Oscillating piston driven sprinkler

• US 4,895,305 A
• Filed: 11/21/1988
• Issued: 01/23/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jonathan S. Powell
• Original Assignee: Jonathan S. Powell
• Inventors: Powell, Jonathan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trainor, Christopher G.
• Application Number:
  US07/274,338
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 239/239, 239/237, 239/242, 74/109, 92/130 R, 92/136, 91/224, 91/229, 91/277, 91/321
• US Class Current: 239/239
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/0413 comprising a liquid driven piston motor

Abstract

A sprinkler, connected to a water supply conduit, oscillates by the force of a piston moving in a cylinder and powered by water bleed in a bypass line from the water supply to the cylinder. The piston is connected to a rack which is engaged with a pinion that is attached to a sprinkler nozzle so that water is sprayed from the nozzle in an oscillating spray responsive to the reciprocation of the piston in the cylinder. A first compression spring is operative to return the piston to a home position after a power stroke. The piston has a discharge passageway covered by a valve piece on the pressure side of the piston. The valve piece is supported by a stem slidably disposed in a bore in the piston. A head is fitted to the opposite end of the stem and a tripper compression spring is aligned with the head so that as the piston expands the head compresses the tripper spring until the force of the tripper spring overcomes the water pressure holding the valve piece closed. Then the valve opens and water is discharged through the discharge passageway and the first compression spring returns the piston to the home position. An end of the head is wedged in a flared portion of the bore to hold the valve open until the piston reaches its home position whereupon the valve strikes the end wall of the cylinder and is brought back to position closing the discharge passageway. The tripper compression spring is supported on the end of a threaded rod and the arc of oscillation of the sprinkler is precisely adjusted in length by rotary adjustment of that threaded rod.

Claims

1. An oscillating sprinkler to connect at its upstream end to a water supply conduit, comprising:

(a) a sprinkler body having a cylinder with a closed end and a piston disposed in said cylinder operative to move toward and away from the closed cylinder end and a first compression spring urging said piston toward said closed cylinder end,

(b) a sprinkler nozzle to receive water from said conduit and supported on said sprinkler body to pivot about an upright axis, rack means operated by said piston and pinion means on said nozzle engaged with said rack means so that said nozzle rotates as said piston moves, said nozzle having an orifice adapted to direct water in a stream directed radially relative to the axis of pivoting of said nozzle, said stream pivoting as said nozzle pivots,

(c) said sprinkler body having a water inlet port to said cylinder and a bypass passageway connecting said upstream end of said sprinkler to said inlet port to bleed water thereto, and

(d) said piston having a water discharge passageway therethrough, a valve piece operable to close said discharge passageway disposed on the side of the piston toward said closed cylinder end, said piston having a bore and a valve stem secured to said valve piece and slidably disposed in said bore guiding said valve piece in movement from an open position away from said piston to a closed position closing said water discharge passageway, a valve foot at the opposite end of said stem from said valve piece, said sprinkler body supporting a second compression spring aligned with the axis of said stem facing said valve foot and pressing said valve foot with enough pressure to move said valve piece from said closed to said open position overcoming water pressure on said valve piece resisting opening when said piston has moved a selected distance from said closed end of said cylinder, said piston being returned to said closed end of said cylinder when said valve piece is moved to said open position.

2. The sprinkler of claim 1 in which said valve foot has a portion wedging in said bore to secure said valve piece in said open position when said valve piece originally moves to said open position.

3. The sprinkler of claim 1 in which said second compression spring is supported on a rod that is threaded and can be adjusted to various distances from said closed end of said cylinder whereby said piston will travel different distances before the pressure of said second compression spring moves said valve piece to said open position, thereby varying the arc of pivoting of said nozzle.

4. A sprinkler to connect at its upstream end to a water supply conduit, comprising:

(a) a sprinkler body having a cylinder with a closed end and a piston disposed in said cylinder operative to move toward and away from said closed end of said cylinder and a first compression spring urging said piston toward said closed cylinder end,

(b) a sprinkler nozzle to receive water from said conduit, said nozzle being supported on said sprinkler body to pivot about a vertical axis and said nozzle having a portion forming a pinion, and said piston having a rack engaged with said pinion so that said nozzle pivots as said piston moves, said nozzle being operative to direct water in a stream extending radially relative to the pivotal axis of said nozzle, said stream pivoting as said nozzle pivots,

(c) said sprinkler body having a water inlet port to said cylinder and water by-pass means to fluidly connect said port with said conduit to bleed water to said port, and

(d) said piston having a water discharge passageway therethrough, a valve piece operable to close said discharge passageway disposed on the side of said piston toward said closed cylinder end, said piston having a central bore and a valve stem secured to said valve piece and slidably disposed in said bore guiding said valve piece in movement from an open position away from said piston to a closed position closing said water discharge passageway, said sprinkler body supporting a second compression spring aligned with the axis of said stem and facing said stem, said second compression spring abutting said valve stem when said piston has traveled far enough from said closed end of said cylinder to be compressed until sufficient force is stored in said second compression spring to overbalance water pressure on said valve piece and thereby to move said valve piece from said closed position to said open position whereby water pressure in said cylinder can escape through said water discharge passageway and said piston can be moved toward said closed end of said cylinder under the force of said first compression spring.

