KR20230076090A - Livestock Control System Using Environmental Sensors - Google Patents

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a cattle shed control system, which comprises a cattle shed in which a ventilation fan and a heater are installed, and an air purification unit which is adjacent to the cattle shed to purify and discharge the air supplied by means of the ventilation fan. Provided is the cattle shed control system using an environmental sensor, which comprises: at least one temperature sensor measuring the temperature in a cattle shed; at least one humidity sensor measuring the humidity in the cattle shed; at least one CO_2 sensor measuring carbon dioxide in the cattle shed; a first ammonia sensor measuring the ammonia concentration in the cattle shed; a camera unit filming movements in the cattle shed; and a control device which controls the ventilation fan or the heater in response to the ammonia concentration measured in the first ammonia sensor and temperature information inputted from the temperature sensor. When the entrance door of the cattle shed is detected to open in an image signal inputted from the camera unit, the control device is characterized by blocking the air on the cattle shed supplied to the first ammonia sensor. Therefore, the ammonia sensor may be prevented from being broken.

Description

Livestock Control System Using Environmental Sensors}

The present invention relates to a barn control system, which can automatically control an air purifier using a concentration value measured by an ammonia sensor and prevent failure of the ammonia sensor in advance based on movement information or ammonia concentration value information in a barn It relates to a barn control system using environmental sensors.

In general, in the case of barn breeding pigs, there are frequent civil complaints due to odors such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. In order to suppress the occurrence of such an odor, some barns are equipped with an air purifying device called a bio-curtain.

The air purifier removes ammonia in the air by injecting liquid such as water into the air of the barn, and discharges the ammonia-removed air to the outside.

At this time, when the air in the barn is discharged, the temperature inside the barn changes, so if the air inside the barn is constantly discharged, energy consumption is high. In most cases, the air purifier is manually operated when necessary. When the air purifier is operated manually, it depends on the judgment of the operator, so in most cases proper air purifying is not performed.

In order to improve the above problem, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0109257 (control method of a ventilation fan controller) is disclosed.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0109257 measures the ammonia concentration, operates the ventilation fan when the measured concentration value exceeds the concentration reference value, and repeats the process of stopping the operation of the ventilation fan when the temperature inside the barn decreases. .

However, in the case of Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0109257, there is a problem in that air quality deteriorates when the temperature inside the barn is not maintained above the set temperature while the ammonia concentration greatly exceeds the concentration reference value.

In addition, in the case of an ammonia sensor for measuring the ammonia concentration, when the measurement reference value is significantly out of range, the sensor malfunctions or the sensor malfunctions.

In the event of a sensor failure, it is difficult to accurately predict livestock farm environment information, and it is impossible to automatically control livestock farms using values measured by sensors.

A technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a barn control system using an environmental sensor that can prevent damage to the ammonia sensor and automatically control the air purifier according to the ammonia concentration.

The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned technical problem, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. There will be.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, one embodiment of the present invention is a barn control system having a barn in which a ventilation fan and a heater are installed and an air purifying unit that purifies and discharges the air supplied through the ventilation fan adjacent to the barn. , at least one temperature sensor for measuring the temperature in the barn; at least one humidity sensor for measuring humidity in the barn; at least one CO2 sensor for measuring carbon dioxide in the barn; A first ammonia sensor for measuring the ammonia concentration in the barn; a camera unit for capturing movement in the barn; And a control device for controlling the ventilation fan or heater in correspondence with the temperature information input from the temperature sensor and the ammonia concentration measured by the first ammonia sensor, wherein the control device controls the video signal input from the camera unit. It is possible to provide a barn control system using an environmental sensor, characterized in that when it is detected that the barn door is opened, the barn-side air supplied to the first ammonia sensor is blocked.

The control device may learn object movement information from an image input from the camera unit, and if the activity of the object movement is greater than or equal to a reference value through the learning result, air supplied to the first ammonia sensor may be blocked.

A second conduit through which external air is introduced; a valve connected to the first conduit and the second conduit, respectively, to selectively supply the livestock house air and external air to the first ammonia sensor; and a suction motor generating negative pressure so that air flows into the first ammonia sensor, and the control device may control the valve to open toward the second conduit when the barn-side air is blocked.

The barn control system includes a first compartment installed outside the barn, provided with a space inside, and provided with an air input port through which air discharged from the barn is introduced, and an air outlet through which the introduced air is discharged; and a second compartment in close proximity to the first compartment, in which a suction port for sucking in air from the first compartment and an exhaust port for discharging the air sucked into the first compartment are formed. and an air quality measuring unit installed in the second compartment and having a sensor array for measuring harmful components in the air supplied to the inlet.

