JP6958894B2 - Automatic feeding system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic feeding system.

Conventionally, farmed fish have been cultivated in waters such as seawater and freshwater as a substitute for natural fish. For a cage for raising farmed fish, it is necessary to feed one cage multiple times a day, and the feed is loaded onto the ship, the ship is steered to move to the cage, and the feeding work is performed manually. ing.

As a technique related to the present invention, for example, in Patent Document 1, two pairs of upper and lower metal frames having a required length and a required number of vertical frames for connecting the upper and lower frames are integrated into a cage and a lower frame. By attaching the required number of removable protruding claws, the lower net of the cage can be submerged in the sand of the seabed, which can help prevent the movement of the cage. It is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-305042

In recent years, as the types of farmed fish have increased and the production of farmed fish has increased, there is a risk that sufficient feeding work will not be possible due to labor shortages.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic feeding system capable of automatically feeding a farmed fish in a cage.

The automatic feeding system according to the present invention is an automatic feeding system that feeds aquaculture feed loaded in a port into a cage in a water area at a predetermined distance from the port, and is affected by the port and waves. An unmanned ship section having a bait tank section that moves between the cage and the cage that may move in response to the aquaculture feed, and when the unmanned ship section calls at the port section, the said The bait tank unit is provided with a bait replenishment unit for replenishing the aquaculture bait, and the unmanned ship unit includes a ship position information acquisition unit that receives satellite radio waves and acquires position information, and the ship position information acquisition unit. An unmanned traveling unit that runs unmanned between the port portion and the cage based on the position information acquired by the above, an unmanned feeding unit that feeds the cage during the feeding time for feeding the aquaculture feed, and an unmanned feeding unit that feeds the cage. have a, the fish preserve has a fish preserve for position information acquisition unit that acquires position information by receiving radio waves of the satellite, the unmanned running section, the latest acquired by the cage position information acquiring unit It is characterized in that it travels toward the position of the cage obtained based on the position information.

Further, in the automatic feeding system according to the present invention, when the bait replenishment section detects that the opening / closing section for replenishing the bait tank section is opened when the unmanned ship section calls at the port section. It is preferable that the extension hose is extended and connected to the opening / closing portion, and the culture bait stored inside is sent out to replenish the required amount of the culture bait via the extension hose.

Further, in the automatic feeding system according to the present invention, the unmanned ship unit further includes a detection unit that detects the presence of an obstacle in a predetermined area including a movement path between the port unit and the cage. It is preferable that the unmanned traveling unit travels so as to bypass the obstacle according to the detection result of the detecting unit.

According to the present invention, the aquaculture bait loaded in the bait tank portion of the unmanned ship portion can be moved to a cage in a water area separated from the harbor portion by a predetermined distance and fed. As a result, it is possible to automatically feed the farmed fish in the cage, and there is no need to consider the problem of labor shortage.

It is a figure which shows the schematic diagram of the automatic feeding system of the embodiment which concerns on this invention. In the automatic feeding system of the embodiment according to the present invention, a movement route in which an unmanned ship portion moves between a port portion and a cage is drawn. It is a figure which shows the state of replenishing the aquaculture bait in the harbor part, and the state of feeding in the cage in the automatic feeding system of the embodiment according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, similar elements will be designated by the same reference numerals in all drawings, and duplicate description will be omitted. In addition, in the explanation in the text, the codes described earlier shall be used as necessary.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the automatic feeding system 10. FIG. 2 shows a movement route 15 in which the unmanned ship portion 14 moves between the port portion 6 and the cage 12 in the automatic feeding system 10. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the aquaculture bait is replenished in the port portion 6 and a state in which the fish cage 12 is fed in the automatic feeding system 10.

The automatic feeding system 10 can feed the aquaculture bait loaded in the harbor portion 6 into the cage 12 in a water area separated from the harbor portion 6 by a predetermined distance. The port portion 6 is a port where ships including the unmanned ship portion 14 traveling on the sea can call. Here, the cage 12 will be described as being provided in a seawater area, but may be provided in a freshwater area.

The automatic feeding system 10 includes a cage 12 provided in seawater, an unmanned ship section 14, and a feeding section 13 provided in a harbor section 6. The fish cage 12 is a facility for temporarily breeding fish and shellfish until they are sold or used for food. For example, sea bream and yellowtail are raised as farmed fish 3.

Examples of aquaculture baits include moist pellets (MP) composed of a mixture of live bait, fish meal and fish oil, and dry pellets (DP) composed mainly of fish meal (fish meal).

