JPH01231827A - Incubator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maintain hatching ratio high and to hatch out lively chickens by controlling air to be introduced into hatching shelves stored in a casing by fans by an air temperature regulating means at a set temperature. CONSTITUTION:Egg shelves 2 are stored in a casing 1 and air is forcedly sent to hatching shelves 2 by a fan 3 and air to be fed is controlled by an air temperature regulating means at a set temperature. Air temperature is set by a temperature sensor 4, a heating and cooling means 5 is controlled by a temperature setting means 6 through the measured signal and air temperature is maintained at a set value.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to an incubation rack for hatching eggs, and more particularly to an incubation machine that can provide a comfortable temperature environment for eggs.

[Conventional technology and its problems]

How to increase the hatching rate is extremely important for incubation racks. In addition, an incubation rack with a high hatching rate allows the eggs to hatch in conditions close to ideal, resulting in healthy baby birds. The current best large-scale incubation racks are 96-97
% hatching rate. In order to increase the hatching rate, it is extremely important to accurately control the temperature within the incubation shelf. Figure 3 shows a conventional large-scale incubation rack. To incubate the eggs, an egg shelf 2 is carried into the casing, and temperature-controlled air is forcefully blown onto the egg shelf 2 using a fan 3. 11
The rabbits placed on 112 are hatched over a certain period of time. The incubating shelf with this structure has a heating and cooling means consisting of a heater and a cooling heat exchanger arranged near the fan 3, and a temperature sensor 4 disposed above the egg shelf 2. It is controlled by. That is, when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 4 is higher than the set value, the cooling means cools the air, when it is lower than the set temperature, the heating means heats the air, and when the temperature is within the established temperature range, the heating and cooling means cools the air. The fan forcibly blows air without heating or cooling. In an incubator with this structure, a temperature sensor measures the temperature of the air blown onto the egg shelf, or more precisely, the temperature of the air flowing into the egg shelf. Therefore, in an incubation shelf with this structure, the temperature of the air flowing into the egg shelf is controlled within a certain range, but the temperature of the air passing through the eggs stored on the discharge side of the egg shelf is controlled within a certain range. It changes depending on the condition of the egg. Therefore, a high hatching rate can be achieved when the eggs are stored in a predetermined condition, but there is a drawback that the hatching rate decreases when the rabbit's storage condition changes. Ideally, chicken eggs hatch in 504 hours, but if the air temperature increases by just 0.1°C, the hatching time will be about 2 hours earlier. If hatching is too early or too late, the hatching rate will be poor and healthy chicks will not hatch. In the egg incubation shelf shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to accurately control the air temperature at the position where the temperature sensor 4 is provided, in other words, the temperature of the air flowing into the egg shelf. However, it is difficult to control the temperature in the incubation rack because the eggs generate their own heat, and the heat generation type changes depending on the maturity level.
This is because eggs older than 15 days generate a large amount of heat, so the temperature of the air passing through the outlet side of the egg shelf varies depending on the condition of the eggs stored in the egg shelf. The incubation rack shown in the figure prevents the eggs from becoming abnormally high temperature due to the heat generated by the mature eggs, and in order to effectively utilize the heat generated, new eggs are placed on the air outflow side of the egg rack, and as they mature,
The eggs are moved to the air inflow side of the egg shelf. As shown in the figure, six egg shelves are stored vertically, and each egg shelf stores approximately 8,000 or less eggs. Assuming that eggs are stored on the 1st, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th, if the air temperature at point A, that is, the air temperature flowing into the egg shelf, is set to 37.2°C, then the egg shelf Discharge side (B
point), the temperature rises to 37.8-37.9°C due to the heat generated by the eggs. However, the temperature at point B is exactly 37, even if the temperature at point A is exactly 37.
．． Even if the temperature is controlled at 2℃, the condition of the eggs stored in the egg shelf, in other words, will fluctuate as the overall amount of eggs changes, or the number of days in which the eggs are laid changes, and the maturity of the eggs changes. The disadvantage is that the temperature of the air passing through the new egg shelf fluctuates. A sensor detects the temperature at point B. By controlling the heating and cooling means with this temperature sensor, it can be imagined that the air temperature in the egg rack can be controlled. However, it is not possible to provide a temperature sensor at point B and control the air temperature with this temperature sensor. This is because when the temperature at point A is changed using heating and cooling means, it takes 30 to 60 minutes for the temperature at point B to be affected, so the time delay in temperature is too large, making accurate temperature control impossible. I can't.

