KR102202538B1 - ICT Control and Monitoring System For TMR Feed Blender - Google Patents

Abstract

An ICT control system of a TMR feed mixer is disclosed. The ICT control system includes a plurality of vision recognition means, a vision image processing unit, an IoT transmission/reception unit, and a blender control unit. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the state of the TMR feed mixer at a remote location, and provide a function to control the operation of the TMR feed mixer if necessary, and as a result, increase productivity by reducing the input time of the TMR feed mixer by offline workers. It has the advantage of lowering the risk of accidents related to the blender.

Description

ICT Control and Monitoring System For TMR Feed Blender}

The present invention relates to an ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) control system of a TMR feed mixer, and more particularly, to an ICT control system capable of providing remote monitoring and remote control functions by combining a vision recognition means and an IoT controller. .

As the livestock industry becomes industrialized and unmanned, the use of TMR (Total Mixed Ratio) feed mixers is gradually increasing. TMR feed mixer is a device that is equipped with two Auger Screws, a device that mixes feed inside the blender, cuts and mixes the forage (for example, rice straw, etc.) input from the hopper side and supplies them to livestock. . The auger screw of the TMR feed mixer provides a cutting function by installing a feed cutting blade in the circumferential direction.

As described above, agricultural productivity is stagnating amid the decline of the agricultural population such as the livestock industry and an aging trend.Therefore, the necessity of supplementing the labor force with technologies such as mechanized, automated, precision farming is increasing, and the influx of young and leading returnees familiar with ICT technology As it is increasing, the necessity of monitoring and controlling feed mixers incorporating ICT technology from simply automated feed mixer functions is increasing.

In addition, the necessity of additionally equipped with a control function capable of reducing accidents caused by malfunction of agricultural machinery or inexperience of workers is also increasing.

Registration No. 10-1658913, feed blender and blended feed manufacturing-transport vehicle Publication No. 10-2016-0050561, TMR feed production system for pig farming and its production method

An object of the present invention for solving the above problems is to provide an ICT control system for a TMR feed mixer.

Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a system in which ICT technology is grafted so that the state of the TMR feed mixer can be monitored and controlled.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of remote management by grafting ICT technology to a TMR feed mixer.

In addition, in the present invention, by grafting ICT technology to the TMR feed mixer, it is possible to quickly respond to abnormal operation of the feed mixer, thereby reducing the possibility of injury to livestock or workers.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a vision recognition means to monitor the surrounding state of the TMR feed mixer.

The ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed mixer that mixes and mixes feed to achieve the above object is a vision processing module unit 700 that provides vision information on the TMR feed mixer and the surrounding environment, and the TMR feed It characterized in that it includes an IoT control unit 800 that provides control and remote monitoring functions of the blender.

In addition, the vision processing module unit 700 includes a plurality of vision recognition means 200 and a vision image processing unit 300 that stores and analyzes vision information input from the plurality of vision recognition means in real time, and the IoT control unit 800 receives the image result of the vision image processing unit, transmits the state of the feed mixer to the user, and receives the user's command, the IoT transmitting and receiving unit 400 and the TMR feed mixer according to the reception result of the IoT transmitting and receiving unit It characterized in that it comprises a blender control unit 500 to control.

In addition, the vision recognition means 200 of the ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed mixer is characterized in that the CCTV (Closed Circuit Television).

In addition, the blender control unit 500 of the ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed blender is characterized in that the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

In addition, the vision image processing unit 300 of the ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed mixer is characterized in that it can recognize that some of the plurality of vision recognition means 200 is broken.

In addition, as a method of recognizing a failure among the vision recognition means 200 of the ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed mixer, an image synchronization reference clock received from the vision recognition means 200 is used.

In addition, the IoT transmission/reception unit 400 of the ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed mixer is characterized in being linked with a user control application unit 600 installed on the user's smartphone to receive the user's command. .

In addition, the user control application unit 600 of the ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed mixer is characterized in that it can transmit a remote command to operate or stop the blender.

In the case of using the TMR feed mixer to which the ICT control function according to the present invention is added as described above, the user of the TMR feed mixer can remotely monitor the state of the TMR feed mixer and control the operation of the feed mixer remotely for maintenance. It can reduce the cost, the input labor time of the worker, or the management cost of the additional worker.

In addition, in the case of using the TMR feed mixer to which the system of the present invention is applied, it is possible to use an unmanned feed mixer, so that the risk that the operator may be injured by the screw cutter can be drastically reduced.

In addition, in the system of the present invention, by monitoring all slopes of the TMR feed mixer using a plurality of vision recognition means, it is possible to prevent unexpected accidents that may occur close to the feed mixer in which cattle are working.

