Exclusive Test Drive with the Imperador 4000 Eco Spray

Our experiences with Stara tests have always provided us with good field trips and knowledge of technological advances. When testing the Imperador 3.0 for issue 192 of February 2019, we had the pleasure of getting to know a versatile machine that can be a self-propelled sprayer, a solid product distributor and a pneumatic seeder at the same time. With it, we had the opportunity to test the ramp capacity, the ease of adjusting the equipment's track gauge and its innovative cabin with the Topper controller, autopilot and telemetry. In May of last year, we had the pleasure of testing the Imperador 2500, shortly after its launch at the Cascavel Rural Show. In two versions, Intermediate and Top, Carazinho was the location of our test. On this occasion, we highlight the independent wheel system, providing three operating modes, the recirculation system, which provides homogeneity in the spray solution and accuracy in the concentration during application. This sprayer was already equipped with the Topper controller model 5500 VT, highlighting its ease of interaction and automatic functions.

For all these reasons, motivated to learn about yet another piece of Stara technology, we went to Não-Me-Toque to test the Imperador 4000 sprayer, equipped with the innovative Eco Spray, which is a technology based on Artificial Intelligence, for detecting plants and selectively applying herbicides. In addition to this differential, other new features of Imperador will be highlighted, which is considered one of the sprayers with the most technology in the country.

As always, motivation is a characteristic of the Stara team, helping us to get to know the machine and its technical details and to carry out the field test. Something that also caught our attention was the perfect understanding between the marketing and engineering areas, who were with us the whole time, informing us of the details of the equipment, its design and detailed operation of each technological item.

Vehicle

To fully understand the proposal of the Imperador 4000 Eco Spray self-propelled sprayer, let's start by describing the vehicle, which is responsible for moving, transporting and operating all the other technology and spraying systems. It is worth making it clear that all the features that will be discussed in the Imperador 4000 are also available in the Imperador 3000, including the Eco Spray technology. The engine that powers this sprayer is a Cummins, six-cylinder, with a maximum power of 295 hp, electronic fuel injection management and a turbo intercooler system, which is located at the rear of the machine. This same engine powers the Imperador 3000, which has a maximum power of 260 hp. The fuel tank has a capacity of 400 liters of diesel oil, while the hydraulic system has an 80-liter oil reservoir.

The transmission of engine power to the wheels is hydroelectronic and has angle sensors that distribute the hydraulic flow independently to each wheel, contributing to traction on inclined terrain. A differential of this equipment is the presence of the dynamic brake, which decelerates the machine automatically, without adjustment on the joystick, resuming the operating speed when releasing the brake pedal.

The drive wheel motors are from Bosch's Rexroth brand, with 380/90 R46 radial tires. The intelligent four-wheel rotation technology allows each wheel motor to operate independently, promoting stability on uneven terrain. To minimize the vehicle's trail areas, the rear axle waits to turn, trying to pass in the trail of the front wheels.

The vehicle's suspension is active pneumatic with air bags. The track is hydraulically adjustable, ranging from 2,90 m to 3,50 m, and can be configured with the vehicle moving at speeds above 5 km/h, using the Topper 6500 monitor, directly from the cabin, without the need for tools. The equipment also allows adjustment of the ground clearance height, which can vary between 1,60 m and 2 m. The wheelbase is 4 m.

The chassis of the Imperador 4000 has two side members, which are responsible for providing the structure to the assembly. An interesting solution adopted by Stara's engineering team was to separate the hydraulic line from the electrical line. The hydraulic fluid hoses pass through the left side member and all the electrical wiring harnesses through the right side member.

Cabin

The Imperador 4000 cabin, designed and manufactured by Stara, has been remodeled, increasing the operator's space by 40% compared to smaller models. It has a large glazed area, which improves visibility, both to the front and to the sides and rear of the equipment. As expected in equipment of this quality, the cabin is pressurized, ensuring insulation against dust, vapors and mists from agricultural pesticides.

We checked the efficiency of the air conditioning system, which maintains an adequate internal temperature for both hot and cold weather. The operator's seat has air suspension and customizable adjustments, reducing the impact of vibrations resulting from field work. The controls are ergonomically arranged on the right-hand side console and integrated into the Topper 6500 monitor, placed on the side of the console. All machine functions, including the operation of applying liquid products, are centralized in the controller.

Spraying system

The Imperador 4000 has a 4.000 l spray tank, centralized on the chassis, equipped with a mechanical agitator, by a stainless steel propeller, positioned at the bottom of the tank, with speed control and a hydraulic agitator, both responsible for homogenizing the spray. A 400 l clean water tank is used for self-cleaning the system and washing the packaging.

The supply, both of water and ready-mix, can be done through a nozzle located on the front of the machine or underneath on the quick-connect connection, with a self-filling pump that allows the tank to be filled in approximately five minutes, or even through the side incorporator, which has undergone recent improvements.

The mixer is one of the items that has undergone modifications in relation to previous models. Although it remains in the same location, it has been redesigned to improve the operation and safety of the operator and the cleaning of the bottles. With a capacity of 40 liters, it is equipped with two switches on the side of the machine, which allow the spray pump to be activated without having to access the cabin. It is also possible to activate an auxiliary pump that pressurizes a hose system with a gun, useful for washing bottles. The bottom of the mixer has a spray tip, facilitating the dissolution of solid products. A valve allows the flow coming from the product tank or the clean water tank to be changed.

The system is pressurized by a Hypro Force Field pump (wet seal), designed to operate even in the absence of liquid, preventing the seal from heating up.

One of the highlights of the technology is the self-cleaning system. The main pump sucks water from the clean water reservoir, distributing it among the booms and recirculating it between the spray nozzles, closing the return. This prevents the accumulation of residues in points that could obstruct the system, especially when applying fungicide mixtures. The process, activated by a command from the Topper 6500 monitor, lasts about two minutes. Recirculation is continuous and covers the entire spray pipe. Once the pump is turned on, recirculation begins, and is continuous, even with the nozzles turned off and the booms closed, ensuring homogeneity.

Also noteworthy are the self-cleaning filters, placed in series, with 80 and 100 mesh meshes, which retain particles from the spray solution. In this system, the residues are returned to the tank, preventing saturation of the filters and clogging of the tips.

The sprayer uses a double line of nozzles, installed in trijet nozzle holders, allowing changes in operating speed without compromising flow or droplet spectrum, ensuring operational efficiency during application. When working with lower flow rates, only one line of nozzles is used, considering its coverage. The factors that would cause the second line to be used are pressure limits and operating speed. The nozzle-to-nozzle technology, also present, enables individual control of each spray tip.

The spray bars, placed in the central position, can be 30 or 36 meters long in this model, with a spacing of 50 cm between nozzles and adjustable height from 80 cm to 3 m, when equipped with the raise and lower system. One of the advantages is that the centralization of the bar improves the distribution of weight over the wheels, as the cabin is located more over the front axle, and the engine is over the rear axle, with the spray tank and the bars closer to the center of gravity.

To contain the vertical and horizontal oscillation, which is natural in large application bars, a set of hydraulic accumulators, shock absorbers and springs were installed, which provide stability to the bar.

The booms feature the Blue Beam lighting system, which ensures good visibility during night-time applications and contributes to operational efficiency. To incorporate Eco Spray technology, which adds approximately 80 kg to the set, the booms were restructured and reinforced, ensuring the necessary strength to support the new configuration. This is one of the reasons why Eco Spray cannot be installed on sprayers in use.

Eco Spray

Our main focus in this test drive was the Eco Spray technology. Developed by Stara, in conjunction with Bosch and Basf, it performs localized spraying of liquid products, mainly herbicides, aiming to reduce the use of chemical products, save water and increase operational efficiency.

For the 30-meter bar, the system uses 31 Bosch artificial intelligence (AI) cameras and 31 flashes distributed along the bar, positioned every meter. The cameras capture up to 15 images per second, reading the scene and processing the data locally. This configuration eliminates the need for a processing center, which would reduce the response time of the ends. For the 36-meter bar, the number of cameras and LEDs increases to 37, as there will always be one at each end of the bar.

The flashes are made up of LEDs that reflect chlorophyll, through infrared and near infrared, helping to avoid the shadow effect, which can arise when the machine moves, enabling different scenarios.

The parameters adopted by the system are the operating mode, sensitivity and operating height. As for the operating mode, the system can work in green on brown and green on green modes.

