SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR DISPENSING MULTIPLE AND LOW RATE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

• US 20180092296A1
• Filed: 11/17/2017
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AMVAC Chemical Corporation (American Vanguard Corporation)
• Original Assignee: American Vanguard Corporation
• Inventors: Conrad, Larry M., Rysdam, Rex A., Claussen, Nathaniel R., Porter, Richard M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,440,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/005 Following a specific plan, e.g. pattern
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/007 Metering or regulating systems
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/06 Seeders combined with fertilising apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/0092 Adding active material used as well for the introduction of fertilisers in water A01C23/042
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 9/0092 Regulating or controlling systems the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06

Abstract

A system for dispensing agricultural products includes: a master controller, sets of agricultural product containers, meter devices, and secondary controllers. The meter devices are operatively connected to the product containers and configured to dispense products from the containers to rows in a field wherein each of the sets of containers is associated with a respective row in the field. The secondary controllers actuate the meter devices. Each secondary controller receives command data from the master controller and controls the meter devices for dispensing in response to the command data. Agricultural product from each product container is dispensed in accordance with operator defined instructions to the master controller. The instructions are capable of being provided to the master controller during the planting allowing the dispensing of individual containers to be controlled. In one embodiment the invention is a process for dispensing agricultural products at low application rates utilizing precision placement equipment.

Claims

1. A process for dispensing agricultural products at a low application rate, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a plurality of agricultural product containers containing low application rate, dry granular agricultural products, wherein said product containers are rigid and are utilized in shipping, storage, and application of agricultural products, thus maintaining agricultural product integrity;

b) providing a plurality of low application rate meter devices operatively connected to said plurality of product containers configured to dispense the agricultural products from the plurality of product containers, said plurality of low application rate meter devices being mounted on planters, said low application rate being defined as a rate below 3 ounces per 1000 feet of row, wherein each of said planter comprises;

a master controller;

a power distribution box operatively connected to the master controller and a secondary power source; and

,

a plurality of secondary controllers for actuating the plurality of meter devices, each secondary controller receiving command data from the master controller, via said power distribution box, and controlling the meter devices for dispensing in response to said command data;

c) providing precision placement equipment including placement tube assemblies operatively connected to said plurality of low rate meter devices to place the agricultural products in desired locations for efficient activity of the agricultural products; and

,

d) operating said plurality of low application rate meter devices and said precision placement equipment to dispense the agricultural products at an optimized efficiency,

2. The system of claim 1, wherein an identification device is positioned in association with an agricultural product container for providing identification information to the master controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip is positioned in association with an agricultural product container for providing identification information to the master controller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip is positioned in association with an agricultural product container for providing identification information to the master controller, wherein the master controller assigns the product container and its operatively connected meter device to a specific row.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip is positioned in association with an agricultural product container for providing identification information to the master controller wherein if a product identification is not for an authorized product then an operatively connected meter device will not operate.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said wherein said master controller and said secondary controllers are configured to provide operator defined groups of rows, each of the rows in a group having an operator assigned dispensing rate and an operator assigned agricultural product, wherein said operator defined groups of rows comprise multiple groups of rows, said master controller and said secondary controllers being configured to control said multiple groups of rows simultaneously.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein master controller and said plurality of secondary controllers are configured to dispense forty-eight or more different agricultural products in accordance with operator needs.

8. The system of claim 1, further including a plurality of junction boxes operatively positioned between a power distribution box and said plurality of secondary controllers.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each secondary controller is associated with one agricultural product container.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each secondary controller is associated with at least two agricultural product containers.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each secondary controller receives calibration data from the meter devices and uses the calibration data in combination with the command data to control said meter devices.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each agricultural product container includes means for retaining selected operating data, the selected operating data including an identifying serial number and calibration data for meter devices of said plurality of meter devices.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein each meter device of said plurality of meter devices includes an electromechanical apparatus, an application of actuation power to said electromechanical apparatus being controlled by one of said plurality of secondary controllers.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of secondary controllers, at pre-determined intervals, applies electrical power to the meter devices for a pre-determined time.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the master controller receives input data, including type of agricultural product being dispensed and application rate for said agricultural product, and determines an electrical power application time and the time interval between such electrical power applications in response thereto.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein each secondary controller includes means for sensing the flow of agricultural product from said agricultural product container.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein each secondary controller includes an electronic circuit board, the means for sensing the flow of agricultural product being integral with the electronic circuit board.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein agricultural products are dispensed utilizing a plurality of meter devices for each of said respective rows, each meter device being operatively connected to a respective container of a set of agricultural product containers.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said master controller and said secondary controllers are optionally configured to provide operator defined groups of rows, each of the rows in a group having an operator assigned dispensing rate and operator assigned agricultural product, said operator assigned dispensing rate and agricultural products being controllable by the operator during operation according to planting needs.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said low application rate meter devices are configured to operate in a range of 1.0-2.0 ounces per 1000 feet of row.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said wherein said precision placement equipment comprises placement tube assemblies, each placement tube assembly mounted for placement of product in-furrow between depth wheels of a depth control wheel assembly of the planter.

20. A system for dispensing agricultural products at a low application rate, comprising:

a) a plurality of product containers containing low application rate, dry, granular agricultural products;

b) a plurality of low application rate meter devices operatively connected to said product containers configured to dispense the agricultural products from the plurality of product containers, said meter devices being mounted on planters, said low application rate being defined as a rate below 3 ounces per 1000 feet of row, wherein each of said planter comprises;

a master controller;

a power distribution box operatively connected to the master controller and a secondary power source; and

,

a plurality of secondary controllers for actuating the plurality of meter devices, each secondary controller receiving command data from the master controller, via said power distribution box, and controlling the meter devices for dispensing in response to said command data;

c) precision placement equipment operatively connected to said plurality of low rate meter devices to place the low usage rate agricultural products in desired locations for efficient activity of the agricultural products; and

,

wherein said low rate meter devices and said precision placement equipment are operated to dispense the agricultural products at an optimized efficiency,

wherein said master controller and said secondary controllers are optionally configured to provide operator defined groups of rows, each of the rows in a group having an operator assigned dispensing rate and operator assigned agricultural product, said operator assigned dispensing rate and agricultural product being controllable by the operator during operation according to planting needs.

23. A meter device for use with a system for dispensing agricultural products at a low application rate, wherein the system for dispensing agricultural products at a low application rate includes a plurality of low application rate meter devices each operatively connected to product containers configured to contain low application rate, dry, granular agricultural products, wherein each of said low application rate meter device, comprises:

an in-meter diffuser, and wherein each of said low application rate meter devices is mountable on a planter, and is configured to dispense the agricultural products at an application rate being defined as a rate below 3 ounces per 1000 feet of row.