Gear flow divider for agricultural product injection

• US 9,380,773 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2014
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raven Industries Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Raven Industries Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Hebbert, Amanda Marie, Sukalski, Michael Jordan, Taylor, Colin James, Clark, Jaclyn Marie, Michael, Nicholas O.
• Primary Examiner(s): HWU, DAVIS D
• Application Number:
  US14/220,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20140284400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 239/159, 239/726, 239/727, 239/407, 239/413, 239/406
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/008 Tanks, chassis or related parts
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/04 Distributing under pressure; Distributing mud; Adaptation of watering systems for fertilising-liquids
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/006 Mounting of the nozzles
• 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: A01M 7/0092 Adding active material used as well for the introduction of fertilisers in water A01C23/042

Abstract

This application discusses, among other things, agricultural equipment and more particularly agricultural chemical applicators. In an example, an agricultural sprayer system can include a first boom section configured to receive a carrier material and a chemical material and to provide an agricultural chemical mixture, the boom section having a plurality of nozzles for spraying the chemical mixture; and a first rod insert coupled to an end cap of the boom section, the rod insert configured to reduce the volume of the boom section and to provide increased flow velocity of the chemical mixture to each of the plurality of nozzles.

Claims

1. An agricultural sprayer system comprising:

a first boom section configured to receive an carrier material and a chemical material and to provide an agricultural chemical mixture including the carrier material and the chemical material, the boom section having a plurality of nozzles for spraying the chemical mixture;

a first rod insert coupled to an end cap of the boom section and inserted within at least a portion of the boom section, the rod insert configured to reduce the volume of the boom section and to provide increased flow velocity of the chemical mixture to each of the plurality of nozzles;

a first chemical flow line configured to deliver the chemical material to the first boom section;

a first recirculation valve, the first recirculation valve configured to pass chemical material to the first chemical flow line in a first state and to interrupt the flow of chemical material to the first chemical flow line in a second state; and

a recirculation circuit coupled to the first recirculation valve, wherein the first recirculation valve is configured to pass the chemical material to the recirculation line in the second state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first boom section includes a first inline mixer to mix the carrier material with the chemical material using a flow of each of the chemical material and the carrier material.

3. The system of claim 1, including a first carrier flow line configured to deliver the carrier material to the first boom section.

4. The system of claim 1, including a first chemical check valve configured to prevent carrier material from entering a portion of the first chemical flow line.

5. The system of claim 1, including a recirculation check valve coupled to the recirculation circuit and configured to prevent chemical material back flow into a portion of the recirculation circuit.

6. The system of claim 1, including a flow divider configured to distribute an aggregate flow of the chemical material to a plurality of boom sections, the plurality of boom section including the first boom section.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the aggregate flow is configured to receive a recirculation flow from the recirculation circuit.

8. The system of claim 1, including a reservoir to provide at least a portion of the aggregate flow of the chemical material.

9. The system of claim 8, including a pump configured to draw the chemical material from the reservoir to the flow divider.

10. The system of claim 9, including a plurality of section valves, wherein each section valve is associated with each boom section of the plurality of boom sections;

and

wherein each section valve of the plurality of section valves is configured to isolate an associated boom section from the flow of the carrier material and the flow of the chemical material in a first state of the section valve, and to pass the flow of the carrier material and the flow of the chemical material in a second state of the section valve.

11. The system of claim 10, including a controller configured to individually control each section valve of the plurality of section valves, to individually control each recirculation valve of a plurality of recirculation valves and to modulate the pump based on a total number of boom section in the plurality of boom sections and a number of section valves in the second state;

and

wherein the plurality of recirculation valves includes the first recirculation valve.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to receive application information for a field and to control the plurality of section valves, the plurality of recirculation valves and the pump using the application information as the system is moved about a field;

and

wherein the application information can include position, speed and heading information of the system relative to the field and an application map of the field, wherein the application map can include application rates of the chemical material on the field.