WO2017015707A1

WO2017015707A1 - Spraying apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2017015707A1
Application number: PCT/AU2016/050662
Authority: WO
Inventors: Leon Joseph CACCAVIELLO
Original assignee: Tooleytech Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2015-07-24
Filing date: 2016-07-25
Publication date: 2017-02-02

Abstract

A mobile spraying apparatus (10) for spraying agricultural crops that are planted in adjacent rows, whereby in use, the spraying apparatus (10) travels between a generally parallel pair of rows in a direction parallel to the rows. The spraying apparatus (10) includes a frame (16) and at least two spray fans (20), the frame (16) having a front mount (21) and a rear mount (22) which are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus (16). The spray fans (20) are mounted to the respective front and rear mounts (21, 22) and with each fan (20) being mounted to spray in a direction away from the other and onto a respective row of a pair of adjacent rows.

Description

SPRAYING APPARATUS

Technical Field

[0001 ] The present invention relates to spraying apparatus, in particular a mobile spraying apparatus which has been developed principally in relation to the spraying of agricultural crops, such as trees and vines that are planted in adjacent rows, but the invention is not limited to trees and vines and can apply to the spraying of other agricultural vegetation.

Background of Invention

[0002] A reference herein to a patent document or other matter which is given as prior art is not to be taken as an admission that that document or matter was known or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims.

[0003] A wide variety of different spraying apparatus is available for spraying different types of agricultural crops. Applicant has already developed certain forms of spraying apparatus for spraying agricultural crops and applicant's Australian patent 2013202077 covers one form of that spraying apparatus. The apparatus of applicant's Australian patent 2013202077 has been developed for spraying the foliage of fruit trees and the like, particularly tall trees of that kind.

[0004] Applicant's Australian patent 2013202077 provides spray arms that can be moved inwardly and outwardly from a main body, and provides vertically spaced upper and lower sprayers on each of the spray arms, whereby the position of the upper sprayers can be moved relative to that of the lower sprayers. This allows the sprayers to arch over the top of fruit trees and spray from above the fruit trees downward. This tends to improve the overall level of coverage of spray on the foliage and fruit of the fruit trees.

[0005] The spraying apparatus of Australian patent 2013202077 is extremely effective in providing improved foliage coverage, but the arrangement is relatively complex and large. Applicant has therefore seen a need for a less complex and more compact spraying apparatus and has developed the present invention with that in mind.

Summary of Invention

[0006] The present invention provides a mobile spraying apparatus for spraying agricultural crops that are planted in adjacent rows, whereby in use, the spraying apparatus travels between a generally parallel pair of rows in a direction parallel to the rows, the spraying apparatus including a frame and at least one spray fan, the frame having a front mount and a rear mount which are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus, the at least one spray fan being mounted to one of the respective front and rear mounts and being mounted to spray in a direction onto a row of a pair of adjacent rows.

[0007] As a result of the front and rear mounts being spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus, the spraying apparatus of the present invention allows for spray fans to be spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus. While the present invention allows for a single spray fan to be employed on one of the front or rear mounts, the invention also allows for first and second spray fans to be mounted to the respective front and rear mounts, so that the first and second spray fans are therefore also spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus. This has an advantage as discovered by the applicant through trials of the spraying apparatus in that the intakes of the respective spray fans are not directly facing or back to back where the fans face in opposite directions, but rather, are also spaced apart, and by this arrangement, any interference to the air intake of one of the spray fans by another spray fan is minimised or eliminated. It was noted that before arriving at the present invention, fans were normally mounted close to each other and facing in opposite directions, whereby the fans appeared to compete for air intake. This affected the performance of the fans, in particular their output and testing showed that spacing the fans in the direction of travel allowed each fan access to largely unfettered air supply. Accordingly, the output of the first and second spray fans was found to be improved over prior art arrangements in which the spray fans are mounted back to back. [0008] The spraying apparatus according to the invention can have two spray fans with one each of the spray fans being mounted to the respective front and rear mounts and with each fan being mounted to spray in a direction away from the other and onto a respective row of a pair of adjacent rows. Likewise, the spraying apparatus according to the invention can have more than two spray fans. In the apparatus tested to date, two fans have been attached to each of the front and rear mounts, as have three fans and four fans. Thus, to date, the total number of fans has varied from a minimum of two fans (although a single fan is still an option), up to a maximum of eight fans, with four fans and six fans being intermediate numbers. In each of these cases, the same number of fans has been applied to each of the front and rear mounts, but the invention extends to arrangements in which a different number of fans is applied to the front and rear mounts. For example, potential configurations include four fans applied to the front or rear mount, and two fans applied to the other mount. Other potential configurations include three fans applied to one mount and one or two fans applied to the other. Other configurations would be possible. The number of fans can be dependent on the type of crop being sprayed and the volume of spray needed to be dispensed. Crops with more dense foliage may need a greater number of fans than crops with less dense foliage. Moreover, crops of greater girth or crops with internal and external fruit and foliage may need a greater number of fans than crops that are more slender or crops with only external fruit or foliage to ensure proper penetration of spray into the interior of the crop. Still further, the shape of the crop can influence the number of fans. A crop of lower height might need fewer fans than a crop that is taller.

