Patent Publication Number: US-2022225586-A1

Title: Plant growing system using water extracted from air

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to a plant growing system using water extracted from air and, more particularly, a plant growing system using water extracted from air, the system obtaining water necessary for plant growth from the air and sprays a solution, in which nutrients are dissolved in collected water, in the form of mist, so that water, air, and nutrients are supplied to plant roots. 
     Related Art 
     Water, which is an essential element for not only plant growth but also survival, plays a pivotal role in plant metabolism such as photosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation, transpiration, and absorption of inorganic nutrients from plant roots. Water forms the molecular structure of numerous cell components such as carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins. Also, as a solvent, water dissolves metabolites in cells and ionizes the metabolites to facilitate transport of the metabolites. Water is absorbed through the epidermal cells of root hairs of a plant, and when water is insufficient, the plant withers and it is hard for the plant to survive. In addition, there are 16 essential elements for plant growth, and there are 9 macro elements and 7 micro elements. Among the elements, carbon C, hydrogen H, and oxygen O may be obtained from water and air, and other elements are nutrients obtained from the soil. Elements lacking depending on an environment are provided with fertilizers, etc. 
     In order to supply water which is an essential element for plant growth, as described above, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2012-0003207 discloses a flowerpot automatic water supply system, and the system includes: a pail  11  for storing water in a water supply body  10 ; a water feed pump  12  supplying water stored in the pail  11 ; a power supply device  13  operating the water feed pump  12 ; and an automatic controller  14  receiving power from the power supply device  13  to control the operation of the water feed pump  12 . The water supply pump  12  is connected to a flower pot  100  through a supply line  20  in which a supply pipe  12   a  is composed of a hose  21  and a nozzle  22 , so that the water supply pump is operated according to a time, which is set in the automatic controller  14 , to automatically supply a predetermined amount of water. 
     However, in the aforementioned related art, it is necessary to constantly supply water to the pail in order to supply water to the flowerpot, and for this purpose, additional equipment such as the water feed pump is required. In addition, since a water source that can supply water must exist, there may be spatial restrictions on an installation place. 
     RELATED ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document 
     Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2012-0003207 (Jan. 10, 2012) 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides a plant growing system using water extracted from water, the system which enables obtaining of water without any restriction on place and space, and which allows water, which is is essential for plant growth, to be obtained from air even in an extreme environment and provided with nutrients so that a plant can grow even in a place where watering is difficult. 
     In an aspect, there is provided a plant growing system using water extracted from air, the system which has a Peltier element connected to a power supply and includes a heat dissipating member and a cooling member to collect condensate by condensing moisture in the air. The plant growing system includes: a mixing part having a storage tank and a nutrient supply tank, the storage tank into which condensate obtained from the air is introduced and stored, and the nutrient supply tank which is connected to the storage tank so that a predetermined amount of nutrients is supplied through a nutrient control valve; an atomizer having one side connected to a compressor whose opening and closing is controlled by an injection valve, the atomizer being connected to the mixing part via a pipe so that a solution flows and is then stored in the atomizer, and the atomizer comprising a mist cannon comprising a plurality of micro holes at an end to spray the solution; and a growth part  30  having one side which is penetrated by the plurality of micro holes, and provided with a growing bag in which a plurality of plants are arranged and fixed with roots, which are under stems, facing inward. 
     As described above, it is not necessary to secure a water source and a complicated irrigation facility using the water source, and it is possible to grow plants without an administrators physical labor for watering. In addition, efficient plant cultivation is possible by dissolving nutrients in water, spraying the nutrients in the form of mist, and supplying the nutrients to plant roots. A space where plants are placed, fixed, and grown is configured in a modular form like a seedling tray plate, so replacement and changing of a configuration are easy and free, thereby maximizing convenience. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1 to 2  are configuration diagrams each illustrating a plant growing system using water extracted from air according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed configuration diagram of a growing bag provided in a plant growing system using water extracted from air according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 to 3  are configuration diagrams and a detailed configuration diagram of a plant growing system using water extracted from air according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A detailed configuration of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     The present disclosure provides a plant growing system using water extracted from air, the system which has a Peltier element connected to a power supply and having a heat dissipating member and a cooling member to collect condensate W by condensing moisture in the air. The plant growing system includes: a mixing part  10  having a storage tank  11  and a nutrient supply tank  13 , the storage tank  11  into which condensate W obtained from the air is introduced and stored, and the nutrient supply tank  13  which is connected to the storage tank  11  so that a predetermined amount of nutrients N is supplied through a nutrient control valve  12 ; an atomizer  20  having one side connected to a compressor  22  whose opening and closing is controlled by an injection valve  21 , the atomizer  20  being connected to the mixing part  10  via a pipe so that a solution flows and is then stored in the atomizer  20 , and the atomizer  20  comprising a mist cannon  23  comprising a plurality of micro holes  23   a  at an end to spray the solution; and a growth part having one side which is penetrated by the plurality of micro holes  23   a,  and provided with a growing bag  31  in which a plurality of plants are arranged and fixed with roots, which are under stems, facing inward. As the solution stored in the mist cannon  23  passes through the plurality of micro holes  23   a  due to the compressor  22 , the solution is sprayed as ultra-fine particles of mist, so that absorption of the solution at plant roots may be maximized. Also, an ultrasonic generator may be additionally provided in the mist cannon  23  to enable atomization into ultra-fine particles. 
