GB2215858A

GB2215858A - An apparatus for cultivating aquatic life

Info

Publication number: GB2215858A
Application number: GB8902095A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kei Mori
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-02-08
Filing date: 1989-01-31
Publication date: 1989-09-27
Also published as: SE8900414D0; SE8900414L; CN1035604A; DK724488D0; GB8902095D0; JPH01202229A; KR910009341B1; DK724488A; NZ227037A; FI885410A; FR2628292A1; AU2583288A; JPH049493B2; IT8919338A0; DE3842461A1; NL8900303A; ES2012896A6; IT1228627B; KR890012532A; FI885410A0

Description

AN APPARATUS FOR CULTIVATING AOUATIC LIFE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for cultivating aquatic life therein and more specifically to a pool which can simulate a shoreline environment.

In recent years, biotechnology has advanced remarkably in the field of land animals and plants, but in the field of living things and creatures in water areas, i.e. marine animals and plants, fullscale biotechnological research and development has just started and so there is a growing demand for an apparatus which can simulate a marine life area, in particular, a shoreline water area wherein a large number of aquatic animals and plants may live.

An ecological system for aquatic creatures is virtually unknown. However it may be supposed that they are controlled by a composite of the environmental conditions which includes light, currents, waves, tides, quality of water (temperature, nutrients, proper sanitation, etc.). In the past, aquatic animals and plants were cultivated usually in round or square tanks and pools made of concrete, plastic, glass, metal and so on. However, all of these conventional aqua-cultivating means cannot simultaneously control all of the important environmental factors for raising the shoreline area animals and plants such as light, water currents, tides, waves and so on.Referring in particular to raising marine area animals and plants, the usual method of aqua-culture is such that part of a shoreline area is enclosed by an artificial means so as.to raise therein a large number of fish, shellfish or plants utilizing the natural sea-water currents.

The above-mentioned method creates many kinds of undesirable side-effects such as water pollution, the death of living things from the attack of germs or natural predators that are in seawater and legal problems connected with the use of shoreline waters in relation to common fishing rights and official jurisdictions.

Furthermore, in case of utilizing the natural shoreline waters, as mentioned above, certain kinds of sea life and plants that live in specified shoreline waters may be limited. It is impossible to cultivate all the selected kinds of marine animals or plants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is able to cultivate marine animals and/or plants in water taken from the sea inside of a pool installed on land.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is able to create therein the environmental conditions suitable for raising many kinds of marine animals and plants usually living in different kinds of environments in nature.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is able to carry out hydrobiotechnological experiments.

The invention includes an apparatus for use in cultivating aquatic life, the apparatus comprising a cultivation pool bounded by stepped peripheral wall means so as to define multiple substantially horizontal planes within said pool, and a solar ray collecting device for collecting solar rays, a plurality of fibre optic cables for transmitting collected solar rays to predetermined locations at at least some of said multiple planes and means for controlling the intensity of illumination at said locations.

Preferably the apparatus further comprises a reserve tank of substantially the same capacity as the cultivation pool for storing water for use in the cultivation pool, and first conduit means for delivering water from the reserve tank to the cultivation pool by way of a first pump means.

Preferably the conduit means includes valve means for selectively controlling the delivery of water to predetermined locations in the cultivation pool.

Also preferably the apparatus further comprises second conduit means for delivering water by way of a second pump means from the cultivation pool to a conditioning means for conditioning the water and from the conditioning means to the reserve tank.

Preferably the conditioning means is adapted to condition the temperature of the water and adjust the level of dissolved gas, nutrients and organic matter in the water.

Advantageously the apparatus further comprises buoy means adapted to create waves of predetermined characteristics in the cultivation pool.

Preferably the stepped peripheral wall means is arranged to enable light from the sun to illuminate directly a substantial portion of at least some of said multiple planes for a substantial proportion of the time for which the sun is in the sky.

Preferably the apparatus also further comprises a superstructure arranged to enable the amount of direct sunlight falling on the cultivation pool to be adjusted.

Advantageously the apparatus further comprises shaping spacer means insertable into the cultivation pool for adjusting the shape of the cultivation pool.

