Real-time web-based microclimate monitoring of broiler chicken trucks on different shifts

ABSTRACT This research aimed to monitor and evaluate air-conditioned trucks transporting day-old chicks, in various shifts of travel, through general packet radio service (GPRS) technology to provide real-time thermal control for poultry industry managers. The Control-Broilers equipment used were GS-105 and the Monitorar Platform. GS-105 is composed of sensors, a microprocessor, GPRS, and batteries. The Monitorar Platform provided nine applications that acted in coordination with web technology RESTful services. Twenty-eight chick transports were evaluated and monitored using the Control-Broilers. Truck routes were supervised by two researchers to ensure real-time data transmission through laptops and smartphones. Three air-conditioned trucks were used during two of days shifts. The vehicles had the same dimensions, but the routes, travel times, and load densities varied. Measurements of the air temperature, relative humidity, and specific enthalpy inside the trucks were recorded every minute. The experimental design was entirely randomized in a 3 × 2 factorial scheme, which represented the three trucks (CL, CA and JA) in two transport shifts (day and night), containing four repetitions (travel).The air-conditioned trucks transporting day-old chicks presented a 92.85% efficiency for real-time data transmission using GPRS technology. The trucks during the travel shifts did not provide thermal homogeneity in chick loads. The night shift presented worse thermal conditions.

摘要：本研究旨在通过通用分组无线服务（General Packet Radio Service，GPRS）技术，对多班次运行的一日龄雏鸡运输空调货车开展监测与评估，为家禽行业管理者提供实时温控支持。

本次研究所用的Control-Broilers设备包括GS-105与Monitorar平台（Monitorar Platform）。其中GS-105由传感器、微处理器、GPRS模块与电池组组成；Monitorar平台配备九款应用程序，可与RESTful服务（RESTful services）协同工作。

研究团队借助Control-Broilers设备，对28次雏鸡运输任务完成了评估与监测。两名研究人员对货车运输路线进行全程监督，确保通过笔记本电脑与智能手机实现实时数据传输。本次实验共使用3台空调货车，开展为期2天的多班次运输任务；三台货车尺寸一致，但运输路线、行驶时长与装载密度均存在差异。实验期间，每隔1分钟记录一次货车车厢内的空气温度、相对湿度与比焓数值。

本实验采用完全随机3×2因子试验设计，以3台货车（CL、CA与JA）与2种运输班次（日间与夜间）为因子水平，每组设置4次重复运输任务。

结果显示，搭载GPRS技术的雏鸡运输空调货车，其实时数据传输效率可达92.85%；运输过程中，货车车厢内雏鸡装载区域未实现热环境均匀性，且夜间班次的热环境条件更为恶劣。