U.S. patent number 3,888,417 [Application Number 05/402,103] was granted by the patent office on 1975-06-10 for variable water volume sprinkler.
Invention is credited to Al Harmon.
United States Patent |
3,888,417 |
Harmon |
June 10, 1975 |
Variable water volume sprinkler
Abstract
A variable water volume sprinkler having a single nozzle
produces a selectable spray pattern with respect to both range and
quantity of water. The nozzle travels in a rotary direction due to
its off set position while a slotted timer disc positions and
determines the dwell time of the nozzle in correlation with timing
studs. The timing studs are adjustably positioned on a cylindrical
wall and hold the nozzle against rotation when the studs contact
the outer perimeter of the timer disc. After the timer disc rotates
to a position that coordinates a slot with a stud, the nozzle then
continues its rotation until the next timing stud is contacted by
the timer disc. Horizontal deflector vanes are adjustable to vary
the range of the nozzle. Alternatively, a pair of half cylindrical
deflection members with a number of set spray pattern cycles can
replace the cylindrical wall.
Inventors: |
Harmon; Al (Altadena, CA) |
Family
ID: |
26964497 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/402,103 |
Filed: |
October 1, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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287511 |
Sep 8, 1972 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
239/97; 239/236;
239/231 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B
12/02 (20130101); B05B 3/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
12/02 (20060101); B05B 12/00 (20060101); B05B
3/06 (20060101); B05B 3/02 (20060101); B05b
003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;239/97,98,236,DIG.1,70,230,231 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: King; Lloyd L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Jackson and Jones
Parent Case Text
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Related Applications
The present application is a continuation-in-part application of
Ser. No. 287,511 filed Sept. 8, 1972, and now abandoned in favor of
this application.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a variable volume of
water comprising:
at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a constant source of
water and mounted for rotational movement;
means for applying a constant rotational force to the nozzle;
and
timing means for intermittently holding the nozzle stationary
against the constant rotational force to vary the total volume of
water emitted in a particular direction including a movable timing
member and a plurality of relatively stationary members that are
capable of restraining the co-ordinate movement of the timing
member and the nozzle.
2. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 1 wherein the means for
applying a constant rotational force to the nozzle includes
mounting means for permitting the reactionary force of the water
emitted from the nozzle to drive the nozzle directly.
3. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 2 further including means
for mounting the nozzle for free rotational movement, the constant
rotational force and rotational nozzle movement being unrestrained
when free of the timing means for intermittently holding the
nozzle.
4. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 8 where the plurality of
relatively stationary members are mounted in the path of the timing
member and are movable to vary the dwell time of the nozzle.
5. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 4 further including means
for varying the distance of water emitted from the nozzle.
6. A water sprinkler as in claim 5 further including brake means
for holding the nozzle from movement until the timing member is
released from engagement with the stationary member.
7. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 6 where the timing member
is a rotatable slotted disc.
8. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 6 where the timing member
is a pivotable lever that contacts each stationary member at a set
initial position.
9. A water sprinkler assembly comprising:
at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of
water;
means for moving the nozzle;
means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a
rotatable slotted timing disc mounted for movement co-ordinate with
the nozzle and a plurality of relatively stationary members located
in the disc's path of movement to sequentially engage the timing
disc; and
means for varying the distance of water emitted from the
nozzle.
10. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 9 further including
brake means for holding the nozzle from movement until the timing
disc is released from engagement with a stationary member.
11. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 9 further including a
cylindrical frame located about the means for moving the nozzle and
the stationary member is a timing stud mounted on the cylindrical
frame.
12. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 9 where the means for
varying the water distance includes a horizontal deflector
plate.
13. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 9 where a pair of
half-cylindrical deflector members are adjustably mounted about the
means for moving the nozzle, at least one of the deflector members
mounting the stationary member.
14. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 11 where the cylindrical
frame has at least one timing slot for receiving the timing stud
and locking means on the timing stud for permitting the timing stud
to be variably fastened along the slot.
15. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 11 where the cylindrical
frame has at least one timing slot with a plurality of inverted
L-shaped slots connected to the timing slot to provide set position
for the timing stud.
16. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 12 where the deflector
plate is segmented and adjustable vertical vanes are positioned
between segments.
17. A water sprinkler assembly comprising:
at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of
water;
means for moving the nozzle;
means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a
timing member mounted for movement co-ordinate with the nozzle and
at least one member relatively stationary to the timing member and
located in its path of movement; and
means for varying the distance of water emitted from the nozzle
including a pair of half-cyclindrical deflector members that are
mounted about the means for moving the nozzle, at least one of the
deflector members mounting at least one relatively stationary
member.
18. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 17 where a plurality of
stationary members are provided and the constant rotational force
is unrestrained between stationary members.
19. A water sprinkler assembly comprising:
at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of
water;
means for moving the nozzle including a housing; and
means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a
timing lever having a rack portion mounted for pivotal motion on
the housing, a gear rotatably mounted on the housing and adapted to
drivingly engage the rack portion, means for biasing the timing
lever to an initial position, throw out means for disengaging the
rack portion from the gear and a plurality of relatively stationary
timing members positioned in the path of the timing lever when in
its initial position, whereby the timing lever is disengaged from a
timing member by the driving engagement of the gear and rack
against the force of the bias means.
20. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a variable volume of
water to designated areas comprising:
at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of
water;
means for moving the nozzle including a rotatable housing
supporting the nozzle;
a frame member located about and relatively stationary to the
rotatable housing; and
means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a
slotted timing member mounted for co-ordinate movement with the
rotatable housing, means for moving the slotted timing member
relative to the housing, and a plurality of timing studs mounted on
the frame member in the path of the slotted timing member to
sequentially engage the slotted timing member and suspend the
rotation of the housing and nozzle during engagement until a slot
on the timing member is moved into alignment with and released from
the timing stud.
21. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a predetermined
variable volume of water to various areas from a source of water
comprising:
at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from said source of water
and mounted for movement along a cyclical path;
means for applying a force to said nozzle to move said nozzle along
said cyclical path;
means fo intermittently holding the movement of said nozzle at
predetermined positions against said force and simultaneously
varying said nozzle dwell period along said cyclical path at said
predetermined positions to vary the total volume of water emitted
to a particular predetermined area including a timing member
mounted for movement co-ordinate with said nozzle movement and a
plurality of relatively stationary members that are sequentially
located along the direction of movement of said timing member for
sequentially coacting with said timing member to restrain said
nozzle at said predetermined positions; and
means for moving said timing member relative to said stationary
members whereby each stationary member is capable of being located
at a predetermined point for restraining said timing member and
nozzle for a preset dwell period determined primarily by the time
period of relative engagement of said timing member with said
stationary member.
22. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 21, where the timing
member is a rotatably slotted disc.
23. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 21 further including
brake means for holding said nozzle from movement until said timing
member is released from engagement with a stationary member.
24. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 23 further including
means for varying the distance of water emitted from said
nozzle.
25. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 21 wherein said means
for applying force to said nozzle includes mounting means for
permitting the reactionary force of the water emitted from said
nozzle to drive said nozzle.
26. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 21 wherein the timing
member is a rotatably slotted disc and a plurality of stationary
members are located in its path of movement to sequentially engage
the disc.
27. A water sprinkler as in claim 21 where the means for holding
the movement of the nozzle includes a timing lever mounted for
pivotal motion.
28. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 27 further including a
rack and rotatable gear, the gear mounted on a housing and the rack
mounted on the lever.
29. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 28 where the plurality
of stationary members are provided in the path of the lever and the
lever returns to an initial position between each stationary
member.
30. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 28 further including a
base spring and a throw out spring attached to the lever to return
and pivot the lever respectively.
31. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 19 further including
brake means for holding the housing from rotation when the lever is
retracted out of the path of the stationary timing members.
Description
Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the spraying of water and more
particularly to a variable pattern sprinkler.
Description of the Prior Art
A common problem in both home lawn water sprinkling and in large
scale watering of golf courses, agricultural products and other
expanses of turf is to provide thorough coverage of water relative
to the plant life and to prevent wasteful and annoying sprinkling
of unproductive areas.
This problem is compounded when the desired planted area has a
shape other than a circular pattern. Unfortunately, most
residential and other planted areas requiring water sprinkling have
non-circular shapes such as rectangular, oval or otherwise to
accommodate the particular pattern of use. For example, the typical
residential lawn will, in addition to the grass, have particular
plants or trees that require different amounts of water. This is
further complicated by unplanted areas, such as driveways,
pavements, patios, etc.
To provide adequate watering, the user to date has ultimately had
to resort to hand-held sprinkler guns or nozzles. A number of
attempts to provide adequate automatic sprinkling have been made in
the past. For example, the Smith U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,148 varies the
flow rate of the water through the nozzle by a series of adjustable
screws capable of varying the vertical position of a valve lever.
