U.S. patent application number 15/965534 was filed with the patent office on 2018-12-06 for apparatus, system and methods for improved vertical farming.
The applicant listed for this patent is Jacob David Counne. Invention is credited to Jacob David Counne.
Application Number | 20180343810 15/965534 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63962943 |
Filed Date | 2018-12-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180343810 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Counne; Jacob David |
December 6, 2018 |
APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED VERTICAL FARMING
Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to improved vertical farming
using autonomous systems and methods for growing edible plants,
using improved stacking and shelving units configured to allow for
gravity-based irrigation, gravity-based loading and unloading,
along with a system for autonomous rotation, incorporating novel
plant-growing pallets, while being photographed and recorded by
camera systems incorporating three dimensional/multispectral
cameras, with the images and data recorded automatically sent to a
database for processing and for gauging plant health, pest and/or
disease issues, and plant life cycle. The present disclosure is
also directed to novel harvesting methods, novel modular lighting,
novel light intensity management systems, real time vision analysis
that allows for the dynamic adjustment and optimization of the
plant growing environment, and a novel rack structure system that
allows for simplified building and enlarging of vertical farming
rack systems.
Inventors: |
Counne; Jacob David;
(Chicago, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Counne; Jacob David |
Chicago |
IL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
63962943 |
Appl. No.: |
15/965534 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62539163 |
Jul 31, 2017 |
|
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|
62490822 |
Apr 27, 2017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01G 7/045 20130101;
A01G 27/003 20130101; Y02A 40/25 20180101; Y02P 60/21 20151101;
A01G 9/143 20130101; A01G 9/022 20130101; G06T 2207/10048 20130101;
G06T 2207/20024 20130101; A01G 31/042 20130101; A01G 9/0295
20180201; G06T 7/50 20170101; G06T 2207/30188 20130101; G06T
2207/10028 20130101; A01G 9/26 20130101; A01G 9/247 20130101; G06T
7/90 20170101 |
International
Class: |
A01G 9/26 20060101
A01G009/26; A01G 7/04 20060101 A01G007/04; A01G 9/02 20060101
A01G009/02; A01G 27/00 20060101 A01G027/00 |
Claims
1. A vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process, comprising: a shelving system, said shelving system
comprising a plurality of shelves, each of said plurality of
shelves having a first end and a second end with said first end
being located higher than said second end, each of said plurality
of shelves configured to accept and secure at least one grow tray,
said plurality of shelves comprising a plurality of rollers, said
plurality of rollers capable of rotating and configured such that a
grow tray placed on said rollers will be transported from said
first end to said second end using gravitational force; a lift,
said lift positioned at the said second end of said plurality of
shelves, said lift configured to remove said grow tray from a first
of said plurality of shelves and moving said grow tray to a second
of said plurality of shelves; said grow tray comprising at least
one port, said port located and configured on said grow tray such
that when said grow tray fills with water to a port level, the
water will cascade out of the grow tray and into an adjacent grow
tray, wherein when multiple grow trays are placed adjacent to each
other on one of said plurality of shelves, such that each grow tray
is higher than the adjacent grow tray, pouring enough water into
the highest grow tray will fill all of the grow trays, thereby
optimizing a plant growing process.
2. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 1, further comprising one or more rails and a
camera system, said one or more rails located above each of said
plurality of shelves, said camera system comprising a camera and a
set of wheels, said camera system configured to use said set of
wheels to move along said one or more rails above each of said
plurality of shelves, said camera system configured to use said
camera to take a plurality of pictures of said grow tray on said
plurality of shelves.
3. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 2, wherein said lift is further configured to move
said camera system from said first of said plurality of shelves to
said second of said plurality of shelves.
4. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 2 wherein said set of wheel comprises four wheels
and two of said four wheels are powered.
5. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 2 wherein said camera system is configured to
wirelessly transmit said plurality of pictures to a database on
said vertical farming system.
6. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 5 wherein said vertical farming system comprises
an application programming interface that uses the photographs to
optimize said plant growing process.
7. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 6 wherein said vertical farming system comprises a
user interface that accesses the application programming interface
to optimize said plant growing process.
8. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 7 wherein said user interface can be accessed by
third party vendors to determine conditions of a plant in said grow
tray.
9. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 8 wherein said third party vendor is the owner of
a restaurant.
10. The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing
process in claim 1 wherein said shelving system comprises preformed
materials containing hollowed cavities for irrigation of said grow
trays, thereby obviating the need for separate conduit.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/490,822, filed Apr. 27, 2017, entitled
APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED VERTICAL FARMING, and
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/539,163 filed Jul. 31,
2017, entitled APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED VERTICAL
FARMING, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in
their entirety as though fully set forth herein.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, system and
methods for improved vertical farming, including improved farming
shelves and racks, efficient transport of grow trays, which utilize
a cluster system, novel plant-grow trays or pallets, which allow
for combined optimal plant growth and irrigation methods, novel
harvesting methods, novel modular lighting, novel light intensity
management systems, real time vision analysis that allows for the
dynamic adjustment and optimization of the plant growing
environment, novel camera mobility systems, and a novel rack
structure system that allows for simplified building and enlarging
of vertical farming rack systems.
[0003] The present disclosure also relates to the improvement of
autonomous systems and methods for growing edible plants, using
improved scalable stacking and shelving units configured to allow
for scaling or increasing the size of the system through additional
shelving units. The disclosed shelving units utilize gravity-based
irrigation, along with novel water supply and draining,
gravity-based loading and unloading of the plant-growing trays and
camera system, along with a cluster-based shuttle system for
autonomous rotation, incorporating novel plant-growing and
germination trays. This system significantly reduces the amount of
labor required to tend to a vertical farm.
[0004] The present disclosure further relates to a system that
photographs and records the plant life cycle by 1) high definition
cameras located on telescoping poles using one or more gimbals to
allow the cameras to record each plant, the telescoping system
capable of transport between shelves; 2) a camera vehicle attached
to a rail or rail system above the plant-grow trays, capable of
independent movement to record each plant; and/or 3) autonomous
flying drones, incorporating three dimensional/multispectral
cameras, flying preprogrammed routes, thereby reducing or
eliminating certain labor costs. Multiple cameras can also be
permanently mounted onto the vertical farming system in other
strategic places as described herein. The result is to record
images and/or video of the growing plants, automatically analyze
these images and videos in real-time, thereby understanding exactly
what the plant needs for optimal growth, while retaining the
database for future plant growth. This will allow the plant itself
to become the "sensor," controlling its own environment, thereby
continually optimizing its own growing environment and reducing the
energy needed to obtain the maximum production. By utilizing these
novel methods of camera transport, we can significantly increase
the amount of plants that can be monitored autonomously, while
significantly decreasing the expense associated with purchasing
multiple cameras.
[0005] The present disclosure further relates to cameras, such as
3D cameras, that may be mounted on a gyroscopic stabilizer to
obtain clean and precise images and video of the growing plants.
The cameras may also comprise additional sensors to obtain
information about the vertical farming infrastructure. The cameras
may be Wi-Fi enabled, or in other ways wirelessly connected or
wired directly to the system for automatically transmitting the
recorded images and data to a database in the vertical farming
system for processing and for gauging plant health, biotic and
abiotic stresses, pest and/or disease issues, and plant life cycle,
along with determining the acceptability of the vertical farming
system.
[0006] Also, in the present disclosure, lighting bars and/or LED
sheets are integrated into a lighting platform, which is
dynamically connected to the shelving system that maintains a
constant (or near-constant) photosynthetic flux density (PPFD)
exposure to plant canopies throughout plant growth stages. The
lighting platform is outfitted with infrared sensors, ultrasonic
sensors, and/or other sensors, and configured to autonomously be
raised and lowered above the grow trays using an integrated motor,
driveshaft, cabling, and/or gears. In an embodiment, the motor and
gears drive or rotate a shaft to spool or unspool cabling fastened
to lighting bars and/or LED sheets via pulley and/or gear systems.
Other methods for raising and lowering the lighting platform above
the grow trays can be incorporated into the system within the scope
of the present disclosure.
[0007] In the present disclosure, the lighting platform supports
the integration of individual sensors and/or sensor systems
utilizing local processing for data analysis and storage, and
wireless communication schema for remote data collection, storage,
and analysis, using, for example, machine learning and/or
artificial intelligence. Sensors include, but are not limited to,
temperature, humidity, distance (e.g., ultrasonic, infrared) and
optical (e.g., photodiodes, photoresistors, phototransistors,
ultraviolet-cameras, visible spectrum cameras, near-infrared
cameras, infrared cameras, thermographic cameras). As described
herein, the camera(s) could be mounted to the lighting platform,
and when the system desires to capture an image or video, the
lighting platform will autonomously raise to an appropriate height
to capture as many of the plants in a particular grow tray, or on a
shelf, as possible, and then autonomously return to the height most
appropriate for optimal plant growth. The motor and/or sensors or
sensor systems provide feedback to the vertical farming system as
to the distance the lighting bars and/or LED sheets are from the
growing plants.
[0008] In the Present disclosure, sensors can also provide
information about the plant environment, plant condition, plant
life cycle, pest conditions, plant health, etc. A history can be
generated, and along with the information from sensors, obtained
during the entire life of the plants from seed to harvest, the
history can be included in a database of all of the similar or
dissimilar plants for optimizing the growth of the plants.
[0009] In addition to creating an optimal plant growing
environment, the present disclosure also relates to utilization of
the lighting platform representing both labor and energy savings.
Based on the plant canopy's height at any point in the plant's life
cycle, the lighting platform autonomously adjusts the lighting
fixture height above crops/trays to maintain a constant, optimal
position throughout crop growth cycle, thereby eliminating the need
for daily, manual adjustments. As described, the lighting platform
allows for lighting fixtures to be positioned at a minimum distance
from crops/trays (i.e., less than six inches above canopy for
lighting platform compared with over twenty four inches for
stationary lighting fixtures). By maintaining the lighting fixtures
at a minimal height above crops/trays, the system can utilize less
powerful (i.e., lower wattage) lighting fixtures (or standard-power
lighting fixtures), at lower power consumption rates through
dimming schema. By maintaining this minimum light fixture height
autonomously, one can produce the required light intensity needed
for plants to grow efficiently at significantly less wattage, and
therefore significantly less cost. This resolves one of the major
expenses in the vertical farm industry: high power consumption. It
also enables us to grow crops that are currently thought to be too
"energy intensive", such as wheat, at a significantly lower
expense.
[0010] The present disclosure further relates to a novel rack
structure manufacturing system for vertical farming in which parts
and material, such as extruded aluminum or extruded plastic, are
used for transporting and transferring irrigation, energy,
materials and environments from one place to another. By using
predesigned extruded aluminum for example, hollow cavities reduce
or eliminate the need for separate conduit, ducts or connections.
As such, the rack structure system of the present disclosure can be
designed to be originally built, or later enlarged, without the
need for designing separate conduit for transporting items
necessary for the plant-growing cycle. As the rack system is built
or enlarged, each extruded piece connects with the other pieces,
using the predesigned hollow cavities to create the necessary
conduit, ducts or connections. This will allow the entire shelving
system to function as a large, simple appliance, with one input for
electricity, one input for water, and one input for air, as well as
other built-in mounting points and rails for camera systems. This
will significantly reduce the cost and complexity of existing
vertical structure designs.
[0011] The present disclosure further relates to a novel harvesting
system in which the plants are harvested in their plant-grow trays.
Instead of the manual harvesting process, the present disclosure
relates to a harvest in place process or system. For example,
currently a full head of lettuce is cut at its base to detach it
from where it has grown. The leaves are then removed from the head
until the core remains, which is then discarded. The process
involves many steps, many of which are manual. The present
disclosure eliminates a substantial portion of the process by
harvesting the plant while in place ("harvest in place"), by
knowing exactly where the center of each plant site is located, due
to the grow tray lid with predetermined plant spacing, the plant
can be cored in the grow tray, reducing a number of the steps and
reduce the need to transport product.
[0012] The present disclosure relates to a harvesting press. The
harvesting press would be a similar or same size as the grow tray,
with corers strategically mounted in a mirror image of the plant
sites in the grow tray. The corers could vary in diameter based on
the particular crop being harvested and could also spin, to make
the coring process simpler. The harvesting press would drop down in
a single motion against the grow tray, simultaneously coring all of
the plant sites, resulting in the cores remaining in their sites,
and the loose leaves separated on the tray. The leaves can then be
easily removed for additional processing or packaging.
[0013] The present disclosure further relates to an articulating
harvester. The articulating harvester consists of a vision system
and robotic arms mounted with corers to individually core each head
in a grow tray at high speed. The vision software can also be
capable of detecting which heads of lettuce might not pass quality
control standards, and opt to skip harvesting that head, leaving it
in place to be discarded. This real time quality control at the
time of harvest, will greatly reduce the amount of human labor
necessary later in the packaging process, and will simultaneously
increase the quality of the leaves being packaged.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0014] In the edible plant-growing industry, there is always a need
for more efficient and reliable methods of growing edible plants.
Since most of the population is located in urban cities and farming
historically needs a lot of land, most farming takes place in rural
areas. It is estimated that by the year 2050, close to 80% of the
world's population will live in urban areas and the total
population of the world will increase by 3 billion people. Such an
increase in population, with current farming processes, will no
doubt require more land to grow the plants. However, there is an
increasing need to grow plants closer to the consumer to reduce
costs, both monetary and environmental. As such, an increase in
plant production efficiencies will be needed to meet these needs
and other needs.
[0015] One of the methods being used to obtain these improved
efficiencies is through vertical farming. Vertical farming is the
practice of producing food in vertically stacked layers, such as in
skyscrapers, used warehouses, or shipping containers, quite often
in urban areas, closer to a majority of the consumers.
[0016] In general, vertical farming uses indoor farming techniques
and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology, where all
environmental factors can be controlled to increase production.
Unlike traditional farming, indoor vertical farming can produce
crops year-round, thereby multiplying the productivity of the farm.
These indoor facilities utilize artificial control of light,
environmental control, such as humidity, temperature, and gases,
among others. Some vertical farms use techniques similar to
greenhouses, where natural sunlight can be augmented with
artificial lighting and metal reflectors, among other techniques.
Further, growing plants and food indoors reduces or eliminates
conventional plowing, planting, and harvesting by farm machinery,
which can be expensive and harm the environment.
[0017] Further, since the crops are sold much closer to where they
are grown, the transportation costs, both monetary and
environmental, are reduced. This reduction in transportation time
may result in a significant reduction in spoilage, infestation, and
energy. Research has shown that, especially in under developed
nations, as much as 30% of harvested crops are wasted due to
spoilage and infestation.
[0018] Also, the success of crops grown through traditional outdoor
farming is always subject to the weather, and issues such as
undesirable temperatures or inconsistent rainfall amounts, along
with natural disasters such as tornadoes, flooding, wildfires, and
severe drought. On the other hand, vertical indoor plant farming
provides an entirely controlled environment, and the success and
productivity of the vertical farm becomes almost completely
independent of inconsistent weather.
[0019] Further, traditional farming can be a hazardous occupation
with particular risks that often take their toll on the health of
human laborers, including exposure to infectious diseases, exposure
to toxic chemicals commonly used as pesticides and fungicides, and
the severe injuries that can occur when using large industrial
farming equipment. Vertical farming, because the environment is
strictly controlled and predictable, reduces some of these
dangers.
[0020] Additionally, vertical farming, used in conjunction with
other technologies and socioeconomic practices, could allow cities
to expand while remaining largely self-sufficient food wise. This
would allow for large urban centers that could grow without
destroying considerably larger areas of forest to provide food for
their people, while also providing additional employment to these
expanding urban centers.
[0021] Although agricultural robots or "agbots" currently exist and
can be deployed for agricultural purposes, such as harvesting or
weed control, there is currently no apparatus, system or method for
enhanced vertical farming that incorporates an improved storage,
shelving and growing system, configured to allow efficient
gravity-based irrigation on a per level basis, gravity-based
loading and unloading, along with a shuttle system incorporating
novel plant-growing pallets and germination trays, all under the
watch of autonomous or near autonomous (such as on-demand)
3D/multispectral cameras mounted on a gyroscopic stabilizer, to
obtain clean images and video of the growing plants. Nor is there a
system in which these images and video, along with other
information, is automatically sent to a database for processing by
a central computer in order to gauge each plant's health, pest
and/or disease issues, and plant life cycle; in effect, utilizing
the plant itself as the sensor to control its surrounding
environment. There is also no system that incorporates these
functions and allows for a harvest in place system for processing
the growing plants. The present disclosure satisfies these
needs.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0022] In general, in order to solve the above-mentioned
shortcomings in the vertical farming process, the present
disclosure utilizes apparatus, system and methods that incorporate
an improved storage rack or shelving system used for optimizing the
growing process, along with a shuttle system for autonomous
rotation of novel plant-growing pallets to optimize growth and
significantly reduce labor. The present disclosure further
contemplates novel plant-growing pallets and expanding germination
trays, along with one or more high definition 3D/multispectral
cameras, to photograph and record the growing plants and the plant
life cycle. To obtain the optimal pictures and video, the 3D
cameras can be mounted on telescoping gimbals, on camera vehicles
on rails, or using flying drones, and the recorded images and video
are automatically transmitted to a database for processing to gauge
plant health, pest and/or disease issues, and other aspects of the
plant life cycle.
[0023] The vertical farming system can also check for lighting
being evenly distributed, dry spots or wet spots throughout the
structure (like puddling on the floor or dry plant sites). The
system essentially utilizes the plant itself as the sensor to
autonomously control its surrounding environment. Additionally, the
system includes capabilities for harvesting the plants in the grow
trays in order to reduce the amount of harvesting steps, to
eliminate the need for unnecessary transport/labor, and to simplify
the quality control systems.
[0024] As such, it is an object of the present disclosure to
provide an improved shelving system or grow structure, configured
with each shelf or level at a slight decline to allow for more
efficient gravity-based irrigation and gravity-based loading and
unloading of trays and pallets. The water from a reservoir is
pumped to the uppermost tray of each level, and the grow tray
configuration along with the slight decline (approximately 2
degrees) allows the water to run from the first uppermost tray on
that level, through the next tray and to each of the rest of the
trays on the same level, due to the gravitational force.
Alternatively or in combination with, instead of flowing throughout
each level, the water can flow through each column. Once the water
reaches the last (and lowest) tray on that particular level, it
exits the bottom and is drained back to the reservoir to be
recirculated to other trays in the vertical farming system. As
such, gravity pulls the pallet or grow tray into position so that
just one strategically located lift in the load and unload
positions, can load and unload an entire cluster of grow trays.
