Pollen Supply via Air Bubbles to Prevent Pistil Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pollen supplying methods, such as those using unmanned flying objects, require high injection pressure, which can damage flowers and result in incomplete pollination and fruit malformation.
Innovation Solution
A pollen supplying method involving the production of air bubbles with pollen attached to their surface, using an aqueous solution containing a surface-active agent, thickener, and activators, which are released and attached to a pistil, allowing for efficient pollination without damaging the plant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high injection pressure is used to accurately inject pollen dispersion toward a plant, then pollination accuracy is improved, but flower damage and pistil damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces air bubbles as an intermediary carrier for pollen delivery. Instead of directly injecting pollen dispersion under high pressure, the pollen is attached to air bubbles which then naturally float and attach to the pistil, eliminating the need for high-pressure injection while maintaining delivery accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical injection system (which requires high pressure) with a pneumatic system using air bubbles. The air bubbles carry pollen to the pistil through natural buoyancy and attachment mechanisms, substituting mechanical force with pneumatic and surface tension forces.
2Productivity
If unmanned flying objects are used for pollen delivery, then labor efficiency is improved, but high injection pressure is required which damages plants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses air bubbles as an intermediary that can be easily generated and released by unmanned flying objects without requiring high-pressure injection systems. The air bubbles naturally carry pollen to the pistil, combining the benefits of automated delivery with gentle, damage-free pollination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic principles by using air bubbles as the pollen delivery medium. This allows unmanned flying objects to deliver pollen using simple air release mechanisms rather than complex high-pressure injection systems, improving productivity while eliminating plant damage.
3Reliability
If dispersion viscosity is increased to enhance attachability to stigma, then pollination effectiveness is improved, but high injection pressure is required which causes flower drop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses air bubbles as an intermediary carrier that naturally attach to the pistil through surface tension and buoyancy forces. This eliminates the need to increase dispersion viscosity for attachability, as the air bubbles themselves provide the attachment mechanism without requiring high-viscosity materials that would demand high-pressure injection.
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
Enables efficient pollen supply to a pistil with reduced pollen amount, minimizing damage to the pistil and ensuring complete pollination without malformation of fruits, even when using unmanned flying objects like drones.
Implementation Method 1
an air bubble attachment step of releasing the produced air bubble into air and attaching the air bubble to the pistil
Implementation Method 2
An aqueous solution used for producing the air bubble may contain a surface-active agent
Implementation Method 3
An aqueous solution used for producing the air bubble may contain a thickener raising viscosity
Data Source
AI summary
A pollen supplying method for supplying pollen to a pistil of a plant includes an air bubble production step of producing an air bubble with the pollen attached to the surface thereof, and an air bubble attachment step of releasing the produced air bubble into the air and attaching the air bubble to the pistil.