WO2018088332A1 - Aquaculture device, aquaculture system and aquaculture method - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are: an aquaculture device having a simple structure which uniformly irradiates ultrasonic waves, among acoustic waves, within a water tank so that the resistance of aquatic animals being cultured can be improved and the survival rate thereof can be elevated, thereby increasing the yield; an aquaculture system; and an aquaculture method. An aquatic animal 29 being cultured is irradiated with acoustic waves comprising sonic waves and/or ultrasonic waves. The aquaculture device comprises: an ultrasonic oscillator 20 capable of generating acoustic waves; a driving section 15 driving the ultrasonic oscillator 20; and an outer case 12 holding the ultrasonic oscillator 20 and the driving section 15. On the side of the front face toward which high-strength acoustic waves 19 are radiated from the ultrasonic oscillator 20, an acoustic wave-scattering layer 24, which is formed of an acoustic wave-scattering material and capable of scattering the high-strength acoustic waves 19 while converting the high-strength acoustic waves 19 into low-strength acoustic waves 21 having a lower strength per unit area and then irradiating the same, is provided.

Description

Aquaculture system, aquaculture system, and aquaculture method

The present invention relates to an aquaculture device, an aquaculture system, and an aquaculture method for imparting sonic and ultrasonic stimulation to aquatic products in order to improve the survival rate and increase the yield of the marine products.

Conventionally, a variety of fishery products such as fish, shellfish and shellfish have been produced by aquaculture. On the other hand, the world population is expected to reach 11 billion in 2100, and one of the major challenges of the 22nd century is food shortage. Therefore, stable production of fish proteins obtained from aquaculture is an important issue, and a significant increase in food production is expected. In Asia, the consumption of fishery products has increased especially in the past 30 years, and Japan has the highest consumption of fishery products per capita in a country with a population of over 50 million. However, the improvement of the production method of fishery products in the aquaculture fishery so far has mainly been the development of feed, improvement of water temperature and water flow, genetic recombination, and virus countermeasures, and could not be expected to significantly improve productivity. .

Therefore, several different methods have been proposed as methods for increasing production to further improve the productivity of aquaculture. For example, in Patent Document 1, a solar battery is provided on the upper surface of a buoy that floats in the sea, and the output of the solar battery is supplied to the storage battery, and the output of the storage battery is connected to an ultrasonic oscillator that contacts water. An ultrasonic transmitter for cultivating fish and shellfish is disclosed. This storage battery accumulates electric power from a solar battery, and the electric power oscillates weak ultrasonic waves in the water regardless of day or night from the ultrasonic oscillator to promote the growth of fish and shellfish. Also, the ultrasonic oscillation surface in contact with water is covered with copper so that algae and the like do not adhere to the ultrasonic oscillation surface of the ultrasonic oscillator by the sterilization action of copper ions.

Patent Document 2 discloses a method of administering a compound drug to aquatic animals such as goldfish via ultrasound. In this method, the disease of fish being cultured is prevented and infection is prevented by sonication for a short time. For example, when treating a viral disease using an immersion vaccine, an ultrasonic wave having an intensity of 1 MHz, 1.7 W / cm ² is emitted for 10 to 15 minutes in a beaker containing the vaccine. As a result, when the gonadotropin releasing hormone analog is administered via water, the absorption of the gonadotropin releasing hormone analog that has passed through the skin of the fish can be greatly improved.

In addition, the method for cultivating seafood disclosed in Patent Document 3 irradiates the seafood with ultrasonic waves of 10 to 30 MHz, and generates microbubbles of 20 μm or less using a swirl type bubble generator to perform the culture. Thereby, it is disclosed that the growth rate and feed efficiency of fish and shellfish to be cultivated are improved.

Patent Document 4 discloses a disease treatment apparatus and method for preventing disease and preventing infection by cultivating fish by short-time ultrasonic treatment, and in particular, radiating ultrasonic waves to cultured fish in high-concentration dissolved oxygen water. In addition, vaccine treatment is performed. As a result, the submerged vaccine for preventing viral diseases is efficiently absorbed into the cultured fish and the mortality rate is improved.

Further, Patent Document 5 uses a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators as ultrasonic vibrators, a water surface for culturing marine products or a container that is movably located in water, and a plurality of ultrasonic vibrations attached to the container. There is disclosed an aquaculture device that has a child, each ultrasonic vibrator has a different direction of ultrasonic irradiation, and the container emits ultrasonic waves without being biased toward the seafood while moving on the water surface or in water. Further, the present invention is an aquaculture method for culturing aquatic products using an aquarium having a side surface made of a material having an acoustic impedance of 3 MRayls or more and 50 MRayls or less, wherein the aquaculture has an ultrasonic vibrator in the poured water tank. An aquaculture method is disclosed in which a device is inserted, ultrasonic waves are generated from an ultrasonic transducer, and ultrasonic waves are emitted to the aquatic marine products.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-113694 JP-T 6-503951 JP 2002-119 A JP 2007-215475 A WO2015 / 159757

In the case of the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4 of the above background art, the ultrasonic generator to be used is not controlled by appropriately changing the direction of ultrasonic radiation, but ultrasonic waves are generated in a large aquaculture tank. There is a problem that it is not possible to irradiate widely and uniformly. Furthermore, in the case of the method disclosed in Patent Document 3, microbubbles of 20 μm or less are generated using a swirling bubble generator, but it is difficult to stably generate ultrasonic waves of 10 to 30 MHz. is there. In addition, the direction of ultrasonic radiation cannot be controlled. Furthermore, ultrasonic waves of 10 MHz or higher are easily attenuated in oxygen-rich water, and there is a problem that it is difficult to maintain the acoustic intensity.

In addition, there is a method of irradiating seafood with sound waves using a low frequency speaker, but in this case, it is fixed to a support rod in water and immersed to generate sound waves, and the direction of the sound waves can be easily changed. I can't. For this reason, it is difficult to uniformly and widely irradiate the fish in the water tank with sound waves, and it is necessary to install a plurality of sound wave irradiation devices in the water tank, resulting in poor economic efficiency. Furthermore, flounder, shrimp, and shellfish, which are marine products that tend to accumulate at the bottom of ponds and aquariums, have a problem that their effects are small. In addition, since important acoustic vibration circuit components are in water, there is a risk of flooding, and it is difficult to check and maintain the apparatus.

As described above, the aquaculture apparatus and the disease prevention apparatus that have been known so far by sonication and ultrasonic irradiation are used for an aquarium of 0.5 m ³ or less for experiments, a large aquarium for mass production of 1 to 100 m ³ , There are various problems when applied to either the pond or the sea divided by the net. For example, in the case of using a vibrator or device fixed to the side or bottom of the water tank, as shown in FIG. 11, the ultrasonic vibrator 20 irradiates from the outer surface of the outer case 12 via the acoustic matching layer 22. The irradiation direction and range of ultrasonic waves are constant. Furthermore, the acoustic intensity is strong only in the direction in which the ultrasonic transducer 20 faces, and the high-intensity acoustic wave 19 that is oscillated from the ultrasonic transducer 20 is directly irradiated, so that the acoustic intensity is made uniform in the water tank. It is something that cannot be done. In addition, ultrasonic waves cannot be effectively and uniformly emitted to the cultured fish 29 accumulated at the corners and bottom of the aquarium, and the ultrasonic waves may not reach the shadow of other accumulated cultured fish. .

