Conical Fish Egg Tank Design for Continuous Gene Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for processing large numbers of small fish eggs, such as zebra fish eggs, are inefficient due to the difficulty in handling and injecting gene material into numerous tiny eggs, which requires expensive precision equipment and often results in eggs being caught in water tank corners, leading to quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a water tank apparatus with a rectangular-box-shaped upper portion and a cone-shaped lower portion, where fish eggs are collected on a porous plate and arranged to avoid corners, allowing for continuous production with reduced construction and operating costs, using a rotating water stream to prevent eggs from adhering to the tank walls, and a separating net to keep fish separate from eggs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a reverse-pyramid-shaped lower half portion with slope wall plates is used in the water tank, then egg collection is facilitated, but fish eggs are easily caught at corners between wall plates making separation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the reverse-pyramid shape with a cylindrical upper portion and conical lower portion configuration. The conical lower portion with its smooth curved surface eliminates the corner problems inherent in pyramidal designs, allowing eggs to be collected without getting trapped at sharp angles while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the natural tendency of eggs to settle at the bottom by designing the conical lower portion that guides eggs toward a centralized collection point at the apex, converting what could be a problematic accumulation issue into an efficient collection mechanism.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a cylindrical upper portion with cone-shaped lower portion is used, then egg entrapment is reduced, but large horizontal space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the vertical arrangement of the cylindrical and conical portions to achieve efficient egg collection while minimizing the horizontal footprint. By extending the collection system vertically rather than horizontally, the design reduces the area occupied while maintaining functional effectiveness.
3Manufacturing precision
If precision control is implemented for injection needle, then gene material injection accuracy is improved, but apparatus cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the system to minimize the need for complex precision control mechanisms by optimizing the egg collection and positioning methods, reducing dependency on expensive automated injection systems while maintaining adequate injection accuracy for the application.
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
Enables efficient processing and injection of gene material into a large number of fish eggs daily, reducing the need for expensive equipment and maintaining water quality by preventing eggs from adhering to tank surfaces and allowing for high packing density of tank units.
Implementation Method 1
A pair of water-supplying pipes is disposed horizontally at the cylinder-shaped portion. A pair of drainage pipes is disposed at the cylinder-shaped upper portion. These pipes makes rotating water stream in the water tank.
Implementation Method 2
The rotating water stream rises upwardly... The rotating water stream descends downwardly... removing the fish eggs from inner side walls of the tank unit easily
Implementation Method 3
The fish eggs in the drainage are collected on a porous plate of an egg-collecting case through which the drainage flows
Data Source
AI summary
It is an object of the invention to provide a method for processing a very large number of fish eggs for gene injection and so on, which employs a simple system with high performance and a reasonable construction expense. It is another object to provide the method having an water tank apparatus capable of producing a large number of fish eggs continuously.A large number of water tank groups having an independent drainage passage each is lighted up in turn with a predetermined interval. An egg-collecting case with a net bottom is set in the drainage passage connecting to the water tank group to which the lighting is started. The water tank group consists of a plurality of tank unit accommodating fishes each. Each book-shaped tank unit has a rectangular-shaped upper portion and a cone-shaped lower portion. Rotating water stream is formed in each tank unit.