Sprayer boom with perforated outer walls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10258028-B2
Application number	US-201615131348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A sprayer boom for use with an agricultural sprayer has perforated outer walls. The perforated outer walls may connect boom frame tube stringers to each other by way of stringer connecting plates with cutouts. The perforated outer walls may be defined by webs of material extending between the tube stringers and multiple openings defined between the webs of material.

First claim

We claim:

1. A sprayer boom with perforated outer walls for an agricultural sprayer, the sprayer boom comprising:u
a boom frame having multiple frame tube stringers extending in a common direction; and
multiple outer walls with each outer wall interconnecting a corresponding pair of tube stringers of the multiple frame tube stringers and being defined by a plurality of plates positioned adjacent one another in co-planar alignment, each of the plurality of plates includes:
a first bar segment operatively connected to a first tube stringer of the pair of tube stringers;
a second bar segment operatively connected to a second tube stringer of the pair of tube stringers;
a first side bar interconnecting the first bar segment and the second bar segment, the first side bar including:
a concave outer edge extending between the first bar segment and the second bar segment; and
a convex inner edge extending between the first bar segment and the second bar segment;

a second side bar lying in a common plane with the first side bar and interconnecting the first bar segment and the second bar segment, the second side bar including:
a concave outer edge extending between the first bar segment and the second bar segment; and
a convex inner edge extending between the first bar segment and the second bar segment;

wherein:
the convex inner edge of the first side bar is directed towards the convex inner edge of the second side bar; and
the concave outer edge of the second side bar of a first one of the plurality of plates is directed towards the concave outer edge of the first side bar of a second one of the plurality of plates adjacent to the first one of the plurality of plates.

2. The sprayer boom of claim 1 , wherein inner edges of the first and second side bar segments and the concave inner edges of the first and second side bars of each of the plurality of plates extend about an opening defining an intra-plate space of the at least one of the plurality of plates.

3. The sprayer boom of claim 2 , wherein the first and second side bars of the plurality of plates extend along curved paths between the first and second bar segments.

4. The sprayer boom of claim 3 , wherein the first and second side bars of the plurality of plates curve inwardly toward each other from the first and second bar segments.

5. The sprayer boom of claim 1 wherein the first bar segment includes an outer portion defining elongate tabs configured to engage a first one of the multiple frame tube stringers; and
the second bar segment includes an outer portion defining elongate tabs configured to engage a second one of the multiple frame tube stringers.

6. The sprayer boom of claim 5 wherein the multiple frame tube stringers are defined by an upper frame tube stringer and a pair of lower frame tube stringers that are arranged with respect to each other to define a triangular cross-sectional perimeter shape of the sprayer boom.

7. The sprayer boom of claim 6 wherein the multiple outer walls include an outer lower wall extending between the pair of lower frame tube stringers and a pair of outer upper walls extending between the upper frame tube stringer and the pair of lower frame stringers.

8. The sprayer boom of claim 7 , wherein the outer upper walls are substantially open, with each outer upper wall defining inter-plate spaces as a first set of openings between adjacent ones of the plurality of plates and the convex inner edge of the first side bar and the convex inner edge of the second side bar of each of the plurality of plates defining intra-plate spaces as a second set of openings in the plurality of plates.

9. A sprayer boom with perforated outer walls for an agricultural sprayer, the sprayer boom comprising:
a boom frame having multiple frame tube stringers extending in a common direction; and
multiple outer walls with each outer wall interconnecting a corresponding pair of tube stringers of the multiple frame tube stringers and being defined by a plurality of plates positioned adjacent one another in co-planar alignment, each of the plurality of plates includes:
a first bar segment operatively connected to a first tube stringer of the pair of tube stringers;
a second bar segment operatively connected to a second tube stringer of the pair of tube stringers;
a first side bar interconnecting the first bar segment and the second bar segment, the first side bar including:
a concave outer edge extending between the first bar segment and the second bar segment; and
a convex inner edge extending between the first bar segment and the second bar segment;

a second side bar interconnecting the first bar segment and the second bar segment, the second side bar including:
a concave outer edge extending between the first bar segment and the second bar segment; and
a convex inner edge extending between the first bar segment and the second bar segment;

wherein:
the convex inner edge of the first side bar is directed towards the convex inner edge of the second side bar;
the concave outer edge of the second side bar of a first one of the plurality of plates is directed towards the concave outer edge of the first side bar of a second one of the plurality of plates adjacent to the first one of the plurality of plates;
the convex inner edge of the first side bar and the convex inner edge of the second side bar in each of the plurality of plates define an opening in one of the multiple outer walls therebetween; and
the concave outer edge of the second side bar of a first one of the plurality of plates and the concave outer edge of the first side bar of a second one of the plurality of plates adjacent to the first one of the plurality of plates define an opening in one of the multiple outer walls therebetween such that each outer wall has multiple openings therethrough.

10. The sprayer boom of claim 9 , wherein the outer walls are substantially open with surfaces of the plurality of plates of each of the multiple outer walls covering less than one-half of an area defined between the respective pair of boom frame stringers and the multiple openings covering greater than one-half of the area defined between the respective pair of boom frame stringers.

11. A self-propelled agricultural sprayer vehicle, comprising:
a chassis including a chassis frame supporting,
wheels rotatable for moving the self-propelled agricultural sprayer vehicle;
a product storage tank for storing a volume of product;
an engine;
a hydraulic system receiving power from the engine and delivering power for rotating the wheels;
a spraying system receiving power from the engine for conveying product stored in the product storage tank to spray nozzles delivering the product onto an agricultural field; and
a boom extending transversely from the chassis frame and supporting the spray nozzles, the boom with multiple boom segments, wherein at least one of the multiple boom segments includes,
multiple frame tube stringers extending in a common direction; and
outer walls arranged at an exterior of the at least one of the multiple segments and each being defined by a plurality of adjacent plates interconnecting a respective pair of the multiple frame tube stringers with the outer walls collectively extending about a substantially continuously open interior passage of the at least one of the segments, each of the plurality of plates including:
a first bar segment operatively connected to a first tube stringer of the pair of multiple frame tube stringers;
a second bar segment operatively connected to a second tube stringer of the pair of multiple frame tube stringers;
a first side bar interconnecting the first bar segment and the second

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Pilney Brian J

Classifications

• A01C23/008

  Tanks, chassis or related parts · CPC title

• A01M7/0057 Primary

  with active regulation of the boom position · CPC title

• A01M7/0071 Primary

  Construction of the spray booms · CPC title