In addition, the ultrasonic wave used in the aquaculture fishery reported so far has a frequency of 20 KHz to 100 KHz, the wavelength in water is long from 8 cm to 1.5 cm, and the average diameter of the fish trunk is 10 cm or less. It is not suitable for efficient production of cultured fish, small fish of crustaceans, eggs and fry using acoustic wave stimulation.

On the other hand, Patent Document 5 discloses a floating-type ultrasonic aquaculture device in which two or more ultrasonic transducers are arranged at different angles in a container. Although this device can irradiate ultrasonic waves all over the water tank, it is difficult to irradiate the ultrasonic waves widely and uniformly distributed in the water tank, resulting in variations in the ultrasonic intensity in the water tank. The problem remains.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the above-described background art, and with a device having a simple structure, the resistance of fish, shellfish, and shellfish being cultivated by irradiating an acoustic wave over a wide area in an aquarium. An object of the present invention is to provide an aquaculture device, an aquaculture system, and an aquaculture method that can improve the power, improve the survival rate, increase the yield, and perform this with high reproducibility.

First, the sound wave is usually defined as 20 kHz or less, and the ultrasonic wave is defined as 20 kHz or more. As an example, when the fundamental wave is an ultrasonic wave of 1 MHz, for example, the fundamental wavelength is 1 μs and the underwater wavelength is about 1.5 mm. However, by using pulse drive, it is possible to create a sound of 20 kHz or less that is close to a sound wave. For example, it is considered that an ultrasonic wave having a duty factor of 20% and a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 1 kHz (1 ms) exhibits a response equivalent to that of receiving a 1 kHz sonic stimulus to a living cell having a slow reaction speed. . The reaction speed of the living cell is several ms close to the transmission speed of the nervous system. For example, it is considered that the living cell cannot follow at a speed of 1 μs of the wavelength of 1 MHz ultrasonic wave. In the present invention, when pulse-driven ultrasonic waves are used, the ultrasonic waves are referred to as acoustic waves.

In the medical community, the stimulation of such low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (Low intensity pulse ultrasounds, LIPUS) activates the proliferation of osteoblasts, especially living cells of animal bones, and promotes fracture treatment. Well known. The present invention utilizes this principle for aquaculture.

The present invention relates to an aquaculture device that irradiates an aquaculture product with an acoustic wave that is at least one of a sound wave and an ultrasonic wave, an ultrasonic transducer capable of generating the acoustic wave, and the ultrasonic vibration A drive unit that drives a child; and an outer case that holds the ultrasonic transducer and the drive unit, and the high-intensity acoustic wave is disposed on a front side from which a high-intensity acoustic wave emitted from the ultrasonic transducer is radiated. An aquaculture device comprising an acoustic wave diffusion layer made of an acoustic wave scattering material that diffuses waves and converts them into low-intensity acoustic waves whose intensity per unit area is weaker than the high-intensity acoustic waves and irradiates a wide range.

The ultrasonic vibrator is a piezoelectric vibrator, and the acoustic wave diffusion layer is composed of a layer containing a gas and a foamed resin containing 90% by volume or more of the gas. The foamed resin is, for example, foamed polystyrene, foamed polyurethane, or foamed rubber.

The acoustic wave scattering material of the acoustic wave diffusion layer may be composed of a porous metal material. For example, the acoustic wave scattering material of the acoustic wave diffusion layer is composed of a metal material having a large number of holes or a metal mesh, and the mesh size is λ˜ λ / 10.

The acoustic wave diffusing layer is disposed in the outer case, inside the acoustic matching layer outside the outer case, or outside the outer case.

Further, at least two acoustic matching layers for achieving acoustic matching between the piezoelectric vibrator and a medium such as fresh water or seawater are arranged, and the shape of the acoustic matching layer is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator. But it ’s okay. Further, the outer case is provided with the piezoelectric vibrator of a disc, ring shape, or rectangular plate that generates at least two types of frequencies inside, and the fundamental frequency of the ultrasonic vibrator is 0.1 MHz. It is in the range of ~ 10 MHz.

It is preferable that a piezoelectric material not using lead is used for the ultrasonic vibrator of the aquaculture apparatus. The ultrasonic wave is a pulse wave, the repetition frequency thereof is 1000 Hz to 0.5 Hz, and the Duty factor is 10 to 60%. Further, at least one of the ultrasonic transducers may be disposed on the side surface of the hollow pyramid container.

Also, it may have a detachable portable electronic device or a sound generator that generates audible music, feeding sound, or swimming sound. It is further preferable that a rechargeable battery is provided as the power source, and the driving unit is operable by the battery and has a waterproof function.

Further, the present invention includes the aquaculture device, can contain aquatic products, and is provided with the aquaculture device in a water tank containing seawater or fresh water, and at least one of the water surface and the water of the water tank, It is a marine product culture system provided so that the said acoustic wave can be irradiated in water.

The inner surface of the water tank is provided with an acoustic wave reflection layer of an acoustic wave reflection material having an acoustic wave reflectivity of 90% or more for reflecting and scattering the acoustic wave at least 80% of the surface area. Furthermore, the water tank inner surface or outer surface material is good to be comprised with the foaming material which is an organic material containing a gas layer and gas.

The acoustic wave reflecting material is made of a sheet, and at least the front surface or the back surface thereof is coated with an organic film, the thickness thereof is 0.05 to 1.0 mm, and the inner surface includes an organic material containing 90% by volume or more of gas. Is. The organic film on the surface of the acoustic wave reflecting material is made of fluororesin, PET, or nylon, and contains a gas layer or foamed polystyrene, foamed polyurethane, or foamed rubber inside.

Furthermore, the aquaculture system may be used while releasing air bubbles having a diameter of 0.01 to 10 mm into the water. Moreover, the temperature control apparatus which can set the temperature of the seawater or fresh water in the said water tank from 2 degreeC to 30 degreeC is provided.

Further, the present invention is an aquaculture method using the aquaculture device, wherein the aquaculture device is floated in water in an aquarium containing seafood and containing seawater or fresh water, and freely oscillated, It is an aquaculture method for generating acoustic waves from an aquaculture device and reflecting the acoustic waves on the wall surface of the aquarium so as to acoustically stimulate the product in the water.

The marine product is cultivated by applying ultrasonic waves to the marine product by applying ultrasonic waves (Isata) with an ultrasonic intensity (Isata) of 20 mW / kg to 1 W / kg with respect to the total weight of the marine product in water. It is. Further, the aquatic product is irradiated with the acoustic wave continuously or intermittently for 10 to 60 minutes / day, 1 to 7 days / week, and 1 to 50 weeks.

Further, the cultivating may be performed by emitting the acoustic wave having a frequency and intensity that activates the activity of the seafood from an audible speaker of the seafood aquaculture device or a mobile phone. The marine products are fish, crustacean eggs, fry and adult fish.

