IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0234049
(2005-09-23)
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등록번호 |
US-7458527
(2008-12-02)
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우선권정보 |
IL-155053(2003-03-24) |
발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Plastro Irrigation A.C.S. Ltd.
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대리인 / 주소 |
Heslin Rothenberg Farley &
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
7 인용 특허 :
9 |
초록
▼
A revolving sprinkler comprises a rotatable turret assembly revolving around a rotation axis and formed with mouthpiece(s) suited to sprinkle liquid under pressure. The revolving sprinkler accommodates exchangeable mouthpieces with different throughputs-nozzle to rotation axis distance relationships
A revolving sprinkler comprises a rotatable turret assembly revolving around a rotation axis and formed with mouthpiece(s) suited to sprinkle liquid under pressure. The revolving sprinkler accommodates exchangeable mouthpieces with different throughputs-nozzle to rotation axis distance relationships, without changing a rotation velocity of the turret assembly.
대표청구항
▼
The invention claimed is: 1. A revolving sprinkler that comprises: a rotatable turret assembly rotatable around a rotation axis, wherein said assembly is adapted to receive a flow of a liquid under pressure, a first mouthpiece for mounting in said assembly to sprinkle said liquid at a first predete
The invention claimed is: 1. A revolving sprinkler that comprises: a rotatable turret assembly rotatable around a rotation axis, wherein said assembly is adapted to receive a flow of a liquid under pressure, a first mouthpiece for mounting in said assembly to sprinkle said liquid at a first predetermined throughput at a given liquid pressure; said mouthpiece including a nozzle having a flow outlet located at a first moment arm linear distance from said rotation axis, and wherein liquid exiting the nozzle imparts to said assembly a driving moment that causes rotation of the turret assembly around said rotation axis; and a base assembly that serves as a bearing for rotation of said rotatable turret assembly around said axis and routes said flow of liquid under pressure to said turret assembly; and a second mouthpiece, for replacing said first mouthpiece, the second mouthpiece sprinkles said liquid at a second predetermined throughput at the given pressure, the second mouthpiece including a nozzle having a flow outlet located at a second moment arm linear distance from said rotation axis when the second mouthpiece is mounted in said turret assembly in place of said first mouthpiece, said second throughput being different from the first throughput and said second distance being different than said first distance; and wherein, said second distance is such that after replacing said first mouthpiece by said second mouthpiece, the driving moment that causes the rotation of said turret assembly remains essentially equal to the driving moment generated when said first mouthpiece was mounted in the assembly. 2. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first throughput comprises a relatively large throughput, said second throughput comprises a smaller throughput, and said first linear distance is smaller than the second linear distance. 3. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a third mouthpiece mounted along with said first mouthpiece in said assembly, each one on a different side of said rotation axis and directions of liquid jets exiting from the first and third mouthpieces being essentially in opposition one to the other. 4. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 1, wherein the nozzle of said first mouthpiece includes a flow inlet to be coupled to said flow of liquid under pressure and a flow outlet, and said first mouthpiece is rotatable around a second axis enabling adjustment of an elevation angle of liquid exiting the flow outlet. 5. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 4, wherein said first mouthpiece is rotatable around said second axis by approximately 180�� providing for occasional turn of said flow outlet directly to the flow of said liquid under pressure, for flushing said nozzle. 6. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a braking mechanism that is coupled to said rotatable turret assembly for reducing rotation velocity of said turret assembly. 7. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 6, wherein said braking mechanism comprises a viscous damping mechanism, that comprises: a revolving dynamic assembly that constitutes a part of said rotatable turret assembly; a static component that is located in relative proximity to said revolving dynamic component, said static component and said dynamic component together demarcate a sealed basin; and a viscous liquid that fills said demarcated basin and opposes movement of said dynamic assembly relative to said static component. 8. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base assembly comprises: a no-drain check valve means for preventing drainage of the liquid via said sprinkler when the pressure decreases. 9. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base assembly further comprises: a cylinder component adapted to be connected to means for conveying said liquid flow under pressure, said cylinder component including an internal flow conduit means for routing said flow of said liquid under pressure to said rotatable turret assembly. 10. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: pop up means for up-righting said rotatable turret assembly to an operating position above a ground surface upon a rise in pressure of said liquid, and for convergence of said rotatable turret assembly to a storage state under the ground surface when said pressure drops. 