Power-assisted docking station for mobile irrigation apparatus
AssigneeNelson Irrigation Corporation
InventorsJoseph D. SINDEN, Rex D. NESS, Chad D. LEINWEBER, Craig NELSON
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile irrigation apparatus includes a frame assembly supporting at least one sprinkler and adapted for movement in a first direction along a path in a field to be irrigated; a docking station suspended from the frame assembly and adapted to engage and open one or more supply valves in a hydrant located in or adjacent the path for movement in a second direction substantially transverse to the first direction, and at least one power actuator arranged to move the docking station in the second direction in response to at least one sensor to thereby facilitate lateral alignment of the docking station with the hydrant.
Claims16
A mobile irrigation apparatus comprising:
- a machine frame assembly supporting at least one sprinkler and adapted for movement in a first linear direction along a path in a field to be irrigated;
- a trolley supported on said machine frame assembly and moveable along said machine frame assembly in said first linear direction;
- a frame carrying a docking station supported on said trolley for movement in opposite lateral directions substantially perpendicular to said first linear direction;
- said docking station resiliently suspended from said frame for floating movement in at least three mutually perpendicular directions, including in said first linear direction, said opposite lateral directions and in a vertical direction;
- said docking station adapted to automatically align with and as said machine frame assembly moves along the path, engage a hydrant and open a supply valve in the hydrant;
- and
- at least a first lateral alignment power actuator arranged to move said frame and said docking station relative to said trolley in one of said opposite lateral directions in response to at least one lateral alignment sensor to thereby facilitate lateral alignment of said docking station with the hydrant.
Linear water feed apparatus for use in agricultural irrigation comprising:
- a wheel-mounted truss assembly supporting a plurality of individual sprinklers and adapted for movement in a specified linear direction across a field to be irrigated, the truss assembly oriented transverse to the specified linear direction;
- a supply pipe arranged in said specified linear direction along or within the field to be irrigated, said supply pipe mounting a plurality of water supply hydrants at spaced locations along said supply pipe, each of said hydrants enclosing a water supply valve;
- and
- a docking station supported on said truss assembly and adapted to engage and open successive ones of said water supply valves in said plurality of hydrants;
- wherein said docking station is resiliently supported for limited free-floating movement in at least said linear direction, in a vertical direction and in opposite lateral directions relative to said truss assembly;
- and wherein movement in said opposite lateral directions is supplemented by plural power-assist actuators.
A mobile irrigation apparatus comprising:
- a machine frame assembly supporting at least one sprinkler and adapted for movement in a first linear direction along a path in a field to be irrigated;
- a trolley supported on said machine frame assembly and moveable along said machine frame assembly in said first linear direction;
- a frame carrying a docking station supported on said trolley for movement in at least opposite substantially horizontal and opposite substantially vertical directions;
- and
- a first pair of power actuators arranged to move said frame and said docking station in said opposite substantially horizontal directions;
- and
- a second pair of power actuators arranged to move said docking station in said opposite substantially vertical directions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.