US-12622366-B2 - Method and apparatus for high-density indoor farming

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a module and system for indoor farming. In some embodiments, an indoor farming module includes a container compartment divided into a grow zone and a control zone, wherein a grow zone comprises a chassis with a plurality of horizontal and vertical frame members configured to support a plurality of carts each carrying a tray with a plurality of plants and wherein the control zone includes an air blowing unit integrated so as to direct air between a drop ceiling and a structural ceiling of the indoor farming module and an air conditioning unit configured to condition an atmosphere in the grow zone by producing cool dry air that is blown into a plenum space located between the drop ceiling and a structural ceiling.

Inventors

• Tracy Alan CANIPE
• Michael ZELKIND
• Patricia LIVINGSTON

Assignees

• 80 ACRES URBAN AGRICULTURE INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20250422

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An indoor farming module comprising: a compartment comprising a plurality of walls, and a ceiling defining a grow zone; a chassis comprising a plurality of vertical frame members and a plurality of horizontal frame members that form a plurality of tiers, each tier vertically spaced apart from an adjacent tier; a cart guiding system positioned on each tier; a plurality of carts positioned on each tier configured to move via the cart guiding system; at least one tray positioned in each of the plurality of carts, the tray configured to retain a plurality of plants; and a liquid circulation assembly configured to deliver irrigation liquid to the at least one tray in each of the plurality of carts and to receive drainage irrigation liquid from the at least one tray in each of the plurality of carts.
2. 2 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein the liquid circulation assembly comprises a liquid supply conduit, a liquid return conduit, a liquid distribution tube assembly, and a drainage conduit.
3. 3 . The indoor farming module of claim 2 , wherein the liquid supply conduit is coupled to one of the plurality of horizontal frame members forming each tier to deliver the irrigation liquid to the at least one tray.
4. 4 . The indoor farming module of claim 2 , wherein the liquid return conduit is coupled to the liquid distribution tube assembly, the liquid distribution tube assembly movable from an engaged position in which the liquid distribution tube assembly is engaged with a corresponding tray to provide irrigation liquid to the corresponding tray, to a disengaged position in which the liquid distribution assembly is moved away from the corresponding cart to permit movement of the corresponding cart along the pair of guide rails.
5. 5 . The indoor farming module of claim 4 , wherein the liquid distribution assembly is moved from the engaged position to the disengaged position by rotating the liquid return conduit.
6. 6 . The indoor farming module of claim 2 , wherein the liquid distribution assembly comprises a liquid distribution nozzle and an aeration unit.
7. 7 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein at least one horizontal frame member of the plurality of horizontal frame members supports a leaf guard.
8. 8 . The indoor farming module of claim 7 , wherein the leaf guard is vertically positioned above the at least one tray to guide plant material from the plurality of plants into the tray or cart.
9. 9 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tray comprises a drain opening fluidly coupled to a liquid circulation assembly to allow drainage irrigation liquid to be collected.
10. 10 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein the cart guiding system comprises a pair of guide rails positioned on each tier of the chassis.
11. 11 . The indoor farming module of claim 10 , wherein each cart of the plurality of carts comprises a cart coupler positioned on one end of the cart, the cart coupler connecting each cart to an adjacent cart when lowered into position on the pair of guide rails.
12. 12 . The indoor farming module of claim 10 , wherein the pair of guide rails is one of a plurality of pairs of guide rails positioned on each tier to form a plurality of rows of carts on each tier.
13. 13 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein each cart of the plurality of carts is coupled to an adjacent cart on each tier.
14. 14 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein each cart of the plurality of carts is moved along the pair of guide rails from being contacted by an adjacent cart.
15. 15 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein the container compartment forms a rectangular box and the chassis is configured to be loaded with the plurality of carts from one end of the rectangular box.
16. 16 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein each tier of the plurality of tiers is positioned horizontally in the grow zone parallel to an adjacent tier.
17. 17 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , further comprising a tray handling system comprising an attachment configured to releasably connect to each cart of the plurality of carts to load and unload each cart from the chassis.
18. 18 . The indoor farming module of claim 17 , wherein the attachment is configured to connect to a pair of cart couplers positioned on one end of each cart of the plurality of carts.
19. 19 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tray comprises a plurality of trays.
20. 20 . The indoor farming module of claim 1 , wherein each cart of the plurality of carts is pushed through the grow zone by an adjacent cart.

Description

This application claims the benefit of and is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/302,524, filed on Apr. 18, 2023, which is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/870,675, filed on May 8, 2020 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,672,209, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/845,822, filed May 9, 2019. Each of these applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates generally to indoor farming systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for indoor farming using a high-density indoor farming module. BACKGROUND Global food production systems need to address significant challenges in the coming decades. Finding ways to feed a growing global population whilst reducing environmental impact of agricultural activities is of critical importance. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA), which includes greenhouses and indoor farming, offers a realistic alternative to conventional production for some crops. Vertical indoor farming allows for faster, more controlled production, irrespective of season. Further, vertical indoor farming is not vulnerable to other environmental variability such as pests, pollution, heavy metals, and pathogens. Vertical indoor farming can also reduce environmental impact offering no loss of nutrient, reduced land requirement, better control of waste, less production loss, reduced transportation cost, and reduced clean water usage. Therefore, vertical indoor farming can help to address the significant challenges. Current methods and systems for vertical indoor farming, however, are relatively expensive to implement and do not efficiently utilize the available space within a room or container for growing crops. For example, to implement an indoor farming system, an enclosed room or container must be provided and thereafter configured for growing crops or plants in a controllable environment. Environmental parameters such as lighting, temperature, humidity and airflow are controllable within the room or container to achieve the benefits of indoor farming discussed above. Such environmental control, however, requires relatively expensive sensor and control systems. Additionally, shelving and/or racks for holding the plants must be placed within the room or container, and for rooms or containers having a relatively large size, space is allocated within the room or container for allowing human operators to walk inside the enclosed room or container to access each of the shelves and/or racks. Thus, much of the space within the room or container is not allocated for growing plants but instead for allowing human access and movement within the room or container. This is an inefficient utilization of valuable and limited space within an enclosed room or container for growing plants/crops. Therefore, current methods and systems for indoor farming are not satisfactory. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Aspects of the invention are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is noted that various features are not necessarily drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions and geometries of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of illustration. FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a standard shipping container that can be used to provide an indoor farming container or module 100, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary perspective view of an indoor farming module 100 open at one end to reveal a plurality of vertical layers of plant trays, each vertical layer having a plurality of rows of plant trays and extending across an entire interior width of the module 100, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary side view of an indoor farming module 100 with an air circulation system, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate patterns of air circulation provided by an air circulation system in an indoor farming module 100, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate exemplary side views and a top view of an indoor farming module 100 with a water circulation system and a lighting system, in accordance with some embodiments of invention. FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate zoomed-in front view and perspective view of an exemplary horizontal frame assembly 500 of the chassis 104 of an indoor farming module 100, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. 100. FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate a stepper motor assembly 600, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate a tray drain insert, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. FIGS. 8A-8E illustrate an exemplary cart design in an indoor farming module 100, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. FIG. 9A illustrate