The present disclosure is directed to improved vertical farming using autonomous systems and methods for growing edible plants, using improved stacking and shelving units configured to allow for gravity-based irrigation, gravity-based loading and unloading, along with a system for autonomous rotation, incorporating novel plant-growing pallets, while being photographed and recorded by camera systems incorporating three dimensional/multispectral cameras, with the images and data recorded automatically sent to a database for processing and for gauging plant health, pest and/or disease issues, and plant life cycle. The present disclosure is also directed to novel harvesting methods, novel modular lighting, novel light intensity management systems, real time vision analysis that allows for the dynamic adjustment and optimization of the plant growing environment, and a novel rack structure system that allows for simplified building and enlarging of vertical farming rack systems.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method of autonomous Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) comprising a fully autonomous growing environment. More specifically, disclosed herein is an apparatus and method in which a plurality of frame assembly may be stored and manipulated within a track assembly that is configured within a rack through the motivational input a carriage-mounted manipulators. Each frame assembly is configured to be coupled to an adjacent frame assembly supported by the track assembly by at least one coupler disposed on a forward end and a rearward end of each frame assembly. With the frame assembly including a low friction bearing surface to orient within a track assembly, it may be configured to satisfy various utilities necessary within the farm, such as but not limited to the housing grow media for the cultivation or the housing of electromechanical systems.

An indoor plant-growing system is an apparatus that includes a housing, at least one trellis, a reflective foil, at least one panel light, and a plurality of strip lights. The housing contains the at least one trellis, the at least one panel light, and the plurality of strip lights. The housing maintains an environment to grow a variety of plants, preferably, vine-type plants. The housing includes a growing chamber and a nutrient reservoir. The growing chamber houses variety of plants, and the nutrient reservoir supplies the growing chamber with a water supply and nutrients. The nutrient reservoir maintained preferably with fish in addition to at least one environmental sensor and at lease one aerator. The at least one panel light and the plurality of strip lights provide thorough lighting needed by the variety of plants. The reflective foil reflects the light to ensure lighting within a fully grown vine plant.

Provided are: a plant cultivation method for improving the crop acreage of plants that are cultivated indoors, a plant cultivation system, and a rack that is comprised in the plant cultivation system. The plant cultivation method of the present invention comprises: setting a cultivation vessel 2 for cultivating a plant P in a rack 1; adjacently arranging a plurality of the racks 1 on a travel line in order of growth of the plant P; intermittently advancing the rack 1 according to a growth state of the plant P; and separating the first rack 1 from the following rack(s) 1, and making a new rack 1 adjacent to the last rack 1 of the following rack(s) 1.

The invention provides a horticulture system (1) comprising a plurality of repeating horticulture system units (100) and a control system (300), wherein: each horticulture system unit (100) comprises (i) a horticulture unit space (110) and (ii) a radio transmission pair (120) arranged to monitor the horticulture unit space (110), wherein the radio transmission pair (120) comprises a radio transmitter and a radio receiver arranged in radio signal receiving relationship; the control system (300) is configured to execute in a unit sensing stage (230) a measurement in at least one of the horticulture unit spaces (110) with the respective radio transmission pair (120); the control system (300) is further configured in an operational mode to: (i) execute a first signal sensing stage (231), wherein the first signal sensing stage (231) comprises the unit sensing stage (230) with a first radio transmission pair (121) related to first horticulture unit space (111) thereby providing a first signal (241) to the control system (300); and (ii) determine a plant-related parameter data based on (a) the first signal (241) and (b) a baseline signal (245), wherein the baseline signal (245) is based on a second signal (242) obtained with an execution of a second signal sensing stage (232), wherein the second signal sensing stage (232) comprises the unit sensing stage (230) with a second radio transmission pair (122) related to a second horticulture unit space (112) thereby providing the second signal (242).

A farming system and a control facility are disclosed, the farming system including a growing facility having at least one growing floor including a track network, based on a grid system. The track network includes access aisles and growing aisles, wherein the growing aisles include one or more booths for receiving growing trays. A booth includes a support for supporting a growing tray, and a hood for providing services to the growing trays, wherein the hood provides at least irrigation. A load handling device operating on the track network for lifting and transporting growing trays includes a tray support pad located on the upper surface of the load handling device.

There is discussed a method of picking and placing bulbs, in which bulbs are supplied on a supply surface of a bulbs supply system; the bulbs being identified and picked from the supply surface with a pick-and-place head; wherein picked bulbs are transferred from the pick-and-place head, shoot-first and roots-last to a transfer-receptacle comprising at least one bulb-receptor, wherein the bulb-receptor temporarily clutches said bulb.

A utility work device includes a main body section supported by a support and a working section supported by the main body section to perform a work on an object. The main body section is movable in a horizontal direction and a perpendicular direction.

A greenhouse information automatic monitoring method, adopting a multi-sensor system, using binocular vision multi-function cameras combining with a laser ranging sensor and an infrared temperature measuring sensor, realizing online patrol monitoring of greenhouse crop comprehensive information of image and infrared temperature characteristics of plant nutrition, water, pest and disease damage as well as plant crown width, plant height, fruit and growth characteristics. The multi-sensor system is mounted on a suspension slide platform and combines with a lifting mechanism and an electric control rotation pan-tilt, such that not only accurate positioning and stationary point detection in the detection travelling direction can be realized, but also multi-sensor information patrol detection at different detection distances, different top view fields and different detection angles is realized.

One variation of a method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility includes: dispatching a loader to autonomously deliver a first module—defining a first array of plant slots at a first density and loaded with a first set of plants at a first growth stage—from a first grow location within an agricultural facility to a transfer station within the agricultural facility; dispatching the loader to autonomously deliver a second module—defining a second array of plant slots at a second density less than the first density and empty of plants—to the transfer station; recording a module-level optical scan of the first module; extracting a viability parameter of the first set of plants from features detected in the module-level optical scan; and if the viability parameter falls outside of a target viability range, rejecting transfer of the first set of plants from the first module.