Here, the cage 12 is described as being a net cage composed of a net surrounding a predetermined area, but of course, it may be another cage, for example, a cage such as a box cage or a cage cage. You may.

The cage 12 is provided with a cage position information acquisition unit 19. The position information acquisition unit 19 for the vagina receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites 2 managed by the US Ministry of Defense and determines the distance to each of the GPS satellites 2 to determine the current position of the vase 12. Although the GPS satellite 2 is described here as a satellite managed by the US Ministry of Defense, it may be other sanitary satellites, for example, a quasi-zenith satellite managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). There may be.

Information on the current position of the cage 12 is transmitted to the unmanned ship unit 14 by wireless communication, so that even if the cage 12 moves significantly due to the influence of waves or the like, the accurate cage at sea 12 position information can be grasped.

The unmanned ship section 14 is a ship having a bait tank section 18 that moves between the port section 6 and the cage 12 and stores aquaculture bait. The bait tank portion 18 is a tank capable of accommodating a predetermined amount of aquaculture bait, and can store the aquaculture bait flowing into the inside from the opening / closing lid 25. The opening / closing lid 25 is automatically opened / closed by an opening / closing means (not shown).

The amount of aquaculture bait contained in the bait tank section 18 is weighed using a weighing device (not shown), and the result is transmitted to the bait replenishing section 13 using wireless communication. ing.

The bait replenishment unit 13 has a control unit that controls the aquaculture bait to be replenished in the bait tank unit 18 when the unmanned ship unit 14 calls at the port unit 6. The bait replenishment unit 13 extends the extension hose 13a after detecting that the unmanned ship unit 14 has called at the port and the opening / closing lid 25 has been automatically opened by using a sensor such as an image sensor (not shown), and is shown in FIG. 3 (a). ), The opening / closing lid 25 is connected.

The bait replenishment unit 13 can send out the aquaculture bait stored inside and flow it into the bait tank unit 18 via the extension hose 13a. The bait replenishment unit 13 calculates the amount of aquaculture bait that needs to be replenished based on the amount accumulated in the bait tank unit 18, and replenishes the required amount to the bait tank unit 18. After the bait replenishment unit 13 completes the replenishment, the extension hose 13a is retracted and stored, and the bait tank unit 18 of the unmanned ship unit 14 automatically closes the opening / closing lid 25.

The unmanned ship unit 14 has a ship position information acquisition unit 22. Similar to the position information acquisition unit 19 for the cage, the position information acquisition unit 22 for ships receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites 2 and calculates the distance to each GPS satellite 2 to determine the current distance of the unmanned ship unit 14. The position can be determined.

The unmanned ship unit 14 has a radar detection unit 24 that detects the presence of an obstacle in a predetermined area 17 including a movement path 15 between the port unit 6 and the cage 12. The radar detection unit 24 is a device that measures the distance and direction to an obstacle by emitting radio waves toward an obstacle and measuring the reflected wave. As an obstacle, for example, a ship 4 such as a yacht or a personal watercraft can be considered. Although the radar detection unit 24 has been described here as an example of the detection unit, it may be detected by using other detection means. For example, an obstacle is detected based on an image taken by a surveillance camera. May be good.

The unmanned traveling unit 16 includes an engine and a control unit for unmanned traveling between the port unit 6 and the cage 12 based on the position information acquired by the ship position information acquisition unit 22. The unmanned traveling unit 16 moves toward the position of the cage 12 obtained based on the latest position information acquired by the cage position information acquisition unit 19.

The unmanned traveling unit 16 calculates a movement route 15 from the port portion 6 to the cage 12 and then from the cage 2 to the port 6 based on the latest position information of the cage 12, and a general ship can use it. It moves along the movement path 15 at a speed slower than the traveling speed (a speed at which it can stop immediately).

When the radar detection unit 24 detects an obstacle while moving on the movement route 15, the unmanned traveling unit 16 changes the movement route 15 so as to bypass the obstacle. Since the unmanned traveling unit 16 travels at a slower speed than a general ship as described above, it is easy to bypass obstacles. It can also be stopped if necessary.

