Automatic food plant production
AssigneesJoseph W. Campbell, Ralph Siebert, Harry R. Highkin
InventorsJoseph W. Campbell, Ralph Siebert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are apparatus and method for establishing and maintaining a controlled environment for the growth of food yielding plants. The apparatus includes an enclosure having a plurality of artificial light sources positioned over a growing region. Planting areas constitute suitable trays which are mounted for automatic or controlled movement past the light sources and to a work area where all planting, cultivating, crop management and harvesting is accomplished. The necessity of labor expense is thereby reduced. Photo periodism or the enhanced growth rate of plants with light cycling is easily optimized by controlling the speed of movement of the plants. Size and position of the lamps also is varied to optimize growth. Growth enhancement through plant movement is attained.
Claims2
An environmentally controlled growing chamber comprising;
- a substantially closed elongated chamber;
- means for supplying selected gaseous atmosphere to the chamber to support growth of the plants therein;
- lamp means positioned to radiate over a longitudinally extending region within said chamber;
- a plurality of plant holding means;
- means for transporting said plant holding means through said longitudinally extending region to expose plants therein to illumination through said lamp means;
- said transport means including continuous conveying means including end sprockets journaled about generally horizontal axes for reversing the direction of the plant carrying means to transport the plant carrying means through said illuminated longitudinally extending region and retrace through a region of lesser illumination;
- said chamber including a work station located adjacent to one of said end sprockets from which all manual plant tending may be performed on plants in said plant carrying means as the plants move around said end sprocket between said regions;
- whereby a worker at said work station has access to all plants in the said plant carrying means during each cycle of movement of said transport means and successive access to and ready view of the top of the foliage of the plant, the sides thereof, and the stem portion and planting soil as plants transverse the end sprocket region without the need of stooping.
An environmental controlled growing chamber comprising:
- a substantially closed chamber;
- means for supplying gaseous atmosphere to said chamber to support growth of plants therein;
- lamp means positioned to radiate over a longitudinally extending region within said chamber;
- a plurality of plant holding means;
- transport means for cyclically passing said plant holding means through said region exposed to radiation from said lamp means;
- wherein said lamp means comprises at least two banks of lamps;
- said banks of lamps displaced longitudinally with respect to the path of cyclical passing of the plant holding means;
- each of said bank of lamps includes a plurality of lamps so positioned and oriented that the light level at the plant holding means varies between a maximum and minimum level during a single passage beneath each bank of lamps whereby photo periodicity is achieved;
- and
- wherein each of said banks of lamps are concentrated in one region and there is a region without illumination source between the first bank of lamps and the second of at least two banks of lamps;
- including light blocking means on one side of each bank of lamps to reduce radiation toward said plant transporting means in one direction;
- each of said banks of lamps including lamp support means mounting a plurality of said lamps closely spaced on an inclined surface plane with respect to the direction of the movement of the plant holding means;
- whereby the variation between maximum and minimum light level during a single passage beneath a bank of lights is achieved.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.