Valve cartridge having pressure sensor for agriculture and weed control
First Claim
1. A spray implement, comprising a plurality of valve assemblies, each of the valve assemblies comprising:
- a solenoid valve capable of opening in less than 10 milliseconds;
a spray nozzle;
a housing having a chamber, the chamber extending from the solenoid valve to the spray nozzle;
a pressure sensor disposed to detect a pressure in the chamber, andan error detection system coupled to receive a signal from the pressure sensor, the error detection system capable of detecting an error in the valve assembly operation based on the signal from the pressure sensor.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An agricultural spray implement includes a plurality of removable valve/filter/nozzle cartridges. Each removable cartridge has a housing that retains a high speed solenoid valve and a spray nozzle. When the solenoid valve is open, an agricultural liquid (for example, herbicide) flows through the solenoid valve, through a chamber in the housing, and through the nozzle. To monitor cartridge operation and/or to detect cartridge failures (for example, a solenoid valve that is stuck open or closed or a nozzle that is clogged), a pressure sensor is provided that detects a pressure in the chamber. A chamber pressure that does not change when the solenoid valve is controlled to open and/or close is indicative of cartridge failure. Operation of each of the many spray cartridges of the agricultural spray implement is monitored from a single display.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A spray implement, comprising a plurality of valve assemblies, each of the valve assemblies comprising:
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a solenoid valve capable of opening in less than 10 milliseconds; a spray nozzle; a housing having a chamber, the chamber extending from the solenoid valve to the spray nozzle; a pressure sensor disposed to detect a pressure in the chamber, and an error detection system coupled to receive a signal from the pressure sensor, the error detection system capable of detecting an error in the valve assembly operation based on the signal from the pressure sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18)
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14. A method of applying an agricultural liquid to a field, comprising:
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controlling a solenoid valve of a valve assembly of an agricultural spray implement to be open, the agricultural spray implement having a plurality of such valve assemblies and a central control unit, each of the valve assemblies having a solenoid valve, a nozzle, and a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor of each valve assembly detecting a pressure at the nozzle of that valve assembly; detecting whether the pressure at the nozzle is less than a predetermined pressure when the valve is controlled to be open; displaying an error condition on the central control unit if the pressure at the nozzle is less than the predetermined pressure; and moving the agricultural spray assembly over the field.
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15. A method, comprising:
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controlling a solenoid valve of an agricultural spray implement to be closed and then open, the solenoid valve being capable of opening in less than 10 milliseconds, the solenoid valve being capable of closing in less than 10 milliseconds; determining whether the agricultural spray implement has malfunctioned based on whether a pressure at a nozzle associated with the solenoid valve changed; and moving the agricultural spray implement across a field, the agricultural spray implement comprising a plurality of such solenoid valves. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A method, comprising:
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controlling a solenoid valve of an agricultural spray implement to be open and then closed, the solenoid valve being capable of opening in less than 10 milliseconds, the solenoid valve being capable of closing in less than 10 milliseconds; determining whether a pressure at a nozzle associated with the solenoid valve changed; determining whether the agricultural spray implement has malfunctioned based on the pressure at the nozzle; and moving the agricultural spray implement across a field, the agricultural spray implement comprising a plurality of such solenoid valves.
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Specification