Emitter and drip irrigation tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9992939-B2
Application number	US-201415037976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2014
Priority date	Nov 27, 2013
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

An emitter ( 120 ) is arranged inside a tube and is constituted by a resin molded body that has at least a recessed part and a through hole. The emitter ( 120 ) has a screen part, an intake volume adjusting part, a pressure reducing part, a discharge volume adjusting part, and a discharge part. The screen part is constituted by a slit ( 301 ) and a recessed part that intersects the slit ( 301 ) when seen in plan view. The discharge part includes an infiltration preventing part that is for preventing the infiltration of foreign matter from the discharge opening of the tube.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An emitter for quantitatively discharging irrigation liquid in a tube for distributing the irrigation liquid from a discharge port communicating between an inside and an outside of the tube when the emitter is joined to an inner wall surface of the tube at a position corresponding to the discharge port, the emitter being composed of a resin molded body including at least a recess and a through hole, the emitter comprising:
an intake part for receiving the irrigation liquid in the tube;
a liquid receiving amount regulating part for regulating a flow rate of the irrigation liquid received from the intake part in accordance with a pressure of the irrigation liquid in the intake part;
a pressure reduction part for allowing the irrigation liquid supplied from the liquid receiving amount regulating part to flow therethrough while reducing the pressure of the irrigation liquid;
a discharge rate regulating part for regulating the flow rate of the irrigation liquid supplied from the pressure reduction part in accordance with a pressure of the irrigation liquid in the tube; and
a discharge part to which the irrigation liquid, having a flow rate regulated by the discharge rate regulating part, is supplied, the discharge part configured to face the discharge port, wherein:
the intake part includes a screen part for catching a float material in the irrigation liquid,
the screen part includes:
a plurality of slits opening to an inside of the tube,
a recess which is in communication with the slit,
a plurality of protrusion lines disposed in the recess, the plurality of protrusion lines extending in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the slits,
a plurality of gaps provided between the plurality of protrusion lines and between a wall surface of the recess and a protrusion line of the plurality of protrusion lines, the plurality of gaps being in communication with the slit and extending in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the slits, and
the discharge part includes an intrusion prevention part for preventing intrusion of foreign matter from the discharge port.

2. The emitter according to claim 1 , wherein a width of each of the plurality of gaps increases as a depth of the recess increases.

3. The emitter according to claim 1 , wherein:
the liquid receiving amount regulating part includes a valve element which extends from a fixed end of a channel of the irrigation liquid in the emitter and opens to a downstream side when receiving a pressure of the irrigation liquid on an upstream side,
the valve element includes:
a thin part having flexibility and extending from the fixed end, and
a thick part extending from the thin part,
wherein the thin part bends and the valve element opens to the downstream side when a pressure of the irrigation liquid on an upstream side of the liquid receiving amount regulating part is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

4. The emitter according to claim 3 , wherein:
a boundary between the thick part and the thin part has a straight line shape in plan view, and
a thickness of the thick part is greater than a thickness of the thin part on a downstream side of the valve element.

5. The emitter according to claim 3 , wherein:
the liquid receiving amount regulating part further includes a fixed part disposed at a position adjacent to the valve element in plan view,
each of the valve element and the fixed part has a circular sector shape in plan view, and
the valve element and the fixed part are alternately disposed in a circumferential direction in plan view.

6. The emitter according to claim 1 , wherein:
the discharge rate regulating part includes:
a film having flexibility and disposed to block a communication of a channel on a downstream side of the pressure reduction part and the inside of the tube,
a valve seat part depressed with respect to the film and disposed at the channel on the downstream side of the pressure reduction part without making contact with the film, the valve seat part being capable of making close contact with the film,
a hole which opens at the valve seat part and is in communication with the discharge part, and
a groove formed at the valve seat part and communicating between the hole and the channel located outside relative to the valve seat part, and

the film makes close contact with the valve seat part when the pressure of the irrigation liquid in the tube is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

7. The emitter according to claim 6 , wherein:
the emitter is molded with one material having flexibility, and
the film is integrally molded as a part of the emitter.

8. The emitter according to claim 1 , wherein:
the discharge part includes a supply port for supplying the irrigation liquid to the discharge part, and
the intrusion prevention part is a flow guide member disposed at a position on a straight line connecting the supply port and the discharge port when the emitter is joined to the tube, the flow guide member being configured to cause bypassing of flow of the irrigation liquid from the supply port to the discharge port.

9. A trickle irrigation tube comprising:
a tube, and
at least one emitter for quantitatively discharging irrigation liquid in a tube for distributing the irrigation liquid from a discharge port communicating between an inside and an outside of the tube when the emitter is joined to an inner wall surface of the tube at a position corresponding to the discharge port, the emitter being composed of a resin molded body including at least a recess and a through hole, the emitter comprising:
an intake part for receiving the irrigation liquid in the tube;
a liquid receiving amount regulating part for regulating a flow rate of the irrigation liquid received from the intake part in accordance with a pressure of the irrigation liquid in the intake part;
a pressure reduction part for allowing the irrigation liquid supplied from the liquid receiving amount regulating part to flow therethrough while reducing the pressure of the irrigation liquid;
a discharge rate regulating part for regulating the flow rate of the irrigation liquid supplied from the pressure reduction part in accordance with a pressure of the irrigation liquid in the tube; and
a discharge part to which the irrigation liquid, having a flow rate regulated by the discharge rate regulating part, is supplied, the discharge part configured to face the discharge port, wherein:
the intake part includes a screen part for catching a float material in the irrigation liquid, the screen part includes:
a plurality of slits opening to an inside of the tube,
a recess which are in communication with the slit,
a plurality of protrusion lines disposed in the recess, the plurality of protrusion lines extending in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the slits,
a plurality of gaps provided between the plurality of protrusion lines and between an wall surface of the recess and a protrusion line of the plurality of protrusion lines, the plurality of gaps being in communication with the slit and extending in a direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the slits, and
the discharge part includes an intrusion prevention part for preventing intrusion of foreign matter from the discharge port.

Assignees

• Enplas Corp

Inventors

• Kidachi Masahiro

Classifications

• A01G25/165

  Cyclic operations, timing systems, timing valves, impulse operations · CPC title

• A01G25/02

  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

• B05B12/088

  the sensing element being a flexible member, e.g. membrane, diaphragm, bellows · CPC title

• A01G25/023 Primary

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

• A01G25/16

  Control of watering · CPC title