Irrigation system with pulsating flow

Claim 1

A sprinkler unit for sprinkling, irrigation, and the like, comprising in combination a non-rotating sprinkler head wherein the reach of a jet of water is controlled by varying the pressure of the outlet ports and said variations in pressure being periodically varied from maximum to a substantially zero pressure to reach any distance between said maximum and substantially zero value, means within said non-rotating head for making said variations sufficiently rapid in succession so that a continuity of water fall is achieved at any distance and at any interval of time within said maximum and substantially zero reach, to produce a rapidly oscillating radial sweep, and thereby cause the water stream to break up into a great number of large droplets, said means comprising a supply port opening into a valve housing and a plurality of equally spaced outlet ports disposed circumferentially and directed radially therefrom, a valve body rotatably disposed within said housing, an impeller integral with said valve body and disposed within said supply port and upstream of the water supply and rotated thereby, and having a plurality of valve elements on said valve body within close proximity of said outlet and dimentionally substantially equal in width to the width of the outlet ports, the disposition of valve elements and outlet poRts being such that when one outlet port is being progressively opened and adjoining outlet port is progressively closing and therefore half of all the outlet ports is progressively opening while the other half is progressively closing, therefore maintaining a steady flow of water in the supply line conducive to a vibrationless operation.