AU2020450941A1 - Hydroelectrically-charged agricultural hose reel prime mover, mobile agricultural irrigation system including the same, and hydroelectrically-charged agricultural traveling gun prime mover - Google Patents

Abstract

A hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover [100] includes: a carriage [105]; a plurality of wheels [101/102] coupled to the carriage [105]; a hose reel [140] rotatably connected to the carriage [105]; a flexible hose [141] configured to receive a pressurized fluid, the flexible hose [141] arranged on the hose reel [140] and open into a turbine inlet pipe [123]; an electric drive system; and a hydroelectric charging system. The electric drive system including: a battery pack [132] and a motor [133] electrically connected to the battery pack [132] and configured to rotate at least some of the wheels [102], The hydroelectric charging system including a turbine [128] fluidly connected to the turbine inlet pipe [123] to receive at least some of the pressurized fluid via the flexible hose [141] and a hydroelectric generator [129] connected to the turbine [128], The hydroelectric generator [129] is configured to charge the battery pack [132],

Description

HYDROELECTRICALLY-CHARGED AGRICULTURAL HOSE REEL PRIME MOVER, MOBILE AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME, AND HYDROELECTRICALLY-CHARGED AGRICULTURAL TRAVELING

GUN PRIME MOVER

BACKGROUND

[0001] As the world’s population increases and arable land decreases due to, for example, climate change and population growth, farmers are under increasing pressure to improve crop yields, that is, to increase the amount of food (e.g., corn, soybeans, etc.) harvested per acre, while also reducing costs. These pressures have caused farmers to increasingly rely on automation to reduce the number of workers required per acre while also ensuring efficient use of the relatively expensive farm equipment, such as tractors, irrigation systems, etc. and efficient use of resources, such as water.

[0002] One method of increasing crop yield is irrigation. Irrigation is the practice of artificially supplying farmland with water to promote crop growth. When irrigating a field, it is important to ensure that the crops are not under-irrigated, which can result in crop die off or delayed or reduced crop yield, or over-irrigated, which can also result in crop die off and also wastes water and energy.

[0003] Different agricultural irrigation systems may be used, including permanent or semi-permanent sprinkler irrigation systems, center pivot irrigation systems, and traveling irrigation systems. Of these irrigation systems, traveling irrigation systems provide an attractive combination of relatively low initial investment and flexibility. Unlike the permanent or semi-permanent sprinkler irrigation systems and the center pivot irrigation system, all of which are relatively immobile, traveling irrigation systems are mobile, such that one traveling irrigation system can cover a relatively large field and can be moved between different fields, making such systems economical.

[0004] Of the traveling irrigation systems, wheel-line irrigation systems (also referred to as “side rolls”) and traveling gun irrigation systems have become popular. Wheel-line irrigation systems generally include a relatively rigid water supply pipe with a plurality of sprinklers and wheels arranged at regular intervals along the water supply pipe. The water supply pipe is relatively rigid because it acts as an axle for the wheels, and the wheels support the water supply pipe. The wheels may be fixedly mounted to the water supply pipe to rotate along with the water supply pipe. The water supply pipe has a diameter in a range of about four inches to about five inches and may have an overall length of about an eighth of a mile to a quarter mile or longer. The wheels may have a diameter of about five feet to about ten feet and may be spaced apart from each other by about 30 feet to about 40 feet.

[0005] Typically, a prime mover (e.g., a power mover) is positioned at or near the center of the water supply pipe to move the wheel-line across a field between irrigation sets, that is, between different areas of the field to be irrigated. Prime movers for wheel-lines generally include an internal combustion engine (e.g., a gasoline engine) that spins the water supply pipe, thereby causing the wheels that are fixedly mounted to the water supply pipe to rotate, causing the wheel-line to move across the field between sets.

[0006] After the wheel-line is positioned in a field, a worker connects the water supply pipe to a mainline water outlet via a flexible hose. Generally, the mainline water outlets are connected to fixed (e.g., rigid) water lines that are permanent or semi-permanent fixtures in the field. Then, a valve at the mainline water outlet is opened to provide pressurized water to the water supply pipe of the wheel-line via the flexible hose. After an amount of time has passed and the portion of the field under and around the wheel-line (a “set”) is sufficiently irrigated, the wheel-line is moved to another portion of the field (another “set”) and the process is repeated. Generally, mainline water outlets are arranged about every 50 to 60 feet across a field.

[0007] To move the wheel-line, a worker closes the valve at the mainline water outlet, drains the water supply pipe, engages the prime mover to move the water-line to the next mainline water outlet, connects the water supply pipe to the next mainline water outlet via the flexible hose, and re-energizes the water supply pipe with pressurized water to irrigate the new area of the field (e.g., the next set). Thus, the wheel-line must be stopped, disconnected from one mainline water outlet, and reconnected to a next mainline water outlet every 50 to 60 feet.

[0008] When the wheel-line reaches the end of the field and completes the final set, the worker disconnects the wheel-line from the mainline water outlet, moves the wheel-line back across the entire length of the field or to another field, and begins the process again.

