Vertical Hydroponic System with Hanging Pots and Gravity Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Apartment dwellers and homeowners in harsh climates face challenges in growing plants due to insufficient outdoor space and short growing seasons, necessitating a simplified, easy-to-use indoor growing system that can operate year-round in confined spaces.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained hydroponic plant growing system featuring a base with a mast and arms supporting cables with pots, a water delivery system from a reservoir to each pot, and a light delivery system using LEDs, allowing for the year-round growth of vegetables in indoor settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a traditional outdoor growing system is used, then plants can grow naturally, but insufficient outdoor space and short growing season prevent year-round vegetable production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional outdoor ground-based growing to three-dimensional indoor vertical hanging pots. Multiple pots are suspended at different heights from a ceiling structure, utilizing vertical space to accommodate multiple plants simultaneously, thereby increasing productivity in confined spaces while enabling year-round operation independent of outdoor seasons
2Duration of action of stationary object
If indoor growing is implemented, then year-round growth is possible, but sufficient lighting and water delivery systems must be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The ceiling structure serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the hanging pots, houses the LED lighting system to provide adequate illumination, and integrates the water delivery system with reservoirs and piping. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity while enabling year-round indoor growing
3Productivity
If multiple plants are grown in confined space, then productivity increases, but adequate light and water distribution become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the growing space into multiple independent hanging pot units suspended at different heights and positions. Each pot contains a single plant and is equipped with its own lighting and water delivery, allowing uniform distribution of resources across multiple plants without compromising light intensity or water supply in the confined indoor environment
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 system enables the growth of 20-24 large plants, providing a reliable source of fresh vegetables year-round by efficiently delivering water and light, making it suitable for apartment-sized spaces.
Implementation Method 1
A pump pushes water from the reservoir, through pipes and thereby delivers the same to the uppermost pot
Implementation Method 2
Water drains from the uppermost pot through a hose to a pot disposed there below
Implementation Method 3
a light delivery system using LEDs
Data Source
AI summary
An indoor plant growing system and a method of using the same. The system includes a base defining an interior compartment, a mast extending upwardly from the base, a first arm extending outwardly from the mast, a cable hanging downwardly from the first arm, one or more pots engaged on the cable, and a water delivery system connecting a water supply and the uppermost pot. The water supply preferably is a reservoir disposed inside the base's compartment. A pump pushes water from the reservoir, through pipes and thereby delivers the same to the uppermost pot. Water drains from the uppermost pot through a hose to a pot disposed there below and so on down the group of pots. In each pot the plant is retained in a plant basket which is suspended within a shell in such a way the plant's roots are retained within water accumulated within the pot.