METHOD FOR MONITORING AND/OR CONTROLLING A DEPLOYMENT PROCESS OF A SPRAY LIQUID AT A SPRAY NOZZLE UNIT

Abstract

A method is provided for monitoring and/or controlling a deployment process of a spray liquid having a defined active agent concentration at at least one spray nozzle unit of a spray device for deploying the spray liquid for agricultural purposes. The method includes: receiving at least one property signal including a piece of property information of the spray liquid detected with the aid of a sensor unit of the spray device in a through-flow area of the spray nozzle unit, an active agent concentration in the spray liquid being ascertainable using the property information; and outputting an information signal to a display unit and/or a control signal to the spray nozzle unit as a function of the received property information of the spray liquid and/or of an active agent concentration in the spray liquid ascertained using the property information, in order to monitor and/or to control the deployment process.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A method for monitoring and/or controlling a deployment process, of a spray liquid having a defined active agent concentration, at at least one spray nozzle unit of a spray device, for deploying the spray liquid for agricultural purposes, the method comprising the following steps: receiving at least one property signal including a piece of property information of the spray liquid detected using a sensor unit of the spray device in a through-flow area of the at least one spray nozzle unit, an active agent concentration in the spray liquid being ascertainable using the property information; and outputting, an information signal to a display unit and/or a control signal to the spray nozzle unit, as a function of the property information of the spray liquid and/or of an active agent concentration in the spray liquid ascertained using the property information, the information signal and/or the control signal being output to monitor and/or to control the deployment process.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising the following step: receiving at least one additional property signal including a further piece of property information of the spray liquid ascertained using an additional sensor unit of the spray device in a through-flow area of an additional spray nozzle unit; and outputting, as a function of the received additional property signal, the information signal to the display unit and/or the control signal to the additional spray nozzle unit.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising the following step: comparing at least one value of the property information and/or of the active agent concentration of the spray liquid with at least one predefinable reference value and/or a predefinable reference value range, of the property information and/or of the active agent concentration, wherein the information signal and/or the control signal is output as a function of the comparison.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the value and/or the reference value and/or the reference value range, of the property information and/or of the active agent concentration, is ascertained using property information of a carrier liquid of the spray liquid detected using an additional sensor unit.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the value and/or the reference value and/or the reference value range, of the property information and/or of the active agent concentration, is ascertained using a temperature of the spray liquid and/or of the carrier liquid, detected using the sensor unit.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the information signal is output to the display unit and/or the control signal is output to the spray nozzle unit, when the value of the property information and/or of the active agent concentration in the spray liquid has reached the reference value and/or the reference value range and/or the reference value with a defined deviation, and/or the reference value range with a defined deviation.

21. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the information signal is output at and/or after the termination of the deployment process and/or during the deployment process.

22. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the information signal is output, and wherein the information signal includes a value of the property information and/or of the active agent concentration in the spray liquid, which is displayed on the display unit.

23. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the control signal is output, and wherein the control signal is configured to close the spray nozzle unit to terminate the deployment process at the spray nozzle unit.

24. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the detected piece of property information is selected one or more of the following: an electrical property, electrical conductivity, electrical permittivity, a visual property, an absorption property, an emission property, fluorescence, sound velocity.

25. A control unit for monitoring and/or controlling a deployment process, of a spray liquid having a defined active agent concentration, at at least one spray nozzle unit of a spray device, for deploying the spray liquid for agricultural purposes, the control unit configured to: receive at least one property signal including a piece of property information of the spray liquid detected using a sensor unit of the spray device in a through-flow area of the at least one spray nozzle unit, an active agent concentration in the spray liquid being ascertainable using the property information; and output, an information signal to a display unit and/or a control signal to the spray nozzle unit, as a function of the property information of the spray liquid and/or of an active agent concentration in the spray liquid ascertained using the property information, the information signal and/or the control signal being output to monitor and/or to control the deployment process.

26. A spray device for deploying a spray liquid for agricultural purposes, the spray liquid having a defined active agent concentration, the spray device comprising: at least one spray nozzle unit; sensor unit configured to detect a piece of property information of the spray liquid in a through-flow area of the at least one spray nozzle unit, an active agent concentration in the spray liquid being ascertainable using the property information; and a control unit for monitoring and/or controlling the deployment of the liquid spray at the at least one spray nozzle unit, the control unit configured to: receive, from the sensor unit, at least one property signal including the piece of property information of the spray liquid; and output, an information signal to a display unit and/or a control signal to the spray nozzle unit, as a function of the property information of the spray liquid and/or of an active agent concentration in the spray liquid ascertained using the property information, the information signal and/or the control signal being output to monitor and/or to control the deployment process.

27. A non-transitory machine-readable memory medium on which is stored a computer program for monitoring and/or controlling a deployment process, of a spray liquid having a defined active agent concentration, at at least one spray nozzle unit of a spray device, for deploying the spray liquid for agricultural purposes, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the following steps: receiving at least one property signal including a piece of property information of the spray liquid detected using a sensor unit of the spray device in a through-flow area of the at least one spray nozzle unit, an active agent concentration in the spray liquid being ascertainable using the property information; and outputting, an information signal to a display unit and/or a control signal to the spray nozzle unit, as a function of the property information of the spray liquid and/or of an active agent concentration in the spray liquid ascertained using the property information, the information signal and/or the control signal being output to monitor and/or to control the deployment process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] The present invention is explained by way of example in greater detail below with reference to the figures.

[0052] FIG. 1 schematically shows a representation of one exemplary embodiment of the spray device.

[0053] FIG. 2 schematically shows a representation of the control unit.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a method for monitoring and/or controlling a deployment process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0055] In the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention, identical or similar reference numerals are used for elements which are represented in the various figures and act similarly, a repeated description of the elements being omitted.

[0056] A schematic representation of an example spray device according to the present invention is depicted in FIG. 1, which is provided in its entirety with reference numeral 10.

[0057] Spray device 10 includes a liquid tank 12 including a liquid 14 and an active agent tank 16 including an active agent 18. Liquid 14 is a carrier liquid 14 or water 14.

[0058] Spray device 10 further includes a static mixing unit 20. Static mixing unit 20 is fluidically connected to liquid tank 12 via a liquid line 22. A liquid delivery unit 24 is situated in liquid line 22 in order to be able to feed or conduct liquid 22 to static mixing unit 20. Liquid delivery unit 24 in this case includes a delivery pump 26 and a volumetric flow meter 28. Similarly, static mixing unit 20 is further connected to active agent tank 16 via an active agent line 30. In turn, an active agent delivery unit 32 is situated in active agent line 30, in order to be able to feed or conduct active agent 18 to static mixing unit 20. Active agent delivery unit 32 in this case includes a metering pump 34. Accordingly, active agent 18 is intermixed with carrier liquid 14 with the aid of static mixing unit 20 to form a spray liquid 36.

[0059] In order to achieve a greater metering bandwidth with a higher metering accuracy, a spray liquid tank 40 is situated in a spray liquid line 38 downstream from static mixing unit 20. Spray liquid tank 40 in this case is designed as a buffer tank 40. Spray liquid tank 40 or buffer tank 40 is situated and designed in such a way that spray liquid 36 is filled from static mixing unit 20 into spray liquid tank 40, in order to then be conducted from spray liquid tank 40 to a nozzle system 42 including spray nozzle units 44. Each of spray nozzle units 44 includes a spray nozzle 46 for deploying spray liquid 36 and a valve 48 for controlling or regulating the deployed quantity of spray liquid.

[0060] To adjust the spray pressure at the spray nozzle units 44, spray device 10 further includes a spray liquid delivery unit 50, which is designed to feed spray liquid 36 from spray liquid tank 40 under pressure or under a defined pressure to nozzle system 42, or to spray nozzle units 44. Spray liquid delivery unit 50 in this case includes a constant pressure source including a pump 52.

[0061] In order to then be able to monitor and or carry out in an optimized manner the deployment process of spray liquid 36 having a defined active agent concentration at spray nozzle units 44, spray device 10 further includes sensor units 54 at spray nozzles 46 of spray nozzle units 44 and a control unit 56 for controlling spray nozzle units 44. Sensor units 54 are each designed to detect—during the deployment process—a piece of property information of spray liquid 36 in a through-flow area 58 of spray nozzle units 44 or of spray nozzles 46 of spray nozzle units 44, an active agent concentration in spray liquid 36 being ascertainable using the property information. In FIG. 2, it is shown how the deployment process is monitored and controlled with the aid of control unit 56. The deployment process in this case is started manually.

[0062] As is shown in FIG. 2, control unit 56 is configured to receive a property signal 60 including a piece of property information 62 of spray liquid 36 detected with the aid of a sensor unit 54 of spray device 10 in corresponding through-flow area 58 of spray nozzle unit 44. Property information 62 in this case includes an electrical conductivity of spray liquid 36. Accordingly, sensor unit 54 includes a sensor for detecting the electrical conductivity and a sensor for detecting the temperature. Control unit 56 is also configured to output an information signal 64 to a display unit 66 and/or a control signal 68 to spray nozzle unit 44 as a function of property information 62 of spray liquid 36 and/or of an active agent concentration in spray liquid 36 ascertained using property information 62, in order to monitor and/or to control the deployment process. Control unit 56 in this case is configured to compare at least one value of property information 62 of spray liquid 54 with at least one predefinable reference value and/or one predefinable reference value range of property information 62 with the aid of a processing unit 70, in order as a function thereof to output information signal 64 to display unit 66 and/or control signal 68 to spray nozzle unit 44. Processing unit 70 is further designed to ascertain an active agent concentration in spray liquid 63 using property information 62. Control signal 68 is output, in particular, when property information 62 has reached the reference value and/or the reference value range. In this case, the control signal is designed to deactivate spray nozzle unit 44 in order to terminate the deployment process. Control unit 56 further includes a memory unit 72 for storing the pieces of property information 62, the ascertained values and the reference values.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of an example method 100 in accordance with the present invention for monitoring and/or controlling a deployment process of a spray liquid 36 having a defined active agent concentration at at least one spray nozzle unit 44 of a spray device 10 for deploying spray liquid 36, in particular, for agricultural purposes. Method 100 includes a step 102 of receiving at least one property signal 60 that includes a piece of property information 62 of spray liquid 36 detected with the aid of a sensor unit 54 of spray device 10 in a through-flow area 58 of the at least one spray nozzle unit 44, an active agent concentration in spray liquid 36 being ascertainable using property information 62. Finally, method 100 includes a step 106 of outputting an information signal 64 to a display unit 66 and/or a control signal 68 to spray nozzle unit 44 as a function of received property information 62 of spray liquid 36 and/or of an active agent concentration in spray liquid 36 ascertained using property information 62 in order to monitor and/or to control the deployment process Method 100 optionally also includes a step 104 of comparing at least one value of property information 62 and/or of the active agent concentration of spray liquid 36 with at least one predefinable reference value and/or one predefinable reference value range of property information 62 and/or of the active agent concentration, in order as a function thereof to output information signal 64 and/or control signal 68.

[0064] If an exemplary embodiment includes an “and/or” linkage between a first feature and a second feature, this is to be read in the sense that the exemplary embodiment according to one specific embodiment includes both the first feature and the second feature, and according to another specific embodiment, either only the first feature or only the second feature.