Claims:WE CLAIMS
1. The Invention ‘’Smart Vertical Farming’’ Vertical farming had become a hot topic among peak development countries. However, Vertical farming is hard to practice because minor changes on the surrounding would leave big impact to the productivity and quality of farming activity. Thus, Vertical farming using IoT based System can help to keep track on the physical conditions of crops. In this system varieties of sensors will be used to detect current physical conditions and send the data to micro-controller either in analog or digital input. Then, the data will be processed by micro-controller and upload to the Thing Speak Cloud. In Addition, the system will keep the record the position of equipment in used, which make it easier for maintenance when there is equipment broken down. The system will also provide basic remote function where users could turn on/off the watering system vie web-based application or mobile based application. The mobile based application will also be designed to analyze, and display data gathered in the form of graphs, chats or figures for better understanding. With the improvement implement on the Smart Iot system based vertical framing, it can be expected that the productivity and quality of crops would increase significantly.

2. According to claim1# the invention “Smart Vertical Farming” is to improve the productivity of farming. In this we are implementing advanced sensor in predetermined locations in each layer of vertical farm, each section will include data acquisition system and an environment data collection system and monitoring key elements in the growing of the plants such as lighting, humidity, temperature, soil moisture and elements that influence plant growth.
3. According to claim1,2# the invention is to the system may also enable researcher and grower to setup and optimize the efficiency of lighting receipt and additionally to dim, shutdown and turn off the bright/cycle in order to provide effective PPFD during the bright and dark period.
4. According to claim1,2,3# the invention is to the light intensity will depend or change according to the input parameters, As different plant types may require different light intensities. High light the plants require at least 20 watts per square foot of growing space, through higher intensities will further promote growth and flowering.
5. According to claim1,2# the invention is to the plant growth processes involve the use of light, carbon dioxide and water to manufacture food for the plant’s use. And while soil nutrients help to fortify plant structures, light is an essential component in producing actual food for the plant. As with other living organisms, food fulfills a vital requirement for overall health and growth, so the presence of light can have a direct bearing on a plant’s rate of growth. Light intensity has to do with the amount of light energy made available to a plant, which can vary according to color and the actual strength of the light, the light intensity system will work on all this factors.
6. According to claim1,2,4# the invention is to the Same as light, Water also effect the rate of growth of the plant, so the invention is to wherein a water control system which control water according to the input parameters/ requirement.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention “Smart Vertical Farming” is related to growing crops organically in vertically stacked layers. To grow produce of exceptional quality and freshness and use the aquaponic system and poultry farming to provide nutrients to the plants. The waste of fish improves the fertility of the growing media. It also economizes the farmer’s budget and doubles the income. This invention entirely relates to smart control of farming techniques, a wireless network of sensors, actuators, a remote server, database of data analysis, dissemination of information distribution, and integrated control of the actuators.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow to another 2 billion people, and feeding it will be a considerable challenge. The land is degrading day by day and becoming expensive due to industrialization and urbanization. With worldwide population growth, the demand for both more food and more land to grow food is ever increasing. But some entrepreneurs and farmers are beginning to look up, not out, for space to grow more food.
Scientists say that the Earth has lost a third of its arable lands over the last 40 years. We don’t know how much more we are going to lose in the next 40 years. Increasing food demand due to growing population and ever-decreasing arable lands poses one of the most significant challenges facing us. Many believe that vertical farming can be the answer to this challenge.
The global problems of world hunger, lack of arable land, and an unhealthy diet drive the need to find innovative solutions in farming where production can be increased within a limited area. Vertical farming addresses those issues as it is a farming solution that provides crops year-round and does not require a large tract of arable land. According to Despoiler, a single indoor acre of a vertical farm may produce yield equivalent to more than 30 acres of farmland, when the number of crops produced per season is considered. The vertical farm allows a reduction or total abandonment of the use of chemical pesticides and weedicides.
An aquaponic system will be used to provide nutrients. An aquaponic system takes the hydroponic system one step further, combining plants and fish in the same ecosystem. Fish are grown in ponds producing nutrient-rich waste that is an excellent feed source for the vertical farm plants. Aquaponics is used in smaller-scale vertical farming systems whereas Commercial vertical farm systems focus on producing only a few fast-growing vegetable crops and don’t include an aquaponics
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component. This use of aquaponic systems simplifies the economics and production issues and maximizes efficiency. However, new standardized aquaponic methods may help make this closed-cycle system more accessible.
In the near term, most vertical farms will focus on high-return and short-rotation crops such as salad greens, with nearby restaurants often buying all of the production. High-value, rapid-growing, small-footprint, and quick-turnover crops, such as lettuce, basil, and other salad items, can be grown in vertical farming. Slower-growing vegetables, as well as grains, aren’t as profitable in a commercial vertical farming system.
Additionally, consumers are concerned that conventionally produced food may not be as nutritious, for example, organically produced food or food produced by more traditional methods, such as on small, family-owned farms or in backyard gardens. Furthermore, many consumers are concerned about the palatability of such conventionally produced foods. Often, after harvest, food crops are transported to markets thousands of miles away and maybe weeks old before they are consumed. Freshness, flavor, and texture often suffer. Also, the use of chemicals is thought to affect palatability adversely. Increasingly, varieties are being grown not because of their wholesome taste and appearance but for their shelf life and their ability to withstand handling. What is more, there is great concern about the proliferation of such varieties that have been genetically modified in an attempt to improve their durability for long-distance shipment.
A network of sensors distributed throughout an agricultural production area must have sufficient power to operate over long periods with little and preferably no maintenance. For example, using ZigBee or other protocols has been contemplated using wireless sensor mesh networks for data collection. Sensors in wireless sensor mesh networks are sometimes operated using sleep and awake modes to utilize energy efficiently and extend their operational lifetime, awakening during specified time intervals to transmit data. The awake time must be long enough for the sensor to receive and forward any data that may be received from other sensors in the mesh network. This results in a relatively large number of sensor nodes in the system being awake and transmitting or retransmitting at substantially the same time. The inventors have found that this results in interference and collisions that must be managed and degrade the network's performance.
An additional challenge in the use of wireless sensor mesh networks in agricultural applications is that the optimal location of the sensors is often on the plant's trunk or within its foliage, in which case the vegetation itself acts as an obstruction to signal propagation. This threatens to orphan some nodes in the mesh network or to require more retransmissions and impose a more significant network management burden, again drawing more power from the battery. More significantly, placing a sensor unit in or beneath the foliage severely restricts the available insulation for
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solar panels, particularly in more challenging climates. Its virtues, relative to conventional agriculture, have long been clear. Indoors, the environment can be controlled year-round. Pests can be minimized and with them pesticides. Water and nutrients can be applied in precise quantities. By going up rather than out, a vertical farm can produce more food per acre of land. By sitting close to an urban area, it can reduce long distribution chains and get fresher food to customers' tables faster. Its drawbacks have become equally clear. They mainly come down to cost. Farming well requires deep know-how and expertise; it has proven extraordinarily difficult to expand vertical farms in a way that holds quality consistent while driving costs down. Optimizing production at a small scale is very different from doing so on a large scale. The landscape is littered with the corpses of vertical-farming startups that thought they could beat the odds.
OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION
1.The objective of the invention is to increase land usage by 150%.
2. The other objective of the invention is to use renewable source of electricity i.e. Solar Energy
3. The other objective of the invention is to create a sustainable farming ecosystem for the farmers of hilly areas.
4. The other objective of the invention is to monitor the pH value and moisture of the soil using sensors.
5. The other objective of the invention is to efficiently utilize the resources like
water, land, electricity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Smart Vertical Farming provides a novel, innovative farming techniques, especially for the hilly region's farmers. This technique makes use of steps and deploys the framework that draws water from the poultry farms containing the excreta of the animals to provide moisture to the hay where the hens lay eggs in the structure deployed on other steps to utilize the maximum from the abundant sunlight available. This mineral-rich water would seep off on to the ground below, making it rich with nutrients and well suited for cultivation organically. All this would be monitored by logical controllers such as Node MCU, which would use solar energy for operation. The system collects data from a sensor hub, which includes a meteorological data acquisition system and an environmental data collection system. The system also monitors elements such as lighting, humidity, temperature, soil moisture that influence plant growth.
The advantages of the system may include one or more of the following. The computer systems and controllers are capable of permitting farmers and farming
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businesses to exercise exact control over almost every aspect of a farming operation, such as fertilizing, planting, spraying or harvesting crops. The invention comprises a wireless network of sensor and actuator devices within each stack layer (agricultural production area). The sensors are deployed within the produce and under or within the foliage. At least one gateways provide for communication to an external communication network. Data collected from each section is transmitted to a remote management server for data analysis, user access, messaging users, and providing access by users. The server also issues commands for propagation through the network to the sensor and actuator devices. In one embodiment, the invention takes the form of a pest management system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAM
FIG.1: shows an exemplary a framework for Vertical Farming on a terrace.
Fig 2: Swirl filter and its components.
Fig 3: Vertical Farming Integration with IoT.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1: explains how the proposed methodology can be considered as an invention. Water from the Fish reservoir will be sent to poultry farms. These farms would be located at an altitude higher than that of the steps they would supply water to. Thus, water would flow to the installed frames due to gravity. A motor would be used to pump water across the entire length of the frame. Hens would reside in the caged structure, and the water would mix with their excreta. The caged structure is mesh from which the excreta would fall on becoming heavy after soaking water.
