METHOD FOR APPLYING A SPRAY AGENT

Abstract

A method for applying a spray agent is described, in particular, a plant protection product, onto an agricultural area to be treated with the aid of a spraying device, including a spray agent tank and at least one fluidic connecting line from the spray agent tank to a nozzle. The method includes the following steps: selectively applying the spray agent onto an initial section of the agricultural area, and subsequently extensively applying a residual amount of spray agent onto a residual section of the agricultural area using a predefined application amount in such a way that, upon completion of the treatment of the agricultural area, essentially the entire residual amount of spray agent has been applied.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A method for applying a spray agent onto an agricultural area to be treated using a spraying device, the spraying device including a spray agent tank for the spray agent to be applied and at least one fluidic connecting line from the spray agent tank to a nozzle, the method comprising the following steps: selectively applying the spray agent onto an initial section of the agricultural area; and subsequent to the selective application, extensively applying a residual amount of spray agent onto a residual section of the agricultural area using a predefined application amount in such a way that, upon completion of treatment of the agricultural area, the entire residual amount of spray agent has been applied.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the spray agent is a plant protection product.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of extensive application is started as a function of the residual amount of spray agent and an area of the residual section so that, upon completion of the treatment of the agricultural area, the entire residual amount of spray agent has been applied.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the residual section is a predefined area of the agricultural area, the step of extensive application being started when the predefined residual section is reached, and the residual amount of spray agent being mixed in such a way, that, upon completion of treatment of the predefined area, the entire residual amount of spray agent has been applied.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the predefined area of the agricultural area is a headland of the agricultural area.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising the following step: mixing the spray agent using a mixing device of the spraying device prior to the steps of selective application and extensive application.

21. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein, in the step of extensive application, the predefined application amount is in a range of a permissible amount per spray agent per area for a corresponding application case.

22. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein, in the step of extensive application, the predefined application amount is constant per area.

23. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the residual amount is an amount of mixed spray agent instantaneously present in the spraying device.

24. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the residual amount is an instantaneously present amount of spray agent in the spray agent tank and/or in the at least one fluidic connecting line.

25. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising the following step: rinsing the spray agent tank and/or the at least one fluidic connecting line upon completion of the step of extensive application, a resulting rinsing amount being applied to a sub-section of the initial section, to which no or relatively little spray agent was applied in the steps of selective application and extensive application, so that the applied amount is in a range of a permissible amount per spray agent per area for a corresponding application case.

26. A control unit configured to control an application of a spray agent onto an agricultural area to be treated using a spraying device, the spraying device including a spray agent tank for the spray agent to be applied and at least one fluidic connecting line from the spray agent tank to a nozzle, the control device configured to: selectively apply the spray agent onto an initial section of the agricultural area; and subsequent to the selective application, extensively apply a residual amount of spray agent onto a residual section of the agricultural area using a predefined application amount in such a way that, upon completion of treatment of the agricultural area, the entire residual amount of spray agent has been applied.

27. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for applying a spray agent onto an agricultural area to be treated using a spraying device, the spraying device including a spray agent tank for the spray agent to be applied and at least one fluidic connecting line from the spray agent tank to a nozzle, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the following steps: selectively applying the spray agent onto an initial section of the agricultural area; and subsequent to the selective application, extensively applying a residual amount of spray agent onto a residual section of the agricultural area using a predefined application amount in such a way that, upon completion of treatment of the agricultural area, the entire residual amount of spray agent has been applied.

28. A device for applying a spray agent, comprising: a spraying device including a spray agent tank and at least one fluidic connecting line from the spray agent tank to a nozzle; and and a control unit configured to control an application of a spray agent onto an agricultural area to be treated using the spraying device, the control device configured to: selectively apply the spray agent onto an initial section of the agricultural area; and subsequent to the selective application, extensively apply a residual amount of spray agent onto a residual section of the agricultural area using a predefined application amount in such a way that, upon completion of treatment of the agricultural area, the entire residual amount of spray agent has been applied.

29. The device as recited in claim 28, wherein the device is an agricultural field sprayer.

30. A device for applying a spray agent, comprising: a spraying device including a spray agent tank and at least one fluidic connecting line from the spray agent tank to a nozzle; a processing unit which is configured to ascertain an area and/or driving distance which is treatable with a residual amount of mixed spray agent present in the spraying device during an extensive application of the residual amount using a predefined application amount; and a display unit which is configured to visualize the ascertained area and/or driving distance for an operator and/or to output a signal when the ascertained area and/or driving distance corresponds to an area and/or driving distance of a residual section of the agricultural area.

