The disclosed technology generally relates to a sprinkler head, and more particularly to a rudder-directed tube delivery sprinkler head.
Various methods have been devised to distribute water and other liquids in a circular pattern among agricultural regions. One of the most common methods is through the use of impact sprinklers, which have acquired widespread use since the 1930s. As the name suggests, the impact sprinkler operates in a somewhat noisy and violent manner, and causes the water conduit to which it is attached to rotate and the sprinkler mechanisms to undergo stress. A need exists for improved method of distributing water and other liquids in a circular pattern with less noise and improved wear and tear on the sprinkler parts resulting in greater operating lifespan, plus decrease cost to manufacture.
The purpose of the Summary is to enable the public, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Summary is neither intended to define the inventive concept(s) of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the inventive concept(s) in any way.
Disclosed is a sprinkler head. Though it is described below as a water distributing sprinkler head to be used for agricultural irrigation and the like, practitioners in the art will appreciate that it is capable of distributing a variety of liquid materials, such as chemical solutions, as well. The sprinkler head's components may be made of metal, thermoplastic, or other substances or combination of substances to maximize durability and efficiency.
The sprinkler head is positioned at the end of a water delivery source, which is comprised of a water conduit with an attached water nozzle, which is broadly defined to mean any apparatus through which water is expelled from the end of the water delivery conduit. The water delivery conduit and water nozzle are commonly made of metals or durable plastics. The water delivery conduit and the water nozzle are centered around a first axis. The sprinkler head is typically attached to the water delivery source using complimentary threading, but other methods of attachment are possible.
The sprinkler head includes a cage, which has a first end, attached to the water delivery source, and a second end, which is spaced apart from the first end through the use of one or more arms.
A rotatable delivery assembly is attached to and positioned within the cage between the first end and the second end. In one embodiment, the delivery assembly is coupled to the second end of the cage. The second end may take various configurations to accept the delivery assembly. For example, the second end may contain an aperture through which a portion of the delivery assembly defining a bearing fits to secure it to the cage. In another embodiment, the second end may be generally planar and the delivery assembly may simply embrace the edges of the second end. Those skilled in the art will understand that other methods of coupling the delivery assembly to the cage are possible within the scope of the disclosed technology.
The delivery assembly is coupled to the cage such that the delivery assembly is able to rotate around the first axis. This can be accomplished using various methods. For example, the delivery assembly may attach to the second end through the use of an axle and bearing running through the second end aperture described above.
The delivery assembly includes a tube assembly and a rudder sub-assembly. The delivery assembly is configured such that, once the delivery assembly is attached to the cage, the tube assembly is able to rotate around a second axis normal to the first axis. In one embodiment, the delivery assembly also includes a hangar positioned between the tube assembly and the second end. The hangar is rotatably connected to the second end such that the delivery assembly remains able to rotate around the first axis, such as with the bearing/aperture configuration described above. The tube assembly is rotatably coupled to the hangar such that the tube assembly remains able to rotate around the second axis. In one embodiment, this is performed using pegs on the circumference of the hangar and holes near the top of the tube assembly such that, when the pegs are inserted into the holes, the tube assembly hangs freely and rotates around the second axis during operation. Other methods of attaching the tube assembly to the hangar may be used (hooks and loops, hinges, etc.).
It is necessary that the rotation of the tube assembly around the second axis be controlled to maximize the capture of water in the spray tubes as discussed below. Thus, the delivery assembly also includes limit arms that restrict the tube assembly's angle of rotation around the second axis. In one embodiment, the limit arms are attached to the tube assembly and configured to contact the hangar at the maximum desired angle of rotation, thereby stopping the tube assembly's rotation around the second axis, at a point of alignment of the tube to the stream of water.
The tube assembly contains a first spray tube and a second spray tube. Though shown in the figures and described herein as contoured cylinders, the tubes may be open on one side resembling a chute. Each spray tube has an input end, where the water enters the tube, and an output end, where the water leaves the tube. The first spray tube and second spray tube are configured such that, when the delivery assembly is positioned within the cage, the input ends of each of the spray tubes are adjacent and may be alternatingly centered above the water nozzle as allowed by the rotation of the tube assembly around the second axis.
The rudder sub-assembly has a rotatable rudder connected to a control arm. The rudder sub-assembly is attached to the tube assembly below the input ends of the spray tubes such that the rudder sub-assembly is able to pivot around a third axis parallel to the second axis. Because the rudder sub-assembly's angle of rotation also needs to be limited, the tube assembly is configured to restrict the rudder's angle of rotation around the third axis. This can be done by various methods, such as incorporating a physical boundary or brace on either side of the rudder sub-assembly inhibiting the rudder's rotation. The rudder sub-assembly is positioned such that the rudder is below and between the input ends of the spray tubes, and proximal to the water nozzle. This placement allows the rudder to engage with the water flow, causing the rudder sub-assembly and attached tube assembly to rotate around the second axis, thereby centering an input end over the water nozzle.
