Dripping Irrigation Tubing

Abstract

A dripping irrigation tubing comprising a pipe line with a channel member firmly attached all along the pipe line, said channel member having bottom and side walls and being interiorly closed at predetermined lengths constituting independent channel member; said line having bores spaced at periodic distances along its length, each of said bores communicating with a channel member entrance constituted by an admission chamber for irrigation liquid from the pipe line having a reduced height regarding the internal height of the rest of the channel member so as to provide a filter for particles of certain thickness, said channel member including a plurality of alternated internal walls promoting a plurality of impingements and changes in direction of the fluid that passes through the channel lowering its pressure before the fluid leaves the channel through an outlet bore.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the known dripping irrigation systems consisting of applying the irrigation fluid in a controlled manner near the plants, in order to preserve in same the moisture necessary for its growth with a minimum consumption of liquid, use has been made of tubing laid along the rows of plants and including perforations along the tubing, spaced at periodic distances, with or without drippers engaged in these perforations.

These systems have proven to be economically undesirable, specially for furrow crops in which the amount per hectare might be up to 100,000 or more in which the application of drippers would be arduous and costly and the lacking of application of same would promote a non-controlled irrigation and substantially without the typical characteristics of the dripping irrigation system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a new dripping irrigation tubing including all along a main pipe line, a channel member attached thereto having a plurality of integral alternated walls constituting a liquid passage having a plurality of obstacles promoting a depressurization in the irrigating liquid when the it changes directions a great number of times before allowing exit of same through an outlet bore located at the end of the passage or in any other desired location. The pipe line communicates through a hole with the channel member, generally at the beginning of same and by means of a chamber having a reduced height as regards the height of the rest of the channel member, in such a manner that, in turn, prevents the passage of bodies of a given thickness that might occlude the passage, that is, it acts like a filter for the passage of harmful elements. The passage has a given length that is continuously repeated all along the tubing.

The number of alternate walls promoting the changes in the direction of the flow could be multiple, thereby obtaining different and better results depending on the number of the changes of direction that are imparted to the liquid in the least possible length. The walls may be comprised merely of a straight plates or else by a set of teeth tapered at its upper end and alternated to allow a change in the direction of the flow. The main pipe would be a semirigid cylindrical pipe or merely a pipe made up by a laminar strip of flexible film sealed at its side edges to a wall of which the channel member is attached all along or else the laminar film could include the pressure reduction channel stamped in a longitudinal enlargement thereof, said stamped channel member being thereafter covered by a laminar film, all along its length.

These and other objects obtained by the practice of this invention will be better understood and appreciated reading the following description that makes reference to the attached drawings of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1, is a side elevational view of the dripping irrigation tubing of this invention with details in section illustrating the pressure reduction continuous channel member attached all along the length of a pipe line.

FIG. 2, is a plan view of the tubing illustrated in FIG. 1, with a lengthwise section at 2--2.

FIG. 3, is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, illustrating an embodiment of the invention in which the channel member, instead of being constituted of alternate straight walls, is constituted of a plurality of alternate teeth or elements tapered at their upper ends, forming the obstacles for the fluid passage.

FIG. 4, is a plan view of the passage, similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, illustrating an embodiment of the alternate walls to multiply the length of the passage.

FIG. 5, is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the dripping irrigation tubing of this invention in which the main pipe line is manufactured of two strips of flexible film, sealed or joined by its side edges with the channel member attached to the exterior of the pipe.

FIG. 6, is a cross sectional view similar to that of FIG. 5, with the difference that the channel member is attached to the interior of the pipe.

FIG. 7, is a cross sectional view similar to that of FIGS. 5 and 6 in which the pipe is comprised of a single strip of flexible film folded at its middle and joined or sealed at its side edges with the channel member attached to the exterior of the pipe.

FIG. 8, is a view similar to that of FIG. 7 with the difference that the channel member is attached to the interior of the pipe.

FIG. 9, is a cross sectional view of the tubing for dripping irrigation of this invention.

FIG. 10, is a fragmentary conventional perspective view of an embodiment of the invention, in which the pipe line comprises a strip of a flexible film folded and joined at its side edges including the channel member attached at the exterior thereof.

FIG. 11, is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the invention in which the pipe is comprised of a strip of flexible film having an enlargement all along the length of same in which the channel member with the flow passage has been engraved or stamped, same being merely covered by a film all along the length of the pipe that is formed when joining the side edges of the strip of the extended film shown in the figure.

FIG. 12, is a cross sectional view of the tubing embodiment shown in FIG. 11 of the invention, once the side edges of the film have been joined to constitute the tubing with the channel member attached to the exterior thereof.

FIG. 13, is a view similar to that of FIG. 11, but inverted.

FIG. 14, is a view similar to that of FIG. 12 with the difference that on joining the ends of the film for forming the tubing, the channel member is located inside thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The tubing for dripping irrigation of the present invention is made up by a main pipe line 11, having attached all along its length a channel member 12, said channel including a plurality of walls 13, integrally attached to the bottom and each of the side walls of the channel member in an alternate manner, forming a fluid passage 14, with a plurality of obstacles, promoting the impingement of the irrigation fluid a great number of times, thereby causing a substantial reduction in its pressure; the continuous channel member 12 includes a first liquid reception chamber 15, registering with a perforation 16, of pipe 11; this reception chamber 15 of the channel member has a reduced height as regards the normal height of the rest of the interior of the channel member, thereby acting as a filter to avoid the passage of certain particles that subsequently occlude the passage of the liquid inside channel member 12. Said liquid, once having lost a given pressure, flows out through a hole 17 of channel member 12 that is generally located at the end of the liquid passage.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the interior of the channel member is clearly shown, and the passage of the liquid from the pipe through the passage and to the exterior thereof is indicated with arrows.

