KR102572375B1 - Mealworm inspection system - Google Patents

Abstract

Mealworm inspection system according to an embodiment of the disclosed invention includes a breeding box in which mealworms that grow on plastic as food are bred; A breeding module configured to classify and store a plurality of breeding containers according to the past time based on the time when breeding of mealworms started; at least one conveyor configured to move the breeding box; and a plastic separation module configured to receive a breeding container in which mealworms are bred for a standard time based on the time point when breeding of mealworms started, from the breeding module through the conveyor, and to separate mealworms and plastics in the breeding container. .

Description

Mealworm Inspection System {MEALWORM INSPECTION SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a mealworm inspection system capable of inspecting the state of mealworms that have ingested plastic.

Currently, processing plastics consumed by mankind is emerging as a future environmental problem. Plastic is difficult to naturally decompose because it is made from petroleum, which is a carbon compound, and forms a strong hydrocarbon bond. These plastics are disposed of through landfill or incineration, generating greenhouse gases and hindering the achievement of carbon neutrality.

Mealworms are attracting attention as a means to solve such plastic pollution. Mealworms are expected to be used for various purposes as a creature that is attracting attention as a next-generation food resource.

The present invention is to provide a mealworm inspection system capable of automatically breeding mealworms that decompose plastics in an environmentally friendly manner.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a mealworm inspection system capable of separately separating and discarding feces discharged from mealworms in breeding.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a mealworm inspection system capable of automatically inspecting mealworms used to decompose plastics so that they can be reused for food or feed.

A mealworm inspection system according to an aspect of the disclosed invention includes a breeding box in which mealworms that grow by feeding on plastic are bred; A breeding module configured to classify and store a plurality of breeding containers according to the past time based on the time when breeding of mealworms started; at least one conveyor configured to move the breeding box; and a plastic separation module configured to receive a breeding container in which mealworms are bred for a standard time based on the time point when breeding of mealworms started, from the breeding module through the conveyor, and to separate mealworms and plastics in the breeding container. .

In addition, the plastic separation module may be configured to separate the remaining plastic from the meal worm by generating a pulling force between the plastic particles and the plastic particles using triboelectric charging and an electric field.

In addition, the plastic separation module includes: an ebonite plate; and fur fur charged by friction with the ebonite plate, and may be configured to separate the plastic from the mealworm through attraction between the charged fur and the particles of the plastic.

In addition, the microplastic inspection module configured to receive the meat worms and plastics, in which the process of separating the meal worms and plastics is completed, is delivered from the plastic separation module through the conveyor, and determine whether or not there are residual microplastics in the body of the meal worms in the delivered meat worms. can include more.

In addition, the microplastic inspection module: extracts some of the mealworms from the delivered mealworms; manufactures a test sample based on the extracted mealworms; And it may be configured to analyze the test sample through a spectroscopic technique to determine whether or not there are residual microplastics in the body of the mealworm of the delivered meat worm.

In addition, it further includes a dry mealworm production module configured to produce dried mealworms by drying the mealworms in the breeding container delivered through the conveyor, and the microplastic inspection module stores the mealworms determined that the residual microplastics do not exist. It may be configured to deliver the grown meat to the dry mealworm production module.

In addition, a wire mesh configured to pass the feces of the mealworms to the lower end and not pass the mealworms may be formed on the bottom surface of the breeding box.

In addition, it further includes an excrement storage container configured to be located at the lower end of the wire mesh, and the breeding containers located in the breeding module pass through the wire mesh to pass the stored mealworm excrement to the excrement storage container. ,

In addition, the breeding module may be configured to separate the excrement storage container located at the lower end of the breeding container from the lower end of the breeding container for each reference cycle preset for any one breeding container.

In addition, it may further include a feces collection module configured to collect excrement of the mealworms, and the breeding module may transfer the excrement storage container separated from the lower end of the breeding container to the excrement collection module through the conveyor.

In addition, the excrement collection module: collects the excrement collected in the received excrement storage container; And it may be configured to pass the collection of excrement is completed to the breeding module via the conveyor to the excrement storage container.

In addition, the breeding module may be configured to transfer a breeding container in which mealworms are bred 16 weeks after the start of breeding of mealworms to the plastic separation module through the conveyor.

