U.S. patent application number 10/000441 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-05 for hydroponic growing enclosure and method for the fabrication of animal feed grass from seed.
Invention is credited to Cole, Robert, Lloyd, Douglas.
Application Number | 20030101645 10/000441 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21691551 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030101645 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cole, Robert ; et
al. |
June 5, 2003 |
HYDROPONIC GROWING ENCLOSURE AND METHOD FOR THE FABRICATION OF
ANIMAL FEED GRASS FROM SEED
Abstract
A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure and method for the
fabrication of animal feed grass from seed is described. The
enclosure is a self-contained enclosure which is insulated and
which can be transported or assembled on site and which is
independent of outside climatic conditions. Seed is stored in an
isolated portion of the enclosure and fed to germination tanks in
predetermined quantities where the seeds are germinated for a
predetermined period of time. The tanks are then drained of their
iodine-treated water and the germinated seeds are placed in
predetermined quantities onto trays which are placed at an inlet
end of a racking system. Trays are removed with grown grass at a
harvest outlet end of the racking system in the same sequence as
they are placed at the inlet end, so that there is a continuous
daily supply of feed grass. Light walls are provided on opposed
sides of the racking system to illuminate the beds. Conditioned air
is also convected through the racking system from the inlet end to
the outlet harvest end and the air flow distributes carbon dioxide
generated in an inlet end section by the germinating seed grain,
over the entire growing beds. The beds are also sprayed with water
and the air flow is reconditioned by an air conditioning unit,
filtered to remove bacteria and recirculated through the racking
system. More specifically, the production system uses feed-quality
barley for growing in tray beds to produce approximately 2,200
pounds of feed grass per day in a 7-day cycle from seed to
feed.
Inventors: |
Cole, Robert; (Montreal,
CA) ; Lloyd, Douglas; (Lachine, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OGILVY RENAULT
1981 MCGILL COLLEGE AVENUE
SUITE 1600
MONTREAL
QC
H3A2Y3
CA
|
Family ID: |
21691551 |
Appl. No.: |
10/000441 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
47/61 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01G 31/02 20130101;
Y02P 60/21 20151101; Y02P 60/216 20151101 |
Class at
Publication: |
47/61 |
International
Class: |
A01G 031/00 |
Claims
1. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure for the
fabrication of animal feed grass from seed and independent of
outside climatic conditions, said growing enclosure comprising a
seed grain storage means located in a control compartment section
of said enclosure and isolated from a growing and harvest
compartment section, conveyor means to supply seed from said
storage means to a germination tank located in said growing and
harvest compartment, said germination tank having
bacteria-suppressing means, a racking system in said growing and
harvest compartment to support a plurality of trays of germinating
seed grain and growing grasses in horizontally spaced-apart growing
beds, said racking system having an inlet end where said grass
seeds are germinating and an outlet harvest end where said grass
seeds have developed to the prerequisite grass size, light wall
units on opposed sides of said racking system and dimensioned to
provide light over all of said beds, and air handling and
conditioning system having directional air outlet means for
circulating a continuous conditioned and filtered air flow across
all of said trays in said racking system from said inlet end; said
air flow distributing carbon dioxide, generated in a section of
said inlet end by said germinating seed grain, over said entire
growing beds; water supply conduit means associated with said
enclosure to connect with a pressurized water supply source, spray
means to spray water over said beds, said light wall units each
having a light-diffusing wall enclosure provided with
light-reflecting means and an independent light housing for housing
light sources and associated electrical parts, said
light-reflecting means providing substantially uniform light
radiation along said racking system and over said beds.
2. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 1 wherein said enclosure is an insulated stainless-steel
enclosure for outdoor use and continuous operation under outside
climatic conditions ranging from about -40.degree. F. to at least
+100.degree. F.
3. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 1 wherein said seed is one of barley, oats and corn
seeds.
4. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 1 wherein said racking system comprises a plurality of
vertical frame members equidistantly spaced apart, roller support
members secured to said vertical frame members for securing tray
support rollers, said roller support members being inclined
downward from said inlet end to said outlet harvest end for gravity
feed of seed support trays supported on said rollers.
5. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 4 wherein commercial sprout containers containing said
germinating seeds are housed in said support trays.
6. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 4 wherein said racking system is secured over a drainage
floor which is inclined to channel water out from under said
racking system.
7. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 1 wherein said enclosure further comprises a water treatment
system, reservoir means for supplying pure temperature-adjusted
water for irrigation of said beds, said reservoir means also
supplying iodine-treated feed water to said germination tank to
kill any bacteria growth on said seeds.
8. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 7 wherein there is provided two of said germination tanks,
each said germination tank being connected to a respective one of
two seed grain hoppers constituting said seed grain storage means,
and a screw conveyor constituting said conveyor means
interconnecting a germination tank to a respective one of said seed
grain hoppers to load a predetermined quantity of seeds in said
germination tank.
9. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 8 wherein said germination tanks are provided with a soak
water holding reservoir provided with aerators to supply air to
soak water in said reservoir, said iodine-treated feed water being
supplied to said reservoir by spray nozzles, said spray nozzles
being disposed above a discharge port of said screw conveyor to
spray said seeds as they are discharged in said reservoir, said
reservoir having a lid and a vent conduit to vent the area above
said soak water to atmosphere.
10. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 1 wherein said light-diffusing wall enclosures are each
comprised of a rectangular flat box structure, said light housing
being a waterproof housing disposed along a vertical end wall
thereof, an angled wall panel spaced from a rear wall of said flat
box structure and inclined forwardly from said light housing, a
light-reflective material disposed on a front face of said wall
panel, said flat box structure having a light-diffusing front wall
to provide an even spectrum of light to said beds.
11. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 10 wherein said light-reflective material is a Mylar.TM. film
secured to said front face of said wall panel, said light-diffusing
front wall being constituted by light-diffusing plastic panels,
said light housing being disposed forwardly by said front end of
said racking system, a front section of said wall panel having
infra-red light reflected therefrom.
12. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 1 wherein said air handling and conditioning system is a dual
air ducting system comprising a pair of supply air ducts, each
supply air duct of said pair being disposed adjacent to a top wall
of said growing enclosure on a respective side of said racking
system, a down comer duct secured to said supply air duct and
disposed at a predetermined location forwardly of said inlet end of
said racking system, said down comer duct having at least one air
outlet provided with adjustable louvers for adjusting the direction
of pressurized air exiting said air outlet, and a return air outlet
spaced rearwardly of said harvest end of said racking system for
conditioning and recirculating said return air.
13. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 12 wherein said return air outlet is in a rear wall of said
growing enclosure and connects into an outside air conditioning and
mixing box section, said air conditioning mixing box section having
a fresh air inlet port provided with adjustable louvers to control
the quantity of fresh air for mixing with return air from said
growing beads, a filter section for filtering airborne bacteria
from said return air, a cooling coil section to control the
temperature of said filtered air, and a fan to circulate said
return air through said supply air ducts and said mixing box
section.
14. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 12 wherein there is further provided an outside exhaust air
fan rearwardly of said harvest end of said racking system and
control means to regulate the volume of exhausted air.
15. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 12 wherein there is further provided a heating unit disposed
in a main conduit of said air returned from said mixing box section
whereby to condition the temperature of said air fed to said pair
of supply air ducts.
16. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 12 wherein said spray means is comprised of a network of
spray nozzles associated with said racking system to spray atomized
water over said grass-growing beds, and control means to control
the time and sequence of said water spray.
17. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 12 wherein said air handling and conditioning system is a
computer control system having a controller, a plurality of
thermostat-feeding temperature signals to said control, said
controller feeding control signals to louver positioning motors and
temperature control devices to regulate said air flow through said
beds.
18. A method of hydroponically growing animal feed grass in an
outside enclosure and independent of outside climatic conditions,
said method comprising the steps of: (i) feeding a predetermined
quantity of seed grain from a storage means to a germination tank
having iodine-treated water to prevent bacteria growth; (ii)
germinating said seeds for a predetermined period of time; (iii)
placing a predetermined quantity of germinated seeds in a
predetermined number of grass-growing trays at an inlet end of a
racking system; (iv) radiating light over beds of said trays
supported in said racking system; (v) circulating a continuous
conditioned and filtered air flow across all of said trays
supported in said racking system from said inlet end to an outlet
harvest end; said air flow distributing carbon dioxide generated in
a section of said inlet end by said germinating seed grass, over
said entire growing beds; and (vi) removing a predetermined
quantity of trays of grown feed grass from said harvesting end to
make room in said racking system to place the trays of step
(iii).
19. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein said steps (ii), (iii)
and (vi) are repeated every 24 hours.
20. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 18 wherein said steps (i) and (ii) also comprise aerating
said iodine-treated water with air, and evacuating air from above
said iodine-treated water to atmosphere.
21. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 20 wherein there is further provided spraying seed grain fed
to said germination tank with iodine-treated water.
22. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 20 wherein after step (ii) there is provided the step of
draining said iodine-treated water from said germinating tank to
collect said fermenting seeds.
23. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 22 wherein said step (iii) comprises placing germinating seed
in a volume weight, in said trays placed at said inlet end, which
is about {fraction (1/7)}.sub.th the weight of said trays removed
from said harvesting end.
24. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 18 wherein said step (iii) comprises gravity feeding said
trays on said racking system for placing said trays with
germinating seeds.
25. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 18 wherein said step (v) comprises convecting return air from
said air flow into a mixing box section of an air ducting network,
mixing said return air with a predetermined quantity of fresh air,
and conditioning the temperature of said return air.
