Method of operating a network of growing containers and system of interconnected growing containers

Abstract

The present invention describes a method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2), in which a plurality of growing containers (2) are incorporated into the network (1), each of the plurality of growing containers (2) comprising a growing device for growing plants, a plant treatment device for treating cultivated plants, a control device for controlling the plant treatment device, and a communication device (3) for receiving data from the control device or providing data to the control device, and the control units (3) of at least two growing containers (2, 1', 2'') in the network (1) communicate directly and bidirectionally with each other.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for a network of growing containers and a method for operating the network. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, plants are grown by farmers in field cultivation. For this purpose, certain atmospheric conditions are essential for successful cultivation. In particular, the soil must be rich in humus, thereby providing sufficient nutrients. Furthermore, the soil and surrounding air must provide sufficient moisture to promote plant growth. Furthermore, adequate solar radiation must be ensured. Additionally, and importantly, plant cultivation is closely linked to the provision of sufficient acreage.

[0003] The world's population, and therefore the demand for adequate food, continues to grow. At the same time, due in particular to anthropogenic industrial emissions, the climate is subject to long-term changes, changes that are particularly unfavourable from the point of view of plant cultivation. Heatwaves and water shortages, but also lack of soil nutrients as a result of monoculture farming, etc., are some of the difficult phenomena and examples of deteriorating growing conditions that farmers are currently facing and will probably face periodically in the future. Scientific evidence shows that adverse agricultural conditions persist and difficult phenomena occur more frequently, when stable, predictable and controllable growing conditions are actually necessary for optimal agricultural production.

[0004] One approach to solving this problem is found in so-called indoor or vertical farming techniques, where crops are grown in vertically stacked layers placed inside buildings, growing containers, etc. The technology incorporates controlled environment agriculture to optimize plant growth and increase crop yields, and is suitable for small arable plots. Furthermore, vertical farming allows for less human interference in the cultivation process due to automation, which improves overall performance as machines do not need sleep or vacations, are not affected by emotional fluctuations, and are therefore much less prone to error. With advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, automation is expected to increase over time. Vertical farming also has the benefit of reducing transportation efforts, as it allows cultivation to take place in urban areas closer to consumers, thereby eliminating polluting and costly shipping.

[0005] However, a current drawback of this approach is that vertical farming involves a huge energy expenditure compared to classical field cultivation due to the fact that lighting, climate control, and nutrients must all be provided by technological means. As a result, vertical farming can only be a solution to the above challenges if energy consumption and costs are reduced and the degree of automation and crop yields are significantly increased.

[0006] One way to optimize energy consumption is to keep the distance that cultivated plants have to travel to consumers short. That is to say, the growing containers are placed where there is a demand, and in addition, there are placed there exactly as many growing containers as there are needed to meet the demand in each case. At the same time, the growing containers should be located as far away as possible in places where energy costs are low, for example because solar or wind-generated energy is available in many places.

[0007] As a result, the growing containers are placed in many different locations, some close to each other and some far from each other.

[0008] The integration of such growing containers into farm networking services for controlling and monitoring them through a centralized server unit is known from the prior art, for example from EP 3439451 A1.

[0009] The drawback of such centralized management is that if different container operators operate growing containers within the same network, these container operators typically consider this to be a serious problem if their data is shared across the network and therefore visible to others. Every container operator wants to be sure that their data is protected from access by others and that no know-how is leaked. Furthermore, each container operator has a strong interest in operating their own growing containers independently and does not wish to follow the instructions of a centralized control. Therefore, the methods for centralized control of growing containers in a network of a large number of growing containers known in the prior art are not suitable for use cases in which the growing containers integrated into the network are operated by different operators and economically independent owners.

[0010] Another drawback is that the growing containers must be accessible to the server at all times. This means that as soon as the server or its connection goes down, communication stops completely. Furthermore, a sufficiently strong data connection to the server is required for each growing container. This is a problem in remote areas and undermines the reliability of the entire network. In addition, a lot of data traffic is generated, which significantly worsens the carbon footprint of the network of growing containers. Global data traffic and the servers and data centers required 2 It is known to be a major contributor to emissions. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for operating a network of growing containers and a system of interconnected networked growing containers in which control units of different growing containers communicate with each other within the network, but without the risk of the communicated or exchanged data being viewed or modified by third parties. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The object of the present invention is achieved by a method for operating a network of growing containers, wherein a plurality of growing containers are incorporated into the network, each of the plurality of growing containers comprising a growing device for growing plants, a plant treatment device for treating the grown plants, a control device for controlling the plant treatment device, and a communication device for receiving data from the control device or providing data to the control device, and the control units of at least two growing containers in the network communicate directly and bidirectionally with each other.

