Modular Soilless Plant Container with Adjustable Slits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydroponic and aeroponic systems face limitations in variety, user-friendliness, and providing favorable growth conditions for a wide range of plants, including issues with root damage, uneven nutrient distribution, and limited aesthetic and structural integration into buildings.
Innovation Solution
A modular, geometrically versatile container system with adjustable holding devices and separate slits for plant growth, allowing for mechanical support without damage, efficient nutrient delivery, and integration with building structures, featuring interchangeable components and flexible designs for various plant arrangements and facades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single slot is provided on the front of the container, then the container structure is simple, but the vegetation area is limited and aesthetic flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The container front is divided into multiple segments with several slots instead of a single slot, allowing independent plant placement and growth in multiple areas, thereby increasing the overall vegetation area while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
Slots are positioned at different heights and locations on the container front rather than being symmetrically arranged, enabling aesthetic flexibility and allowing plants of different sizes to be displayed in appropriate positions
2Strength
If substrate is used to hold plants, then mechanical support is provided, but root damage occurs and nutrient distribution becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is completely removed from the system and replaced with a substrate-free holding mechanism, eliminating all harmful effects of substrate on roots while maintaining mechanical support through alternative means
Solution Approach 2:
A foam-based holding device is introduced as an intermediary between the plant and the container, providing gentle mechanical support without the damaging effects of traditional substrate, allowing roots to grow freely while maintaining plant stability
3Stability of the object's composition
If the container is designed as a fixed structure, then structural stability is achieved, but adaptability for different plant types and building integration is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The container design incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable elements that allow the structure to adapt to different plant types and sizes while maintaining overall structural stability, enabling dynamic reconfiguration for various applications
4Device complexity
If the separating slit is fixed in position, then the container structure is simple, but precise positioning of plants is difficult and root damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The separating slit structure is made adjustable and reconfigurable, allowing the position and configuration of the slit to be optimized for each plant type, achieving precise positioning without complex fixed structures
Data Source
AI summary
A container (1) for supplying plant roots with nutrient solution without the use of soil has a basic shape which is selected from the group of basic shapes comprising cubes, cuboids, ellipsoids, spheres, rings, pyramids, cones, prisms and cylinders as well as combinations and parts of these shapes and asymmetrical shapes. The container (1) has an interior, which is provided for accommodating the plant roots, and a separating slot (8), which is arranged at a boundary of the container interior and is designed to subject at least one plant to clamping-in action, while at the same time allowing said plant to grow.