7919results about "Greenhouse cultivation" patented technology

A protective and decorative coating composition including about 2 to 10 different colorants which in combination with a resinous composition produce a desired visible coating. A majority of the colorants has a maximum haze of about 10% and exhibits an absorbance peak in the visible spectrum wherein at least about 50% of the total absorbance in the visible spectrum occurs at wavelengths within about 50 nm of the wavelength of the peak absorbance.

A method and apparatus for extracting CO₂ from air comprising an anion exchange material formed in a matrix exposed to a flow of the air, and for delivering that extracted CO₂ to controlled environments. The present invention contemplates the extraction of CO2 from air using conventional extraction methods or by using one of the extraction methods disclosed; e.g., humidity swing or electro dialysis. The present invention also provides delivery of the CO₂ to greenhouses where increased levels of CO₂ will improve conditions for growth. Alternatively, the CO₂ is fed to an algae culture.

A system includes an enclosed space defining a controllable environment chamber. The system also includes at least one monitoring device configured to measure multiple characteristics of an environment within the chamber. The system further includes multiple actuators configured to alter the characteristics of the environment within the chamber. The enclosed space includes at least one rack system configured to be placed within the enclosed space. Each rack system includes multiple layers configured to receive multiple plants to be grown in the chamber. The actuators are configured to adjust the characteristics of the environment within the chamber to condition the environment based on the plants to be grown in the chamber.

High dielectric constant thermoplastic compositions that are capable of being used in a laser direct structuring process. The compositions include a thermoplastic base resin, a laser direct structuring additive, and at least one ceramic filler. The compositions provide a high dielectric constant, low loss tangent thermoplastic composition. The compositions can be used in a variety of applications such as personal computers, notebook and portable computers, cell phone antennas and other such communications equipment, medical applications, RFID applications, and automotive applications.

The present invention relates to antimicrobial compositions, methods for the production of these compositions, and use of these compositions with medical devices, such as catheters, and implants. The compositions of the present invention advantageously provide varying release kinetics for the active ions in the compositions due to the different water solubilities of the ions, allowing antimicrobial release profiles to be tailored for a given application and providing for sustained antimicrobial activity over time. More particularly, the invention relates to polymer compositions containing colloids comprised of salts of one or more oligodynamic metal, such as silver. The process of the invention includes mixing a solution of one or more oligodynamic metal salts with a polymer solution or dispersion and precipitating a colloid of the salts by addition of other salts to the solution which react with some or all of the first metal salts. The compositions can be incorporated into articles or can be employed as a coating on articles such as medical devices. Coatings may be on all or part of a surface.

A unitary humidity exchange cell (HUX) is dislosed that includes at least one composite membrane, disposed between at least one first chamber for flow of the first fluid therethrough and at least one second chamber for flow of the second fluid therethrough. The composite membrane include an at least partially sulfonated humidity-conducting polymer comprising residues derived from at least one arylvinyl monomer; and a reinforcing substrate bonded thereto. The product finds utility in a variety of physical and chemical processes and products whereby moisture or other highly polar liquid or gas transfer, exchange removal or delivery is important. A notable application is the Membrane Energy Recovery Ventilator (MERV) in which both heat, ions and moisture is transferred between two air streams, one intake and one exhaust, from an air-conditioned building.

A system (1) for modulating growth or attributes of at least one part (2) of one or more plants comprising chlorophyll is disclosed. The system (1) comprises at least one light emitting device (3), such as a light emitting diode (LED), for irradiating the at least one part (2), at least one light sensor (4) for picking up light from the at least one part (2), communication capabilities (5) for facilitating communication between the at least one light sensor (4), the at least one light emitting device, and a processor (6). The processor (6) reads data from the at least one light sensor (4) via the communication capabilities (5), generates a control signal based on the data and a reference, and then controls, based on the control signal, the at least one light emitting device (3) via the communication capabilities in order to modulate plant growth or plant attributes.

A lighting fixture for facilitating plant growth and a light emitting component. The fixture comprises a single light emission source LED device which provides at least two emission peaks in the wavelength range of 300-800 nm and at least one of the emission peaks has Full Width of Half Maximum (FWHM) at least 50 nm or higher. The emission peaks of the LED match well with a plant photosynthesis response spectrum and is therefore particularly suitable for high efficiency artificial lighting.

A computer implemented system for a vertical farming system comprising at least a first crop growth module and operating in an environmentally-controlled growing chamber, the control system comprising sensors for measuring environmental growing conditions in the environmentally-controlled growing chamber over time to generate environmental condition data, a device configured for measuring a crop characteristic of a crop grown in the crop growth module of the environmentally-controlled growing chamber to generate crop growth data and a processing device comprising software modules for receiving the environmental condition data and the crop growth data; applying an algorithm to the environmental condition data and the crop growth data to generate an improved environmental growing condition and generating instructions for adjustment of the environmental growing conditions in or around the growth module in the environmentally-controlled growing chamber to the improved environmental growing condition.

