# US 11,026,410 B2 · Energy-driven in-situ plankton collecting device

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,026,410 B2
- Document ID: US11026410B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/476,513
- Filed: 2018-05-23
- Published: 2020-09-10
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-06-06
- Assignees: Dalian University of Technology
- Applicants: Dalian University of Technology
- Inventors: Kui You; Meiyi Wu; Zihan Zhou; Zewen Chen; Caihua Ma; Fang Zhang; Jing Dong; Ling Zhu; Chen Hou; Honggang Ma; Xintian Liu; Hua Xu; Fangxin Han; Shaojun Wang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11026410B2

## CPC

- A01K 69/04: Fixed nets with traps
- A01D 44/00: Harvesting of underwater plants, e.g. harvesting of seaweed
- A01K 61/20: of zooplankton, e.g. water fleas or Rotatoria
- C02F 1/40: Devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material (cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; devices in sewers for separating liquid or solid substances from sewage E03F5/14, e.g. for use in drains leading to the sewer E03F5/16)
- H02S 10/12: Hybrid wind-PV energy systems
- H02S 10/20: Systems characterised by their energy storage means (H02S40/38 takes precedence)
- H02S 10/40: Mobile PV generator systems
- H02S 20/20: Supporting structures directly fixed to an immovable object (H02S20/30 takes precedence)
- C02F 2303/20: Prevention of biofouling
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- Y02E 70/30: Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
- Y02P 60/60: Fishing; Aquaculture; Aquafarming
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01D: HARVESTING; MOWING
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)
- H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

The present invention provides a new energy-driven in-situ plankton collecting device, comprising a solar photovoltaic cell and wind power generation system, a buoyancy support system, a power supply and control system, a plankton suction and collection system, and an anchoring system. The device has the center of gravity on the lower part and vertically floats in water like a tumbler. The plankton suction and collection system is composed of a suction axial-flow pump and a collecting cod end. The bag-shaped plankton collecting cod end has the mesh aperture of less than 0.8 time the average body length of the target plankton, and can be used on both sides. The devices provided by the present invention can be used simultaneously and arranged in an array for collection and utilization of plankton as well as governance and remediation of water area environment, and thus have a favorable application prospect.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A new energy-driven in-situ plankton collecting device, comprising a solar photovoltaic cell and wind power generation system, a buoyancy support system, a power supply and control system, a plankton suction and collection system, and an anchoring system, wherein the solar photovoltaic cell and wind power generation system is arranged above the buoyancy support system and provides power supply for the battery of the power supply and control system by using solar energy and wind power; the buoyancy support system is composed of floating balls and connecting pieces and provides buoyancy support for the whole device, and the buoyancy support system is connected with the anchoring system to keep the device vertically floating in the designated area of the water body with the center of gravity below the water surface and to ensure that the height of the solar photovoltaic cell and wind power generation system above the water surface is more than 1.2 times the maximum wave height of the water area; and the power supply and control system is connected with the plankton suction and collection system, and the plankton suction and collection system is fixed on the buoyancy support system, arranged below the water surface and above the anchoring system and composed of a plankton suction axial-flow pump and a collecting cod end which are connected by elastic buckles;
the plankton suction axial-flow pump is driven by a variable frequency motor and is provided with steady power supply by the battery; and caliber of inlet end of the plankton suction axial-flow pump gradually becomes smaller along the water flow suction direction and the inlet end always faces the direction of the natural water flow; the collecting cod end has a bag shape with a small mouth and a large belly, the mouth is a rigid ring that cannot be deformed, and the structures of both sides of the collecting cod end are the same for double-sided use; an annular groove is arranged on the periphery of the outlet end of the plankton suction axial-flow pump, radial elastic buckles with outward elasticity direction are uniformly arranged on the outer side of the groove, and gripping or loosening the circle of elastic buckles can reduce or restore the diameter of the annular groove on the outlet end of the axial-flow pump for installing or removing the collecting cod end; the annular groove on the outlet end of the axial-flow pump can be closely sheathed and connected with the rigid ring mouth of the collecting cod end;
a flow rate sensor and an alarm device are arranged in the plankton suction axial-flow pump; the initial suction water flow rate of the axial-flow pump is set to be more than 1.2 times the maximum average escape movement speed of plankton to be collected; and when the suction water flow rate of the axial-flow pump drops below the maximum average escape movement speed of plankton to be collected, the alarm device gives an alarm reminder to replace the collecting cod end.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The new energy-driven in-situ plankton collecting device according to claim 1, wherein the mesh size of the collecting cod end is less than 0.8 time the average size of the target plankton to be collected.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The new energy-driven in-situ plankton collecting device according to claim 1, wherein the anchoring system comprises a balance weight, an anchor chain and a bottom anchor, and the balance weight is tied to the bottom anchor by the anchor chain.