Patent Application
20190141910
The present invention relates to an architecture for vertical farming, and more particularly, to a structure for capturing the maximum amount of natural light in the vertical farm growing areas.
Vertical farming is the process of growing crops in a vertically stacked manner integrated into other structures such as in buildings, warehouses and the like. The conventional methods of performing vertical farming uses indoor farming techniques and other agricultural technologies that help in controlling all the environmental factors such as light, temperature, fertilizers, gases, soil amendments, water solubility, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc.
One of the important factors toward growth of plants is photosynthesis process. The conventional way of vertical farming utilizes light emitting diodes and other power sources for generating light for the photosynthesis process. For instance, in some arrangement, various columns of LED lights are provided above each layer of the crop, so that they can convert light of certain wavelengths or light energy from the LED lights into chemical energy, and store it for future use.
Often, the conventional vertical farming also utilizes natural lights for growing the crops. However, in some areas, the sunlight does not penetrate very far into interiors of the growing crops because of its climate. In the end, this approach also requires the addition of artificially powered light sources driven by any external power source to grow the crops. Because of the less penetration of natural light to the furthest corners of the growing area, the amount of electrical energy required to power the LED lights to grow the crops is increased. This results in increasing the cost of operation as well as the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from the electricity generating plants that supply the power.
Therefore, there is a need for an inventive approach that can overcome the limitations associated with conventional vertical farming. In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides an architecture where various reflective surfaces are placed to capture the maximum amount of natural light at the growing areas.
The present invention provides an architecture that addresses the deficiencies of the conventional solutions. The present invention presents an architectural structure for housing the vertical farming growing equipment to capture the maximum amount of natural light at the growing areas. This invention also presents a novel approach for the placement of the reflective surfaces to direct the available natural light to the furthest reach of the growing area.
The present invention also discloses a spiral arrangement of growing panels that maximizes gathering of the most beneficial natural light.
In an aspect of the present invention, an architecture for vertical farming system is provided. The architecture for vertical farming system comprises: a polygonal central core structure; a polygonal exterior structure surrounding the polygonal central core structure to create a plurality of segments around central core structure; one or more horizontal surfaces positioned at each segment, such that said one or more horizontal surface at each segment is higher than the horizontal surface at preceding segment by a predefined height; and a plurality of reflective surfaces positioned between the central core structure and the polygonal exterior structure for reflecting the light internally in the architecture. The polygonal central core structure is clad with reflective material at places to reflect the light. The plurality of reflective surfaces are made of metal or plastic or glass or the like and have a silver or matte black coating at the exterior side of the layer.
The polygonal exterior structure is made of a plurality of glass panes which consist of: a first layer which is outside the pane to the exterior, a second layer which is inside to the pane to the exterior, a third layer which is outside to the pane closest to the interior and the fourth layer which is inside of the pane closest to the interior of the architecture. The second layer is coated with a film to pass beneficial part of spectrum of the sunlight to one or more growing areas and to block an undesirable spectrum of the sunlight. The third layer is coated with a coating to allow desirable sunlight to pass through from the exterior and to reflect light received from the second layer back into the interior of the architecture. The plurality of reflective surfaces are positioned to trap and direct the maximum of the sunlight to one or more growing areas of the architecture. The plurality of horizontal surfaces are used for placing a plurality of growing panels. The plurality of growing panels create a spiral structure to maximize the accumulation of the sunlight to grow crops in the vertical farming. The polygonal structure is an octagonal structure. The lowest horizontal surface of the plurality of horizontal surfaces faces the east direction. A screen is provided at the west side of the architecture to block harmful sun rays. The polygonal central core structure comprises one or more access means to the system.
The preferred embodiment of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, wherein like designation denotes like element and in which:
In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. However, it will be obvious to a person skilled in art that the embodiments of the invention may be practiced with or without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures and components have not been described in details so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments of the invention.
Furthermore, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an architectural structure for housing a vertical farming growing equipment is provided to capture the maximum amount of natural light at growing panels or areas. By capturing the maximum amount of natural light, the amount of electrical energy required to power LED lights to grow the crops in the conventional vertical farming method is reduced, which results in savings in cost of operation. Additionally, the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from the electricity generating plants that supply the power is also reduced.
