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EP-4544908-B1 - CLOSING DEVICE AND DEVICE FOR EXTRACTING PLANT PROTECTION AGENT

EP4544908B1EP 4544908 B1EP4544908 B1EP 4544908B1EP-4544908-B1

Inventors

  • Bacle, Thibault
  • PARLANT, Mathieu

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240923

Claims (11)

  1. Closing device (3) configured to cooperate with a hydraulic flushing circuit (6), with a pneumatic circuit (4) for agricultural spraying system, with an outlet of phytosanitary product (5) and with a can (2) of phytosanitary product, the closing device (3) comprising: - at least a bottom wall (30); and - at least a peripheral wall (31); the closing device (3) being configured to close the can (2), the peripheral wall (31) protruding from the bottom wall (30), said bottom wall (30) comprising at least three through openings, namely a first opening (33), a second opening (34) and a third opening (35), the first opening (33) being configured to be connected to the outlet of phytosanitary product (5) allowing the said phytosanitary product to be discharged from said can (2), the second opening (34) being on the one hand configured to open in a sealed manner into an inflatable membrane (36) and on the other hand configured to be connected to an inlet of the pneumatic circuit (4), so as to allow an overpressure to be generated in the can (2) by the expansion of the inflatable membrane (36) by means of the pneumatic circuit (4), said third opening (35) being configured to be connected to an inlet of said hydraulic flushing circuit (6).
  2. Closing device (3) according to the preceding claim, further comprising an inflatable membrane (36), said inflatable membrane (36) being connected to the second opening (34) of the bottom wall (30), said inflatable membrane (36) being configured to expand and/or contract by means of the pneumatic circuit (4), the inflatable membrane (36) being disposed on the same side of the bottom wall (30) as the peripheral wall (31).
  3. Closing device (3) according to the preceding claim, wherein the inflatable membrane (36) is a flexible expandable membrane.
  4. Extracting device (1) of phytosanitary product from a can (2) of phytosanitary product, comprising: - at least a closing device (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 3; - at least a pneumatic circuit (4); and - at least an outlet of phytosanitary product (5); said closing device (3) comprising at least an inflatable membrane (36), at least a bottom wall (30) and at least a peripheral wall (31) protruding from the bottom wall (30), said bottom wall (30) comprising at least two through openings, a first opening (33) and a second opening (34), the first opening (33) being connected to an outlet of phytosanitary product (5) allowing the said phytosanitary product to be discharged from said can (2), the second opening (34) being on the one hand connected to the inflatable membrane (36) and on the other hand connected to a pneumatic circuit inlet (4), said inflatable membrane (36) being configured to expand and/or contract by means of the pneumatic circuit (4), the inflatable membrane (36) being disposed on the same side of the bottom wall (30) as the peripheral wall (31).
  5. Extracting device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the pneumatic circuit (4) comprises at least a duct (40), a distributor (41), a pressure regulator (42) and a compressed air inlet (43), the duct (40) connecting the closing device (3) to the distributor (41), which is itself connected by said duct (40) to the pressure regulator (42) connected to the compressed air inlet (43), said pneumatic circuit (4) being configured to allow the expansion of the inflatable membrane (36).
  6. Extracting device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the pneumatic circuit (4) further comprises a vacuum generator (7), said duct (40) connecting the vacuum generator (7) to the distributor (41), said vacuum generator (7) being configured to suck in the air contained in the inflatable membrane (36), causing its contraction.
  7. Extracting device (1) according to any one of claims 5 to 6, wherein the pneumatic circuit (4) further comprises a duct (44), an air flushing distributor (46) and a pressure regulator (45), said duct (44) connecting the compressed air inlet (43) to the pressure regulator (45), which is itself connected by said duct (44) to the air flushing distributor (46), which is itself connected to the outlet of phytosanitary product (5), said pneumatic circuit (4) being configured to allow air flushing of the outlet of phytosanitary product (5).
  8. Extracting device (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, further comprising a hydraulic flushing circuit (6) and wherein the bottom wall (30) of the closing device (3) has a third through opening (35) connected to an inlet of said hydraulic flushing circuit (6), configured to allow the flushing of the can (2) and the inflatable membrane (6).
  9. Liquid spraying system comprising an extracting device according to any one of claims 4 to 8 and further comprising a can (2) configured to contain a phytosanitary product and on which said closing device (3) is fixed, the can (2) being on the one hand connected, by the first opening (33) of the closing device (3), to a duct (50) of the outlet of the treatment liquid (5) configured to convey the phytosanitary product from the can (2) to at least one spray nozzle, the can (2) being on the other hand connected by the third opening (35) of the closing device (3) to an inlet duct of the hydraulic flushing circuit (6) configured to convey flushing liquid into the can (2) so that said flushing liquid flushes said can (2), and said can being connected by the second opening (34) of the closing device (3) to an inlet duct of the pneumatic circuit (4) and to the inflatable membrane (36), said inlet duct of the pneumatic circuit (4) being configured to convey fluid into the inflatable membrane (36) so that it expands into the enclosure of the can (2), the expansion of said inflatable membrane (36) being configured to pressurize the phytosanitary product in the can (2) so as to create a flow of said phytosanitary product towards the outlet of the phytosanitary product (5).
