Spraying devices such as crop sprayers are used in agriculture. Crop sprayers may be configured as self-propelled spraying machines or as spraying machines attached to or mounted on a tractor or other vehicle. The crop sprayers have linkage attached spraying or spreading devices for applying and/or distributing fertilizer, plant protection agents and/or pesticides and the like on a field to be worked. Such spray linkages are subjected to loads, in addition to their own weight, such as centrifugal forces during sprayer cornering. The forces act dynamically both on the vehicle and on the linkage itself. In order to counteract or compensate for the loads, the central frame of a spray linkage is suspended in an oscillating manner relative to the support of the central frame for movement about an upright oscillating axis. The suspension absorbs and/or to compensates for the oscillating movements via spring damper systems connected between the support and central frame. Embodiments with spring damper systems are complicated and expensive, and spring and damping characteristic can only be varied in a limited manner.
EP 1 716 754 A2 discloses an agricultural crop sprayer comprising a spray linkage suspended for oscillation about a vertical axis. The spray linkage is equipped with a motorized actuating member to align the spray linkage at right angles to a desired direction of the path of the vehicle depending on a sensor signal. In this example, a hydraulic cylinder is used as a motorized actuating member. Such a spray linkage is, however, not designed to counteract dynamic loads and/or to reduce and/or to compensate for centrifugal forces effects.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds