Integrated Lighting Pot with Lateral Access and Capillary Irrigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plant growing solutions, such as those described in WO 2009/089692A1, lack a compact fluorescent bulb lighting option and do not provide a side opening for easy plant positioning and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A compact fluorescent bulb lighting device is integrated into a growing pot with two concentric rigid containers, one for water and the other for substrate, featuring a sealed tube for electrical connection, geotextile felt for capillary irrigation, and a lateral opening system for plant placement and removal, optimized for use with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a compact fluorescent bulb lighting device is integrated into the growing pot, then photosynthesis promotion and plant growth are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the lighting device with the growing pot into a single integrated unit. The compact fluorescent bulb is positioned within the pot structure, and the electrical connection is routed through the pot's wall via a sealed through-element. This merging eliminates the need for separate lighting equipment and simplifies the overall system while promoting photosynthesis.
Solution Approach 2:
The growing pot is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it contains the substrate and plants, provides structural support, routes electrical connections, and houses the lighting device. The pot wall acts as both a container and an electrical conduit pathway, demonstrating multi-functionality that reduces overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If a lateral sealed opening is added to the container for plant positioning, then ease of operation and maintenance are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral opening is designed as a sealed orifice that segments the pot wall structure. This opening allows plants to be positioned laterally while maintaining the integrity of the pot's other functions. The segmentation creates a dedicated access point that simplifies plant insertion and removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealed opening acts as an intermediary between the external environment and the internal growing medium. It provides a controlled access point for plant positioning while maintaining the seal integrity of the pot structure, facilitating easy operation without compromising manufacturing precision requirements.
3Reliability
If a sealed through-element is used for electrical connection passage, then reliability and tightness are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealed through-element serves as an intermediary component that passes electrical connections through the pot wall while maintaining hermetic sealing. This intermediate element ensures reliable electrical connectivity between the lighting device and power source without compromising the pot's seal integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealed through-element is designed as a simple, standardized component that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. Its straightforward design prioritizes reliability and ease of manufacture over complex integrated solutions.
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
The solution provides efficient irrigation and easy plant maintenance while promoting photosynthesis with compact fluorescent lighting, ensuring stable and effective plant growth.
Implementation Method 1
The culture pot comprises a geotextile felt inserted through the system of a slot (3) allowing the rise by capillarity of the water from the container (1) to the container (2). The irrigation of the plant is thus ensured by the geotextile felt.
Implementation Method 2
The compact fluorescent bulb promotes the photosynthesis of plants.
Data Source
AI summary
The pot has a compact fluorescent lamp arranged in an upper part of the pot. Rigid containers (1, 2) respectively receive a water storage unit and a rooting substrate. The other container is located in an upper part of the former container. A sealed lateral opening (4) passes through vertical walls of the containers for allowing lateral positioning of plants. The later container has a central cut-portion (8) inserting a plastic washer (11) to prevent the substrate from falling into the storage unit. A sealed tube (7) forms a passage for a power cable fixed at an end of a socket of the lamp. The pot is made of rotational molded linear polyethylene.