LIQUID FERTILIZER SENSOR SYSTEM

• US 20130008361A1
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schaffert Manufacturing Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Schaffert Manufacturing Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Trevino, Ramiro, O'Donnell, Matthew, O'Donnell, Brian
• Application Number:
  US13/365,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20130008361A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 111/120
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/007 Metering or regulating systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/21 Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8158 With indicator, register, recorder, alarm or inspection means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85978 With pump

Abstract

A system for fertilizing a large area. The system may include a fluid bar configured to be towed by a tractor. The fluid bar may include a fluid passageway with at least one aperture and a sensor or meter in communication with the aperture. The aperture may be configured to receive a hose or other attachment distributing fluid to the ground. The system may include a tank, a pump, pump controller and a filter. The pump flow rate and the outlet flow rate may be displayed on monitoring equipment located within a cab of the tractor. The pump controller may be used by the farmer to variably adjust the fluid pressure in each aperture and consequently adjust the flow pressure of fertilizer added to the ground.

Claims

1. A liquid fertilizer apparatus comprising:

a fluid bar fluidly connected to a fertilizer source, the fluid bar capable of attachment to a farm machine and including a fluid passageway that is in fluid communication with a plurality of apertures;

a plurality of sensors, each sensor positioned between the fluid passageway and at least one aperture of the plurality of apertures and configured to measure a characteristic of a fluid as the fluid flows from the fluid passageway to the at least one aperture; and

a sensor monitor in communication with the plurality of sensors and configured to display for each sensor the characteristic of the fluid measured by the sensor.

2. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is a fluid flow rate.

3. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is a fluid pressure differential.

4. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pump fluidly connected to the fluid passageway and the fertilizer source.

5. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a pump controller operatively associated with the pump and configured to allow a user to selectively variably adjust a pump rate of the pump.

6. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a battery in communication with the pump and the pump controller.

7. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a first filter in fluid communication with the pump and the fertilizer source and positioned between the fertilizer source and the pump.

8. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a second filter in fluid communication with the pump and the fertilizer source and positioned between the pump and the fluid passageway.

9. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pump comprises an electric pump.

10. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid bar comprises polyvinyl chloride.

11. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pressure gauge in fluid communication with the fluid passageway.

12. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a pressure gauge display in communication with the pressure gauge, and the pressure gauge display indicates the pressure of the fertilizer transported within the fluid passageway.

13. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, where the fluid bar further comprises a plurality of mounts and each aperture of the plurality of apertures is located in a front surface of at least one of the plurality of mounts.

14. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hose operatively connected to of the fluid bar and in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of apertures.

15. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a seed cover assembly operatively connected to the hose.

16. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fertilizer source comprises a tank.

17. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the farm machine comprises a tractor.

18. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 17, wherein the tractor further comprises a cab, and the cab contains the sensor monitor.

19. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a planting device configured to be attached to the farm machine, and the planting device creates at least one furrow and deposits a seed in the furrow.

20. The liquid fertilizer apparatus of claim 19, further comprising at least one hose operatively attached to the at fluid bar, each of the at least one hose in fluid communication with the fluid passageway, and there is at least one hose for each at least one furrow created by the planting device.

21. A system as in claim 20, wherein the plurality of sensors are sufficiently numerous that there is at least one sensor for each furrow created by the planting device.

22. A method for fertilizing, comprising:

creating at least one furrow;

depositing a seed within the at least one furrow;

delivering fertilizer from a tank to a plurality of hoses;

distributing fertilizer from each of the plurality of hoses to an associated furrow;

monitoring a flow rate of the fertilizer in each of the plurality of hoses using a plurality of sensors where each hose in monitored by at least one of the plurality of sensors; and

displaying the fertilizer flow rate on a monitor for each of the plurality of hoses.

23. The method of fertilizing as in claim 22, wherein the monitor is located in a cab of a tractor.

24. A liquid flow metering system, comprising:

a reservoir configured to store a liquid;

a pump in fluid communication with the fertilizer reservoir and a plurality of fluid outlets, the plurality of fluid outlets configured to deliver to a desired area liquid received from the reservoir via the pump;

a plurality of sensors configured to monitor a flow rate of the liquid to each of the plurality of fluid outlets;

each of the plurality of sensors operatively associated with a hardware control; and

the hardware control operatively associated with a software control unit.

25. The liquid flow metering system of claim 24, wherein the software control unit is configured to display the flow rate of the liquid on a user interface.

26. The liquid flow metering system of claim 25, wherein the software control unit is further configured to display information about each of the plurality of sensors.

27. The liquid flow metering system of claim 25, the software control unit further configured to display an alert when one of the plurality of sensors measures a flow rate of the liquid to one of the plurality of fluid outlets that is outside of predetermined flow rate parameters.

28. The liquid flow metering system of claim 27, wherein the software control unit is further configured to allow a user to input the predetermined flow rate parameters via the user interface.

29. The liquid flow metering system of claim 25, wherein the software control unit is further configured to change a visual object that represents one sensor of the plurality of sensors from a first state to a second state when the one sensor measures a flow rate of the liquid to one of the plurality of fluid outlets that is outside of predetermined flow rate parameters.

30. The liquid flow metering system of claim 29, wherein the first state involves the object being displayed as green in color and the second state involves the object being displayed as red in color.

31. The liquid flow metering system of claim 30, wherein the second state further involves an identification number for the one sensor being displayed.

32. The liquid flow metering system of claim 24, further comprising at least one second sensor operatively associated with the hardware control.

33. The liquid flow metering system of claim 32, wherein the at least one second sensor is selected from a group consisting of a seed sensor, a soil pH sensor, a yield sensor, a global positioning system sensor, and a moisture sensor.

34. The liquid flow metering system of claim 24, wherein the liquid comprises a fertilizer.

35. The liquid flow metering system of claim 24, wherein the desired area comprises an agricultural field.