Product holder assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
In mobile plant cultivation systems, plants face suboptimal growing conditions due to variations in air quality, particularly humidity, leading to difficulties in managing plant growth from a logistical perspective, as existing solutions do not effectively maintain consistent air properties for plants during transport and storage.
Innovation Solution
The integration of an air duct system connectable to an external air supply, creating overpressure to direct a consistent air flow along plants, ensuring similar growing conditions across all plants, with the grid system designed to facilitate optimal air distribution and interaction with the climate in both the root and leaf spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If plants are cultivated in mobile systems with transport and storage phases, then logistic optimization is achieved, but air quality consistency deteriorates leading to variable growth conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The product holder assembly is divided into separate functional zones: a first space for root placement with drainage capabilities, and a second space for leaf placement with air flow channels. The grid system segments the holding area into individual plant compartments, allowing independent environmental control for each zone while maintaining overall system mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
An air flow distribution system acts as an intermediary between the external environment and the plant leaves, delivering consistent air properties through dedicated channels in the second space. This intermediary system ensures uniform air distribution regardless of the mobile platform's position or orientation during transport and storage phases.
2Quantity of substance
If grid systems hold multiple plants closely for mass production, then space utilization improves, but air distribution uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The grid system provides individual compartments for each plant, with each compartment having dedicated air flow channels and root zones. This local quality approach ensures that each plant receives uniform air properties and environmental conditions independently, even when multiple plants are held in close proximity for mass production efficiency.
3Productivity
If product holder assemblies are moved frequently for logistic optimization, then cultivation efficiency improves, but growing condition stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The product holder assembly is designed as a dynamic system that maintains functional integrity during movement. The grid system and air flow channels are structurally integrated to remain stable during transport, while the air distribution system can be activated or deactivated based on whether the assembly is in transport mode or cultivation mode, adapting to different operational phases.
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
This solution maintains consistent air properties for plants, controlling growth rates and reducing variations, even during mobile cultivation, by ensuring uniform air distribution and climate stability, thus improving the overall growing conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the air duct system is connectable with an external air supply system to cause an overpressure in the air duct system relative to the second space
Implementation Method 2
The overpressure present in the air duct system causes the flow of air generated from the air duct system
Data Source
AI summary
A product holder assembly for a mobile cultivation of plants along a path in a hall includes a product holder having a bottom and an upstanding circumferential wall extending from the bottom, a first space extending from the bottom of the product holder along the wall to allow a medium or substrate for roots of the plants to receive nutriments and/or support from, a grid system arranged to be placed on the product holder to cover the first space in the product holder and to separate the first space from a second space adjacent to the grid system at a side of the grid system facing away from the first space, wherein the grid system is arranged for holding a plurality of separate plants, the roots of which to reach for the first space and the leaves of which to reach for the second space, wherein the grid system is arranged to operate in conjunction with an air duct system.