Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Processes
Patent
1993-02-24
1994-07-05
Kashnikow, Andres
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Processes
239162, 239164, 239167, 239168, B05B 120
Patent
active
053260309
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for crop spraying.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the growing of agricultural and horticultural crops, treatment of same by spraying, for example to protect the crop against pests and diseases, is now an important part of the crop growing program.
However, conventional field spraying equipment is subject to significant shortcomings due to the fact that the spray only reaches the portion of the foliage directly in the path of the spray. Thus, where a crop has dense foliage, as in the case of a potato crop, the applied spray does not reach the lower leaves beneath the top leaf cover. As potato crops are highly susceptible to fungal attack, this inability to properly spray the crop is of considerable significance.
There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,348,038 to Neumeyer a sprayer for plants in which spaced downwardly extending pipes 16 are fixed to a transverse pipe 14 and deliver liquid to nozzles which are usually directed upwardly to deliver spray onto vines from below and upwardly. There is a similar disclosure in CH 229,146 (Leuenberger). Both these prior specifications show the use of fixed droplegs or the like for spraying between crop rows in a generally upwardly-directed direction, and are subject to the shortcoming that, in use, the droplegs vary in their proximity to the crop rows and in the case of established crops may cause significant damage.
In FR 2,563,970 (Balligand) there is disclosed a shredding/spraying implement in which individual units are biased laterally outwards in one particular direction against the crop rows in order to follow their irregular profile by actual contact with the crop stalks. Such a proposal is unacceptable for a machine intended to minimize crop contact and damage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for spraying offering improvements in relation to one or more of the matters discussed herein, or generally.
According to the invention there is provided a method and apparatus for spraying as claimed in the accompanying claims.
In a preferred embodiment, a spraying device is provided which provides full spray cover for the crop being sprayed. A spray boom of the apparatus is more rigid than previously proposed booms. Attached to the boom are a number of support elements or drop legs disposed so as to correspond to, for example, the ridges which a potato crop is grown on. The support elements are trailed from the spraying boom. Each support element takes the form of a hinged arm which is attached to the boom at one end and is allowed to rest on the bottom of the valley between the potato ridges. The support elements serve to mount spraying devices which, in use, coat the under-side of the potato crop. Each support element may have a separator which allows the support element to pass through the potato foliage without causing damage. The trailing support element, or arm, is in contact with the uneven surface of the soil. This causes vibration of the support element. The vibration assists the leaf separator in its row-opening function. In the preferred embodiment, spraying can be effected even in windy conditions, as the micro-environment provided by the potato leaf cover reduces the wind drifting effect on the spray. In the event of too much movement of the support elements being caused in use, a damping device may be provided. Each support element may have more than one spray jet to produce greater spray cover.
The boom supporting the support elements may be arranged to fold, with the support elements thereon, to enable a relatively narrow transport width of the apparatus to be provided for use on public highways. The apparatus may well be usable in applications other than in relation to potato crops.
In the embodiments, means are included to assist the centralising of the support elements with respect to the crop rows. This arises from difficulties in forming potato ridges with exactly correctly positioned row centres. Considerable vari
REFERENCES:
patent: 1348038 (1920-07-01), Neumeyer
patent: 1526642 (1925-02-01), Nissley
patent: 1906013 (1933-04-01), Phalen
patent: 2301213 (1942-11-01), Kang
patent: 3143295 (1964-08-01), Booker
patent: 3565340 (1971-02-01), Meinert et al.
patent: 3785564 (1974-01-01), Baldocchi
patent: 4588128 (1986-05-01), Broyhill et al.
Benest Engineering Limited
Grant William
Kashnikow Andres
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