[0009] Also, a greater number of fans could be applied than the upper number mentioned above so that alternative arrangements can include nine or ten fans for example. However, testing conducted to date suggests that for the target crops that applicant is intending for the spraying apparatus of the invention to be used, eight spray fans would be appropriate as the maximum number.

[0010] The mobile spraying apparatus of the present invention is not expected to be suitable for spraying all types of agricultural crop. For example, crops that are best sprayed by the spraying apparatus of Australian patent 2013202077 may not be suitable for spraying by the spraying apparatus of the present application. On the other hand, certain crops are ideally suited to the spraying apparatus of the present invention, even though that apparatus is expected to be less complex than other spraying apparatus, including that of Australian patent 2013202077. For example, the spraying apparatus of the present invention is expected to be highly suitable to crops that have relatively low vertical height, such as table grapes. In addition, the spraying apparatus of the present invention is expected to be very suitable for nut crops, some of which tend to form an overhang at their upper regions and which when mature, tend to form a canopy over the space between adjacent rows of nut trees. That is, the overhang of adjacent rows can meet when the nut trees become sufficiently mature and so spray is required to be discharged upwardly as well as sideways, such as in a U-shape starting from adjacent the ground level of one row, and upwardly through a U-configuration to adjacent the ground level of the opposite row. This differs from the crops that are suitable for spraying by the apparatus of Australian patent 2013202077, which can be crops that require the sprayers to arch over the top of the crop rather than spraying up into the crop.

[001 1 ] Where the spraying apparatus of the invention includes just two fans, one each of which is attached to a respective front and rear mount of the frame, then a further alternative arrangement of the invention includes that those fans are spaced apart vertically. The fans can face in the same direction or in opposite directions. This vertical spacing again tends to ensure that there is minimal interference in relation to the air intake of each spray fan by the other fans.

[0012] Vertical spacing can also be incorporated where the front and/or rear mounts include more than a single spray fan each. For example, where each of the front and rear mounts includes two spray fans, and where one spray fan of each front and rear mount is mounted in a direction to spray one row of a pair of adjacent rows, and where the other remaining spray fans of the front and rear mounts are mounted in a direction to spray onto the other row of the adjacent rows, ie the fans face in different directions, then the spray fans that spray onto the respective rows can also be spaced apart vertically. This means that as the spraying apparatus travels between adjacent rows, one of the spray fans directed to one of the rows can spray a lower region of that row and the other of the spray fans directed to the same row can spray an upper region of the row. This can ensure concentration of spray at two different regions of the row, with the expectation of improved foliage coverage of the row, particularly internally of the row. Also, the arrangement can be such that the air intakes of the fans can be spaced apart vertically and can also be spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus, so that air intake interference between respective fans can be reduced or eliminated.

[0013] In the above arrangement, the patterns of the fans on either side of the spraying apparatus can vary. For example, the fans on each side of the spraying apparatus can be at the same vertical height or a different height. Likewise the fans on opposite sides of the spraying apparatus can be back to back or can be offset from back to back. The above arrangement can be modified so that only a pair of fans are provided and each is mounted in a direction to spray one row of a pair of adjacent rows, ie the fans spray in the same general direction as each other. This arrangement is similar to an arrangement in which only a single fan is provided as described above, but provides an advantage in that concentration of spray can be increased and can be provided at two different regions of the row (upper and lower for example), with the expectation of improved foliage coverage of the row, particularly internally of the row.

