Dual-Layer Trellising System with Overhead Conveyor for Frost Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trellising systems in vineyards and orchards fail to provide adequate protection against frost damage, offer insufficient support for workers, and lack effective material handling and water conservation capabilities, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs in grape and apple production.
Innovation Solution
A dual-layer trellising system with modifiable components and configurations, featuring triangular prism structures, anchorage structures with ratchet mechanisms, and overhead conveyor wires, which supports sheet materials for frost protection, facilitates easy installation and removal of solar netting, and integrates water collection and conservation systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If plastic sheets are used for frost protection, then protection effectiveness is improved, but installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire trellising system is designed to serve multiple functions: supporting grapevines, providing frost protection through plastic sheet attachment, and enabling solar netting installation. The wires are configured with appropriate spacing and tensioning to accommodate various protective coverings without requiring separate installation structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The trellising system divides the protection function into segments along the vine rows, with wires positioned at specific heights and intervals. This segmentation allows plastic sheets to be attached in manageable sections, facilitating easier installation and removal while maintaining effective frost protection coverage.
2Reliability
If solar netting is installed to protect against excessive solar heating, then crop protection is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The trellising system employs tensioned wires that can dynamically accommodate the addition and removal of solar netting. The wires maintain sufficient tension to support the netting when installed but allow for easy removal during periods when solar protection is not needed, adapting to changing operational requirements throughout the growing season.
3Productivity
If workers manually handle heavy loads, then material handling capability is maintained, but physical strain on workers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overhead wire structure creates a three-dimensional material handling system where loads can be suspended and transported along the wire framework. This elevates material handling to a different spatial dimension, allowing workers to manage heavy loads through the overhead structure rather than carrying them manually at ground level, thereby reducing physical strain while maintaining handling capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A trellising system comprises a dual layer structure, including an outer layer and an inner layer. The system includes at least one core structure-group, a plurality of main wires, and an anchorage structure. The core structure-group comprises a plurality of growing units. The main wires, which extend along an entire length of a row constituted by the core structure-groups, include an upper sheet wire, an upper trellis wire, and optionally an overhead conveyor wire. One terminal end of each of the main wires is attached to the anchorage structure. The outer layer makes an outer support sub-system to support a plurality of sheet materials. The inner layer makes a trellis support sub-system to support plant growth.