Liquid distributor control for spray vehicle - has two double-acting rams regulating number of nozzles in use

FRENCH REPUBLIC

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY © Publication number: 2 425 893

IA use only for reproduction commands!.

PARIS

REQUEST

PATENT OF INVENTION © N° 78 15378 © Device allowing to remotely adjust or not the width of spreading on the ground of a liquid according to a constant dosage.

(51

International Classification (Int. Ci.²).

Deposit date.............................

Claimed priority:

B05B12/00; A 01 C 23/00; A 01 G 25/16; A 01 M 7/00; E 01 C 19/17.

May 1978, at 4:20 p.m.

© Date the application was made available to the public...............

BOPI — “Lists” n. 50 of 14-12-1979.

© Depositor: Public limited company known as: ACWIAR, residing in France.

eng Invention of:

© Holder: Idem © © Agent: Hervé Proust.

D

Sale of booklets to the IMPRlMERIE NATIONALE. 27 convention street - 75732 PARIS CEDEX 15

The present invention relates to spreading devices fitted to vehicles used in public works for the production or repair of road surfacings or in agriculture for fertilization treatments or insecticide treatments.

The vehicles used in these various fields, specially designed machinery or agricultural tractors, are equipped in their rear part with a transverse distribution pipe comprising a line of regularly spaced diffusers whose jet directed towards the ground is pneumatically controlled, individually or in groups. , said ramp being maintained at a constant height relative to the ground automatically. The compressed air controlling the cylinders is formed by a constant-speed compressor independent of the vehicle's braking circuit; the hydraulic pump is generally controlled, thus making it possible to obtain a variation in the flow rate of the product to be spread according to the forward speed of the vehicle. However, the ramps currently used comprise controls without a determined order, output by output, or by groups of outputs, without an automatic device for proportional variation of the flow rate of the hydraulic pump coupled with the metering pump.

In particular on road binder spreader vehicles, the boom jets, manually controlled by means of a fluid or any other energy, ensure spreading over a desired width, proportional to the number of open jets, the action of opening or closing of these bringing no modification of the flow rate of the binder pump. Thus, the change in the spreading width generates a variation in the flow rate per jet and consequently an irregular metering per surface area. This variation in flow persists for the intervention time on the speed of the binder pump, more time or long treatment depending on the operator and the technology used. Each distributor 'diffuser is controlled by a double-acting compressed air cylinder associated with a pneumatic distributor & manual control, a single distributor, in some cases, being able to control several cylinders. A general control that can be operated from the control station or from well-defined places, such as the truck cabin, makes it possible to open or close all the jets simultaneously. To vary the speed of the binder pump each time it is necessary to codify the width of the padding, the driver must remain close to the control station very generally located in a polluted environment, or if he is placed in the cabin of the vehicle, it cannot control each diffuser individually. In addition, it is difficult for him to check the operations carried out because of difficulty in seeing the ramp placed at the rear of the vehicle.

The device according to the invention makes it possible to avoid these drawbacks.

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Thanks to this effect, it is possible to saântonir us the desired dosage of product to be spread by surface use, 52X automatic and proportional adaptation of the flow rate of the weight of alissatatien its noabxv of jets and service to ensure a width of variable spreading & t©nt issteat, the control of this width can be carried out at aistengs of a weight thatXesnqae located •n-outside the zone of pollution.

