Modular Spraying Leg for Variable Crop Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural sprayers with spray legs struggle to adapt to the varying height and configuration of plants, leading to inconsistent spray distribution and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The design of a spray leg with modular air circulation modules (M1, M2, M3) that can be configured to accommodate different plant shapes and heights, featuring adjustable articulation and removable caps for easy maintenance and cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If spray legs use fixed configuration with sets of air diffusers and spray nozzles, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot adapt to varying plant height and configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The spray leg is divided into multiple modular sections (first module, second module, etc.) that can be independently configured. Each module contains air diffusers and spray nozzles that can be adjusted or repositioned, allowing the overall structure to adapt to different plant heights and configurations while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
The spray leg incorporates adjustable and movable components rather than fixed rigid structures. The modules can be repositioned along the leg structure, and spray nozzles can be adjusted to change spray direction and coverage area, enabling dynamic adaptation to various crop types and growth stages.
2Manufacturing precision
If spray legs are designed for consistent spray distribution, then spray coverage is optimized, but the structure becomes more complex and difficult to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
Standardized modular sections are designed to perform multiple functions: air diffusion, spray distribution, and structural support. Each module is manufactured as a universal component that can be installed in different positions on the spray leg, achieving consistent spray distribution through repeated modular units rather than custom-designed complex structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves consistent spray distribution by controlling and standardizing key parameters such as air flow rate, nozzle spacing, and spray angle across all modular sections. By maintaining consistent parameters throughout the modular structure, reliable spray distribution is achieved without requiring overly complex manufacturing tolerances.
3Productivity
If spray legs maintain fixed distance from plants, then spray efficiency is improved, but the structure cannot adapt to different crop configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The spray leg incorporates adjustable positioning mechanisms that allow the distance between spray nozzles and plants to be modified. Modules can be moved along the leg structure, and articulation points allow angular adjustment, enabling maintenance of optimal spray distance across varying crop heights and configurations while preserving spray efficiency.
4Strength
If spray legs are designed as integrated units, then structural strength is improved, but maintenance and cleaning become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The spray leg is constructed from separate modular sections connected by coupling mechanisms. This segmentation allows individual modules to be removed for cleaning or replacement without disassembling the entire structure, maintaining structural integrity through modular connections while significantly improving accessibility for maintenance and cleaning operations.
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 configuration allows for optimal spray distribution and coverage, maintaining a consistent spray distance and reducing phytosanitary liquid loss, while also facilitating easy adaptation to different plant types and configurations.
Implementation Method 1
an assembly configured to ensure a mixture of a phytosanitary product with the propellant air to form an aerosol, that is to say to spray and diffuse the aerosol
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 6~7
Figure 8a~10b
AI summary
The present invention relates to a spraying leg for an agricultural spraying machine, to an air-flow module for such a leg, and to an agricultural spraying machine provided with at least one such leg. Agricultural spraying machines which comprise spraying legs are known from the prior art, each spraying leg being provided with air diffuser and spray nozzle units, making it possible to send phytosanitary products driven by pulsed air onto the vegetation to be treated. The present invention aims to provide a spraying nozzle which can easily be adapted to the nature of the plants to be treated, in particular to the height and the configuration thereof. For this purpose, the present invention provides a spraying nozzle (J1, J2, J3), comprising at least one mounting (S), and a plurality of spraying modules (M1, M2, M3) attached to said mounting (S), each module (M1, M2, M3) forming an air-flow duct capable of each supporting at least one air diffuser (1) and spray nozzle (3) unit, the modules (M1, M2, M3) being connected to one another by connection means (17).