Patent Publication Number: US-2022232785-A1

Title: Aeroponic systems and components

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention(s) relate generally to aeroponic crop growing systems, and more particularly to vertical wall aeroponic crop growing systems. 
     Aqueously grown crops generally maintain roots of the crops in an aqueous rich environment, with the roots either in a liquid solution or a mist environment. For example, hydroponically grown crops generally maintain roots of the crops in a liquid solution of water and nutrients. Also for example, aeroponically grown crops generally maintain roots of the crops in an aqueous mist environment, with the mist formed using a liquid solution, and the mist providing water and nutrients for plant growth. The mist may be provided, for example, using micron sized nozzles. 
     Some aeroponic systems may grow crops on generally vertical walls. In such instances, a canopy of the plants may face lighting outside a front face of the wall, with roots of the plants in a mist environment in a volume to a rear of the wall. The volume of the rear of the wall may be generally enclosed, for example to allow for maintenance of the mist environment. 
     Unfortunately, the enclosure of the mist environment may present problems in accessing the nozzles used in creating the mist environment, and the nozzles may require maintenance from time to time. Similarly, connection of water to the nozzles may be laborious, as may be reconfiguring layout of the walls, reducing desirability of use of a vertical wall aeroponics system. Further complicating matters, connections for drainage of the excess water from the mist environment may also pose difficulties. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An aeroponic crop growing system may include a plurality of vertical walls configured to grow plants extending through the walls. The walls may include drains for drainage of excess water, with the drains providing the excess water to gutters. In some embodiments the gutters are positioned below a floor under the walls, with the floor including gaps for passage of the water from the drains of the walls to the gutters. In some embodiments the gaps in the floor, gutters, and walls may be repositionable, so as to allow for different configurations for the walls, for example in a room or container. In some embodiments structures providing for the drains also provide conduits for provision of liquid to piping with nozzles, for use in providing a mist environment for the plants. 
     Some embodiments provide a grow system with modular flooring, comprising: a grow container; a plurality of grow walls for aeroponically growing plants within the grow container, each grow wall comprising a face for receiving plants and an interior for enclosing a mist environment; a plurality of horizontal panels forming a floor in the grow container, below a level of a bottom of the grow walls, with gaps between the horizontal panels under the bottom of the grow walls; a plurality of liquid flow connectors, one of each at a bottom of the grow walls, and each including a trough with an open bottom under each of the gaps between the horizontal panels under the bottom of the grow walls; and a plurality of drainage gutters, one of each below the open bottom of the troughs. 
     Some embodiments provide a grow wall for an aeroponics plant growth system, including a liquid in-flow, outflow connector, comprising: the grow wall provided by a chassis outlining a hollow rectangular shape and wall faces mounted on opposing sides of the chassis, with the chassis and wall face substantially enclosing a rectangular volume; a connector providing a bottom of the grow wall, the connector comprising a member with a longitudinal length with opposing parallel beams across a top of the connector and an open bottomed trough separating the connectors; with each of the beams of the connectors including conduits passing lengthwise through the beams. 
     Some embodiments provide a grow wall for an aeroponics grow system, comprising: a chassis outlining a substantially hollow rectangular shape; walls mounted on opposing sides of the chassis, with the walls including circumferential flanges about tops and sides of the walls, with the flanges fitting over edges of the chassis; and hinges coupling coupling one side of the walls to the chassis to allow for access to an interior of the substantially rectangular shape. 
     These and other aspects of the invention are more fully comprehended upon review of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of aspects of a vertical wall aeroponic plant growth system. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective front view of a container for a vertical wall aeroponic growth system. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a double sided grow wall in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the grow wall of  FIG. 3  with a face of one wall in a partly open position. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a frame of a chassis for a grow wall, in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a liquid in-flow, out-flow connector for a grow wall, in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of piping for a grow wall, in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  includes a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the liquid in-flow, outflow connector of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a front view of a portion of a container for a vertical wall aeroponic growth system with repositionable drainage gutters, in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a front view of the container for a vertical wall aeroponic growth system of  FIG. 9 , with a modular floor in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
         FIGS. 11A-C  illustrate portions of an installation sequence for the repositionable drainage gutters and modular floor. 
         FIGS. 12A-C  illustrate different configurations of grow walls in a container making use of the repositionable drainage gutters and modular floor, in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a portion of large scale aeroponic farm that is representative of an aqueous farm system in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. The large scale aeroponic farm includes growing containers  115 , and a harvesting station  135 . The growing containers may be, for example, in the form of a shipping container. Generally, a climate and/or aqueous circulation control systems (not shown) may be used in providing appropriate environmental conditions within the growing containers or parts thereof. As illustrated, the growing containers and harvesting station are connected by an overhead track system  150 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , the plants are grown in grow walls, for example grow wall  117 , that may be comprised of multiple grow panels. Generally, the plant canopies are on outer face(s) of the grow walls, with roots of the plants in a mist environment within the grow walls. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , each grow wall has one or more couplings that affix the grow wall to the track system. The track system may be used to move the grow walls from the growing containers to the harvesting station. After the plants in the growing containers have matured and are ready to be harvested, the grow wall is moved to the harvesting station. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective front view of a container  211  for a vertical wall aeroponic growth system. The container is generally in the form of a rectangular box, and may be a shipping container. The container includes doors  213   a,b  on one side, with each of the doors coupled to sidewalls of the container.  FIG. 2  illustrates the doors in an open position, allowing a view into the container. 
