Self-cleaning mechanism and seedling raising device

Abstract

The invention discloses a self-cleaning mechanism and a seedling raising device. The self-cleaning mechanism comprises a mounting frame, a floating plate, a lead screw nut, a rotating shaft and a scraping piece. The floating plate is slidably arranged in the mounting frame in the vertical direction, and the floating plate is configured to correspondingly ascend and descend on the mounting frame along with ascending and descending of the seawater level; it can be understood that when the water level rises, the floating plate can rise along with the water level, and when the water level falls, the floating plate can fall along with the water level. The lead screw nut is fixedly connected to the mounting frame and located above the floating plate. The axis of the rotating shaft extends in the vertical direction, the rotating shaft rotates around the axis of the rotating shaft to be supported on the floating plate, and the rotating shaft is provided with a lead screw section matched with the lead screw nut to form a screw pair above the floating plate. The scraping part is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft and located below the floating plate, and the floating plate can ascend and descend on the mounting frame so as to drive the rotating shaft to ascend and descend synchronously and enable the rotating shaft to drive the scraping part to scrape attachments on the bottom face of the floating plate under the constraint of the screw pair.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of seedling breeding equipment technology, and particularly to a self-cleaning mechanism and seedling breeding device. Background Technology

[0002] Mangrove plants, as vegetation in coastal wetlands, are generally cultivated artificially before being planted to improve the ecological environment. The cultivation process of mangrove plants needs to adapt to the tidal environment, so floating boards are needed to support the seedling cups to ensure that the roots of the mangrove seedlings can be in contact with seawater for a long time.

[0003] Currently, in coastal seedling cultivation environments, floating boards, as the core load-bearing components of seedling cultivation devices, have their bottom surfaces in constant contact with seawater. This makes them prone to the growth of algae, shellfish, or the accumulation of mud and other deposits. This not only increases the weight of the floating board and affects buoyancy balance, but can also clog the drainage holes at the bottom of the seedling cups, leading to poor aeration and water permeability at the seedling roots and causing root rot. Existing cleaning methods mostly rely on regular manual retrieval and wiping, which is cumbersome, labor-intensive, and difficult to precisely control in areas with frequent tidal changes, thus hindering the large-scale development of mangrove seedling cultivation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this invention proposes a self-cleaning mechanism that can use tidal forces to remove deposits from the bottom surface of the floating board.

[0005] The present invention also proposes a seedling device with a self-cleaning mechanism.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a self-cleaning mechanism includes a mounting frame, a float, a lead screw nut, a rotating shaft, and a scraper. The float is vertically slidably disposed within the mounting frame, configured to rise and fall on the mounting frame in response to changes in seawater level. The lead screw nut is fixedly connected to the mounting frame and is located above the float. The rotating shaft extends vertically and is rotatably supported on the float around its own axis. The rotating shaft has a lead screw section above the float that cooperates with the lead screw nut to form a helical pair. The scraper is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft and is located below the float. The scraper has a scraping end that abuts against the bottom surface of the float. The float can rise and fall on the mounting frame to drive the rotating shaft to rise and fall synchronously, and the rotating shaft, constrained by the helical pair, drives the scraper to rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft, so that the scraping end scrapes away the deposits on the bottom surface of the float.

