US3645451A - Sprinkler device - Google Patents

Abstract

A water sprinkler device in which a water-operable motor drives a rotatable sprinkler head in an oscillating part-cycle movement so as to discharge water over a selected arcuate sector. The size of such sector may be manually adjusted or selected during operation of the sprinkler. The arcuate sector selected may be manually oriented with respect to the sprinkler device during operation. The radius of the arcuate sector may also be externally adjusted during operation of the device. The device comprises an inner and outer housing, a water turbine, alternate counterrotating gear transmission paths, a reduction gear train, and an overcenter actuating assembly. The sprinkler head is rotated in opposite direction depending upon the engagement of the head through one of the counterrotating gear transmission paths from the unidirectionally operating water turbine.

Description

limited States Patent llllanser [54] SPRENKLIER DEVlltCE lFred llilnuser, 1544 Midvale Avenue, Los Angeles, Calif. 90024 [22] Filed: Aug.24, 1970 211 ApplNo; 66,321

[72] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl .239/206, 239/242, 74/354 [51] llnt. Cl...., 1 ..B05lb 3/16 [58] Field of Search. ..239/204, 206, 236, 237, 240,

1 51 Web. 29, 1972 Primary Examiner-1V1. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant ExaminerMichael Y. Mar Attorney-Miketta, Glenny, Poms and Smith [57] ABSTRACT A water sprinkler device in which a water-operable motor drives a rotatable sprinkler head in an oscillating part-cycle movement so as to discharge water over a selected arcuate sector. The size of such sector may be manually adjusted or selected during operation of the sprinkler. The arcuate sector selected may be manually oriented with respect to the sprinkler device during operation. The radius of the arcuate sector may also be externally adjusted during operation of the device. The device comprises an inner and outer housing, a water turbine, alternate counterrotating gear transmission paths, a reduction gear train, and an overcenter actuating assembly. The sprinkler head is rotated in opposite direction depending upon the engagement of the head through one of the counterrotating gear transmission paths from the unidirectionally operating water turbine.

9 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures sraniktan DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is an improvement on the sprinkler device disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,047, granted on May 14, 1968, and my copending application Ser. No. 852,978 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,363. Like my prior sprinkler devices, the present device is concerned with the provision of a sprinkler which is adjustable during operation so as to discharge water over a selected arcuate sector. Most prior art sprinkler devices which have employed water turbines to rotate the sprinkler head have not been easily adjustable so as to vary the extent of the arc of rotation or oscillation of the sprinkler head, to vary the radius of the water discharged from the sprinkler device, and also to allow the sector to be repositioned or reoriented with respect to a circle over which water would be discharged ifa full rotation of the sprinkler head was permitted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is to disclose and provide a sprinkler device in which a sprinkler head is reversibly rotated or oscillated within an adjustable are so that the sector over which water is discharged may be selected while the sprinkler is in operation. It is another object to provide such a device in which the means for reversing the rotation of the sprinkler head is accomplished through alternate gear transmission paths while the water turbine which rotates the sprinkler head rotates in only one direction. Still another object of the sprinkler device as above described is to be completely externally adjustable during operation by a simple handtool such as a screwdriver whereby the radius of the arcuate sector, the width of the arcuate sector, and the position of the arcuate sector may be varied. Yet one more object of the present invention is to provide a sprinkler device of the abovedescribed type which has a sealed inner housing containing the gears and levers to prevent the contamination of such components, such as by sand, which would interfere with the operation of the device. One further object is to provide a sprinkler device having the above-described adjustment capabilities while being inexpensive to manufacture and having a long maintenance-free useful life.

