JP2024143552A - Fish cage system, control device and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a live-box system capable of guiding fishes by a physical stimulation.SOLUTION: A live-box system of the invention comprises: a live-box which has one or more sound output devices or one or more luminaires; and a control unit. The control unit has a control part for controlling output of sound which causes an activity based on habits of fishes which exist in the live-box by the one or more sound output devices, or controlling radiation of light which causes an activity based on habits of fishes which exist in the live-box by the one or more luminaires.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a fish cage system, a control device, and a control method.

Traditionally, fish farming involves setting up fish farms in the sea, lakes, aquariums, or other water bodies, in which fish are raised in cages, which are closed areas surrounded by nets. Fish are then raised in the cages until they reach a size large enough to be shipped (hereafter also referred to as "shipping size"). The fish are then caught and shipped. The task of selecting fish of shipping size is primarily done manually, with workers following the fish of shipping size with their eyes, scooping them up one by one from the cage with a net, and another worker standing next to them counting the number of tails. However, the task of selecting fish manually is very labor-intensive.

Therefore, there is a known technique for guiding aquatic organisms such as fish in fish farms such as fish pens when feeding the fish or catching them for shipping. For example, a number of electrode devices that generate an electric field or magnetic field around them are placed in the water at a distance from each other. Then, a first compartment and a second compartment that are separately closed compartments are formed by the electric field or magnetic field, and the aquatic organisms are stimulated by the electric field or magnetic field to selectively move from the first compartment to the second compartment, thereby guiding the aquatic organisms.

JP 2018-134097 A

However, the above-mentioned conventional technology merely stimulates aquatic organisms with an electric or magnetic field to selectively move the organisms from the first compartment to the second compartment, and thus does not necessarily make it possible to induce fish by physical stimulation.

Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a fish pen system, a control device, and a control method that can guide fish using physical stimuli.

The fish cage system according to the embodiment is a fish cage system including a fish cage equipped with one or more sound output devices or one or more lighting devices, and a control device, and the control device includes a control unit that controls the output of sound by the one or more sound output devices to cause the fish in the fish cage to behave in a manner based on their habits, or controls the emission of light by the one or more lighting devices to cause the fish in the fish cage to behave in a manner based on their habits.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, it is possible to achieve the effect of making it possible to guide fish by physical stimulation.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a fish cage system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the fish cage according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the control device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to a modified example of the first to fifth embodiments. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a fish cage system according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control device according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to a modified example of the first to sixth embodiments. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a method for guiding a fish into a guidance area by cooperative action of two or more stimulation devices using multi-agent reinforcement learning. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a method for guiding fish into a guidance area by cooperative action of two or more stimulation devices using multi-agent reinforcement learning. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a method for guiding a fish into a guidance area by cooperative action of two or more stimulation devices using multi-agent reinforcement learning. FIG. 19 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the control device.

Below, the form for implementing the fish cage system, control device, and control method according to the present application (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the fish cage system, control device, and control method according to the present application are not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, the same parts in each of the following embodiments will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

(Embodiment)
1. Introduction
Conventionally, when shipping fish raised in a fish pen (an example of a fish farm), a task is performed to select fish of shipping size from among the fish in the fish pen. Here, fish of shipping size refer to fish that have grown large enough to be shipped. In other words, fish of shipping size refer to fish that are larger than a specified size. In the following, fish that are larger than the specified size will be referred to as "fish of shipping size". Also, fish that are smaller than the specified size will be referred to as "fish smaller than shipping size". Since there are two types of fish in the fish pen, fish of shipping size and fish smaller than shipping size, a task is performed by a worker to select only fish of shipping size from among the fish in the fish pen.

Specifically, the conventional task of sorting fish to be shipped is performed as follows: (1) A worker places the net of an empty fish pen into which fish of shipping size are to be placed, near the pen in which the fish to be sorted are located. (2) The worker pulls the net of the pen in which the fish to be sorted are located close to the worker. (3) The worker follows the fish of shipping size with his eyes. (4) The worker scoops up the fish of shipping size one by one with the net from the pen and places them in the empty pen. (5) Another worker standing next to the worker counts the number of tails of the fish of shipping size. Thus, conventionally, the task of sorting fish to be shipped is mainly performed by hand, and is therefore very laborious. Furthermore, conventional tasks of sorting fish to be shipped have also had problems with accuracy, such as workers scooping up fish that are smaller than shipping size, or incorrectly counting the number of tails of fish of shipping size.

In contrast, the fish pen system according to this embodiment includes a fish pen equipped with one or more sound output devices or one or more lighting devices, and a control device. The control device also includes a control unit that controls the output of sound from one or more sound output devices to induce behavior based on the habits of the fish in the fish pen, or controls the emission of light from one or more lighting devices to induce behavior based on the habits of the fish in the fish pen.

As a result, the live-cage system according to this embodiment can use the sound or light habits of the fish in the live-cage to provide physical stimuli to the fish with sound or light, for example, to selectively move fish smaller than shipping size (or fish of shipping size) to an area to which they want to be guided. That is, the live-cage system according to this embodiment can automatically separate an area where fish smaller than shipping size are located from an area where fish of shipping size are located, by using the sound or light habits of the fish in the live-cage. As a result, the live-cage system according to this embodiment can reduce the labor required for the task of sorting fish of shipping size, for example, by allowing an operator to select fish of shipping size from an area where only fish of shipping size are located. Furthermore, the live-cage system according to this embodiment can improve the accuracy of sorting in the task of sorting fish of shipping size. Furthermore, the live-cage system according to this embodiment can make it possible to guide fish by physical stimuli.

The dimensions used to express the size of a fish include the total length of the fish, standard body length (body length), fork length, body height, and body width. When the term "size of a fish" is used in this specification, it is intended to include the size of a fish measured by any dimension, including the total length of the fish, standard body length (body length), fork length, body height, and body width.

2. First embodiment
In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which the sound output device outputs a sound at a volume that is disliked by fish smaller than the shipping size among the fish in the fish pen, by utilizing the sound-related habits of the fish in the fish pen. In this way, the first embodiment can move fish smaller than the shipping size to a desired guiding area, and can automatically separate an area where fish smaller than the shipping size are located from an area where fish of the shipping size are located.

[2-1. Structure of the fish cage system]
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a fish cage system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the fish cage system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a fish cage 2 equipped with one or more sound output devices 10 and a control device 100. These various devices are connected to each other via a network N so as to be able to communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly. The network N is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet.

In addition, one or more sound output devices 10 and the control device 100 may be configured to connect to a network N or other devices using radio access technology (RAT) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The sound output device 10 is a device that outputs sounds that induce the fish in the fish tank to behave in accordance with their habits, according to the control of the control device 100. For example, the sound output device 10 includes a speaker.

The control device 100 is an information processing device that controls the output of sounds from one or more sound output devices 10 to induce behavior based on the habits of the fish in the fish pen 2.

Here, a sound that causes the fish in the fish tank to behave in accordance with their habits is, for example, a loud sound (for example, a sound of a first volume or higher). Also, a behavior that causes the fish in the fish tank to behave in accordance with their habits is, for example, a behavior in which the fish react to a loud sound and move away from the sound output source (for example, sound output device 10). In other words, a sound that causes the fish in the fish tank to behave in accordance with their habits is, for example, a sound of a volume that the fish in the fish tank dislike, a sound of a volume that is unpleasant to the fish in the fish tank, or a sound that causes the fish in the fish tank to move away from the sound output source.