The aquaculture device, the aquaculture system and the aquaculture method of the present invention are lightweight and small-sized devices that are simple and inexpensive and safe, effectively use low-intensity acoustic wave energy in the aquarium, and are evenly wide. The area can be irradiated. Thereby, blood flow promotion, bone component enhancement, growth rate improvement, survival rate improvement, yield increase, etc. can be efficiently and widely realized as an ultrasonic stimulation effect. In particular, blood and lymph that are important for the treatment and prevention of diseases are considered to be produced mainly by bone marrow in fish as well as in the human body. An acoustic wave can be effectively applied to the spine having an action.

In addition, with the aquaculture device, aquaculture system and aquaculture method of the present invention, low-intensity acoustic wave stimulation is applied to bones, etc., and the vitality and vitality of the aquatic products are improved, the virus resistance is improved, the survival rate is improved, etc. Therefore, it is possible to increase the yield of farmed marine products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the schematic of the aquaculture apparatus of 1st embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic of the graph which changed the acoustic wave intensity with time. It is a graph in which the acoustic wave intensity is changed with time and oscillated in a pulse shape, and the frequency is constant and the output level is changed. It is the schematic which shows the aquaculture apparatus, ultrasonic beam, and fishery product of 2nd embodiment of this invention. The top view (a) of the state which remove | excluding the outer case of the marine product culture apparatus which was 2nd embodiment of this invention, and attached each two ultrasonic transducer | vibrators which have two different frequencies, and a longitudinal cross-sectional view (B) It is a schematic diagram. The modification of the acoustic matching layer of this invention and an acoustic wave diffusion layer is shown, The fragmentary sectional view (a) of the aquaculture apparatus provided with the two acoustic matching layers, The acoustic wave diffusion part is provided in the acoustic matching layer. It is a fragmentary sectional view (b) of the aquaculture apparatus. The other examples of the acoustic matching layer and the acoustic wave diffusion layer according to the present invention are shown, and a partial cross-sectional view (a) of an aquaculture device provided with an acoustic wave diffusion part in the outer case, acoustic wave diffusion in the acoustic matching layer It is a fragmentary sectional view (b) of an aquaculture device provided with a section, and a fragmentary sectional view (c) of an aquaculture device provided with another acoustic wave diffusion part in an acoustic matching layer. Another modification of the acoustic matching layer and the acoustic wave diffusion layer of the present invention is shown, and is a partial cross-sectional view (a) of an aquaculture device provided with an acoustic wave diffusion part in the acoustic wave diffusion layer outside the outer case, Partial cross-sectional view (b) of the aquaculture device provided with another acoustic wave diffusion part in the acoustic wave diffusion layer outside the outer case, and another acoustic wave diffusion part provided in the acoustic wave diffusion layer outside the outer case It is a fragmentary sectional view (c) of the aquaculture apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the aquaculture system of 4th embodiment of this invention. It is a 5th embodiment of this invention, and is a schematic cross-sectional view (a) and a schematic vertical cross-sectional view (b) showing an aquaculture apparatus having a structure in which an ultrasonic transducer is provided on the side surface of a quadrangular pyramid container. It is a schematic diagram which shows the cultured fish which is an ultrasonic irradiation beam and a marine product in the conventional marine product apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. An aquaculture apparatus 10 according to this embodiment shows a basic configuration, includes a watertight outer case 12, and has a substrate 14 therein. A power source 16 such as a battery and a control circuit 17 constituting the driving unit 15 are provided thereon. A lead wire 18 is connected to a terminal (not shown) of the substrate 14 and connected to a terminal (not shown) of the ultrasonic transducer 20. The ultrasonic transducer 20 is attached to the outer case 12 via a protective film (not shown) together with an acoustic matching layer 22 for achieving acoustic matching with the medium, and a high-intensity acoustic wave 19 is emitted from the surface of the outer case 12. It is provided as possible.

An acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 formed of an acoustic wave scattering material is provided outside the portion of the outer case 12 where the ultrasonic transducer 20 is attached. The acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 has a large difference from the acoustic impedance of water, and is preferably a metal member having a large number of holes, a metal mesh, or a resin containing air. The acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 controls the high-intensity acoustic wave 19 to a low-intensity acoustic wave 21 whose intensity per unit area is relatively weaker than that of the high-intensity acoustic wave 19, and diffuses widely and is irradiated over a wide area. The The acoustic wave scattering material is composed of, for example, a metallic porous material or a metal mesh, and the average value of the voids of the porous material and the mesh size of the mesh of the metal mesh are determined by the underwater wavelength λ of the ultrasonic wave to be used. In contrast, λ to λ / 10. Also, a low acoustic impedance foamed resin can be used. Further, a fixed support base 28 for detachably holding the acoustic device 26 may be provided on the upper portion of the outer case 12.

The ultrasonic vibrator 20 is a piezoelectric element that vibrates when a voltage is applied to oscillate ultrasonic waves, and uses thickness vibration or spread vibration. The resonance frequency of the oscillating ultrasonic wave is 0.1 MHz or more and 10 MHz or less. However, the ultrasonic transducer 20 generates not only the frequency component of the fundamental wave but also its harmonics, which are also effectively used. As the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic vibrator 20, a PZT ceramic vibrator which has a large electromechanical coupling coefficient and can be obtained at low cost is selected. A high-performance relaxor-type piezoelectric single crystal can also be used. However, since these lead-based piezoelectric vibrators contain 50% or more of lead oxide that affects the environment, it is necessary to recover and perform appropriate processing when the device is broken. Therefore, it is preferable to use a lead-free piezoelectric material such as a ceramic material mainly composed of alkali niobate, quartz, lithium tantalate single crystal, or lithium niobate single crystal. The ultrasonic transducer 20 may be provided on the surface opposite to the irradiation direction with an acoustic backing layer (not shown) that is normally used in a probe of a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus, a heat radiation lead, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the method for using the aquaculture apparatus 10 of this embodiment is as follows. A low-intensity acoustic wave 21 is uniformly distributed over a wide area as much as possible in a tank (not shown) containing aquaculture fish 29 as a marine product. In order to irradiate, the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is used to disperse its intensity, and further, a low-intensity acoustic wave stimulation is performed on the fishery product using reflected waves from the water tank and the water surface.

The acoustic wave intensity at the time of using the aquaculture apparatus 10 can be appropriately set. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the intensity may be gradually increased with time and then gradually decreased. As shown in FIG. 4, the irradiation may be performed so that the oscillation is performed in a pulse shape, the intensity of the acoustic wave is gradually increased, and the intensity is gradually decreased similarly. Furthermore, the change of the acoustic wave intensity may change the repetition frequency (PRF) of the ultrasonic pulse to be used or change the amplitude with time. In particular, by changing the oscillating ultrasonic wave as shown in FIG. 3 and changing the output level with a constant frequency, there is an effect of enhancing the growth of bones and muscles using the principle of crystal growth.

