A01G9/143

GROWTH SYSTEM
20230040174 · 2023-02-09 · ·

A growth system includes growth trolleys each having at least one carrier configured to support products for growing, and a growth hub including equipment facilitating growth of products from a group comprising fluid supply, nutrient supply, and the like. At least one of the growth hub and the growth trolleys is displaceable relative to the other of the growth trolleys and the growth hub to furnish at least one growth facilitating function to products in at least one of the trolleys, when the at least one of the growth trolleys is adjacent to the growth hub.

Method for selectively deploying sensors within an agricultural facility

One variation of a method for deploying sensors within an agricultural facility includes: accessing scan data of a set of modules deployed within the agricultural facility; extracting characteristics of plants occupying the set of modules from the scan data; selecting a first subset of target modules from the set of modules, each target module in the set of target modules containing a group of plants exhibiting characteristics representative of plants occupying modules neighboring the target module; for each target module, scheduling a robotic manipulator within the agricultural facility to remove a particular plant from a particular plant slot in the target module and load the particular plant slot with a sensor pod from a population of sensor pods deployed in the agricultural facility; and monitoring environmental conditions at target modules in the first subset of target modules based on sensor data recorded by the first population of sensor pods.

Method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility
11707023 · 2023-07-25 · ·

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.

STORAGE, GROWING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

A pole system for racking, storing, germinating, propagating and growing living organisms on a growth tray, the pole system including: a substantially vertical support structure, the support structure including at least one utility system for supporting propagation or growth of a living organism; one or more vertically-spaced interface positions, each for interfacing with a growth tray; and one or more openings in the support structure, corresponding to one or more of the interface positions, for providing services to interfaced growth tray(s) is disclosed. Further, a hydroponic system and method using the pole system are disclosed.

Automatic Mechanical System in Mass Production Indoor Planting with Soil
20230232752 · 2023-07-27 ·

A mass indoor production of vegetation system maintains a train in a stationary position on a rail system inside an indoor enclosure during a growing period of vegetation. The train has a plurality of plant-pots interconnected by a plurality of push-pull bars. Each of the plant-pots contains at least one plant. The train of the plant-pots may be moved on the rail system in either direction by pushing or pulling the plurality of push-pull bars. The plurality of plant-pots may be pulled out of the indoor enclosure during a time of harvesting the plant.

TWO-WAY HORTICULTURE TROLLEY WITH INDIVIDUALLY TURNABLE FLOOR-WHEELS

A two-way horticulture trolley includes a frame, track-wheels for driving the trolley forward or backwards in a first direction over tracks that extend in the first direction along plant growing paths, floor-wheels for driving the trolley sideways in a second direction over a corridor that extends in the second direction along ends of the tracks, driving motors configured to rotate the track-wheels and/or floor-wheels around their horizontal center axis for driving the trolley forward or backwards respectively sideways, and a control unit for controlling the driving motors. The floor-wheels are each individually turnable around an own vertical axis relative to the frame between at least the first and second direction, where one or more turning actuators are provided for controlling the floor-wheels to turn individually around their own vertical axis between at least the first and second direction and vice versa.

PLANT PROCESSING SYSTEMS

A plant processing system includes a mobile cart with a support rail, a rack with a rack rail, and a hanger configured to support one or more plants therefrom. The hanger is hangable from either the support rail or the rack rail. The hanger includes a first end having a hook deigned to engage either the support rail or the rack rail. A second end of the hanger includes a tab having a magnet that engages either the support rail or the rack rail to limit movement of the second end of the hanger. A series of crossbars can be attached to the hanger at select locations along the length of the hanger. Each crossbar is configured to support plants or other items along the length of the hanger.

INDEXING PLANTS IN TWO-DIMENSIONAL AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL SPACE IN A CONTROLLED GROWING ENVIRONMENT
20230225258 · 2023-07-20 · ·

A crop production system (100) for a controlled plant growing environment is provided. A subassembly comprises a guide portion that includes passive guides (104, 504, 904, 1004) radiating outward from a central portion (102, 502, 520, 911). Each passive guide may be separated from two adjacent passive guides by respective angles. Each passive guide has a first end proximal to the central portion and a second end distal to the central portion. Each passive guide is configured to guide plant growth modules (210). The plant growth modules are movable between the first end and the second end of each passive guide. An active guide (406, 907, 1007) causes the plant growth modules to travel in a first direction along the passive guides as the active guide is moved.

Method and arrangement for growing plants on multilayer principle
11559015 · 2023-01-24 · ·

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.

ASSEMBLY FOR CREATING A CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT FOR PLANTS
20230014560 · 2023-01-19 ·

A portable and compact assembly for providing a conditioned environment for a domestic plant both indoor and outdoor. The assembly includes a frame and a platform rotatably coupled to the frame. A plant can be placed on the platform and rotates with the platform. The assembly further includes grow lights mounted to the frame, fans mounted to the frame, and speakers. The conditioned environment can include combined exposure to grow light, sounds outputted by the speakers, and breeze generated by the fans.