These excreta would act as an excellent fertilizer for the crops. The efficiency of the fertilizer would be monitored by placing moisture and pH sensor in various parts of the field which would periodically monitor data so that sanitization could be done ubiquitously. These sensors would be connected via a logical controller such as Node MCU, transmitting data to a conventional receiver, and monitoring easily.
Fig 1 shows the integrated crop cultivation of under smart vertical farming having various components like filtered water tank, fish tank, chicken coop, swirl filter, solids collection tank from swirl filter, a vertical stand for growing of vegetables.
1. Filtered water tank: Water was pumped from the swirl filter to the filtered water tank by gravity via the underflow and overflow outlets. The container is connected with the fish tank to supply water.
2. Fish tank: It is a sustainable method of raising fish in the tank to provide nutrients for growing crops. In other words, it is a form of agriculture that combines raising fish in tanks (recirculating aquaculture) with crop cultivation. In aquaponics, the nutrient-rich water from raising fish provides a natural fertilizer for the plants. Aquaponics can be used to sustainably
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grow fresh fish and vegetables for a family, to feed a village or to generate profit in a commercial farming venture, year 'round, in any climate. The fish tank is equipped with the chicken coop for the better flow of hen excreta with fish wastewater. 3. Chicken coop (Poultry farming): Poultry manure contains all 13 of the essential plant nutrients that are used by plants. These include nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chlorine (Cl), boron (B), iron (Fe), and molybdenum (Mo). Using poultry manure as a fertilizer for crops may provide a portion, or all, of the plant requirements. The amount of nutrients provided depends on the manure's nutrient content, and the amount of manure applied. The chicken coop is placed over a tray that collects chicken excreta. When fish wastewater comes from the fish tank and passes through the plate, it also carries chicken excreta and entered into the swirl filter.
1. Swirl filter: A swirl filter spins the water, and in this process, all solids are separated from the water and collected in the solid tank.
2. Solids collection tank: When swirl filter spins the water, solids are separated from the water and collected in this tank. which is further transferred to the growing vegetables as a nutrient source.
3. Vertical stand: Vertical stand is used for growing of crops. It consists two layers where two crops can be grown at a time. The upper layer is used to grow legume crops that fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, and lower layer is used to grow any crop with short plant height like leafy vegetables (coriander, celery, mint etc.). A sieve is fitted on the top of the stand, which collects fish and hen excreta from the solid collection tank and supply to the growing plants whenever they need nutrients. When the legume crop grown on the upper layer is irrigated, then it goes to the lower layer, where another crop is grown and provides nutrients with irrigation water.
Fig 2: shows the functioning of swirl filter and how actually it separates the solids from water. A swirl filter also called an aquaponics solids filter, is often used in an aquaponics system to free the water of fish waste that is not easily filterable otherwise. It is basically a tool to help maintain water clarity so that your fish can survive and thrive. The swirl filter mechanism is all about calming the whirlpool of the water. For this purpose, you will need a big barrel. The pipe that brings water from the fish tank into the barrel is purposely bent. It is shaped so that the water that comes through can be swirled at the bottom. When the water is slowed down, the particles heavier than water start settling at the bottom of the barrel. The excess fish solids can then be drained off from the bottom. The basic principle on which this swirl filter for aquaponics works involves the idea of collecting all solid waste on the base of the filter. This is put into action by moving water from the fish tank with the help of a pipe, which has such a special design that the wastewater starts moving in a spiral at the bottom. The centrifugal force created by this action brings all the solid waste together and prevents them from going back to the grow-bed. Filtration devices are utilized to separate one or more components of a fluid from other components. As used herein, the term “fluid” includes liquids and all mixtures
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of liquids and solids or liquids and gases that behave substantially as liquids. Common processes carried out in such devices include classic filtration, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, dialysis, electrodialysis, pervaporation, water splitting, sieving, affinity separation, affinity purification, affinity sorption, chromatography, gel filtration, and bacteriological filtration. As used herein, the term “filtration” includes all of those separation processes as well as any other processes utilizing a filter that separates one or more components of a fluid from the other components of the fluid.
A common problem in virtually all filtration systems is blinding or fouling of the filter, for example, a permeable membrane. Permeate passing through the filter form the fluid layer adjacent to the feed side or upstream portion of the filter leaves a layer of material adjacent to, or on the feed side of the filter having a different composition than that of the bulk process fluid. This layer by virtue of its composition may hinder transport of the components trying to pass through the filter to the permeate side of the filter or may include substances which can bind to the filter and clog its pores, thereby fouling the filter. Accordingly, mass transport through the filter per unit time, i.e., flux, may be reduced and the component separating capability of the filter may be adversely affected.
