Flow control device particularly useful in drip irrigation emitters
OwnerAmir Coheninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flow control device particularly useful as a drip irrigation emitter includes a housing having a housing including a plurality of inlet openings defining a plurality of filtering inlet passageways to communicate with a pressurized fluid, an outlet opening, and a connecting passageway connecting the inlet openings to the outlet opening, and a pressure-deformable elastomeric membrane having a edge overlying the inlet openings and deformable to change the effective cross-sectional areas thereof in a dynamic manner in response to the pressure of the pressurized fluid.
Claims20
A flow control device, comprising:
- a housing including a plurality of inlet openings defining a plurality of filtering inlet passageways to communicate with a pressurized fluid, an outlet opening, and a connecting passageway connecting said plurality of inlet openings to said outlet opening;
- and a pressure-deformable elastomeric member having at least one edge overlying at least some of said plurality of inlet openings and deformable to change the effective cross-sectional areas thereof in a dynamic manner in response to the pressure of the pressurized fluid.
A flow control device, comprising:
- a housing including a plurality of inlet openings defining a plurality of filtering inlet passageways to communicate with a pressurized fluid during operative periods when the fluid is under an operative pressure, starting periods when the fluid pressure builds up to the operative pressure, and ending periods when the fluid pressure drops down from the operative pressure;
- said housing including an outlet opening, and a connecting passageway connecting said plurality of inlet openings to said outlet opening;
- and a pressure-deformable member located with respect to said plurality of inlet openings, and deformable in response to the fluid pressure, to decrease the effective cross-sectional areas of the inlet openings during said operative periods such that the inlet openings filter out solid particles from the fluid entering the housing, and to increase the effective cross-sectional areas of the inlet openings during said starting and ending periods such that solid particles are flushed through the housing inlet openings and through said outlet.
A flow control unit for an irrigation emitter, comprising:
- a housing including a plurality of inlet openings defining a plurality of filtering inlet passageways to communicate with a pressurized fluid during operative periods when the fluid is under an operative pressure, starting periods when the fluid pressure builds up to the operative pressure, and ending periods when the fluid pressure drops down from the operative pressure;
- said housing including an outlet opening, a control passageway connecting said plurality of inlet openings to said outlet opening, and an elastomeric membrane defining at least a part of said control passageway;
- said membrane being located with respect to said inlet openings, and deformable in response to the fluid pressure, to decrease the effective cross-sectional areas of the inlet openings during said operative periods such that the inlet openings filter out solid particles from the fluid entering the housing, and to increase the effective cross-sectional areas of the inlet openings during said starting and ending periods such that solid particles are flushed through the housing inlet openings and through said outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.