[Object of this invention]

This invention was developed with the aim of eliminating these drawbacks of conventional egg racks, and an important purpose of this invention is to constantly, regardless of the state of the eggs stored in the egg racks, To provide an incubation shelf in which eggs are controlled to a temperature environment closer to the ideal, a high hatching rate is maintained, and healthy chicks can hatch.

[Means to solve conventional problems]

The incubating shelf of this invention includes a casing 1, an egg shelf 2 housed in the casing 1, a fan 3 for forcing air to the egg shelf 2, and a set temperature for the air blown by the fan 3. and air temperature control means for controlling the air temperature. The air temperature control means includes a temperature sensor 4 that determines the air temperature (σ), a heating and cooling means 5 that heats or cools the air in the casing 1, and a signal from the temperature sensor 4 to control the heating and cooling means 5. and temperature setting means 6 for controlling the air temperature to a set temperature. The temperature sensor 4 measures the air temperature, and based on this measurement signal, the temperature setting means 6 controls the heating and cooling means 5 to maintain the air temperature at a set value. The temperature sensor 4 includes a main sensor 4A and a correction sensor 4B.
The main sensor 4A is disposed at the inflow side air temperature measurement position of the egg shelf 2, and the correction sensor 4B is disposed at the discharge side temperature measurement position of the egg shelf 2. The setting means changes the set temperature of the main sensor 4A based on the measured temperature signal of the correction sensor 4B, and
The heating/cooling means 5 is controlled by the main sensor 4A whose set temperature has been corrected, without directly controlling the heating/cooling means 5 using the output signal.

[effect]

In the incubator of this invention, the setting means controls the heating and cooling means 5 using the temperature detection signal from the main sensor 4A, but the set temperature is corrected by the output from the correction sensor 4B. That is,
Heating and cooling means 5 so that the return temperature at point B becomes the set value.
However, the correction sensor 4B that measures the temperature at point B does not directly control the heating and cooling means 5. The heating and cooling means 5 is controlled by the temperature measured by the main sensor 4A, and the correction sensor 4B , the set temperature of the main sensor 4A is corrected, and the main sensor 4A whose set temperature has been corrected controls the heating/cooling means 5 to adjust the return temperature at point B to the set value. For example, when the set temperature at point A is 37.2°C, if the return temperature at point B becomes 37.8°C, the measured temperature at point B changes to 37.9°C, and the temperature at point B changes to 37.8°C. If the measured temperature is 0.1°C higher than the set value, the set temperature at point A is corrected 0.1°C lower, and the heating/cooling means 5 is controlled so that point A is 37°1'C. When the heating/cooling means 5 heats or cools the air, the main sensor 4A detects the temperature with little delay.
Since the spear temperature is controlled at a constant temperature, the burr temperature is controlled without becoming too high or too low. Furthermore, since the set temperature of the main sensor 4A is corrected by the correction sensor 4B that measures the hatching temperature, the hatching temperature can be controlled within a constant range regardless of the storage state of eggs in the egg shelf 2. For this reason, the contact of this invention minimizes the influence of the ratio of mature eggs or the total number of eggs, etc., and always
The eggs can be kept in a near-ideal temperature environment, increasing the hatching rate and producing healthy chicks.