The architectural structure comprises a polygonal central core structure; a polygonal exterior structure surrounding the core structure; a plurality of horizontal surfaces for mounting one or more growing panels arranged in equal segments around the central core structure. Each horizontal surface in a segment is at a predefined height than the preceding segment, going in a clockwise direction when viewed from above. The arrangement creates a spiral arrangement of the growing panels where the vertical separation between growing panels in the same vertical line is at a predetermined distance. The spiral arrangement of the growing panels maximizes the accumulation of the most beneficial natural light to grow crops in the vertical farming. In a preferred embodiment, the central core and exterior structure are preferably in octagonal configuration.
The diameter of the polygonal exterior structure 104 and the polygonal central core structure 102 depends on the growing area required for the plantation. The architecture 100 is supported on a suitable foundation which can be made from number of materials such as stones, bricks, blocks, or treated wood by using reinforced concrete.
The polygonal exterior structure 104 is designed by placing a specially designed glass pane (not shown in
The surface of the central core is a solid surface on which special reflective patterns can be clad for efficient internal reflection in such a manner that the farthest reach of the vertical house also gets the light from external source. The reflective surface at the core can be either metal or plastic with a reflective back surface. The space inside the core can be used for providing one or more access means such as elevators, fire stairs, vertical shafts for plumbing, electrical and climate control risers and work space to prepare produce for transport to the loading dock.
Inside the tower between the polygonal exterior structure 104 and the polygonal central core structure 102, a plurality of reflectors are placed to provide internal reflection so that the light reaches to the area where direct sunlight is not falling. The plurality of reflectors include a primary reflector and one or more secondary reflectors.
In order to correctly design the reflective surface at the central core surface and the plurality of reflectors, a ray trace light analysis is performed in a computer for models such as a building, a tower and the like, where the vertical farming is to be implemented. The ray trace analysis helps in adjusting the model for the optimal configuration at a particular latitude. Once the first case is optimized, then the same process is repeated for every three or four degrees of latitude from the equator to northern region such as Canada. Certainly, the configuration of the reflective surfaces will change from the equator to other region, such as Alberta. The accuracy is dependent on the accuracy of the computer aided design program that is used. There are light analyses programs that lighting designers use to determine the lumen intensity of light from all sources at a three dimensional grid of points throughout the space.
The optimized angles and dimensions for the corresponding model, as resulting from the ray trace analysis, are then used for placing the plurality of reflective surfaces to perform the vertical farming. The architecture shown in the present invention is designed to provide maximum sunlight to the crops.
Between the polygonal exterior structure 104 and the polygonal central core structure 102 the plurality of horizontal surfaces 106 are provided upon which the growing pane can be mounted. Starting from the east segment of the octagonal building, horizontal surfaces are provided at each segment such that each segment is higher than the preceding segment oriented in clockwise manner. The plurality of growing panels are mounted on the plurality of horizontal surfaces 106 which can be benches or any base that provide support to the plurality of growing panels. The size and configuration of the growing trays or panels that are used to grow the plants/crops vary depending on the system which is chosen to grow the crops. Alleyway is provided between the growing panels for movement of the user. The plurality of horizontal surfaces 106 are associated with one or more air handling unit that includes a fan, an air intake unit and an air outlet unit. The architecture provides the provision for distribution of water system in the growing panel.
The growing panels are also provided with lighting system for artificial lighting. The lighting fixtures include one or more reflectors and bulbs controlled by a ballast unit. One or more control units are provided to control the lighting system. The control unit, the electrical connections and the necessary control elements are provided in plurality of cabinets.
In an aspect of the present invention, the architecture 100 is in octagonal shape, where the plurality of horizontal surfaces 106 are placed at each segment of the octagonal structure such that each horizontal surface is higher than the preceding horizontal surface, arranged in a clockwise direction. The difference between the heights of two adjacent horizontal surfaces is uniform throughout the architecture, which can be between 3 feet to 6 feet. In the preferable example, each segment in the octagonal structure is 4′-8″ higher than the preceding segment, going in a clockwise direction, as shown in
The number of horizontal surfaces used in the architecture depends upon the height of the architecture. The dimension of the plurality of growing panels depends on the diameter of the architecture 100. If the diameter of the architecture 100 is 200 feet where 80 feet is devoted to polygonal central core structure 102, then this leaves one half of the remaining 120 feet, or 60 feet from the polygonal central core structure 102 to the polygonal exterior structure 104 at the centerline. The width of the plurality of growing panels at the polygonal exterior structure 104 is pi*d divided by eight (3.14*200/8) or 78.5 feet. Similarly, the width of the plurality of growing panels at the polygonal central core structure 102 is pi*d divided by eight (3.14*80/8) or 31.41 feet.
