Agricultural sprayer link assembly

A link assembly that transmits a force provided by selective operation of a driver to pivotally displace a wing assembly between a folded position and an unfolded position, the link assembly comprising:

• an inner wing hinge configured to be secured to a first wing of the wing assembly, the inner wing hinge including a cam slot and is coupled to an inner link pin;
• an outer wing hinge configured to be secured to a second wing of the wing assembly, the inner wing hinge and the outer wing hinge being pivotally coupled at a main pivot, the outer wing hinge having a latch arm that includes a latch aperture;
• an inner wing link having a link slot defined by at least a link cam surface, the inner link pin being positioned within the link slot, the link slot configured for the inner wing link to be pivotally displaced about the inner link pin and for the link cam surface to engage the inner link pin as the inner wing link is displaced from a first position at which the inner link pin is adjacent to a first end of the link slot to a second position at which the inner link pin is adjacent to a second end of the link slot, the inner wing link further coupled to a cam pin that is positioned in the cam slot, the inner wing link further configured to be pivotally coupled to the driver;
• and
• an outer wing link pivotally coupled to the second wing and the driver;
• wherein the link slot is configured to, as the wing assembly is displaced toward the unfolded position, capture that inner link pin at the first position as the inner wing link is pivotally displaced about the inner link pin and while the cam pin is displaced away from a first end of the cam slot and toward a transition point of the cam slot,
• wherein the cam slot is configured for the cam pin, before the wing assembly is at the unfolded position, to be positioned at a location at which the cam pin is not contacted by the latch arm as the outer wing hinge is pivotally displaced to a position at which the latch aperture will receive the cam pin when the link assembly is in a latched state and as the inner link pin continues being captured at the first position as the inner wing link is pivotally displaced about the inner link pin,
• wherein the cam slot is further configured for, when the wing assembly is at the unfolded position and the cam pin is at or beyond the transition point, the cam pin to travel toward a second end of the cam slot as the cam pin is displaced to the latch aperture, and
• wherein the link slot is further configured to, when the wing assembly is at the unfolded position and the cam pin is at or beyond the transition point, guide displacement of the inner wing link toward the second position as the cam pin is displaced to the latch aperture.

A method for transmitting a force provided by selective operation of a driver though a link assembly to pivotally displace a wing assembly between a folded position and an unfolded position, the method comprising:

• pivotally displacing, in response to an actuation of the driver, a cam pin away from a first end of a cam slot of an inner wing hinge, the inner wing hinge being coupled to a first wing of the wing assembly, the cam pin being coupled to an inner wing link, the inner wing link being pivotally coupled to the driver;
• pivotally displacing, by a continued actuation of the driver and before the cam pin reaches a transition point in the cam slot, the inner wing link about an inner link pin, the inner link pin being coupled to the inner wing hinge, the inner link pin being positioned in a link slot of the inner wing link, a first section of the link slot configured to capture the inner link pin at a first location within the link slot as the inner wing link is rotated about the inner link pin;
• pivotally displacing, in response to the continued actuation of the driver and before the cam pin reaches the transition point, a latch arm of an outer wing hinge to a position at which the latch arm will receive the cam pin when the link assembly is at a latched state, the outer wing hinge being coupled to a second wing of the wing assembly;
• displacing, in response to the continued actuation of the driver after the wing assembly is in the unfolded position and the cam pin passes the transition point, the link slot about the inner link pin to at least remove the inner link pin from the first location within the link slot;
• displacing, as the first location within the link slot is moved away from inner link pin, the cam pin away from the transition point and toward a second end of the cam slot;
• and
• engaging the cam pin with the latch arm as the cam pin moves away from the transition point to place the link assembly in the latched state.