In order to control the irradiation range of the low-intensity acoustic wave 21 by the aquaculture apparatus 10, an acoustic lens or the like may be used by utilizing the principle used in an ultrasonic probe of a medical ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. . In this case, it is desirable to use a convex shape using an acrylic resin having a sound speed higher than that of water. The ultrasonic wave is preferably a pulse wave that is irradiated intermittently. As the pulse wave, for example, an acoustic wave having a cycle of 0.001 to 2 seconds (frequency is 0.1 KHz to 0.5 Hz) and a Duty factor of 10 to 60% is used. As the waveform of the ultrasonic wave, ultrasonic waves having various waveforms such as a sine wave, a rectangular wave, and a triangular wave can be used. However, it is preferable that the PRF has a period close to the heart pulse of 0.5 to 2 seconds (2 Hz to 0.5 Hz), and the Duty factor is 10 to 50%. A particularly preferred PRF is to use a combination of audible sounds such as music from a period of about 1 second (1 Hz) close to the heart rate to a period of about 1 ms (1000 Hz) with a proven track record in promoting fracture treatment. By using PRF and Duty factor in this range, it is possible to activate biological cells of fishery products in a short period of time.

The ultrasonic intensity (Isata) of the low-intensity acoustic wave 21 may be 20 mW / kg to 1 W / kg per total weight of the marine product. Below 20 mW / kg, the effect on growth, repair, activation and survival related to bone, skin and muscle is very small even after 30 weeks or more. Further, at 1 W / kg or more, not only is there a possibility that it will be harmful to marine products when exposed for a long time, but also the size of the apparatus increases. Preferably, the acoustic intensity of the aquaculture device 10 is 50 to 300 mW / kg per total weight of the aquatic product.

The seafood aquaculture apparatus 10 may be further provided with a sound device such as a speaker that generates an audible sound of 20 to 2000 Hz. As this audible sound, music, feeding sound and swimming sound are suitable. Further, the aquaculture device 10 may be provided with functions such as an integrated time meter, operation blinking display, alarm sound, communication function and video, a fish abnormality confirmation camera, and a sound wave generation speaker.

The acoustic waves radiated from these devices pass through the soft tissues, skin, fat, and muscles inside the seafood, and most of them reach the bones, which are hard tissues, transmitted to the bones, attenuated, and converted into thermal energy. The This stimulates the bone and contributes to the expansion of osteoblasts. It is possible to increase the required amount of exercise and improve the meat quality by using foraging sounds, swimming sounds, etc. emitted from a speaker that produces audible music, etc., and various uses are possible.

Next, the aquaculture apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The description will be made based on FIG. 4. The same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an acoustic wave of the aquaculture device 30 of this embodiment is irradiated to the cultured fish 29 that is a marine product. In the structure of the aquaculture device 30 of this embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 20 is fixed to the inner surface of the outer case 12 via a first acoustic matching layer 31 and a second acoustic matching layer 32. The second acoustic matching layer 32 is made of an acoustic wave scattering material so as to face the ultrasonic transducer 20 and diffuses a high-intensity acoustic wave and has a low intensity per unit area. An acoustic wave diffusing unit 34 is provided for converting to a uniform area and irradiating a large area uniformly. In this embodiment, the second acoustic matching layer 32 provided with the acoustic wave diffusion unit 34 constitutes the acoustic wave diffusion layer 36.

Also in the aquaculture apparatus 30 of this embodiment, since the acoustic wave diffusion layer 36 is provided on the front surface from which the high-intensity acoustic wave emitted from the ultrasonic transducer 20 is radiated, other than directly below the ultrasonic transducer 20 Necessary and sufficient acoustic wave stimulation can be performed for seafood. Furthermore, since the acoustic wave diffusion layer 36 is inside the outer case 12, the outer surface of the aquaculture device 30 can be cleaned.

Next, an aquaculture apparatus 40 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The aquaculture apparatus 40 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 has two pairs of ultrasonic transducers 41 and 42 each having two different frequencies, and is further provided with a speaker 44 that outputs audible music and the like. It is. An acoustic wave diffusion layer 48 is provided on the outer surface of the outer case 46 of this apparatus. The acoustic wave diffusing part layer 48 is made of a resin material or a wire mesh of an acoustic wave scattering material, and an acoustic wave diffusing part made of two pairs of acoustic wave scattering materials respectively corresponding to the ultrasonic transducers 41 and 42 therein. 49 is provided. The two pairs of acoustic wave diffusion portions 49 are set in different predetermined directions.

The acoustic wave diffusing layer 48 changes its material and shape to control and scatter and diffuse high-directivity high-intensity acoustic waves and irradiate fishery products such as cultured fish with low-intensity acoustic waves weakened over a wide area. can do. Furthermore, by changing the shape, position, and quantity of the acoustic wave diffusing unit 49, it is possible to diffuse high-intensity acoustic waves with strong directivity and perform low-intensity acoustic wave stimulation on fishery products in a wide range.

Next, an example of a combination of an ultrasonic transducer, an acoustic matching layer, an outer case, and an acoustic wave diffusion layer used in the aquaculture apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The aquaculture apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 6 (a) uses a ring-shaped piezoelectric vibrator 20, and includes a first acoustic matching layer 31 and a second acoustic matching layer 32 whose outer shape is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator 20. The piezoelectric vibrator 20 is attached to the inside of the outer case 12. In this aquaculture device 50, the first acoustic matching layer 31 or the second acoustic matching layer 32 also serves as an acoustic wave diffusion layer.

The fish culture device 52 shown in FIG. 6B uses a disk-shaped piezoelectric vibrator 20, and the piezoelectric vibrator 20 is placed in an outer case via an acoustic matching layer 22 whose outer shape is equal to the piezoelectric vibrator 20. 12 is attached inside. This aquaculture device 52 includes a cavity of an acoustic wave diffusion portion 49 inside the acoustic matching layer 22. The cavity may be provided with foamed resin or metal.

In the aquaculture device 54 shown in FIG. 7A, the piezoelectric vibrator 20 is placed inside the outer case 12 via the first acoustic matching layer 31 and the second acoustic matching layer 32 whose outer shape is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator 20. It is what is attached. The aquaculture device 54 is configured such that a concave portion that is an acoustic wave diffusion portion 49 is formed in the outer case 12 in advance, and a plurality of cavities are formed in a state where the second acoustic matching layer 32 is joined. The cavity that is the acoustic wave diffusion portion 49 may be filled with foamed resin.

The aquaculture apparatus 56 shown in FIG. 7B also has the piezoelectric vibrator 20 inside the outer case 12 via the first acoustic matching layer 31 and the second acoustic matching layer 32 whose outer shape is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator 20. A plurality of differently shaped cavities that are acoustic wave diffusion portions 49 are provided inside the second acoustic matching layer 32. The cavity may be filled with foamed resin.

In the aquaculture device 58 shown in FIG. 7C, the piezoelectric vibrator 20 is also provided inside the outer case 12 via the first acoustic matching layer 31 and the second acoustic matching layer 32 whose outer shape is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator 20. The wire net 59 which is the acoustic wave diffusion part 49 is arrange | positioned inside the 2nd acoustic matching layer 32 by being attached.

The aquaculture apparatus 54 shown in FIG. 8A has the piezoelectric vibrator 20 inside the outer case 12 via the first acoustic matching layer 31 and the second acoustic matching layer 32 whose outer shape is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator 20. Is attached. In the aquaculture apparatus 60, the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is provided outside the outer case 12, and the wire mesh 59 as the acoustic wave diffusion part 49 is provided therein.

The aquaculture apparatus 62 shown in FIG. 8B also has the piezoelectric vibrator 20 inside the outer case 12 via the first acoustic matching layer 31 and the second acoustic matching layer 32 whose outer shape is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator 20. The acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is provided outside the outer case 12, and the resin member 61 that is the acoustic wave diffusion part 49 is provided therein.

