WO2000021680A1 - Irrigating method using a rotary water gun with slow return and implementing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns an irrigation method using a rotary water gun (100) with slow return consisting of a water outlet spray nozzle support tube (120) having a rotary motion back and forth over an angular sector about a vertical shaft, said nozzle support tube (120) comprising a counterflow lever (130). The inventive method is characterised in that it consists in placing according to a specific timing, an additional obstacle (O) for the jet from the nozzle outlet of said support tube (120) such that the countered water jet irrigates the periphery next to the water gun when the watering cycle starts and ends. The invention is useful for crop irrigation.

Description

 METHOD OF WATERING FROM A SLOW RETURN ROTATING WATER CANON AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING SAME

ARTWORK

The present invention relates to the field of irrigation and in particular to adaptations enabling water cannons to water the surface on which they are placed, under optimal conditions. It is known in the prior art watering devices associating a rotary water cannon mounted on a displacement carriage, with a reel of a water supply hose, said hose serving as a return link from the cannon to the reel .

Conventionally, the reel is placed in a fixed position on an edge of the field to be irrigated, the water cannon then being brought by pulling the supply hose and therefore unwinding the reel to its starting watering position. These sprinkling devices are designed in such a way that the arrival of water controls the ejection of the latter by the nozzle of said barrel support tube, the rotation of the latter on its axis and the gradual return of the carriage -canon towards the reel. The surface watered by such a device depends of course on the size of the barrel, the orientation of the latter and the authorized rotational movement but it generally and theoretically corresponds, when the rotational movement is 180 degrees, to the surface a rectangle whose length corresponding to the unrolled length of the pipe to which must be added the area of a semicircle whose radius is equal to the maximum range of said barrel.

There are two gun orientation solutions, namely: - a first solution called "inward irrigation", and in this case the 90-degree barrel is oriented towards the reel,

- a second solution called "forward irrigation", and, in this case, the barrel at 90 degrees is oriented in the opposite direction to its return movement towards the reel. Whatever the orientation solution chosen (determined as a function of the surface to be watered as well as the immediate environment of said surface), the calculation of the total surface watered remains theoretical due to the very fact of the power of the cannon. Indeed, a water cannon and in particular long-range cannons having a given maximum range are not capable of watering the immediate environment around their point of rotation. Of course, this dry semicircle following the movement of the barrel-carrying carriage is then watered when the barrel returns to its reel, but the fact remains that during the departure for an inward irrigation or during the arriving during irrigation in the opposite direction, an area equivalent to the area of a semicircle whose radius corresponds to the minimum effective range of the water jet leaving the outlet nozzle of said barrel, remains without watering.

The minimum effective range of the barrel is determined by its jet breaker device, which conventionally consists of a pendulum, which pivotally mounted on said barrel adopts a pendulum movement which allows not only to break the jet at the outlet of said nozzle support tube but also to cause the barrel to rotate around its axis.

The Applicant has nevertheless noted that, despite the jet breaker device, a conventional rotary water cannon adopting a maximum range of around fifty meters can only effectively water by means of the jet itself and the spray caused by said jet breaker from a radius of twenty-five meters around the barrel. Failure to water an area of a field devoted to a crop such as corn can cause the loss of the crop in that part of the field.

There are always in the prior art methods or devices making it possible to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks in an unsatisfactory manner. Thus, the manufacturers of sprinkler devices have provided start timings for inward irrigation and arrival timings for reverse irrigation so that by making the sprinkling last at the level of said non-sprinkled surfaces, the spray caused by the spray can ensure watering at the correct rate of cubic centimeters per square meter. It is understandable that such a delay in the winding of the hose or in the operation of the barrel at the end of the race must be very long so that the non-watered surface is irrigated. Also, the use of such a process has the main consequence of maintaining a difference in watering between the surfaces normally watered and that not watered but also of causing the creation of flooded overwatered surfaces, the excess watering also causing a substantial decrease in harvest.

On the basis of this state of affairs, the applicant carried out research on a new concept of jet-breaking device adapting to existing cannons in order to allow optimal watering while overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks.

This research led to the original design of a sprinkling process from a slow return rotary water cannon of the type made up of a support tube for water outlet nozzle adopting a movement in back and forth rotation over an angular sector around a vertical shaft, said nozzle support tube comprising a jet-breaker balance.

According to the main characteristic of the invention, this method is remarkable in that it consists in placing, according to a given time delay, an additional obstacle to the outlet jet of said nozzle support tube so that the water jet broken watered the immediate periphery of the water cannon at the start or at the end of the watering cycle.

