Agricultural spraying machine and method for spraying a phytosanitary liquid on land cultivated by means of such a machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9707882-B2
Application number	US-201113824878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2011
Priority date	Oct 5, 2010
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to an agricultural machine for spraying a phytosanitary liquid over cultivated land, said machine comprising means for moving the machine, a spray boom having at least one arm, a mechanism for inclining the boom and/or at least one of the arms in relation to a frame of the machine and vertically when the machine is on a flat and horizontal surface, and a mechanism for raising/lowering the boom along an axis fixed in relation to the frame of the machine. At least one of the arms is provided with at least one sensor, each sensor measuring a distance between the surface of the land and said sensor or, if necessary, between the crop and the sensor. The control unit is connected to each sensor, provided with a memory for storing information provided by each sensor, and able to control the raising/lowering mechanism according to information stored in the memory.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Agricultural machine for spraying a phytosanitary liquid on a cultivated land, comprising
means for moving the machine over a surface of the land, the means for moving comprising a motor, wherein the agricultural machine is self-propelled,
a spray boom for spraying the phytosanitary liquid comprising at least one arm,
a mechanism for inclining the boom and/or at least one of the arms in relation to a frame of the machine,
a mechanism for raising/lowering the boom according to an axis fixed in relation to the frame of the machine and vertical, or substantially vertical, when the machine is on a flat and horizontal surface, the mechanism for raising/lowering being a separate structure from the mechanism for inclining,
a control unit configured to control, during the spraying, the mechanism for raising/lowering and the mechanism for inclining, and
a manual control system for controlling the mechanism for inclining,

wherein at least one of the arms of the boom is provided with at least one sensor, each sensor measuring a distance between the surface of the land and this sensor, where applicable, between vegetation planted in the land and this sensor and
wherein the control unit is
connected to each sensor,
provided with a memory for storing information provided by each sensor and
configured to control the mechanism for raising/lowering depending on the information stored in the memory, and depending on a predetermined minimum distance and on a predetermined intermediate distance greater than the predetermined minimum distance, in order to separate the boom from the surface by automatically raising the boom when the distance measured by at least one of the sensors is less than the predetermined minimum distance, and until the distance measured by the sensor(s) is equal to the predetermined intermediate distance,

wherein the agricultural machine is configured such that a user may manually control the inclination of each of the at least one arms of the boom by means of the manual control system while the control unit ensures that the boom is maintained automatically at the predetermined minimum distance by the mechanism for raising/lowering.

2. The agricultural machine according to claim 1 , wherein the manual control system is also configured to control the mechanism for raising/lowering.

3. The agricultural machine according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is able to control at least one mechanism for inclining depending on the information stored in the memory.

4. The agricultural machine according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the arms of the boom is provided with at least two sensors.

Assignees

• Ballu Patrick
• Exel Ind

Inventors

• Ballu Patrick

Classifications

• A01M7/0057

  with active regulation of the boom position · CPC title

• A01M7/0089 Primary

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

• B60P3/30 Primary

  Spraying vehicles (sprinkling-wagons for fertilising liquid A01C23/00; for destruction of noxious animals, vermin, or unwanted vegetation A01M; {vehicle-mounted spraying installations for de-icing aircraft B64F5/23;} for spraying asphalt, bitumen, tar, or the like E01C; for cleaning streets E01H) · CPC title

• B05B12/124

  responsive to distance between spray apparatus and target · 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