Sprayer with automatically controlled laterally and angularly displaceable spray boom assembly

A turf surface sprayer, which comprises:

• (a) a transport vehicle which carries a laterally extending spray boom assembly for spraying a spray swath of a liquid onto a turf surface and which further carries a tank that holds a supply of the liquid that is to be sprayed by the spray boom assembly, the transport vehicle carrying the spray boom assembly above and out of contact with the turf surface during a spraying operation, the spray boom assembly being laterally displaceable relative to the transport vehicle and relative to the tank during the spraying operation;
• (b) wherein the spray boom assembly comprises a center boom and a pair of wing booms that are pivotally connected to opposite ends of the center boom, wherein the wing booms are substantially aligned end-to-end with the center boom during the spraying operation such that the booms collectively spray liquid over an unbroken swath that is wider than a swath that would be sprayed by any single boom, and wherein the center boom is slidably coupled to the transport vehicle such that the lateral displacement of the spray boom assembly results from side-to-side sliding of the center boom relative to the transport vehicle with the side-to-side sliding of the center boom serving to simultaneously slide the wing booms from side-to-side in concert with the center boom;
• (c) at least one first actuator carried on the transport vehicle operatively connected to and acting between the transport vehicle and the center boom of the spray boom assembly for effecting lateral displacement of the spray boom assembly relative to the transport vehicle and relative to the tank during a spraying operation, wherein the spray boom assembly and the at least one first actuator are carried together on a pivotal frame portion of the transport vehicle that is angularly pivotal relative to a remainder of the transport vehicle about a substantially vertical pivot axis provided on the transport vehicle;
• (d) at least one second actuator carried on the transport vehicle operatively connected to and acting between the remainder of the transport vehicle and the pivotal frame portion for angularly displacing the pivotal frame portion including the spray boom assembly and the at least one first actuator carried on the pivotal frame portion about the vertical pivot axis;
• and
• (e) a controller for automatically controlling the operation of the at least one first actuator to cause lateral displacement of the spray boom assembly in order to maintain a reference point on the sprayer substantially on a desired path for the reference point during successive passes of the transport vehicle over an area of the turf surface that is to be sprayed, wherein the controller further automatically controls the operation of the at least one second actuator to cause angular displacement of the pivotal frame portion about the vertical pivot axis in order to maintain the spray boom assembly substantially perpendicular relative to the desired path during the successive passes of the transport vehicle over the area of the turf surface that is to be sprayed.