For example, the sound output device 10, under the control of the control device 100, outputs a sound at a volume that the fish in the livestock cage 2 dislike, a sound at a volume that is unpleasant to the fish in the livestock cage 2, or a sound that causes the fish in the livestock cage 2 to move away from the sound output source. In this way, the livestock cage system 1 can cause the fish in the livestock cage 2 to move away from the sound output device 10.

The sound output device 10 is also positioned between the guidance area, which is an area to which the fish in the fish cage 2 are to be guided, and the swimming area, which is an area in which the fish in the fish cage 2 swim. This allows the fish cage system 1 to guide the fish in the fish cage 2 to the guidance area.

Incidentally, information regarding the first volume can be obtained, for example, by conducting an experiment in advance on fish of the same species as those in the fish pen. For example, the sound output device 10 may output a sound at a predetermined volume (which may be gradually increased from a low volume) to the same species of fish as those in the fish pen at predetermined time intervals, and the volume at which the fish react and move away from the sound output source may be set as the first volume.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the fish cage 2 according to the first embodiment. In Figure 2, the fish cage 2 is a rectangular parallelepiped with no top surface. Specifically, the fish cage 2 is formed by a first side surface 21, a second side surface 22 facing the first side surface 21, a third side surface 23 and a fourth side surface 24 sharing one side with each of the first side surface 21 and the second side surface 22, and a bottom surface 25. The first side surface 21 to the fourth side surface 24 and the bottom surface 25 that form the fish cage 2 are formed by, for example, a fishing net. The fish cage 2 is provided in the sea, a lake, an aquarium, or the like. For example, the fish cage 2 is submerged in water to a predetermined depth from the bottom surface 25, and the water surface faces the bottom surface 25.

As a result, the fish cage 2 forms a closed compartment surrounded by the first side 21 to the fourth side 24 and the bottom surface 25 in water such as the sea, a lake, or an aquarium. The fish are raised in the underwater area surrounded by the first side 21 to the fourth side 24 and the bottom surface 25 of the fish cage 2. The fish in the fish cage 2 swim in the underwater area surrounded by the first side 21 to the fourth side 24 and the bottom surface 25. Note that below, the area in which the fish in the fish cage 2 swim may be referred to as the "swimming area".

As an example of fish behavior, it is known that fish respond differently to sounds depending on their fork length. For example, it is known that fish with short forks (i.e. small fish) respond differently to sounds than fish with long forks (i.e. large fish).

2, in order to guide fish smaller than the shipping size to an area close to the second side 22 of the fish cage 2, which is the guidance area, the sound output device 10 is placed at a position within a predetermined range from the first side 21. For example, the sound output device 10 is placed at a position on the first side 21 within a predetermined range from the center of the first side 21. In this way, the sound output device 10 is placed at a position sandwiching the swimming area, which is the area where the fish in the fish cage 2 swim, between the guidance area, which is the area to which it is desired to guide the fish smaller than the shipping size (for example, the area close to the second side 22 of the fish cage 2). In addition, the sound output device 10 outputs a sound at a volume that fish smaller than the shipping size dislike, a sound at a volume that is unpleasant to fish smaller than the shipping size, or a sound that causes fish smaller than the shipping size to move away from the sound output source, according to the control of the control device 100.

In this way, the fish cage system 1 can guide fish smaller than the shipping size among the fish in the fish cage 2 to the guidance area (for example, the area close to the second side surface 22 of the fish cage 2) by giving a physical stimulus to the fish by sound and utilizing the habits of fish regarding sound. In addition, the fish cage system 1 can leave the shipping size fish among the fish in the fish cage 2 in an area far from the guidance area (for example, the area close to the first side surface 21). Therefore, the fish cage system 1 can automatically separate the area where the fish smaller than the shipping size are located and the area where the shipping size fish are located among the fish in the fish cage 2 by giving a physical stimulus to the fish by sound and utilizing the habits of fish regarding sound. In this way, the fish cage system 1 can reduce the labor required for the work of selecting the shipping size fish, for example, by enabling the worker to select the shipping size fish from the area where only the shipping size fish are located. Furthermore, the fish cage system 1 can improve the accuracy of sorting when selecting fish of shipping size. Therefore, the fish cage system 1 can guide the fish by physical stimuli.

[2-2. Configuration of the control device]
3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 100 according to the first embodiment. The control device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

(Communication unit 110)
The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC) etc. The communication unit 110 is connected to a network in a wired or wireless manner, and transmits and receives information to and from the sound output device 10, for example.

(Memory unit 120)
The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. Specifically, the storage unit 120 stores a control program.

(Control unit 130)
The control unit 130 is a controller, and is realized, for example, by a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU) executing various programs (corresponding to an example of a control program) stored in a storage device inside the control device 100 using a RAM as a working area. The control unit 130 is also a controller, and is realized, for example, by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

The control unit 130 controls the output of sounds by one or more sound output devices 10 to cause the fish in the fish tank 2 to take action based on their habits. For example, the control unit 130 controls one or more sound output devices 10 to output sounds at a volume that the fish in the fish tank 2 dislike, sounds at a volume that is unpleasant to the fish in the fish tank 2, or sounds that cause the fish in the fish tank 2 to take action to move away from the source of the sound output.

3. Second embodiment
From here, the second embodiment will be described. The cage system 1A according to the second embodiment has a cage 2A instead of the cage 2. The cage 2A according to the second embodiment is different from the cage 2 according to the first embodiment in that it further includes an isolating member 3 that divides the inside of the cage into a first region and a second region. The cage 2A according to the second embodiment has the same structure as the cage 2 according to the first embodiment, except that it further includes the isolating member 3. In Figs. 4 and 5, in order to distinguish from Fig. 2, the first side 21 to the fourth side 24 in the cage 2 are written as the first side 21A to the fourth side 24A by adding "A" to the end of the reference numerals. Note that the description of the same points as those described above in the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

4 and 5 are perspective views showing a fish cage 2A according to the second embodiment. The fish cage 2A shown in FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fish cage 2A shown in FIG. 4 from a different angle. The fish cage 2A has an isolation member 3 that divides the inside of the fish cage 2A into an induction area (in FIGS. 4 and 5, an area close to the second side 22A) and a non-induction area (in FIGS. 4 and 5, an area close to the first side 21A). The isolation member 3 has a plurality of holes 31 that are smaller than the size of fish of shipping size. The plurality of holes 31 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are aligned and arranged at a predetermined interval. The sound output device 10 is arranged in the non-induction area divided by the isolation member 3 (in FIGS. 4 and 5, an area close to the first side 21A). Furthermore, under the control of the control device 100, the sound output device 10 outputs a sound at a volume that the fish in the fish cage 2A dislike, a sound at a volume that is unpleasant to the fish in the fish cage 2A, or a sound that causes the fish in the fish cage 2A to move away from the sound output source.

In this way, the livestock cage system 1A according to the second embodiment can move fish smaller than the shipping size among the fish in the livestock cage 2A to the guidance area (the area close to the second side 22A in Figs. 4 and 5) and can keep fish of shipping size in the non-guidance area (the area close to the first side 21A in Figs. 4 and 5) and not move to the guidance area. Therefore, the livestock cage system 1A can automatically separate the area where fish smaller than the shipping size are located from the area where fish of shipping size are located. Furthermore, since the livestock cage system 1A can prevent small fish guided to the guidance area from moving to the non-guidance area, it can prevent, for example, the loss of the distinction between the area where fish smaller than the shipping size are located and the area where fish of shipping size are located.

