Modular Grow System with Mobile Robot Transport for Vertical Farming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hydroponic systems face challenges such as high manual labor costs, waste production, pest management issues, inflexibility, and the need for continuous monitoring and resupply of nutrients, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs in food production.
Innovation Solution
The proposed system includes a grow module with a plumbing infrastructure, sensors, and a mobile robot, which together provide a controlled environment for plant growth. This system features a global water source, a one-way water transport mechanism, and a local buffer to maintain optimal water conditions, reducing waste and labor costs. Additionally, the system allows for flexible crop management, targeted nutrient delivery, and automated pest control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If traditional farming methods are used, then vast amounts of space are required, but space efficiency is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional two-dimensional ground farming to three-dimensional vertical farming by stacking multiple growing layers vertically. This allows crops to be grown in multiple levels within the same footprint, dramatically increasing space utilization and production efficiency per unit area.
Solution Approach 2:
The farming system is divided into multiple independent growing modules or layers that can be stacked vertically. Each layer functions as a separate growing unit with its own nutrient solution circulation, allowing for modular expansion and optimized space usage without requiring vast continuous spaces.
2Ease of operation
If ground farming is used, then farmers must traverse vast space to provide care, but labor efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
By organizing crops vertically in stacked layers, the system reduces the horizontal distance farmers must traverse. All growing layers are accessible from a centralized position, allowing farmers to monitor and maintain multiple crop layers without crossing vast horizontal spaces, thereby reducing time loss and improving operational efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If soil farming is used, then farmers need extensive experience to control water, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hydroponic system automatically manages water distribution through pump-driven circulation that delivers nutrient solution to each growing layer and collects excess water for recirculation. This self-regulating mechanism eliminates the need for farmers to manually control water application, reducing operational complexity while maintaining precise water control through automated sensors and pumps.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that monitor water levels, nutrient concentration, and plant health in real-time, providing feedback to the control system. This enables automatic adjustment of water delivery and nutrient solution composition, simplifying operation for farmers while maintaining high adaptability to different crop needs and environmental conditions.
4Extent of automation
If traditional manufacturing equipment is purchased to reduce labor costs, then automation improves, but system cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The automation system is divided into separate, modular components including individual pumps for each growing layer, independent lighting control systems, and separate sensor networks. This modular approach allows for gradual implementation of automation features and reduces overall system complexity compared to integrated traditional manufacturing equipment, while still achieving significant labor cost reduction.
5Productivity
If current hydroponic systems are used, then nutrient resupply is required continuously, but operational burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates automated sensors that monitor nutrient concentration and plant uptake rates, triggering automatic resupply of nutrient solution when thresholds are reached. This self-monitoring and self-resupply mechanism maintains optimal nutrient levels for continuous crop growth without requiring manual intervention, reducing operational burden while preserving high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The nutrient solution circulation system operates continuously, constantly delivering fresh nutrient solution to growing layers and recirculating excess solution back to the reservoir. This continuous circulation ensures uninterrupted nutrient supply to plants, maintaining optimal growth conditions without requiring periodic manual resupply interruptions.
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 system achieves reduced labor costs, minimized waste, improved pest management, and increased flexibility in crop management, leading to more efficient and cost-effective food production. It also ensures optimal nutrient conditions and oxygen saturation for plant growth, promoting better plant health and productivity.
Implementation Method 1
The grow space includes one or more sensors for gathering data
Implementation Method 2
The plumbing infrastructure includes a global water source and a water transport mechanism
Implementation Method 3
a buffer mat, a membrane, a top cover, a separation mechanism configured to provide an air gap between the top cover and the membrane
Implementation Method 4
too little and the plant will lose the ability to transport nutrients, which are typically moved into the roots while in solution
Data Source
AI summary
A grow system. The system includes growing plants in grow modules that are individually moveable. The plants grow in trays where roots never touch the water supply. The plumbing to the grow modules is a low flow, one way flow continual drip system that is hands free. A mobile robot can navigate around a growspace, bring any grow module from one location to another, and perform growspace operations. The growspace is a control space with data source zones and a control space manager. The control space manager can collect data and control different variables across different data source zones in order to determine optimal policies and conditions for data source growth and generation.