Automated hydroponic greenhouse factory

Abstract

Plants are grown by using a nutrient film over a trough of nutrient solution. The film is opaque and includes apertures for holding plants. The film is rolled out for growing the pants and rolled up for plant harvesting.

1 . A system for growing a plurality of plants, comprising:
 (a) a plurality of substantially parallel troughs for supporting a nutrient solution;   (b) an opaque flexible sheet having a plurality of apertures therein for supporting the plants; and   (c) a roller for reversibly unrolling said flexible sheet parallel to said troughs and positioned relative to said troughs so that when said flexible sheet is unrolled said flexible sheet substantially covers at least a portion of said plurality of troughs, with each said aperture above a respective said trough and sufficiently close to said trough that roots of a plant that is supported by said each aperture are at least partly immersed in said nutrient solution.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of troughs are corrugations of a substantially rigid sheet. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein said substantially rigid sheet is a polymer-coated metal sheet 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , additionally comprising:
 (d) a mechanical harvester, adapted to be positioned adjacent to said roller, for harvesting the plants that are supported by said apertures as said flexible sheet is rolled onto said roller.   
     
     
         5 . A system for growing a plurality of plants, comprising:
 at least one trough for supporting a nutrient solution, the at least one trough including a plurality of channels for supporting the nutrient solution; and,   for each at least one trough: a) an opaque flexible sheet having a plurality of apertures therein for supporting the plants; and, a roller for reversibly unrolling the opaque flexible sheet parallel to the at least one trough and positioned relative to the at least one trough so that when the opaque flexible sheet is unrolled the opaque flexible sheet substantially covers at least a portion of the at least one trough, with each of the apertures above the at least one trough and sufficiently close to the at least one trough, such that roots of the plants extend through each of the apertures to be at least partly immersed in the nutrient solution.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one trough includes a corrugated sheet including a plurality of corrugations which define the plurality of channels of the at least one trough. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the corrugations are of a depth to enable temperature regulation and stability of the nutrient solution. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the depth is approximately 4 cm to approximately 20 cm. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the depth is approximately 5 cm to approximately 6 cm. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one trough is inclined. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one trough is inclined at approximately 3 to approximately 5 degrees with respect to the horizontal. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one trough includes a plurality of troughs. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the plurality of troughs are arranged substantially parallel to each other. 
     
     
         14 . A method of growing a plurality of plants, comprising the steps of:
 (a) placing a nutrient solution in a plurality of substantially parallel troughs;   (b) spreading a flexible opaque sheet, that includes a plurality of apertures for supporting the plants, above at least a portion of said troughs so that each said aperture is above a respective said trough; and   (c) inserting each of the plants in a respective one of said apertures so that said one plant is supported by said respective aperture with roots of said one plant at least partly immersed in said nutrient solution.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , additionally comprising the step of:
 (d) withdrawing said sheet from above said troughs in a direction substantially parallel to said troughs while withdrawing at least a portion of each plant from said respective aperture thereof when said each plant reaches an end of said trough wherein said roots of said plant have been at least partly immersed in said nutrient solution.