Boom Sprayer Additive Dosing for Uniform Spray Without Waste
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional agricultural devices mix liquid additives with the liquid to be sprayed in advance, leading to inefficiencies, excessive waste, and increased costs, especially when spraying based on plant characteristics that require unknown amounts of liquid.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural device with a dosing pump that adds a predetermined dose of liquid additive directly into the liquid before spraying, using materials that do not react with the additives, and includes a recirculation line and pressure regulator to maintain consistent spraying pressure and droplet size, with a dosing pump controller adjusting the additive dose based on real-time conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If liquid additive is mixed with liquid to be sprayed in advance, then the liquid can be sprayed uniformly, but excessive mixed liquid must be removed from the device leading to waste and increased costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the liquid delivery system into separate channels: one for the liquid to be sprayed and another for the liquid additive. The dosing pump selectively adds the additive to specific ducts based on real-time detection of plant characteristics, rather than pre-mixing all liquids together. This segmentation eliminates the need to produce and then discard excessive pre-mixed liquid.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the amount of liquid additive added to each duct based on real-time plant characteristics detected by sensors. The dosing pump controller modifies the additive dosage on-the-fly, transitioning from a static pre-mixing approach to a dynamic, demand-driven mixing process that produces only the necessary amount of mixed liquid.
2Ease of operation
If liquid additive is mixed in advance, then the mixture can be sprayed, but the amount of liquid to be sprayed is not known in advance leading to excessive liquid removal
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of plant characteristics before spraying begins. Sensors scan the field and identify areas requiring treatment, allowing the dosing pump to prepare and add the liquid additive to specific ducts in advance of the actual spraying operation, eliminating delays during spraying.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses onboard sensors to automatically detect plant characteristics and trigger the dosing pump to add the liquid additive as needed. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual intervention to determine when and where to add additives, and removes the time-consuming step of draining excessive pre-mixed liquid.
3Device complexity
If conventional mixing is used, then the system is simple, but it is ineffective and costly with excessive liquid waste
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing pump acts as an intermediary device between the liquid additive reservoir and the spray ducts. It selectively introduces the additive into specific ducts based on real-time plant detection, serving as a mediator that enables precise, demand-driven mixing without requiring complete system redesign or complex pre-mixing infrastructure.
4Manufacturing precision
If liquid additive is added in predetermined doses, then the mixing ratio can be controlled, but the system requires additional components like dosing pump and controller
Solution Approach 1:
The system controls the mixing ratio by adjusting parameters of the dosing pump, such as pump speed, stroke length, or valve opening duration. By changing these operational parameters, the controller precisely regulates the amount of liquid additive added to each duct, achieving accurate mixing ratios through parameter control rather than complex mechanical dosing mechanisms.
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
This approach reduces leftover mixed liquid, lowers costs, enhances sustainability, and ensures accurate and uniform spraying by maintaining consistent droplet size and potency, adapting to varying field conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a dosing pump that is configured to add a predetermined dose of the liquid additive into the liquid to be sprayed
Implementation Method 2
pressure regulator to maintain consistent spraying pressure and droplet size
Implementation Method 3
spray nozzles, or nozzles... configured to dispense the liquid product on a target in reach of a nozzle spraying range
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an agricultural device for dispensing a liquid, an assembly kit for converting an agricultural device and a method for dispensing a liquid product using such a device over a surface to be sprayed. The device comprises: − at least one boom comprising a longitudinal supply line for transporting the liquid product and a plurality of nozzles that are positioned along the boom, wherein each nozzle is operatively connected to the longitudinal supply line; − a liquid product supply that is operatively connected to the longitudinal supply line for supplying to the longitudinal supply line the liquid to be sprayed, and comprising a supply tank with an inlet and an outlet; − a spraying pump operatively coupled with the outlet of the supply tank and coupled with the longitudinal supply line; wherein the spraying system further comprises: − a treatment tank for holding a liquid additive, comprising a treatment inlet and a treatment outlet; − a dosing pump operatively coupled with the treatment outlet and further operatively coupled to the longitudal supply line, wherein the dosing pump is configured to add a predetermined dose of the liquid additive into the liquid to be sprayed.