According to one aspect of the disclosed invention, it is possible to automatically breed mealworms that decompose plastics in an environmentally friendly manner.

According to another aspect of the disclosed invention, feces discharged by mealworms during breeding can be separately separated and discarded.

According to another aspect of the disclosed invention, mealworms used to degrade plastic can be automatically inspected for reuse as food or feed.

1 is a diagram illustrating a mealworm inspection system according to an embodiment.
2 is a diagram illustrating breeding tubes transported by a conveyor according to an embodiment.
3 is another view showing the appearance of a meat cylinder according to an embodiment.
4 is a view for explaining a plastic separation module according to an exemplary embodiment.

Like reference numbers designate like elements throughout the specification. This specification does not describe all elements of the embodiments, and general content or overlapping content between the embodiments in the technical field to which the disclosed invention belongs is omitted. The term '~ module' or '~ unit' used in the specification may be implemented as software or hardware, and according to embodiments, a plurality of '~ module' or '~ unit' may be implemented as one component, It is also possible that one '~ module' or '~ unit' includes a plurality of components.

When a part is said to be "connected" to another part throughout the specification, this includes not only the case of being directly connected, but also the case of being indirectly connected in the form of another part between a part and another part. .

In addition, when a certain component is said to "include", this means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

Terms such as first and second are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited by the aforementioned terms.

Expressions in the singular number include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In each step, the identification code is used for convenience of description, and the identification code does not explain the order of each step, and each step may be performed in a different order from the specified order unless a specific order is clearly described in context. there is.

Hereinafter, the working principle and embodiments of the disclosed invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Mealworms are the larvae of mealworm beetles. Mealworms are widely used as guinea pigs when manufacturing pesticides related to agricultural pests in academic fields such as agrobiology, and are used as food for various pet organisms. Mealworms are even being discussed as alternative food for mankind in the future.

On the other hand, there are bacteria that decompose EPSExpanded PolyStyrene (EPS) in the digestive system of mealworms. That is, mealworms can degrade Styrofoam by ingesting it. Therefore, research is being conducted as a means to solve the problem of plastic in an environmentally friendly way for mealworms.

On the other hand, it may be wasteful to simply use mealworms used to ingest plastics only to decompose plastics. Therefore, it may be desirable to inspect mealworms that have ingested plastic through a special process so that they can be used for other purposes, such as feeding organisms.

1 is a diagram showing a mealworm inspection system according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing breeding containers transported by a conveyor according to an embodiment.

The mealworm inspection system 100 separates plastic provided as food from mealworms 200 reared while ingesting plastic, inspects whether or not microplastics are present in the body of the mealworm 200, and detects mealworms 200 without problems. It can be dried and processed into dried mealworms.

However, organisms processed and inspected by the mealworm inspection system 100 are not necessarily limited to the mealworm 200.

1 and 2, the mealworm inspection system 100 includes a breeding container 110, an excrement container 111, a breeding module 120, a plastic separation module 130, a microplastic inspection module 140, and a dry mealworm. It may include a production module 150, a feces collection module 160 and a conveyor 170.

In the breeding box 110, mealworms 200 that grow by feeding on the plastic 300 can be bred. At this time, the plastic 300, which is food for the mealworms 200, may be Styrofoam, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The plastic 300 may be periodically supplied to the breeding container 110, and the person who periodically supplies the plastic 300 to the breeding container 110 may be a person or an automatic feeding device.

The breeding module 120 may be a module in which the mealworms 200 of the breeding container 110 stay when decomposing while ingesting the supplied plastic 300 . A plurality of breeding tubes 110 may be located in the breeding module 120 .

The breeding module 120 may classify and store the plurality of breeding containers 110 according to the past time based on the time when breeding of the mealworms 200 started. For example, the breeding module 120 may classify each breeding container 110 according to the number of weeks the mealworms 200 start breeding.

The conveyor 170 may move the rearing cylinder 110 from a specific module to another module. That is, each breeding box 110 can be moved to another module while being located at the top of the conveyor 170. At least one conveyor 170 may be provided in the mealworm inspection system 100 . The conveyor 170 may be controlled by a processor provided in the mealworm inspection system 100.

