Systems and methods for spraying an agricultural fluid on foliage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11147258-B2
Application number	US-201916272858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2019
Priority date	Feb 12, 2018
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A system includes a plurality of nozzle assemblies connected in fluid communication with a fluid supply line, a plurality of electrically actuated valve assemblies to control fluid flow through the nozzle assemblies, and a controller communicatively connected to the valve assemblies and configured to control at least one operating parameter of each valve assembly. A portable electronic device is connected in communication with the controller, and is configured to display an image including at least a portion of the system and a target, and to receive a user input that identifies a location and/or an orientation of each of the plurality of nozzle assemblies on the image. At least one of the controller and the portable electronic device is configured to determine the at least one operating parameter based on an overlap amount between a spray path projection of each nozzle assembly and the target in the image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for applying agricultural fluid to a target, the system comprising:
a fluid supply line connected to a fluid supply;
a plurality of nozzle assemblies connected in fluid communication with the fluid supply line, the nozzle assemblies being positioned and oriented to spray portions of the target;
a plurality of electrically actuated valve assemblies, each valve assembly of the plurality of electrically actuated valve assemblies connected in fluid communication between the fluid supply line and a corresponding one of the plurality of nozzle assemblies to control fluid flow through the respective nozzle assembly;
a controller communicatively connected to the valve assemblies and configured to control at least one operating parameter of each valve assembly; and
a portable electronic device connected in communication with the controller, the portable electronic device including a user interface and a camera, wherein the portable electronic device is configured to:
display, via the user interface, an image including at least a portion of the system and the target; and
receive, via the user interface, a user input that identifies at least one of a location and an orientation of each of the plurality of nozzle assemblies on the image;

wherein at least one of the controller and the portable electronic device is configured to determine the at least one operating parameter of each valve assembly based on an overlap amount between a spray path projection of each nozzle assembly and the target in the image.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device is configured to send a signal relating to the at least one operating parameter of each valve assembly to the controller.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image includes the plurality of nozzle assemblies and the target, the user interface configured to receive a user input that identifies a center of the plurality of nozzle assemblies.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device is configured to receive at least one user input relating to a physical characteristic of the nozzle assemblies.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the user input includes at least one of the following inputs: specific gravity, valve size, nozzle size, and a physical dimension of the system.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a fan including at least one outlet, the plurality of nozzle assemblies being positioned proximate the at least one outlet, the fan being configured to generate an airflow that is exhausted from the outlet to direct the fluid emitted from the nozzle assemblies towards the target.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a curved manifold connected to the fluid supply line, wherein the nozzle assemblies are spaced circumferentially along the manifold such that fluid emitted from the nozzle assemblies is directed radially outward from the manifold.

8. A method of applying agricultural fluid to a target, the method comprising:
positioning a spray apparatus within a field including the target, the spray apparatus including a fluid supply line, a plurality of nozzle assemblies connected in fluid communication with the fluid supply line, and a plurality of electrically actuated valve assemblies, each valve assembly of the plurality of electrically actuated valve assemblies connected in fluid communication between the fluid supply line and a corresponding one of the plurality of nozzle assemblies to control fluid flow through the respective nozzle assembly;
displaying, using a portable electronic device, at least one image that includes at least a portion of the spray apparatus and the target;
receiving a user input that identifies at least one of a location and an orientation of each nozzle assembly in the image;
determining a spray path projection for each nozzle assembly in the image based on the user input;
determining an overlap amount for each nozzle assembly between the spray path projection and the target in the image; and
determining, using a controller, an operating parameter of each valve assembly based on the overlap amount of the nozzle assembly corresponding to the respective valve assembly.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising individually actuating each valve assembly, using the controller, according to the determined operating parameter to obtain a desired flow characteristic of fluid emitted from each nozzle assembly.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving, using a portable electronic device, at least one physical characteristic of the plurality of nozzle assemblies.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining an operating parameter comprises determining a duty cycle of each valve assembly.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
determining a total overlap amount for the plurality of nozzle assemblies; and
determining a relative overlap amount for each nozzle assembly by dividing the respective overlap amount of each nozzle assembly by the total overlap amount, wherein the duty cycle of each valve assembly is determined based on the relative overlap amount of the respective nozzle assembly.

13. A system for applying agricultural fluid to a target, the system comprising:
a fluid supply line connected to a fluid supply;
a plurality of nozzle assemblies connected in fluid communication with the fluid supply line, the nozzle assemblies being positioned and oriented to spray portions of the target;
a plurality of electrically actuated valve assemblies, each valve assembly of the plurality of electrically actuated valve assemblies connected in fluid communication between the fluid supply line and a corresponding one of the plurality of nozzle assemblies to control fluid flow through the respective nozzle assembly;
a controller communicatively connected to the valve assemblies and configured to control at least one operating parameter of each valve assembly; and
a portable electronic device connected in communication with the controller and including a user interface, wherein the portable electronic device is configured to:
receive, via the user interface, a user input that relates to a position of each of the plurality of nozzle assemblies; and
determine a spray path projection for each nozzle assembly based on the position of each of the plurality of nozzle assemblies;

wherein at least one of the controller and the portable electronic device is configured to determine the at least one operating parameter of each valve assembly based on the user input and the spray path projection for each nozzle assembly.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the portable electronic device is further configured to display, via the user interface, a schematic representation of at least a portion of the system including the nozzle assemblies and the spray path projections.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the portable electronic device is configured to send a signal relating to the at least one operating parameter of each valve assembly to the controller.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the portable electronic device is configured to receive a second user input relating to a physical characteristic of the system, the second user input including at least one of the following inputs: a size of nozzle assemblies, a specific gravity of the fluid, a frequency of control signals provided to the valve assemblies, and a physical dimension of the system.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the portable electronic device is configured to receive an operating parameter of the system including at least one of

Assignees

• Capstan Ag Systems Inc

Inventors

• Grimm Jeffrey John
• Holtz Andrew J

Classifications

• A01C23/047

  Spraying of liquid fertilisers · CPC title

• B05B7/0075

  Nozzle arrangements in gas streams · CPC title

• A01M7/0014

  Field atomisers, e.g. orchard atomisers, self-propelled, drawn or tractor-mounted · CPC title

• A01M7/0089

  Regulating or controlling systems (the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06) · 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