This eliminates the need for a shuttle needing to traverse every
level.
[0025] It is also an object of the present disclosure to provide an
automated lift on the side or end of the structure or shelving unit
for both (gravity-based) loading and unloading the trays or
plant-growing pallets from the shelves. The present disclosure also
contemplates a separate lift (two in total) on both sides of the
shelving system, as necessary, and the lift able to travel on a
rail along the entire length of the cluster of grow structures. In
an embodiment, rollers running the entirety of each level
eliminates the need for automation along the whole length of the
shelf structure, as the trays or pallets can be loaded and unloaded
in a first in/first out order (FIFO), although last in/first out
and other loading and unloading protocols are contemplated,
depending on the lift system used. In doing so, a single automated
lift can load or unload all levels of the structure. The lift ties
into a conveyor system that can transport the plant-growing pallets
to a number of locations, including facilitating transportation of
the trays to the farmer, instead of the other way around. This
system will significantly reduce the labor needed on a vertical
farm.
[0026] Additionally, it is an object of the present disclosure to
provide, either alone or in combination with the gravity-based grow
structure, a shuttle system for accessing the particular trays or
plant-growing pallets. The grow structure system and shuttle system
can be built from standard pallet racking, similar to the pushback
grow structure, however, in this instance, all the levels in the
shuttle system will be horizontal and the grow trays or pallets
will be accessed by shuttles. In the preferred embodiment, one
shuttle can service an entire grow rack, as the shuttle can be
transported between levels by a lift and move across the length of
each level. However, the present disclosure further contemplates
that multiple shuttles, one on each level, or even multiple
shuttles on each level can be used to effectuate access to each
tray or pallet. As described herein, all three systems,
gravity-based, single-shuttle and multi-shuttle can be incorporated
separately or in combination with one or two of the other
systems.
[0027] In an embodiment the objective of the present disclosure is
to use clusters of back-to-back grow racks. In doing so, each
cluster consists of two back-to-back grow racks of any length. Each
cluster will have one or two lifts, which will be configured to
transport a shuttle or the grow tray itself to any level in that
cluster, thus enabling the lift to pick any grow tray on any level
and then deliver it to a central conveyor belt system, if needed.
As such, a shuttle or the grow tray can transport itself from
cluster to cluster by way of a ground level rail system that
connects to each cluster, and a single shuttle could service every
single grow tray position in any cluster on the floor, and deliver
that grow tray to the central conveyor system. Additional shuttles
can be added to the same infrastructure as the need for throughput
increases and the system, as a whole, is scalable.
[0028] It is also an object of the present disclosure that the grow
trays or pallets will be accessed (for moving or removing) using a
forklift, or arms, conveyors, or any other manner as understood by
one having ordinary skill in the art. In the preferred embodiment,
each shuttle will accommodate a 4 foot.times.4 foot grow tray,
although many other size trays can be used within the scope of the
disclosure.
[0029] It is yet another object of the present disclosure that the
grow trays or plant-growing pallets will be configured to grow
produce directly inside the pallet, as well as being configured for
easy transportation by forklift (or arms, conveyor, etc.) The
plant-growing pallets will be engineered for sanitary purposes by
reducing areas where water and impurities can congregate. This
unitary, one-piece design will help reduce plant disease and other
problems with growing plants in such a structure, possibly
thermoformed.
[0030] Additionally, it is another object of the present disclosure
that each grow tray can be configured with a cover with multiple
holes that will allow the plant to grow through the holes and the
top of the cover will be reflective to optimize the amount of light
that is provided to the plants. As such, the configuration will
reflect light from the source to the underside of the plants that
might not receive as much light. This will increase the
effectiveness of the light source. The grow tray configuration also
includes inlet and outlet ports or holes to allow water to cascade
from one tray's outlet port to the adjacent tray's inlet port. This
configuration allows for complete irrigation by filling the highest
tray with water and letting the water move (through gravity) from
one tray to the next until it reached the lowest tray, where the
water can be removed and recirculated as necessary. This tray
design eliminates the need for a water supply line to every grow
tray, increases the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water to
enhance plant growth, and eliminates the need for bell siphons.
[0031] Another aspect of the present invention includes expanding
germination trays comprising a tray similar to the currently used
trays, to propagate seeds in, but configured with joints and hinges
to expand to the proper spacing necessary for mature plants to grow
properly and without the normal shock the plants receive upon
replanting. The present disclosure, describes a system with only a
few plant sites, but a typical plant-grow tray may have anywhere
from 10-150 plant sites.
[0032] It is yet another object of the present disclosure that the
grow trays or plant-growing pallets will be configured such that
the inside of the tray or pallet may have ridges to assist in
directing the water to all internal areas in the grow tray, so that
each plant site will be exposed to and receive water. The
plant-growing pallets will also contain strategically located holes
to allow for proper draining, as described above, and for emptying
into the adjacent grow tray. The floor of the grow tray may be
slightly inclined, preferably 1 to 5 degrees, to assist and allow
water to flow from one side of the tray to the other, and may
further include a bell siphon, or similar device, which will be
located over the drain hole to allow the grow tray to fill to a
certain water level before draining out.
[0033] Another object of the present disclosure is a novel water
supply and draining system. In an alternative embodiment not using
the adjacent tray draining system, any number of grow trays can sit
on top of a level of rollers, with the grow trays jutting out
slightly on either end of the rollers. Under the rollers, and
spanning the entire length of the level, and having a width larger
than the tray itself, is a trough style drain. The purpose of this
trough drain is so that the water supply can feed directly into the
grow tray and then drain out of the opposite end of the grow tray
into the trough drain. If a pallet is absent from its position,
i.e., it has been unloaded, the water supply will still feed
directly into the trough drain and recirculate back into the
systems nutrient reservoir. The trough will be wider than the
rollers so that any water being supplied or drained does not make
any contact with the rollers.
[0034] Additionally, the rollers will be positioned at an angle
towards the drain, so that supplied water will be pulled by gravity
towards the grow tray's drain hole. The rollers will also be angled
towards the grow rack's lift, keeping in line with the gravity
pulled system. By having these two angles or slants, the water is
forced by gravity towards the drain, while the grow tray is forced
by gravity towards its unloading location.
[0035] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a
novel lighting system. Depending on the particular crop, the
distance from the light source to the plant canopy can improve the
growth of the plant. Historically, vertical farmers would need to
build an entire grow rack to the particular distance specification
for the crop being contemplated, and would mount the LED bars
directly to a unistrut, or another fixed location, in the pallet
racking. Once the grow rack is built, it is difficult to adjust the
distance of the light to the plant canopy without disassembling the
entire rack. Instead, in an embodiment, the LED lighting bars are
configured to be moved for different heights for different crops. A
wire level can hook directly into the pallet racking holes, and the
LED lighting bars would be attached. In this manner, if the
lighting bars needed to be adjusted to change the distance from the
LED lights to the plant canopy, the wire level is unhooked and
moved to the desired height, without disassembling the entire
section thereby allowing farmers to adjust the distance of the
light to the plant canopy on demand, either manually or
automatically (the wire level could be attached to rods and gears
to be moved automatically based on the plant's maturity)
[0036] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to
provide an automated lighting system in which lighting bars are
integrated into a lighting platform. The lighting platform is
connected to the shelving system, but can be raised and lowered
independently above the grow trays and plants using a motor,
precise enough to provide feedback to the vertical farming system
about the distance the lighting bars are from the growing plants
throughout the life of each plant. A history is generated, and
incorporated with information from sensors in the grow trays or
integrated into the vertical farming system itself, to be included
in a database of all of the similar plants for optimizing the
growth of the plants. Lighting platforms in the same system can be
controlled separately so that each tray/pallet receives the optimal
light spacing and light intensity for the cultivar that is growing
in it. This allows multiple crops to be grown in the same
structure, each in their own optimized environment.
[0037] It is yet another object of the present disclosure, in
addition to creating an optimal plant-growing environment in which
the plant is the main sensor and provides feedback to the system to
optimize growing performance, to utilize the automated lighting
platform to reduce both labor and energy costs and thus generate
labor and energy cost savings. As described above, based on the
plant canopy's height at any point in the plant's life cycle, the
lighting platform is configured to autonomously adjust the lighting
fixture height above the crops to maintain a constant, optimal
position throughout crop growth cycle, thereby eliminating the need
for daily, manual adjustments. These continuous adjustments allow
the lighting fixtures to be positioned at a minimum distance from
the crops throughout the growth cycle. Maintaining the lighting
fixtures at a minimal height above crops allows for the utilization
of less powerful (i.e., lower wattage) lighting fixtures (or
standard-power lighting fixtures at lower power consumption rates
through dimming schema). Additionally and as described herein, the
novel tray design may include reflective covers to reflect the
lighting to the underside of the plant thereby increasing the
effectiveness of the lighting element and reducing the need for
more power. Maintaining this minimum light fixture height (along
with the reflective cover) autonomously produces the required light
intensity needed for plants to grow efficiently at a reduced, and
sometimes greatly reduced wattage, therefore reducing the cost.
This resolves one of the major expenses in the vertical farm
industry: high power consumption.