The plurality of growing panels can be separated by horizontal strips. The plurality of growing panels are rectangular and span between the posts and are formed of a required height so that a specified number of the growing panels form a height of the wall up to the roof structure. The plurality of growing panels can be transparent to further allow passage of natural light into the growing area or greenhouse for providing energy to the plants/crops.
In
The present invention uses a plurality of reflective surfaces to distribute light in the interior of the architecture 100. The plurality of reflective surfaces are shown by using a solid-curved line. The plurality of reflective surfaces are placed strategically to reflect the sunlight to farthest reach. The scattered sunlight is shown by using a dashed-arrow line.
The plurality of reflective surfaces are slanted back at different angles for different seasons. For e.g. the angle can be of 90 degrees in case of spring and fall seasons for the latitude of the architecture 100. This helps in reducing the cost of the operation. In a sophisticated version, the plurality of reflective surfaces for each segment of the architecture 100 would slant at 90 degrees to the average surface normal for the sun at that compass direction. The segment at the mid-point always faces towards south.
The positioning of plurality of reflective surfaces can be arranged according to the climate. For instance, some of the reflective surfaces can be removed in winter setting or an additional reflective surface can be adjusted for summer settings.
The plurality of reflective surfaces can be arranged at various angles according to different weather events and sun's elevation. The octagonal shape of the polygonal central core structure 102 and the polygonal exterior structure 104 helps in directing the light to the corners of the growing areas that are hard to reach in normal configuration. By applying a reflective finish, specifically designed to reflect the light rays at controlled angles, in combination with the interior reflectors, incoming light can be scattered to all parts of the growing area.
In an embodiment, the architecture 100 may also include a lighting system for each growing panel, wherein the lighting system has a controlling unit and a plurality of electrical connection. Such lighting system can be used when the sunlight penetration is less in the growing areas.
The position of sun in spring and autumn season is at mid-level, and therefore, the reflector 502 is positioned between the exterior structure and the central core. The reflector 502 helps in internal reflection of light such that the light can reach to growing areas.
In summer season, the sun is at the steepest angle; therefore, reflective surfaces are required to direct the sun's rays to the furthest corners of the growing area. The reflectors 502 and 504 are placed to enable the light to reach furthest area as shown in
Generally, light incident on the reflective surface is partially transmitted, partially reflected, and partially absorbed. As the sun goes higher in the sky, the fraction of light reflected from the reflective surface increases, leaving a reduced fraction of the light to be transmitted through the reflective surfaces. In this way, the specifically designed reflective surface can be used for various positions of sun to capture the full range of daily sun activity.
However, from the same sun orientations i.e. east/west, south-east/south-west and south, the north quadrant fails to receive the sunlight. To direct the sunlight to the north quadrant of the growing area, two sides of the polygonal central core structure 102, facing north-east 902 and north-west 904, clad in a straight reflective surface 900 that are not designed to reflect the sunlight at a specific angle are shown in
Because of the shape of the earth, as one move away from the equator, the angle of incidence of sunlight gats more sharp during all hours of the day. Due to this reason, the calculation for the optimum angle and the placement of the reflective surface, the primary reflective surface and the non-reflective surface cannot be the same for different locations. The present invention hence provides an optimum configuration for the angle of the reflective surface by developing the plurality of reflective surfaces for every three degrees of latitude, starting at three degrees and going to seventy or eighty degrees of latitude. This gives a different configuration for approximately every two hundred miles of northern movement of the location of a vertical farm structure.
Thus, the present invention projects a light dispersion program that develops the optimum configuration for all of the components to maximize the harvesting of natural light for the efficient growing of crops. This will occur in a facility that will become more important as urbanization and land removed from agrarian uses, in conjunction with a burgeoning population, makes the production of food in a vertical structure necessary. The present invention provides an arrangement for growing the crops vertically in a continuous fashion throughout each year while implementing resource conservation as well as protecting the crops from weather-related problems.
Pieces marked with an asterisk may be cast in two equal pieces doubling the number and halving the weight of each piece
See drawings for specific dimensions and weights of each piece and a diagram of the overall structure.
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Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “hereunder,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the word “or” is used in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list.
The above description of illustrated embodiments of the arrangement for vertical farming is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form or structures disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the arrangement for vertical farm are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the described embodiments, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.
While certain aspects of the arrangement for vertical farming, according to an embodiment are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventor contemplates the various aspects of the methodology in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the described systems and methods.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/378,927 filed Dec. 14, 2016, now pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/267,192 filed Dec. 14, 2015; the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62267192 | Dec 2015 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15378927 | Dec 2016 | US |
| Child | 15893241 | US |
