OA10275A - Appliance for the discharge of crop protection agents - Google Patents

Abstract

The dispenser and conveyor consists of a cylinder piston pump (6) with piston movable by a hand lever (8). One side of the pump cylinder is connected on the pressure side to the spray (17) and to the riser pipe (4) on the suction side positioned in a container (3) and extending to its base, by non-return valves. The other side of the pump cylinder is connected to the gas compartment of the container by a connecting tube ventilated by a non-return valve (19) with the ambient air. The stroke of the cylinder piston pump is adjustable for metering out the plant protective medium.

Description

1

J Ο 1 il 2 7 5

APPLIANCE FOR THE DISCHARGE OF CROP PROTECTION AGENTS 5 The présent invention relates to an appliance which is portable when the user is on footin the field which is intended for the metered directional discharge of liquid cropprotection agents, in particular for absorption via the root région of plantation crops,such as, for example, bananas.

The discharge of crop protection agents is conventionally carried out by introducing a 10 dip pipe into the portable crop protection agent container through an orifice providedwith an appropriate seal, connecting the dip pipe via a hose to a spray rod which hasa valve, and putting the crop protection agent container under pressure, so that, whenthe valve is released, with the spray rod at the same time being oriented directionally,the crop protection agent can be sprayed, for example, into the root région of plantation 15 crops.

This known appliance has a sériés of disadvantages which, from the point of view ofwork hygiene, necessitate a very careful mode of operation which cannot always beguaranteed reliably under the working conditions in the plantation.

Because the crop protection agent is under pressure in the supply container, this in tum20 is conducive to the uncontrolled escape of crop protection agents out of places nolonger liquid-tight and leaks, and on the other hand, when the container content isconsumed, it is necessary, before the container is exchanged, to accomplish a releaseof the pressure prevailing in the container, during which the atmosphère contained inthe container has to be bled into the environment. Furthermore, there is the risk that,

Le A 30 828-Foreign Countries 010275 when the clip pipe is extracted from the container, adhering drops of crop protectionagents will escape into the environment in an uncontrolled mariner. A furtherdisadvantage is that, on account of the pressure which changes during the emptying ofthe container and in view of the subjective assessment of the spraying time, the crop 5 protection agent can be applied only with pronounced metering fluctuations.

The object of the présent invention is to provide an appliance for the discharge of cropprotection agents in which the supply container for the crop protection agent isoperated in a pressureless manner, the exchange of the supply container can take placewithout contamination and, furthermore, high metering accuracy becomes possible. A 10 further object of the présent invention is to design the supply container so that it iscapable of being refilled from a larger supply tank in such a way that a contaminationof the environment is reliably avoided.

The subject of the présent invention is an appliance for the metered directionalapplication of liquid crop protection agents, in particular for absorption via the root 15 région of plantation crops, containing a transport structure with a supply container forthe crop protection agent releasably fastened thereon, a spray pipe to be held in thehand and having a spray nozzle, and means for conveying the crop protection agent outof the supply container to the spray nozzle, there being provided as a metering andconveying means a cylinder piston pump, the piston of which is movable via a hand 20 lever, one side of the pump cylinder being connected, via non-retum valves, on thesuction side to the riser pipe, provided in the supply container and reaching as far asits bottom, and on the delivery side to the sprayer, and the other side of the pumpcylinder being connected to the gas space of the supply container, there being providedas conduits connecting the pump to the container flexible hoses which are releasably 25 connected to the container via quick-action fastening couplings shutting off on bothsides and designed differently and incompatibly to avoid confusion, and the connectingconduit to the gas space being capable of being ventilated with ambient air via a non-retum valve.

Prcferably, the stroke, i.e. tire maximum travel of the piston, of the cylinder piston 30 pump is désignée!, for the purpose of metering, so as to be adjustable by means of an

Le A 10-S2S 010275 appropriately adjustable stop device in the form of stroke limitation.

The transport structure is preferably designed as a back carrier structure, on which thesupply container is fixed removably, for example by means of straps. The hand leverfor actuating the cylinder piston pump is advantageously arranged laterally on the 5 carrier structure facing forwards at the wearefs hip height, so that the said hand levercan easily be operated by an arm movement, whilst the other hand guides the spraypipe.

Preferably, there is provision for the hand lever to be mountable on the carrier structurelaterally on the right or laterally on the left according to choice, so that, when the 10 actuating arm becomes fatigued, the hand lever can be mounted on the other side. .

Because the cylinder piston pump is used only in one stroke direction of the piston forconveying the crop protection agenf that is to say the pressure necessary for sprayingis generated only on one side of the piston, the bushing seal for the piston rod in thehead of the cylinder remains pressureless. Any leaks of the piston seal which may 15 possibly occur after lengthy operation do not lead to the escape of crop protectionagent into the environment. On the contrary, crop protection agent possibly passingthrough the piston seal is retumed into the container via the gas conduit.

