Claims:

1. A rotatable rack system (100), comprising:
a support structure (122, 124) comprising one or more racks (104A-Z) mounted on to one or more corresponding support rods (112A-Z) in the rotatable rack system (100); and
a rearranging apparatus (178) for automatically rearranging a rack (104C) selected from the one or more racks (104A-Z) and positioned at a first position, wherein the rearranging apparatus (178) comprises:
a platform (204) coupled to the support structure (122, 124) in the rotatable rack system (100);
a lifting mechanism (206) coupled to the platform (204) and adapted to vertically move the platform (204) between a raised position (504) and a rest position (212) and vice versa upon actuation; and
one or more latch bars (208A-B, 210A-B) coupled to the platform (204), wherein at least one designated latch bar (208A) selected from the one or more latch bars (208A-B, 210A-B) is adapted to move upwards when the platform (204) is moved to the raised position (504), wherein the upward movement of the designated latch bar (208A) lifts up the selected rack (104C) mounted on to a first support rod (112C), thereby detaching the selected rack (104C) from the first support rod (112C), and
wherein a hook portion (608) of the detached rack (104C) is adapted to be positioned above a second support rod (112H) when the upper platform is placed at a raised position (1002), wherein the hook portion (608) is mounted on to the second support rod (112H) when the platform (204) is moved down from the raised position (1002) to a lowered position (1004), thereby automatically rearranging the selected rack (104C) from the first position to a second position in the rotatable rack system (100).

2. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lifting mechanism (206) comprises:
a first motor (310);
a shaft (312) that is operatively coupled to the first motor (310); and
linkage bodies (302, 304, 306, 308) that are operatively coupled to the first motor (310) and to the shaft (312), wherein the linkage bodies (302, 304, 306, 308) expand and move upward upon an upward movement of the platform (204), wherein the linkage bodies (302, 304, 306, 308) collapse and move downward upon a downwards movement of the platform (204).

3. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the support structure (122, 124) comprises:
a first upright beam (122) and a second upright beam (124);
a first set of wheels (108A-B) coupled to the first upright beam (122) and a second set of wheels (108C-D) coupled to the second upright beam (124);
a first axle (126) that interconnects a wheel (108A) from the first set of wheels (108A-B) with a wheel (108C) from the second set of wheels (10C-D), and a second axle (128) that interconnects a wheel (108B) from the first set of wheels (108A-B) with a wheel (108D) from the second set of wheels (108C-D);
a set of belts comprising at least a first belt (110A) and a second belt (110B) that drive the first and second set of wheels (108A-D) to move synchronously, wherein a corresponding first end (130) of each of the support rods (112A-Z) is coupled to the first belt (110A), and wherein a corresponding second end (132) of each of the support rods (112A-Z) is coupled to the second belt (110B).

4. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 3, comprising:
a second motor (144) that actuates rotational motion of the wheels (108A-D) such that the racks (104A-Z) mounted on to the corresponding support rods (112A-Z) move in a designated rotatory path (138);
an identification unit (176) coupled to the support structure (122, 124), wherein the identification unit (176) comprises one or more of a radio frequency identification reader (RFID) reader, a barcode reader, and a quick response code reader; and
a controller (116) operatively coupled to the second motor (144) and to the identification unit (176) and adapted to perform one or more maintenance activities.

5. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the racks (104A-Z) comprises a corresponding identification tag (172) that uniquely identifies a corresponding rack, and wherein each of the support rods (112A-Z) comprises a corresponding identification tag (174) that uniquely identifies a corresponding support rod, wherein the corresponding identification tag corresponds to one or more of an RFID tag, a barcode, and a quick response code.

6. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the controller (116) is adapted to:
receive signal strength measured by the identification unit (176) by reading an identification tag (172) associated with the selected rack (104C), wherein the signal strength continuously varies when the racks (104A-Z) undergo rotational motion based on a corresponding distance between the identification unit (176) and the identification tag (172);
identify a current distance between the selected rack (104C) and the identification unit (176) based on the measured signal strength;
determine a distance by which the selected rack (104C) needs to be moved from a particular location to be aligned above the designated latch bar (208A);
control the second motor (144) to stop rotational motion of the first and second set of wheels (108A-D) upon positioning the selected rack (104C) above the designated latch bar (208A); and
actuate the first motor (310) to raise the platform (204), wherein the raising of the platform (204) causes the designated latch bar (208A) to actuate a lever (610) to move from a locked condition (602) to an unlocked condition (604) and to lift up the selected rack (104C) from the first support rod (112C), thereby detaching the selected rack (104C) from the first support rod (112C).

7. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller (116) is adapted to:
receive signal strength measured by the identification unit (176) by reading an identification tag (174) associated with the second support rod (112H), wherein the signal strength continuously varies when the racks (104A-Z) undergo rotational motion based on a corresponding distance between the identification unit (176) and the identification tag (174);
identify a current distance between the second support rod (112H) and the identification unit (176) based on the measured signal strength;
determine a distance by which the second support rod (112H) needs to be moved from a particular location to be aligned above the designated latch bar (208A);
control the second motor (144) to stop rotational motion of the first and second set of wheels (108A-D) upon positioning the second support rod (112H) above the designated latch bar (208A);
actuate the first motor (310) to raise the platform (204), wherein the raising of the platform (204) causes the designated latch bar (208A) carrying the detached rack (104C) to move initially from the rest position (212) to the raised position (1002); and
actuate the first motor (310) to lower the platform (204), wherein the lowering of the platform (204) causes the designated latch bar (208A) to move subsequently from the raised position (1002) to the lowered position (1004) to mount the detached rack (104C) on to the second support rod (112H).

8. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the rotatable rack system (100) corresponds to one or more of a vertical gardening system (102), a soak-test enabling system, a cooking system, and an object drying system.

9. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the rotatable rack system (100) corresponds to a vertical gardening system (102), wherein the vertical gardening system comprises an irrigation unit (118) and a sunlight detection unit (139) that are operatively coupled to the controller (116), wherein the controller (116) is adapted to control the irrigation unit (118) to supply a corresponding desired amount of water to crops in each of the racks (104A-Z) and to control the motion of the racks (104A-Z) along the designated rotatory path (138) based on measurements received from the sunlight detection unit (139).

10. The rotatable rack system (100) as claimed in claim 9, comprising a user input device (164, 180) that is communicatively coupled to the controller (116) and is adapted to provide options to select a set of racks (104C, 104H) to be swapped using the rearranging apparatus (178), wherein the user input device comprises one or more of a remote device (164) and a control panel (180) coupled to the rotatable rack system (100).

, Description:

BACKGROUND

[0001] Embodiments of the present specification relate generally to an apparatus for automatically rearranging articles. More particularly, the present specification relates to a rotatable rack system that includes an apparatus for automatically interchanging corresponding positions of racks.
[0002] Rapid industrialization and urbanization has caused substantial drop in availability of farming lands in urban areas for agriculture. As a result, people living in the urban areas majorly depend on food items being transported from rural parts of the country for meeting their food demands. Very often, such food items reach designated destinations for sale after transportation over several kilometers. Additionally, there are certain unsafe preservatives are being added to the food items in order to keep the food items fresh during the transportation process. Hence, consumers end up purchasing and consuming food items that include preservatives and may not even be fresh.
[0003] To overcome such challenges, several new plant growing technologies such as vertical farming have been explored. The vertical farming involves growing plants and vegetables by stacking them vertically in shelves in order to limit the amount of space required for cultivation. A simple vertical farming system includes a supporting frame structure and a plurality of racks that are vertically stacked on the supporting frame structure. Each rack includes a corresponding space for cultivating and growing plants. Maintaining the plants such as irrigating the plants with water, removing plant debris, adding fertilizers, harvesting fruits and vegetables, etc., has to be carried out manually.
[0004] Such maintenance activities can be easily carried out as long as a user can reach a top most rack of the vertical farming system conveniently. However, the user faces difficulties in carrying out the maintenance activities if the height of the vertical farming system is too high. The user, thus, may not be able to access plants that are kept in some of the racks, which are positioned beyond a reachable height of the user.
[0005] Another type of the vertical farming system includes the racks that are placed along a rotating carousel such as a Ferris wheel, which would enable easy access to all of the plants and vegetables. With this type of vertical farming system, the user can easily access plants in all racks irrespective of the height of the vertical farming system for carrying out the maintenance activities. However, each plant has differing sunlight and nutrient requirements during different phases of its growth cycle. Therefore, there may be scenarios in which plants growing on a topmost rack of the vertical farming system may require less sunlight, whereas plants positioned on the bottommost rack may require more sunlight. In such scenarios, the user has to manually exchange corresponding positions of the racks with the existing vertical farming system for optimizing the sunlight exposure of the plants.
[0006] Hence, there is a need for an improved system that provides easy access to all racks in the system and automatically rearranges racks as desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0007] It is an objective of the present disclosure to a rotatable rack system. The rotatable rack system includes a support structure that includes one or more racks mounted on to one or more corresponding support rods in the rotatable rack system, and a rearranging apparatus. The rearranging apparatus automatically rearranges a rack selected from the one or more racks and positioned at a first position. The rearranging apparatus includes a platform, a lifting mechanism, and one or more latch bars.
[0008] The platform is coupled to the support structure in the rotatable rack system. The lifting mechanism coupled to the platform and adapted to vertically move the platform between a raised position and a rest position and vice versa upon actuation. The one or more latch bars coupled to the platform. At least one designated latch bar selected from the one or more latch bars is adapted to move upwards when the platform is moved to the raised position. The upward movement of the designated latch bar lifts up the selected rack mounted on to a first support rod, thereby detaching the selected rack from the first support rod.
[0009] A hook portion of the detached rack is adapted to be positioned above a second support rod when the upper platform is placed at a raised position. The hook portion is mounted on to the second support rod when the platform is moved down from the raised position to a lowered position, thereby automatically rearranging the selected rack from the first position to a second position in the rotatable rack system. The lifting mechanism may include a first motor, a shaft that is operatively coupled to the first motor, and linkage bodies that are operatively coupled to the first motor and to the shaft. The linkage bodies may expand and move upward upon an upward movement the platform moves upwards. The linkage bodies may collapse and move downward upon a downwards movement of the platform.
[0010] The support structure may include a first upright beam, a second upright beam, a first set of wheels coupled to the first upright beam, a second set of wheels coupled to the second upright beam, a first axle, a second axle, and a set of belts. The first axle interconnects a wheel from the first set of wheels with a wheel from the second set of wheels. The second axle interconnects another wheel from the first set of wheels with another wheel from the second set of wheels. The set of belts may include at least a first belt and a second belt that drive the first and second set of wheels to move synchronously. A corresponding first end of each of the support rods may be coupled to the first belt. A corresponding second end of each of the support rods may be coupled to the second belt.
[0011] The rotatable rack system may further include a second motor, an identification unit coupled to the support structure, and a controller. The second motor may actuate rotational motion of the wheels such that the racks mounted on to the corresponding support rods move in a designated rotatory path. The identification unit may include one or more of a radio frequency identification reader (RFID) reader, a barcode reader, and a quick response code reader. The controller operatively coupled to the second motor and to the identification unit and adapted to perform one or more maintenance activities.
[0012] Each of the racks may include a corresponding identification tag that uniquely identifies a corresponding rack. Each of the support rods may include a corresponding identification tag that uniquely identifies a corresponding support rod. The corresponding identification tag corresponds to one or more of an RFID tag, a barcode, and a quick response code. The controller may be adapted to receive signal strength measured by the identification unit by reading an identification tag associated with the selected rack. The signal strength continuously varies when the racks undergo rotational motion based on a corresponding distance between the identification unit and the identification tag.
[0013] The controller may identify a current distance between the selected rack and the identification unit based on the measured signal strength. The controller may determine a distance by which the selected rack needs to be moved from a particular location to be aligned above the designated latch bar. The controller may control the second motor to stop rotational motion of the first and second set of wheels upon positioning the selected rack above the designated latch bar and may actuate the first motor to raise the platform. The raising of the platform causes the designated latch bar to actuate a lever to move from a locked condition to an unlocked condition and to lift up the selected rack from the first support rod, thereby detaching the selected rack from the first support rod.
[0014] The controller may be further adapted to receive signal strength measured by the identification unit by reading an identification tag associated with the second support rod. The signal strength continuously varies when the racks undergo rotational motion based on a corresponding distance between the identification unit and the identification tag. The controller may identify a current distance between the second support rod and the identification unit based on the measured signal strength, and may determine a distance by which the second support rod needs to be moved from a particular location to be aligned above the designated latch bar.
[0015] The controller may control the second motor to stop rotational motion of the first and second set of wheels upon positioning the second support rod above the designated latch bar and actuate the first motor to raise the platform. The raising of the platform may cause the designated latch bar carrying the detached rack to move initially from the rest position to the raised position. The controller may actuate the first motor to lower the platform. The lowering of the platform causes the designated latch bar to move subsequently from the raised position to the lowered position to mount the detached rack on to the second support rod.
[0016] The rotatable rack system may correspond to one or more of a vertical gardening system, a soak-test enabling system, a cooking system, and an object drying system. The vertical gardening system may include an irrigation unit and a sunlight detection unit that are operatively coupled to the controller. The controller may be adapted to control the irrigation unit to supply a corresponding desired amount of water to crops in each of the racks and to control the motion of the racks along the designated rotatory path based on measurements received from the sunlight detection unit. The rotatable rack system may further include a user input device that is communicatively coupled to the controller and is adapted to provide options to select a set of racks to be swapped using the rearranging apparatus. The user input device may include one or more of a remote device and a control panel coupled to the rotatable rack system.