The invention also includes an apparatus for use in cultivating aquatic life, the apparatus comprising a cultivation pool bounded by stepped peripheral wall means, the stepped peripheral wall means being arranged to enable light from the sun to illuminate directly a substantial portion of each of said multiple planes for a substantial proportion of the time for which the sun is in the sky.

The invention also includes an apparatus for use in cultivating aquatic life, the apparatus comprising a cultivation pool bounded by stepped peripheral wall means, a reserve tank of substantially the same capacity as the cultivation pool, first conduit means for delivering water from the reserve tank to the cultivation pool by way of a first pump means, and second conduit means for delivering water from the cultivation pool to the reserve tank by way of a second pump means.

The invention also includes an apparatus for use in cultivating aquatic life, the apparatus comprising a cultivation pool bounded by stepped peripheral wall means, and buoy means adapted to create waves of predetermined characteristics in the cultivation pool.

In order that the invention may be better understood, an embodiment will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is an overall construction view for explaining an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2(a) is a top plan view of the water pool shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 2(b) is a schematic illustration for explaining the operating principle of a solar ray collecting device shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 3(a)-(d) are, respectively, views for explaining a system for creating water currents and tides; Fig. 4 is a view for explaining a device for creating waves; Fig. 5 is a view for explaining an embodiment of a water quality control system; Figs. 6(a)-(c) are, respectively, modified embodiments of the water pool; ; Fig. 7 is a view for explaining an example of a solar ray collecting device to be used as the embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 8 is a view for explaining an embodiment for guiding sunlight into a fibre optic cable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Fig.l is an overall construction view for explaining an embodiment of the apparatus for raising and cultivating marine animals and plants according to the present invention. In Fig.l, numeral 10 designates a pool or tank having step-wise formed inner walls surrounding a flat bottom at its center, 20 the sun, 30 a solar ray collecting device for collecting solar rays through a lens system or the like and for guiding the collected solar rays into a fiber optic cable, 40 a fiber optic cable for transmitting solar rays collected by the solar ray collecting device, 50 a service crane, 60 a moving roof with a means for controlling the amount of penetrating solar rays, 70 a water reserve tank of the same capacity that the pool 10 has, 80 a water quality control device, 90 a first-water-channel connecting the pool 10 to the tank 70, 100 a second-water-channel connecting the pool 10 to tank 70, 110 a pump provided for creating a water current and tides in the first water channel, 120 a pump provided for creating water currents and tides in the second water channel, 130 a cone buoy for creating waves, and 140 a device for driving the wave-creating cone buoy 130.

Fig.2 (a) is a top plan of the pool 10 shown in Fig.1.

In Fig.2 (a), said pool 10 is designed to have the lowest bottom plane 120 at its center part and rising steps 12 122, 12n all around the bottom plane. A flight of steps is inclined at an angle (0) of about 450 to allow the sunlight 20 to reach the bottom 120 of the pool 10. Namely, light rays L from the sun 20 fall into the pool 10 as shown in Fig.1, but at the same time a large amount of rays are also reflected at the surface of the water therein.

When the sunlight incident angle (e) becomes less than 45 , the sunlight is mostly reflected at the water's surface and scarcely admitted into the water in the pool 10. If the inner walls of the pool 10 are formed of vertical planes, cleaning of the pool's interior requires much work and, furthermore, a poisonous gas can easily accumulate at the bottom of the pool 10 posing a possible health hazard.

In this respect, since the pool proposed by the present inventor has a large upper opening and step-wise formed walls, the water contained therein can be well aerated by the atmosphere to eliminate the possibility of a poisonous gas accumulating in the pool bottom and the cleaning of the pool's interior can be easily carried out due to easy access. The pool thus designed is excellent for easy maintenance and for creating safe working conditions.

Furthermore, the pool 10 is also designed to take in relatively clean sea water from the bottom of the sea to assure control of the water's quality. In particular, when a large number of the above-mentioned pools are arranged in tiers at a site, many kinds of marine animals and plants can be raised and cultivated therein at the same time. Many experiments can be effectively carried out there. It is also possible to clean the water used for cultivating marine animals in the pool and to return the water into the sea without causing contamination.