The addition of an extra jet-breaker is particularly advantageous in that it guarantees optimal watering of the periphery of the water cannon, unlike the device of the prior art. In fact, the pendulum breakers conventionally present on rotary water cannons have mainly the function of allowing the rotational movement of the nozzle support tube and cannot break the jet of the water cannon sufficiently effectively without reducing the range of said guns. Also, the solution given by the applicant is particularly advantageous by proposing to break the jet by means of an auxiliary jet breaker consisting of an obstacle which is temporarily interposed with the jet at the start or at the end of the cycle. watering. Of course, this time delay is less than the time delays provided for the devices of the prior art due to the optimized efficiency of watering. The choice between a start or end time of the watering cycle depends of course on the type of inward or reverse irrigation. Consequently, the process of the invention makes it possible to save time, apart from saving water, on the watering cycle.

According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the method is remarkable in that it consists in controlling the movement of said obstacle by means of the rotation movement of the nozzle support tube on its vertical shaft so that the succession of rotations of the nozzle support tube around its vertical shaft causes the jet obstacle to move away from or gradually approach of water at the outlet of the nozzle. This characteristic makes it possible not only to envisage a time delay for the presence of the obstacle to the jet of water dependent on the angular sector defined during the round-trip movement in rotation of the nozzle support tube around its rotation shaft, but also to implementing a progressive movement of said obstacle due to its movement depending on the successive movements of the nozzle support tube. Thus, for example, during an inward irrigation, the obstacle will be placed at the start of the watering cycle so that it breaks the jet as efficiently as possible, the successive rotations controlling its progressive removal from said jet. The possibilities of this process therefore perfectly meet the needs of a user of rotary water cannons returning to a reel which, during an internal displacement defines at its start of cycle an immediate periphery not watered by proposing to break the jet the most effectively possible at the start of the cycle, therefore in the least classically watered area.

It is understood that such a method makes it possible to obviate the aforementioned drawbacks of the devices of the prior art, namely an inequality in the watering of certain surfaces or the need to drown a large surface to allow watering of a smaller one. . The invention also relates to the device making it possible to implement the above-mentioned sprinkling method. This device is remarkable in that it consists of two parts attaching to a conventional water cannon:

a first movable part consisting of a support for the jet-breaking obstacle which, pivotally mounted on the nozzle support tube of said water cannon and secured to its rotational movement around its vertical shaft, progressively passes from one neutral position to a position where said obstacle breaks the jet of said water cannon, or vice versa,

- A second fixed part secured to the fixed part of the water cannon with respect to which the nozzle support tube of said cannon rotates and comprising a means for driving the mobile part so that the successive rotational movements of the support tube nozzle set in motion the movable support around its axis of rotation integral with the nozzle support tube.

The fundamental concepts of the invention having just been exposed above in their most basic form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows, giving by way of nonlimiting example and with reference to the appended drawings, an embodiment of a device making it possible to implement the method according to the invention.

This description refers to the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic overall view of a reel and its rotary water cannon on which is mounted a device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a schematic overall view of the device of the invention in a position enabling it to break the jet,

Figure 3 is an overview of the device of Figure 2 in the neutral position, Figures 4a and 4b are top views of details of the drive means of the movable part.

As illustrated in the drawing of FIG. 1, the device referenced D as a whole making it possible to implement the sprinkling process, fits onto a conventional sprinkler barrel 100 of the rotary type with slow return. As illustrated, said barrel 100 is integral with a barrel-carrying carriage 110 relative to which the nozzle support tube 120, comprising a jet-breaker balance 130, of the barrel 100 rotates according to a vertical shaft of rotation. Depending on the surface to be watered, the rotational movement is more or less limited to an angular sector on which the nozzle support tube 120 goes back and forth. For this reason, this type of barrel 100 is said to have slow return thanks to its association with a fixed reel 200 which, under the pressure of the water which it receives, winds the supply pipe referenced T with water from the barrel 100 which was run before the watering cycle started. Thus, as the watering cycle progresses and whatever the type of irrigation (the configuration illustrated being that of inward irrigation), the carriage 110 gradually returns to the reel 200. As illustrated in more detail on the drawing in FIG. 2, the device D consists of two parts:

- A first movable part consisting of a support 300 of the jet-breaking obstacle referenced O which is pivotally mounted on the nozzle support tube 120 of said water cannon 100 and secured to its rotational movement around its vertical shaft here symbolized by the X axis,

- A second fixed part 400 integral with the fixed part 110 of the water cannon 100 with respect to which the nozzle support tube 120 of said cannon 100 rotates and comprising a drive means 410 of the movable part 300 so that the movements of successive rotation of the nozzle support tube 120 set in motion the movable support 300 about its axis of rotation 310 secured to the nozzle support tube 120.

