METHOD FOR THE APPLICATION OF PRODUCTS IN LIQUID OR SEMILIQUID STATE, SUCH AS CHEMICALS FOR AGRICULTURAL USE AND THE LIKE, USING A ROTATING ATOMIZER DEVICE

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a method for application of products in liquid or semiliquid state, such as chemicals for agricultural use and the like, using a rotating atomizer device, in such a way that the drops shall fall downwards in the form of fog over the crops due to the action of the force caused by its mass and gravity, in addition to the eventual momentum that centrifugal effect of the rotating parties that generate the drops may provide, wherein the method includes the following steps: individually regulate the voltage for the speed of the engines of each rotating atomizer device, modifying the parameter of the power supply of the engine to ensure that the speed of each rotating atomizer device is the correct one, measure the speed of the engine under its control and correct any deviation or separation from the programmed operating values.

Claims

1-9 (canceled)

10. A method for application of products in liquid or semiliquid state, the method including the following steps: using a rotating atomizer device, such that the drops fall downwards in the form of fog over the crops due to the action of the force caused by its mass and gravity, in addition to eventual momentum that centrifugal effect of the rotating parties that generate the drops may provide, wherein the method includes the following steps: individually regulate the voltage for the speed of engines of each rotating atomizer device, modifying a parameter of a power supply of the engine to ensure that a speed of each rotating atomizer device is the correct one, measuring the speed of the engine under its control and correcting any deviation or separation from programmed operating values.

11. The method according to claim 10, further including the step of administering a drop size of each of the rotating atomizer devices through the speed of each of the engines to be able to obtain different effects in each segment of a boom of the atomizer device.

12. The method according to claim 10, further including the step of determining an application area and through analysis thereof regulating the rotational speed of the rotating atomizer devices.

13. The method according to claim 10, further including the step of working through prescriptions that using a GPS makes it possible to know a spatial location of the device.

14. The method according to claim 13, further including managing the information obtained in a way to extract a right dose of product to be applied in each place.

15. The method according to claim 10, further including the step of managing flow limiters of each module to comply with the pre-programmed values of application.

16. The method according to claim 15, further including the steps of assessing each rotating atomizer device and add subsequent data, such as a meteorology central and store all of them in a geo referential file.

17. The method according to claim 16, further including the step of managing information in a remote manner connected online in the Internet (web based) allowing the control of the application in real time and the possibility of generating alarms for any of the process parameters.

18. The method according to claim 10, further including the steps of remotely controlling the activity of application including the operating parameters, drop size, flow, rotation speed, among others, as well as maximum and minimum parameters that cause alarm signs and may be applied both for each rotating atomizer device in differentiated form or on a global basis for all the units.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] In order to facilitate comprehension and clarity the purpose of the present disclosure, it has been illustrated in several figures, in which it has been represented in one of the preferred embodiments, all by way of example, wherein:

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a functional diagram of the method of the present disclosure.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a functional diagram of the rotating atomizer device with flow measurement by opening plate and measurement of pressure.

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a functional diagram of the rotating atomizer device with measurement of flow by flowmeter.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a graphic of the rotation position of the spraying apparatus.

[0048] FIG. 5 shows a graphic of the change of course (deviation) of the spraying apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Making reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the method herein described allow achieving the purpose proposed interconnecting at least 2 (two) rotating atomizer devices, such as those defined in the patent application of the same owner, with the control panel and the software protocol.

