FLOW SENSOR

Abstract

A flow sensor (1) of particulate solids, preferably aimed at monitoring the application of agricultural inputs in the soil, wherein it is installed externally to the input conductor, does not require contact with the input and transmits the data of monitoring in a wireless transmission. The sensor (1) in its preferred configuration has at least: a casing (1.1); a vibration transducer (1.3); an electronic board (1.4); and a battery (1.5).

Claims

1. A flow sensor (1) of particulate solids for monitoring the application of agricultural inputs in the soil installed externally to a flow conductor (4), transmits a sensing data in a wireless transmission and comprises: a casing (1.1; 1.2); a vibration transducer (1.3); an electronic board (1.4); and a battery (1.5), wherein the casing (1.1; 1.2) accommodates other components of the sensor (1) inside, comprising a main body (1.1) and a cover (1.2), wherein the main body (1.1) has a recess on a lower face, at a midpoint of the lower face, for fitting the vibration transducer (1.3); wherein the cover (1.2) makes up the upper face of the main body (1.1) closing and sealing the same and preferably being fixed by screws at its ends; and is optionally filled with resin, separated from the vibration transducer (1.3) by means of foam.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

4. The flow sensor (1) according to claim 1, wherein the vibration transducer (1.3) transforms the mechanical stimuli suffered by the conductor (4) into electrical signals proportional to these stimuli, is optionally a piezoelectric crystal, is positioned next to the recess on the lower face of the main body (1.1) of the casing and transmits the electrical signals to the electronic board (1.4).

5. The flow sensor (1) according to claim 1, wherein the electronic board (1.4) comprises a detector circuit (1.4.1), an analog circuit (1.4.2), a processor (1.4.3) and a radio frequency transceiver (1.4.4).

6. The flow sensor (1) according to claim 5, wherein the detector circuit (1.4.1) detects the presence of electrical signals from the transducer (1.3) and activates the other components of the electronic board (1.4).

7. The flow sensor (1) according to claim 5, wherein the analog circuit (1.4.2) filters the electrical signal coming from the detector circuit (1.4.1) and provides the processor (1.4.3) with filtered electrical signal.

8. The flow sensor (1) according to claim 5, wherein the processor (1.4.3) receives the filtered signal from the analog circuit (1.4.2), estimates the flow intensity as a function of the characteristics of the received electrical signal and supplies the flow intensity information to the radio frequency transceiver (1.4.4).

9. The flow sensor (1) according to claim 5, wherein the radio frequency transceiver (1.4.4) receives flow intensity information from the processor (1.4.3) and transmits the same to a remote receiver.

10. The flow sensor (1) according to claim 1, further comprising side flaps (2), wherein they are made of a semi-flexible material and have a large contact area with the conductor (4).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0017] To obtain a full and complete view of the object of this invention, the figures to which references are made are presented, as follows.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of the sensor (1) with side flaps (2), according to a preferred configuration of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows the exploded view of the sensor (1), according to a preferred configuration of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows the sensor (1) properly installed in a rigid conductor (4) with the aid of clamps (3), according to a preferred configuration of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows the sensor (1) properly installed in a malleable conductor (4) with the aid of side flaps (2) and clamps (3), according to a preferred configuration of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the electronic board, according to a preferred configuration of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The present invention presents a flow sensor (1) of particulate solids preferably aimed at monitoring the application of agricultural inputs in the soil, where it does not require a contact with the input for proper monitoring of the same, which is installed externally to the flow conductor (4) and further transmits the monitoring data to a receiver in a wireless transmission. The sensor (1) comprises, in its preferred configuration, at least: a casing (1.1; 1.2); a vibration transducer (1.3); an electronic board (1.4); and a battery (1.5).

[0024] The casing (1.1; 1.2), as seen in FIG. 2, has the function of accommodating the other components of the sensor (1) inside, comprising a main body (1.1) and a cover (1.2), where the main body (1) has a recess on its lower face, preferably at its midpoint, for fitting the vibration transducer (1.3). The recess allows the transducer to be very close to the flow conductor without the need for a thin wall across the lower face of the sensor. The cover (1.2) makes up the upper face of the main body (1.1) closing and sealing the upper part of the same and preferably being fixed by screws at its ends.

[0025] The casing (1.1; 1.2) is preferably filled with epoxy resin, or an equivalent material, to make the sensor (1) more robust. However, in order not to impair the capture of mechanical stimuli by the transducer (1.3), it is necessary to insert a layer of foam, or an equivalent material, between the transducer (1.3) and the resin.

