WO1987000724A1

WO1987000724A1 - Arrangement in an irrigation system

Info

Publication number: WO1987000724A1
Application number: PCT/SE1986/000356
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alvar Bengtsson
Original assignee: Alvar Bengtsson
Priority date: 1985-08-08
Filing date: 1986-08-07
Publication date: 1987-02-12
Also published as: SE452698B; SE8503738D0; SE8503738L; JPH07112395B2; JPS63500424A; CN1007576B; CN86104904A; AU6225686A

Abstract

An arrangement in an irrigation system comprises on the one hand a self-propelled irrigation carriage having a spraying boom or high-volume discharge sprayer and, on the other hand, a pipe-line (4) which is laid on the ground and along which said carriage is movable back and forth. Water is transferred to the carriage via a transfer unit (5) comprising two endless chains (10) passed over guide pulleys (11) and having pivotally mounted connectors (12), said transfer unit cooperating with a number of non-return valves (9) equidistantly spaced apart along said pipe-line (4). Water is supplied via a pipe system to a drive motor for the carriage and to the spary nozzles of the spraying boom. A guiding device (31, 35, 36, 39, 51, 54) as well as a number of guide followers (40, 41, 42, 43, 52, 53) acting thereagainst impart to the connectors (12) a downwardly and upwardly directed vertical movement towards and away from the non-return valve (9), thereby to reduce the risk of leakage.

Description

ARRANGEMENT IN AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM

The present invention relates to an arrangement in an irrigation system comprising on the one hand a self-propelled irrigation carriage provided with drive wheels and a spraying boom or high-volume dis- charge sprayer and, on the other hand, a pipe-line which is laid on the ground and along which the carriage is movable back and forth and from which water can be transferred, via a transfer unit connected to said carriage and movable together therewith, to a motor which is also mounted on the carriage and adapted to drive the drive wheels, and from there to one or more spray nozzles on the spraying boom or high-volume discharge sprayer, said pipe-line having equidistantly spaced apart valve means, and said transfer unit com- prising at least one endless loop in the form of a chain or the like which is passed over guide pulleys and on which there are mounted, at intervals correspond¬ ing to the interspaces between the valve means, connec¬ tors which are successively movable into a position opposite an adjacent valve means and are provided each with one actuator adapted to open the respec¬ tive valve means when the connector has been moved to the said position.

A similar arrangement is described in Swedish patent application 8103079-3 and the corresponding

PCT Publication WO 82/03964 which is included in the present description by reference. This prior art ir¬ rigation system comprises a self-propelled irrigation carriage which carries a spraying boom or high-volume discharge sprayer and is movable back and forth along a pipe-line laid on the ground and provided with equi¬ distantly spaced apart non-return valves. The carriage is propelled by means of pressurised water which, via connecting cups, is taken from said non-return valves and which, via a special transfer mechanism, is supplied to a motor which in turn propels the car¬ riage. The transfer mechanism of the carriage com¬ prises guide pulleys and chains which are passed over said guide pulleys and on which the connecting cups are mounted. The carriage travels along the pipe-line while the cups are applied to the valves in order to alternately open and close said valves. However, in the practical operation of this convenient irriga- tion system, it was found that precisely the application of the cups to the valves has caused difficulties in the propulsion of the carriage. Firstly, the appli¬ cation movement occurs in a direction oblique to the pipe-line (see Figs. 1 and 2 of the PCT Publication) so that adequate precision is not readily achieved; special arrangements were required to make the cups positively "find" the valves. Secondly, the oblique application causes, in addition to unnecessary wear, sealing problems resulting in water leaks and break- down.

One object of the present invention therefore is to obviate the above-mentioned disadvantages of unreliable cup application and water leaks.