In addition, in the system of the present invention, it is possible to recognize individual states of a plurality of vision recognition means, recognize a case in which some of them are broken, and to stop the operation of the system in such a case.

1 is a block diagram of a TMR feed mixer.
Figure 2 is an exemplary configuration of a TMR feed mixer with ICT function grafted.
3 is a logical configuration diagram of a TMR feed mixer to which ICT functions are grafted.
4 is an exemplary diagram of a user control application unit of a TMR feed mixer to which an ICT function is grafted.
5 is an exemplary diagram of an image synchronization reference clock of a plurality of vision recognition means 200 received by the vision image processing unit 300.

The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features. It is to be understood that the presence or addition of elements or numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, does not preclude in advance.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms as defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this application. Does not.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows the configuration of a TMR feed mixer. The TMR feed mixer consists of a bucket to store feed, a conveyor to transport feed, a mixer to mix feed, and a left door and a right door to form a bucket. In addition, in the case of such a TMR feed blender, a blender operation control module to control the operation and stop of the blender from the outside of the blender and a PLC (Programmable Logic Control) module to provide the functions of the operation control module to the outside are additionally provided. Can be.

FIG. 2 shows a TMR feed mixer capable of monitoring the state of the blender and remotely controlling the operation by incorporating the ICT function of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating such a system.

Hereinafter, an ICT control system of the present invention disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described.

The ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed blender includes a vision processing module unit 700 that provides vision information on the TMR feed blender and the surrounding environment, and an IoT control unit that provides control and remote monitoring of the TMR feed blender ( 800).

The version processing module unit 700 includes a plurality of vision recognition means 200, stores and analyzes vision information input from the plurality of vision recognition means 200 in real time, and can be transmitted to the outside as needed. It includes a vision image processing unit 300.

In addition, the IoT control unit 800 receives the image result of the vision image processing unit 300 described above, transmits the state of the feed mixer to the user, and an IoT transmission/reception unit 400 capable of receiving a remote command from the user, And a blender control unit 500 that controls the TMR feed blender according to the reception result of the IoT transmitter and receiver.

As shown in FIG. 2, more specifically, a plurality of vision recognition means 200 may be provided in the form of a CCTV, and the image processing unit 300 stores and analyzes a plurality of images, and a multi-channel It may be in the form of a Digital Video Recorder (DVR).

The plurality of vision recognition means 200 may be installed in different locations or numbers depending on the kind of feed mixer, and FIG. 2 shows that four vision recognition means 200 are located.

The vision recognition means 200 may be implemented in a form that is coupled with a separate length adjustment means in consideration of the imaging area and is coupled to the feed mixer, and the vision recognition means 200 is installed in a separate structure close to the feed mixer. It can also be implemented in a form.

In another embodiment of the image processing unit 300, the image processing unit 300 is not a separate hardware such as a DVR, but a remote server equipped with software capable of processing images transmitted from the vision recognition means 200. It can be in the form of.

In addition, the data transmission method of the vision recognition means 200 and the image processing unit 300 may also be in a wired form, or each component may have a wireless communication function to communicate in a wireless form. Specifically, in the case of a wireless type, the wireless communication method of the IoT transceiver to be described later may be used as it is.

Specifically, the blender control unit 500 may be provided in the form of a PLC capable of extending various control functions by wire from a control panel used offline in the feed blender. Even in the case of the blender control unit 500, it is not necessarily limited to the form of PLC, and if the feed blender supports a wireless control method or the like, it may be implemented in the corresponding method.

Looking at the operation method of the ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed mixer described above, first, a vision image captured from a plurality of vision recognition means 200 is transmitted to the image processing unit 300 through a plurality of channels, and the image processing unit ( 300) transmits the corresponding image to the IoT transceiving unit 400. In this case, the image is not necessarily transmitted to the IoT transceiving unit 400, but may be transmitted to the user's control application unit 600 through a specific control server or cloud service as necessary.

In addition, the IoT transmission/reception unit 400 receives data/commands from the control panel of the TMR feed mixer through the blender control unit 500 and transmits it to a user, a control server, a cloud service, etc., and a remote command or an image processing unit ( 300) image information is received as necessary.

In this case, the detailed wireless communication method used by the IoT transceiving unit 400 may be selectively used as Wi-Fi, BLE, ZigBee, NBIOT, LORA, LTE-M, etc. as needed, which is a vision recognition means ( 200), or the communication/transmission method of the image processing unit 300 as it is.

