Rotating LED Panels for Vertical Plant Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LED lighting systems for plant growth face challenges such as excessive heat generation, high initial costs, and inefficiencies in delivering balanced light spectra, which can lead to overheating and reduced plant growth quality.
Innovation Solution
A lighting system with rotatable and movable LED panels suspended from a single overhead track, allowing for adjustable distance and orientation to accommodate plant growth stages, providing balanced light flux and efficient heat management through flexible substrates and controlled illumination schedules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If LED devices are located in a small area to provide sufficient light, then illumination intensity is improved, but temperature rises and heat management becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is divided into multiple independent LED modules distributed across a larger area rather than concentrating all LEDs in one small area. This segmentation allows sufficient total light output while reducing localized heat generation and improving thermal management.
2Illumination intensity
If lighting panels are positioned close to plants to maximize light delivery, then illumination intensity is improved, but plants may overheat from the heat generated by the panels
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system transitions from a single-plane horizontal arrangement to a three-dimensional spatial configuration with LEDs positioned at multiple heights and angles. This dimensional change allows optimized light delivery to plants while maintaining safe distances to prevent heat damage.
3Illumination intensity
If conventional LED grow lights are driven with high current to maximize light output, then illumination intensity is improved, but excess heat is generated requiring additional cooling equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes operational parameters by driving LEDs at optimized current levels rather than maximum current, and adjusts spectral composition to match plant requirements. This reduces unnecessary heat generation while maintaining effective light delivery for plant growth.
4Temperature
If multiple cooling equipment are added to remove excess heat, then temperature control is improved, but device complexity and volumetric space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts and eliminates the need for complex active cooling systems by preventing excessive heat generation at the source through proper LED positioning, segmentation, and operational parameter optimization. Passive thermal management replaces active cooling equipment.
5Productivity
If plants are spaced vertically in multiple columns or shelves to maximize space utilization, then productivity is improved, but maintaining ideal distance between lighting panels and plants becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable positioning mechanisms that allow dynamic adjustment of panel distances to plants as they grow. This enables maintenance of optimal lighting distances across vertically stacked plants at different growth stages, facilitating high-density vertical farming.
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
Enhances plant growth by optimizing light delivery, reducing heat-related stress, and improving yield, taste, and potency, while minimizing energy and water usage.
Implementation Method 1
light-emitting-diode (LED) illumination of crowded plant-growing areas
Implementation Method 2
the temperature rise associated with locating a large number of LED devices in a small area, which may be damaging to plants
Data Source
AI summary
A plant-growing apparatus having a first plurality of lighting panels coupled to a track within an aisle having vertical arrangements of botanical plants along both sides of the aisle. Each lighting panel hangs at fixed location on the track and is rotatable around a vertical axis relative to the track. Some embodiments simultaneously rotate all of the first plurality of lighting panels to alternately face one or the other side of the aisle. Each panel has a front face from which light is emitted. A first plurality of LEDs on the front face of each panel each emits a light spectrum that appears one or more of blue, red, white, infrared, and/or green. Some panels may be unlit at times. Some embodiments provide a continuously variable spacing between the lit face and the plants and variable scheduled lighting periods and changeable spectra for various types and growth stages of plants.