WO2014063204A1

WO2014063204A1 - A liquid flow deflector assembly for vertical farming installations

Info

Publication number: WO2014063204A1
Application number: PCT/AU2013/001245
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael John Leslie
Original assignee: SMARTGREENS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: SMARTGREENS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2012-10-26
Filing date: 2013-10-25
Publication date: 2014-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 2015-04-26

Abstract

A deflector assembly for obstructing flow of liquid to an adjacent location for a receptacle such as a tray for growing plants in a vertical farming system. The deflector assembly includes a support member and a biasing assembly. A baffle is also provided that Is moveable relative to the support member. The baffle Is responsive to the biasing assembly and the biasing assembly Is responsive to positioning of the tray at the adjacent location, the biasing assembly is arranged to bring the baffle to a position for obstructing the flow of liquid upon removal of the tray from the location so that the liquid, for example plant growth nutrient, is not wasted and does not cause a mess. Placement of the tray at the location adjacent the deflector assembly causes the biasing assembly to be overcome thereby displacing the baffle from the obstructing position to allow passage of the liquid to the tray.

Description

A LIQUID FLOW DEFLECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR VERTICAL FARMING INSTALLATIONS

TECHNICAL FIELD

[01] The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for controlling the application of liquid growth solutions In vertical farming installations.

BACKGROUND

[02] Referring now to Figure 1 , it is possible to intensively cultivate plants in tray assemblies 2 (equivalently referred to as simply "trays" herein) that are stacked on shelves 4 of a rack 6. With reference to Figure 2, each tray 2 includes a top cover 8 formed with a number of recesses 10 for housing a plant. The bottom of each recess 10 is formed with one or more holes 12 so that growth liquid flowing over base 14 of the tray can rise up into the recesses 10 to sustain the plants and facilitate their growth. Furthermore, roots of the plants may also penetrate through the holes 12 into the growth liquid on the base 14 of the tray.

[03] in order for such a system to work it is of course necessary that the growth liquid be periodically circulated through each of the trays. Furthermore, whatever arrangement is used to introduce the growth liquid into the trays, it is important that it does not necessitate an overly time consuming procedure to disconnect the trays from the source of the growth liquid. It is important that a tray can be removed from the source of the growth liquid readily since there are many trays and it would be overly time consuming if any sort of intricate disconnection procedure was Involved. [04] Figure 3 shows one end of the rack of Figure 1 with pillar 5 not shown to reveal that a vertical riser pipe 16 for the growth liquid extends up the side of the rack 6. Lateral outlet nozzles 18 extend from the riser pipe 16 at each shelf level of the tray and through a housing 36 which is attached between the riser and the side of the rack. In operation, a jet 20 of growth liquid passes from the nozzle 18 through the housing 36, through inlet port 22 of the tray and thence into the interior of tray 2 as shown in Figure 3.

[05] The use of nozzle 18 to direct the jet 20 of growth liquid through the Inlet port 22 and into the tray 2 is convenient because it does not require a direct mechanical coupling between the riser 16 and the tray 2. Consequently the tray 2 can be simply lifted from its position without any couplings or connectors between the riser and the tray having to be dissembled, or reestablished when the tray is later placed back in its location on the shelf.

[06] However, it would be impractical to turn off the supply of growth liquid, either to the particular riser involved or to the entire rack system whenever it is desired to remove a tray from the rack. Consequently, the usual procedure is to leave the periodical supply of growth liquid to the riser uninterrupted. Therefore, the jet of growth liquid may continue to spray out from the nozzle during tray removal and after the tray has been removed.

[07] Since removing the tray Is typically a two-handed job, the operator that removes the tray is unable to readily cap the nozzle or otherwise constrain the jet 20 of growth liquid. Furthermore, even if it were possible for the operator to conveniently cap the nozzle, such an operation, performed over and over again, would be time consuming and tedious.

[08] It has been found that the continued jet 20 of growth liquid from the nozzle 18 tends to wet the operator, wet the shelf, cause damage to plants growing in trays below and waste the growth liquid. [09] It Is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that addresses the above described problem.

[10] Any references to methods, apparatus or documents of the prior art are not to be taken as constituting any evidence or admission that they formed, or form part of the common general knowledge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[11] A deflector assembly for obstructing flow of liquid to an adjacent location for a receptacle, said assembly including:

a support member;

a biasing assembly;

a baffle moveable relative to the support member and responsive to the biasing assembly, the biasing assembly being responsive to positioning of the receptacle at the adjacent location and arranged to bring the baffle to a position for obstructing the flow of liquid upon removal of the receptacle from the location;

wherein placement of the receptacle at the location overcomes the biasing assembly thereby displacing the baffle from said obstructing position to allow passage of the liquid to the receptacle.

[12] In a preferred embodiment of the invention the biasing assembly includes a portion shaped for abutment with the receptacle, upon the receptacle being positioned in the adjacent location, to thereby displace the baffle from the obstructing position.

[13] Preferably the deflector assembly further includes a guide to ensure correct placement of the tray in said location.

