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US 5,911,362 AGranted
Control system for a mobile material distribution device
AssigneeDickey-john Corporation
InventorsJohn E. Wood, Joel T. Morton
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDickey-john Corporation
InventorsJohn E. Wood, Joel T. Morton
Estimating the term…
A control system is provided for efficiently regulating the discharge of material from a mobile material distribution device having a product tank or bin, a boom with at least one boom section, a plurality of outlet ducts (e.g., nozzles and/or distribution ports) associated with each boom section, shut-off valves for selectively enabling each boom section, and a selectively-movable control valve for regulating the flow of material to the boom sections. The control system includes a boom sensing input for monitoring whether the shut-off valves are open or closed (i.e., whether the associated boom sections are enabled or disabled), and a processing system for maintaining a substantially stable pressure level between the control valve and each shutoff valve by positionally locking the control valve at its last controlled position upon receiving a signal from the boom sensing input indicating the shut-off valves are closed. Based information received from the boom sensing input, other feedback sensors, and/or manually entered by the user, the processing system selectively regulates the control valve of the material distribution device so as to precisely regulate the material dispersal rate through the enabled boom sections and to provide the material distribution device with certain useful functions including loading, unloading, and agitation features.
A control system for regulating the operation of a mobile material distribution device, the material distribution device including a supply of material, a boom with at least one boom section, a shut-off valve associated with each boom section, and a control valve for regulating the flow of material to said at least one boom section, said at least one boom section including at least one outlet duct for dispensing material therefrom, the control valve being movable into a plurality of controlled positions, each controlled position providing a material dispersal rate through said at least one outlet duct, the control system comprising:
A method of regulating the material dispersal rate from a mobile material distribution device, the material distribution device including a supply of material, a boom with at least one boom section, a shutoff valve associated with each boom section, and a control valve for regulating the flow of material to said at least one boom section, said at least one boom section including at least one outlet duct for dispensing material therefrom, the control valve being movable into a plurality of controlled positions, each controlled position providing a material dispersal rate through said at least one outlet duct, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of operating a mobile material distribution device comprising the following steps:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.