[0009] Traveling gun irrigation systems and water-reel irrigation systems generally include one or more large sprinklers on a cart (e.g., a mobile cart). The cart is attached to a water supply hose, and a water supply hose is spooled on a hose reel. Generally, the hose reel is moved to one end of a traveling lane in a field, and the cart is then pulled to the other end of the traveling lane by, for example, a tractor while the hose reel remains in place and the water supply hose spools out. Then, the water supply hose is energized and pressurized water flows through the water supply hose to the sprinkler on the cart. As the pressurized water exits the sprinkler, the hose reel turns by an internal combustion engine or directly by water pressure, thereby winding up (e.g., retracting) the water supply hose and slowly moving (or pulling) the cart back down the traveling lane toward the hose reel, which remains stationary while the cart moves along the traveling lane. In some cases, the cart may be extended about a quarter-mile or more down the traveling lane from the hose reel. By this method, the traveling gun and water-reel can irrigate a relatively large field (or a relatively large portion of a field) by moving along traveling lanes in the field as they irrigate.

[0010] However, after the traveling gun and/or water-reel complete a pass, that is, completes a return trip down a traveling lane, a worker is generally required to attend to the traveling gun or water-reel by de-energizing the water supply hose, moving the cart and hose reel to another traveling lane by, for example, a tractor, pulling the cart to the end of the next traveling lane, and then re-energizing the water supply hose. Depending on the length of the traveling lanes, this process may be repeated multiple times a day.

[0011] Farms often employ a plurality of the above-described irrigation systems, thereby necessitating one or more dedicated workers to continuously monitor, move, and re-set the traveling irrigation systems. SUMMARY

[0012] The present disclosure is directed toward various embodiments of a hydroelectrically-charged agricultural irrigation hose reel prime mover, a mobile agricultural irrigation system including the hose reel prime mover, and a hydroelectrically-charged agricultural traveling gun prime mover.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a hydroelectrically- charged hose reel prime mover 100 includes: a carriage 105; a plurality of wheels 101, 102 coupled to the carriage 105; a hose reel 140 rotatably connected to the carriage 105; a flexible hose 141 configured to receive a pressurized fluid, the flexible hose 141 arranged on the hose reel 140 and open into a turbine inlet pipe 123; an electric drive system; and a hydroelectric charging system. The electric drive system including: a battery pack 132 and a motor 133 electrically connected to the battery pack 132 and configured to rotate at least some of the wheels 102. The hydroelectric charging system including a turbine 128 fluidly connected to the turbine inlet pipe 123 to receive at least some of the pressurized fluid via the flexible hose 141 and a hydroelectric generator 129 connected to the turbine 128. The hydroelectric generator 129 is configured to charge the battery pack 132.

[0014] the turbine 128 may be an in-line turbine.

[0015] The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover may further include a steering axle 103 and a non-steering axle [104], and each of the steering axle 103 and the non-steering axle 104 may have a plurality of the wheels 101, 102 connected thereto.

[0016] The motor 133 may be configured to rotate the non-steering axle 104. [0017] The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover may further include a second motor 135 electrically connected to the battery pack 132. The second motor 132 may be configured to rotate the hose reel 140.

[0018] The carriage 105 may have an opening 109 therein through which one end of the flexible hose 141 passes.

[0019] The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover may further include a hose director 142 configured to move back-and-forth across the opening 109 in the carriage 105 and to direct the flexible hose 141 through the opening 109.

[0020] The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover may further include a linear actuator to move the hose director 142.

[0021] The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover may further include a double-acting cylinder to move the hose director 142.

[0022] The turbine 128 may be above the hose reel 140 with respect to the carriage 105.

[0023] The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover may further include a bearing connection 125 connected to an outlet of the turbine 128.

[0024] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 includes: a water supply pipe 11 including a plurality of wheels 12 and sprinklers 13 arranged along a length of the water supply pipe 11 ; and a hose reel prime mover 100 connected to a proximal end of the water supply pipe 11. The hose reel prime mover 100 includes: an electric drive system including a battery pack 132 and a first motor 133 electrically connected to the battery pack 132, the first motor 133 being configured to move the hose reel prime mover 100; and a hydroelectric charging system including a turbine 128 configured to be powered by a pressurized fluid and a hydroelectric generator 129 powered by the turbine 128 and configured to charge the battery pack 132.

[0025] The hose reel prime mover 100 may further include a hose reel 140 on which a flexible hose 141 is arranged, and the electric drive system of the hose reel prime mover 100 may further include a second motor 135 electrically connected to the battery pack 132 and configured to rotate the hose reel 140.

[0026] The hose reel prime mover 100 may further include a hose director 142 configured to move back-and-forth to direct the flexible hose 141 onto and off of the hose reel 140.

[0027] The hose reel prime mover 100 may further include a controller 136. The controller 136 may be configured to control a rotational speed of the hose reel 140 in coordination with a movement speed of the hose director 142 and a movement speed of the hose reel prime mover 100.

[0028] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a hydroelectrically-charged traveling gun prime mover 150 includes: a carriage 105; a plurality of wheels 101, 102 coupled to the carriage 105; a hose reel 140 rotatably connected to the carriage 105; a flexible hose 141 configured to receive a pressurized fluid, the flexible hose 141 being arranged on the hose reel 140 and open into a turbine inlet pipe 123; an electric drive system including: a battery pack 132; and a motor 133 electrically connected to the battery pack 132 and configured to rotate at least some of the wheels 102; a hydroelectric charging system including: a turbine 128 fluidly connected to the turbine inlet pipe 123 to receive at least some of the pressurized fluid via the flexible hose 141 ; and a hydroelectric generator 129 connected to the turbine 128, the hydroelectric generator 129 being configured to charge the battery pack 132; and a nozzle 151 connected to an outlet of the turbine 128 and configured to emit the pressured fluid.

