Rotary sprinkler

A rotary sprinkler, which comprises:

• (a) an oscillating drive for watering an arc segment on the ground, wherein the arc segment has an angular extent between spaced side boundaries of the arc segment which angular extent is determined by an arc of rotation provided by the oscillating drive, wherein the arc of rotation provided by the oscillating drive is determined by an angular distance between two arc limit stops, and wherein the two arc limit stops are angularly adjustable relative to one another to adjust the angular distance between the two arc limits and thereby to adjust the arc of rotation provided by the oscillating drive to adjust the angular extent of the arc segment;
• (b) a rotary nozzle assembly coupled to the drive such that the rotary nozzle assembly is oscillated by the drive back and forth to water the adjustable arc segment;
• and
• (c) an arc indicator having two sides with each side of the arc indicator remaining aligned with one of the side boundaries of the arc segment regardless of the rotary nozzle assembly's instantaneous position during oscillation of the rotary nozzle assembly to absolutely indicate to the user the arc segment's direction, and wherein the angular distance between the sides of the arc indicator corresponds to the angular distance between the two arc limit stops to represent the angular extent of the arc segment.

A rotary sprinkler, which comprises:

• (a) a nozzle assembly for ejecting water from the sprinkler;
• (b) an oscillating drive operatively coupled to the sprinkler for oscillating the nozzle assembly back and forth through an arc of rotation to water an arc segment with the arc segment having an angular extent determined by the arc of rotation through which the nozzle assembly oscillates, wherein the oscillating drive is adjustable to vary the angular extent of the arc segment;
• and
• (c) an arc indicator comprising an indicator band having a visible length which varies in accordance with the angular extent of the arc segment such that the indicator band appears longer as the angular extent of the arc segment increases and the indicator band appears shorter as the angular extent of the arc segment decreases whereby the visible length of the indicator band visually represents the angular extent of the arc segment.

A rotary sprinkler which has adjustable part circle operation, which comprises:

• (a) an oscillating, reversible drive for providing oscillating rotation during part circle operation, wherein the drive includes two angularly spaced arc limit stops that provide torque to a shiftable toggle member to toggle the toggle member to reverse the drive;
• (b) a rotary nozzle assembly coupled to the drive for rotation therewith;
• and
• (c) a stop assembly which is rotationally adjustable relative to the toggle member, wherein the stop assembly carries one arc limit stop and the toggle member carries the other arc limit stop such that rotational adjustment of the stop assembly relative to the toggle member moves the one arc limit stop angularly towards and away from the other arc limit stop to provide for adjustable part circle operation, the one arc limit stop normally being disengaged from the toggle member to allow for rotational movement of the stop assembly to provide angular adjustment of the one arc limit stop relative to the other arc limit stop but momentarily engaging the toggle member when the one arc limit stop is engaged by a trip tab to reverse the drive.

A rotary sprinkler which is adjustable between part circle and full circle operation, which comprises:

• (a) an oscillating, reversible drive for providing oscillating rotation during part circle operation, wherein the drive includes two angularly spaced arc limit stops that cooperate with a trip mechanism for shifting the drive to reverse the drive;
• (b) a rotary nozzle assembly coupled to the drive for rotation therewith;
• (c) an angularly adjustable stop assembly carrying one arc limit stop to allow the one arc limit stop to be angularly moved towards and away from the other arc limit stop to provide for adjustable part circle operation;
• and
• (d) wherein the one arc limit stop automatically moves vertically whenever the one arc limit stop is spaced 360° from the other arc limit stop to move the one arc limit stop vertically out of engagement with the trip mechanism to thereafter provide full circle operation of the drive.