The movement sought by the user and in particular when used for inward irrigation consists in breaking the jet at the start of the cycle so as to water in the immediate periphery of the rotary barrel 100. The position as a jet breaker is illustrated by the drawings of FIGS. 1 and 2, the neutral position is illustrated by the drawing of FIG. 3.

As illustrated in the drawing in FIG. 2, said support 300 of the obstacle O consists of at least one rod 320 comprising at one end, an obstacle O liable to break the jet at the outlet of the nozzle support tube 120 of water cannon 100 and, at a second end a counterweight 330 making it possible to balance the entire support around said rotation shaft 310 secured to said nozzle support tube 120, the position of the counterweight 330, of the obstacle O relative to rod 300 or rod 320 relative to its rotation shaft 310 being adjustable.

According to a preferred but nonlimiting embodiment, the movable support 300 of the obstacle having the function of breaking the jet at the outlet of the nozzle support tube 120 of the barrel 100 is constituted by a pair of rods 320 arranged on the side and other side of the nozzle support tube and sufficiently spaced to allow not only the pendular movement of the breakwater balance conventionally present on a cannon of this type, but also to authorize the rotational movement of this pair of rods 320 around its rotation shaft 310. This pair of rods 320 is advantageously linked by means of the counterweight 300 at one of its ends and by the obstacle O at its other end. This spacing of the pair of rods and the arrangement of the obstacle at a certain distance from the nozzle of said support tube 120 has the advantage of allowing the nozzle to be changed as a function of the flow rate of the water pump as for a cannon. classic. In this configuration and as illustrated, this pair of rods 320 forming a frame around the nozzle support tube 120 is fixed to one end 341 of a pair of arms 340 adopting the same spacing and the other end 342 of which is integral with the rotation shaft 310 of the movable support 300 relative to said nozzle support tube 120. To respect the characteristics of the invention, the fixing of the pair of rods 320 at the end 341 is of the clampable type / releasable to allow the sliding of the frame formed by said rods.

According to a preferred but nonlimiting embodiment, said obstacle O having the function of breaking the water jet at the outlet of said nozzle support tube consists of a plurality of teeth whose inclination and spacing between them are adjustable. The use of teeth is particularly advantageous in that any other profile could, as in the case of the jet breaker pendulum, cause the movement of the mobile support or at least a bending stress. The above fixed part 400 comprises, fixed on the part of the barrel 100 with respect to which the nozzle support tube 120 rotates, means equivalent to a toothed wheel 410 on which a pinion 350 meshes with the above-mentioned mobile part so that the drive in rotation of said pinion 350 ensured by the rotations of the nozzle support tube 120 around its rotation shaft and by its contact with the toothed wheel 410 causes the movable support 300 to pass progressively first position to a second position. Thus, according to the illustrated irrigation mode, the rotational movement of the pinion causes the passage of the obstacle O having the function of breaking the jet from a position of use illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 to a neutral position illustrated at FIG. 3. According to a particularly judicious technological choice, said pinion 350 which, of the type of that driven in one direction of rotation and free in the other direction, is in helical connection with a threaded rod 351 whose axis parallel to the axis of the rotation shaft of the nozzle support tube so that the axial displacement of said pinion 350 on said threaded rod 351 causes the displacement of a first end 510 of a control lever 500 including the second end 520 is linked in an adjustable manner to said mobile support 300 by an adjustment link 600.

According to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the pinion is equipped with a device of the freewheel type. According to another preferred but nonlimiting embodiment, the pinion is equipped with a ratchet device making it possible to change the direction of work without dismantling and reversing the pinion.

Said control lever 500 advantageously consists at its first end 510 of a control fork 511 moving along the threaded rod 351 according to the axial movement of said pinion 350. The weight of said control lever 500 is advantageously offset on its second end so as to maintain contact between the control fork 511 and the pinion 350.

The axis of rotation of said control lever 500 is integral with one end of a fixing lug whose base is integral with the nozzle support tube 120 of the barrel 100. O 00/21680 PCT / FR99 / 02410

According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the movable part 300 is secured to the nozzle support tube 120 by means of a semi-tabular profile 360 taking up the diameter of the nozzle support tube and fixed to the latter, by means of standard fixing collars. This semi-tabular profile 360 is arranged so as to receive and allow the rotation of the shaft 310 perpendicularly to the axis of projection of the water jet in order to ensure the fixing of one end of said threaded rod along a parallel axis. to the axis of rotation of said nozzle support tube 120 and allow the fixing of the base of the tab 700, the end of which receives the axis of rotation of said control lever. According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, said adjustment rod in pivoting connection sliding with the control lever 500 and with the movable support 300 so that the displacement like a cursor of the ends of said rod 600, regulates the effect of the movement of the pinion 350 on the mobile support 300. In fact, according to the arrangement of the link 600, the lever arm defined by the position of the end of the link 600 on the control lever 500 relative to the center of rotation said lever 500 is more or less large and thus the angular action of the pinion 350 on the end 510 of the control lever 500 is more or less multiplied.