[0029] The nozzle 151 may be an impact sprinkler.

[0030] The hydroelectrically-charged traveling gun prime mover may further include a second motor 135 electrically connected to the battery pack 132, and the second motor 132 may be configured to rotate the hose reel 140.

[0031] The carriage 105 may have an opening 109 therein through which one end of the flexible hose 141 passes.

[0032] The hydroelectrically-charged traveling gun prime mover may further include a hose director 142 configured to move back-and-forth across the opening 109 in the carriage 105 and to direct the flexible hose 141 through the opening 109.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a mobile agricultural irrigation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIGS. 2-4 are schematic illustrations of a hydroelectrically-charged agricultural hose reel prime mover of the mobile agricultural irrigation system shown in FIG. 1;

[0035] FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic illustrations of the hydroelectrically-charged agricultural hose reel prime mover according to other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIGS. 7-9 are schematic illustrations of a hydroelectrically-charged agricultural traveling gun prime mover; and [0037] FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic illustrations of the hydroelectrically- charged agricultural traveling gun prime mover according to other embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The present disclosure is directed toward various embodiments of a hydroelectrically-charged agricultural irrigation hose reel prime mover, a mobile agricultural irrigation system including the hose reel prime mover. And a hydroelectrically-charged agricultural traveling gun prime mover. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the hydroelectrically-charged agricultural irrigation hose reel prime mover and the hydroelectrically-charged agricultural traveling gun prime mover both include an electric drivetrain powered by a hydroelectrically-charged battery pack. The battery pack may be charged by using pressurized water used to irrigate a field, thereby allowing the prime mover to operate relatively independently of any outside intervention by, for example, not requiring any gasoline to operate, and to operate regardless of weather conditions, which often impact solar powered prime movers.

[0039] Hereinafter, example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described, in more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure, however, may be embodied in various different forms and should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments illustrated herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the aspects and features of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, processes, elements, and techniques that are not necessary to those having ordinary skill in the art for a complete understanding of the aspects and features of the present disclosure may not be described. Unless otherwise noted, like reference numerals denote like elements throughout the attached drawings and the written description, and thus, descriptions thereof may not be repeated.

[0040] It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, and/or layers, these elements, components, and/or layers should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, or layer from another element, component, or layer. Thus, a first element, component, or layer described below could be termed a second element, component, or layer without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] It will be understood that when an element or component is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or component, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element or component or one or more intervening elements or components may also be present. When an element or component is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element or component, there are no intervening element or component present. For example, when a first element is described as being "coupled" or "connected" to a second element, the first element may be directly coupled or connected to the second element or the first element may be indirectly coupled or connected to the second element via one or more intervening elements.

[0042] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” "includes," and "including," when used in this specification, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. That is, the processes, methods, and algorithms described herein are not limited to the operations indicated and may include additional operations or may omit some operations, and the order of the operations may vary according to some embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0043] As used herein, the term "substantially," "about," and similar terms are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent variations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, the use of “may” when describing embodiments of the present disclosure refers to “one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.” As used herein, the terms "use," "using," and "used" may be considered synonymous with the terms "utilize," "utilizing," and "utilized," respectively. Also, the term “example” is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

[0044] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and/or the present specification, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

[0045] The controller, transceiver, battery management system, and/or any other relevant devices or components according to embodiments of the present disclosure described herein may be implemented utilizing any suitable hardware (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit), firmware, software, and/or a suitable combination of software, firmware, and hardware. For example, the various components of the controller, transceiver, and/or battery management system may be formed on (or realized in) one integrated circuit (IC) chip or on separate IC chips. Further, the various components of the controller, transceiver, and/or battery management system may be implemented on a flexible printed circuit film, a tape carrier package (TCP), a printed circuit board (PCB), etc. Further, the described actions may be processes or threads, running on one or more processors (e.g., one or more CPUs, GPUs, etc.), in one or more computing devices, executing computer program instructions and interacting with other system components to perform the various functionalities described herein. The computer program instructions may be stored in a memory, which may be implemented in a computing device using a standard memory device, such as, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The computer program instructions may also be stored in other non- transitory computer readable media such as, for example, a CD-ROM, flash drive, FIDD, SSD, or the like. Also, a person of skill in the art should recognize that the functionality of various computing devices may be combined or integrated into a single computing device or the functionality of a particular computing device may be distributed across one or more other computing devices without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 1 , a mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically illustrated. The mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 includes a water supply pipe (e.g., a fluid supply pipe) 11 configured to receive a pressurized water (e.g., a pressurized fluid), a plurality of wheels 12 arranged at intervals along and fixedly mounted to the water supply pipe 11, a plurality of sprinklers 13 arranged at intervals along the water supply pipe 11, a hydroelectrically-charged agricultural hose reel prime mover 100 (also referred to herein as the “hose reel prime mover 100”), and a secondary prime mover 200. Water (or any suitable fluid) is supplied to the field through the hose reel prime mover 100, the water supply pipe 11 , and finally via the sprinklers 13.