The Carlson U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,347 controls the flow rate of water
by varying the orifice area of a nozzle plate. The Schreiner, U.S.
Pat. No. 3,703,993, Hatanaka, U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,934 and Owbridge,
U.S. Pat. No. 2,530,779 disclose various forms of adjustable
deflectors. The following group of patents are cited of general
interest: U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,132; U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,504; U.S.
Pat. No. 3,464,628; U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,930; U.S. Pat. No.
3,451,623; U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,393; U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,313; and
U.S. Pat. No. 2,805,098. The rotary water sprinklers disclosed in
these patents resort to relatively complex, expensive and
complicated timing mechanisms utilizing a large number of parts to
attempt to achieve the desired result and still are incapable of
providing an exact quantity of water per unit area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The timed pattern sprinkler of the present invention comprises a
frame having a cylinder wall and a nozzle housing assembly
rotatably mounted on the frame. The nozzle housing assembly carries
an off set nozzle and a slotted timer disc both mounted on a
housing. The housing is rotatable as a result of the reaction force
of the egressing water from the off center mounting of the nozzle.
Timing studs are positioned on the stationary cylindrical wall to
co-act with the timing disc for varying the rate of motion or dwell
time of the nozzle. A segmented deflector plate is mounted on the
top of the cylindrical wall to provide both direction and distance
to the water pattern.
Both the deflector plate and the timing studs can be provided in
various embodiments to meet particular demands of the user. For
example, the timing studs can be variably positioned in slots or
holes on the cylinder wall and the deflector plate can be a single
member with or without vertical deflection vanes. As an alternative
embodiment, the cylindrical wall can comprise a pair of
half-cylindrical members having, for example, pre-cast timing slots
and a pair of deflection plates which upon movement in the vertical
direction will give a variable set water volume. Further, the timer
disc can be replaced with a reciprocating blade member that co-acts
with the timing studs.
The features of the present invention which are believed to be
novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The
present invention, both as to its organization and manner of
operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof,
may best be understood by reference to the following description,
taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above-mentioned will be described in detail with reference to
the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a variable water volume sprinkler
according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic water flow diagram of the present
invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the variable water volume sprinkler
in operation;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a timing slot and
timing stud;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a
timing slot and timing stud;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a deflecting
plate;
FIG. 7 is a planned view of a pair of cylindrical deflecting
members of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a planned view of another embodiment of a deflecting
plate;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a side vane;
FIG. 10 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the timing
means of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a side view of the timer disc of the present
invention;
FIG. 12 is a plan view of the variable water volume sprinkler;
FIG. 13 is a plan view of another embodiment of the present
invention; and
FIG. 14 is side view partially cut away from FIG. 13.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the present
invention is disclosed in which a variable pattern sprinkler 2
comprises a bottom baseplate 4 having a cylindrical wall 6. The
baseplate 4 is provided with drain holes 3 and is mounted via a
pipe 14 to a stand 8. It is to be understood that the sprinkler 2
can be utilized with a sprinkler system comprised of underground
permanent pipes or, for example, with a hose 12 as shown in FIG. 1.
A coupling 10 connects the pipe 14 to the hose 12.
Rotatably mounted on the pipe 14 via the bearings 13 is a housing
16. The housing 16 mounts the nozzle 18 which is at an off set
position relative to the axis of the entering flow of water from
the pipe 14. The reaction force of the egressing water from the
nozzle 18 produces a torque force that causes the rotation of the
housing 16 about the axis of the pipe 14. By virtue of the nozzle
18 mounting arrangement disclosed more particularly in FIG. 12,
there is no necessity to provide an auxiliary force to rotate the
housing 16 and its attached nozzle 18. It should be understood,
however that if desired the rotation of the housing 16 could be
accomplished by other means than the positioning of the nozzle 18,
for example, an electrical motor could rotate the housing 16.
Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic illustration of the water flow
through the housing 16 is presented. A water source 54 can be any
appropriate source such as a residential water main or even a pump.
A timer 56 can be connected for automatically controlling the flow
of water to the water sprinkler 2. Enclosed within the housing 16
is an impeller 24 which extends into an appropriate water conduct
17 that transports the water from the pipe 14 to the nozzle 18. The
impeller 24 is rotated by the flow of water and is connected to a
reduction gear 19 that is also enclosed within the housing 16. As
can be seen from FIGS. 1, 11 and 12, a timer disc 20 is mounted on
the surface of the housing 16. The timer disc 20 is connected to
the reduction gear 19 and accordingly revolves at a constant speed
proportional to the flow of water through conduit 17. The flow of
water to the nozzle 18 is otherwise unrestricted. The quantity of
water emitted to a particular area will depend solely on the dwell
time of the nozzle 18. This dwell time is controlled by the timer
disc 20 and timing studs 22 mounted on the cylindrical wall 6.
