Patent classifications
A01G31/04
Systems and methods for efficient fogponic agriculture
An integrated modular and scalable fogponics crop growth system for cultivating a crop includes an upper growth chamber housing a leafy portion of a crop, a lower growth chamber housing a root portion of the crop, a nutrient tank and dispenser, and an environmental system. The nutrient dispenser is coupled to the nutrient tank holding a nutrient mixture for sustaining the crop. The dispenser atomizes the nutrient mixture into a nutrient fog using a booster pump and a high pressure pump capable of generating approximately 800 PSI to 1500 PSI. The high pressure pump is operatively coupled to a nozzle configured to dispense the atomized nutrient fog, substantially between 6 microns and 15 microns droplet size, into the lower growth chamber. Temperature and humidity are separately controlled in the leaf area.
A SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING A HYDROPONIC SYSTEM, AND HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS PRODUCED BY SUCH A SYSTEM
In the field of hydroponic production of plants, a system is provided for line production of hydroponic systems. In addition, the hydroponic systems produced by the system for line production of hydroponic systems are also provided herein.
Seedling transplanter
In order to reduce a possibility of damaging a seedling in the event of transplant of unit nursery beds when the seedlings are replanted from a seedling tray that supports unit nursery beds individually planted with seedlings germinated from seeds to a hydroponic panel capable of securing a longer seedling-to-seedling distance, a seedling transplanter (1) includes: a seedling tray (3) supported by a frame (2) and configured to support a nursery bed (7) having unit nursery beds (71) separable from each other and arranged in two directions on a plane; a hydroponic panel (4) supported by the frame (2) and provided with holes (41) for storing the unit nursery beds (71), the hydroponic panel (4) serving as a transplant destination of the unit nursery beds (71) on the seedling tray (3); and a holding member (5) supported by the frame (2) pivotally around a vertical axis and vertically movably to separate the unit nursery bed (71) from the nursery bed (7) by holding any one or a plurality of the unit nursery beds (71) on the seedling tray (3) arranged in the outermost side of the nursery bed (7) from a lateral face side of the unit nursery bed (71) in a width direction of the unit nursery bed (71), insert the unit nursery bed (71) into the hole (41) of the hydroponic panel (4), and release the unit nursery bed (71).
Seedling transplanter
In order to reduce a possibility of damaging a seedling in the event of transplant of unit nursery beds when the seedlings are replanted from a seedling tray that supports unit nursery beds individually planted with seedlings germinated from seeds to a hydroponic panel capable of securing a longer seedling-to-seedling distance, a seedling transplanter (1) includes: a seedling tray (3) supported by a frame (2) and configured to support a nursery bed (7) having unit nursery beds (71) separable from each other and arranged in two directions on a plane; a hydroponic panel (4) supported by the frame (2) and provided with holes (41) for storing the unit nursery beds (71), the hydroponic panel (4) serving as a transplant destination of the unit nursery beds (71) on the seedling tray (3); and a holding member (5) supported by the frame (2) pivotally around a vertical axis and vertically movably to separate the unit nursery bed (71) from the nursery bed (7) by holding any one or a plurality of the unit nursery beds (71) on the seedling tray (3) arranged in the outermost side of the nursery bed (7) from a lateral face side of the unit nursery bed (71) in a width direction of the unit nursery bed (71), insert the unit nursery bed (71) into the hole (41) of the hydroponic panel (4), and release the unit nursery bed (71).
Plant cultivation device
The invention relates to a plant cultivation device (1) having: a housing (2), a receiving drum (3) which is rotatably mounted on the housing (2) and comprises multiple plant receiving containers (5) for plants (6), a drive (8) for rotating the receiving drum (3) within the housing (2), and a robot device (10) with a mounting (11) for a first working head (12) for supplying the plants (6) into the plant receiving containers (5), comprising a first linear guide (13) for moving the mounting (11) for the first working head (12) along a first axis and comprising a second linear guide (14) for moving the first linear guide (13) together with the mounting (11) for the first working head (12) along a second axis.
