Horticulture Rack Airflow and Vertical Plant Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional indoor horticulture systems face limitations in providing adequate airflow and controlled environmental conditions, leading to issues such as reduced transpiration, nutrient uptake, and increased risk of mold and mildew growth due to inadequate airflow and uneven air distribution, which affects plant growth and health.
Innovation Solution
The development of air handling horticulture rack systems that provide adjustable and controlled air flow, humidity, and temperature conditions, along with precise lighting, to create a positive pressure environment that optimizes photosynthesis and minimizes environmental variations, allowing for consistent and uniform plant growth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If plants are distributed in a substantially horizontal arrangement on floor or elevated shelf, then lighting elements can directly radiate light downwardly to plants, but the number of plants that can be cultivated is limited by the area of horizontal space and over-crowding concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal plant arrangement to vertical stacking arrangement, utilizing the vertical dimension to increase plant cultivation capacity. Multiple levels of plant supports are stacked vertically within a rack system, allowing plants to be grown in three-dimensional space rather than confined to horizontal surfaces. This dimensional change enables significantly higher plant density without increasing the horizontal footprint of the cultivation system.
2Productivity
If high density plant arrangement is used to increase cultivation capacity, then more plants can be grown in limited space, but adequate volumetric air flow and air velocity around and through plants cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The cultivation space is segmented into multiple discrete levels within the rack system, with each level having its own plant supports and airflow pathways. This segmentation allows air to flow through distinct zones rather than attempting to move through a continuous dense canopy, maintaining adequate air velocity at each level while supporting high overall plant density. The segmented structure enables independent airflow management for each tier of plants.
3Area of stationary object
If plants are grown in tight spacing arrangement, then space utilization is maximized, but the dense leaf canopy impedes air movement therethrough
Solution Approach 1:
The system redistributes plant spacing from a two-dimensional horizontal plane to a three-dimensional vertical structure. Plants are arranged in tight spacing vertically across multiple levels rather than spread horizontally, which maximizes space utilization while maintaining leaf canopy separation between levels. This vertical arrangement prevents the formation of continuous dense canopies that would impede airflow, as each level's canopy is separated from others by vertical spacing.
4Productivity
If conventional horizontal lighting arrangement is used, then lighting elements can be positioned above plants, but the system is limited in cultivation capacity due to horizontal space constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The rack structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for vertical stacking, incorporates plant supports at multiple levels, integrates lighting elements, and facilitates airflow distribution. The vertical rack framework acts as a universal platform that combines structural, lighting, and environmental control functions, eliminating the need for separate horizontal lighting arrangements and supporting structures.
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
These systems ensure consistent and uniform plant growth by maintaining specific environmental conditions, reducing the risk of mold and mildew, and enhancing plant health through optimized airflow and lighting, thereby enabling the cultivation of desired phenotypic traits.
Implementation Method 1
maintaining a positive pressure within the environmental cultivation chamber
Implementation Method 2
input diffusion assembly configured to direct a supply airflow downwardly from an underside
Implementation Method 3
maintaining a temperature of the supply airflow
Implementation Method 4
maintaining an absolute humidity level of the supply airflow
Implementation Method 5
provide light (e.g., ultraviolet (UV) and/or infrared (IR) radiation) to plants as a means for simulating sunlight, heat and desired growing conditions
Data Source
AI summary
Horticulture systems and methods are disclosed. The systems include an air handling rack system comprising frame supply and return plenums, an input diffusion assembly physically supported by and fluidically coupled to the frame supply plenum, and a plant support tray assembly physically supported by and fluidically coupled to the frame return plenum. The input diffusion assembly is configured to direct a supply airflow flowing through the frame supply plenum downwardly from an underside thereof. The plant support tray assembly is positioned below the at least one input diffusion assembly to form an environmental cultivation chamber therebetween. The rack system is configured to direct the supply airflow through the environmental cultivation chamber from the input diffusion assembly to the plant support tray assembly past one or more plants positioned on a support side of the plant support tray assembly and into the frame return plenum as a return airflow.