Control and sensor systems for an environmentally controlled vertical farming system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10973185-B2
Application number	US-201615278564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2016
Priority date	Jul 14, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A computer implemented system for a vertical farming system comprising at least a first crop growth module and operating in an environmentally-controlled growing chamber, the control system comprising sensors for measuring environmental growing conditions in the environmentally-controlled growing chamber over time to generate environmental condition data, a device configured for measuring a crop characteristic of a crop grown in the crop growth module of the environmentally-controlled growing chamber to generate crop growth data and a processing device comprising software modules for receiving the environmental condition data and the crop growth data; applying an algorithm to the environmental condition data and the crop growth data to generate an improved environmental growing condition and generating instructions for adjustment of the environmental growing conditions in or around the growth module in the environmentally-controlled growing chamber to the improved environmental growing condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vertical farming system, the system comprising:
an environmentally-controlled growing chamber;
a vertical growth column located within said environmentally-controlled growing chamber;
a plurality of growth modules configured for use with said vertical growth column, each growth module of said plurality of growth modules comprising (i) an attachment mechanism configured for detachable attachment of each growth module to said vertical growth column, (ii) a growth media contained within each growth module of said plurality of growth modules, (iii) a growth opening configured to allow at least one growing plant to grow through said growth opening of each growth module of said plurality of growth modules, and (iv) an upper opening and a lower opening configured to allow an aqueous crop nutrient solution to flow therethrough;
a light emitting source configured to emit light toward said growth opening of each growth module of said plurality of growth modules;
a measuring device configured to monitor a growth characteristic of a crop grown within said plurality of growth modules during plant growth of said crop;
a first sensor system configured to monitor a plurality of operating conditions within said environmentally-controlled growing chamber, said plurality of operating conditions including humidity, ambient carbon dioxide concentration, ambient oxygen concentration, and temperature during plant growth of said crop, wherein the first sensor system comprises a first sensor unit coupled to the vertical growth column, and the first sensor unit is configured to monitor the plurality of operating conditions;
a second sensor system configured to monitor flow rate of said aqueous crop nutrient solution through said plurality of growth modules during plant growth of said crop;
a regulatory system configured to control humidity, ambient carbon dioxide concentration, ambient oxygen concentration, and temperature within said environmentally-controlled growing chamber and to control flow rate of said aqueous crop nutrient solution through said plurality of growth modules; and
a control system comprising at least one processor, a memory, and an operating system, said control system configured to receive (i) a first set of data from said measuring device, said first set of data corresponding to said growth characteristic, (ii) a second set of data from said first sensor system, said second set of data corresponding to said plurality of operating conditions, (iii) a third set of data from said second sensor system, said third set of data corresponding to said flow rate of said aqueous crop nutrient solution through said plurality of growth modules, said control system further configured to apply an algorithm to the first, second and third sets of data to generate an improved growing condition for said crop and store the improved growing condition in the memory, said control system further configured to automatically generate and transmit instructions to said regulatory system during plant growth of said crop for real time adjustment of said humidity, ambient carbon dioxide concentration, ambient oxygen concentration, and temperature within said environmentally-controlled growing chamber and of said flow rate of said aqueous crop nutrient solution through said plurality of growth modules to implement the improved growing condition.

2. The vertical farming system of claim 1 , said second sensor system further configured to monitor a second temperature corresponding to the aqueous crop nutrient solution, wherein said third set of data from said second sensor system corresponds to said flow rate of said aqueous crop nutrient solution and said second temperature, wherein said regulatory system is further configured to control said second temperature corresponding to said aqueous crop nutrient solution, and wherein said control system is further configured to automatically generate and transmit a second set of instructions to said regulatory system for adjustment of said second temperature corresponding to said aqueous crop nutrient solution to implement the improved growing condition.

3. The vertical farming system of claim 1 , said second sensor system further configured to monitor an aqueous pH of the aqueous crop nutrient solution, wherein said third set of data from said second sensor system corresponds to said flow rate of said aqueous crop nutrient solution and said aqueous pH of said aqueous crop nutrient solution, wherein said regulatory system is further configured to control said aqueous pH of said aqueous crop nutrient solution, and wherein said control system is further configured to automatically generate and transmit a second set of instructions to said regulatory system for adjustment of said aqueous pH of said aqueous crop nutrient solution to implement the improved growing condition.

4. The vertical farming system of claim 1 , wherein the crop characteristic is plant mass.

5. The vertical farming system of claim 1 , wherein the crop characteristic is sugar content.

6. The vertical farming system of claim 1 , wherein the crop characteristic is acidity.

7. The vertical farming system of claim 1 , said second sensor system further configured to monitor a nutrient concentration within said aqueous crop nutrient solution, wherein said third set of data from said second sensor system corresponds to said flow rate of said aqueous crop nutrient solution and said nutrient concentration within said aqueous crop nutrient solution, wherein said regulatory system is further configured to control said nutrient concentration of said aqueous crop nutrient solution, and wherein said control system is further configured to automatically generate and transmit a second set of instructions to said regulatory system for adjustment of said nutrient concentration of said aqueous crop nutrient solution to implement the improved growing condition.

8. The vertical farming system of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor unit is configured to monitor the plurality of operating conditions at a plant canopy level from the vertical growth column.

Assignees

• Mjnn Llc

Inventors

• Creechley Jaremy
• Oslan Jack
• Mazonson Nate
• Storey Nathaniel R
• Cook Daniel
• Beatty Philip E
• Whitcher John L
• Conway Christopher K
• Learn Ernest
• Duffy Michael
• Varone Russell
• Field Russell
• George William R
• Jensen Rob
• Clark Benjamin J
• Barnard Matthew
• Melani Matteo

Classifications

• A01G9/249

  Lighting means (with special arrangements for promoting growth A01G7/045) · CPC title

• A01G9/029

  Receptacles for seedlings (growth substrates in block form A01G24/44) · CPC title

• A01G7/045

  with electric lighting · CPC title

• H05B47/105

  in response to determined parameters · CPC title

• A01G31/02

  Special apparatus therefor (self-acting watering devices A01G27/00) · CPC title