[0014] Alternative arrangements include that three spray fans are mounted to each of the front and rear mounts, with two of the three spray fans of the front mount being mounted to spray in a direction that is towards a first row of an adjacent pair of rows and the third of the spray fans of the front mount is mounted to spray in a direction that is towards a second and opposite row of the adjacent rows. The same configuration can be adopted in relation to the rear mount, but in the reverse, so that two of the spray fans of the rear mount spray in a direction towards the second row of the adjacent rows while the third of the spray fans is mounted to spray in a direction towards the first row. By this arrangement, each row receives spray from three spray fans, whereby in respect of those spray fans, two of the spray fans are mounted to one of the front or rear mounts and the other of the spray fans is mounted to the other mount. This arrangement can also result in air intake in which interference between respective fans can be reduced or eliminated.

[0015] In the above arrangement, the arrangement of spray fans that spray the respective rows of the pair of adjacent rows can be spaced apart vertically, so that in respect of the spray fans that spray towards one of the adjacent rows, the single spray fan of the front mount for example and the two spray fans of the rear mount are spaced apart vertically. This arrangement can provide for the single spray fan of the front mount to be above or below the two spray fans of the rear mount, but more preferably the single spray fan of the front mount is positioned vertically between the two spray fans of the rear mount. The same arrangement can be repeated in the reverse for the two spray fans of the front mount and the single spray fan of the front mount that spray towards the other of the adjacent rows. Again, this pattern of spray fans can result in air intake in which interference between respective fans can be reduced or eliminated.

[0016] Fourth fans can be added to the front and rear mounts, such as to the arrangement above in which three fans are mounted to each of those mounts. The same configurations can be maintained as described above in the three spray fan arrangements, with the fourth fans being mounted to each of the front and rear mounts, or to one only, and being mounted in a direction to spray generally upwards. The expression "generally upwards" is intended to cover an arrangement whereby the fourth fans are positioned to spray either directly vertically upwards, ie at 90^° to horizontal, or through an arc of about 30^° to 40^° towards horizontal from vertical. Where the fourth fans of each of the front and rear mounts are not each spraying directly upwards vertically, they can be mounted to spray in directions away from each other towards a respective row of a pair of adjacent rows, rather than towards each other. The fourth fans can be arranged to spray through an arc of about 30^° to 40^° towards horizontal from vertical as described above whereby one of the fourth fans sprays in that arc towards one of the rows and the other of the fourth fans sprays in that arc towards the other of the rows.

[0017] The spray fans described above that spray generally upwards can be provided in an arrangement in which only three fans are attached to each of the front and rear mounts, or in which three fans are attached to one of the front and rear mounts and a different number is attached to the other of the mounts. In this respect, the invention includes spraying apparatus that has three spray fans mounted to each of the front and rear mounts and whereby two of the three spray fans of the front mount are mounted to spray onto a respective row of a pair of adjacent rows, and the third of the spray fans of the front mount is mounted to spray in a direction that is generally upwards as defined above. The same arrangement can be applied to the rear mount, or a quite different arrangement can be applied to that mount. In the above arrangement, where three fans are applied to each of the front and rear mounts, two of the fans of the front and rear mounts that are mounted to spray onto a first row of the pair of adjacent rows can be spaced apart vertically, and the same arrangement can be adopted for the other spray fans of the front and rear mounts. In this arrangement, the third of the spray fans that is mounted to the front and rear mounts can be mounted to spray in a direction that is generally upwards from the front and rear mounts as defined above.

[0018] The spray fans described above that spray generally upwards can be provided in an arrangement in which those fans are not mounted to the front and rear mounts, but rather, are mounted to the frame at a position other than the front and rear mounts, such as to a beam that extends between the front and rear mounts or to which the front and rear mounts are connected.

[0019] The frame of the spraying apparatus according to the invention can have any suitable construction and can for example mount the one or more spray fans to the front, rear or side of a tank that contains the liquid to be sprayed. In one form of the invention, the tank can be mounted on a trailer and the frame can include a trailer mount for mounting to a trailer and in that arrangement, a beam can extend from the trailer mount to support the front and rear mounts. The spray fans described above that spray generally upwards can be mounted to the beam for example if they are not mounted to the front and rear mounts.