Generally stated, the sprinkler device of the present invention for discharging water over selected arcuate sector of a selected radius comprises, a housing having a water inlet, a sprinkler head having a water outlet in fluid communication with the housing inlet, means within the housing on which the sprinkler head is mounted, water turbine means in the housing operable by the water admitted through the housing inlet so as to effect rotation or oscillation of the sprinkler head, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of the sprinkler head which includes reversing gear means responsive to the arcuate position of the sprinkler head and includes a turbine drive gear alternately rotating one ofa pair of counterrotating gear units. a gear carried by the means on which the sprinkler head is mounted, and a movably mounted gear which continually engages the sprinkler head mounting shaft gear and alternately engages the counterrotating gear units so as to rotate the sprinkler head in opposite direction over the arcuate sector which is being watered while the turbine rotates in a single direction. The device may also comprise means for varying the radius of the arcuate sector and means for orienting the arcu ate sector with respect to the sprinkler housing. The sprinkler device may be of the popup type, as illustrated, or it may be of the axially fixed type.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a vertical section view of an exemplary embodiment ofa sprinkler device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the plane 2-2 in FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the plane 3-3 in FIG. I;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane 4-4 of FIG. t;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the plane 5-5 ofFIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the plane 6-6 of FIG. I;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the plane 7-7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the plane 8-3 of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the plane 9-9 ofFIG.

FIG. It) is a sectional view taken along the plane ll0-l0 of FIG. 1;

FIG. II is a sectional view taken along the plane 11-11 of FIG. I0; and

FIG. I2 is a sectional view taken along the plane ll2-l2 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, an exemplary embodiment of a popup-type sprinkler device for discharging water over a selected area is illustrated. Generally stated, the sprinkler device includes anouter housing 20 in which is disposed aninner housing 29, means 40 for externally selectively adjusting the rate of waterflow through the sprinkler device, water turbine means 50, means 60 to bypass a portion of the water entering the sprinkler device around the water turbine, means for reversing the direction of rotation of the sprinkler including the overcenter actuating means I00. The sprinkler device also includes means I30 for mounting a sprinkler head I40 for rotation and vertical axial sliding movement so as to allow the sprinkler head I40 to pop up and rotate during operation of the device. Means ISO is provided for arcuately externally adjusting the sprinkler head MI) relative to the mounting means I30. There is also provided means for externally adjusting the arc of rotation of the sprinkler head during operation of the sprinkler device.

The sprinklerouter housing 20 contains all operating parts therein when the sprinkler is not is use, and includes alower housing portion 21 having water inlet means or fitting 22 havinginternal threads 23 mounting the sprinklerouter housing 20 to the free end of a waterline embedded or recessed in the ground at the location where the sprinkler device is installed. The lower housing portion 21l, above the inlet fitting 22, has anopening 24 of reduced diameter through which the water enters into the main chamber defined by the outer housing. Theouter housing 20 also includes atubular sidewall portion 25 and anupper housing member 26, which may be of in vetted cup-shape, threadedly connected to the upper end of thesidewall portion 25 and sealed by a conventional O-ring 27 so as to provide a watertight enclosure. Theupper housing member 26 has anopening 2? for receiving the sprinkler head M0.

Within theouter housing 20 ofthe sprinkler device, there is disposed an inner housing indicated generally at 29 having alower section 30 sealingly seated on a shoulder 3i ofouter housing 20 through an O-ring 32. The inner housing lower section has a lower wall to define a water inlet chamber which is sealed off from the outer housing main chamber except for the passage to be described. A first intermediateinner housing section 33 is disposed abovebottom section 30 and is secured thereto through one ormore fasteners 34. An inner housing partition wall indicated generally at 35 rests on the upper end of first intermediateinner housing section 33 and is secured to the firstintermediate section 33 through one or more capscrews such as that shown at 36. Disposed above thepartition wall 35 is the second intermediateinner housing section 37 threadedly connected to partitionwall 35 and in sealing engagement therewith through aconventional O-ring 38. The upper end of the secondintermediate section 37 is provided with a plurality ofintegral shoulders 39 which abut the inner surface ofhousing sidewall 25 at spacedapart locations. Theinner housing 29 is forced into watertight engagement with theshoulder 31 of thehousing 20 when the upperouter housing member 26 is threaderlly engaged into thehousing sidewall 25 so that the lower end ofmember 26 engages theshoulders 39 of theinner housing 29 and forces: theinner housing 29 downwardly so as to compress the O-ring 32 to effect the sealing engagement. Theinner housing 29 is sealed to prevent contamination and may be filled with lubricant if desired.

