Stackable Growth Module Watering and Drainage for Vertical Farming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vertical farming systems face challenges with rigid, box-shaped containers that are difficult to transport and store, and issues with providing optimal lighting, water, airflow, and drainage for vertically growing plants, particularly in automated storage and retrieval systems.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of stackable modules, including growth modules with integrated watering and drainage systems, and support members that allow for modular assembly and disassembly, enabling efficient use of space and improved resource distribution within a vertical farming system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If rigid, box-shaped containers are used in vertical farming systems, then structural stability is maintained, but transportation and storage become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the farming environment into modular stackable units (growth modules, support members, drainage components) that can be independently assembled and disassembled. Each module maintains structural integrity while enabling flexible configuration for transportation and storage, resolving the contradiction between stability and ease of operation.
2Productivity
If vertically stacked containers are used to maximize space utilization, then productivity increases, but providing optimal lighting, water, airflow, and drainage becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention integrates multiple functions (watering, drainage, support, lighting) into unified modular components. The growth modules combine plant support with integrated drainage systems, while support members simultaneously provide structural stability and facilitate airflow. This merging reduces the complexity of managing separate systems for each resource type while maintaining vertical stacking efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular components are designed to serve multiple purposes: support members provide both structural support and airflow channels; drainage components manage water while maintaining module stability; growth modules accommodate plants while enabling resource distribution. This multi-functionality simplifies the overall system while maximizing space utilization.
3Quantity of substance
If water is provided to upper growth modules, then plant hydration is improved, but water dripping into rail systems causes harmful effects
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage function is extracted as a separate integrated component within each module. Drainage channels and collection systems are built into the growth modules to capture and contain water, preventing it from dripping onto the rail system. This extraction allows adequate water supply to plants while eliminating the harmful dripping effect.
4Ease of operation
If modular stackable modules are introduced to simplify transportation and assembly, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The modular components are designed to nest within each other or stack efficiently when not in use. Support members, drainage components, and growth modules can be compactly arranged, reducing the space required for storage and simplifying transportation. This nesting approach manages the complexity by organizing components in a compact, systematic manner.
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 a modular, efficient, and cost-effective vertical farming system that simplifies transportation and assembly, enhances lighting and airflow, and prevents water dripping into rail systems, thereby optimizing plant growth and resource utilization.
Implementation Method 1
a porous growth medium having a property that permits the material to be quickly saturated with water, such that water passes through the growth medium and seeps from the bottom of an upper growth board and into the top of a lower growth board
Implementation Method 2
a valve device having a ball that can be pressed up to an open position and falls back down to a closed position, the ball being able to press up against the valve device of a growth module stacked immediately below the growth module having the water passage
Implementation Method 3
water passes through the growth medium and seeps from the bottom of an upper growth board and into the top of a lower growth board which is next in line
Data Source
AI summary
A watering system for a vertical farming facility has a stackable growth module having a load bearing frame to allow the growth module to be arranged in a self-supporting stack of other modules in a vertical farming facility. The growth module supports a vertically arranged growth board for supporting plants grown in the vertical farming facility where the plants grow in a horizontal direction out from the growth board. The growth board has: a porous growth medium; a watering trough extending along an upper edge of the growth board which is provided with holes for distributing water into the growth medium; a water collection trough extending along a lower edge of the growth board arranged to collect water exiting the growth medium; and a valve provided in the water collection trough arranged to permit water to flow out of the water collection trough when the valve is open and to prevent water from flowing out of the collection trough when the valve is closed.