DRAWINGS

[0017] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the claimed subject matter will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary vertical gardening system, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 2 is an partial view of the vertical gardening system of FIG. 1 having a rearranging apparatus, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary lifting mechanism associated with the rearranging apparatus of the vertical gardening system of FIG. 1, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 4 depicts a partial view of the vertical gardening system of FIG. 1 having an exemplary rack positioned above an upper platform of the rearranging apparatus of FIG. 2, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a partial view of the vertical gardening system of FIG. 1 depicting the upper platform of the rearranging apparatus of FIG. 2 placed at a raised position, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 6A depicts a partial view of the exemplary rack of FIG. 4 having a lever placed in a locked condition with respect to a support rod, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 6B depicts a partial view of the exemplary rack of FIG. 4 having the lever placed in a unlocked condition with respect to the support rod, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 7 depicts a right side perspective view of the exemplary rack of FIG. 4 in a detached position with respect to the support rod depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 8 is a partial view of the vertical gardening system of FIG. 1 depicting a first set of latch bars carrying the detached rack of FIG. 7, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 9 is a partial view of the vertical gardening system of FIG. 1 depicting a first set of latch bars carrying the detached rack of FIG. 7 and a second set of latch bars carrying another detached rack, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 10 depicts a partial view of the vertical gardening system of FIG. 1 having a support rod placed above the upper platform of the rearranging apparatus of FIG. 2 for mounting the detached rack of FIG. 7 on to the support rod, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following description presents a rotatable rack system having an automatic rack rearranging apparatus. In certain implementations, the rotatable rack system described herein is similar to carousel wheel based rotating systems. It may be noted that embodiments of the present system may be used, for example in a vertical gardening system, a soak-test enabling system, a cooking system, and a drying system. Although, the present rotatable rack system may be used in several other application areas, for clarity, the present disclosure describes an embodiment of the rotatable rock system in the context of a vertical gardening system.
[0030] Generally, existing vertical gardening systems are only capable of moving the racks in a fixed rotatory path, which may cause certain crops carried by the racks to be over or under-exposed to sunlight, thereby resulting in stunted growth. Unlike such existing systems, embodiments of the present rotatable rack system allow for automatically rearranging positions of racks in addition to moving the racks in a designated rotatory path. The automatic rearranging capability allows swapping individual racks to reposition corresponding crops at suitable locations in order to receive appropriate quantities of sunlight, water, and nutrition specified for the specific type and age of the crop for optimal growth of the crops, as described in the following sections with reference to FIG. 1.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a rotatable rack system (100), for example, used in a vertical gardening system (102). The vertical gardening system (102) is not only capable of moving racks (104A-Z) carrying crops in a designated rotary path, but can also swap the racks (104A-Z) to reposition crops at suitable positions to receive a specific amount of sunlight, light and nutrition per their age and type. To that end, the vertical gardening system (102) includes supporting structures (106), one or more wheels (108A-D), one or more belts (110A-B), support rods (112A-Z), a power system (114), and a controller (116). Additionally, the vertical gardening system (102) includes an irrigation unit (118) for dispensing requisite water and nutrients to the crops as per their specific requirements.
[0032] In one embodiment, the supporting structures (106) act as a mounting structure on which other components of the vertical gardening system (102) are mounted. The supporting structures (106) include a base portion (120), a first upright beam (122), and a second upright beam (124). The first and second upright beams (122, 124) are coupled to the base portion (108). The one or more wheels (108A-D) of the vertical gardening system (102) are rotationally coupled to the first and second upright beams (122, 124). Particularly, the one or more wheels (108A-D) include a first wheel (108A) and a second wheel (108B), which are rotationally coupled to the first upright beam (122) using one or more fastening mechanisms such as bolts and nuts (not shown in FIG. 1).
[0033] Similarly, the one or more wheels (108A-D) also include a third wheel (108C) and a fourth wheel (108D), which are rotationally coupled to the second upright beam (124). Though the FIG. 1 depicts the vertical gardening system (102) having four wheels (108A-B), it is to be understood that the vertical gardening system (102) may have any number of wheels. For example, the vertical gardening system (102) may have only two wheels.
[0034] In certain embodiments, the vertical gardening system (102) further includes a first axle (126) that interconnects the first and third wheels (108A, 108C) and a second axle (128) that interconnects the second and fourth wheels (108B, 108D). In one embodiment, the belts (110A-B) of the vertical gardening system (102) run over the wheels (108A-D) to move all the wheels (108A-D) synchronously. Particularly, a first belt (110A) runs over the wheels (108A-B), which are mounted onto the first upright beam (122), in a closed loop. A second belt (110B) runs over the wheels (108C-D) that are mounted onto the second upright beam (124) in another closed loop.
[0035] In certain embodiments, the first and second belts (110A-B) securely hold the support rods (112A-Z) on to which the racks (104A-Z) carrying the crops are mounted. More specifically, a first end (130) and a second end (132) associated with each of the support rods (112A-Z) are coupled to the first belt (110A) and the second belt (110B), respectively. Further, though, FIG. 1 depicts the racks (104A-Z) as having rectangular shape, the racks (104A-Z) can be of any shape such as square, convex, etc.
