US3942722A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ground treatment apparatus
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1975-03-28
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Granted: 1976-03-09
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Expires: 1995-03-28
Abstract
Abstract Irrigation apparatus comprises a movable vehicle arranged to be steered along a required ground path and carrying a pair of laterally-extending booms each of which is pivoted to one side of a rotatable turret mounted on the vehicle chassis. Each boom carries spray or sprinkler nozzles spaced along their lengths and one or more spray nozzles at its tip, all connected to a supply of water, and the spray patterns of the various nozzles overlap one another in such a way as to ensure even total dosage of water delivered per unit area of ground as the machine advances. Means is provided for angularly reciprocating the turret and booms about the vertical axis of the turret. The vehicle may be connected by a trailing flexible hose pipe to a hydrant, or may have a power-driven hose reel on which the hose is wound and by which it can can be reeled in or unreeled whilst the vehicle is moving and with the hose either empty or delivering water. The flexible hose may also be of a longitudinally-seamed construction. The vehicle may alternatively run along a water-filled canal and pick up water from the canal as it moves.
Inventors
- 👤 Ainsley Neville Ede
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 10:22
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C53/00; B29C53/36; B29C53/38; B29C53/48; B29C53/50; A; A01; A01G; A01G25/00; A01G25/09; A01G25/095; A01G25/097; B29C65/00; B29C65/56; B29C65/58
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
254 words
A land irrigation machine which comprises a self-propelled steerable vehicle which can be driven and steered in a direction of forward movement along a required path on the ground while connected to a supply of water through a flexible hosepipe, the vehicle comprising a. a steerable carriage having a water inlet for connection to the hosepipe, b. a generally horizontal elongated boom structure pivotally mounted on the carriage, said boom structure comprising two elongated sprinkler arms which are disposed transversely to the direction of forward movement of the vehicle and extend respectively on opposite sides of the carriage over a distance several times greater than the width of the carriage, each of said arms carrying a plurality of fixed water sprinklers distributed along the length of the arm, each of said sprinklers being connected to be supplied with water from the water inlet and to deliver the water in droplet form onto the ground in respective areas which overlap one another, c. means for pivotally mounting said arms for oscillation in alignment with each other about a vertical pivot axis, and d. means for decreasing the rate at which the water from said water inlet is distributed to the ground without decreasing the volume of water being supplied to each segment of the ground, said means including power means for continuously oscillating said arms about said vertical pivot axis while water is being delivered through said water sprinklers onto the ground alongside the vehicle during the forward movement of the vehicle along said path.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
254 words
A land irrigation machine which comprises a self-propelled steerable vehicle which can be driven and steered in a direction of forward movement along a required path on the ground while connected to a supply of water through a flexible hosepipe, the vehicle comprising a. a steerable carriage having a water inlet for connection to the hosepipe, b. a generally horizontal elongated boom structure pivotally mounted on the carriage, said boom structure comprising two elongated sprinkler arms which are disposed transversely to the direction of forward movement of the vehicle and extend respectively on opposite sides of the carriage over a distance several times greater than the width of the carriage, each of said arms carrying a plurality of fixed water sprinklers distributed along the length of the arm, each of said sprinklers being connected to be supplied with water from the water inlet and to deliver the water in droplet form onto the ground in respective areas which overlap one another, c. means for pivotally mounting said arms for oscillation in alignment with each other about a vertical pivot axis, and d. means for decreasing the rate at which the water from said water inlet is distributed to the ground without decreasing the volume of water being supplied to each segment of the ground, said means including power means for continuously oscillating said arms about said vertical pivot axis while water is being delivered through said water sprinklers onto the ground alongside the vehicle during the forward movement of the vehicle along said path.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
A land irrigation machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said boom structure includes a central tower pivotally mounted on the carriage for rotation about said vertical pivot axis, said sprinklers arms being attached at their inner ends to the tower on opposite sides thereof, and wherein said power means for oscillating said arms acts directly between the said carriage and said tower to cause angular oscillation of said tower and said two sprinkler arms carried thereby.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
60 words
A land irrigation machine as recited in claim 2 further comprising means for pivotally mounting each of said arms about a horizontal axis on said tower transverse to the axis of said arms, and means for adjusting the angular inclination of each of said arms with respect to the ground by pivoting each of said arms about said horizontal axis.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
126 words
A land irrigation machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said carriage is a wheeled carriage with steerable wheels, and wherein said machine further includes an automatic power steering mechanism arranged to steer the vehicle along an elongated guide formation, at the surface of the ground, said steering mechanism including a follower arranged to engage and follow said guide formation, said follower constituting a sensor responsive to the engagement of said follower with either side of said guide formation, a servo mechanism responsive to signals from the follower, and a steering motor acting on said steerable wheels under the control of said servo mechanism to steer said vehicle along the line of the guide formation and retain said follower in engagement therewith as said vehicle advances.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
213 words
A land irrigation machine as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a forwardly-extending steering arm pivoted about a vertical axis to the carriage and coupled to said steerable wheels so that angular movement of said steering arm about its pivot produces a corresponding steering movement of said steerable wheels, hydraulic motor means constituting said steering motor and acting on said steering arm under the control of a hydraulic control valve, a drop arm pivotally mounted at the leading end of said steering arm for tilting movement about a horizontal axis through its upper end parallel to the length of said steering arm, said follower member being mounted on the foot of drop arm for engagement in a soil furrow constituting the guide formation, and a mechanical connection between said tiltable drop arm and said hydraulic control valve, whereby a divergence of the leading end of the steering arm in either direction from a position immediately above the line of the furrow is sensed by follower engaged between the side walls of the furrow and tilts drop arm, thereby actuating control valve to cause hydraulic motor to impose a corresponding steering correction movement on steering arm and thereby also restoring drop arm to its upright position and restoring control valve to its neutral position.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
81 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 including feeler means carried by the steering arm and constructed and arranged to contact the ground surface, the feeler means being connected to shut-off means for stopping the forward movement of the vehicle and being arranged to sense a change in the height of the steering arm above ground surface level caused by the follower member riding out of the furrow, and to actuate the shut-off means in response to the said change in height.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A land irrigation machine as claimed in claim 5 in which the follower member comprises a wheel whose radial section is frusto-conical, said wheel being journalled on the foot of said drop arm.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
A land irrigation machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the vehicle is provided with a power-driven reel on which the hose can be wound and from which it can be withdrawn.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
92 words
A land irrigation machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein the hose is collapsible to flattened form when empty and is constructed and arranged to be inflated to circular cross-section by internal water pressure, and wherein the reel is constructed and arranged to progressively wind in and store the inflated hose on the reel, and also to pay out the inflated hose behind the vehicle, in each case while the hose is conducting pressurized water from the supply to the advancing vehicle and is inflated by the pressure of the said water.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
A land irrigation machine as claimed in claim 1 which each of said sprinkler arms carries at its outer end a spray nozzle which is directed outwardly and upwardly with respect to the length of the arm and is arranged to project a spray of water outwardly beyond the outer end of the arm.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-03-09 | 1979-09-08 | 1980-03-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-03-09 | 1983-09-08 | 1984-03-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-03-09 | 1987-09-08 | 1988-03-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |