Patent CA-3087445-A1 (CA)
Inventor: BAXTER GARRY E
IPC: A01M7/00
Filed: 2020-07-21
Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for a boom suspension system that mitigates roll of respective booms as an associated vehicle rolls from side to side. The exemplary system can comprise a stabilizer bar that couples a left boom to a right boom, by coupling to respective boom's tilt cylinders. The stabilizer bar can be engaged with a central frame, which is fixedly engaged with the vehicle's chassis, through a stabilizer link. The stabilizer link allows the stabilizer bar to move horizontally left and right independently of the left and right movement of the central frame, caused by the vehicle roll. In this way, the inertia of the respective booms allows the stabilizer bar to remain in a substantially neutral position while the central frame, and vehicle, roll from side to side.     Agricultural sprayers are used to apply desired substances to crops or soil.  Sprayers are typically attached to a vehicle, whether self-moving or coupled with a separate vehicle, to be moved through fields during application. Often, the sprayers have boom wings that are cantilevered out from a central frame so that the sprayer can travel over crops without damaging the crops, and larger areas can be covered with each pass. However, when traveling over uneven terrain the associate vehicle may roll from side to side, resulting in roll of the boom wings. This roll can cause to the distance between the boom wings and the target crops to change, which may result in undesired application or damage.     CLAIMS: 1.    A boom suspension system for level suspending associated left and right booms from an associated vehicle, the system comprising: a central frame operably, fixedly engaged with a chassis of the associated vehicle, the central frame comprising a top member and a bottom member; a horizontally disposed stabilizer bar comprising a left end and a right end, the left end engaged with a left boom tilt cylinder that is operably engaged with a top frame of a left boom, and the right end engaged with a right boom tilt cylinder that is operably engaged with a top frame of a right boom; a stabilizer bar link engaged with the central frame and with the stabilizer bar that allows the stabilizer bar to move left and right with respect to, and independently from, the central frame while the stabilizer bar remains operably engaged with the central frame through the stabilizer bar link; and a left wing pivot joint operably engaged with the left boom at a left bottom frame and a left end of the bottom member, and a right wing pivot joint operably engaged with the right boom at a right bottom frame and a right end of the bottom member, respective wing pivot joints comprising a roll pivot to provide for the engaged boom to pivot up and down relative to the central frame. 2.    The system of claim 1, the stabilizer bar link comprising at least one swing link pivotably engaged with the top member and pivotably engaged with the stabilizer bar, the length of the at least one swing link determinative of a length of travel of the stabilizer bar left and right. 3.    The system of claim 2, the stabilizer bar link comprising a first swing link engaged with the top member at a left side and a second swing link engaged with the top member at a right side. 4.    The system of claim 3, the first swing link engaged with the top member proximate the left end and the second swing link engaged with the top member proximate the right end.     5.    The system of claim 3, comprising one of: a distance between the first swing link engagement with the top member and the second swing link engagement with the top member is less than a distance between the first swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar and the second swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar; a distance between the first swing link engagement with the top member and the second swing link engagement with the top member is greater than a distance between the first swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar and the second swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar; and a distance between the first swing link engagement with the top member and the second swing link engagement with the top member is substantially equivalent to a distance between the first swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar and the second swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar. 6.    The system of claim 1, the stabilizer bar link comprising a sleeve operably, fixedly engaged with the central frame, and slidably engaged with the stabilizer bar such that the stabilizer bar can translate left and right inside the sleeve. 7.    The system of claim 1, the stabilizer bar link comprising a rail, fixedly engaged with the central frame, and slidably engaged with the stabilizer bar such that the stabilizer bar can translate left and right along the rail. 8.    The system of claim 1, comprising a force damper engaged with the stabilizer bar to dampen left and right movement of the stabilizer bar. 9.    The system of claim 1, comprising a biasing component engaged with the stabilizer bar and the central frame to bias the stabilizer bar toward the center of the top member.     10.    