26. A self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure as claimed in
claim 25 wherein said conditioning the temperature of said air
comprises one of (a) refrigerating said section, or (b) heating
said return air.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a hydroponic growing system
and particularly to a fully integrated hydroponic process and
apparatus which utilizes a universally available, feed-quality
barley seed or other suitable seed to produce a young barley grass
product for animal feed.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Hydroponics is the art of growing plants without soil and
has been practised for many years. Hydroponic systems for growing
grain and legume seed to a sprouted grass crop in a controlled
environment has been practised in over 10 known applications over
the last 40 years. The commercial success of these systems has been
limited, though it has been clearly demonstrated that high-quality
plants can be produced in a very short period of time using a
controlled hydroponic system.
[0003] Generally, controlled hydroponic systems for this type of
application consists of a controlled environmental enclosure in
which the grain is germinated and grown on either racked trays or a
moving mat type system. Most of these applications included some
type of air conditioning and distribution system, a water supply
and irrigation system and a controlled artificial or solar light
source.
[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,211 to I. Z. Martin, issued Mar. 15,
1960 and titled "Hydroponic Apparatus," there is described a
cabinet with a structure for supporting trays inside the cabinet.
Water and nutrients are supplied to the trays through a spray
system. An array of fluorescent lights illuminate the growing plant
material in the trays. An air handling system includes a heat pump
and heat exchanger with thermostatic controls and blowers.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,951 to I. Z. Martin, issued Aug. 5, 1969
and titled "Hydroponic Grass Unit," describes a larger controlled
environmental chamber for use on farms as a barley grass production
chamber. The inside chamber is insulated and temperature, humidity,
light, ventilation and irrigation are carefully controlled. The
growing trays are in a fixed slopped rack to promote drainage
toward the rear of the enclosure.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,088, issued Apr. 30, 1974 and titled
"Controlled Environmental Hydroponic System" shows a translucent
building in which plants are arranged in longitudinally extended
growing beds. The temperature and humidity within the building is
controlled with a spray apparatus utilized to apply a fine mist
over the growing plants when the sunlight becomes excessively
intense.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,284,948, titled "Continuous Hydroponic
System," describes a system of operation in a controlled atmosphere
which includes multi-layered, flexible open-mesh belts which serve
as continuous growing beds. A seed hopper deposits grain in a
uniform depth onto the moving belt. The seed is watered as the belt
slowly moves from the seed input to the harvest side where the
plant roots are stripped from the belt for use as feed.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,405 to Campbell et al, titled "Automatic
Plant Food Production," describes a controlled environment for
growing plants. The enclosure has a plurality of artificial lights
positioned over the growing region. Planting trays are mounted for
automatic or controlled movement past the light sources, then to a
work area for planting, cultivating, crop management and
harvesting.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,401 to L. D. Mohr, titled "Automatic
Hydroponic Growing System," describes a sheet seed structure
primarily for use in hydroponic systems. This pre-manufactured seed
sheet is a substrate of biodegradable and digestible material such
as cellulose and contains sterilized seed charged with a
biologically active material. Pre-cut sheet is removed from a
package and placed in a controlled growing chamber.
[0010] The U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,951 aforementioned was one of the
first applications of a hydroponic barley grass factory designed as
a walk-in plant capable of producing 2,000 pounds of seven day old
barley grass per day.
[0011] Most of the known systems were plagued by either equipment
failure, bacterial growth and/or material failure. A combination of
these led to high maintenance and frequent system crashing. Most of
these systems failed in a matter of months for one or a combination
of the following:
[0012] Material Failure--The constant subjection of high humidity,
air movement, intense lighting, heat generation from the growing
beds and the use of chlorine and nutrients affected the application
of many materials. Generally, operational failures occurred in a
variety of coated carbon steels, aluminum alloys and elastomers.
These failures occurred in walls and floors, particularly around
joints and seams, in the growing trays and racking system, in the
air ducting system, and particularly with the use of any mechanical
apparatus in the growing chamber. The first units were applications
of a slow-moving conveyor belt bed that took 7 days to move the 20
or 30 feet to harvest. Motors and chains were impossible to
maintain in such a constant intense environment.
[0013] Germination--Most of these units gave no consideration to
seed germination. The seed was either metered onto a belt or
scooped directly into trays, where it germinated and grew over a
7-day cycle. In order to insure a high germination rate and high
barley grass yield, a "seed-quality" barley had to be used for feed
stock instead of the more globally available "feed-quality" seed.
This led to production inefficiencies which were not acceptable in
most agricultural applications.
[0014] Nutrients and Chlorine--Because most prior applications had
no germination apparatus, nutrients were used to boost early-stage
growth in order to achieve the sevenfold weight gain in 7 days as
achieved without nutrients under ideal laboratory conditions. A
combination of subsystem failures often brought on the rapid fungal
growth in the chamber. Chlorine was introduced into several of
these operating systems, creating other problems to the overall
system operation.
[0015] Lighting--In order to intensity the operations of most
systems, the growing beds were stacked and the lighting source was
mounted in the walls on one or both sides of the chamber in order
to illuminate all growing levels. The standard use of fluorescent
tubes with ballasts or other bulbs with ballasts caused maintenance
problems because of the difficult access to the walls behind the
layered racking system. Sealing and resealing against moisture was
a severe problem associated with most applications. Some units have
employed a passive solar wall to avoid electrical expense and
associated maintenance problems. These gains are lost in production
control and output.