5. The sprinkler of claim 4 in which there is latch means securing said valve piece in said open position when it is brought to said open position by the force of said second compression spring.

6. The sprinkler of claim 5 in which said latch means includes a resilient member connected to said valve stem that wedges in said bore.

7. The sprinkler of claim 4 in which said second compression spring is supported on a rod that is threaded and can be adjusted to various distances from said closed end of said cylinder whereby said piston will travel different distances before the pressure of said second compression spring moves said valve piece to said open position, thereby varying the arc of pivoting of said nozzle.

8. A sprinkler to connect at its upstream end to a water supply conduit, comprising:

(a) a sprinkler body having a cylinder with a closed end and a piston disposed in said cylinder operative to move toward and away from said closed end of said cylinder and a compression spring urging said piston toward said closed cylinder end,

(b) a sprinkler nozzle to receive water from said conduit, said nozzle being supported on said sprinkler body to pivot about a vertical axis and said nozzle having a portion forming a pinion, and said piston having a rack engaged with said pinion so that said nozzle pivots as said piston moves, said nozzle being operative to direct water in a stream extending radially relative to the pivotal axis of said nozzle, said stream pivoting as said nozzle pivots,

(c) said sprinkler body having a water inlet port to said cylinder and water by-pass means to fluidly connect said port with said conduit to bleed water to said port,

(d) valve means operative to release water pressure from the space between said piston and said closed end of said cylinder when said piston has moved a selected distance away from said closed end of said cylinder, whereby said compression spring can move said piston back toward said closed end of said piston

(e) said cylinder having a larger diameter portion adjacent to said closed end of said cylinder in which said piston reciprocates and said cylinder having a smaller diameter annular portion opposite from said closed end of said cylinder and said rack being an annular reduced diameter portion of said piston extending into and fitting and guided by said smaller diameter annular portion of said cylinder, and

(f) said valve means including said piston having a water discharge passageway therethrough, a valve piece operable to close said discharge passageway disposed on the side of said piston toward said closed end of said cylinder, said piston having a bore and a valve stem secured to said valve piece and slidably disposed in said bore guiding said valve piece in movement from an open position away from said piston to a closed position closing said water discharge passageway, a valve foot at the opposite end of said stem from said valve piece, a second compression spring located within said annular portion of said piston aligned with the axis of said stem facing said valve foot and pressing said valve foot with enough pressure to move said valve piece from said closed position to said open position overcoming water pressure on said valve piece resisting opening when said piston has moved a selected distance from said closed end of said cylinder, said piston being returned to said closed end of said cylinder when said valve piece is moved to said open position.

9. The sprinkler of claim 8 in which said valve foot has a portion wedging in said bore to secure said valve piece in said open position when said valve piece originally moves to said open position.

10. The sprinkler of claim 9 in which said second compression spring is supported on a rod that is threaded and can be adjusted to various distances from said closed end of said cylinder whereby said piston will travel different distances before the pressure of said second compression spring moves said valve piece to said open position, thereby varying the arc of pivoting of said nozzle, said rod being disposed at least partly within said annular portion of said piston, the end of said smaller diameter annular portion of said cylinder having a threaded opening in which said rod is threadedly engaged.

11. A sprinkler to connect at its upstream end to a water supply conduit, comprising:

(a) a sprinkler body having a cylinder with a closed end and a piston disposed in said cylinder operative to move toward and away from said closed end of said cylinder and a first compression spring urging said piston toward said closed cylinder end,

(b) a sprinkler nozzle to receive water from said conduit, said nozzle being supported on said sprinkler body to pivot about an axis and said nozzle having means connected thereto forming a pinion, and said piston having means connected thereto forming a rack engaged with said pinion so that said nozzle pivots as said piston moves, said nozzle being operative to direct water in a stream extending radially relative to the pivotal axis of said nozzle, said stream pivoting as said nozzle pivots,

(c) said sprinkler body having a water inlet port to said cylinder and water by-pass means to fluidly connect said port with said conduit to bleed water to said port, and

(d) said piston having a water discharge passageway therethrough, a valve piece operable to close said discharge passageway disposed on the side of said piston toward said closed cylinder end, said piston having a central bore and a valve stem secured to said valve piece and slidably disposed in said bore guiding said valve piece in movement from an open position away from said piston to a closed position closing said water discharge passageway, said sprinkler body supporting a second compression spring aligned with the axis of said stem and facing said stem, said second compression spring abutting said valve stem when said piston has traveled far enough from said closed end of said cylinder to be compressed until sufficient force is stored in said second compression spring to overbalance water pressure on said valve piece and thereby to move said valve piece from said closed position to said open position whereby water pressure in said cylinder can escape through said water discharge passageway and said piston can be moved toward said closed end of said cylinder under the force of said first compression spring.