Hand-held Pneumatic Pollinator for Hybrid Rice Seed Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hybrid rice seed production lacks mechanized pollination equipment, leading to high labor intensity, low productivity, and uneven pollination, which is not compatible with the requirements of modern large-scale seed production.
Innovation Solution
A hand-held pneumatic pollinator with a pneumatic pollination assembly and control system that uses air blowing pipes to directionally convey pollen from male to female rice plants, ensuring efficient and uniform pollination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual pollination methods are used, then the operation is simple and easy to implement, but the labor intensity is high and productivity is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical pollination operations with a pneumatic system that uses compressed air to transport pollen. The pneumatic pollinator uses air flow to carry pollen from male to female plants, eliminating the need for manual rod operations while significantly reducing labor intensity and improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic principles to create a pollination system where compressed air flows through tubes to deliver pollen to female rice plants. This pneumatic mechanism enables automated pollen transport without manual intervention, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and productivity.
2Productivity
If rope pollen pulling method is used, then productivity is improved, but the labor intensity is high and pollen utilization rate is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical rope-pulling method with a pneumatic system that automatically transports pollen using air flow. This substitution eliminates the need for two people to pull ropes and run alongside the farm, significantly reducing labor intensity while maintaining high productivity through automated operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pneumatic pollination system is self-operating once activated, requiring no continuous human intervention to pull ropes or guide pollen transport. The compressed air automatically carries pollen along the predetermined path, making the system self-service and reducing labor requirements.
3Extent of automation
If collision pollination method is used, then mechanization is achieved, but the pollen scattering distance is short and distribution is uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pneumatic principles to create controlled air flow that precisely delivers pollen to female plants. The compressed air flows through tubes positioned at specific locations, enabling automated pollen transport while achieving uniform distribution through controlled air flow patterns rather than random collision scattering.
Solution Approach 2:
The pneumatic pollination system delivers pollen locally and precisely to specific female plants through strategically positioned air tubes. This localized delivery mechanism ensures uniform pollen distribution across the field while maintaining automation, overcoming the limitations of collision pollination's random and uneven scattering.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional manual pollination is used, then implementation is simple, but pollination coverage is uneven and seed production is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pneumatic systems to create controlled air flow that uniformly distributes pollen across the rice field. The compressed air flows through tubes positioned at strategic locations, ensuring even pollen coverage throughout the field while maintaining the simplicity of the overall system through modular pneumatic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The pneumatic pollination system serves multiple functions: it transports pollen, distributes it uniformly, and can be adapted to different field sizes and configurations. This multi-functional approach maintains implementation simplicity while achieving superior pollination uniformity compared to traditional manual methods.
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 hand-held pneumatic pollinator enables directional and uniform pollen distribution, improving productivity and seed quality, thus addressing the limitations of existing manual pollination methods and promoting sustainable seed production.
Implementation Method 1
The pneumatic pollination assembly includes a fan for generating airflow to blow the pollen from the stamens to the stigmas
Implementation Method 2
a baffle plate configured to form an airflow, which causes pollen of a male parent to drift to a female parent
Data Source
AI summary
A hand-held pneumatic pollinator for hybrid rice seed production and a method thereof are provided. The pollinator includes a hand-held power chassis, a lifting assembly, a pneumatic pollination assembly, and a control assembly. A position of each of air blowing pipes relative to an ear of the male parent is adjusted by the control assembly and the lifting assembly. The pneumatic pollination assembly is provided with a plurality of air blowing pipes, of which the number is less than rows of the male parent of a hybrid rice seed production with a relatively large row ratio. Each air blowing pipe is located between corresponding two rows of the male parent during pollination. The directional, uniform and constant airflow at an air blowing port blows a pollen off a stamen to transport the pollen to the female parent compartment.