Sprinkling apparatus control

Claim 1

A traveling sprinkler apparatus comprising in operative combination a pipe string assembly and a plurality of pipe supporting mobile stations and a control assembly for each of said plurality of pipe supporting stations; said pipe string assembly comprising a plurality of pipe string assembly portion, each of said pipe string assembly portions in series with another and extending radially from a central pipe pivot support, each of said pipe string assembly portions comprising a guyed pipe portion, a flexible conduit portion and a rigid conduit portion operatively connected in series; and each of said pipe string assembly portions extending from one radial station to a station central thereto; a. said guyed portion comprises a liquid conduit with liquid spraying means operatively attached thereto and guying elements operatively connected thereto, and the radial end of said guyed portion is attached to said radial station and the central end of said guyed portion is operatively attached to the radial end of said flexible conduit portion; b. the flexible portion comprises a flexible watertight liquid conduit rotatable about a vertical axis and about a horizontal axis and about the longitudinal axis of the pipe string, each said axis passing through said flexible portion, said flexible portion operatively connected at its central end to the radial end of said rigid portion; and c. said rigid portion comprises a conduit operatively connected at its central end to a pipe string assembly portion supported by and attached to the central station, and which rigid conduit portion extends radially from said central station; and each of said pipe supporting mobile stations comprising in operative combination a rigid frame and a ground engaging means and a motor means, and a motor control means and energy transmission means operatively connected to said motor control means, said motor means and ground engaging means operatively attached to and supported on said frame, said motor attached to said ground engaging means in driving engagement therewith and said motor control means operatively attached to said motor and firmly supported on the frame of said central station; said control assembly comprising; a. a rigid radial station position and orientation indicating vertically extending arm means, said arm means being firmly attached at one end to the guyed portion of said pipe string between one, radial, statioN and the flexible portion of the pipe string between said radial station and a station central thereto, b. a control arm support operatively attached to the rigid pipe portion of the pipe string assembly immediately central of said flexible portion and radial of said central station, c. said motor control means comprises a switch control arm and a switching mechanism, said switch control arm operatively connected to and controlling said switching mechanism, and d. a rigid arm pivotally supported on said control arm support and operatively connected at one end to said rigid radial station position and orientation indicating means and operatively connected at its other end to said switch control arm.