Devices, systems, and methods for providing and using one or more valves in an assembly line grow pod

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11219172-B2
Application number	US-201815965280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2018
Priority date	Jun 14, 2017
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

An assembly line grow pod includes a plurality of fluid lines fluidly coupled between a fluid source and a fluid destination within the assembly line grow pod, a plurality of valves, each coupled to a fluid line such that fluid movement through the fluid lines is selectively controlled by the valves, and a master controller communicatively coupled to the valves. The master controller is programmed to receive information relating to fluid delivery within the assembly line grow pod, determine one or more valves to direct the fluid, determine valve parameters for each of the valves that achieve the fluid direction, and transmit one or more control signals to the valves for directing the fluid within the assembly line grow pod.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly line grow pod comprising:
a plurality of fluid lines fluidly coupled between a fluid source and a fluid destination within the assembly line grow pod;
a plurality of valves, each valve of the plurality of valves fluidly coupled to a fluid line of the plurality of fluid lines such that fluid movement through the plurality of fluid lines is selectively controlled by the plurality of valves; and
a master controller communicatively coupled to the plurality of valves, wherein the master controller is programmed to receive a recipe relating to a predetermined amount of fluid to be delivered to a particular plant at a predetermined location within the assembly line grow pod, determine one or more valves of the plurality of valves to direct the predetermined amount of fluid to the location, determine valve parameters for each of the one or more valves that achieve the fluid direction, and transmit one or more control signals to the one or more valves for directing the predetermined amount of fluid within the assembly line grow pod according to the recipe.

2. The assembly line grow pod of claim 1 , further comprising a valve control module disposed within the master controller, the valve control module comprising one or more hardware components for receiving the recipe, determining the one or more valves, determining the valve parameters, and transmitting the one or more control signals.

3. The assembly line grow pod of claim 2 , wherein the valve control module is removably insertable such that the valve control module is removable from a bay of the master controller without altering a functionality of the plurality of valves within the assembly line grow pod.

4. The assembly line grow pod of claim 2 , wherein the valve control module is fixed within a bay of the master controller such that the valve control module is not removable from the master controller.

5. The assembly line grow pod of claim 1 , wherein:
each valve of the plurality of valves comprises at least one valve inlet port, at least one valve outlet port, and an actuator;
the actuator is actuable to selectively control fluid flow from the at least one valve inlet port to the at least one valve outlet port; and
the at least one valve inlet port and the at least one valve outlet port are each fluidly coupled to a fluid line of the plurality of fluid lines.

6. The assembly line grow pod of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fluid lines comprise a plurality of water lines.

7. The assembly line grow pod of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fluid lines comprise a plurality of airflow lines.

8. The assembly line grow pod of claim 1 , wherein the master controller is communicatively coupled to the plurality of valves via a communications network.

9. The assembly line grow pod of claim 1 , wherein the fluid source is a fluid holding tank containing one or more of the following: water, a mixture of water and nutrients, nutrients, or gasses.

10. The assembly line grow pod of claim 1 , wherein the fluid source is a watering component that supplies one or more of the following: water and nutrients to plants that are grown in the assembly line grow pod.

11. The assembly line grow pod of claim 1 , wherein the fluid destination includes a watering manifold that supplies water to one or more seed trays supported on a cart within the assembly line grow pod.

12. A valve in an assembly line grow pod, the valve comprising:
a valve inlet port fluidly coupled to an assembly line grow pod fluid source via a first one or more fluid lines disposed between the valve inlet port and the assembly line grow pod fluid source;
a valve outlet port fluidly coupled to an assembly line grow pod fluid destination via a second one or more fluid lines disposed between the valve outlet port and the fluid destination, the valve outlet port further fluidly coupled to the valve inlet port;
an actuator disposed between the valve inlet port and the valve outlet port such that the actuator actuates to selectively control fluid flow in a fluid path between the valve inlet port and the valve outlet port; and
a housing comprising:
a processing device communicatively coupled to the actuator and to a master controller of the assembly line grow pod, and
a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the processing device, the non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising one or more instructions thereon that, when executed, cause the processing device to:
receive an instruction from the master controller, the instruction relating to a predetermined amount of fluid and a predetermined location of fluid delivery within the assembly line grow pod as determined by the master controller according to a recipe and based on fluid needs of a particular plant, and
cause the actuator to open or close the fluid path between the valve inlet port and the valve outlet port in accordance with the instruction to direct the predetermined amount of fluid.

13. The valve of claim 12 , wherein:
the processing device is communicatively coupled to a valve control module of the master controller; and
the one or more instructions from the non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium that, when executed, cause the processing device to receive the instruction further cause the processing device to receive the instruction from the valve control module of the master controller.

14. The valve of claim 12 , wherein the valve outlet port and the valve inlet port are each fluidly coupled to one or more water lines.

15. The valve of claim 12 , wherein the valve outlet port and the valve inlet port are each fluidly coupled to one or more airflow lines.

16. The valve of claim 12 , wherein the actuator includes at least one of the following: a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulic actuator, or an electric actuator.

17. The valve of claim 12 , further comprising a second valve inlet port fluidly coupled to a third fluid line of the one or more fluid lines, the second valve inlet port fluidly coupled to the valve inlet port and the valve outlet port.

18. The valve of claim 12 , further comprising a second valve outlet port fluidly coupled to a third fluid line of the one or more fluid lines, the second valve outlet port fluidly coupled to the valve inlet port and the valve outlet port.

Assignees

• Grow Solutions Tech Llc

Inventors

• Millar Gary Bret

Classifications

• F04B49/02

  Stopping, starting, unloading or idling control · CPC title

• F04B2205/09

  Flow through the pump · CPC title

• A01G27/001 Primary

  with intermittent watering means · CPC title

• F04B49/00

  Control {, e.g. of pump delivery, or pump pressure} of, or safety measures for, machines, pumps, or pumping installations, not otherwise provided for, or of interest apart from, groups F04B1/00 - F04B47/00 · CPC title

• F04B23/02

  having reservoirs · CPC title