[0020] The front and rear mounts can be generally U-shaped and can be attached to the beam at spaced locations that are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus. The front and rear mounts can be attached to the beam to extend downwardly from the beam and to support at least two spray fans below the beam. Alternatively, the front and rear mounts can be attached to the beam to extend upwardly from the beam and to support at least two spray fans above the beam. The former arrangement is preferred as it allows fans to be mounted to the beam for upward spraying.

[0021 ] The U-shape of the front and rear mounts can comprise a base and two generally parallel legs that extend from the base. In some forms of the invention, the legs that extend from the base can be of different lengths so that one of the legs is longer than the other of the legs. This allows a spray fan to be positioned closer to the ground on one side of the spraying apparatus than the other side so that the vertical spacing discussed above can be achieved. Moreover, given the vertical spacing arrangement, equal lengths of the legs are not required and therefore by making one leg longer than the other, the shorter leg results in a saving of material and weight. The U-shaped mounts can be fabricated by welding the legs to the base, or mount can be bent into shape from a straight length of pipe for example.

[0022] The spraying apparatus according to the invention can include more than just the front and rear mounts and can thus include three mounts, being front, middle or intermediate and rear mounts. Fourth and fifth mounts can be provided to the side of the tank and further mounts can be provided forward of the tank. Thus, any number of mounts can be provided and positioned as required.

[0023] The spraying apparatus according to the invention can also include a tank for carrying liquid to be sprayed and the tank can be mounted on a chassis or trailer to which the frame is connected. The connection can be by a trailer mount as discussed above.

[0024] To ensure that interference of the air intake of the respective spray fans is minimised or eliminated, it is preferred that the axis about which the fans of the spray fans rotate are spaced apart by about 900mm or more in the horizontal direction and by about 600mm to about 900mm or more in the vertical direction. The fans are preferably located more than 650mm from the tank, such as the rear of the tank. The vertical spacing that has been described above surprisingly and advantageously enables interference at the intake to be minimised, particularly when the minimum spacing between the spray fans as set out above is provided. Minimising intake interference assists to maximise the volumetric output of the fans and the efficiency in which that output is achieved. Moreover, by vertically spacing the spray fans, the proximity to the ground of the spray fans can be limited to one or two spray fans, and this is advantageous by minimising the likelihood of dust and dirt and other debris being picked up by the spray fans from the ground. Such debris can damage the fans and potentially damage the agricultural crop if it is discharged from the fans at high velocity into the foliage or fruit of the crop.

[0025] Other forms of the invention that will be described hereinafter will provide for improved application of spray to agricultural crops, in particular by providing improved penetration of spray into the interior of the crop. Coverage of interior foliage and fruit by spraying apparatus is a goal of most commercial agricultural spraying apparatus, as it is often quite easy to apply spray to the external foliage and fruit, but more difficult to reach the interior foliage and fruit. Where the exterior foliage and fruit is sprayed but not the interior foliage and fruit, infestation of the entire fruit tree can still occur from the inside out.

[0026] It is to be noted that it is not a requirement of the present invention that the spray fans have a particular construction. While it is the applicant's intention to use high efficiency spray fans, any form of fan as considered appropriate can be employed in the spraying apparatus of the present invention. The fans could however have the form as described in Applicant's co-pending International PCT patent application that claims priority from Australian Provisional patent application 2015902959, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein. It is noted that these fans carry central nozzles or discharge outlets and that the output of the fans can be varied or adjusted by varying the number of active outlets and the size of the liquid droplets that are discharged through the outlets. Other variations will be evident from the disclosure of the co-pending International PCT patent application. [0027] Also, the particular drive that is selected to drive the spray fans and to deliver liquid to the spray fans can be hydraulic or electric and can be separate or combined. It is envisaged that two separate drives will be employed to separately drive the spray fans and a liquid pump, although it is possible that a single drive could drive both the spray fans a the liquid pump.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0028] In order that the invention may be more fully understood, some embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures in which:

[0029] Figure 1 is an isometric view of a mobile spraying apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0030] Figure 2 is an end view of the mobile spraying apparatus of Figure 1 .

[0031 ] Figure 3 is a detailed view of the mobile spraying apparatus of Figure 1 .