[0038] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to
provide a camera system for taking photographs and video of the
growing plants at each stage of development. As described herein,
these cameras can be incorporated into the vertical farming system
in a number of ways, including through either one or more of high
definition cameras located on telescoping poles; using a camera
vehicle that houses one or more cameras and is attached to a rail
or rail system; and autonomous flying drones, flying preprogrammed
routes. Each of these systems will greatly reduce or eliminate
certain labor costs such as monitoring the plants for disease and
care purposes. One or more cameras can also be permanently mounted
onto the vertical farming system in strategic places.
[0039] The system can incorporate high definition cameras to record
the life cycle of the plants. These types of cameras provide
high-resolution images and video of the growing plants. Cameras can
utilize physical filters (e.g., low-pass, high-pass, band-pass) to
highlight vegetation (or the absence of) within an image.
Additionally, digital image filtering and manipulation (i.e.
digital image analysis; digital image processing; computer vision)
facilitate the real-time identification of individual plants (or
tray canopies) in order to track and quantify plant growth, plant
growth rate and biotic and abiotic stress. Digital image processing
may include one or more of the following techniques: thresholding
(static and variable), erosion, dilation, color space manipulation,
image channel manipulation and pixel value normalization and
transformation schema. Digital filters and digital image
manipulation improve and expedite contour detection, contour
centers calculations, image histogram analysis, comparisons, and
correlation between pixel (i.e. digital) representation and actual
crop canopy area (i.e. physical units). Real-time quantification of
plant canopy areas (and temporal changes in plant canopy areas) are
used to autonomously adjust light intensity and/or photoperiod to
maintain optimum light quantity throughout the growth cycle; as
well as to compare growth rates with established crop models (i.e.
historical data) to gauge plant health and vigor. Early detection
of plant stress (and elimination/alleviation of it) is fundamental
to the consistent production of high value crops. Therefore, in
addition to autonomously modifying environmental conditions (e.g.
light intensity, photoperiod, air speed, air temperature, water
temperature, humidity) upon detection and identification of a
plant/crop abnormality, the system also transmits and logs an alert
to operators. Each of these systems will greatly reduce or
eliminate certain labor costs such as monitoring the plants for
disease and care purpose.
[0040] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to
provide autonomous flying smart drones that land on charging mats
or bases, when not in use for charging purposes, and follow a
preprogrammed flight pattern (usually at night, but can be
scheduled or on demand) to obtain images and video (and possibly
infrared images, among others) of the growing plants and the grow
structure (i.e., system) itself. These recorded images and video,
along with other information, such as temperature and humidity at
particular times and locations, is automatically sent to a computer
database for processing in order to gauge the health of the system
as a whole along with each plant's health, pest and/or disease
issues, and plant life cycle. The system can also check for
lighting being evenly distributed, dry spots or wet spots
throughout the structure (like puddling on the floor or dry plant
sites). This system will therefore allow itself to automatically
"flag" any potential issues for a human to review.
[0041] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to
provide a novel rack structure manufacturing system in which the
rack is made up of predesigned structure, such as extruded aluminum
or extruded plastic, and uses hollow cavities for transporting
water, electricity, cool and warm air and humidity from one
location on the rack structure to one or more locations on the rack
structure, without the need for separate conduit, ducts or
connections. The rack structure system of the present disclosure
can be designed to be originally built, or later enlarged, without
the need for designing (or redesigning) separate conduit for
transporting items necessary for the plant-growing cycle. As the
rack system is built, or later enlarged, each rack system component
connects with the other components, using the predesigned hollow
cavities to create the necessary conduit, ducts or connections.
This will allow the entire grow structure to function as large,
simple appliance, with one input for electricity, one input for
water, and one input for air, as well as other built-in mounting
points and rails for camera systems. This will significantly reduce
the cost and complexity of existing vertical structure designs.
[0042] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to
provide a novel harvesting system, either a harvesting press or an
articulating harvester, in which the plants are harvested in their
plant grow trays. Instead of the manual harvesting process, the
present disclosure relates to a harvest in place process or system.
The harvesting press uses multiple corers strategically mounted in
a mirror image of the plant sites in the grow tray. The corers
could vary in diameter based on the particular crop being harvested
and might also spin, to make the coring process simpler. The
harvesting press would drop down in a single motion against the
grow tray, simultaneously coring all of the plant sites, resulting
in the cores remaining in their sites, and the loose leaves
separated on the tray. The leaves can then be removed in a number
of different ways for additional processing or packaging. The
articulating harvester, on the other hand, consists of a vision
system and robotic arms mounted with corers to individually core
each head in a grow tray at high speed, removing the leaves for
processing and/or packaging. As described herein, the vision
software can also be capable of detecting which heads of lettuce
might not pass quality control, and opt to skip harvesting that
particular head, leaving it in place to be discarded, and
potentially reducing the amount of human labor necessary at a later
time in the packaging process, while increasing the quality of the
leaves being packaged.
[0043] These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the
present disclosure will become more readily apparent from the
attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred
embodiments, which follow.
DRAWINGS
[0044] The preferred embodiments of the disclosure will be
described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to
illustrate and not to the limit the disclosure, where like
designations denote like elements, and in which:
[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates an improved vertical farming system
comprising a pushback grow structure in accordance with one
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0046] FIG. 2 illustrates an improved vertical farming system
comprising a shuttle structure in accordance with one embodiment of
the present disclosure;
[0047] FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art plant grow tray used in
vertical farming systems and methods;
[0048] FIG. 4 illustrates a prior art plastic pallet used
transportation and storage of boxes and the like;
[0049] FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate an improved plant grow tray for
vertical farming systems in accordance with one embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0050] FIGS. 5D-5G illustrate an improved plant grow tray for
vertical farming systems in accordance with one embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0051] FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate an improved expanding plant
germination tray and cutting apparatus for vertical farming systems
in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0052] FIGS. 7A-7D illustrate camera systems used for accessing
inaccessible locations and taking images and video of objects at
those locations;
[0053] FIG. 8 is a block diagram view of an exemplary embodiment of
a vertical farming system utilizing autonomous flying drones.
[0054] FIG. 9 illustrates an improved vertical farming system
comprising a clustered grow rack and inter-cluster shuttle system
in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0055] FIG. 10 illustrates an improved vertical farming system
comprising a novel water supply, drain system and rollers for grow
racks in accordance with one embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0056] FIG. 11 illustrates an improved vertical farming system
comprising a novel modular lighting system in accordance with one
embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0057] FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate improved vertical farming systems
comprising an alternative novel modular lighting system in
accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0058] FIGS. 14A-14B illustrate improved vertical farming systems
comprising an automatic harvesting systems in accordance with one
embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0059] Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals
refer to the same or similar features in the various views, the
present disclosure pertains to an improved vertical farming system
for autonomously growing edible plants, using improved stacking,
storage and shelving units are configured to allow for easy access
and gravity-based irrigation and feeding, alone or in combination
with an improved shuttle system for autonomous rotation of the
growing plants throughout the improved vertical farming system.
[0060] The innovative vertical farming system further comprises
novel grow trays or plant-growing pallets, and incorporates camera
systems, including telescoping arms, camera vehicles and autonomous
smart drones, fly preprogrammed routes; all with 3D and
multispectral cameras (and other recording instruments) to
photograph and record the growing plants and obtain vertical
farming metrics, as necessary. The images and other data recorded
being automatically sent to a database for processing and for
gauging plant health, pest and/or disease issues, and plant life
cycle. The system can also check for lighting being evenly
distributed, dry spots or wet spots throughout the structure (like
puddling on the floor or dry plant sites).
[0061] The innovative vertical farming system also comprises
autonomous or nearly autonomous harvesting systems for harvesting
plants in the grow trays. The harvesting systems disclosed include
articulating harvesters that can autonomously determine the
location or center of the plant to be harvested and use telescoping
arms to move the harvester into the proper location before
harvesting the plant. Alternatively, a harvest press uses a device
sized similar to the grow tray for harvesting all of the plants in
the tray at once in a single motion. The harvested material can be
packaged for consumption or other use, and the remaining cores (in
tray) can be discarded or further processed.
[0062] FIG. 1 shows an improved vertical farming system 10
comprising a shelving system or pushback grow structure 12,
configured with multiple shelves or levels 14, each shelf or level
14 at a slight decline to allow for more efficient gravity-based
irrigation and gravity-based loading and unloading. In the
preferred embodiment, the shelf 14 decline angle is between 1 and 5
degrees and preferably 2 degrees, however, other angles can be used
for the same purpose. The pushback grow structure 12 can be any
length from a few feet to a thousand feet long, and based on the
description herein, the only limitation on the height of the
structure 12 is the height of the building (not shown).
[0063] In practice, water or a nutrient solution 20 (for ease of
reference, we will refer to water, but the present disclosure
contemplates any solution that can be transported throughout the
system) from a reservoir 16 is pumped to the uppermost tray of each
level (here shown as 18 in the upper level), and the slight 1 to
5-degree decline allows the water 20 to run from the first
uppermost tray 18 on that level 14, through the rest of the trays
22-30 (as examples) on the same level 14, due to the gravitational
force, or down each column as described above. Once the water
reaches the last (and lowest) tray 30 on that particular level 14,
it exits the bottom 32 and is drained back to the reservoir 16 to
be recirculated to other trays on the pushback grow structure
12.
