Road Sprayer Flow Control for Precise Brine Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current snow and ice control equipment lacks precise control over the volume and area of distribution of snow and ice control materials, leading to inconsistent application, potential safety hazards, material waste, and compliance issues, especially in fleet management scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-mounted spreader and sprayer system with load sensors, conveyors, and controllers that adjust the rate and pattern of material distribution based on real-time data and vehicle speed to achieve precise coverage, coupled with wireless communication for fleet management and remote monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual control of material distribution variables is used, then operation simplicity is maintained, but material application precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated control system that uses sensors to detect material flow rate and vehicle speed, processes this data through a controller, and automatically adjusts distribution variables. This substitution of manual operation with an automated sensing-controlling system resolves the contradiction by achieving precise material application without requiring complex manual coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by using sensors to continuously monitor material flow rate and vehicle speed, feeding this information back to the controller which then adjusts distribution variables accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables precise material application while maintaining operational simplicity, as the system self-regulates based on real-time conditions.
2Device complexity
If estimated material application is used, then equipment complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces estimation-based material application with sensor-based measurement systems that directly detect material flow rate and vehicle speed. This substitution of estimation with actual sensing minimizes the added equipment complexity while dramatically improving measurement precision, as sensors provide direct quantitative data without requiring complex calculation or assumption models.
3Stability of the object's composition
If increased control of distribution variables is implemented, then material application consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses feedback control to maintain consistent material application by continuously monitoring material flow rate and vehicle speed, then automatically adjusting distribution variables through the controller. This feedback mechanism achieves consistent material application without requiring complex manual intervention, as the system self-corrects based on real-time sensor data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the distribution system to self-regulate by using sensors to detect actual material flow and vehicle speed conditions, then automatically adjusting distribution variables through the controller without external intervention. This self-service capability maintains material application consistency while minimizing the complexity of external control systems.
4Measurement precision
If real-time data collection from fleets is implemented, then fleet management precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal control system that can be installed on multiple vehicles in a fleet, with each unit independently collecting and reporting data. This multi-functional system handles material distribution control, real-time monitoring, and data communication simultaneously, achieving precise fleet-wide data collection without requiring complex centralized management infrastructure for each individual vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle mounted sprayer for spreading liquid treatment material for treatment or pre-treatment of road surfaces comprises a plurality of tanks for containing main brine material to be spread, a hot mix tank supplying hot mix, a mix valve for mixing the main brine and hot mix, pumps for controllably delivering main brine and hot mix to the mix valve, and a flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of liquid treatment material. A controller determines the intended density and flow rate of liquid based on sensor inputs.