Plant husbandry – Water culture – apparatus or method – Cultivating chamber
Patent
1998-07-10
1999-09-28
Carone, Michael J.
Plant husbandry
Water culture, apparatus or method
Cultivating chamber
47 101R, 47 62R, A01G 3100
Patent
active
059568976
ABSTRACT:
An automatic plant growing and harvesting system 10 which can be used in either zero gravity or full Earth gravity conditions for controlled growth of plants 14, The system 10 includes an enclosure 12 which is adapted to allow at least one plant 14 to grow within, where the plants 14 each generally have a stem 56, foliage 52 and a root portion 58. The system 10 includes an illumination system 27, a material supply system 60 having a nutrient supply 72 and a water supply 70. The system 10 also includes a root chamber 50, a retractor assembly 46 for controllably retracting a lower portion of the plant stems 56 into the root chamber 50, a harvesting assembly 102 and a controller 100 which directs the actions of the included systems and assemblies. The system 10 is provided with a variable speed fan 26 to aid in produce harvesting and self-pollination, and a gravity compensator 114 for preventing water vapor accumulation in stagnant areas. A self-contained potable water system 91 is included which cooperates with the material supply system 60 as gray water is fed to the roots 58, and transpirated water vapor from the plants' foliage 52 is collected and condensed to produce potable water. The enclosures 12 may be grouped in collective structures 154, which may be illuminated by a collective light source 158.
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Newspaper (Chicago Tribune), unknown author, p. 10, Jan. 1959.
Carone Michael J.
Gellner Jeffrey L.
Guernsey Larry B.
Hughes Michael J.
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