[0047] In the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10, the hose reel prime mover 100 is provided at one end of the water supply pipe 11 and the secondary prime mover 200 is provided along the length of the water supply pipe 11. For example, the secondary prime mover 200 may be arranged about two-thirds of the distance of the water supply pipe 11 away from the hose reel prime mover 100. An additional length of water supply pipe 11 (e.g., about one-third the total length of the water supply pipe 11) is provided past the secondary prime mover 200 away from the hose reel prime mover 100 with a sprinkler 13 at the distal end of the water supply pipe 11. In other embodiments, however, the secondary prime mover 200 may be arranged at an opposite end of the water supply pipe 11 from the hose reel prime mover 100. Flowever, these configurations and/or arrangements of components are examples. In other embodiments, the hose reel prime mover 100 and/or the secondary prime mover 200 may be arranged between sections of the water supply pipe 11 , and a plurality of hose reel prime movers 100 and/or secondary prime mover 200 may be provided.

[0048] In the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10, the hose reel prime mover 100 may be considered the “master” prime mover and the secondary prime mover 200 may be considered the “slave” prime mover. For example, as described in more detail below, the hose reel prime mover 100 may control (e.g., command) the secondary prime mover 200 via, for example, a wired or wireless connection, such that the secondary prime mover 200 is a slave to the hose reel prime mover 100.

The present disclosure, however, is not limited to this arrangement. In other embodiments, the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 may omit the secondary prime mover 200 such that the hose reel prime mover 100 is the only prime mover, or the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 may include a plurality of hose reel prime movers 100 such that one of the hose reel prime movers 100 is the master prime mover and the other hose reel prime movers 100 are slave prime movers. In yet other embodiments, the secondary prime mover 200 may be the master prime mover, and the hose reel prime mover 100 may be the slave prime mover.

[0049] As described above, the water supply pipe 11 may be fixedly connected to the wheels 12 and may act as an axle for the wheels 12. The sprinklers 13 may be arranged along the water supply pipe 11. The secondary prime mover 200 may rotate the water supply pipe 11 , which turns the wheels 12 as they are fixedly mounted to the water supply pipe 11, to move the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10. In addition, and as described in more detail below, the hose reel prime mover 100 may include an electric drive system (e.g., an electric drivetrain) to propel itself, which in turn, moves the water supply pipe 11 due to it being connected to the hose reel prime mover 100. As the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 moves along (or across) a field, the hose reel prime mover 100 may deposit (e.g., reel-out) a flexible hose (e.g., a flexible water hose), which may be a quarter-mile or longer. Thus, different from conventional agricultural irrigation systems, which need to be stopped, de-energized, disconnected from one mainline water outlet in the field, connected to another mainline water outlet, and re-energized about every 50 or 60 feet, the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 according to the present embodiment may travel about a quarter-mile or more (only limited by the length of the flexible hose on the hose reel prime mover 100 and the ability for the hose reel prime mover 100 to move its own weight) before needing to tended to (e.g., to be connected to a different mainline water outlet or moved to a different field or traveling lane). Thus, the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 requires less human interaction than conventional traveling irrigation systems and provides improved efficiency by reducing the amount of downtime incurred when tending to the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10.

[0050] Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the hose reel prime mover 100 is described in more detail. The hose reel prime mover 100 includes a carriage (e.g., undercarriage) 105. A plurality of (e.g., two) steering wheels 101 are connected to each other via a steering axle 103, which is pivotably connected to the carriage 105, and a plurality of (e.g., two) non-steering wheels 102 are connected to each other via a non-steering axle 104 (see, e.g., FIG. 4), which is rotatably connected to the carriage 105.

[0051] The steering axle 103 may be pivotably connected to the carriage 105, and the non-steering axle 104 may be non-pivotably mounted to the carriage 105. Bearings may be used between the carriage 105 and the axles 103/104 to permit the axles 103/104 to spin (or rotate) relative to the carriage 105. Flowever, in other embodiments, one or both of the axles 103/104 may be fixed (e.g., non-rotatable) with the carriage 105, and the corresponding wheels 101/102 may be connected to the fixed axle by individual bearings. In yet other embodiments, the driven wheels (e.g., the non-steering wheels) 102 may have individual electric motors arranged in or near the wheels such that each driven wheel is independently driven by an electric motor.

[0052] The non-steering axle 104 may be connected to the carriage 105 by a leaf spring suspension, which is a relatively simple and robust suspension system. Flowever, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the carriage 105 may include different suspension systems or may not include a suspension system at all (e.g., the non-steering axle 104 may be connected to the carriage 105 without any damping system therebetween).

[0053] The hose reel prime mover 100 may further include a steering actuator (e.g., a linear actuator) 106 configured to pivot the steering axle 103 and, thereby, steer the hose reel prime mover 100.

[0054] In other embodiments, the hose reel prime mover 100 may have all-wheel steering. For example, in other embodiments, a second steering box may be included to pivot the other axle 104. In such an embodiment, the axle 104 may pivotably connected to the carriage 105. In this way, the turning radius of the hose reel prime mover 100 may be improved over an embodiment which has only a single steering axle 103.