A vertically-integrated greenhouse for growing plants in suspended trays. The design is particularly well-suited for installation in a double-skin façade of a building, or in an interior atrium, lobby, or similar structure. In addition to producing food, plants can reduce building maintenance costs by providing shade, air treatment, and evaporative cooling to building occupants. The vertically-integrated greenhouse involves the use of a dynamic movable array of plant trays as a mechanical shading device. The spacings and arrangements of the trays in the tray suspension system can be adjusted on both a diurnal basis and a seasonal basis to maximize plant light capture and building shading, thereby maximizing crop yield and building energy savings, or for esthetic considerations.

A method for improving the storage stability of personal care formulations containing ultraviolet (UV) radiation-absorbing agents (sunscreen agents) is disclosed. Latex polymer particles containing a void, having a particle size from 50 to 1000 nanometers, and having at least 4% polymerized crosslinker monomer units in the shell portion of the particle are especially effective in maintaining storage stability and effectiveness of sunscreen formulations when added to personal care compositions containing at least one sunscreen agent.

The present invention is related to a tridimensional combined green building which is constituted with plant, biologic ecosystem, physical environment ecosystem, habitation environment and the combination thereof. Said tridimensional combined green-building may comprises green villages, green areas and green scientific town, such as tridimensional wall, tridimensional river and tridimensional bridge etc., and they can be divided into variety of green building.

A fluorochemical composition for rendering fibrous substrates oil repellent, water repellent, and/or stain repellent and comprising a fluorinated polymer dispersed in water or dissolved or dispersed in an organic solvent, the fluorinated polymer comprising units derived from (i) a mixture of two or more fluorinated polyether monomers that differ in at least their molecular weight, the fluorinated polyether monomers having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a perfluorinated polyether group and wherein at least 90% by weight of the mixture consists of fluorinated polyether monomers that have a perfluorinated polyether group having a molecular weight of at least 750 g/mol and (ii) one or more units derived from one or more co-monomers other than a fluorinated polyether monomer and wherein the co-monomers comprise at least one non-fluorinated monomer. Also, method for treating fibrous substrate with such composition, fluorinated polyether monomers, and fluorinated polymers derived from such monomers.

Disclosed is a process for the preparation of shaped articles such as, for example, sheeting, films, tubes, bottles, preforms and profiles, having high transparency and low haze, and comprising immiscible blends of at least one polyester comprising 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol, and a copolyamide or a transamidized, homogeneous blend of a least two polyamides. The components of the immiscible blend have refractive indices which differ by about 0.006 to about −0.0006. The small difference in the refractive indices enable the incorporation of regrind into the polymer composition to produce transparent shaped articles. These articles may have one or more layers and can exhibit improved excellent barrier properties and good melt processability while retaining excellent mechanical properties. Metal catalysts can be incorporated into the compositions to produce shaped articles having oxygen-scavenging properties.

The invention is a system and method for managing a plurality of areas of interest of a golf course. The system comprises a plurality of subsurface aeration subsystems and a programmable master control module. Each subsystem provides to a specific area at least one of air under pressure and a partial vacuum. In each area of interest, a local control module is responsive to a directive and to a datum (environmental or operational parameter). The local control module is configured to operate the subsystem and is in communication with the programmable master control module. The programmable master control module receives from the local control modules area information representing a status of the respective specific area to which the local control module is dedicated, and in response to the area information and to a command, the programmable master control module issues a directive to the local control module to operate the subsurface aeration subsystem.

The invention discloses a remote monitoring and intelligent control system and method of an agricultural greenhouse based on an M2M framework. The system comprises an information acquisition module, an M2M network transmission module, a service monitoring module, an expert decision module, a system display module and a remote control module. The method comprises: firstly, deploying a plurality of environmental parameter sensors in a glasshouse to collect key information; then, in an M2M mode, sending the key information to a centered platform via the Internet or the 3G network; storing, displaying and analyzing data in the centered platform; combining with a crop model and an expert system to output decision information; and issuing a control order via the Internet or the 3G network. The system can avoid the limitation of the local automatic control system of the common greenhouse and realizes the situation that the production in a plurality of greenhouses is supported on one platform, thus the system has good expansibility and supports scale application. The system provides the means for checking systems and issuing orders on the Internet and a mobile terminal, is convenient and can transmit information by the broadband Internet and the 3G communication network.

