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US 4,356,972 AGranted
Irrigation system and constant volume sprinkler head therefor
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorMerle A. Vikre
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNone recorded
InventorMerle A. Vikre
Estimating the term…
The disclosure is directed to a center pivot irrigation system capable of operation under high or low water pressure and a constant volume sprinkler head therefor, which together provide uniform water distribution over an agricultural field notwithstanding the presence of hills and valleys in the field, pressure fluctuations of the water source, friction losses or the direction or magnitude of the wind. The system employs a plurality of sprinkler heads each of which provides a constant volume of water to the annular area over which it travels. Because the annular areas increase in size and total water requirements with increasing distance from the center pivot, the water delivering capacity of each sprinkler head is chosen as a direct function of its radial distance from the center pivot, thus insuring the same water distribution to all points on the field. Each sprinkler head is designed to produce a widespread circular spray pattern that efficiently distributes the proper volume of water over its associated area with minimal losses to evaporation. This is accomplished by creating an upward jet of water that impinges on a water dispersion wheel, causing the wheel to rotate and throw the water radially outward. The undersurface of the wheel has two sets of water distributing grooves that create a dual circular spray pattern that uniformly distributes water over the associated flow area.
A spray head device for distributing a spray of water, comprising:
A spray head device for distributing a spray of water, comprising:
A spray head device for distributing a spray of water, comprising:
A spray head device for distributing a spray of water, comprising:
A spray head device for distributing a spray of water, comprising:
A spray head device for distributing a spray of water, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
With fixed deflectors: the liquid or other fluent material being symmetrically deflected about the axis of the nozzle
Watering arrangements making use of movable installations on wheels or the like: movable around a pivot centre
Designed to control volume of flow, e.g. with adjustable passages: the controlling element being actuated by the pressure of the fluid to be sprayed
Actuated downstream of the outlet elements: the liquid driven rotor being a deflecting rotating element
Term ended 2 Nov 1999 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The invention is generally related to water distributing systems and devices, and is specifically directed to a center-pivot, field irrigation system capable of operating at low or high water pressure, and a constant-volume sprinkler head for such irrigation systems.
Center-pivot irrigation systems typically comprise an extremely long water conduit "arm", which is pivotally connected at one end to a source of water under pressure. The conduit arm is carried in an elevated position, usually by a plurality of radially spaced wheeled towers which are powered by hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical motors to rotatably sweep the conduit arm through and over a circular field. The conduit arm includes a predetermined number of water sprinkling heads, which are radially spaced over its length and constructed to distribute a spray of water on the circular or annular field area over which they pass.
Center-pivot irrigation systems have strongly and successfully established themselves in the farming community. Although initially expensive, they presently represent one of the most efficient manners of irrigation, insuring that most of the crop receives an adequate supply of water and thus increasing crop yield.
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a low pressure, center-pivot irrigation system embodying the inventive concept;
FIG. 2 is a schematic and graphic representation of the irrigation system and one-half of the field which the system irrigates;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a single inventive sprinkler head in operation;
With initial reference to FIG. 1, a center-pivot irrigation system constructed for operation at low water pressures is represented generally by the numeral 11. Irrigation system 11 consists of an extremely long water conduit "arm", which is made up of a plurality of conduit sections 12a-12g which are serially connected to permit the flow of water over the entire length. One end of the conduit arm is pivotally connected to a source of water under pressure, such as a well pipe, and this connection is generally designated 13 in FIG. 1. The conduit arm is carried in an elevated position by a plurality of wheeled "towers" 14a-14g, the towers being disposed at the interconnection points of the conduit sections 12a-12g as shown. As such, there are the same number of towers as conduit sections; thus providing adequate support for the entire length of the water conduit arm. Supportive structure for each of the conduit sections 12a-12g is generally designated 15 in FIG. 1.
As is well known in the art, the wheeled towers 14a-14g are motivated hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically in a coordinated manner so that the conduit arm rotatably sweeps through and over a field relative to the center pivot 13.
Each of the conduit sections 12a-12g includes a plurality of water sprinkling or spray heads 16 which are equidistantly spaced over the entire length of the water conduit arm. With additional reference to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the irrigation system 11 is designed to irrigate a circular field having a diameter of 2800 feet, which is approximately 1/2 mile. Thus, the water conduit arm has a radial length of 1400 feet, and each of the 7 conduit sections 12a-12g is 200 feet. long and includes 20 equidistantly spaced spray heads 16 to distribute water over its associated annular area. Thus, this particular irrigation system includes 140 spray heads which are designed to deliver a predetermined volume of water as described in further detail below. It will be appreciated to the person of ordinary skill that this irrigation system is exemplary, and it is possible for the system to be of varying lengths, depending on the field size, with varying numbers of conduit sections. The irrigation system may also include a greater or lesser number of spray heads having different volume flow capabilities, the objective being to distribute a predetermined volume of water onto the field in a given amount of time as uniformly as possible.