In green on brown mode, which is the most commonly used in pre-planting desiccation, the equipment will differentiate everything that is green on the brown background and apply the liquid product. In green on green mode, the other parameters will be considered. The first of these refers to the four sensitivity levels (1,44 cm²; 16 cm²; 64 cm²; 225 cm²) and the second to the application height, which will be 0,80 m or 1,05 m (with a 25 cm margin). The operator sets the parameters using the Topper 6500 monitor, including the target crop. The system is fully operational for soybeans, corn and cotton. For these three crops, there are already plant architecture standards and there will be no application in the line. A pulsed solenoid valve opens and closes by command from the Topper 6500. Therefore, in green on brown mode, Artificial Intelligence detects chlorophyll in weeds, while in green on green mode it differentiates the weed from the crop, based on an image bank developed in partnership with Bosch and Basf.

Limitations of the technology include a maximum speed of 20 km/h and restrictions by phenological stage: V5 for soybeans, V4 for corn and V8 for cotton.

The system has two ultrasonic sensors on the bars to control height. If a distance greater than the defined margin is detected, all nozzles will be activated to ensure continued application.

If the customer wishes to purchase the Imperador 4000 without Eco Spray technology, they will have the equipment with all the features, and the opening and closing of the nozzles will be controlled by a ball valve, a very reliable and practical system.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Eco Spray technology, we tested its operation in two very different conditions. The first was in an area with corn residue and green invasive plants distributed throughout the area. When activating the system and programming it to green on brown mode, the nozzles were intermittently opened only in the areas where there were invasive plants, while in most of the area, the nozzles remained off. The monitor showed the sprayer's path on the screen, and against a dark green background, the light green spots where the product had been applied could be seen. In addition to the display on the screen, the controller created an application map, showing the locations where the product was applied.

In this situation, in addition to seeing the proportion of areas applied to the places where the nozzles remained closed, the controller calculates the amount of product applied in relation to what it would have consumed if it had been applied to the entire area. In the particular situation of our test, a saving of 87% of product was detected in relation to a conventional application to the entire area.

Ironically, when we left the test area we saw a sprayer applying the same conditions, with conventional equipment. This is a time when some agricultural technologies are adopting themes such as sustainability and carrying out practices appropriate to environmental conservation.

To verify the green-on-green operating mode, we moved to an adjacent area where there was uniform coverage of spontaneous soybean plants with invasive plants mixed in. Adopting this pattern, and to ensure the system was working, we removed the green cover from the soil, opening an area with the exposed surface without the residues. By passing part of the boom over this space, the system was able to read the brown and stop the application, in addition to detecting the soybean plant patterns, of course.

Incidentally, all the evaluations we performed and the demonstration of the system by Stara technicians were done with clean water, without the presence of any chemical product in the tank. Stara's protocol states that, once a piece of equipment is used for an application with a chemical product, it will no longer be used for testing, demonstrating and presenting the sprayers.

Topper 6500 Controller Monitor

The new Topper 6500 controller, installed in the Imperador 3000 and 4000 models, allows full control of the spraying system, with operational adjustments and real-time monitoring. One of its features is the generation of real-time maps of the localized application, which can be analyzed later to support decisions on agronomic management.

The Topper 6500 is integrated with a weather station, which assesses environmental conditions during spraying. If a parameter indicates unfavorable conditions, the system sends alerts to the operator, who can decide whether to stop or continue the operation. Environmental data is also converted into maps, which can be overlaid on application maps, allowing assessment of the quality of the operation.

Conecta System and Operator Portal

Stara provides its customers with the Conecta system, which allows remote technical support between the operator and the factory team in real time. Through internet connectivity and activation on the Topper 6500 monitor, Stara technicians can access the equipment remotely to perform diagnostics, calibrations, updates and operational guidance. This functionality reduces machine downtime, eliminates unnecessary travel and contributes to the continuity of operations, especially during critical application periods.

The Operator Portal is a digital platform, also offered by Stara, where virtual training and technical content on the functioning and operation of machines are made available, allowing the user to deepen their knowledge and optimize the use of the equipment.

Test location

The test drive was carried out in a commercial area in the municipality of Não-Me-Toque (RS). We were assisted in this field evaluation by Stara's Product Marketing employees, engineers Thomas Liska, who is product marketing coordinator, Matheus Henrique Baumgratz, who is product marketing analyst, and Augusto Posser, product marketing analyst. From the Engineering and Product area, we were supported by engineers Cícero Roessler, product manager, and William Gomes, product engineer. Public relations officer Andressa Ficanha also accompanied us on this test.

Jose Fernando Schlosser,
Lucas Hemsing Bratz,
Natalia do Nascimento Garcez,
Agrotechnology Laboratory/Nema/UFSM