[0016] Air Handling and Treatment--Most of the prior are
applications relied on standard packaged, externally mounted HVAC
units to control the growing chamber temperature. Unfortunately,
these units were designed for supplying heated or cooled air on
demand, and not the high humidity inherent in growing rooms
designed for applications in extreme external conditions. Many
failures also occurred because of wrong material selection for
internal air ducting equipment. Different types of heat exchangers
and humidity control devices have been tried with the inherent loss
of overall process control. Some systems have added carbon dioxide
to the air flow in order to increase production.
[0017] Water Filtration and Treatment--Most of the prior art makes
little or no mention of a comprehensive water management system. Of
course, most of the system operational balance depends on a water
source free from bacteria which could later cause and aggravate
fungal and mold problems.
[0018] High production growing rooms demand continual operation,
with a low daily operational time to harvest and seed and limited
maintenance time.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0019] It is a feature of the present invention to provide a
self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure for the fabrication of
animal feed grass and which substantially overcomes the
disadvantages of the above-mentioned prior art.
[0020] Another feature of the present invention is to provide a
method of hydroponic growing animal feed grass in an out-of-doors
enclosure and independent of outside climatic conditions.
[0021] Another feature of the present invention is to provide a
self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure which is modular in
concept and designed for factory or field assembly by simple
mechanical tools.
[0022] Another feature of the present invention is to provide a
self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure having a racking system
which utilizes a gravity feed roller system for displacing the feed
trays on a daily basis and which is easy to use for loading or
unloading.
[0023] Another feature of the present invention is to provide a
self-contained hydroponic growing enclosure wherein the water feed
system, as well as the air handling system and feed germination
system, are automatically controlled.
[0024] According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the
present invention provides a self-contained hydroponic growing
enclosure for the fabrication of animal feed grass from seed and
independent of outside climatic conditions. The growing enclosure
comprises a seed grain storage means located in a control
compartment section of the enclosure and isolated from a growing
and harvest compartment section. Conveyor means is provided to
supply seeds from the storage means to a germination tank located
in the growing and harvest compartment. The germination tank has
bacteria-suppressing means. A racking system is provided in the
growing and harvest compartment to support a plurality of trays of
germinating seed grain and growing grasses in horizontally
spaced-apart growing beds. The racking system has an inlet end
where the grass seeds are germinating and an outlet harvest end
where the grass seeds have developed to the prerequisite grass
size. Light wall units are provided on opposed sides of the racking
system and dimensioned to provide light over all of the seed beds.
An air handling and conditioning system having directional air
outlet means is provided for circulating a continuous conditioned
and filtered air flow across all of the trays in the racking system
from the inlet end to the outlet harvest end. The air flow
distributes carbon dioxide, generated in a section of the inlet end
by the germinating seed grain, over the entire growing beds. Water
supply conduit means is associated with the enclosure to connect
with a pressurized water supply source. Spray means is provided to
spray water over the beds. The light wall units each have a
light-diffusing wall enclosure provided with light-reflecting means
and an independent light housing for housing light sources and
associated electrical parts. The light-reflecting means provides
substantially uniform light radiation along the racking system and
over the beds.
[0025] According to a further broad aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a method of hydroponic growing animal
feed grass in an out-of-doors enclosure and independent of outside
climatic conditions. The method comprises the steps of:
[0026] (i) feeding a predetermined quantity of seed grain from a
storage means to a germination tank having iodine-treated
water;
[0027] (ii) germinating said seeds for a predetermined period of
time;
[0028] (iii) placing a predetermined quantity of germinated seeds
in a predetermined number of grass-growing trays at an inlet end of
a racking system;
[0029] (iv) radiating light over beds of said trays supported in
said racking system;
[0030] (v) circulating a continuous conditioned and filtered air
flow across all of said trays supported in said racking system from
said inlet end to an outlet harvest end; said air flow distributing
carbon dioxide generated in a section of said inlet end by said
germinating seed grass, over said entire growing beds; and
[0031] (vi) removing a predetermined quantity of trays of grown
feed grass from said harvesting end to make room in said racking
system to place the trays of step (iii).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0032] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be
described with reference to the example thereof as illustrated in
the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0033] FIG. 1 is a simplified sectional side view through the
insulated growing enclosure, showing the control compartment
section and some of the main equipment housed therein and a portion
of the growing and harvest compartment section;
[0034] FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1;
[0035] FIG. 3 is a sectional side view showing a further portion of
the growing and harvest compartment and some of the equipment
associated therewith;
[0036] FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 3;
[0037] FIG. 5 is a further section view through the control
compartment showing the two hoppers;
[0038] FIG. 6 is a section view through the control compartment
section;
[0039] FIG. 7 is a section view through the racking system;
[0040] FIG. 8 is a further section view showing the trays that
contain the germinating seed train and how they are supported on
rollers;
[0041] FIG. 9 is a corner section view of the bottom wall of the
enclosure showing the inclined bottom wall under the racking system
to channel water out of the growing and harvest compartments;
[0042] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the construction
of the light wall units;
[0043] FIG. 11 is a top section view of the light wall unit;
[0044] FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a section through the light
wall unit showing the construction of the unit;
[0045] FIG. 13 is a fragmented transverse section view showing the
position of the racking system relative to the light wall unit;
[0046] FIG. 14 is a simplified schematic view showing the
construction of the mixing box section of the air convecting
system;
[0047] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the control circuit of
the air handling and conditioning system; and
[0048] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the construction of
the germination tank.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0049] Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1
to 7, there is shown the self-contained hydroponic growing
enclosure 10 of the present invention. The enclosure is fabricated
from stainless steel, or at least has its inner sheeting 11 made
from stainless steel, and an outer wall sheeting 12. An insulating
material 13 is disposed between the sheetings 11 and 12, whereby
the enclosure can be temperature-controlled to fabricate animal
feed grass from seed and independent of outside climatic
conditions. The enclosure may be of a trailer type or mounted on a
flat bed and disposed on site, with the operational equipment
therein assembled on site by the use of conventional tools.
