Elevated Crop Tray Support System for High-Density Planting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tray fields for cultivating strawberry plants are inefficient due to wide spacing between trays, leading to reduced plant density, excessive use of plant protection products and fertilizers, high labor and ground covering costs, and temperature fluctuations that can lead to disease and growth issues.
Innovation Solution
A support system that allows trays to be placed closer together with a stable profile and tray design for optimal spacing, eliminating the need for ground covering and pathways, and enabling mechanization and automation of crop treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If trays are placed with wide spacing to allow walking and processing, then ease of operation is improved, but plant density and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-level tray placement to elevated suspension, changing the spatial dimension from 2D ground surface to 3D vertical space. This allows trays to be positioned in a grid pattern with minimal spacing while maintaining accessibility through overhead positioning, effectively resolving the contradiction between density and operability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses multiple longitudinal profiles that replicate the same structural function at different positions. These profiles create identical support conditions for multiple rows of trays, enabling dense packing while maintaining standardized access pathways and processing conditions across the entire system.
2Ease of operation
If trays are placed with wide spacing to allow equipment movement, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of spray and plant protection products worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By suspending trays in the vertical dimension rather than placing them on the ground plane, the system enables spray application from above with minimal drift to adjacent areas. The overhead positioning creates natural containment boundaries that reduce spray loss while still allowing equipment access along the longitudinal profiles.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If ground is covered with watertight sheet and root barrier, then protection from weeds and water management is improved, but cost and disease risk worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the crop support function from the ground plane and relocates it to suspended profiles. This removes the need for ground covering materials entirely, as the elevated trays are supported independently of the ground surface, eliminating both the cost and disease risk associated with sheet and barrier systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The longitudinal profiles and tray design work together to provide self-contained support and positioning. The tray's receiving space engages with the profile to create automatic centering and stable support without requiring additional ground-based infrastructure, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating complex ground covering requirements.
4Ease of operation
If concrete pathways are arranged for equipment movement, then ease of operation is improved, but cost and ground area usage worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system moves equipment access from ground-level pathways to overhead or side-level access along the suspended structure. Equipment can move along the longitudinal profiles or access trays from the sides without requiring wide ground pathways, freeing up ground area while maintaining operational accessibility.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a support system for cultivating crops, the support system comprising one or more elongate tracks for supporting a number of parallel rows of trays which are embodied for holding a crop or a precursor thereof therein, wherein each track comprises: a first longitudinal girder positioned on a first longitudinal side of the track; a second longitudinal girder positioned on an opposite second longitudinal side of the track; support parts for supporting the first and second longitudinal girder at substantially constant distance relative to the ground; a number of transverse girders attached to the first and second longitudinal girders; a number of profiles attached to the transverse girders and extending parallel to the longitudinal girders; wherein the profiles are configured to support the trays.