[14] Preferably the guide comprises an L-shaped member that fastens to the support member. [15] For example, the L-shaped member and the housing may be shaped to snap-lock together.

[16] In a preferred embodiment of the invention the support member comprises a housing that is fastened to an outside of a tray storage assembly, such as a rack of shelves for holdinjg the tray. However, the support member could be formed integrally with the rack in some less preferred embodiments of the invention.

[17] Preferably the baffle is moveable relative to the support member. For example, the baffle may be moveable by virtue of it being pivotally attached to the support member.

[18] Preferably the biasing assembly comprises an arm having a first end connected to the baffle and an opposed second end supporting a weight.

[19] Alternatively, a spring may be provided to provide a biasing force rather than a weight wherein the baffle is responsive to the spring.

[20] According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a vertical farming system including:

a plurality of shelves for supporting plant cultivation trays;

a riser for conveying liquid past ends of the shelves;

a plurality of conduits corresponding to the shelves and extending from the riser; and

corresponding deflector assemblies associated with each of said conduits for obstructing flow of liquid to an adjacent location for a corresponding tray for each conduit;

each deflector assembly including;

a support member;

a biasing assembly; a baffle moveable relative to the support member and responsive to the biasing assembly, the biasing assembly being responsive to positioning of the corresponding tray at the adjacent location and arranged to bring the baffle to a position for obstructing the flow of liquid upon removal of the tray from the location;

wherein placement of the tray at the adjacent location overcomes the biasing assembly thereby displacing the baffle from said obstructing position to allow passage of the liquid to the tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[21] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows: -

[22] Figure 1 depicts a rack containing a plurality of tray assemblies for growing plants.

[23] Figure 2 is a cross section of an end of a receptacle in the form of a tray.

[24] Figure 3 shows the end of the tray of Figure 2 and a housing, nozzle and riser prior to adoption of the invention that will be described herein.

[25] Figure 4 is an exploded view of a liquid delivery arrangement incorporating a deflector assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[26] Figure 5 is a side view of the liquid delivery arrangement of Figure 4 in an assembled state and showing hidden lines.

[27] Figure 6 shows the liquid delivery arrangement wherein the baffle assembly is in a non-obstructing position. [28] Figure 7 shows the liquid delivery arrangement wherein the baffle assembly is in an obstructing position for deflecting a jet from the nozzle.

[2Θ] Figure 8 is a stylized top plan view of a further, though less preferred, spring biased embodiment of the invention in a jet deflecting state.

[30J Figure 9 is a view of the embodiment of Figure 8 in a state wherein a tray has been located adjacent the biasing assembly to thereby bring .the baffle from the deflecting configuration to a non-obstructing position.

[31] Figure 10 is a side, and partially cutaway view of a vertical farm system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[32] Figure 11 is a side detail view of a portion of Figure 10 showing liquid deflector assemblies according to preferred embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[33] Referring now to Figure 4, there is depicted an exploded view of a deflector assembly 43 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a side view of the deflector assembly 43 of Figure 4 in an assembled state and showing hidden lines.

[34] The deflector assembly 43 includes a two part riser bracket 24 comprising a rearward portion 26 and a forward portion 28. A nozzle 18 extends from the forward portion 28 of the riser bracket. Upon mating the forward portion of the riser bracket to the rearward portion, thereby encircling the riser 18, a rearward portion of the nozzle is brought through an outlet hole 30 in the riser 16 to thereby place the nozzle 18 in liquid communication with the riser. An O-ring 32 of elastomeric material is provided to assist in sealing the connection between the rearward end of the nozzle 18 and the riser 16. , 1

[35] In addition to mating with the forward portion 28 of the riser bracket, the rearward portion 26 of the riser bracket 24 also includes downwardly extending tabs 34, each formed with bores therethrough, for attachment to exit gate housing 36. The exit gate housing 36 is formed with rearward mounting surfaces 36 that each communicate with threaded screw receptacles 40 and which are sized to abut the tabs 34 of the rearward portion 26 of the riser bracket. Accordingly, the exit gate housing is fastened to the tabs of rearward portion of the riser bracket by means of screws 42. The forward side of the exit gate housing is formed with an opening 44 across which a baffle assembly 46 Is pivotally mounted.

[36] The baffle assembly 46 includes a curved baffle 48 that extends laterally and ends in opposed sidewalls 50. Pivot pins 52 extend outwardly from each of the opposed sidewalls and are received in complementary recesses 54 formed into internal sidewalls of the housing. Accordingly, the baffle assembly is able to pivot within the housing as will be explained further shortly.

[37] A biasing assembly 55 is provided comprising an arm 58 that extends outwardly and upwardly from an outer surface of the baffle assembly 46 and a weight 60 located at the end of the arm.