[0050] As shown more clearly in FIGS. 1 to 4, the growing enclosure
comprises a control compartment section 14, which is isolated from
a growing and harvest compartment section 15 by a separator wall
16, the outer surfaces thereof being covered with stainless-steel
sheeting.
[0051] The control compartment section 14 houses storage means in
the form of two seed hoppers 17, which are fed seed from the top
end thereof through a loading cylinder 18, coupled to an access
door 19, secured to the roof 20 of the enclosure. The control
compartment section 14 also houses a cold-water tank 21 and a
hot-water tank 22, which are connected by suitable piping to
various components of the system. A heater 23 is provided to heat
the control compartment section 14 during cold climatic conditions
outside the enclosure. The automatic air control system, as
schematically illustrated in FIG. 15, is housed within the control
panel 24. An electrical panel 25 is also provided in the control
compartment section 14. An iodine unit 26 is also provided for
mixing with water to feed the germination tank 27, which is located
in the germinating and harvesting compartment section 15 to kill
bacteria growth on the dry seeds.
[0052] As herein shown, a hanger screw feed conveyor 28 feeds a
predetermined quantity of seed grain from the hopper 17 into the
germination tank 27, and this will be described later in detail. As
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there are two hoppers 17, each associated
with a respective one of two germination tanks 27. The germination
tanks are isolated from the feed hoppers by the separating wall
15.
[0053] The germination and harvest compartment section 15 houses a
racking system 30 to support a plurality of grass germination trays
31, as better shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and in which is disposed a
predetermined quantity of germinating seed grain at an inlet end 32
of the racking system. These trays are supported in a horizontally
spaced-apart fashion to constitute spaced-apart growing beds. The
racking system has an outlet harvest end 33, as better illustrated
in FIGS. 3 and 4, where the grass seeds have developed to the
prerequisite grass size, as shown at G in FIG. 8. Access doors 34
are provided adjacent to this outlet harvest end to provide access
to the racking system to unload a predetermined quantity of trays
at this outlet end to provide feed grass for animals. These trays
are emptied, rewashed and reused at the inlet end, where the
germinating seeds are reloaded in each tray in a predetermined
quantity. For a typical system as herein described, each tray is
loaded with 7 pounds of germinating seed and after 7 days the
outlet trays each have grown approximately 35 (thirty-five) pounds
of barley grass.
[0054] Light wall units 35, as better shown in FIG. 10, are secured
on both sides of the racking system 30 and are dimensioned to
provide light over all of the trays in the racking system.
[0055] An air handling and conditioning system 36, including an
outside mixing box section 37, circulates a continuous conditioned
and filtered air flow across all of the trays 31 supported in the
racking system 30 from the inlet end 32 to the outlet harvest end
33. This air flow, as illustrated by flow lines 38, distributes
carbon dioxide which is generated in a forward section of the inlet
end 32 of the racking system by the germinating seeds, all across
the trays in the racking system whereby to provide carbon dioxide
over the entire growing beds. A water supply conduit means, such as
that illustrated by reference numeral 39 in FIG. 2, connects
pressurized water from an outside water supply source to feed
various component parts of the system. Water conduits 40 are
integrated with the racking system 30, as illustrated in FIG. 7,
and are provided with atomizing jet nozzles 41 to spray a fine mist
of water over the trays. A valve is automatically operated by the
control panel and in accordance with a program function whereby to
supply water under pressure to these nozzles on and off and for a
predetermined time sequence, as dictated by the system and other
variables. The seed may be one of barley, oats or corn seeds, or
other seeds capable of being grown by the system as herein
described. As also pointed out, the growing enclosure is
constructed to operate under outside climatic conditions ranging
from about -40.degree. F. to at least +100.degree. F.
