WO2013171741A1

WO2013171741A1 - A portable reel for installation and removal of a plurality of drip irrigation lines

Info

Publication number: WO2013171741A1
Application number: PCT/IL2013/050407
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yehiel WEISS
Original assignee: Weiss Yehiel
Priority date: 2012-05-14
Filing date: 2013-05-09
Publication date: 2013-11-21

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reel device for winding/unwinding one or more sets of parallel continuous dripper irrigation lines which are connected to a main pipeline, and whereby simultaneously deploying said dripper irrigation lines over an irrigated area and providing irrigation to said area while they remain connected to said main pipeline, said device comprises: a) a structural framework; b) a rotational pivot suspended by said structural framework; and c) at least one reel sub-unit revolving around said pivot, wherein the reel sub-unit having one or more supports discs each of which of said discs having at least one angular cut for allowing the placing and/or removal of said main pipeline to/from said reel device, said discs are mounted along said pivot and are longitudinally spaced apart a distance approximately corresponding to the width required to accommodate a single irrigation line.

Description

A PORTABLE REEL FOR INSTALLATION AND REMOVAL OF A PLURALITY OF DRIP IRRIGATION LINES

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of irrigation systems. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for aiding the installation and removal of irrigation pipelines.

Background of the invention

Drip irrigation has over the years replaced many other forms of irrigation methods because it minimizes erosion, prevents many drainage problems, and generally provides a uniform application of moisture to irrigate crops on a variety of terrains. Drip systems by nature are best operated on a crop demand basis and require frequent matching of evapotranspiration. The frequency of irrigation with correct timing and a program of injecting nutrients results in conservation of water and fertilizer and typically excellent yields.

Elastic pipes which made of a non-reactive material, such as PVC or polyethylene, are commonly used for irrigation propose, such as drip main lines and surface irrigation systems in agriculture fields. It is known in the art of irrigation to distribute water to fields of crops or the like through irrigating systems by laying sections of drip irrigation pipe between the rows of the crops. As a general rule, this is accomplished by laying a main pipeline across the field carrying water therethrough. A series of irrigation pipe extensions are arranged in end to end connection off of the main pipeline to distribute the water over a selected area of the field. Such pipes arrangement usually remains permanent in the treated field until the end of the irrigation season (i.e., the growing season). Thus each field section requires its own irrigation pipes, which turns to be very expensive when needing to irrigate a relatively large field of crops, as more pipes and other irrigation equipments are required.

In order to save costs, it would be desired to constantly relocate a plurality of drip irrigation pipes from one location to another (whether they are located in the same field or even to remove them to other fields) during the entire irrigation season. Such a solution will dramatically reduce the costs of the irrigation equipments, as only a minimal set of drip irrigation pipes can be used to irrigate the an entire field.

However, in the prior art, there is no an effective solution for constantly/repetitively relocating the irrigation pipes between different crops. Thus if someone wants to use a minimal sets of pipes to irrigate an entire field of crops, then he will need to manually grasps the pipe extension, unlocking it from its connection to the main pipeline, then walking across the field and locking it to a connection at a second location along the main pipeline and than to repeat such an action during the entire irrigation season. Moreover, in addition to the manual labor required, the pipe section may be relatively cumbersome. Thus, in addition to being laborious and time-consuming, the manual relocation of such pipe sections is fatiguing, especially if they must be transferred over a field covering a large area or if the crops in the field have attained a substantial size.

Moreover, it is the common experience of those who use such state of the art irrigation systems that the systems sometimes must be moved or removed to facilitate the cultural operations which are common to farming, i.e. cultivating, fertilizing, spraying, bed shaping, planting, and harvesting.

It therefore, would be advantageous to provide an irrigation system which would allow the installation and removal of a plurality of drip irrigation lines simultaneously and with minimal effort.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds. Summary of the Invention

The present invention relates to a reel device for winding/un winding one or more sets of parallel continuous dripper irrigation lines which are connected to a main pipeline, and whereby simultaneously deploying said dripper irrigation lines over an irrigated area and providing irrigation to said area while they remain connected to said main pipeline, said device comprises: a) a structural framework; b) a rotational pivot suspended by said structural framework; and c) at least one reel sub-unit revolving around said pivot, wherein the reel sub-unit having one or more supports discs each of which of said discs having at least one angular cut for allowing the placing and/or removal of said main pipeline to/from said reel device, said discs are mounted along said pivot and are longitudinally spaced apart a distance approximately corresponding to the width required to accommodate a single irrigation line.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the structural framework further comprises wheels thereby turning the reel device into a mobile unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the reel device further comprises a rolling mechanism attached to the rotational pivot for rotating the reel sub-unit. The rolling mechanism can be a manual mechanism (e.g, which includes a handle and a set of transmission wheels). Alternatively, the rolling mechanism can include an electric motor.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the structural framework further comprises ground jacks for stabling the reel device during winding/un winding operation or while parking it.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a portable irrigation reel device having a plurality of reel sub-units (i.e., reel bays), according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a single reel bay of Fig. 1;

- Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a set of drip irrigation pipe lines loaded on the portable irrigation reel device, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates the portable irrigation reel device provided with a plurality of angular cuts on each supporting disc of the reel bays, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation- specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time- consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

Turning now to the drawings, an exemplary portable irrigation reel device of the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 and includes a structural framework 3 (e.g., a mobile longitudinally extending frame member), a rotational pivot 14 (e.g., in form of a longitudinally extending axis) and a plurality of reel sub-units (i.e., reel bays) 16-19.