The breeding module 120 may transfer the breeding container 110 to the plastic separation module 130 through the conveyor 170 .

The plastic separation module 130 may receive the breeding container 110 in which the mealworms 200 are bred after a standard time based on the time when the breeding of the mealworms 200 starts, from the breeding module 120 through the conveyor 170. there is. The reference time is a time from the time of breeding of the mealworms 200 to the end of breeding of the mealworms 200, and can be set in advance by the user.

For example, the reference time may be 16 weeks. That is, the breeding module 120 separates the plurality of breeding containers 110 through the conveyor 170 from the breeding container 110 in which the mealworms 200 are bred 16 weeks after the start of breeding of the mealworms 200. It can be forwarded to module 130.

The plastic separation module 130 may be configured to separate the mealworm 200 and the plastic 300 of the rearing cylinder 110 . The plastic separation module 130 may transfer the breeding container 110 to the microplastic inspection module 140 through the conveyor 170 .

The microplastic inspection module 140 may receive the meat worm 200 and the plastic 300 separated breeding container 110 from the plastic separation module 130 through the conveyor 170.

The microplastic inspection module 140 may determine whether or not there are residual microplastics in the body of the mealworm 200 of the delivered meat worm 110 .

The microplastic inspection module 140 may extract some of the mealworms 200 of the delivered meat worms 110. At this time, the extracted mealworm is the mealworm 200 used for inspection. Mealworms that are not extracted are mealworms 200 that can be processed into dried mealworms.

The microplastic inspection module 140 extracts some mealworms by using a mechanical hand or tongs provided in the microplastic inspection module 140 to pick up some mealworms, or by using a stick provided in the microplastic inspection module 140. It may be a way to push some mealworms out and separate them.

The microplastic inspection module 140 may manufacture a test sample based on the extracted mealworm 200 . At this time, the test sample may be a sample made by grinding the extracted mealworm 200 by the microplastic test module 140, but the manufacturing method of the test sample or the method of the test sample is not limited thereto.

The microplastic inspection module 140 analyzes the inspection sample through a spectroscopic technique to determine whether or not there are residual microplastics in the body of the mealworm 200 of the received meat worm 110.

A spectroscopic technique according to an embodiment may be a spectroscopic technique such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) or Raman spectroscopy, but is not limited thereto.

The microplastic inspection module 140 may transfer the breeding container 110 containing the mealworms 200 that have been inspected to the dry mealworm production module 150 through the conveyor 170.

Specifically, the microplastic inspection module 140 may transfer the breeding container 110 in which the mealworms 200, which are determined to have no residual microplastics, are stored to the dry mealworm production module 150.

The microplastic inspection module 140 may discard the breeding container 110 in which the mealworms 200 determined to have residual microplastics are stored or the mealworms 200 in the breeding container 110 may be discarded. The breeding container 110, after which the mealworms 200 have been disposed of, is again transferred to the breeding module 120 through the conveyor 170 so that new mealworms 200 can be bred.

The dried mealworm production module 150 may dry the mealworms 200 of the feeding tube 110 delivered through the conveyor 170 to produce dried mealworms. At this time, the dry mealworm production module 150 may process the mealworm 200 using any method. The breeding container 110 containing the mealworms 200 to be processed is transferred to the breeding module 120 through the conveyor 170 again so that new mealworms 200 can be bred.

3 is another view showing the appearance of a meat cylinder according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3 , a wire mesh 112 may be formed in the breeding tube 110 . Specifically, a wire mesh 112 may be formed on the bottom surface of the lower end of the breeding box 110 so that the excrement of the mealworm 200 passes through the lower end and the mealworm 200 does not pass through. In addition, the wire mesh may not pass the plastic 300 provided as food to the lower end.

The breeding bins 110 located in the breeding module 120 may be configured so that the excrement of the stored mealworms 200 passes through the wire mesh 112 and is transferred to the excrement storage bin 111.

The excrement container 111 may be unified to collect excrement of the mealworm 200. Any one excrement storage container 111 may be paired with one breeding container 110.

Excrement storage container 111 may be located at the bottom of the wire mesh 112 of the meat container 110. On the other hand, the excrement storage container 111 is not always located at the lower end of the wire mesh 112, and in some cases, the excrement storage container 111 can be separated from the breeding container 110 and moved separately.