The aquaculture apparatus 64 shown in FIG. 8C is provided with a ring-shaped piezoelectric vibrator 20 and has a piezoelectric vibration inside the outer case 12 via an acoustic matching layer 22 whose outer shape is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator 20. A child 20 is attached, and an acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is provided outside the outer case 12. The acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is formed with a protrusion 24a in which a resin protrudes into the Fresnel structure.

By changing the material, shape, quantity, and arrangement of the acoustic wave scattering material in these acoustic wave diffusion layers 24, the high-intensity acoustic wave emitted from the ultrasonic transducer 20 is easily converted into the low-intensity acoustic wave, It becomes possible to radiate ultrasonic waves uniformly over a wide area. For this reason, the quantity of the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator 20 required further can be reduced, without irradiating the acoustic wave of excessive acoustic intensity to fishery products, such as cultured fish. In the case where the acoustic wave scattering material in the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is a metal, it can be easily produced using not only ordinary MC processing and press molding but also a three-dimensional molding apparatus. In order to further reduce costs, the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 and a part of the acoustic wave diffusion portion 49 made of the acoustic wave scattering material can be produced using the same material at the same time when the outer case is molded.

Next, an aquaculture system 70 and an aquaculture method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. A description will be given with reference to FIG. Here, the same members as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 9 shows a structure similar to that of the aquaculture device 10 of the first embodiment, and floats or fixes an aquaculture device 74 including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 20 having different irradiation directions in the aquarium 72. Thus, acoustic wave stimulation is performed on the cultured fish 29 that is a marine product. The floating aquaculture device 74 is adjusted so that the center of gravity of the aquaculture device 74 is off-balanced so that the acoustic wave radiation surface of the ultrasonic transducer 20 has an inclination of 3 to 30 ° with respect to the water surface. Is preferred.

As shown in FIG. 9, the aquaculture system 70 of this embodiment is used by floating an aquaculture device 74 on the water in a water tank 72 and irradiating it with high-intensity acoustic waves from the ultrasonic transducer 20 toward the water. The acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 converts it to a low intensity acoustic wave 21. The low intensity acoustic wave 21 is irradiated as uniformly as possible to the cultured fish 29 which is a marine product, while effectively utilizing the irregular reflection of the acoustic wave on the bottom and side surfaces of the water tank 72 and the water surface.

An acoustic wave reflection layer 76 containing a gas is attached to an area of 80% or more of the side surface and the bottom surface that are the inner surface of the water tank 72. The acoustic wave reflection layer 76 is an acoustic wave reflection material made of a foamed resin containing 90 to 99% by volume of gas. By using such an acoustic wave reflecting material, 90% or more of the low-intensity acoustic wave 21 can be effectively reflected and irradiated to the cultured fish 29 effectively. The material for the acoustic wave reflection layer 76 is preferably a vinyl chloride resin, PET, EVA, or rubber that includes a gas layer inside. Further, it is made of a thin sheet or film, and at least the front or back surface thereof is covered with an organic film, the thickness thereof is 0.05 to 1.0 mm, and an organic material containing 90% by volume or more of gas is used on the inner surface. I can do it.

In this embodiment, low-intensity acoustic wave stimulation is given to marine products such as the cultured fish 29 in the water tank 72 whose height from the bottom surface of the water tank 72 to the water surface of the water 78 is 0.1 to 10 m. If the height to the water surface is 0.1 m or less, it is not possible to obtain a sufficient depth to contain the device, and even a small fish cannot have a sufficient depth to contain the whole body. Moreover, it is because the effect of an acoustic wave becomes weak by acoustic attenuation above 10 m. The optimum depth is 0.2 to 1.0 m, which is easy to use by levitating the device.

The ultrasonic wave to be used can be selected at a frequency of 0.1 to 10 MHz, but 0.1 to 2 MHz is suitable for sending acoustic wave power to bone located at a depth of 10 cm or more from the surface of the seafood. 2 to 10 MHz is suitable for stimulating bones and muscles of 3 cm or less, fish eggs, and the like. More preferably, these frequencies are combined and used in the series. In addition, when the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer to be used is 10 MHz or more, attenuation in a lot of air or in aquatic products becomes large, and it becomes difficult to obtain a necessary acoustic wave intensity. The water tank 72 only needs to have a bottom surface and a side surface made of a foamed resin whose acoustic impedance is sufficiently lower than that of seawater or fresh water, and a lightweight material such as foamed polystyrene or a material provided with an air layer between the resins is used. I can do it.

The interval for generating the acoustic wave of the aquaculture device 74 is, for example, 10 to 60 minutes / day, 1 to 7 times / week, for 1 to 50 weeks continuously. In a short time of 10 minutes or less, the effect of aquaculture is small, and even if one water tank 72 is irradiated for 60 minutes or more, the effect does not change greatly. The irradiation frequency is 1 to 7 times / week, more preferably 3 to 5 times / week. The irradiation period is effective for several days in the case of small fish or eggs, but is preferably a long period of 30 weeks or longer. The water tank 72 is provided so that the water temperature can be appropriately set by a temperature control device in the range of 2 to 30 ° C. This is because the activity of marine products decreases at 2 ° C. or lower, and the survival rate of many marine products decreases at 30 ° C. or higher.

The aquaculture device 74 floating on the water moves back and forth and left and right due to the swing of the liquid level of the aquarium 72, or swings and changes its inclination, so that the position of the ultrasonic transducer 20 and the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is changed. The angle changes constantly, and the low-intensity acoustic wave 21 is irradiated evenly to the marine products such as the cultured fish 29 by the effect of the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24. This aquaculture system may be used while releasing air bubbles having a diameter of 0.01 to 10 mm into the water.

According to the aquaculture system 70 and the aquaculture method of this embodiment, an acoustic wave is generated on aquatic products such as the cultured fish 29 while freely changing the radiation direction of the low-intensity acoustic wave 21 by the aquaculture apparatus 74 having a simple structure. Stimulation can be applied uniformly, and low-intensity acoustic wave stimulation can be applied to the marine products in the aquarium widely and substantially uniformly using the irregular reflection of acoustic waves from the bottom surface, side surface, and water surface of the aquarium 72. Furthermore, it is possible to use a large sushi other than the aquarium 72. The number of the aquaculture device 74 can be increased, the aquaculture device 74 can be temporarily fixed and attached to the aquarium 72, or fixed in water. The same effect can be obtained. Furthermore, by using these devices, it is possible to perform low-intensity acoustic wave stimulation at the same time and uniformly for fish in a large cage. The aquaculture device 74 can be manufactured in a small shape with a weight of 0.2 to 10 kg and can be easily transported by women and elderly people. When not in use, it can be taken out of the water tank and stored and inspected easily. Can be charged and cleaned. For this reason, not only is mass production easy, but the maintenance cost for repair and recovery is small, so that the production cost can be greatly reduced. Further, the aquaculture system 70 and the aquaculture method of this embodiment can be used for most aquatic products, and particularly contribute greatly to improving the survival rate of small fish, crustaceans and their fry and fish eggs.