[0032] Figure 4 is a detailed view of an alternative mobile spraying apparatus according to the invention.

[0033] Figure 5 is a sketch view of the spray pattern of a mobile spraying apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

[0034] Figure 1 is an isometric view of a mobile spraying apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention, which is hitched to a tractor. Accordingly, in Figure 1 , a mobile spraying apparatus 10 is illustrated hitched to a tractor 1 1 , only the rear end of which is illustrated. The hitch 12 can be of a standard form.

[0035] The spraying apparatus 10 includes a tank 13 which is supported on a trailer 14 which includes a pair of wheels 15 on which the trailer can be moved. Attached to the rear of the trailer 14 is a frame 16 which supports a plurality of fans 20. The frame 16 of Figure 1 supports eight fans.

[0036] The fans 20 are referenced generally by the reference numeral 20 and to distinguish between them, by reference to the letters "a" and "b" and finally by reference to the letters "i" and "ii". The fans 20 are formed in two sets of four fans, which are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the apparatus 10 when the apparatus 10 is moved or drawn by the tractor 1 1 . The direction of travel in Figure

1 is shown by the arrow A. Thus, the fans 20a are mounted in a forward direction of the frame 16, while the fans 20b are mounted in a rearward direction. For this, the frame 16 includes front and rear mounts for mounting the fans 20a and 20b respectively. In Figure 1 , the frame 16 includes a front mount 21 and a rear mount 22. The front and rear mounts 21 and 22 are attached to a central supporting beam 23 by welding or any other suitable attachment, and the supporting beam 23 attaches to a trailer mount 24. The trailer mount 24 can be bolted and/or welded to the trailer 14, so that it can either be permanently or releasably attached to the trailer 14.

[0037] The front and rear mounts 21 and 22 have the same general shape, but are mounted in the reverse configuration as will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 is a view taken from the rear or free end of the frame 16 (opposite the trailer mount 24) and clearly shows the construction of the rear mount 22. The mount 22 has an inverted U-shape, comprising a short leg 25, a base 26 and long leg 27. The short leg 25 is spaced from the long leg 17 by about 470mm.

[0038] The length difference between the short leg 25 and the long leg 27 is provided to allow one of the fans 20b (the lowermost right hand fan of Figure 2) to be mounted in a lowermost position compared to the remaining three fans 20b. The provision of the shorter leg 25 allows a reduction in the amount of material used to produce the rear mount 22 as compared to an arrangement in which each of the legs 25 and 27 were of the same length. Of course it would be within the scope of the present invention that the legs 25 and 27 were of the same length, and moreover, the mount 22 could be formed in a closed loop, so that the legs 25 and 27 were connected by a further base member equivalent to the base 26 but connecting the free ends of the legs 25 and 27. This would form a substantially rectangular rear mount. Nevertheless, the arrangement depicted in Figures 1 and

2 minimises the amount of material required for the rear mount 22 to support the fans 20b in the configuration shown and thus minimises the cost of forming the rear mount 22, and reduces the overall weight of the spraying apparatus 10 compared to the alternative arrangements discussed above.

[0039] The front mount 21 is mounted in the reverse to the rear mount 22, so that the long leg of the front mount 21 is in the position of the short leg 25 of the rear mount 22. This is more evident in Figure 1 whereby it can be seen that the short leg 25 of the rear mount 22 is on the same side of the beam 23 as the long leg 28 of the front mount 21 . Likewise, the short leg 29 of the front mount 21 is on the same side of the beam 23 as the long leg 27 of the rear mount 22. This arrangement is more clearly seen in Figure 3.

[0040] Eights fans 20 are depicted in Figures 1 to 3. However, it is to be appreciated that the invention can include a lesser number of fans and in the broadest forms of the invention, each of the front and rear mounts 21 and 22 could include a single fan only or a single fan can be attached to just one of the front and rear mounts 21 and 22. In a two fan arrangement, the fans could be oriented to spray in a direction away from each other, so that the spraying apparatus 10 could travel between adjacent rows of trees or vines and spray the adjacent rows at the same time. It is expected that the number of fans which are mounted to the front and rear mounts 21 and 22 could vary depending on the type of agricultural crops to be sprayed and for example, the spraying of table grapes which are grown on grape vines might only require a single fan mounted to each of the front and rear mounts and which are directed towards the vines on opposite sides of the spraying apparatus 10. A benefit of having a single fan mounted to each of the front and rear mounts in this arrangement is that air intake interference between the two fans can be reduced or eliminated by their spacing in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus 10.