1 and 3, the breeding module 120 separates the excrement storage container 111 located at the lower end of the breeding container 110 from the lower end of the breeding container 110 at each preset reference period for any one breeding container 110. can do.

The reference cycle may be a cycle taken to separate excrement and may be set in advance by the user.

The feces collection module 160 may be configured to collect feces of the mealworms 200 .

The breeding module 120 may transfer the excrement storage container 111 separated from the lower end of the breeding container 110 to the excrement collection module 160 through the conveyor 170.

The excrement collection module 160 may collect the excrement collected in the received excrement storage container 111 .

The excrement collection module 160 may deliver the excrement storage container 111, in which the excrement is collected, to the breeding module 120 through the conveyor 170. The excrement storage container 111 delivered to the breeding module 120 again is located at the lower end of any breeding container 110 to collect and store excrement of the mealworm 200 of the breeding container 110.

4 is a view for explaining a plastic separation module according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the plastic separation module 130 may include an ebonite plate 131 and fur skin 132 .

The plastic separation module 130 uses triboelectric charging and an electric field to generate a pulling force between the particles of the plastic 300 and to separate the plastic 300 remaining after the mealworm 200 has ingested from the mealworm 200. can be configured.

The fur 132 provided in the plastic separation module 130 may be charged by friction with the ebonite plate 131 . The plastic separation module 130 may be configured to separate the plastic 300 from the mealworm 200 through attraction between the charged fur 132 and the particles of the plastic 300 . Meanwhile, the charged objects provided in the plastic separation module 130 are not necessarily limited to the ebonite plate 131 or the fur skin 132 .

The breeding module 120, the plastic separation module 130, the microplastic inspection module 140, the dry mealworm production module 150, and the feces collection module 160 are any one of a plurality of processors included in the mealworm inspection system 100. It may contain one processor. In addition, the control method of the mealworm inspection system 100 described so far may be implemented in the form of a program that can be driven by a processor.

Here, the program may include program commands, data files, and data structures alone or in combination. The program may be designed and manufactured using machine language codes or high-level language codes. The program may be specially designed to implement the method for controlling the mealworm inspection system 100 described above, or may be implemented using various functions or definitions that are known and usable to those skilled in the art in the field of computer software. . A program for implementing the control method of the above-described mealworm inspection system 100 may be recorded on a recording medium readable by a processor. In this case, the recording medium may be a memory.

The memory may store a program for performing the above-described operation and the operation to be described later, and the memory may execute the stored program. When there are a plurality of processors and memories, it is possible for them to be integrated on one chip, and it is also possible for them to be provided in physically separate locations. The memory may include volatile memory such as static random access memory (S-RAM) and dynamic random access memory (D-lab) for temporarily storing data. In addition, the memory is a non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory: EPROM), and EPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory: EEPROM) for long-term storage of control programs and control data. can include

The processor may include various logic circuits and arithmetic circuits, process data according to a program provided from a memory, and generate a control signal according to a processing result.

As above, the disclosed embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention can be implemented in a form different from the disclosed embodiments without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and should not be construed as limiting.

100: mealworm inspection system
110: breeding pain
111: excrement container
112: wire mesh
120: breeding module
130: plastic separation module
131: ebonite plate
132: fur
140: microplastic inspection module
150: dry mealworm production module
160: feces collection module
170: conveyor
200: mealworm
300: plastic

Claims (13)

