US 12,433,205 B2
Plant injection apparatus and method
Grant Sinclair, Oamaru (NZ); and Paul Buckley, Oamaru (NZ)
Assigned to SYNGENTA CROP PROTECTION AG, Basel (CH)
Appl. No. 18/007,095
Filed by SYNGENTA CROP PROTECTION AG, Basel (CH)
PCT Filed Jul. 28, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/071189
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 27, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/023436, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 3, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 766513 (NZ), filed on Jul. 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0240198 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. A01G 7/06 (2006.01); G05D 16/20 (2006.01); H02P 25/06 (2016.01)
CPC A01G 7/06 (2013.01) [G05D 16/2066 (2013.01); H02P 25/06 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for injecting liquid into a plant comprising:
a variable volume dosing chamber with a plunger disposed within the chamber and a chamber inlet and outlet, the inlet and outlet in fluid communication with a common volume of the chamber, wherein the plunger translates in a linear direction relative to the chamber along a common longitudinal axis;
a power source;
a motor configured to drive translation movement of a piston via a threaded shaft causing a change in volume in the chamber and liquid to be alternatively received and discharged from the chamber;
a trigger;
a processor in communication with the power source, the motor, and the trigger, the processor being configured to:
control voltage to the motor, and to control power to the motor by creating a pulse force comprising a plurality of pulses of power that provide energy to said motor;
identify a change in pressure of the liquid discharged from the outlet during an injection operation by monitoring the motor current or the number of revolutions of the motor;
vary the pulse force in response to the identified change in pressure to control the pressure of the liquid discharged from the outlet during an injection operation; and
wherein the processor uses the motor current or the number of revolutions of the motor to look up gain to be applied to a pulse force parameter selected from off time, pulse time, voltage and current, in stored data, and wherein the gain is applied to a selected pulse force parameter by the processor, to vary the pulse force.