Electric fluid flow monitoring apparatus and agricultural fluid application systems including same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10799900-B2
Application number	US-201715650466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2017
Priority date	Jul 15, 2016
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

Electric fluid flow monitoring apparatus, and agricultural fluid application systems and methods including the same are described. The fluid flow monitoring apparatus generally includes a housing, a sensor assembly, and a traveler. The housing defines an interior cavity, and includes an inlet for fluid to enter the interior cavity and an outlet for fluid to exit the interior cavity. The sensor assembly is disposed in the interior cavity, and extends longitudinally in the direction of fluid flow. The traveler is movably supported by the sensor assembly such that fluid flow through the interior cavity causes the traveler to move longitudinally along the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly detects a longitudinal position of the traveler relative to the sensor assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for applying fluid to an agricultural field, the system comprising:
a supply tank;
a fluid line connected to the supply tank;
a fluid dispenser connected in fluid communication with the fluid line for dispensing fluid at least one of onto and into the agricultural field; and
a flow monitoring apparatus connected in fluid communication with the fluid line, the flow monitoring apparatus comprising:
a housing defining an interior cavity, the housing including an inlet for fluid to enter the interior cavity and an outlet for fluid to exit the interior cavity, wherein the fluid line is connected to the flow monitoring apparatus such that fluid flows through the interior cavity from the inlet to the outlet;
a sensor assembly disposed in the interior cavity, the sensor assembly extending longitudinally in the direction of fluid flow, the sensor assembly including a casing having a longitudinal axis, an adapter body connected to the casing, and a printed circuit board assembly including a narrow profile section positioned within an interior of the casing and a wide profile section extending beyond the adapter body, the printed circuit board assembly further including a plurality of magnetic sensors spaced longitudinally along the narrow profile section of the printed circuit board assembly, the adapter body configured to releasably connect to one of the inlet and the outlet of the housing such that the casing extends into the interior cavity and the longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to the direction of fluid flow; and
a traveler disposed in the interior cavity and movable in relation to the housing, the traveler including at least one magnet that generates a magnetic field, wherein the traveler is movably supported by the sensor assembly such that fluid flow through the interior cavity causes the traveler to move longitudinally along the sensor assembly, wherein the sensor assembly detects a longitudinal position of the traveler relative to the sensor assembly.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of magnetic sensors has an electrical characteristic that varies based on a presence of the magnet.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a controller including at least one processor communicatively connected to the sensor assembly, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
receive a signal from each of the plurality of magnetic sensors, wherein the signal relates to the electrical characteristic; and
determine a position of the traveler within the housing based on the received signal.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet is positionable along the sensor assembly at an intermediate position between at least two of the plurality of magnetic sensors, and wherein the magnet is configured to simultaneously activate the at least two of the plurality of magnetic sensors when in the intermediate position.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a controller including at least one processor communicatively connected to the sensor assembly, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
identify a subset of the plurality of magnetic sensors that are affected by the at least one magnet; and
determine a position of the traveler within the housing based on the identified subset of magnetic sensors.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of magnetic sensors includes an output communicatively connected to a unique input of the at least one processor.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the subset of the plurality of magnetic sensors includes a single sensor of the plurality of magnetic sensors.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the casing is cylindrical and extends through an opening in the traveler.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the casing extends within the interior cavity between the inlet and the outlet.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a pump for directing fluid from the supply tank through the fluid line.

11. A flow monitoring apparatus for detecting fluid flow through a system, the flow monitoring apparatus comprising:
a housing defining an interior cavity, the housing including an inlet for fluid to enter the interior cavity and an outlet for fluid to exit the interior cavity, wherein fluid flows through the interior cavity from the inlet to the outlet;
a traveler disposed in the interior cavity and movable in relation to the housing, the traveler including at least one magnet that generates a magnetic field; and
a sensor assembly disposed in the interior cavity between the inlet and the outlet, the sensor assembly extending longitudinally in the direction of fluid flow, the sensor assembly including a casing having a longitudinal axis, an adapter body connected to the casing, and a printed circuit board assembly including a narrow profile section positioned within an interior of the casing and a wide profile section extending beyond the adapter body, the printed circuit board assembly further including a plurality of magnetic sensors spaced longitudinally along the narrow profile section of the printed circuit board assembly, the adapter body configured to releasably connect to one of the inlet and the outlet of the housing such that the casing extends into the interior cavity and the longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to the direction of fluid flow, the traveler being movably supported by the sensor assembly such that fluid flow through the interior cavity causes the traveler to move longitudinally along the sensor assembly, wherein the sensor assembly is configured to output a traveler position signal associated with a longitudinal position of the traveler along the sensor assembly.

12. The flow monitoring apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of magnetic sensors are spaced apart longitudinally along the narrow profile section of the printed circuit board assembly by a distance in a range of 1 millimeter to 10 millimeters.

13. The flow monitoring apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the housing is at least partially conical.

14. The flow monitoring apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the interior cavity increases from the inlet to the outlet.

15. The flow monitoring apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a controller communicatively connected to the sensor assembly, the controller configured to determine a fluid flow rate based on the traveler position signal received from the sensor assembly.

16. The flow monitoring apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the housing includes ferrous material.

17. The flow monitoring apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the printed circuit board assembly is configured to output the traveler position signal associated with a longitudinal position of the traveler along the casing.

18. The flow monitoring apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the casing is cylindrical and extends through an opening in the traveler.

19. The flow monitoring apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the traveler is cylindrical and extends about the casing.

20. A method of determining a flow rate of fluid in an agricultural fluid application system including a flow monitoring apparatus, the method comprising:
directing the fluid through an interior cavity of a housing of the flow monitoring apparatus from an inlet of the housing to an outlet of the housing, wherein a traveler is disposed in the interior cavity and movable in relation to the housing, the traveler including at least one magnet that generates a magnetic field;
detecting, using a sensor assembly di

Assignees

• Capstan Ag Systems Inc

Inventors

• Grimm Jeffrey John
• Boyd Andrew
• Schrader Kale

Classifications

• A01M7/006 Primary

  Mounting of the nozzles · CPC title

• G01F1/24

  with magnetic or electric coupling to the indicating device · CPC title

• A01C23/007

  Metering or regulating systems · CPC title

• A01C23/024

  for ammonia · CPC title

• B05B13/005

  mounted on vehicles or designed to apply a liquid on a very large surface, e.g. on the road, on the surface of large containers · CPC title