US 11,832,566 B2
Vertical farm irrigation system with dual return pumps
Brice Leon Klein, San Francisco, CA (US); Robert Chester Sciog, Half Moon Bay, CA (US); and Allison Marie Maclellan, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to MJNN LLC, South San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed by MJNN LLC, South San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 19, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/026,187.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/903,643, filed on Sep. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0084850 A1, Mar. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. A01G 31/04 (2006.01); A01G 31/06 (2006.01); A01G 25/16 (2006.01); A01G 31/00 (2018.01)
CPC A01G 31/06 (2013.01) [A01G 25/162 (2013.01); A01G 31/042 (2013.01); A01G 2031/006 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising a gutter basin including a pump outlet;
a primary pump external to the gutter basin and operably attached to the pump outlet;
a secondary pump located inside the gutter basin;
one or more sensors operative to return a signal associated with a level of solution in the gutter basin;
a control system operatively connected to the primary pump, the secondary pump and the one or more sensors, wherein the control system is configured, during a single cycle of operation, to:
cause, in a primary pump runout phase, the primary pump to pump solution from the gutter basin, when the solution in the gutter basin is above a first threshold;
terminate the primary pump runout phase and cause the primary pump to cease pumping solution from the gutter basin, when the solution in the gutter basin falls below the first threshold; and
initiate, responsive termination of the primary pump run out phase, a secondary pump sequence to cause the secondary pump to begin pumping solution out of the gutter basin; and
cause the secondary pump to cease pumping solution out of the gutter basin, when the solution in the gutter basin falls below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is lower than the first threshold;
wherein the primary pump is inactive during the secondary pump sequence and the secondary pump is inactive during the primary pump runout phase.