The isolating member 3 may be in the form of a mesh, sheet or plate. For example, the isolating member 3 may be a soft mesh such as a laundry net. This allows the isolating member 3 to prevent the surface of the fish in the fish cage 2A from being damaged when the fish move through the hole 31.

4. Third embodiment
From here, the third embodiment will be described. The cage system 1B according to the third embodiment has a cage 2B instead of the cage 2 or the cage 2A. The cage 2B according to the third embodiment is different from the cage 2A according to the second embodiment in that it has an isolation member 4 having a plurality of randomly arranged holes 41 instead of the isolation member 3. The cage 2B according to the third embodiment has the same structure as the cage 2 according to the first embodiment, except that it further includes the isolation member 4. In Figs. 6 and 7, in order to distinguish from Fig. 2, the first side 21 to the fourth side 24 in the cage 2 are written as the first side 21B to the fourth side 24B by adding "B" to the end of the reference numerals. Note that the description of the same points as those described above in the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

6 and 7 are perspective views showing a live-cage 2B according to the third embodiment. The live-cage 2B shown in FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the live-cage 2B shown in FIG. 6 from a different angle. The live-cage 2B has an isolation member 4 that divides the inside of the live-cage 2B into an induction area (an area close to the second side 22B in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7) and a non-induction area (an area close to the first side 21B in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7). The isolation member 4 has a plurality of holes 41 that are smaller than the size of fish of shipping size. The plurality of holes 41 shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are randomly arranged. As a result, the live-cage system 1B according to the third embodiment can prevent the strength of the portion where the holes are close to each other from being weakened by multiple fish passing through the holes of the isolation member 4 at once, compared to the live-cage system 1A according to the second embodiment. The sound output device 10 is disposed in a region that is not an induction region divided by the isolation member 4 (in Figs. 6 and 7, the region is close to the first side surface 21B). In addition, under the control of the control device 100, the sound output device 10 outputs a sound at a volume that is disliked by the fish in the live cage 2B, a sound at a volume that is unpleasant to the fish in the live cage 2B, or a sound that causes the fish in the live cage 2B to move away from the sound output source.

5. Fourth embodiment
From here, the fourth embodiment will be described. The fish cage system 1C according to the fourth embodiment has a fish cage 2C instead of the fish cage 2, the fish cage 2A, or the fish cage 2B. The fish cage 2C according to the fourth embodiment is different from the fish cage 2A according to the second embodiment and the fish cage 2B according to the third embodiment in that it has an isolating member 5 that divides the internal area of the fish cage 2C into a first area and a second area parallel to the bottom surface of the fish cage 2C instead of the isolating member 3 or the isolating member 4. The fish cage 2C according to the fourth embodiment has the same structure as the fish cage 2 according to the first embodiment, except that it further includes the isolating member 5. 8 and 9, in order to distinguish from Fig. 2, the reference numerals of the first side surface 21 to the fourth side surface 24 and the bottom surface 25 of the fish cage 2 are suffixed with "C" and are described as the first side surface 21C to the fourth side surface 24C and the bottom surface 25C. Note that the description of the same points as those described above in the first embodiment, the second embodiment, the third embodiment, etc. will be omitted as appropriate.

8 and 9 are perspective views showing a fish cage 2C according to a fourth embodiment. The fish cage 2C shown in FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the fish cage 2C shown in FIG. 8 from a different angle. The fish cage 2C has an isolation member 5 that divides the inside of the fish cage 2C into an induction area (an area close to the water surface in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) and a non-induction area (an area close to the bottom surface 25C in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9). The isolation member 5 has a plurality of holes 51 that are smaller than the size of fish of shipping size. The plurality of holes 51 shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are aligned and arranged at a predetermined interval, similar to the plurality of holes 31 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

8 and 9, the sound output device 10 is placed in a region that is not a guidance region divided by the isolating member 5 (a region close to the bottom surface 25C in Figs. 8 and 9). In Figs. 8 and 9, in order to guide fish smaller than the shipping size to a region close to the water surface of the fish pen 2, which is the guidance region, the sound output device 10 is placed at a position within a predetermined range from the bottom surface 25C. For example, the sound output device 10 is placed at a position on the bottom surface 25C within a predetermined range from the center of the bottom surface 25C. In this way, the sound output device 10 is placed at a position that sandwiches the swimming region, which is the region in which the fish in the fish pen 2 swim, between the sound output device 10 and the guidance region, which is the region to which it is desired to guide fish smaller than the shipping size (a region close to the water surface in Figs. 8 and 9). Furthermore, under the control of the control device 100, the sound output device 10 outputs a sound at a volume that is disliked by the fish in the fish cage 2C, a sound at a volume that is unpleasant to the fish in the fish cage 2C, or a sound that causes the fish in the fish cage 2C to move away from the source of the sound output.

In this way, the fish cage system 1C according to the fourth embodiment can move fish smaller than the shipping size among the fish in the fish cage 2C to the induction area (the area close to the water surface in Figs. 8 and 9), and can keep the shipping-sized fish in the non-induction area (the area close to the bottom surface 25C in Figs. 8 and 9) and not move them to the induction area. Therefore, the fish cage system 1C can automatically separate the area where the fish smaller than the shipping size are located from the area where the shipping-sized fish are located. In addition, the fish cage system 1C can prevent the small fish guided to the induction area from moving to the non-induction area, so that, for example, it can prevent the area where the fish smaller than the shipping size are located from being separated from the area where the shipping-sized fish are located. In addition, the fish cage system 1C can move the fish smaller than the shipping size to another place where there are no shipping-sized fish, and can grow the small fish that lost the survival competition with the shipping-sized fish, for example, by feeding them. This allows the fish cage system 1C to make it possible to standardize the size variation of the fish in the fish cage 2C to shipping size.

6. Fifth embodiment
From here, the fifth embodiment will be described. The cage system 1D according to the fifth embodiment has a cage 2D instead of the cage 2, the cage 2A, the cage 2B, or the cage 2C. The cage 2D according to the fifth embodiment is different from the cage 2C according to the fourth embodiment in that it has an isolation member 6 having a randomly arranged plurality of holes 61 instead of the isolation member 5. The cage 2D according to the fifth embodiment has the same structure as the cage 2 according to the first embodiment, except that it further includes the isolation member 6. In Figs. 10 and 11, in order to distinguish from Fig. 2, the symbols of the first side 21 to the fourth side 24 and the bottom surface 25 in the cage 2 are suffixed with "D" and described as the first side 21D to the fourth side 24D and the bottom surface 25D. Note that, as for the points similar to those described above in the first embodiment, second embodiment, third embodiment, fourth embodiment, etc., description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

10 and 11 are perspective views showing a live-cage 2D according to the fifth embodiment. The live-cage 2D shown in FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the live-cage 2D shown in FIG. 10 from a different angle. The live-cage 2D is provided with an isolation member 6 that divides the inside of the live-cage 2D into an induction area (an area close to the water surface in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11) and a non-induction area (an area close to the bottom surface 25D in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11). The isolation member 6 has a plurality of holes 61 that are smaller than the size of fish of shipping size. The plurality of holes 61 shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are randomly arranged. As a result, the live-cage system 1D according to the fifth embodiment can prevent the strength of the portion where the holes are close to each other from being weakened by multiple fish passing through the holes of the isolation member 6 at once, compared to the live-cage system 1C according to the fourth embodiment. The sound output device 10 is placed in a non-guiding area (in Figs. 10 and 11, an area close to the bottom surface 25D) separated by the isolation member 6. In addition, under the control of the control device 100, the sound output device 10 outputs a sound at a volume that the fish in the livestock pen 2D dislike, a sound at a volume that is unpleasant to the fish in the livestock pen 2D, or a sound that causes the fish in the livestock pen 2D to move away from the sound output source.