[Preferred embodiment]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. However, the embodiments shown below are illustrative of a device for embodying the technical idea of this invention, and the materials, shapes, structures, and arrangements of the component parts are different from each other. It is not structure specific. Various changes may be made to this invention within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, in order to make the claims easier to understand, the numbers corresponding to the members shown in the embodiments are indicated in the "Claims column" and "Means for solving the conventional problems." Additional notes are added to the members shown in the "column" and "column of effects". However, the members described in the claims are by no means limited to the members shown in the examples. The incubator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a casing 1 of the incubator, an egg shelf 2 housed in the casing 1, a fan 3 for forcing air into the egg shelf 2, and the fan. 3
and air temperature control means for controlling the air blown at a set temperature. The air temperature control means includes a temperature sensor 4 that measures the air temperature, a heating and cooling means 5 that heats or cools the air in the casing 1, and a heating and cooling means 5 that is controlled by a signal from the temperature sensor 4 to adjust the air temperature. and temperature setting means 6 for controlling the temperature to a set temperature. The temperature sensor 4 includes a main sensor 4A and a correction sensor 4B.
The main sensor 4A is arranged above the egg shelf 2 to measure the air temperature on the inlet side of the egg shelf 2, and the correction sensor 4B measures the temperature on the discharge side of the egg shelf 2 so that the scent temperature can be measured. The measuring position is located on the suction side of the fan 3. The temperature setting means 6 changes the set temperature of the main sensor 4A based on the measured temperature signal of the correction sensor 4B. The non-contact structure of this structure is that, as shown in FIG. Make a U-turn at the right end of , pass inside egg shelf 2 from right to left,
The air coming out of the egg shelf 2 is sucked back into the fan 3 and circulated. Therefore, the eggs 4 arranged side by side in the casing 1
112 forms an air duct and houses a large number of rabbits. A heating and cooling means 5 is disposed near the fan 3 so that the air forcedly blown by the fan 3 is heated or cooled and blown into the egg rack 2. The heating and cooling means 5 includes a heating heater 5A disposed on the suction side of the fan 3, and a water cooler 5B such as a heat exchanger through which cold water passes. By the way, in addition to controlling the temperature of the air inside the hatch to a set value, the hatching rate can be increased by adjusting the humidity and carbon dioxide content to set values. Instead of an electric heater or a heat exchanger, any member that can heat or cool air can be used as the heating and cooling means 5. Further, the cooling member can also cool the air temperature within the casing 1 by drawing in cold air from outside the casing. Therefore, the heating and cooling means 5 is
Although the name includes the word "cooling," it is not necessary to directly cool the air, and members that suck in cold air can also be used. As shown in FIG. 1, the member for sucking cold air can be realized by opening a ventilation lower in the ceiling of the casing 1 and using a variable opening gate 8 provided in the ventilation lower. The heating and cooling means 5 heats and cools the air in the vicinity of the fan 3 under the control of the setting means. The setting means is the main sensor 4
The heating/cooling means 5 is controlled so that the detected temperature of A becomes the set value. Therefore, when the temperature detected by the main sensor 4 is lower than the set value, the electric heater of the heating means is energized to heat the air, and conversely, when the temperature measured by the main sensor 4 is higher than the set value, the air is cooled. Air is forced to cool by passing cold water through a heat exchanger. The temperature setting for the main sensor 4 will be automatically adjusted depending on the storage condition of the rabbit. That is, the set temperature of the main sensor 4A is controlled by the temperature measured by the correction sensor 4B. In other words, the correction sensor 4B does not directly control the heating/cooling means 5 based on the detected temperature, but corrects the set temperature of the main sensor 4A with the output signal of the correction sensor 4B,
The setting means controls the heating and cooling means 5 so that the measured temperature becomes the set temperature at A. By the way, abnormal temperature rises in the open water will have a significant negative impact on the eggs before they hatch. For example, if the air temperature rises above 40°C, almost all rabbits will die within a few minutes. Conversely,
Even if the air temperature drops slightly below the set temperature, the hatched eggs will not die immediately. Therefore, when controlling the temperature inside the air, it is necessary to completely eliminate any abnormal rise in air temperature, even if it is only partially or temporarily. For this reason, when the temperature setting means 6 controls the set temperature of the main sensor 4A using the temperature measured by the correction sensor 4B, when increasing the set temperature, it is preferable to slowly correct the set temperature to a higher value over time. For example, if the return temperature detected by the correction sensor 4B is lower than the set value, the return temperature is 0.1°C per 10 to 60 minutes.
