Nozzle control system and method
First Claim
1. A system for controlling nozzle flow rate comprising:
- an input interface configured to receive one or more sprayer characteristics of an agricultural sprayer, the one or more sprayer characteristics including one or more of sprayer boom width, target product coverage per unit area, sprayer speed, sprayer yaw rate or nozzle characteristics;
a master node in communication with the input interface, the master node includes;
an expected overall flow rate module configured to generate an expected overall flow rate of an agricultural product based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, andan adjustment module configured to generate an error correction based on a difference between the expected overall flow rate and an actual overall flow rate of the agricultural product; and
a plurality of smart nozzles in communication with the master node, each of the smart nozzles includes an electronic control unit (ECU) in communication with one or more control valves and one or more nozzle assemblies, each of the smart nozzles includes;
a target smart nozzle flow rate module configured to generate a target smart nozzle flow rate of the agricultural product based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, anda duty cycle module in communication with the adjustment module, the duty cycle module configured to generate an adjusted duty cycle for the one or more control valves based on the target smart nozzle flow rate and the error correction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for controlling nozzle flow rate includes a master node having an expected overall flow rate module configured to generate an expected overall flow rate of an agricultural product based on one or more sprayer characteristics, and an adjustment module configured to generate an error correction based on a difference between the expected overall flow rate and an actual overall flow rate of the agricultural product. A plurality of smart nozzles are in communication with the master node, each of the smart nozzles includes an electronic control unit in communication with one or more control valves and one or more nozzle assemblies. Each of the smart nozzles includes a target smart nozzle flow rate module configured to generate a target smart nozzle flow rate of the agricultural product based on the one or more sprayer characteristics. The target smart nozzle flow rate is adjusted according to the error correction.
165 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A system for controlling nozzle flow rate comprising:
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an input interface configured to receive one or more sprayer characteristics of an agricultural sprayer, the one or more sprayer characteristics including one or more of sprayer boom width, target product coverage per unit area, sprayer speed, sprayer yaw rate or nozzle characteristics; a master node in communication with the input interface, the master node includes; an expected overall flow rate module configured to generate an expected overall flow rate of an agricultural product based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, and an adjustment module configured to generate an error correction based on a difference between the expected overall flow rate and an actual overall flow rate of the agricultural product; and a plurality of smart nozzles in communication with the master node, each of the smart nozzles includes an electronic control unit (ECU) in communication with one or more control valves and one or more nozzle assemblies, each of the smart nozzles includes; a target smart nozzle flow rate module configured to generate a target smart nozzle flow rate of the agricultural product based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, and a duty cycle module in communication with the adjustment module, the duty cycle module configured to generate an adjusted duty cycle for the one or more control valves based on the target smart nozzle flow rate and the error correction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for controlling nozzle flow rate in an agricultural sprayer comprising:
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a flow meter configured to measure an actual overall flow rate of the agricultural sprayer; a pressure sensor configured to measure an actual pressure of an agricultural product; a master node in communication with the flow meter and the pressure sensor, the master node configured to receive one or more sprayer characteristics of the agricultural sprayer, the master node includes; an expected overall flow rate module configured to generate an expected overall flow rate based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, an adjustment module configured to generate an error correction based on a difference between the expected overall flow rate and the actual overall flow rate, and a feedback control module configured to control an agricultural product output interface according to the difference between the actual pressure and a target pressure; and a plurality of smart nozzles in communication with the master node, each of the smart nozzles includes an electronic control unit (ECU) in communication with one or more control valves and one or more nozzle assemblies, the ECU of each smart nozzle includes; a target smart nozzle flow rate module configured to generate a target smart nozzle flow rate based on the one or more sprayer characteristics, and a duty cycle module in communication with the adjustment module, the duty cycle module configured to generate an adjusted duty cycle for the one or more control valves based on the target smart nozzle flow rate and the error correction. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for controlling nozzle flow rate in an agricultural sprayer comprising:
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inputting a target product coverage per unit area for an agricultural product to a master node and a plurality of smart nozzles, each of the smart nozzles includes an electronic control unit (ECU) and one or more nozzle assemblies; generating an error correction for the plurality of smart nozzles including; determining an expected overall flow rate of the agricultural product based on the target product coverage per unit area and one or more sprayer characteristics, measuring an actual overall flow rate of the agricultural product, and determining the error correction based on a difference between the expected overall flow rate and the actual overall flow rate; and determining an adjusted duty cycle for one or more control valves each coupled with one or more nozzle assemblies included with each smart nozzle, determining the adjusted duty cycle includes; generating a target smart nozzle flow rate of the agricultural product based on the target product coverage per unit area and the one or more sprayer characteristics, and determining an adjusted duty cycle based on the target smart nozzle the error correction. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification