Fishway Block

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fishway block, capable of allowing even fish having poor swimming ability to easily migrate upstream and downstream by reducing the speed of water flow. The fishway block comprises a bottom panel ( 13 ), sidewall panels ( 14 a , 14 b ) installed at respective sides of the bottom panel ( 13 ), and a plurality of dividing panels ( 15 a , 15 b , 15 c ) installed to cross the bottom panel ( 13 ) between the sidewall panels ( 14 a , 14 b ), the dividing panels ( 15 a , 15 b , 15 c ) having respective water-passing holes ( 16 a , 16 b , 16 c ), through which fish can pass, in which locations of the water-passing holes (16 a , 16 b , 16 c ) having different heights, so that the trail of the locations form a zigzag pattern, and the size of the water-passing hole formed near a lower end portion of the dividing panel is smaller than the size of the water-passing hole formed near an upper end portion of the dividing panel. The fishway block further includes a fishway size control mechanism for adjusting the size of a fishway and a water level control mechanism.

1 . A fishway block comprising: 
 a bottom panel;    sidewall panels installed parallel to each other on respective sides of the bottom panel; and    one or more dividing panels installed to extend from either sidewall panel to the other sidewall panel, on the bottom panel, each dividing panel having a water-passing hole.    
   
   
       2 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein locations of the water-passing holes in the respective dividing panels form a zigzag pattern and a size of the water-passing hole formed near a lower end of the corresponding dividing panel is smaller than that of the water-passing hole near an upper end of the corresponding dividing panel, in order to slow down flow of water introduced into compartments formed between respective adjacent dividing panels.  
   
   
       3 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the locations of the water-passing holes form a zigzag pattern in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction, so that flow of water introduced into the compartments formed between dividing panels is slowed down and the water is gathered and reservoired in the compartments formed between the dividing panels.  
   
   
       4 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein upper ends of the sidewalls are higher than upper ends of the dividing panels, so that water overflowing over the upper ends of the dividing panels is prevented from flowing out of the fishway block over the sidewalls, and fish do not deviate from a watercourse.  
   
   
       5 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dividing panels have protrusions at respective upper ends, so that an amount of water that can be stored in the compartments formed between the dividing panels is increased when the fishway block is installed on a sloped surface.  
   
   
       6 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein one of the outermost dividing panels has an insertion depression and another of the outermost dividing panels has a protrusion which can be inserted into the insertion depression.  
   
   
       7 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the outermost dividing panels have respective penetration holes, so that adjacent fishway blocks can be coupled by a coupling means which passes through the penetration holes.  
   
   
       8 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall panels have respective brackets having respective bolt holes by which the sidewall panels can be securely fixed to a sloped surface of a crossbar using respective anchors.  
   
   
       9 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein all or some of the bottom panel, the sidewall panels, and the dividing panels are separately prepared.  
   
   
       10 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1  or  9 , wherein at least the dividing panels are separately prepared and the sidewall panels have respective sliding guides on respective inner surfaces such that the dividing panels can be installed by being inserted in the sliding guides.  
   
   
       11 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dividing panels and the sidewall panels have respective pulling rings which are installed in a detachable manner or an integrated manner.  
   
   
       12 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the dividing panels and the sidewall panels are coupled and fixed by a coupling means.  
   
   
       13 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein sides of the dividing panels and the sidewall panels are perpendicular to a horizontal direction regardless of an angle of a sloped installation surface of the fishway block.  
   
   
       14 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein fishway size control mechanisms are provided to the dividing panels in order to adjust the sizes of the water-passing holes, each being a passage through which fish can migrate upstream and downstream.  
   
   
       15 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the fishway size control mechanism comprises: 
 a guide formed on the surface of the dividing panel near the water-passing hole in a vertical direction, the guide including two bars parallel to each other,    a water gate installed to be able to move up and down along the guide, thereby being capable of completely closing and partially or fully opening the water-passing hole,    a vertical standing member having screw threads on the outer surface thereof and extending upward from an upper end of the water gate; and    a pair of bevel gears installed at an upper end of the dividing panel in order to elevate the standing member up and down.    
   
   
       16 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dividing panels have respective watercourse grooves having a predetermined depth at respective upper ends thereof and have respective water level control mechanisms.  
   
   
       17 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein each of the water level control mechanisms comprises: 
 a guide formed on the surface of the dividing panel at both sides of the watercourse groove, in which two bars of the guide are parallel to each other;    a water gate installed to move up and down along the guide in order to adjust a height of the bottom of the watercourse groove, a standing member extending upward from an upper end of the water gate and having screw threads on the outer surface thereof, and a pair of bevel gears installed on an upper end portion of the dividing panel for elevating the vertical standing member up and down.    
   
   
       18 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 14  or  16 , wherein the dividing panel has both the fishway size control mechanism and the water level control mechanism, and the water-passing hole and the watercourse groove are formed on the same vertical straight line in the dividing panel, and the fishway block includes: 
 two water gates for adjusting the sizes of the water-passing hole and the watercourse groove, respectively;    two vertical standing members extending upward from upper ends of the respective water gates; and    a pair of bevel gears that can separately elevate the two vertical standing members.    
   
   
       19 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 14  or  16 , further including a deceleration motor connected to a shaft of a bevel gear as to automatically rotate the bevel gear in forward and reverse directions.  
   
   
       20 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the dividing panel near the water-passing hole is realized in a sub-dividing panel which can be detachably installed in the dividing panel.  
   
   
       21 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the sub-dividing panel is made of concrete, like the bottom panel, the sidewall panels and the dividing panels, or is made of anti-corrosion treated metal.  
   
   
       22 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a water flow speed reduction member disposed in front of the foremost dividing panel or in a compartment formed between adjacent dividing panels for primarily slowing down the speed of water flow.  
   
   
       23 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the water flow speed reduction member has a stepped shape which faces a direction of water flow.  
   
   
       24 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1  or  claim 22 , further comprising a heater on the surfaces of the sidewall panels, the dividing panels and the water flow speed reduction member for preventing water from freezing in winter or in frigid zones.  
   
   
       25 . The fishway block as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fishway block is connected to a pipe having a water discharging capacity equal to that of the water-passing hole of the foremost dividing panel disposed on a downstream side of an installation place, the water-passing hole being submerged in water, so that water does not overflow over the upper end thereof when the fishway block is installed.