The unmanned ship unit 14 has an unmanned feeding unit 20 that feeds in the cage 12 during the feeding time for feeding the aquaculture feed. The unmanned feeding section 20 has a tubular cannon section 20a that sucks up the aquaculture bait of the feeding tank section 18 and injects it. The aquaculture bait ejected from the cannon portion 20a flies in a parabolic shape as shown in FIG. 3 (b), and then is fed into the cage 12. Although the unmanned feeding unit 20 has been described here as being controlled by the control unit of the unmanned traveling unit 16 and injecting using the cylindrical cannon unit 20a, it is used for aquaculture without using the cannon unit 20a. It is also possible to skip the food and feed it in the cage 12. Further, the unmanned feeding unit 20 can automatically adjust the feeding amount into the cage 12 and feed the cage.

Subsequently, the operation of the automatic feeding system 10 having the above configuration will be described. The bait replenishment section 13 arranged in the port section 6 provided on land automatically replenishes the bait tank section 18 with aquaculture bait when the unmanned ship section 14 calls at the port. As a result, once a predetermined amount of aquaculture bait is stored in the bait replenishment section 13, it is automatically loaded into the unmanned ship section 14, so that no manual work is required.

Further, according to the automatic feeding system 10, when the feeding time is approaching, the unmanned ship unit 14 moves to the cage 12 along the outbound route of the movement route 15, and the aquaculture is ejected from the cannon unit 20a of the unmanned feeding unit 20. The bait enters the cage 12 and is fed, and then returns to the port 6 along the return route of the movement route 15. As a result, the fish cage 12 can be automatically fed with aquaculture bait without relying on human hands, so that the fisherman can concentrate on fishing and other activities.

Further, the unmanned ship unit 14 can detect an obstacle existing in the predetermined area 17 by the radar detection unit 24, and the unmanned ship unit 14 is traveling at a slower speed than a general ship. , Obstacles can be easily avoided and safety can be sufficiently ensured.

The unmanned ship unit 14 can also ensure safety by suspending the feeding work in bad weather such as when a storm such as a typhoon is approaching. Further, when the unmanned ship unit 14 calls at the port area 6, not only the food replenishment unit 13 may replenish the port, but also the fuel (for example, gasoline) required for traveling may be automatically replenished or charged. ..

In the automatic feeding system 10, the control unit included in the unmanned traveling unit 16 and the control unit included in the food replenishing unit 13 are used to replenish the unmanned ship unit 14 with aquaculture bait, while the port unit 6 and the cage are used. Although it has been described as moving between the 12 and 12 and automatically feeding, these control units may be integrated to control the entire system.

2 satellites, 3 farmed fish, 4 ships, 6 ports, 10 automatic feeding systems, 12 cages, 13 feeding parts, 13a extension hoses, 14 unmanned boats, 15 movement routes, 16 unmanned running parts, 17 areas, 18 Bait tank section, 19 position information acquisition section for cages, 20 unmanned feeding section, 22 position information acquisition section for ships, 24 radar detection section, 25 opening / closing lid.

Claims (3)

It is an automatic feeding system that feeds the aquaculture bait loaded in the harbor area into the cage in the water area at a predetermined distance from the harbor area.
An unmanned ship section having a bait tank section that moves between the harbor section and the cage that may move under the influence of waves and stores the aquaculture bait.
A bait replenishment unit that replenishes the aquaculture bait in the bait tank unit when the unmanned ship unit calls at the port area.
With
The unmanned ship section
A ship position information acquisition unit that receives satellite radio waves and acquires position information,
An unmanned traveling unit that runs unmanned between the port portion and the cage based on the position information acquired by the boat position information acquisition unit.
An unmanned feeding unit that feeds in the cage during the feeding time for feeding the aquaculture feed, and
Have a,
The cage has a cage position information acquisition unit that receives radio waves from the satellite and acquires position information.
The unmanned traveling unit is an automatic feeding system characterized in that it travels toward the position of the cage obtained based on the latest position information acquired by the cage position information acquisition unit. In the automatic feeding system according to claim 1,
The bait replenishment unit
When the unmanned ship section calls at the port section and detects that the opening / closing section for replenishing the bait tank section has opened, the extension hose is extended to connect to the opening / closing section and inside. An automatic feeding system characterized in that the stored aquaculture bait is sent out and a required amount of the aquaculture bait is replenished via the extension hose. In the automatic feeding system according to claim 1 or 2.
The unmanned ship unit further includes a detection unit that detects the presence of an obstacle in a predetermined area including a movement path between the port area and the cage.
The unmanned traveling unit is an automatic feeding system characterized in that the unmanned traveling unit travels so as to bypass the obstacle according to the detection result of the detecting unit.

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