Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to systems and methods for emptying and/or cleaning a tray within in an assembly line grow pod. In one embodiment, a sanitizer component for cleaning a tray coupled to a cart in an assembly line grow pod is disclosed. The sanitizer component is coupled to a track such that the cart and the tray are received in the sanitizer component via the track. The sanitizer component comprises a first actuator arm positioned underneath the track and extendable through an opening in the track and an aperture at a bottom end of the cart to contact the tray such that the tray rotates in a first direction. The sanitizer component further includes an actuator motor coupled to the first actuator arm for extending the first actuator arm and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the actuator motor in the sanitizer component.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to systems and methods for emptying and/or cleaning a tray within in an assembly line grow pod. In one embodiment, a sanitizer component for cleaning a tray coupled to a cart in an assembly line grow pod is disclosed. The sanitizer component is coupled to a track such that the cart and the tray are received in the sanitizer component via the track. The sanitizer component comprises a first actuator arm positioned underneath the track and extendable through an opening in the track and an aperture at a bottom end of the cart to contact the tray such that the tray rotates in a first direction. The sanitizer component further includes an actuator motor coupled to the first actuator arm for extending the first actuator arm and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the actuator motor in the sanitizer component.

Abstract: A heat recycling system is provided. The system includes a shell including an enclosed area, an air supplier within the enclosed area, one or more vents connected to the air supplier and configured to output air within the enclosed area, a heat generating device within the enclosed area, a heat insulating element configured to cover the heat generating device and connected to a heat passageway, a heat transfer device connected to the heat passageway, and a controller. The controller determines a target temperature for the enclosed area, determines whether a temperature within the enclosed area is greater than the target temperature, and controls the heat transfer device to transfer the air heated by the heat generating device to an outside of the shell in response to determination that the temperature within the enclosed area is greater than the target temperature.

Abstract: A system for bypassing harvesting in an assembly line grow pod is provided. The system includes a track, a cart configured to move on the track, the cart including an upper plate configured to support a plant, one or more sensors and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to receive information about the plant from the one or more sensors, determine whether the plant in the cart is ready to harvest based on the information; and transmit an instruction for bypassing harvesting the plant in the cart in response to determination that the plant in the cart is not ready to harvest.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining harvest timing for a cart within an assembly line grow pod include identifying a type of the plant matter positioned within a cart, detecting at least one of a plant matter weight of the plant matter with a weight sensor, a plant matter height of the plant matter with a distance sensor, and a chlorophyll level of the plant matter with a camera, determining that the at least one of the detected plant matter weight, the detected plant matter height, and the detected chlorophyll level satisfies a harvest time parameters, and in response to determining that the detected plant matter weight, the detected plant matter height, and the detected chlorophyll level satisfy the harvest time parameters, directing the cart to a harvester system.

Abstract: A distributed control system for use in an assembly line grow pod includes a master controller and a hardware controller device. The master controller includes a first processor and a first memory for storing a first set of instructions that dictates plant growing operations and a second set of instructions that dictates a plurality of distributed control functions. The hardware controller device is coupled to the master controller via a plug-in network interface. The hardware controller device includes a second processor and a second memory for storing a third set of instructions that dictate a selected control function of the plurality of distributed control functions. Upon the plug-in connection, the master controller identifies an address of the hardware controller device and sends a set of parameters defining a plurality of tasks relating to the selected control function.

Abstract: A harvesting system is provided. The harvesting system includes a track, a cart configured to move along the track, the cart including an upper plate configured to support a plant, one or more sensors, a lifter, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: receive information from the one or more sensors, determine whether the plant in the cart is ready to harvest based on the information, and send to the lifter an instruction for tilting the upper plate by a degree in response to determination that the plant in the cart is ready to harvest.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are bed seed holders and assembly line grow pods incorporating bed seed holders for growing plants. According to some embodiments, a bed seed holder includes a body having an elevation envelope, at least one seed receptacle extending into the body, where the seed receptacle is adapted to maintain a fluid within the seed receptacle, and a spigot that is adapted to maintain a level of the fluid within the body below the elevation envelope.

