High-Voltage Plant Applicator With Adjustable Insulated Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for applying high-voltage electricity to plant substrates, such as those used for desiccating potato plants, face issues with complex structures, energy waste, and inability to maintain a small distance from the ground, while chemical treatments leave residues and mechanical methods are energy-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising conductive electrodes, insulating guides, and connectors for attachment to a moving carrier, allowing flexible adjustment to soil relief and minimizing ground contact, with conductive means for energy transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex structure with multiple components is used to apply high voltage to plants, then the device can provide controlled electrical treatment, but the device complexity increases and energy is wasted through ground contact
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into modular components: insulating supports that can be independently attached to the tractor, electrodes positioned at specific heights, and adjustable height mechanisms. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful element of ground contact is extracted and eliminated by using insulating supports that prevent the electrodes from touching the ground. This extraction removes the energy waste pathway while preserving the useful electrical treatment function.
2Loss of energy
If the device is positioned at a higher distance from the ground, then it avoids ground contact and energy waste, but it cannot maintain a small distance from the ground for effective treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates adjustable height mechanisms that allow the electrode-to-ground distance to be dynamically changed based on terrain conditions and treatment requirements. This dynamic adjustment enables the device to maintain optimal treatment distance while avoiding excessive ground contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating supports act as flexible intermediaries between the electrodes and the ground, providing electrical isolation while allowing the electrodes to maintain a controlled proximity to the plant substrate without direct ground contact.
3Productivity
If conventional chemicals are used to kill above-ground growth, then the treatment is effective, but chemical residues are left in the soil and on crops
Solution Approach 1:
The chemical treatment system is replaced with an electrical treatment system. Instead of using chemical substances that leave residues, the invention uses controlled electrical fields to achieve the same biological effect (desiccation of above-ground growth) without introducing harmful chemical residues into the soil or crops.
4Productivity
If chemical treatments are applied, then above-ground growth is killed effectively, but the treatment is temperature dependent and may be washed off by rain
Solution Approach 1:
The weather-dependent chemical application process is replaced with an electrical field application system that operates independently of temperature and precipitation conditions. The electrical treatment can be applied consistently regardless of environmental conditions, eliminating the variability inherent in chemical treatments.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides a simple, effective, and adaptable means for applying high-voltage electricity to plants, reducing energy loss and residue issues, while maintaining a close proximity to the ground.
Implementation Method 1
the electricity desiccating the above-ground portion of the crops while not harming the tubers
Implementation Method 2
at least one modular pair of insulating guides connected to the at least two conductive electrodes, insulating the electrodes from each other and at least one of them from the moving carrier
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides relates to a device for introducing high voltage into a plant substrate, the device arranged to be carried by a moving carrier. The device comprises at least two conductive electrodes; at least one pair of insulating guides connected to the at least two conductive electrodes, insulating the electrodes from each other and at least one of them from the moving carrier; at least one connector for attaching the insulating guides into the moving carrier; conductive means for conducting energy from an electrical source to the at least two conductive electrodes.