A rotary sprinkler which has adjustable part circle operation, which comprises:

• (a) an oscillating, reversible drive for providing oscillating rotation during part circle operation;
• (b) a rotary nozzle assembly coupled to the drive for rotation therewith;
• and
• (c) a buckling spring assembly having first and second over-center, bi-stable positions with the buckling spring assembly being in the first bi-stable position when the drive provides rotation to the nozzle assembly in a first direction and with the buckling spring assembly being in the second bi-stable position when the drive provides rotation to the nozzle assembly in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction;
• and
• (d), wherein the buckling spring assembly comprises:
• (i) a compression spring having opposite ends;
• (ii) first and second pivot members that are spaced from one another with the pivot members having pins or dowels that generally face one another, wherein the opposite ends of the compression spring are received on the facing pins or dowels such that the compression spring extends between and is connected to the first and second pivot members;
• and
• (iii) wherein pivoting motion of the first pivot member relative to the second pivot member causes the compression spring to buckle between the ends of the spring as the buckling spring assembly moves from one bi-stable position towards another bi-stable position with such buckling motion of the compression spring then causing the second pivot member to pivot to reverse the drive.

A rotary sprinkler which has adjustable part circle operation, which comprises:

• (a) an oscillating, reversible drive for providing oscillating rotation during part circle operation;
• (b) a rotary nozzle assembly coupled to the drive for rotation therewith;
• and
• (c) a buckling spring assembly having first and second over-center, bi-stable positions with the buckling spring assembly being in the first bi-stable position when the drive provides rotation to the nozzle assembly in a first direction and with the buckling spring assembly being in the second bi-stable position when the drive provides rotation to the nozzle assembly in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction;
• and
• (d), wherein the buckling spring assembly comprises:
• (i) a common base plate;
• (ii) first and second pivot members pivotally connected to the base plate by first and second pivot pins that extend outwardly from one side of the base plate with the first and second pivot pins being parallel to one another, wherein the first pivot member is pivotally received on the first pivot pin and the second pivot member is pivotally received on the second pivot pin and when the first and second pivot pins are so received they are spaced from one another along the base plate;
• and
• (iii) a compression spring extending along the base plate with the compression spring having first and second ends, wherein the first end of the compression spring is attached to the first pivot member and the second end of the compression spring is attached to the second pivot member with an intermediate portion of the compression spring being unsupported such that the compression spring can buckle between its ends in the intermediate portion of the compression spring as the first pivot member is pivoted relative to the second pivot member.

A method of manufacturing rotary gear drives for a rotary sprinkler which drives provide both continuous and intermittent rotation, which comprises:

• (a) manufacturing a continuous version of the sprinkler drive which comprises providing:
• (i) a turbine at a lower end of the drive;
• (ii) a gear train including a plurality of speed reducing gear stages stacked above the turbine with the gear stages being located in a gear case, the turbine being operatively coupled to the gear train to rotate the gear train including its speed reducing gear stages when the turbine is rotated at a particular speed by water flowing past the turbine;
• (iii) an output gear located outside of the gear case and operatively connected to the gear train such that the output gear has a slower rotational speed than that of the turbine;
• and
• (iv) wherein the gear train comprises a plurality of normal gears with regularly shaped teeth to provide continuous rotation of the output gear;
• and
• (b) manufacturing an intermittent version of the sprinkler drive which comprises manufacturing the continuous version of the sprinkler drive except that multilated gears are used in place of some of the normal gears in the gear train of the continuous version of the sprinkler drive.

A friction clutch for preventing damage to a rotary drive of a rotary sprinkler during periods of forced rotation of a nozzle assembly of the sprinkler, which comprises:

• (a) a driving gear on the rotary drive which driving gear is provided with a cylindrical hub having a plurality of vertically extending teeth;
• (b) a driven member fixed to the nozzle assembly, the driven member also having a cylindrical hub with a plurality of vertically extending teeth;
• (c) wherein the cylindrical hubs on the driving gear and the driven member are concentrically positioned relative to one another with one hub concentrically received inside the other hub such that an annular channel is formed between the hubs, and wherein the vertically extending teeth on the two hubs are located on radially inner and outer sides of the channel, respectively, with the teeth of one hub on one side of the channel being spaced from the teeth of the other hub on the other side of the channel so that the teeth of one hub on one side of the channel do not directly engage the teeth of the other hub on the other side of the channel;
• and
• (d) a friction material arranged in the channel between the two hubs to transfer torque from the driving gear to the driven member to rotate the nozzle assembly, the friction material normally transferring torque between the driving gear and the driven member but allowing the driven member to slip relative to the driving gear to prevent damage to the rotary drive when torque above a certain level is imposed on the driven member by forced nozzle rotation.