The sprinkler head includes one or more adjustable directional stoppers coupled to the cage and positionable such that, during sprinkler head operation, the control arm will come into contact with one or more of the directional stoppers, causing the control arm and attached rudder to pivot and engage the flow of water. The directional stoppers can be coupled to the cage through various methods. In one embodiment, the first end of the cage includes an inner rim containing one or more notches, and an outer rim containing one or more grooves. The directional stoppers can be adjustably coupled to the notches and/or grooves and positioned such that the control arm will contact the resistance of the directional stoppers causing the control arm and attached rudder to pivot. The directional stoppers may be removable to allow the sprinkler to rotate in a single direction as desired.
Upon the flow of water through the water delivery conduit and water nozzle, the flow will encounter the rudder, causing the rudder to pivot around the third axis and engage with the water such that the tube assembly is rotated around the second axis until the input end of a spray tube is centered over the water nozzle and the tube assembly's rotation around the second axis is stopped by a limit arm. Upon the filling of the engaged spray tube, the flow of water through the delivery assembly exerts a rotational force around the first axis, causing the delivery assembly to rotate around the first axis until the control arm contacts a directional stopper. Once the control arm contacts a directional stopper, the control arm and the rudder pivot around the third axis and engage with the water flow again, thereby forcing the rudder and attached tube assembly to rotate around the second axis in the opposite direction until the input end of the other spray tube is centered over the water nozzle and further tube assembly rotation is prevented by the other limit arm, at which point the process repeats, causing the delivery assembly to rotate in the opposite direction around the first axis.
The rudder sub-assembly may also include a retaining spring connected to the rudder/control arm and the tube assembly. The retaining spring is used to minimize the free movement of the rudder by allowing the rudder to pivot between the extreme ends of its angle of rotation, while otherwise maintaining the rudder at one of the extreme ends of its angle of rotation. As mentioned, the tube assembly is configured to restrict the rudder's angle of rotation around the third axis. Through the use of the retaining spring, the rudder will be held at a limit of its angle of rotation (i.e. against one of the braces) until encountering a force, such as the directional stopper contacting the control arm, sufficient to cause the rudder to pull away from one limit of its angle of rotation. As the rudder pulls away from one limit of its angle of rotation, it temporarily stretches the spring. As the rudder pivots past the inflection point and starts pivoting toward the other limit of its angle of rotation, tension on the spring begins releasing and the rudder comes to rest at the other limit of its angle of rotation. At either limit, there is sufficient tension on the spring to prevent the rudder and control arm from hanging freely under the tube assembly.
As described above, upon encountering the water flow the delivery assembly will turn around the first axis. To prevent the delivery assembly from turning too quickly or violently, the sprinkler head may incorporate the use of a dampener when connecting the delivery assembly to the cage. This dampener can be of various types, such as fluid or friction based, and is capable of modulating the speed at which the delivery assembly rotates around the first axis under a variety of water pressures. The modulation can be adjusted by the user.
Though the water will flow through the tubes in the general embodiment described above, it is within the disclosure to modify the tubes to affect the behavior of the water flow within the tube and after the water has exited the tube. For example, in one embodiment, the input ends of the first and second spray tubes is larger than each of the spray tubes' output ends, and the interiors of both of the spray tubes are tapered, increasing the speed and containment of the water upon exit. The interior of the first spray tube and/or second spray tube may also be contoured or otherwise modified with grooves, teeth, or steps such that the water simultaneously exiting from the output ends of the first spray tube and/or second spray tube travels different distances or in different spray patterns thereby enabling a larger area to be watered. It is within the scope of the disclosure that various combinations of tapering and contouring may be used in one or both spray tubes to achieve the desired behavior of the water or other fluid being distributed.
Although the disclosure identifies the spray tubes as “first” and “second,” these designations are not anatomically relevant to the function of the rudder sub-assembly. Rather, they are designated “first” and “second” for the purpose of describing the general operation of the sprinkler head.
Still other features and advantages of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description describing preferred embodiments of the inventive concept(s), simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out the inventive concept(s). As will be realized, the inventive concept(s) is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the inventive concept(s). Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive in nature.
While the presently disclosed technology is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the claimed technology to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the presently disclosed and claimed technology is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept(s) as defined in the claims.
The sprinkler head 10 further includes a rotatable delivery assembly 38 coupled to the cage 20 and positioned between the first end 22 and the second end 32. The delivery assembly 38 is configured to rotate around the first axis 18 and includes first and second spray tubes 52 and 54 which direct a stream of water outward from the sprinkler.
The tube assembly 40 includes a first spray tube 52 and a second spray tube 54, best shown in
As shown in
In the embodiment shown in
As shown most clearly in
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While certain exemplary embodiments are shown in the figures and described in this disclosure, it is to be distinctly understood that the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/248,150, filed Oct. 29, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62248150 | Oct 2015 | US |