[0055] The hose reel prime mover 100 further includes a hose spool (e.g., a hose reel) 140 connected to and supported by the carriage 105. The hose spool 140 may be connected to the carriage 105 by a plurality of (e.g., two) A-frame supports 108. The A-frame supports 108 may include one or more bearings into which the hose spool 140 (e.g., an axle of the hose spool 140) is fitted, thereby allowing the hose spool 140 to rotate (e.g., spin) relative to the A-frame supports 108 and the carriage 105.

[0056] A flexible hose (e.g., a flexible water hose) 141 may be received by (e.g., accommodated on) the hose spool 140. The hose 141 may be received by (i.e. , reeled-onto) and deposited from (i.e., reeled-off of) the hose reel prime mover 100 via an opening 109 in the carriage 105. In some embodiments, a hose director 142 may be arranged on the carriage 105 in (or over) the opening 109. The hose director 142 may ensure that the hose 141 is accurately and efficiently reeled onto and off of the hose spool 140.

[0057] For example, the hose director 142 may move back and forth along guide rails 143 on the carriage 105 to ensure that the hose 141 is accurately and tightly arranged on the hose spool 140. As shown in FIG. 4, the hose director 142 moves back-and-forth in a linear direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the hose reel prime mover 100 (e.g., parallel or substantially parallel to the non-steering axle 104). The hose director 142 prevents or substantially reduces the chance that the hose 141 bunches up on one side the hose spool 140 by ensuring that the hose 141 is evenly distributed on (e.g., is evenly spooled on) the hose spool 140, thereby preventing a jam and maximizing the amount of (e.g. the length of) hose 141 that can be accommodated on the hose spool 140.

[0058] The hose director 142 may have a square or rectangular shape through which the flexible hose 141 passes. The hose director 142 may further have a plurality of wheels or rollers arranged along two or more sides thereof to ensure that the flexible hose 141 smoothly passes through the hose director 142 without damage to either the hose 141 or the hose director 142.

[0059] The hose director 142 may be moved along the guide rails 143 by any suitable drive mechanism, such as a linear actuator, worm drive, rack-and-pinion, single- or double-acting cylinder, etc. As described in more detail below, the hose director 142 may be controlled by a controller.

[0060] The hose reel prime mover 100 includes a hydroelectric charging system and an electric drive system. The hydroelectric charging system is configured to power (e.g., charge) the electric drive system.

[0061] The hydroelectric charging system may include a turbine inlet pipe (e.g., a fluid supply pipe) 123, a turbine 128, a hydroelectric generator 129 powered by the turbine 128, and a turbine outlet pipe (e.g., a discharge pipe) 124. The hydroelectric generator 129 is configured to charge a battery pack 132, and the battery pack 132 may power the electric drive system, which is further described below. The battery pack 132 may include a plurality of individual battery cells connected to each other in series and/or in parallel. In some embodiments, the battery pack 132 may include three battery cells, each operating at 12 volts, connected to each other in series, such that the battery pack 132 provides 36 volts to the electric drive system. Nevertheless, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the battery pack 132 may include any suitable number of battery cells connected to each other in series and/or in parallel to provide increased voltage and/or increased power. The battery pack 132 may further include, for example, a battery management system (BMS) to monitor a state of charge (SoC) of the battery cells, for enabling and disabling charging of the battery cells, and/or for charge leveling among the battery cells. In other embodiments, one or more super capacitors may be used in place of the battery pack 132.

[0062] Further, the hydroelectric charging system of the hose reel prime mover 100 may also include a shut-off valve and shut-off valve motor configured to control the shut-off valve. The shut-off valve reduces the amount of water lost from the water supply pipe 11 and/or the flexible hose 141 when the flexible hose 141 is disconnected from the mainline water outlet, thereby improving efficiency and reducing the amount of time necessary to re-charge the hose reel prime mover 100 and the water supply pipe 11 when it is connected to another mainline water outlet. [0063] As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the turbine 128 and hydroelectric generator 129 may be arranged on (or above) the hose reel 140 to efficiently use space, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the turbine 128 and hydroelectric generator 129 may be arranged on (or near) the carriage 105 in front of the hose reel 140 (e.g., toward the steering axle 103). In this way, the turbine 128 and hydroelectric generator 129 may be more easily serviced and/or replaced during the lifetime of the hose reel prime mover 100. Further, cable connections between the hydroelectric generator 129 and the battery pack 132 may be more easily routed when the hydroelectric generator 129 is near the bottom of the hose spool 140. [0064] The water flow path through the hose reel prime mover 100 will now be described in more detail. First, a first end (e.g., a distal end) of the hose 141 is attached to a mainline water outlet by a suitable fitting. This may be done manually by a worker in the field. A second end (e.g., a proximal end) of the hose 141 may be connected to the turbine inlet pipe 123. For example, the first end of the hose 141 may be the distal end of the hose 141 from the hose reel prime mover 100 and may be passed though the hose director 142 and the opening 109 in the carriage 105 to be connected to the mainline water outlet. The second end of the hose 141 may be the proximal end of the hose 141 with respect to the hose reel prime mover 100 and may be connected, either permanently or via a suitable fitting, to the turbine inlet pipe 123. For example, the second end of the hose 141 may terminate into a drum at or near a central axis of the hose spool 140.

