Rotating stream sprinkler with ball drive

A rotating stream sprinkler, comprising:

• a base adapted for mounting onto an upper end of a tubular riser adapted in turn for connection to a supply of water under pressure;
• a deflector rotatably mounted on said base, said deflector having an underside surface defining an array of vanes disposed in spaced relation above said base, said array of vanes extending generally upwardly relative to said base and then curving smoothly to extend generally radially outwardly with a selected angle of inclination, said plurality of vanes defining a corresponding plurality of intervening flow channels, said deflector further including an upper surface defining a radially outwardly inclined ramp;
• at least one jet port formed in said base for directing at least one water jet generally upwardly into engagement with said vanes, said vanes subdividing and redirecting said at least one water jet into a plurality of relatively small water streams projected generally radially outwardly therefrom;
• a ball drive rotor mounted for rotation relative to said deflector and having at least one radially outwardly open ball track formed therein;
• each of said at least one ball track having a drive ball movably carried therein and rollingly supported on said inclined ramp, said drive ball having a size and mass for radially outward displacement along said ball track by centrifugal force in response to rotor rotation exceeding a predetermined rotational speed;
• a generally cylindrical wall upstanding from the periphery of said deflector upper surface;
• at least one anvil protruding generally radially inwardly from said wall for repetitious impact engagement by said drive ball upon rotor rotation exceeding said predetermined rotational speed for rotatably displacing said deflector through a repetitious succession of relatively small rotational step;
• and
• a turbine drive arrangement for rotatably driving said rotor at a rotational speed exceeding said predetermined rotational speed.

A rotating stream sprinkler, comprising:

• a rotatable deflector having an underside surface defining an array of vanes and an upper surface defining a radially outwardly inclined ramp;
• at least one jet port for directing at least one water jet into engagement with said vanes, said vanes subdividing and redirecting said at least one water jet into a plurality of relatively small water streams projected generally radially outwardly therefrom;
• a drive rotor for rotatably driving said deflector;
• a turbine drive arrangement including a turbine, a drive shaft rotatably connecting said turbine with said rotor for rotatably driving said rotor, and a swirl plate having at least one swirl port formed therein for providing a circumferentially swirling water flow for rotatably driving said turbine;
• and
• a flow rate adjustment assembly for variably adjusting water flow to the sprinkler, said flow rate adjustment assembly including a rotatable adjustment screw, an adjustment nut axially translatable on said screw upon rotation thereof, and a resilient restrictor element having at least one flow channel formed therein, said restrictor element being compressible by said nut upon rotation of said screw for varying the cross sectional size of said at least one flow channel thereby variably throttling water flow to the sprinkler;
• said drive shaft further including a tool member engageable with said adjustment screw for rotatably adjusting said screw, said drive shaft being axially movable between a first position with said tool member in spaced relation with said adjustment screw and a second position with said tool member engaged with said adjustment screw, said drive shaft being normally supported in said first position during normal operation by the pressure of water supplied to the sprinkler.