7. Modifications
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications and applications are possible. Modifications of the first to fifth embodiments will now be described.

In the above-mentioned first to fifth embodiments, the case where the fish cage is equipped with one sound output device 10 has been described, but the fish cage may be equipped with two or more sound output devices 10. This point will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a fish cage according to a modified example of the first to fifth embodiments. FIG. 12 uses the fish cage 2 according to the first embodiment as an example for description. For example, the fish cage 2 may be equipped with sound output devices 10 at a predetermined interval between one end and the other end of each of the first side surface 21 to the fourth side surface 24 and the bottom surface 25. The fish cage 2 may also be equipped with a plurality of sound output devices 10 arranged in a lattice pattern on each surface.

For example, in the case of a fish cage according to the modified examples of the fourth and fifth embodiments, the control device 100 outputs sounds from the sound output device 10 arranged on the bottom surface 25 in a direction toward the water surface, starting from the bottom, at a volume that the fish in the cage dislike, at a volume that is unpleasant to the fish in the cage, or sounds that cause the fish in the cage to move away from the sound output source. This allows the fish cage system according to the modified examples to more effectively guide the fish into the guidance area.

Although not shown, the fish cages according to the modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments may be provided with a net for pulling up fish of shipping size, for example, inside the fish cage and in an area far from the induction area. Then, when the fish cage systems according to the modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments automatically separate the area where fish smaller than shipping size are located from the area where fish of shipping size are located, the net that has been set up is pulled up, for example, by a crane or the like. This allows the fish cage systems according to the modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments to further increase the work efficiency in sorting fish of shipping size.

As an example of fish habits, it is known that fish prefer dark places to bright places. In contrast, the induction area according to the modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments may have an illuminance that is preferred by the fish in the cage. For example, the induction area according to the modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments may have an illuminance lower than the first illuminance. For example, the cage according to the modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments may be provided with a light-shielding member that covers a part of the induction area. Although not shown, for example, the area close to the second side surface, which is the induction area, of the surface facing the bottom surface of the cage according to the modified examples of the first to third embodiments is covered with a light-shielding sheet, so that the area close to the second side surface, which is the induction area, has an illuminance that is preferred by the fish in the cage. As a result, the cage system according to the modified examples of the first to third embodiments can make the environment of the induction area an environment preferred by the fish, so that the fish guided to the induction area can remain in the induction area. Furthermore, the fish pen systems according to the modifications of the first to third embodiments can prevent fish guided to the guidance area from returning to their original positions because they can keep the fish guided to the guidance area in the guidance area. Furthermore, the fish pen systems according to the modifications of the first to third embodiments can prevent fish guided to the guidance area from returning to their original positions, so it is possible to prevent, for example, the disappearance of the distinction between areas where fish smaller than shipping size are located and areas where fish of shipping size are located.

In the above example, the illuminance of the guidance area is set to a level preferred by fish, making the guidance area a comfortable environment for fish. However, instead of setting the illuminance of the guidance area to a level preferred by fish, the guidance area may be made a comfortable environment for fish by scattering food in the guidance area. Also, the guidance area may be made a comfortable environment for fish by making the guidance area quieter, for example by covering part of the guidance area with a soundproof sheet. In this way, the fish cage systems according to the variations of the first to fifth embodiments can make the environment of the guidance area a level preferred by fish, so that fish guided to the guidance area can remain in the guidance area.

8. Sixth embodiment
From here, the sixth embodiment will be described. The fish cage system 1E according to the sixth embodiment has a lighting device 70 and a control device 200 instead of the sound output device 10 and the control device 100 according to the first to fifth embodiments. The fish cage system 1E according to the sixth embodiment can be applied to each of the fish cages 2 to 2D according to the first to fifth embodiments. Note that the description of the same points as those described above in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[8-1. Structure of the fish cage system]
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a fish cage system 1E according to the sixth embodiment. The fish cage system 1E according to the sixth embodiment can be applied to each of the fish cages 2 to 2D according to the first to fifth embodiments, but FIG. 13 describes the case of the fish cage 2 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the fish cage system 1E according to the sixth embodiment includes a fish cage 2 equipped with one or more lighting devices 70 and a control device 100. These various devices are connected to each other via a network N so as to be able to communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly. The network N is, for example, a LAN or a WAN such as the Internet.

In addition, one or more lighting devices 70 and the control device 200 may be configured to connect to a network N or other devices using wireless access technologies such as LTE, NR, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The lighting device 70 is a device that emits light that induces behavior based on the habits of the fish in the fish pen according to the control of the control device 200. For example, the lighting device 70 includes a light.

The control device 200 is an information processing device that controls the illumination of light by one or more lighting devices 70 to induce behavior based on the habits of the fish in the fish cage 2.

Here, light that causes the fish in the fish cage to behave in accordance with their habits is, for example, extremely bright light (for example, light of a first illuminance or higher). Also, behavior that causes the fish in the fish cage to behave in accordance with their habits is, for example, the behavior of the fish in the fish cage to move away from the light source (for example, the lighting device 70) in response to the extremely bright light. In other words, light that causes the fish in the fish cage to behave in accordance with their habits is, for example, light with an illuminance that the fish in the cage dislike, light with an illuminance that is uncomfortable for the fish in the cage, or light that causes the fish in the cage to move away from the light source.

For example, the lighting device 70, under the control of the control device 200, outputs light with an illuminance that is disliked by the fish in the live-cage 2, light with an illuminance that is uncomfortable for the fish in the live-cage 2, or light that causes the fish in the live-cage 2 to move away from the light source. This allows the live-cage system 1 to cause the fish in the live-cage 2 to move away from the lighting device 70.

The lighting device 70 is also positioned between the guidance area, which is the area to which the fish in the fish cage 2 are to be guided, and the swimming area, which is the area in which the fish in the fish cage 2 swim. This allows the fish cage system 1E to guide the fish in the fish cage 2 to the guidance area.

In addition, information regarding the first illuminance can be obtained, for example, by conducting an experiment in advance on fish of the same species as the fish in the fish pen. For example, the lighting device 70 may output light of a predetermined illuminance (which may be gradually increased from a low illuminance) to the same species of fish as the fish in the fish pen at predetermined time intervals, and the illuminance at which the fish react and move away from the light source may be regarded as the first illuminance.

The lighting device 70 may also be placed at the position where the sound output device 10 shown in Figures 2 and 4 to 11 is placed.

In this way, the fish cage system 1E can guide fish smaller than the shipping size among the fish in the fish cage 2 to the guidance area (for example, the area close to the second side surface 22 of the fish cage 2) by giving a physical stimulus to the fish with light and utilizing the behavior of fish regarding light. In addition, the fish cage system 1E can leave the shipping size fish among the fish in the fish cage 2 in an area far from the guidance area (for example, the area close to the first side surface 21). Therefore, the fish cage system 1E can automatically separate the area where the fish smaller than the shipping size are located and the area where the shipping size fish are located among the fish in the fish cage 2 by giving a physical stimulus to the fish with light and utilizing the behavior of fish regarding light. In this way, the fish cage system 1E can reduce the labor required for the work of selecting the shipping size fish, for example, because the operator can select the shipping size fish from the area where only the shipping size fish are located. Furthermore, the fish cage system 1E can improve the accuracy of sorting when selecting fish of shipping size. Therefore, the fish cage system 1E can guide the fish by physical stimuli.

