Scalable Portable Sensory and Yield Expert System for BioMass Monitoring and Production
First Claim
1. A system for optimizing plant growth in a liquid environment within an enclosed growth chamber, comprising:
- illumination means for controlling spatial, temporal and spectral characteristics of illumination surrounding the growth chamber, said illumination means comprising an array of individually actuable light sources, made up of organic light emitting diodes (OLED), is a light-emitting diode (LED) whose emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds that emit light when an electric current passes through it. This layer of organic semiconductor material is formed between two electrodes, where at least one of the electrodes is transparent. Just like passive-matrix LCD versus active-matrix LCD, OLEDs can be categorized into passive-matrix and active-matrix displays. Active-matrix OLEDs (AMOLED) require a thin-film transistor backplane to switch the individual pixel on or off, and can make higher resolution and larger size displays possible. The individual pixels then can be turned on as a group to produce light in the visible spectrum and containing frequencies that are particular to maximizing the group of the biomass material through photosynthesis. This array would surround the group tube containment vessel whether the tubes were vertical or horizontal configurations and supply lighting in the required frequencies needed to maximize plant growth and to minimize the power comsumption of said system;
this would be in tandem with other lighting support such as centered mercury and other prior art lighting for agricultural based systems. The system can also supply specific on and off spectral frequencies, a continuous rolling mode switching the spectral frequencies into a dynamic moving configuration. This control allows for specific control over the circadian day night rhythm to increase plant growth. The lighting system is arranged as a blanket around the growth tubes within the system and having differing spectral wavelengths, and means for individual control and modulation of said light sources within each growth tube of said said system So that a series of growth tubes would create a cell of tubes either in a vertical or horizinal configuration. The biomass detection means comprising at least one imaging device which can identify and map location and quantity of plants in a growth medium within the growth cell configuration. The plant stress detection means for acquiring spatially distributed image data which characterize plant vigor and stress within the growth chamber, according to said growth tube cell patterns, said plant stress detection means comprising at least one imaging device selected from the group consisting of multispectral imagers, and hyperspectral imagers;
environmental monitoring means for monitoring a plurality of environmental parameters that affect plant growth in a liquid within a growth chamber;
environmental control means for controlling each of said environmental parameters; and
an expert system coupled to receive data generated by said biomass detecting means, said plant stress detection means, said imager and said environmental monitoring means, and coupled to control said illumination means and said environmental control means;
wherein said expert system contains a knowledge base that includes heuristic information, a plant database containing cultivation diagnostic and spectral information for plants growing within the growth chamber, and plant biomass and stress detection algorithms; and
said expert system is trained to regulate said illumination, environmental parameters and the motors pumps and valves that control movement of plant material, nutrients and gases within the growth tube chambers as a plurality of the whole. This expert system is trained so as to achieve optimized uniform plant growth with minimized consumption of energy and materials, to diagnose deviations from optimal growth conditions, and to determine and implement remedial actions by adjustment of said illumination, dissolved gases and environmental parameters. Said expert control system would repeat indefinitely the expert control cycle to remove mature plants and materials from said environment to a predetermined process holding area and renew the expert process by bringing in startup plant growth materials and recycled and new nutrients and gases to repeat the process again until maturity was again retained and to repeat this process. The system contains growth modules which we have defined as a plurality of grow tubes in cell, and multiples of these cells in the system. Each growth cell contains a number of growth tubes arranged in either a vertical or a horizontal configuration for a plurality of all. Each cell with its growth module tubes has sensing control modules to monitor the biomass materials, gasses, nutrients, lighting, flow and maturity of the biomass. The biomass and the additional materials circulate within the plurality of cells until mature as defined by the expert control system. At maturity the biomass and all materials are taken to the extraction system which separates the algae fuel, also called algal fuel, algaeoleum or second-generation biofuel, is a biofuel which is derived from algae. The expert system which controls this entire process is connected through a wireless mesh network throughout the entire system which terminates at the Expert system which is trained to operate the entire production process
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Abstract
The invention relates to the field of algae biofuel production, in particular to methods and means of physical action on biological structures of photosynthesing microorganisms, phototrophic algae in particular. The invention can be used for obtaining biofuel from algae, as well as for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and foodstuff industries. In the process of the method implementation radiation of cultivated solution of photosynthesizing microorganisms/phototrophical algae is carried out by the action of electromagnetic waves of a selected intensity. Stimulation of increasing photosynthesizing microorganisms/phototrophical algae biomass is obtained by the interaction of electromagnetic wave and biological cell. Irradiation of cultivated solution of photosynthesizing microorganisms/phototrophical algae is performed by electromagnetic waves originating from specified sensor mechanisms mounted about the acrylic or plastic-based stackable tubular bioreactor. Nutrients, carbon dioxide and other dissolved substances are monitored by this sensor system which is controlled by a supercomputer-based control mechanism.
