Transmission device having an adjustable oscillating output for rotary driven sprinklers

A rotary drive sprinkler comprising a sprinkler housing for receiving a supply of water, a nozzle assembly means for directing water therefrom, said sprinkler housing having an output shaft means, said output shaft means having an axis, said output shaft means being connected to said nozzle assembly means, said output shaft means delivering the supply of water to said nozzle assembly means, a rotary drive assembly means for driving said output shaft means, said rotary drive assembly means having a shiftable drive assembly in said housing, said shiftable drive assembly having a pivoted gear cage with one drive gear, said gear cage being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis radially outward of said output shaft means axis, actuation means for changing the direction of rotation of said output shaft means, two alternately engageable counter rotating driving devices, said one drive gear of said gear cage of said shiftable drive assembly alternately connecting said alternately engageable counter rotating driving devices with said output shaft means for rotating said nozzle assembly means in opposite directions, overcenter spring means for holding said one drive gear of said gear cage in driving engagement with one of said alternately engageable counter rotating driving devices until said one drive gear of said gear cage is ready to be moved into its driving engagement with the other of said counter rotating driving devices, two angular limit contact means for contacting said actuation means for changing the direction of rotation of said output shaft means.

A rotary drive sprinkler comprising a sprinkler housing for receiving a supply of water, a nozzle assembly means for directing water therefrom, said sprinkler housing having an output shaft means extending therefrom, said output shaft means being connected to said nozzle assembly means having a reversing shiftable drive assembly in said housing, said supply of water being directed to said nozzle assembly means through said output shaft means, actuation means on said shiftable drive assembly for changing the direction of rotation of said output shaft means, said shiftable drive assembly having an engageable driving means for engagement with one of two counter rotating driving means on either side of a center position for rotating said nozzle assembly means in opposite directions, said reversing shiftable drive assembly having both of said driving devices out of engagement at said center position, spring biasing means for biasing said shiftable driving means for alternate driving engagement with said output shaft means on each side of said center position, two angular limit contact means for contacting said actuation means for changing the direction of rotation of said output shaft means, said actuation means including overcenter carry means for moving said shiftable drive assembly over its center position once the one of said counter rotating driving means has become disengaged from said output shaft means by the action of one of said two angular limit contact means.

An oscillating sprinkler unit, comprising:

• a sprinkler head mounted for rotation about a first axis;
• a drive motor;
• said drive motor having two counter rotating drive shafts, a reversible gear train for drivingly connecting said two counter rotating drive shafts for driving said sprinkler head in alternate directions, said reversible gear train comprising final drive gear means connected to said sprinkler head, said final drive gear means being a ring gear, shiftable drive means having a drive gear moveable to alternately engageable positions with said ring gear for driving said sprinkler head in alternate directions;
• said shiftable drive means having its drive gear pivotally mounted and providing driving engagement between one or the other of said two counter rotating driving gears with said ring gear and moveable between alternate shifting positions by engagement with arc control contact members, biasing means for maintaining said shiftable drive means in a selected one of said alternately engageable positions until positively shifted therefrom by said arc control contact members.

An oscillating transmission for use with an oscillating sprinkler head having an output ring gear, said output ring gear having an axis, a gear cage means with a shiftable pinion gear pivotally mounted thereon for driving said output ring gear, said shiftable pinion gear being in continuous engagement with said output ring gear, a first input drive gear for clockwise rotation and a second input drive gear for counter-clockwise rotation for alternately driving said shiftable pinion gear to oscillate said output ring gear, means mounting said gear cage means for pivotal movement on an axis radially outward of said output ring gear axis, reversing toggle means mounted for pivotal movement on said output ring gear axis adjacent said gear cage means, a single interacting overcenter biasing means mounted between said reversing toggle means and said gear cage means for biasing said gear cage means for continuously maintaining a driving engagement bias on said shiftable pinion gear until said reversing toggle means passes over the center of said overcenter biasing means at which time said gear cage means is simultaneously reversed for maintaining the gear cage means in the alternate driving engagement position, means for moving said reversing toggle means to move it over its center position to bias said gear cage means and said reversing toggle means in the opposite direction, and said means for moving said reversing toggle means being rotatable with said output ring gear.

A rotary drive sprinkler comprising a sprinkler housing for receiving a supply of water, a nozzle assembly means for directing water therefrom, said sprinkler housing having an output shaft means, said output shaft means having an axis, said output shaft means being connected to said nozzle assembly means, said output shaft means delivering the supply of water to said nozzle assembly means, a rotary drive assembly means for driving said output shaft means, said rotary drive assembly means having a shiftable drive assembly in said housing, said shiftable drive assembly having a reversing shiftable drive means being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis radially outward of said output shaft means axis, actuation means for changing the direction of rotation of said output shaft means, two alternately engageable counter rotating driving devices, said reversing shiftable drive means alternately connecting said alternately engageable counter rotating driving devices with said output shaft means for rotating said nozzle assembly means in opposite directions, biasing means for holding said reversing shiftable drive means in driving engagement with one of said alternately engageable counter rotating driving devices until said reversing shiftable drive means is ready to be moved into its driving engagement with the other of said counter rotating driving devices, two angular limit contact means for contacting said actuation means for changing the direction of rotation of said output shaft means.