A probe assembly configured to selectively restrict fluid flow through an outlet of a closed transfer system. The probe assembly has an elongate probe body with a top end portion, a bottom end portion, an outer wall, and an internal structure defining a fluid chamber extending from the bottom end portion to the top end portion. The fluid chamber has a fluid chamber inlet at the bottom end portion extending through the outer wall into the fluid chamber and a fluid chamber outlet at the top end portion extending from the fluid chamber through the outer wall. A probe tip with a cylindrical bore is configured to engage the top end portion of the elongate probe body and a probe tip outlet is configured to be in fluid communication with the fluid chamber outlet. A rotating head located circumjacent to the probe tip and adjacent to the probe tip outlet is configured to rotate about the probe tip. The rotating head having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a vane extending from the inner surface through the outer surface.

A ball valve assembly having a valve body with a single inline fluid passage therethrough along a central longitudinal axis. A ball valve is sealingly seated in a valve seat within the valve body. The ball valve includes at least two through-bores, each of the at least two through-bores having a central axis intersecting one another, whereby the ball valve is rotatable between a fully open position and a fully closed position. In one application, the ball valve has two bores intersecting one another such that an angle α between adjacent bore openings of the ball valve are less than 90 degrees and an angle β between other adjacent ends of the ball valve are greater than 90 degrees for applying liquid product in a seed furrow before and after each seed in the furrow but not onto the seed.

An agricultural distribution machine that includes a carrier vehicle with a distributor boom that is movable at least about a pivot axis is described. The machine also includes a controlling apparatus that generates a controlling force to move the distributor boom about the pivot axis. A first sensor apparatus detects an angular rate (ω) of the distributor boom. The control apparatus implements a first operating mode to hold the distributor boom in a currently set target rotational position in which disturbance torques acting on the distributor boom, resulting from movements of the carrier vehicle about the longitudinal axis, are compensated. In the first operating mode, the control apparatus is configured to regulate the angular rate (ω) detected by the first sensor apparatus as a controlled variable to a target value which has an absolute value of between zero and a threshold value (ω.sub.0).

A system and method that automatically monitors product use, such as the type and amount of agricultural and/or horticultural product stored in and dispensed from a cartridge over time and/or by geographic location. Monitored data are stored in memory such as a tag on the cartridge and may be transmitted to a server for storage, aggregation, and analysis. The cartridge may be authenticated before being authorized for use for the benefit of a current user in dispensing the product. The cartridge may be refilled after confirmation of authorization codes on the cartridge and refilling equipment tags. The cartridge may be calibrated automatically based on the bulk density or other parameter of the product in the cartridge. Data may be aggregated from a plurality of cartridges automatically. As-applied data from individual cartridges may be used to verify, independent of operator input, treated area coverage and product application rate.

A spraying system for an agricultural vehicle including a spraying boom and a circuit including a tank, a pump, a pilot-operated pressure regulator and a plurality of spraying sections each including at least one spraying device including at least one spraying nozzle designed to spray treatment liquid on plants to be treated in the field, a first distributor and at least one direct acting pressure limiter, the circuit also including a second distributor and a spraying system a control unit designed to implement a step to prime the spraying system.

A farming machine includes one or more image sensors for capturing an image as the farming machine moves through the field. A control system accesses an image captured by the one or more sensors and identifies a distance value associated with each pixel of the image. The distance value corresponds to a distance between a point and an object that the pixel represents. The control system classifies pixels in the image as crop, plant, ground, etc. based on depth information in in the pixels. The control system generates a labelled point cloud using the labels and depth information, and identifies features about the crops, plants, ground, etc. in the point cloud. The control system generates treatment actions based on any of the depth information, visual information, point cloud, and feature values. The control system actuates a treatment mechanism based on the classified pixels.

Presented herein are systems and methods for automatically determining liquid coverage on plant surfaces. More particularly, in certain embodiments, presented herein is a system for receiving an image depicting one or more plant surfaces, automatically identifying the plant surfaces in the image and distinguishing portions covered by liquid, and automatically determining a liquid coverage value. In some embodiments, the system determines changes to liquid spraying parameters to achieve desired liquid coverage values. In some embodiments, the system uses two cameras to cooperatively conduct background removal in images and determination of liquid coverage.

Presented herein are systems and methods for automatically determining liquid coverage on plant surfaces. More particularly, in certain embodiments, presented herein is a system for receiving an image depicting one or more plant surfaces, automatically identifying the plant surfaces in the image and distinguishing portions covered by liquid, and automatically determining a liquid coverage value. In some embodiments, the system determines changes to liquid spraying parameters to achieve desired liquid coverage values.

An agricultural machine includes a source of a substance to be applied to an agricultural field and a substance outlet through which the substance is configured to pass to be applied to the field. The agricultural machine further includes a controllable piezo-actuated valve and a control signal generator configured to generate a valve control signal. The piezo-actuated valve includes a valve inlet configured to be in fluidic communication with the source of substance to be applied to the field and a valve outlet through which the substance to be applied to the field passes to move through the piezo-actuated valve. The piezo-actuated valve further includes a piezo element configured to move in response to the valve control signal and a flexure, coupled to the piezo element, and configured to amplify the movement of the piezo element to provide a valve driving movement.

A system comprising a boom, a plurality of nozzles disposed along the boom, a light disposed on the boom to illuminate a spray pattern from at least one nozzle, a camera disposed on the boom to capture a first image of a spray from the at least one nozzle at a first time and a second image of no spray from the at least one nozzle at a second time, and a processor to calculate a difference between the first time and second time to determine a pulse width modulation of the at least one nozzle.