11. A method for maintaining essentially constant a rotation velocity of a revolving sprinkler even under large throughput variations, the method comprising: providing a turret assembly rotatable around an axis, said assembly being adapted to be coupled to a flow of a liquid, providing a first mouthpiece for mounting in said assembly to sprinkle said liquid under pressure at a first preset throughput at a given liquid pressure, said mouthpiece including a nozzle having a flow outlet located at a first moment arm linear distance from said axis of said assembly so that flow of liquid from the nozzle of said mouthpiece imparts on said assembly a driving moment causing assembly rotation; and providing a base assembly that serves as a bearing for rotation of said rotatable turret assembly around said axis and routes said flow of liquid to said turret assembly; and providing a second mouthpiece for selectively replacing said first mouthpiece, said second mouthpiece having a second throughput at the given liquid pressure different than said first throughput, and including a nozzle having a flow outlet located at a second moment arm linear distance from said axis different than said first moment arm linear distance, such that, after said first mouthpiece is replaced by said second mouthpiece, said driving moment causing the rotation of said rotatable turret assembly around the axis remains essentially equal to the driving moment generated when said first mouthpiece was mounted in said assembly. 12. A method for maintaining a rotation velocity of said sprinkler essentially constant in accordance with claim 11, further comprising: providing a braking mechanism coupled to said rotatable turret assembly for slowing down the rotation velocity in accordance with said driving moment. 13. A revolving sprinkler comprising: a turret assembly rotatable around a rotation axis, said assembly having an inner space that can be coupled to a flow of liquid under pressure, and two brackets that are essentially located in a plane perpendicular to said rotation axis, wherein each of said brackets is positioned on a respective opposing side of said rotation axis and the brackets are mutually parallel and coupled to flow of liquid from said inner space; and said rotatable turret assembly further comprises: two mouthpieces each adapted to be installed at a respective bracket of said brackets, each mouthpiece having a nozzle having a flow inlet and a flow outlet and, wherein after installing each of said mouthpieces at the respective bracket, the flow outlet of the nozzle of a first mouthpiece of said two mouthpieces points in a direction essentially opposite to the flow outlet of the nozzle of a second mouthpiece of said two mouthpieces, and said flow outlets are situated at given moment arm linear distances from said rotation axis of said rotatable turret assembly, and said flow inlets of said nozzles are coupled to the flow of said liquid under pressure; and said revolving sprinkler further comprises: a static base assembly that serves as a bearing for rotating said rotatable turret assembly around said axis; and said base assembly has an internal conduit for routing said flow of said liquid under pressure into said inner space of said turret assembly, and whence, via said brackets, to said nozzles of said two mouthpieces, and from the nozzle flow outlets, outwards, so that outwards flow of said liquid from said flow outlets of said nozzles, impart to said turret assembly a driving moment that causes assembly rotation relative to said base assembly; and said revolving sprinkler further comprises: a viscous damping mechanism coupled to said rotatable turret assembly for slowing down rotation velocity of the assembly, the mechanism including: a revolving dynamic component that constitutes a part of said rotatable turret assembly; a static component affixed to said base assembly and located in relative proximity to said revolving dynamic component, said static component together with the revolving dynamic component demarcate a sealed basin; and a viscous fluid filling said sealed basin which opposes motion of said revolving dynamic assembly relative to said static component; and wherein at least one mouthpiece of said two mouthpieces is adapted to be dismantled from the respective bracket at which said at least one mouthpiece is installed, and further comprising another mouthpiece, that replaces said at least one mouthpiece and differs from said at least one mouthpiece, in throughput of said exiting liquid from a flow outlet at a given liquid pressure, and in moment arm linear distance of said flow outlet from said rotation axis, wherein even after replacing said at least one mouthpiece by said another mouthpiece, said driving moment that brings about the rotation of said turret assembly remains essentially equal to said driving moment generated when said first mouthpiece was mounted in said turret assembly, whereby rotation velocity of said rotatable turret assembly remains essentially constant as an outcome of essentially constant driving moment exerted on the assembly, whether said at least one mouthpiece is installed in said rotatable turret assembly or if rather said another mouthpiece is installed in said rotatable turret assembly. 14. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 13, wherein when said one mouthpiece adapted to be dismantled is suited to a relatively large throughput, and said linear distance is smaller than the linear distance of a replacing mouthpiece suited to a smaller throughput. 15. