Motorized Egg Turner with Diverging Spokes for Incubation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional small-scale poultry and game bird egg incubators lack precise temperature and humidity control, and often require manual egg turning, leading to potential damage to eggs and reduced hatch rates due to inconsistent environmental conditions.
Innovation Solution
A compact egg incubator with a motorized egg turner and independently controlled humidity system, featuring a base assembly with integrated water troughs and a humidity adjustment knob, allowing for precise temperature and humidity management without opening the incubator, and an automatic egg turning mechanism that turns eggs flat to improve heat distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual egg turning is used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to potential damage to eggs and reduced hatch rates
Solution Approach 1:
The egg turner wheel is designed to automatically turn eggs without requiring external intervention. The wheel rotates on its own axis, and eggs are positioned between the wheel and the base tray, allowing the wheel to naturally apply turning force to the eggs during rotation, eliminating the need for manual handling while ensuring consistent egg turning throughout incubation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical egg turning with an automated motorized egg turner wheel. The wheel is driven by a motor that provides automated rotation, substituting the manual mechanical action with an automated mechanical system that consistently turns eggs at appropriate intervals without human intervention
2Manufacturing precision
If the incubator is opened to refill water, then humidity control is improved, but temperature stability deteriorates due to environmental exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a water port as an intermediary mechanism that allows water to be added to the water tray without opening the incubator chamber. The port provides a sealed connection point where water can be introduced through a narrow opening, maintaining the sealed environment while enabling humidity adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The water refilling function is segmented from the main incubator chamber. Instead of requiring access to the interior chamber for water refilling, the system separates the water addition function through an external water port, allowing humidity control to be performed independently without affecting the sealed temperature-controlled environment
3Reliability
If eggs are turned frequently, then embryo health is improved, but device complexity increases due to automated turning mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The egg turner wheel is designed to rotate periodically at specific intervals during incubation, turning eggs at appropriate frequencies without requiring continuous complex control. The wheel rotates back and forth in a simple periodic motion, providing sufficient egg turning to maintain embryo health while using a relatively simple mechanical design
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a complex mechanism to gently rotate eggs on their sides, the patent inverts the approach by having eggs rest on their sides between the wheel and tray, and the wheel rotates against them to turn them over. This inverted arrangement simplifies the mechanism while achieving effective egg turning for embryo health
Data Source
AI summary
An egg incubator includes a base assembly having a base tray configured to support a plurality of eggs and a motorized egg turner configured to turn the plurality of eggs. The egg turner includes a hub, a first ring concentric with the hub, and a first plurality of spokes extending radially from the hub. Each of the first plurality of spokes is circumferentially-spaced from an adjacent spoke of the first plurality of spokes and includes: a radial member extending from the hub toward the first ring, a first diverging member extending obliquely from the radial member to the first ring, and a second diverging member extending obliquely from the radial member to the first ring. The motorized egg turner also includes a second ring positioned outward from and circumscribing the first ring and a second plurality of spokes extending radially between the inner ring and the outer ring.