Deere + Company

Richard Allen Humpal

Travis Gene Funseth

Stacy L Bullock

Mark E Barker

Terence Daniel Pickett

Steven Rees

Dolly Y Wu

Dennis J Sullivan

David S Mercer

Broughton C Boydell

Ryan P Davis

Patrick J Fisher

Tarik Loukili

Travis J Davis

Kilian Wolff

Jack Conan Anderson

Wolfram Haiges

Paresh Bharatiya

Daniel Joseph Huegerich

Roland Werner

Scott Matthew Buse

Aaron A Wells

Johannes Feldhaus

Roger E Daniels

Larry P Ferguson

Jui Desai

Tonya Marie O'neal

Noel Wayne Anderson

Curtis R Hammer

David A Hanson

Mark Michael Chaney

Joshua Jacob Engelbrecht

Bradley J Hitchler

Matthew T Martin

Akira Mizushima

Ashish Paralikar

Tucker J Schoff

Michael P Schlax

Kathryn L Dunkel

John David Ringer

Tonya Maria O'NEAL

Embodiments include individual physical spray nozzles that have passageways inside to combine fluids that flow out of the spray nozzles. The nozzles have at least two valves that are opened and closed in an interleaved manner. The nozzles have multiple outlets. Such nozzles are mounted on a variety of implements including agricultural or industrial spray booms.

Hybrid flow nozzle system

An agricultural applicator, that applies material to an agricultural field, includes an on-board, real-time image sensor that senses targets for the material to be applied. A controller controls applicators, such as nozzles or other applicators, to apply the material to the sensed targets.

Agricultural sprayer with real-time, on-machine target sensor

A method of equalizing a spray system for an agricultural sprayer includes measuring an output flow rate or fluid pressure for one or more nozzles on a boom assembly, determining an amount of tilt of the boom assembly with respect to a reference frame, and associating the amount of tilt with the output flow rate or fluid pressure for each of the one or more nozzles. The method also includes determining tilt-updated flow settings for the spray system based on the output flow rate or fluid pressure and storing the tilt-updated flow settings in a spray profile for later use during a spray operation.

Equalization of nozzle performance for sprayers

Systems and methods are provided for enhancing identification of crop conditions and execution of remedial actions in near real-time. An agricultural vehicle may include a crop analysis system having a computing device and an imaging array for capturing a set of images of a crop. The computing device analyzes images acquired by the imaging array to determine whether a crop experiences a particular condition. The computing device, when a condition is identified, can signal an agriculture machine to perform a remedial action.

Virtual SPAD meter

An agricultural machine system for performing agricultural tasks in a field on which plants are planted or will be planted in a pattern, the system comprising: a prime mover; a tool bar connected to the prime mover; a plurality of units attached to the tool bar, the units configured to perform at least one agricultural tasks and wherein at least two of the units are disposed in an offset relationship from each other with respect to a forward direction of travel of the agricultural machine about the tool bar; and a control unit in communication with the prime mover and the plurality of units, the control unit configured to determine a selective location corresponding to the pattern in which plants are planted or will be planted and activate the units at the selective location to perform the at least one agricultural task as the agricultural machine system travels along a plurality of rows.

Apparatus and method for performing tasks on a pattern planted field

An agricultural machine includes a source of a substance to be applied to an agricultural field and a substance outlet through which the substance is configured to pass to be applied to the field. The agricultural machine further includes a controllable piezo-actuated valve and a control signal generator configured to generate a valve control signal. The piezo-actuated valve includes a valve inlet configured to be in fluidic communication with the source of substance to be applied to the field and a valve outlet through which the substance to be applied to the field passes to move through the piezo-actuated valve. The piezo-actuated valve further includes a piezo element configured to move in response to the valve control signal and a flexure, coupled to the piezo element, and configured to amplify the movement of the piezo element to provide a valve driving movement.