[0056] As shown more clearly in FIGS. 7 and 8, it can be seen that
the racking system is comprised of a plurality of vertical frame
members 44 which are equidistantly spaced apart and immovably
secured within the enclosure 10. Roller support members 45 are
secured to the vertical frame members 44 and are inclined downward
from the inlet end 32 of the racking system to the outlet harvest
end 33 for gravity feed of the seed support trays 31, which are
supported on rollers 46 secured to the support members 45. The
trays 31 are provided with opposed side flanges 47 to sit on top of
the rollers and they span at least two horizontally spaced rollers.
The side walls 48 of the trays are also slightly tapered inwardly
to clear the rollers 46. A suitable arresting mechanism 49, shown
in FIG. 4, which is operated by a hand lever 50 or other means, is
provided to arrest the trays 31' immediately at the outlet harvest
end 33 of the racking system and to provide for their removal. As
shown in FIG. 8, commercial sprout containers, such as plastic
containers 51, containing germinating seeds may be housed in the
support trays, but this is not essential.
[0057] FIG. 3 illustrates the downward slope of the beds of seed
trays and conveniently this downward angle slopes from the inlet
end to the outlet harvest end at a 5.degree. angle. This provides
for ease of displacement of the trays as they are pushed from the
inlet end for reloading trays with germinating seeds from the
germination tanks 27. Usually, two lateral rows of trays are
discharged from the outlet harvest end on a daily basis. As the
trays are pushed from the inlet end, two additional trays of
germinating seeds are placed on the racking system and all of the
trays are displaced by one day of growth. The trays are also
fabricated from stainless steel.
[0058] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the racking system is secured
over a drainage floor 52, which is inclined to channel water to a
main discharge conduit 53 as water is sprayed over the beds by the
jet spray nozzles 41. As previously described, there are two water
tanks 21 and 22 in the control compartment section 14, one
constituting a reservoir means for supplying pure temperature
adjusted water for the irrigation of the beds, and the other to
supply iodine-treated feed water to the germination tank 27 to kill
bacteria.
[0059] With reference now to FIGS. 10 to 12, there will be
described the construction of the light-diffusing wall enclosures
35. As previously described, there are two such enclosures, one on
each side and all along the racking system. Each of the
light-diffusing wall enclosures 35 are constructed as a rectangular
flat box structure 60. A light housing 61 is provided at one end of
the box structure 60 all along a vertical end section 62 thereof.
This light housing 61 is disposed, as shown in FIG. 1, forwardly of
the inlet end 32 of the racking system for quick access thereto.
Light sources 63 are secured on a vertical wall 64 of the light
housing 61 all along the vertical end 62 of the box structure 60 to
illuminate the inside of the box. Associated electrical components,
such as ballasts 65, are also secured in this light housing 61. A
sealed hinge door 66 provides access to the inside of the light
housing for repair and maintenance.
[0060] The box structure 60, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, is
provided with an angled wall panel 67 spaced from a rear wall 68 of
the flat box structure and inclined forwardly from the light
housing 61 to the far end wall 69. A light-reflective material 70,
such as a Mylar.TM. film, is secured to the front face of the wall
panel 67. This Mylar.TM. film and the angled wall panel 67 provide
for an even spectrum of light reflection through a light-diffusing
front wall 71 of the housing 60. The light-diffusing front wall is
constituted of a plurality of light-diffusing plastic panels 72,
which are sealingly secured in a frame 73. As shown in FIG. 13, the
light wall box structure 60 is mounted over a support ledge
framework 74 provided along the side walls 75 of the enclosure 10.
This provides for ease of mounting. They also support the panels
for quick installation by few assembly workers.
[0061] With reference now to FIG. 16, there is shown the
construction of the germination tanks 27. As herein shown, each
germination tank 27 is provided with a soak water holding reservoir
80, which is provided with aerators 81 extending from a bottom wall
82 thereof to supply air to the soak water 83 provided in the
reservoir. The soak water is fed by spray nozzles 84 secured to a
feed conduit 85 disposed above a discharge port 86 of the screw
conveyor 28 to spray the seeds being discharged into the reservoir
80. The reservoir is further provided with a lid 87 and a vent
conduit 88 to vent the area above the soak water 83 to atmosphere.
Each of the germination tanks 27 is connected to a respective one
of the two seed grain hoppers 17. A drain valve 89 is provided to
drain the iodine soak water 83 from the reservoir prior to
collecting the germinating seeds to load them on the trays. The
seeds are held in the reservoir by a screen or other partitioning
means. After the germination tank is emptied, the cycle repeats on
a daily basis and, therefore, the seeds germinate within the soak
water for a period of about 24 hours.
[0062] With reference now to FIGS. 1 to 4, 14 and 15, there will be
described in more detail the construction and operation of the air
handling and condition system. The system is a dual air ducting
system which comprises a main conduit 90 and two supply air ducts
91. These supply air ducts 91 are secured adjacent to the top wall
20 of the growing enclosure 10 on the respective side of the
racking system 30 adjacent to the side walls of the enclosure 10. A
down comer duct 92 is secured to each of the supply air ducts 91
and dispose at a predetermined location forwardly of the inlet end
of the racking system 30. The down comer duct has at least one,
herein three air outlets 93 disposed therealong, and each provided
with adjustable louvers 94 for adjusting the direction of
pressurized air exiting the air outlets 93. A return air outlet 95
(see FIG. 3) is spaced rearwardly of the harvest end 33 of the
racking system 30, whereby to direct the return air to a mixing box
section 37 of the air handling and conditioning system located
outside the enclosure 10 and secured thereto.