[0064] FIG. 1 also shows an automated lift structure or lift 34 on
the side of the pushback grow structure or shelving unit 12 for
both loading and unloading the trays or plant-growing pallets 18
and 22-30 from the shelves 14. Rollers 36 running the entirety of
each level 14 reduce the need for automation along the whole length
of the shelf structure 12, as it is a "push back" loading system
and the trays or pallets 18 and 22-30 can be loaded and unloaded,
with a gravitational assistance, in a first in/first out order
(although other loading and unloading protocols are contemplated).
In doing so, a single automated lift 34, which can traverse between
the different levels 14, can load and unload all levels 14 of the
structure 12. The lift 34 ties into a conveyor system 38 that can
transport the grow trays or plant-growing pallets 18 and 22-30. In
the preferred embodiment, gravity pulls the pallet or grow tray 18
and 22-30 into position so that just one or two lifts 34 can load
and unload an entire level 14.
[0065] The preferred embodiment comprises two lifts 34 per shelving
system 12, regardless of the number of shelves 14. This eliminates
the need for a separate lift structure 34 on every level. As one
grow tray 18 is removed form a shelf 14, gravity and the slant or
decline of the shelf 14 moves the next grow tray 18 into the
location left vacant by the removed grow tray 18. Additionally,
after removal of a grow tray 30 on a shelf 14, the remaining grow
trays 18 22-28 on that shelf 14 move over one place due to gravity
and the rollers 36.
[0066] FIG. 2 shows an improved vertical farming system 10
comprising a shuttle system 40 for accessing the particular trays
or plant-growing pallets 42. The shuttle system 40, which is used
for autonomous rotation of the crops, can be used either alone or
in combination with the pushback grow structure 12. Although
shuttle systems 40 with multi-level scalability currently exist,
such as the one distributed by Invata Intralogistics, the novel
system may comprise, at a minimum, combining the pushback grow
structure 12 with a multi-level shuttle system to improve the plant
growth process. As such, the vertical farming system 10 can see
improvements incorporating an irrigation system using the reservoir
16 with slightly sloped levels 14 (FIG. 1), alongside the shuttle
system 40.
[0067] Likewise, the pushback grow structure 12 and the shuttle
system 40 can be built from standard pallet racking materials and
designs. However, if the shuttle system is used without the grow
structure 12, all the levels 44 will be horizontal (no slope) and
the plant-growing pallets 42 will be accessed by shuttles 46. In
the preferred embodiment, one shuttle 46 can access an entire grow
rack level 44. If the shuttle 46 is transported between levels 44
by a lift (not shown), it can then move across the length of each
level 44. The present disclosure contemplates that multiple
shuttles 46, one on each level 44, or even multiple shuttles 46 on
each level 44 can be used to access to each tray or pallet 42.
[0068] The present disclosure further comprises a shuttle system 40
in which the plant-growing pallets 42 will be accessed (for moving
or removing) by the shuttle 46 using a forklift, or arms, or any
other manner as understood by one having ordinary skill in the art
(not shown). In an embodiment, each shuttle will be able to access
and move or remove a 4 foot.times.4 foot plant-growing pallet 42,
although other size trays 42 can be used to obtain the same
results. In practice, the shuttle 46 will be moved into a proper
location to access the pallet 42. A forklift or arms will grasp the
pallet 42, either from underneath or from the side, and remove the
pallet 42 from the location. Once the shuttle 46 has secured the
pallet 42, the system will instruct the shuttle 46 as to where that
particular pallet 42 must be moved to (or removed) from the level
44 for further processing. Similar to the pushback grow structure
12, the shuttle system 40 can be used in conjunction with a
conveyor system 38, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0069] FIGS. 3, 4 and 5A through 5C show various grow trays 18
and/or plant-growing pallets 42. FIG. 3 shows a prior art plant
grow tray 50, such as that distributed by Botanicare. The tray is 4
feet by 4 feet and made from thick ABS plastic, with a smooth
plastic surface and large drain channels 52.
[0070] FIG. 4 shows a prior art Economy Plastic Pallet 60, but not
for growing plants. The plastic pallet is distributed by Uline
Industries and is configured to stack on top of one another for
easy storage when not in use. The pallet 60 has nine legs 62 and
provides access for a forklift from all four sides. The 9 legs 62
provide additional support and the pallets 60 are either 48 inches
by 40 inches, or 48 inches by 42 inches.
[0071] FIGS. 5A through 5C show the present disclosure of a grow
trays or plant-growing pallets 70 configured to grow produce
directly inside the pallet 70. Similar to the 9-legged pallet 60,
the plant-growing pallet 70 provides a stable tray for placing on
the pushback grow structure 12 or the shuttle system 40. The
plant-growing pallet 70 is configured for easy access and
transportation by a forklift, robotic arms, etc. and the
plant-growing pallet 70 can be configured for 4, 9 or any other
number of legs (to hold the plants, or to hold a tray that is
holding the plants). The grow tray 70 may also have a smooth bottom
with no legs, and be slanted on the bottom to better accommodate
the slanting or declining shelf 14 or to facilitate the transport
of water 20 for better irrigation purposes.
[0072] FIG. 5A shows a side view of the plant-growing pallet 70,
showing two of the four legs 72. The lift 34 can access the
plant-growing pallet 70 from any one of four directions. FIG. 5B
shows a top view of the plant-growing pallet 70 with the four legs
72. FIG. 5C shows a top view of the floor of the plant-growing
pallet 70, with ridges 74 and a drain hole 76. The tray may be
sloped (again 1 to 5 degrees) to allow the water to move to the
drain hole 76. A bell siphon or similar device may be used to
ensure that water levels do not overflow from the grow trays.
[0073] The plant-growing pallets will be engineered for sanitary
purposes by reducing areas where water and impurities can
congregate. This unitary, one-piece design will help reduce plant
disease and other problems with growing plants in such a structure,
possibly manufactured through a thermoform process.
[0074] FIGS. 5D through 5G show the preferred embodiment grow trays
or plant-growing pallets 200 configured to grow produce directly
inside the grow tray 200. The disclosure may reference grow tray 70
or grow tray 200, although each of the novel grow trays disclosed
herein can be used in the improved vertical farming system 10
disclosed herein, and can be used interchangeably with other grow
trays or plant-growing pallets disclosed herein and referred to as
18, 22-30, 42, 70, 80, 200.
[0075] Similar to the description above, FIGS. 5D and 5E show a top
view and side view of the grow tray 200 respectively, with the
bottom of the grow tray 202 shown, where the water and nutrients
will be placed to water and feed the plants. In the preferred
embodiment, the grow tray is 48.80 inches long 204 by 48.69 inches
wide 206, and is tapered with a 4.7 inch height at the tall end
208, and a 2.47 inch height at the short end 210, providing for a 2
degree slant 212 from one side 214 to the other 216.
[0076] At the tall end 208 of the grow tray 200, there are one or
more ports 218 to allow water to cascade from one tray 200 to the
adjacent tray 200 on the shelf. In FIG. 5D there are three ports
218. Thus, due to the angle of the vertical farming system shelves,
when the grow trays 200 are placed next to each other on the shelf,
water can be poured into the highest tray 200 and once it reaches
the port 218 level 220 of the grow tray 200, water will cascade out
through the port 218 and into the adjacent tray 200. In the example
shown in FIG. 5D, each of the three ports 218 tapers from 5.44
inches to 5.00 inches to direct the water into the next tray
200.
[0077] FIG. 5F shows two grow trays 200 adjacent each other, such
that the tall end 208 of one tray 200 is above the short end 210 of
the adjacent tray 200. In this configuration, water 222 can be seen
exiting the port 218 and entering the short end 210 of the adjacent
tray 200. This will be repeated when each tray fills with water 20
to the level of the port 218 and pours into the adjacent tray
200.
[0078] FIG. 5G shows a cover 224 for the novel grow tray 200. The
cover 224 has multiple holes 226 for growing the plants (through
the holes 226). In the example shown in FIG. 5G, there are 72
different holes 226 for growing plants, although more or less
plants can be grown depending on the configuration, which may be
due to the type of plant.
[0079] The grow tray cover 224 also contains port cover portions
228 for covering the ports 218 and reducing spillage. The grow tray
cover 224 also contains cover indents 230 where the ports 218 from
the adjacent tray 200 will connect to make sure the overflow water
20 from the adjacent tray 200 is properly received. When the last
tray 200 on the shelf fills with water, the overflow will pour into
a gutter or reservoir 16, where it can be either disposed of or
reused. This system and the novel grow tray 200 allows for
irrigating multiple trays and many plants merely by pouring water
into the highest tray 200 at the height of the shelf 14, and
collecting the water 20 as it pours out of the ports 218 of the
lowest tray 200 at the short end 210 of that tray 200.
[0080] FIGS. 6A through 6C show the present disclosure and the
related novel expanding seed germination tray 80 of the vertical
farming system 10, configured to grow produce directly inside each
cell section 82 of the germination tray 80 for a longer period of
time, without the need to replant the seeds into a different cell
section 82 for additional room. The expanding germination tray 80
is meant to reduce the amount of "shock" that a plant's root system
goes through every time the root system is moved or replanted. The
germination tray 80 can also be used in combination or conjunction
with the grow tray 200 design disclosed herein.