This and further objects of the invention, which will appear from the following description, are accom¬ plished in a most ingenious manner in that the transfer unit has a guiding device for guiding the connectors along a predetermined closed path, said guiding device being arranged successively to direct the connectors perpendicularly to the respective valve means of the pipe-line and, while maintaining said perpendicular positioning of the connectors, to move said connectors into or out of engagement with the valve means for opening or closing them by means of said actuators, and that said guiding device is adapted, while said connectors are engaged with or disengaged from said valve means, to impart to said connectors a downwardly 24

3 or upwardly directed vertical movement relative to said valve means and, at the same time, a parallel movement along said transfer unit.

The invention thus provides an arrangement in an irrigation system comprising on the one hand a self-propelled irrigation carriage provided with a spraying boom or high-volume discharge sprayer and, on the other hand, a pipe-line which is laid on the ground and along which the carriage is movable back and forth. Water is transferred to the carriage via a transfer unit which is characteristic of the inven¬ tion and which, in a preferred embodiment, comprises two endless loops which are passed over guide pulleys and on which connectors are mounted. The transfer unit cooperates with a number of non-return valves equi- distantly spaced apart along the pipe-line. Water is supplied via a pipe system to a carriage drive motor and to the spray nozzles of the spraying boom.

According to the invention, a guiding device is provided for imparting to the connectors a down¬ wardly or upwardly directed vertical movement toward or away from the non-return valve, as well as a number of guide followers acting against said guiding device and serving to reduce the risk of leakage. The invention and its many advantages will be described in greater detail below, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 illustrates schematically and from behind a carriage comprised by the arrangement according to the invention. Fig. 2 is a lateral view of a transfer unit comprised by the carriage. Fig. 3 illustrates schematically a sec¬ tion along line III-III in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 illustrates schematically a section along line IV-IV in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 illustrates, on a larger scale and in more detail, an end portion of the transfer unit, a con¬ nector bein'g illustrated in different positions. Fig. 6 illustrates the same end portion as in Fig. 5, but with the connector in still another position. Fig. 7 illustrates schematically and on a larger scale an end view of said transfer unit as seen from the right with respect to Fig. 2, only one connector being il- lustrated.

Fig. 1 illustrates schematically the arrangement according to the invention in an irrigation system. A self-propelled irrigation carriage 1 comprises a frame 3 which is supported by drive wheels 2 and on which there is mounted a spraying boom or high-volume discharge sprayer (not shown) provided in known manner with a number of spray nozzles. The carriage 1 is movable back and forth between the ends of the area to be irrigated, along a pipe-line 4 which is laid on the ground and which preferably consists of commer¬ cially available quick-coupled light-metal pipes or hoses which can be laid directly on the ground and thus are readily moved from one location to another.

The carriage 1 also has a transfer unit 5 which ^*" is movable together with said carriage and which serves to take water from the pipe-line 4 and to supply the water to a fluid motor 6 which is mounted on the car¬ riage and, via a transmission (not shown), is connected with the drive wheels 2 for driving these wheels and thus the carriage 1. The outlet of the fluid motor

6 is connected, via a conduit 7, to one or more spray nozzles on the spraying boom for spraying water over the surface to be irrigated. The conduit system of the carriage may include by-pass pipes for conducting parts of the water supplied directly to the spray nozzles, thereby to control the water volume per unit area. Other control equipment may also be included in the conduit system of the carriage.

The pipe-line 4 is provided with valve means in the form of non-return valves 9 which are equi- distantly spaced apart on the pipe-line and of which only one is shown in the drawings. The transfer unit 5 has an endless driving loop which, in the embodiment illustrated, comprises two parallel chains 10, 10' which are passed over guide pulleys 11, 11' and on which there are mounted, at intervals corresponding to the interspaces between the non-return valves 9, connectors in the form of cups 12 which are successive¬ ly movable into a position opposite a non-return valve 9. Each cup 12 has an actuator in the form of an axial- ly displaceable rod 13 depressing the ball 8 of the non-return valve 9 when the cup 12 is applied to the non-return valve (see Fig. 5). The cups 12 are connected via a hose 14 to a common collecting chamber 59 (see Fig. 5) which in turn is connected to the fluid motor

6 via an articulated pipe connection 15 and from the fluid motor 6 to the spray nozzles (not shown).

