The present invention relates to sprinklers used to water turf and other landscaping, and more particularly, to nozzles used in such sprinklers that disperse water relatively short distances in a fan-shaped water distribution pattern.
Many parts of the world have inadequate rainfall at different times of the year sufficient to sustain non-native vegetation, such as lawns, playing fields, golf course, flowers, shrubs and other ground cover. Irrigation systems have been extensively developed that include a plurality of sprinklers connected to pressurized water supply lines and solenoid actuated valves. An electronic controller automatically turns the valves ON and OFF in accordance with the run and cycle times of a watering program to provide vegetation in different zones of the sprinkler system with the desired amount of precipitation. A wide variety of sprinklers have been developed for use in such systems, including drip, bubbler, impact drive, spray, rotary stream, and rotor type sprinklers.
Spray type sprinklers are well known in the irrigation art and typically include a spray nozzle that is screwed to the upper end of a fixed vertical riser or a telescoping vertical riser in the case of a so-called pop-up sprinkler. The spray nozzle is usually a generally cylindrical construction made of plastic parts. Typically a fixed orifice distributes water radially in a relatively thin fan-shaped pattern to close-in vegetation, e.g. turf and shrubs located seventeen feet or less from the spray nozzle. The size of the fixed orifice is chosen to provide, for example, one-quarter, one-half and full circle arc of coverage. The size of the fixed orifice can also be selected to deliver a particular flow rate in terms of gallons per minute, although arc size largely determines flow rate. Usually the fixed orifice is sized and configured to provide matched rates of precipitation over a given sector size. For example, a one-quarter circle arc spray nozzle will typically deliver water at half the rate of a one-half circle arc spray nozzle of the same design. Conventional spray nozzles often include a small throttling screw that can be turned with a screwdriver from the top side to adjust the flow rate of the sprinkler, which can also adjust the reach or radius to some degree. Examples of conventional irrigation spray nozzles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,189,099; 4,739,934; 5,642,861; and 6,158,675. Some spray type sprinklers include an internal pressure regulator as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,148 for example. Some spray type sprinklers include an internal debris strainer or screen as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,352.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,285 granted Apr. 1, 1986 to Edwin J. Hunter and entitled ADJUSTABLE SPRINKLER SYSTEM discloses an irrigation spray nozzle with an adjustable arc spray orifice that can be adjusted from about zero degrees to three hundred and sixty degrees. One of two opposing spiral peripheral lips can be rotated relative to the other via a top screw to change the circumferential length of the nozzle orifice formed between the two lips. The height of the upper lip relative to the lower lip can also be adjusted with the same screw in order to change the flow rate for a preselected arc of coverage. This invention alleviates the necessity of manufacturing spray nozzles with different spray patterns and it has therefore enjoyed widespread commercial success, however, it is more expensive to manufacture than conventional fixed-arc irrigation spray nozzles.
Landscape maintenance personnel, gardeners, homeowners and the like often require the ability to inspect the nozzle from the top of the sprinklers to verify or determine whether the correct nozzle is installed. Most sprinklers are installed in a subterranean manner so that their upper ends are level with the surface of the ground or turf. Nozzle inspection is easiest when it is not necessary to manually pull up the riser to see any arc size or flow rate indicators. Color indications for nozzle radius and/or flow rate are common in the irrigation industry. The color is often in the base or inner part of the sprinkler, because customers do not like to have the complete nozzle colored, preferring a less apparent black top. A less visible color marking is acceptable to most customers and can be used to facilitate top-down visual inspection. Some sprinkler nozzles use an additional part that is colored and attached to the top of the nozzle. This is costly and the part can come off. Some sprinkler nozzles have a painted surface for color identification. This is also costly and the paint can wear off the nozzle.
A common way to indicate arc size on a spray nozzle is to mold a series of radially extending ridges on the top side of the outer ring of the nozzle which extend circumferentially the same distance as the arc of the spray pattern, e.g. one-half circle. However these ridges are tiny and are made of the same black plastic as the remainder of the nozzle and are therefore extremely difficult to observe from the top side of a pop-up sprinkler.
The water distribution pattern of an irrigation spray nozzle is conventionally produced with a hole in a lower inlet part and a peg from an upper nozzle part that enters the hole. The peg has details that allow flow through the hole and out of the nozzle. An upper deflector area above the peg opening controls the water distribution. The peg opening is usually a section of a round hole or notch. The control of the pattern using a deflection of the flow is not precise and produces spikes and voids along the intended edges.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pop-up irrigation sprinkler with an improved construction that allows easier top-down visual inspection of the water distribution pattern and/or flow rate of its nozzle orifice.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an irrigation spray nozzle with an improved shape of the orifice that corresponds to the intended water distribution pattern.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a spray nozzle with both an improved construction that allows easier top-down visual inspection of the water distribution pattern and/or flow rate of its nozzle and an improved shape of the orifice that corresponds to the intended water distribution pattern.
