Agricultural sprayer control system
AssigneeAGCO International GmbH
InventorsLars Schmitz, Hans Stols
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An agricultural sprayer has a fluid delivery network that supplies one or more sets of spaced-apart nozzles for the application of plant protection products. An electronic controller is arranged to receive and store an operating parameter for each one of a plurality of drift reduction classes. The operating parameter may be an upper pressure limit. The controller is operable to control at least one of a pump, a vehicle speed, a nozzle selection, and a display based on the operating parameter of a selected one of the plurality of drift reduction classes.
Claims16
An agricultural spraying machine, comprising:
- a fluid delivery network with a pump in hydraulic communication with a plurality of spaced-apart nozzles;
- and
- an electronic controller configured to:
- receive and store an upper pressure limit and a lower pressure limit for each nozzle of the plurality of spaced-apart nozzles for each one of a plurality of drift reduction classes, wherein each drift reduction class of the plurality of drift reduction classes references a percentage by which drift is reduced when a given nozzle is operating between the upper pressure limit and the lower pressure limit of the drift reduction class;
- receive a selection of a drift reduction class of the plurality of drill reduction classes;
- and
- based on the selected drift reduction class of the plurality of drift reduction classes, control at least one of the pump, a vehicle speed, or nozzle selection to maintain an operating pressure of the selected nozzles between the upper and lower pressure limits of selected drift reduction class.
A method of controlling an agricultural spraying machine having a fluid delivery network with a pump in hydraulic communication with a plurality of spaced-apart nozzles, the method comprising:
- receiving and storing an upper pressure limit and a lower pressure limit for each nozzle of the plurality of spaced-apart nozzles for each one of a plurality of drift reduction classes, wherein each drift reduction class of the plurality of drift reduction classes references a percentage by which drift is reduced when a given nozzle is operating between the upper pressure limit and the lower pressure limit of the drift reduction class;
- selecting a drift reduction class of the plurality of drift reduction classes;
- and
- based on the selected drift reduction class of the plurality of drift reduction classes, controlling at least one of the pump, a vehicle speed, or nozzle selection to maintain an operating pressure of the selected nozzles between the upper and lower pressure limits of selected drift reduction class.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.