Fig. 2 is 'a lateral view of the transfer unit 5, a connecting cup 12 being shown in different posi¬ tions along the path of the chain 10. It will be appre¬ ciated that the chain 10' and its guide pulley 11' which are concealed from view by the plane of the drawing, are arranged similarly, for which reason it is sufficient to describe but one "side" of the transfer unit 5.

Each cup 12 preferably is hingedly mounted on the chain 10 by means of a hinge pin 30 and therefore can be swung in relation to the chain 10 to enable swing¬ ing movements adjacent the guide pulleys 11.

On the inside of the path of the chain 10, an outer guide loop 31 extends in such a manner that the path of the chain 10 will form an upper part 32 and a lower part 33 which are mutually spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the guide pulley 11 to form two oblique parts 34 forming an oblique angle α with the lower part 33. If the carriage moves to the right with respect to Fig. 2, each cup 12 will thus be moved around the transfer unit 5 by means of the endless loop (chains

10, 10'). Different positions of each cup are shown successively as Ll, L2 ... L9 in Figs. 2, 5 and 6. After the cup 12 has turned about the guide pulley 11, it is swung from its oblique position 3 to a vertical position L4, whereupon the vertical position will be maintained during the entire movement along the oblique parts 34 and the lower part 33 (i.e. up to the position L8 in Fig. 2). During its downward movement along the part 34 to the right with respect to Fig. 2, the cup is moved vertically downwardly towards the adjacent non-return valve 9, such that the cup will move, at least during the final phase of application, perpendicularly to the non-return valve 9 of the pipe-line 4 (see Fig. 5). In other words, the cup 12 is moved in parallel relative to the transfer unit 5 and, at the same time, ^" vertically in relation to the pipe-line 4. The movement sequence is the opposite at the other end of the transfer unit. On the inside of the upper part 32 of the chain

11, an upper guide 35 is provided which extends parallel to said upper part 32 and whose ends- are located at each guide pulley 11. Furthermore, there is on the inside of the lower part 33 of the chain 10 a lower guide 36 which extends parallel to the lower part

33 and at both ends has an angular portion 37 which is essentially parallel to the oblique parts 34 of the chain 10. Short guides 38 and 39, respectively, are mounted in parallel with said parts 34. The re- maining guides comprised by the guiding device will be described below.

The connecting cup 12 has a number of guide fol¬ lowers in the form of rotary wheels adapted to roll upon the guides comprised by the guiding device, there- • by to move the cup 12 along the oblique part 34 of the chain 11. These wheels consist of a first pair of wheels 40 which are trailing as seen in the direction of movement of the chain 10 (arrow A) and a second pair of wheels 41 which are leading in relation to said direction of movement. The pairs of wheels 40, 41 roll on the inner side of the guide loop 31 and the upper side of the upper guide 35. On the inside of the two pairs of wheels 40, 41, a third pair of wheels is provided which comprises a wheel 42 trailing in relation to the direction of chain movement, and a leading wheel 43. In the embodiment illustrated, the wheels 42, 43 are smaller than the first-mentioned wheels 40, 41 and located diametrically with respect to the cup 10. Also the smaller wheels 42, 43 are adapted to roll on the guides comprised by the guiding device, as will be described below.