MULTILEVEL MOBILE GUTTER SYSTEM FOR GROWING INDOOR VEGETATION
A multilevel indoor mobile gutter system for growing vegetation including at least a first level and a second level is provided. Each level may include a first level conveyor and a second level conveyor respectively. A transfer conveyor is operable to convey from the first level to the second level. A plurality of lights are positioned to emit light towards the first level and the second level. At least one gutter is operable to support a plant within. The first level conveyor transports the at least one gutter from the front end to the rear end of the first level, the transfer conveyor transfers the at least one gutter from rear end of the first level to the front end of the second level, and the second level conveyor transports the at least one gutter from the front end to the rear end of the second level.
AUTOMATIC VERTICAL FARMING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GROWING PLANTS IN A SOILLESS GROWING ENVIRONMENT
An automatic vertical farming system including: vertical supports adapted to accommodate a plurality of tray-receptacles in a vertically-stacked arrangement showing a plurality of tray positions, the tray-receptacles each being adapted for farming plants in a soilless growing environment, wherein the vertical supports provide a tray position being an irrigation station for the tray-receptacles, and a tray-receptacle transport device arranged and adapted to move the tray receptacles along the vertical supports between different tray positions. The plant irrigation station includes: an irrigation device adapted to deliver a liquid into a tray-receptacle being accommodated in the irrigation station, and a tray manipulator arranged and adapted to manipulate the spatial orientation of the tray-receptacle being accommodated in the irrigation station by a movement of the tray-receptacle such that the liquid in the accommodated tray-receptacle is accelerated by gravity and/or the movement caused by the tray manipulator towards an edge of the tray receptacle.
STORAGE, GROWING SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Storage, growing system and methods for storing, germinating, propagating and or growing living organisms, exemplary systems including stackable growth tray(s) containing: a drainage system, the drainage system including: an inclined growing surface, inclined in a direction to at least one drainage hole; a drainage routing structure positioned over the at least one drainage hole, and having a down-pipe and a connecting routing pipe, wherein the down-pipe is for receiving fluid from an adjacent-above stackable item and transmitting the fluid to an adjacent-below down-pipe or a drain-pipe, and the connecting routing pipe is for receiving fluid from an adjacent-above drainage hole and routing the fluid to the down-pipe, and wherein fluid propagating from the inclined growing surface or an adjacent-above stackable item is directed through the growth tray to a down-steam point in the drainage system.
Method and arrangement for growing plants on multilayer principle
A method and a system for growing plants on multilayer principle in mobile gutter farming is described, whereby, in the process of growing plants planted in cultivation gutters, said plants are conveyed in cultivation layers present on top of each other in a cultivation space in a longitudinal direction of the cultivation space in one or opposite directions. The cultivation gutters and the plants contained therein, are treated in the cultivation space by means of a processing arrangement in a cultivation layer-specific manner, whereby the cultivation gutters and the plants contained therein are first of all conveyed by motion elements in each cultivation layer of the cultivation space in the longitudinal direction of the cultivation space in opposite directions and are treated by processing elements in each cultivation layer of the cultivation space separately, in a manner substantially independent of the other cultivation layers.
Production facility layout for automated controlled environment agriculture
Facility layouts and configurations for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture. In particular implementations, the core of the facility comprises a controlled growth environment and a central processing system. The controlled growth environment includes systems for exposing crops housed in modules, such as grow towers, to controlled environmental conditions. The central processing system may include various stations and functionality both for preparing crop-bearing modules to be inserted in the controlled growth environment for harvesting crops from the crop-bearing modules after they have been extracted from the controlled growth environment, and for cleaning or washing crop-hearing modules for re-use. The remaining aspects of the crop production facility—such as seeding stations, propagation facilities, packaging stations and storage facilities—are arranged to achieve one or more desired efficiencies relating to capital expenditures or operating costs associated with an automated crop production facility.