The timer disc 20 is provided with appropriate slots 21 on a
peripheral lip 23. As will be more fully understood in the
subsequent description, the position, number and shape of the
timing slots 21 are capable of effecting the rotation of the
housing 16 and the corresponding sprinkler pattern. The peripheral
lip 23 is inclined relative to the base 25 of the timer disc 20.
The inclination of the peripheral lip 23 is such that it is
parallel to the radial length of the timing studs 22 when they abut
each other. The timing studs 22 are stationary and hold the timer
disc 20 and correspondingly the nozzle 18 at a set position until a
slot 21 on the peripheral lip 23 is rotated into alignment with the
timing stud 22. As can be seen from FIGS. 11 and 12, the timer disc
20 is illustrated in a position where it has been released from
timing stud 92 and after an unrestrained travel under the influence
of the water nozzle 18 reaction force has contacted the timing stud
93. The dwell time of the nozzle 18 will depend on the length of
the peripheral lip or blade between the timing slots 21 which must
be traversed before releasing timing stud 93. The timer disc 20 is
shown in two positions in FIG. 11 to disclose the relative
rotational movement of the disc 20. The timer disc 20 is shown in a
series of positions in FIG. 12 from a plan view to disclose the
relative co-action of the timing studs 92 through 95 with the disc
20. A series of timing holes 32 are provided in the cylindrical
wall 6 and the location and number of timing studs 22 will be
subjectively determined in accordance with the desired positional
or rotational movement of the nozzle 18 and correspondingly, the
quantity flow of water desired. As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5,
the timing studs 22 can be positioned in a number of different ways
within the scope of the present invention. These particular
illustrations are not to be interpreted as limiting the manner in
which the slotted timer disc 20 can be conteolled.
The slotted timer disc 20 and the timing studs 22 control the
rotation and correspondingly the quantity of water ejected through
the nozzle 18 towards any particular segmented area. The particular
distance and width of the pattern is determined by a deflector
plate 28 in conjunction with vertical deflection vanes 30. The
deflector plate 28 is generally mounted on the top of the
cylindrical wall 6 by appropriate means such as a mounting plate
26. Generally, the deflector plate 28 is segmented into horizontal
vanes 29 which can be adjusted. This adjustment feature will be
more fully described in reference to FIG. 8.
Referring to FIG. 3, a residential lawn being serviced by a water
sprinkler 2 of the present invention is disclosed for illustration
purposes. As a modification, the water sprinkler 2 can be designed
to be positioned below the surface of the lawn and to rise upon
operation of the system. Sector A comprises a portion of the lawn
52 principally devoted to flowers 46. Presuming that the flowers 46
are of the type that require only a light watering, the timing
studs 22 adjacent that sector A of the cylindrical wall 6 will be
positioned such that the slots 21 of the slotted timer disc 20 will
become quickly coincident to permit the water motor 16 to direct
the nozzle 18 rapidly through sector A. The horizontal vanes 29 of
the deflector plate 28 in sector A will be appropriately positioned
to control the throw of water to adequately reach and cover the
entire flow bed 46.
In sector B, the lawn will presumably be of the type that will
require a moderate amount of sprinkling and accordingly the timing
studs 22 will be positioned appropriately in the timing holes 32 of
the cylindrical wall 6 so that the housing 16 and the nozzle 18
will be held for longer periods of time at each timing stud 22 and
thereby proceed at a slower pace through sector B. The fence 44
marking the limit of the user's property will also determine the
position of the horizontal vanes 29 in the deflector plate 28 so
that the water will not disturb nor be wasted on the neighbor's
lawn.
Sector C will presumably require the heaviest distribution of water
flow to adequately provide water for the tree 50. Accordingly, the
timing studs will be placed at their maximum position for delaying
the slotted timer disc 20 and the horizontal vanes 29 and the
deflector plate 28 will be moved upward to permit the maximum range
of the water sprinkler 2. In each of these cases the vertical
deflection vanes 30 act to ensure a concise flow pattern with a
sharp demarcation between each sector.
Sector D will again require a setting of both the timing studs 22
and horizontal vanes 29 to provide a moderate flow of water with
the water range limited by the pavement 48.