In addition, by using the operating state of the feed mixer received from the blender control unit 500, it may be implemented to reduce the power consumption of the vision recognition means 200, the image processing unit 300, the IoT transmitting and receiving unit 400. That is, in a state in which the feed mixer is not operating, information on the relevant state is transmitted to other components through the blender controller 500, and the power of the vision recognition means that received this information is turned off or changed to a low power mode. , It can also solve the power consumption problem when the feed mixer does not work.

On the contrary, when the vision recognition means 200 further includes other motion detection sensors, when cattle are dangerously close to the feed mixer or other objects are close, the image processing unit 300 or IoT transmission/reception It may be implemented to notify the corresponding event to the unit 400 or the like and to operate the ICT control system to notify the user of the corresponding event.

The motion detection sensor can be implemented in various forms such as ultrasonic, infrared, and LIDAR, but especially when used in the form of infrared, it is not only to determine the state of the feed mixer, but to check the movement around the livestock house. It can also be used, so it can also be used for security purposes in the ranch.

In addition, the ICT control system proposed in the present invention is characterized in that it can be easily modularized and combined in the form of an add-on to the conventional TMR feed mixer, while including the above-described components. In other words, without the need to purchase a separate TMR feed mixer again to introduce the ICT function, the detailed configurations of the ICT control system of the present invention to the conventional TMR feed mixer can be added or changed as necessary, and the user's budget or cattle environment Selectively use functions, etc. depending on the situation. Specifically, for users who only need vision recognition means and vision image processing functions, only components that implement the functions can be purchased and installed, and the installation location or number of vision recognition means can also be changed according to the user's budget and convenience. It is characterized by having. In addition, implementing the blender control unit 500 in the form of a PLC is also intended to easily accommodate or modify various conventional control functions of various product groups without limiting the corresponding function to the TMR feed mixer of a specific company.

4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a screen of the user control application unit 600. The user control application unit 600 may be in the form of an application installed on the user's smartphone, or may be in the form of a web-based page that is produced in the form of a specific mobile web page and can be accessed through an appropriate authentication means.

Basically, the user control application unit 600 may receive and display the status information of the TMR feed mixer from the IoT transmission/reception unit 400 of the TMR feed mixer, and the control application unit 600 commands the operation of the TMR feed mixer. It may be transmitted to the IoT transmitter/receiver 400. In addition, images transmitted from the plurality of vision recognition means 200 may be received from the vision image processing unit 300 and displayed by the user control application unit 400.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the case of a remote command that can be processed by the user control application unit 600,'forward, stop, reverse, reverse mixer operation, mixer operation, mixer stop, bucket open, bucket closed, left door/ It can be defined as'right door open, left door/right door stop, left door/right door closed, conveyor operation, conveyor stop', etc., and this can be adjusted as needed. In addition, by changing the color of each command button, the background color of the command corresponding to the current state of the TMR feed mixer is different, so that the user can easily check the current command state.

In addition, the user control application unit 600 may display images of a plurality of vision recognition means 200, here, as an example, the case of using four vision recognition means 200, each vision recognition means ( 200) displays the front and rear of the TMR feed mixer, the inside and left door of the blender, and the inside and right door of the blender, respectively.

As a result, the operator can easily monitor the current state of the TMR feed mixer at a remote location through the user control application unit 600, and control the TMR feed mixer at a remote location by instructing various commands.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, a function of informing a user of a specific event (proximity event of a specific object) from another component (for example, a vision image processing unit) may be provided to a user through a screen or sound.

5 illustrates separate image synchronization reference clocks CLK 1 to CLK 4 transmitted from a plurality of vision recognition means 200 received by the vision image processing unit 300.

In the case of the image synchronization reference clock, the same type of clock is periodically transmitted at each reference time, and the vision image processing unit 300 receiving the same transmits the clock according to the normal operation of the corresponding vision recognition means 200 based on receiving the corresponding clock. Will confirm.

Specifically, in the case of the image synchronization reference clock, as shown in FIG. 5, a pulse width modulation (PWM) type clock may be used, and a period may be set between several seconds to tens of seconds. As a result, the vision image processing unit 300 can easily check whether the individual vision recognition means 200 is operating normally by receiving the image synchronization reference clock transmitted from each vision recognition means 200.

Further, for example, as shown in the transmission part of the CLK 4 signal in FIG. 5, when the image synchronization reference clock is not received from the vision recognition means 200 at a specific location, the received from the vision recognition means 200 When the amount of change in image information is sensed and there is no change or the image is an abnormal screen such as a black screen, the user's control application unit 600 may be notified of a failure situation, thereby controlling the operation of the TMR feed mixer.

