Patent Application
20210146382
The present disclosure relates generally to fluid operating systems, such as those used in the operation of an agricultural or industrial sprayer or sprayer machine.
Industrial and agricultural sprayers apply liquids such as pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, water, fertilizers, and other liquids. The sprayers come in multiple formats, and may be found as a freestanding unit, a pull-behind sprayer that is hitched, dragged, or otherwise pulled by a tractor or other vehicle, or any other method.
When the sprayer applies a liquid upon a desired surface, the liquid runs through the sprayer's general system. Typically, the system will have a tank to hold the liquid, a feed line for the liquid to flow, and a spray boom, upon which is at least one spray nozzle, also known herein as a sprayer tip.
When the material to be sprayed is highly viscous, it may lose its heterogeneous nature over time in a sprayer system, as the substances may begin to separate, severely degrading efficacy. To combat this, recirculating boom systems have been introduced. A recirculating boom system sprays the material, and when the sprayer system is disengaged, the flow of material reverts, and the material returns to the tank. However, when the sprayer is applying dry flow-able powders, water soluble granules, clay based products, or other viscous material, the material moves back to the tank, but some of the material stays in the boom, and the spray nozzles, or sprayer tips, after time become clogged. The clogging of the spray nozzles severely reduces the efficacy of the sprayer. This requires the operator to respray to cover the missed areas, and the spray nozzles must be cleaned out to return to proper form and effectiveness.
After each use, it is preferred that a sprayer operator cleans out the lines of the sprayer system. This is generally required when switching between materials to be sprayed. Typically when an operator cleans out the lines on the boom, end caps on the boom lines are opened to allow the material to drain out. Any material left in the boom line will be flushed out with forcible ingress of water, and the material and water will circulate through the system and out the end cap. As can be appreciated and understood by those with skill in the art, the material egressing from the system can be contaminating to the ground below the cleaning operation, and the material egressing in this matter is usually wasted by the dilution of product during the cleaning process. Consequently, what is needed is a device which is able to recirculate the material in a sprayer line, and which can reduce the need for wasteful cleaning operations thereon.
The present disclosure is directed to a valve that aids in the recirculation and blending of solution to be sprayed by an industrial or agricultural sprayer. The recirculating valve may be easily retrofitted on existing sprayers or incorporated into newly designed sprayer systems. As used herein, the recirculating valve is alternatively known as a liquid dispensing valve or just as the valve. The names are interchangeable, as although the valve may be used to transport and direct the flow of a solution, it may also be used for the flow of a single substance liquid, and both are contemplated herein.
The valve is contemplated to be used at an inlet, or initial, stage of the sprayer. The sprayer is generally thought of herein as a piece of machinery with a liquid solution tank wherein the liquid solution to be sprayed is stored, preferably a boom section, or other way of holding up a spraying device, and at least one sprayer tip. Some examples of machinery are a heavy tractor, a large commercial truck, a personal vehicle, a bulldozer, or any other piece of heavy machinery capable of carrying sprayer material.
Connecting the liquid solution tank to the tip is a general supply line, also known generally as a hose upon which the valve is intended to be connected. Thus the liquid solution pours from the tank through the valve and finally to the sprayer tip or tips as the case may be. In some embodiments the intake port of the valve connects to the general supply line with a portion of the general supply line known as an intake hose removably attaching to the intake port. To facilitate a smooth connection, the intake port may contain screw threading. The type of threading will depend on the particularities of the intake hose threading, and it is presently thought that male threading would mate with a majority of intake hoses, but it is also contemplated that female screw threading might allow for better coupling and thus both versions are contemplated herein.
In a preferred embodiment, a liquid dispensing valve is provided with a casing body that provides rigid structure. The casing may be made of any rigid material such as a polymer or metal. The material of the casing is not important, but the material should be rigid and generally resistant to water or chemical damage to prevent the valve from being continuously replaced.
The valve casing includes an intake port, which is an opening to the inner cavity of the casing where the influx of the liquid solution from the tank is received. The intake port is located on the exterior of one side of the casing and flows towards the output port, which is located at a separate end of the casing.
The output port is located towards an end of the valve opposite the intake port, but it is not a requirement to be on the exact opposite casing side from the intake port. It is contemplated that the output port may be located near the opposite end of the intake port, but on a side casing wall similar to an L-shape without departing from the spirit of the invention, as it is contemplated that the exact shape of the valve may be customized to fit the specific type of boom sprayer or industrial application that the user desires. In at least one embodiment however, the output port is located on the opposite side casing of the intake port. It is contemplated that the output port will removably connect with a feed hose to or from the sprayer feed line which allows liquid solution to flow out the valve and towards the sprayer tip or tips. To facilitate a smooth connection, the output port may contain screw threading. The type of threading will depend on the particularities of the feed hose threading, it is presently thought that male threading would mate with a majority of intake hoses, but it is contemplated that female screw threading may allow for better coupling in some circumstances and thus both versions of screw threading are contemplated herein.