[0036] Each of the racks (104A-Z) includes a corresponding space for holding the crops. Further, each of the racks (104A-Z) includes bars (134) at both ends of the racks (104A-Z). The bars (134) include hook portions (136) (visible in FIG. 2) that act as a catch for mounting the racks (104A-Z) on to the support rods (112A-Z), as depicted more clearly in FIG. 2. In one embodiment, the racks (104-Z) typically remain in a stationary state. However, the vertical gardening system (102) moves the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) under certain scenarios for carrying out certain activities.
[0037] For example, the vertical gardening system (102) moves the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) for irrigating the crops based on a designated time of the day, for adjusting positions of the racks (104A-Z) based on a direction of the sunlight, for moving the racks (104A-Z) to a bottom portion (140), when requested by a user.
[0038] In one embodiment, the power system (114) and the controller (116) move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138). In certain embodiments, the power system (114) includes one or more solar panels (141) that generate necessary power for operating various components of the vertical gardening system (102). Additionally, the power system (114) includes one or more power storage devices (142), for example, batteries for supplying power to the components in case the solar panels (141) fail to generate adequate power for the operation of the components.
[0039] Further, the vertical gardening system (102) includes a motor (144) that operates together with the controller (116) to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138). In certain embodiments, the controller (116) may be implemented by suitable code on a processor-based system, such as a general-purpose or a special-purpose computer. Accordingly, the controller (116), for example, includes one or more microcontrollers, general-purpose processors, specialized processors, graphical processing units, microprocessors, programming logic arrays, field programming gate arrays, and/or other suitable computing devices.
[0040] In one embodiment, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144), which in turn, actuates at least one wheel (108C) selected from the wheels (108A-D). The actuation of the wheel (108C) causes all the wheels (108A-D) to rotate synchronously, thereby the belts (110A-B) holding the support rods (112A-Z) and correspondingly mounted racks (104A-Z) move in the designated rotatory path (138). In one embodiment, the controller (116) and the motor (144) operate together to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) for irrigating the crops using the irrigation unit (118).
[0041] In certain embodiments, the controller (116) is pre-calibrated to determine an amount of water to be supplied to each specific crop in each of the racks (104A-Z) and a designated time for irrigating the crops. For example, the controller (116) determines that the rack (104A) and the rack (104B) needs to be supplied with 0.5 liters and 0.6 liters of water respectively every 8 hours based on the pre-calibration of the controller (116).
[0042] Alternatively, the controller (116) determines the amount of water to be supplied to the crops in the racks (104A-Z) based on moisture levels of the racks (104A-Z). In one embodiment, each of the racks (104A-B) includes a moisture-sensing electrode (not shown in FIGS) to measure the corresponding moisture level. Based on the measured moisture level, the controller (116) controls the irrigation unit (118) to supply a required amount of water to the crops in the racks (104A-Z).
[0043] In one embodiment, the irrigation unit (118) is disposed at the bottom portion (140) of the vertical gardening system (102). However, it is be understood that the irrigation unit (118) can be disposed at an upper portion (148) or at any other suitable portions of the vertical gardening system (102). The irrigation unit (118) includes a reservoir (150), a pump (152), a hosepipe (154), a fluid delivery pipe (156), and a water recirculation tank (158).
[0044] The pump (152) moves the water from the reservoir (150) to the hosepipe (154). The hosepipe (154) carries the water to the fluid delivery pipe (156). The fluid delivery pipe (156) includes one or more nozzles (160) through which the water ejects out for irrigating the crops in a rack, which is positioned directly below the fluid delivery pipe (156). For example, FIG. 1 depicts the rack (104I), which is positioned directly below the fluid delivery pipe (156).
[0045] Upon irrigating the rack (104I) with a designated amount of water, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) for positioning a next rack (104H) directly below the fluid delivery pipe (156). Subsequently, the irrigation unit (118) irrigates the crops in the next rack (104H). Similarly, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to position a subsequent rack directly below the fluid delivery pipe (156) for irrigating the crops in the subsequent rack. In certain embodiments, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to position all racks (136A-Z) under the fluid delivery pipe (156), for example, at a daily designated time of irrigation. However, in other embodiments, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to position only some of the racks (136A-Z) under the fluid delivery pipe (156) based on existing water requirements of the corresponding crops carried in the racks (136A-Z).
[0046] In one embodiment, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) to move a selected rack to the bottom portion (140) for enabling a user (162) to carry out maintenance activities. Examples of the maintenance activities include plucking of fruits, vegetables and flowers, and removing of plant debris such as leaves, cones, twigs, etc. from the racks (104A-Z).
[0047] In one embodiment, the user (162) indicates a selected rack that needs to be moved to the bottom portion (140) of the vertical gardening system (102) using a remote device (164). Examples of the remote device (164) include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet, a desktop, or a laptop. The user (162) may select one or more racks from the racks (104A-Z), which carry the crops that require the maintenance activities using a software application installed on the remote device (164).
[0048] For example, the user (162) may select a rack (104A) from the racks (104A-Z) for carrying out the maintenance activities. Upon selecting the rack (104A), the remote device (164) communicates a pre-stored identification number associated with the selected rack (104A) to the controller (116) via a communication network (166). Examples of the communication network (166) include wired communication network and wireless communication network. The controller (116) receives the identification number associated with the selected rack (104A) and actuates the motor (144) to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) such that the selected rack (104A) moves to the bottom portion (140). Once the selected rack (104A) reaches the bottom portion (140), which may correspond to a reachable height for the user (162), the user (162) can carry out the maintenance activities easily.