[0065] Because the hose spool 140, on which the hose 141 is arranged, rotates relative to the turbine inlet pipe 123, which is fixed to the carriage 105, a bearing fitting is provided to connect the second end of the hose 141 (or to connect the drum into which the second end of the hose 141 terminates) and the turbine inlet pipe 123. Thus, the second end of the hose 141 (or the drum) is allowed to rotate 360° at where it connects to the turbine inlet pipe 123.

[0066] Pressurized water from the mainline water outlet passes through the hose 141 (e.g., passes through the entire hose 141) to the turbine inlet pipe 123. The pressurized water passes through the turbine inlet pipe 123, into and through the turbine 128, and then to the turbine outlet pipe 124. As the pressurized water passes through the turbine 128, it causes an output shaft to rotate, which is connected to and powers the hydroelectric generator 129. The hydroelectric generator 129 generates an electrical current, which is then stored by the battery pack 132.

[0067] The pressurized water then passes from the turbine outlet pipe 124 to the water supply pipe 11 of the mobile agricultural irrigation system 10 by, for example, a bearing connection 125 (see, e.g., FIGS. 1 and 3). Because the water supply pipe 11 rotates, the bearing connection 125 is provided between the turbine outlet pipe 124, which is fixed to the carriage 105, and the water supply pipe 11 to allow for a fluid tight connection between the fixed turbine outlet pipe 124 and the rotatable water supply pipe 11. The present disclosure, however, is not limited to this example. As described below, in other embodiments (see, e.g., FIGS. 7-11), the turbine outlet pipe 124 may connect to a nozzle through which the pressurized water is expelled to water a large area of a field, thereby providing a self-contained traveling gun irrigation system.

[0068] The turbine 128 may be an in-line turbine. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4. the turbine 128 is an axial flow turbine in which the water flow passes through pitched blades, which causes the blades to spin and rotate an output shaft to power the hydroelectric generator 129 by a belt or chain drive. Flowever, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0069] In FIG. 5, the turbine 128.1 is a paddlewheel turbine in which a plurality of paddles protrude into the pressurized water flow, causing the paddles to spin and rotate an output shaft to power the hydroelectric generator 129.

[0070] In FIG. 6, the turbine 128.2 is a spiral flow turbine in which the pressured water flow flows in a circular pattern around a turbine to spin the turbine and power the hydroelectric generator 129.

[0071] The hose reel prime mover 100 may also include a controller 136 (see, e.g., FIG. 3) to control the electric drive system, the hydroelectric charging system, and/or the steering actuator 106. The controller 136 may be powered by the battery pack 132. In other embodiments, the controller 136 may be powered by an independent power supply.

[0072] The controller 136 may include a positioning system, such as a satellite- based positioning system (e.g., GPS, GLONASS, etc.) and may use positioning information obtained from the positioning system to move itself across the field. For example, the controller 136 may store a number of waypoints in a field and may use the position determined by the positioning system to move between the waypoints. [0073] The controller 136 may also include (or may communicate with) a transceiver configured for two-way wireless radio communication. By using the transceiver, the hose reel prime mover 100 may report its position, current operating status, state of charge of the battery pack 132, etc. to a central operating platform, thereby enabling one worker or a central controller to remotely monitor and/or control a plurality of the hose reel prime movers 100 and/or the secondary prime movers 200.

[0074] The electric drive system of the hose reel prime mover 100 will now be described in more detail. The electric drive system may include the battery pack 132, a first motor (e.g., a drive motor) 133 and a second motor (e.g., hose spool motor) 135. The first motor 133 and the second motor 135 may be electrically connected to the battery pack 132. Further, the drive system for the hose director 142 may be part of the electric drive system. For example, when a hydraulic cylinder is used to move the hose director 142, the electric drive system may include a pump (e.g., a hydraulic pump) and associated valves to control the hydraulic cylinder. In other embodiments, when a linear actuator, worm drive, or rack-and-pinion system is used to move the hose director 142, the electric drive system may include a third motor (e.g., a hose director motor) to control the linear actuator, worm drive, or rack- and-pinion system.

[0075] The first motor 133 is mechanically connected to a gearbox 134, and the gearbox 134 is connected to the non-steering axle 104 to drive (e.g., to rotate) the non-steering axle 104. As some examples, a chain drive system including a plurality of sprockets or a belt drive system including a plurality of pulleys may be used between the first motor 133 and the non-steering axle 104.

[0076] The second motor (e.g., the hose spool motor) 135 is connected to the hose spool 140 to rotate the hose spool 140. For example, a belt drive system including a belt and pullies or a chain drive system including a chain and sprockets may be used to rotate the hose spool 140. As will be further described below, the second motor 135 may rotate the hose spool 140 according to (e.g., in sync with) the movement speed of the hose reel prime mover 100, for example, according to (e.g., in sync with) the speed of the first motor 133, to reel-in or reel-out the hose 141 at a suitable speed (or rate). By including the second motor 135 to reel-in or reel-out the hose 141 , load on the first motor 133 is reduced as it does not have to move the hose reel prime mover 100 and reel-out the hose 141 from the hose spool 140 and allows for the hose reel prime mover 100 to move back down its traveling path to reel-in the hose 141 after completing a set.