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 13, wherein said base assembly further comprises: a piston assembly having an inner conduit for routing said flow of said liquid under pressure into said inner space of said turret assembly, and said piston assembly adapted for linear movement together with said rotatable turret assembly along said rotation axis of said rotatable turret assembly; and said base assembly further comprises: a cylinder component adapted to be connected to a means for conveying said flow of a liquid under pressure, and dimensioned to include said piston assembly within said cylinder component, while providing a bearing for said linear movement of said piston assembly relative to said cylinder component, concurrently leaving a space between the cylinder component and said piston assembly; and said base assembly further comprises: a bracket assembly with a flow passage, that is affixed to said cylinder component and enables passage of said liquid under pressure through said flow passage when said piston assembly moves linearly in a direction away from the bracket assembly, and prevents passage of said liquid through the flow passage after said piston assembly moves linearly towards and rests on the bracket assembly; and a spring means that is located in said space between said piston assembly and said cylinder component, wherein one end of the spring means rests on said cylinder component, and an other end rests on said piston assembly and biases said piston assembly to move linearly towards said bracket assembly, when a drop in liquid flow pressure occurs, and said base assembly also includes a no-drain check valve means for preventing drainage of said liquid through said sprinkler when said pressure of said liquid flow decreases. 16. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 15, wherein said piston assembly comprises: a tubular component, having one end dimensioned to engage said bracket assembly; the tubular component having a protruding shoulder around a circumference, which serves, on one side, for resting the other end of said spring means on said shoulder, and on an other end couples to sealing means for sealing said space between said piston assembly and said cylinder component, in which said spring means is located; the other end of said tubular component having a bracket that is receives said static component of said viscous damping mechanism; and said tubular component having along its length at least one side opening, for routing said flow of said liquid under pressure into said inner space of said rotatable turret assembly, and at least one rib that protrudes from an external surface of the tubular component and extends in a direction parallel to said rotation axis, for providing a bearing to said linear movement of said piston within said cylinder component; and said piston assembly further comprises: coupling means for affixing said static component of said viscous damping mechanism to said bracket of said tubular component. 17. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 16, wherein said cylinder component comprises a tubular component with an inner space to contain said tubular component of said piston assembly and said spring means; and said inner space terminates in a shoulder for receiving the one end of said spring means, and a passage bore from said inner space having at least one slot, recessed in an inner surface of said bore and extending in a direction that is parallel to said rotation axis, to accommodate said protruding rib of said tubular component of said piston assembly, for providing a bearing to said piston assembly for linear movement within said cylinder component. 18. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 16, wherein said coupling means comprises a screw. 19. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 15, wherein said bracket assembly with said flow passage further comprises: a bushing component affixed to an end of said cylinder component, and formed with a central part, several radial ribs that connect said central part to a circumference of the bushing, the ribs providing flow passages between the ribs; and a seal that is installed around a circumference of said central part and dimensioned for resting said piston assembly on said seal in a manner that prevents passage of liquid from said flow passages to said inner conduit formed in said piston assembly. 20. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 19, wherein said seal is an elastomeric O-ring dimensioned to be loaded by pressing on an edge of an inlet to said inner conduit means. 21. A revolving sprinkler as in claim 13, wherein said base assembly comprises: a cylindrical component connectable to said means for conveying said liquid flow under pressure, and wherein said inner conduit means for routing said flow of said liquid under pressure to said rotatable turret assembly includes a bore formed along a length of said cylindrical component. 22. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 13, whereby said rotatable turret assembly comprises: a lower turret component having a lower axial passage bore that connects an external side of said lower turret component with said inner space; an upper turret component for installation upon said lower turret component, and having at least a part of said inner space within it, said two brackets being on an external surface of said upper turret component, and with a passage bore connecting said inner space with a surface area on an external surface of said upper turret component around a circumference of an upper axial passage bore of said upper turret component; and a cover component mountable on said rotatable turret assembly, and having a matching surface area on a lower side that faces, upon being assembled a surface area on said outer surface of said upper turret component, and said rotatable turret assembly, is mounted on a bearing so that it can rotate around said static component of said viscous damping mechanism, that is positioned in said assembly so that the mechanism passes through said upper axial bore passage of said upper turret component; and said revolving dynamic component of said viscous damping mechanism is constituted by said surface area on said external surface of said upper turret component with said matching surface area of the lower side of said cover component; and said sealed basin containing said viscous fluid that resists the motion of said revolving dynamic component relative to said static component, is defined by spaces left between the static component and the dynamic component when positioning said static component. 23. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 22, wherein said rotatable turret assembly further comprises: a first dynamic sealing means located around said circumference of said upper axial bore passage in said upper turret component, so that said first dynamic sealing means imparts bi-directional sealing, between said liquid under pressure filling said inner space and said viscous liquid inside said sealed basin of said viscous damping mechanism and vice versa. 24. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 23, wherein said dynamic seal means comprises a circular ring seal having a cross section including multiple ribs, wherein upon installation some of said ribs are connected to seal contact with said circumference of said upper axial bore passage located in said upper turret component and some of said ribs connect in a sealing contact to said static component of said viscous damping mechanism. 25. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 22, wherein said rotatable turret assembly further comprises: a second dynamic seal means positioned around a circumference of said lower axial bore passage located in said lower turret component, which imparts sealing between said liquid under pressure filling said inner space and surroundings. 26. A revolving sprinkler as in claim 22, wherein said rotatable turret assembly further comprises: a first static seal means located between said lower turret component and said upper turret component, such that on assembling said upper turret component to said lower turret component said seal means seals a connection boundary between the upper turret component and the lower turret component to prevent outflow of said liquid under pressure from said inner space, via said connection boundary. 27. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 22, wherein said rotatable turret assembly further comprises: a second static seal means that is located between the upper turret component and said cover component, such that on assembling said cover component to said upper turret component, said second static seal means seals an interface connection between the upper turret component and the cover component to prevent outwards leak of said viscous fluid filling said sealed basin of said viscous damping mechanism and to prevent entrance of contamination from surroundings into said viscous fluid. 28. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 13, wherein said mouthpieces comprise a plastic material with elastomeric properties. 29. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 28, wherein said plastic material is selected from a group that consists of: ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, and polyurethane. 30. A revolving sprinkler as in claim 13, wherein each of said brackets has an internal side opening facing and connected to said inner space and an external side opening substantially parallel to said internal side opening and directed away from said rotation axis of said assembly. 31. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 30, wherein the internal side opening and external side opening of each of said brackets substantially extend from an area opposite said rotation axis to an area removed from the rotation axis a certain distance, and dimensions of said openings enable to assemble inside said brackets, a variety of different mouthpieces differing one from another by configurations of their nozzles and by said linear distances that are formed when assembled in said brackets, between said water outlet opening of said nozzle and said rotation axis of said rotatable turret assembly. 32. A revolving sprinkler in as in claim 31, wherein each of said mouthpieces has an integral seal that protrudes above an outer surface area, around a circumference of said flow inlet of said nozzle and when said mouthpieces are installed inside said brackets, said seal seals a circumference of said internal side opening formed in said bracket and routes said liquid under pressure from said inner space to said flow inlet of said nozzle of said mouthpieces. 33. A revolving sprinkler as in claim 30, wherein each of said brackets comprises a cylindrical bore having a longitudinal axis that extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to said rotation axis of said assembly; and each of said mouthpieces has a cylindrical bushing dimensioned to be inserted into said cylindrical bore of said brackets by a linear movement along said longitudinal axis, whereby after inserting said cylindrical bushing, said mouthpiece is rotatable around said longitudinal axis. 34. A revolving sprinkler in accordance with claim 33, wherein each mouthpiece integrates on assembly with a respective bracket, through a bayonet type connector, so that after insertion of said mouthpiece into said respective bracket by a linear movement along said longitudinal axis, and slightly turning the mouthpiece around, said connector prevents extraction of said mouthpiece back outwards, while imparting to said mouthpiece a rotation scope around said longitudinal axis for adjusting elevation angle of said flow outlet. 35. A revolving sprinkler according to claim 30, wherein the internal side opening and the external side opening, are dimensioned to enable rotation of at least one of said mouthpieces around said longitudinal axis of a respective bracket in which the at least one is installed, in a manner that changes elevation angle of the flow outlet, without said flow being blocked. 36. A revolving sprinkler accordance to claim 35, wherein said at least one of said mouthpieces is rotatable by approximately 180�� around said longitudinal axis of said respective bracket in which said at least one is installed, whereby in one state, said flow inlet of said nozzle of said at least one mouthpiece is set to face said internal side opening of said respective bracket, whereas said flow outlet from said nozzle faces said external side opening; and in a second state, after said at least one mouthpiece is turned by approximately 180�� around, said flow outlet of said nozzle of said at least one mouthpiece is set so to face said internal side opening, whereas said flow inlet from said nozzle faces said external side opening enabling to occasionally direct said flow outlet of said nozzle directly to said flow of liquid under pressure, in order to flush said nozzle.
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