[0049] In certain embodiments, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) based on the direction of the sunlight. In one embodiment, the vertical gardening system (102) includes a sunlight detection unit (139) that includes the solar panels (141). The sunlight detection unit (139) further includes circuitry that along with the solar panels (141) act as a light sensor for identifying the direction or intensity of the sunlight that varies depending upon the time of the day. The solar panels (141) are placed orthogonally with respect to each other. For example, one of the solar panels (141) is oriented at plus 45º and another solar panel is oriented at minus 45º with respect to an imaginary vertical line (not shown in FIGS) for identifying the direction or intensity of the sunlight. The solar panels (141) generate power depending on the intensity of sunlight falling on the solar panels (141) and the direction of the sunlight. The controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) based on an identified direction of the sunlight.
[0050] For example, the direction of the sunlight at a specific point of time in a day is such that the light rays mostly fall on a first zone (168) of the vertical gardening system (102) that has younger crops and marginally on a second zone (170), which has mature crops. In this example, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) based on an input from the user (162) such that racks in the first zone (168) are moved to the second zone (170) and racks in the second zone (170) are moved to the first zone (168). The movement of the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) may allow the younger and mature crops to be exposed to the sunlight, only as needed.
[0051] However, occasionally, rotational motion of the racks (104A-Z) by itself may not result in optimal positioning of the racks (104A-Z). A mere rotational motion of the racks (104A-Z) may cause certain crops carried by the racks (104A-Z) to be over or under-exposed to the sunlight. For example, a rack (104C) in the second zone (170) carries younger crops, whereas the other racks in the second zone (170) carry mature crops. Similarly, a rack (104H) in the first zone (168) carries mature crops, whereas the other racks in the first zone (168) carry younger crops. In this example, rotational motion of the racks (104A-Z) causes the rack (104C) to move to the first zone (168) and to be overexposed to the sunlight. Likewise, the rack (104H) carrying mature crops is moved to the second zone (170) and is under exposed to the sunlight.
[0052] However, in the above noted example, the present vertical gardening system (102) swaps the positions of the racks (104C) and (104H). Post swapping, the rack (104C) carrying the younger crop is moved back to the second zone (170), whereas the rack (104H) carrying the mature crops is moved back to the first zone (168). Thus, the crops in all the racks (104A-Z) are properly exposed to the sunlight. In one embodiment, the vertical gardening system (102) includes a unique identification tag (172) coupled to each of the racks (104A-Z), a unique identification tag (174) coupled to each of the support rods (112A-Z), an identification unit (176), and a rearranging apparatus (178) for swapping individual racks.
[0053] Examples of the unique identification tag (172, 174) include a Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, a barcode, a quick response code, etc. Examples of the identification unit (176) include a RFID reader, a barcode reader, and a quick response code reader. The RFID reader (176) reads the RFID tag (172) associated with each of the racks (104A-Z) for identifying a corresponding distance between the RFID reader (176) and the racks (104A-Z). Similarly, the RFID reader (176) reads the RFID tag (174) associated with each of the support rods (112A-Z) for identifying a corresponding distance between the RFID reader (176) and the support rods (112A-Z). Alternatively, the vertical gardening system (102) includes a camera (not shown in FIG. 1) that captures one or more images of the vertical gardening system (102) having the racks (104A-Z). The controller (116) performs one or more image processing techniques on the captured images and identifies a corresponding distance between the RFID reader (176) and the racks (104A-Z), and a corresponding distance between the RFID reader (176) and the support rods (112A-Z).
[0054] In one embodiment, the RFID reader (176) is an ultra-high frequency passive RFID reader. An operating range of RFID reader (176) is such that the RFID reader (176) can even read RFID tags (172, 174) associated with a bottom-most rack and a corresponding support rod in the vertical gardening system (102).
[0055] In a scenario, a height of the vertical gardening system (102) may be too high and outside an operating range of the RFID reader (176), such that the RFID reader (176) is unable to read the RFID tags (172, 174) associated with the bottom-most rack and the corresponding support rod. In this scenario, the controller (116) configures the racks (104A-Z) to move in the designated rotatory path (138) such that the bottom-most rack moves upwards and will be read by the RFID reader (176) when the bottom-most rack and the corresponding support rod moves within the operating range of the RFID reader (176).
[0056] In one embodiment, the RFID reader (176) measures a strength of a RFID signal received from the RFID tag (172) fixed to a selected rack to identify a location of the selected rack and a distance between the RFID reader (176) and the selected rack. For example, the RFID reader (176) measures a strength of a RFID signal received from the RFID tag (172) fixed to the rack (104C) to identify the distance between the RFID reader (176) and the rack (104C). The RFID reader (176) then transmits the measured RFID signal strength to the controller (116) via a communication medium, for example via electrical cables.
[0057] In one embodiment, the controller (116) is pre-calibrated at the time of manufacturing the vertical gardening system (102) to convert the measured RFID signal strength into a corresponding distance between the RFID reader (176) and the rack (104C). For example, the controller (116) may identify the current distance between the RFID reader (176) and the first rack (104C) as 1 meter when the measured RFID signal strength corresponds to -50 decibels per mill watt (dBm) based on the pre-calibration of the controller (116).
[0058] It is to be noted that the measured RFID signal strength varies based on the location of the rack (104C). For example, the controller (116) may actuate the motor (144) to position the rack (104C) slightly away from the RFID reader (176). In this scenario, the measured RFID signal strength would be comparatively lesser, for example -60 dBm, as the rack (104C) has moved slightly away from the RFID reader (176). Thus, the controller (116) continuously tracks the distance between the rack (104C) and the RFID reader (176) based on the measured RFID signal strength.