Piezo actuated nozzle control valve

A spray nozzle body has an upper end provided with a clamp arrangement comprising upper and lower clamp halves tightly clamped onto a fluid supply tube having a preselected first diameter. A removable tubular fluid delivery stem is received in a receiver hole extending vertically into the nozzle body from a clamping surface of the lower clamp half and has an upper end portion tightly received in a fluid outlet hole, of preselected size, provided in the supply tube. The clamp arrangement may be reconfigured for being clamped onto a smaller fluid supply tube by providing a replacement upper clamp half and a pipe-size adapter, each having appropriately sized clamping surfaces, with the adapter being seated within the clamping surface of the lower clamp half. The pipe-size adapter incorporates a suitably dimensioned fluid delivery stem.

Spray nozzle mounting for receiving fluid from distribution pipe

An agricultural vehicle includes a frame, a first reservoir coupled to the frame with the first reservoir configured to hold a solvent, a second reservoir coupled to the frame with the second reservoir configured to hold a first solute, and a third reservoir coupled to the frame with the third reservoir configured to hold a second solute different than the first solute. The agricultural vehicle also includes a spray boom coupled to the frame. The spray boom includes a first spray nozzle and a second spray nozzle. The first spray nozzle is independently operable relative to the second spray nozzle such that the first spray nozzle is configured to dispense a first solution comprising the solvent and the first solute onto an agricultural surface and the second spray nozzle is configured to dispense a second solution comprising the solvent and the second solute onto the agricultural surface.

Agricultural sprayer system and method

A system and method for dispersing fluids from an agricultural vehicle includes a sprayer that dispenses the fluids and a controller cooperative with a plurality of sensors to sense vehicle travel speed, vehicle travel direction, wind speed, wind direction, and the heights of first and second nozzles from the ground surface. The controller includes a memory storing a look-up table having fan angles of the first and second nozzles, and a processor that computes first and second spray pattern on the ground surface based on the fluid dispensed through the respective first and second nozzles. The processor determines an overlap region between the first and second spray patterns, compares the determined overlap region with a pre-determined overlap, and takes corrective action automatically by changing travel speed of the vehicle or changing a duration of time the fluids are dispensed from the first and second nozzles.

Spray pattern of nozzle systems

A distributed pump system is disclosed. The distributed pump system comprises a supply source and a support structure arranged on or proximate an agricultural vehicle. At least two fluid distribution elements are mounted to the support structure and are coupled at an inlet to a first conduit to provide fluid communication between the fluid distribution elements and the supply source. An application system including at least two application units is coupled to one or more of the fluid distribution elements by a second conduit. A first monitoring device is associated with a respective application unit and fluid distribution element, and is configured to sense a downstream flow parameter of the second conduit and generate a corresponding output signal. An electronic control unit is communicatively coupled to each of the fluid distribution elements and is configured to dynamically adjust an input parameter of one or more of the fluid distribution elements.

Distributed pump system

An agricultural machine system for performing agricultural tasks in a in a field on which plants are planted or will be planted in a pattern, the system comprising: a prime mover; a tool bar connected to the prime mover; a plurality of units attached to the tool bar, the units configured to perform at least one agricultural tasks and wherein at least two of the units are disposed in an offset relationship from each other with respect to a forward direction of travel of the agricultural machine about the tool bar; and a control unit in communication with the prime mover and the plurality of units, the control unit configured to determine a selective location corresponding to the pattern in which plants are planted or will be planted and activate the units at the selective location to perform the at least one agricultural task as the agricultural machine system travels along a plurality of rows.

A method of spraying multiple fluids from an agricultural machine includes supplying a first working fluid from a first source to a first spray nozzle, and supplying a second working fluid from a second source to the first spray nozzle. The method also includes operating at least one valve in the first spray nozzle to control flow of the first working fluid from the first source to one or more outlets of the first spray nozzle, and operating the at least one valve in the first spray nozzle to control flow of the second working fluid from the second source to the one or more outlets of the first spray nozzle. The method further includes selectively spraying the first working fluid through the one or more outlets of the first spray nozzle, and selectively spraying the second working fluid through the one or more outlets of the first spray nozzle.

Multi-fluid spray system and method for agricultural product application

Hybrid spray apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Ankeny, IA, United States of America

Richard Allen Humpal