Emitter and drip irrigation tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10609876-B2
Application number	US-201615764959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2016
Priority date	Oct 1, 2015
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

This emitter has an emitter body having at least a concavity and a through-hole, and also has a flexible film that is joined to one or more surfaces of the emitter body, and blocks at least part of the opening of the through-hole and the concavity. The emitter also has a flow reduction part for reducing the flow of an irrigation liquid according to the pressure of the irrigation liquid inside the tube. The flow reduction part includes the concavity, a diaphragm which constitutes part of the film, and a valve seat to which it is possible to tightly adhere the diaphragm. The diaphragm includes a ring-shaped thin section positioned so as to surround the diaphragm region to be tightly adhered to the valve seat. The thin section is formed so as to both recess from the tube interior and also project toward the concavity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An emitter configured to be joined on an inner wall surface of a tube for carrying irrigation liquid at a position corresponding to a discharging port that communicates between inside and outside of the tube, the emitter being configured to quantitatively discharge the irrigation liquid in the tube from the discharging port to the outside of the tube, the emitter comprising:
an intake for intake of the irrigation liquid;
a discharge configured to be disposed to face the discharging port, and configured to discharge the irrigation liquid;
a channel configured to connect the intake and the discharge, and configured to distribute the irrigation liquid;
a flow rate reducer disposed in the channel, and configured to reduce a flow rate of the irrigation liquid in accordance with a pressure of the irrigation liquid in the tube; and
a pressure reducing channel disposed on an upstream side of the flow rate reducer in the channel, and configured to guide the irrigation liquid taken from the intake to the flow rate reducer while reducing a pressure of the irrigation liquid taken from the intake,
wherein the flow rate reducer includes:
a recess for reducing the flow rate,
a diaphragm part having flexibility that is a part of a film, and is disposed to close a communication between inside of the recess and inside of the tube,
a first through hole that opens at an inner surface of the recess, and is communicated with one of the discharge and the pressure reducing channel,
a second through hole that opens at the inner surface of the recess, and is communicated with the other of the discharge and the pressure reducing channel,
a valve seat part disposed to surround the first through hole or the second through hole and to face the diaphragm part without making contact with the diaphragm part, wherein when a pressure of the irrigation liquid flowing through the tube is greater than a predetermined value, the diaphragm part is allowed to make intimate contact with the valve seat part, and
a communication groove formed on a surface of the valve seat part where the valve seat part is allowed to make intimate contact with the diaphragm part, the communication groove being configured to communicate between the inside of the recess and the first through hole or the second through hole,
wherein the diaphragm part includes a thin part that is disposed in a shape surrounding a region of the diaphragm part where the diaphragm part is allowed to make intimate contact with the valve seat part, and
wherein the thin part is formed such that the thin part is recessed with respect to the inside of the tube, and is protruded with respect to the recess.

2. The emitter according to claim 1 , wherein the thin part is disposed in an annular shape surrounding the region of the diaphragm part where the diaphragm part is allowed to make intimate contact with the valve seat part.

3. The emitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the emitter is formed with one material having flexibility, and
wherein the diaphragm part is integrally formed as a part of the emitter.

4. A drip irrigation tube comprising:
a tube including a discharging port for discharging irrigation liquid; and
the emitter according to claim 1 that is joined on the inner wall surface of the tube at a position corresponding to the discharging port.

Assignees

• Enplas Corp

Inventors

• Morikoshi Daisuke

Classifications

• A01G25/02 Primary

  Watering arrangements located above the soil which make use of perforated pipe-lines or pipe-lines with dispensing fittings, e.g. for drip irrigation · CPC title

• Y02A40/237

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• A01G25/023 Primary

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

• Y02A40/22

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