[0050] The purpose of the present disclosure and its form of use include at least a) 2 rotating atomizer devices, b) an interface unit man-machine, hereinafter HMI (human-machine-interface); c) an uninterrupted power supply with electric noise filtering, hereinafter UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply); d) a data power/transmission wiring that links the rotating atomizer devices with the HMI, hereinafter wiring. Furthermore, it foresees a series of accessories related to a series of optional functionalities; e) GPRS; f) meteorology central. The method has been conceived to be used in spraying machines of land phytosanitary chemical products, both dragging or self-propelled, equipped with a boom (or support bar), oblong, mechanically linked to the machine that moves it transversally to its direction of travel so as to give support to the spraying units, at a proper height over the crop target of the phytosanitary treatment; the rotating atomizer device units shall be arranged at an equal distance of 1.20 m to 1.40 m with the purpose of producing a uniform distribution of the drops along the boom, all linked to the HMI through the wiring, this wiring shall comply with the double function of providing electric power of 12V of direct current to the rotating atomizer device (preventing that in a future the agricultural machines and tractors installations may be of 24V of direct current); the wiring shall also provide physical support for the communication of data among the rotating atomizer devices and the HMI; hardware (the amount and type of conductors, the levels of voltages of the signs, the frequencies, the modulation modes are defined) and software protocols (transmission protocols, form and size of packages, validation of data, security of information, type of encryption); it is foreseen that each rotating atomizer device be intelligent and self-diagnosable in case of failure of any unit, each rotating atomizer device is networked connected with the HMI that shall be in charge of sending the instructions and operating parameters for the execution of the work and also receiving the information coming from them to store it, process it, transmit it or generate the corresponding corrections and changes. The proposed method allows working through prescriptions, using a GPS we may know which is spatial location of the agricultural machine and managing said information in a digital file we may extract the right dose of the phytosanitary chemical that must be applied in each place and manage the flow limiters of each module to comply with what has been prescribed by the agronomic professional; it allows mapping, that is to assess from each rotating atomizer device what has been really done and add other data in a meteorology central and store all of them in a geo referential file; online connection in the internet (web based) in which the application can be controlled in real time and the possibility of generating alarms for any of the process parameters in such a way that the fumigation activity can be remotely controlled, including the operating parameters, drop size, flow, rotation speed, among others, as well as the maximum and minimum parameters that cause alarm signs and may be applied both for each rotating atomizer device in differentiated form or on a global basis for all the units. The rotating atomizer devices are directable in such a way that the rotation axis of the atomizers is both vertical and with a certain degree of inclination regarding the vertical.

[0051] The present disclosure essentially encompass a method for application of chemical products for agricultural use to crops that are under the device that generates the drops, in such a way that the drops shall fall downwards in the form of fog over the crops due to the action of the force caused by its mass and gravity, in addition to the eventual momentum that centrifugal effect of the rotating parties that generate the drops may provide. The regulation of the voltage for the speed of the engines of each rotating atomizer device, shall be individual, one for each rotating atomizer device. In this case, each shall receive the same tension (or voltage) of direct current, that may be of the type 12V, 24V, the electronic control board of each of them shall be in charge of modifying the necessary parameter of the electric source of the engine to ensure that the speed of each rotating atomizer device be the correct one, measuring the speed of the engine under its control to correct any deviation or separation from the programmed operating values. The method administers the drop size of each of the rotating atomizer devices through the speed of each of the engines to be able, for example, to obtain different effects (programmable purpose) in each segment of the boom, in the case of spraying next to the fencing that separates the neighbor crop, the speed of the units closer to the crop limit could be lowered to obtain therein bigger drops that due to their weight and geometry shall fall more quickly vertically minimizing the drift towards the neighbor crop.

[0052] As one embodiment, the present disclosure solves the problem of the machine when rotating during fumigation, see FIG. 4, the vehicle moving forward on the right side, until reaching position 2, all the rotating atomizer devices, from A to M literally move forward at the same speed and since the separation between the rotating atomizer devices is constant, the flow per hour in lts./min of each rotating atomizer device shall be obtained from the equation: hectare flow [lts./ha.] X Velocity of the vehicle [km./hr.] X separation between the rotating atomizer devices [m.]1000 [m./km.] and flow per hour [lts./min.]=10000 [m.m./ha.]60 [min./hr.]. The same happens when the vehicle moves forward on the left side returning from position 6 henceforth, in both cases even if the driver lowers the speed, when approaching the end of the plot and increases it when moving away from position 6, in both cases all the rotating atomizer devices will be at the same speed.

[0053] This will not be so between positions 2 and 6, in this case the rotating atomizer device A shall be at a speed near zero and the speed of the rotation atomizer device G shall be the same as that of the vehicle and the one of the rotating atomizer device M shall be twice the speed of the rotating atomizer device H.