Also, the acoustic wave aquaculture system 70 and the aquaculture method of this embodiment may use the aquaculture apparatus 40 provided with two or more ultrasonic transducers 41 and 42 shown in FIG. By using the aquaculture device 40, it is possible to irradiate the low-intensity acoustic waves 21 widely in two or more different directions with one aquaculture device 40, and uniformly irradiate the low-intensity acoustic waves 21 in the water tank 72. In addition, the number of necessary aquaculture equipment 40 can be reduced. In addition, the plurality of acoustic wave oscillators 41 and 42 may change the frequency, PRF, duty factor, and acoustic intensity, and can be set as appropriate. Further, the aquaculture apparatus shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 may be used.

Next, an aquaculture apparatus 80, an aquaculture system, and an aquaculture method according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. This will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the same members as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the aquaculture device 80 includes a square pyramid-shaped hollow outer case 12 and an upper lid 82, and the upper lid 82 has an O-ring 84 for making it a watertight structure. Is provided. As the ultrasonic transducer 20, four types of 0.5 MHz, 1.5 MHz, 3.0 MHz, and 8 MHz are attached to each inner side surface of the outer case 12 of a quadrangular pyramid. As the ultrasonic transducer 20, for example, a non-lead piezoelectric alkali niobate material is used at 8 MHz, and the remaining three types are ordinary PZT transducers. The shape of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is a disk having a diameter of 2 cm.

The ultrasonic transducer 20 is attached with a glass plate having a thickness of λ / 4 as the acoustic matching layer 22 and is attached to each of the four inner surfaces of the outer case 12 as shown in FIG. As the driving power source 16, for example, a rechargeable lithium battery is used. On the vibrator on the side surface of the aquaculture device 80, an acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 having a plurality of cavities having a diameter of 3 cm and a thickness of 4 mm is provided using ABS resin. In the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24, a plurality of cavities that are the acoustic wave diffusion portions 49 are formed.

The aquaculture apparatus 80 of this embodiment is used by being put in the aquarium 72 of the aquaculture system shown in FIG. 9, and effectively changes the radiation direction of the low-intensity acoustic wave 21 freely as in the above embodiment. However, acoustic wave stimulation is uniformly applied to marine products such as cultured fish 29. Furthermore, the low intensity | strength acoustic wave stimulus is uniformly given to the fishery product in a water tank using the irregular reflection of the acoustic wave from the bottom face, side surface, and water surface of a water tank.

It should be noted that the aquaculture apparatus, system, and culture method of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate. In addition to those floating on the water surface, the aquaculture device may generate an acoustic wave while temporarily moving or fixing while sinking to an arbitrary depth in water. The container of the aquaculture device can be freely selected in terms of structure, material, and shape, and may be any container that reliably moves and holds the ultrasonic transducer. The size and shape of the aquarium to be used can also be changed, and the number of ultrasonic vibrators in the aquaculture device and the number to be put in the aquarium are adjusted appropriately according to the size and shape of the aquarium. Set to sound intensity. A floating ring can also be used to increase the buoyancy or prevent the device from falling.

In addition, the acoustic wave diffusing part of the present invention has not only a structure or net having a hole in a void, a foamed resin plate or a metal plate, but also a shape such as a propeller or a windmill, an umbrella shape, or a slit in a metal. Even in the case of different shapes, the effect of diffusing and scattering the ultrasonic beam can be obtained. Further, the ultrasonic transducer may be disposed not only on the bottom surface of the container but also on a side surface portion in water.

The present invention is one of the aquaculture methods using acoustic waves, and may be used in combination with known devices and methods using microbubbles, bubbles, and virus vaccine administration. In addition, the intensity and time of the acoustic wave can be adjusted according to the growth and quantity of marine products in the aquarium.

Next, an embodiment of the aquaculture apparatus and the aquaculture method of the present invention will be described below. First, as a first example, an experiment was conducted in which the aquaculture apparatus, the aquaculture system, and the aquaculture method of the present invention were used for aquaculture in a small cherry tank as shown in FIG. For the cherry blossoms, artificially cultured cherry blossoms with a fish age of 65 weeks and an average weight of 73 g were used. First, 140 cherry blossoms born from the same parent fish were used and divided into 7 groups of 20 each. These were weighed before the test and further weighed after 16 weeks. Furthermore, the survival rate was observed almost daily during feeding, and dead fish were immediately removed from the aquarium. The water tank was a circular water tank made of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) having a diameter of 130 cm and a depth of 90 cm, and seawater was introduced to a depth of 70 cm.

Seven circular water tanks are used, each of which has a sound wave and music generator with different frequencies, an ultrasonic generator, an apparatus with an acoustic wave diffusion layer, and a water tank with or without an acoustic wave reflection layer (inner wall of the water tank). Ultrasonic waves were irradiated while levitating. Seawater in the tank was supplied 24 tons / day by a pump, and excess seawater was overflowed. Further, 25 m ³ / day of air was supplied to the center of the water tank using compressed air. As a food, 1 to 3 g / animal of a normal fish formula feed was given daily in the morning. No agitation of seawater, recovery of undigested food, and removal of fish droppings were performed.

In the aquaculture apparatus used in Example 1, a hole having a diameter of about 5 cm which is the size of the acoustic matching layer 22 is formed in the outer case 12 which is an aluminum container having a diameter of 33 cm and a depth of 14 cm. . The apparatus of the first embodiment has a basic structure as shown in FIG. 1 in which eight ultrasonic transducers 20 having a diameter of 3 cm are arranged in the outer case 12. As the ultrasonic transducer 20, the thickness vibration of a PZT piezoelectric ceramics (204 material manufactured by Fuji Ceramics) ultrasonic transducer was used. The ultrasonic radiation surface of the ultrasonic transducer 20 has an inclination of 3 to 5 ° with respect to the water surface. The resonance frequency of the ultrasonic transducer 20 was 0.5 MHz. In addition, this aquaculture device 10 generates 50% duty pulsed ultrasonic waves for 9 minutes, and then continues the acoustic wave stimulation for about 60 minutes a day, 3 times / week for 16 weeks in a cycle that stops for 1 minute. did. Ultrasonic wave intensity (Isata) is the case of not using the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 directly below the ultrasonic vibrator at a depth of 30cm was 800 mW / cm ^2, in the case of using an acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 was 80 mW / cm ² .

As the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24, four stainless steel meshes having an aperture of 0.5 mm (17% of the underwater wavelength λ), stacked in different directions and attached to the outside of the container were used. By using this acoustic wave diffusion layer 24, the maximum value of the acoustic wave intensity radiated from the ultrasonic transducer 20 is reduced to 80 mW / cm ² , which is about 10%, compared with the case where the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is not attached. It was able to diffuse over a wide area. The acoustic wave reflection layer 76 is a foamed polystyrene sheet having a density of 25 kg / m ³ (about 98% is air). A PET film having a thickness of 2 mm and a PET film having a thickness of 0.05 mm is pasted on the inner wall of the water tank. Was used.