In addition, regarding the determination of whether the vision recognition means has a failure, when receiving the image synchronization reference clock, a separate timer is set for this, and if the reception of the image synchronization reference clock is not performed for a specific number of times, the vision recognition means has an error. It can be implemented to determine that it has occurred. This is to prevent an error in determining that the vision recognition means is defective until the image synchronization reference clock is temporarily not received due to temporary noise or the like. In addition, the above-described timer counts only for a separate unit period and resets the timer to zero again, thereby preventing an error in determining that the actual vision recognition means has failed due to the accumulation of temporary malfunctions.

Further, when it is determined that the vision recognition means 200 at a specific location is defective, the TMR feed mixer is determined by referring to the image of the vision recognition means 200 at another location closest to the corresponding location. I can. For example, when the vision recognition means 200 of the left door of the blender is broken, it is possible to check whether the left door operates abnormally using an image captured by the vision recognition means 200 of the right door of the blender. This is an application of the fact that most of the imaging angle of the vision recognition means 200 can capture an area other than its main area.

As a result, failure of some of the vision recognition means 200 to transmit images is easily detected using an image synchronization reference clock, and even if some of the vision recognition means 200 fail, other vision recognition means ( 200) can be used to control the operation of the entire TMR feed mixer.

Finally, the following Table 1 describes the change in the working time of the worker after the ICT control system for the TMR feed mixer of the present invention is applied.

As can be seen from Table 1, the total working time of the conventional feed mixer takes about 140 minutes, including the preparation work of the feed mixer, the actual mixing time, and the feeding time.When the ICT control system of the present invention is applied, only the initial preparation work is directly It requires the work of a worker, and the occurrence of monitoring and emergency situations can be known through a remote environment (for example, a smartphone) at the mixing time and the paying time afterwards, so that the time can be put into other work. As a result, when the present invention is applied, the working time can be reduced by about 120 minutes per day.

division preparation Feed mixing time Feed feeding time Sum Conventional TMR feed mixer
working time 20 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes 140 minutes Feed mixing operation time of the present invention 20 minutes External operation (other work possible) External operation (other work possible) 20 minutes

Although the above has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will variously modify and change the present invention within the scope not departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the following claims. You will understand that you can do it.

100: ICT control system for TMR feed mixer
200: multiple means of vision recognition
300: vision image processing unit
400: IoT transmitter/receiver
500: blender control unit
600: user control application unit
700: vision processing module unit
800: IoT control unit

Claims (8)

In the ICT control system 100 of the TMR feed mixer for blending and mixing feed,
The ICT control system 100
A vision processing module unit 700 that provides vision information on the TMR feed mixer and the surrounding environment, and
Including an IoT control unit 800 that provides a control and remote monitoring function of the TMR feed mixer,
The vision processing module unit 700 is
A plurality of vision recognition means 200;
Further comprising a vision image processing unit 300 for storing and analyzing the vision information input from the plurality of vision recognition means 200 in real time,
The vision image processing unit 300
It can be recognized that some of the plurality of vision recognition means 200 are broken,
By receiving the image synchronization reference clock transmitted from each vision recognition means 200, it is possible to check whether the individual vision recognition means 200 is operating normally,
When the image synchronization reference clock is not received from the vision recognition means 200 at a specific location, the change amount of the image information received from the vision recognition means 200 is detected and there is no change, or the image is an abnormal screen in which the black screen In the case of, but to notify the failure situation to the control application unit 600 of the user,
When determining whether the vision recognition means 200 is broken,
When receiving the video synchronization reference clock, a timer is set, and if the video synchronization reference clock is not received for a specific number of times, it is determined that an error has occurred in the vision recognition means 200,
ICT of the TMR feed mixer, characterized in that the timer counts only for a separate unit period and resets the timer to 0 again to prevent an error in determining that the actual vision recognition means 200 has failed due to the accumulation of temporary malfunctions. Control system.
delete The method of claim 1,
The IoT control unit 800 receives the image result of the vision image processing unit 300, transmits the state of the feed mixer to the user, and receives an instruction from the user.
ICT control system of the TMR feed mixer, characterized in that it comprises a blender control unit 500 for controlling the TMR feed mixer according to the reception result of the IoT transmitting and receiving unit 400.
The method of claim 3,
The vision recognition means 200 is an ICT control system of a TMR feed mixer, characterized in that the CCTV (Closed Circuit Television).
The method of claim 3,
The blender control unit 500 is an ICT control system of a TMR feed blender, characterized in that the PLC (Programable Logic Controller).
delete The method of claim 3,
The IoT transmission/reception unit 400 is an ICT control system of a TMR feed mixer, characterized in that interlocking with a user control application unit 600 installed on a user's smartphone to receive the user's command.
The method of claim 1,
The user control application unit 600 ICT control system of the TMR feed mixer, characterized in that it can transmit a remote command to operate or stop the blender.

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