Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Processes
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-03
2001-01-30
Kashnikow, Andres (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Processes
C239S069000, C239S745000, C700S284000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179216
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a method of optimizing water delivery to cultivated fields by means of a high flow rate water gun.
One of the techniques used for delivering water to large cultivated fields consist in using a high flow rate water gun pivotally mounted on a moving carriage. The gun is connected to the free end of a hose connected to a water supply source. The hose is initially wound on the support drum of a winder and a certain length thereof is unwound, after which the drum of the winder is caused to rotate so as to wind in the hose progressively, thereby pulling the carriage at substantially constant speed towards the winder while the gun delivers water by making successive sweeps over an angular sector of radius equal to the throw of the gun. In this way, it is theoretically possible to irrigate a field or a portion of a field over a length that is substantially equal to the length of the unwound hose and over a width corresponding to twice the throw of the gun.
The rate at which the hose is wound onto the drum of the winder or the travel speed of the carriage carrying the gun is determined as a function of the quantity of water that is to be delivered, which in turn is a function of the delivery rate of the gun.
A drawback inherent to that irrigation technique lies in insufficient water being delivered at the beginning and at the end of irrigation, even though an intermediate zone of the field receives overall the desired amount of water delivery. In the ideal case, the area that is irrigated would correspond to the area of the field that is to be irrigated, and also the area irrigated would receive water delivery that is as uniform as possible.
The object of the invention is to optimize this irrigation technique so as to minimize the deficit in water delivery at the beginning and at the end of irrigation, i.e. so as to tend towards the ideal of uniform water delivery over the entire irrigated area.
To this end, the invention provides a method of optimizing water delivery to cultivated fields by means of a high flow rate water gun, the method consisting in connecting the gun to the free end of a hose connected to a water supply source, in mounting the gun to pivot on a moving carriage, in unwinding the hose over a certain length from the drum of a winder so as to enable the gun to be moved away, and in rotating the drum so as to wind the hose in progressively and displace the carriage towards the drum while the gun is delivering water by performing successive sweeps over an angular sector of radius equal to one gun throw, the method being characterized in that it consists, for irrigating a field of length L and of width equal to twice the throw P of the gun:
in subdividing the irrigation zone into three successive zones, namely: a start-of-irrigation zone, an intermediate zone where the gun travels at a reference speed V
e
corresponding to the desired water delivery, and an end-of-irrigation zone; and
in irrigating the start-of-irrigation zone and/or the end-of-irrigation zone by performing at least one alternation of a pause during which the carriage is stationary and a displacement of the carriage at a predetermined speed over a distance corresponding to one throw of the gun, or possibly vice versa in the end-of-irrigation zone, so as to optimize water delivery compared with the delivery supplied in the intermediate zone, i.e. so that the supply of water is as uniform as possible over the entire irrigated area.
In general, in order to limit water deficit in the start-of-irrigation zone, the method consists in performing alternations of pauses and displacements, such that:
the duration of each pause T
i
is defined using the equation:
T
i
=
2
(
n
-
i
)
+
1
2
n
×
P
V
e
where:
i
lies in the range [1,n];
n
is the integer number of possible alternations, and is such that
n
=the integer portion of (V
max
/V
e
);
V
max
is the maximum speed at which the hose can be wound in;
V
e
is the reference speed of displacement for the carriage corresponding to the desired water delivery;
P is the throw of the gun; and
each displacement speed V
i
of the carriage, after a pause, is defined from the equation:
V
i
=n/i×V
e
While the start-of-irrigation zone is being irrigated under the above-specified conditions, the gun can be pointed in the travel direction of the carriage or in an opposite direction.
In general, in order to limit water deficit in the end-of-irrigation zone, the method consists in performing alternations of pauses and displacements or vice versa, such that:
the duration of each pause T
i
is defined by the equation:
T
i
=
2
i
-
1
2
n
×
P
V
e
and each displacement speed V
i
of the carriage after a pause is defined by the equation:
V
i
=
n
(
n
-
i
+
1
)
×
V
e
Specifically, the end-of-irrigation zone can be irrigated using various different approaches.
In a first approach, the method consists in performing alternations of pauses and displacements, the gun being pointed in the displacement direction of the carriage during the pauses and in the opposite direction during the displacements of the carriage, the carriage being displaced all the way to the end of the end-of-irrigation zone.
In this first approach and in order to tend towards uniform water delivery over the entire irrigated area, the start-of-irrigation zone and the intermediate zone are irrigated by pointing the gun in the opposite direction to the carriage displacement direction. In which case, the winder is placed at one end of the field, and the hose is unwound over a length (L−P) so as to position the carriage at the distance of one gun throw from the other end of the field.
In a second approach, the method consists in causing the end-of-irrigation zone to begin at (n+1) gun throws from the end of the field, in causing the carriage to be displaced at a speed (V
1
) during the first throw, then causing alternations of displacements and pauses (V
2
, T
1
; V
3
, T
2
; . . . , V
n
, T
n−1
) to be performed, the gun pointing in the displacement direction of the carriage during the displacements thereof and in an opposite direction during the pauses, and in terminating by a pause (T
n
) once the carriage has reached one gun throw from the end of the end-of-irrigation zone with the gun pointing in the carriage displacement direction.
In this second approach and in order to tend towards uniform water delivery over the entire irrigated area, the start-of-irrigation zone and the intermediate zone are irrigated by pointing the gun in the carriage displacement direction. In which case, the winder is placed at a distance of one gun throw from one end of the field, and the hose is unwound to a length of (L−P) so as to position the carriage at the other end of the field.
In a third approach that is valid only if
n
is not less than 2, the method consists in performing alternations of displacements and pauses (V
1
, T
1
; V
1
, T
2
; . . . ; V
n
, T
n
) the gun being pointed in the direction opposite to the displacement direction of the carriage both during the displacements thereof and during the pauses, while the displacement of the carriage during the first alternation takes place with the gun pointing in the displacement direction of the carriage, the displacement speeds (V
1
and V
2
) during the first two alternations being such that:
V
1
=
V
2
=
2
n
n
-
1
×
V
e
At the end of irrigation, the gun is situated at the end of the end-of-irrigation zone.
In this third approach, and in order to tend towards uniform water delivery over the entire irrigated area, the start-of-irrigation zone and the intermediate zone are irrigated by pointing the gun in the carriage displacement direction. In which case, the winder is placed at one end of the field and the hose is unwound over a length L so as to bring the carriage to the other end of the field. This third approach gives better results than the preceding approaches, but it requires the hose to be unwound over the full length of the field, whereas the
Hwu Davis
Kashnikow Andres
Michael & Best & Friedrich LLP
Perrot S.A.
LandOfFree
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