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CN-117241665-B - Water planting system and device for irrigation of planted crops

CN117241665BCN 117241665 BCN117241665 BCN 117241665BCN-117241665-B

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for irrigating crop plants by hydroponics, and in particular to hydroponic systems and reusable planting plugs. In a first aspect, a hydroponic system is provided that includes a planting frame having a rotating portion. The rotating portion further includes a helical conduit. The helical duct includes a plurality of holes for receiving a crop. The helical conduit is configured to receive fluid and further comprises an opening for receiving fluid into the helix such that, in use, rotation of the helical conduit causes fluid to be fed around the conduit towards the centre of the helix and through the plurality of apertures for receiving a crop. In a second aspect, a reusable planting plug for a hydroponic system is provided, wherein at least a portion of the planting plug is flexible and the planting plug includes a first surface, a second surface, and at least one aperture extending through the first surface and the second surface for receiving a planting crop. The planting plug also includes a plurality of prongs coupled to the second surface. The planting plug has a first configuration in which the plurality of prongs are brought together and a second configuration in which the plurality of prongs are separated relative to the first configuration.

Inventors

  • Marcus Komasky

Assignees

  • 吉洛浦兰特有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20220411
Priority Date
20210420

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A reusable planting plug for a hydroponic system, wherein at least a portion of the planting plug is flexible, and the planting plug comprises: A first surface; A second surface; at least one aperture for receiving a crop, the aperture extending through the first surface and the second surface, and A plurality of pin portions coupled to the second surface; Wherein the planting plug has a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein, relative to the second configuration, in the first configuration, the plurality of prongs are brought together for grasping the planting crop, and Wherein, relative to the first configuration, in the second configuration, the plurality of prongs are separated for separating roots of the crop.
  2. 2. The reusable planting plug of claim 1, wherein in the first configuration the planting plug is biased to form a dome, and wherein in the second configuration the planting plug is biased to form an inverted dome opposite the first configuration.
  3. 3. The reusable planting plug of claim 1 or 2, wherein the aperture for receiving a planting crop is cross-shaped.
  4. 4. The reusable planting plug of claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of prongs coupled to the second surface comprises at least four flexible prongs.
  5. 5. The reusable planting plug of claim 1 or 2, wherein the planting plug is made of rubber.
  6. 6. The reusable planting plug of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a grip on the first surface that facilitates transition between the first configuration and the second configuration.
  7. 7. The reusable planting plug of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a resilient portion, wherein the resilient portion comprises a flange configured to engage with an edge of a hole in a hydroponic system for receiving a planting crop.
  8. 8. A hydroponic system for irrigating a planted crop, the hydroponic system comprising: A planting frame including a rotating portion; Wherein the rotating portion comprises a plurality of reusable planting plugs according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein each of the plurality of reusable planting plugs is configured to fit within a plurality of holes on the rotating portion for receiving the crop.
  9. 9. A hydroponic system for irrigating a planted crop, the hydroponic system comprising: a plurality of reusable planting plugs according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and A planting frame including a rotating portion; Wherein the rotating portion comprises a helical conduit for receiving a nutrient-rich fluid, the helical conduit comprising a plurality of apertures for receiving the crop; Wherein the helical conduit comprises an opening for receiving the nutrient-rich fluid into a helix such that, in use, rotation of the helical conduit causes the nutrient-rich fluid to be fed around the helical conduit towards the centre of the helical conduit and through the plurality of apertures for receiving the planted crop, and Wherein each of a plurality of reusable planting plugs is configured to fit within the plurality of holes on the helical conduit for receiving the crop.
  10. 10. The hydroponic system of claim 9, wherein the opening for receiving the nutrient-rich fluid comprises a bucket.
  11. 11. The hydroponic system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the plurality of holes for receiving the crop are arranged on a face of the helical duct facing a center of the helical duct.
  12. 12. The hydroponic system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the plurality of apertures for receiving the planted crop are evenly spaced around the spiral.
  13. 13. A hydroponic system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the planting frame further comprises a stationary part for supporting the rotating part.
  14. 14. The hydroponic system of claim 13, wherein the helical conduit is supported above a pool of fluid by the stationary portion of the planting frame, and wherein the opening for receiving the nutrient-rich fluid into the helical conduit is configured to scoop up fluid as the helical conduit rotates.
  15. 15. The hydroponic system of claim 14, wherein a center of the spiral is coupled to a flow path for returning fluid to the fluid pool.
  16. 16. A hydroponic system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the helix is an archimedes helix.
  17. 17. The hydroponic system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the planting frame comprises a plurality of conduits arranged in a plurality of spirals.
  18. 18. The hydroponic system of claim 9, wherein the planting frame comprises a pair of ducts arranged as a pair of spirals, wherein a first spiral duct is offset 180 degrees on an axis of rotation relative to a second spiral duct such that the opening for receiving the nutrient-rich fluid is located on an opposite side of the first spiral duct from the opening for receiving the nutrient-rich fluid of the second spiral duct.
  19. 19. The hydroponic system according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising a strip light source held adjacent to the helical conduit, wherein a length of the strip light source is determined by a diameter of the helix.
  20. 20. The hydroponic system according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising a strip-shaped light source arranged on at least a portion of a face of the helical conduit facing away from the centre of the helix.