8-2. Configuration of the control device
14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device 200 according to the sixth embodiment. The control device 200 includes a communication unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a control unit 230.

(Communication unit 210)
The communication unit 210 is realized by, for example, a NIC etc. The communication unit 210 is connected to a network in a wired or wireless manner, and transmits and receives information to and from the lighting device 70, for example.

(Memory unit 220)
The storage unit 220 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. Specifically, the storage unit 220 stores a control program.

(Control unit 230)
The control unit 230 is a controller, and is realized, for example, by a CPU, an MPU, or the like, executing various programs (corresponding to an example of a control program) stored in a storage device inside the control device 200 using a RAM as a working area. The control unit 230 is also a controller, and is realized, for example, by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

The control unit 230 controls the illumination of light by one or more lighting devices 70 to induce behavior based on the habits of the fish in the live-cage 2. For example, the control unit 230 controls one or more lighting devices 70 to output light with an illuminance that is disliked by the fish in the live-cage 2, light with an illuminance that is uncomfortable for the fish in the live-cage 2, or light that induces the fish in the live-cage 2 to move away from the light source.

9. Other Modifications
As an example of the behavior of fish, it is known that sea bream is a sound-making fish. Therefore, for example, the relationship between the sound emitted by a fish (for example, sea bream) and the behavior of a school of fish (for example, sea bream) is observed. Then, for example, a sound that imitates the sound emitted by a fish (for example, sea bream) may be output from the sound output device 10 to attract the fish (for example, sea bream) to the guiding area. It is also known that larger fish swim faster than smaller fish. Therefore, when a sound that imitates the sound emitted by a fish (for example, sea bream) is output from the sound output device 10 to attract the fish (for example, sea bream) to the guiding area, the fish guided to the guiding area are fish of shipping size, and the guiding area is an area to which the shipping-sized fish are to be guided. For example, the control device causes one or more sound output devices to output a type of sound that is preferred by the fish (for example, sea bream) in the fish pen. The one or more sound output devices 10 are disposed within a first range from a guidance area, which is an area to which it is desired to guide the fish in the fish pen.

As a result, the fish cage systems according to the modified examples of the first to sixth embodiments can use the behavior of fish regarding sound to guide fish of shipping size among the fish in the fish cage to the guidance area. Furthermore, the fish cage systems according to the modified examples can leave fish smaller than shipping size among the fish in the fish cage in an area far from the guidance area. Therefore, by using the behavior of fish regarding sound, the fish cage systems according to the modified examples can automatically separate areas where fish smaller than shipping size are located from areas where fish of shipping size are located among the fish in the fish cage.

As an example of fish behavior, it is known that yellowtails have a tendency to run away from a large object when that object is moved outside the net of the fish pen. Therefore, the control device may further move an object (such as a model of a fish larger than the fish in the pen) that causes the fish in the pen to act based on the behavior of the fish in the pen to a position within a second range from the pen.

As a result, the fish cage systems according to the modified examples of the first to sixth embodiments can guide fish of shipping size among the fish in the fish cage to the guidance area by utilizing the behavior of fish regarding large objects. Furthermore, the fish cage systems according to the modified examples can leave fish smaller than shipping size among the fish in the fish cage in an area far from the guidance area. Therefore, the fish cage systems according to the modified examples can automatically separate areas where fish smaller than shipping size are located from areas where fish of shipping size are located among the fish in the fish cage by utilizing the behavior of fish regarding objects.

The fish cage system according to the modified examples of the first to sixth embodiments may have an electrode device 80 (not shown) and a control device 300 (not shown) instead of the sound output device 10 and the control device 100 according to the first to fifth embodiments, etc., and the lighting device 70 and the control device 200 according to the sixth embodiment. The fish cage system according to the modified examples can be applied to each of the fish cages 2 to 2D according to the first to fifth embodiments, etc. Note that the description of the same points as those described above in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth embodiments, etc. will be omitted as appropriate.

The fish cage system according to the modified example includes a fish cage equipped with one or more electrode devices 80 and a control device 300. These various devices are connected to each other via a network N so that they can communicate with each other via wired or wireless communication. The network N is, for example, a LAN or a WAN such as the Internet.

In addition, one or more electrode devices 80 and the control device 300 may be configured to connect to a network N or other devices using wireless access technologies such as LTE, NR, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The electrode device 80 is a device that generates at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field that causes the fish in the fish pen to behave in accordance with their habits, according to the control of the control device 300. For example, the electrode device 80 includes a linear member having a conductive and corrosion-resistant surface. The linear member can include a flexible wire or pipe.

The control device 300 is an information processing device that controls the generation of at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field by one or more electrode devices 80, which causes the fish in the fish pen to behave in accordance with their habits. For example, the control device 300 includes a control unit 330 (not shown) that applies an electric pulse to at least one of the one or more electrode devices 80, thereby generating at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field around at least one of the one or more electrode devices 80.

Here, the electric field or magnetic field that causes the fish in the cage to behave based on their habits is, for example, an electric field or magnetic field of a certain strength or more (for example, an electric field of a third strength or more) or a magnetic field (for example, a magnetic field of a fourth strength or more). Also, the behavior based on the habits of the fish in the cage is, for example, the behavior of the fish that react to an electric field or magnetic field of a certain strength or more and move away from the source of the electric field or magnetic field (for example, the electrode device 80). In other words, the electric field or magnetic field that causes the fish in the cage to behave based on their habits is, for example, an electric field or magnetic field of a strength that the fish in the cage dislike, an electric field or magnetic field of a strength that is uncomfortable for the fish in the cage, or an electric field or magnetic field that causes the fish in the cage to move away from the source of the electric field or magnetic field.

For example, the electrode device 80, under the control of the control device 300, generates an electric field or magnetic field of a strength that is disliked by the fish in the livestock pen, an electric field or magnetic field of a strength that is uncomfortable for the fish in the livestock pen, or an electric field or magnetic field that causes the fish in the livestock pen to move away from the source of the electric field or magnetic field. In this way, the livestock pen system according to the modified example can cause the fish in the livestock pen to move away from the electrode device 80.

The electrode device 80 is positioned between the induction area, which is the area to which the fish in the fish cage want to be guided, and the swimming area, which is the area in which the fish in the fish cage swim. This allows the fish cage system of the modified example to guide the fish in the fish cage to the induction area.

In addition, information regarding the electric field of the third strength or the magnetic field of the fourth strength can be obtained, for example, by conducting experiments in advance on fish of the same species as the fish in the fish pen. For example, the electrode device 80 generates an electric field or magnetic field of a predetermined strength (which may be gradually increased from a low strength electric field or magnetic field) at predetermined time intervals on the same species of fish as the fish in the fish pen, and the electric field or magnetic field of the strength at which the fish react and move away from the electrode device 80 may be set as the electric field of the third strength or the magnetic field of the fourth strength.

The electrode device 80 may also be placed at the position where the sound output device 10 shown in Figures 2 and 4 to 11 is placed.

