Aerial Boom Nozzle Segmentation for Chemical Trimming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aerial spraying of chemicals for vegetation control often results in overspray, leading to inefficiencies, safety concerns, and increased costs due to the lack of precise application methods.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus featuring a vertically suspended boom with radially arranged nozzles and a hosing system that includes a pump and reservoir, allowing for controlled, direct application of herbicides onto vegetation while minimizing overspray by using a remotely activated valve to manage fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If aerial spraying is used to control vegetation, then coverage area is increased, but overspray and chemical waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The boom is divided into multiple segments with nozzles positioned at intervals along its length. Each nozzle is independently controllable through the valve system, allowing selective activation of specific nozzle segments based on the exact location of vegetation rows, thereby reducing unnecessary spraying in non-target areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides localized spray control by positioning nozzles at specific locations along the boom and using individually controllable valves for each nozzle or nozzle group. This allows the spray application to be tailored to local vegetation conditions, applying chemicals only where needed rather than uniformly across the entire boom area.
2Area of stationary object
If wide-angle spray nozzles are used, then spray coverage is increased, but precision and accuracy of application decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single wide-angle nozzle, the system segments the spray delivery into multiple narrower nozzles positioned along the boom. Each nozzle can be independently controlled, allowing the operator to target specific vegetation rows with precision while maintaining overall coverage through the distributed arrangement of multiple nozzles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single wide spray pattern to a distributed array of narrower spray patterns arranged along the boom's length. This dimensional arrangement along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft provides both precision (through narrow, targeted sprays) and coverage (through the extended array of nozzles).
3Productivity
If continuous spraying is performed, then productivity is maintained, but chemical consumption and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The remotely activated valves enable periodic or intermittent activation of the spray system based on the aircraft's position relative to vegetation rows. The system can be activated only when over vegetation and deactivated when over non-target areas, maintaining productivity through efficient routing while reducing chemical consumption through selective operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback through the remotely activated valve control mechanism, allowing the operator to monitor aircraft position and vegetation location in real-time. This feedback enables dynamic adjustment of spray activation to match actual field conditions, preventing chemical waste from being applied to non-target areas while maintaining spraying efficiency where needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise, safe, and cost-effective trimming of vegetation by directing herbicides directly onto targeted areas, reducing unwanted application on the ground and improving operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a pump, operatively coupled to the hosing system, acts to circulate the herbicide from the reservoir and through the hosing system
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of channels are arranged to radially extend through a substantially vertically-arranged plane
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for aerial chemical trimming of vegetation, the apparatus including an elongated boom suspended from an aircraft, a plurality of nozzles aligned vertically along one side of the boom, and a reservoir and pump coupled to a lower end of the boom for supplying an herbicide through the boom to the plurality of nozzles. In use, the boom is positioned alongside a row of vegetation to be trimmed and the herbicide is pumped from the reservoir, through the boom, to the nozzles and sprayed directly onto the vegetation. The boom is then moved along the row of vegetation.