ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED SPRAY FOR AGRICULTURE AND/OR GARDENING

Abstract: A line (2) emerges from a rucksack tank (1) for the liquid towards a lance (3) ending in the corresponding spraying nozzle (4). A valve mechanism actuated by means of a lever (6) is mounted at the base (5) of the lance wherein is also situated an electronic control card (10) which governs an electronic plate (8) to control the operation of the electropump (7). The card (10) has a Reed relay (12) actuated by means of a permanent magnet (16) when the lever (6) is pivoted in order to send the operation signal to the electropump; said signal is controlled by two potentiometers (13 and 14), one which controls the operating voltage of the electropump (7) and consequently the pressure generated by said pump and the other potentiometer which acts on a timer so that the electropump can operate continuously at the selected pressure or intermittently at selected pressure and time periods.

Description: OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sprayer of the type used in both agriculture and gardening, provided with an electric pump powered by a rechargeable electrical battery, to propel the product out, through a spear ending in the corresponding spray nozzle. The object of the invention is to obtain a sprayer with optimal functional performance, that is, one allowing to perfectly control the amount of product to be dosed and also resulting in a reduced energy consumption, with the ensuing increase in sprayer operation time, that is, in the time periods between battery charging. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In spraying liquid phytosanitary products in the field of gardening and agriculture, sprayers are used which consist of a back-pack type tank loaded on the operator's back, from which a conduct emerges which through an opening and shut-off valve is connected to a nozzle by which the spray is produced and dosed on the plants to be treated. A sprayer of this type is for example described in utility model ES 9302324 U of the applicant or in US-A-4 801 088. In addition, utility model ES 9000610 U also of the same applicant describes a opening and shut-off check valve for sprayers and the like, consisting of a long hollow body in which is housed a filter the front of which ends in a disc and the back of which is constantly pushed towards a set position by a spring, so that when it moves due to the action of the release lever it opens and liquid is allowed to pass from the conduct communicated to the tank to the tube with the spear ending in the spray nozzle, while when the lever is released the spring pushes the filter in the opposite direction, resulting in a liquid-tight seal which prevents liquid from passing. In this way, the activation handle acts as a valve which opens or closes the liquid passage from the tank to the spraying spear. In addition, these sprayers are naturally provided with a pressure pump to adequately pressurize the inside of the tank, so that the phytosanitary liquid leaves the tank with the required pressure. Normally activation pumps are of manual type, operated with an external lever, while in the present for high-range sprayers electrical pumps are used, fed by a rechargeable electrical battery conveniently housed in the sprayer. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The sprayer proposed in the invention, which incorporates an electrical pump as means of propulsion of the phytosanitary liquid, whether with glands or gears, and an opening and closing valve performing in the manner described in utility model no. 9000610, centers its characteristics in an electronic control system which on one hand provides a simpler and more efficient operation and also a substantial saving of energy. For this reason, and more specifically, the sprayer proposed is provided with an electronic control board to govern the electrical pump which in turn is commanded by a small electronic card located in the spear itself and related to the electronic control unit by cables housed in a tube placed parallel to and joint to the phytosanitary liquid outlet. The electronic card placed in the spear includes a reed relay to activate the command circuit, which is performed with the aid of a magnet conveniently attached to the handle, said card also aided by two potentiometers, one to control the time of operation of the electrical pump, so that it operates at preset intervals set through this potentiometers, while the second potentiometer allows controlling the operation pressure, specifically acting on a chopper which chops the voltage signal acting on the electrical pump thus changing its velocity of rotation. A general switch cancels at will the operation of the timer potentiometer so that the sprayer can also be used continuously or as a dosifier, depending on the type of work to be performed. If the switch is off the electropump will operate when the handle is activated and the operation pressure will depend on the position of the pressure potentiometer, while if the switch is on once the handle is activated the electrical pump will operate for the time set by the timer with an operation pressure set by the position of the pressure potentiometer. An LED diode mounted next to the aforementioned potentiometers on the base of the spear shows the charge status of the battery and together with a protection circuit for said battery prevents excessive discharging, which may damage it. For this reason, when the battery charge reaches a minimum preset value the LED lights and the electrical pump power is shut off, this situation being preceded by a blinking LED which warns of the need to recharge the battery. In accordance with that exposed above and with the essence of the invention, by electronically controlling the voltage applied to the electrical pump, a reduction in energy consumption is achieved and thereby the battery remains charged longer, as much as 78% more than known systems, in which flow regulation is performed mechanically by strangling the liquid passage or by diverting part of the flow, but with the electrical pump always operating at 100% power, and therefore with a maximum energy consumption. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS As a complement of the description being made and in order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred embodiment of the same, attached to this description as an integral part of the same is a set of drawings where, with an illustrative and no-limiting nature the following is shown: Figure 1.- Shows a general disassembled view of an electronically controlled sprayer for agriculture and/or gardening, according to the object of the present invention. Figure 2.- Shows an enlargement of a cross section of the spear base as well as a double hose for connection to the tank. Figure 3.- Shows another more enlarged detail of the spear base, in the area where the control card is located. Figure 4.- Shows a transverse view of the enlargement of the previous figure, showing both the arrangement of the potentiometers and a double hose connecting the spear to the tank. Figure 5.- Shows, to finish, a diagram comparing current consumption by the electrical pump with respect to working pressure between a classical mechanical system and the electronic system object of the invention. PREFFERED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In view of these figures it can be seen how the sprayer proposed consists of a tank (1) of adequate capacity, from the lower side of which emerges a conduct (2) for liquid outlet, obviously flexible, which in its free end ends in a spear (3) finished in a spray nozzle (4), said spear having a base (5) which makes up a handle provided with a lever (6) which acts as a valve element, allowing or not the liquid to pass outside, propelled by a classical electrical pump (7) fed by a rechargeable battery not shown in the figures. Based on this basic structure the characteristics of the invention center on tank (1) incorporating an electronic control board (8) for the electrical pump (7), board (8) being connected by electrical leads (9) to a control card (10) placed in the base (5) of the spear, said cables (9) being housed in a hose (11) which lies along the outlet hose (2) for the liquid to which it is attached by one of its generatrices. Naturally, a single hose may be used with two inner conducts, one for the liquid and another for the electrical cables. Control card (10) is aided by a reed relay (12) clearly seen in figure 3, by a pair of potentiometers (13) and (14) and by an LED diode (15), with a permanent magnet (16) aiding the reed relay, conveniently located in lever (6) opposite reed relay (12) as seen by the arrow in figure 2, so that when lever (6) swings towards the valve-open position relay (12) is activated and therefore electrical pump (7) is activated. In parallel, the activation of electrical pump (7) is also controlled by control card (10) by potentiometers (13) and (14) mentioned above, of which potentiometer (13) acts as a timer device, automatically varying the dosing time of the sprayer when allowed by a general switch (17) which can enable or disable its timer function, while potentiometer (14) which acts as a pressure controller, does so by chopping the voltage signal acting on the motor thus varying its rotation velocity and therefore the pressure supplied by the electrical pump. Potentiometer (13) acts on a timer so that after the time set is over the circuit cuts off power supply to the electrical pump interrupting the outlet of liquid. The timer allows to continuously vary application time between 1 and 10 seconds regardless of the position of the other potentiometer, that is, regardless of the pressure supplied at the electrical pump. When the timer stops liquid flow, action of the lever is irrelevant, and it must be released to open the reed relay (12) and pressed again to begin a new application cycle which will last exactly the time set by the timer potentiometer. Regulation by potentiometers (13) and (14) can be performed at all times, even during application, so that it is not necessary to stop spraying to change from one situation to another or to change the pressure or dosage time. The sprayer is also provided with a battery protection circuit, with a warning system consisting of an LED (15), also associated to card (10), this circuit preventing an excessive discharge of the battery, specifically at a minimum charge of 10.2 volts, when power to the electrical pump is stopped and LED (15) indicates this situation by lighting, blinking first in order to warn that, although the sprayer is operational, it the battery is about to be exhausted and therefore its recharging is required. According to all exposed above, the electronic sprayer of the invention incorporates the following advantages with respect to conventional sprayers: The activation lever acts simultaneously on the switch and on the closing valve, preventing liquid from leaving through the spray spear when the circuit is disactivated, while in other systems when the control switch is acted on to prevent spraying the liquid held inside the hose, from the tank to the end of the spear; may leave through the spray nozzle and, if the hose is placed below the bottom of the tank, the latter may even be emptied. With the sprayer of the invention, when the lever is released or when in dosification mode, after the timer stops, a valve shutoff occurs which does not allow any liquid to leave, in addition to the pump not supplying any pressure. To begin spraying, it suffices to simply