The exemplary embodiment of the sprinkler device is provided with means 40 for selectively adjusting the rate of waterflow through the sprinkler device thereby controlling the pressure and the length of the water stream discharging from the sprinkler head 140. Such means 40 includes a throttle valve comprising a resilient flexible arm 41 secured to the housinglower portion 21 at one end through ashoulder screw 42 and carrying anintegral closure portion 43 intermediate its ends and in vertical registry with theopening 24 in the housinglower portion 21. Theclosure member 43 is generally conical in shape so that its vertical movement in relation to theopening 24 varies the flow area of such opening and thus the rate at which water enters the sprinkler device. Vertical movement of plate 41 is effected entirely externally of the sprinkler device so that the radius of the arc over which water is discharged may be varied even during operation of the sprinkler device. Such external adjustment is provided through a longitudinally extending adjustment screw 44 disposed in an opening in alongitudinally extending boss 45 integrally formed onsidewall 25 of the outer housing and threadably engaging the lower portion of the opening through the boss so as to be vertically adjustable through rotation thereof. The top end of the screw 44 has a slot 46 exposed through the top end of the sidewall boss portion so that a screwdriver or similar device may be inserted therein and rotated so as to selectively vary the vertical position of the screw 44. The lower end of the screw 44 bears on the free end of the valve arm 41 which projects in a passage drilled inhousing 20 below theboss 45 so that rotation of the screw will effect the opening and closing of the area through which water flows into the sprinkler device.

The water turbine means 50 in the exemplary embodiment is disposed in achamber 51 defined by the innerhousing bottom section 30 and the inner housing firstintermediate section 33. Thebottom section 30, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, is provided with an upstandingintegral projection 52 with a vertical passage 53 and an opening 5311 into thechamber 51. The turbine means includes ashaft 52 secured in vertical position between the housinglower section 30 and firstintermediate section 33 and rotatably supports a turbine wheel including ahub 54 from which a plurality ofturbine blades 55 project radially outwardly. The turbine wheel is secured to theshaft 52 by asetscrew 56. It will be noted that theopening 54 in theprojection 52 is positioned such that water discharging from the passage 53 in the projection through theopening 54 will impinge upon theturbine blades 55 so as to rotate the turbine wheel in only one direction.

Means 60 is provided to bypass a portion of the water entering the sprinkler device around thechamber 51 so that when a high flow rate of water is passed through the sprinkler friction losses may be reduced by not passing all of the water past the turbine. In the exemplary embodiment, as seen best in FIG. 12, such means comprises anopening 61 in the inner housinglower section 30 and aclosure plate 62 pivotally mounted by a capscrew 63 received in the inner housinglower section 30. Theclosure member 62 may be selectively positioned so as to bypass a desired amount of water around the water turbine means in accordance with the flow rate through the sprinkler device by loosening the capscrew 63, positioning theclosure plate 62 over all or a portion of theopening 61, and resecuring the capscrew 63. This adjustment may be readily manually made by removing the outer housingupper portion 26 so that the entireinner housing 29 may be withdrawn so that the capscrew 63 is readily accessible.

The sprinkler device of the present invention provides oscillatory or part-cycle arcuate movement of the sprinkler head 140 so as to discharge water over an arcuate sector of the ground. Accordingly, means 70 is provided for reversing the direction of rotation of the sprinkler head through alternately cngageable gear transmission paths. Such means, in the exemplary embodiment, as seen best in FIGS. 1 and 7 through 10,

comprises alternate gear trains disposed in the sealed chamber 71 defined by the inner housing firstintermediate section 33 andpartition wall 35. Disposed within chamber 71 is asupport plate 72. The gear trains commence with the waterturbine drive gear 73 fixedly mounted onturbine shaft 52' and extending into an undercut portion ofsupport plate 72 within chamber 71. Thegear 73, as seen in FIG. 7, is centrally disposed within the chamber and sprinkler device.Gear 73 drives alarge spur gear 74 rotatably mounted on ashaft 75 which is supported in the inner housing firstintermediate section 33 andpartition wall 35.Adjacent gear 74 there is provided agear 76 of equal size to gear 74 and in engagement therewith so as to rotate in an opposite direction;gear 76 is mounted on ashaft 77 similarly supported by the inner housingintermediate section 33 andpartition wall 35. It will be noted thatgear 76 has a lesser width or tooth face thangear 74, approximately equal to the width ofdrive gear 73 and is spaced upwardly from the upper surface of inner housingintermediate section 33 through an integral spacer orhub 78 so thatgear 76 does not engagedrive gear 73 which is disposed in a lower plane. Thus, as seen best in FIG. 8, thegears 74 and 76 rotate in opposite directions.

