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US 5,400,973 AGranted
Pressure responsive regulated flow restrictor useful for drip irrigation
OwnerAmir Coheninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drip irrigation emitter includes a plurality of baffles defining a labyrinth in which the baffles form clearances of different heights with respect to one of the housing walls, and in which either the housing wall or the baffles are displaced to open or close the clearances sequentially, thereby varying the resistance of the labyrinth to the flow of fluid therethrough in response to variations in the pressure of the fluid at the housing inlet.
Claims20
A regulated flow restrictor device particularly useful as a drip irrigation emitter, comprising:
- a housing having an inlet opening connectible to a source of pressurized fluid, an outlet opening, and a passageway including first and second opposed walls connecting the inlet opening to the outlet opening;
- one of said walls being displaceable towards and away from the other wall;
- and a plurality of baffles extending transversely of, and longitudinally spaced between, said first and second walls to define a flow-restrictor imposing a resistance to the flow of the fluid through said passageway in order to restrict the flow therethrough;
- said baffles defining clearances with said passageway walls, which clearances, by the displacement of said displaceable wall, vary the resistance of the flow of the fluid through said passageway in response to variations in the pressure of said pressurized fluid;
- characterized in that said clearances are of increasing height in the direction from one of said openings towards the other of said openings such that the clearances are sequentially closed with increasing pressure of said pressurized fluid to maintain a substantially uniform flow to and through the housing outlet opening in response to variations in the pressure of said pressurized fluid.
2 more elements
A regulated flow restrictor device particularly useful as a drip irrigation emitter, comprising:
- a housing having an inlet connectible to a source of pressurized fluid, an outlet, and a passageway including first and second opposed walls connecting the inlet to the outlet;
- a plurality of baffles extending transversely of, and longitudinally spaced between, said first and second walls to define a flow-restrictor imposing a resistance to the flow of fluid through said passageway;
- said baffles being carried by said first passageway wall and terminating short of said second passageway wall to define clearances therebetween;
- said second passageway wall being an elastomeric membrane which is displaceable with respect to said first passageway wall and said baffles carried thereby in response to variations in the pressure at said housing inlet;
- said housing being formed with a longitudinally-extending cavity occupied by said baffles;
- said elastomeric membrane being secured over said cavity such that the membrane overlies said baffles and defines clearances with respect thereto;
- said housing being formed at said opposite sides of the cavity with longitudinally-extending edges to which the opposite edges of the membrane are secured, said housing being further formed with an inclined surface inclined from each of said longitudinally-extending edges towards said cavity such that the complete membrane between said opposite edges thereof is initially displaceable towards said baffles until contacting said inclined surfaces, and then only the portion thereof between said inclined surfaces is displaceable towards said baffles.
4 more elements
A regulated flow restrictor device particularly useful as a drip irrigation emitter, comprising:
- a housing having an inlet connectible to a source of pressurized fluid, an outlet, and a passageway including first and second opposed walls connecting the inlet to the outlet;
- a plurality of baffles extending transversely of, and longitudinally spaced between, said first and second walls to define a flow-restrictor imposing a resistance to the flow of the fluid through said passageway;
- and pressure-responsive means for controlling the resistance of said flow restrictor to the flow of the fluid therethrough in response to variations in the pressure of the fluid at said housing inlet;
- said pressure-responsive means including clearances between said baffles and one of said passageway walls, and means for effecting relative displacement between said one passageway wall and said baffles to increase or decrease said clearances, and thereby to vary the resistance of said flow restrictor to the flow of fluid therethrough in response to variations in the pressure of the fluid at the housing inlet;
- said plurality of baffles defining a first labyrinth, said passageway including a second labyrinth defined by another plurality of baffles extending transversely of, and longitudinally spaced between, said first and second passageway walls, said second labyrinth being at the inlet side of said first labyrinth, and the baffles of said second labyrinth extending completely across said first and second passageway walls such that the resistance to the flow of the fluid imposed by said second labyrinth is not affected by variations in the pressure at the housing inlet.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.