Movable Liquid Handling for Multi-Stage Cultivation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Increasing the number of stages in plant cultivation apparatus leads to equipment complication and upsizing due to the need for more pipes and larger pumps for nourishing liquid supply and discharge, making it difficult to maintain efficient and cost-effective cultivation.
Innovation Solution
The cultivation equipment includes a movable discharge device and supply device that can be conveyed between cultivation tanks, eliminating the need for extensive piping and large pumps, allowing for a multistage setup without increasing equipment complexity or size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of stages is increased to increase harvest amount per unit area, then the harvest amount per unit area is improved, but the equipment becomes complicated and larger in size due to increased number of pipes and pumps
Solution Approach 1:
A single discharge device and a single supply device are designed to serve multiple cultivation tanks across different stages. The discharge device includes a discharge port that can be positioned at multiple heights to discharge cultivation liquid from tanks at different stages, while the supply device similarly supplies liquid to multiple tanks. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate discharge and supply devices for each stage, thereby preventing equipment complication even when the number of stages is increased.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces vertical positioning capability to the discharge and supply devices, allowing them to operate across multiple height levels (stages). The discharge device can be positioned at different vertical heights to access cultivation tanks on different stages, and the supply device similarly operates across vertical dimensions. This dimensional approach allows a single device to serve multiple stages without requiring proportional increases in the number of devices.
2Productivity
If the number of stages is increased to increase harvest amount per unit area, then the harvest amount per unit area is improved, but the equipment size increases due to requirement of thick pipes or large-capacity pumps
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge device and supply device are designed as universal equipment that can handle cultivation liquid transfer across multiple stages using a single device configuration. The discharge device includes a discharge port capable of positioning at multiple heights, and the supply device can supply liquid to tanks at different stages, eliminating the need for multiple large-capacity pumps and thick pipes that would otherwise be required for each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge device and supply device are designed with movable components that can dynamically adjust their position to match different stage heights. The discharge port can be moved to different vertical positions to discharge liquid from tanks at various stages, and the supply device can similarly adjust its position. This dynamic positioning capability allows the equipment to adapt to multistage configurations without requiring fixed, oversized infrastructure.
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
This configuration prevents equipment complication and upsizing, allows for easier height expansion of the cultivation shelf, reduces the weight and leakage risks during conveyance, and enhances harvest efficiency by minimizing liquid leakage and equipment costs.
Implementation Method 1
a discharge device that is movable among the plurality of cultivation tanks and discharges the cultivation liquid from each of the plurality of cultivation tanks
Implementation Method 2
a supply device that is movable among the plurality of cultivation tanks and supplies the cultivation liquid to each of the plurality of cultivation tanks
Implementation Method 3
a supply device that is movable among the plurality of cultivation tanks and supplies the cultivation liquid to each of the plurality of cultivation tanks
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to propose cultivation equipment that can curb complication and upsizing of the equipment even when the number of cultivation stages is increased. Cultivation equipment includes a storage shelf (1) and a plurality of cultivation tanks (3) that are stored in the storage shelf (1) and hold plants (P1) and a cultivation liquid (L1). The cultivation equipment further includes a discharge device (50) and a supply device (51). The discharge device (50) is movable among a plurality of cultivation tanks (3), and discharges the cultivation liquid (L1) from each of the plurality of cultivation tanks (3). The supply device (51) is movable among the plurality of cultivation tanks (3), and supplies the cultivation liquid (L1) to each of the plurality of cultivation tanks (3).