In accordance with a first aspect of our invention, an exterior portion of an irrigation spray nozzle with a top side viewable from above the turf or ground surface mates with a base portion of the nozzle to define a nozzle orifice and a flow path leading to the nozzle orifice. The base portion has at least one projection that extends through an aperture in the exterior portion and provides an indication that is visible when viewing the top side and that represents a water distribution pattern and/or flow rate of the nozzle orifice.
According to second aspect of our invention an exterior portion of the nozzle defines either an inner arc section of the nozzle orifice or an outer arc section of the orifice. A base portion of the nozzle defines a complementary inner or outer arc section of the nozzle orifice that is radially spaced from the other arc section. An improved water distribution pattern is achieved without the spikes and voids associated with conventional spray nozzle orifices.
Referring to
Referring to
In the case of the spray nozzle 12, the visible indication of flow pattern and/or rate is achieved as a result of a unique two-piece construction. The exterior portion 26 is injection molded of a suitable plastic having a first color, preferably black and having chemical additives to provide ultraviolet (UV) resistance to limit degradation of the plastic and fading of the color otherwise caused by sunlight. The base portion 28 is injection molded of a different suitable plastic having a second contrasting color, such as orange, and also having chemical additives to provide UV resistance. The tips of the projections 34 and 36 thus stand out from the black plastic of the surrounding exterior portion 26 and their contrasting color will not wear away or fade substantially due to sunlight. The color of the projections 34 and 36 is uniquely associated with a particular water distribution pattern such as one-half circle. It may also be associated with a particular flow rate or radius.
An improved water distribution pattern is achieved as a result of the unique construction of the nozzle orifice 30 and its associated flow path 32 without the spikes and voids normally associated with conventional spray nozzle orifices. The improved nozzle orifice 30 is intended for less than full circle water distribution patterns such as one-quarter circle, one-half circle and so forth. The exterior portion 26 of the spray nozzle 12 defines an inner arc section 38 (
The exterior portion 26 includes a downwardly extending sleeve 42 (
The base portion 28 has a horizontal ring 46 (
Referring to
The size of the fixed orifice 30 is chosen to provide, for example, one-quarter, one-half and full circle arc of coverage. The size of the fixed orifice can also be selected to deliver a particular flow rate in terms of gallons per minute, although arc size largely determines flow rate. Usually the fixed orifice 30 is sized and configured to provide matched rates of precipitation over a given sector size. For example, a one-quarter circle arc spray nozzle will typically deliver water at half the rate of a one-half circle arc spray nozzle of the same design. The flow rate of the orifice 30 is determined by the radial distance between the inner arc section 38 and the outer arc section 40, and the circumferential length of these sections, which together determine the overall size of the opening for the flow of water out of the spray nozzle 12.
While we have described a preferred embodiment of our invention, those skilled in the irrigation sprinkler art will appreciate that invention may be modified in both arrangement and detail. For example an irrigation spray nozzle can incorporate only the improved visual identifier aspect of our invention, or only the improved nozzle orifice construction, or both. The visual identifier need not be formed by mating parts molded of different color plastics, but instead the any projection that protrudes from the base portion, or some other part of the spray nozzle, through the exterior portion could have a painted tip, a molded flag, a reflector or some other device to provide a visual indication of the water distribution pattern, or flow rate, or both. The projections could extend from some other structural component of the spray nozzle besides the exterior portion or the base portion and could even be separate discrete insertable elements. In addition, this visual identifier could be used in sprinklers besides the spray type, e.g. rotor type sprinklers. Our invention, when embodied in an irrigation spray nozzle, could be used on fixed risers or on telescoping risers in pop-up sprinklers. It is not necessary in order to achieve the benefits our invention that a sprinkler equipped with our new nozzle be provided with a pressure regulator or a grit screen. The base portion could define the inner arc section and the exterior portion could define the outer arc section, which is the converse of the arrangement illustrated and described herein in conjunction with the preferred embodiment. Therefore, the protection afforded our invention should only be limited in accordance with the scope of the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4189099 | Bruniga | Feb 1980 | A |
4579285 | Hunter | Apr 1986 | A |
4739934 | Gewelber | Apr 1988 | A |
4913352 | Witty | Apr 1990 | A |
4939797 | Goettl | Jul 1990 | A |
5050800 | Lamar | Sep 1991 | A |
5524824 | Frimmer | Jun 1996 | A |
5642861 | Ogi et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5779148 | Saarem et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
6145758 | Ogi et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6158675 | Ogi | Dec 2000 | A |
6488218 | Townsend et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6530531 | Butler | Mar 2003 | B2 |
6622933 | Young et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20050045737 A1 | Mar 2005 | US |