The driveway 53 falls principally in sector E and in this case, the
timing studs 22 and the horizontal vanes 29 will be appropriately
positioned to give a moderate flow to the limited portion of the
lawn and, in fact, may even require some of the ports between the
vertical deflection vanes 30 and the deflector plate 28 to be
blocked to prevent any flow of water on the driveway 53.
Returning to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the present
invention is disclosed wherein the cylindrical wall 6 is modified
to incorporate longitudinal slots 34 rather than the timing holes
32. Mounted within the slots 34 are timing studs 22' that can be
variably positioned along the slot 34. The timing stud 22' includes
a stop plate 40 and a movable locking disc 42 that is spring biased
by spring 38 to hold the timing stud 22' in the desired position.
To facilitate the movement, a hand grip 39 is provided at the end
of the timing stud 22'.
Referring to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the present invention is
disclosed in which the cylindrical wall 6 is provided with slots 34
that have been further modified with inverted L-shaped slots 36
adapted to receive and to position at set locations timing studs
22".
Referring to FIG. 8, a modified deflector plate 76 is disclosed.
While most of the components of the present invention can be molded
from plastic, in this embodiment of the invention it is
advantageous to use an aluminum disc member that has been segmented
by stamping. The aluminum deflector plate 76 is radially cut and
then stamped to form a plurality of gradually increasing conical
vanes 78. The conical shape of the vanes 78 helps remove the
necessity of having vertical deflection vanes 30. Thus, in the
embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1, the deflector plate 28 will be
replaced with the single aluminum deflector plate 76 and the
conical vanes 78 would be bent to the desired shape to provide the
desired flow pattern. A simple tool (not shown) can be used to
adjust their position.
An auxilliary side vane 80 as disclosed in FIG. 9 can be mounted
over one of the conical vanes 78 through the slot 82 and thereby
provide a vertical deflection vane in those areas where it is
desired to remove any chance of side spray such as adjacent a
house. The side vane 80 would simply be positioned over the conical
vane 78 at the appropriate location.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a modification of the present invention
is disclosed in which the cylindrical wall 6 is effectively
replaced with a pair of half-cylindrical deflector members 70 and
72. The deflector members 70 and 72 will be cast from plastic and
will be designed to move relative to the timing disc 20 and nozzle
18 in the vertical plane. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the cylindrical
deflector member can comprise any number of sets of timing studs,
such as timing studs 62 and 64 with appropriate ports 66 and 67.
Adjacent the ports will be deflector plates 58 and 60 respectively.
It should be understood that the number of sets of timing studs and
corresponding water ports can vary as desired.
As disclosed in FIG. 6, a support member 68 is shown centrally
positioned to strengthen the upper portion of the cylindrical
deflecting member. Appropriate locking means 74 will be provided to
hold the cylindrical deflecting member 70 or 72 in the appropriate
position. With this embodiment of the invention, a simple frame
with a base supporting the housing 16 will be supplemented by the
half-cylindrical deflector members 70 and 72. With this form of the
present invention, it is possible to provide a number of different
spray patterns of a fixed nature in a most economical manner.
As can be seen from the above description of the present invention,
various modifications can be made in a most economical and simple
manner while solving a complex problem that has escaped the
solutions suggested in the prior art. While it is contemplated that
the present components of the invention are to be molded from
plastic or in the case of the deflector plate 76, stamped from
aluminum, it should be clear that various types of material could
be utilized to meet the particular demands of the user. Thus, it
may be more practical to provide brass or aluminum component parts
where the use is contemplated to be in a commercial setting.
The present invention permits the application of a constant
rotation force at all times by the off set location of the nozzle
18. The timing studs 22 acting through an appropriate timing member
such as timing disc 20 restrains the constant rotation force until
it is suddenly released with the timing disc slot aligns with the
restraining timing stud. There is no requirement of complicated
values to vary the amount of water per unit area. The timing disc
20 while traveling at a constant rate of speed still is capable of
allowing the nozzle 18 to remain in various positions at variable
lengths of time or even to skip an area entirely depending on the
existence and position of the timing studs 22.
As can be seen from FIG. 4, the vertical position of a subsequent
timing stud 22' in relation to the preceding timing stud 22' will
determine the hold or dwell time for the nozzle 18 at that
particular position. When a timing slot 21 reaches a timing stud
22' during the rotation of the timing disc 20 it will release the
housing 16 until the disc 20 contacts a subsequent timing stud 22'.
