POWERED SPRINKLER

• US 3,713,584 A
• Filed: 02/16/1971
• Issued: 01/30/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Edwin J. Hunter
• Original Assignee: Edwin J. Hunter
• Inventors: Hunter, Edwin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Jr., M. Henson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Love, John J.
• Application Number:
  US05/115,599
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 239/204,206
• US Class Current: 239/206
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/74 driven by the discharged fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/0431 the rotative movement of the outlet elements being reversible B05B3/0445 takes precedence

Abstract

A rotary pop-up underground sprinkler which utilizes a selfcontained integrated gear case and nozzle section and a valve-inhead concept with a reverse flow valve. The entire gear case and nozzle assembly act as the piston of a hydraulic cylinder. When the reverse flow valve opens, hydraulic pressure builds up within the case and the area differential causes the piston to move upwardly. To retract the head, the reverse flow valve closes, dropping the pressure to atmospheric below the piston seal, and the high pressure from below the valve seat is directed through a communication tube to a point higher than the piston seal when the piston is fully extended, thereby hydraulically forcing or driving the gear case and nozzle assembly downwardly to its retracted position with the hydraulic pressure continuing when the sprinkler is fully retracted to hold the sprinkler in retracted position by hydraulic pressure. As an alternate form, the retraction power is provided by a spring. The entire valve is removable from the top, including the valve seat and the screening system protecting the valve.

Claims

1. Sprinkler mechanism comprising:

a cylinder, a piston assembly operative within said cylinder and movable relative thereto between extended and retracted positions, said piston assembly being adapted to be moved from the retracted to the extended position under the influence of fluid pressure applied thereto, said piston assembly including nozzle means and means for passing fluid through said assembly to said nozzle means, means for admitting fluid to said cylinder to operate said piston assembly, and means for applying a retractive fluid force to said piston assembly to retract said piston assembly.

2. The sprinkler of claim 1, including means for continuing the application of said retractive fluid force on said piston assembly after it has reached said retracted position.

3. The sprinkler of claim 1, including valve means for admitting pressure fluid to said cylinder.

4. The sprinkler of claim 3, including means operative when said piston extending fluid pressure is reduced to apply fluid pressure to said piston assembly to retract same.

5. The sprinkler of claim 3, including means operative when said valve means is closed to channel fluid from the upstream side of said valve means to a location where it can apply retractive fluid pressure to said piston assembly.

6. The sprinkler of claim 3, wherein said valve means comprises a reverse flow valve.

7. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said piston assembly includes a cylindrical non-rotatable gear case section and a rotatable cylindrical nozzle section, said sections being of the same diameter.

8. Sprinkler mechanism comprising:

a tubular housing, a cylinder within said housing and laterally spaced therefrom to provide an annular chamber, a piston assembly operative within said cylinder and movable relative thereto between extended and retracted positions under the influence of fluid pressure applied thereto, said piston assembly including nozzle means and means for passing fluid through said assembly to said nozzle means, movable sealing means between said piston assembly and cylinder, stationary sealing means between said piston assembly and cylinder, said movable and stationary sealing means defining a fluid pressure chamber, said movable sealing means being adapted to move said piston assembly downwardly towards the retracted position when fluid pressure is applied to the upper face of said seal by fluid in said pressure chamber, means providing fluid communication between said annular chamber and said pressure chamber, valve means for admitting pressurized fluid to said cylinder to apply fluid pressure upwardly against said piston assembly for extending the same, means providing fluid communication between the upstream side of said valve means and said annular chamber, and means for applying retractive force to said piston assembly when said Fluid pressure is reduced.

9. The sprinkler of claim 8, including a second cylinder disposed within said housing and above said first cylinder, said stationary sealing means being interposed between said cylinders, resting atop said first cylinder and being held thereagainst by engagement with said second cylinder, cover means threadedly engaged with said housing and holding said second cylinder in fixed position within said housing, and second stationary sealing means interposed between said cover means and said piston assembly.

10. The sprinkler of claim 9, wherein said piston assembly comprises an upper rotatable nozzle section including said nozzle means and a lower non-rotatable gear case section housing gear means for rotating said nozzle section, the majority of said gear case section being confined within said first cylinder and the majority of said nozzle section within said second cylinder and the majority of said nozzle section within said second cylinder when said piston assembly is fully retracted.

11. The sprinkler of claim 10, including guide means carried by one of said cylinders, and guide means carried by said gear case section, said guide means cooperating to permit free guided movement of said assembly axially of said housing while preventing rotation of said gear case section relative to said cylinders.

12. The sprinkler of claim 11, including a sprinkler tube rotatably supported in said gear case section and extending upwardly therefrom, said nozzle section being attached to the upper end of said sprinkler tube and rotatable therewith, said gear means being drivingly connected with said sprinkler tube for rotating same.

13. The sprinkler of claim 12, wherein said gear means are isolated from the fluid passing through said piston assembly.

14. The sprinkler of claim 8, wherein the lower end of said first cylinder includes structure defining an opening for admitting fluid to said first cylinder and also defining an annular stationary valve seat, a valve cylinder below said opening and valve seat, a piston valve in sealing movable engagement with said valve cylinder providing a movable valve seat for cooperating with said stationary valve seat to open and close said opening, a plurality of laterally spaced fins between said valve cylinder and first cylinder defining a plurality of passageways for admitting fluid from the upstream side of said valve to the downstream side thereof including said opening, said valve and valve cylinder defining therebetween a valve pressure chamber, spring means within valve pressure chamber continuously biasing said valve towards closed position, and means providing fluid communication between said pressure chamber and a point outside said housing for admitting fluid to and removing it from said pressure chamber.

15. The sprinkler of claim 14, including an opening in the lower end portion of the wall of said first cylinder adjacent said fins and providing the fluid communication between the upstream side of said valve means and said annular chamber between said first cylinder and housing.

16. Sprinkler mechanism comprising:

a cylinder, a piston assembly operative within said cylinder and movable relative thereto between extended and retracted positions, said piston assembly being adapted to be moved from retracted to extended position under the influence of fluid pressure applied thereto, said piston assembly including nozzle means and means for passing fluid through said assembly to said nozzle means, means for admitting fluid to said cylinder to operate said piston assembly, means for applying retractive force to said piston assembly when said fluid pressure is reduced, first spring seat means carried by said piston assembly, second spring seat means connected with said cylinder, helical spring means coiled about said piston assembly and engaged with both of said spring seAt means for biasing said assembly from extended to retracted position, said first spring seat means is provided by an annular laterally extending flange connected to said piston assembly, and engaged by said spring, said second spring seat means is provided by an annular member encircling said piston assembly which is slidable relative thereto, said member having an annular laterally extending flange engaged by said spring.

17. The sprinkler of claim 16, wherein said retraction means comprises spring means.

18. The sprinkler of claim 17, wherein said spring means continues to apply positive pressure on said piston assembly in the direction of retraction after the piston assembly has reached said retracted position.

19. The sprinkler of claim 16, including an annular sealing member enclosing said piston assembly and sealingly interposed between said assembly and said cylinder, and means connected with said cylinder for holding said sealing member.

20. The sprinkler of claim 19, wherein said holding means includes a second cylinder disposed within said first cylinder and above said sealing member, the lower end portion of said second cylinder engaging said sealing member and holding it against movement, and means interconnecting the two cylinder and holding said second cylinder against movement.