Multifunctional Microbial Cultivation Apparatus for Uniform Humidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mushroom cultivation technologies face challenges in precisely controlling temperature and humidity, leading to issues like condensation, uneven humidification, and difficulty in preventing mushroom differentiation during mycelium cultivation.
Innovation Solution
A multifunctional microbial unit cultivation apparatus that generates a mixed gas containing oxygen and regulates its temperature and humidity, ensuring precise control within the cultivation module while preventing condensation and mushroom differentiation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If heating-type humidifiers, ultrasonic humidifiers, or centrifugal humidifiers are used to humidify the cultivation environment, then humidity can be increased, but the humidification becomes uneven with certain areas excessively humid while others dry out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single humidification source into multiple humidification units distributed throughout the cultivation chamber. Each unit independently humidifies the local area, ensuring uniform humidity distribution across the entire space and eliminating the uneven humidification problem caused by centralized humidification systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local humidification by placing humidification units at specific locations within the cultivation chamber. Each unit provides targeted humidification to its surrounding area, creating locally optimized humidity conditions that collectively achieve uniform overall humidification.
2Productivity
If large-volume cultivation chambers or room-type facilities are used for producing fungal biomats, then cultivation capacity is increased, but precise control of the cultivation environment becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large cultivation space into multiple independent cultivation chambers, each equipped with its own environmental control systems. This segmentation allows each chamber to be precisely controlled independently while the overall system maintains high cultivation capacity through parallel operation of multiple chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from controlling a single large-volume space to controlling multiple smaller chambers in parallel. This dimensional change from one large space to many small spaces enables precise environmental control in each chamber while maintaining high overall productivity through scaled-up parallel operations.
3Temperature
If cooling or heating circulation systems with top discharge or bottom discharge are used to provide air at target temperature, then temperature control is achieved, but uniform temperature distribution becomes difficult due to convection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the temperature control system into multiple distributed heating and cooling units positioned throughout the cultivation chamber. Each unit independently controls the temperature of its local zone, eliminating the temperature gradients and non-uniform distribution caused by centralized top or bottom discharge systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local temperature control by placing temperature control units at specific locations within the cultivation chamber. Each unit provides targeted heating or cooling to its surrounding area, ensuring uniform temperature distribution throughout the entire space by combining multiple local control zones.
4Temperature
If humidified air is heated or cooled to provide air at target temperature, then temperature adjustment is achieved, but relative humidity deviates from target level and condensation or freezing may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs humidification before temperature adjustment in each local zone. By pre-humidifying the air before heating or cooling, the system ensures that the subsequent temperature change does not cause excessive humidity deviation or condensation, maintaining both temperature and humidity within target ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent independently controls both temperature and humidity parameters in each local zone rather than adjusting one after the other. This simultaneous parameter control prevents the humidity deviation and condensation issues that arise when humidified air is subsequently heated or cooled, as both parameters are optimized together from the start.
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 apparatus effectively maintains optimal temperature and humidity conditions, preventing condensation and promoting mycelium growth, thereby facilitating the formation of a fungal biomat without mushroom differentiation.
Implementation Method 1
a gas mixing unit that mixes carbon dioxide and oxygen to generate a mixed gas
Implementation Method 2
a temperature control unit that regulates the temperature of the mixed gas
Implementation Method 3
a temperature control unit that regulates the temperature of the mixed gas
Implementation Method 4
a humidity control unit that adjusts the humidity of the mixed gas
Implementation Method 5
The mixed gas can be circulated between the main module and the cultivation module
Data Source
AI summary
The multifunctional microbial unit culture apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main module that generates a mixed gas by mixing carbon dioxide and oxygen and controls the temperature and humidity of the mixed gas, and a cultivation module that includes a cultivation unit for cultivating microorganisms using the mixed gas supplied from the main module, wherein the mixed gas can circulate between the main module and the cultivation module.