Valve Priming and Depriming Real-Time Detection of Primed and Unprimed Control Valves on Precision Agricultural Sprayers

This patent describes a control system for an agricultural sprayer that can tell whether each individual control valve is currently primed with product or running dry, by comparing sensor readings against a learned primed-state threshold. The idea is that the rig knows in real time which nozzles are ready to deliver chemical and which are not, reducing wasted spray and missed coverage on a precision agriculture machine.

The Problem

Modern agricultural sprayers carry tens of individually controlled valves feeding nozzles across long booms. To hit per-square-metre application targets they need to switch valves on and off rapidly, and they need each valve to deliver product instantly when commanded. A valve that has not been primed, where the line still contains air or has lost prime through agitation, settling or extended idle time, will not deliver product even though the controller thinks it has been opened. The result is gaps in coverage that are difficult to detect from the cab and often only become visible weeks later as missed weeds or patchy crop response. Conversely, a valve that the controller treats as unprimed when it is in fact primed will waste cycle time on a priming routine that is not needed. A reliable way to determine the prime state of each valve in real time would close that loop.

What This Invention Does

The patent provides a system for applying an agricultural product that includes at least one control valve with a moveable valve operator. Sensors monitor one or more characteristics of each control valve, for example pressure, position or flow. A valve controller compares the monitored characteristics against a primed valve characteristic threshold and classifies the valve as being in a primed or unprimed state. The classification can then drive priming routines, application logic and operator alerts so the machine never sprays through, or pretends to spray through, a valve that is not delivering product.

The disclosure covers the sensors, the threshold comparison logic and the integration with the application control system, including how the threshold can be set or learned for a given valve and product combination.

Key Features

• Per-valve prime-state classification. Each control valve is individually evaluated as primed or unprimed rather than being inferred from system-level pressure.
• Threshold-based comparison. A characteristic such as pressure or position is compared to a threshold representative of the primed state, giving a deterministic, auditable decision.
• Sensor-flexible architecture. The patent allows the prime check to use any of several valve characteristics, so OEMs can adapt it to the sensor stack already on a given machine.
• Closed-loop priming control. The classification can trigger priming cycles automatically and stop them as soon as the valve confirms primed, reducing wasted product and time.
• Operator-facing feedback. The state is available to be surfaced to the cab interface, supporting better real-time decision making during application.

Who Is Behind It

The applicant is Raven Industries, Inc., a long-established South Dakota company and a major supplier of precision agriculture electronics, sprayer controls and autonomous tillage technology, now part of CNH Industrial. The named inventors are Justin Krosschell, Travis Allen Burgers and Drew John Waltner. The Australian application is a divisional of AU 2022382950 and traces back to PCT/US2022/048981 and US provisional 63/276,144. The Australian patent attorney of record is listed on the title page.

Why It Matters

Australia’s broadacre cropping sector relies heavily on imported precision sprayer technology, and incremental gains in nozzle reliability translate directly into chemical savings, reduced off-target movement and better weed control. With increasing regulatory and market pressure to reduce chemical use, every percent of wasted spray that can be avoided has commercial and environmental value. Patent protection on the prime-state logic positions Raven to enforce against direct copying by competitors in the Australian market and to license the approach into companion equipment.

Related Concepts

• Precision agriculture – the broader category this control system lives in.
• Variable-rate application – the dosing strategy that depends on every valve performing as commanded.
• Solenoid valve – a common control valve type used in agricultural sprayer manifolds.
• Closed-loop control – the feedback architecture the prime-state signal feeds into.
• Agricultural spraying – the field operation the patent ultimately supports.

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AU 2026201878 was published in the Australian Official Journal of Patents on 2 April 2026 and is open for public inspection. Patent applications represent inventions that are sought to be protected and do not necessarily reflect commercially available products.