Full coverage recirculating sprayer

In a recirculating sprayer assembly for application of liquid to vegetation rising above the ground, the assembly adapted to be carried by a vehicle in a travel direction and comprising a plurality of spray nozzles each forming a solid stream of liquid, a collector means for intercepting the streams after passage among the weeds and a reservoir means for collecting unused liquid from the streams, the improvement comprising:

• means for aligning the spray nozzles in opposed pairs to create criss-cross stream patterns,
• the patterns contacting one another across the width of the spray assembly normal to the travel direction to assure treatment of substantially all vegetation and the streams each having an angle of at least about 15.degree. from the direction transverse to the vehicle travel direction, thereby to reduce wind and travel speed effects on the streams,
• the collector means comprises a fibrous matting material extending across the entire sprayer assembly width;
• and
• the reservoir means encloses a lower edge of the matting material and is located at a vertical height below the tops of vegetation to be sprayed.

In a recirculating agricultural sprayer assembly for application of liquid to vegetation, the assembly adapted to be carried by a vehicle in a travel direction and comprising a plurality of spray nozzles each forming a solid stream of liquid, a collector means for intercepting the streams after passage among the vegetation and a reservoir means for collecting unused liquid from the streams, the improvement comprising:

• means for aligning the spray nozzles in opposed pairs to create criss-cross stream patterns,
• the patterns contacting one another across the width of the spray assembly normal to the travel direction to assure treatment of substantially all vegetation, and
• the streams each having an angle of at least about 15.degree. from the direction transverse to the vehicle travel direction, thereby to reduce wind and travel speed effects on the streams,
• the collector means comprise a plurality of fibrous mats in which liquid gravitates by capillarity flow and arranged parallel to the travel direction of the vehicle to form vertically upright absorptive collective surfaces, at least one spray stream of each adjacent pair of nozzles contacting opposite sides of each mat,
• the reservoir means encloses a lower edge of the matting material and is located at a vertical height below the tops of vegetation to be sprayed.

A recirculating sprayer for treating vegetation adapted for use with a tractor comprising,

• means including a mat of fibrous material in which liquid gravitates by capillarity flow and disposed to form an upright absorbent collector and filter surface,
• spray means spaced from said mat and arranged to direct a spray of treatment liquid towards said absorbent surface for impact therewith,
• means for guiding vegetation to be treated through the spray as the sprayer is advanced so that spray not impacted against the vegetation will be recovered by impacting against said absorbent collector and filter surface with minimal splashing and will gravitate by capillarity flow in the fibrous mat towards a lower edge of said mat,
• a reservoir receiving the lower edge of said mat into which the recovered and filtered liquid is discharged by the mat for collection in the reservoir,
• and means to exhaust the recovered liquid from said reservoir for recirculation to said spray means.

A tractor-propelled spray mechanism for treating vegetation comprising,

• means forming a recirculating liquid circuit through which a treatment liquid is directed,
• a pump at one point in said circuit for pressurizing a supply of liquid and for directing the liquid in the circuit in the form of a pressurized stream,
• a spray means at a second point in said circuit downstream of said first point for projecting the pressurized stream in the form of a directionalized spray pattern to form a treatment zone through which vegetation under treatment may be guided,
• collector means including a fibrous mat in which liquid gravitates by capillarity flow and disposed to form a vertically upright absorptive collector surface spaced oppositely from said spray means on the other side of said treatment zone to recover the excess liquid not impacted against the vegetation,
• said fibrous mat having a lower edge to which the liquid flows for discharge,
• a reservoir means receiving and confining said lower edge of said fibrous mat and into which recovered liquid is discharged by said lower edge,
• and means for recirculating the recovered liquid from said reservoir means to the pump.

The method of liquid spraying with a recirculating spray liquid for treating vegetation which includes the steps of

• directing a treatment through a closed circuit,
• at one point in the circuit pressurizing the liquid to drive the liquid in the form of a stream,
• at a second point in the circuit throttling the pressurized stream to form a directionalized spray pattern through which vegetation under treatment may be guided,
• at a third point in the circuit absorptively intercepting the directionalized spray pattern with a fibrous collector surface to recover and filter the excess liquid not impacted against the vegetation,
• gravitationally and by capillarity flow directing the intercepted and recovered clarified liquid at said surface towards a reservoir receiving the lower edge of said fibrous collector surface at a fourth point in the circuit,
• and recirculating the collected filtered liquid from the reservoir back to said one point in the circuit.