annihilated. The loss can be prevented from occurring.
If both the function to judge the water quality based on the number of activities and the function to judge the water quality based on the activity rate are provided, which function judged the water quality abnormality, and both functions judged the water quality abnormality. Depending on what has been done, it becomes possible to identify the cause of death of medaka to some extent. In other words, is the medaka more or less likely to die? You can judge whether the concentration of harmful substances is high or low.

(Turbidity analysis processing)
In the water quality monitoring device 1 according to the present embodiment, medaka is detected from the image taken by the photographing means 30, so that turbid water is supplied into the monitoring water tank 10 due to clogging of the filtering means 44 or the like. If this happens, the medaka recognition rate may decrease. Further, even when a large amount of deposits accumulates on the bottom plate 21 of the monitoring basket 20, there is a possibility that the recognition of the medaka may be lowered. In such a situation, there is a possibility that the water quality cannot be accurately determined. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the turbidity of water before the recognition rate of medaka falls.

As described above, the turbidity of water can be detected by a commercially available turbidimeter or the like. However, if the turbidity of water is determined from the image photographed by the photographing means 30 by the following method, a commercially available turbidimeter can be used. It is preferable in that it eliminates the need for such installation, simplifies the facility, provides early detection of loss of the water quality judgment function, and provides an indication of the timing of filter replacement and sediment removal.
If the water turbidity becomes strong, the recognition rate of medaka by the water quality judgment means 80 is lowered, and if the recognition rate is lowered, a false alarm of water quality abnormality is likely to occur. However, if turbidity is judged from the captured image, Before the medaka recognition rate is affected, it becomes possible to notify the monitoring staff with an alarm first that water quality monitoring has become impossible. Then, before the recognition rate of medaka falls, it is possible to prompt the monitor to perform operations such as “stop water supply”, “filter replacement”, and “sediment cleaning”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water quality determination unit 80 is provided with a turbidity determination unit 83. The turbidity determination unit 83 determines the turbidity of water based on the image captured by the imaging unit 30 based on the contrast between the fish shadow of the medaka and the background in this image. The determination of the turbidity of water in the turbidity determination unit 83 is performed by the following method.

(Preprocessing)
When determining the turbidity of water, first, in the setting stage of the water quality monitoring device 1, an area (recognition area) to be recognized by a medaka is set in an image photographed by the photographing means 30. This recognition area is an area where the medaka can swim in the monitoring space, and it is preferable to set the area so that the four walls of the monitoring basket 20 are not included.
The method of setting the area is not particularly limited. For example, if the photographing unit 30 is a CCD camera, it can be specified by coordinates of the four corners of the monitoring space in the image and camera distortion parameters.

(This processing)
First, the photographed original image is converted. Specifically, brightness correction and image averaging are performed.

  The luminance correction is correction for eliminating a difference in illuminance due to a difference in how the illumination hits the monitoring space. For example, in the case of the water quality monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment, correction is performed to reduce the luminance on the side closer to the illumination unit 13 and increase the luminance on the side far from the illumination unit 13. Specifically, the difference in illuminance can be corrected by performing affine transformation so that a certain time average (for example, an average of 250 frames) of the highest luminance and the lowest luminance in each image becomes 255, 0, respectively. .

In addition, image averaging is performed on the luminance-corrected image in order to improve medaka recognition accuracy. In the averaging of images, if the image is a 24-bit color image (size 640 pixels × 480 pixels), the image can be averaged by converting it to an 8-bit gray image (size 320 pixels × 240 pixels).
Note that the color image has data for three colors of RGB (red, green, and blue), but it is not necessary to give a uniform weight to each color and perform averaging so that fish shadows can be easily detected. . For example, if the weights are reduced in the order of red, green, and blue, it is easier to recognize orange medaka.