[38] A guide in the form of a tray alignment ledge 62 is provided which has an "L" shaped profile and which snap locks into engagement with the opening 44 of the housing 36. Referring now to Figure 6, the tray alignment ledge 62 defines an adjacent tray placement position for an end of tray 2 relative to the housing 36. Upon installing the tray 2 in its adjacent location, i.e. the location for a receptacle, a leading edge 64 of the tray abuts the side 59 of arm 58 of the biasing assembly and displaces it, thereby overcoming the biasing force of the weight 60. Consequently weight 60, arm 58 and baffle 48 are pivoted (clockwise with respect to Figure 6) about the pivot pins 52 (which are visible in Figure 5). This pivoting action causes the baffle 48 to be brought to a non- obstructing position, as shown in Figure 6, whereby the jet 20 from nozzle 18 is able to pass through the inlet port 22 and into the tray 2.

[39] Referring now to Figure 7, upon the tray 2 being removed from the tray location it no longer abuts the arm 58. Consequently, the biasing force due to the weight Θ0 is no longer overcome and so the weight 60, arm 58 and baffle 48 pivot (counterclockwise with respect to Figure 7) down to a position wherein the baffle 48 obstructs the jet 20 as shown. In doing so the baffle prevents the jet 20 from spraying over an operator and wetting the shelf where the tray had been located.

[40] It will be realized that variations and further embodiments of the invention are possible. For example, in the embodiment of the invention that has been described the biasing assembly has used a weight to provide a biasing force. However, it will be realized that other arrangements are possible, for example, a spring bias might be used Instead of the weight in other arrangements.

[41] Figures 8 and 9 are top plan views of a further, though less preferred, deflector assembly 81 according to a further embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment a coil spring 66 is employed as a biasing mechanism and the axis of the pivots 68 is vertical (i.e. out of the page of Figures 8 and 9) instead of horizontal. The coil spring 66 is disposed about the axis of the pivots 68 and has a first arm 70 which is fast with the biasing member 72 and a second arm 74 which is fast with the housing 76. In the coil resting configuration shown in Figure 8 the baffle 78, which extends from the biasing arm 72 obstructs the jet. Referring now to Figure 9, upon a tray being brought into its predetermined location a portion 82 of the tray abuts the biasing arm 72 and proceeds to overcome the biasing force of the spring 66. Consequently the baffle 72 is pivoted clockwise as shown in Figure 9 and no longer obstructs the jet 80. [42] Further embodiments are also possible, for example in another embodiment the baffle may be arranged to slide from the obstructing position to the non-obstructing position in response to placement of the tray in the predetermined location's] Referring now to Figure 10, there is depicted a vertical farming system 84 according to a preferred embodiment of a further aspect of the present invention. The system 84 includes a plurality of shelves 4a to 4n for supporting plant cultivation trays 2a to 2n. A riser 16 is provided for conveying liquid nutrient past the ends of the shelves. A plurality of conduits in the form of nozzles 18a to 18n, corresponding to the shelves 4a to 4n, extend from the riser 16. Corresponding deflector assemblies 43a to 43n are provided, each associated with one of the conduits. The riser 16, nozzles 8a to 18n and deflector assemblies 18a to 18n are shown in more detail in Figure 11.

[44] The deflector assemblies are provided for obstructing flow of liquid to an adjacent location for a corresponding tray for each conduit. For example, the adjacent location may be the topside of each of the trays 4a to 4n adjacent to the deflector assemblies 43a to 43n, which location supports the ends of the trays as shown in Figure 10.

[45] Each deflector assembly 43a to 43n is of the type described with reference to Figures 4 to 7. in an alternative embodiment the deflector assemblies might instead be of the type described with reference to Figures 6 and 9, for example.

[46] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. The term "comprises" and its variations, such as "comprising" and "comprised of is used throughout in an inclusive sense and not to the exclusion of any additional features. [47] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.

[48] The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications Within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

[49] Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms.

[50] Any embodiment of the invention is meant to be illustrative only and is not meant to be limiting to the invention.

[51] Therefore, it should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[52] Throughout the description and claims of this specification the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be Understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.

[53] Features, integers or characteristics described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A deflector assembly for obstructing flow of liquid to an adjacent location for a receptacle, said assembly including:

a support member;

a biasing assembly;

2. An assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing assembly includes a portion shaped for abutment with the receptacle, upon the receptacle being positioned in the adjacent location.

3. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein the deflector assembly further includes a guide to ensure correct placement of the tray in said location.

4. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein the guide comprises an L- shaped member that fastens to the support member.

5. An assembly according to clami 4, wherein the L-shaped member and the housing are respectively shaped to snap-lock together.

6. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support member comprises a housing that is fastened to an outside of a tray storage assembly.

7. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the baffle is pivotally attached to the support member.

8. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the biasing assembly comprises an arm having a first end connected to the baffle and an opposed second end supporting a weight.

9. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein biasing assembly includes a spring.

10. According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a vertical farming system including:

a plurality of shelves for supporting plant cultivation trays;

a riser for conveying liquid past ends of the shelves;

each deflector assembly including:

a support member;

a biasing assembly;

a baffle moveable relative to the support member and responsive to the biasing assembly, the biasing assembly being responsive to positioning of the corresponding tray at the adjacent location and arranged to bring the baffle to a position for obstructing the flow of liquid upon removal of the tray from the location;