As illustrated in the drawings of FIGS. 4a and 4b, said means equivalent to a toothed wheel consists of an angular sector of toothed wheel 410, one end of which 411 is mounted as an adjustable pivot so as to be able to adjust the number of teeth coming from mesh with said pinion 350 at each rotation of the nozzle support tube 120 in the drive direction. Adjusting the number of teeth in contact with each rotation has the advantage of giving the possibility of adjusting the jet breaker cycle time by making the pinion rotate more or less long and therefore by varying its axial speed. This possibility is advantageously exploitable when the rotational movement of the nozzle support tube 120 is less in an angular sector less than 180 degrees. In fact, to respect the same additional jet breaker cycle time, the pinion 350 must be in contact with twice as many teeth for a 90-degree rotational movement as for a 180-degree movement of the support tube. of nozzle 120. Advantageously, the pivot link is equipped with a spring retainer in order to ensure contact between said toothed wheel 410 and the adjustable stop 412.

According to a particularly judicious characteristic, the connection between the toothed wheel sector 410 and the pinion 350 is disengageable. As illustrated in the drawings of FIGS. 4a, 4b, 2 and 3, the fixed part is linked to the carriage 110 by means of a semi-tabular profile 420 secured to said carriage by means of standard fixing collars, said semi-tabular profile is advantageously provided with a plate 421 for supporting an adjustable fixing assembly 430 of said toothed wheel 410. In fact, in order to adapt to several types of water cannons as well as to alleviate the defects in coaxiality between the axis of rotation of the nozzle support tube and the fixed part on which said fixed toothed wheel is fixed, an assembly of threaded rods and pivot connections ensures both axial and radial adjustment of the positioning of said toothed wheel 410. In addition, the means for fixing the fixed part associated with the means for fixing the mobile part mean that the device of the invention D is easily adaptable and removable and does not require modifications to the barrel on which it is installed.

The operation of device D for inward type irrigation is simple and the following.

Conventionally, the carriage 110 is brought to the end of the surface to be watered, the pipe T having been unwound as the reel 200 progresses. The barrel is oriented inward. As illustrated in the drawing in FIG. 2, the device is placed in the starting position with the obstacle O on the path of the water jet so that the jet is broken as efficiently as possible at the start of the watering cycle. The lever arm 500, the pinion 350 and the input wheel 410 on which it meshes are arranged relative to each other so that the pinion is disposed at the bottom of said toothed wheel 410.

The water is then sent into the pipe T causing the rotation of the nozzle support tube 120 back and forth over the angular sector defined for its stroke, each time the pinion 350 is passed over the toothed wheel 410 in the driving direction. , that is to say one time out of two, said pinion 350 adopts an upward axial movement ensuring its progression on the threaded rod 351 but also with respect to the above-mentioned toothed wheel 410 (the rotation of pinion 350 being defined by the number adjustable teeth of said toothed wheel 410 with which it is in contact). The upward translation of the pinion 350 as it rotates on the threaded rod 351 causes the progressive movement of the control fork 511 in a rotational movement around the axis of rotation of the control lever 500 by driving therefore the descent of the end 520 which, by means of the adjustment link 600, transmits this movement to the support of the jet-breaking obstacle which pivots around its axis 310 thus progressively moving the obstacle O away from the water jet. The advantage of such kinematics is that it allows the disengagement of the drive means of the mobile support as illustrated in the drawing in FIG. 3, on which the pinion 350 in its upward translational movement is no longer in contact with the wheel. tooth 410, the obstacle is then outside the trajectory of the water jet and the water cannon sprinkles normally. If a delay at the start of the watering cycle is provided, the delay ends and the carriage begins its slow return to the reel 200.

In the case of irrigation in the opposite direction or forward, the operation is reversed, namely: - the pinion 350 whose helical connection has been reversed (either by reversing said pinion, or by means of the pawl) is placed at the very top of the gear wheel position so that the obstacle O is outside the path. Said toothed wheel 410 is advantageously disengaged, namely that it is maintained by any means in a position such that it cannot be in contact with the pinion 350 moving in front.

