Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – With mobile tank-type supply means – Spray boom or bar type distributor
Patent
1999-06-17
2000-12-26
Kashnikow, Andres
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
With mobile tank-type supply means
Spray boom or bar type distributor
239166, 2392883, B05B 120
Patent
active
061645591
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to agricultural crop spraying apparatus.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
It is common practice to apply chemicals to a growing crop, for instance to help control pests, fungi or weeds.
Ground-based crop-spraying equipment commonly comprises a vehicle, e.g. tractor, carried body having an elongate framework or boom which extends laterally from the body and which supports nozzles which apply a spray mist of chemical/water mixture to the crop and its surroundings. Such a boom is often used to cover a working width of between 12 and 30 meters to minimise the number of passes required to cover a given area of land.
Spray booms are conventionally made from a space-frame of members, e.g. tubes, comprising laterally and vertically spaced longitudinally extending members joined at intervals by transverse cross-members, with the spray nozzles disposed within the boom framework for protection. It is not possible with such conventional spray booms to place the spray nozzles in any desired location along the boom since the cross members occupy positions at which it may be wished to place the spray nozzles.
Conventionally, the opposed arms of the spray boom each comprise at least two sections which are folded over against themselves and are then positioned against the sides of sprayer, e.g. tractor, for road transport/storage. Thus, where the hinge axes are vertical, the lateral width of the sprayer may be increased by several times the width of the spray boom during such road transportation and storage. It is important in some circumstances, e.g. when the sprayer is already wide, that the folded arms of the boom do not unduly increase lateral width of sprayer. Another way of folding the boom for storage and transportation involves hinging the boom sections about horizontal axes, but while this mitigates the problem of the folded width of the spray boom, it introduces instead the problem that during such folding of the arms of the boom, there is a risk of contact with overhead obstructions, e.g. power lines, due to movement of the arms through vertical arcs and due to the considerable length of the boom and its respective arm sections.
It is an object of the invention to mitigate these problems.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
From one aspect of the invention, the cross members of a spray boom frame are positioned above the lowest extremity of the boom framework to allow the spray nozzles to be disposed below the cross members while still positioning the nozzles within the boom, to allow uninterrupted longitudinal positioning of the spray nozzles.
According to another aspect of the invention, these problems are mitigated by shaping the cross-section of the boom to be substantially triangular (instead of rectangular as is conventional) so that the sections of the folded boom arms interfit one with the other to occupy less space laterally. Also such shaping permits angling the pivots of the boom arm sections away from the horizontal so that pivot axes are inclined such that the height reached by the boom extremities during folding is less than if the arms pivot vertically.
From yet another aspect, the invention is a combination of a spray boom as described above which permits the uninterrupted positioning of the nozzles along the boom, and a boom of substantially triangular cross-section as described above.
The cross-section of the framework of the boom may comprise a generally vertical front portion which extends below the triangular portion to form a guard for the spray nozzles. This arrangement allows space for revolving, i.e. indexable, spray nozzles to be fitted and which can be revolved or indexed without removal from the boom.
Preferably the lower extremity of the front portion forms a guard rail for the spray nozzles which is a structural part of the boom framework.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The invention is diagrammatically illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which:FIG.
FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section of a spray boom, and
FIG. 2 is a verti
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Ganey Steven J.
Kashnikow Andres
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