The first ammonia sensor may be formed on the sensor array.

The sensor array may further include a gas sensor for measuring at least one of ammonia, indole, hydrogen sulfide, VOCs, and sulfur dioxide.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the barn sensor failure prevention system according to an embodiment of the present invention uses values input from sensors such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a CO2 sensor, and an ammonia sensor to control ventilation fans, heaters, and air purifiers. It can reduce energy consumption by controlling and at the same time reduce the emission of odor-causing substances.

In addition, the barn sensor failure prevention system according to an embodiment of the present invention blocks the air supplied to the ammonia sensor in advance when the possibility of rapid diffusion of ammonia gas inside the barn is predicted using the video signal input from the camera unit. Sensor failure can be prevented.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the detailed description of the present invention or the configuration of the invention described in the claims.

1 is a system diagram schematically illustrating a barn control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the relationship between a control device and sensors in the barn control system shown in FIG. 1;
3 is a view explaining the operation of an ammonia sensor among the sensors shown in FIG. 1;
4 is a timing diagram schematically illustrating an operation flow of the ammonia sensor shown in FIG. 3;
5 is a block diagram illustrating an air quality measuring unit of a barn control system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and, therefore, is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected (connected, contacted, combined)" with another part, this is not only "directly connected", but also "indirectly connected" with another member in between. "Including cases where In addition, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

Terms used in this specification 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 dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

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

1 is a system diagram schematically illustrating a barn control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the barn control system shown in FIG. 1 .

1 and 2, the barn control system includes a ventilation fan 210, a heater 220, an air purifier 50, a temperature sensor 110, a humidity sensor 120, and a CO2 sensor 130. , It may include a first ammonia sensor 140, a second ammonia sensor 150, a camera unit 160 and a control device 100.

First, the barn system will be described.

The barn 10 is a breeding facility for breeding poultry such as chickens and ducks, or pigs. The barn 10 includes a door 20 through which livestock and people enter and exit. A ventilation fan 210 and a heater 220 for temperature control may be provided in the barn 10.

The ventilation fan 210 penetrates the wall of the barn 10 and delivers the air inside the barn 10 to the air purifier 50.

The heater 220 is installed to maintain the temperature inside the barn 10.

The air purifier 50 purifies the air introduced through the ventilation fan 210 and discharges it to the outside. The air purifying unit 50 is usually called a bio curtain. The air purifying unit 50 removes odor components (ammonia, sulfur dioxide, etc.) in the air through a smell filter, mist spray, ozone water, and a microbial treatment method.

The control device 100 may monitor the air quality and temperature of the barn 10 and control the ventilation fan 210, the heater 220, and the air purifier 50. The control device 100 may visualize data so that the state of various components can be monitored by a user terminal (eg, a barn manager or a control system manager).

The temperature sensor 110 may measure the temperature in the barn 10 and transmit the measurement result to the control device 100 in real time. The humidity sensor 120 may measure the humidity in the barn 10 and transmit the measurement result to the control device 100.

The CO2 sensor 130 may measure the carbon dioxide concentration of the barn 10 and transmit the result to the control device 100.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, a hydrogen sulfide sensor for measuring and transmitting the hydrogen sulfide concentration and a VOC sensor for measuring the VOC concentration may be additionally provided.

The above-mentioned sensors may be individually installed inside the barn 10 or integrated into one device. In addition, the sensors may be installed outside the barn 10.

When the above-described sensors are installed outside, the sensors are disposed in the integrated board inside the housing, and various indicators can be measured by introducing air inside the barn into the housing.

The first ammonia sensor 140 may measure the ammonia concentration inside the livestock barn 10 and provide it to the control device 100.

The second ammonia sensor 150 may measure the concentration of ammonia outside the barn 10 and provide it to the control device 100.

Here, the first ammonia sensor 140 may be provided in one integrated board with the above-described sensors, and the second ammonia sensor 150 may be installed separately.

The camera unit 160 detects the opening/closing of the door 20 inside the barn, and photographs the presence or absence of livestock and movement of the livestock.

The control device 100 receives and stores measured values input from the temperature sensor 110, humidity sensor 120, CO2 sensor 130, hydrogen sulfide sensor, and VOC sensor. The controller 100 may control the operation of the ventilation fan 210, the heater 220, and the air purifier 50 using values input from the sensors.

