Apparatus, system and methods for improved vertical farming

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to improved vertical farming using autonomous systems and methods for growing edible plants, using improved stacking and shelving units configured to allow for gravity-based irrigation, gravity-based loading and unloading, along with a system for autonomous rotation, incorporating novel plant-growing pallets, while being photographed and recorded by camera systems incorporating three dimensional/multispectral cameras, with the images and data recorded automatically sent to a database for processing and for gauging plant health, pest and/or disease issues, and plant life cycle. The present disclosure is also directed to novel harvesting methods, novel modular lighting, novel light intensity management systems, real time vision analysis that allows for the dynamic adjustment and optimization of the plant growing environment, and a novel rack structure system that allows for simplified building and enlarging of vertical farming rack systems.

1 . A vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process, comprising:
 a shelving system, said shelving system comprising a plurality of shelves, each of said plurality of shelves having a first end and a second end with said first end being located higher than said second end, each of said plurality of shelves configured to accept and secure at least one grow tray, said plurality of shelves comprising a plurality of rollers, said plurality of rollers capable of rotating and configured such that a grow tray placed on said rollers will be transported from said first end to said second end using gravitational force;   a lift, said lift positioned at the said second end of said plurality of shelves, said lift configured to remove said grow tray from a first of said plurality of shelves and moving said grow tray to a second of said plurality of shelves;   said grow tray comprising at least one port, said port located and configured on said grow tray such that when said grow tray fills with water to a port level, the water will cascade out of the grow tray and into an adjacent grow tray, wherein when multiple grow trays are placed adjacent to each other on one of said plurality of shelves, such that each grow tray is higher than the adjacent grow tray, pouring enough water into the highest grow tray will fill all of the grow trays, thereby optimizing a plant growing process.   
     
     
         2 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 1 , further comprising one or more rails and a camera system, said one or more rails located above each of said plurality of shelves, said camera system comprising a camera and a set of wheels, said camera system configured to use said set of wheels to move along said one or more rails above each of said plurality of shelves, said camera system configured to use said camera to take a plurality of pictures of said grow tray on said plurality of shelves. 
     
     
         3 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 2 , wherein said lift is further configured to move said camera system from said first of said plurality of shelves to said second of said plurality of shelves. 
     
     
         4 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 2  wherein said set of wheel comprises four wheels and two of said four wheels are powered. 
     
     
         5 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 2  wherein said camera system is configured to wirelessly transmit said plurality of pictures to a database on said vertical farming system. 
     
     
         6 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 5  wherein said vertical farming system comprises an application programming interface that uses the photographs to optimize said plant growing process. 
     
     
         7 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 6  wherein said vertical farming system comprises a user interface that accesses the application programming interface to optimize said plant growing process. 
     
     
         8 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 7  wherein said user interface can be accessed by third party vendors to determine conditions of a plant in said grow tray. 
     
     
         9 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 8  wherein said third party vendor is the owner of a restaurant. 
     
     
         10 . The vertical farming system for optimizing a plant growing process in  claim 1  wherein said shelving system comprises preformed materials containing hollowed cavities for irrigation of said grow trays, thereby obviating the need for separate conduit.