Patent Application
20100258658
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a water outlet coupler for the water supply pipe of an irrigation system and more particularly to a water outlet coupler which is mounted at the bottom of the water supply pipe of a mechanized irrigation system. Even more particularly, this invention relates to a water outlet coupler which is mounted to the bottom of the water supply pipe of a center-pivot irrigation pipe and which has a riser tube projecting upwardly into the water supply pipe.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, irrigation systems such mechanized irrigation systems have used water outlets on the top of the water supply pipe in order to prevent debris in the irrigation water from plugging the small passages in the sprinklers attached to the outlet. The sprinklers were mounted on the top of the water supply pipe because debris typically settles in the bottom of the pipe and slides along the bottom of the pipe with the irrigation water. Debris is removed from the irrigation pipe through a series of flush-outs and drains located on the bottom of the pipe at regular intervals. Typically, a flush-out is located at the end of the machine and drains are located at each end of the spans.
Previous attempts using bottom-mounted couplers have not been successful because the debris in the irrigation water would easily plug the sprinklers attached to the outlet, resulting in poor water distribution along the machine and higher maintenance costs involved in the removal of the debris from the sprinklers.
Top-mounted water outlets were acceptable in the past because impact-type sprinklers were mounted on the top of the outlet. However, in order to minimize the evaporation losses, nearly all center pivot irrigation systems use a sprinkler hung well below the span, typically within the crop canopy. This sprinkler is attached to the top-of-the-pipe water outlet or coupler by means of a U-shaped pipe and a drop made from pipe or hose. The U-pipe is costly and adds complexity to the sprinkler plumbing.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
A water outlet or coupler is disclosed for use on the bottom of a water supply pipe of an irrigation system to prevent debris from the irrigation system plugging the small passages in the sprinklers attached to the outlet. The coupler of this invention comprises a substantially vertically disposed tube having an upper end portion with an upper end and a lower end portion with a lower end. The upper end of the upper end portion of the tube has a water inlet formed therein with the lower end of the lower end portion of the tube having a water discharge opening formed therein. The upper end portion of the tube extends into the interior of the water supply pipe so that the water inlet opening of the tube is spaced above the bottom of the water supply pipe to prevent debris, which is moving within the water supply pipe, from entering the water inlet opening of the upper end portion of the tube.
The lower end portion of the tube may have a hose barb configuration or threads so that a sprinkler drop tube may be secured thereto with the sprinkler drop tube having a sprinkler at the lower end thereof.
In the preferred embodiment, the coupler includes a flared stop, which is positioned thereon intermediate the upper and lower end portions of the tube adjacent the exterior surface of the bottom of the water supply pipe and is preferably welded thereto.
In a second embodiment of the invention, a coupling is welded to the bottom of the water supply pipe at each of the openings formed therein. A pipe plug is threadably secured to the lower end of the coupling at locations where irrigating water is not needed or desired. Where irrigation water is needed, or desired, a fitting is threadably secured to the lower end of the coupling. Each of the fittings include a riser tube, having an upper water inlet end, which extends upwardly through the coupling, through the associated opening in the water supply pipe into the interior of the water supply pipe. The upper end of the riser tube is spaced well above the bottom of the water supply pipe to prevent debris from entering the riser tube. The fitting has a water discharge tube extending downwardly therefrom to which a drop tube is secured.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an improved coupler which is positioned at the bottom of a water supply pipe and which has a tube extending upwardly into the interior of the pipe so that debris moving with the water and the water supply pipe does not enter the interior of the tube.
A further object of the invention is to provide a coupler of the type described which eliminates the need of a U-shaped pipe which normally would extend from the top of the water supply pipe or connection to a drop tube.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a coupler or water outlet which eliminates the plugging of sprinklers connected to the drop tube associated therewith.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.
Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.
In
The coupler 20 illustrated in
The water supply pipe 12′ includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart openings 40 formed therein at the bottom thereof. The coupler 20 is mounted on the water supply pipe 12 by inserting the upper end portion 22 of coupler 20 upwardly through the opening 40 until the stop 38 engages the exterior surface of the pipe 12′. The stop 38 is then welded to the exterior surface of the pipe 12. Although it is preferred that the coupler 20 be welded to the pipe 12′, the coupler 20 may be attached to the pipe 12′ by any convenient manner. The pipe 12′ and coupler 20 may be of any material but are typically steel. The pipe 12′ and the coupler 20 are typically hot-dipped galvanized for corrosion protection.
The shape of the upper end portion 24 is typically round, but may be of any shape, including an airfoil shape to minimize friction pressure loss in the pipe 12′. The shape or angle of the top of the tube 22 may be of any convenient design, but is typically parallel to the flow of the water.
As seen in
Those systems utilizing couplers on the bottom of the water supply pipe will either require a single coupler on the top of the pipe as illustrated in
Thus, it can be seen that a novel coupler has been provided for an irrigation system which eliminates the need of the costly U-shaped pipes 14 and which simplifies the sprinkler plumbing. It can also be seen that a unique coupler has been provided which prevents debris from entering the interior of the coupling due to the location of the upper end of the coupler well above the bottom of the pipe so that debris will not plug the sprinklers associated with the drop tubes.
A modified form of the invention is illustrated in
It may not be necessary or desirable to provide a fitting 54 at each of the couplings 52 along the length of the water supply pipe 12′ to irrigate a particular part of the field. In that case, a conventional pipe plug will be threadably secured to the coupling 52 to seal the lower end thereof.
It can therefore be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.
Although the invention has been described in language that is specific to certain structures and methodological steps, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures and/or steps described. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the claimed invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
