Localized product injection system and methods for same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12389899-B2
Application number	US-202217809223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2022
Priority date	Jan 5, 2017
Publication date	Aug 19, 2025
Grant date	Aug 19, 2025

Abstract

A localized product injection system includes a composite boom tube having a carrier fluid passage within a tube body, and at least one injection product passage within the tube body isolated from the carrier fluid passage. A plurality of port stations are provided at locations along the tube body. Each of the port stations includes a carrier fluid outlet port and at least one injection product outlet port. A localized injection interface is coupled at a port station. The injection interface includes a carrier fluid input coupled with the carrier fluid outlet port, and at least one injection product input coupled with the at least one injection product outlet port. The injection interface includes at least one throttling element in communication with the at least one injection product input, a mixing chamber, and an injection port configured for localized coupling and injection to a product dispenser.

First claim

The claimed invention is:

1. A localized product injection interface comprising:
one or more interface bodies configured for coupling with a boom tube, the boom tube coupled with one or more upstream pumps configured to pressurize a carrier fluid and an injection product, the one or more interface bodies configured to mix the carrier fluid and the injection product to form an agricultural product and provide the agricultural product for spray application, each interface body of the one or more interface bodies houses:
a carrier fluid fitting configured to couple with a carrier fluid passage of the boom tube and receive the carrier fluid pressurized with the one or more upstream pumps;
an injection product fitting configured to couple with an injection product passage of the boom tube and receive the injection product pressurized with the one or more upstream pumps;
an injection control valve, the injection product fitting extending to the injection control valve, the injection control valve is configured to control an injection flow rate of the injection product;
a mixing chamber, the carrier fluid fitting and injection control valve extending to the mixing chamber, the mixing chamber includes a static mixer configured to mix the injection product at the injection flow rate with the carrier fluid from the carrier fluid fitting in each interface body and provide the agricultural product; and
at least one flow measuring sensor proximate to the injection control valve;
wherein the at least one flow measuring sensor measures at least one of flow rate or pressure differential of the injection product;
wherein the injection control valve is configured to meter a quantity of the injection product to the mixing chamber according to the measured at least one of flow rate or pressure differential of the injection product; and

a plurality of nozzle assemblies, each nozzle assembly engaged with at least one of the one or more interface bodies;
wherein each nozzle assembly of the plurality of nozzle assemblies is in direct communication with the mixing chamber housed in at least one of the one or more interface bodies, and each nozzle assembly is configured to spray the agricultural product pressurized with the one or more upstream pumps;
wherein the agricultural product sprayed from each nozzle assembly includes a concentration of injection product specific to each nozzle assembly.

2. The localized product injection interface of claim 1 comprising a control unit in communication with the injection control valve, and the control unit is configured to control concentration of the injection product in the carrier fluid with control of the injection flow rate by the injection control valve.

3. The localized product injection interface of claim 2 , comprising a carrier control valve in communication with the carrier fluid fitting and the mixing chamber, and the control unit is in communication with the carrier control valve; and
the control unit is configured to control a carrier flow rate of the carrier fluid with the carrier control valve.

4. The localized product injection interface of claim 2 , comprising one or more sensors configured to measure characteristics of one or more of the injection product or the carrier fluid, the one or more sensors in communication with the control unit.

5. The localized product injection interface of claim 4 , wherein the one or more sensors include one or more of flow meters or pressure transducers coupled with one or more of the injection product fitting or the carrier fluid fitting.

6. The localized product injection interface of claim 4 , wherein the one or more sensors include sensors configured to measure or determine a flow rate of one or more of the injection product or the carrier fluid; and wherein the control unit is configured to control concentration of the injection product in the carrier fluid according to the measured or determined flow rate.

7. The localized product injection interface of claim 2 , comprising a concentration sensor proximate to the nozzle assembly, the concentration sensor configured to measure concentration of the injection product in the agricultural product.

8. The localized product injection interface of claim 1 , wherein the interface body is configured for:
downstream coupling with a carrier fluid system and at least one injection product system; and
local coupling upstream relative to the nozzle assembly.

9. The localized product injection interface of claim 1 , wherein the mixing chamber is interposed between the nozzle assembly and each of the carrier fluid fitting and the injection product fitting.

10. The localized product injection interface of claim 1 , wherein the interface body includes an interface clamp configured to:
close around the boom tube;
interfit the carrier fluid fitting with the carrier fluid passage; and
interfit the injection product fitting with the injection product passage.

11. The localized product injection interface of claim 10 , wherein the interface body includes an input face having the carrier fluid fitting and the injection product fitting extending along the input face; and wherein closing of the interface clamp is configured to interfit the carrier fluid fitting and the injection product fitting along the interface clamp with the carrier fluid passage and the injection product passage, respectively.

12. The localized product injection interface of claim 1 comprising the one or more upstream pumps; and the boom tube extending from the one or more upstream pumps to the interface body.

13. The localized product injection interface of claim 1 , including a control unit configured to communicated with the injection control valve to control the injection flow rate based on at least one of the measured flow rate or pressure differential.

14. A localized product injection interface comprising:
one or more interface bodies, each interface body configured for coupling with a boom tube, the boom tube coupled with one or more upstream pumps configured to pressurize a carrier fluid and an injection product, each interface body configured to mix the carrier fluid and the injection product to form an agricultural product and provide the agricultural product for spray application, each interface body houses:
a carrier fluid fitting configured to couple with a carrier fluid passage of the boom tube and receive the carrier fluid pressurized with the one or more upstream pumps;
an injection product fitting configured to couple with an injection product passage of the boom tube and receive the injection product pressurized with the one or more upstream pumps;
an injection control valve, the injection product fitting extending to the injection control valve, the injection control valve is configured to control an injection flow rate of the injection product;
at least one flow measuring sensor proximate to the injection control valve;
wherein the at least one flow measuring sensor is configured to measure at least one of the flow rate or pressure differential of the injection product and is configured to provide an output to a control unit;

a carrier control valve, the carrier fluid fitting extending to the carrier control valve, and the carrier control valve is configured to control a carrier flow rate of the carrier fluid; and
a mixing chamber, the carrier control valve and the injection control valve extending to the mixing chamber, the mixing chamber includes a static mixer configured to mix the injection product at the injection flow rate with the carrier fluid at the carrier flow rate in each interface body and provide the agricultu

Assignees

• Raven Ind Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B05B15/658

  the spraying apparatus or its outlet axis being perpendicular to the flow conduit · CPC title

• B05B12/12

  responsive to conditions of ambient medium or target, e.g. humidity, temperature {position or movement of the target relative to the spray apparatus (B05B12/082, B05B12/084 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B05B7/12

  designed to control volume of flow, e.g. with adjustable passages · CPC title

• A01M7/0071

  Construction of the spray booms · CPC title

• B05B12/1436

  the controlling condition of the first liquid or other fluent material in the first supply line being its flow rate or its pressure · CPC title