37 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A system for optimizing plant growth in a liquid environment within an enclosed growth chamber, comprising:
- illumination means for controlling spatial, temporal and spectral characteristics of illumination surrounding the growth chamber, said illumination means comprising an array of individually actuable light sources, made up of organic light emitting diodes (OLED), is a light-emitting diode (LED) whose emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds that emit light when an electric current passes through it. This layer of organic semiconductor material is formed between two electrodes, where at least one of the electrodes is transparent. Just like passive-matrix LCD versus active-matrix LCD, OLEDs can be categorized into passive-matrix and active-matrix displays. Active-matrix OLEDs (AMOLED) require a thin-film transistor backplane to switch the individual pixel on or off, and can make higher resolution and larger size displays possible. The individual pixels then can be turned on as a group to produce light in the visible spectrum and containing frequencies that are particular to maximizing the group of the biomass material through photosynthesis. This array would surround the group tube containment vessel whether the tubes were vertical or horizontal configurations and supply lighting in the required frequencies needed to maximize plant growth and to minimize the power comsumption of said system;
this would be in tandem with other lighting support such as centered mercury and other prior art lighting for agricultural based systems. The system can also supply specific on and off spectral frequencies, a continuous rolling mode switching the spectral frequencies into a dynamic moving configuration. This control allows for specific control over the circadian day night rhythm to increase plant growth. The lighting system is arranged as a blanket around the growth tubes within the system and having differing spectral wavelengths, and means for individual control and modulation of said light sources within each growth tube of said said system So that a series of growth tubes would create a cell of tubes either in a vertical or horizinal configuration. The biomass detection means comprising at least one imaging device which can identify and map location and quantity of plants in a growth medium within the growth cell configuration. The plant stress detection means for acquiring spatially distributed image data which characterize plant vigor and stress within the growth chamber, according to said growth tube cell patterns, said plant stress detection means comprising at least one imaging device selected from the group consisting of multispectral imagers, and hyperspectral imagers;
environmental monitoring means for monitoring a plurality of environmental parameters that affect plant growth in a liquid within a growth chamber;
environmental control means for controlling each of said environmental parameters; and
an expert system coupled to receive data generated by said biomass detecting means, said plant stress detection means, said imager and said environmental monitoring means, and coupled to control said illumination means and said environmental control means;
wherein said expert system contains a knowledge base that includes heuristic information, a plant database containing cultivation diagnostic and spectral information for plants growing within the growth chamber, and plant biomass and stress detection algorithms; and
said expert system is trained to regulate said illumination, environmental parameters and the motors pumps and valves that control movement of plant material, nutrients and gases within the growth tube chambers as a plurality of the whole. This expert system is trained so as to achieve optimized uniform plant growth with minimized consumption of energy and materials, to diagnose deviations from optimal growth conditions, and to determine and implement remedial actions by adjustment of said illumination, dissolved gases and environmental parameters. Said expert control system would repeat indefinitely the expert control cycle to remove mature plants and materials from said environment to a predetermined process holding area and renew the expert process by bringing in startup plant growth materials and recycled and new nutrients and gases to repeat the process again until maturity was again retained and to repeat this process. The system contains growth modules which we have defined as a plurality of grow tubes in cell, and multiples of these cells in the system. Each growth cell contains a number of growth tubes arranged in either a vertical or a horizontal configuration for a plurality of all. Each cell with its growth module tubes has sensing control modules