[0059] The methodology for identifying and tracking corresponding locations of the other racks (104A-B, 104D-Z) and the supporting rods (112A-Z) relative to the RFID reader (176) is not explained in detail. However, it is to be understood that the methodology remains same as noted previously with respect to identifying and tracking the corresponding location of the rack (104C) with respect to the RFID reader (176). With an identified distance between a selected rack and the RFID reader (176), the vertical gardening system (102) moves the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) such that the selected rack moves to a swap position (shown in FIG. 4) for swapping the selected rack.
[0060] In certain embodiments, the vertical gardening system (102) swaps individual racks selected from the racks (104A-Z) only under certain scenarios. For example, the vertical gardening system (102) swaps positions of a set of racks upon receiving a request from the user (162) from the remote device (164). The request received from the remote device (164) indicates the racks to be swapped. In another example, the vertical gardening system (102) swaps positions of the set of racks upon receiving a request from a control panel (180) associated with the controller (116).
[0061] The control panel (180) may include one or more keypad buttons or touch screen buttons and a display panel (not shown). The display panel displays options to select the racks (104A-Z) upon pressing a menu button. The user (162) may then select any specific set of racks to be swapped from the displayed options. In yet another example, the vertical gardening system (102) swaps the positions of the set of racks upon based on in-built intelligence without requiring the user (162) to initiate the swapping process.
[0062] In one embodiment, the controller (116) of the vertical gardening system (102) is pre-programmed to automatically swap positions of the set of racks based on, but not limited to, nutrient requirements of the crops, the direction of the sunlight, the exposure level of the crops to the sunlight, and the moisture levels of the racks (104A-Z). For automatically swapping positions of the set of racks, the vertical gardening system (102) includes the rearranging apparatus (178), which is described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.
[0063] FIG. 2 is a partial view (200) of the vertical gardening system (102) of FIG. 1 having the rearranging apparatus (178) for rearranging one or more selected racks from a corresponding first position to a corresponding second position in the vertical gardening system (102) upon actuation. In one embodiment, the rearranging apparatus (178) is mounted on the vertical gardening system (102) at an upper portion (201) of the vertical gardening system (102). However, it is to be understood that the rearranging apparatus (178) can also be mounted at the bottom portion (140), or at any other suitable portions of the vertical gardening system (102).
[0064] Further, the rearranging apparatus (178) is typically disposed at the upper portion (201) in a contracted state, as depicted in FIG. 2. The controller (116) actuates the rearranging apparatus (178) to an expanded state only when one or more selected racks need to be swapped. The rearranging apparatus (178), in the expanded state, is depicted in FIG. 1.
[0065] Further, the rearranging apparatus (178) includes one or more components such as a lower platform (202), an upper platform (204), a lifting mechanism (206), a first set of latch bars (208A-B), and a second set of latch bars (210A-B). In certain embodiments, the sizes and shapes of the components (202, 204, 206, 208A-B, and 210A-B) are selected such that the components (202, 204, 206, 208A-B, and 210A-B) do not impede the rotational motion of the racks (104A-Z) irrespective of whether the rearranging apparatus (178) is in the contracted state or in the expanded state.
[0066] In one embodiment, the lower platform (202) and the upper platform (204) are configured as rectangle-shaped plates. However, it is to be understood that the lower and upper platforms (202, 204) may have other desired shape, for example, a square, a pentagon, or any other suitable shape. The lower platform (202) remains fixed to the first and second upright beams (122, 124) of the vertical gardening system (102). Whereas, the upper platform (204) moves in a vertical direction between a rest position (212) and a raised position (214) (indicated using a dotted line) based on the actuation of the lifting mechanism (206).
[0067] In certain embodiments, the lifting mechanism (206) is disposed between the lower platform (202) and the upper platform (204) for moving the upper platform (204) between the rest position (212) and the raised position (214). In one embodiment, the lifting mechanism (206) corresponds to a linkage mechanism. Though, the presently described embodiments use the linkage mechanism for raising and lowering the upper platform (204), it is to be understood that there are other types of lifting mechanisms such as a hydraulic lifting mechanism, a pneumatic lifting mechanism, and a multi-motor drive-based lifting mechanism that can be used to raise and lower the upper platform (204). An embodiment of the lifting mechanism (206) is described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 3.
[0068] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view (300) of the exemplary lifting mechanism (206) of FIG. 2 adapted for raising and lowering the upper platform (204) of the vertical gardening system (102). In one embodiment, the lifting mechanism (206) includes at least one linkage body, for example a first linkage body (302), a second linkage body (304), a third linkage body (306), and a fourth linkage body (308) that are placed between the lower platform (202) and the upper platform (204). The lifting mechanism (206) further includes a motor (310) and a shaft (312). The shaft (312) is operatively coupled to the motor (310) and to the upper platform (204).
[0069] In one embodiment, the motor (310) actuates the shaft (312) to move the upper platform (204) vertically upwards and downwards. In certain embodiments, the linkage bodies (302, 304, 306, and 308) expand and move correspondingly upwards when the upper platform (204) moves vertically upwards. Similarly, the linkage bodies (302, 304, 306, and 308) collapse and move correspondingly downwards when the upper platform (204) moves vertically downwards. The linkage bodies (302, 304, 306, and 308) prevent rotational motion of the upper platform (204) when the shaft (312) lifts up the upper platform (204). In a further embodiment, the lifting mechanism (206) includes a gear mechanism, for example, bevel gears that operate with the motor (310) to actuate the shaft (312). In addition, the lifting mechanism (206) includes a corresponding vertical tube (314) that acts as an outer cover for the shaft (312) and prevents the shaft (312) from moving laterally when the shaft (312) actuates the upper platform (204).