[0041 ] For other crops, such as nut trees (almonds for example), a greater number of sprayers would be required to provide proper spray coverage. For such crops, each of the front and rear mounts might support two, three fans or four fans for example.

[0042] In Figures 1 to 3, the two upper most fans 20aj and 20b, have an axis of spray which most closely approaches a vertical axis, compared to the other fans shown in those figures. These fans are mounted in a direction to spray generally upwards, such as through an arc of about 30^° to 40^° as shown by the angle β in Figure 2. Fans positioned in this manner would typically be provided where the canopy of the trees or vines being sprayed tends to overhang the spraying apparatus as it travels between the rows of trees or vines. In some agricultural crops, the tree or vine structure forms a canopy through which the spraying apparatus 10 is drawn and it is those fans 20aj and 20b, which would direct spray into those overhanging or canopy sections of the trees of vines.

[0043] The remaining fans 20a and 20b illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 are positioned to have a generally horizontal spray axis (which of course could be changed), but as clearly can be seen in Figure 2, each of the remaining fans 20b are oriented to spray slightly towards the direction of travel A, while the remaining fans 20a are oriented to spray slightly in a direction opposite to arrow A.

[0044] The particular configuration of fan orientation shown in Figures 1 to 3 is a configuration that has been randomly selected for illustrative purposes. According to the invention, the fans 20 can be mounted for one or more of a variety of adjustments, so that the direction of spray can be altered or modified. For example, the mounting arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 3 allows each of the fans to be rotated about the generally vertical respective front or rear mounts 21 and 22. With respect to the fan 20bn of Figure 3, this means that the fan can be rotated in the manner shown by arrow R-i , as well as about the mounting 30 as shown by the arrow R₂, while each of the fans 20 can be shifted upwardly or downwardly or along the respective mounts 21 and 22. Accordingly, each fan 20 has three degrees of adjusting movement.

[0045] For illustrative purposes, Figure 4 is the same view as Figure 3, except showing an assembly of six fans rather than the eight fans shown in Figure 3. In Figure 4, the spraying apparatus 35 is identical to the spraying apparatus 10 in respect of the tank 36 and the frame 37 insofar as the frame 37 includes a front mount 38, a rear mount 39 and a trailer mount 40. A beam 41 extends from the trailer mount 40 generally horizontally and supports the front and rear mounts 38 and 39, while the front and rear mounts 38 and 39 are formed as inverted U- shapes, which are identical to the mounts 21 and 22 of the earlier figures, and which are mounted in the same way so as to be the reverse of each other. As shown in Figure 4, six fans 45 are mounted to the frame 37 with the fans 45, being mounted at the lower most end of the respective front and rear mounts 38 and 39, the fans 45_Ν being mounted to the opposite side of the respective mounts 38 and 39 and the fans 45_ίΝ being mounted to the upper most part of the mounts 38 and 39 to spray upwardly. Like the fans 20 in Figures 1 to 3, those fans mounted to the front mount 38 are oriented to spray slightly rearwardly to the direction of travel of the apparatus 35, while the fans 45 mounted to the rear mount 39 are oriented to spray slightly forwardly in respect of that direction. Again however, the position and orientation of the fans 45 can be adjusted on the respective mounts 38 and 39 through three degrees of freedom in the same manner as described in relation to the fan 20b_M of Figure 3.