     A plurality of grow walls, for example grow walls  215   a - b  are within the container. The grow walls extend lengthwise substantially a length of the container, from a side of the container with the doors to a rear wall of the container. The grow walls also extend vertically within the container, from close to a floor  219  of the container to close to a top wall of the container. For assisting in growth of plants in the grow walls, lighting panels, for example lighting panels  217   a - c,  are disposed between each of the grow walls, and in some embodiments between edge grow walls, nearest sidewalls of the container, and the sidewalls of the container. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a double sided grow wall in accordance with aspects of the invention. The grow wall includes a chassis  311  outlining a substantially hollow rectangular shape. Wall faces  313   a,b,  also substantially rectangular in shape with edges of similar length to that of the chassis, are mounted on opposing sides of the chassis. The wall faces and chassis together substantially enclose an interior volume of the grow wall. Rollers  315   a,b  are mounted to a top pane  317  of the chassis, allowing the grow wall to be hung from a track. In  FIG. 3 , the walls are shown as having representations of plant canopies extending outward from the wall faces, the canopies each having a bulb shape with the plants shown generally arranged in rows and columns on the wall faces. Roots of the plants extend into the interior volume of the grow wall. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the grow wall of  FIG. 3  with a face of one wall in a partly open position. With one wall partly open an interior surface  415  of the facing to the walls may be seen. In addition, piping, for example piping  411 , for provision of liquid to the roots of plants may be seen within the interior volume of the grow wall. In  FIG. 4 , the piping includes 3 visible segments (connected by a top segment not visible in  FIG. 4 ). Nozzles, for example nozzle  411 , are coupled to the piping. The nozzles may be micron sized nozzles, for providing a mist environment, from liquid in the piping, within the interior volume. 
     As may be seen in  FIG. 4 , the walls include circumferential flanges  417   a,b  about the top and the sides of the faces of the walls, with the flanges fitting over edges of the chassis  311 . Hinges couple the faces of the walls wall and the chassis, along the circumference of one side of the faces, allowing the faces to swing open and provide access to the interior volume of the wall. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a frame of a chassis for a grow wall, in accordance with aspects of the invention. The chassis provides a substantially rectangular frame, with a top surface  317  coupled by side surfaces  521   a,b  to a pair of parallel bars  523   a,b  forming a bottom side of the chassis. Rollers  315   a,b  are coupled to the top surface, for example for hanging the chassis to a track. The bottom parallel bars includes a space between the bars, for example allowing piping to be introduced between the bars. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a liquid in-flow, out-flow connector for a grow wall, in accordance with aspects of the invention. In operation the connector is generally positioned directly underneath the grow wall, and in some embodiments may be considered to provide a bottom of the grow wall. The connector is generally a member with a longitudinal length and a somewhat T-shaped cross-section. Two opposing parallel hollow beams  617 a,b run across a top of the length of the connector, with a trough  619  separating the beams. 
     The beams themselves have an upper surface with a slight inclination towards the trough. With the connector at the bottom of the grow walls, excess liquid from the mist in the interior volume of the grow wall may fall into the trough, or fall onto the inclined surfaces of the beams and then into the trough. The trough generally has an opening at its bottom, thereby forming a drain for the grow wall. 
     The beams also include conduits passing lengthwise through the beams. For example, beam  617   a  includes a conduit passing from a connection  613   a  on one lengthwise side of the beam  617   a  to a connection  613   b  on another lengthwise side of the beam. The connection  613   a  may be used to receive liquid from a supply, or from a connector of another grow wall. Similarly, the connection  613   b  may be coupled to a connector of another grow wall, or be capped if the connector is serving of a last grow wall in a chain of grow walls. In addition, the conduit includes connections to piping  611   a  and  611   c  for provision of liquid to the interior volume of the grow wall. The connections to the piping are shown as extending from the beam  617   a  into the trough. The piping  611   a  and  611   c  (and  611   b ) may be passed, for example, between the parallel bars of the bottom of the chassis of  FIG. 5 . Also, for example, beam  617   b  includes a conduit passing from a connection  615   a  on one lengthwise side of the beam  617   b  to a connection  615   b  on another lengthwise side of the beam, with the conduit including a connection to piping  611   b.  The piping  611   b  may be used as a return line for excess liquid provided by the piping  611   a,c,  with the conduit in the beam  617   b  also acting as such a return line. As with the conduit in the beam  617   a,  the conduit in beam  617   b  may be coupled to connectors of other grow walls in a chain of grow walls, providing a return path for excess supplied liquid. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of piping for a grow wall, in accordance with aspects of the invention. The piping includes vertical piping  411  that runs from a connector(s) at a bottom of a grow wall to a top pipe  731  that connects the vertical piping. Sprayers  413  for providing the mist environment may be distributed along the piping. In some embodiments, and as shown in  FIG. 7 , three parallel vertical pipes are used, linearly arranged. Of the three vertical pipes, the outer two pipes are coupled to a liquid supply line, with the middle pipe connected to a return line. 