[0013] The present invention then allows direct and bidirectional communication between two growing containers in a network. This provides a method of operating a network of growing containers and a system of interconnected growing containers in which control units of different growing containers can communicate with each other in the network, but without the risk of the communicated or exchanged data being viewed or altered by third parties. In particular, the communications and data exchanged cannot be read or modified by a centralized server, a network node, a network operator, another growing container, or the like. In this way, each container operator has full control over their own data and over their own growing process within the growing containers. This protects the know-how of each cultivation container. To achieve this, the two growing containers communicate directly and bidirectionally with each other over a network. Preferably, communication takes place via the Internet and / or a mobile radio network. Direct and bidirectional communication refers to end-to-end communication where application specific functionality is maintained at the communication endpoints. The end-to-end principle removes critical components from intermediate communication nodes to increase routing options, improve data delivery rates, and ensure that applications only fail if an endpoint fails. This principle addresses, for example, the need for reliable communications in an inherently unstable environment. Communication over the network uses a peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture for direct, two-way communication, so that communicating growing containers become participants with equal privileges and functions within the network. Communicating growing containers retain complete control of their exchanged data, at least to the application layer, presentation layer, session layer, and / or transport layer (corresponding to the host layer in the Open Systems Interconnection model (OSI model)). The connection itself is established over a network and by the network provider, specifically at the level of the media layer of the OSI model. However, the communications themselves cannot be read or altered by the network provider or other network participants.

[0014] It is also envisaged that communications will be provided more reliably, will have no single points of failure, will require less data traffic and will therefore be more environmentally friendly. In this way, communication between the two growing containers remains unimpeded even in the event of a potential server down or connection loss. This applies whether the communicating grow containers are directly connected or hardwired. For example, this is the case when growing containers are placed close to each other. Therefore, there is no need for a server as a single point of failure. Furthermore, the growing containers communicate directly and immediately with each other without detouring through a server, resulting in a much smaller data volume. This means that growing containers can be established and operated efficiently in less developed areas with less infrastructure. The architecture of the network is particularly efficient in that there is no centralized control or management of the network. Thus, the network can be expanded or contracted by simply adding or removing growing containers within the network without affecting the rest of the network structure. Preferably, the network organizes itself in this way.

[0015] Another advantage of the method according to the invention is that the data of one growing container is not shared across the entire network, but is only made available to other dedicated growing containers with which information is exchanged directly and bidirectionally. Thus, each growing container retains unlimited sovereignty and control over its own data. In this way, growing containers from different operators can be integrated into a single network without creating problems with data security and data control.

[0016] According to the invention, it is preferred that the communication device of a first growing container in the network broadcasts a demand request to the communication device of a second growing container, or to each communication device of a group of second growing containers, or to the communication devices of all growing containers in the network. Advantageously, a demand request is transmitted according to the invention directly from the first growing container to the second growing container. The demand requests include demand for agricultural products, demand for energy, demand for water, demand for nutrient solutions for plants, demand for plant treatments, and / or demand for consumption or emission certificates. This allows, for example, a control device of a control unit (i.e., a first growing container) that identifies an additional need for energy, water, nutrients, or plant treatment chemicals to request, via its communication device, another growing container (i.e., a second growing container) to assist by providing the requested items. It also becomes possible for a particular growing container that has identified a specific or increased demand for produce by a customer that exceeds its actual own produce to send a corresponding demand request for a specific amount of produce to another growing container (i.e., a second growing container) asking whether the missing portion of the produce can be supplied from another growing container. A demand request for a particular product may also consist of a request for a right or license to that particular product in the form of a consumption or emission certificate, such as the right to emit a certain amount of CO2 (also known as a CO2 certificate) or the right to consume a certain amount of water. The control device of the other growing container (i.e., the second growing container) may receive the demand request via its communication device and determine whether it can fully or at least partially fulfill the requested item. It is assumed that a requesting grow container will initially send a demand request only to the closest grow container. In this scenario, the more distant grow containers will not be contacted until the closer grow containers refuse to meet the demand. This avoids unnecessary data traffic. It is also assumed that the demand request includes a demand for human capital, i.e., a demand for specific working hours of employees.