Description

Water planting system and device for irrigation of planted crops Technical Field The present application relates to systems, methods and apparatus for irrigating crop plants by hydroponics, and more particularly to a hydroponic system and reusable planting plugs. Background In hydroponic systems, plants are typically grown in water-based, nutrient-rich solutions, without the need for extensive cultivated land and nutrient-rich soil. Hydroponic agriculture is a rapidly developing industry, because hydroponic agriculture has potential to solve the problems of world food shortage, climate change and social change, and gets rid of the traditional agricultural technology based on soil and land. Many hydroponic systems rely on a modular, vertically stacked hydroponic arrangement to increase space utilization and increase the number of agricultural products planted per unit area. However, vertically stacked hydroponic systems can be labor intensive and challenging in inspecting and harvesting the planted crop. Furthermore, hydroponic systems can be expensive due to the complex water pump system. Some rotary hydroponic systems have been developed, such as Rotofarm by Bace company (Bace Inc), and Omega Garden TM. These hydroponic systems rely on a rotating cylindrical drum configuration to create a net zero gravity environment for the crop being planted. This disturbs the geotropism of the planted crop and is believed to result in a faster growth rate. Disclosure of Invention Aspects of the invention are as recited in the independent claims and optional features are as recited in the dependent claims. Aspects of the invention may be combined with each other and features of one aspect may be applied to other aspects. In a first aspect, a hydroponic system for irrigating crops is provided, wherein the system comprises a planting frame, and wherein the planting frame comprises a rotating portion further comprising a helical conduit. The helical duct includes a plurality of holes for receiving a crop. The spiral conduit is configured to receive a fluid, such as a nutrient-rich fluid, and the spiral conduit further includes an opening for receiving the nutrient-rich fluid into the spiral such that, in use, rotation of the spiral conduit causes the nutrient-rich fluid to be fed around the conduit toward the center of the spiral and through the plurality of apertures for receiving the planted crop. In some examples, using a helical conduit to supply fluid such that the fluid flows through a plurality of holes for receiving a crop may eliminate the need for fluid pumping components in a hydroponic system. This may be advantageous because the fluid pumping member may be expensive and energy intensive. In some examples, the shape of the helical conduit and the plurality of holes for receiving the crop may increase the capacity for receiving the crop relative to a cylindrical drum configuration having the same diameter and depth. In some examples, the plurality of holes for receiving the crop are arranged on a face of the conduit facing the center of the spiral such that the crop grows concentrically in toward the center of the spiral. This configuration may subject the crop to a net zero gravity environment during rotation, which may increase the growth rate of the crop. Such a configuration may also reduce the volume of nutrient-rich fluid lost via the plurality of holes due to gravity during use relative to another configuration in which the plurality of holes for receiving a crop are disposed on a face of the conduit facing away from the center of the spiral. Other configurations are also possible, for example wherein the plurality of holes for receiving the crop are arranged on an outwardly facing face of the conduit perpendicular to the center of the spiral. In some examples, the plurality of holes for receiving the planted crop are evenly spaced around the spiral. In some examples, the spacing between the holes may be determined by the crop, e.g., by the type of crop, e.g., by the growth space required for the type of crop. In some examples, the planting frame further includes a stationary portion for supporting the rotating portion. In some examples, the spiral conduit is supported above the fluid pool by the stationary portion of the planting frame. In use, the opening for receiving the nutrient-rich fluid into the screw may be configured to scoop up fluid from the fluid pool as the screw rotates. In some examples, the use of a helical conduit to collect fluid from the fluid pool during rotation may eliminate the need for fluid pumping components in the hydroponic system. This may be advantageous because the fluid pumping member may be expensive and energy intensive. In some examples, the opening for receiving the nutrient-rich fluid includes a bucket. The scoop may increase the volume of nutrient-rich fluid received into the helical duct. The bucket may extend beyond the perimeter of the helical conduit, which may en