Removable Egg Receiving Members for Individual Insect Rearing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for individually rearing insects are labor-intensive and inefficient due to the difficulty in manually seeding each rearing pot with exactly one insect egg, and robotic manipulation is challenging due to the fragility and texture of eggs.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a container, receiving members, and an actuator that allows for the removal and inspection of receiving members to determine if an egg has been laid, enabling efficient harvesting and processing of insect eggs while maintaining the insect population within the container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual seeding of rearing pots with insect eggs is performed, then each pot can receive exactly one egg, but the process becomes labor-intensive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus divides the egg harvesting process into discrete steps: receiving members are individually removable from the container, allowing operators to inspect and remove only those members containing eggs. This segmentation enables precise control over which eggs are harvested while maintaining high throughput by processing multiple receiving members in sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving member acts as an intermediary between the insect container and the final rearing pot. It captures the egg from the insect, allows for inspection and verification, and then transfers the egg to the rearing pot. This intermediary device solves the contradiction by providing a standardized interface that simplifies both the precision of egg placement and the efficiency of the harvesting process.
2Productivity
If robotic manipulation is used to handle insect eggs, then labor intensity is reduced, but the process becomes difficult due to egg fragility and texture
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving member serves as a robust intermediary that handles the fragile egg indirectly. Instead of manipulating the egg directly with robots or human hands, the system manipulates the receiving member which contains the egg. This intermediary approach protects the egg from damage while enabling automated or semi-automated handling processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The egg is captured and secured in the receiving member before any manipulation or transfer operations. This preliminary action of enclosing the fragile egg in a protective receiving member makes subsequent handling easier and less risky, allowing for higher automation levels without increasing the risk of egg damage.
3Manufacturing precision
If receiving members are removed from the container for inspection, then egg harvesting accuracy is improved, but insect escape risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container and receiving members are designed as separable components. Receiving members can be individually removed from the container for inspection without compromising the integrity of the container or allowing insect escape. This segmentation allows precise egg detection while maintaining container security through controlled access points.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed with a lid or cover that can be flexibly opened and closed to allow receiving members to be inserted and removed. This flexible closure mechanism maintains container security during operation while enabling easy access for harvesting, thus resolving the contradiction between inspection accuracy and container security.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus (1) with a container (2) for containing insects, a receiving member (200) upon which an insect in the container can lay an egg and an actuator (10) for removing the receiving member from the container once an egg has been laid upon the receiving member. The apparatus is for removing individual insect eggs from a container which contains many live insects. The individual eggs, once removed from the container, may be used in an individualized rearing process.