[0081] Typically, a Rockwool tray is inserted into a propagation
tray where the seeds will germinate. Other types include cocoa
coir, and other grow media. Then, the Rockwool tray is separated
into parts and transplanted into a Styrofoam raft, which has more
appropriate spacing for mature plants.
[0082] FIGS. 6A and 6B of the present disclosure show an expanding
germination tray 80 comprising a tray similar to the currently used
trays (FIG. 6A), to propagate seeds in, but configured with joints
84 and hinges 86 to expand (FIG. 6B) to the proper spacing
necessary for mature plants to grow properly and without the normal
shock the plants receive upon replanting.
[0083] Additionally, FIG. 6C shows an expanding germination tray
cutting die apparatus 88 for creating the novel expanding
germination tray 80. As understood by one having ordinary skill in
the art, the cutting die apparatus 88 is a near identical size to
the expanding tray 80, but utilizes razor edges to assist in
cutting the Rockwool expanding trays 80 into parts before
expanding. Further, the cutting die apparatus 88 may be used to
just cut the Rockwool into sections so that the tray easily
expands.
[0084] The improved vertical farming system 10 further comprises a
camera system or systems to photograph, take video, record and
monitor the plants during the entire plant life cycle. FIGS. 7A
through 7D show the different types of camera systems in accordance
with the present disclosure. Since farms, including vertical farms,
rely on either human beings or multiple cameras to monitor crops,
the novel solution described herein allows the use of a single
camera to monitor and analyze many plants on different levels and
even in different areas of the vertical farming system.
[0085] FIG. 7A shows a telescoping camera system 240 in which the
camera 242 is located at the end of a telescoping arm 244, and
utilizes a gimbal system 246 to move the camera to the desired
location. The lifts 34 described herein that load and unload grow
pallets 200 from the shelving system or grow structure system 12,
already are configured to traverse each shelf or level 14,
including moving from one group of shelves 14 to another. The
camera system 240 utilizes those existing lifts 34 in the
monitoring and recording system by moving the camera system 240
from shelf 14 to different shelf 14. Programming the lifts 34 to
traverse every load and unload position (while not actually loading
or unloading a grow pallet 200) and extending the telescoping arm
244 into the shelf 14 and above the plant canopy, the camera 242
can then record and analyze each and every plant on the particular
level 14. In doing so, the information recorded can flag any
potential issues.
[0086] By travelling to every load and/or unload position,
remaining on the lift 34, and inserting the telescoping arm 244
into each level, one lift 34 and one camera 240 can monitor,
photograph and/or video every grow tray 200 position on the level
14. Since the telescoping arm 244 can be used from both sides of
the shelf (load and unload), the telescoping arm 244 need only
travel half of the length of the shelf or level 14, which in turn
can minimize cost and maximize the speed of vision analysis. This
camera system 240 and the accompanying vision analysis software
allows the vertical farming system 10 to analyze the maximum number
of plants with a minimum number of cameras 242, saving a
significant amount of cost, and also greatly simplifying the
system.
[0087] FIGS. 7B and 7C show a different type of camera system, the
autonomous vehicle camera system 250 in which an autonomous vehicle
252 can be loaded and unloaded onto rails 254 above the grow trays
200 to travel the distance of the shelf 14 and take pictures or
video using an in-vehicle camera 256. The vehicle 252 can travel by
the use of one or more powered wheels 258 along with passive wheels
260 in multiple configurations, to move along the rail 254 (above
or below). Additionally, the system 250 can be designed to use a
single rail 254 and the vehicle 252 can hang from the rail 254, in
an example.
[0088] Further, similar to the telescoping camera system 240, the
vehicle camera system 250 can use the existing lift system 34, but
the autonomous vehicle 252 can instead be loaded and unloaded onto
each rail 254. As such, the vehicle camera system 250 can be loaded
onto the rail 254 of one level, where it will travel above the
shelf 14, and take photographs and video, and then be loaded back
onto the lift 34, where it will be raised or lowered to another
level 14, and loaded onto the rail 254 of that level, for more
recording and monitoring. The vehicle camera system 250 can be
wirelessly connected to the vertical farming system 10 so that any
information obtained can be transmitted to the database 96 (FIG. 8)
in real time.
[0089] FIG. 7D shows yet another example of recording and
monitoring the plant life cycle, using an autonomous flying smart
drone 90 for flying preprogrammed routes at preset times or on
demand. The flying smart drone 90 incorporate one or more cameras
92, such as a 3D or multispectral camera. As described herein,
these types of cameras provide high-resolution images and video of
the growing plants and can also be incorporated into the camera
system 240 and/or vehicle camera system 250 disclosed herein. For
stability purposes, the cameras are mounted on a gyroscopic
stabilizer, however, it is contemplated that the flying smart drone
90 will be able to photograph every plant in the vertical farming
system 10 environment.
[0090] The autonomous flying smart drones 90 are also programmed to
land on and connect to their charging mats or bases (not shown),
and follow a preprogrammed flight pattern (usually at night) to
obtain images and video (and possibly infrared images, among
others) of the growing plants. These recorded images and video,
along with other information from all of the camera systems
disclosed, such as temperature and humidity at particular times and
locations, is automatically sent to a computer database 96 for
processing in order to gauge the health of the system 10 as a
whole, along with each plant's health, pest and/or disease issues,
and plant life cycle. The system 10 can also check for lighting
being evenly distributed dry spots or wet spots throughout the
structure (like puddling on the floor or dry plant sites).
[0091] FIG. 8 is an exemplary block diagram of the vertical farming
system 10 utilizing a drone 90 or camera system 240 or vehicle
camera system 250 along with a computer system to control the
cameras, access the images and videos captured by the camera
systems 90, 240, 250, and determining the health of the vertical
farming system 10 as a whole, along with each plant's health,
including any pest and/or disease, and each plant's life cycle.
[0092] As such, the present disclosure further comprises custom
software and a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the
system to autonomously or near-autonomously control one or more of
the camera systems 90, 240, 250. The autonomous or manual control
allows for the capture of images and video of some or all of the
growing plants using a camera or cameras 92, 242, 256. Along those
lines, the present invention contemplates the ability to
electronically transmit plant-growing data to the computer system
of the vertical farming system 10 for automatic or manual plant
health determination.
[0093] As a non-limiting example of a processor system, FIG. 8 is a
block diagram view of an exemplary vertical farming system 10 for
growing plants. The vertical farming system 10 may include a
plurality of camera systems 90, 240, 250 (three such combinations
are represented in FIG. 8), a vertical farming support server 94
(which may be referred to herein as a vertical farming platform
server 94), a vertical farming database 96, a vertical farming
application programming interface ("API") 98, and a system user
access 100, whereby vertical farming system users and others, such
as distributors, consumers, restaurant owners, end users,
programmers, etc., can access the vertical farming system 10 data
for monitoring the growing plants, and upgrading the software, as
necessary, among other reasons. The vertical farming system user
access 100 can be a single site or multiple sites depending on the
needs of the system 10. In the preferred embodiment, multiple sites
are contemplated.
[0094] The present disclosure will be described with reference to
embodiments in which the vertical farming system 10 utilize a
vehicle camera system 250 autonomously, although all of the
different camera systems 90, 240, 250 are contemplated. The
vertical farming system users access the data through the system
user access 100, connected to the vertical farming API 98. It
should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is not
limited to the preferred embodiment detailed herein; rather, the
system, methods and functionality illustrated and described herein
may be effected in other ways as understood by one having ordinary
skill in the art.
[0095] For example, a restaurant owner may use one application
program ("app") on a smart phone to access certain information
about the vertical farming system 10, while a programmer may use an
app to upgrade the software, and a system user may use an app to
manually control an autonomous vehicle 252 to capture information
about a particular plant or set of plants. Accordingly, the
vertical farming system users may access the vertical farming API
98 through the vertical farming support server 94 or through the
system user access 100.
[0096] Each of the camera systems 90, 240, 250 may be configured to
be controlled autonomously with an onboard program, which may
include a travel program, a docking and charging program and
hardware and software to capture plant images and video and
transmit the information to the vertical farming support server 94.
Additionally, the vertical farming system 10 may include control of
the different camera systems 90, 240, 250 autonomously or manually
through the vertical farming support server 94 or through the
system user access 100.
[0097] The vertical farming system 10 (which may be referred to
herein simply as "the system 10") may include and provide a
graphical user interface (GUI) having a number of features
described above and below. Portions, or all, of the GUI may be
provided by the vertical farming support server 94, in an
embodiment. Accordingly, in an embodiment, the vertical farming
support server 94 may be configured to perform one or more
operations, methods, etc. described herein that enable various
control, calculations and determinations for the system 10.
[0098] The vertical farming support server 94 may be configured to
perform a number of functions to assist vertical farming system
users in their decisions. For example, the vertical farming support
server 94 may be configured to provide a daily or nightly control
of the camera system 90, 240, 250 to capture the plant images and
video, along with reading sensors in the vertical farming
infrastructure or located on the camera systems 90, 240, 250 to
determine if the vertical farming system 10 is operating within
certain parameters. The vertical farming support server 94 can be
configured to contact vertical farming users if the measurements
exceed the acceptable range. These routines, programs and protocols
may be obtained from the vertical farming support server 94, in an
embodiment, from the vertical farming API 98 and/or from the system
user access 100.