Preferably cylindrical special-steel containers with a bulged-out bottom are used assupply container, so that a complété emptying of the container via the dip pipe 20 reaching into the lowest part of the bottom is possible. To guarantee stability andstackability, there is preferably provision for the cylindrical container part to engageover the bottom and the top part of the container in the form of head and foot volsters.The head volster engaging over the top part and lengthening the cylindrical containerwall also serves for protecting the valve orifices arranged in the top part of the 25 container against damage during transportation and stacking, Containers of this type are obtainable from Messrs Thielmann, Containersysteme GmbH, Bad Berleburg, FRG, under the désignation "Hazardous goods containers made of spécial Steel". UA3.0 828. 4 Ο 10275 RECTUS quick-action fastening couplings, such as are obtainable from MessrsRECTUS-Apparatebau, Walter Klein GmbH, Eberdingen-NuBdorf, FRG, are suitableas quick-action fastening couplings shutting off on both sides for the releasableconnection of the container and hose connections, because no liquid is released during 5 séparation.

Translucent or transparent polyethylene hoses are preferably used as hose connections,so thaï it can be seen whether these are carrying the product. The polyethylene hosescan preferably be protected mechanically by means of extemal PVC fabric hoses whichsurround the polyethylene hoses. 10 Suitable as a cylinder piston pump are, for example, the piston pumps obtainable underthe désignation DGS from Messrs Festo Pneumatic, Esslingen, Fédéral Republic ofGermany, with a piston diameter of 12-25 mm and a maximum stroke length of10-100 mm or comparable pumps having a double-acting cylinder. The non-retumvalves used are preferably spring-loaded, so that the shut-off effect also occurs reliably 15 under pressureless conditions, irrespective of the position of the non-retum valve. Suchnon-retum valves are likewise obtainable from Festo Pneumatic under the désignation"Type H".

To avoid a pressure build-up in the container and in the hose connections as a resuit ofthe heating of the atmosphère in the container, the latter is preferably used in a State in 20 which it is filled almost completely. During the emptying of the container while thecrop protection agent is being discharged, air enters the container through the non-retum valve ventilating the gas conduit. During the heating of the air which hasentered, the further inflow of air through the non-retum valve is shut off until thecontainer is emptied to such an extent that the gas pressure has fallen to the value 25 below atmospheric pressure corresponding to the spring tension of the non-retum valve.

The spray nozzle too preferably contains a non-retum valve, so that, after thetermination of a spraying operation, crop protection agent located in the spray rodcannot escape. In the case of application in the ground région of the crop, a spraynozzle in which atomization into fine droplets (aérosol) is avoided should be selected.

Le A 30 828 5 010275

The discharge of the crop protection agent is preferably carried out by pressing the spray nozzle into the ground next to the crop, that is to say undemeath the ground surface.

After the complété emptying of the supply container, and after the séparation of the 5 quick-action fastening couplings, with both the container orifices and the hoseconnections being shut off and the fastening of the container to the transport structurebeing released, the supply container is exchanged for a corresponding filled container.

There is preferably provision for refilling the emptied supply container withoutcontamination from a supply tank in the plantation or in the storehouse of the 10 plantation. For this purpose, there is provision for the supply tank to hâve an extractionorifice with a riser pipe and a drum pump capable of being flanged on on the suctionside above the extraction orifice and havîng a hose connection from the outlet of thedrum pump to the riser-pipe orifice of the supply container, and there being provided,furthermore, a hose connection from the gas space of the supply container to the gas 15 space of the supply tank, the drum pump and hose connections being connected in each case to the respective tank orifices and container orifices by means of quick-actionfastening couplings capable of being shut off on both sides. At the same time, thequick-action fastening couplings, connectable to the supply container, for the gas-spacehose connection and for the hose connection carrying crop protection agent are 20 compatible with the corresponding quick-action fastening couplings of the carrierstructure.

In particular, Mikromatik couplings, such as obtainable under the désignation"Drumvalve”, Type DV, from Messrs Mikromatik GmbH, Grâfelfing-Munich, FRG, aresuitable as a quick-action fastening coupling for connecting the drum pump to the riser- 25 pipe orifice of the supply tank. A reciprocating pump opérable by hand lever, such as is obtainable under the désignation BETA 2, from Messrs M + B, Fluid Technology GmbH, Niesetal, FRG, can advantageously be used as a drum pump. Instead of the hand pump, an electrically operated self-priming pump can also be used.

Le A 30 828 6 010275

When the supply container is being filled from the supply tank, the atmosphère located in the supply container is transfened intô the supply tank via the gas-space hose connection. A transparent or translucent polyethylene hose is preferably used as a gas- space hose connection, so that the end of the filling operation can be recognized from 5 the fret that liquid crop protection agent enters the gas-space hose connection. Thisensures that the supply container is filled completely and, on the other hand,overflowing crop protection agent is retumed into the supply tank.

