Control and sensor systems for an environmentally controlled vertical farming system

Abstract

A computer implemented system for a vertical farming system comprising at least a first crop growth module and operating in an environmentally-controlled growing chamber, the control system comprising sensors for measuring environmental growing conditions in the environmentally-controlled growing chamber over time to generate environmental condition data, a device configured for measuring a crop characteristic of a crop grown in the crop growth module of the environmentally-controlled growing chamber to generate crop growth data and a processing device comprising software modules for receiving the environmental condition data and the crop growth data; applying an algorithm to the environmental condition data and the crop growth data to generate an improved environmental growing condition and generating instructions for adjustment of the environmental growing conditions in or around the growth module in the environmentally-controlled growing chamber to the improved environmental growing condition.

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A system for growing plants using conveyed vertical towers, the system comprising:
 a growing chamber;   one or more vertical towers, wherein a first sensor unit is coupled with a first vertical tower of the one or more vertical towers, the first sensor unit comprises a first sensor and a transmitter, and the first vertical tower comprises one or more plants;   a conveyance system, wherein the conveyance system is operable to convey the one or more vertical towers from a starting point location to a finishing point location along a circuit within the growing chamber;   a processor;   a receiver operably coupled to the processor; and   a memory operably coupled to the processor storing instructions thereon, that when executed by the processor, cause the system to:   receive, via the receiver, first sensor information from the transmitter, wherein the first sensor information relates to first data captured by the first sensor, and the first vertical tower is at a first location on the circuit when the first sensor information is transmitted by the transmitter;   provide first control information to adjust at least one environmental parameter in the growing chamber, wherein the first control information is based at least in part upon the first sensor information;   provide second control information to cause the conveyance system to move the one or more vertical towers along the circuit, wherein the first vertical tower moves from the first location to a second location on the circuit based at least in part upon the second control information;   receive, via the receiver, second sensor information from the transmitter, wherein the second sensor information relates to second data captured by the first sensor, and the first vertical tower is at the second location when the second sensor information is transmitted by the transmitter; and   provide third control information to adjust the at least one environmental parameter in the growing chamber, wherein the third control information is based at least in part upon the second sensor information.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein a first plant of the one or more plants grows from a first growth stage at the starting point location to a second growth stage at the finishing point location, wherein the second growth stage is more mature than the first growth stage. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:
 store the first sensor information and the second sensor information associated with the first plant.   
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the first vertical tower is greater than 15 feet, 20 feet, 25 feet, 40 feet, 50 feet, or 60 feet. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the first vertical tower is less than 100 feet. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the first data relates to air temperature, humidity, or air carbon dioxide content, and the first sensor is a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a carbon dioxide sensor, respectively. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the first data relates to plant characteristics of a first plant of the one or more plants, and the first sensor is a digital imaging device. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the environmental parameter relates to temperature, humidity, or carbon dioxide level of air in the growing chamber. 
     
     
         28 . A computer-implemented method for growing plants using conveyed vertical towers in a growing chamber, wherein a first vertical tower comprises one or more plants, a first sensor unit is coupled with the first vertical tower, the first sensor unit comprises a first sensor and a transmitter, the first vertical tower is conveyed from a starting point location to an finishing point location along a circuit within the growing chamber using a conveyance system, the method comprising:
 receiving first sensor information from the transmitter, wherein the first sensor information relates to first data captured by the first sensor, and the first vertical tower is at a first location on the circuit when the first sensor information is transmitted by the transmitter;   providing first control information to adjust at least one environmental parameter in the growing chamber, wherein the first control information is based at least in part upon the first sensor information;   providing second control information to cause the conveyance system to move the first vertical tower along the circuit, wherein the first vertical tower moves from the first location to a second location on the circuit based at least in part upon the second control information;   receiving second sensor information from the transmitter, wherein the second sensor information relates to second data captured by the first sensor, and the first vertical tower is at the second location when the second sensor information is transmitted by the transmitter; and   providing third control information to adjust the at least one environmental parameter in the growing chamber, wherein the third control information is based at least in part upon the second sensor information.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein a first plant of the one or more plants grows from a first growth stage at the starting point location to a second growth stage at the finishing point location, wherein the second growth stage is more mature than the first growth stage. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 storing the first sensor information and the second sensor information associated with the first plant.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the first data relates to air temperature, humidity, or air carbon dioxide content, and the first sensor is a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a carbon dioxide sensor, respectively. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the first data relates to plant characteristics of a first plant of the one or more plants, and the first sensor is a digital imaging device. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the environmental parameter relates to temperature, humidity, or carbon dioxide level of air in the growing chamber. 
     
     
         34 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions for growing plants using conveyed vertical towers in a growing chamber, wherein a first vertical tower comprises one or more plants, a first sensor unit is coupled with the first vertical tower, the first sensor unit comprises a first sensor and a transmitter, the first vertical tower is conveyed from a starting point location to an finishing point location along a circuit within the growing chamber using a conveyance system, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to:
 receive first sensor information from the transmitter, wherein the first sensor information relates to first data captured by the first sensor, and the first vertical tower is at a first location on the circuit when the first sensor information is transmitted by the transmitter;   provide first control information to adjust at least one environmental parameter in the growing chamber, wherein the first control information is based at least in part upon the first sensor information;   provide second control information to cause the conveyance system to move the first vertical tower along the circuit, wherein the first vertical tower moves from the first location to a second location on the circuit based at least in part upon the second control information;   receive second sensor information from the transmitter, wherein the second sensor information relates to second data captured by the first sensor, and the first vertical tower is at the second location when the second sensor information is transmitted by the transmitter; and   provide third control information to adjust the at least one environmental parameter in the growing chamber, wherein the third control information is based at least in part upon the second sensor information.   
     
     
         35 . The computer-readable media of  claim 34 , wherein a first plant of the one or more plants grows from a first growth stage at the starting point location to a second growth stage at the finishing point location, wherein the second growth stage is more mature than the first growth stage. 
     
     
         36 . The computer-readable media of  claim 35 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to:
 store the first sensor information and the second sensor information associated with the first plant.   
     
     
         37 . The computer-readable media of  claim 34 , wherein the first data relates to air temperature, humidity, or air carbon dioxide content, and the first sensor is a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a carbon dioxide sensor, respectively. 
     
     
         38 . The computer-readable media of  claim 34 , wherein the first data relates to plant characteristics of a first plant of the one or more plants, and the first sensor is a digital imaging device. 
     
     
         39 . The computer-readable media of  claim 34 , wherein the environmental parameter relates to temperature, humidity, or carbon dioxide level of air in the growing chamber.