A friction clutch for preventing damage to a rotary drive of a rotary sprinkler during periods of forced rotation of a nozzle assembly of the sprinkler, which comprises:

• (a) driving and drive members having annular arrays of clutch teeth that are concentrically arranged relative to one another with one annular array of clutch teeth being concentrically received inside the other annular array of clutch teeth;
• (b) an elastomeric O-ring located between the annular arrays of clutch teeth to transfer torque between the annular arrays of clutch teeth to thereby cause the driving member to drive the driven member;
• and
• (c) wherein the O-ring is pre-lubricated in a high viscosity lubricating oil.

A nozzle assembly for a rotary sprinkler in which the nozzle assembly ejects a stream of water to one side of the nozzle assembly as the nozzle assembly is rotated by a rotary drive, which comprises:

• (a) a nozzle housing;
• (b) a nozzle cradle pivotally carried on the nozzle housing for pivoting motion relative to the nozzle cradle about a substantially horizontal pivot axis;
• (c) a nozzle carried in the nozzle cradle with the nozzle having an outlet for ejecting a stream of water, wherein the trajectory of the water stream ejected by the nozzle is raised and lowered as the nozzle cradle is pivoted upwardly and downwardly;
• and
• (d) a radius adjustment screw carried in the nozzle cradle such that a lower end of the radius adjustment screw can move progressively out of and into the water stream exiting from the nozzle as the radius adjustment screw is screwed up and down on the nozzle cradle, the radius adjustment screw moving with the nozzle cradle as the nozzle cradle is pivoted upwardly and downwardly relative to the nozzle housing such that the radius adjustment screw once adjusted maintains a constant position relative to the nozzle even as the trajectory of the nozzle is adjusted.

A nozzle assembly for a rotary sprinkler in which the nozzle assembly ejects a stream of water to one side of the nozzle assembly as the nozzle assembly is rotated by a rotary drive, which comprises:

• (a) a nozzle housing having a top cover;
• (b) a nozzle carried in the nozzle housing for ejecting stream of water therefrom, the nozzle being pivotal relative to the nozzle housing to raise and lower the trajectory of the water stream;
• (c) a radius adjustment screw that pivots in concert with the nozzle to maintain a fixed relationship to the nozzle after the radius adjustment screw has been adjusted, the radius adjustment screw having a shank and an enlarged head which may be engaged by a tool for adjusting the radius adjustment screw;
• and
• (d) wherein the enlarged head of the radius adjustment screw is received on top of a flexible portion of the top cover of the nozzle housing to be accessible from above the nozzle housing with the shank of the radius adjustment screw passing down through an opening in the top cover, wherein the flexible portion of the top cover can flex or tilt relative to a remaining portion of the top cover to accommodate the tilting of the shank of the radius adjustment screw that occurs when the trajectory of the water stream is adjusted by pivoting the nozzle.

A rotary sprinkler, which comprises:

• (a) a drive for providing rotation;
• (b) a rotary nozzle assembly coupled to the drive for rotation therewith, the rotary nozzle assembly including a water supply tube for bringing a water flow to the nozzle assembly to allow the water flow to be ejected from the nozzle assembly;
• and
• (c) a flow shut off valve having a portion thereof extending into and through at least a portion of the water supply tube, the portion of the flow shut off valve received inside the water supply tube having at least one stream straightening vane located thereon.

A rotary sprinkler, which comprises:

• (a) a drive for providing rotation;
• (b) a rotary nozzle assembly coupled to the drive for rotation therewith, the rotary nozzle assembly including a water supply tube for bringing a water flow to the nozzle assembly to allow the water flow to be ejected from the nozzle assembly;
• (c) various adjustments provided in the drive and the rotary nozzle assembly for varying operational characteristics of at least one of the drive and the rotary nozzle assembly, the various adjustments being operable from above the rotary nozzle assembly through a top cover containing various indicia relating to the adjustments;
• and
• (d) wherein the indicia is laser etched onto the top cover.