For example, in case of cultivating sea-ears in the apparatus proposed by the present inventor, it is also possible to take therein sea water through a filter allowing only blown algae to pass through thus assuring more effective raising therein of sea-ears by utilizing natural blown algae. When the pool is provided with a movable roof 60, it is possible to close the pool on a stormy day or at night and to open the pool in fine weather to let therein the sunlight or to control the pool's inner temperature and the water surface's temperature. It is also possible to use the roof composed of transparent elements and with a variable transparency for controlling the amount of light to be guided into the pool.

Fig.2 (b) is an illustration for explaining the operating principal of the above-mentioned solar ray collecting device 30. In Fig.2 (b), numeral 31 designates a transparent dome and 32 a lens which is placed in said transparent dome 31 and controlled by a sun location sensor, not shown in Fig.2 (b), so as to always face towards the sun. The sunlight collected by said lens 32 is guided into a fiber optic cable 40 whereby it is delivered into the tank 10.

The above-mentioned solar ray collecting device has been already proposed by the present inventor in various ways and it will be described in detail afterword.

As mentioned above, in the present invention, the sunlight's elements directly collected by an optical lens system such as a Fresnel lens or the like is guided into the fiber optic cable 40 comprised of optical fibers whereby it is delivered to any desired point in the pool 10 and at any desired intensity, making it possible to effectively cultivate aquatic animals and plants in the pool 10. In the present invention, the pool 10 has the lowest plane 120 at its center and has rising steps 121, 12z -- 12n around said center, bottom plane. The pool 10 is also designed to allow the light from the sun 20 to reach the lowest bottom plane of the pool 10 and to reach all steps at different intensities. Consequently, in the pool 10 each of the aquatic living things to be cultivated therein may select a place where suitable light is supplied.

Fig.3 is a main construction view for explaining a system for creating water currents, tides and so on in the pool 10. Fig.3 (a) is a view for explaining a system for creating water currents and tides.

Fig.3 (b) is a detailed view of the portion A shown in Fig.3 (a), illustrating nozzles for creating a water current.

Fig.3 (c) is a view showing a high-tide. Fig.3 (d) is a view showing a low tide. A pump 110 is used for transferring the water from the inside of a water reserve tank 70 into the pool 10 and a pump 120 is used for returning the water from the pool 10 into the water reserve tank 70.

In this case the water currents' intensity and direction are automatically controlled by the action of the valves B1 and B2 and the tides are automatically controlled by the action of a valve B3. The water currents' control is carried out as follows: The pool 10 having step-wise formed walls and the water reserve tank 70 of the same capacity are installed and connected to each other by two independent piping systems 90 and 100 including the pumps 110 and 120 respectively and water jet nozzles arranged at the wall steps. A water current is created by shooting water from the nozzles in the pool 10 and can be controlled by adjusting the water's speed and the nozzle's angle.

Tides can be created by transferring the water from the tank 70 into the pool 10 and by reversing the procedure at any desired frequency.

Fig.4 is a view for explaining a means for creating waves in the pool 10. In fig.4, a cone buoy 130, located at the center of the water's surface in the pool 10, is moved up and down by a driving unit 140 which is controlled by a computer control means in order to create waves of a specified height as for example, for biotechnological experiments, at the controlled frequency and stroke length of the buoy in accordance with the water level.

Fig.5 is a construction view for explaining an embodiment of a system for controlling the water quality for a water pool 10.

In Fig.5, two independent piping and pumping systems connecting the water pool 10 to the water reserve tank 70 are provided with a device 80 for controlling the temperature, dissolved gases, nutrients (nutritive salts and so on) and metabolic matters (such as excretion). The water 1 v quality control device 80 is used for adjusting the water's temperature, the dissolved matter content and the floating matter content when the water currents and tides are created by the use of pumps.

Figs.6 (a), (b), (c) are, respectively, views of another embodiment of the pool with step-wise formed walls according to the present invention. A hatched portion 10a is a spacer. As is apparent from these figures, Fig.6 (a) shows a shallow water pool, Fig.6 (a) shows a middle and deep water pool and Fig.6 (c) shows a corridor type water pool. The use of assembling spacers makes it possible to build up a pool of any desired form.