Disclosed is a process for the preparation of shaped articles such as, for example, sheeting, films, tubes, bottles, preforms and profiles, having high transparency and low haze comprising immiscible blends of one or more thermoplastic polymers selected from polyesters, polycarbonates, and polyarylates, and a copolyamide or a transamidized, homogeneous blend of a least two polyamides. The components of the immiscible blend which have refractive indices which differ by about 0.006 to about −0.0006. The small difference in the refractive indices enable the incorporation of regrind into the polymer composition to produce transparent shaped articles. These articles may have one or more layers and can exhibit improved excellent barrier properties and good melt processability while retaining excellent mechanical properties. Metal catalysts can be incorporated into the compositions to produce shaped articles having oxygen-scavenging properties.

The invention discloses an environment control plant factory through seal-typed artificial light, which comprises the following parts: fender structure, air circulating system, temperature adjusting system, moisture adjusting system, CO2 supplying system, light supplying system, control system based on inserted network technique and automatic power-metering system, wherein the systems are seal, heat-proof and light-tight, which provides clean and fitful growing environment for plant. The invention saves cost and energy consumption, which realizes normalized and standardized cultivating management and planning manufacturing.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling pathogen growth on live plants and mushrooms using UV-C light and an apparatus for use in the method. Also provided are methods for removing surplus leaves and methods for destroying aerial plant parts prior to harvest of underground roots, tubers or bulbs.

Disclosed are oxygen-scavenging polymer compositions having high transparency and low haze comprising immiscible blends of one or more thermoplastic polymers selected from polyesters, polycarbonates, and polyarylates, a copolyamide or a transamidized, homogeneous blend of a least two polyamides, and a metal catalyst. The components of the immiscible blend which have refractive indices which differ by about 0.006 to about −0.0006. The small difference in the refractive indices enable the incorporation of regrind into the polymer composition to produce transparent shaped articles. The blends of the present invention are useful in producing shaped articles such as, for example, sheeting, films, tubes, bottles, preforms and profiles. These articles may have one or more layers and can exhibit improved excellent barrier properties and good melt processability while retaining excellent mechanical properties.

Embodiments of the invention relate to fixtures, systems and methods for providing vegetation grow light fixtures with auxiliary power and/or data communication ports or hubs allowing for expansion of their functionality, modularity and adaptability. The addition of power or communication ports integrated with a grow light fixture enables other components to be connected directly to and powered by the grow light fixture. Such components may include but are not limited to supplemental lighting, sensors and actuators.

A hydrophobic self cleaning coating composition that can be applied by conventional methods such as by spraying the composition onto a surface forming creating a wet and dry dirt repellent coating on the surface. The coating utilizes hydrophobic nanoparticles of fumed silica and/or titania in a solvent which evaporates at ambient temperature. The coating solves the problem of poor resistance to UV light, opaque appearance, and/or abrasion found in previous coatings of similar nature. Virtually transparent coating are produced as compared to conventional coatings of comparable hydrophobicity which are typically white or opaque. The coating can be applied by a single and easy spraying method and the super hydrophobic property can be achieved by drying the film by evaporation of the solvent at ambient temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. Embodiments of the hydrophobic self-cleaning coating composition can be produced resulting in a clear coating or in some cases a translucent dirt repellant film or coating on painted material, plastic, metal, glass, ceramic, fiberglass or a polymer substrate. One preferred coating composition utilizing an effective amount of a treated fumed silica in a solvent forms a coated surface providing a contact angle of at least 165 degrees as compared to water having a contact angle of from 10 to 15 degrees on a noncoated surface. The self-cleaning coating composition imparts a degree of hydrophobicity to a surface so that the treated surface will have a tilt angle of sliding of less than 2 degrees as compared to water on a noncoated surface having a tilt angle of sliding of 90 degrees or higher.

A multifunction plant cultivation LED able to control the growing speed of plants is to properly select the composition material and proportion of LED to enable the LED to emit light with different wavelengths and colors. Then, specific wavelengths beneficial to the growth of plants and able to offer best bright for human naked eyes are selected from light spectrums to make up a LED light source with multiple wavelengths for irradiating landscaping plants and flowers and controlling their growing speed as well as for seeing, enjoying and for lighting, versatile in use, having high efficiency and saving electricity.

An intelligent greenhouse control system comprises an information collection unit, a processor and an adjusting and controlling unit, wherein the information collection unit collects environmental information inside a greenhouse; the processor processes the information collected by the information collection unit; the adjusting and controlling unit adjusts and controls the environment inside the greenhouse; the information collection unit collects information of environment inside the greenhouse and data information of soil; the adjusting and controlling unit adjusts, controls and supplements the parameters. The data indexes needed by growth of plants are set in the processor in advance, then environmental indexes and soil indexes of the greenhouse are monitored in real time in the growing process, the indexes are compared with the data indexes set in advance, if a certain index deviates, adjustment and control are carried out through corresponding equipment, and therefore the optimal environment for growth of the plants is provided, the whole process is completely and intelligently controlled by the processor, automatic production is achieved without large accidents, the degree of dependence on people is reduced, and efficiency is improved.

