Abstract:
A spraying apparatus for spraying agricultural chemicals over shrubbery and small size trees and plants in early stages of their growth positioned in arrays with empty areas therebetween, has a storage for an agricultural chemicals to be sprayed, a spraying assembly having the shape of an upside down “U” and provided with a plurality of spraying nozzles, a detector for detecting the presence of a plant, and an activator for activating the spraying nozzles, after the detector detects a plant, to spray the plant inside the spraying assembly, the spraying assembly having a substantially flat frame composed of a plurality of substantially flat elements.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/730,850 which is allowed. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to agricultural equipment, and more particularly to a spraying apparatus for spraying agricultural chemicals on shrubby and/or small size arboreous crops or other types of plants during the early stages of their growth when the plants are disposed in lines or arrays with empty areas between them.  
           [0003]    It is widely known to spray shrubby and/or small size arboreous trees, or even bigger trees in the early stages of their growth with a spraying apparatus which may or may not be provided with means for detecting the presence of a plant in the area to be sprayed. The known spraying apparatuses are usually adjusted to the plants to be sprayed. This procedure, however, brings about a number of drawbacks, starting with the inadequate dimension of the machines which therefore spray volumes of agricultural chemicals much greater than necessary. As a result, when a spraying apparatus is not provided with detecting means for detecting the presence of a plant in a spraying area, huge amounts of chemicals are wasted, resulting in loss of the chemicals and environmental pollution, since the chemicals are continuously sprayed even in the areas between the plants.  
           [0004]    When the spraying apparatus is provided with a detecting means to spray the chemicals only when a tree is detected in spraying target area, such machines are designed for use with grown up plants. The drawbacks of these machines are that they are not efficient due to the fact that the machines are positioned away from the plants as they pass along the center of the passages defined by the arrays of plants. Also, such machines are provided with the detecting means usually speed sensors in order to compensate for the distance between the detecting means and the spraying nozzles along the spraying apparatus. Thereby there is a high probability that the chemical can be wasted. Due to the small size of the shrubbery and/or small size trees, it is possible that the delayed activation of the spraying nozzle in response to the detection of a tree in a spraying target area may happen before the tree has reached the target area or after it has already passed it. Thereby the chemicals will be sprayed into the air and not on the plant, and only a part of the chemical reaches the plant.  
           [0005]    Another alternative which is used for spraying of shrubby and/or small size araborus trees is to manually spray the chemicals with spraying guns. However, this solution goes against the present tendency of mechanisization of agricultural works. In addition, it is very difficult, dangerous and in some places forbidden process.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a spraying apparatus of the above mentioned general type, which is particularly suitable for spraying agricultural chemicals over shrubby and/or small size arborus trees, or even other types of plants in early stages of their growth, which eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art.  
           [0007]    More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a spraying apparatus which allows an efficient spraying at both sizes of the plant substantially without waste of the chemicals and without polluting the environment.  
           [0008]    In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a spraying apparatus comprising a movable chassis; means for storing an agricultural chemical to be sprayed; a spraying assembly connected with said chassis and having the shape of an upside down “U” provided with a plurality of spraying nozzles, means for detecting a plant, and means for activating the spraying nozzles, after the detecting means detect a plant, to spray the plant within the upside down U-shaped spraying assembly, wherein the spraying assembly has a substantially flat frame composed of a plurality of substantially flat elements.  
           [0009]    When the spraying apparatus is designed in accordance with the present invention, the agricultural chemicals are sprayed only over the plants and no chemical is wasted in the empty areas between the plants. The spraying is highly efficient since the chemicals are sprayed near and around each plant reaching all sides of the plant simultaneously. The drivers attention is concentrated only on driving, since all other steps of spraying are performed automatically.  