The invention is explained in more detail below by means of the accompanyingFigures: 10 Figure 1 shows an appliance according to the invention for the discharge of cropprotection agents.

Figure 2 shows the apparatus belonging to this for refilling the supply container ofthe discharge appliance.

Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a back carrier structure 1 which has a horizontal 15 bearing surface 2 for the supply container 3. Located within the container 3 is the riserpipe 4 which is screwed into the central orifice 5 of the container 3. The cylinderpiston pump 6 is pivotably fastened to the carrier structure 1 via a mounting 7. Theoperating lever 8 acting on the piston rod 10 is attached via a joint 9 approximately atthe hip height of the carrier structure 1. When the lever 8 is moved downwards, the 20 cylinder piston sucks the crop protection agent located in the container 3 into thecylinder of the piston pump 6 via the conduit 11, non-retum valve 12 and hoseconnection 13. When the lever· 8 is pulled upwards, the crop protection agent locatedin the cylinder of the piston pump 6 is forced through the spray nozzle 17 via theconduit 11, non-retum valve 14, hose 15 and spray rod 16. The air located on the other 25 side of the piston of the cylinder piston pump 6 and possibly contaminated issimultaneously retumed into the container 3 via the hose connection 18. Furthermore,the container is ventilated via the non-retum valve 19. Moreover, in the embodimentillustrated, the junction between the non-retum valves 12 and 14, which is underpressure during operation, is encased in a housing 20, from which the air for ventilatingL£_A3O2& 010275 the hose connection 18 is extracted via the non-retum valve 19. The housing 20 has aventilating orifice 21 in the upper part. Thé hose connections 13 and 18 are connectedto the associated orifices of the container 3 by means of quick-action fasteningcouplings 22 and 23 shutting off on both sides, the two quick-action fastening 5 couplings being designed differently to avoid confusion. Furthermore, the container 3has cylindrical extensions 31 and 32 which project beyond the bottom and the top partwhich are provided with head 34 and foot 33 volsters. The container 3 is fastened tothe back carrier structure 1 by means of a releasable strap connection 35.

After the container 3 has been emptied as a resuit of the discharge of the crop 10 protection agent, the quick-action fastening couplings 23 and 22 are released, the valvesprovided on the container and on the hose connections 13 and 18 closing automatically.The container 3 having a capacity of only between 1 and 20 1 is then refilled,according to Figure 2, ffom a supply tank 40 which is shown hère in the form of astandard rolling-channel drum having a capacity of, for example, 200 1. The drum 40 15 has, undemeath the extraction orifice, a riser pipe 41, shown ligfit, above which a drum pump 43 is fastened by means of a Mikromatik valve 42. The pump 43 conveys intoa hose connection 45 having a quick-action fastening coupling which is identical to thatof the conduit 13 of Figure 1 and which can therefore be connected to the riser-pipeorifice of the container 3. Furthermore, there is provided a hose connection 46 which 20 connects the gas space of the container 3 to the gas space of the drum 40 by means ofquick-action fastening couplings shutting off on both sides.

Claims (3)

1. QLAIMS 010275

   1. Appliance for the metered directionai application of liquid crop protection agents, in particular for absorption via the root région of plantation crops, containing a carrier structure with a supply container for the crop protection 5 agent releasably fastened thereon, a spray pipe to be held in the hand and having a spray nozzle, and means for conveying the crop protection agent outof the supply container to the spray nozzle, there being provided as a meteringand conveying means a cylinder piston pump, the piston of which is movablevia a hand lever, one side of the pump cylinder being connected, via non-retum 10 valves, on the suction side to the riser pipe, provided in the supply container and reaching as far as its bottom, and on the delivery side to the sprayer, andthe other side of the pump cylinder being connected to the gas space of thesupply container, there being provided as conduits connecting the pump to thecontainer flexible hoses which are releasably connected to the container via 15 quick-action fastening couplingp shutting off on both sides and designed differently and incompatibly to avoid confusion, and the connecting conduit tothe gas space being capable of being ventilated with ambient air via a non-retum valve.
2. 2. Appliance according to Claim 1, the stroke of the cylinder piston pump being 20 adjustable for the purpose of metering.
3. 3. Appliance according to Claim 1 or 2, the supply container being capable ofbeing refilled from a supply tank, the supply tank having an extraction orificewith a riser pipe and a drum pump capable of being flanged on on the suctionside above the extraction orifice and having a hose connection from the outlet 25 of the drum pump to the riser-pipe conduit of the supply container, there being provided, furthermore, a hose connection from the gas space of the supplycontainer to the gas space of the supply tank, and the drum pump and hoseconnections being connected in each case to the respective tank orifices andcontainer orifices by means of quick-action fastening couplinss shutting off on 30 both sides. Le A 30 828