The fish cage system according to the modified example thus provides a physical stimulus to the fish by an electric field or a magnetic field, and by utilizing the behavior of the fish regarding the electric field or magnetic field, it is possible to guide the fish smaller than the shipping size among the fish in the fish cage to the guidance area (e.g., the area close to the second side surface 22 of the fish cage 2). The fish cage system according to the modified example also allows the fish of shipping size among the fish in the fish cage to remain in an area far from the guidance area (e.g., the area close to the first side surface 21 of the fish cage 2). The fish cage system according to the modified example thus provides a physical stimulus to the fish by an electric field or a magnetic field, and by utilizing the behavior of the fish regarding the electric field or magnetic field, it is possible to automatically separate the area in which the fish smaller than the shipping size are located from the area in which the fish of shipping size are located among the fish in the fish cage. As a result, the fish cage system according to the modified example can reduce the labor involved in sorting fish of shipping size, for example, by allowing an operator to select fish of shipping size from an area where only fish of shipping size are present. Furthermore, the fish cage system according to the modified example can improve the accuracy of sorting fish of shipping size. Therefore, the fish cage system according to the modified example can guide fish by physical stimuli.

Furthermore, the fish pen system according to the modified examples of the first to sixth embodiments may guide fish to a guidance area by cooperative behavior of two or more sound output devices 10 using multi-agent reinforcement learning. Specifically, the fish pen includes two or more sound output devices 10. The control device 100 controls the output of sound by the two or more sound output devices 10 using a first machine learning model in which the two or more sound output devices 10 have been trained by reinforcement learning to take cooperative behavior with the goal of guiding fish in the fish pen to a guidance area, which is an area to which the fish are to be guided.

The fish pen system according to the modified example may also guide fish to the guidance area by cooperative behavior of two or more lighting devices 70 using multi-agent reinforcement learning. Specifically, the fish pen includes two or more lighting devices 70. The control device 200 controls the illumination of light by the two or more lighting devices 70 using a second machine learning model that has been reinforced to make the two or more lighting devices 70 take cooperative behavior with the goal of guiding fish in the fish pen to the guidance area, which is the area to which the fish are desired to be guided.

Hereinafter, the above-mentioned sound output device 10, lighting device 70, or electrode device 80 may be referred to as a "stimulation device" to mean a device that provides a physical stimulus to fish. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a fish pen according to a modified example of the first to sixth embodiments. FIG. 16 to FIG. 18 are diagrams for explaining a method of guiding fish to a guidance area by cooperative behavior of two or more stimulation devices using multi-agent reinforcement learning. Each agent in FIG. 16 to FIG. 18 corresponds to each stimulation device. Each stimulation device is controlled by a control device. Note that, although the case where the stimulation device (agent) is the sound output device 10 is explained in FIG. 15 to FIG. 18, the stimulation device (agent) in FIG. 15 to FIG. 18 may be the lighting device 70 or the electrode device 80.

In FIG. 15, the fish cage 2 according to the first embodiment will be described as an example. For example, the fish cage 2 may be provided with a plurality of stimulation devices at a predetermined interval (e.g., every 1 m) between one end and the other end of the sides 81 to 84 where two of the four sides intersect. In FIG. 15, the fish cage 2 is provided with three sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 at a predetermined interval between the end of the side 81 on the water surface side and the end of the bottom side. The fish cage 2 is also provided with three sound output devices 82-1 to 82-3 at a predetermined interval between the end of the side 82 on the water surface side and the end of the bottom side. The fish cage 2 is also provided with three sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 at a predetermined interval between the end of the side 83 on the water surface side and the end of the bottom side. The fish cage 2 is also provided with three sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 at a predetermined interval between the end of the side 84 on the water surface side and the end of the bottom side. In addition, in FIG. 15, in the initial state, a school of fish 91 is present near the center of the fish pen 2. For simplicity, in FIG. 15, it is assumed that the school of fish 91 is a sphere. The position of the school of fish 91 is indicated by the center position 92 of the sphere. In the following, a method of guiding the school of fish 91 to a guidance area, which is an area within a predetermined range from the end of the edge 82 of the fish pen 2 on the water surface side, by cooperative action of two or more sound output devices using multi-agent reinforcement learning will be described. Note that, although not shown in FIG. 15, a camera is installed at the position of each sound output device, and each camera photographs the fish in the fish pen to observe the state of the fish, such as the position and orientation of the fish.

The left-hand diagrams of Figures 16 to 18 are views of the fish cage 2 shown in Figure 15, viewed from the water surface side. The left-hand diagrams of Figures 16 to 18 show how the interior area of the fish cage 2 is divided into four areas A1 to A4, separated by lines passing through the centers of each of sides 81 to 84. Each of areas A1 to A4 is within a predetermined range from each of sides 81 to 84. The left-hand diagrams of Figures 16 to 18 also show how guidance area 93, which is the area to which it is desired to guide the school of fish, and center position 94 of guidance area 93 are located in area A2.

Tables 85-1 to 85-3 on the right side of Figures 16 to 18 show the current state of each agent and the current states of other agents located around each agent. Here, the current state of each agent may be information indicating either a state in which sound is output (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "ON state") or a state in which sound is not output (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "OFF state"), for example, when each agent is a sound output device 10. Note that the current state of each agent may include information indicating the magnitude of the amplitude of the sound when each agent is in the ON state. Also, the current state of each agent may include information indicating the frequency of the sound when each agent is in the ON state.

Furthermore, the current state of each agent may be information indicating, for example, when each agent is a lighting device 70, whether the agent is in a state of outputting light (hereinafter, may be referred to as an "ON state") or in a state of not outputting light (hereinafter, may be referred to as an "OFF state"). Note that the current state of each agent may include the magnitude of the amplitude of the light when the agent is in the ON state.

Furthermore, the current state of each agent, for example, when each agent is an electrode device 80, may be information indicating either a state in which at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field is generated (hereinafter, may be referred to as the "ON state"), or a state in which neither an electric field nor a magnetic field is generated (hereinafter, may be referred to as the "OFF state"). Note that the current state of each agent may include the magnitude of the amplitude of at least one of the electric field or the magnetic field when each agent is in the ON state.

In the right diagrams of Figs. 16 to 18, the ON state is indicated by the number "1" and the OFF state by the number "0". In Fig. 16, a school of fish 91-1 is located in the center of the fish pen 2. The center position 92 of the school of fish 91-1 coincides with the center position of the fish pen 2. The direction of movement of the school of fish is determined according to the orientation of the heads of the fish contained in the school of fish. In Fig. 16, the direction of movement 93-1 of the school of fish 91-1 is from the center of the fish pen 2 toward the area A1 of the fish pen 2. At this time, the control device 100 controls the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 located in the area A1 to be in the ON state. The control device 100 also controls the sound output devices 82-1 to 82-3, 83-1 to 83-3, and 84-1 to 84-3 located in areas other than the area A1 to be in the OFF state. As a result, the school of fish 91-1 that has entered area A1 of the fish pen 2 is guided to move away from the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 in response to the sound stimuli from the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 located in area A1. For example, the school of fish 91-1 is guided to move in the direction toward side 83 diagonally opposite side 81 of the fish pen.

Figure 17 shows the state after some time has passed since the state of Figure 16. In Figure 17, the school of fish 91-2 has moved from area A1 and is located in area A3. Also, in Figure 17, the moving direction 93-2 of the school of fish 91-2 is from side 81 to side 83 of the fish pen. At this time, the control device 100 controls the sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 located in area A3 to be turned on. At this time, the control device 100 may control the sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 to output sounds whose amplitude is smaller than the amplitude of the sounds output from the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3. Also, the control device 100 controls the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3, 82-1 to 82-3, and 84-1 to 84-3 located in areas other than area A3 to be turned off. As a result, the school of fish 91-2 that has entered area A3 of the fish pen 2 is guided to move away from the sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 in response to the sound stimuli from the sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 located in area A3. For example, the school of fish 91-2 is guided to move in a direction from area A3 toward area A4.

