Nozzle control system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10173236-B2
Application number	US-201715629696-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2017
Priority date	Oct 17, 2013
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A system for controlling nozzle flow rate includes a master node having an expected overall flow rate module configured to generate an expected overall flow rate of an agricultural product based on one or more sprayer characteristics, and an adjustment module configured to generate an error correction based on a difference between the expected overall flow rate and an actual overall flow rate of the agricultural product. A plurality of smart nozzles are in communication with the master node, each of the smart nozzles includes an electronic control unit in communication with one or more control valves and one or more nozzle assemblies. Each of the smart nozzles includes a target smart nozzle flow rate module configured to generate a target smart nozzle flow rate of the agricultural product based on the one or more sprayer characteristics. The target smart nozzle flow rate is adjusted according to the error correction.

First claim

The claimed invention is:

1. A system for controlling nozzle flow rate comprising:
an input interface configured to receive one or more sprayer characteristics of an agricultural sprayer, the one or more sprayer characteristics including one or more of sprayer boom width, target product coverage per unit area, sprayer speed, sprayer yaw rate or nozzle characteristics;
a master node in communication with the input interface, the master node includes:
an expected overall flow rate module configured to generate an expected overall flow rate of an agricultural product based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, and
an adjustment module configured to generate an error correction based on a difference between the expected overall flow rate and an actual overall flow rate of the agricultural product; and

a plurality of smart nozzles in communication with the master node, each of the smart nozzles includes an electronic control unit (ECU) in communication with one or more control valves and one or more nozzle assemblies, each of the smart nozzles includes:
a target smart nozzle flow rate module configured to generate a target smart nozzle flow rate of the agricultural product based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, and
a duty cycle module in communication with the adjustment module, the duty cycle module configured to generate an adjusted duty cycle for the one or more control valves based on the target smart nozzle flow rate and the error correction.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the master node is in communication with a flow meter, the flow meter configured to measure the actual overall flow rate.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the target smart nozzle flow rate module is configured to generate ongoing values of the target smart nozzle flow rate based on changes in the one or more sprayer characteristics.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the expected overall flow rate module is configured to generate ongoing values of the expected overall flow rate based on changes in the one or more sprayer characteristics.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the adjustment module is configured to generate ongoing values of the error correction based on ongoing values of the expected overall flow rate and the actual overall flow rate measured with a flow meter.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sprayer characteristics includes a target pressure, and the master node includes:
an agricultural product output interface configured for coupling with an agricultural output system, and
a feedback control module in communication with a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor configured to measure an actual pressure of an agricultural product, the feedback control module configured to control the agricultural product output interface according to a difference between the actual pressure and a target pressure.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the target pressure is a set point pressure value corresponding to a specified droplet size of the agricultural product for the one or more nozzle assemblies, and
the feedback control module is configured to maintain the actual pressure of the agricultural product at the set point pressure value and generate the specified droplet size independent of changes to the expected overall flow rate, actual overall flow rate, the target smart nozzle flow rate and the adjusted duty cycle.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the target pressure includes a target pressure range, and the master node includes a pressure adjustment module in communication with the expected overall flow rate module, the pressure adjustment module is configured to generate an updated target pressure based on:
nozzle characteristics of the one or more nozzle assemblies,
a specified duty cycle for the control valves of the one or more nozzle assemblies, and
the expected overall flow rate generated by the expected overall flow rate module.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the specified duty cycle corresponds to an oscillating duty cycle of the control valve between open and closed positions, the nozzle body configured to generate a continuous spray of the agricultural product based on the specified duty cycle.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the feedback control module is in communication with the pressure adjustment module, and the feedback control module is configured to control the agricultural product output interface if the updated target pressure is outside of the target pressure range.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more control valves each include an oscillating valve operator configured to oscillate between open and closed positions based on the adjusted duty cycle.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more nozzle assemblies include a plurality of nozzle assemblies and the adjusted duty cycle includes distinct adjusted duty cycles for each control valve of the one or more control valves, and
the distinct adjusted duty cycles vary relative to each other according to one or more of the sprayer characteristics including the boom width, the sprayer yaw rate and nozzle body location of each of the plurality of nozzle assemblies along a sprayer boom.

13. The system of claim 1 comprising:
an agricultural product reservoir;
at least one sprayer boom in communication with the agricultural product reservoir;
a flow meter configured to measure the actual overall flow rate of the agricultural product from the agricultural product reservoir to the at least one sprayer boom; and
a pressure sensor configured to measure an actual pressure of the agricultural product delivered to the at least one sprayer boom.

14. A system for controlling nozzle flow rate in an agricultural sprayer comprising:
a flow meter configured to measure an actual overall flow rate of the agricultural sprayer;
a pressure sensor configured to measure an actual pressure of an agricultural product;
a master node in communication with the flow meter and the pressure sensor, the master node configured to receive one or more sprayer characteristics of the agricultural sprayer, the master node includes:
an expected overall flow rate module configured to generate an expected overall flow rate based on the one or more sprayer characteristics,
an adjustment module configured to generate an error correction based on a difference between the expected overall flow rate and the actual overall flow rate, and
a feedback control module configured to control an agricultural product output interface according to the difference between the actual pressure and a target pressure; and

a plurality of smart nozzles in communication with the master node, each of the smart nozzles includes an electronic control unit (ECU) in communication with one or more control valves and one or more nozzle assemblies, the ECU of each smart nozzle includes:
a target smart nozzle flow rate module configured to generate a target smart nozzle flow rate based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, and
a duty cycle module in communication with the adjustment module, the duty cycle module configured to generate an adjusted duty cycle for the one or more control valves based on the target smart nozzle flow rate and the error correction.

15. The system of claim 14 comprising wherein the master node includes an input interface configured to receive one or more sprayer characteristics of the agricultural sprayer, the one or more sprayer characteristics including one or more of sprayer boom width, target product coverage per unit area, sprayer speed, sprayer yaw rate or nozzle characteristics.

16. The

Assignees

• Raven Ind Inc

Inventors

• Preheim John D
• Driesen Brent A
• Michael Nicholas O
• Kocer Jared Ernest

Classifications

• B05B12/008 Primary

  integrated in or attached to a discharge apparatus, e.g. a spray gun · CPC title

• A01C23/008

  Tanks, chassis or related parts · CPC title

• B05B9/06

  the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle, e.g. the pump being driven by a vehicle wheel · CPC title

• B05B12/085

  responsive to flow or pressure of liquid or other fluent material to be discharged (B05B1/3006, B05B1/323 take precedence; spray pistols designed to control volume of flow with the controlling means being fluid actuated B05B7/1254) · CPC title

• B05B15/50

  Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter · CPC title