Horticultural LED Fixture With Airflow Cooling for Dense Canopies
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-density horticulture and greenhouse environments face inefficiencies with LED lighting due to energy waste and overheating, and inadequate ventilation leads to damage to LEDs and crops, while high-pressure sodium lighting provides beneficial heat but is inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A combined lighting and ventilation system with a hollow body containing LEDs and airflow control, allowing air to be directed through or around the LEDs for cooling and ventilation, optimizing LED placement and airflow direction for efficient energy use and crop protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If high power LEDs are used for lighting, then illumination intensity is improved, but heat generation increases causing crop damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the lighting function and ventilation/cooling function into a single integrated fixture. The LED array is mounted within a housing that incorporates airflow intake and exhaust paths, allowing the fixture to simultaneously provide illumination and actively cool the LEDs and surrounding environment, thereby resolving the contradiction between high lighting intensity and heat generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces air flow as an intermediary medium to transfer heat away from the LEDs and crops. The ventilation system uses fans to move air through the fixture housing, creating a cooling stream that carries excess heat away from the LED components and the plant canopy, thus mediating the thermal interaction between high-power LEDs and sensitive crops.
2Temperature
If high power LEDs are placed at a distance from crops, then heat damage is reduced, but energy efficiency decreases due to wasted light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges lighting and cooling functions in a single fixture, enabling high-power LEDs to be positioned closer to crops than would be possible with conventional separate lighting systems. The integrated ventilation actively manages heat, allowing the LEDs to operate at high intensity while maintaining safe temperatures, thus improving energy efficiency without causing heat damage.
Solution Approach 2:
Air flow serves as an intermediary that enables closer LED-to-crop spacing. By actively removing heat through forced ventilation, the system creates a thermal buffer that allows high-power LEDs to be positioned nearer to the plant canopy, maximizing photosynthetically active radiation delivery while preventing heat damage through the mediating cooling air stream.
3Temperature
If lower power LEDs are used close to crops, then heat damage is avoided, but ventilation is required to prevent damage at high density
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines low-power LED modules with an integrated ventilation system in a single fixture. Multiple LED arrays are mounted within a common housing that incorporates fans and airflow channels, allowing the system to use lower-power LEDs while providing active cooling to prevent heat accumulation and maintain suitable microclimate conditions for high-density cultivation.
Solution Approach 2:
The ventilation system is self-contained within the fixture housing, with fans mounted in the housing that draw air through the fixture and exhaust it through designated paths. This self-service cooling mechanism automatically regulates temperature without requiring external ventilation infrastructure, reducing overall system complexity while enabling high-density deployment.
4Temperature
If HPS lighting is used, then heat production for crop benefit is improved, but energy efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using LEDs that emit concentrated photosynthetically active radiation directly at the crop canopy, rather than HPS fixtures that distribute heat broadly. The integrated ventilation creates localized cooling zones around the LED arrays, allowing high-energy LED illumination to be delivered efficiently to specific plant areas without wasting energy as distributed ambient heat.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances LED efficiency and extends their lifespan by cooling and providing uniform ventilation, reducing installation costs and improving crop yield and disease resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are attached to the hollow body
Implementation Method 2
air can be pushed or pulled through the hollow body, drawing air from above, or at an angle substantially above, the hollow body and expelling it below
Data Source
AI summary
A horticultural lighting and ventilation apparatus and method are disclosed for use in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), including greenhouse and indoor horticulture applications. The apparatus comprises a hollow body equipped with a fan capable of moving air through the interior channel in multiple directions, thereby enabling selective intake and expulsion of air relative to a plant canopy. A plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) attached to the hollow body provides high-efficiency illumination, while the forced airflow helps cool the LEDs and circulates air throughout the canopy to regulate temperature, humidity, and gas exchange. Embodiments include configurations for remote or network-based control of fan speed, direction, and LED intensity, allowing scalable arrays of the apparatus to deliver uniform or zoned environmental conditions in large horticultural facilities. The approach facilitates energy savings, improves microclimate stability, and enhances overall crop performance, particularly in densely planted or high-intensity growing environments.