31. The device as recited in claim 30, wherein the device is an agricultural field sprayer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The present invention is described in greater detail hereafter by way of example based on the figures.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a tractor including an agricultural field sprayer according to the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of an agricultural area which was treated according to a first exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of an agricultural area which was treated according to a second exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of a method according to another exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0042] In FIG. 1, a device according to the present invention for applying a spray agent or an agricultural field sprayer is denoted overall by reference numeral 10.

[0043] Agricultural field sprayer 10 is mounted on a tractor 12 in the process.

[0044] Field sprayer 10 includes a spraying device 14 and a control unit 16.

[0045] Spraying device 14 includes a spray agent tank 18 and a nozzle 20. Spray agent tank 18 and nozzle 20 are fluidically connected to one another by a fluidic connecting line 24. Spraying device 14 furthermore includes a concentrate tank 26 and a water tank 28. Concentrate tank 26 and water tank 28 are also fluidically connected to spray agent tank 18 by a respective fluidic connecting line 30.

[0046] Spray agent tank 18 includes a mixing device (not shown) and is designed to mix a concentrate 32 from concentrate tank 26 and water 34 from water tank 28 to form a spray agent 36 to be applied. The respective amount of mixed spray agent 36 instantaneously present in spray agent tank 18, and possibly in fluidic connecting line 24 to nozzle 20, forms the residual amount of spray agent 36 in the spraying device 14.

[0047] Control unit 16 is configured to activate spraying device 14 accordingly to carry out the steps of the method described hereafter.

[0048] FIG. 2 schematically shows an agricultural area 38, which was treated with the aid of field sprayer 10 according to a first exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention. Agricultural area 38 includes a headland 40.

[0049] For treating agricultural area 38, field sprayer 10 or tractor 12 has followed agricultural area 38 along arrows 42A, 42, 42B (from 42A via 42 to 42B) in lanes 44 or strips 44. The width of lanes 44 or of strips 44 depends on the working width of field sprayer 10.

[0050] Initially, spray agent 36 was selectively applied to detected weeds 46 or weed clusters 46. The initial section, which was treated selectively, is denoted by reference numeral 48. The step of selective application was carried out until the residual amount of spray agent 36 in spraying device 14 was just barely still sufficient to extensively treat the area of a remaining residual section 50 with a predefined application amount, so that, upon completion of the treatment of the agricultural area 38, essentially the entire residual amount of spray agent 36 in spraying device 14 was applied, i.e., spraying device 14 was essentially empty. The step of extensive application was thus started as a function of the residual amount of spray agent 36 and the area of the residual section 50.

[0051] FIG. 3 schematically shows agricultural area 38 from FIG. 2, which was treated with the aid of field sprayer 10 according to a second exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention. The path of field sprayer 10 or of tractor 12 also corresponds to that of FIG. 2.

[0052] In contrast to the method from FIG. 2, a residual section 50, which was to be, and was, treated extensively, was predefined or established in advance in the process. This means, in other words, that the step of extensive application was started when residual section 50 was reached, and thus independently from the residual area. The step of selective application was consequently carried out on an also predefined or previously established initial section 48 and ended when residual section 50 was reached. To ensure that, upon completion of the treatment of predefined residual section 50, essentially the entire residual amount of spray agent 36 has been applied, the residual amount of spray agent 36, upon reaching predefined residual section 50, was selected or mixed with the aid of the mixing device of spraying device 14 or of spray agent tank 30 as a function of the area of predefined residual section 50 in such a way that it is essentially exactly sufficient for the extensive treatment with the predefined application amount per area.

[0053] In the shown exemplary embodiment, predefined residual section 50 is a headland 50 of the agricultural area since, according to the present invention, this section is in any case most heavily infested with weeds.

[0054] FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of one exemplary embodiment of a method 100 according to the present invention for applying a spray agent 36, in particular a plant protection product 36. Method 100 includes a step 104 of selectively applying spray agent 36 onto an initial section 48, 48 of the agricultural area. Method 100 furthermore includes a subsequent step 106 of extensively applying a residual amount of spray agent 36 onto a residual section 50, 50 of the agricultural area using a predefined application amount in such a way that, upon completion of the treatment of agricultural area 38, essentially the entire residual amount of spray agent 36 in spraying device 14 has been applied.

[0055] In addition, method 100 optionally includes a step 102 of mixing spray agent 36, in particular with the aid of a mixing device of spraying device 14, prior to steps 104, 106 of applying spray agent 36.

[0056] If one exemplary embodiment includes an and/or linkage between a first feature and a second feature, this should be read in such a way that the exemplary embodiment according to one specific embodiment includes both the first feature and the second feature, and according to an additional specific embodiment includes either only the first feature or only the second feature.