Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G25/00—Watering gardens, fields, sports grounds or the like
  • A01G25/02—Watering arrangements located above the soil which make use of perforated pipe-lines or pipe-lines with dispensing fittings, e.g. for drip irrigation
  • A01G25/023—Dispensing fittings for drip irrigation, e.g. drippers
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A40/00—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production
  • Y02A40/10—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in agriculture
  • Y02A40/22—Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion

Definitions

• This invention relates to a pressure-regulated drip feed device and in particular it relates to a device generally known as a "button" outlet which can be attached to a hose carrying a fluid by piercing the hose to allow the fluid to flow through the button device at a controlled rate.
• a device of the general type is described and in that earlier device a body has an inlet member on it opening to a space defined peripherally by an upstanding cylindrical wall over which fits a cap having an outer wall with a thread matching a thread on the outside of the upstanding cylindrical wall and having also an inner wall which terminates in a transverse wall communicating with a central outlet, this cap being adapted to hold between it and the inlet member a button including a resilient membrane across it which, according to the earlier device, had through it a perforation to allow a metered flow of water through the membrane to a seat in the cap which was provided with a radial metering groove, the button comprising an outer rim with the membrane across it intermediate its ends and positioned clear of the seat which contains the metering groove so that at low pressure the fluid simply passes through the aperture in the membrane and into the space behind it and out through the outlet in the cap without the metering groove being effective, but as water pressure increases the
• One of the problems with this type of slow feed device is to be able to avoid blockage of the metering groove or metering member because generally these devices are used in irrigation purposes with water which may contain impurities and sediment and these will tend to block the metering apertures or orifices and render the device non-operative.
• AU A 80 775/82 a resilient disc is freely supported in a chamber to separate a fluid inlet from a fluid outlet and the disc has at least one channel form to extend past the edge of the disc and extending through a frusto conical portion of the body to the outlet so that fluid pressure forces the disc progressively down onto a seat so formed along which seat the metering channel extends to the outlet so that as the resilient disc is pressed to the seat it progressively covers the seat to the outlet and the groove is preferably of tapering cross section so that with a higher fluid pressure the whole of the groove is covered and the resilient member is pressed into it to control the flow.
• the object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of such a device in which the problem of blockage will be materially reduced and generally completely avoided, and this is achieved by having on the cap, which screws down onto the body, a shaped rim-support for the resilient membrane, the resilient membrane being a disc without a perforation and of a dimension such that its marginal edge portions rest on the rim-support in the cap which surrounds the outlet aperture and seat but is spaced from the seat so that when low water pressure exists the resilient membrane has its edge portion urged onto the rim-support but has its centre part clear of the seat which contains the metering groove.
• the inner wall and the rim-support has in it a primary groove which is so arranged that the required amount of fluid can flow through this primary groove and out through the outlet in the-' cap during low water pressure but, as water pressure increases, the resilient membrane is moved down onto the seat and seals the seat against flow through the outlet, but the metering groove in the seat then controls the amount of fluid flowing through the device.
• the primary groove commences in the inner wall of the cap and extends down into the rim-support but gradually expands in size inward in the direction of flow so that the primary groove has an apex formed in part in the inside of the inner wall and extends with gradually expanded size through the rim-support to give a progressively increasing dimension to this groove.
• the invention will be seen to consist generally in a hollow body onto which a hollow cap engages to form therebetween a chamber which opens through the wall of the base to a fluid inlet and centrally through a wall of the cap to a fluid outlet, the chamber having in it a resilient member which regulates fluid flow through the chamber, characterised by
• the resilient disc is positioned in a chamber which confines the disc but the disc, including its edge, is free to Q move in the chamber under pressure of the fluid flowing through the chamber to control the flow through a metering groove in a seat adjacent to the fluid outlet and also through a primary groove around and over the edge portion of the disc.
• the wall of the chamber has an annular rim-support for the outer portion of the disc which is shaped to progressively be engaged by the disc when urged towards the wall to give progressive flexing control of the disc, and the primary groove is preferably Q tapered to expand in area along the flow path of the fluid.
• FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of the inven ion
• FIG. 2 is a central transverse section of same
• FIG. 3 is an underside view of the cap
• FIG. 4 is a central transverse section of the cap only
• FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail in transverse section of the portions of the body and cap which define -* • " the chamber, showing the resilient disc therein as at low fluid pressure, and
• FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but with the disc under relatively heavy pressure.
• a body 1 has attachment flanges 2 and a centrally projecting fluid inlet 3 which opens into a chamber
• the transverse wall 5 has an outwardly projecting 5 fluid outlet 12 which communicates at its inner end with the chamber 4.
• the fluid outlet has an annular seat 15 around the fluid outlet 12, in which seat 15 is a metering groove 16.
• seat 15 Surrounding, but spaced outwardly from, the annular seat 15 is a rim-support 17 which forms a support for the outer edge portion of a resilient disc 18 which serves as the fluid control member, the rim-support 17 having in it a primary groove 19, the shape of which is shown in FIG. 3 as well as in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, which acts in conjunction with the metering groove 16 to regulate water flow.
• the face of the rim-support 17 which is engaged by the resilient disc 18 is contoured to control disc flexing under fluid pressure and preferably has a flat marginal section joined to a truncated conical part.
• the primary groove 19 extends through the rim- support 17 and around the edge of the resilient disc 18 and is so designed that any impurities lodging at the entrance of the groove will be dislodged on flexing of the resilient disc and will be washed through the groove because of its increasing dimension in the direction of fluid flow and will flow out of the outlet as said.
• the primary groove 19 serves to control flow from the fluid inlet 3 to the part of the chamber 4 on the outlet side of the resilient disc 18 while the metering groove places that part of the chamber 4 into communication with the actual fluid outlet 12 when the resilient disc 18 is urged against the seat 15.
• FIG. 6 shows how the edge of the disc 18 moves inward when heavy fluid pressure exists, the disc thus having its edge portions free to move laterally for sediment cleaning purposes.
• the resilient disc is- dimensioned to extend across the chamber but is of lesser thickness than the depth of the chamber whereby the disc floats in the chamber during liquid flow through the chamber.
• the rim-support is intermediate the depth of the chamber in relation to the seat which contains the metering groove.
• the primary groove is of an expanding width near its outlet portion.
• the resilient disc can be formed of rubber or plastic having a sufficiently resilient nature so that it can lie on the face 20 of the transverse wall of the body against the fluid inlet 3 of this member, and when the cap 6 is screwed down the inner wall 5 of the cap makes a tight seal with the wall of the base, but the chamber 4 in which the disc is seated is itself of a dimension to neatly receive the disc with the disc lying on the face 15.
• the disc is freely positioned so that when fluid enters the chamber 4 the disc contacts the rim-support 17 from an outer marginal portion 21 contains the metering groove 16.
• the primary groove 19 which is formed in the rim-support 17 has a flexing control of the resilient • disc 18 exerted from the marginal edge portion 21 inward as the resilient disc is displaced inwards onto the annular seat.15 by the pressure fluid.
• the invention comprises a button drip device of a type generally similar to that described in the afore ⁇ said earlier Patent Application but with the difference that the flow control simply comprises a disc of resilient material, the edge of which fits neatly into the chamber 4 formed between the cylindrical wall 10 of the cap and the body 1, which chamber has a shaped wall to form the rim-support 17, that is the wall towards the outlet, so that a progressively acting rim-support 17 is formed for the resilient disc as it flexes inwards, and in this rim-support 17 is an expanding primary groove 19 so arranged that, any sediment or impurities are dislodged when the resilient disc retracts to its normal unflexed position such as when the water supply to the device is cut and are then washed outwardly through the primary groove 19 and out of the metering groove 16 if any has lodged at this area.
• the resilient disc 18 has a face 22 which is positioned toward the fluid outlet 12 which face 22 as said progressively inwardly engages the rim-support 17 when pressure fluid from the fluid inlet 3 presses the resilient disc 18 toward the seat 15 and away from the face 20, the recess 23 separating the rim-support 17 from the seat 15 and then the metering groove 16 from the primary groove 19.
• the purpose of the primary groove 19 is to regulate the differential pressure on the two sides of the resilient disc and by doing this regulate the pressure on the resilient disc on the metering groove in accordance with the mains pressure of the fluid existing at the time, but the arrangement also aids clearing of sediment from both grooves because if the metering groove is blocked by sediment the differential pressure from the two sides of the disc is relatively the same and causes the disc to flex under its own resiliency to open the channels and release impurities.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Soil Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)
• Measuring Volume Flow (AREA)
• Self-Closing Valves And Venting Or Aerating Valves (AREA)
• Safety Valves (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=3769944

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (11)

Citations (6)

• 1984
  • 1984-01-18 FR FR8400762A patent/FR2539329A1/fr active Granted
  • 1984-01-18 NZ NZ206880A patent/NZ206880A/en unknown
  • 1984-01-18 JO JO19841331A patent/JO1331B1/en active
  • 1984-01-19 IT IT8452851U patent/IT8452851V0/it unknown
  • 1984-01-19 IT IT67053/84A patent/IT1178826B/it active
  • 1984-01-19 GR GR73562A patent/GR79175B/el unknown
  • 1984-01-19 WO PCT/AU1984/000012 patent/WO1984002828A1/en unknown
  • 1984-01-19 ZA ZA84416A patent/ZA84416B/xx unknown
  • 1984-01-19 EP EP84900490A patent/EP0132262A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (6)

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