Agricultural Sprayer Boom Actuation for Terrain Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural sprayers face challenges in maintaining a uniform vertical distance of boom sections over varying ground contours and crop canopies, leading to inconsistent spray coverage and difficulty in adjusting the orientation of boom sections to account for localized changes in terrain.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a linkage assembly with a support arm, lift actuator, and tilt actuator, controlled by a computing device, allows for the adjustment of boom sections' vertical position and tilt angle relative to the ground surface, enabling precise orientation and improved spray coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the width of the boom assembly is increased to cover wider swaths of field, then productivity is improved, but it becomes more difficult to keep the boom assembly at the desired vertical distance across its entire width
Solution Approach 1:
The boom assembly is divided into multiple independently controllable boom sections (e.g., left and right sections) that can be adjusted separately. Each section has its own actuation system, allowing independent vertical positioning to compensate for ground contour variations across the width of the boom assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The boom assembly transitions from a static, rigid structure to a dynamic, adjustable system. The boom sections can change their vertical position and orientation in real-time based on ground conditions, enabling the system to maintain uniform spray height across varying terrain while covering wide swaths.
2Ease of operation
If the boom assembly is kept in a floating arrangement for easy operation, then ease of operation is improved, but the ability to account for localized variations in ground contour or canopy height deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The boom assembly is equipped with active control systems that allow it to dynamically adapt to ground contours and canopy variations. The system transitions from a passive floating arrangement to an actively controlled configuration, maintaining ease of operation while significantly improving adaptability to localized terrain variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors and control mechanisms that provide feedback on the vertical position of boom sections relative to the ground or canopy. This feedback enables automatic adjustments to maintain uniform spray height, combining ease of operation with adaptive ground contour compensation.
3Device complexity
If the spray angle of the nozzles is kept constant for simplicity, then device complexity is reduced, but spray coverage uniformity deteriorates on varying terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle assembly is transformed from a static, fixed-angle configuration to a dynamic system capable of adjusting spray angle. The nozzles can change their orientation relative to the ground surface, maintaining simple device structure while improving spray coverage uniformity on varying terrain through active angle adjustment.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for actuating a boom assembly of an agricultural sprayer, the system having a frame, a boom assembly supported relative to the frame, and a linkage assembly configured to couple the boom assembly to the frame. The linkage assembly includes a support arm pivotably coupled between the frame and the boom assembly, a lift actuator pivotably coupled between the frame and the support arm and configured to raise and lower the boom assembly in a vertical direction, and a nit actuator pivotably coupled between the frame and the boom assembly and configured to adjust a tilt angle of the boom assembly relative to the vertical direction. The system further includes a controller configured to selectively actuate the tilt actuator to adjust the tilt angle of the boom assembly to an operational tilt angle.