A can coating machine control system includes a coating control signal that functions as a go/no-go signal based on a plurality of monitored conditions such as can in position, vacuum pressure, gun in position, guard in position and speed condition. Local pressure regulation of the coating material in the spray gun is provided along with optional control of the material temperature. Local pressure regulation allows for optional spray weight control based on a wrap number derived from speed and gun spray durations. A CAN to CAN network buffer is provided as well for primary network isolation. A gun control circuit may be used to select specific gun drive signals and to adjust gun drive signals based on real-time feedback of the actual spray duration.

The present invention relates to a portable spraying device (1) for discharging a fluid, in particular an agricultural formulation, having a container (2) for holding the fluid, a pump (15), which is in fluid connection with the container (2), for pumping the fluid out of the container (2), a spray gun (21), which comprises a spray opening (27) and an electrically controllable application valve (20) for opening and closing a passage to the spray opening (27), an application line (17), which establishes a fluid connection between the pump (15) and the spray gun (21). The spraying device (1) according to the invention is distinguished by a pressure sensor (19), which is arranged in the application line (17), for detecting the fluid pressure in the application line (17), and an electric control device (28), which is coupled to the application valve (20) and the pressure sensor (19) in terms of data transmission, by means of which device an electric control signal for opening the application valve (20) for a certain predetermined time interval and for closing the application valve (20) on expiry of the time interval can be produced in accordance with the fluid pressure detected by means of the pressure sensor (19), with the result that a defined volume of the fluid is discharged via the spray opening (27).

A drain clearing air gun includes a housing defining a main body, a handle positioned on a first end of the main body, and a nose positioned on a second end of the main body. A tank is at least partially positioned within the housing and includes a chamber for receiving pressurized air. A motor is positioned within a main body of the housing, and a pump is positioned within the main body of the housing and operatively coupled to the motor. The pump is driven by the motor to pump air into the tank. A pressure gauge is supported by the housing and includes an automatic shutoff feature. The pressure gauge is in fluid communication with the tank. When a predetermined pressure within the tank is reached the automatic shutoff feature is activated to stop the motor.

With the use of low cost microphones mounted near each nozzle, sound signatures of the nozzles may be captured and compared to a baseline calibration measurement corresponding to a substantially new nozzle to determine if the nozzle is worn out. Sound signatures may be periodically captured and compared to the baseline calibration measurement to provide a continuous indicator of wear out for each nozzle. The invention has the advantage of being relatively low cost with ceramic microphones, for example, and with little or no moving parts required.

An agricultural sprayer arrangement includes a chassis; a ground engaging traction member carried by the chassis; a liquid tank carried by the chassis; a boom carried by the chassis; a conduit associated with the boom in fluid communication with the liquid tank that acts as a fluid flow path; a nozzle having an inlet in fluid communication with the conduit; a first flow sensor placed upstream of the inlet in the fluid flow path that provides a first flow signal; a second flow sensor placed downstream of the inlet in the fluid flow path that provides a second flow signal; and an electrical processing circuit coupled to the first flow sensor and the second flow sensor that is configured to compare the first and second flow signals to determine a flow rate decrease and issue an alarm if the flow rate decrease is less than a predetermined threshold level.

A system includes a manual tool data system having a manual tool data monitoring system configured to monitor one or more manual tools, a manual tool data acquisition system configured to acquire data corresponding to one or more operational parameters of the one or more manual tools, a manual tool data analysis system configured to analyze the data acquired by the manual tool data acquisition system, and a manual tool messaging system configured to generate messages based on the data analyzed by the manual tool data analysis system.

The present invention relates to the application of plant protection agents, fertilisers and/or pesticides by means of a (preferably portable) sprayer or a small appliance (such as, for example, a bicycle tyre sealant injector). The present invention relates to a monitoring module with which existing sprayers can be equipped in order to control, track and/or document the spraying process. The present invention further relates to a method, a system and a computer program product for monitoring spraying processes.

A spray system includes nozzles spaced along a distribution line. Each nozzle actuates the position of one or more internal valves based on a spray command received from a system control module. Sensors generate position information regarding the actuation of the valves. The actual valve positions are compared to expected valve positions to determine a deviation between the two. The deviation can be compared to a threshold to determine a status of that nozzle. A normal nozzle status can be generated based on the deviation being less than the threshold. An abnormal nozzle status can be generated based on the deviation being equal to or exceeding the threshold.

By measuring a position of a spray gun relative to a physical surface to coat, using data on technical characteristics of the spray gun, like a spray cone the spray gun may produce and data on a coating fluid used, characteristics of a coating layer thus physically deposited may be reconstructed. With data being recording during the spray job, this is faster and more accurate than measuring layer thickness at various locations, either pre-determined or randomly. By determining flow characteristics in a spray cone and position of the spray cone relative to the surface over time and using a model of the spray cone, deposition of the layer of coating may be determined and the final layer, cured or uncured, may be reconstructed, including thickness.

A method and device for indicating whether a dispensable product will require refilling prior to the next scheduled service interval includes tracking the amount of use over a first interval, and calculating a frequency based from the use over the first interval. The quantity remaining is compared with the required amount, which is the product of the number of weeks in the service interval and the calculated frequency. Thus, when the quantity remaining is less that the required amount, a warning will be provided to indicate that the dispensing product should be replaced, as it will be empty before the next service interval.