[0054] In this case each rotating atomizer device knowing the speed of the vehicle that was sent through the data channel by the central monitor knowing its physical location in the boom taking the information of the accelerometer/magnetometer and the gyroscope shall determine its own speed and, based on this speed, it shall calculate its flow per hour and shall activate the flow regulator in order to sprinkle the hectare flow prescribed by the agronomic professional not only when the vehicle moves in straight line but also when it rotates.

[0055] Something similar happens when the mobile must avoid an obstacle or the perimeter of the plot to be treated is irregular, the vehicle must rotate one way or the other, causing changes in speed of the rotation atomizer devices regarding the one of the vehicle, what in case it is not corrected through the proceeding described in the prior paragraphs shall cause an over-dosage in some areas and sub-dosage in other areas of the boom.

[0056] Furthermore, it includes sophisticated sensors to determine if there are or not plants under the boom and this way know if it is necessary to spray in this specific point or not. It is also formed by video cameras that distinguish if it is a useful plant (soya) or a useless plant (weed) in order to have a better utilization of the agrochemical. The electronic equipment may receive information from different sources both in real time and on a deferred basis with the purpose of establishing through the necessary algorithms the product flow and the drop size to be sprayed to reach the greater efficiency in the duty.

[0057] The reason why the use of this technique for the generation of drops that in all respects offers a great convenience for the application of phytosanitary chemical products has not been followed up has been the lack of engine technologies and their speed shifter/controls necessary to carry it out. This method could not work with hydraulic engines, nor with alternating current, or with turbines of any type.

[0058] In order to apply this technique for the generation of drops by centrifugation in which the size of the generated drops depends directly on the rotation speed and furthermore the system as a whole has a high availability rate (low rate of failures) simultaneously with a insignificant increase in the weight of the booms, it was necessary to have electric engines highly efficient in the consumption of energy, of low weight, high reliability (high MTBF), variable speed and highly controllable. There were no engines that fulfilled all these requirements.

[0059] During the last decade, the appearance of direct current engines without brushes (brushless) known as BLDC and the development of micro controllers with the processing capacity necessary to control their rotation speed (micro controllers of 32 bits and of 64 bits running at clock frequencies of more than 100 MHz) make their use possible nowadays.

[0060] At a greater pressure, smaller drop size, nor always advisable due to drift and evaporation, and at smaller pressure greater drop size, not advisable due to the fact that these big drops remain over the crop and do not penetrate their inside, where the insects, weed and diseases of the crop such as fungi are found. For a good application of the pesticide the drop that we shall use is not always the same depending on the type of phytosanitary we have to use to reach and hit the target to be treated.

[0061] It is not the purpose of this disclosure that any of the variables involved in the process for generation of drops is maintained constant (or still) since due to its climatic and/or physical nature all independent variables shall vary randomly and all dependent variables shall vary according to the equations that govern their functional dependence on the other variables involved. The purpose of the present disclosure is to correct the eventual separations that these random variations may produce in the final result of the phytosanitary treatment so that the application of the chemical products is carried out completely according to what has been prescribed by the agronomic professional.

[0062] It is important to highlight that the above mentioned embodiment, is only one of the many applications that the proposed methodology has, In effect, the proposed method may be applied among other possibilities to:

[0063] a) Humidity addition in greenhouses or even sprinkler irrigation of fine drops for plants that require this type of water contribution;

[0064] b) Humidity addition to air currents in hot/cold air conditioned units placing them in air ducts;

[0065] c) Application of liquid products that may be from fungicides to colorants and from flavorings to precipitating factors;

[0066] d) Application of lubricant and/or protective oily layers against corrosion, protecting oils for parts and metal sheets;

[0067] e) Application of phosphatizant, paint strippers and/or mordants in prior processes to the puncture in parts and metal sheets;

[0068] f) Application of adhesives in gluing processes in wood, glass, plaster, paper, etc., layers;

[0069] g) Low flow and high efficiency irrigation.