Emitter and drip irrigation tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10383290-B2
Application number	US-201515110518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 10, 2014
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

Provided is an emitter ( 120 ) comprising a flow path that leads from an intake path ( 221 ) for taking in irrigation liquid that is within a tube to a recessed section ( 252 ). The flow path comprises opening/closing sections ( 248 ) that are arranged with a gap ( 249 ) therebetween. The gap ( 249 ) communicates with a discharge section. When the opening/closing sections ( 248 ) are pushed by the pressure of the irrigation fluid within a recessed section ( 242 ), the tip sections of each of the opening/closing sections ( 248 ) are brought into contact and one part of the gap ( 249 ) is blocked. The flow rate of the irrigation fluid within the emitter ( 120 ) is controlled by the remaining amount of said irrigation fluid that is capable of passing through the gap ( 249 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An emitter to be disposed on a tube for allowing irrigation liquid to flow therethrough, the emitter being configured for quantitatively discharging the irrigation liquid in the tube to outside of the tube, the emitter comprising:
an intake part for receiving the irrigation liquid in the tube;
a pressure reduction channel for allowing the irrigation liquid received from the intake part to flow therethrough while reducing a pressure of the irrigation liquid;
a flow rate controlling part for controlling a flow rate of the irrigation liquid supplied from the pressure reduction channel in accordance with a pressure of the irrigation liquid supplied from the pressure reduction channel;
a discharging part configured to be supplied with the irrigation liquid which is to be discharged to the outside of the tube and has a flow rate controlled by the flow rate controlling part, wherein:
the flow rate controlling part includes:
a gap opening in a linear shape at a channel on a downstream side of the pressure reduction channel and communicated with the discharging part,
a movable part having flexibility and including a free end facing the gap and a fixed end, the fixed end having a straight line shape and connecting both ends of the gap, and
a protrusion protruding along the free end from the movable part toward an upstream side in a flow direction of the irrigation liquid; and,

when the pressure of the irrigation liquid in the channel on the downstream side of the pressure reduction channel is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the movable part bends and the protrusion reduces a channel area of a channel of the irrigation liquid constituted by the gap.

2. The emitter according to claim 1 , wherein the intake part further includes a flow rate regulation valve configured to expand a channel of the irrigation liquid when the pressure of the irrigation liquid in the tube is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

3. The emitter according to claim 1 , wherein:
the emitter is an emitter for quantitatively discharging the irrigation liquid in the tube from a discharge port, the emitter being configured to be joined to an inner wall surface of the tube at a position corresponding to the discharge port configured to communicate between inside and outside of the tube;
the flow rate controlling part includes:
a recess for constituting a part of the channel on the downstream side of the pressure reduction channel in the emitter, the recess opening at a surface of the emitter at a position where the surface of the emitter is not joined to the inner wall surface, and
a lid part configured to seal the opening part and block communication between the channel on the downstream side of the pressure reduction channel and the inside of the tube;

the recess has a bottom having flexibility; and
the gap opens at the bottom of the recess.

4. The emitter according to claim 1 , wherein:
the protrusion has a shape like a triangular pyramid cut out from a polygonal pyramid along adjacent two sides of the polygonal pyramid which connect a tip end point and a bottom surface of the polygonal pyramid; and
one of bottom sides of the triangular pyramid which is common to a bottom side of the polygonal pyramid is the fixed end, and each of remaining two sides is the free end.

5. The emitter according to claim 4 , wherein the protrusion further includes a hollow part which opens to the discharging part side or to a side of the channel on the downstream side of the pressure reduction channel.

6. The emitter according to claim 3 , wherein the emitter is molded with one material having flexibility.

7. A trickle irrigation tube comprising:
a tube; and
at least one emitter, the emitter being the emitter according to claim 1 disposed on the tube.

8. The emitter according to claim 3 , wherein:
the protrusion has a shape like a triangular pyramid cut out from a polygonal pyramid along adjacent two sides of the polygonal pyramid which connect a tip end point and a bottom surface of the polygonal pyramid; and
one of bottom sides of the triangular pyramid which is common to a bottom side of the polygonal pyramid is the fixed end, and each of remaining two sides is the free end.

Assignees

• Enplas Corp

Inventors

• Kidachi Masahiro

Classifications

• A01G25/16

  Control of watering · CPC title

• A01G25/023 Primary

  Dispensing fittings for drip irrigation, e.g. drippers · CPC title

• Y02A40/237

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02A40/22

  Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion · CPC title