Counterrotating gears 74 and 76 carry pinion gears 80, 81, respectively which may be integral withgears 74 and 76 or may be otherwise secured for rotation therewith and are concentrically mounted onshafts 75, 77 so as to comprise counterrotating gear units.Gears 80, 81 project upwardly through openings 82 insupport plate 72.Gears 80, 81 alternately engage movable gear 83 (see FIG. 10) which is rotatably mounted at one end of apivot plate 84 which is pivotally mounted at an intermediate portion thereof about a centrally disposedhub 85 integral withsupport plate 72. Asnapring 86 holdspivot plate 84 in vertical position. At the opposite end ofpivot plate 84 there is provided apin 87 projecting upwardly between the arms of a bifurcated lever 88 secured toshaft 89. Themovable gear 83 remains in constant engagement with aspur gear 90 and in alternate engagement withgears 80, 81 so thatgear 90 is driven in one direction or another in accordance with the position ofpivot plate 84 and thus the position ofmovable gear 83. As will become clear from the subsequent description of the exemplary sprinkler device,movable gear 83 is always in one of the two engaging positions. Movement ofgear 83 from engagement with one of thegears 80, 81 into engagement with the other of such gears effects the reversal of rotation of drivengear 90 and, as will be seen, the direction of rotation of the sprinkler head 140. Drivengear 90 is mounted on ashaft 91 and is connected through a plurality of reduction gears which may reverse the direction of rotation, indicated generally at 92, to agear 93 integrally mounted on the lower end of themeans 130 for mounting the sprinkler head 140 for rotation and vertical axial sliding movement. Suitable speed reduction, for an exemplary sprinkler device, may be on the order of 1,000: l.

The means 70 for reversing the direction of rotation of the sprinkler head through the alternate gear transmission paths also includes overcenter actuating means indicated generally at 100. Such means 100, in the exemplary embodiment, is disposed in sealedchamber 101 within the inner housing secondintermediate section 37. Theshaft 89 connected to the lever 88 projects intochamber 101 and is secured at its upper end within such chamber to a bifurcatedfirst lever arm 102 which engages the lower end of apin 103 carried by a second curved arm 104 at one end thereof. The opposite end of second arm 104 is pivotally mounted on the opposite side of the center axis of the sprinkler device on apivot pin 106. It will be seen that ahollow hub 108 projects upwardly from innerhousing partition wall 35 and rotatably supports the concentric hollow shaft 109 which integrally carries athird arm 110 which carries a pin 111 at the free end thereof. Hollow hub 109 andthird arm 110 are maintained in vertical position by asnapring 112. Vertically and concentrically positioned abovesnapring 112 is another hollow hub 113 (see FIG. 1) which is fixed so as to rotate with means for mounting the sprinkler head t lt and carries as an integral extension a fourth arm it will be seen that the pin lllll carried by the third arm llil projects upwardly above arm ill and is in the path of fourth arm lid. A bowed overcenter spring 1th is attached to a reduced diameter portion of pin illlEl carried by second arm lbd and to pin till carried by third arm till.

The stop limits for arcuate movement of third arm till (see H6. 2.) comprise fixed stop pins lilo and lid projecting upwardly into chamber lllll frompartition wall 35. A pin lll7 (see Fit]. to is carried by an internal ring gear lllltl and projects downwardly into the path of movement ofthird arm ill). The fourth arm llldcarries a pinion gear lilltmounted on a shaft lilll which meshes with internal ring gear lltl. internal ring gear liilti is maintained in its vertical position by another snapring llfil, but is free to rotate on the hollow shaft M9.

