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.

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 t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[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.

Problems solved by technology

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.

Research has shown that, especially in under developed nations, as much as 30% of harvested crops are wasted due to spoilage and infestation.

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.

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.

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.

There is also no system that incorporates these functions and allows for a harvest in place system for processing the growing plants.

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