Figure 18 shows the state after some time has passed since the state in Figure 17. In Figure 18, the school of fish 91-3 has moved from area A3 and is located in area A4. Also, in Figure 18, the moving direction 93-3 of the school of fish 91-3 is facing the direction from area A3 to area A4. At this time, the control device 100 controls the sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 located in area A4 to be in the ON state. Also, the control device 100 controls the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3, 82-1 to 82-3, and 83-1 to 83-3 located in areas other than area A4 to be in the OFF state. As a result, the school of fish 91-3 that has entered area A4 of the fish pen 2 is guided to move in a direction away from the sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 in response to the sound stimulation from the sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 located in area A4. For example, the school of fish 91-3 is guided to move in a direction toward side 82, which is diagonally opposite side 84 of the fish pen. This guides the school of fish 91-3 to move toward guidance area 93, which is located in area A2.

The control device 100 also performs reinforcement learning of a second machine learning model that outputs information indicating the next state of each agent as output information when information indicating the current state of each agent, information indicating the current state of other agents located around each agent, information indicating the relative position of the school of fish to the position of each agent, and information indicating the moving direction of the school of fish are input as input information based on a reward according to the distance between the guidance area and the school of fish. For example, the reward according to the distance between the guidance area and the school of fish may be a reward that takes a larger value as the distance between the guidance area and the school of fish is smaller. For example, the information indicating the current state of each agent, information indicating the current state of other agents located around each agent, information indicating the relative position of the school of fish to the position of each agent, and information indicating the moving direction of the school of fish transition from the state shown in FIG. 16 to the state shown in FIG. 17, and as a result, the distance between the guidance area 93 and the school of fish 91-2 becomes d1. At this time, the control device 100 may perform reinforcement learning of the second machine learning model based on a reward proportional to the inverse of d1, for example.

In addition, when the total reward is proportional to the reciprocal of d1, the control device 100 may distribute the total reward to each agent according to the contribution of each agent. For example, when the control device 100 transitions from the state shown in FIG. 16 to the state shown in FIG. 17, since there is no induction area 93 in the area A1 and the area A4, it is preferable that there is no school of fish 91-2 in the area A1 and the area A4. Therefore, the control device 100 determines to give a reward of (1/d1)×(1/2)×(1/3) to the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 located in the area A1 and the sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 located in the area A4, respectively. On the other hand, since there is an induction area 93 in the area A2, it is preferable that there is a school of fish 91-2 in the area A2, but in reality, there is no school of fish 91-2 in the area A2, so it is not preferable. Therefore, the control device 100 determines not to give a reward as a penalty to the sound output devices 82-1 to 82-3 located in area A2. Also, since there is no induction area 93 in area A3, it is preferable that there are no schools of fish 91-2 in area A3, but in reality, there are schools of fish 91-2 in area A3, which is an undesirable state. Therefore, the control device 100 determines not to give a reward as a penalty to the sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 located in area A3.

In addition, the control device 100 may not provide rewards to sound output devices 82-1 to 82-3 located in area A2 and sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 located in area A3, but may provide weighted rewards to sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 located in area A1 and sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 located in area A4. For example, the control device 100 decides to provide a reward of (1/d1) x (1/4) x (1/3) to each of sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3, 82-1 to 82-3, 83-1 to 83-3, and 84-1 to 84-3. Furthermore, the control device 100 determines that a reward with an arbitrary weighting of (1/d1) x (1/4) x (1/3) x weight (for example, "2") will be given to the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 located in area A1 and the sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 located in area A4.

For example, when the information indicating the current state of each agent, the information indicating the current state of other agents located around each agent, the information indicating the relative position of the school of fish with respect to the position of each agent, and the information indicating the direction of travel of the school of fish transition from the state shown in FIG. 17 to the state shown in FIG. 18, the distance between the guidance area 93 and the school of fish 91-3 becomes d2. At this time, the control device 100 may perform reinforcement learning of the second machine learning model based on a reward proportional to the inverse of d2, for example.

In addition, when the total reward is a reward proportional to the inverse of d2, the control device 100 may distribute the total reward to each agent according to the contribution of each agent. For example, when the control device 100 transitions from the state shown in FIG. 17 to the state shown in FIG. 18, since there is no induction area 93 in the area A1 and the area A3, it is preferable that there is no school of fish 91-3 in the area A1 and the area A3. Therefore, the control device 100 determines to give a reward of (1/d2)×(1/2)×(1/3) to the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 located in the area A1 and the sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 located in the area A3, respectively. On the other hand, since there is an induction area 93 in the area A2, it is preferable that there is a school of fish 91-3 in the area A2, but in reality, there is no school of fish 91-3 in the area A2, so it is not preferable. Therefore, the control device 100 determines that no reward will be given as a penalty to the sound output devices 82-1 to 82-3 located in area A2. Also, since there is no induction area 93 in area A4, it is preferable that there are no schools of fish 91-3 in area A4, but in reality, there are schools of fish 91-3 in area A4, which is an undesirable state. Therefore, the control device 100 determines that no reward will be given as a penalty to the sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 located in area A4.

In addition, the control device 100 may not provide rewards to sound output devices 82-1 to 82-3 located in area A2 and sound output devices 84-1 to 84-3 located in area A4, but may provide weighted rewards to sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 located in area A1 and sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 located in area A3. For example, the control device 100 decides to provide rewards of (1/d2) x (1/4) x (1/3) to each of sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3, 82-1 to 82-3, 83-1 to 83-3, and 84-1 to 84-3. Furthermore, the control device 100 determines that a reward with an arbitrary weighting of (1/d1) x (1/4) x (1/3) x weight (for example, "2") will be given to the sound output devices 81-1 to 81-3 located in area A1 and the sound output devices 83-1 to 83-3 located in area A3.

In addition, the fish tank system according to the modified example may guide the size of the school of fish in the fish tank to a desired size by cooperative action of two or more stimulating devices using multi-agent reinforcement learning. Specifically, the fish tank includes two or more sound output devices or two or more lighting devices. The control device controls the output of sound from the two or more sound output devices or the irradiation of light from the two or more lighting devices using a second machine learning model in which the two or more sound output devices or the two or more lighting devices are reinforced to take cooperative action with the goal of guiding the size of the school of fish in the fish tank to a desired size. For example, the control device reinforces learning a second machine learning model that outputs information indicating the next state of each agent as output information when information indicating the current state of each agent, information indicating the current state of other agents located around each agent, information indicating the relative position of the school of fish with respect to the position of each agent, and information indicating the moving direction of the school of fish are input as input information based on a reward according to the size of the school of fish in addition to a reward according to the distance between the induction area and the school of fish. For example, the reward according to the size of the school of fish may be a reward that increases as the difference between the current size of the school of fish and the desired size of the school of fish decreases. The current size of the school of fish may be estimated from an image captured by a camera.

