Adjustable Trellis and Flexible Container for Plant Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional trellises are rigid and inflexible, requiring frequent pruning and repositioning to maintain optimal airflow and light penetration, which reduces plant yield and increases labor, and are often vertically positioned, limiting light exposure.
Innovation Solution
A plant container system comprising a movable, rigid outer container with a flexible inner container and a removable trellis that allows for adjustable branch support and orientation, enabling better air circulation, light penetration, and reducing the need for regular pruning, with a trellis that can be angled and used as a drying rack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a traditional rigid trellis is used, then structural support is provided, but the trellis requires frequent pruning and repositioning to maintain optimal airflow and light penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the trellis adjustable and reconfigurable rather than fixed. The trellis structure can be repositioned along the plant support杆 and reconfigured to accommodate growing plant needs, transforming a static support structure into a dynamic one that adapts to plant development stages, thereby eliminating the need for frequent pruning while maintaining structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the trellis into multiple adjustable sections that can be independently positioned and configured. This segmentation allows different parts of the trellis to be optimized for different plant growth stages and allows easy reconfiguration without affecting the entire structure, resolving the contradiction between providing continuous structural support and maintaining optimal growth conditions.
2Strength
If a traditional rigid trellis is used, then branch support is provided, but regular pruning and repositioning increases labor time
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic, adjustable nature of the trellis allows it to be configured once to accommodate plant growth, eliminating the need for repeated pruning and repositioning operations. The trellis can be adjusted to support branches at optimal positions throughout the growth cycle, significantly reducing the time and labor required for plant maintenance.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the trellis is positioned vertically, then structural stability is maintained, but light exposure to the plant is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The trellis structure can be dynamically adjusted between vertical and angled positions. This allows the structure to maintain stability when vertical while also being reconfigurable to angled positions that optimize light exposure to the plant, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and light exposure requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces asymmetric positioning options for the trellis, allowing it to be angled at various degrees rather than strictly vertical. This asymmetric configuration optimizes light capture from different directions while maintaining structural stability through the angled support design.
4Illumination intensity
If the plant container is repositioned to change trellis angle, then light exposure is improved, but the growing media spills
Solution Approach 1:
The container system is segmented into an inner flexible container holding the growing media and an outer rigid container providing structural support. This segmentation allows the inner container to flex and adapt to angled positions while the outer container maintains stability, enabling light optimization without soil spillage.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of a flexible inner container as the growing media holder allows the container to be repositioned to various angles for optimal light exposure. The flexible material conforms to different orientations and prevents soil spillage through its ability to seal and adapt to the angled position, resolving the contradiction between light exposure and soil containment.
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 system improves plant yield by allowing for flexible branch support and orientation, reducing pruning needs, and optimizing light exposure, thereby increasing growth efficiency and reducing labor, while maintaining soil containment and air circulation.
Implementation Method 1
At least a portion of the flexible inner container is porous to permit water to be added directly to the plant by passing through the inner container
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for improving plant yield. The apparatus includes a plant container adapted to be movable between a first plant growing direction and a second plant growing direction. In one embodiment, the plant container includes a first rigid outer container and a second flexible inner container adapted to be received by the outer container and for containing growing media for one or more plants. The apparatus may further include a rigid trellis attached to the plant container. The present inventions also include a method for improving the growth efficiency and yields of a plant.