Methods and apparatus for transporting emitters and/or manufacturing drip line
AssigneeRain Bird Corporation
InventorsBerj Zakarian, Raymond P. Feith, Mark Richard Edris, Mark M. Ensworth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for transporting or delivering elastomeric emitters and inserting elastomeric emitters into drip line are disclosed herein, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for manufacturing drip line to form an irrigation assembly or system. In one form, the apparatus comprises a feeder, conveyor, emitter drive mechanism and guide bar for insertion into an extruder to bond the elastomeric emitter to an inner surface of the extruded tube. Friction reducing apparatus and methods are further disclosed as well.
Claims21
An apparatus for transporting elastomeric emitters comprising:
- a feeder for dispensing emitters;
- a conveyor coupled to the feeder on a first end and connected to an emitter drive mechanism on a second end;
- an emitter drive mechanism aligned with and coupled to the second end of the conveyor and including a controller for operating the drive mechanism to drive emitters in a desired direction and at a desired pace or interval;
- and
- a guide bar coupled to the emitter drive mechanism and moveable between a first position wherein the guide bar is at least partially disposed within an extruder so that the guide bar may be used to bond emitters to tubing extruded from the extruder and a second position wherein the guide bar is removed from the extruder so that the extruder may be used to make tubing without emitters, wherein at least one of the conveyor and guide bar define at least one recess for receiving a portion of an emitter dispensed by the feeder so that a remainder of the emitter rests substantially on an upper surface of the conveyor and/or guide bar.
An apparatus for manufacturing drip line with elastomeric emitters comprising:
- a feeder for dispensing emitters;
- a conveyor coupled to the feeder on a first end and connected to an emitter drive mechanism on a second end;
- an emitter drive mechanism aligned with and coupled to the second end of the conveyor and including a controller for operating the drive mechanism to drive the elastomeric emitters in a desired direction and at a desired pace or interval;
- a guide bar coupled to the emitter drive mechanism and moveable between a first position wherein the guide bar is at least partially disposed within an extruder so that the guide bar may be used to bond the elastomeric emitters to tubing extruded from the extruder and a second position wherein the guide bar is removed from the extruder so that the extruder may be used to make tubing without emitters, wherein at least one of the emitter drive mechanism and guide bar include at least one recess for receiving a portion of an emitter dispensed by the feeder so that a remainder of the emitter rests substantially on an upper surface of the conveyor and/or guide bar;
- and
- a bonding mechanism for bonding the elastomeric emitter to the tubing extruded from the extruder to form drip line with elastomeric emitters.
An apparatus for transporting emitters comprising:
- a feeder for dispensing emitters;
- a conveyor coupled to the feeder on a first end and connected to an emitter drive mechanism on a second end;
- an emitter drive mechanism aligned with and coupled to the second end of the conveyor and including a controller for operating the drive mechanism to drive emitters in a desired direction and at a desired pace or interval;
- and
- a guide bar coupled to the emitter drive mechanism, wherein at least one of the conveyor, emitter drive mechanism and guide bar define at least one recess for receiving a protruding portion of an emitter dispensed by the feeder so that a remainder of the emitter rests substantially flat on an upper surface of the conveyor, emitter drive mechanism and/or guide bar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.