[0046] As evident from Figures 1 and 3, the fans 20b that are mounted to the long leg 27 of the rear mount 22 are spaced apart vertically on either side of the fan 20a which is mounted on the short leg 29 of the front mount 21 . This provides a staggered configuration or assembly of the fans of the that spraying apparatus 10 that directs spray into one of the rows of trees or vines on one side of the spraying apparatus 10 and is a pattern that is repeated with the sprayers positioned on the opposite side of the spraying apparatus 10. The staggered pattern is intended to provide for more even distribution of spray onto the trees or vines being sprayed and to ensure that there is complete spray coverage of the trees or vines. In this respect, the orientation of the fans 20 on each side of the frame 16 is intended to produce an overlap of the spray of the respective fans at some point beyond the fans themselves. Various factors can contribute to where the overlap is created, such as the orientation of the fans, the speed of the fans, the volumetric air output of the fans, the amount of spray being discharged by the fans and the size of droplets discharged by the fans. Figure 5 illustrates in relatively rudimentary form, the type of overlap that is intended to be achieved from the two fans 20b mounted on the long leg 27 of the rear mount 22 and the fan 20a mounted on the short leg 29 of the front mount 21 , whereby the overlap is shown shaded. [0047] When developing the spraying apparatus according to the invention, the inventors identified the problem of incomplete spray coverage as being a major difficulty with known spraying equipment. While spraying equipment of the prior art could often adequately apply sprays to the outer most foliage and fruit of trees and vines, spray penetration to internal parts of the foliage and fruit was less achievable on a constant or consistent basis. The inventors recognised that in order to penetrate past the outer foliage of trees and vines, it was necessary to shift the outer foliage to open gaps in the foliage whereby spray could penetrate to the interior of the trees and vines. While the inventors developed a new form of fan assembly that can assist this desirable characteristic, the spraying apparatus of the present invention can also assist this characteristic by the staggered arrangement of fans as depicted in the figures. In particular, the arrangement of Figure 5 is such that the centre fan 20a provides the first spray to engage the foliage and the loading on the foliage due to that spray tends to move or cause movement of the foliage leaves and the braches that support the leaves. By that mechanism, gaps in the foliage are produced and spray can enter the interior of the trees or vines. However, important to the present invention, is that the fans 20b closely follow the spray of the fan 20a and while they continue to move or cause movement of the leaves and branches, they also benefit from the already moving leaves and branches produced by the fan 20a. This means that the foliage and branches tend to be already moving by the time spray from the fans 20b engages the foliage, so that gaps in the foliage are already present by virtue of the first spray from the fan 20a. This means that the spray of the fans 20b can instantly penetrate past the external foliage and into the interior regions of the trees and vines. In effect, the foliage is shaken by the initial engagement from spray of the fan 20a, and is further shaken by the subsequent engagement of the spray by the fans 20b. This shaking movement opens gaps in the foliage for penetration of spray to interior regions of the trees and vines and testing has shown surprising results indicating that spraying apparatus according to the invention can provide penetration into citrus trees beyond the halfway point of the tree. This is important, given that citrus trees are known to be difficult trees to spray because the branches are relatively stiff and do not easily shake and shift. It is therefore often the case that spray saturates the external foliage of a citrus tree, but internal parts of the tree can remain untouched by spray. This means that the tree is not fully protected from infestation and despite that the external foliage of the tree has been properly sprayed, infestation from the internal parts of the tree can destroy all of the fruit that is produced from the tree both internally and externally.

[0048] The arrangement of Figure 5 is repeated in a different orientation in the fan arrangement of Figure 4 whereby the respective fans 45, 45_Η and 45_ίΝ are staggered vertically and horizontally, so that foliage is first engaged by spray from fan 45jj and then by spray of the fans 45, and 45jjj on one side of the frame 37 and in the reverse on the other side. The same shaking movement as discussed above is created in foliage which is sprayed by the arrangement of Figure 4 and the same positive tests have been achieved with the Figure 4 arrangement whereby internal penetration of spray is achieved past the halfway point of citrus trees. Importantly, the fans are separated horizontally as shown in all of the figures on each side of the frame 16, as well as vertically. It is this staggered arrangement which appears to be one of the main contributors to the shaking of the foliage which is so important in creating gaps for penetration of spray into the interior regions of the trees or vines.

[0049] Also, in all of the illustrated embodiments, only two fans are located close to the ground and this minimises the uptake of debris from the ground by the intake of the fans. As mentioned previously, such debris can damage the fans and potentially damage the agricultural crop if it is discharged from the fans at high velocity into the foliage or fruit of the crop. The more air intake that occurs close to the ground, the more likely that debris will be lifted from the ground for flow through and out of the fans. Testing has shown that spraying apparatus according to the invention illustrated in the figures does not pick up significant amounts of debris. This is thought to be as a result of only two of the fans of each embodiment being located closer to ground level.

