GB2147785A - Irrigation - Google Patents

Abstract

An irrigation installation comprises pillars (5) of adjustable height disposed in two parallel rows. A cable (7) extends between each pair of pillars (5). The cables (7) support an irrigation pipe (2) having holes from which water is discharged. Means (10, 11, 14) is provided for adjusting the tension of the cables (7). Means (3,4) is provided whereby the pipe (2) can be moved along the cables. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Irrigation The Background of the Invention The present invention relates to a new installation for the automatic of semiautomatic or manual irrigation of agricultural fields and in particular cotton fields.

It is well known that irrigation in many agricultural fields is up today made by means of a longitudinal pipe laid down in the grooves provided in between neighbouring series of cultivated plants.

This method requires the intervention of the human factor to carry the irrigation pipe from one groove to the next in order to complete irrigation of the whole field. This process is nevertheless extremely difficult and tiring, especially in cotton fields which require a large amount of water and a long period of time, this resulting in the ground becoming swampy and the access to the field very difficult.

The prior art has not invented an installation for facilitating the irritation process, similar to that of the present invention.

The present invention eliminates the above problems and difficulties and provides an installation for the automatic irrigation of agricultural fields and in particular cotton fields, which helps in the irrigation being performed easily and saves time, fatique and labour staff, while the irrigation process is conducted under more hygienic conditions (the hurting of the plants by irrigation rain is avoided, etc.).

These and other advantages of the invention will be made clear in the analytical description below.

Description of the drawings The present invention will be made more fully apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustratively show the invention aiming at presenting the object of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Figure 1 shows an illustrative picture of a part of the irrigation installation, made according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows a view of a detail of the above installation of Figure 1, where one can see the arrangement of sliding and transferring the irrigation pipe across the agricultural field.

Figure 3 shows a detail of the supporting pillars of the transversal member of the pipe sliding and transferring arrangement, where these pillars are also shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a view of a detail of Figure 1, which illustrates the connection of the irrigation pipe to the pipe of the water supply network and the spraying of the field from two neighbouring points of the irrigation pipe.

Analytical description of the invention Referring now to the drawings and in particular in Figure 1, we hereby observe that the proposed installation comprises a plurality of series of pairs of pillars 5, which extend along the cultivated area at the ents of two parallel sides of the installation.

The wire ropes 7 run across the cultivated area and pass through a pair of opposite pillars 5, which are provided with the rolling wheels 3 which thereby carry at the desirable position the irrigation pipe 2, which extends along the cultivated area parallel to the series of pillars 5. The wire ropes 7 are supported besides the end pillars 5, by intermediate supporting pillars 8.

The irrigation pipe 2 sliding and transferring arrangement, as detailfully shown in Figure 2, comprises a pair of wheels 3, which roll onto the wire rope 7 interconnected by means of a shaft 4 and by means of shafts 9 onto a semicircular ring 12 onto which rest the irrigation pipe 2. In a simpler embodiment of the invention the pipe 2 can simply be supported by passing through a central hole at a rolling wheel 3, whereas according to another preffered embodiment of the invention the pipe 2 can also be suspended by a series of hooks which are suspended by the wire ropes 7 and move by sliding onto them across the cultivated area.

The wire ropes 7 support and tension arrangement comprises a plurality of pillars 5, which are arranged onto two border parallel series and a plurality of intermediate supporting pillars 8. The height of each of the pillars 5 at the ends of the cultivated area can increase or decrease so that the irrigation may be conducted at a height suitable so that the installation may not collide onto the cultivated plants whose height continually increases from sowing the crop. This variation in height can by way of example be achieved by means of a connecting piece 15 which connects the two portions of the pillar 5 to obtain the desirable height.

The variation in height can of course be also obtained by means of a plurality of other methods and accessories known in the art. The wire ropes 6 which are used for a more secure fitting of the pillars 5 on the ground are caulked into the ground.

The above pillars 5 are also provided with an arrangement of connection and tension of the wire ropes 7. The above arrangement comprises two pulleys 10 and 11, where the pulley 10 is placed on top of the pillars 5 and the pulley 11 is placed at a lower point of the pillar 5. To provide tension for each of the wire ropes 7, a manually operated lever 14 is provided at the lower pulley 11 by means of which the wire rope 7 is would round the pulley 11 and is thereby stretched.

As shown in Figure 4, the irrigation pipe 2 is provided with holes 13, where water passes through these holes to spray the cultivated area. The pipe 2 is supplied with water from the water supply network through pipe 1.

The advantage of the present invention in relation to the prior art are made clear in the above description. The present arrangement can also be used to facilitate a plurality of other operations. For example the same installation can be used for spraying liquid medicals or a plough may be connected to the said wire ropes for ploughing or a harrow to take along the soil lumps. A seat can also be connected in the said arrangement to carry the worker collecting the cotton.

It must hereby be noted that the present inven tion has been described above by reference to illustrative embodiments, which do not limit the rights of the present invention. Thus any change or amendment in the shape, size, form, the exact dimensions, materials and accessories as well as assembly methods used, if they do not comprise a new inventive step are considered as being contained in the scope and the aims of the present invention.

The main points and characteristics of the present invention, which constitute the substance of claiming the patent right are summarised in the following claims:

Claims (6)

1. Installation for the automatic irrigation of cotton and other fields, characterised by that it comprises a plurality of series of pairs of pillars extending along the cultivated area at the ends of two parallel sides of the same, a plurality of wire ropes which extend across the cultivated area, each passing through a pair of the said pillars, an arrangement for rolling and transferring an irrigation pipe in a direction normal to the said wire ropes across the cultivated area, an arrangement for the variation of the height of the said pillars and wire ropes and therefore of the height of the said irrigation pipe and an arrangement for the tension of the said wire ropes onto the said pillars, where the said irrigation pipe, being supplied with water from a pipe of the water supply network, is capable of being moved across the cultivated area and spraying with water the said field underneath without interference of any personnel.

2. Installation for the automatic irrigation of cotton and other fields according to the above Claim 1, characterised by that each of the said pillars is provided with an arrangement for the variation of its height which by way of example comprises a connecting piece shown in Fig. 3, which is movable and connects in various positions the two tube portions out of which each of the said pillars is made in order to provide the desirable height.

3. Installation for the automatic irrigation of cotton and other fields according to the above Claim 1, characterised by that each of the said pillars is provided with an arrangement for the tension of the said wire ropes, which by way of example comprises two pulleys as shown in Fig. 1, where the wire rope passes through these pulleys to provide the tension by means of a manually operated lever.

4. Installation for the automatic irrigation of cotton and other fields according to the above claims 1-3, characterised by that after making suitable additions, it can be used to perform a plurality of other operations, such as for example the connection of a seat on the sliding and transferring arrangement to carry a worker along and across the cultivated area, where this worker can collect the corp or perform other work, or the connection of a harrow to the said arrangement to take along the soil lamps, or the connection of a plough to perform ploughing of the cultivated area.

5. An irrigation installation substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

6. An irrigation method substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.