Next, a luminance histogram in the recognition region is created for the image that has been subjected to luminance correction and image averaging. In this luminance histogram, since the image is converted into an 8-bit image, the luminance is 256 gradations from 0 to 255.
When the brightness histogram is created, the brightness of the medaka is obtained. For example, when the shooting area is 300 × 400 mm, the 5 × (number of medaka) -th highest brightness g1 in the brightness histogram in the captured image is obtained. Brightness. This is because, in the images taken under the above conditions, the average value of the area of the medaka is about 39 pixels, so 5 pixels is 5 / 39≈0.13, that is, 13% of the area of the medaka. This is because it can be regarded as a bright part and statistically sufficient.
In addition, the brightness of the medaka may be obtained by a method other than the above method, or may be the maximum brightness in the brightness histogram. Depending on the location where the water quality monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment is installed and the state of the raw water to be inspected, It can be set appropriately.

Next, the median value of the luminance histogram is set as the background luminance g2. It is preferable to set the background luminance g2 in this way because it is less susceptible to statistical variations in luminance.
The brightness of the background may be determined by a method other than the above method, and can be appropriately set according to the location where the water quality monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment is installed and the state of the raw water to be inspected.

When the luminance g1 of the medaka and the luminance g2 of the background are obtained, the turbidity c is defined by the following equation.
c = (g1 − g2) / 255

The turbidity c is 0 <= c <= 1 by definition. Therefore, when there is no turbidity in the water and the background (upper surface of the bottom plate 21 of the monitoring basket 20) is hardly soiled, the brightness of the medaka is approximately g1. = 255, the background is almost g2 = 0. That is, the turbidity c is c˜1.
On the other hand, if the water is cloudy or the background is dirty, the background becomes bright and the value of turbidity c is close to zero.

  Therefore, if the turbidity determination unit 83 calculates the turbidity c by the above method, the turbidity of water can be determined from the image captured by the imaging unit 30. If a turbidity c value falls below a predetermined value, an alarm or the like that water turbidity is generated can be prevented in advance to prevent a water quality judgment error caused by water turbidity. This is preferable because it is possible.

  The water quality monitoring device of the present invention is suitable for a device that detects an abnormality in water quality in water-related facilities such as a water purification plant.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water quality monitoring apparatus 10 Monitoring water tank 11 Water tank main body 12 Light shielding member 12a Water tank side light shielding member 12b Camera side light shielding member 13 Illumination 15 Water level sensor 20 Storage member 20h Drain outlet 21 Bottom plate 23 Upstream side plate 23h Inflow hole 24 Downstream side plate 24h Overflow Hole 25 Inclined plate 30 Surveillance camera 25 Control device 40 Piping system 40a Bypass pipe 41 Water supply pipe 51 Drain pipe 70 Preliminary breeding tank 71 Aquarium body 72 Illumination 73 Feeder
F water tank setting stand
C pillar
T table

Claims (14)