[0099] The vertical farming support server 94 may be further
configured to store data in and retrieve data from the vertical
farming database 96. Data stored in the vertical farming database
96 may include camera system 90, 240, 250 controls and docking
programs in general, rotation of crop programs, specific plant
health information, range of acceptable temperatures and humidity,
plant health programs, etc., and similar information related to
plant health determinations that may be performed through the
vertical farming system 10.
[0100] The vertical farming database 96 may be or may include one
or more data repositories including, but not limited to, one or
more databases and database types as well as data storage that may
not necessarily be colloquially referred to as a "database." The
vertical farming database 96 may be configured to store the
information described herein, and programs that may be performed
through the vertical farming system 10, along with similar
information related to the needs of the vertical farming system
10.
[0101] The vertical farming support server 94 may be in electronic
communication with the camera systems 90, 240, 250 and with the
vertical farming system users to obtain and deliver updated
information, programs and routines, and other information, in an
embodiment. In embodiments, the vertical farming support server 94
may be owned, controlled or operated by the vertical farming system
user, a separate vertical farming facility, or some other entity.
Furthermore, the vertical farming support server 94 may be a single
server, or multiple servers acting in a redundant or additive
capacity.
[0102] In embodiments, the camera systems 90, 240, 250 may be
configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein
with reference to the vertical farming support server 94 and/or the
vertical farming system 10 or facility. Accordingly, the camera
systems 90, 240, 250 may be in direct electronic communication with
the vertical farming support server 94, the vertical farming
database 96, the vertical farming API, and/or the system user
access 100.
[0103] The camera systems 90, 240, 250 may include a processor 102
and a memory 104, and the vertical farming support server 94 may
include a processor 102 and a memory 104. The processor 102 may be
any appropriate processing device (and may be the same or different
in each location). The memory 104 may be any volatile or
non-volatile computer-readable memory (and may be the same or
different in each location). The memory 104 may be configured to
store instructions that embody one or more steps, methods,
processes, and functions of the camera systems 90, 240, 250 and/or
the vertical farming support server 94 described herein. The
processor 102 may be configured to execute those instructions to
perform one or more of the same steps, methods, processes, and
functions. One or more of the camera systems 90, 240, 250 and/or
the vertical farming support server 94 may be or may include a
personal computer or mobile device (e.g., tablet, smartphone), in
an embodiment.
[0104] Instead of, or in addition to, a processor 102, and memory
104, the vertical farming support server 94 and/or one or more of
the camera systems 90, 240, 250 may include a programmable logic
device (PLD), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or
other suitable processing device (not shown).
[0105] The programs and information described herein may be
provided, in an embodiment, by both the camera systems 90, 240, 250
and the vertical farming support server 94. That is, some elements
or features of the system 10 may be installed on the camera systems
90, 240, 250, and other elements or features of the platform may be
provided by the vertical farming support server 94 (e.g., on a
software-as-a-service (SaaS) basis). For example, the camera
systems 90, 240, 250 may provide (i.e., may have installed) a
program that includes a graphical user interface of the vertical
farming system 10, and the vertical farming support server 94 may
provide much of the underlying data, programs and protocol.
However, storage and retrieval of data displayed in the vertical
farming system 10, calculations performed by or under the vertical
farming system 10, and services provided through the vertical
farming system 10 may be performed by one or both of the camera
systems 90, 240, 250 and the vertical farming support server
94.
[0106] FIG. 9 shows an improved vertical farming system 10 (from a
different top down viewpoint) comprising a shelving system 12,
configured with multiple shelves or levels 14 (see FIG. 1), and
comprising a cluster 108 configuration of back-to-back grow racks
110. In doing so, each cluster 108 consists of two back-to-back
grow racks 110 of any length. Each cluster 108 will have one or two
lift structures 34, which will be configured to transport a shuttle
46 (see FIG. 2) to any level in that cluster 108, thus enabling the
shuttle 46 to pick any grow tray 200 on any level 14 and then
deliver it to a central conveyor belt system 38. As such, a shuttle
46 can transport itself from cluster 108 to cluster 108 by way of a
ground level rail system 112 that connects to each cluster 108, and
a single shuttle 46 could service every single grow tray 200
position in any cluster 108 on the floor, and deliver that grow
tray 200 to the central conveyor system 38. Additional shuttles 46
can be added to the same infrastructure, as the need for throughput
increases and the system, as a whole, is scalable.
[0107] In an alternative embodiment, the same cluster 108
configuration can be utilized without the need for shuttles 46.
Based on the slant of the shelf 14 and the lift 34, each grow tray
200 can be accessed and placed onto the ground level rail system
112 without the need for a shuttle, thereby reducing the cost of
the overall vertical farming system 10. Additionally, a hybrid
system can be utilized in which the grow trays 200 are used without
a shuttle 46, while on the shelving system 12 and once removed for
processing by the lift 34, each grow tray 200 is placed onto a
shuttle for transport on the ground level rail system 112.
[0108] FIG. 10 shows an improved vertical farming system 10 (from a
top down viewpoint) comprising a shelving system 12, configured
with multiple shelves or levels 14 (see FIG. 1) and comprising a
novel water and draining system 120. In a preferred embodiment, two
grow trays 200 can sit on top of a level of rollers 122, jutting
out slightly on either end of the rollers 124. Under the rollers
122, and spanning the entire length of the level 14, and having a
width larger than the grow tray 200 itself, is a trough style drain
126. The purpose of this trough drain 126 is so that the water
supply 128 can feed directly into the grow tray 200 and then drain
130 out of the opposite end of the grow tray 200 into the trough
drain 126. If a pallet or grow tray 200 is absent from its
position, i.e., it has been unloaded, the water supply 128 will
still feed directly into the trough drain 126 and recirculate back
into the systems nutrient reservoir 16 (see FIG. 1). The trough 126
will be wider 124 than the rollers 122 so that any water 20 (see
FIG. 1) being supplied or drained does not make any contact with
the rollers 122.
[0109] Additionally, the rollers 122 will be positioned at an angle
towards the drain 130, so that supplied water 20 will be pulled by
gravity towards the grow tray's drain hole 130. The rollers 122
will also be angled towards the grow rack's lift 34, keeping in
line with the gravity pulled pushback system. By having these two
angles or slants, the water 20 is forced by gravity towards the
drain 130, while the grow tray 200 is forced by gravity towards its
unloading location on the conveyor belt structure 38.
[0110] FIG. 11 shows an improved vertical farming system 10 (from a
perspective viewpoint) comprising a shelving system 12, configured
with multiple shelves or levels 14 (see FIG. 1) and comprising a
novel modular lighting system 132. The disclosure comprises a wire
level 134 that can hook directly into the pallet racking holes 136.
Attached to that wire level 134, are LED lighting bars 138 (two of
them).
[0111] To the extent it is determined by the system 10 that the
distance from the LED lights 138 to the plant canopy grow trays 200
needs to be adjusted, it can be accomplished without disassembling
the entire shelving system 12. To move the LED lights 138, the
entire wire level 134 is unhooked, and moved the desired distance
from the plant canopy, completely avoiding the uninstallation and
reinstallation of the shelving system 12 and/or LED light bars 138.
The process could further be automated by attaching the wire level
134 to a series of rods and gears (not shown) or motors and having
the system 10 detect through sensors and the database 96 when the
LED light bars 138 need to be moved and how far to adjust them.
[0112] FIGS. 12 and 13 show different perspective views of an
alternative embodiment to the novel modular lighting system 132 in
FIG. 11. This embodiment includes a motor and feedback for
automating the raising and lowering of the lighting bars 138. In
FIGS. 12 and 13, the LED lighting bars 138 are integrated into a
lighting platform 140, which is connected to the shelving system
12, but can be raised and lowered above the grow trays 200 using a
motor 142, such as a stepper motor, for example. Stepper motors are
highly reliable, work in almost any environment, and provide
precise positioning for starting, stopping and reversing.
[0113] The motor 142 provides feedback to the vertical farming
system 10 as to the distance the lighting bars 138 are from the
grow tray 200 and, in effect, the growing plants. As such, a
history can be generated of the distance of the lighting bars 138
from a particular grow tray 200 and the plants in that grow tray
200 during the entire life of the plants from seed to harvest. That
history can be included in the database 96 of all of the similar
plants for optimizing the growth of the plants.
[0114] Additionally, sensors 144, such as temperature and humidity
sensors can be placed in or incorporated into the grow trays 200 or
elsewhere to determine additional information for the database and
for ultimately obtaining the optimal temperature and humidity for
growing plants. The sensors 144 can also be incorporated into the
shelving system 12 of the vertical farming system 10 so that at any
particular time, the system 10 knows where a particular grow tray
200 is located and the conditions surrounding that grow tray 200
during the plant life cycle. Either way, the information obtained
from the sensors 144 can be used in conjunction with (or in
addition to) the distance of the lighting bars 138 at any
particular time or for the entire life of the plant to further
optimize growing conditions.
[0115] As such, the changing distance of the overhead lighting bar
138, in association with the existing database 96 of the vertical
farming system 10 creates a Dynamic Light Zoom (DLZ), which can be
(computer) controlled to maintain constant Photosynthetic Photon
Flux Density (PPFD) exposure throughout the plant growth stages
(i.e., seedling, vegetative, reproduction). Plant PPFD values are
autonomously and automatically adjusted and/or maintained in
real-time through sensor 144 data analysis, such as proprietary
algorithms (including machine learning and artificial intelligence)
and the raising and lowering of the lighting platform 140
containing the lighting bars 138. As described, sensors 144
include, but are not limited to, distance sensors (e.g.,
ultrasonic, infrared) and optical sensors (e.g., photodiodes,
phototransistors, ultraviolet-cameras, visible Spectrum cameras,
near-infrared cameras, infrared cameras, thermographic cameras).