[0017] According to the invention, it is preferred that the communication device of a first growing container in the network broadcasts a supply offer to the communication device of a second growing container, or to each communication device of a group of second growing containers, or to the communication devices of all growing containers in the network. This supply offer is then transmitted according to the invention directly from the first growing container to the second growing container. Supply offers include offers to provide produce, energy, water, nutrients for plants, plant treatments, and / or offers for consumption or emission certificates. This allows, for example, a control device in a particular growing container (i.e., a first growing container) that has identified an excess supply of produce, energy, water, nutrients, or plant treatment chemicals to ask another growing container (i.e., a second growing container) via its communication device whether the other growing container can take on some of the excess supply. The control device of the other growing container (i.e., the second growing container) receives the supply offer via its communication device and can determine whether to take a portion and thereby help reduce the oversupply. It is assumed that an offering growing container will first send a supply offer only to the closest growing container. In this scenario, the more distant grow containers will not be contacted until the closer grow containers decline to take on the excess supply. This in turn avoids unnecessary data traffic.

[0018] The above-described mechanism of grow containers directly and bidirectionally informing each other about capacity shortages and surpluses of particular goods and requesting help to reduce the capacity shortages and surpluses can be used particularly effectively in grow containers that are powered by renewable energy sources. The use of renewable energy sources such as solar energy or wind power has the drawback that the energy supply is highly variable depending on the weather. However, if different growing containers adjust, for example, their energy needs or produce production capacities to each other, these fluctuations can be balanced. This possibility arises especially when the growing containers are located in locations with different climate regimes.

[0019] According to the invention, it is preferred that the communication device of a first growing container in the network receives a response message from the communication device of a second growing container, or from each communication device of a group of second growing containers, or from the communication devices of all growing containers in the network. The recipient (ie, the second growing container) of the demand request or supply offer (ie, that of the first growing container) can then respond to the request or offer with a response request. For this purpose, the response message includes information whether the requested demand will be fully or partially met directly by the second growing container or indirectly by reducing the corresponding demand of the second growing container, and / or information whether the offered supply will be fully or partially used directly by the second growing container or indirectly by reducing production or use in the second growing container. In this way, an efficient exchange of information takes place directly and bidirectionally between the communication devices of the two growing containers.

[0020] According to the invention, it is preferred that the communication device of a first growing container in the network broadcasts operational information to the communication device of a second growing container, or to each communication device of a group of second growing containers, or to the communication devices of all growing containers in the network. The operational information includes growing recipes for particular plants and / or timetables using expected produce, planting cycle, production workload, energy demand, water demand, nutrient demand, plant treatment demand, wastewater generated, and / or plant waste generated. In this way, it is possible for the growing containers to inform each other about particular events or discoveries. For example, it is envisaged that the cultivation parameters determined by the control unit to result in a better harvested crop may be transmitted to other cultivation containers in the form of a cultivation recipe so that the other cultivation containers can adjust their own cultivation parameters accordingly. It is further envisioned that growing containers may provide their neighboring growing containers with schedules that reveal expected capacity utilization, production volumes, and / or resource consumption, thereby allowing groups of growing containers to adjust their schedules to prevent shortages and surpluses of each other's produce or resources. To this end, the plant treatment device of the growing container is controlled by the control device in such a way that the planting cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention is timed based on demand requests, supply offers, and / or operational information of other growing containers.

[0021] According to the present invention, the demand request, supply request, operational information and / or response message preferably includes positioning data and / or distance data. The positioning data is then used to determine the distance between two growing containers that are in communication with each other. The distance information is then taken into account when sending a demand request or a supply offer with respect to the growing container to which the demand request or supply offer is addressed. Similarly, requested growing containers may also take distance information into account when determining whether a demand request or supply offer can be approved in whole or in part. For example, distance can play a major role in whether produce can be delivered within a particular time frame, as any length of required transportation route also takes time. Preferably, the communication device of the first growing container broadcasts its demand request and / or supply offer to the nearest growing container based on the calculated distance, in particular the calculated effective distance. In this way, unnecessary data traffic can be avoided.

