What is claimed is:
1. A process for spraying a plot with a liquid spray composition, comprising the steps of:
(1) positioning in a field a mobile shielded plot sprayer having a permanent reservoir, such that the enclosed area defined by the wind shield of said sprayer covers the plot;
(2) adding a suitable quantity of a spray composition to the reservoir; and thereafter
(3) initiating operation of the spray assembly of said sprayer to move in a predetermined pattern across the plot and to spray the spray composition uniformly over the entire plot;
wherein steps (1) and (2) of said process are carried out in either order.
2. A process as set forth in claim 1 for consecutively spraying a plurality of plots with liquid spray compositions, further comprising the steps of:
(4) releasing unused spray composition from the reservoir and rinsing the reservoir; and
(5) repeating steps (1) to (4) on second and subsequent plots until all plots have been sprayed.
3. A process for spraying a plot with a liquid spray composition, comprising the steps of:
(1) positioning in a field a mobile shielded plot sprayer having a spray assembly adapted to receive a replaceable reservoir, such that the enclosed area defined by the wind shield of said sprayer covers the plot;
(2) coupling a replaceable reservoir containing a spray composition to the spray assembly of said sprayer; and thereafter
(3) initiating operation of said spray assembly to move in a predetermined pattern across the plot and to spray the spray composition uniformly over the entire plot;
wherein steps (1) and (2) of said process are carried out in either order.
4. A process as set forth in claim 3 further comprising the step of:
(4) uncoupling the replaceable reservoir from the spray assembly and removing the reservoir from said enclosed area through an aperture in the wind shield.
5. A method of applying a liquid spray composition to at least one plot using a mobile plot sprayer, the method comprising the steps of:
moving a mobile wind shield to a location over said one plot such that the plot is at least partially shielded from the wind;
delivering liquid spray composition from a reservoir having an outlet located within the wind shield to a spray assembly of the mobile plot sprayer located within the wind shield; and
moving the spray assembly in a pattern within the wind shield over the plot while spraying liquid composition.
6. A method as set forth in claim 5 further comprising the step of moving the reservoir outlet with the spray assembly in said step of moving the spray assembly in a pattern.
7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the step of moving the reservoir outlet comprises moving the reservoir with the spray assembly.
8. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein the mobile plot sprayer includes a frame supporting the wind shield, and wherein said step of delivering liquid spray composition comprises withdrawing liquid spray composition from the reservoir supported by a mobile plot sprayer frame.
9. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said step of delivering liquid spray composition comprises withdrawing liquid spray composition from the reservoir mounted on the spray assembly for movement therewith.
10. A method as set forth in claim 8 further comprising the steps of removing the reservoir from the mobile plot sprayer and replacing the reservoir with a new reservoir.
11. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein said step of removing the reservoir includes passing the reservoir and the new reservoir through an aperture in the windshield.
12. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of moving the spray assembly comprises the step of initiating operation of a computer program directing movement of the spray assembly over the plot.
13. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of moving the spray assembly comprises moving a second track along a first track supporting the second track within the wind shield and moving the spray assembly along the second track.
14. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of moving the spray assembly comprises moving the spray assembly exclusively within a single plane.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A propulsion unit for a boat, comprising a propeller, an internal combustion engine configured to drive the propeller, a gear change device configured to couple the engine and the propeller in at least one of a forward drive mode, a reverse drive mode and a neutral mode, a throttle valve configured to control an opening of a first intake passage of the engine, an idle speed control valve configured to control an opening of a second intake passage downstream of the first intake passage, and a control unit configured to control the idle speed control valve, wherein the control unit is configured to bring the engine to a first target rotational speed when the propeller is in the neutral mode, and to a second target rotational speed when the propeller is in the forward or reverse drive mode, wherein the first rotational speed is greater than the second rotational speed.
2. The propulsion unit of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine if the throttle valve is closed quickly or gradually and to adjust idle speed control valve differently based on whether the throttle valve is closed gradually or quickly.
3. The propulsion unit of claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to close the idle speed control valve after a predetermined period of time elapses after the throttle valve is closed quickly.
4. The propulsion unit of claim 3, wherein the predetermined period of time is determined based on a shape and aerodynamic characteristics of the boat.
5. The propulsion unit of claim 3, wherein the predetermined period of time is approximately 10 seconds.
6. The propulsion unit of claim 1, wherein the control unit is electronically coupled to a crank angle detection sensor and a throttle opening sensor.
7. The propulsion unit of claim 1, wherein the first rotational speed differs from the second rotational speed by at least about 500 rpm.
8. A control unit configured to regulate an idle speed of a boat engine, the control unit comprising a processor electronically coupled to a throttle opening sensor, wherein the processor is programmed to increase a target rotational idle speed of the engine to a first predetermined rotational speed when the engine is shifted to neutral and when the throttle opening sensor indicates that a throttle opening has been closed rapidly, wherein the processor is electronically coupled to an idle speed control valve for controlling the idle speed.
9. The control unit of claim 8, wherein the processor is further programmed to bring the target rotational idle speed of the engine to a second predetermined rotational speed when the engine is shifted to a forward drive mode or a reverse drive mode, wherein the second rotational speed is lower than the first rotational speed.
10. A method for controlling a boat engine, the method comprising:
determining whether a throttle valve of the boat engine is closed gradually or rapidly;
detecting when a transmission of the boat is shifted to a neutral mode from a forward drive mode; and
adjusting an idle speed control valve to thereby increase a target idle speed of the engine in the neutral mode relative to a target idle speed of the engine in the forward drive mode if the throttle valve is closed quickly.