Sensor-Guided Glasshouse Venting for Tree Acclimation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing horticultural systems for trees are energy and water intensive, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs, and fail to adequately acclimate trees to outdoor conditions, resulting in susceptibility to failure upon planting.

Innovation Solution

A horticultural environment system that integrates internal and external sensors to adjust environmental conditions passively, using external conditions when feasible, and employs a control system to predict and manage transitions, reducing resource consumption and minimizing shock to trees.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If passive glasshouse designs are used for tree propagation, then capital expenditure is reduced, but trees are susceptible to failure once planted in woodland due to inadequate acclimation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetree survival rateVSAvoidglasshouse design complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary acclimation of trees to external environmental conditions before they are planted in woodland. The control system gradually increases exposure to external conditions over time, preparing trees for outdoor survival and reducing failure rates after planting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The control system continuously monitors environmental conditions inside the glasshouse and adjusts the degree of opening based on feedback from sensors. This closed-loop control ensures trees are gradually acclimated without being exposed to harmful extremes, optimizing survival rates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If manual control and intervention are used in tree propagation, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and efficiency are significantly reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetree propagation efficiencyVSAvoidcontrol system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system automatically monitors environmental conditions and adjusts glasshouse openings without manual intervention. The system serves itself by making real-time decisions based on sensor data, significantly improving propagation efficiency while eliminating the need for continuous manual control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated electronic control system that uses sensors and actuators. This substitution of mechanical/manual operations with automated systems dramatically increases productivity while managing complexity through integrated control logic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Manufacturing precision

If heated glasshouses and energy-intensive vertical farming models are used, then manufacturing precision and environmental control are improved, but energy consumption and costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental control precisionVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system converts potentially harmful extreme external environmental conditions into beneficial acclimation stimuli. By controlled exposure to external conditions, trees develop hardiness and adaptability, turning what would be harmful shocks into beneficial preparation for outdoor survival.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The control system dynamically changes environmental parameters by adjusting the degree of glasshouse opening based on external conditions. Instead of maintaining fixed controlled parameters through energy-intensive heating and cooling, the system allows parameters to naturally vary within safe ranges, dramatically reducing energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Productivity

If existing horticultural systems are used, then plant growth is supported, but water and energy efficiency are poor leading to increased costs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop yieldVSAvoidenergy and water efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The control system implements periodic adjustment of glasshouse openings based on external environmental conditions and tree acclimation progress. Rather than continuous artificial environmental maintenance, the system uses periodic natural exposure cycles to achieve both growth support and resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS20250301968A1Horticultural Environment System and Method

Publication Date: 2025.10.02 AKRE LTD

AI summary

A horticultural environment system includes a controlled environment for accommodating plants, including sensors that respectively monitor an environmental condition of the controlled environment and an external environment, an actuator operable to open or close the controlled environment to the external environment and a control system configured to receive sensor data from a first and a second sensor, to identify a difference in the environmental condition between the controlled environment and a setpoint. If the difference is greater than a predetermined amount, the control system is configured to determine, from the sensor data from the second sensor, a change to the difference upon the controlled environment being opened to the environmental condition of the external environment. If the control system determining the change reduces the difference, the control system is configured to trigger operation of the actuator to open the controlled environment to the external environment.