[0063] With reference to FIG. 14, there is shown in more detail the
construction of the mixing box section 37. As herein shown, the
mixing box section is located outwardly of the enclosure 10 and
secured to the rear wall 96 of the enclosure. Accordingly, the
return air outlet 95 is provided with a hole made in this rear
wall. The mixing box section 37 is provided with a fresh air inlet
port 97 for mixing fresh air, as shown by the flow lines 98, with
the return air as shown by the flow lines 99 in an inlet box 100 of
the mixing box section. Adjustable louvers 101 are automatically
controlled by the electronic control panel 102 of the control
system, as illustrated in FIG. 15, whereby to regulate the amount
of fresh air admitted in the inlet box for mixing with the return
air, and this depends on various parameters, such as outdoor
climatic conditions and indoor conditions of the return air.
[0064] Following the inlet mixing box 100, there is provided a
filter section 103, which houses wet laid microfiberglass filter
panels 104 and other type filters which are supported in stainless
steel frames (now shown). A cooling coil section 105 is disposed at
the outlet of the filter section and the air flow into the cooling
coil section can also be regulated by adjustable louvers 106, also
controlled by the control panel 102. These cooling coils are
regulated by the electronic control panel, depending on climatic
conditions and the temperature inside the enclosure 10. A fan 107,
mounted in a fan housing 108 at the end of mixing box section 37,
circulates the air and feeds this conditioned air to the main
conduit 90. An outside exhaust air fan assembly 109 is also
provided in a wall on the enclosure and disposed rearwardly toward
the harvest end of the racking system to exhaust return air to
atmosphere and in predetermined quantities as regulated by the
electronic control panel. The outside exhaust air fan is controlled
by a programmed function forming part of the electronic control
panel 102 which controls the motor 110 of the exhaust air fan
system, as illustrated in FIG. 15.
[0065] As shown in FIGS. 15, 3 and 4, an electric heating coil is
inserted in the main duct and provides a heating unit for the
return air from the mixing box section 36, whereby to condition the
temperature of the return air fed to the two supply air ducts. The
electric heating coil unit 111 is also controlled by the electronic
control panel 102 and, as illustrated in FIG. 15, this electric
heating coil assembly 111 can be mounted in the mixing box section
37.
[0066] With reference to FIG. 15, there is shown in schematic block
diagram the integrated interior climatic control system for the
hydroponic production of animal feed grass, such as barley grass.
This control system incorporates an air conditioning package 112
capable of operation with seasonal outside temperature variations
from -40.degree. F. (-40.degree. C.) to at least +100.degree. F.
(+37.degree. C.). The minimum fresh air intake through the intake
97 is 25% of the system total air supply quantity at all times
during the year. The outside air compensates the system on a
year-round basis and maximum economy is achieved by using more than
minimum outdoor air for atmospheric cooling when outside conditions
permit, i.e., during marginal or in-between seasonal conditions.
When the air handling and conditioning system is energized, the
supply fan 107 and exhaust fan 109 start operating. A changeover
thermostat 113 selects either the summer or winter compensation
mode according to outdoor temperature. At no-load condition, this
schedule will change over automatically. On the winter compensation
schedule, the electronic control panel 102 controls the space
temperature by coordinating signals from the internal space
thermostat 114, discharge thermostat 115 and an outdoor thermostat
116. The electric heating coil 111 is also provided with a step
controller (not shown) whereby to sequence the electric heating
coils depending on air temperature requirements. Outdoor and return
air louvers 101 are also controlled. The cooling coils 105 are
controlled by a valve 117, depending on space temperature
requirements.
[0067] It is pointed out that the outside air thermostat 116 is
adjustable either to overcome system offset or elevate the space
temperature within the enclosure as the outside temperature falls.
The electronic control panel 102 programs signals from the
humidistat 118 to control humidification levels in the space by
eyeling atomizing spray valve 119 which is connected to the spray
nozzles 84 of the feed conduit 85.
[0068] In the summer compensation mode, the electronic panel 102
controls the space temperature by coordinating signals from the
space thermostat 114 and outdoor thermostat 120 to operate the
cooling valve 117 and cooling coil bypass dampers 106 for cooling
the outdoor and return air for ventilating or electric heating
element sequencing for heating depending on interior space
temperature. The outdoor air thermostat 120 causes the space
temperature to elevate as the outside air temperature rises. When
the outside air is too warm, outside air thermostat 121 will return
the outdoor air damper 101 to its minimum position (as established
by a minimum position switch 122) to eliminate outside excess fresh
air and provide economical operation of the refrigeration equipment
112, 115.