It is well known that a layer of fluid which is adjacent to the surface of a filter and which is in a state of rapid shear flow parallel to the surface of the filter tends to minimize fouling of the filter by the generation of lift on contaminant matter contained in the process fluid. Basically, the generation of lift on contaminant matter tends to reduce fouling of the filter by maintaining an obstruction free path through the filter. In other words, if little or no contaminant matter is on or near the surface of the filter, the process fluid flows directly into the filter wherein undesirable constituents are removed therefrom. Although the undesirable constituents may eventually foul the filter, the larger constituents in the process fluid, which would tend to foul the filter more quickly, remain suspended in the retentate. Accordingly, filter life is prolonged and permeate flow rate is improved.
Essentially, two categories of technology are currently utilized for developing a shear layer at the surface of a filter, cross flow filter systems and dynamic filter systems. In cross flow systems, high volumes of fluid are driven through passages bounded by the filter surface and possibly the inner surface of the filter housing, thereby creating the necessary shear. Simply stated, process fluid is pumped across the upstream surface of the filter at a velocity high enough to disrupt and back mix the boundary layer.
An inherent weakness common to cross flow filter systems is that a significant pressure drop occurs between the inlet and outlet of the filter system, and any increase in shear rate will be accompanied by an increase in this pressure drop. Specifically, the process fluid entering the filter system is under a great deal of
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pressure in order to develop high velocities; however, once the process fluid is dispersed across the filter elements comprising the filter system, the pressure sharply decreases. This decrease in pressure across the filter element causes non-uniformity in transmembrane pressure, i.e., pressure differences between the upstream and downstream sides of the filter elements. Non-uniformity in transmembrane pressure tends to cause fouling of the filter elements in a non-uniform manner. Non-uniform fouling occurs because more contaminants may be deposited in a particular area which is subject to a higher process fluid pressure. Filter longevity and efficiency is reduced because certain areas of the filter elements may become fouled more rapidly than other areas, thereby leading to greater non-uniformity in transmembrane pressure and thus increased preferential fouling. Accordingly, the mechanism, i.e., high shear rate, for improving the performance of the filter results in a by-product, i.e., high pressure drop, which tends to reduce the performance of the filter. In addition, in cross flow filter systems, the high feed rates as compared to the filtration rates requires numerous feed recycles through the system, which are, in many processes, undesirable.
Dynamic filter systems overcome the excessive pressure differential problem associated with cross flow filter systems by supplying power to generate the shear flow through a moving surface rather than a pressure differential. Dynamic filter systems may be constructed in various configurations. Two widely used configurations are cylinder devices and disc devices. Within each of these two configurations, numerous variations in design exist. In cylinder devices, a cylindrical filter element is positioned in a concentric shell or filter housing. The shear layer is created in the gap between the filter element and the shell by spinning either the filter element or the shell about a common axis. The shear rate increases with both angular velocity and filter element radius. Conversely, the shear rate decreases as the gap between the filter element and the shell is increased. Accordingly, cylindrical filtering systems which are highly efficient due to high shear rates must either have small gaps which are difficult to manufacture, or large radii which limits the amount of filter surface area that may be packed within the filter vessel.
In disc devices a set of parallel filter discs interleaved with a set of impermeable discs are aligned along a common axis and positioned within the filter housing. In these devices shear is created by rotating the filter discs, or by rotating the impermeable discs. Disc devices overcome some of the disadvantages of cross flow and cylinder devices, but suffer from complexity of design. A major design difficulty is to provide sufficient mechanical support for the discs without either obstructing the fluid flow paths or making the distances between adjacent discs large. A large distance or gap between the discs is undesirable because it increases the overall size of the device and because it increases the amount of fluid retained on the inlet or upstream side of the filter surface, i.e., increases hold-up volume.
Figure 3: shows incorporation and integration of smart devices with the vertical farming concept. Many components like 1,2,3, etc have been explained above in description of Figure 1. So here we explain operation of smart devices only.
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Part 8. Moisture and PH sensor- These sensors would be embedded in soil and cocopeat. When the moisture level of the soil goes below required minimum threshold for the grown crop, these sensors would send information to the NODE MCU via cluster head.
Part 4. Cluster Head- This sensor is connected to node mcu and is responsible for collecting information regarding moisture and PH level of various stacks.
Part 5. Node MCU- is a low-cost open source IoT platform. It is an open source firmware for which open source prototyping board designs are available. The name "NodeMCU" combines "node" and "MCU" (micro-controller unit). When it receives signal from cluster head it triggers motor via relay.
Part 11. A relay is an electrically operated switch. It consists of a set of input terminals for a single or multiple control signals, and a set of operating contact terminals. The switch may have any number of contacts in multiple contact forms, such as make contacts, break contacts, or combinations thereof. It is responsible for establishing electrical contact between motor and battery.
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