Deere & Company

Travis Gene Funseth

Richard Allen Humpal

Stacy L Bullock

Daniel Joseph Huegerich

David S Mercer

Tonya Marie O'neal

Noel Wayne Anderson

Terence Daniel Pickett

Kent Alvin Klemme

Dolly Y Wu

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

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

Hybrid spray apparatus

A mobile agricultural sprayer includes at least one sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a temperature inversion at a worksite. The mobile agricultural sprayer also includes an inversion detection system configured to detect a presence of the temperature inversion at the worksite based on the sensor signal, and, based on the detected presence, generate a temperature inversion output indicative of the presence of the temperature inversion. The mobile agricultural sprayer also includes an action signal generator configured to receive the temperature inversion output from the inversion detection system, and, based on the received temperature inversion output, generate an action signal.

Sprayers in a temperature inversion

Embodiments include a sprayer system having dynamic pre-sets to control spray nozzles that each individually operates continuously or under a time-modulated or a frequency-modulated electronic signal control to release the liquid droplets. Collectively, adjacent or near neighboring nozzles are also controlled by time-sequencing through different modes of operation or physical configurations on each spray nozzle. The spray nozzles are mounted on a variety of implements including agricultural or industrial spray booms.

Time varying control of the operation of spray systems

Hybrid flow nozzle and control system

An individual spray nozzle contains two or more valves that are actuated by time or frequency modulated signals such as pulse width modulated (PWM) signals. The PWM signals are interleaved to open and close each of the respective valves that enable fluid to flow from an input to a combined output. The opening and closing positions of two or more different valves are interleaved to increase the range of performance, such as to increase the frequency of fluid flow from the input to the combined output. Additional embodiments are described.

Broadband spray nozzle systems and methods

Hybrid spray nozzle turret

A sprayer nozzle cartridge for a sprayer nozzle apparatus of an agricultural sprayer is disclosed. The sprayer nozzle cartridge is adapted for coupling to a nozzle connector of the sprayer nozzle apparatus and for receiving a fluid from the sprayer nozzle apparatus. The sprayer nozzle apparatus includes an apparatus housing for supporting the nozzle connector and a control element configured to control fluid flow. The sprayer nozzle cartridge includes a cartridge housing. A plurality of nozzle tips having a plurality of flow paths are coupled to the cartridge housing. The control element selectively communicates fluid to at least one of the plurality of flow paths.

Sprayer nozzle cartridge

A sprayer nozzle apparatus of an agricultural sprayer is disclosed. The sprayer nozzle apparatus is adapted for receiving a fluid from a spray line of an agricultural sprayer. The sprayer nozzle apparatus includes an apparatus housing. A control element is rotatably coupled to the apparatus housing. A plurality of nozzle connectors having a plurality of supply paths are coupled to the apparatus housing. The control element is configured to receive fluid from the spray line and selectively communicate fluid to at least one of the plurality of supply paths of one of the plurality of nozzle connectors in a first position and to at least one of the plurality of supply paths of another of the plurality of nozzle connectors in a second position.

Sprayer nozzle apparatus

An agricultural sprayer includes a spray boom equipped with a plurality of spray heads, with each head having a body defining a cavity located in fluid communication with a fluid inlet and an array of four outlets leading to four nozzles respectively having different flow rates. A nozzle-select control member is mounted for rotation in the cavity and includes a fluid passage arrangement for establishing fluid connections between the inlet and different ones or combinations of the four nozzles as the control member is rotated among preselected discrete positions by an electric stepper motor, with the stepper motor being controlled in response to vehicle speed so that the spray tip capacity decreases for effecting a constant application rate as the vehicle speed decreases from a maximum permitted speed.

Arrangement for switching nozzles on the go for controlling spray rate

An agricultural sprayer spray head is adapted for being mounted to a spray boom together with a plurality of like, equally spaced spray heads. Each spray head includes a body containing a flow control member mounted for rotation about an axis and including a fluid control passage arrangement located for effecting an intermittent connection between a fluid inlet leading to, and an outlet leading from the body as the control member is oscillated or rotated by a powered motor so as to effect a pulsing flow through said control passage arrangement. The powered motor operates at a speed controlled by various input parameters including vehicle speed and field and crop conditions so as to maintain a desired spray application rate.

Sprayer pulsing nozzle flow control using rotational step positions

A nurse vehicle carries a supply of liquid chemicals or fertilizer for being applied by a sprayer vehicle. A fluid transfer conduit of the nurse vehicle has an end defined by a receptacle that is selectively connected to a complementary dimensioned insert defining an end of a fluid intake conduit of the sprayer vehicle. The receptacle and insert define a coupler assembly that includes an inflatable seal that surrounds the insert and locks the insert and receptacle together when inflated. Flow through the coupler assembly is controlled by first and second poppet valves, which are normally closed preventing flow through valve bodies of the receptacle and insert. Selective inflation of the seal and opening and closing of the poppet valves is automatically controlled in accordance with sequencing logic of an electronic controller so the seal is inflated before the valves are opened and remains inflated until the valves are closed.

Growing community of inventors

Ankeny, IA, United States of America

Travis Gene Funseth