The sprinkler device further comprises the means tlflll for mounting the sprinkler head jl ltl for rotation and vertical axial sliding movement so as to allow the sprinkler head lid-El to pop up and rotate during operation or" the sprinkler device. it will be understood that the present invention may be employed in a sprinkler device having a vertically fixed sprinkler head so that means till provides only a rotatable mounting for such head. in the exemplary embodiment of a popup-type sprinkler, such means includes a cylindrical or tubular member Bill which is rotatably secured in an opening in thepartition wall 35. extends downwardly into chamber Ill where it carries the gear which is continually in engagement with the last reduction gear ingear train 92, and extends upwardly through the hollow hub of partition wall Iii so as to carry the snapring till, the hub N3 of the fourth arm ill ll, the internal ring gear and the snapring lZil in chamber llilll. Tubular member till projects upwardly out of chamber lldll through an opening in the upper wall of the inner housing intermediate section 3'1 and into the main chamber of outer housing 2i). A conventional O-ring is carried by the tubular member Zlfll so as to seal theinner housing 29 from the main chamber of the housing 2b to pre ent contamination of the inner housing in which the aforedescribed gears and lever arms are disposed. Tubular member Ml is provided with a longitudinally extending keyway so as to rotate with hub it? and fourth arm lid and with internal ring gear llllt Disposed within tubular member iFll is a longitudinally extending gear lfl l mounted on ashaft 135 which projects upwardly into the sprinkler head ildtlt and terminates in an exter nally adjustable slotted portion me which is rotatably mounted in sprinkler head Mill and is prevented from vertical movement by a setscrew lfl'l When the shaft M5 is rotated so as to rotate gear llll l, the pinion gear HQ rotates ring gear lilll so as to area ately position the pin H7. The are of rotation of the sprinkler head t lt may therefore be adjusted by such means as more fully explained hereinafter.

The sprinkler head .l ltl is carried by the mounting means lfiltl and includes an upper cylindrical body portion l tlt and an enlarged lower portion M2 defining a shoulder ld-Zl. The shoulder M3 supports a conventional O-ring Md so as to provide a watertight seal for the sprinkler head lldil when the sprinkler head is in its operative raised position. The sprinkler head defines a chamber in fluid communication with the main chamber of outer housing Eli and with a water outlet opening or nozzle l lo through which water is discharged.

Means lifill is provided For arcuately externally adjusting the sprinkler head Edd relative to the cylindrical or tubular member till and, in the exemplary embodiment, such means comprises a disc llb'll nonrotationally mounted on tubular member llflll through kcyway Disc E is disposed within the chamber l lfi of sprinkler head M0 and is retained therein through snapring it'll. Disc ltb'l is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced water passages i533 through which the water passes from the chamber ofhousing 26* into the chamber ofsprinklcr head An externally accessible adjusting screw is threadedly mounted within the sprinkler head upper body portion lldl for releasably securing the sprinkler head body relative to the disc Mill and therefore rela' o l-5 lSl tive to tubular member Hi. The screw H55 may be tightened by a screwdriver from above the sprinkler device so as to bear against the disc fixing these components in relation to one another. Thus, it will be seen that for any given position of tubular member lldil, the sprinkler head Mill may be rotated in relation thereto upon loosening of screw i551 and thereafter securing the screw E55 by tightening thereof so that a given arcuate portion of a circle will be covered by the water discharged from the sprinkler head relative to the sprinkler housing.

Operation of the sprinkler device will now be described, such operation being similar to the operation of the sprinkler device disclosed and claimed in my copending Pat. application Ser. No. 852,978 now US. Pat. No. 3,526,363. Drawing attention to FIG. 1, it will be seen that water enters through the inlet fitting 22, passes through the opening fi l at a flow rate as selected by the means ill for varying the rate of wateri'low through the device. The water then passes through the passage 53 inprojection 52 and into the chamber 5i where it impinges upon theturbine blades 55 so as to rotateturbine shaft 52 and turbine drive gear '73.Turbine drive gear 73 rotates clockwise (as viewed in FIG. It) with the turbine so as to rotate gear 7 1 counterclockwise andgear 76 clockwise as viewed in H65. 7 and The smaller diameter gears lib, 811 thus rotate in opposite direction. Assume that thepivot plate 84 is initially positioned as shown in H6. til wherein the movable gear d3 (as shown in full lines) engages gear dll turning in a counterclockwise direction thereby rotating gear i l) in a counterclockwise direction. Such movement may rotate gear 935 on tubular member 113i clockwise through thereduction gear train 2. and therefore the sprinkler head lit-ll will rotate clockwise.