On the other hand, an embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3 with a modified channel member 12, in which instead of the straight walls 13, a plurality of teeth 18 or bodies tapered upwards are included, and these could end in a point and they are attached to each of the side walls 19 of channel member 12, alternately, promoting a plurality of obstacles in the flow of the fluid passing from the inlet hole 16 to the outlet hole 17. This embodiment is advantageous when using, in the manufacture of the pressure reduction channel member 12 attached to the pipe, a pair of gears that automatically produce in semiplastic material, through a stamping operation, the aforementioned teeth 18.

In FIG. 4, an additional embodiment is shown with a modified channel member 12 in which the inlet hole 16 of pipe 11 opening to channel 12 is located in the central portion of each of the depressurization lengths, and same may include an arrangement of alternate multiple walls, including, for example a lengthwise central wall 20, with a plurality of cross walls 21, spaced parallel, alternating with walls 22 attached to the bottom and each of the side walls 19. In this embodiment of the invention, the outlet hole of said channel 12 is illustrated in dotted lines 23, same being near the inlet hole 16 and this embodiment substantially doubles the size of the passage.

With the above mentioned embodiment, other more desirable embodiments can be obtained that increase the number of impacts and changes in the least possible space. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5-10, the channel member is indicated by 12'" and the interior thereof may have any of the forms described with reference to preceding FIGS. 1-4.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the main pipe can be constituted by a pair of strips of a flexible film 24, sealed or joined at its side edges 25. Once the liquid is introduced into the tubing, same will adopt its normal cylindrical shape. This type of flexible pipes that can be employed with the present invention allow easier winding of same for transportation or storage, as well as facilitates the attachment of the channel member 12 on same. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, channel 12 is joined at the exterior to one of the films 24 and in contrast, in FIG. 6, channel 12 is attached to the interior of one of the films 24.

In FIGS. 7 and 8 is shown an embodiment of the pipe line contituted of a single strip of film 26 sealed at its ends 27 with the channel member 12 attached either to the exterior (FIG. 7) or to the interior (FIG. 8) of the pipe. In the further embodiments shown in FIGS. 11 to 14 the pipe line is made of a strip of thin film 28 the ends 31 of which are overlapped. The channel member is indicated by 12.sup.iv and the interior thereof may have any of the forms described with reference to preceding FIGS. 1-4. However the channel member 12.sup.iv instead of being attached to the pipe line is formed integrally as an enlargement 29 of film strip 28 having a curved bottom wall and side walls of uniform height. The channel member 12.sup.iv is closed by a film strip 30 firmly attached to the pipe line wall adjacent the side walls of the enlargement.

The side edges 31 of this strip of film can be joined either to one side of the channel member 12, as illustrated in FIG. 12, or to the other side as illustrated in FIG. 14, with the result that the depressurization channel member 12 will be located outside the pipe or inside the pipe, respectively.

All final embodiments are merely illustrative of the fact that any change or amendment in the form and detail must be embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention, such as the shape of the passage for reducing the fluid pressure or else the kind of fluid feeding pipe employed.

Claims

I claim:

1. A dripping irrigation tubing for distributing irrigation liquid, comprising a pipe line having a plurality of spaced perforations along its length through which irrigation liquid under pressure emerges from the pipe line, and a one piece depressurizing channel member outside the pipe line covering said perforations and extending partly around the external circumference of said pipe line, said channel member having a curved bottom wall corresponding to the pipe line wall curvature and side walls of uniform height extending around the edges of said bottom wall, said side walls being firmly attached to the outside of the pipe line wall to space the channel member from the pipe line, a plurality of cross walls being provided projecting alternately from each of said side walls and of the same height as said side walls and engaging with the outside of the pipe line wall but not reaching the opposite side wall and arranged to form passages providing a plurality of obstacles to liquid flow, and reception chambers for incoming liquid being provided in said channel member located respectively under each pipe line perforation and of less height than said side walls thereby filtering out large particles from the incoming liquid, and including a plurality of spaced outlet holes in said channel member at a preselected distance between said reception chambers along its length to distribute liquid at a predetermined lowered pressure after passing through said passages.

2. A dripping irrigation tubing for distributing irrigation liquid, comprising a pipe line, and a one piece depressurizing channel member inside the pipe line having a plurality of spaced perforations along its length through which incoming irrigation liquid from the pipe line under pressure emerges into the channel member, said depressurizing channel member extending partly around the internal circumference of said pipe line, said channel member having a curved bottom wall corresponding to the pipe line wall curvature and side walls of uniform height extending round the edges of said bottom wall, said side walls being firmly attached to the inside of the pipe walls to space the channel member from the pipe line, a plurality of cross walls being provided projecting alternately from each of said side walls and of the same height as said side walls and engaging with the inside of the pipe line wall but not reaching the opposite side wall and arranged to form passages providing a plurality of obstacles to liquid flow, and reception chambers for the incoming liquid being provided in said channel member located respectively under each channel member perforation and of less height than said side walls thereby filtering out large particles from the incoming liquid, and including a plurality of spaced outlet holes in said pipe line at a preselected distance between said reception chambers along its length to distribute liquid at a predetermined lowered pressure after passing through said passages.