It is best to raise the set temperature with the following temperature gradient. On the other hand, when the temperature setting means 6 lowers the set temperature of the main sensor 4A using the temperature measured by the correction sensor 4B, it is preferable to lower the set temperature at -. Therefore, the temperature measured by the correction sensor 4B is, for example, 0.0. If the temperature is 2° C. higher, the set temperature of the main sensor 4A can be immediately lowered by 0.2° C. The temperature setting means 6 has a timer, and the correction sensor 4B measures the return temperature every time the timer is set.
Correct the set temperature of main sensor 4A. The setting time of the timer is the temperature range in which the set temperature of the main sensor 4A is corrected at once, or in other words, the temperature range in which the correction temperature is increased at one time, the time delay for heating and cooling, and the turning time, etc. It is determined. When the one-time correction temperature range is 0.1°C, the setting time of the timer is usually adjusted to a range of about 10 to 100 minutes, preferably about 20 to 60 minutes. The temperature setting means having a timer corrects the set temperature of the main sensor 4A with the measured temperature of the correction sensor 4B every time set by the timer, for example, every 10 to 100 minutes. However, the temperature setting means does not necessarily require a timer. The temperature setting means without a timer limits the temperature gradient for correcting the set temperature to a certain value or less. In this case as well, the gradient when increasing the set temperature is adjusted to be gentler than the gradient when decreasing it. The temperature gradient on the rising side of the correction temperature is usually 0°5°C/30 minutes or less, preferably 0.5°C/30 minutes or less.
Adjust to a range of 3°C/30 minutes or less. The temperature gradient on the corrected temperature drop side is usually adjusted to 1°C/30 minutes or less, preferably 0°5°C/30 minutes or less. The set temperature of the main sensor 4A is determined by measuring the measured value of the correction sensor 4B, in other words, whether the return temperature is higher or lower than the set temperature. In this case, there are roughly two methods for the setting means to correct the setting value of the main sensor 4A. A simple method is to measure only whether the measured value of the correction sensor 4B is higher or lower than the set value, and does not measure the amount of temperature deviation from the set temperature. When the measured temperature of the correction sensor 4B is higher than the set value, the set temperature of the main sensor 4A is lowered by a predetermined temperature gradient, and when the measured temperature of the correction sensor 4B is lower than the set value, the set temperature of the main sensor 4A is lowered by a predetermined temperature gradient. The set temperature of the main sensor 4A is corrected to a higher value based on the temperature gradient. A more advanced control method for correcting the set temperature of the main sensor 4A is that the correction sensor 4B measures the amount of deviation from the set temperature, and the greater the deviation from the set temperature, the greater the correction temperature gradient is adjusted. However, the maximum temperature gradient for correcting the set temperature of the main sensor 4A is adjusted within the above-mentioned range. In this control method, for example, if the temperature measured by the correction sensor 4B deviates from the return temperature setting (1α) by 0.3°C or more, the set temperature for the main sensor 4 is corrected by the maximum temperature gradient, and the set temperature is adjusted to 0.1°C. If there is a deviation, the difference will be 1/1 compared to a deviation of 0.3°C.
Correct the set temperature with a temperature gradient of 2 to 1/3.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a vertical sectional view and a horizontal sectional view showing an embodiment of the non-contact structure according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a conventional non-contact structure. 1...Casing, 2...Egg shelf, 3...Fan, 4...Temperature sensor, 4A...Main sensor, 4B...・・・
... Correction sensor, 5 ... Heating and cooling means,
6... Temperature setting means, 7... Ventilation vent, 8... Variable opening gate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A casing 1 of an incubator, an egg shelf 2 housed in the casing 1, a fan 3 that forces air into the egg shelf 2, and an air temperature that controls the air blown by the fan 3 to a set temperature. and a control means, the air temperature control means comprising:
A temperature sensor 4 that measures the air temperature, a heating/cooling means 5 that heats or cools the air in the casing 1, and a signal from the temperature sensor 4 controls the heating/cooling means 5 to control the air temperature to a set temperature. The temperature sensor 4 measures the air temperature, and the temperature setting means 6 controls the heating and cooling means 5 based on this measurement signal to maintain the air temperature at a set value. In this egg incubator, the temperature sensor 4 has a main sensor 4A and a correction sensor 4B. The incubator is disposed at a temperature measurement position on the discharge side of the shelf 2, and the setting means is configured to change the set temperature of the main sensor 4A based on the measured temperature signal of the correction sensor 4B. .