# US 10,869,423 B2 · Kits, systems, and methods for sprayers

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- Number: US 10,869,423 B2
- Document ID: US10869423B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/274,833
- Filed: 2019-02-13
- Published: 2019-08-15
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2018-02-13
- Applicants: Steven R. Booher; Gary A. Vandenbark; Mike Hilligoss
- Inventors: Steven R. Booher; Gary A. Vandenbark; Mike Hilligoss
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10869423B2

## CPC

- A01C 23/007: {Metering or regulating systems}
- A01B 79/005: {Precision agriculture}
- A01C 23/047: {Spraying of liquid fertilisers}
- A01M 7/0089: {Regulating or controlling systems (the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06)}
- B05B 1/20: Perforated pipes or troughs, e.g. spray booms; Outlet elements therefor
- B05B 12/04: for sequential operation or multiple outlets
- G05D 1/0278: {using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS}
- B05B 1/3053: {the actuating means being a solenoid}
- B05B 12/12: responsive to conditions of ambient medium or target, e.g. humidity, temperature {position or movement of the target relative to the spray apparatus (B05B12/082, B05B12/084 take precedence)}
- B05C 11/1015: {responsive to a conditions of ambient medium or target, e.g. humidity, temperature (B05C11/1005 takes precedence); responsive to position or movement of the coating head relative to the target}
- A01C: PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING (parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general A01B51/00 - A01B75/00)
- A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21)
- A01M: CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS (appliances for catching swarms or drone-catching A01K57/00; fishing A01K69/00 - {A01K99/00}; biocides, pest repellants or attractants A01N); APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS
- B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D)
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08)

## Abstract

Kits for sprayer vehicles may include electrically-actuatable solenoids configured to selectably turn individual nozzle assemblies on and off when installed in ports from which check valves were removed, one or more wirelessly-controllable solenoid controllers, a first wiring harness to electrically connect the electrically-actuatable solenoids to the controller(s), a GPS antenna system that wirelessly communicates information identifying its position, bracketry configured to attach the GPS antenna system and the one or more controllers with the sprayer vehicle, a second wiring harness to electrically connect the controller(s) and the GPS antenna system with a source of electrical power on the vehicle, and a mobile device configured to wirelessly cause the one or more controllers to turn individual nozzle assemblies on and off based on a comparison of predetermined geographical boundaries and predefined relative positions of the individual nozzle assemblies to real-time location information received wirelessly from the GPS antenna system.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of installing a on a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
providing a vehicle having a source of electrical power and a spraying system comprising a tank for holding a liquid to be sprayed and a plurality of spaced-apart nozzle assemblies in liquid communication with the tank, each nozzle assembly comprising a check valve removably installed in a port in each respective nozzle assembly;
providing a kit configured to be added-on to the vehicle, the kit comprising:
a plurality of electrically-actuatable solenoids configured to be installed in the ports upon removal of the check valves and to selectably turn on and off flow of the liquid through the nozzle assemblies when the plurality of electrically-actuatable solenoids are installed in the ports;
one or more controllers configured to be in electrical communication with the plurality of electrically-actuatable solenoids and to electrically actuate the solenoids to selectably turn on and off flow of the liquid through the nozzle assemblies when the plurality of electrically-actuatable solenoids are installed in the ports;
a first wiring harness configured to be attached to the vehicle and to electrically connect the one or more controllers with the plurality of electrically-actuatable solenoids;
a GPS antenna system;
bracketry configured to attach the GPS antenna system and the one or more controllers with the vehicle;
a second wiring harness configured to be attached to the vehicle and to electrically connect the one or more controllers and the GPS antenna system with the source of electrical power; and
a mobile device configured to be in wireless communication with the GPS antenna system and the one or more controllers, to receive geographic location information from the GPS antenna system, and to process the geographic location information in view of one or more databases of information comprising map data defining spray regions and no-spray regions and vehicle data defining the locations of each of the nozzle assemblies relative to the location of the GPS antenna system when installed on the vehicle, and based thereon wirelessly communicate on and off signals to the one or more controllers to individually turn on and off flow of the liquid through each of the individual nozzle assemblies based on whether each nozzle assembly is within a spray region or a no-spray region;
removing the check valves from the ports in the nozzle assemblies;
installing the plurality of electrically-actuatable solenoids in the ports;
attaching with the bracketry the GPS antenna system and the one or more controllers with the vehicle;
connecting with the first wiring harness the one or more controllers with the plurality of electrically-actuatable solenoids;
attaching the first wiring harness to the vehicle;
connecting with the second wiring harness the one or more controllers and the GPS antenna system with the source of electrical power;
attaching the second wiring harness to the vehicle;
entering vehicle data into the one or more databases defining the locations of each of the nozzle assemblies relative to the location of the GPS antenna system when installed on the vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
entering map data into the one or more databases defining spray regions and no-spray regions.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the step of entering map data into the one or more databases defining spray regions and no-spray regions comprises the steps of:
driving the vehicle along one or more edges of one or more spray regions or no-spray regions and recording travel path data transmitted from the GPS antenna system to the mobile device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the step of entering map data into the one or more databases defining spray regions and no-spray regions comprises the steps of:
directing a vehicle and having a second GPS antenna system, along one or more edges of one or more spray regions or no-spray regions and recording travel path data transmitted from the second GPS antenna system to the mobile device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the step of entering map data into the one or more databases defining spray regions and no-spray regions comprises the steps of:
delineating one or more edges of one or more spray regions or no-spray regions on a GUI overlay of a digital image of a map.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the step of entering map data into the one or more databases defining spray regions and no-spray regions comprises the steps of:
downloading at least a portion of the map data wirelessly from the cloud to the mobile device.