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，对不同班次运输日龄雏鸡的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。本研究所使用的Control-Broilers设备包括GS-105型设备与Monitorar平台，其中GS-105由传感器、微处理器、GPRS模块及电池组构成；Monitorar平台集成了九款应用程序，可与RESTful网络服务协同运行。研究人员借助Control-Broilers设备对28批次雏鸡运输过程完成评估与监测，同时由两名研究人员对货车行驶路线全程监管，以保障通过笔记本电脑与智能手机实现实时数据传输。本研究使用3台空调货车开展两类运输班次的实验，各货车外形尺寸一致，但行驶路线、运输时长及装载密度均存在差异。研究人员每分钟记录一次货车内部的空气温度、相对湿度及比焓值。本实验采用完全随机3×2因子设计方案，以3台货车（CL、CA与JA）和两类运输班次（日间与夜间）为因子，每组设置4次重复运输实验。采用GPRS技术的运输日龄雏鸡的空调货车，其实时数据传输效率达92.85%；运输过程中，货车内部雏鸡装载区域未实现温度均一性，且夜间班次的热环境条件更差。