A01G31/042

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING AN EXTERNAL NOTIFICATION OF A GROW POD STATUS

An assembly line grow pod notification system includes a status indicator and a cart containing one or more plants therein. The cart includes one or more sensors and a cart-computing device communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and the status indicator, the cart-computing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions thereon. When executed, the one or more programming instructions cause the processor to receive, from the one or more sensors, one or more signals that correspond to a status of the cart and one or more characteristics of the one or more plants, determine information regarding the status from the one or more signals, and direct the status indicator to output a notification signal that corresponds to the determined information.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING AIR FLOW IN A GROW POD

An air flow control system for an assembly line grow pod is provided. The air flow control system includes a shell including an enclosed area, one or more carts moving on a track within the enclosed area, an air supplier within the enclosed area, one or more outlet vents coupled to the air supplier, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to identify a plant on the one or more carts, determine an airflow rate based on an airflow recipe for the identified plant, and control the air supplier to output air through the one or more outlet vents at the airflow rate.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR UTILIZING LED RECIPES FOR A GROW POD

A light control system includes a lighting device, a cart configured to move along a track under the lighting device, and a controller. The controller includes a processor a memory module storing lighting recipes, and machine readable instructions stored in the memory module that, when executed by the processors, causes the controller to identify a plant in the one or more carts, retrieve a lighting recipe for the identified plant from the one or more memory modules, and control operations of the one or more lighting devices based on the lighting recipe for the identified plant.

PERISTALTIC PUMPS IN AN ASSEMBLY LINE GROW POD AND METHODS OF PROVIDING FLUIDS VIA PERISTALTIC PUMPS
20180359954 · 2018-12-20 ·

Devices, systems, and methods for providing a predetermined amount of fluid in an assembly line grow pod are provided. Some embodiments include an assembly line grow pod including a tray held by a cart supported on a track, the tray including at least one section. The assembly line grow pod further includes a fluid source and a watering station. The watering station includes a robot device having a movable arm and at least one peristaltic pump coupled to the arm, the peristaltic pump having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet fluidly coupled to the fluid source. A predetermined amount of fluid from the fluid source is delivered to the at least one section of the tray via movement of the movable arm of the robot device to align the outlet of the peristaltic pump with the at least one section and via ejection of the fluid from the outlet.

Systems and Methods for Cleaning a Tray in a Grow Pod

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to systems and methods for emptying and/or cleaning a tray within in an assembly line grow pod. In one embodiment, a sanitizer component for cleaning a tray coupled to a cart in an assembly line grow pod is disclosed. The sanitizer component is coupled to a track such that the cart and the tray are received in the sanitizer component via the track. The sanitizer component comprises a first actuator arm positioned underneath the track and extendable through an opening in the track and an aperture at a bottom end of the cart to contact the tray such that the tray rotates in a first direction. The sanitizer component further includes an actuator motor coupled to the first actuator arm for extending the first actuator arm and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the actuator motor in the sanitizer component.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SELF-LEARNING IN A GROW POD
20180359955 · 2018-12-20 ·

Embodiments described herein include systems and methods for self-learning in a grow pod. One embodiment includes a cart that houses a plant for growth, a track that receives the cart, where the track causes the cart to traverse the assembly line grow pod along a predetermined path, and an environmental affecter for providing sustenance to the plant. Some embodiments include a sensor for monitoring an output of the plant and a computing device. The computing device may store logic that causes the assembly line grow pod to receive growth data from the sensor to determine the output of the plant and compare the output of the plant against an expected plant output. In some embodiments, the logic causes the assembly line grow pod to determine an alteration to a grow recipe to improve the output of the plant and alter the grow recipe for improving the output of the plant.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMOVING FLUID FROM A TRAY IN AN ASSEMBLY LINE GROW POD
20180359971 · 2018-12-20 · ·

A fluid removal system for an assembly line grow pod is provided. The fluid removal system includes a track, a cart configured to move on the track, a fluid removal manifold provided over the track, and a controller. The cart includes one or more cells. The fluid removal manifold includes a body, and one or more nozzles attached to the body. The controller determines whether fluid in the cart needs to be removed, operates the fluid removal manifold to align the one or more nozzles with the one or more cells of the cart in response to determination that the fluid in the cart needs to be removed, and instructs the fluid removal manifold to remove fluid from one or more cells of the cart through the one or more nozzles.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROGRAMMING A GROW POD
20180364987 · 2018-12-20 ·

Systems and methods for programming a grow pod are provided herein. One embodiment of a grow pod includes a plurality of carts for growing plants, a plurality of pod environment affecters, and a pod computing device that, when executed by a processor, causes the grow pod to receive a recipe program. The recipe program may define a grow recipe for the grow pod and may cause actuation of at least a portion of the plurality of pod environment affecters to facilitate growth for the plurality of respective plants. The recipe program may be created via a scripting language that includes a plurality of commands for controlling the grow pod. In some embodiments, the plurality of commands are specific to the grow pod. Embodiments of the grow pod may additionally instantiate a plurality of instances of the recipe program that correspond with each of the plurality of carts.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING A TESTING CHAMBER
20180365137 · 2018-12-20 ·

Systems and methods for providing a testing chamber are provided herein. One embodiment of a testing chamber includes a chamber environment affecter and a chamber computing device that includes a processor and a memory component. The memory component may store logic that causes the testing chamber to receive a recipe program, where the recipe program defines a grow recipe for a grow pod. The logic may further cause the testing chamber to determine a difference between operation of the testing chamber and operation of the grow pod, adapt the recipe program for operation by the testing chamber, and execute the recipe program in the testing chamber. The logic may further cause the testing chamber to monitor operation of the testing chamber executing the recipe program to determine a malfunction in the recipe program and provide an indication of the malfunction of the recipe program.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING HARVEST TIMING FOR PLANT MATTER WITHIN A GROW POD

Systems and methods for determining harvest timing for a cart within an assembly line grow pod include identifying a type of the plant matter positioned within a cart, detecting at least one of a plant matter weight of the plant matter with a weight sensor, a plant matter height of the plant matter with a distance sensor, and a chlorophyll level of the plant matter with a camera, determining that the at least one of the detected plant matter weight, the detected plant matter height, and the detected chlorophyll level satisfies a harvest time parameters, and in response to determining that the detected plant matter weight, the detected plant matter height, and the detected chlorophyll level satisfy the harvest time parameters, directing the cart to a harvester system.