to monitor the biomass materials, gasses, nutrients, lighting, flow and maturity of the biomass. The biomass and the additional materials circulate within the plurality of cells until mature as defined by the expert control system. At maturity the biomass and all materials are taken to the extraction system which separates the algae fuel, also called algal fuel, algaeoleum or second-generation biofuel, is a biofuel which is derived from algae. The expert system which controls this entire process is connected through a wireless mesh network throughout the entire system which terminates at the Expert system which is trained to operate the entire production process - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 41, 42)
- illumination means for controlling spatial, temporal and spectral characteristics of illumination surrounding the growth chamber, said illumination means comprising an array of individually actuable light sources, made up of organic light emitting diodes (OLED), is a light-emitting diode (LED) whose emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds that emit light when an electric current passes through it. This layer of organic semiconductor material is formed between two electrodes, where at least one of the electrodes is transparent. Just like passive-matrix LCD versus active-matrix LCD, OLEDs can be categorized into passive-matrix and active-matrix displays. Active-matrix OLEDs (AMOLED) require a thin-film transistor backplane to switch the individual pixel on or off, and can make higher resolution and larger size displays possible. The individual pixels then can be turned on as a group to produce light in the visible spectrum and containing frequencies that are particular to maximizing the group of the biomass material through photosynthesis. This array would surround the group tube containment vessel whether the tubes were vertical or horizontal configurations and supply lighting in the required frequencies needed to maximize plant growth and to minimize the power comsumption of said system;
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2. The system according to claim one separates the algae fuel organism into lipids, or oil and the remaining discarded materials, the algae'"'"'s carbohydrate content can be fermented through anaerobic digestion into bioethanol and biobutanol or the plurality of the discarded materials can be placed into a bioreactor to produce methane for fueling the electrical generation system that supplies power to the entire system. The volumetric use of this discarded material to make one or the other of the manufactured materials in this process will be controlled by the expert system.
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23. A system for achieving optimized plant growth, comprising:
- a liquid growth chamber consisting of cells which contain a number of growth tubes either in horizontal or vertical configuration which is sealed off from an ambient environment;
imaging means for acquiring and monitoring spatially spectral distributed plant growth information within said growth chamber, said imaging means comprising at least one device selected from the group of many cells consisting of a multispectral imager, and a hyperspectral imager;
environmental monitoring means for acquiring and monitoring data regarding environmental conditions within said liquid growth chamber;
illumination and environmental control means for controlling illumination and environmental conditions in said growth chamber; and
an expert system that is coupled to said imaging means and said environmental means, said expert system being trained to analyze and evaluate crop growth conditions within the liquid growth chamber using a heuristic method, and to control said illumination and environmental control means to achieve optimized biomass crop growth and minimum consumption of energy and nutrients. - View Dependent Claims (30, 32, 39, 40)
- a liquid growth chamber consisting of cells which contain a number of growth tubes either in horizontal or vertical configuration which is sealed off from an ambient environment;
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31. A system for controlling crop growth within a growth area, said system comprising:
- imaging means for monitoring spatially distributed crop growth information according to a predetermined grid cell pattern within said growth area; and
illumination means for controlling spatial, temporal and spectral distribution of illumination within individual cells of said grid cell pattern in response to said crop growth and chemical information. - View Dependent Claims (38)
- imaging means for monitoring spatially distributed crop growth information according to a predetermined grid cell pattern within said growth area; and
Specification