Control system for irrigation ditch diversion flow

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A DIVERSION DITCH PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A VARIABLE WATER SUPPLY AT THE HEAD THEREOF HAVING A FLOW REGULATING HEAD GATE AND A FLOW MEASURING STATION DOWNSTREAM FROM THE HEAD A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO ELIMINATE THE EFFECT OF TURBULENCE UPON SAID MEASURING STATION; A CONTROL SYSTEM PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN A PREDETERMINED SUBSTANTIALLY STEADY FLOW IN SAID DITCH BY AUTOMATIC COMPENSATING REVERSIBLE MOVEMENTS OF SAID GATE AS THE WATER LEVEL AT THE HEAD VARIES, SAID CONTROL SYSTEM COMPRISING: (A) FLUID FLOW INDICATING MEANS POSITIONED AT SAID MEASURING STATION FOR DETERMINING FLUID FLOW IN SAID DITCH, SAID INDICATING MEANS COMPRISING: (1) A FLOAT HAVING ONE POSITION WHEN A CONDITION OF STEADY FLOW EXISTS IN SAID DITCH AND ONE POSITION IN RESPONSE TO AN INCREASE IN SAID FLOW AND MOVABLE IN ANOTHER DIRECTION FROM SAID ONE POSITION IN RESPONSE TO A DECREASE IN SAID FLOW; (B) SENSING MEANS FOR RESPONDING TO A CHANGE IN THE POSITION OF SAID FLOW INDICATING MEANS COMPRISING: (1) A FIRST CIRCUIT, (2) A SECOND CIRCUIT, (3) AN ELECTRIC EYE SWITCH DISPOSED IN EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CIRCUITS AND CLOSEABLE TO COMPLETE A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID CIRCUITS WHENEVER A BEAM OF LIGHT IS DIRECTED TO A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID EYE SWITCHES, (4) A SHAFT, (5) BALANCED ARM MEANS POSITIONED UPON SAID SHAFT HAVING OPPOSED LIGHT CUT-OFF EDGES DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT TO ONE OF SAID EYE SWITCHES, AND (6) LIGHT BEAM PRODUCING MEANS FOR DIRECTING A BEAM OF LIGHT UPON EACH OF SAID EYE SWITCHES, SAID ARM MEANS BEING SO CONSTITUTED AND ARRANGED AS TO NORMALLY POSITION SAID EDGES IN THE PATH OF SAID LIGHT BEAMS, WHEREBY SAID LIGHT BEAMS ARE NORMALLY INTERRUPTED, AND BEING ROTATABLE IN EACH OF A PLURALITY OF DIRECTIONS, ONE EDGE BEING MOVED AWAY FROM A CORRESPONDING LIGHT BEAM WHEN SAID ARM MEANS ROTATES IN ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF DIRECTIONS AND THE OTHER EDGE BEING MOVED AWAY FROM A CORRESPONDING LIGHT BEAM WHEN SAID ARM MEANS ROTATES IN ANOTHER OF SAID PLURALITY OF DIRECTIONS, WHEREBY SAID LIGHT BEAM PRODUCING MEANS WILL CLOSE ONE OR THE OTHER OF SAID ELECTRIC EYE SWITCHES RESPONSIVE TO THE ROTATION OF SAID BALANCED ARM MEANS FROM THE NORMAL POSITION THEREOF AND A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CIRCUIT MEANS; (C) LINKAGE MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE FLOAT AND SAID SHAFT FOR MAINTAINING SAID BALANCED ARM MEANS IN THE NORMAL POSITION THEREOF WHEN THE FLOAT IS DISPOSED IN THE ONE POSITION THEREOF UNDER CONDITIONS OF STEADY FLOW AND FOR ROTATING SAID BALANCED ARM MEANS IN ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF DIRECTIONS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF THE FLOAT IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AND IN ANOTHER OF SAID PLURALITY OF DIRECTIONS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF THE FLOAT IN SAID OTHER DIRECTION, THEREBY CAUSING A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CIRCUITS TO BE CLOSED WHEN SAID FLOAT MOVES IN A CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID ONE AND SAID OTHER DIRECTIONS TO A POSITION OTHER THAN THE NORMAL POSITION THEREOF; (D) ACTUATOR MEANS FOR CLOSING AND OPENING SAID GATE AND FOR CLOSING SAID GATE WHEN ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CIRCUITS IS CLOSED AND FOR OPENING SAID GATE WHEN THE OTHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CIRCUITS IS CLOSED, WHEREBY THE FLOW THROUGH SAID GATE IS REDUCED WHEN SAID FLOAT MOVES IN ONE OF SAID ONE AND SAID OTHER DIRECTIONS TO INDICATE AN EXCESS OF FLOW THROUGH THE DITCH, AND THE FLOW THROUGH SAID GATE IS INCREASED WHEN THE FLOAT MOVES IN ANOTHER OF SAID ONE AND SAID OTHER DIRECTIONS TO INDICATE A DEFICIENCY OF FLOW THROUGH THE DITCH, AND; (E) MOVEMENT LIMITING AND TIME DELAY MEANS POSITIONED IN EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CIRCUITS AND BEING OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ACTUATOR MEANS FOR LIMITING THE GATE TO RELATIVELY SMALL INCREMENTS OF OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENTS AT LEAST EQUAL TO NO MORE THAN A TOLERANCE FACTOR AS DEFINED BY PERMISSIBLE RELATIVELY SMALL VARIATIONS OF FLOW THROUGH SAID DITCH IN EXCESS OF AND LESS THAN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY STEADY FLOW, IN RESPONSE TO WHICH VARIATIONS SAID FLOAT REMAINS IN SUBSTANTIALLY ITS SAID ONE POSITION AND NEITHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CIRCUITS IS ENERGIZED, WHEN CLOSING OF ONE OF SAID ELECTRIC EYE SWITCHES INITIATES GATE MOVEMENT AND FOR PROVIDING A PREDETERMINED TIME DELAY PERIOD BETWEEN EACH INCREMENT OF GATE MOVEMENT, SAID TIME DELAY PERIOD BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE TIME PERIOD REQUIRED BY ANY CHANGE IN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY STEADY FLOW CONDITION TO BE EFFECTIVE AT SAID MEASURING STATION.