[0077] Movement of the hose reel prime mover 100 will now be described in more detail. When the hose reel prime mover 100 is commanded to move, the first motor 133, which is powered by energy stored in the battery pack 132, rotates an output shaft which turns the gearbox 134. The gearbox 134 then rotates the non-steering axle 104, thereby driving the wheels 102 and moving the hose reel prime mover 100 (e.g., moving the carriage 105 of the hose reel prime mover 100). As the hose reel prime mover 100 moves, the second motor 135 rotates the hose spool 140 to either reel-in the hose 141 (when the hose 141 starts in reeled-out configuration) or reel- out the hose 141 (when the hose 141 starts reeled onto the hose spool 140). The rotational speed of the hose spool 140 is controlled by the controller 136 to be in sync with the movement speed of the hose reel prime mover 100. In this way, the hose 141 is not reeled-out or reeled-in too slowly or too quickly, which would increase wear on the hose reel prime mover 100 and on the hose 141.

[0078] Further, the rotational speed of the hose reel 140 must be varied as the amount of hose 141 is reeled-in or reeled-out. Using a reel-out situation as an example, the effective circumference of the hose reel 140 decreases as the amount of hose 141 is reeled-out; thus, even when the movement speed of the hose reel prime mover 100 remains constant or relatively constant, the rotational speed of the hose reel 140 must increase to maintain the same reel-out rate of the hose 141. Conversely, in a reel-in situation, the effective circumference of the hose reel 140 increases as the hose 141 is reeled-in due to the hose 141 stacking on itself in layers; thus, even as the movement speed of the hose reel prime mover 100 remains constant or substantially constant, the rotational speed of the hose spool 140 must decrease over time to maintain the same reel-in rate of the hose 141.

[0079] As the second motor 135 rotates the hose spool 140, the hose director 142 moves back and forth in sync with the rotational speed of the hose spool 140 and/or in sync with the movement speed of the hose reel prime mover 100 to ensure that the hose 141 is tightly and efficiently reeled onto the hose spool 140 or is efficiently reeled off of the hose spool 140.

[0080] Thus, the hose reel prime mover 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure effectively operates in both the reel-in and reel-out directions. Thus, as one example, the hose reel prime mover 100 could repeatedly pass back- and-forth along a section of field without requiring human interaction. [0081] FIGS. 7-9 show an embodiment of a hydroelectrically-charged agricultural traveling gun prime mover (hereinafter referred to as a “hose reel traveling gun”)

150. For ease of understanding, the differences between the hose reel prime mover 100 described above and the hose reel traveling gun 150 will be primarily described below. Further, the elements and components indicated by the same numerals between the hose reel prime mover 100 and the hose reel traveling gun 150 indicate the same or substantially similar elements or components, and as such, repeated descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0082] Different from the hose reel prime mover 100, the hose reel traveling gun 150 is a self-contained irrigation device. For example, instead of passing pressurized water to the water supply pipe 11 as with the hose reel prime mover 100, the hose reel traveling gun 150 includes a nozzle 151 connected to the turbine outlet pipe 124 to discharge the pressurized water to irrigate a field. For example, similar to the hose reel prime mover 100, the pressurized water from a mainline water outlet passes through the hose 141 , to the turbine inlet pipe 123, through the turbine 128 to power the hydroelectric generator 129 and charge the battery pack 132, and to the turbine outlet pipe 124. Different from the hose reel prime mover 100, in the hose reel traveling gun 150, the pressurized water in the turbine outlet pipe 124 flows to and exits the hose reel traveling gun 150 via the nozzle 151.

[0083] The nozzle 151 may be rotated 180°, 360°, or any suitable range during use to evenly irrigate a field as the carriage 105 moves along a traveling lane in a field. In some embodiments, the nozzle 151 may be an impact sprinkler and may be rotated via the pressurized water passing therethrough. In other embodiments, a motor 152 may be included adjacent to the nozzle 151 to rotate the nozzle 151 by, for example, a belt or chain drive. The motor (e.g., a stepper motor) 152 may be powered by the battery pack 132 and may include a belt or chain drive system to rotate the nozzle 151. The speed and direction of the motor 152 may be controlled to vary the rotational speed and coverage area of the nozzle 151. The motor 152 may be controlled by the controller 136.

[0084] The hose reel traveling gun 150 may be a self-contained irrigation system in that it both moves and irrigates. For example, in use, the hose reel traveling gun 150 may move by the first motor 133, the hose reel 140 may rotate by the second motor 135, the hose director 142 may direct the hose 141 onto or off of the hose reel 140, and the pressurized water is emitted via the nozzle 151 to directly irrigate a field without using the wheel line irrigation system as in the previously-described embodiments.

[0085] Further, similar to the embodiments of the hose reel prime mover 100 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the turbine 128 of the hose reel traveling gun 150 shown in FIGS. 7-9 may be not only an axial flow turbine (see, e.g., FIG. 7) but may be a paddlewheel turbine 128.1 (see, e.g., FIG. 10) or a spiral flow turbine 128.2 (see, e.g., FIG. 11).

