Vertical Farm Irrigation and Movable Rack Layout for Space Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vertical farming systems face challenges in optimizing space, energy consumption, and environmental control, and require manual intervention for tasks like pest control and harvesting.
Innovation Solution
A vertical farm system with movable racks and stationary components for light, irrigation, and harvesting, utilizing artificial intelligence for pest control and automation, and a conveyor system for crop movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional vertical farming uses stationary crop sections with controlled environment, then crop growth control is improved, but device complexity and space utilization are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements movable racks that can be dynamically repositioned along tracks within the growth chamber, replacing stationary crop sections. This dynamic configuration allows the same physical infrastructure to serve multiple crop sections, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliable environmental control for each section.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable racks are designed to be universally applicable across multiple growth chambers and crop sections. A single rack design can be used throughout the facility, and the same infrastructure (tracks, lighting, irrigation) serves multiple functions and locations, reducing the need for dedicated components for each stationary section.
2Reliability
If conventional vertical farming uses stationary infrastructure for lighting and irrigation, then environmental control is improved, but space utilization and access are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses movable racks that travel along tracks, allowing the same physical space to be utilized by different crop sections at different times. This dynamic reuse of space under stationary lighting and irrigation infrastructure improves space utilization without compromising environmental control reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable racks follow periodic cycles of movement between different growth chambers and positions. This periodic action allows systematic rotation of crops through different environmental zones, maximizing space utilization while maintaining controlled conditions for each crop section during its growth phase.
3Ease of operation
If conventional vertical farming requires manual intervention for pest control and harvesting, then operational flexibility is improved, but productivity and labor efficiency are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates automated monitoring and control mechanisms that enable the farming operation to self-manage certain functions. Sensors detect pest presence and trigger appropriate responses, while automated systems monitor crop readiness for harvesting, reducing the need for constant manual intervention while maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from sensors and monitoring devices to automatically adjust operations. Pest detection sensors provide feedback that triggers control measures, and crop monitoring provides feedback on harvesting readiness, enabling automated responses that maintain flexibility while improving productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An irrigation system for a vertical farm system including one or more irrigation stations, each of the one or more irrigation stations including one or more tanks that hold irrigation fluid, and one or more spigots that deliver the irrigation fluid from the one or more tanks to the vertical farm system. Each of the one or more irrigation stations includes a plurality of sub-assemblies, and each sub-assembly includes a corresponding one of the one or more tanks and a corresponding one of the one or more spigots.