Fig.7 is an entire perspective view illustrating, a solar ray collecting device 30 for guiding the sunlight into the af ore-mentioned fiber optic cable 40. In Fig.7, a capsule for use in the solar ray collecting device is constructed of a transparent dome-shaped head 31 and a cylindrical body. As shown in Fig.7, the solar ray collecting device is accommodated in the capsule while the device is being used.The solar ray collecting device comprises one lens, several lenses or possibly a large number of lenses 32, a solar position sensor 33 for detecting the sun's location, a support frame body 34 for integrally holding the lens 32 and the sensor 33, a first-revolution shaft 35 for rotating the support frame 34, a first-motor 36 for rotating the first-revolution shaft 35, a support arm 37 for supporting the lens 32 or the motor 36, a second-revolution shaft 38 installed so as to intersect the first-revolution shaft 35 perpendicularly thereto, and a second-motor, not shown in Fig.7, for rotating the second revolution-shaft 38.

The direction of the sun is detected by means of a solar position sensor 33 and its detection signal controls the first and second motors so as to always direct the lens 32 toward the sun, and the sunlight focused by the lens 32 is guided into the fiber optic cable 40, not shown in Fig.7, through its end surface set at the focal point of the lens.

The guided sunlight is transmitted through the fiber optic cable to wherever the light is needed.

Concerning the above-mentioned solar ray collecting device, several types of devices have been proposed by the inventor. They are devices respectively having a lens or several lenses (2 to 4 lenses) or a large number of lenses (for instance 7, 19, 61, 196 or 1600 lenses) in accordance with the purpose of its use.

Fig.8 is a view for explaining how to guide the light rays corresponding to the visible spectrum components of the sunlight into a fiber optic cable 40. In Fig.8, 32 is a lens system consisting of a Fresnel lens or the like, and the sunlight focused by the lens system 32 is guided into a fiber optic cable as mentioned before. In case of focusing the sunlight through the lens system, the solar image has a central portion consisting of almost white light and a circumferential portion containing therein a large amount of light components of the wavelengths corresponding to focal point of the lens system. Namely, in the case of focusing the sunlight through the lens system, the focal point and the size of the solar image will vary in accordance with the component wave-lengths of the light.For instance, the blue color light having a short wave-length makes a solar image of diameter D1 at position P1. Furthermore, the green color light makes a solar image of diameter D2 at position P2 and the red color light makes a solar image of diameter D3 at position P3.

Consequently, as shown in Fig.8, when the light-receiving end-surface of the fiber optic cable 40 is set at position P1, it is possible to collect the sunlight containing plenty of the blue color components at the circumferential portion thereof.

When the light-receiving end-surface of the fiber optic cable 40 is set at position P2, it is possible to collect the sunlight containing many of the green color components at the circumferential portion thereof. When the light-receiving end-surface of the fiber optic cable 40 is set at position P3 it is possible to collect the sunlight containing many of the red color components at the circumferential portion thereof. In each case, the diameter of the fiber optic cable can be selected in accordance with the light ray components to be collected. For instance, the required diameters of the fiber optic cables are D1, D2 and D3, respectively, depending on the colors of the light rays to be stressed, i.e. the blue, green and red colors.In such a way, the required amount of the fiber optic cable can be saved and thereby the sunlight containing therein plenty of desired color components can be collected most effectively. And further, as shown in Fig.8, if the diameter of the light-receiving end of the fiber optic cable 40 is enlarged to DO, it is possible to collect visible light rays containing therein all of the wavelength components.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, according to the present invention, it may be possible to totally control the main environmental factors such as "light", "currents", "tides", "waves", "water quality (temperature, dissolved substances, dissolved gases, metabolism, excretion and so on)" for the crush zone wherein the largest kinds of aquatic animals and plants may live and where the water allows the sunlight to reach them.