[0007] It has at least the following beneficial effects: The movement of the float rising and falling with the tide drives the rotating shaft to simultaneously rise, fall, and rotate within the screw nut, thereby causing the scraping component to continuously rotate and scrape on the bottom surface of the float, achieving automatic and real-time removal of attached materials, eliminating the need for manual cleaning. Driven by the float and rotating shaft, the scraping component moves continuously with the tide, promptly removing attached materials as soon as they appear on the bottom surface of the float, preventing the formation of a stubborn layer. This effectively prevents the attached materials from increasing the load on the float, ensuring the float's buoyancy balance, and preventing the attached materials from falling off and clogging the drainage holes at the bottom of the seedling cups. Furthermore, the scraping process relies on the vertical sliding fit between the float and the mounting frame, and the threaded connection between the rotating shaft and the screw nut, utilizing the natural energy of the tidal rise and fall, eliminating the need for additional power components, thus reducing the device's manufacturing cost and additional energy consumption.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the lower end of the float is provided with an annular hook portion, and the end of the scraper away from the axis of rotation is provided with an adapter hook portion, which is hooked onto the annular hook portion and can slide in the annular hook portion.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a ball bearing is provided at one end of the adapter hook near the annular hook portion, and the ball bearing is capable of rolling within the annular hook portion.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of scraping elements are provided, and the plurality of scraping elements are evenly distributed around the axis of the rotating shaft.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a connecting block is included, the connecting block is cylindrical, a scraper is connected to the outer peripheral wall of the connecting block, the length extension direction of the scraper is offset from the axis of the connecting block, the connecting block is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft, and the connecting block is located below the floating plate.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a V-shaped scraper is provided at one end of the scraper near the bottom surface of the float plate. The open end of the V-shaped scraper abuts against the bottom surface of the float plate. Each single-side plate of the V-shaped scraper has an angle α with the bottom surface of the float plate, where 30°≤α≤45°. A scraping blade is provided at one end of the single-side plate near the bottom surface of the float plate. The scraping blade is connected to the single-side plate through an arc-shaped transition portion.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the mounting bracket includes a frame portion and a support portion, the support portion being connected to the lower end of the frame portion, the support portion being adjustable in length, the support portion being used to insert into the ground, and the float plate and the lead screw nut being disposed on the frame portion.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of guide rods are provided on the mounting frame, and the float is slidably sleeved on the guide rods.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a seedling raising device includes a self-cleaning mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention, and a seedling cup, wherein a mounting hole is provided on the float plate of the self-cleaning mechanism, a partition net is provided at the lower end of the mounting hole, and a clamping member is provided on the inner wall of the mounting hole; the seedling cup is mounted in the mounting hole, and the clamping member is used to clamp the seedling cup.

[0016] It has at least the following beneficial effects: This seedling device has all the beneficial effects brought about by the self-cleaning mechanism mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the clamping member includes an elastic clamping block, one end of which is hinged to the inner wall of the mounting hole, and the other end of which is used to clamp the seedling cup.

[0018] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the self-cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the self-cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from below. Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the self-cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the self-cleaning mechanism for removing the mounting bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the scraper disengaging from the annular hook in the self-cleaning mechanism; Figure 6 for Figure 4 The diagram shows a partial cross-section of the self-cleaning mechanism. Figure 7 This is a bottom view of the self-cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the cross-section of the V-shaped scraper and the floating plate of the self-cleaning mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Icon labels: Mounting bracket 100, frame part 110, guide rod 111, support leg part 120; Float 200, annular hook 210, mounting hole 220, partition net 221, clamping part 222, elastic clamping block 222a; 300 lead screw nut, 300a support frame; Shaft 400, lead screw section 410; Scraping part 500, adapter hook 510, ball bearing 511, V-shaped scraper 520, single-sided plate 521, scraper blade 522, arc-shaped transition part 523; Connecting block 600, seedling cup 700. Detailed Implementation

[0021] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0022] In the description of this invention, the use of "first" and "second" is for the purpose of distinguishing technical features only, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated or the order of the technical features indicated.

[0023] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "set up," "install," and "connect" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0024] Reference Figures 1 to 8 This invention discloses a self-cleaning mechanism, including a mounting frame 100, a float 200, a lead screw nut 300, a rotating shaft 400, and a scraper 500. It is understood that mangrove seedling breeding typically takes place on coastal mudflats. Placing the mounting frame 100 at a suitable water depth allows the float 200 to float, ensuring that the mangrove seedlings on the float 200 are in contact with the water.

[0025] Reference Figures 1 to 3The float 200 is vertically slidably disposed within the mounting frame 100. The float 200 is configured to rise and fall on the mounting frame 100 in accordance with the rise and fall of the seawater level. It can be understood that when the water level rises, the float 200 can rise with the water level, and when the water level falls, the float 200 can fall with the water level. A lead screw nut 300 is fixedly connected to the mounting frame 100 and is located above the float plate 200. A rotating shaft 400 extends vertically along its axis and is supported on the float plate 200 by rotating around its own axis. The rotating shaft 400 has a lead screw section 410 above the float plate 200 that cooperates with the lead screw nut 300 to form a helical pair. A scraper 500 is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 400 and is located below the float plate 200. The scraper 500 has a scraping end that abuts against the bottom surface of the float plate 200. The float plate 200 can rise and fall on the mounting frame to drive the rotating shaft 400 to rise and fall synchronously, and the rotating shaft 400, under the constraint of the helical pair, drives the scraper 500 to rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft 400 so that the scraping end scrapes off the deposits on the bottom surface of the float plate 200.

