Cylindrical Tank Vertical Farm with Liftable Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vertical farm technologies, while enabling controlled cultivation in closed spaces, face limitations in adaptability, space optimization, and resistance to external factors, particularly in transportable solutions with rectangular configurations, which restrict height and cultivable surface area, and often compromise on hygiene and durability.
Innovation Solution
A cylindrical tank with a circular configuration that allows for adjustable crop tray heights, a liftable work platform, and integrated hydraulic and electric systems, optimized for space efficiency and transportability, using rustproof materials and insulation for enhanced durability and hygiene, enabling high-density cultivation and easy installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If rectangular transport containers are used for vertical farms, then transportability is improved, but cultivable surface area and height are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a cylindrical configuration instead of rectangular containers. The circular cross-section eliminates corner waste space, maximizes structural strength for transport, and allows optimal arrangement of vertical growing layers. The curved geometry provides better space utilization while maintaining transportability through standardized cylindrical container dimensions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If fixed height structures are used in vertical farms, then structural stability is improved, but adaptability to different crop needs is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements adjustable height structures where support beams and shelving systems can be repositioned vertically along the cylindrical walls. This dynamic configuration allows the farm structure to adapt to different crop heights and cultivation requirements while maintaining overall structural stability through a rigid cylindrical framework that accommodates these adjustments.
3Ease of manufacture
If rectangular containers are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but space optimization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical design optimizes internal volume utilization by eliminating the corner spaces inherent in rectangular containers. The circular cross-section allows 360-degree utilization of the interior space for vertical farming layers, maximizing cultivable area within the same external dimensions. The curved geometry also provides superior structural efficiency, requiring less material for the same load-bearing capacity.
4Ease of manufacture
If standard rectangular greenhouses are used, then construction simplicity is improved, but resistance to external factors is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical configuration provides superior resistance to external factors including wind loads, snow accumulation, and structural stress. The curved surface distributes forces evenly around the structure, eliminating weak points at corners. The aerodynamic shape reduces wind resistance and prevents snow buildup, while the circular geometry maintains structural integrity under various environmental conditions better than rectangular designs.
Data Source
AI summary
A tank housing a vertical farm, having inside a plurality of structures at different heights that are supported on the tank wall such that they create ring-shaped projections on which to place the trays for the crops and the remaining installations and channels, wherein, since the structures are arranged as rings, a hollow space is created in the central shaft of the tank that is used to install a liftable platform so that an operator or robot may access the different trays holding the vegetables, and wherein on the lower portion of the tank are located closed and sealed compartments intended for the hydraulic, electric and electronic systems for controlling the parameters necessary for crop optimisation.