According to a preferred but nonlimiting embodiment, this maintenance in the disengaged position of the angular sector of toothed wheel 410 is ensured by means of the aforesaid spring associated with the adjustable pivot connection of said angular sector of toothed wheel 410.

Arrived in the vicinity of the reel 200, a suitable device releases the means now in the disengaged position said toothed wheel which then comes into contact with the pinion 350 which this time descends along the threaded rod 351 and the toothed wheel so that it brings down the control fork 511 which causes an upward rotation of the end 520 which thus gradually raises the obstacle O towards the water jet. The pinion then disengages from the toothed wheel going down beyond the thickness of the toothed wheel. The obstacle remains maintained in this position until the watering cycle stops.

It is understood that the device making it possible to implement the sprinkling process of the invention which has just been described and shown above, was for the purpose of disclosure rather than limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements may be made to the above example, without departing from the scope of the invention taken in its broadest aspects and spirit. Thus, for example, the counterweight 330 can be eliminated by making an extra thickness of the bars 320 constituting the mobile support 300 or by any other device making it possible to balance the device D.

On the other hand, the weight of the device D can be reduced by the use of light materials.

It should be noted that when start timers for inward irrigation or end timers for forward irrigation are provided, the cycle time of the device of the invention operates during these timers.

Claims

- CLAIMS - 1. Method of watering from a rotary water cannon (100) with slow return of the type consisting of a nozzle support tube (120) for water outlet adopting a rotary movement back and forth on an angular sector around a vertical shaft, said nozzle support tube (120) comprising a jet breaker balance (130), CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it consists in placing, according to a given time delay, an obstacle (0) to the outlet jet of the nozzle attached to a mechanical assembly (D) disposed under the nozzle support tube (120) controlled by the rotation movement of the nozzle support tube (120) in order to cause the progressive removal or approximation of said obstacle of the water jet at the nozzle outlet so that the immediate periphery of the water cannon be watered at the beginning and at the end of each watering cycle. 2. Device for implementing the sprinkling process according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it consists of two parts: - A first movable part consisting of a support (300) of the jet-breaking obstacle (O) which, pivotally mounted on the nozzle support tube (120) of said water cannon (100) is integral with its movement of rotation around its vertical shaft, progressively passes from a neutral position to a position where said obstacle breaks the jet of said water cannon or vice versa, - A second fixed part secured to the fixed part (400) of the water cannon (100) relative to which the nozzle support tube (120) of said cannon (100) rotates and comprising a drive means (410) of the movable part (300) so that the successive rotational movements of the nozzle support tube (120) set in motion the mobile support (300) around its axis of rotation (310) integral with the support tube nozzle (120). 3. Device according to claim 2 CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said support (300) for the obstacle (O) consists of at least one rod (320) having one end, an obstacle (O) capable of breaking the jet at the outlet of said nozzle support tube (120) of water cannon (100) e, at a second end a counterweight (330) making it possible to balance the entire support around a rotation shaft (310) secured to said nozzle support tube (120), the position of the counterweight (330), of the obstacle (0) relative to the rod (300) or of the rod (320) relative to its rotation shaft (310) being adjustable. 4. Device according to claim 2 CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the above fixed part. (400) comprises, coaxial and fixed with respect to the rotation shaft of the nozzle support tube (120), a means equivalent to a toothed wheel (410) on which a pinion (350) is secured to the aforementioned movable part, the rotational movements of said pinion (350) caused by the rotations of the nozzle support tube (120) around its rotation shaft causing the progressive movement of the movable support from a neutral position to a neutral position jet or vice versa. 5. Device according to claims 234, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said pinion (350) which, of the type of that driven in one direction of rotation and free in the other direction, is in helical connection with a threaded rod (351) of which the axis parallel to the axis of the rotation shaft of the nozzle support tube so that the axial displacement of said pinion (350) on said threaded rod (351) causes displacement of a first end (510) d 'a control lever (500), the second end (520) of which is adjustably linked to said mobile support by an adjustment rod (600). 6. Device according to claims 234 CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said means equivalent to a toothed wheel consists of an angular sector of toothed wheel (410) of which one end (411) is pivotally adjustable so as to be able to adjust the number teeth coming to mesh with said pinion (350) each rotation of the nozzle support tube (120) in the right direction. 7. Device according to claim 5 CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said control lever (500) consists at its first end of a control fork (511) moving along the threaded rod (351) according to the axial movement of said pinion (350), the weight of said control lever (500) being offset on its second end so as to maintain contact between the control fork (511) and the pinion (350). 8. Device according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said adjustment link (600) is in sliding pivot connection with the control lever (500) and with the support (300) so that the displacement of the ends of said link (600) like a slider regulates the effect of the movement pinion (350) on the control lever (500).