JP2002051657A - Unit for cooling cattle body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a unit for cooling a cattle body, capable of reducing the stress of cattle caused by heat and dirty air, and further capable of making the cattle stay on a cattle bed for a longer time. SOLUTION: In this unit for cooling the cattle body, a cooling plate 7 through which cooling water circulates is positioned above the cattle standing 1 in such a height as slightly higher than the back of the cattle through an arm 4 and pipes 5, 6 extending from a pillar 2. A part of the circulating cooling water is sprayed from spray nozzles 10 positioned on the surface of the plate to be made into a mist, so that the sprayed water is rapidly vaporized by a blast from a fan 11 and absorbs heat of the vaporization. Moistened air carrying the latent heat is exhausted from the cattle standing outside. A far-infrared ray lamp 18 is used for hygienic purposes so as to dry floor surfaces of the cattle standing while the cattle leave the standing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cow body cooling device in a cow house for raising dairy cows.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a dairy cow breeding management system, a cowshade system in which milking, feeding, feces, and lying down are performed on the same cow bed,
A free-stall system with a common milking parlor and a separate cow bed, and a free-burn system with no cow-fence barrier are used.

[0003] Dairy cows are vulnerable to high temperatures and humidity in summer, and when the ambient temperature exceeds 25 ° C, appetite is reduced, and the yield and quality of milk are reduced and health is deteriorated.
It is desirable to cool the inside of the barn when exceeding C.

[0004] On the other hand, cows may also be stressed and reduce milk yield due to indoor air pollution. Many cows are breathing in the barn and gas is generated from manure, so it is necessary to always ventilate and take in fresh air. Therefore, the cattle house cannot be made into a closed structure.

[0005] Also, it is known that cows lying on the cow bed for a long time prolong rumination time and increase milk yield and milk fat content. It would be advantageous if the cow's settling time could be extended by providing a comfortable environment near the floor.

Conventionally, a duct is extended above a cow body in a cowshed, and the duct is provided with a branch passage for the number of cows and opened on the cow body. At the end of the duct, cooling air was sent from a refrigerator to ventilate the area near the cow bed, and to cool the cow body to reduce stress and prolong the cow bed settlement time.

[0007]

However, there is a problem that the amount of air that can be sent is limited in the cooling by the refrigerator as described above, and the cold air can be supplied to only a part of the cow body. In a cattle barn with a high ceiling and a large space, the cooling air diffuses quickly, resulting in poor cooling efficiency and high cost. There is also an inexpensive cooling system that removes heat of vaporization by injecting water into a fine mist, but with the conventional system, it also wets other than the target, causing bacterial growth and causing cattle discomfort. I was

Accordingly, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the cooling device, and efficiently cools and manages a place where the cow stays for a long time, such as a cow bed and a milking stall, to reduce the stress of the cow due to heat and air contamination. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cow body cooling device which can reduce the time required for the cow body and increase the fixing time on the cow bed.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cow body cooling device installed on a cow bed, a milking stall, or the like in an open barn, comprising: a cooling plate covering an upper part of the cow body; The above-mentioned problem is solved by a cow body cooling device or the like having at least a spray nozzle for ejecting water droplets. The cow body cooling device of the present invention further comprises a cooling water passage inside the cooling plate, a blower fan for sending air downward, a temperature measuring means for measuring room temperature and cow body temperature and outputting electrically, and a far-infrared heater. And a driving means for moving the cooling plate up and down, and various sensors for controlling the driving means. Further, a heat insulating material layer may be provided on the upper surface of the cooling plate, and a radiant heat reflecting paint and a radiant heat absorbing paint may be respectively applied to upper and lower surfaces.

[0010]

1 and 2 show an example in which a cow body cooling device of the present invention is installed on a free stall type cow bed. Each cow bed 1 is as large as one cow,
Are separated from the right and left cow beds by a separate fence 3 connected to A cooling plate 7 is suspended above the cow bed 1 by a brace 4 and pipes 5 and 6 extending from the structural column 2 so that the back of the cow cannot reach. The cooling plate 7 is a semi-cylindrical plate that covers the cow body and prevents the influence of the surrounding air, especially the hot air of the attic. A cooling water passage formed by welding the upper and lower surfaces of a metal is formed in the cooling plate 7 as described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 61-128958. The cooling water is configured to circulate through the inside. In this example, cooling water is further circulated inside the partition fence 3 to further increase the cooling capacity.

A paint that absorbs radiant heat is applied to the lower surface of the cooling plate 7 to help the cooling plate 7 absorb the radiant heat from the cow body. A heat insulating material layer 8 made of, for example, a porous resin is provided on the upper surface, and a paint that reflects radiant heat is applied on the upper surface. The roof of a cattle house is generally made of a galvanized sheet and the like, and the temperature is high in summer. Therefore, the influence of the radiant heat from the roof material is minimized by using a heat insulating material and a radiant heat reflective paint in combination.

