US 11,992,004 B2
Nozzles with interchangeable inserts for precision application of crop protectant
Thomas Welch Brown, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Eric M. Gawehn, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to BLUE RIVER TECHNOLOGY INC., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Blue River Technology Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/485,095.
Application 17/485,095 is a continuation of application No. 16/896,664, filed on Jun. 9, 2020, granted, now 11,160,269.
Application 16/896,664 is a continuation of application No. 16/154,578, filed on Oct. 8, 2018, granted, now 11,071,293, issued on Jul. 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0007631 A1, Jan. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. A01M 7/00 (2006.01); A01G 7/06 (2006.01); A01G 25/16 (2006.01); B05B 12/04 (2006.01); B05B 13/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01M 7/006 (2013.01) [A01G 7/06 (2013.01); A01G 25/16 (2013.01); A01M 7/00 (2013.01); A01M 7/0089 (2013.01); B05B 12/04 (2013.01); B05B 13/0278 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A farming machine for treating plants in a field while the farming machine travels in a direction through the field, the farming machine comprising:
a rotatable nozzle manifold comprising:
nozzles for applying one or more treatment fluids to plants in the field by spraying treatment fluid to nozzle spray areas in the field; and
actuatable valves for controlling passage of treatment fluid through the nozzles from a treatment fluid reservoir and towards the nozzle spray areas in the field while the farming machine treats plants in the field;
an actuation mechanism coupled to the rotatable nozzle manifold and configured to rotate the rotatable nozzle manifold when actuated; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the actuation mechanism and configured to:
access, for a first treatment fluid and a second treatment fluid of the one or more treatment fluids, treatment fluid parameters for the nozzles applying the first treatment fluid or the second treatment fluid, the treatment fluid parameters affecting how nozzles spray treatment fluid toward nozzle spray areas;
identify locations of plants in the field, the locations comprising a first location of a first plant and a second location of a second plant;
select the first treatment fluid for treating the first plant and the second treatment fluid for treating the second plant; and
responsive to identifying locations of the first plant and the second plant in the field:
determine compensatory nozzle spray areas for the first plant and the second plant, the compensatory nozzle spray areas configured to treat the first plant and the second plant at their identified locations when accounting for how nozzle sprays areas are affected by the accessed treatment fluid parameters of the selected treatment fluid for each plant;
rotate the rotatable nozzle manifold using the actuation mechanism such that the determined compensatory nozzle spray areas are positioned to treat the first plant and the second plant in the field, and
actuate, for each of the first plant and the second plant, the actuatable valves to pass, from the treatment fluid reservoir, the selected treatment fluid for the plant through the nozzles to treat the first plant and the second plant using the compensatory nozzle spray areas, each treatment using the accessed treatment fluid parameters for the selected treatment fluid.