A water quality monitoring device that photographs fish bred in an aquarium and judges the water quality based on the photographed image,
A photographing means for photographing the fish from the water surface, provided at the top of the aquarium;
Illuminating means for irradiating light on the water surface of the water tank;
A storage member for storing the fish to be monitored, immersed in the water in the aquarium,
The illumination means includes
It is arranged on the side of the water tank, and is arranged so as to irradiate the water surface from the side surface of the water tank,
The housing member is
It has a plurality of walls erected on the bottom surface of the water tank,
The plurality of walls are arranged so that a monitoring space for accommodating a fish to be monitored surrounded by the plurality of walls is formed,
Of the plurality of walls, the wall located on the illumination means side is an inclined wall inclined toward the illumination means,
The inclined wall
The water quality monitoring apparatus, wherein the light from the illumination means is inclined at an angle at which the shadow of the inclined wall is not formed in the fish activity area. The housing member is
The upper ends of the plurality of walls are formed to be positioned above the water level during water quality monitoring work,
A bottom plate disposed between the lower ends of the plurality of walls,
An inflow hole for introducing water into the monitoring space is formed in one wall among the plurality of walls,
The water quality monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein a drain outlet for discharging water from the monitoring space is formed between the wall facing the one wall and the bottom plate. The inflow hole is formed to be positioned below the water level during water quality monitoring work,
The water quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an overflow hole is formed in the wall facing the one wall so as to be positioned near a water level. The housing member is detachably provided to the water tank,
The housing member is
The water quality monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein a bottom plate is provided so as to connect lower ends of the plurality of walls. A water quality monitoring device that photographs fish bred in an aquarium and judges the water quality based on the photographed image,
A photographing means for photographing the fish from the water surface, provided at the top of the aquarium;
Illuminating means for irradiating the water surface of the aquarium with light;
A light shielding member for preventing direct light and / or reflected light on the water surface from directly entering the photographing means among the light emitted from the outside of the water tank and / or the water surface;
The light shielding member is
Attached to the upper opening of the water tub, Propelled by one aquarium light-shielding member observation window is formed at the center thereof,
It is equipped with a storage member for storing the fish to be monitored, immersed in the water tank,
The illumination means includes
It is arranged on the side of the water tank, and is arranged so as to irradiate the water surface from the side surface of the water tank,
The housing member is
It has a plurality of walls erected on the bottom surface of the water tank,
The plurality of walls are arranged so that a monitoring space for accommodating a fish to be monitored surrounded by the plurality of walls is formed,
Of the plurality of walls, the wall located on the illumination means side is an inclined wall inclined toward the illumination means,
The inclined wall
The water quality monitoring apparatus , wherein the light from the illumination means is inclined at an angle at which the shadow of the inclined wall is not formed in the fish activity area . On one side of the aquarium,
An inspection window that communicates the inside and outside of the water tank is formed,
The inspection window is provided with an inspection door for opening and closing the inspection window,
The side surface of the inspection door and the water tank, the light shielding processing is performed is characterized in that has claim 5 Symbol mounting water quality monitoring device. The photographing means is housed in a container disposed above the water tank;
On the lower surface of the container, a photographing window which is a through hole provided for the photographing means to photograph the fish in the water tank is formed,
Wherein the container, the water quality monitoring apparatus of claim 5 Symbol mounting, characterized in that the inlet means for introducing the outside air into said vessel is provided. Includes water quality judgment means to judge the quality based on the image taken by the shooting unit,
The water quality judging means is:
6. The water quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a turbidity determination unit that determines the turbidity of water based on a contrast between a fish shadow and a background in a photographed image . Water quality judging means for judging the water quality based on the image photographed by the photographing means,
The water quality judging means is:
An activity number detector that calculates the number of activities, which is the number of fish moving above a certain level, based on the captured image;
Judging the water quality based on the number of activities per unit time within a certain judgment period and the number of activities per unit time within a reference period longer than the above judgment period water quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 or 5, wherein, further comprising a water determination unit for. The water quality determination unit
The water quality monitoring according to claim 9 , wherein an activity rate that is a value obtained by dividing the number of activities in the determination period by the number of activities in the reference period is calculated, and water quality is determined based on a change in the activity rate. apparatus. A water quality monitoring device that judges water quality based on the behavior of fish bred in an aquarium,
Comprising water supply / drainage means for supplying and discharging water to the aquarium,
In the water supply pipe for supplying water to the water tank in the water supply / drainage means,
A pump and a filtering means for filtering water are provided in this order from the upstream side,
6. The water quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass pipe that returns a part of the water that has passed through the filtering means to the upstream side of the pump. Comprising water sampling means for collecting water in the aquarium,
The water sampling means is
A water sampling container for containing water;
A communication pipe for communicating the water sampling container and the water tank;
An exhaust pipe for discharging the gas in the water sampling container,
The communication pipe is provided with a valve that cuts off communication between the water sampling container and the water tank,
The water quality monitoring device according to claim 11 , wherein the exhaust pipe is provided with a gas passage valve that allows only gas to pass therethrough. The water quality monitoring device according to claim 11 , wherein the water supply pipe is provided with heating means for heating water supplied to the water tank from an outer surface of the water supply pipe. And monitoring water tank that the fish are bred to shoot the images,
A spare water tank that is provided separately from the monitoring water tank and contains a larger amount of water than the monitoring water tank;
A water supply pipe for supplying water to be subjected to water quality inspection to the monitoring water tank;
The water supply pipe is
A branch pipe for supplying the same water as the water supplied to the monitoring water tank is provided for the preliminary water tank,
The amount of water supplied from the branch pipe to the reserve water tank is adjusted to be smaller than the amount of water supplied from the water supply pipe to the monitoring water tank. The water quality monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 or 5 .

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