[0086] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the example embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications to the described embodiments may be made, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, those skilled in the various arts will recognize that the present disclosure described herein will suggest solutions to other tasks and adaptations for other applications. It is the applicant's intention to cover, by the claims herein, all such uses of the present disclosure, and those changes and modifications which could be made to the example embodiments of the present disclosure herein chosen for the purpose of disclosure, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the example embodiments of the present disclosure should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, with the spirit and scope of the present disclosure being indicated by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (20)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover [100] comprising: a carriage [105]; a plurality of wheels [101/102] coupled to the carriage [105]; a hose reel [140] rotatably connected to the carriage [105]; a flexible hose [141] configured to receive a pressurized fluid, the flexible hose [141] arranged on the hose reel [140] and open into a turbine inlet pipe [123]; an electric drive system comprising: a battery pack [132]; and a motor [133] electrically connected to the battery pack [132] and configured to rotate at least some of the wheels [102]; and a hydroelectric charging system comprising: a turbine [128] fluidly connected to the turbine inlet pipe [123] to receive at least some of the pressurized fluid via the flexible hose [141]; and a hydroelectric generator [129] connected to the turbine [128], the hydroelectric generator [129] being configured to charge the battery pack [132]

2. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 1 , wherein the turbine [128] is an in-line turbine.

3. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 2, further comprising a steering axle [103] and a non-steering axle [104], each of the steering axle [103] and the non-steering axle [104] having a plurality of the wheels [101/102] connected thereto.

4. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 3, wherein the motor [133] is configured to rotate the non-steering axle [104]

5. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 1 , further comprising a second motor [135] electrically connected to the battery pack [132], the second motor [132] being configured to rotate the hose reel [140]

6. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 5, wherein the carriage [105] has an opening [109] therein through which one end of the flexible hose [141] passes.

7. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 6, further comprising a hose director [142] configured to move back-and-forth across the opening [109] in the carriage [105] and to direct the flexible hose [141] through the opening [109]

8. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 7, further comprising a linear actuator to move the hose director [142]

9. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 7, further comprising a double-acting cylinder to move the hose director [142]

10. The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 1 , wherein the turbine [128] is above the hose reel [140] with respect to the carriage [105]

11 . The hydroelectrically-charged hose reel prime mover of claim 1 , further comprising a bearing connection [125] connected to an outlet of the turbine [128]

12. A mobile agricultural irrigation system [10] comprising: a water supply pipe [11 ] comprising a plurality of wheels [12] and sprinklers [13] arranged along a length of the water supply pipe [11]; and a hose reel prime mover [100] connected to a proximal end of the water supply pipe [11 ], the hose reel prime mover [100] comprising: an electric drive system comprising a battery pack [132] and a first motor [133] electrically connected to the battery pack [132], the first motor [133] being configured to move the hose reel prime mover [100]; and a hydroelectric charging system comprising a turbine [128] configured to be powered by a pressurized fluid and a hydroelectric generator [129] powered by the turbine [128] and configured to charge the battery pack [132]

13. The mobile agricultural irrigation system of claim 12, wherein the hose reel prime mover [100] further comprises a hose reel [140] on which a flexible hose [141] is arranged, and wherein the electric drive system of the hose reel prime mover [100] further comprises a second motor [135] electrically connected to the battery pack [132] and configured to rotate the hose reel [140]

14. The mobile agricultural irrigation system of claim 13, wherein the hose reel prime mover [100] further comprises a hose director [142] configured to move back-and-forth to direct the flexible hose [141] onto and off of the hose reel [140]

15. The mobile agricultural irrigation system of claim 14, wherein the hose reel prime mover [100] further comprises a controller [136], the controller [136] being configured to control a rotational speed of the hose reel [140] in coordination with a movement speed of the hose director [142] and a movement speed of the hose reel prime mover [100]

16. A hydroelectrically-charged traveling gun prime mover [150] comprising: a carriage [105]; a plurality of wheels [101/102] coupled to the carriage [105]; a hose reel [140] rotatably connected to the carriage [105]; a flexible hose [141] configured to receive a pressurized fluid, the flexible hose [141] arranged on the hose reel [140] and open into a turbine inlet pipe [123]; an electric drive system comprising: a battery pack [132]; and a motor [133] electrically connected to the battery pack [132] and configured to rotate at least some of the wheels [102]; a hydroelectric charging system comprising: a turbine [128] fluidly connected to the turbine inlet pipe [123] to receive at least some of the pressurized fluid via the flexible hose [141]; and a hydroelectric generator [129] connected to the turbine [128], the hydroelectric generator [129] being configured to charge the battery pack [132]; and a nozzle [151] connected to an outlet of the turbine [128] and configured to emit the pressured fluid.

17. The hydroelectrically-charged traveling gun prime mover of claim 16, wherein the nozzle [151] is an impact sprinkler.

18. The hydroelectrically-charged traveling gun prime mover of claim 16, further comprising a second motor [135] electrically connected to the battery pack [132], the second motor [132] being configured to rotate the hose reel [140]

19. The hydroelectrically-charged traveling gun prime mover of claim 18, wherein the carriage [105] has an opening [109] therein through which one end of the flexible hose [141] passes.

20. The hydroelectrically-charged traveling gun prime mover of claim 19, further comprising a hose director [142] configured to move back-and-forth across the opening [109] in the carriage [105] and to direct the flexible hose [141] through the opening [109]