act on the lever, which simultaneously opens the valve and the circuit which activates the electrical pump, making pressurized liquid to leave through the spray nozzle, while in other systems it is necessary to act on the lever and on an on/off switch of the system, which is generally located on a side of the back-pack, making activation more uncomfortable. Since the voltage supplied to the electrical pump is controlled electronically, reduced consumption of the electropump is achieved, as clearly seen in figure 5, and therefore the battery lasts longer, up to 78% more, resulting in a longer spraying operation time, which is naturally of great importance. In said diagram the results obtained with the traditional system have been labeled (A) while (B) corresponds to the results of the system of the invention. Specifically, in conventional systems regulation is performed mechanically, that is the motor or battery are not acted upon; instead after a certain maximum pressure supplied by the electrical pump mechanical devices are activated which stop all the pressure from reaching the spray nozzle, implying that in order to obtain a similar output pressure a greater force must be applied, since either the push of a spring must be overcome or part of the flow must be rerouted so that it does not go through the nozzle. Power supply to the electrical pump is constant for a given position of the potentiometer, so that the electrical pump is not overloaded as occurs in other systems, overloads which may be caused by for example, impurities in the liquid tank which in passing to the pump make it operate faster than the normal operation speed, possibly causing overloads which damage it. With the operation as dosifier of potentiometer (13) it is possible to simultaneously vary liquid pressure and spraying time, thus achieving a full control over the amount of product to be applied. In the systems presently known, it is possible in the best of cases to perform a fixed time of I second, with the system operating at maximum pressure. With the system of the invention it is possible to exactly control the amount of product applied, resulting in significant saving of the product as the exact amount is sprayed in each case. This saving of sprayed liquid also has great ecological importance since often sprayed product contain poisons, detergents and CFC. Controlling the minimum charge of the battery avoids its excessive discharge which may damage it, reducing its operation time, useful lifetime or even resulting in its complete destruction. The system of the invention first warns of the moment when the battery must be recharged, and then when a minimum charge level is reached, power to the electrical pump is automatically shut off, temporarily disactivating the sprayer so that there is no way the battery charge will go below the corresponding preset levels.

Claims: Electronically controlled sprayer for agriculture and/or gardening, of the type provided with a tank placed on the operator's back, out of which emerges a hose (2) for liquid outlet, aided by an electrical pump, towards a spear ending in a spray nozzle, on the base of which spear a valve mechanism is placed controllable by a lever, characterized in that in a suitable place of said tank (1) an electrical control board (8) is placed to control said electrical pump (7), said control board (8) being in turn controlled by a control card (10) placed at the base of the spear, provided with reed relay (12) for activation of the same, activated by a permanent magnet (16) conveniently connected to said lever (6), so that when said lever (6) is closed the permanent magnet (16) excites said reed relay (12), generating in said control card (10) the signal supplied to the electrical board (8) for activation of the electrical pump (7). Electronically controlled sprayer for agriculture and/or gardening, as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said control card (10) is related to said electrical board (8) by a set of cables (9) housed in a flexible hose (11), following the same path as said hose (2) for liquid outlet, to which it is connected by one of its generatrices. Electronically controlled sprayer for agriculture and/or gardening, as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said control card (10) is aided by a timer potentiometer (13) which acts on a timer, stopping power flow to said electrical pump (7) and therefore dosification, after each time period set, another activation of the lever (6) being needed to begin a new application cycle. Electronically controlled sprayer for agriculture and/or gardening, as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said control card (10) is aided by a pressure potentiometer (14) which acts on a chopper which chops the voltage signal applied to the motor, changing its rotation velocity and thus the pressure supplied by the electrical pump. Electronically controlled sprayer for agriculture and/or gardening, as claimed in claims 1 and 3, characterized in that it is provided with a switch (17) which disables said timer potentiometer (13), so that depending on the position of said switch (17) the device may operate continuously or as a dosifier. Electronically controlled sprayer for agriculture and/or gardening, as claimed in previous claims, characterized in that it is provided with a battery protection circuit, preventing battery discharge below a preset level, aided by an led diode (15), which blinks when battery charge nears said preset minimum charge level and is permanently lit when said level is reached and power supply to the electrical pump (7) is cut off.

Inventors: URRUTXI ARIN MARIANO, URRUTXI ARIN, MARIANO
Applicants: COOP GOIZPER S, GOIZPER, S. COOP.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B05B9
IPC codes: B05B12, B05B9