[0022] According to the present invention, it is preferred that each of the plurality of growing containers comprises a positioning device for providing positioning data to the communication device, and the communication device of the first growing container and / or the second growing container calculates the distance between the first growing container and the second growing container based on the positioning data. Accurate position determination, and from this in turn accurate distance calculations, are possible. Positioning devices include Global Positioning System (GPS) devices or Galileo devices that determine position using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).

[0023] According to the present invention, the calculated distance preferably includes an effective distance that takes into account the connectivity and transport characteristics of the item requested or offered. Thus, the effective distance is not just the straight line path but the actual transportation path of the corresponding item, which depends on the actual path, e.g., road, railroad track, railway line, cable, etc., and the means of transportation used, e.g., rail, ship, or truck. If trucks are used, traffic information may also be included, and if rail or shipping is used, the corresponding timetables may be included. By considering all these parameters, it is possible to determine the effective distance, which reflects the actual transport time between two growing containers at hand for a particular commodity.

[0024] According to the present invention, it is preferred that the communication device of the first growing container classifies the other growing containers into different priorities based on the calculated distance, in particular the calculated effective distance, and that demand requests and / or supply offers are broadcast sequentially by the first growing container to the other growing containers according to the priority classification. This allows demand requests and / or supply offers to be sent sequentially to lower priority growing containers only if the demand requests and / or supply offers are not accepted by higher priority growing containers. In this way, the amount of data traffic can be minimized. Furthermore, communication within the network functions as a self-learning system due to the fact that every growing container decides for itself about its priority list, independent of a central control unit such as a server.

[0025] According to the present invention, the communication device of the second growing container preferably forwards the demand request, supply offer, response message, and / or operational information received from the first growing container to a third growing container in the network. It is assumed that a demand request or supply offer will be passed from one growing container to the next as long as no growing container fully accepts the demand request or supply offer, or at least as long as there are still pending demand requests or supply offers. Demand requests or supply offers are routed according to a predefined pattern or priority list determined by the requesting or offering growing container. Forwarding individual demand requests or supply offers prevents unnecessary data transfers, as demand requests or supply offers are only forwarded if they are still outstanding.

[0026] Another subject of the invention, in order to achieve the above mentioned object, is a system of a network of interconnected growing containers, operated according to the above mentioned method for operating a network of growing containers according to the invention. The system includes a plurality of growing containers, each of the plurality of growing containers comprising a growing device for growing plants, a plant treatment device for treating the grown plants, a control device for controlling the plant treatment device, and a communication device for receiving data from or providing data to the control device, wherein the plurality of growing containers are incorporated into a network such that the communication device of one growing container in the network is configured to communicate bidirectionally and directly with any other communication device of another growing container in the network.

[0027] All the above-mentioned properties, characteristics and advantages of the method according to the invention apply equally to the system according to the invention, and vice versa.

[0028] These and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. The description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates schematically one embodiment of a method and system according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes.

[0031] Where an indefinite or definite article (e.g. "a", "an", "the") is used when referring to a singular noun, the plural of that noun is also included unless otherwise stated.

[0032] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. in this specification and claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and are not necessarily used to describe a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operating in sequences other than those described and / or illustrated herein.

[0033] In FIG. 1, a method and system 100 according to the present invention is shown in schematic form.

[0034] The system 100 includes a plurality of growing containers 2 interconnected in a network 1 . Each growing container 2 includes the so-called indoor or vertical farming technique, in particular growing crops in vertically stacked layers arranged inside the growing container 2 . For this purpose, each cultivation container 2 is provided with a cultivation device for cultivating plants and a plant treatment device for treating the plants cultivated in the cultivation device.

[0035] The growing apparatus includes vertically stacked growing containers for supporting the crops during cultivation. It is also envisaged that the growing device may be provided with channels extending vertically or horizontally on the wall surface and may comprise vertically oriented walls used as support for plants and their roots. The plant treatment device is configured to provide water and / or nutrient solution to the plants. The plant treatment device also includes means for sowing plant seeds in the cultivation device and / or means for cutting the plants and / or means for treating potential plant diseases. Preferably, the plant treatment device comprises harvesting means for harvesting grown cultivated plants before starting a new planting cycle.

[0036] Furthermore, each cultivation container 2 is equipped with a control device for controlling at least the plant treatment device. For example, the amount of water or nutrient solution delivered by the plant treatment device is actively controlled by the controller. It is also envisioned that the type of nutrient solution or fertilizer may be selected by the controller. Alternatively, the control device can also decide when to sow new seeds in the growing device and / or when to harvest grown plants, meaning that the entire planting cycle is controlled by the control device.