Furthermore, when a large number of apparatus as proposed by the present inventor, are arranged in tiers at the site, it becomes possible to create the ecological and environmental factors allowing any desired kinds of aquatic animals or plants to live at the same land site without polluting the sea water and it is possible to build an all-weather type plant for creating the environment necessary for mass cultivation of selected kinds of aquatic animals or plants on the basis of the experimental data obtained.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An apparatus for use in cultivating aquatic life, the apparatus comprising a cultivation pool bounded by stepped peripheral wall means so as to define multiple substantially horizontal planes within said pool, and a solar ray collecting device for collecting solar rays, and a plurality of fibre optic cables for transmitting collected solar rays to predetermined locations at at least some of said multiple planes and means for controlling the intensity of illumination at said locations.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reserve tank of substantially the same capacity as the cultivation pool for storing water for use in the cultivation pool, and first conduit means for delivering water from the reserve tank to the cultivation pool by way of a first pump means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the conduit means includes valve means for selectively controlling the delivery of water to predetermined locations in the cultivation pool.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, further comprising second conduit means for delivering water by way of a second pump means from the cultivation pool to a conditioning means for conditioning the water and from the conditioning means to the reserve tank.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the conditioning means is adapted to condition the temperature of the water and adjust the level of dissolved gas, nutrients and organic matter in the water.

6. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising buoy means adapted to create waves of predetermined characteristics in the cultivation pool.

7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the stepped peripheral wall means is arranged to enable light from the sun to illuminate directly a substantial portion of at least some of said multiple planes for a substantial proportion of the time for which the sun is in the sky.

8. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising a superstructure arranged to enable the amount of direct sunlight falling on the cultivation pool to be adjusted.

9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising shaping spacer means insertable into the cultivation pool for adjusting the shape of the cultivation pool.

10. An apparatus for use in cultivating aquatic life, the apparatus comprising a cultivation pool bounded by stepped peripheral wall means, the stepped peripheral wall means being arranged to enable light from the sun to illuminate directly a substantial portion of each of said multiple planes for a substantial proportion of the time for which the sun is in the sky.

11. An apparatus for use in cultivating aquatic life, the apparatus comprising a cultivation pool bounded by stepped peripheral wall means, a reserve tank of substantially the same capacity as the cultivation pool, first conduit means for delivering water from the reserve tank to the cultivation pool by way of a first pump means, and second conduit means for delivering water from the cultivation pool to the reserve tank by way of a second pump means.

12. An apparatus for use in cultivating aquatic life, the apparatus comprising a cultivation pool bounded by stepped peripheral wall means, and buoy means adapted to create waves of predetermined characteristics in the cultivation pool.

13. An apparatus for cultivating aquatic animals and plants comprising a water pool having step-wise formed inner walls surrounding a flat bottom at its centre, characterised in that solar rays can pass through in the pool water and reach the bottom of the pool.

14. An apparatus for cultivating aquatic animals and plants according to claim 13, characterised in that said step-wise formed inner walls have an inclined angle of about 450.

15. An apparatus for cultivating aquatic animals and plants according to claims 13 or 14, characterised in that said pool is provided with a roof capable of adjusting the amount of solar rays passing therethrough.

16. An apparatus for cultivating aquatic animals and plants comprising a water pool having step-wise formed inner walls surrounding a flat bottom at its centre and a solar ray collecting and transmitting system for collecting and guiding the sunlight into a fibre optic cable, characterised in that the solar rays transmitted through said fibre optic cable can be delivered with any desired intensity into any desired plane in said water pool.

17. An apparatus for cultivating aquatic animals and plants comprising a water pool having stepwise formed inner walls surrounding a flat bottom at its centre and a water reserve tank of the same capacity as said water pool and two water channels independently connecting said pool and tank to each other and having separate pumps therein.

18. An apparatus for cultivating aquatic animals and plants according to claim 17, characterised in that the two water channels connecting said pool and tank are provided with a water quality control and adjusting system which is capable bf controlling the water's temperature, the content of the dissolved gas, the nutrients and the metabolic matter etc.

19. An apparatus for cultivating aquatic animals and plants comprising a water pool having stepwise formed inner walls surrounding a flat bottom at its centre, characterised in that a vertically moveable cone member is provided at the centre of said pool.

20. An apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.