Patent Application
20180184638
The present disclosure relates to a sprayer boom assembly for a mobile landscape sprayer, and more particularly for a sprayer boom assembly having a section that is moveable between an extended position in which the sprayer boom is capable of breakaway movement and a retracted position.
Landscape spraying devices are used in a variety of landscape settings to apply materials to lawns, gardens, and other landscaping surfaces, such as driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks. Landscape spraying devices can be used to apply nutrients and chemicals to soil and vegetation to promote or control growth, depending on the application. The spraying devices can also be used to apply treatments to hard landscape surfaces, such as driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks, to clean or protect these hard surfaces.
There are several types of spraying apparatus for applying materials to landscaping surfaces which generally fall into one of two categories—hand-held or wheeled. Hand-held devices are generally used to apply material to smaller areas and include a storage tank that is carried by the user. The storage tank stores a material that can be applied to the landscaping surface using a hand-held sprayer. For covering larger areas more quickly, the storage tank and sprayer can be designed to be mounted to a wheeled chassis that is driven over the ground surface. The wheeled chassis can be manually driven by the user or driven by connecting the chassis to a motorized apparatus, such as a riding lawn mower. In some apparatuses, a motor is mounted on the chassis to provide a self-propelled spraying apparatus.
As the wheeled landscape spraying apparatuses are driven over the ground surface, they often encounter different types of terrain, variations in elevation, as well as obstacles, such as debris, plants, and rocks, for example. Users often times try to operate the apparatus to avoid obstacles or sudden changes in elevation that could damage the spraying apparatus or other property. The faster the apparatus is driven over the ground surface, the more challenging it can be to avoid obstacles that may be encountered during use.
A sprayer boom assembly for a mobile landscape spraying apparatus includes a motor for selectively extending and retracting a portion of the boom assembly between a storage mode position and a sprayer mode position. While in the sprayer mode position, the extended portion of the boom assembly is configured for breakaway motion in response to encountering an obstruction during use of the spraying apparatus.
In one embodiment, a sprayer boom assembly is provided for a mobile landscape spraying apparatus including a chassis and at least one wheel mounted to the chassis for movement of the spraying apparatus relative to a ground surface. The sprayer boom assembly includes an inner boom section mounted to the chassis and an outer boom section. The outer boom section is pivotably coupled to the inner boom section and moveable between an extended position and a retracted position. A motor is operably coupled to the outer boom section and configured to move the outer boom section relative to the inner boom section between the extended and retracted positions. A breakaway assembly is coupled to the outer boom section and defines an arc of travel having a resting position and a breakaway position. When the outer boom section is placed in the extended position by the motor and the outer boom section encounters an obstruction, the outer boom section moves along the arc of travel from the resting position to the breakaway position in response to the obstruction.
In another embodiment, the breakaway assembly includes a biasing element adapted to bias the outer boom section into the resting position. The outer boom section can move along the arc of travel toward the breakaway position in response to encountering an obstruction, and the biasing element can apply a biasing force to the outer boom section to drive the outer boom section back into the resting position.
In still another embodiment, the motor can be operably coupled to the outer boom section by a cam plate. The motor can be adapted to rotate the cam plate to move the outer boom section between the extended and retracted positions. The breakaway assembly can include a channel formed in the cam plate that defines the arc of travel. The outer boom section may be connected to the cam plate by a follower pin inserted through the channel. The follower pin can be moveable along the channel to allow the outer boom section to move between the resting and breakaway positions in response to encountering an obstruction. The sprayer boom assembly can further include a biasing element connected to the follower pin to bias the outer boom section into the resting position.
In another embodiment, the outer boom section may be coupled to the inner boom section by a pivot pin or a hinge. The outer boom section can be configured to move in a plane that is parallel to or orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the inner boom section during movement between the extended and retracted positions. The breakaway assembly can be configured to limit the arc of travel to less than a full range of motion between the extended and retracted positions.
According to another embodiment, a mobile landscape spraying apparatus includes a drive assembly, a dispensing assembly, and a sprayer boom assembly. The drive assembly can include a chassis having a front, a rear, and first and second opposing sides extending between the front and rear. At least one wheel is mounted to the chassis and adapted to move the spraying apparatus relative to a ground surface. The dispensing assembly can include a tank mounted to the chassis for holding a material to be sprayed and a spray nozzle fluidly connected with the tank by a conduit for spraying material stored in the tank onto a landscaping surface. A pump can be configured to selectively supply the material from the tank to the spray nozzle through the conduit. The sprayer boom assembly includes a sprayer boom having an inner boom section mounted to the chassis and an outer boom section pivotably coupled to the inner boom section. The sprayer boom can be configured to support the spray nozzle. A motor can be mounted to the inner boom section and operably coupled with the outer boom section. The motor can be adapted to move the outer boom section relative to the inner boom section between (a) a sprayer mode in which the outer boom section is in an extended position for spraying the material stored in the tank onto the landscaping surface, and (b) a stored mode in which the outer boom section is in a retracted position. The sprayer boom assembly further includes a breakaway assembly coupling the outer boom section to the inner boom section. The breakaway assembly can define an arc of travel of the outer boom section relative to the inner boom section which is defined by a resting position and a breakaway position. When the outer boom section is in sprayer mode, the outer boom section is moveable between the resting position and the breakaway position in response to encountering an obstruction.
In another embodiment, a first sprayer assembly is disposed on the first side of the chassis and a second sprayer assembly is disposed on the second side of the chassis. The first sprayer assembly can be configured to spray material onto the landscaping surface adjacent the first side in sprayer mode and the second sprayer assembly can be configured to spray material on the landscaping surface adjacent the second side in sprayer mode.