A plant growing system for growing plants. The system includes a control module, an atmospheric condition sensor module, an atmospheric condition response module, a nutrient concentration sensor probe module, and a nutrient pump module. The atmospheric condition sensor module may include: a photo sensor, a humidity sensor, and an air temperature sensor. The atmospheric condition response module may include: a lighting module, a humidifying module, a dehumidifying module, a heating module, and a cooling module. A nutrient level sensor module and a communication module are configured to communicate a detected level of water. The communication module comprises an audio communication module and a graphical user interface module. The nutrient pump module comprises: a first nutrient reservoir, a nutrient pump, a first nutrient dispersion member, a second nutrient reservoir, and a second nutrient dispersion member. There is a power module comprising a solar panel which is configured to provide energy.

[Problem to be Solved]

To simplify an air supply path without damaging the merit of conventional culture apparatus.

[Solution]

A culture apparatus 10 includes a row 11 of a plurality of box-shaped containers 21 for plant cultivation, and a row 12 of lower stage containers 21 arranged in the lower portion of the row 11, holding the upper stage container 21 spaced as high as the height after growth of the plants to be cultivated. In each container 21, a support 22, a blocking film 24 stretched between front and rear, right and left supports of the container 21 are provided. In the one end of the rows 11, 12 of the containers 21, an air conditioner 17 is arranged, in another end, a turnaround chamber 14 is provided.

A system for sequestering carbon emissions from a fuel combustor generally includes a combustion gas extraction module for extracting combustion gas from a fuel combustor and a greenhouse facility for receiving the extracted combustion gas and having at least one vegetation supporting soil bed for absorbing carbon dioxide from the received combustion gas. The extraction module includes a particulate removal unit for removing pollutants from the extracted combustion gas and a heat exchanger in downstream fluid communication with the particulate removal unit for cooling the extracted combustion gas.

An apparatus used to deliver light from overhead to stimulate plant growth in a controlled environment. The distance between tops of the plants and the lights can be adjusted to correlate with plant growth by a motorized assembly for raising and lowering a bar suspended from an upper support and upon which are mounted growth lights. Horizontal sway of the bar upon which the growth lights are mounted is minimized by a guiding structure for one end of the bar. When florescent growth lights are used, bulk and heat produced by their ballasts are eliminated by locating all ballasts remotely from the apparatus.

The invention discloses a miniature closed type intelligent adjustment system of plant cultivation environmental factors which comprises a cultivation box body and intelligent control structures. A plurality of interlayers used for plant cultivation are arrange inside the cultivation box body. The intelligent control structures comprise a human-computer interface, an industrial control board and collection executing mechanisms. Users send operational orders to the industrial control board through the human-computer interface. The collection executing mechanisms comprise a collection mechanism and an executing mechanism. The collection mechanism comprises a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration sensor and an illumination sensor. The executing mechanism comprises a compressor, a heater, a fan, a supplementary lighting device, a CO2 producer and a nutrient solution automatic cycle replenishing device. An output end of the collection mechanism is connected with an input end of the industrial control board, and an output end of the industrial control board is respectively connected with the human-computer interface and the executing mechanism. The miniature closed type intelligent adjustment system of plant cultivation environmental factors integrates automatic supplementary lighting function, temperature and humidity automatic adjustment function and CO2 concentration and nutrient solution automatic cycle replenishing function through automatic control and sensor technology, and a need of household vegetable cultivation can be met.

There is provided a modular LED system comprising a frame (1) having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) (8) of at least two different colors for generating light within a color spectrum, said LEDs (8) being mounted, preferably clickable, on or adjacent to a, preferably heat conductive, plate equipped with cooling means (3) for cooling the LEDs with cooling medium; a processor for controlling an amount of electrical current supplied to the plurality of LEDs, so that a particular amount of current supplied thereto determines a color of light generated by the plurality of LEDs, —and a flat translucent member (5) having translucent lenses (4) associated with the LEDs for decreasing or increasing the diffusion angle for light emitted from each LED. The LED system is suitable as an illumination system for plants to supplement natural light without substantially interfering with the amount of natural light. The system delivers uniform illumination and reduces energy and maintenance costs. The system may be installed in a commercial greenhouse. Because of its narrow width, the system is useful to supplement natural light because it allows a maximum amount of natural light to reach the plants.