For example, the controller 100 may control the operation of the heater 220 and the ventilation fan 210 based on temperature information in order to maintain the internal temperature of the barn 10 at a constant temperature. That is, the controller 100 automatically controls the heater 220 and the ventilation fan 210 according to the breeding temperature when the breeding temperature is set according to the type or age of livestock grown in the barn. That is, the control device 100 operates the heater 220 when the temperature inside the barn is lower than the set temperature, and operates the ventilation fan 210 when the temperature is higher than the set temperature. At this time, when the month is young, the set temperature range is narrowed, and when the age is mature, the set temperature range is widened.

In addition, the controller 100 operates the heater 220 and the ventilation fan 210 according to the measured humidity to maintain an appropriate growth humidity.

Here, the controller 100 operates the ventilation fan 210 so that the outside air is introduced to the outside while simultaneously discharging the inside air to the outside when the temperature and humidity inside the barn is high and the humidity is high, considering temperature and humidity at the same time. Conversely, the controller 100 operates the heater 220 when the temperature inside the barn is equal to or less than the growth temperature and humidity, and transmits a humidity control guide to the user terminal 300 .

At the same time, the controller 100 immediately generates an alarm and operates the ventilation fan 210 when the CO2 concentration is higher than the set value. At this time, the control device 100 may operate the heater 220 so that the temperature in the barn does not decrease.

In addition, the control device 100 may operate the ventilation fan 210 according to the VOC concentration or the hydrogen sulfide concentration.

In addition, the control device 100 may operate the ventilation fan 210 and simultaneously operate the air purifying unit 50 when the ammonia concentration measured by the first ammonia sensor 140 is equal to or greater than the set value. When the ammonia concentration measured by the first ammonia sensor 140 tends to increase, the control device 100 increases the rotational speed of the ventilation fan 210 and increases the amount of mist sprayed by the air purifying unit 50 to speed up the speed. It discharges the air inside the barn within a certain amount of time and at the same time increases the amount of air purification to prevent trouble caused by the smell of ammonia from the outside.

Meanwhile, the first ammonia sensor 140 has a structure as shown in FIG. 3 for safe operation.

The first ammonia sensor 140 immediately malfunctions or continuously deteriorates when ammonia gas exceeding the measured amount is introduced. Therefore, in order to protect the first ammonia sensor 140, a first conduit 141 connected to the barn, a suction motor 144, a second conduit 142, and a valve 143 are additionally provided.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the first conduit 141 penetrates the outer wall of the barn 10 and allows air inside the barn to flow into the first ammonia sensor 140 . The first conduit 141 is connected to a hole through which the wall of the barn is about 1.5 m to 2 m from the ground of the barn.

The second conduit 142 is a passage through which external air is introduced into the first ammonia sensor 140 . At this time, a filter for removing dust or the like may be provided in the second conduit 142 .

The valve 143 is a 3-way valve, and may selectively supply air of the first conduit 141 or the second conduit 143 to the first ammonia sensor 140.

The suction motor 144 operates to supply air to the first ammonia sensor 140 or to discharge air inside the first ammonia sensor 140 to the outside. Here, the valve 143 and the suction motor 144 are automatically operated by firmware according to the measurement cycle of the first ammonia sensor 140 as shown in the timing diagram shown in FIG.

As shown in the timing diagram of FIG. 4, the first ammonia sensor 140 performs a preheating time (t1), air purification (t2), measurement of ammonia concentration inside the barn (t3), sensor purification (t4), and rest period (t5). is performed repeatedly.

The control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may urgently control the operation of the valve 143 shown in FIG. 3 according to information collected by the camera unit 160 .

The control device 100 may detect opening/closing of the door 20 from images collected by the camera unit 160 . In addition, the control device 100 may detect the presence or absence of domestic animals in the barn from the images collected by the camera unit 160 . These data can be detected by image analysis technology or by comparing a reference image and an image of a certain length.

In addition, the control device 100 may determine the degree of livestock movement in the barn from the images collected by the camera unit 160. The control device 100 classifies livestock into entities in the collected images, and calculates the movement speed of livestock by detecting the distance each entity has moved for each frame. Through the calculated data, it is possible to predict the contribution of livestock movement to the diffusion of ammonia gas.

In particular, the control device 100 learns the diffusion of ammonia gas by livestock movement in the image through machine learning, and uses it for control when a similar livestock movement pattern occurs in the future.

For example, when the opening of the door 20 is detected by the camera unit 160, diffusion of ammonia inside the barn may rapidly increase. To the side (142), valve 143 is opened. At this time, whether or not the suction motor operates is irrelevant. The control device 100 monitors the concentration input from the first ammonia sensor 140 after the valve 143 operates, and determines whether it is the upper measurement limit of the first ammonia sensor 140. When the concentration of the first ammonia sensor 140 is the upper measurement limit, the control device 100 generates an inspection notification to the user terminal 300 because there is a possibility that a sensor error may occur.