The proportion of fish actually irradiated from the total weight of the fish (73 g × 20 animals = 1.4 kg) and the amount of seawater in the aquarium (800 kg) is the total output of the PZT vibrator (7 cm ² × 800 mW / cm ² × 8 pieces = 45 W). ) Is approximately 45 W × (1.4 kg / 800 kg) = 79 mW / kg. However, once the ultrasonic waves reflected on the side and bottom surfaces are again irradiated to the fish several times, this is about 240 mW / kg, about three times this. Sakuraba weighed an average of 0.23 kg after 16 weeks, and the total weight was 3.9 kg. For this reason, the average intensity per body weight is estimated from 28 mW / kg to 84 mW / kg.

The device 2 of Reference Example 1 has the same structure as that of the device 1, but does not use an acoustic wave diffusion layer and an acoustic wave reflection layer. The device 3 of the reference example 2 is only the outer case 12 having the same size and weight as the device 1, and uses neither an ultrasonic transducer nor an acoustic wave diffusion layer. Table 1 shows the basic specifications of these devices and the survival rate, average weight, and total weight of the cherry blossoms after 16 weeks.

As is clear from Table 1, in Example 1 using the aquaculture device to which the acoustic wave diffusion layer and the acoustic wave reflection layer are attached, the survival rate is as high as 85%, and the average weight is also 0.231 kg larger. For this reason, the total weight of 3.93 kg was 125% compared to the total weight of 3.15 kg of Reference Example 2 in which the apparatus of the present invention was not used. Moreover, even if compared with 3.30 kg of the reference example 1 when there is no acoustic wave diffusion layer, it showed a significant increase in total weight of 119%.

The apparatus 4 of the second embodiment has a structure as shown in FIG. 5 in which four ultrasonic transducers 20 having a diameter of 3 cm are arranged in the outer case 12 that is the same container, and other conditions are the same as in the first embodiment. Is the same. Further, as a low frequency sound source, 350 Hz was transmitted for 10 seconds, and the operation was performed for 60 minutes in a mode of stopping 30 seconds. Furthermore, as music, a canpel bell was radiated from a speaker attached to the container for 60 minutes continuously.

Ultrasonic wave intensity (Isata), when just below the ultrasonic vibrator at a depth of 30cm without using the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is 1200 mW / cm ^2, in the case of using an acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 120 mW / cm ² met It was. The acoustic wave diffusion layer having the structure shown in FIG. The first acoustic matching layer 31 is a glass plate having an acoustic impedance of 13 MRayls attached to the PZT vibrator with a thickness of λ / 4, and the second acoustic matching layer 32 is an acrylic plate having an acoustic impedance of 3.3 MRayls having a wavelength of λ / 4. Attached with thickness. The acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 was made of an epoxy resin, and the acoustic wave scattering material was a disc-shaped cavity having an R30 mm thickness of 2.0 mm at the center and a diameter of 10 mm. By using this acoustic wave diffusion layer 24, the maximum value of the acoustic wave intensity radiated from the ultrasonic transducer 20 is reduced to about 10% of 120 mW / cm ² as compared with the case where the acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 is not attached, and the acoustic wave beam is reduced. It was able to diffuse over a wide area.

The acoustic wave reflection layer is the same as that of the first embodiment. The proportion of fish actually irradiated from the total weight of the fish (73 g × 20 animals = 1.4 kg) and the amount of seawater in the aquarium (800 kg) is calculated as the total output of the PZT vibrator (7 cm × 1200 mW / cm ² × 4 = 34 W). The approximate value calculated from) is 34 W × (1.4 kg / 800 kg) = 60 mW / kg. However, once the ultrasonic waves reflected on the side surface and the bottom surface are again irradiated to the fish several times, it is estimated to be about 180 mW / kg, which is about three times this. Sakuraba weighed an average of 0.22 kg in 16 weeks and the total weight was 3.7 kg. For this reason, the average intensity per body weight is estimated from 23 mW / kg to 66 mW / kg. The device 5 of Example 3 has a structure similar to that of the device 4, but does not use an acoustic wave reflection layer.

The device 3 of the reference example 2 is only an outer case having the same size and weight as the device 1, and uses neither an ultrasonic transducer nor an acoustic wave reflection layer. These structures and the survival rate, average weight, and total weight of the cherry blossoms after 16 weeks are shown in Table 2.

As is clear from Table 2, in Example 2, the survival rate is as high as 85%, and the average weight is also 0.217 kg larger. Therefore, the total weight was 3.69 kg and 117% compared to 3.15 kg of the total weight of Reference Example 2 in which the apparatus of the present invention was not used. In addition, Example 3 without the acoustic wave reflection layer showed an increase in yield of 110% even when compared with 3.45 kg and 3.15 kg of the weight of Reference Example 2.

The apparatus 6 of the reference example 3 shown in Table 3 shows the result when it is performed for 60 minutes in a mode in which only 350 Hz of audible sound is transmitted as a sound source to the same water tank for 10 seconds and stopped for 30 seconds. The device 7 of Reference Example 4 is a case where a music happel bell canon is radiated from a speaker attached to a container for 60 minutes as a sound source in the same water tank. These are shown together with Reference Example 2.

The device 3 of the reference example 2 is only an outer case having the same size and weight as the device 1, and uses neither the ultrasonic transducer 20 nor the acoustic wave reflection layer. Table 3 shows these structures and the survival rate, average weight, and total weight of cherry blossoms after 16 weeks.

As is clear from Table 3, the survival rate of Reference Example 3 is as low as 65%, and the average weight is 0.243 kg. Therefore, the total weight is 3 of the total weight of Reference Example 2 without using the apparatus of the present invention. A value of 3.16 kg equivalent to 15 kg was shown. In Reference Example 4, the survival rate is as low as 65%, and the average weight is 0.235 kg. Therefore, the total weight is 3% compared to 3.15 kg of the total weight of Reference Example 2 in which the apparatus of the present invention is not used. The value was as low as 97% of 0.06 kg.

Next, in Example 4, the aquaculture apparatus 80 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B is used, and as the outer case 12, aquaculture is performed using a quadrangular pyramid ABS resin with a side wall thickness of 1.0 mm. Went. The outer case 12 is provided with an upper lid 82 and an O-ring 84 for making it a watertight structure. As the ultrasonic transducer 20, four types of 0.5 MHz, 1.5 MHz, 3.0 MHz, and 8 MHz were used. Among these, 8 MHz used a lead-free piezoelectric alkali niobate material, and the remaining three types used ordinary PZT vibrators. The shape of the vibrator is a disk having a diameter of 2 cm.

A glass plate having a thickness of λ / 4 was attached to the ultrasonic transducer 20 as the acoustic matching layer 22. These were attached inside each of the four side surfaces of the outer case 12 of the aquaculture apparatus 80 as shown in FIG. A rechargeable lithium battery was used as the driving battery 16. A convex acoustic wave diffusion layer 24 having a diameter of 3 cm and a thickness of 4 mm having a plurality of cavities as acoustic wave diffusion portions 49 was attached to the vibrator on the side surface of the apparatus using ABS resin.

The pulse repetition period (PRF) was 1 msec (1000 Hz) and 1 s (1 Hz), and these were driven with a duty factor of 20%. A total of 8 different sound sources with a total of 4 frequencies and 2 PRFs were radiated to the series for 8 seconds each.