Reference is now made to Fig. 1, showing a schematic description of the exemplary portable irrigation reel device 10. First reel sub-unit 16 revolving coaxially with the others reel sub-units 17-19 around common rotational pivot 14 so that their rotational movement is coupled. Structural framework 3 on which rotational pivot 14 is mounted, keeps the reels at a certain distance from the ground. In this exemplary embodiment, the framework 3 is completed by upright supporting members 15A and 15B (at the approximate and distal ends of framework 3 in the figure) which connect the rotational pivot 14 to framework 3. The rotational pivot 14 is attached to a rolling mechanism which is used to rotate pivot 14. For example, the rolling mechanism can be operated manually by handle 2 and optionally, by a further set of transmission wheels, such as indicated by numerals 4 and 5 in the figure. Alternatively the rolling mechanism can be motorized by a suitable electric motor or other similar means as are known to a person skilled in the art (not shown).

The framework 3 can be constructed in such a way that its elements are preferably box channels and are of welded construction or may be flanged and bolted for disassembly if necessary. In order to provide device 10 with mobile capabilities, device 10 is supported at the bottom of framework 3 on suitable pneumatic tires mounted on wheels 6.

Optionally, ground jacks (not shown) can also be provided at the bottom of framework 3 and may be adjusted to the appropriate length to support framework 3 when the device 10 takes up or releases (i.e., while winding/un winding) the irrigation lines.

As best seen in Fig. 1, the structural framework 3 defines a plurality of aligned reel bays 16, 17, 18 and 19. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that the framework may be designed to accommodate any convenient number of reel bays assemblies. In this figure four reel bays being shown for convenience of representation only.

Turning to Fig. 2, an individual reel bay 16 is shown for purposes of representation. According to an embodiment of the invention, each reel bay is provided between a pair of dividing elements, such as supporting discs 21 and 22 that are mounted along pivot 14. The dividing elements are used for separating between the parallel irrigation lines and to accommodate them in an organized manner. The dividing elements are further adapted to allow the placing and removal of the irrigation lines together with the main pipeline (i.e., while eliminating the need to disconnected between them as occur in the prior art). In this embodiment, each of the support discs 21 and 22 is having at least one angular cut 7 for easily placing (or removing) the main pipeline together with the parallel irrigation lines (that are perpendicularly connected to this main pipeline).

Each adjacent dividing elements (such as shown by the supporting discs 21-22 in Fig. 2) are longitudinally spaced apart a distance approximately corresponding to the width required to accommodate at least a single irrigation pipe line, such as pipe 9. Such structure refers to any additional reel bay, such as the exemplary reel bays 16-19 and the corresponding supporting discs 21-25 as shown in Fig. 1. In the normal operating position, the reel bays 16-19 turn freely, thereby allowing simultaneously taking up or releasing (i.e., winding or unwinding) a set of parallel irrigation pipes while they remain connected to main pipeline, such as irrigation pipes 9-12 that are perpendicularly connected to the main pipeline 8.

As aforementioned hereinabove the dividing elements are provided between the reel bays, such as shown by the supporting discs 21-25 in Fig. 1. The one or more angular cut 7 of each of the support discs 21-25 allow accommodating the main pipeline 8, while the irrigation pipes 9-12 remain connected in parallel to that main pipeline 8. The angular cuts 7 of each supporting discs allows loading or unloading a complete irrigation set without the need to disassembled or reconnect the set of irrigation lines from/to the main pipeline (i.e., the irrigation lines are ready to use instantly upon their deployment in the field).

The details of the rotation mechanism, location of components and the like have been omitted for clarity as these components are well known to those skilled in the art.

The application of the drip irrigation hose 9-12 is controlled by the rotation mechanism. For example, the manual loading of irrigation hoses 9-12 is done by placing main hose 8 along the angular cuts of support discs 21-25 and than by the rotation of handle 2.

As seen in Fig. 2, each two adjacent supports discs, such as discs 21 and 22 are used to guide the hose rotated within the reel bay between them to remain in the specific reel bay, in this case reel sub-unit 16. Thereby each two adjacent supporting discs prevents the mixture between parallel hose while simultaneously loading set of parallel hoses. This prevents the irrigation hose from becoming tangled and insures that the hose is evenly placed on the reel bay as the rotational pivot 14 rotates back and forth.

