Rotary sprinkler with intermittent motion

• US 5,758,827 A
• Filed: 10/16/1995
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Original Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Inventors: Saarem, Myrl, Nguyen, Jack Thai, Van Le, Tuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ganey, Steven J.
• Application Number:
  US08/543,419
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 239/236, 239/237, 239/240, 239/242, 239/251, 239/255, 239/259, 239/261, 239/263, 239/263.3, 239/241
• US Class Current: 239/242
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/16 driven or controlled by the liquid or other fluent material discharged, e.g. the liquid actuating a motor before passing to the outlet B05B3/0431, B05B3/0468, B05B3/0472 take precedence

Abstract

A rotary sprinkler having an intermittent motion mechanism which includes a driving gear and a driven gear with the driving and driven gears being drivingly engageable. The driven gear has a first set of gear teeth on one level and a second set of gear teeth on a second level. The gear teeth of the first set are axially and circumferentially offset from the gear teeth of the second set. The driving gear has a single driving gear tooth drivingly engageable with the gear teeth of the first set to drive the driven gear and a circumferential surface axially offset from the driving gear tooth and cooperable with the gear teeth of the second set to substantially retain the driven gear against rotation when the driving gear tooth is not in driving engagement with the gear teeth of the first set.

Claims

1. A rotary sprinkler comprising:

a supporting structure having an inlet for receiving irrigation water;

a sprinkler head mounted for rotational movement on the supporting structure and adapted to receive irrigation water from the inlet;

a drive motor carried by the supporting structure;

a drive train having a rotational output and being drivingly coupled to the motor and to the sprinkler head so that the rotational output can impart rotational movement to the sprinkler head;

said drive train including an intermittent motion mechanism for causing a pause in said rotational output whereby the sprinkler head is rotated intermittently; and

said intermittent motion mechanism including a driving gear and a driven gear, said driving and driven gears having gear tooth surfaces which are engageable to cause the driving gear to drive the driven gear and disengageable to enable creation of said pause.

2. A rotary sprinkler as defined in claim 1 including a shifter for reversing the direction of said rotational output and said intermittent motion mechanism causes a pause in said rotational output in each direction of said rotational output.

3. A rotary sprinkler as defined in claim 1 wherein the rotational output can be in either direction and said intermittent motion mechanism causes a pause in said rotational output in each direction of said rotational output.

4. A rotary sprinkler comprising:

a supporting structure having an inlet for receiving irrigation water;

a sprinkler head mounted for rotational movement on the supporting structure and adapted to receive irrigation water from the inlet;

a drive motor carried by the supporting structure;

a drive train having a rotational output and being drivingly coupled to the motor and to the sprinkler head so that the rotational output can impart rotational movement to the sprinkler head;

said drive train including an intermittent motion mechanism for causing a pause in said rotational output whereby the sprinkler head is rotated intermittently;

said intermittent motion mechanism including a driving gear having a driving gear tooth on one level and first and second circumferentially spaced gear tooth surfaces on a second level, said driving gear tooth being between said gear tooth surfaces and axially offset from said gear tooth surfaces;

said intermittent motion mechanism including a driven gear having a first set of gear teeth on one level and a second set of gear teeth on a second level, the gear teeth of the first set being axially and circumferentially offset from the gear teeth of the second set;

the driving gear tooth being drivingly engageable with the gear teeth of the first set and the gear tooth surfaces being drivingly engageable with the gear teeth of the second set to drive the driven gear, said driving gear having a circumferential surface axially offset from said driving gear tooth and cooperable with the gear teeth of the second set to substantially retain the driven gear against rotation when said driving gear tooth and said gear tooth surfaces are not in driving engagement with the gear teeth of the first and second sets of gear teeth, respectively; and

adjacent gear teeth of each of said first and second sets being spaced circumferentially by an amount sufficient to accommodate another gear tooth and two tooth spaces with said another gear tooth and said tooth spaces being of a size to cooperate with said driving gear tooth.

5. A rotary sprinkler as defined in claim 4 including a shifter for reversing the direction of said rotational output and said intermittent motion mechanism causes a pause in said rotational output in each direction of said rotational output.

6. A rotary sprinkler as defined in claim 4 wherein the first and second gear tooth surfaces drive the driven gear in opposite directions, respectively.