[0069] Under normal operation, the outdoor air damper motor 122
positions the dampers at their minimum position except when outside
air is used for atmospheric cooling. A thermostat 123 provides
signals concerning the return air temperature in the mixing box
section 37. The motor 124 controls the dampers 106, and these
dampers are adjusted so that they do not completely close whereby
to prevent the cooling coils 105 from frosting the dampers. As
herein shown, the exhaust air is also controlled by dampers 125,
which are controlled by a motor 126, which connects to the
electronic control panel. Although not shown, the electronic
control panel is a fully automated, computer-controlled panel and
with its sensor system is capable of operating the air conditioning
system fully automatically. The electronic control panel can also
be integrated in a CPU unit (not shown, but obvious to a person
skilled in the art) whereby all working aspects of the hydroponic
growing system are fully integrated. The CPU can also provide for
system monitoring and adjustments through a computer located
elsewhere.
[0070] Other aspects of the hydroponic growing system of the
present invention will now be described. It is pointed out that the
water holding tanks are capable of supplying pure
temperature-adjusted water directly to the header pipe for
irrigation of the multi-layered growing beds or through an iodine
treatment device for feed water to the germination tanks. The
hoppers 17 are designed for manual loading through the
roof-mounted, explosion-proof access door 19, and these hoppers are
designed to hold a 14-day seed supply. They are also equipped with
a universal pipe fitting (not shown) for connection to a standard
grain silo conveyor. Although not shown, the germination tank
aerators 81 are fed with filtered air from an air filtering system.
These tanks are fabricated from stainless steel and are
floor-mounted with full throat-sealed and hinged top lids. The
tanks are also designed for easy washdown and bottom draining.
[0071] The light wall housings are also sealed housings, as
described above. The first quarter section of the light wall
reflective surface is also preferable coated with an extra film so
that the wall delivers a red spectrum of light to the early growing
grass in the trays at the inlet end of the racking system.
[0072] The air conditioning ducting is constructed of stainless
steel and delivers a constant air flow substantially evenly across
each layer of the multi-layered growing beds positioned in the
racking system.
[0073] The hydroponic growing system of the present invention was
designed to produce grasses which are free from impurities and the
various apparatuses used were designed for low maintenance and
minimum operational manpower. The enclosure was designed as a
freestanding modular shell, the sections of which are manufactured
as composite panels, each with a stainless-steel inner skin backed
by a low-profile stainless-steel superstructure and designed to be
bolted from the inside. Stainless-steel conduits and equipment
hangers are factory-welded and fitted. Each shell panel section is
specifically tin-wall insulated for operational temperatures from
-40.degree. C. to +40.degree. C. The superstructure forms a ribbing
which ties into the racking upright which supports the racking
system. The superstructure also supports the external air handling
unit at one end of the assembled shell, and is assembled at the
other end to externally support the system operational equipment.
More specifically, the shell and operating equipment have an
8.times.50 foot layout and is designed to be mounted on a 2-foot
high platform for access to drainage tanks. An outer shell can be
hung on the superstructure to conform to any architectural
preference, and is also designed for ease of assembly on a standard
53-foot North American road trailer package.
[0074] The assembly is a simple connection of structural and
operating equipment modules. The system can be field-serviced by
modular replacement section or transported, in the trailer version,
for relocation or factory refitting.
[0075] The unit is also designed to quick-connect to a standard
low-pressure water source and draw a maximum of 1,000 liters per
day through the unit's multi-stage ceramic reverse-osmosis
filtration system R.O. (see FIG. 2), which is obvious to a person
skilled in the art. Two hundred liters of water daily are consumed
by the growing chamber, leaving up to 800 liters for an excellent
feed water supply. The system housing and piping are all stainless
steel with a valve exterior drain and supply line. The
iodine-producing unit meters 3 parts per million of iodine into the
water from an iodine cartridge. The iodine replaces the use of
chlorine in the germination cycle, effectively eliminating bacteria
brought into the system on the dry barley seed.
[0076] The unit can be set to operate from standard power lines
depending on site conditions. Ideal conditions would be a 220/110
volt service with back-up diesel generation on site. The main
control panel located in the control room houses a set programmed
chip which uses a sensor network to relay information to modular
programmable controls located in the germination room. These
controllers can manually override any of the operating systems or
be reset to auto pilot. The main control panel is equipped with
communication ports for site and remote data downloading.
[0077] The inside of the chamber is designed to be airtight with
smooth contours. The floor is in three sections forming three
distinct shallow basins--one for each of the germination, growing
and harvest rooms, each separated by a step without walls. The two
entrance doors into the chamber are located in the germination and
harvest ends of the chamber.
[0078] Concerning the germination tank, it is also pointed out
that, by using a unique floating-bed aeration technology, these
tanks are able to sprout 95% to 97% of feed-quality barley seed in
a 24-hour cycle. The units are constructed in low-carbon stainless
steel and stand alone with their own supply lines, air pumps and
controls for independent operation.
[0079] It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any
obvious modifications of the example of the preferred embodiment
described herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope
of the appended claims.
* * * * *