[0037] Furthermore, each growing container 2 comprises a communication device 3 for receiving data from the control device and / or for providing data to the control device. Each communication device 3 is configured to communicate directly and bidirectionally with the communication devices 3 of other growing containers 2 in the network 1 . This allows the control devices of different growing containers 2 to communicate directly with each other via their respective communication devices 3 . A centralized communication server for coordinating communication between these growing containers 2 is not required or even implemented. The communication between the two growing containers 2, 2'' takes place within the network 1 via end-to-end communication and / or peer-to-peer connections.

[0038] This approach allows the control device of a particular growing container 2, 2' (hereinafter referred to as the first growing container 2' for example) to communicate current or expected excess or shortage of production capacity to the control device of another growing container 2, 2'' (hereinafter referred to as the second growing container 2'' for example).

[0039] The communication comprises a demand request 10 or a supply offer 20 broadcast from a first growing container 2, 2' to a second growing container 2, 2''. After assessing the likelihood of acceptance of some or all of the demand request 10 or supply offer 20, the second growing container 2, 2'' sends a corresponding response message 40 back to the first growing container 2, 2'.

[0040] The response message 40 indicates whether the requested demand will be met, fully or partially, directly by the second growing container 2, 2'' or indirectly by reducing the corresponding demand of the second growing container 2, 2'', or whether the offered supply will be used, fully or partially, directly by the second growing container 2, 2'' or indirectly by reducing production or use in the second growing container 2, 2''.

[0041] If the demand request 10 or supply offer 20 is not fully accepted by the second growing container 2, 2'', it is assumed that the second growing container 2, 2'' will forward the received demand request 10 or supply offer 20 to a third growing container 2, 2''' in the network 1 (see forwarding step 50). The third growing container 2, 2''' sends its response message 40 directly to the first growing container 2, 2' (see arrow 40') or indirectly to the first growing container 2, 2' via the second growing container 2, 2''.

[0042] Apart from that, the communication may also include operational information 30 to inform the second growing container 2, 2'' about the current growing parameters of the first growing container 2, 2' and to enable coordination between both growing containers 2, 2', 2''.

[0043] The operational information 30 may include growing recipes for particular plants and / or timetables using planned produce 4, planting cycles, production workloads, energy 5 demands, water 6 demands, nutrient solution demands, plant treatment demands, wastewater generated, and / or plant waste generated.

[0044] The second growing container 2' in the sense of the present invention is either a single second growing container 2' or a group of second growing containers 2'.

[0045] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the following specific examples.

[0046] Example 1 Demand request 10 may include, for example, a demand for produce 4 . For example, if a local market (see local customers 60) requests a specific demand for produce 4 of a plant that exceeds the production capacity of the first growing container 2′, the first growing container 2′ sends a demand request 10 for the missing produce 4 to the second growing container 2″ to ask whether the second growing container 2″ is able to at least partially provide the missing produce 4.

[0047] If possible, the second growing container 2' indicates to the first growing container 2' via a response message 40 (see dotted arrow) that the second growing container 2' can provide the missing produce 4. For this purpose, it is envisaged that the second cultivation container 2'' will increase its productivity or start a new cultivation cycle.

[0048] If the demand cannot be met, the demand request 10 is forwarded 50 by the second growing container 2'' to a third growing container 2''' in the network 1, or the first growing container 2' is informed by a response message 40 from the second growing container 2'' that the demand cannot be met.

[0049] Example 2 The demand request 10 may include a demand request 10 for energy 5 . If the first growing container 2' indicates a shortage of supply of energy 5, for example due to cloudy weather if it is powered by solar energy or calm weather if it is powered by wind energy, a demand request 10 is broadcast to the second growing container 2''.

[0050] If the second growing container 2'' has an excess supply of energy 5 due to local weather conditions or because it is being supplied with energy by another type of energy source, the missing energy 5 is supplied by the second growing container 2''. It is also envisaged that the second cultivation container 2'' may reduce its energy consumption due to low demand for agricultural products 4 in its local market 60 or because its plants are at a stage where they require less energy 5, particularly immediately after sowing. In this case, the second growing container 2 ″ informs the first growing container 2 , 2 ′ using a response message 40 that the second growing container 2 , 2 ″ can provide the missing energy 5 .