Abstract: A system for utilizing waves in an assembly line grow pod includes a plurality of carts, a wave generator and a master controller. The plurality of carts carries a plurality of plants including a first plant and a second plant. The wave generator generates sound waves having a different range of frequency. The master controller is communicatively coupled to the wave generator and comprising a processor and a memory storing a wave recipe and instructions. The wave recipe correlates the plurality of plants with different characteristics of sound waves including frequency. The wave generator generates a first sound wave having the characteristic correlated to the first plant and a second sound wave having the characteristic correlated to the second plant.

Abstract: A method for pressurizing an assembly line grow pod system is provided. The method includes arranging a dual wall including an outer wall and an inner wall, controlling, with an air pressure controller, first air pressure in the first sealed area and second air pressure in the second sealed area, and controlling, with a master controller, operations of the air pressure controller. The first air pressure of the first sealed area is controlled to be higher than pressure of an exterior area to the outer wall by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: Assembly line grow pods that include watering stations positioned to provide water plant material at predetermined days of growth and methods of supplying the same are disclosed. An assembly line grow pod includes a track extending a length between a seeder component and a harvester component, a plurality of watering stations arranged adjacent to the track at a plurality of locations along the length of the track between seeder and harvester components, and a cart supported on and movable along the track from the seeder component to the harvester component such that seeds that are placed by the seeder component within the cart grow into plant material that is harvested at the harvester component. Each one of the plurality of watering stations is positioned between the seeder and harvester components such that water is provided by the watering station to the cart at a predetermined growth metric.

Abstract: An assembly line grow pod notification system includes a status indicator and a cart containing one or more plants therein. The cart includes one or more sensors and a cart-computing device communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and the status indicator, the cart-computing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions thereon. When executed, the one or more programming instructions cause the processor to receive, from the one or more sensors, one or more signals that correspond to a status of the cart and one or more characteristics of the one or more plants, determine information regarding the status from the one or more signals, and direct the status indicator to output a notification signal that corresponds to the determined information.

Abstract: A temperature control system includes a shell including an enclosed area, one or more carts moving on a track within the enclosed area, an air supplier within the enclosed area, one or more vents connected to the air supplier and configured to output air within the enclosed area, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to: identify a plant on the one or more carts, determine a temperature recipe for the identified plant, and control a temperature of the air output from the one or more vents based on the temperature recipe for the identified plant.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing an assembly line grow pod are provided. One embodiment of a grow pod includes an exterior enclosure that defines an environmentally enclosed volume, a track that that is shaped into a plurality of helical structures defining a path, and a cart that receives a plant and traverses the track. Some embodiments include a sensor for determining output of the plant, a plurality of environmental affecters that alter an environment of the environmentally enclosed volume to alter the output of the plant, and a pod computing device that stores a grow recipe that, when executed by a processor of the pod computing device, actuates at least one of the plurality of environmental affecters. In some embodiments, the grow recipe alters a planned actuation of the at least one of the plurality of environmental affecters in response to data from the sensor indicating a current output of the plant.

Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a grow pod are provided herein. One embodiment of a system includes a cart that moves on a track of the grow pod, where the cart receives a seed for growing into a plant. The system may also include a human-machine interface (HMI) that is coupled to the grow pod and a pod computing device coupled to the HMI. The pod computing device stores logic that, when executed by the pod computing device, causes the system to receive a grow recipe for the seed in the cart, wherein the grow recipe includes actuation of at least one environmental affecter and provide a user option to alter functionality of the grow recipe. In some embodiments, the logic may also cause the system to receive a user selection of the user option and in response to receiving the user selection, alter functionality of the grow recipe.

Abstract: A method for applying recipes in a plurality of grow pods includes receiving a first modified recipe from a first grow pod, the first grow pod including a first physical parameter, receiving a second modified recipe from a second grow pod, the line grow pod including a second physical parameter that is different than the first physical parameter, receiving a request from a third grow pod for a modified recipe, determining that the third grow pod includes the first physical parameter or the second physical parameter, in response to determining that the third grow pod includes the first physical parameter, implementing the first modified recipe at the third grow pod, and in response to determining that the third grow pod includes the second physical parameter, implementing the second modified recipe at the third grow pod.

Abstract: A light control system includes a lighting device, a cart configured to move along a track under the lighting device, and a controller. The controller includes a processor a memory module storing lighting recipes, and machine readable instructions stored in the memory module that, when executed by the processors, causes the controller to identify a plant in the one or more carts, retrieve a lighting recipe for the identified plant from the one or more memory modules, and control operations of the one or more lighting devices based on the lighting recipe for the identified plant.