Connecting the intake port and the output port is a generally tubular main liquid passage. This main liquid passage is the route that the liquid solution takes upon entering the valve at the intake port position until traveling outside the valve at the output port position and flowing towards the sprayer tip(s). The generally tubular main liquid passage is not just a solid cylindrical tube however, as it additionally comprises a generally hourglass-shaped section.
In one embodiment the generally hourglass-shaped section is contemplated as a necked-down reduced diameter nozzle whereon the apex, or the tip of the nozzle, contacts an inverted reduced diameter nozzle, otherwise known as an extending diameter nozzle. The two apexes meet and the two nozzles form a generally hourglass-shaped portion. It need not be exact mirror-images, but the portion should neck down and then extend out again.
Additionally, there is provided a return port, otherwise known herein as the suction port. The suction port is where the return line or lines are connected, and provides an additional intake of the liquid. When the liquid enters into the valve from the suction port, it travels along a generally tubular suction liquid passage, which is thought to connect to a portion near the hourglass-shaped section. The combination of the return suction liquid flow and the hourglass-shaped section creates a vacuum-effect, and generates the circulating ability of the liquid.
Located between the hourglass-shaped section and the intake port is the first position of a generally tubular recirculation liquid passage. The second position of the recirculation liquid passage is located between the hourglass-shaped section and the output port. The vacuum created by the above-mentioned suction process combined with the hourglass shape will induce overflow liquid to move around the hourglass-shaped section and through the recirculation liquid passage from the first position to the second position. This additional movement of the material causes any sediment or granules in the liquid or solution to keep from building up and potentially settling, and also prevents the normal backpressure buildup associated with higher flow on sprayers. Due to preventing this buildup of contamination, clean out of the sprayer lines is easier and less contaminating to the area around which the user intends to clean out the sprayer lines.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a bypass valve port is provided. The bypass valve port is known herein as an optional port upon which an opening in the casing, if applicable, may be capped. The opening in the casing would allow a user to insert material, or the opening may also contain a relief valve. The relief valve is preferably spring-loaded, and is overlaid across the generally tubular recirculation passage. This feature allows for backfilled liquid solution to apply pressure on the spring-loaded relief valve, which allows the liquid solution access to the full recirculation passage. When in a low-flow situation, the liquid solution would not apply the requisite pressure to activate the spring-loaded relief valve and thus would not have access to the recirculation passage, moving solely through the main liquid passage.
Another optional component to the liquid dispensing valve is the additional of chemical injection ports. These chemical injection ports, or also properly named as accessory ports, allows for the user to add additional chemicals, oils, water, cleaners, granules, or other materials to the liquid solution as it is entering the valve. This allows for the user to quickly enhance the quality and effectiveness of the liquid solution to be sprayed.
An embodiment of the liquid dispensing valve may further contain a flow meter. The flow meter will allow for the ability to adjust and maintain a steady stream of flow quickly and accurately, as can be appreciated by those with skill in the art. While able to be placed in multiple positions in the liquid dispensing valve, it is contemplated that positioning one at a position just prior to the liquid solution entering the reduced diameter nozzle portion of the hourglass-shaped section would allow the user to monitor the influx of material from the accessory port, if applicable. A second position that may be utilized is at a position in the generally tubular main liquid passage just prior to entering the output port, otherwise known as just prior to egressing the liquid dispensing valve itself. This would allow the user to monitor the output flow of the liquid solution itself.
The suction port may be additionally equipped or mated with an additional connecting valve such as a tee valve, a three-way valve, a four-way valve, an elbow valve, an angled valve, or any other connecting valve which allows a sprayer's return hoses to be removably coupled to the liquid dispensing valve. In so doing, the sprayer return line will allow for additional influx of returned liquid solution that was not immediately sprayed to be rerouted back to the liquid dispensing valve. As will be described in detail further below, the liquid solution will ingress the valve through the suction port and through the generally tubular suction liquid passage. The liquid solution will engage with the hourglass-shaped section and be routed through the tubular main liquid passage in a direction of flow towards the output port. This allows for continuous recirculation of liquid solution, and prevents buildup of contamination and settling of any sediment. The return hoses are connected to the sprayer tip feed lines and induces backflow to move back towards the valve so as to be recirculated.
Various other features, advantages, and objects of the present disclosure will be made apparent from the following detailed description and any appended drawings herein.
One or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout and in which:
Before explaining one or more embodiments of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components as set forth in the following description or as illustrated in any appended drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and appearances, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Turning now to
Looking to
Understandably, the present disclosure has been described above in terms of one or more preferred embodiments and methods. It is recognized that various alternatives and modifications may be made to these embodiments and methods that are within the scope of the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that, although the foregoing description and drawings describe and illustrate in detail one or more preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, to those skilled in the art of agricultural spraying, industrial spraying, heavy-machinery spraying, or in any other art to which the present disclosure relates, the present disclosure will suggest many modifications and constructions, as well as widely differing embodiments, applications and methods without thereby departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/689,506, filed Jun. 25, 2018.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62689506 | Jun 2018 | US |