breeding bins where mealworms that grow on plastic as food are bred;
A breeding module configured to classify and store a plurality of breeding containers according to the past time based on the time when breeding of mealworms started;
at least one conveyor configured to move the breeding box; and
A plastic separation module configured to receive a breeding container in which mealworms are bred after a standard time based on the time when mealworm breeding starts is delivered from the breeding module through the conveyor, and separate mealworms and plastic in the breeding container,
The plastic separation module,
It is configured to separate the remaining plastic from the mealworm by generating an attraction between the plastic particles and the plastic particles using triboelectric charging and an electric field,
The plastic separation module is:
ebonite plate; and
Including fur skin charged by friction with the ebonite plate,
The mealworm inspection system configured to separate the plastic from the mealworm through attractive forces between the charged fur and the particles of the plastic. delete delete breeding bins where mealworms that grow on plastic as food are bred;
A breeding module configured to classify and store a plurality of breeding containers according to the past time based on the time when breeding of mealworms started;
at least one conveyor configured to move the breeding box; and
A plastic separation module configured to receive a breeding container in which mealworms are bred after a standard time based on the time when mealworm breeding starts is delivered from the breeding module through the conveyor, and separate mealworms and plastic in the breeding container,
The plastic separation module,
It is configured to separate the remaining plastic from the mealworm by generating an attraction between the plastic particles and the plastic particles using triboelectric charging and an electric field,
Further comprising a microplastics inspection module configured to receive the meat worms and plastics in which the process of separating the meat worms is completed from the plastic separation module through the conveyor, and to determine whether or not there are residual microplastics in the body of the meal worms in the meat worms. , Mealworm Inspection System. According to claim 4,
The microplastic inspection module:
Extracting some of the mealworms of the delivered meat worms;
Preparing a test sample based on the extracted mealworm; and
Mealworm inspection system configured to analyze the test sample through a spectroscopic technique to determine whether or not there are residual microplastics in the body of the mealworm of the delivered meat worm. According to claim 5,
Further comprising a dry mealworm production module configured to produce dry mealworms by drying the mealworms in the breeding box delivered through the conveyor,
The microplastic inspection module,
The mealworm inspection system configured to transfer the meat worms in which the mealworms determined to be free of the residual microplastics are stored to the dry mealworm production module. breeding bins where mealworms that grow on plastic as food are bred;
A breeding module configured to classify and store a plurality of breeding containers according to the past time based on the time when breeding of mealworms started;
at least one conveyor configured to move the breeding box; and
A plastic separation module configured to receive a breeding container in which mealworms are bred after a standard time based on the time when mealworm breeding starts is delivered from the breeding module through the conveyor, and separate mealworms and plastic in the breeding container,
The breeding pain,
A wire mesh is formed on the bottom of the lower end so that the excrement of the mealworms passes through the lower end and the mealworms do not pass through,
Further comprising a waste storage container configured to be located at the bottom of the wire mesh,
The breeding boxes located in the breeding module,
Constructed so that the excrement of the stored mealworms passes through the wire mesh and is delivered to the excrement storage container,
The breeding module,
It is configured to separate the excrement storage container located at the lower end of the breeding container from the lower end of the breeding container at each preset reference period for any one breeding container,
Further comprising a feces collection module configured to collect feces of the mealworms,
The breeding module,
Mealworm inspection system configured to deliver the excrement storage container separated from the lower end of the breeding container to the excrement collection module through the conveyor. delete delete delete According to claim 7,
The feces collection module:
Collecting the excreta collected in the received excrement storage container; and
Mealworm inspection system configured to deliver the excreta storage container from which the excrement has been collected to the breeding module through the conveyor. According to claim 1,
The breeding module,
A mealworm inspection system configured to transfer a plurality of breeding containers in which mealworms are bred 16 weeks after the start of mealworm breeding to the plastic separation module through the conveyor. According to claim 6,
Further comprising a feces collection module configured to collect feces of the mealworms,
The plastic separation module is:
ebonite plate; and
Including fur skin charged by friction with the ebonite plate,
And configured to separate the plastic from the mealworm through attractive forces between the charged fur and the particles of the plastic,
The breeding pain,
A wire mesh is formed on the bottom of the lower end so that the excrement of the mealworms passes through the lower end and the mealworms do not pass through,
Further comprising an excrement storage container configured to position the excrement storage container at the lower end of the wire mesh,
The breeding boxes located in the breeding module,
Constructed so that the excrement of the stored mealworms passes through the wire mesh and is delivered to the excrement storage container,
The breeding module is:
Separating the excrement storage container located at the lower end of the breeding container from the lower end of the breeding container at each preset reference period for any one breeding container;
It is configured to deliver the excrement storage container separated from the lower end of the breeding container to the excrement collection module through the conveyor,
The feces collection module:
Collecting the excreta collected in the received excrement storage container; and
Mealworm inspection system configured to deliver the excreta storage container from which the excrement has been collected to the breeding module through the conveyor.