Illuminable Vertical Farming Grid With Movable Crop Supports
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems for vertical farming face challenges in providing easy access and maintenance of plants/crops, as well as efficient illumination and irrigation, especially when operating continuously.
Innovation Solution
An illuminable storage grid with vertically offset container supporting frameworks and adjustable illumination units that allow easy access and treatment of plants/crops, enabling customizable illumination for cultivation and maintenance without system shutdown.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If containers are stacked vertically in storage columns to increase storage density, then storage capacity is improved, but access and maintenance of plants/crops becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The container support frameworks are made movable rather than fixed, allowing them to be displaced horizontally to bring containers at different vertical levels into accessible positions. This dynamic reconfiguration enables easy access to plants/crops in vertically stacked containers without compromising storage density.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces horizontal displacement capability to the vertically stacked container framework. By adding horizontal movement dimension to the vertical stacking arrangement, containers at any vertical level can be brought into horizontal alignment with access openings, making them accessible without reducing storage capacity.
2Productivity
If the storage grid operates continuously for crop cultivation, then productivity is improved, but maintenance of illumination and irrigation systems becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The container support frameworks can be dynamically displaced to bring containers into positions where illumination and irrigation systems are accessible for maintenance. This allows maintenance operations without shutting down the entire continuous cultivation system, as other containers remain in productive positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous cultivation productivity by allowing selective maintenance of illumination and irrigation systems. Containers can be moved into maintenance positions while other containers continue to be cultivated, ensuring the useful action of crop production continues without interruption.
3Ease of operation
If vertically offset container supporting frameworks are used to enable access, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support displacement system is segmented into modular components that can independently control the position of container support frameworks. This segmentation allows for simpler, more manageable displacement mechanisms at each framework level rather than a single complex system controlling all containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The container support frameworks serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for containers, enable horizontal displacement for access, and facilitate maintenance operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An illuminable storage grid is for storing and cultivating crops within containers. The illuminable storage grid includes a plurality of horizontally extending container supporting frameworks distributed vertically with vertical offsets. Each container supporting framework includes a container support for supporting a plurality of containers and a support displacement system for displacing the container support horizontally. Each container support is arranged above a lowermost container supporting framework display(s) at least one hole with an opening of at least a maximum horizontal cross section of the containers to be stored. At least one of the container supports above the lowermost container supporting framework is an illuminable container support enabling illumination.