In still another embodiment, the spraying apparatus can include a user selectable actuator operably coupled to the motor to selectively control the motor to move the outer boom section between the sprayer mode and the stored mode.
According to another embodiment, a method of use for a sprayer boom assembly of a mobile landscape spraying apparatus is disclosed. The mobile spraying apparatus includes a chassis and at least one wheel mounted to the chassis for movement of the spraying apparatus relative to a ground surface. The method includes providing an inner boom section mounted to the chassis and providing an outer boom section pivotably coupled to the inner boom section. The outer boom section is moveable between an extended position and a retracted position. The method also includes driving the outer boom section relative to the inner boom section from the retracted position to the extended position. In response to the outer boom section encountering an obstruction, outer boom section can be pivoted from the extended position to a breakaway position to facilitate clearing the obstruction.
In another embodiment, the method includes biasing the outer boom section to return to the extended position after the obstruction is cleared. Driving the outer boom section can include actuating a motor to drive the outer boom section from the retracted position to the extended position.
These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiment and the drawings.
Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention may be implemented in various other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the invention to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the invention any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.
A mobile landscape spraying apparatus is illustrated in
Structure
The spraying apparatus 10 includes a power and drive assembly 12 for moving the apparatus 10 relative to a ground surface, a dispensing assembly 14 configured to selectively spray a material onto the landscaping surface, and a sprayer boom assembly 16. The power and drive assembly 12 can include a chassis 20 to which the other components of the spraying apparatus 10 are mounted, one or more wheels 22, and a motor 24. The motor 24 may be a gas or electric motor and is operably coupled to the wheels 22 through a suitable drive train (not shown) to selectively drive the wheels 22 to move the spraying apparatus 10 over the ground surface. The chassis 20 can include front and rear ends 26 and 28 and opposing first and second sides 30 and 32. As used herein, the “front” refers to the end of the chassis 20 which leads during travel of the spraying apparatus 10 over the ground surface during forward motion. The power and drive assembly 12 may also include a battery 34 for providing electrical power to one or more components of the spraying apparatus 10.
Still referring to
The sprayer boom assembly 16 includes an inner boom section 50 mounted to the chassis 20 and at least one outer boom section 52. As illustrated in
A motor 54 is connected to the inner boom section 50 to move the move the outer boom section 52 relative to the inner boom section 50. The motor 54 is configured to pivot the outer boom section 52 relative to the inner boom section 50 between (a) a storage mode in which the outer boom section 52 is in a position suitable for storage or transport of the spraying apparatus 10 when a material is not being applied to the landscape (solid lines in
The configuration and mounting of the inner boom section 50 may vary as desired. As illustrated in
The spraying apparatus 10 may also include a user interface 56 configured to receive input from a user of the spraying apparatus 10. The user interface 56 may include one or more actuatable controls, such as levers, knobs, buttons, dials, etc. which the user can manipulate to control the various components of the spraying apparatus 10. The user interface 56 may be operably connected to the motor 24 to selectively power the spraying apparatus 10 on and off and the pump 46 to selectively control the flow of material from the storage tank 40 to the spray nozzles 42.
Referring now to
Referring to now to
The sprayer boom assembly 16 may also include a breakaway assembly 66 coupling the outer boom section 52 to the cam plate 62. The breakaway assembly 66 is configured to allow the outer boom section 52 to deflect upon encountering an obstacle during use to avoid or minimize damage to the outer boom section 52 and connected spray nozzle 42. The breakaway assembly 66 includes a channel 70 defining an arc of travel through which the outer boom section 52 may move relative to the cam plate 62 and the inner boom section 50. The outer boom section 52 may be coupled to the breakaway assembly 66 by a follower pin 72 inserted through the channel 70 and through an aligned aperture 74 (
Still referring to
The cam plate 62, guide plate 84, and outer boom section 52 may be coupled together using any suitable mechanical and/or non-mechanical fasteners, non-limiting examples of which include bolts (shown), pins, clamps, adhesives, welds, and combinations thereof. While the mounting plate 82 and guide plate 84 are illustrated as separate components, in an alternative configuration, the mounting plate 82 and guide plate 84 may be integrally formed. In still another configuration, the motor 54 may be mounted directly to the inner boom section 50.
Operation
Referring now to
When it is desired to apply a material to the landscaping surface using the sprayer apparatus 10, the motor 54 can be actuated by the user to pivot the outer boom section 52 relative to the inner boom section 50. The outer boom section 52 pivots about the pivot pin 64 from the storage mode of
To move the outer boom section 52 into the sprayer mode of
Still referring to
With reference to
While the outer boom section 52 is described in the context of movement between a retracted position and an extended position within a horizontal plane defined by the longitudinal axis of the inner boom section 50, in alternative embodiments, the outer boom section 52 may be configured for movement within a vertical plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the inner boom section 50. For example, the outer boom section 52 may be coupled to the inner boom section 50 by a pivot pin 64 extending through the sides of the inner boom section 50, rather than the top and bottom, as illustrated in
Directional terms, such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “inwardly,” “outer” and “outwardly,” are used to assist in describing the invention based on the orientation of the embodiments shown in the illustrations. The use of directional terms should not be interpreted to limit the invention to any specific orientation(s).
The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. For example, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of the described invention may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative. Further, the disclosed embodiments include a plurality of features that are described in concert and that might cooperatively provide a collection of benefits. The present invention is not limited to only those embodiments that include all of these features or that provide all of the stated benefits, except to the extent otherwise expressly set forth in the issued claims. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular. Any reference to claim elements as “at least one of X, Y and Z” is meant to include any one of X, Y or Z individually, and any combination of X, Y and Z, for example, X, Y, Z; X, Y; X, Z; and Y, Z.
