Apparatus for collecting bagworm silk thread and method for producing long bagworm silk thread

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12116700-B2
Application number	US-202118000321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2021
Priority date	Jun 2, 2020
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to develop: a method of efficiently producing a long bagworm silk thread without slack of reeling during collection while preventing a change in the spinning direction and the runaway of the bagworm from a rail, and alleviating a burden on the bagworm; and an apparatus for implementing the thread-producing method. Provided is an apparatus for producing a bagworm silk thread, including: a movable loop-shaped rail configured to move in the longitudinal direction and to be held by the legs of a bagworm; a fixator configured to fix the bagworm; and an adhesion controller configured to store an adhesion control solution for washing away or removing a gummy component from the bagworm silk thread spun on the movable loop-shaped rail, wherein the apparatus makes it possible to cumulate the bagworm silk thread spun on the movable loop-shaped rail.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for producing a bagworm silk thread, comprising: a movable loop-shaped rail comprising an accumulator; a fixator configured to fix a bagworm; and an adhesion controller;
wherein the movable loop-shaped rail has a width smaller than the maximum width between the right and left legs of the bagworm fixed with the fixator, and is configured to be held by the legs of the bagworm,
wherein the accumulator is integrally placed on the movable loop-shaped rail, and configured such that the bagworm silk thread spun on the movable loop-shaped rail by the bagworm fixed with the fixator can be cumulated,
wherein the fixator is placed at a position such that the bagworm fixed can hold the movable loop-shaped rail, and
wherein the adhesion controller stores an adhesion control solution, and is configured such that the bagworm silk thread spun on the movable loop-shaped rail is brought in contact with the adhesion control solution,
the apparatus further comprising one or more peeling containers,
wherein the peeling container is configured to store a peeling solution and/or vapor for peeling the bagworm silk thread from the accumulator, and placed at a position such that the whole or a part of the accumulator can be brought in contact with the peeling solution and/or the vapor in the peeling container.

2. The apparatus for producing a bagworm silk thread according to claim 1 , further comprising a collection device independent from the movable loop-shaped rail,
wherein the collection device is configured to collect the bagworm silk thread from the accumulator.

3. The apparatus for producing a bagworm silk thread according to claim 1 , wherein the movable loop-shaped rail is circular.

4. The apparatus for producing a bagworm silk thread according to claim 1 , wherein the movable loop-shaped rail is an automatic rail.

5. The apparatus for producing a bagworm silk thread according to claim 2 , wherein the collection device comprises, on the periphery thereof, a bobbin configured to reel the bagworm silk thread.

6. A method of producing a long bagworm silk thread, comprising:
a spinning process of making a bagworm hold a movable loop-shaped rail with its legs and continuously spin along the movable loop-shaped rail,
wherein the movable loop-shaped rail has a width smaller than the maximum width between the right and left legs of the bagworm used for thread-production, and is configured such that the legs of the bagworm can hold the movable loop-shaped rail;
a contacting process of bringing the bagworm silk thread on the movable loop shaped rail in contact with an adhesion control solution after the spinning process;
a cumulating process of accumulating the bagworm silk thread after the contacting process; and
a collecting process of collecting the cumulated bagworm silk thread after the cumulating process;
wherein in the spinning process, the bagworm for use or a bagworm nest thereof is fixed at a position such that the legs of the bagworm can hold the movable loop-shaped rail, and wherein the movable loop-shaped rail is configured to be moved in the longitudinal direction automatically and/or by the movement of the bagworm.

7. The production method according to claim 6 , further comprising a second contacting process of bringing the bagworm silk thread cumulated on the rail after the cumulating process in contact with a peeling solution and/or vapor.

Assignees

• Nat Agriculture & Food Res Org
• Kowa Co

Inventors

• Yoshioka Taiyo
• Kameda Tsunenori
• Kitamura Takahiro
• Asanuma Akimune

Classifications

• D01D7/00

  Collecting the newly-spun products ({D01D5/0076 takes precedence;} collecting newly-spun products with the imparting of twist D01H) · CPC title

• D01D5/00

  Formation of filaments, threads, or the like · CPC title

• D01F4/00

  Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of proteins; Manufacture thereof · CPC title

• D10B2211/04

  Silk · CPC title

• D01F11/02

  of cellulose, cellulose derivatives, or proteins · CPC title