Stackable Vertical Farming Module with Valve-Controlled Water Trough
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vertical farming systems face challenges with rigid, box-shaped containers that are difficult to manufacture, transport, and store, and provide inadequate lighting, water distribution, and airflow for vertically growing plants, especially when stacked.
Innovation Solution
A modular vertical farming system using stackable modules with vertically arranged growth boards and a non-drip watering system, where growth boards are supported by side support members and water is distributed through a trough system with integrated valves to prevent dripping during transport, allowing for efficient watering and easy assembly/disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If rigid box-shaped containers are used for vertical farming, then structural stability is maintained, but manufacturing complexity and transportation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the farming structure into modular stackable modules that can be independently manufactured and assembled. Each module contains growth boards, support members, and irrigation components that can be separately manufactured and then stacked together, simplifying both manufacturing and assembly while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The growth boards are vertically nested within the support member structure, with multiple growth boards stacked one above another within a single module. This nested arrangement maximizes space utilization while keeping individual components compact and easy to manufacture.
2Ease of operation
If stackable modules are used, then ease of assembly and reconfiguration is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support members serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support for growth boards, act as water distribution conduits through integrated troughs, and function as mounting structures for irrigation valves. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, simplifying the overall device while maintaining ease of assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The watering trough is merged with the support member structure, forming an integrated component rather than a separate element. The trough is formed as part of the support member, combining structural and irrigation functions into a single unified component that is easier to assemble and less complex overall.
3Productivity
If water is distributed through troughs in stacked modules, then watering efficiency is improved, but water dripping into rail systems during transport occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Valves are pre-installed in the watering troughs at strategic locations to control water flow before it can drip out of the module. These valves can be activated or deactivated based on whether the module is being transported or is stationary, preventing water from dripping into the rail system during transport while maintaining efficient watering when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve acts as an intermediary control mechanism between the water supply and the trough. It mediates the water flow, allowing it to be directed into the growth medium for efficient watering while preventing uncontrolled dripping during module transport by closing the flow path when necessary.
4Volume of moving object
If vertically arranged growth boards are used, then space utilization is improved, but lighting and airflow distribution becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of arranging growth boards horizontally in a single plane, the system stacks them vertically in multiple dimensions. This vertical arrangement maximizes space utilization by using the third dimension (height) while maintaining effective lighting and airflow distribution through strategically positioned light sources and ventilation channels that reach each level.
Data Source
AI summary
A watering system for a vertical farming facility, having 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.