Technical fish lock

• US 10,655,290 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2019
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: J.J. Van Boxel Holding B.V.
• Original Assignee: J.J. Van Boxel Holding B.V.
• Inventors: Van Boxel, Jan Jacobus
• Primary Examiner(s): Armstrong, Kyle
• Application Number:
  US16/388,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20190323192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 61/10 of fish
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 8/085 Devices allowing fish migration, e.g. fish traps arresting or diverting fish exclusively E02B1/006
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/60 Ecological corridors or buffer zones

Abstract

Migrating fish often want to travel between different bodies of water, which may be positioned at different heights. To overcome these heights, water passages may be used that provide a water path at a slope over which a fish is able to swim up. A compact housing is provided by allowing a water guide over which the water flow flows to rotate around an axis parallel to gravity in a helical shape. The fish lock may be provided with a resting chamber which comprises a volume of water with a low flow velocity. Sensors and a controller may be provided to control a flow rate of the water through the fish lock according to for example the type of fish passing through the fish lock and an administrator may monitor the fish lock at a distance and may be contacted in case of malfunction.

Claims

1. An arrangement for guiding fish between a first lower situated body of water and a second higher situated body of water, the arrangement comprising a housing comprising:

a first opening and a second opening, wherein in use the second opening is situated higher than the first opening; and

a water guide which connects the first opening to the second opening for guiding a flow of water from the second opening through the first opening;

wherein the water guide in use provides a flow trajectory for the flow of water,

the housing further comprising;

a base, and

an inner housing part, wherein the flow trajectory is within the housing and exterior to inner housing part and at least part of the base define a basin configured for containing a volume of water having a reduced velocity relative to a velocity of water in the flow trajectory, and

wherein the first opening provides an entrance configured to allow the fish into the basin.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the flow of water is around an axis parallel to a gravity vector.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the base is arranged to in use be provided under a water level of the first body of water, and wherein the first opening is provided in the base.

4. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the reduced velocity of the volume of water contained in the basin is zero.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the water guide comprises curved surfaces.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the housing in use is arranged to provide light of a pre-determined interval of wavelengths to at least a part of an inner space of the arrangement and preferably to at least a part of the flow of water.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first opening and the second opening is provided with a controller arranged to control a flow through surface of the flow of water through at least one of the first opening and the second opening.

8. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the controller is connected to one or more sensors, and is arranged to control the flow through surface of the flow of water through the second opening based on a received output of the one or more sensors.

9. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the arrangement is configured for storing fish migration data, and further wherein the controller is arranged to control the flow through surface of the flow of water through the second opening based on the fish migration data.

10. The arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the controller is arranged for adjusting the fish migration data based on a received output from one or more sensors.

13. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the flow trajectory rotates more than 180 degrees around the axis parallel to the gravity vector.

14. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein

the water guide is provided with one or more panels substantially perpendicular to the flow trajectory defined by the water guide, the panels comprising gates defined in the panels for passing the flow of water.

15. The arrangement according to claim 14, wherein:

the one or more gates are provided with a resilient member, wherein the resilient member at least partially defines a flow through area within the gate for the flow of water; and

the resilient member is arranged to resiliently deform under influence of a pressure provided by the flow of water.

16. The arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the one or more panels include at least a first panel comprising a first gate and a second panel comprising a second gate, wherein

the first gate is provided at or near an inner radius of the water guide;

and

the second gate is provided at or near an outer radius of the water guide.

17. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the first opening and the second opening is provided with a controller for controlling a flow through surface for the flow of water through the one or both of the first opening and the second opening, wherein the controller is arranged to control a width of the flow through surface.

18. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass trajectory arranged to provide an additional flow path parallel to the water guide and through the first opening, wherein the bypass trajectory comprises a bypass flow control mechanism for controlling flow through at least part of the bypass trajectory.

19. An assembly of at least first and second arrangements according to claim 1, wherein the second opening of the first arrangement is connected to the first opening of the second arrangement, such that a flow of water is provided from the second opening of the second arrangement to the first opening of the first arrangement.

20. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the first opening in use is provided in a plane perpendicular to the gravity vector.

21. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein a plane of the first opening is vertical, with respect to a horizontal plane of the base.

11. An arrangement for guiding fish between a first lower situated body of water and a second higher situated body of water, the arrangement comprising a housing comprising:

a first opening and a second opening, wherein in the use the second opening is situated higher than the first opening, and

a water guide which connects the first opening to the second opening for guiding a flow of water from the second opening through the first opening;

wherein the water guide in use provides a flow trajectory for the flow of water, and

wherein the arrangement is provided with one or more sensors arranged to determine a species of the fish swimming through the first opening.

12. The arrangement according to claim 11, wherein a controller, connected to the one or more sensors, is configured to control the flow of water through the second opening based on the species of the fish, as determined by the one or more sensors.