The articulated pipe connection 15 mentioned above is a pipe link system which comprises a fulcrum 44 which is fixedly mounted on the carriage 1 and to which is connected a first pivotal link pipe 45 which, via a first fulcrum 46, is connected to a se¬ cond pivotal link pipe 47 which in turn is connected, via a second fulcrum 48, to a pipe 49 rigidly connected with and extending perpendicularly inwardly from the cup 12. The pipe 49 issues from the collecting cham- ber 59 of one cup 12 (see Fig. 5). As mentioned abbve, the remaining cups 12 are connected with the collecting chamber 59 via the hose 14. When water is being taken from the pipe-line 4, the water flows in the direction of the arrow B into the cup 12, through the link pipes 49, 47, 45 and to the fluid motor 6 in the direction of the arrow C. The fulcrum 44 thus is fixedly mounted on the carriage, while the other two fulcra 46, 48 and the link pipes 45, 47 move in accordance with the movement of the respective connecting cup 12 along the path of the chain 10. A different position of the pipe link system 15 is illustrated by dashed lines. Fig. 3 illustrates the transfer unit 5 from above to show the appearance of the guiding device and the wheels cooperating therewith and mounted on the collect¬ ing cup 12. Two further short guides 50 and 51, respec- tively, are provided at the chain 11 ' and form, together with the above-mentioned guides 38 and 39, respectively, a pair of guides 38, 50 and a pair of guides 39, 51, respectively, each at one end of said transfer unit 5. In the position L3 (see Fig. 5) the cup 12 has just swung about the guide pulleys 11, ll¹, and the first pair of wheels 40 roll on the inside of the guide loop 31, at the beginning of an oblique portion 56 thereof, while the second pair of wheels 41 have just been lifted up from the guide loop because the leading wheel 43 have rolled up along a downwardly bent initial portion 60 of the guide 39. In position

L4 (see Figs. 2, 3 and 6), the first pair of wheels

40 roll on the inside of the guide loop 31, while the second pair of wheels 41 roll on the angular portion^" 37 of the lower guide 36.- The leading wheel 43 rolls on the upper side of the short guide 39, while the trailing wheel 42 in this position has just begun to roll on the lower side of the guide 51.

Fig. 4 illustrates the position L4 from another direction, showing the location of the various guides in relation to the wheels 40, 41, 42, 43 of the con¬ necting cup 12. Moreover, Fig. 4 shows the design of the pipe link system 15 and its connection, via the cup 12, with the hose 14 (even though these de- tails actually are not comprised by this section). Figs. 5 and 6 show in detail how a connecting cup 12 swings about the guide pulley 11, and how it is moved vertically downwardly towards and into engage¬ ment with a non-return valve 9 in the pipe-line 4. in this engagement position L5, the cup 12 is shown partly in section. Figs. 5 and 6 also show a further guide follower which, in this instance, comprises a pair of wheels 52, 53 disposed after one another in the direction of movement A of the chain 10. These further wheels 52, 53 are rotatably mounted on a yoke 61 connected to the bar 13 and controlling the axial position thereof. During the vertical downward movement of the cup 12 towards the non-return valve 9, the wheels 52, 53 will engage a further valve control guide 54, such that the bar 13 is moved downwardly against the ball 8 of the non-return valve 9 to open the latter and allow water to flow up from the pipe¬ line 4, through the cup 12 and, via the pipe system 15, to the fluid motor 6 for driving the carriage 1. The guide 54 has a central portion 57 and two end portions 58 which form an angle greater than α with the part 33. (Note that, for the sake of clearness, the wheels 52, 53 and the guide 54 have been omitted in Figs. 2-4. ) At the opposite end of the transfer unit 5, the movement pattern is the opposite. Fig. 7 is an end view of the transfer unit 5, showing how the various wheels are rotatably mounted by means of brackets and uprights projecting from the connecting cup. Moreover, Fig. 7 shows how the cup 12 is affixed to the chains 10, 10' by means of angle pieces 55 through which the hinge pins 30 extend. The movement of a connecting cup 12 towards a non-return valve 9 in the pipe-line 4 is as follows. The cup 12 moves along the upper par 32 of the chain