As will be appreciated by a skilled person, the rolling mechanism is caused to rotate the pivot 14 mechanically by means of a drive arrangement, such as handle 2 or by alternative motorized arrangement. The supporting discs 21-25 rotate with the pivot 14.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the portable irrigation reel device 10 is shown in accordance to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the device 10 is provided with a plurality of angular cuts 7 on each of the supporting discs 21 -25.

The portable irrigation reel device 10 can be manufactured in any required dimension, depending on the ground surface, the size of the filed, etc. For example, for large agricultural installations, an individual reel bay may have a diameter of six or eight feet and have a width across the face of the bay of over three feet. In this way, several miles of standard drip hose can be wound on a single reel bay. The reels are preferably fabricated having a generally cylindrical drum portion about which the hose is wound.

In the prior-art, due to the lack of a comfortable solution to simultaneously and easily remove/deploy a set of parallel drip irrigation lines, the reels remain empty during the entire growing season and at the end of the growing season, prior to harvest and cultivation, only then the line is wound onto the reel. In contrary, the arrangement of the portable irrigation reel device of the present invention, allows to easily remove/deploy a set of parallel drip irrigation lines simultaneously during the entire growing season. Moreover, such arrangement allows using the same drip irrigation lines for different field portions, which dramatically reduces the costs required today to irrigate an entire filed of crops.

The construction and operation of the reel take-up apparatus of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description of use.

At the conclusion of the growing season prior to harvest and cultivation, it is necessary to remove the irrigation lines from the field. Generally, in growing crops such as row crops, the irrigation lines will be placed in the field extending between adjacent crop rows. When it is necessary to harvest and cultivate, damage may occur to the lines if they are not removed. At this time, device 10 pulled to the field. Generally a roadway or access way is provided at the end of the field, perpendicular to the rows. As has been pointed out above, in large commercial agricultural installations, the length of the field may extend for over a quarter mile and with large diameter reels as described herein, several miles, up to five or more, of hose can be accommodated on a single reel. Any number of reel bays can be provided, with four being shown for purposes of explanation.

If the device is to be used to pay-out line to position the drip tubing in the field, the device is again aligned in the field at the end of the rows generally perpendicular to the rows. As the line is payed-out, it can be placed in the rows either manually or by a suitable vehicle.

The reel device of the present invention can be operated in several ways, such as:

- by being fixed at the one end of the corps row, while the drip irrigation lines are being pulled to the other end of the crops rows (or vice versa, when the reel device collects the irrigation lines). In such scenario the irrigation lines are being dragged on the ground while the reel device wind/unwind them; by fixing the edges of the drip irrigation lines at the ends of the crops rows, while moving the reel device towards the other ends of the crops rows (and vice versa). In such scenario, the irrigation lines are not being dragged and they are directly picked up (or deployed) as the reel device advanced along the fields' rows.

In general, the reel device of the present invention, can either wind/unwind the irrigation lines while being fixed in a given location in the field or while being moved along the crops rows.

Optionally, the frame of the reel device may comprise adjustable elements, such as telescoping mechanism, for elevating the reel bays above relatively high crops. For example, this can be used while moving the reel device along the rows crops so that the overall height of the reel device can be adjusted according to the height of the crops.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, effective and highly versatile device for taking up and paying out drip irrigation line. The device has a large capacity and can be adapted to the needs of the particular grower. The large capacity reels make the device efficient and convenient. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to make various changes, alterations and modifications to the take-up reel device of the present invention. While some embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be apparent that the invention can be carried into practice with many modifications, variations and adaptations, and with the use of numerous equivalents or alternative solutions that are within the scope of persons skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A reel device for winding/un winding one or more sets of parallel continuous dripper irrigation lines connected to a main pipeline, and whereby simultaneously deploying said dripper irrigation lines over an irrigated area and providing irrigation to said area while they remain connected to said main pipeline, said device comprising :

a. a structural framework;

b. a rotational pivot suspended by said structural framework; and c. at least one reel sub-unit revolving around said pivot, wherein the reel sub-unit having one or more supports discs each of which of said discs having at least one angular cut for allowing the placing and/or removal of said main pipeline to/from said reel device, said discs are mounted along said pivot and are longitudinally spaced apart a distance approximately corresponding to the width required to accommodate a single irrigation line.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which the structural framework further comprising wheels.

3. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a rolling mechanism attached to the rotational pivot for rotating the reel sub-unit.

4. A device according to claim 3, in which the rolling mechanism is a manual mechanism comprising a handle and a set of transmission wheels.

5. A device according to claim 3, in which the rolling mechanism include an electric motor.

6. A device according to claim 1, in which the structural framework further comprising extensible ground jacks for stabling said apparatus during winding/un winding operation or while parking.

7. A device according to claim 1, further comprising adjustable elements for elevating the reel bays above relatively high crops.