       FIG. 8  includes a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the liquid in-flow, outflow connector of  FIG. 6 . The cross-section shows the beams  617   a,b  bounding the trough  619 . The beam  617   a  has an upper surface  811   a  with a downward inclination towards the trough, as does the upper surface  811   b  for the beam  617   b.  A bottom of the trough is shown as open, allowing for liquid to pass out of the trough. In some embodiments the opening extends substantially along the length of the trough, for example except for end caps for the trough. In other embodiments the trough may have one or more apertures in its bottom, allowing for drainage of liquid from the trough. The connector itself is shown as below a grow wall  813 , with a space below the grow wall and the connector, and ends of the beams of the connector extending past outer faces of the grow wall. In some embodiments, however, the connector is directly below the grow wall, with the connector and grow wall in physical contact, and in some embodiments the connector provides a bottom surface of the grow wall. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a front view of a portion of a container for a vertical wall aeroponic growth system with repositionable drainage gutters  911 a-e, in accordance with aspects of the invention. The drainage gutters are in a container, for example a bottom of the container, and provide for drainage of excess liquid from the grow walls. The drainage gutters extend substantially from a front  913  of the container to a rear of the container. The drainage gutters may be U-shaped, or some other shape that allows for collection of liquid. The drainage gutters may direct liquid to a sump, for example located at a back (or a front) of the container. In operation, the drainage gutters may be positioned under the connectors of  FIG. 8 . To allow for differing placement of grow walls, the drainage gutters may be positioned anywhere along a width of the container. Similarly, to allow for use of different numbers of grow walls, different numbers of gutters may be used. 
     Presence along a floor of the container may present difficulties, however. Accordingly,  FIG. 10  illustrates a front view of the container for a vertical wall aeroponic growth system of  FIG. 9 , with a modular floor in accordance with aspects of the invention. The modular floor may be placed over the drainage gutters of  FIG. 9 . The modular floors include horizontal panels, for example horizontal panel  1009  extending from a front to a rear of the container  211 . Gaps, for example gaps  1011   a  and  1011   d,  are between adjacent horizontal panels. The gaps may be positioned under grow walls, and over drainage gutters, allowing for drainage of excess fluid from the grow walls. In some embodiments the gaps are dimensioned to receive outlet troughs of bottoms of the grow walls, or connectors such as the connector of  FIG. 8 . In various embodiments panels of different widths may be used, to allow for increased diversity in spacing of grow walls within a container. 
       FIGS. 11A-C  illustrate portions of an installation sequence for the repositionable drainage gutters and modular floor.  FIG. 11A  shows a container without drainage gutters or modular flooring.  FIG. 11B  shows drainage gutters, for example gutter  911   a  positioned from approximately a front to approximately a rear of the container.  FIG. 11C  shows the modular floor panels, for example panel  1009 , placed in the container over the gutters. 
       FIGS. 12A-C  illustrate different configurations of grow walls in a container making use of the repositionable drainage gutters and modular floor, in accordance with aspects of the invention. 
       FIG. 12A  shows two grow panels  1211   a,b,  which generally extend in parallel from approximately a front to approximately a rear of a container. Gaps  1213   a,b  are in a floor  1215 , allowing for drainage of excess water from the grow panels to drainage gutters, for example. Lighting panels  1217   a,b,c  are also arranged in parallel with the grow walls, with one lighting panel  1217   b  between the grow walls, and lighting panels  1217   a,c  at opposing sides of the two grow walls. 
       FIG. 12B  shows the use of three grow panels, for example including grow panel  1221 , arranged as discussed with respect to  FIG. 12A , but with different spacing. Lighting panels, for example lighting panel  1223 , are similarly shown. Also similar to  FIG. 12A , gaps are in the floor under the grow walls. As a further example,  FIG. 12C  shows the use of five grow panels, for example including grow panel  1231 , arranged as discussed with respect to  FIG. 12A , but again with different spacing. Lighting panels, for example lighting panel  1233 , are similarly shown. 
     Although the invention has been discussed with respect to various embodiments, it should be recognized that the invention comprises the novel and non-obvious claims supported by this disclosure.