10 in the direction of the arrow A (positions L9 and LI), while the pairs of wheels 40, 41 now and then are supported by or roll on the guide 31 and the guide 35. After that, the cup 12 is swung about the guide pulley

11 (position L2 ) and reaches the beginning of the inclined chain part 34 (position L3 ) . In this posi- tion, the wheel 43 engages the slightly downwardly bent initial portion 60 of the guide 39 and starts to roll thereon, while the wheel 40 starts to roll on the inclined portion 56 of the guide loop 31. When the chain 10 carries the cup 12 along in an oblique downward direction along the inclined chain part 34, the cup 12 is swung about the hinge pin 30 and guided by the guiding device (to position L ) . In Fig. 6, the connecting cup 12 has just arrived at its vertical position L4, the wheel 43 rolling upon the guide 34 and the wheel 40 rolling on the inside of the guide loop 31. The cup 12 is prevented from tilting by the contact of the wheel 41 with the underside of the guide 36 and the contact of the wheel 42 with the underside of the guide 51. The cup 12 is now moving obliquely downwardly along the inclined chain part 34, its vertical position being maintained all the time. At least during the final phase of this movement, the cup 12 is directly above the non-return valve 9 and is moving perpendicular thereto. The lower posi¬ tion of the cup 12, i.e. its application to the non¬ return valve 9, is shown in Fig. 5 where the ball 8 has been slightly depressed by the bar 13. The cup 12 is provided with an internal seal 16 preventing water from flowing away from the point of application, and with a non-return valve 17. The vertical application of the cup 12 to the non-return valve 9 provides ^'for safer engagement and less risk of leakage. After the engagement, the movement of the cup 12 continues along the lower part 33 of the chain 10. After that, the movement pattern is repeated for the next cup 12, simultaneously as the preceding cup is moved out of engagement with its non-return valve.

In practical tests, use has been made of a trans¬ fer unit comprising four connecting cups 12 mounted on a chain 10 having a length of 4 m, the distance be¬ tween the non-return valves 9 in the pipe-line 4 being 1 m. As the carriage is travelling along the pipe-line, two cups will be briefly connected to the pipe-line during opening and closing. This provides for a very smooth transfer of water from the pipe-line to the carriage, without any sudden pressure drops or pres¬ sure increases.

The guiding device comprised by the transfer unit 5 is functionally symmetrical in respect of its ends, such that its function is the same regardless of the direction of movement of the carriage along the pipe-line 4. The various guides then serve exact¬ ly the same objects. It will be appreciated that the connectors 12 could also be guided on the outside of the guide loop 31, in which case the guiding device as a whole could be modified in different ways to adapt it to the ex¬ ternal guiding mode. Moreover, it will be appreciated that a number of modifications are conceivable within the scope of the invention. Thus, the guiding device may be in the form of cams or'cam grooves, in which case the guide followers are formed as cam followers. For the purpose of this invention, guides and cams, or cam grooves, and guide followers and cam followers are considered to be equivalent.

Claims

1. An arrangement in an irrigation system compris¬ ing on the one hand a self-propelled irrigation carriage (1) provided with drive wheels (2) and a spraying boom or high-volume discharge sprayer and, on the other hand, a pipe-line (4) which is laid on the ground and along which the carriage (1) is movable back and forth and from which water can be transferred, via a transfer unit (5) connected to said carriage (1) and movable together therewith, to a motor (6) which is also mounted on the carriage (1) and adapted to drive the drive wheels (2), and from there to one or more spray nozzles on the spraying boom or high- volume discharge sprayer, said pipe-line (4) having equidistantly spaced apart valve means, and said trans- fer unit (5) comprising at least one endless loop (10, 10') in the form of a chain or the l.ike .which is passed over guide pulleys (11, 11') and on which there are mounted, at intervals corresponding to the interspaces between the valve means (9), connectors (12) which are successively movable into a position opposite an adjacent valve means (9) and are provided each with one actuator (13) adapted to open the respec¬ tive valve means (9) when the connector (12) has been moved to the said position, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the transfer unit (5) has a guiding device

