Emitter locating system and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10375904-B2
Application number	US-201715650379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2017
Priority date	Jul 18, 2016
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

Various systems, methods and apparatus for locating emitters embedded in tubing are disclosed herein, as well as forming outlets in said tubing and confirming the placement accuracy of such outlets. In one form, an emitter locator is disclosed having: a housing defining a generally enclosed space and having an inlet located in a first side of the housing and an outlet located in a second side of the housing positioned opposite the inlet; a cutter positioned within the generally enclosed space between the inlet and outlet; a first optical instrument located proximate the inlet; a second optical instrument located proximate the outlet; and a controller connected to the cutter and first and second optical instruments, the controller configured to detect a tubing target area desired for placement of an outlet opening in tubing that passes through the inlet and cut the tubing target area to form the outlet opening therein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An emitter locator for detecting the presence of an emitter embedded inside tubing, the locator comprising:
a housing defining a generally enclosed space and defining an inlet and an outlet;
a cutter positioned at least partially within the generally enclosed space;
a first optical instrument located proximate the inlet; and
a controller in communication with the cutter and first optical instrument, the controller configured to detect a tubing target area desired for placement of an outlet opening in tubing that passes through the inlet and cut the tubing target area to form the outlet opening therein before the tubing exits the outlet of the housing.

2. The emitter locator of claim 1 wherein the first optical instrument is a thermal imager and the controller is configured to view the tubing target area with the thermal imager.

3. The emitter locator of claim 2 wherein the controller is an onboard controller mounted to the housing and configured to allow for programming of the emitter locator at the emitter locator itself.

4. The emitter locator of claim 2 wherein the controller is a remote controller spaced apart from and located remote from the housing and configured to allow for programming of the emitter locator at a remote location.

5. The emitter locator of claim 4 wherein the controller includes a network interface configured to connect the emitter locator to a network and a centralized controller located at the remote location.

6. The emitter locator of claim 1 further including a second optical instrument located downstream of the first optical instrument and the cutter for confirming placement accuracy of the outlet opening within the tubing target area.

7. The emitter locator of claim 6 wherein the first optical instrument is a thermal imager and the second optical instrument is a vision inspection camera, and the controller is configured to detect the tubing target area with the thermal imager to determine where the outlet opening within the tubing should be made and confirm placement accuracy of the outlet opening within the tubing target area with the vision inspection camera.

8. The emitter locator of claim 6 wherein the first optical instrument is a first thermal imager and the second optical instrument is a second thermal imager, and the controller is configured to detect the tubing target area for the outlet opening with the first thermal imager and confirm placement accuracy of the outlet opening within the tubing target area with the second thermal imager.

9. The emitter locator of claim 6 wherein the second optical instrument is mounted to a second platform located above the outlet, the second optical instrument being positioned in a downward facing orientation focusing on the tubing exiting the outlet of the housing.

10. The emitter locator of claim 6 wherein the first and second optical instruments are located within the generally enclosed space of the housing proximate the inlet and outlet, respectively.

11. The emitter locator of claim 1 wherein the cutter comprises a high-speed rotatable cutter capable of being rotated about an outer diameter of the tubing in order to be positioned generally perpendicular to the emitter embedded inside the tubing to assist in appropriate placement of the outlet opening in the tubing.

12. The emitter locator of claim 11 wherein the cutter comprises a high-speed pneumatic cutter that is mounted to a rotatable drum, the rotatable drum having a driven gear and the cutter further having a motor with a sprocket connected to a motor output shaft, the sprocket being coupled to the driven gear via a drive chain so that the controller can rotate the high-speed pneumatic cutter in clockwise and counterclockwise directions by actuating the motor to drive the sprocket in clockwise and counterclockwise directions, respectively.

13. The emitter locator of claim 1 wherein the first optical instrument is mounted to a first platform located above the inlet, the first optical instrument being positioned in a downward facing orientation focusing on the tubing entering the inlet of the housing.

14. The emitter locator of claim 1 wherein the tubing is hard or heavy-walled hose having a wall thickness of 0.025″-0.055″.

15. The emitter locator of claim 1 wherein the emitter is a flexible emitter made from a uniform elastomeric material.

16. An irrigation drip line manufacturing or production line comprising:
a feeder for feeding discrete emitters into the production line;
a conveyor having a first end at the feeder for conveying the discrete emitters through the production line;
an emitter insertion mechanism located at a second end of the conveyor for inserting the discrete emitters through an extruder and into newly extruded tubing to bond the emitters to the newly extruded tubing;
an extruder position proximate the emitter insertion mechanism and configured to extrude the extruded tubing in a desired wall thickness;
a water tank positioned downstream of the extruder for sizing and/or cooling the extruded tubing;
an emitter locator and outlet cutting assembly positioned downstream of the water tank and configured to locate the discrete emitters and cut outlet openings in the extruded tube proximate outlets of the discrete emitters; and
a coiler positioned downstream of the emitter locator and configured to coil the extruded tube into coils of tubing.

17. An irrigation drip line manufacturing or production line comprising:
a feeder for feeding discrete emitters into the production line;
a conveyor coupled on a first end to the feeder for conveying the discrete emitters through the production line;
an emitter insertion mechanism coupled to a second end of the conveyor for inserting the discrete emitters through an extruder and into newly extruded tubing to bond the emitters to the newly extruded tubing;
an extruder position proximate the emitter insertion mechanism and configured to extrude the extruded tubing in a desired wall thickness;
a water tank positioned downstream of the extruder for sizing and/or cooling the extruded tubing;
an emitter locator and outlet cutting assembly positioned downstream of the water tank and configured to locate the discrete emitters and cut outlet openings in the extruded tube proximate outlets of the discrete emitters; and
a coiler positioned downstream of the emitter locator and configured to coil the extruded tube into coils of tubing;
wherein the emitter locator and outlet cutting assembly includes a first optical instrument and a controller configured to use the first optical instrument to locate the emitters bonded inside of the extruded tubing and identify a tubing outlet target area desired for placement of an outlet opening in the extruded tubing.

18. The irrigation drip line manufacturing or production line of claim 17 wherein the emitter locator and outlet cutting assembly includes a second optical instrument and the controller is configured to use the second optical instrument to confirm placement accuracy of the outlet opening within the tubing target area.

19. The irrigation drip line manufacturing or production line of claim 18 wherein the first optical instrument is a thermal imager and the second optical instrument is a vision inspection camera, and the controller is configured to identify the tubing outlet target area with the thermal imager and confirm placement accuracy of the outlet opening within the tubing target area with the vision inspection camera.

20. The irrigation drip

Assignees

• Rain Bird Corp

Inventors

• Ensworth Mark Murphy

Classifications

• B29C2948/92571

  Position, e.g. linear or angular · CPC title

• B29C2948/92447

  Moulded article · CPC title

• B29L2031/7004

  for plants or flowers · CPC title

• B29C2948/92961

  Auxiliary unit, e.g. for external melt filtering, re-combining or transfer between units · CPC title

• B29C2948/92209

  Temperature · CPC title