Vertical grow tower conveyance system for controlled environment agriculture including tower shuttle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11944049-B2
Application number	US-202017640107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2020
Priority date	Sep 20, 2019
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

A vertical farming structure having vertical grow towers and associated conveyance mechanisms for moving the vertical grow towers through a controlled environment, while being exposed to controlled conditions, such as lighting, airflow, humidity and nutritional support. The present disclosure describes a reciprocating cam mechanism that provides a cost-efficient mechanism for conveying vertical grow towers in the controlled environment. The reciprocating cam mechanism can be arranged to increase the spacing of the grow towers as they are conveyed through the controlled environment to index the crops growing on the towers. The present disclosure also describes a tower shuttle mechanism that provides operational flexibility by decoupling the loading and unloading operations of the grow towers from the vertical farming structure and, therefore, allowing multiple grow towers to be extracted for harvesting in a batch process before loading new grow towers into the vertical farming structure in a separate process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A crop production system for controlled environment agriculture, comprising:
one or more grow lines, each of the one or more grow lines comprising a grow conveyance mechanism and a tower shuttle system; and
a plurality of grow towers, each of the plurality of grow towers vertically attached to, and moveable along, a respective one of the one or more grow lines;
wherein each grow conveyance mechanism comprises:
a common beam disposed in a track, the track extending in a direction parallel to the grow line;
an actuator attached to the common beam, wherein the actuator is operative to move the common beam along the track in a forward stroke and a back stroke; and
a plurality of cam members pivotally attached at select positions along the common beam, wherein each cam member is mounted to limit rotation of the cam member during the forward stroke causing the cam member to engage and push a first grow tower forward in a first direction during the forward stroke and to allow the cam member to slide over a second grow tower during the back stroke; wherein the select positions of the plurality of cam members are each configured such that in a forward stroke a respective cam member engages a first grow tower during the forward stroke and ratchets over a second grow tower adjacent to the first tower during the back stroke; and

wherein each tower shuttle system comprises
a track mounted proximal to and extending parallel to the grow line;
a carriage attached to the track;
an actuator configured to cause the carriage to slide along the track; and
an engagement member attached to the carriage and configured to releasably engage a grow tower; and
a control system operative to cause the engagement member to engage the grow tower at a load position and cause the carriage to slide the grow tower to a select position along the grow line.

2. The crop production system of claim 1 wherein the engagement member comprises
a pawl pivotally attached to the carriage, wherein when traveling in a forward direction, the pawl engages a grow tower and slides the grow tower along the grow line and, when traveling in a backward direction, the pawl ratchets over a second grow tower located in a loading position.

3. The crop production system of claim 1 wherein the engagement member comprises
a pawl pivotally attached to the carriage, and a pawl actuator operative to engage the pawl, wherein the pawl is configured such that, when traveling in a forward direction, the pawl engages a grow tower and slides the grow tower along the grow line and, when traveling in a backward direction, the pawl actuator moves the pawl upwardly to allow the pawl to move over a second grow tower located in a loading position.

4. The crop production system of claim 1 wherein the spacing of the select positions increases in the first direction such that spacing of the grow towers increases as such grow towers are pushed along the one or more grow lines with successive cycles of the actuator.

5. The crop production system of claim 1 wherein the common beam has a u-shaped profile having first and second walls extending from a base, and wherein the plurality of cam members are each mounted at the select positions along the first and second walls.

6. The crop production system of claim 5 wherein the common beam comprises a first beam section, a second beam section, and an expansion joint attached to opposing ends of the first and second beam sections, wherein the expansion joint is movable from a collapsed position to an open position and configured such that, during the forward stroke, the expansion joint moves from the collapsed position to the open position thereby causing the first beam section to move forward while the second beam section remains stationary until the expansion joint is in the open position and, during the back stroke, the expansion joint moves from the open position to the collapsed position.

7. The crop production system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of grow towers comprises a hook attached to the top of the grow tower, wherein the hook is configured to engage the grow line.

8. The crop production system of claim 7 wherein each of the one or more grow lines includes a groove region to which the hook of a grow tower slidably attaches.

9. The crop production system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of grow towers comprises a first plurality of plug containers arranged along a first face of the grow tower.

10. The crop production system of claim 9 wherein each of the plurality of grow towers comprises a second plurality of plug containers arranged along a second face of the grow tower, wherein the second face is opposite to the first face.

11. The crop production system of claim 1 further comprising an onloading mechanism comprising a power and free conveyer and one or more carriages; wherein the one or more carriages are configured to releasably engage grow towers; and wherein the power and free conveyer is configured to insert a grow towers on a selected grow line of the one or more grow lines.

12. The crop production system of claim 1 further comprising an irrigation system operative to supply a fluid to respective tops ends of the plurality of grow towers at one or more of the select positions along the grow line; and wherein each of the plurality of grow towers comprises a tower body and a funnel disposed on the top of the tower body, the funnel configured to direct fluid flowing therethrough over a desired region within the tower body.

13. The crop production system of claim 12 wherein the irrigation system comprises one or more irrigation lines including openings located proximally over the select positions.

14. The crop production system of claim 12 wherein each of the grow towers comprises a plurality of plug containers disposed along the tower body.

15. The crop production system of claim 14 wherein each of the plurality of grow towers comprises a first plurality of plug containers arranged along a first face of the grow tower.

16. The crop production system of claim 15 wherein each of the plurality of grow towers comprises a second plurality of plug containers arranged along a second face of the grow tower, wherein the second face is opposite to the first face, and wherein each of the plurality of grow towers includes a central wall defining a first cavity containing the first plurality of plug containers and a second cavity containing the second plurality of plug containers.

17. The crop production system of claim 16 wherein each funnel comprises a collector;
first and second passageways in fluid communication with the collector;
a first slot disposed in the collector and in the fluid communication path between the collector and the first passageway; and
a second slot disposed in the collector trough and in the fluid communication path between the collector trough and the second passageway;
wherein the first and second slots are arranged to cause fluid to accumulate in the collector trough and distribute the fluid substantially evenly to the first and second passageways, the first passageway in fluid communication with the first cavity, and the second passageway in fluid communication with the second cavity.

18. The crop production system of claim 12 wherein the spacing of the select positions increase in a first direction such that spacing of the grow towers increases as such grow towers are pushed along the grow line.

19. The crop production system of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of g

Assignees

• Mjnn Llc

Inventors

• Coffin Gage Goodspeed
• Roux Alexandre Le
• Hasoon Tamara Tahir
• Flynn Michael Peter
• Dubel Andrew
• Lee Roger

Classifications

• A01G31/045 Primary

  with containers guided along a rail · CPC title

• A01G31/06 Primary

  Hydroponic culture on racks or in stacked containers · CPC title

• A01G7/045

  with electric lighting · CPC title

• Y02P60/21

  Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures · CPC title