  10. Liquid spraying system according to claim 9, comprising a pressurized enclosure (70), the can (2) and the extracting device (1) being disposed inside the pressurized enclosure.
  11. Agricultural machine comprising a liquid spraying system according to claim 9 or 10.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the field of agricultural spraying. In particular, the present invention relates to a closure device intended to cooperate with a container of plant protection product for agricultural sprayer. The invention also relates to a phytosanitary product extraction device comprising such a closure device. The invention also relates to an agricultural machine comprising such an extraction device. STATE OF THE ART It is known that pressurized liquid spraying processes, particularly for agricultural plant protection products, and the devices used for such spraying are based on this principle. Specifically, in such devices, a constant water or air pressure is applied to an expandable membrane, which inflates and conforms to the internal shape of a container holding the liquid to be sprayed, thereby causing its ejection. The liquid to be sprayed is then directed, by the swelling of the membrane, towards a discharge conduit. More specifically, according to current best practices, for proper discharge of the liquid, the air injection to inflate the membrane is carried out on one side of the container, and the liquid is discharged from the opposite side. Indeed, when the membrane swells on one side of the container, it will allow the liquid to be pushed from the opposite side of the container towards the drain pipe and thus allow its evacuation through said pipe. KR101966027B1 discloses a portable agrochemical sprayer capable of loading, supplying and returning liquid from a remote tank. It includes a storage tank, an electric pump, a power unit, a control device, three external suction, discharge and outlet hoses that can be connected in different configurations, a detachable lid with a bottom wall, a peripheral wall and an outlet port, an air-suction anti-overflow valve integrated into the lid, and a water level sensor that stops the pump when the tank is full. However, such devices with this type of spraying require a container for the specific liquid to be sprayed, a water or air inlet, and a liquid outlet on two opposite sides. Therefore, the container is specific to the device, and the device itself is bulky. The present invention therefore aims to solve the aforementioned problems by providing a closure device designed to cooperate with a pesticide container and configured to facilitate and enable the dispensing of the pesticide. Since the device is adaptable to various standard containers, it is convenient and economical, but also allows... a certain ergonomics of the agricultural spraying system for which the closing device is intended. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION More specifically, the invention relates to a closure device intended to cooperate with a hydraulic rinsing circuit, a pneumatic circuit for an agricultural spraying system, a pesticide outlet, and a pesticide container. The closure device comprises at least one bottom wall and at least one peripheral wall. The closure device is intended to close the container. The peripheral wall, projecting from the bottom wall, and the bottom wall itself, have at least three openings: a first opening, a second opening, and a third opening. The first opening is configured to be connected to the pesticide outlet, allowing the pesticide to be discharged from the container. The second opening is configured, on the one hand, to open in a sealed manner into an inflatable membrane and, on the other hand, to be connected to an inlet of the pneumatic circuit, so as to generate overpressure in the container by means of the expansion of the inflatable membrane by means of the pneumatic circuit. The third opening is configured to be connected to an inlet of the hydraulic rinsing circuit. The closure device according to the invention can be single-use or reusable. Its first opening allows the plant protection product contained in the container to which it is attached to be emptied. Its second opening allows the inflatable membrane to be inflated and deflated to facilitate the evacuation of the plant protection product from the container. Its third opening also allows the container and inflatable membrane to be rinsed. The closure device is adaptable to any type of container, standard or non-standard, and has the advantage of being compact, economical, and ergonomic. Advantageously, the closure device according to the invention further comprises an inflatable membrane, said inflatable membrane being connected to the second opening of the bottom wall, said inflatable membrane being configured to expand and/or contract by means of the pneumatic circuit, the inflatable membrane being disposed on the same side of the bottom wall as the peripheral wall. The inflatable membrane, through its expansion, generates overpressure within the container. Specifically, the inflatable membrane is connected to the second opening in the bottom wall and is configured to expand and/or contract via the pneumatic circuit. It is configured to expand and