[0026] It should be understood that the movement of the float 200 rising and falling with the tide drives the rotating shaft 400 to simultaneously rise, fall, and rotate within the screw nut 300. This, in turn, causes the scraper 500 to continuously rotate and scrape the bottom surface of the float 200, achieving automatic and real-time removal of attached materials, eliminating the need for manual cleaning. Driven by the float 200 and the rotating shaft 400, the scraper 500 continuously moves with the tide, promptly removing attached materials as soon as they appear on the bottom surface of the float 200, preventing the formation of a stubborn layer. This effectively prevents the attached materials from increasing the load on the float 200, ensuring the buoyancy balance of the float 200, and preventing the attached materials from falling off and clogging the bottom drainage holes of the seedling cup 700. Furthermore, the scraping process relies on the vertical sliding fit between the float 200 and the mounting frame 100, and the threaded connection between the rotating shaft 400 and the screw nut 300, utilizing the natural energy of the tidal rise and fall. No additional power components are required, reducing the manufacturing cost and energy consumption of the device. Meanwhile, this structural design ensures that the scraping components maintain close contact with the bottom surface of the floating plate, enabling stable operation even during periods of significant tidal fluctuations and guaranteeing long-lasting and reliable cleaning results. The use of seawater-resistant materials in the fabrication of all components further extends the device's lifespan in high-salt, high-humidity environments, adapting it to the complex marine ecological environment of mangrove forest cultivation areas.

[0027] Reference Figures 3 to 6The lower end of the float 200 is provided with an annular hook portion 210, and the end of the scraper 500 away from the axis of rotation 400 is provided with an adapter hook portion 510. The adapter hook portion 510 hooks onto the annular hook portion 210 and can slide within the annular hook portion 210. This design allows the adapter hook portion 510 to slide along the trajectory of the annular hook portion 210 when the scraper 500 rotates with the rotation axis 400, thereby constraining the range of motion of the scraper 500 and ensuring its stable rotation around the rotation axis 400 without detaching downwards from the float 200. The scraper 500 is made of an elastic material, such as polypropylene plastic. The mating structure of the annular hook portion 210 and the adapter hook portion 510 also allows the scraper 500 to float slightly in the vertical direction to adapt to unevenness or changes in the height of deposits on the bottom surface of the float 200. When the tide rises and falls, causing the float 200 to move up and down, the rotating shaft 400 rotates synchronously in the screw nut 300, driving the scraper 500 to make continuous circular motion along the bottom surface of the float.

[0028] It should be understood that positioning the lead screw nut 300 above the float 200, allowing the shaft 400 to rotate, reduces contact between other components and seawater, effectively lowering the risk of corrosion and minimizing interference from marine organisms adhering to the transmission structure, thus extending the overall maintenance cycle of the device. When the upper end of the shaft 400 is connected to a drive assembly or a manual rotation mechanism, auxiliary drive can be achieved in non-tidal conditions, improving cleaning flexibility. Alternatively, a support frame 300a can be used to support the lead screw nut 300. The support frame 300a and the mounting frame 100 are detachably connected. Detachability means fastening with screws or bolts, rather than irreversible welding. This detachable method facilitates transportation, assembly, and adaptation to different specifications of the float 200. Furthermore, a sealed bearing structure is installed at the connection between the shaft 400 and the float 200 to effectively prevent seawater from entering the threaded hole of the lead screw nut 300 and the connection area of ​​the shaft 400, preventing jamming caused by salt deposition and ensuring smooth operation of the transmission system over long periods.

[0029] Reference Figure 5A ball bearing 511 is provided at one end of the adapter hook 510 near the annular hook 210, and the ball bearing 511 can roll within the annular hook 210. The ball bearing 511 significantly reduces the sliding friction between the adapter hook 510 and the annular hook 210, making the scraper 500 run more smoothly and stably when rotating with the shaft 400. The ball bearing 511 is made of corrosion-resistant ceramic material, which has both high hardness and low friction characteristics, further improving the smoothness of movement while avoiding wear and jamming caused by seawater erosion. During the rotation of the scraper 500 with the shaft 400, the rolling guidance of the ball bearing 511 within the annular hook 210 achieves low-resistance circumferential movement, effectively reducing the driving torque requirement, allowing the device to operate continuously even with minimal tidal kinetic energy. In addition, corrosion-resistant ceramic materials can be replaced with polymer composite materials, such as polytetrafluoroethylene or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, which also have excellent wear resistance and seawater corrosion resistance, and have a lower density, which helps to reduce the overall weight of the scraper and reduce the moment of inertia.

[0030] In some embodiments, a plurality of scraping elements 500 are provided, and the plurality of scraping elements 500 are evenly distributed around the axis of the rotating shaft 400. The synchronous operation of multiple scraping elements 500 can significantly improve the cleaning coverage and efficiency of the bottom surface of the floating plate 200, especially when a large area of ​​deposits is accumulated, it can still maintain uniform force and avoid local overload.

[0031] Reference Figure 7 The system includes a connecting block 600, which is cylindrical. A scraper 500 is connected to the outer peripheral wall of the connecting block 600. The length of the scraper 500 extends off-axis from the axis of the connecting block 600. The connecting block 600 is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 400 and is located below the floating plate 200. The length of the scraper 500 can extend along the tangent of the outer peripheral wall of the connecting block 600 to optimize the angle of entry when the scraping direction contacts the attached material, thereby improving peeling efficiency. The connecting block 600 and the rotating shaft 400 are fixedly connected by a keyway structure to ensure stable torque transmission and prevent relative rotation.

[0032] Reference Figure 8 A V-shaped scraper 520 is provided at one end of the scraper 500 near the bottom surface of the float 200. The open end of the V-shaped scraper 520 abuts against the bottom surface of the float 200. Each single-side plate 521 of the V-shaped scraper 520 has an angle α with the bottom surface of the float 200, 30°≤α≤45°. A scraping blade 522 is provided at one end of the single-side plate 521 near the bottom surface of the float 200. The scraping blade 522 is connected to the single-side plate 521 through an arc-shaped transition part 523.

[0033] Reference Figures 1 to 3The mounting frame 100 includes a frame portion 110 and a support portion 120. The support portion 120 is connected to the lower end of the frame portion 110 and its length is adjustable. The support portion 120 is used for insertion into the ground. The float plate 200 and the lead screw nut 300 are both located in the frame portion 110. The support frame 300a supporting the lead screw nut 300 is detachably connected to the frame portion 110 by bolts, facilitating the installation and maintenance of the device. The support portion 120 adopts a telescopic sleeve structure, which, together with the locking nut, allows for height adjustment to adapt to different tide levels and terrain changes, improving the applicability of the device.

[0034] Reference Figures 1 to 3 The mounting frame 100 is equipped with several guide rods 111, and the float 200 is slidably sleeved on the guide rods 111. The guide rods 111 extend vertically to limit the movement trajectory of the float 200, ensuring that it maintains stable vertical displacement during tidal rise and fall, and avoiding swaying or jamming. When water level changes cause the float to float up and down, the scraper always runs in contact with the bottom of the plate, achieving continuous cleaning. The overall structure works synergistically to improve the reliability and durability of the device in complex marine environments.