If the subsequent timing stud 22' is at position a vertically above
the preceding timing stud 22' it will contact the same camming
blade portion between the timing slots 21 adjacent the slot which
passed the preceding timing stud. The dwell time will be relatively
short since the timing stud 22' and the slot will quickly be
aligned. If however, the subsequent timing stud 22' is at position
b vertically below the preceding timing stud 22' it will contact
the subsequent camming portion for its full length and will provide
the maximum dwell time.
A number of different means for varying the rate of motion of the
nozzle can be employed within the scope of the present invention.
For example, referring to FIG. 10, instead of the rotating timing
disc 20, a gear member 102 can be substituted to engage a pivoted
lever 104 mounted on the housing 16. The pivoted lever 104 in turn
would engage the timing teeth or studs 22. The lever would have a
rack member 106 to engage the gear 102 and would be pivotable also
out of the plane of the gear 102 for disengagement as well as in
the plane of the gear 102 during the driving cycle. A return spring
108 would bias the lever to an initial position against stop 109
and would be capable of returning the lever 104 to the initial
position during the lever's travel between timing studs 22. A throw
out spring 110 would disengage the rack 106 from the gear 102
whenever the lever 104 was released from the gear 102.
Thus, while the lever 104 was restrained by a timing stud 22, the
force exerted by the nozzle 18 would bias the lever 104 against the
throw out spring 110 and would engage the rack 106 with the gear
102. When the slot in the lever 104 was aligned with the timing
stud 22, the lever 104 would release the constant force of the
nozzle 18 and the spring force of throw out spring 110. The lever
when released from the engagement of rack 106 and gear 102 will be
returned to its starting position adjacent stop 109 by the force of
spring 108. This particular arrangement is highly advantageous in
that each timing stud 22 can be positioned independent of the
preceding timing stud since the lever 104 starts its cycle from its
initial position upon contact with the next timing stud.
Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, another embodiment of the present
invention is disclosed. This embodiment is similar to FIG. 10 in
that each timing stud 22 can be positioned independent of the
preceding or subsequent timing studs. The lever 202 mounted on the
revolving housing 16 is moved into and out of the path of the
timing studs 22 by a pinion gear 204 and a return spring 206
mounted between the frame member 208 and the track 210. The lever
202 is pivotally mounted on a frame member 208. The frame member
208 reciprocates along track 210 mounted on the housing 16.
The lever 202 has a rack portion 212 which can engage the pinion
gear 204. The lever 202 is pivotable out of the plane of the gear
204 for disengagement under the influence of a throw out spring
214. When the lever 202 contacts a timing stud 22, the force
exerted by the nozzle 18 biases the lever 202 against the throw out
spring 214 and engages the rack portion 121 with the gear 204. The
return spring 206 normally biases the lever 202 to its extended
position shown in FIG. 13 for contact with a timing stud 22. The
individual timing studs 22 can be of a variable length to vary the
dwell time; that is, the depth or radial length that extends into
the cavity between the cylindrical wall 6 and the housing 16 will
determine the effective interference contact area with the lever
202. When the lever 202 is biased against the gear 204 it is slowly
moved against the force of the return spring 206 until it is
released from the timing stud 22.
The lever 202 has a camming shoulder 216 designed to contact a
slanted follower surface 218 at one end of a brake lever 220. A
mounting bracket 224 supports the brake lever 220 and further
guides the lever 202. The interaction of the camming shoulder 216
and follower 218 pivots the brake lever 220 out of contact with a
brake pin 222. The brake lever 220 is biased into contact with the
brake pin 222 by a spring 224 that is mounted between the brake
lever 220 and the mounting bracket 224. A series of brake pins 222
are mounted beneath the timing studs 22 on the cylindrical wall 6.
The function of the brake lever 220 is to prevent any rotational
movement of the housing 16 until the lever 202 is released from the
gear 204 and is again being extended outward from the housing 16 by
the return spring 206. The relative slanting of the follower
surface 218 permits the brake lever 220 to be released from the
brake pin 222 and also permits the lever 202 to advance beyond the
timing stud 22 previously engaged. The lever 202 is moved forward
by the throw out spring 214 at least the width of a timing stud 22.
Without the brake pins 222 and brake lever 220 it would be
possible, depending on the rotational speed capable of being
generated by the water force for the lever 202 the skip or bypass
subsequent timing studs 22 before engagement
While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been
disclosed above, it should be clear that modifications can be made
by a person skilled in the art and accordingly the scope of the
present invention should be determined solely from the following
claims.
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