The acoustic intensity (Isata) of this aquaculture device 80 was adjusted so that 800 mW / kg of acoustic waves could be applied to 1 kg of marine product in a 20 liter aquarium. The aquarium container is a square container having a size of 20 liters with a PET film of 0.05 mm attached to the surface of polystyrene foam. For temperature control, circulating water whose temperature was adjusted externally was sent into the water tank with a stainless steel pipe to control the water temperature. As a marine product, a cherry salmon roe collected from the same parent fish having a diameter of about 4 mm was used. The water temperature was adjusted to 4 ° C + -1 ° C. 0.5 kg of fertilized fish eggs were transferred to a nylon net stretched 10 cm from the surface of the water tank. The aquaculture device 80 was floated on the water surface in the center of the water tank, and acoustic wave stimulation was continued for 20 minutes / day, 5 times / week for one week. A similar device was compared by floating on the water surface at the center of aquarium B having the same fish eggs for the same time without switching on. Survival rate was confirmed every day by picking fish eggs and fry that died and discolored with tweezers. The results are shown in Table 4.

As is clear from Example 4 and Reference Example 5, when the aquaculture apparatus, the aquaculture system and the aquaculture method of the present invention were used, high survival rates of eggs and fry were confirmed.

From the results shown in Examples 1 to 4, in the aquaculture apparatus, the aquaculture system, and the aquaculture method of the present invention, the ultrasonic resonance frequency is 0.1 MHz to 10 MHz, and the ultrasonic intensity (Isata) It is clear that by selecting conditions that range from 20 mW / kg to 1000 mW / kg per unit weight and irradiating fishery products in a tank with low acoustic impedance, the survival rate can be greatly improved and the yield can be increased. It became.

10, 30, 40, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 74, 80 Aquaculture device 12 Outer case 14 Substrate 15 Drive unit 16 Power supply 17 Control circuit 18 Lead wire 19 High-intensity acoustic wave 20 , 41, 42 Ultrasonic vibrator 21 Low-intensity acoustic waves 22, 31, 32 Acoustic matching layers 24, 36, 48 Acoustic wave diffusion layer 26 Portable device 28 Support base 29 Cultured fish 44 Acoustic speaker 46 Outer case 49 Acoustic wave diffusion Department 70 Aquaculture system 72 Water tank 76 Acoustic wave reflection layer

Claims (24)

1. An aquaculture device that irradiates an aquaculture product with an acoustic wave that is at least one of a sonic wave and an ultrasonic wave,
   An ultrasonic transducer capable of generating the acoustic wave, a drive unit that drives the ultrasonic transducer, and an outer case that holds the ultrasonic transducer and the drive unit,
   The high-intensity acoustic wave is diffused to the front side where the high-intensity acoustic wave emitted from the ultrasonic transducer is radiated, and converted into a low-intensity acoustic wave whose intensity per unit area is weaker than the high-intensity acoustic wave. An aquaculture device comprising an acoustic wave diffusion layer made of an acoustic wave scattering material to be irradiated.
2. The aquaculture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic vibrator is a piezoelectric vibrator, and the acoustic wave diffusion layer is composed of a gas and a layer containing a foamed resin containing 90% by volume or more of the gas.
3. The aquaculture apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the foamed resin is foamed polystyrene, foamed polyurethane, or foamed rubber.
4. The aquaculture device according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic wave scattering material of the acoustic wave diffusion layer is made of a metal material having a large number of holes.
5. 2. The fishery product according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic wave scattering material of the acoustic wave diffusion layer is made of a metal mesh, and the mesh size is λ to λ / 10 of the underwater wavelength λ of the ultrasonic wave used. Aquaculture equipment.
6. The aquaculture device according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic wave diffusing layer is disposed in the outer case, inside the acoustic matching layer outside the outer case, or outside the outer case.
7. 7. The acoustic matching layer is arranged for acoustic matching between the piezoelectric vibrator and fresh water or seawater as a medium, and the shape of the acoustic matching layer is larger than that of the piezoelectric vibrator. The aquaculture equipment described.
8. In the outer case, the disk, ring-shaped, or rectangular plate-shaped piezoelectric vibrator that generates at least two types of frequencies is disposed, and the fundamental frequency of the ultrasonic vibrator is 0.1 MHz to 10 MHz. 2. The aquaculture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
9. The aquaculture device according to claim 8, wherein the ultrasonic vibrator of the aquaculture device uses a piezoelectric material that does not use lead.
10. The aquaculture device according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic wave is a pulse wave, the repetition frequency thereof is 1000 Hz to 0.5 Hz, and the Duty factor is 10 to 60%.
11. The aquaculture device according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic vibrator is disposed on a side surface of a hollow pyramid container.
12. The aquaculture device according to claim 1, further comprising a removable portable electronic device or a sound generating device that generates audible music, feeding sound, or swimming sound.
13. The aquaculture device according to claim 1, comprising a rechargeable battery as the power source, wherein the driving unit is operable by the battery and has a waterproof function.
14. The seafood aquaculture apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the seafood aquaculture apparatus is capable of accommodating seafood and containing seawater or fresh water, and at least one of the water surface and the water of the aquarium, An aquaculture system, wherein the aquaculture system is provided so as to be able to irradiate the acoustic wave into the water in the aquarium.
15. The acoustic surface of the water tank is provided with an acoustic wave reflection layer of an acoustic wave reflection material having an acoustic wave reflectance of 90% or more for reflecting and scattering the acoustic wave on at least 80% or more of the surface area. The aquaculture system described.
16. The acoustic wave reflection layer is made of a sheet, and at least the front surface or the back surface thereof is covered with an organic film, the thickness thereof is 0.05 to 1.0 mm, and the inner surface includes an organic material containing 90% by volume or more of gas. The aquaculture system according to claim 15.
17. The aquaculture system according to claim 15, wherein the organic film on the surface of the acoustic wave reflecting material is a fluororesin, PET, or nylon, and includes a gas layer or foamed polystyrene, foamed polyurethane, or foamed rubber inside.
18. The aquaculture system according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the aquaculture system is used while releasing air bubbles having a diameter of 0.01 to 10 mm into water.
19. The aquaculture system according to any one of claims 14 to 17, further comprising a temperature control device capable of setting a temperature of seawater or fresh water in the aquarium from 2 ° C to 30 ° C.
20. An aquaculture method using the aquaculture device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
    The aquaculture device is capable of containing aquatic products and floating freely in water in a water tank containing seawater or fresh water, generating the acoustic wave from the aquaculture device and reflecting it on the wall of the water tank, An aquaculture method, comprising applying acoustic stimulation to the product in water.
21. Claiming that the aquaculture device applies an ultrasonic wave with an ultrasonic intensity (Isata) of 20 mW / kg to 1 W / kg with respect to the total weight of the aquatic product in water, and aquaculture is performed by applying acoustic wave stimulation to the fishery product. Item 20. Aquaculture method according to item 20.
22. 22. The fishery product according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the acoustic wave is irradiated to the marine product in the water continuously or intermittently for 10 to 60 minutes / day, 1 to 7 days / week, and 1 to 50 weeks by the aquaculture device. Aquaculture method.
23. The aquaculture method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the aquaculture is performed by emitting the acoustic wave having a frequency and intensity that activates the activity of the aquatic product from an audible speaker of the aquaculture device or a mobile phone.
24. The method for cultivating aquatic products according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the marine products are fish, crustacean eggs, fry and adult fish.

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