Adjustable Drop Assemblies for Precise Crop Nutrient Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid product application systems in farming are inefficient as they primarily function at the beginning of a plant's life and result in significant waste by spraying above the plants, failing to meet the nutrient needs of plants throughout their growth stages and leading to environmental contamination.
Innovation Solution
A liquid placement apparatus with a boom structure and drop assemblies that allow for precise control of liquid fertilizer application from the beginning to later stages of plant growth, directing the spray to minimize waste and apply nutrients near the rhizosphere, using a manifold and spray assembly that can adjust height and direction to target both upper and lower plant surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional liquid product application systems spray liquid products above the plants, then the application process is simple, but significant waste is created and environmental contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The boom structure is divided into multiple sections with individual drop assemblies at each segment. Each drop assembly can be independently adjusted to position nozzles between crop rows, allowing precise liquid application directly to the target area rather than broad spraying above plants, thereby reducing waste while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The drop assemblies are designed with adjustable height and angle mechanisms that allow dynamic positioning of nozzles. This enables the system to adapt nozzle orientation and position to match crop growth stages and row configurations, ensuring liquid products are delivered precisely where needed throughout the plant's life cycle
2Duration of action of moving object
If conventional systems spray liquid products above the plants, then the system can be used at the beginning of plant life, but it creates waste and cannot meet nutrient needs in later growth stages
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable drop assembly design allows the same apparatus to function effectively across all plant growth stages. By modifying nozzle position and angle, the system transitions from early-stage broadcast application to later-stage targeted delivery between rows, eliminating waste while extending the useful application window from just planting through full crop maturity
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters including nozzle height, angle, and horizontal position to adapt to different crop stages. This allows the apparatus to maintain effectiveness from early plant establishment through later growth phases when plants require nutrients at different locations and rates, preventing waste by matching application patterns to actual plant needs
3Ease of operation
If conventional systems spray liquid products in the air above plants, then the application method is straightforward, but it fails to meet genetic plant nutrient needs
Solution Approach 1:
The system delivers liquid products to specific local zones between crop rows rather than broadcasting above the entire field. This localized delivery ensures nutrients reach the rhizosphere and plant root zones where they are most needed, increasing delivery efficiency while maintaining ease of operation through the standardized drop assembly design that can be quickly positioned and adjusted
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method of applying liquid product to a crop growing in a field. A plurality of drop assemblies are laterally spaced along the boom structure, each of the plurality of drop assemblies include a boom mounting bracket which supports a vertical support member and a spray assembly disposed at a lower end of the vertical support member, the boom mounting bracket having a first pivot axis oriented substantially perpendicular to the boom structure. The drop assemblies are movable from a working position to a transport position. In the transport position the vertical support member is pivoted about the first axis such that the vertical support member is oriented toward the boom structure. In the working position the vertical support is oriented substantially perpendicular to the boom structure.