The device, object of the invention, s © presents as a breakable ssnebloc comprising two hydraulic cylinders © has ^ © uaatiqass to Scnbls effect ecsæsndaut a pneumatic distributor with double drawer with aaXtiples outputs. Its veriss fed in bubble or in cempriaé air ecomportent a created rod whose 1'extremity carries one of the two pistons of the drawer and by which hollow rod is effsetue the admission in compressed air of the distributor, s® last debit according to the position of the drawers in a desired number of distributors diffusers, A three-way distributor is used to supply each actuator and immobilize each piston of the drawer in the desired position. Us distributor with two positions control the closing and the simultaneous opening of all the diffusers. On the rod of one of the cylinders is mounted a support carrying resistances and studs of a number equal to λ that of the diffusers performing a linear rehostst whose index is carried by the rod of the other cylinder establishing contact with any of the studs. The circuit is powered by a direct current of constant voltage. The device comprises a means allowing basic adjustment of the desired flow rate of the binder pump, consisting, by means of a potentiometer, of reducing the voltage across the terminals of a servo-valve in order to modify the displacement of the hydraulic pump coupled to the binder pump. Any movement of one of the drawers or of the two drawers simultaneously has the effect of varying the length of the electrical resistors. 6th resistors are calculated in such a way that the voltage delivered to the servo-valve when passing from one pad to another makes it possible to obtain a displacement of the hydraulic pump proportional to the number of diffusers in service. The control of the cylinders can $ trs effeetuée by means of reversing contaetors doubled or not of a transceiver device for a remote control.

The attached diagram illustrates, by way of non-limiting example, the embodiment code of the device according to the present invention. the other by a distributor 3 or drawer with two pistons 4 and 5 mounted respectively at the end of hollow rods 6 and 7 of cylinders 1 and 2, through which hollow rods the compressed air intake of the distributor 3 takes place from a distributor with two

-32425893 positions 8 commanding the simultaneous opening and closing of all the 9 diffusers of the ranpe. In the diagram, the latter are shown open, the intake of compressed air taking place via all the pipes 10 connecting the distributor 3 & each of the diffusers 9, the pistons 4 and 5 being located in the extreme left and right positions. The general closure of the diffusers is obtained by adniesion of compressed air in a pipe 11 fed by a pipe 12 and flowing into each diffuser by a pipe 13. Any movement of the pistons 4 and 5 or only one of them places them some of the orifices of the pipes 10 behind said pistons;

the diffusers then concerned being no longer supplied with compressed air close under the action of a spring, the body of these diffusers being discharged via pipes 10 and an orifice 14 or 15 located at each end from the 3* distributor

Each of the cylinders 1 and 2 is supplied with oil or compressed air by means of a three-way, three-position, closed center distributor 16 or 17, controlled by a reversing contactor 18 and 19. The admission to one or the the other of the faces of the piston of each cylinder makes it possible to determine the number and the location of the diffusers in service and consequently the width of diffusion do the boom.

Maintaining the desired position of the piston is obtained by bringing the distributor

16 had 17 in the central position. On the rod of one of the cylinders, the cylinder 1 in the attached diagram, is a linear rehostat 20, consisting of a support on which are arranged as many studs 21 as there are diffusers, which studs are connected between them by an electrical resistance 22. The rod of the other cylinder carries an index 23 whose relative movements with respect to the immobilized support 20 or itself in motion has the effect of establishing contact with any one of the studs and of varying the length of electrical resistors in circuit. These resistances are calculated so that the voltage delivered to the servo-valve 24 supplying the hydraulic pump coupled to the binder pump makes it possible to obtain a displacement of said hydraulic pump proportional to the number of diffusers in service.

A constant DC voltage powers the circuit. A basic preset in order to obtain a desired flow rate of the binder pump is obtained by means of a potentiometer 25 whose movement of the mobile index from point 1 to point 0 has the effect of reducing the voltage at the terminals of the servo-valve and consequently the displacement of the hydraulic pump which it supplies. This voltage is maximum when the index of potentiometer 25 is on point 1 and the index 23 of linear rehostat 20 on the pad located furthest to the right at the end of the support; this position corresponds to the open position of all

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The reversing contactors 16 and 17 can be doubled or replaced by a transmitter-receiver unit allowing remote co&e of the cylinders 1 and 2. The general control of the boom, as well as the individual control of each diffuser can thus be carried out from the cab of the truck or from any place compatible with the pasture of the transmitter.

The invention is in no way limited to the mode. embodiment specially described, but it admits all possible variants provided that these are not in contradiction with the subject of each of the claims appended to this description.

The device, object of the invention, can be used on all vehicles equipped with spreading ramps, in public works, in agriculture and generally in all installations where it is necessary to proceed to the application of a liquid on large variable surfaces, according to us constant dosage per unit surface.

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