Meanwhile, the control device 100 may rapidly increase the concentration of ammonia generated even when the barn is cleaned. Therefore, in the images collected by the camera unit 160, when livestock are not detected and only people are detected, or while a separate cleaning device is operating, the operation of the valve 143 connected to the first ammonia sensor 140 is urgently performed as described above. Control.

In addition, the controller 100 urgently controls the operation of the valve 143 connected to the first ammonia sensor 140, as described above, even when it is determined that the movement of livestock in the barn is rapid.

The control device 100 may urgently control the operation of the valve 143 connected to the first ammonia sensor 140 when the ammonia concentration flowing in real time from the first ammonia sensor 140 is similar to a failure pattern. .

For example, concentration information collected from the first ammonia sensor 140 is collected. The collected information is graphed in unit of unit or number of measurements, and each graph is matched with the presence or absence of sensor failure to learn.

When a pattern similar to the beginning of the learned pattern is detected in the information collected by the first ammonia sensor 140, the control device 100 may urgently control the operation of the valve 143.

On the other hand, the control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention uses the difference between the concentration measured by the first ammonia sensor 140 and the concentration measured by the second ammonia sensor 150 to determine the abnormality of the ventilation fan 210. Operation or abnormal operation of the air purifying unit 50 may be detected.

For example, the controller 100 subtracts the first ammonia concentration measured by the first ammonia sensor 140 and the second ammonia concentration measured by the second ammonia sensor 150 to obtain a second ammonia concentration compared to the first ammonia concentration. When the ammonia concentration is higher, it is determined that the air purifier 50 is not operating and an alarm is generated.

In addition, if the first ammonia concentration is continuously increased and the second ammonia concentration is below the set value, the control device 100 considers that the air inside the barn is stagnant and ventilation An alarm may be generated by determining that the operation of the fan 210 is abnormal. That is, when the ventilation fan 210 operates in the absence of a specific factor, it is common for the ammonia concentration inside the barn to decrease, so in the case of the above conditions, the control device 100 determines that the ventilation fan 210 is abnormal.

5 is a block diagram illustrating an air quality measuring unit included in the barn control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the air quality measuring unit 400 may include a first compartment 410 , a second compartment 420 and a sensor array 430 .

Specifically, the first compartment 410 sucks air in the barn and is isolated and stable inside for a set time. The first compartment 410 is provided with an air input port 440 and an air output port 450, air for measurement is introduced into the air input port 440, and air after measurement is directed toward the air outlet 450. may be discharged.

The second compartment 420 is formed to come into contact with the first compartment 410 . At this time, the first compartment 410 and the second compartment 420 may be formed with a partition wall 460 provided in the center of one case, and the two compartments may be formed to be distinguished from each other.

The second compartment 420 may be provided with a space containing the sensor arrays 430 .

An intake port 470 and an exhaust port 480 are provided between the second compartment 420 and the first compartment 410 . The intake port 470 is a passage through which the air inside the first compartment 410 is transferred to the second compartment 420, and the exhaust port 480 moves air from the second compartment 420 into the first compartment 410. is a passage

Fans are installed at each of the intake port 470 and the exhaust port 480 to forcibly transfer air. In addition, the intake port 470 and the exhaust port 480 may be formed in a valve structure that is opened and closed by a control unit.

Operation processes for the air input port 440, the air outlet port 450, the intake port 470, and the exhaust port 180 will be described later.

The sensor array 430 may include the first ammonia sensor 140 of FIG. 1 . In the sensor array 430, in addition to the first ammonia sensor 140, sensors for measuring at least one of indole, hydrogen sulfide, VOCs, and sulfur dioxide may be additionally installed.

In the case of the indole sensor, it is measured when there is a large amount of urine among livestock excretion inside the barn, and it can be used as an index to control the drinking water supplied to livestock. Sensors such as hydrogen sulfide and VOCs can be used as indicators related to feces and digestion.

The air quality measuring unit 400 shown in FIG. 5 may operate in conjunction with the control device 100 shown in FIG. 1 . In addition, the air quality measurement unit 400 may be automatically operated by its own firmware or program.

The air quality measurement unit 400 first opens the air input port 440 to introduce air into the first compartment 410 in order to measure the air quality inside the barn. At this time, the air input port 440 is opened for a certain period of time to sufficiently introduce air inside the barn, and the intake port 470 and the exhaust port 480 are closed so that the inside of the first compartment 410 is supplied with air from within the barn. Sufficiently fill the inside of the first compartment 410.

