Hydroponic Strut Relocation for Trimming Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
In hydroponic cultivation systems, skeletal structures like struts and frames often act as obstacles during plant or fungus growth, hindering trimming and maintenance processes.
Innovation Solution
A growing apparatus with a shed-shaped component and a slidable lid system that allows for adjustable spacing between plates, preventing the strut from obstructing operations and accommodating plants or fungi without direct contact, while maintaining efficient water flow and light distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If struts are erected along the aisles to support cultivation trays, then the structural stability is improved, but the struts act as obstacles during trimming and maintenance operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the strut from the aisle area and relocates it to the ceiling structure. By extracting the strut from its original position along the aisles and integrating it into the ceiling framework, the obstacle is eliminated from the operational space while the structural support function is preserved through the ceiling-mounted configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The strut is repositioned from a horizontal/vertical configuration along the aisles to a ceiling-mounted configuration in the vertical dimension. This dimensional relocation allows the strut to maintain structural integrity while clearing the operational workspace below, enabling easy access for trimming and maintenance activities.
2Stability of the object's composition
If vertical frames are erected along the aisles to support fungal beds, then the structural stability is improved, but the vertical frames act as obstacles during mushroom trimming operations
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical frame is extracted from the aisle-level support structure and relocated to the ceiling. This extraction removes the obstacle from the operational zone where mushroom trimming occurs, while the frame's structural function is maintained through its ceiling-mounted positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical frame is repositioned from a ground-level or aisle-level structural element to a ceiling-mounted element in the vertical dimension. This spatial reconfiguration eliminates interference with mushroom trimming operations while preserving the structural support function through the ceiling framework.
3Area of stationary object
If cultivation trays are placed on the inner side of struts, then the space utilization is improved, but the struts obstruct access to plants for trimming and maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The strut is extracted from the aisle-level support position and relocated to the ceiling structure. This extraction allows cultivation trays to be positioned without strut obstruction, enabling full access to plants for trimming and maintenance while maintaining efficient space utilization through the ceiling-mounted configuration.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is an apparatus for growing a plant or a fungus, in which struts provided for hydroponic cultivation or the growth of a fungus are kept out of the way. An apparatus for growing a plant or a fungus according to the present invention is provided with: multiple struts 1; brackets 2 respectively fixed to the struts 1; top-opened water passages 3 which are suspended over the brackets 2 and in which a plant P is to be grown; and lids 4 which respectively cover the upper surfaces of the water passages 3 and each of which has, formed therein, multiple holes (pot insertion holes) 41. Each of the brackets 2 projects in opposite directions around each of the struts 1. Each of the struts 1 is arranged at the midpoint of each of the brackets 2, and multiple rows of the water passages 3 are arranged in parallel so as to pinch the struts 1 therebetween. Each of the lids 4 is made from a material that can reflect light from above and can prevent the penetration of the light through the water passages 3.