Patent ID: 11917989
Assignee: UBIQUTEK LTD.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus to electrically kill a plant or at least attenuate plant growth, the apparatus comprising:
an electrical energy processing unit comprising a converter operable to receive unprocessed electrical energy from an electrical energy source, to convert the unprocessed electrical energy to processed electrical energy having an electrical current and to transmit the processed electrical energy between an applicator electrode of an applicator unit and an earth electrode of an earth unit;
the applicator unit comprising the applicator electrode, wherein the applicator electrode comprises an electrically conductive material, the applicator unit being electrically coupled to the converter of the electrical energy processing unit wherein the applicator unit is operable to receive the processed electrical energy and to apply the processed electrical energy directly to at least a portion of a plant that extends above the ground; and
the earth unit comprising the earth electrode, wherein the earth electrode comprises an electrically conductive material, the earth unit being electrically coupled to the converter, wherein the earth unit is operable to receive the processed electrical energy transmitted from the applicator unit through a load comprising the plant, and wherein the earth electrode comprises a surface that is configured so as to electrically couple the earth unit to the ground; and
wherein the applicator electrode is configured for direct transmission of the processed electrical energy to at least part of the plant above ground such that the electrical current travels through the at least part of the plant above ground as part of a circuit and the electrical current returns to the earth electrode through the ground, wherein the processed electrical energy comprises a voltage of at least 1 kV and with an electrical current of at least 10 mA;
wherein the electrical energy processing unit further comprises a control circuit operable to control the converter to convert the unprocessed electrical energy to the processed electrical energy, wherein the control circuit is configured to control an aspect of the processed electrical energy comprising one or a combination of the voltage, current, and power, the said aspect controlled to be:
maintained substantially at a predetermined value; or
below or above a predetermined value; or
within a particular range, which is determined by a first predetermined value and second different predetermined value;
wherein the control circuit is configured to control the said aspect of the processed electrical energy by controlling one or more of an amplitude, duty cycle, period, shape, form, frequency, current, power, and on/off of the processed electrical energy.