The motor and/or sensors (or sensor systems) can be configured to
provide feedback to the vertical farming system as to the distance
the lighting bars and/or LED sheets are from the growing
plants.
[0116] Additionally, and as disclosed herein, the system cameras
92, 242, 256, which can be incorporated into the camera systems 90,
240, 250, could also be mounted to the lighting platforms 140 (or
other areas on the vertical farming system 10). When the system
desires to capture an image (or a video, such as time lapse video),
the lighting platform 140 can autonomously raise to an appropriate
height to capture as many of the plants as possible, and then
autonomously return to the height most appropriate for optimal
plant growth. The cameras described herein, mounted to the DLZ can
be instead of or in addition to the cameras 92, 242, 256, disclosed
herein, with the DLZ mounted cameras have at least all the same
functionality.
[0117] The lighting bars or lighting fixtures 138, which can be
proprietary and/or commercially available, are mounted to the
lighting platform 140 that can be mechanically raised and/or
lowered, automatically or manually. Regardless of the type of
raising and lowering of the lighting platform 140, the system will
keep track of the distance and the temperature/humidity (or any
other metrics being monitored by the sensors 144).
[0118] The PPFD maintained by the DLZ is user defined and will be
revised over time, depending on the feedback of the growing
environment. Lighting bars 138 can be maintained at a specified
height above the grow trays 200, and thus the growing plant canopy,
and the lighting bars 138 can be adjusted autonomously to a height
above the growing plant canopy to maintain a specified PPFD, or a
combination of a specified height above the growing plant canopy
and a specified PPFD exposure to the growing plant canopy.
[0119] In accordance with the present disclosure, a novel
manufacturing system for vertical farming is contemplated in which
the parts and materials used to build and enlarge the rack system
12 are configured to allow for ease of building and enlarging
without the need for separate conduit, ductwork or electrical
connections. The rack system 12 design allows for the transfer or
transport of supplies and resources necessary for plant growth
without separate connecting designs. The rack structure
manufacturing system utilizes predesigned and preformed materials,
such as extruded aluminum or extruded plastic, comprising hollow
cavities, for transporting and transferring irrigation, energy,
materials and environments from one place to another without the
need for separate conduit, ducts or connections.
[0120] As a non-limiting example, the rack structure system 12 of
the present disclosure can be designed to be originally built, or
later enlarged, without the need for designing separate conduit for
irrigation. The rack structure system 12 is designed and extruded
to include hollow cavities for transferring water from a single
input location on the rack structure 12 to an area where it can be
diverted to the grow trays for irrigation purposes. Further, the
same rack system 12 can be designed with additional hollow cavities
to allow for irrigation draining once the water has matriculated
through each of the grow trays 200 on a level 14 or in a cluster
108. With this system, once the rack structure 12 is built (without
separate water conduit or hoses), the water supply can be connected
to the water input, and the exiting water can be connected to the
drain and the rack structure system 12 will automatically transport
water to each location for irrigation, redistribution or removal,
regardless if the rack system 12 is four levels high or eight
levels high, and if the rack structure 12 has clusters of 300
plants per level (5 grow trays at 60 plants per grow tray), or 1440
plants per level (20 grow trays at 72 plants per grow tray).
[0121] The same design can be used to transport or force cooling or
heating air and/or humidity to the plants. The additional hollow
cavities in the rack structure 12 allow for cooling or warming air
from an HVAC system to enter the rack at a single location and be
transported to various exit points to cool, heat or humidify the
growing plants based on the needs that the system has determined,
ostensibly from sensing the plants. The various exit locations can
be vented automatically so that the system can determine what each
plant needs and control the system accordingly. Again, as the rack
system 12 is built or enlarged, the hollow cavities will be
automatically connected for ease of design and build purposes.
[0122] The rack structure 12 can also be designed to allow
electricity and other necessary energy to be connected at a single
point and be delivered to various points on the rack system for use
in lighting, sensors, cameras, and other needs. As the rack system
12 is built or enlarged, each extruded piece connects with the
other pieces to create the necessary conduit, ducts or connections.
This will allow the entire grow structure 12 to function as a
large, simple appliance, with one input for electricity, one input
for water, and one input for air, as well as other built-in
mounting points and rails for camera systems. This will
significantly reduce the cost and complexity of existing vertical
structure designs.
[0123] Additionally, as described above, the environmental database
96 can incorporate information obtained by stationary cameras
and/or camera systems 90, 240, 250 throughout the vertical farming
system 10. Further, each grow tray 200 may include a pallet
identification 146, such as a barcode, RFID tag or QR code, as
understood by one having ordinary skill in the art, allowing the
vertical farming system 10 to automatically keep track of a
particular grow tray 200 or even a particular plant. As such, a
particular grow tray 200 can be monitored for input (water and
fertilizer), information or metrics throughout the plant growth
stages (temperature and humidity) and at harvest (time and yield),
with the information being stored in the database 96 and used to
optimize future growing environments.
[0124] The present disclosure also comprises an autonomous or
near-autonomous harvesting system 300. As described above, when
harvesting heads of lettuce for example, the full head must be
manually cut at its base to detach it from the ground or from the
grow media. Next, the leaves are manually cut from or removed from
the head of lettuce for packaging, until only the core of the head
remains, which will be discarded. As such, the process involves
many steps, and often, multiple individuals. The autonomous
harvesting system 300 eliminates a substantial portion of this
manual process by harvesting in place. This is possible since based
on the improved vertical farming system 10, the location of the
center of each plant site is known for certain. Accordingly, the
plant can be harvested in the same grow tray, in a one-step
process.
[0125] FIGS. 14 A and 14B show the harvesting systems 300 of the
present disclosure in which the plant is harvested autonomously in
the grow tray to reduce harvesting steps and time. FIG. 14A shows
an articulating harvester 300 in accordance with the present
disclosure. The articulating harvester consists of a base 302 to
hold the articulating harvester 300 in place, and articulated robot
arm 304, which can be programmed to move in multiple axes so that
each plant on a particular grow tray can be accessed, and a corer
306 at the end of the robot arm 304. The corer 306 can core or
harvest each plant in the grow tray 200 one at a time to separate
the leaves from the head of lettuce (for example) at high
speed.
[0126] The leaves can then be removed for additional processing or
packaging, either by tipping the grow tray 200 with a pneumatic arm
or piston (not shown), causing all of the loose leaves to fall onto
a conveyor belt or basket 308, resulting in only the wanted leaves
310 being harvested, with no waste or unwanted plant matter
commingled with the leaves 310. The remaining cores 312 can be
placed into a hopper 314 for further processing or discarding.
[0127] The articulating harvester also consists of a vision system
and software capable of detecting which heads of lettuce might not
pass quality control standards, and then skip the harvesting of
that particular head, leaving it in place to be discarded with the
other cores. This real time quality control at the time of harvest,
will greatly reduce the amount of human labor necessary at a later
time, in the packaging process, and will simultaneously increase
the quality of the leaves being packaged.
[0128] FIG. 14B shows a harvesting system 300 comprising a
harvesting press 316 in accordance with the present disclosure. The
harvesting press 316 would be similar to or the same size as, a
grow tray 200, with multiple corers 318 strategically mounted in a
mirror image press 320 of the plant sites in the grow tray 200. The
corers 318 could vary in diameter based on the particular plant or
crop being harvested, and might be configured to spin, to make the
coring process simpler. The harvesting press 316 would drop down in
a single motion 322 against the grow tray 200, simultaneously
coring all of the plant sites 324, resulting in the cores 326
remaining in their sites, and the loose leaves 328 separated on the
tray. Again, the leaves 328 can then be removed for additional
processing or packaging, either by tipping the tray with a
pneumatic arm or piston (not shown), causing all of the loose
leaves to fall onto a conveyor belt or basket (see FIG. 14A),
resulting in only the wanted leaves 328 being harvested, with no
waste or unwanted plant matter commingled with the leaves 328. The
remaining cores 326 can be placed into a hopper (see FIG. 14A) for
further processing or discarding.
[0129] These "harvest in place" harvesting systems 300 allow for
the harvesting of multiple lettuce heads in exactly the same place
that they grew during their life cycle, eliminating any unnecessary
steps and monumentally increasing throughput and efficiency in the
harvesting process.
[0130] It will be understood that the embodiments of the present
disclosure, which have been described, are illustrative of some of
the applications of the principles of the present disclosure.
Although numerous embodiments of this disclosure have been
described above with a certain degree of particularity, those
skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed
embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this
disclosure.
[0131] All directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward,
downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above,
below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are
only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's
understanding of the present disclosure, and do not create
limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use
of the disclosed system and methods.
[0132] Additionally, joinder references (e.g., attached, coupled,
connected, and the like) are to be construed broadly and may
include intermediate members between a connection of elements and
relative movement between elements. As such, joinder references do
not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and
in fixed relation to each other. It is intended that all matter
contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying
drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not
limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without
departing from the spirit of the disclosed apparatus, system and
methods as disclosed herein.
* * * * *