7. A rotary sprinkler comprising:

a supporting structure having an inlet for receiving irrigation water;

a sprinkler head mounted for rotational movement on the supporting structure and adapted to receive irrigation water from the inlet;

a drive motor carried by the supporting structure;

a drive train having a rotational output and being drivingly coupled to the motor and to the sprinkler head so that the rotational output can impart rotational movement to the sprinkler head;

said drive train including an intermittent motion mechanism for causing a pause in said rotational output whereby the sprinkler head is rotated intermittently; and

said intermittent motion mechanism including a multilated tooth intermittent drive capable of being driven and of transmitting motion in clockwise and counterclockwise directions.

8. A rotary sprinkler comprising:

a supporting structure having an inlet for receiving irrigation water;

a sprinkler head mounted for rotational movement on the supporting structure and adapted to receive irrigation water from the inlet;

a drive motor carried by the supporting structure;

a drive train having a rotational output and being drivingly coupled to the motor and to the sprinkler head so that the rotational output can impart rotational movement to the sprinkler head;

said drive train including an intermittent motion mechanism for causing a pause in said rotational output whereby the sprinkler head is rotated intermittently;

said intermittent motion mechanism including a driving gear and a driven gear, said driving gear driving said driven gear intermittently to create said pause; and

said driven gear having a first set of gear teeth on one level and a second set of gear teeth on a second level, the gear teeth of the first set being axially and circumferentially offset from the gear teeth of the second set.

9. A rotary sprinkler as defined in claim 8 wherein the driving gear has a driving gear tooth drivingly engageable with the gear teeth of the first set to drive the driven gear and a circumferential surface. axially offset from said driving gear tooth and cooperable with the gear teeth of the second set to substantially retain the driven gear against rotation.

10. A rotary sprinkler as defined in claim 9 wherein adjacent gear teeth of each of said first and second sets are spaced circumferentially by an amount sufficient to accommodate another gear tooth and two tooth spaces with said another gear tooth and said tooth spaces being of a size to cooperate with said driving gear tooth.

11. A rotary sprinkler as defined in claim 8 wherein the driving gear has a single driving gear tooth on one level which is drivingly engageable with the first set of gear teeth and a gear tooth surface on a second level which is drivingly engageable with the second set of gear teeth.

12. A rotary sprinkler comprising:

a supporting structure having an inlet for receiving irrigation water;

a sprinkler head mounted for rotational movement on the supporting structure and adapted to receive irrigation water from the inlet;

a drive motor carried by the supporting structure;

a drive train having a rotational output and being drivingly coupled to the motor and to the sprinkler head so that the rotational output can impart rotational movement to the sprinkler head;

said drive train including an intermittent motion mechanism for causing a pause in said rotational output whereby the sprinkler head is rotated intermittently;

said intermittent motion mechanism including a driving gear and a driven gear and said driving and driven gears being drivingly engageable; and

said driven gear having a first set of gear teeth on one level and a second set of gear teeth on a second level, the gear teeth of the first set being axially and circumferentially offset from the gear teeth of the second set, adjacent gear teeth of each of said first and second sets being spaced circumferentially by an amount sufficient to accommodate another gear tooth and two tooth spaces with said another gear tooth and said tooth spaces being of a size to cooperate with said driving gear.

13. A rotary sprinkler comprising:

a supporting structure having an inlet for receiving irrigation water;

a sprinkler head mounted for rotational movement on the supporting structure and adapted to receive irrigation water from the inlet;

a drive motor carried by the supporting structure;

a drive train having a rotational output and being drivingly coupled to the motor and to the sprinkler head so that the rotational output can impart rotational movement to the sprinkler head;

said drive train including an intermittent motion mechanism for causing a pause in said rotational output whereby the sprinkler head is rotated intermittently;

said intermittent motion mechanism including a driving gear and a driven gear and said driving and driven gears being drivingly engageable; and

the driving gear having a driving gear tooth on one level and first and second circumferentially spaced gear tooth surfaces on a second level, said driving gear tooth being between said gear tooth surfaces and axially offset from said gear tooth surfaces and the driven gear being cooperable with the driving gear tooth and said first gear tooth surface to be driven in one direction and with the driving gear tooth and said second gear tooth surface to be driven in the other direction.