Oscillating sprinkler

• US 9,764,340 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2015
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meridian International Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meizhi Tools Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Meridian International Co., Ltd., Ningbo Meizhi Tools Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhu, Lijun, Zhang, Xuefeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhou, Joel
• Application Number:
  US14/615,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20160023222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 239242, 2392623, 2392624, 239244, 239240
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/044 Tubular elements holding several outlets, e.g. apertured tubes, oscillating about an axis substantially parallel to the tubular element

Abstract

The sprinkler has a drive motor with a gear assembly with a drive gear that is engaged with the sun gear of the flow adapter. A motor housing has a gear train chamber for the gear assembly, and a first chamber and a second chamber each providing for a path of flow. A switching mechanism has a valve block for alternatingly blocking and establishing the path of flow through one of the first chamber and the second chamber of the motor housing. A water wheel alternating in rotation between a clockwise direction and a counter clockwise direction based on the path of flow from one of the first chamber and the second chamber of the motor housing and engaging the gear assembly to rotate the gear assembly back and forth around the sun gear of the flow adapter and simultaneously moving the oscillating nozzle.

Claims

1. An oscillating sprinkler comprising:

a housing having a first chamber and a second chamber each providing a path of flow;

a water wheel rotating in a clockwise direction and a counter clockwise direction depending on the flow;

a switching mechanism for changing the flow between the first chamber and the second chamber, wherein the switching mechanism further comprises of;

(i) a valve block with a first arm and a second arm that alternates between closing the path of flow to the second chamber of the housing with the second arm while simultaneously opening the path of flow to the first chamber of the housing to rotate the water wheel in the clockwise direction, and closing the path of flow to the first chamber of the housing with the first arm while simultaneously opening the path of flow to the second chamber of the housing to rotate the water wheel in the counter-clockwise direction, and (ii) a commutation yoke that rotates with respect to the valve block in a clockwise direction when the water wheel rotates in a clockwise direction and rotates in a counter-clockwise direction when the water wheel rotates in a counter-clockwise direction; and

(iii) a first spring between the first arm of the valve block and the commutation yoke, and a second spring between the second arm of the valve block and the commutation yoke, wherein the commutation yoke rotates in the clockwise direction until the second spring is moved over-center and snaps the second arm of the valve block into position closing the path of flow to the second chamber of the housing, and wherein the commutation yoke rotates in the counter-clockwise direction until the first spring is moved over-center and snaps the first arm of the valve block into position closing the path of flow to the first chamber of the housing;

wherein the first chamber of the housing has an entrance port at a top of the housing that surrounds a gear assembly and has an exit port on one side of the water wheel to rotate the water wheel in the clockwise direction and the second chamber of the housing has an entrance port at a top of the housing that surrounds the gear assembly and has an exit port on the other side of the water wheel to rotate the water wheel in the counter clockwise direction;

a first gear assembly comprising a plurality of alternating pinion gears and spur gears each driven by the water wheel and a second gear assembly comprising a plurality of pinion gears each engaged by a corresponding pinion gear of the first gear assembly to reduce a speed of rotation of the switching mechanism between a first extent and a second extent; and

a first stop selectively moveable to a first position corresponding with the first extent and a second stop selectively moveable to a second position corresponding to the second extent, wherein the switching mechanism further comprises a lever that moves between the first stop and the second stop wherein the lever has a fulcrum positioned in a catch combined to the commutation yoke so that the lever rotates with the commutation yoke.

2. An oscillating sprinkler having a drive motor coupled between an input port and an oscillating nozzle, the oscillating sprinkler comprising:

a flow adapter coupled to the input port providing a path of flow from the input port;

a housing having a first chamber and a second chamber;

a water wheel alternating in rotation between a clockwise direction and a counter clockwise direction based on the path of flow from one of the first chamber and the second chamber and simultaneously moving the oscillating nozzle; and

a switching mechanism comprising (i) a valve block for alternatingly blocking and establishing the path of flow through one of the first chamber and the second chamber of the housing, the valve block further comprising a first arm and a second arm that alternates between closing the path of flow to the second chamber of the housing with the second arm while simultaneously opening the path of flow to the first chamber of the housing to rotate the water wheel in the clockwise direction, and closing the path of flow to the first chamber of the housing with the first arm while simultaneously opening the path of flow to the second chamber of the housing to rotate the water wheel in the counter-clockwise direction, (ii) a commutation yoke that rotates with respect to the valve block in a clockwise direction when the water wheel rotates in a clockwise direction and rotates in a counter-clockwise direction when the water wheel rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, (iii) a first spring between the first arm of the valve block and the commutation yoke, and a second spring between the second arm of the valve block and the commutation yoke, wherein the commutation yoke rotates in the clockwise direction until the second spring is moved over-center and snaps the second arm of the valve block into position closing the path of flow to the second chamber of the housing, and wherein the commutation yoke rotates in the counter-clockwise direction until the first spring is moved over-center and snaps the first arm of the valve block into position closing the path of flow to the first chamber of the housing, and (iv) a switch lever having a fulcrum engaged with a commutation yoke to rotate with the commutation yoke.

3. The oscillating sprinkler of claim 2, and further comprising a first gear assembly comprising a plurality of alternating pinion gears and spur gears each driven by the water wheel and a second gear assembly comprising a plurality of pinion gears each engaged by a corresponding pinion gear of the first gear assembly for moving the housing back and forth around the flow adapter.

4. The oscillating sprinkler of claim 3, wherein the commutation yoke and the valve block are axially aligned and the commutation yoke carries the switch lever and rotates with respect to the valve block.

5. The oscillating sprinkler of claim 3, and further comprising a first spacer coaxial with a second spacer for relative movement with respect to each other and each of the first spacer and the second spacer having an arcuate path, wherein the switch lever projects into the arcuate path and the switch lever'"'"'s movement in the arcuate path is dependent upon the relative position of the first spacer with respect to the second spacer and the switch lever'"'"'s movement in the arcuate path correlates with a frequency of oscillation of the oscillating nozzle.

6. The oscillating sprinkler of claim 5, wherein the first spacer comprises a first stop and the second spacer comprises a second stop wherein a distance between the first stop and the second stop is based on the relative position of the first spacer with respect to the second spacer.