[0050] Further, the staggered arrangement of the illustrated embodiments means that each fan has relatively clear intake at the rear thereof as opposed to arrangements in which the fans are back to back. The fans therefore do not compete for air to the same extent as would be the case in arrangements in which the fans are back to back.

[0051 ] The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0052] Throughout the description and claims of the specification, the word "comprise" and variations of the word, such as "comprising" and "comprises", is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

Claims

1. A mobile spraying apparatus for spraying agricultural crops that are planted in adjacent rows, whereby in use, the spraying apparatus travels between a generally parallel pair of rows in a direction parallel to the rows, the spraying apparatus including a frame and at least two spray fans, the frame having a front mount and a rear mount which are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus, the spray fans being mounted to the respective front and rear mounts and with each fan being mounted to spray in a direction away from the other and onto a respective row of a pair of adjacent rows.

2. A spraying apparatus according to claim 1 , the spraying apparatus including two spray fans mounted to each of the front and rear mounts, the two spray fans of the front mount and the two spray fans of the rear mount being mounted to spray in a direction away from each other and onto a respective row of a pair of adjacent rows of an agricultural crop.

3. A spraying apparatus according to claim 2, the two spray fans of the front mount and the two spray fans of the rear mount being spaced apart vertically.

4. A spraying apparatus according to claim 1 , the spraying apparatus including three spray fans mounted to each of the front and rear mounts, two of the three spray fans of the front mount being mounted to spray in a direction that is toward a first row of a parallel pair of rows of an agricultural crop and the third of the spray fans of the front mount being mounted to spray in a direction that is toward a second and opposite row of the parallel pair of rows, two of the three spray fans of the rear mount being mounted to spray in a direction that is toward the second row of a parallel pair of rows of an agricultural crop and the third of the spray fans of the rear mount being mounted to spray in a direction that is toward the first row of the parallel pair of rows.

5. A spraying apparatus according to claim 4, the two spray fans of the front mount and the third spray fan of the rear mount being spaced apart vertically and the third spray fan of the front mount and the two spray fans of the rear mount being spaced apart vertically.

6. A spraying apparatus according to claim 5, the two spray fans of the front mount being spaced apart vertically on either side of the third spray fan of the rear mount.

7. A spraying apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, the two spray fans of the rear mount being spaced apart vertically on either side of the third spray fan of the front mount.

8. A spraying apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7, a fourth fan being mounted to the front mount to spray in a direction generally upwards.

9. A spraying apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, a fourth fan being mounted to the rear mount to spray in a direction generally upwards.

10. A spraying apparatus according to claim 9, the fourth fans of the front and rear mount being mounted to spray in a direction away from each other and towards a row of a respective row of the parallel pair of rows.

1 1 . A spraying apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 1 1 , at least a fifth fan being mounted to one or each of the front and rear mounts.

12. A spraying apparatus according to claim 1 , the spraying apparatus including three spray fans mounted to each of the front and rear mounts, two of the three spray fans of the front mount being mounted to spray onto a respective row of a pair of adjacent rows and the third of the spray fans of the front mount being mounted to spray in a direction that is generally upwards, two of the three spray fans of the rear mount being mounted to spray onto a respective row of a pair of adjacent rows and the third of the spray fans of the rear mount being mounted to spray in a direction that is generally upwards.

13. A spraying apparatus according to claim 12, the two fans of the front and rear mounts that are mounted to spray onto a first row of the pair of adjacent rows being spaced apart vertically and the two fans of the front and rear mounts that are mounted to spray onto a second row of the pair of adjacent rows being spaced apart vertically.

14. A spraying apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, the third of the spray fans of the front and rear mounts being mounted to spray in a direction that is generally upwards but away from each other.

15. A spraying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, the frame including a trailer mount for mounting to a trailer and a beam extending from the trailer mount and supporting the front and rear mounts.

16. A spraying apparatus according to claim 15, the front and rear mounts being generally U-shaped and being attached to the beam at spaced locations that are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the spraying apparatus.

17. A spraying apparatus according to claim 16, the front and rear mounts being attached to the beam to extend downwardly from the beam and to support at least two of the spray fans below the beam.

18. A spraying apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, the U-shape of the front and rear mounts comprising a base and two generally parallel legs extending from the base, one of the legs being longer than the other of the legs.

19. A spraying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18, including a tank supported on a chassis to which the frame is connected.