Numeral 9 denotes a water spray pipe for jetting a part of the circulating cooling water from a spray nozzle 10 on the surface to generate fine mist. The fan 11 is driven by a motor 12 installed above the cooling plate 7, takes in air from before and after the cooling plate 7 and sends it down,
Quickly evaporates the fine fog erupted from. The moist air is released to the outside of the cooling device together with the latent heat. Fan 11
Is protected by a wire mesh 13. In this way, the cow bed is double cooled by the radiation and the evaporation of water, so that a comfortable space like a shade of a tree, which is less affected by the surroundings, can be created.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the cooling water circulation system of the present invention.
Shown in The heat storage (cool storage) means 21 is a well-known ice water cooler, and can perform economical cooling by producing ice with inexpensive midnight power and using it for daytime cooling. The cooling water of the heat storage means 21 is supplied to a cooling unit 23 by a pump 22.
And used by the cooling plate 7 and the spray nozzle 10 described above. The cooling water of the heat storage means 21 is sent to the plate cooler 25 by the pump 24 or is used for cooling milk. The plate cooler 25 prevents the deterioration of quality by appropriately cooling the milk sent from the milker 26 to the bulk cooler 27. Further, a part of the cooling water is sent to the drinking water cooler 28 to cool the drinking water. By using the water cooled by the drinking water cooler 28 for drinking the cows with the water cup 29, it is possible to further cope with the heat of the cow body.

Next, control of each device of the present invention will be described. A cow body sensor (not shown) determines the presence of cows in the cow bed, and when no cows exist, stops the motor 12 and the pump 22 to save energy. An infrared bovine sensor 15 is provided at the forefront under the cooling plate,
The approach of the cow body is detected and output to the driving means, and the cooling efficiency is further improved by moving the cooling plate 7 up and down in accordance with the height position of the cow body.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 16 denotes a far-infrared sensor, which measures the surface temperature of the cow body and outputs it to the control device 17. The control device controls the motor 12 and adjusts the rotation speed of the blower fan 11 in consideration of signals from the far infrared sensor 16 and a room temperature sensor (not shown). For example, when the surface temperature of the cow body is high, the number of revolutions of the blower fan 11 is increased, the amount of evaporation of the fine fog is increased, and the cow body is cooled strongly.

In addition to controlling the number of rotations according to the measurement result, it is also possible to give an appropriate fluctuation (for example, 1 / f fluctuation) to the rotation of the blower fan 11. 1 / f fluctuation refers to a manner of change in which the magnitude of the change is inversely proportional to the frequency, and is often found in the natural world. It is known that adding such fluctuations to an artificial environment moderately stimulates sensations and provides comfort. Therefore, by programming the blower fan 11 to generate 1 / f fluctuation, a feeling close to the natural wind in the outdoors can be given, and the stress on the cow can be further reduced.

As another embodiment, when outside air is taken in by a blower pump and blown around a cow's nose via a hose or the like,
Ventilation can be performed efficiently, and the ventilation volume of the whole cattle barn can be made smaller than before.

In the cow body cooling device of the present embodiment, the far-infrared heater 1
8 are provided. The far-infrared heater 18 is operated by a sensor or a manual switch when the cow is not on the cow bed, for example, at the time of milking or foraging, and the cow bed surface touched by the udder is dried by far infrared rays. Drying the cow bed prevents the growth of moisture-loving bacteria, reduces the risk of bacteria entering the udder and prevents cattle discomfort. The far-infrared heater 18 can generate air convection in the cattle barn with little energy, and is also useful for circulating fresh air in winter when ventilation efficiency is reduced.

In the above embodiment, the free stall type cow bed cooling system has been described.
It can also be used to cool cow beds in other types of barns.

[0020]

According to the cow body cooling device of the present invention, the space to be cooled is narrowed down to a place where cows are fixed, so that cooling can be performed effectively at low cost. In addition, by improving the comfort of the cow bed, etc., the settlement of cows on the cow bed is promoted. It has the effect of reducing the occurrence of mastitis and the like and increasing the work efficiency.

Furthermore, by creating an environment close to the natural climate of the outside world, stress on cows, particularly in summer, is reduced, and a decrease in milk yield and reproductive disorders are prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a cow bed provided with a cow body cooling device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a cooling plate.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the cow body cooling device.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a cooling water circulation system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 cow bed 2 cattle structure pillar 3 barrier fence 5 pipe 6 pipe 7 cooling plate 10 spray nozzle 11 blower fan 12 motor 15 infrared bovine sensor 18 far infrared heater

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A cow body cooling device installed on a cow bed, a milking stall, or the like of an open barn, comprising: a cooling plate that covers an upper part of the cow body; and a spray nozzle that sprays water droplets below the cooling plate. A bovine body cooling device having at least: 2. The cow body cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cooling water passage is provided inside the cooling plate. 3. The cow body cooling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a blower fan for sending wind downward to the cooling plate. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising temperature measuring means for measuring room temperature and cow body temperature and outputting the measured temperature electrically, wherein the number of revolutions of said fan is automatically increased or decreased according to the measured value. A cow body cooling device as described. 5. The cooling plate according to claim 1, wherein a heat insulating material layer is provided on an upper surface of the cooling plate, a radiant heat reflecting paint is applied from an upper surface, and a radiant heat absorbing paint is applied on a lower surface of the cooling plate. 4. The cow body cooling device according to 4. 6. A cow body sensor which detects the presence of a cow body and electrically outputs the cow body, and a far-infrared heater, wherein the cow bed is dried by radiant heat of far-infrared rays when no cow is present. The cow body cooling device according to claim 1. 7. A cow body sensor for detecting the height of the cow body and electrically outputting the cow body, and driving means for vertically moving the cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate is moved up and down in accordance with the height of the cow body. 7. The cow body cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cow body cooling device can be used.