Environmentally controlled vertical farming system

• US 10,306,847 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mjnn LLC
• Original Assignee: Mjnn LLC
• Inventors: Whitcher, John L., Oslan, Jack, Mazonson, Nate, Storey, Nathaniel R., Cook, Daniel, Beatty, Philip E., Barnard, Matthew, Conway, Christopher K., Learn, Ernest, Duffy, Michael, Varone, Russell, Field, Russell, George, William R., Jensen, Rob, Clark, Benjamin J., Creechley, Jaremy, Melani, Matteo
• Primary Examiner(s): Parsley, David J
• Application Number:
  US15/278,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20180014485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 47 59 R, 47 60, 47 62 R, 47 63, 47 485
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 2/20 Layering
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 27/00 Self-acting watering devices, e.g. for flower-pots
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/02 Special apparatus therefor self-acting watering devices A01G27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/04 Hydroponic culture on conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/045 with containers guided along a rail
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/06 Hydroponic culture on racks or in stacked containers
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/02 Treatment of plants with carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/023 Multi-tiered planters
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/029 Receptacles for seedlings growth substrates in block form A01G24/44
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/246 Air-conditioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/247 Watering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/249 Lighting means with special arrangements for promoting growth A01G7/045
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/26 Electric devices A01G9/249 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/21 Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures

Abstract

A plant growing system configured for high density crop growth and yield, including an environmentally-controlled growing chamber and a vertical growth column within, the column configured to support a hydroponic plant growth module which is configured for containing and supporting plant growth media for containing and supporting a root structure of at least one gravitropic crop plant growing therein and for detachably mounting to the vertical growth column, the hydroponic plant growth module including a lateral growth opening to allow the plant to grow laterally through toward a light emitting source, a nutrient supply system to direct aqueous crop nutrient solution through an upper opening of the hydroponic plant growth module, an airflow source to direct airflow away from the growth opening and through an under-canopy of the plant, so as to disturb the boundary layer, and a control system for regulating, at least one growing condition in an area in or adjacent to the under-canopy.

Claims

1. A plant growing system configured for high density crop growth and yield, the system comprising:

an environmentally-controlled growing chamber;

a vertical growth column located within the growing chamber, wherein the vertical growth column contains a plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules, each hydroponic plant growth module of the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules containing a growth media, wherein each hydroponic plant growth module is individually detachable from the vertical growth column, each hydroponic plant growth module further comprising;

a lateral growth opening configured to allow at least one growing crop plant to grow through the lateral growth opening in a lateral direction of growth; and

an upper opening and a lower opening, the upper opening and the lower opening configured to allow an aqueous crop nutrient solution to flow therethrough;

a light emitting source positioned laterally from the vertical growth column and laterally from the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules and laterally from the lateral growth opening of each of the hydroponic plant growth modules contained within the vertical growth column, the light emitting source configured to emit light toward the lateral growth opening of each of the hydroponic plant growth modules contained within the vertical growth column;

a nutrient supply system configured to direct the aqueous crop nutrient solution to the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules, wherein the aqueous crop nutrient solution flows through the upper opening and the lower opening of each of the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules contained within the vertical growth column; and

an airflow source configured to direct airflow away from the lateral growth opening in the lateral growth direction of growth and through an under-canopy of the growing crop plant so as to disturb a boundary layer of the under-canopy of the growing crop plant.

2. The plant growing system of claim 1, further comprising a conveyance system for moving the vertical growth column in a circuit within the environmentally-controlled growing chamber, the circuit comprising a staging area configured for individually loading at least one plant into each of the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules and a harvesting area for individually harvesting plants from each of the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules.

3. The plant growing system of claim 1, further comprising a control system, said control system including a sensor configured for measuring an environmental growing condition in the environmentally controlled growing chamber over time to generate environmental condition data.

4. The plant growing system of claim 1, further comprising a plenum to receive and direct air from the airflow source, wherein the plenum comprises a plurality of ducts.

5. The plant growing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules are stackable within the vertical growth column.

6. The plant growing system of claim 1, wherein each hydroponic plant growth module of the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules is configured to receive through the upper opening the aqueous crop nutrient solution and direct through the lower opening the aqueous crop nutrient solution.

7. The plant growing system of claim 1, wherein the light emitting source comprises light emitting diodes (LEDs).

8. The plant growing system of claim 1, further comprising a control system, wherein the control system regulates flow rate of the aqueous crop nutrient solution.

9. The plant growing system of claim 1, wherein the vertical growth column is configured to be free-standing.

10. The plant growing system of claim 1, further comprising a loading/unloading system to control position and movement of each hydroponic plant growth module of the plurality of vertically aligned hydroponic plant growth modules along the vertical growth column.

11. The plant growing system of claim 1, further comprising a control system, wherein the control system regulates a nutrient supply control sub-system.