The system of claim 1, the central frame comprising a left vertical member and a right vertical member respectively fixedly engaged with the top member and the bottom member. 11.    A boom suspension that provides for engaged booms to move independently from a central frame that supports the boom suspension, comprising: a stabilizer bar comprising a first end and a second end, the stabilizer bar coupling a top frame of a first boom with a top frame of a second boom, wherein the first end is operably engaged with the top frame of the first boom at a first tilt cylinder, and the second end is operably engaged with the top frame of the second boom at a second tilt cylinder; a stabilizer bar link engaged with the stabilizer bar that allows the stabilizer bar to translate horizontally independently from the central frame, the stabilizer bar link operably engaged with the central frame; and a first roll pivot coupling the central frame to the first boom at a bottom frame of the first boom, and a second roll pivot coupling the central frame to the second boom at a bottom frame of the second boom, the respective roll pivots allowing the respective booms to pivot both horizontally and vertically. 12.    The suspension of claim 11, the stabilizer bar of sufficient length to allow the respective booms to be operably disposed in a substantially horizontal position. 13.    The suspension of claim 11, the stabilizer bar link comprising at least one swing link pivotably engaged with a top portion of the central frame, and pivotably engaged with the stabilizer bar, the length of the at least one swing link determinative of a length of horizontal translation of the stabilizer bar. 14.    The suspension of claim 13, the stabilizer bar link comprising: a first swing link engaged with a first side of the top portion of the central frame and the first end of the stabilizer bar; and a second swing link engaged with a second side of the top portion of the central frame and the second end of the stabilizer bar.     15.    The suspension of claim 14, comprising one of: a distance between the first swing link engagement with the central frame and the second swing link engagement with the central frame is less than a distance between the first swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar and the second swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar; a distance between the first swing link engagement with the central frame and the second swing link engagement with the central frame is greater than a distance between the first swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar and the second swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar; and a distance between the first swing link engagement with the central frame and the second swing link engagement with the central frame is substantially equivalent to a distance between the first swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar and the second swing link engagement with the stabilizer bar. 16.    The suspension of claim 11, the stabilizer bar link comprising a sleeve operably, fixedly engaged with a top portion of the central frame, and slidably engaged with the stabilizer bar such that the stabilizer bar can translate horizontally inside the sleeve. 17.    The suspension of claim 11, the stabilizer bar link comprising a rail, fixedly engaged with a top portion of the central frame, and slidably engaged with the stabilizer bar such that the stabilizer bar can translate horizontally along the rail. 18.    The suspension of claim 11, comprising a force damper engaged with the stabilizer bar and central frame to dampen horizontal translation of the stabilizer bar. 19.    The suspension of claim 11, comprising a biasing component engaged with the stabilizer bar and the central frame to bias the stabilizer bar toward the center of the central frame.   20.                                                                       A  boom suspension system that allows engaged booms to move independently from a central frame attached to a chassis of a vehicle, comprising: a central frame that is configured to be operably, fixedly engaged with a vehicle chassis, the central frame comprising a top member and a bottom member; a horizontally disposed stabilizer bar that operably couples a left boom to a right boom independently from the top member, the stabilizer bar comprising a left end and a right end, wherein the left end of the stabilizer bar is engaged with a left boom tilt cylinder that is operably engaged with a top frame of a left boom, and wherein the right end is engaged with a right boom tilt cylinder that is operably engaged with a top frame of a right boom; a first swing link pivotably engaged with the top member and pivotably engaged with the stabilizer bar at the left end, and a second swing pivotably engaged with the top member and pivotably engaged with the stabilizer bar at the right end, the respective swing links allowing the stabilizer bar to translate left and right independently from the central frame; a first roll pivot engaged with the bottom member and a bottom frame of the left boom, and a second roll pivot engaged with the bottom member and a bottom frame of the right boom, the respective roll pivots allowing the respective booms to pivot both horizontally and vertically.