Apparatus, system and methods for improved vertical farming

Abstract

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.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 490,822, filed Apr. 27, 2017, entitled APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED VERTICAL FARMING, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 539,163 filed Jul. 31, 2017, entitled APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVED VERTICAL FARMING, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as though fully set forth herein.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, system and methods for improved vertical farming, including improved farming shelves and racks, efficient transport of grow trays, which utilize a cluster system, novel plant-grow trays or pallets, which allow for combined optimal plant growth and irrigation methods, novel harvesting methods, novel modular lighting, novel light intensity management systems, real time vision analysis that allows for the dynamic adjustment and optimization of t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The vertical farming system has the ability to check that the lighting is evenly distributed, and to detect any dry or wet spots in the structure where plants may not grow healthily. The system can also use a harvesting press or an articulating harvester to efficiently harvest the plants without needing much human labor. The articulating harvester can also detect which plants may not pass quality control and decide to leave them in place to be discarded. This reduces the amount of human labor needed and improves the quality of the leaves being packaged.

Problems solved by technology

Further, growing plants and food indoors reduces or eliminates conventional plowing, planting, and harvesting by farm machinery, which can be expensive and harm the environment.

Research has shown that, especially in under developed nations, as much as 30% of harvested crops are wasted due to spoilage and infestation.

Also, the success of crops grown through traditional outdoor farming is always subject to the weather, and issues such as undesirable temperatures or inconsistent rainfall amounts, along with natural disasters such as tornadoes, flooding, wildfires, and severe drought.

Further, traditional farming can be a hazardous occupation with particular risks that often take their toll on the health of human laborers, including exposure to infectious diseases, exposure to toxic chemicals commonly used as pesticides and fungicides, and the severe injuries that can occur when using large industrial farming equipment.

Although agricultural robots or “agbots” currently exist and can be deployed for agricultural purposes, such as harvesting or weed control, there is currently no apparatus, system or method for enhanced vertical farming that incorporates an improved storage, shelving and growing system, configured to allow efficient gravity-based irrigation on a per level basis, gravity-based loading and unloading, along with a shuttle system incorporating novel plant-growing pallets and germination trays, all under the watch of autonomous or near autonomous (such as on-demand) 3D / multispectral cameras mounted on a gyroscopic stabilizer, to obtain clean images and video of the growing plants.

There is also no system that incorporates these functions and allows for a harvest in place system for processing the growing plants.

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