     The mixing part  10  is configured to be rotatable at a high speed, and an ultrasonic generator  14  is provided below the mixing part  10  so that the nutrients N are crushed into ultra-fine particles and dissolved. A mixed solution control valve  15  is provided at a connection part connected to mist cannon  23  below the ultrasonic generator  14  to control a flow of a mixed solution in which the condensate W and the nutrients N are mixed. By the ultrasonic generator  14 , the nutrients N are formulated in a state in which the nutrients N are optimized for dissolution, and when the solution is sprayed in the form of mist, an absorption rate of the solution at plant roots may be maximized 
     In addition, a flow rate sensor  24  is provided in the mist cannon  23  so that when a preset amount of solution or more is introduced, the mixed solution control valve  15  is closed, the injection valve  21  is opened, and compressed air is injected toward the mist cannon  23 . The injection valve  21  in an opened state allows compressed air to be injected for a predetermined period of time and continues the injection of the air despite exhaustion of the mixed solution to remove fine particles or foreign substances deposited in the plurality of micro holes  23   a.  In doing so, in addition to carbon C, oxygen O, and hydrogen H, which are essential elements for plant growth and can be obtained from air, water, and nutrients, which are other essential elements, may be quickly delivered to a plant to promote growth of the plant. This enables efficient administration by eliminating the labor of an administrator opening and closing the injection valve for water supply. Furthermore, an automatic nozzle cleaning function is provided by injecting only compressed air, which may reduce labor of the administrator. 
     The nutrient control valve  12 , the mixed solution control valve  15 , and the injection valve  21  may be configured to be opened and closed when each specific condition is met. In addition, the opening and closing of the nutrient control valve  12 , the mixed solution control valve  15 , and the injection valve  21  may be controlled remotely through a configuration such as the Internet of Things (IoT) or may be controlled through a central management device. This method may be freely applied according to an installation environment or management, and may enable a combination for the maximum effect. 
     In addition, the mixed solution control valve  15  may count the number of times the mist cannon  23  is filled with the mixed solution. When the reference number of fillings is determined, the mixed solution control valve  15  may maintain a closed state for a predetermined period of time, thereby enabling automatic nozzle cleaning with compressed air injection through the injection valve  21 . 
     The growing bag  31  is made of a waterproofing material and is sealed so that a sprayed solution does not leak to the outside. In doing so, a growing environment is created, in which water and nutrients contained in the water are not leaked to the outside and can be sufficiently absorbed by the roots. In addition, a recirculation atomizer  40  is provided inside at a bottom of the growing bag  31  and includes a water tank  42  and a housing  45 . The water tank  42  is connected to a suction pipe  41  for sucking moisture of a solution, which has been condensed and descended without being absorbed by roots, and the water tank  42  includes an ultrasonic vibrator  43  and a fan  44 . The housing  45  surrounds the water tank  42 , has a hollow inside, and has an upper portion that narrows with an open side. In doing so, it is possible to maximize the efficiency by reusing the mixed solution that is collected at the bottom after the mist containing the nutrients and water sprayed primarily is not absorbed and condensed. In this case, the ultrasonic vibrator  43  makes the mixed solution into fine particles, and the fan  44  generates an internal circulating airflow, so that the mist is sprayed into an upper opening. In addition, a centrifugal atomizer  51  for sucking the solution, which has been condensed and descended without being absorbed by the roots, changing the solution into fine particles, and discharging the fine particles is provided at a bottom of the growing bag  31 , so that water and nutrients are re-sprayed to the plant roots. The centrifugal atomizer  51  sucks the descending solution and sprays the solution with a rotating disk to scatter due to a centrifugal force. In doing so, a reuse rate of the solution is increased by using a spraying method to refine the solution particles by colliding with a fixed object, thereby maximizing the system efficiency. 
     The growing bag  31  is provided with a partition  31   a  inside to divide a space into sections, and a velcro  31   b  is provided at an outer circumference that is formed to be open by the division. A grow plate  32 , in which the plant roots are planted in an inner area and which comprises a velcro  31   b  provided at an inner circumference, is coupled to an outer circumference of the growing bag  31 . 
     As described above, it is not necessary to secure a water source to supply water through a plant growing system using water extracted from air, and there is no need to have a complex irrigation facility using the water source. In addition, it is possible to grow plants without an administrator&#39;s physical labor for watering. In addition, efficient plant cultivation is possible by dissolving nutrients in water, spraying the nutrients in the form of mist, and supplying the nutrients to plant roots. A space where plants are placed, fixed, and grown is configured in a modular form like a seedling tray plate, so replacement and changing of a configuration are easy and free, thereby maximizing convenience. 
     While the present disclosure has been shown and described with respect to particular embodiments and applications, it may be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 [Detailed Description of Main Elements] 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 N: nutrients 
                 W: condensate 
               
               
                   
                 10: mixing part 
                 11: storage tank 
               
               
                   
                 12: nutrient control valve 
                 13: nutrient supply tank 
               
               
                   
                 14: ultrasonic generator 
                 15: mixed solution control valve 
               
               
                   
                 20: atomizer 
                 21: injection valve 
               
               
                   
                 22: compressor 
                 23: mist cannon 
               
               
                   
                 23a: micro hole 
                 24: flow sensor 
               
               
                   
                 30: growth part 
                 31: glowing bag 
               
               
                   
                 31a: partition 
                 31b: velcro 
               
               
                   
                 32: grow plate 
                 40: recirculation atomizer 
               
               
                   
                 41: suction pipe 
                 42: water tank 
               
               
                   
                 43: ultrasonic vibrator 
                 44: fan 
               
               
                   
                 45: housing 
                 51: centrifugal atomizer