           [0010]    The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a rear view of a spraying assembly of a spraying apparatus in accordance with the present invention, in a transporting position;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 a  is a side view of the spraying assembly which includes a substantially flat frame composed of a plurality of substantially flat elements;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to the view of FIG. 1 but showing the spraying assembly in a working position with a plant being sprayed;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the spraying apparatus in accordance with the present invention, towed by a tractor between two arrays of plants to be sprayed;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a rear view of a spraying assembly of the inventive spraying apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIGS. 5 and 6 are views showing possible solutions for positioning spraying nozzles of the spraying assembly relative to air jets;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIGS. 7 a  and  7   b  are views showing a connection of a vertical strut to a horizontal beam of a spraying assembly of the inventive spraying apparatus;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a view showing a turning connection of the spraying assembly of the chassis of the inventive spraying apparatus, to turn the spraying assembly between working and transporting positions;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an adjustable connection of a sensor of the inventive spraying apparatus;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 10 and 11 are a side view and a top view of the spraying assembly; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIGS. 12 and 13 are views showing a hydraulic circuit and an electric circuit of the spraying apparatus.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]    A spraying apparatus in accordance with the present invention is identified as a whole with reference numeral  1  and can be towed by a tractor  2 . The spraying apparatus  1  has a chassis  3 , a storage tank  4  having a lead for  4   a,  a fixed frame structure  5  mounted at the rear end of the spraying apparatus and a movable frame structure  6  mounted over the fixed frame structure  5  in order to be vertically movable up and down. The movable frame structure  6  supports a beam  7  for mounting a spraying assembly  8 . As can be seen from the drawings in particular from FIG. 1 a , the fixed frame structure  5  and the movable frame structure  6  form a frame which is substantially flat and is composed of a plurality of flat elements which include corresponding substantially flat beams and struts, as will be explained herein below.  
         [0023]    The spraying assembly  8  is shaped as an upside down “U”. It has a horizontal beam  8   a  and two vertical struts  8   b.  Hoses h are supported by the horizontal beam  8   a  and the vertical struts  8   b  and provided with a plurality of spraying nozzles  9 . The supply of chemicals is performed from the tank  4  through the hoses h and the nozzles  9 .  
         [0024]    The vertical struts  8   b  are mounted on the horizontal beam  8   a  through pivoting elements  10  so that they are freely turnable in a vertical plane. Therefore in the event of impacts of the vertical struts  8   b  against the ground or against the plants, the vertical struts can deviate in the vertical plane, and damages to the spraying assembly are avoided. By arranging a spring  8   c  between the horizontal beam  8   a  and the vertical struts  8   b,  the struts can also deviate in another vertical plane. In addition, the vertical struts  8   b  are mounted on the horizontal beam  8   a  so that they can be displaced along the length of the horizontal beam to be brought closer to or farther from each other to reduce or to increase the distance between them. In each adjusted position, the vertical struts  8   b  can be fixed by known fixing means, for example a fixing screw  10   a . The horizontal beam  8   a  of the spraying assembly  8  can be also raised or lowered, for example by changing one bracket  8   d  to another having a different height. Therefore an exact adjustment of the elements of the spraying assembly can be performed to provide a precise deposition of the chemicals on the plant and therefore to increase the efficiency of the machine.  
         [0025]    The whole spraying assembly  8  can be lifted or lowered. In particular, the spraying assembly  8  is connected with the movable frame structure  6  which moves vertically relative to the immovable frame structure  5  and can be fixed in any desired relative vertical position. Any fixing means can be provided for this purpose, for example holes provided in the frame structures  5  and  6  and bolts extending through the corresponding holes in their aligned condition.  
         [0026]    A detecting means  11  produce an output signal in response to the presence of a plant in the area of the detecting means and supply the output signal to a data processing unit  14 . The data processing unit  14  processes the data and acts on a valve  15   a  which controls opening and closing of the spraying nozzles  9 . Manual knobs k are provided for manually adjusting a time period of spraying the plant, since depending on the type of the plant the time period of spraying has to be shorter or longer. With the manual knobs k the spraying start and the spraying finish can be adjust correspondingly.  
         [0027]    After the detecting means  11  detect the plant, the plant must be sprayed by the spraying assembly  8  a little later. In order to correct this delay, the data processing unit  14  operates with a fixed time delay which can be provided by a corresponding software and calculated on an estimated means working speed of the spraying apparatus. The above mentioned manually controlled knobs k can also provide an adjustment of the delay when the apparatus is to be displaced with a different mean speed.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the spraying apparatus in accordance with the present inveniton. The spraying apparatus is provided with an air duct  17  which also has the shape of the upside docon “U” and arranged near the spraying assembly  8 . The air duct is provided with a plurality of openings  18 . Air jets are issued through the openings  18  and carry the chemicals supplied through the spraying nozzles  9  to the plant to improve the spraying. The openings can be formed as simple cuts  18   a  in the air duct as shown in FIG. 5, or as hollow radial projections shown in  18   b  in FIG. 6.  
         [0029]    While in the shown embodiment, the detecting means  12  is positioned before the spraying nozzles  9 , it is possible to arrange the detecting means  12  so that it is located exactly in the plane of the spraying nozzles  9 , so that no time delay has to be introduced at all.  
         [0030]    The spraying assembly  8  is connected to the mounting beam through a fulcrum  11 . The fulcrum  11  can include a vertical pin  11   a  connected to the beam  7  and a bushing  11   b  turnable around the pin  11   a  and connected to the horizontal beam  8   a,  with a spring  11   c  positioned between the bushing  11   b  and a support  8   e.  Thereby the spraying assembly  8  is horizontally pivotable about a substantially vertical axis between a working position and a transporting position. In the working position the spraying assembly is located laterally of the chassis  3  as shown in FIG. 2, while in the transporting position, the spraying assembly is folded over the chassis  3  and the frame structures  5 ,  6  to be located behind the same as shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0031]    The detecting means  12  preferably is formed as an ultra-sound detecting means. It is mounted on a supporting frame  13  at the side of the spraying apparatus facing the trees, close to the spraying assembly  8 . The detecting means  12  formed for example as an ultrasound  12   a  sensor is mounted so that it can be displaced up and down in order to better detect the presence of a plant, and is fixed in each adjusted position by a clamp. For this purpose the sensor  12   a  is mounted in a casing  12   b  which is releasably fixed to the support by a clamp  12   c.    
         [0032]    The spraying apparatus is provided with a generator  16 . A rotor of spraying has to be shorter or longer. With the manual knobs k the spraying start and the spraying finish can be adjusted correspondingly.  
         [0033]    After the detecting means  12  detect the plant, the plant must be sprayed by the spraying assembly  8  a little later. In order to correct this delay, the data processing unit  14  operates with a fixed time delay which can be provided by a corresponding software and calculated on an estimated mean working speed of the spraying apparatus. The above mentioned manually controlled knobs k can also provide an adjustment of the delay when the apparatus is to be displaced with a different means speed.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the spraying apparatus in accordance with the present invention. The spraying apparatus is provided with an air duct  17  which also has the shape of upside docon “U” and arranged near the spraying assembly  8 . The air duct is provided with a plurality of openings  18 . Air jets are issued through the openings  18  and carry the chemicals supplied through the spraying nozzles  12  to the plant to improve the spraying. The openings can be formed as simple cuts  18   a  in the air duct as shown in FIG. 5, or as hollow radial projections shown in  18   b  in FIG. 6.  
         [0035]    While in the shown embodiment, the detecting means  12  is positioned before the spraying nozzles  9 , it is possible to arrange the detecting means  12  so that it is located exactly in the plane of the spraying nozzles  9 , so the generator  16  is driven in rotation through transmission elements by a pump  18  for pumping the chemicals through the hose and the spraying nozzles. The generator  16  supplies current to the data processing unit  14 , the sensing means  12 , and the valve  15   a,  etc. Therefore, the spraying apparatus is independent from external electrical current sources. A pressure regulator  21  is also provided. The pump  18  is driven from a tractor take-off  19 . A fan  20  which supplies air into the air duct  17  is also driven from the tractor take-off  19 .  
         [0036]    The spraying apparatus in accordance with the present invention operates in the following manner.  
         [0037]    When the spraying apparatus is moved by a tractor between arrays of plants, the spraying assembly  8  is first properly positioned over the first plant by adjusting the height of the horizontal beam  8   a  and the distance between the vertical struts  8   b  to bring the spraying nozzles  9  to the most efficient position for spraying. During displacement of the spraying apparatus, a pump driven from a power source of the tractor generates a pressure required for spraying the chemicals through the spraying nozzles  9  and also drives the generator  16  that supplies power to the detecting means  12  and other elements of the apparatus. The detecting means  12  detect the presence of a plant and feeds the processing unit  14  with the output signal regarding the presence or absence of a plant in the spraying assembly  8 . After the plant is detected, the valve  15   a  is activated to allow the passage of the chemical to the spraying nozzles  9 .  
         [0038]    It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.  
         [0039]    While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a spraying apparatus for agricultural chemicals, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0040]    Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.