[0051] If the demand cannot be met, the demand request 10 is forwarded 50 by the second growing container 2, 2'' to the third growing container 2, 2''', or the first growing container 2, 2' is informed by the second growing container 22'' that the requested demand cannot be met.

[0052] Example 3 The demand request 10 may include a demand for water 6 and / or nutrients and / or plant treatments for the plants. If the first growing container 2, 2′ determines a possible shortage of water 6, nutrient solution, or plant treatment agent, a corresponding demand request 10 is broadcast to the second growing container 2, 2″ asking whether the second growing container 2, 2″ can help with the requested item. In this case, the demand request 10 comprises a request for a specific right or license for that particular product, such as a water consumption certificate entitles the holder to consume a specific amount of water 6 .

[0053] Alternatively, if the first growing container 2, 2′ detects an oversupply of water 6, nutrient solution, or treatment agent, what is broadcast from the first growing container 2, 2′ to the second growing container 2, 2″ is not a demand request 10 but an offer 20 to supply water 6 and / or nutrient solution and / or plant treatment agent for the plant.

[0054] Example 4 As mentioned above, the communication may also include a supply offer 20 . If the first growing container 2, 2' detects an overproduction of the produce 4, the supply offer 20 will offer the excess to the second growing container 2, 2''. The second growing container 2'' uses a response message 40 to indicate to the first growing container 2' whether it will take some or all of the excess produce 4. It is envisaged that the second growing container 2'' will reduce its own production in response to the upcoming delivery of produce 4 from the first growing container 2', for example by delaying the next sowing process.

[0055] It is also envisaged that the surplus will be offered to a group of second growing containers 2, 2'' by a plurality of individual supply offers 20 in a bidding process, with all second growing containers 2, 2'' in the group being able to bid for some or all of the surplus, and with the first growing container 2, 2' providing the surplus exclusively to the one second growing container 2, 2'' that makes the highest bid.

[0056] Example 5 The second growing containers 2, 2'' are equipped with positioning devices 8 for determining their respective positions. Positioning data is transmitted in all communications 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, so that growing containers 2 communicating with each other can calculate their distance. Preferably, they calculate effective distances from each other that take into account not only their actual geographical straight line distances but also the transportation movements and means of transport of specific goods such as energy 5, agricultural products 4, water 6, etc. In this way, actual transport times can be taken into account.

[0057] It is envisaged that the first growing container 2, 2' creates a priority list for the second growing container 2, 2'' for a particular item. The priority list lists the second growing container 2, 2'' as having the shortest effective distance to the first growing container 2, 2' for this particular item as having higher priority. For example, if produce 4 is being transported by truck, the growing container 2, 2' that is closest and most easily reachable by the truck will have the highest priority.

[0058] When a first growing container 2, 2' requests a particular item, the demand request 10 is first sent to the second growing container 2, 2'' which has the highest priority in the priority list for this particular item. If this second growing container 2, 2'' is unable to provide the requested item, the demand request 10 is sent to the second growing container 2, 2'' with second priority, and so on until the demand request 10 is approved.

[0059] Example 6 When a group of growing containers 2 are powered by the same energy source, the growing containers 2 use the operational information 30 to inform each other about upcoming growing cycles. This allows a second cultivation container 2, 2'' that receives such operational information 30 from a first cultivation container 2, 2' to delay its own planned growing cycle so that the five periods of high energy consumption in both cultivation containers 2 do not overlap as much as possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1. Network 2. Growing container 3. Communication equipment 4. Agricultural Products 5. Energy 6...Water 8. Positioning device 10 Demand Requests 20 ···Supply Offer 30 Operational Information 40 Response message 50 Transfer Steps 60 Local Customers 100 ···System

Claims

1. A method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2), wherein a plurality of growing containers (2) are incorporated into the network (1), and each of the plurality of growing containers (2) comprises a growing device for growing plants, a plant treatment device for treating the cultivated plants, a control device for controlling the plant treatment device, and a communication device (3) for receiving data from the control device or providing data to the control device, A method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2), characterized in that the communication devices (3) of at least two growing containers (2, 2', 2'') in said network (1) communicate with each other directly and bidirectionally.

2. 2. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 1, wherein the at least two growing containers (2, 2', 2'') in the network (1) communicate with each other via peer-to-peer (P2P) and / or end-to-end communication.

