Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Slinger or splasher; or deflector rotated relative to effluent – Nozzle delivers fluid to deflector
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-05
2001-07-31
Scherbel, David A. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Slinger or splasher; or deflector rotated relative to effluent
Nozzle delivers fluid to deflector
C239S222110, C239S222210, C239S251000, C239S232000, C239S233000, C239S524000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267299
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to sprinkler devices and more specifically, to an improved sprinkler which incorporates a spray plate (or rotor plate) mounted for wobbling/rotating motion referred to herein as “nutation.”
BACKGROUND
Moving irrigation systems such as conventional pivot or linear systems are known to incorporate conduit truss span assemblies which mount sprinkler heads, spaced along the truss assemblies for sprinkling or irrigating relatively large areas of land. The sprinkling heads may be mounted on top of the truss assemblies in a normal upright position, or they may be inverted and suspended from the span assemblies by means of drop tubes. Sprinkler heads are typically of the spinner type, which incorporate rotatable stream distributors (also referred to as rotor plates or spray plates, fixed spray plates or bubbler devices).
When irrigating large areas of land with pivot or linear sprinklers, the sprinklers need to be spaced apart as far as possible to minimize system hardware costs. To obtain an even distribution of the water at wide spacings requires sprinklers that simultaneously throw the water long distances and produce sprinkling patterns that are very even when overlapped with adjacent sprinklers. These two requirements are somewhat exclusive in that maximum radius of throw is achieved with concentrated streams of water shooting at relatively high projectory angles. These streams, however, tend to produce a donut shaped sprinkling pattern at low pressure that does not overlap evenly. The use of nutating or wobbling sprinklers to enhance distribution uniformity particularly at low pressure is known in the art, as evidenced, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,439,174; 5,671,885; and 5,588,595. Wobbling type sprinklers can be problematic in the sense that in some circumstances, the sprinkler simply rotates on its center axis without wobbling. This is particularly true if the sprinkler rotor plate is allowed to assume an on-center orientation when at rest.
A recently issued patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,927, addresses this problem by mechanically constraining the rotor plate to always assume an off-center position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides an improved rotor plate mounting arrangement which insures that the rotor plate will exhibit the desired nutating motion, particularly on start-up.
In an exemplary embodiment, the rotor plate is supported in a centerbody of a removable cap assembly secured to a sprinkler body, with the rotor plate downstream of a fixed nozzle. The rotor plate is fixed to one end of a shaft, with the other end of the shaft mounted within a two-axis gimbal bearing supported in the cap centerbody. This arrangement allows the rotor plate to rotate about its own axis while the shaft is free to simultaneously pivot about two mutually perpendicular axes, thereby producing a wobbling or nutating action when water is supplied to the sprinkler.
Accordingly, in its broader aspects, the present invention relates to a nutating sprinkler assembly comprising a sprinkler body having one end adapted to be coupled to a water supply conduit and an opposite end supporting a nozzle; at least one arm extending from the sprinkler body for supporting a removable cap assembly downstream of the nozzle, the cap assembly having gimbal bearing supporting a rotor plate having off-center grooves for distributing a stream exiting the nozzle and impinging upon the grooves; a shaft having one end supporting the rotor plate for rotation about a center axis of the rotor plate, and an opposite end supported within the gimbal bearing.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a nutating sprinkler assembly comprising a sprinkler body having one end adapted to be coupled to a water supply conduit and an opposite end supporting a nozzle; at least one arm extending from the sprinkler body for supporting a removable cap assembly downstream of the nozzle, the cap assembly having a gimbal bearing supporting a rotor plate for rotation about a first axis, the rotor plate having off-center grooves for radially distributing a stream exiting the nozzle and impinging upon the grooves; the shaft having one end in the rotor plate and an opposite end fixed in the gimbal bearing for pivotal movement about second and third mutually perpendicular axes.
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Evans Robin O.
Nelson Irrigation Corporation
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Scherbel David A.
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