In addition, the fish cage system according to the modified example may induce the fish in the fish cage to move more by cooperative action of two or more electrode devices using multi-agent reinforcement learning. Specifically, the fish cage includes two or more electrode devices that generate at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field. The control device includes a control unit that controls the generation of at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field by the two or more electrode devices using a third machine learning model that has been reinforced to cause the two or more electrode devices to take cooperative action with the goal of causing the fish in the fish cage to move more. For example, the control device 100 reinforces learning a third machine learning model that outputs information indicating the next state of each agent as output information when information indicating the current state of each agent, information indicating the current state of other agents located around each agent, information indicating the relative position of the school of fish with respect to the position of each agent, information indicating the moving direction of the school of fish, and information indicating the amount of movement of the fish are input as input information based on a reward according to the amount of movement of the fish.

10. Hardware Configuration
The control device 100, control device 200, or control device 300 (not shown) according to the above-described embodiments is realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the control device. The computer 1000 includes a CPU 1100, a RAM 1200, a ROM 1300, a HDD 1400, a communication interface (I/F) 1500, an input/output interface (I/F) 1600, and a media interface (I/F) 1700.

The CPU 1100 operates based on a program stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400, and controls each component. The ROM 1300 stores a boot program executed by the CPU 1100 when the computer 1000 is started, and programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1000, etc.

HDD 1400 stores programs executed by CPU 1100 and data used by such programs. Communication interface 1500 receives data from other devices via a specified communication network and sends it to CPU 1100, and transmits data generated by CPU 1100 to other devices via the specified communication network.

The CPU 1100 controls output devices such as a display and a printer, and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, via the input/output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 acquires data from the input devices via the input/output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 also outputs generated data to the output devices via the input/output interface 1600.

The media interface 1700 reads a program or data stored in the recording medium 1800 and provides it to the CPU 1100 via the RAM 1200. The CPU 1100 loads the program from the recording medium 1800 onto the RAM 1200 via the media interface 1700 and executes the loaded program. The recording medium 1800 is, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disc), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the control device 100 or control device 200 according to the embodiment, the CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 executes a program loaded onto the RAM 1200 to realize the functions of the control unit 130, the control unit 230, or the control unit 330 (not shown). The CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 reads and executes these programs from the recording medium 1800, but as another example, the CPU 1100 may obtain these programs from another device via a specified communication network.

Although several embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be embodied in other forms that incorporate various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the forms described in the disclosure section of the invention.

11. Other
Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments and modifications, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed arbitrarily unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the illustrated information.

In addition, each component of each device shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

The above-described embodiments and variations can be combined as appropriate to the extent that they do not cause inconsistencies in the processing content.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 fish cage system 2 fish cage 10 sound output device 100 control device 110 communication unit 120 storage unit 130 control unit 1E fish cage system 70 lighting device 200 control device 210 communication unit 220 storage unit 230 control unit

Claims (21)

A fish cage system including a fish cage having one or more sound output devices or one or more lighting devices, and a control device,
The control device includes:
A control unit controls the output of a sound by the one or more sound output devices to cause the fish in the fish cage to take a behavior based on the habits of the fish, or controls the emission of a light by the one or more lighting devices to cause the fish in the fish cage to take a behavior based on the habits of the fish.
Cage system. The one or more sound output devices or the one or more lighting devices,
The fish cage is disposed at a position sandwiching a swimming area, which is an area in which the fish in the fish cage swim, between a guidance area, which is an area in which the fish in the fish cage are desired to be guided, and
The fish cage system according to claim 1. The one or more sound output devices,
The fish tank is disposed within a first range from a guidance area, which is an area to which the fish in the fish tank are desired to be guided.
The fish cage system according to claim 1. The induction area has an illumination level preferred by fish in the fish cage.
The fish cage system according to claim 2 or 3. The fish cage further includes an isolating member that divides an inside of the fish cage into a first area and a second area,
The isolation member is
With multiple holes smaller than the size of a shipping-sized fish,
The fish cage system according to claim 1. the one or more sound output devices or the one or more lighting devices are disposed in the first region partitioned by the isolation member;
The control device causes the one or more sound output devices to output the sound or the one or more lighting devices to emit the light, thereby guiding the fish in the fish pen to the second area.
The fish cage system according to claim 5. the one or more sound output devices are disposed in the second region partitioned by the isolation member;
The control device causes the one or more sound output devices to output the sounds, thereby guiding the fish in the fish pen to the second area.
The fish cage system according to claim 5. The plurality of holes are randomly arranged.
The fish cage system according to claim 5. The isolation member is in the form of a mesh, a sheet or a plate.
The fish cage system according to claim 5. The control unit causes the one or more sound output devices to output sounds at a volume disliked by the fish in the fish cage.
The fish cage system according to claim 1. The control unit causes the one or more sound output devices to output sounds of a type preferred by fish in the fish cage.
The fish cage system according to claim 1. The control unit controls the one or more lighting devices to emit light with an illuminance that is disliked by fish in the fish cage.
The fish cage system according to claim 1. The control unit is
further moving an object that causes a behavior based on the behavior of the fish in the fish cage to a position within a second range from the fish cage;
The fish cage system according to claim 1. The object is a model of a fish larger than the fish in the fish cage.
The fish cage system according to claim 13. The fish cage is
Two or more sound output devices or two or more lighting devices are provided;
The control device includes:
Using a first machine learning model that has been reinforced learning so that the two or more sound output devices or the two or more lighting devices will take a cooperative behavior with the goal of guiding the fish in the fish pen to a guidance area that is a desired area, the output of the sound by the two or more sound output devices or the irradiation of the light by the two or more lighting devices is controlled.
The fish cage system according to claim 1. The fish cage is
Two or more sound output devices or two or more lighting devices are provided;
The control device includes:
Using a second machine learning model in which the two or more sound output devices or the two or more lighting devices are reinforced to learn to cooperate with each other to guide the size of the school of fish in the fish pen to a desired size, the output of the sound by the two or more sound output devices or the irradiation of the light by the two or more lighting devices is controlled.
The fish cage system according to claim 1. A fish cage system including a fish cage having two or more electrode devices that generate at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field, and a control device,
The control device includes:
A control unit controls the generation of at least one of the electric field or the magnetic field by the two or more electrode devices using a third machine learning model that has been reinforced to make the two or more electrode devices take a cooperative behavior with the goal of making the fish in the fish cage move more.
Cage system. A control device that controls one or more sound output devices or one or more lighting devices provided in a fish cage,
A control device comprising: a control unit that controls the output of sound by the one or more sound output devices to cause the fish in the fish pen to behave in a manner based on their habits, or that controls the emission of light by the one or more lighting devices to cause the fish in the fish pen to behave in a manner based on their habits. A control device for controlling two or more electrode devices that generate at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field and are provided in the fish cage,
A control unit controls the generation of at least one of the electric field or the magnetic field by the two or more electrode devices using a third machine learning model that has been reinforced to make the two or more electrode devices take a cooperative behavior with the goal of making the fish in the fish cage move more.
Control device. A control method implemented by a program executed by a control device that controls one or more sound output devices or one or more lighting devices provided in a fish pen,
A control method comprising: a control step of controlling the output of sound by said one or more sound output devices, which causes the fish in said fish pen to behave in a manner based on their habits; or controlling the emission of light by said one or more lighting devices, which causes the fish in said fish pen to behave in a manner based on their habits. A control method implemented by a program executed by a control device that controls two or more electrode devices that generate at least one of an electric field or a magnetic field and are provided in a fish cage, comprising:
The control device includes:
a control step of controlling generation of at least one of the electric field or magnetic field by the two or more electrode devices using a third machine learning model that has been trained through reinforcement learning to make the two or more electrode devices behave cooperatively with the goal of increasing the movement of fish in the fish pen.

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