[0035] The seedling raising device according to a second aspect embodiment of the present invention includes a self-cleaning mechanism according to the first aspect embodiment described above, and a seedling cup 700. The float plate 200 of the self-cleaning mechanism has a mounting hole 220, a partition net 221 is provided at the lower end of the mounting hole 220, and a clamping member 222 is provided on the inner wall of the mounting hole 220. The seedling cup 700 is mounted in the mounting hole 220, and the clamping member 222 is used to clamp the seedling cup 700. It should be noted that this seedling raising device possesses all the beneficial effects brought about by the self-cleaning mechanism described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0036] Reference Figure 3 The clamping component 222 includes an elastic clamping block 222a. One end of the elastic clamping block 222a is hinged to the inner wall of the mounting hole 220, and the other end is used to clamp the seedling cup 700. The clamping end of the elastic clamping block 222a is provided with anti-slip texture to enhance the fixing stability of the seedling cup 700 and prevent it from loosening and falling off due to water flow impact. The mesh 221 is used to prevent large suspended objects from entering the interior of the mounting hole 220, preventing blockage and protecting the bottom area of ​​the seedling cup 700. It also prevents the roots of mangrove seedlings from extending downwards, avoiding root entanglement and affecting the cleaning of the bottom surface of the float 200.

[0037] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0038] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent modifications or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such equivalent modifications or substitutions are included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning mechanism, characterized in that, include: Mounting bracket (100); A float (200) is vertically slidably disposed within the mounting frame (100), and the float (200) is configured to rise and fall on the mounting frame (100) in accordance with the rise and fall of the seawater level; A lead screw nut (300) is fixedly connected to the mounting bracket (100), and the lead screw nut (300) is located above the float plate (200); A rotating shaft (400) extends along the vertical direction. The rotating shaft (400) is rotatably supported on the float (200) around its own axis. The rotating shaft (400) has a screw section (410) above the float (200) that cooperates with the screw nut (300) to form a helical pair. A scraper (500) is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft (400). The scraper (500) is located below the float (200). The scraper (500) has a scraping end that abuts against the bottom surface of the float (200). The float (200) can be raised and lowered on the mounting frame to drive the rotating shaft (400) to rise and fall synchronously. Under the constraint of the screw pair, the rotating shaft (400) drives the scraper (500) to rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft (400) so that the scraping end scrapes off the deposits on the bottom surface of the float (200).

2. The self-cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower end of the float (200) is provided with an annular hook (210), and the scraper (500) is provided with an adapter hook (510) at one end away from the axis of the rotating shaft (400). The adapter hook (510) is hooked on the annular hook (210), and the adapter hook (510) can slide in the annular hook (210).

3. The self-cleaning mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The adapter hook (510) is provided with a ball (511) at one end near the annular hook (210), and the ball (511) can roll within the annular hook (210).

4. The self-cleaning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The scraping element (500) is provided in a plurality of such elements, which are evenly distributed around the axis of the rotating shaft (400).

5. The self-cleaning mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, Includes a connecting block (600), which is cylindrical, and a scraper (500) connected to the outer peripheral wall of the connecting block (600). The length extension direction of the scraper (500) is offset from the axis of the connecting block (600). The connecting block (600) is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft (400) and is located below the float (200).

6. The self-cleaning mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that, The scraper (500) is provided with a V-shaped scraper (520) at one end near the bottom surface of the float (200). The open end of the V-shaped scraper (520) abuts against the bottom surface of the float (200). Each single-side plate (521) of the V-shaped scraper (520) has an angle α with the bottom surface of the float (200), 30°≤α≤45°. A scraping blade (522) is provided at one end of the single-side plate (521) near the bottom surface of the float (200). The scraping blade (522) is connected to the single-side plate (521) through an arc-shaped transition part (523).

7. The self-cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting bracket (100) includes a frame (110) and a support (120). The support (120) is connected to the lower end of the frame (110). The support (120) is adjustable in length and is used to insert into the ground. The float (200) and the lead screw nut (300) are both located on the frame (110).

8. The self-cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting frame (100) is provided with a plurality of guide rods (111), and the float plate (200) is slidably sleeved on the guide rods (111).

9. A seedling raising device, characterized in that, include: The self-cleaning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the float plate (200) is provided with a mounting hole (220), a partition net (221) is provided at the lower end of the mounting hole (220), and a clamping member (222) is provided on the inner wall of the mounting hole (220). A seedling cup (700) is installed in the mounting hole (220), and the clamp (222) is used to clamp the seedling cup (700).

10. The seedling raising device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The clamping component (222) includes an elastic clamping block (222a), one end of which is hinged to the inner wall of the mounting hole (220), and the other end of which is used to clamp the seedling cup (700).

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