Next, the air input port 440 and the air outlet port 450 are closed, and the intake port 470 is opened to supply air inside the first compartment 410 to the second compartment 420 .

When air is sufficiently introduced into the second compartment 420, the inlet 470 is closed or the air quality measurement unit 400 is operated in an open state to measure concentrations of ammonia, indole, hydrogen sulfide, VOCs, and the like.

After measuring the air quality, the intake port 470 is closed and the exhaust port 480 is opened to transfer the air inside the second compartment 420 to the first compartment 410 . At this time, the exhaust port 480 is preferably in an open state.

When all the air in the first compartment 410 is discharged to the outside, clean outside air other than livestock house air can be introduced through the air inlet 440 of the first compartment 410. To this end, the air inlet 440 may be configured as a 3-way valve.

When the air quality measurement by the air quality measurement unit 400 is finished, in order to discharge the polluted air remaining in the first compartment 410 and the second compartment 420, the outside (natural state) through the air input port 440 The air is continuously introduced, and the air outlet 450, the inlet 470, and the exhaust port 480 are all open.

Through this, the first and second compartments 410 and 420 are cleaned of contamination and maintained ready for measurement again.

As described above, the barn control system according to an embodiment of the present invention reduces energy use by controlling the ventilation fan, heater, and air purifier using values input from sensors such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a CO2 sensor, and an ammonia sensor. At the same time, it can reduce the emission of odor-causing substances.

In addition, in the livestock house control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the possibility of rapid diffusion of ammonia gas inside the livestock house is predicted using the video signal input from the camera unit, the air supplied to the ammonia sensor is blocked in advance so that the sensor malfunctions. can prevent

In addition, the barn control system according to an embodiment of the present invention has an air quality measuring unit divided into a first compartment and a second compartment, so that the indoor air quality of the barn can be continuously measured.

The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

10: Congratulations
20: door
50: air purifier
100: control device
110: temperature sensor
120: humidity sensor
130: CO2 sensor
140: first ammonia sensor
150: second ammonia sensor
160: camera unit
210: ventilation fan
220: heater
300: user terminal
400: air quality measuring unit
410: first compartment
420: second compartment
430: sensor array
440: air inlet
450: air outlet
460: bulkhead
470: inlet
480: exhaust

Claims (6)

A barn control system having a barn in which a ventilation fan and a heater are installed and an air purifying unit adjacent to the barn and purifying and discharging air supplied through the ventilation fan,
At least one temperature sensor for measuring the temperature in the barn;
at least one humidity sensor for measuring humidity in the barn;
at least one CO2 sensor for measuring carbon dioxide in the barn;
A first ammonia sensor for measuring the ammonia concentration in the barn;
a camera unit for capturing movement in the barn; and
Including a control device for controlling the ventilation fan or heater in accordance with the temperature information input from the temperature sensor and the ammonia concentration measured by the first ammonia sensor,
The control device
The barn control system using an environmental sensor, characterized in that when the opening of the barn door is detected from the video signal input from the camera unit, the barn-side air supplied to the first ammonia sensor is blocked.
According to claim 1,
The control device
A barn control system using an environmental sensor that learns object motion information from the image input from the camera unit and blocks air supplied to the barn side supplied to the first ammonia sensor when the activity of the object motion is greater than or equal to a reference value through the learning result.
According to claim 1,
a first conduit through which air from the barn side is introduced;
A second conduit through which external air is introduced;
a valve connected to the first conduit and the second conduit, respectively, to selectively supply the livestock house air and external air to the first ammonia sensor; and
Including a suction motor for generating a negative pressure so that air is introduced into the first ammonia sensor side,
The barn control system using an environmental sensor, wherein the control device controls the valve to open toward the second pipe when the barn-side air is blocked.
According to claim 1,
A first compartment installed outside the barn, provided with a space inside, and provided with an air input port through which air discharged from the barn is introduced, and an air outlet through which the introduced air is discharged; and
a second compartment in close proximity to the first compartment and having a suction port for sucking in the air in the first compartment and an exhaust port for discharging the air sucked into the first compartment; and
A barn control system including an air quality measurement unit installed in the second compartment and having a sensor array for measuring harmful components in the air supplied to the inlet.
According to claim 4,
The first ammonia sensor is a barn control system formed in the sensor array.
According to claim 4,
The sensor array further comprises a gas sensor for measuring at least one of ammonia, indole, hydrogen sulfide, VOCs and sulfur dioxide.

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