(31, 35, 36, 38, 39, 50, 51, 54) for guiding the con¬ nectors (12) along a predetermined closed path, said guiding device being arranged successively to direct the connectors (12) perpendicularly to the respective valve means (9) of the pipe-line (4) and, while main¬ taining said perpendicular positioning of the connec¬ tors (12), to move said connectors (12) into or out of engagement with the valve means (9) for opening or closing them by means of said actuators (13), and that said guiding device is adapted, while said con¬ nectors (12) are engaged with or disengaged from said valve means (9), to impart to said connectors (12) a downwardly or upwardly directed vertical movement relative to said valve means (9) and, at the same time, a parallel movement along said transfer unit (5).

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i s e d in that each connector (12) is provided with guide followers (40, ^'41, 42, 43, 52, 53) for guiding the connector in said guiding device.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the endless loop (10, 10') at each end of the transfer unit (5) is passed over the guide pulley (11, 11') in a manner such that it forms a loop which, with respect to the pipe-line (4), comprises an upper part (32) and a lower part (33) which are spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of said guide pulley (11, 11') so as to form at each end an inclined part (34) directed obliquely downwardly against the pipe-line (4).

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 3, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i s e d in that said guiding device com- prises an outer closed guide loop (31) extending sub¬ stantially along and on the inside of said endless loop (10, 10'); a lower guide (36) extending above the lower part (33) of said endless loop (10, 10') and at a distance from and parallel to the correspond- ing part (56) of said guide loop (31), said lower guide having at each end an inclined portion (37) which is essentially parallel to the oblique part (34); and a pair of guides mounted at each end of said transfer unit and comprising two guides (38, 50 and 39, 51, respectively) parallel to said oblique part and adapted, together with said inclined por¬ tions (56, 37) of said guide loop (31) and said lower guide (36), to impart to the connectors the said ver¬ tical and parallel movements.

5. An arrangement as claimed in claim 4, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i s e d in that said guide followers comprise a first guide follower (84) acting against the inner side of the guide loop (31) during the move¬ ment of the connector (12) over the guide pulleys (11, 11') and the inclined portion (56) of said guide loop (31); a second guide follower (41) acting against the inner side of said guide loop (31) during the movement of the connector (12) over said guide pulleys (11, 11') and also against the underside of the inclined portion (37) of said lower guide (36) during movement of the connector (12) along said inclined part (34), said second guide follower (41) being mounted ahead of said first guide follower (40) in the direction of movement (A) of said connector (12); and a third and fourth guide follower (42 and 43, respectively), one of which acts against the underside of one guide in the pair of guides (39, 51; 38, 50) and the other acting against the upper side of the second guide of said pair of guides.

6.. An arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 3-5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said connector (12) has two further guide followers (52, 53) which are arranged after one another in the direction of movement (A) of said connector (12) and which, during the movement of said connector (12) towards and away from said valve means and during the engagement of said connector with said valve means (9), act against a valve control guide (54), the central part (57) of which is parallel to said lower part (33) and forms, within its end portions (58), a larger angle with said part (33) than the inclined portions (37) of said lower guide (36).

7. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the tra^'nsfer unit (5) is functionally symmetrical with respect to its ends so as to be independent of the direction of movement of the carriage (1) along the pipe-line (4).

8. An arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 2-7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the guide followers serving to guide the connectors in the guid¬ ing device are rotatable wheels.

9. An arangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the connectors (12) are connected to a common collecting chamber (59) which in turn is connected to the motor (6) and the spray nozzles via a pipe link system (15) comprising a fulcrum (44) which is fixedly mounted on the carriage (1) and to which is connected a first pivotal link pipe (45) pivotally connected to a second pivotal link pipe (47) which, via a second fulcrum (48), is connected to said collecting chamber (59).