On-demand high volume, low pressure spray system

A sprayer comprising:

• a blower configured to output a flow of pressurized air by operation of a motor;
• a hose;
• a spray gun having a trigger and a first valve, the spray gun receiving the flow of pressurized air from the blower through the hose, wherein actuation of the trigger causes the first valve to open and the spray gun to spray fluid;
• a second valve, the second valve being a check valve, wherein the flow of pressurized air flows through each of the first and second valves when the first and second valves are in open states, and the second valve is configured to close based on closure of the first valve;
• a pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the pressurized air within the hose between the first and the second valves and the measured pressure;
• and
• control circuitry that receives the signal, the control circuitry configured to reduce power output to the motor of the blower based on the signal indicating an increase in air pressure within the hose between the first and second valves due to the first and second valves being closed and increase power output to the blower based on the signal indicating a decrease in air pressure within the hose between the first and second valves due to the first valve being opened while the second valve remains closed,
• wherein a volume of the pressurized air is trapped within the hose between and by the first and second valves when the first and second valves are closed due to the trigger not being actuated, and in reaction to actuation of the trigger, the first valve is opened such that the volume of trapped pressurized air is released in the spray gun and used for spraying fluid while the second valve remains closed and the control circuitry increases power output to the blower to accelerate the blower to resupply the flow of pressurized air to reopen the second valve and flow through the hose to the spray gun to spray fluid.

A method of controlling a sprayer comprising:

• providing power to a motor of an air supply unit based on a signal output from a sensor, the air supply unit outputting a flow of pressurized air, the pressurized air flowing within a hose and through two valves, the two valves respectively located upstream and downstream of the hose, the signal indicative of a parameter of the pressurized air within the hose;
• reducing power to the motor to stop the motor such that the air supply unit stops outputting the flow of pressurized air based on the signal indicating an increase in a level the parameter;
• increasing power to the motor to restart the motor such that the air supply unit resumes outputting the flow of pressurized air based on the signal indicating a decrease in the level of parameter;
• and
• spraying fluid from a spray gun using a volume of the pressurized air while performing the step of increasing power to the motor, the volume of pressurized air previously having been output by the air supply unit and then trapped in the hose between the two valves while the two valves were closed and while a trigger of the spray gun was not actuated, the volume of pressurized air being released due to actuation of the trigger opening one of the two valves,
• wherein the gun receives the pressurized air from the hose and each of the steps of providing, reducing, and increasing are performed by control circuitry.

A method of controlling a sprayer for spraying fluid, the method comprising:

• providing power to a motor that rotates part of a blower to generate a flow of pressurized air that sprays fluid from a gun, the flow of pressurized air flowing though:
• a hose;
• a first valve located within the gun and downstream of the hose;
• and
• a second valve located upstream of the hose, the flow of pressurized air passing through the first and second valves to spray fluid when the first and second valves are both open;
• reducing power to the motor based on a pressure sensor indicating that the air pressure within the hose between the first and second valves has increased due to the first valve having been closed while the second valve was open, the first valve having been closed due to a trigger of the gun being released;
• trapping a volume of the pressurized air output by the blower within the hose by the first and second valves both being closed, the second valve closing due to the first valve being closed;
• spraying fluid from the spray gun while the second valve remains closed by using the volume of the pressurized air that was trapped in the hose, the volume of air being released from the hose by actuation of the trigger opening the first valve;
• and
• increasing power to the motor based on the pressure sensor indicating that the air pressure within the hose between the first and second valves has decreased due to the first valve having been opened to release the volume of the pressurized air that was trapped in the hose for spraying;
• wherein the step of increasing power to the motor is performed during the step of spraying fluid, and the step of increasing power to the motor results in the flow of pressurized air reopening the second valve and flowing through the hose and the gun to spray fluid.