DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING BLOCKAGES IN AN AGRICULTURAL SPRAYER

• US 20150351375A1
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Ni, Bingcheng
• Granted Patent: US 10,219,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/005 Special arrangements or adaptations of the spraying or distributing parts, e.g. adaptations or mounting of the spray booms, mounting of the nozzles, protection shields nozzles B05B1/00; spray pistols B05B9/01
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/0071 Construction of the spray booms
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/0089 Regulating or controlling systems the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/006 Pressure or flow rate sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/008 integrated in or attached to a discharge apparatus, e.g. a spray gun
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/085 responsive to flow or pressure of liquid or other fluent material to be discharged B05B1/3006, B05B1/323, B05B7/1254 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/50 Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter

Abstract

An agricultural sprayer arrangement includes a chassis, at least one ground engaging traction member carried by the chassis, a liquid tank carried by the chassis, a boom carried by the chassis, a fluid conduit associated with the boom that is fluidly connected to the liquid tank, a spray nozzle that is fluidly connected to the fluid conduit and includes a nozzle body, a differential pressure sensor with a first pressure sensor in the fluid conduit associated with the spray nozzle and a second pressure sensor in the nozzle body, and an electrical processing circuit coupled to the differential pressure sensor. The differential pressure sensor is configured to output a pressure difference signal and the electrical processing circuit is configured to report a blocked nozzle when the pressure difference signal is less than a predetermined threshold value.

Claims

1. An agricultural sprayer arrangement, comprising:

a chassis;

at least one ground engaging traction member carried by said chassis;

a liquid tank carried by said chassis;

a boom carried by said chassis;

a fluid conduit associated with said boom and fluidly connected to said liquid tank;

a spray nozzle fluidly connected to said fluid conduit and including a nozzle body;

a differential pressure sensor having a first pressure sensor in said fluid conduit associated with said spray nozzle and a second pressure sensor in said nozzle body, said differential pressure sensor configured to output a pressure difference signal; and

an electrical processing circuit coupled to said differential pressure sensor, said electrical processing circuit configured to report a blocked nozzle when said pressure difference signal is less than a predetermined threshold value.

2. The sprayer arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said electrical processing circuit includes a control circuit coupled to said differential pressure sensor, a timing circuit coupled to said control circuit and configured to generate a clock signal and a multi-channel display coupled to said control circuit.

3. The sprayer arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said control circuit includes a multiplexer coupled to said differential pressure sensor and said timing circuit, an amplifier coupled to said multiplexer, a filter coupled to said amplifier, and a de-multiplexer coupled to said filter, said timing circuit and said multi-channel display.

4. The sprayer arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said multi-channel display is configured to display a reported blockage to a user.

5. The sprayer arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said fluid conduit has a conduit diameter and said spray nozzle includes an inlet through said fluid conduit having an inlet diameter, said inlet diameter being smaller than said conduit diameter.

6. The sprayer arrangement according to claim 5, wherein said second pressure sensor is placed within said nozzle body adjacent to said inlet.

7. A method for detecting a blockage in an agricultural sprayer, comprising the steps of:

providing a sprayer including a chassis, at least one ground engaging traction member carried by said chassis, a liquid tank carried by said chassis, a boom carried by said chassis, a fluid conduit associated with said boom and fluidly connected to said liquid tank, a pump configured to produce a liquid flow through at least a portion of said fluid conduit from said liquid tank, and a spray nozzle fluidly connected to said liquid flow and including a nozzle body;

determining a first pressure in said liquid flow;

determining a second pressure in said nozzle body;

determining a pressure difference between said first pressure and said second pressure; and

reporting a blockage when said pressure difference is less than a predetermined threshold value.

8. The method according to claim 7, further including the step of creating an alarm when said blockage is reported.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said determining steps are performed by a differential pressure sensor having a first pressure sensor in said liquid flow outside said nozzle body and a second pressure sensor in said nozzle body.

10. The method according to claim 9, further including the step of providing an electrical processing circuit coupled with said differential pressure sensor, said electrical processing circuit performing said reporting step and said displaying step.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said electrical processing circuit includes a control circuit coupled with a multi-channel display.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said control circuit includes a multiplexer coupled to said differential pressure sensor, an amplifier coupled to said multiplexer, a filter coupled to at least one of said multiplexer and said amplifier, and a de-multiplexer coupled to at least one of said filter, said amplifier and said multi-channel display.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said electrical processing circuit includes a timing circuit that generates a clock signal for said multiplexer and said de-multiplexer.

14. The method according to claim 7, wherein said pressure difference corresponds to a nozzle flow rate of liquid out of said spray nozzle.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said predetermined threshold level is when said pressures difference corresponds to a nozzle flow rate of liquid of less than 80 percent of an unclogged flow rate.