[0070] Referring back to FIG. 2, in addition to the lifting mechanism (206), the rearranging apparatus (178) includes the first set of latch bars (208A-B) and the second set of latch bars (210A-B), as noted previously. The first and second set of latch bars (208A-B, 210A-B) remain coupled to the upper platform (204) such that the first and second set of latch bars (208A-B, 210A-B) correspondingly move up and down when the upper platform (204) is elevated up or lowered down using the lifting mechanism (206). Moreover, each of the first and second set of latch bars (208A-B, 210A-B) includes a corresponding extended portion (216A-B, 218A-B). The extended portions (216A-B, 218A-B) act as resting surfaces on which a set of selected racks rest during the swapping process.
[0071] In one embodiment, the rearranging apparatus (178) that enables swapping of racks is explained with respect to swapping positions of a first rack (104C) and a second rack (104H). For example, the first rack (104C) (depicted in FIG. 1) carrying younger crops in the second zone (170) of the vertical gardening system (102) receives significant sunlight. Further, the vertical gardening system (102) may include the second rack (104H) carrying mature crops in the first zone (168) of the vertical gardening system (102), which receives limited sunlight. Such positioning of the racks (104C, 104H) may not be optimal for growth of either the younger crops or the mature crops.
[0072] In order to mitigate the suboptimal positioning of the younger and mature crops, the positions of the first and second racks (104C, 104H) may need to be swapped such that the first rack (104C) moves to a corresponding position of the second rack (104H), and the second rack (104H) moves to a corresponding position of the first rack (104C). In order to swap the first rack (104C) and the second rack (104H), as a first step, the rearranging apparatus (178) needs to detach the first rack (104C) from a first support rod (112C).
[0073] For detaching the first rack (104C), the controller (116) identifies a distance between the RFID reader (176) and the first rack (104C) based on a RFID signal strength measured by the RFID reader (176) by reading the RFID tag (172) fixed to the first rack (104C) and the pre-calibration of the controller (116). The controller (116) then determines a distance by which the first rack (104C) needs to be moved from a corresponding location in the vertical gardening system (102) to a position, at which the first rack (104C) is precisely aligned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B), as depicted in FIG. 4.
[0074] In one embodiment, the controller (116) determines the distance by which the first rack (104C) needs to be moved to be positioned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B) based on the identified distance between the first rack (104C) and the RFID reader (176) using the measured RFID signal strength and a look-up table. The look-up table is programmed into the controller (116) in a pre-calibration procedure at the time of manufacturing or installing the vertical gardening system (102).
[0075] The look-up table includes data that correlates distances between a rack positioned at various locations from the RFID reader (176) to distances by which the rack has to be moved to position the rack above the first set of latch bars (208A-B). For instance, if the controller (116) identifies the distance between the RFID reader (176) and the first rack (104C) as 1 meter, the controller (116) may determine that the first rack (104C) needs to be moved by a distance of 5 meters in order to be precisely aligned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B).
[0076] In another example, the controller (116) may use the look-up table to determine that the first rack (104C) needs to be moved by a distance of 4.5 meters in order to be precisely aligned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B) when the identified distance between the RFID reader (176) and the first rack (104C) is 1.5 meters. Based on the determined distance, the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to move the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) such that the first rack (104C) is precisely positioned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B).
[0077] FIG. 4 depicts a partial view (400) of the vertical gardening system (102) in which the first rack (104C) is precisely positioned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B) (the latch bar 208B is not visible in FIG. 4). Once, the first rack (104C) is precisely positioned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B), the controller (116) actuates the motor (310) to lift the upper platform (204) vertically up for positioning the upper platform (204) to a raised position (502), as depicted in FIG. 5.
[0078] FIG. 5 is a partial view (500) of the vertical gardening system (102) having the upper platform (204) placed at the raised position (502). In one embodiment, the first set of latch bars (208A-B) move correspondingly upwards when the upper platform (204) moves vertically up from the rest position (212) to the raised position (502) as the first set of latch bars (208A-B) are coupled to the upper platform (204). Further, the upward movement of the first set of latch bars (208A-B) causes the first set of latch bars (208A-B) to come into contact with the first rack (104C), as depicted and described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.
[0079] FIGS. 6A and 6B are partial views of the first rack (104C) being mounted on to the first support rod (112C) in a locked condition (602) and in an unlocked condition (604), respectively. The first rack (104C) includes bars (606) at both ends of the first rack (104C). Each of the bars (606) includes a hook portion (608) that acts as the catch for mounting the first rack (104C) on to the first support rod (112C). Additionally, the first rack (104C) includes a corresponding lever (610) that is pivotally coupled to the hook portion (608) via a spring (612). While the first set of latch bars (208A-B) move upwards due to the vertical up movement of the upper platform (204), the first set of latch bars (208A-B) come into contact with the lever (610) of the first rack (104C). Particularly, FIG. 6A depicts the latch bar (208B) that is about to contact the lever (610) because of the vertical up movement of the upper platform (204). Whereas, FIG. 6B depicts the latch bar (208B) that is in contact with the lever (610).
[0080] In one embodiment, the latch bar (208B) is adapted to come into contact with the lever (610) when the upper platform (204) completes the vertical upward movement from the rest position (212) to the raised position (502). Further upward movement of the latch bar (208B) pushes the lever (610) away from the locked condition (602) to the unlocked condition (604) when the upper platform (204) completes the vertical upward movement to the raised position (502). Though, FIGS. 6A and 6B depict only the lever (610) associated with one of the bars (606), it is to be understood that the other bar also includes a corresponding lever (610) that is similarly actuated from the locked condition (602) to the unlocked condition (604) by the latch bar (208A).
[0081] It is to be noted that, as depicted in FIG. 5, the first rack (104C) rests on the extended portions (216A-B) of the first and second latch bars (208A-B) when the first and second latch bars (208A-B) are in contact with the corresponding lever (610). At this particular instant, the controller (116) actuates the motor (310) to lift the upper platform (204) vertically up for positioning the upper platform (204) at another raised position (504), such that the first rack (104C) is detached from the first support rod (112C). More specifically, the first set of latch bars (208A-B) move correspondingly upwards when the upper platform (204) is elevated from the raised position (502) to another raised position (504). The further upward movement of the first set of latch bars (208A-B) causes the first set of latch bars (208A-B) to lift the first rack (104C) up, as depicted in FIG. 7, thereby detaching the first rack (104C) from the first support rod (112C).
[0082] Once the first rack (104C) is detached from the first support rod (112C), the controller (116) actuates the motor (144) to move the racks (104A-B, 104D-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) to move the first support rod (112C) away from a corresponding position. Subsequently, the controller (116) actuates the motor (310) to move the upper platform (204) vertically down back to the rest position (212) such that the first set of latch bars (208A-B) carrying the detached first rack (104C) also move downwards.
[0083] FIG. 8 is a partial view (800) of the vertical gardening system (102) having the upper platform (204) placed at the rest position (212) while the first set of latch bars (208A-B) carry the detached first rack (104C).
[0084] In one embodiment, subsequent to detaching the first rack (104C) from the first support rod (112C), the vertical gardening system (102) detaches the second rack (104H) from the second support rod (112H) in a similar manner, as previously described with respect to detaching the first rack (104C) from the first support rod (112C).
[0085] FIG. 9 is a partial view (900) of the vertical gardening system (102) having the upper platform (204) placed at the rest position (212) while the first set of latch bars (208A-B) carry the detached first rack (104C) and the second set of latch bars (210A-B) carry the detached second rack (104H).
[0086] Post detachment of the first and second racks (104C, 104H), the controller (116) identifies a current location of the second support rod (112H) in the vertical gardening system (102) using a received RFID signal strength from a RFID tag fixed to the second support rod (112H), as noted previously. Further, the controller (116) uses the look-up table to determine a distance by which the second support rod (112H) needs to be moved to be positioned precisely above the first set of latch bars (208A-B) based on an identified distance between the second support rod (112H) and the RFID reader (176). The controller (116) then actuates the motor (144) to move the rack assembly in the designated rotatory path (138) such that the second support rod (112H) is precisely positioned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B).
[0087] FIG. 10 is a partial view (1000) of the vertical gardening system (102) having the second support rod (112H), which is precisely positioned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B). Once the second support rod (112H) is precisely positioned above the first set of latch bars (208A-B), the controller (116) actuates the motor (310) to lift the upper platform (204) vertically up from the rest position (212) to an exemplary position (1002) such that the hook portion (608) of the first rack (104C) is above the second support rod (112H). Subsequently, the controller (116) actuates the motor (310) to move the upper platform (204) vertically downwards from the exemplary position (1002) to a lowered position (1004) such that the hook portion (608) is mounted on to the second support rod (112H). Thus, the first rack (104C), which was initially suspended on the first support rod (112C), is now suspended on the second support rod (112H).
[0088] In one embodiment, the second rack (104H) is mounted on to the first support rod (112C) in a similar manner, as described previously with respect to mounting the first rack (104C) on to the second support rod (112H). Thus, the corresponding positions of the first rack (104C) and the second rack (104H) are exchanged such that the first rack (104C) is repositioned to the first zone (168), whereas the second rack (104H) is repositioned to the second zone (170), to provide optimal sunlight to both the younger and mature crops.
[0089] In one embodiment, the rotatable rack system (100) can also be used as a soak-test enabling system. The soak-test enabling system provides the necessary infrastructure for carrying out a soak-test to assess the performance of an equipment across varying environmental conditions. For example, an objective of a soak-test may include testing the performance of a battery across varying temperatures and humidity levels. In this example, the soak-test system may include the racks (104A-Z); each of the racks (104A-Z) exposing a battery to a designated temperature and humidity level. Once the performance of a battery placed on a particular rack is tested for a desired time, the battery may be automatically moved to another rack that has a different temperature and humidity level to test the performance of the battery in different environmental conditions.
[0090] In another embodiment, the rotatable rack system (100) can also be used a drying system used for drying products such as meats, fruits, fabrics, painted articles, etc. For example, the drying system may reposition a rack (104H) carrying a newly painted article to a zone that has significant amount of sunlight in order to dry the newly painted article quickly. Once the newly painted article is dried, the rearranging apparatus (178) automatically detaches the rack (104H) from the corresponding support rod (112H).
[0091] In yet another embodiment, the rotatable rack system (100) can also be used as a cooking system. The cooking system may include a grilling unit instead of the irrigation unit (118). The cooking system moves the racks (104A-Z) in the designated rotatory path (138) for positioning individual racks carrying food items above the grilling unit for grilling the food items.
[0092] Although specific features of various embodiments of the present systems and methods may be shown in and/or described with respect to some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. It is to be understood that the described features, structures, and/or characteristics may be combined and/or used interchangeably in any suitable manner in the various embodiments shown in the different figures.
[0093] While only certain features of the present systems and methods have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the claimed invention.