3. 3. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the communication device (3) of a first growing container (2, 2') in the network (1) broadcasts a demand request (10) to the communication device (3) of a second growing container (2, 2''), or to each communication device (3) of a group of second growing containers (2, 2''), or to the communication devices (3) of all growing containers (2) in the network (1).

4. 4. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 3, wherein the demand requests (10) comprise demand for agricultural products (4), demand for energy (5), demand for water (6), demand for nutrient solutions for plants, demand for plant treatment chemicals, and / or demand for consumption or emission certificates.

5. 5. A method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the communication device (3) of a first growing container (2, 2') in the network (1) broadcasts a supply offer (20) to the communication device (3) of a second growing container (2, 2''), or to each communication device (3) of a group of second growing containers (2, 2''), or to the communication devices (3) of all growing containers (2) in the network (1).

6. 6. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 5, wherein the supply offers (20) comprise offers for agricultural products (4), offers for energy (5), offers for water (6), offers for nutrient solutions for plants, offers for plant treatments, and / or offers for consumption or emission certificates.

7. 7. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the communication device (3) of a first growing container (2, 2') in the network (1) broadcasts operational information (30) to the communication device (3) of a second growing container (2, 2''), or to each communication device (3) of a group of second growing containers (2, 2''), or to the communication devices (3) of all growing containers (2) in the network (1).

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the operational information includes a cultivation recipe for a particular plant and / or a timetable using a planned produce, a planting cycle, a production workload, energy demand, water demand, nutrient demand, and / or plant treatment demand.

9. 9. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the communication device (3) of a first growing container (2, 2') in the network (1) receives a response message (40) from the communication device (3) of the second growing container (2, 2''), or from each communication device (3) of a group of second growing containers (2, 2''), or from the communication devices (3) of all growing containers (2) in the network (1).

10. 10. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 9, wherein the response message (40) includes information as to whether the requested demand can be fully or partially met directly by the second growing container (2, 2'') or indirectly by reducing the corresponding demand of the second growing container (2, 2'').

11. 10. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 9, wherein the response message (40) includes information as to whether the offered supply can be used, in whole or in part, directly by the second growing container (2, 2'') or indirectly by reducing production or use in the second growing container (2, 2'').

12. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the demand request (10), the supply request (20), the operational information (30) and / or the response message (40) comprise positioning data and / or distance data.

13. Each of the plurality of cultivation containers (2) is provided with a positioning device (8) for providing the positioning data to the communication device (3); 13. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 12, wherein the communication device (3) of the first growing container (2, 2') and / or the second growing container (2, 2', 2'') calculates a distance between the first growing container and the second growing container (2, 2', 2'') based on the positioning data.

14. 14. The method of operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 13, wherein the calculated distance includes an effective distance taking into account connection and transport characteristics for the requested or offered item.

15. 15. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the communication device (3) of the first growing container (2, 2') broadcasts its demand request and / or supply offer to the nearest growing container based on the calculated distance, in particular the calculated effective distance.

16. the communication device (3) of the first growing container (2, 2') classifies the other growing containers (2, 2'') into different priorities based on the calculated distance, in particular the calculated effective distance; A method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the demand requests (10) and / or supply offers (20) are broadcast sequentially by the first growing container (2, 2') to the other growing containers according to the priority classification.

17. 17. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the plant treatment devices of the growing containers (2, 2') are controlled by the control device in such a way that planting cycles are timed based on demand requests (10), supply offers (20), and / or operational information (30) of other growing containers (2, 2'').

18. 18. The method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the communication device (3) of the second growing container (2, 2'') forwards (50) the demand request, supply offer, response message (40) and / or operational information (30) received from the first growing container (2, 2') to a third growing container (2, 2''') in the network (1).

19. A system (100) of a network (1) of interconnected growing containers (2) operated by the method for operating a network (1) of growing containers (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 18, comprising: Each of the plurality of cultivation containers (2) comprises a cultivation device for cultivating plants, a plant treatment device for treating cultivated plants, a control device for controlling the plant treatment device, and a communication device (3) for receiving data from the control device or providing data to the control device; A system (100) of a network (1) of interconnected growing containers (2), characterized in that the plurality of growing containers (2) are incorporated into the network (1) such that the communication device (3) of one growing container (2) in the network (1) is configured to communicate bidirectionally and directly with any other communication device (3) of another growing container (2) in the network (1).

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