Retractable spray shield for agricultural use
View Patent ↗A retractable spray shield for agricultural use has a spray barrier; a two-part storage tube; a deployment and concealment drive having a motor, a drive shaft, and a quadrilateral linkage that in one direction deploys the spray barrier from the storage tube and in a second opposed direction conceals the spray barrier within the storage tube. The quadrilateral linkage is defined by a rotating arm; a pushing arm coupled to the drive shaft; the bottom of a unit storage tube, and a transfer arm supporting the spray barrier. The spray barrier has a generally triangular and flaccid liquid barrier film, a pair of framing legs coupled to opposed edges of the liquid barrier film, and a spring configured to operatively stretch the pair of framing legs apart from each other and thereby expand the barrier film toward a planar, generally triangular geometry when deployed.
1 . In combination, an agricultural spray machine, an agricultural spray boom, and a retractable spray shield for agricultural use,
the agricultural spray machine having:
a drive train;
a liquid tank; and
a pump receiving a liquid held within said liquid tank;
the agricultural spray boom having:
a boom arm extending at least in part in a direction transverse to a forward direction of travel of said agricultural spray machine; and
at least one spray nozzle suspended from said boom arm and in fluid communication with said pump;
the retractable spray shield for agricultural use having:
a liquid barrier film;
a storage tube configured to receive and store said spray shield, said storage tube having
a storage tube bottom and a storage tube length, said storage tube length defining a storage tube longitudinal axis,
a unit holder having a length defining a unit holder longitudinal axis parallel to said storage tube longitudinal axis, said unit holder supporting said liquid barrier film, and
a pintle defining an axis of rotation transverse to said storage tube longitudinal axis and coupling said unit holder to said storage tube, said pintle configured to allow said unit holder to pivot about said pintle relative to said storage tube;
at least one strain relief spring opposing rotation of said unit holder about said pintle relative to said storage tube;
a deployment drive rotating said liquid barrier film relative to said storage tube between a first stored position adjacent to said storage tube and a second deployed position more perpendicular to said storage tube; and
a boom arm coupler adapted to couple said retractable spray shield to said agricultural spray boom and simultaneously locate said liquid barrier film adjacent to and in a spray pattern of said at least one spray nozzle when said liquid barrier film is in said second deployed position.
2 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 1 , wherein said storage tube has a U-shaped cross-section.
3 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 2 , wherein said unit holder has a U-shaped cross-section that nests within said storage tube, said at least one strain relief spring drawing said unit holder into a position extending generally parallel to storage tube.
4 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 2 , wherein said liquid barrier film further comprises a pair of framing legs, each of said pair of framing legs coupled to an opposed edge of said liquid barrier film.
5 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first pintle coupling a first one of said pair of framing legs to a hinge plate; and
a second pintle coupling a second one of said pair of framing legs to said hinge plate.
6 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 5 , further comprising:
a spring guide post intermediate between said first and second pintles; and
a tension spring wrapped about said spring guide post and configured to operatively stretch said pair of framing legs apart from each other and thereby expand said spray shield toward a planar, generally triangular geometry.
7 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 1 , wherein said liquid barrier film further comprises a generally triangular and flaccid liquid barrier film.
8 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 1 , wherein said deployment drive comprises:
a motor;
a drive shaft;
a quadrilateral linkage having
a first lower pivot affixed to said unit holder;
a second lower pivot affixed to said unit holder at a location separated along said unit holder longitudinal axis from said first lower pivot and also pivotally affixed to a transfer arm and thereby defining a first fixed distance;
a second pivot affixed to said transfer arm at a location separated along a longitudinal axis of said transfer arm from said second lower pivot and thereby defining a second fixed distance;
a first linkage arm extending between and coupling a pushing pivot with said second pivot and thereby defining a third fixed distance;
a second linkage arm extending between and coupling said first pivot to said pushing pivot and thereby defining a fourth fixed distance;
said pushing pivot additionally coupled to said drive shaft to shift said quadrilateral linkage responsive to being driven by said drive shaft.
9 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 8 , wherein said hinge plate is pivotally coupled with said transfer arm.
10 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 9 , further comprising at least one spring biasing a position of said hinge plate relative to said transfer arm.
11 . The combination agricultural spray machine, agricultural spray boom, and retractable spray shield for agricultural use of claim 1 , wherein said agricultural spray machine further comprises:
an operator cab configured to support an operator and provide actuatable operator controls; and
an electrical system configured to selectively provide electrical power to said deployment and concealment drive responsive to activation of at least one of said operator controls.