[0026] The vibration transducer (1.3) has the function of turning the mechanical stimuli, which the materials passing through the conductor (4) exert as a result of the collision of its particles against the inner side of the wall thereof, into electrical signals proportional to these stimuli. The transducer (1.3) is preferably a piezoelectric crystal positioned next to the recess on the lower face of the main body (1.1) of the casing, and therefore it has an indirect contact with the external side of the conductor wall (4), enabling the capture of mechanical stimuli.

[0027] Such stimuli and, consequently, the energy contained in the electrical signals captured therefrom are proportional to the flow of the material passing through the conductor (4), both in its amplitude and in its frequency, thus being an indirect measure of the flow.

[0028] The transducer (1.3), then, transmits the electrical signals to the electronic board (1.4).

[0029] The electronic board (1.4), as partially illustrated in FIG. 5, has a detector circuit (1.4.1), an analog circuit (1.4.2), a processor (1.4.3) and a radio frequency transceiver (1.4.4).

[0030] The detector circuit (1.4.1) has the function of identifying the existence, no matter how small, of the flow of materials passing through the conductor (4) detecting the presence of electrical signals from the transducer (1.3) and, with that, activating the other components of the electronic board (1.4) thus exercising the “Wake on Flow” function (waking up in the presence of flow).

[0031] The detector circuit (1.4.1) allows the other components of the electronic board (1.4) to remain off at times when there is no flow in the conductors (4), resulting in savings in battery consumption (1.5) and, consequently increasing the operating time autonomy of the sensor (1).

[0032] The analog circuit (1.4.2) has the function of filtering the electrical signal coming from the detector circuit (1.4.1) by eliminating the captured low frequency signals - typically caused by other sources and not by the passage of material inside the conductor (4), and provides the filtered electrical signal to the processor (1.4.3).

[0033] The passage of material through the conductor (4) generates a signal with high frequency components, higher than those generated by mechanical stimuli coming from the ends of the conductor (4), such as machine vibrations and impacts of the agricultural implement against the soil. With this, it is possible to obtain an electrical signal whose amplitude and frequency characteristics are mostly correlated with the intensity of the flow passing through the conductor (4).

[0034] The processor (1.4.3) receives the filtered signal from the analog circuit (1.4.2) and estimates the flow intensity as a function of the characteristics of the received electrical signal, accounting for the number of relevant impacts perceived by the sensor in a window of time and correlating it with the flow intensity from a previously produced data table. With this, the processor (1.4.3) provides the flow intensity information to the radio frequency transceiver (1.4.4).

[0035] The radio frequency transceiver (1.4.4) receives the flow intensity information from the processor (1.4.3) and transmits this information to a remote receiver, for example, an on-board computer on the tractor or a remote supervision system.

[0036] The battery (1.5) can be of the primary type (non-rechargeable) or the secondary type (rechargeable) and is responsible for powering the electronic board (1.4).

[0037] The configuration of the sensor (1) allows for easy installation and maintenance of the same in the flow conductors (4), especially the conductors of agricultural inputs used in implements in the field. In cases where the conductor is sufficiently rigid, the use of clamps (3) is recommended, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0038] However, it is common in some agricultural implements to use flexible conductors, which are the cases of mechanical planters and seeders, as seen in FIG. 4. In these cases, fixing the sensor with clamps can cause deformations in the conductors, impairing the flow of inputs. This happens because the clamps (3) have little contact area with the conductors.

[0039] To remedy this problem of deformation in flexible conductors, the present invention further presents side flaps (2), as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. Such side flaps (2) are made of semi-flexible material and have a large contact area with the conductor (4). With that, they can embrace it without causing throttling or deformation. Furthermore, even when installing the sensor in rigid conductors, the side flaps (2) provide greater stability to the installation, making it more robust and suitable for the agricultural environment.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0040] The present invention has advantages over the state of the art, by solving recurrent problems contained in input flow sensors in agricultural implements, such as: [0041] Easier installation, which can be done by the implement operator himself, saving high travel costs for installations and maintenance; [0042] Maintenance of the originality of the implement, through a clean installation, without any alteration of the original components of the machine, thus maintaining its characteristics of efficiency in the application of the inputs; [0043] Total absence of wires, which significantly increases the robustness of the product, resulting in shorter maintenance times and machine downtime; [0044] Sensing without contact with the input, so as not to cause mechanical damage to the seeds, which reduce their germination rate, nor cause cementing problems in fertilizers; and [0045] Operating most of the time in operating mode with low power consumption, with the transceiver turned off, entering transmission mode only in case of an event (lack of flow).

[0046] Those skilled in the art will value the knowledge presented herein and will be able to reproduce the invention in the presented embodiments and in other variants encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.