SprayMon -
Quality assurance for plant protection
Product Overview
Monitoring plant protection: Spraying on the radar
The SprayMon provides for an OEM and a retrofit solution for monitoring function and working quality of the nozzles of a sprayer based on SprayRay sensors. Deterioration of spray quality is detected in the spray process in real-time. If deviation over- or undershoots a threshold set by the operator the SprayMon throws an alarm showing the respective nozzle number(s) on the SprayMon on-board computer.
SprayMon can be integrated in an OEM e.g. ISOBUS solution.
SprayMon can be configured according to a given machine in a flexible way with daisy-chained hub boxes, an ECU (Electronics Control Unit) and an MSO SprayMon on-board computer. On each hub box 8 MSO SprayRay sensors are directly wired.
The SprayRay sensors are mounted one per nozzle detecting the spray. On each hub 8 SprayRay sensors are wired. The hubs are daisy-chained and connected to an ECU.
To simplify the mounting the ECU has two connectors for one hub chain each for the left and right side of the boom. The ECU is connected to the MSO SprayMon on-board computer or on an OEM´s computer. Implemented on the MSO SprayMon on-board computer is an application specific monitoring software.
The MSO SprayMon system was developed by MSO Meßtechnik und Ortung GmbH. SprayMon is manufactured by MSO and is in production. Patents EP17185736 and US Patent (EFS-ID 30442356, App.No. 15712188) have been applied for.
The method and technology has been patented. US-Patent US10,564,259B2 "Method and system for detecting, characterizing and assessing the quality of a spray" and the European patent EP3441784 have been granted.
The MSO SprayMon system is offered for retrofit on sprayers as well for OEMs with simplified system´s integration prepared.
SprayMon data sheet
MSO SprayMon data sheet - Spray quality monitoring system here and further details on request.
Applications
Applications of the SprayMon monitoring system
Plant protection devices
- Sprayer
- Liquid fertilizer application
Irrigation: can be adapted for monitoring
- Boom irrigation
- Pivot irrigation
Nozzle Systems
- Industrial applications deploying a multitude of nozzles
- Liquid and powder coating systems in e.g. food production, concrete elements production .....
Benefits/Use
Application Benefits and Advantages
- Detection and alarm on partial blockage of a nozzle of a sprayer.
- Detection and alarm on deviation of the spraying pattern of a nozzle.
- Assurance of the working quality in the process/while spraying.
- Optimization of function monitoring.
- Safety buffer of plant protection product concentration can be reduced.
- Simple and easy retrofit mounting of the SprayRay sensors with an angular bracket.
- Robust SprayRay sensors, hubs and ECU for demanding application environment (IP69K).
- SprayRay sensors are unsusceptible against soiling due to the radar principle applied.
- Detection of operating errors e.g. chosing the wrong nozzle on a multi-nozzle turret.
- Detection and monitoring of switching off of nozzles e.g. while section control.
- No alteration or influence on the function of the machine.
- No influence on the spray since working contactless and being installed clear from the spray.
- Can be flexibly adapted to the specific machine due to setup with hubs in a serial bus system.
- Extended function if and when integrated in existing control systems e.g. with section control, single nozzle switching or PWM pulsed nozzles.
- For different types of nozzles e.g. flat-, injector-, cone- air supported nozzles.
- Simple and easy calibration in the process.
- Stand alone system without additional sensors and without complex integration.
- Display of the average total throughput compared to the average at calibration enables over all issues e.g. blockage, function flaws or pulsing of dosage pump.
Details
SprayMon Head Unit
The "brains" of the SprayMon system
The MSO SprayMon on-board computer head unit is a compact device with a 7" (17.78 cm diagonal) TFT colour touch-screen with 800 x 400 pixels resolution in a robust aluminum casing with IP64 environmental protection.
It is a powerfull computer with an NXP i.MX53.x processor at 1.0 GHz running Linux.
On this MSO head unit the specific MSO SprayMon monitoring software is implemented.
The SprayMon head unit communicates with the SprayMon ECU via a serial (RS485) field bus system. The hub(s) attached to the ECU in a daisy chain and the SprayRay sensors attached to each hub are automatically detected and enumerated.
The SprayMon software allows the operator to exempt certain nozzles e.g. special nozzles on the left and right corners of the boom from the monitoring.
ECU Electronic Control Unit
ECU with link to head unit
The ECU Electronic Control Unit - the so called Master - integrates and controls the SprayMon system.
Die ECU features a powerfull ARM Cortex M4F MCU.
Hub
Connection of MSO SprayRay sensors
On one hub box 8 pieces of SprayRay sensors are "hard - wired". The hub integrates the MCU for digital signal processing of the SprayRay sensors.
The alarm mode for one or several SprayRay sensors is being displayed on the SprayMon on-board computer.
Technical Data
Technical Data
| System components | SprayRay Sensors, Hub(s), ECU, on-board Computer head unit |
| Hub | Plastic casing with direct wired 8 pcs of SprayRay sensors, connectors for daisy-chaining |
| ECU | ECU with main processing on Cortex M4F MCU |
| Power supply | 10 to 36 V DC |
| Temperature range (operation) | -20 °C to +70 °C |
| Interface from ECU | RS485, serial field bus |
| Warranty | 2 Years |