With pivot plate in the most clockwise position as shown in H6. ill) in full lines, the first arm W2 will be in the position as shown in full lines in EEG. 2. in this condition, the curved or second arm ltldwill be in the full line position as shown in FIG 2. Specifically, the first arm itlill is pivoted to its limit in the counterclockwise position as viewed in HQ. 2. Now as some that the third arm llllfi is at the starting point of the clockwise arc of rotation of the sprinkler head, i.e., against stop pin lid. in this position, spring i urges the pin res and the pin till toward one another along a line which passes on one side (above, as viewed in FIG. 2) oi the axis of the pin lilo which carries the second arm llil l.

As the sprinkler head M ll and tubular member T31 rotate clockwise, the ring gear lib turns therewith so as to move pin it? towards the third arm lllltl and upon contact with same rotates the third arm in a clockwise direction. Arm ill) carries pin ill. which is moved away from pin till so as to extend or ilex the overcenter spring illlfi until the pin llll passes the imaginary line passing through the axis ofpin W3 and pin llll toward one another on the opposite (lower, as viewed in FIG. 2) side of the pivot pin lilo causing the curved arm illld to rotate counterclockwise and the first arm itlfil to rotate clockwise in snap action fashion. Thus, thefirst arm 102 moves from its most counterclockwise position immediately to its most clockwise position, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2., causing a like movement in bifurcated arm 88 which moves to the position shown in phantom lines in FlG. llli, thereby pivoting plate 8d and moving movable gear b3 out of engagement with gear till and into engagement with gear ill. The third arm ill]! and the pin lit carried thereby is then in the position as shown in phantom lines in H0. 2, i.e., in engagement with stop pin lid.

The tubular member till, the arm lidand sprinkler head ll lll will then begin rotating in a counterclockwise direction so that ultimately arm ltd will contact the upper end of pin 111 so as to force third arm till to rotate counterclockwise also. Again, when the pin lllll passes the line drawn through the axis of pin and the pivot pin ten the flex spring 1115 will urge pin W3 and pin llllli toward one another on the opposite side of pivot pin lilo. This, of course, results in the disengage ment of movable gear with gear ill and engagement with gear bit.

min-s:

The are of rotation of the sprinkler head may be adjusted by changing the angle subtended by the fourth arm 1145 fixed totubular member 131 and a line drawn through the axis oftubular member 131 and thestop pin 117 mounted oninternal ring gear 118. The adjustment of this angle may be accomplished completely externally of the sprinkler device and even during operation of the sprinkler device by rotating the slottedportion 136 ofshaft 135 by a screwdriver of similar implement. Such rotation causesinternal ring gear 118 to rotate relative to thetubular member 131 sincegear 134 will rotatepinion gear 119 and thusring gear 118. A clockwise rotation of theshaft 135 causes gear 118 to rotate in counterclockwise direction. This increases the angle subtended by the fourth arm 114 and the line drawn through the axis of the sprinkler device and pin 117 (see FIG. 6). Opposite rotation of theshaft 135 decreases this angle and thus the arcuate sector over which water is discharged through the sprinkler head.

As previously indicated, the sprinkler head may be rotated with respect to thetubular member 131 so as to reposition the arcuate section over which water is discharged. For example, assume that the sprinkler housing is fixed to the water inlet pipe and an arcuate sector of 30 is selected, the centerline of such sector having a North compass orientation. 1f the particular 30 sector which is desired to be watered extends not northwardly of the sprinkler device housing but rather to the west, the sector may be pointed in such direction by looseningscrew 155 and rotating the sprinkler head body counterclockwise until the nozzle 146 points in the westward direction whereupon thescrew 155 is tightened and the sector is repositioned.

lt will therefore be seen that the sprinkler device of the present invention provides water discharge over a variable selected arcuate sector which may be reoriented and these operations may be performed entirely externally of the sprinkler device and even while it is in operation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings.

lclaim:

l. A sprinkler device for discharging water over a selected arcuate sector of a selected radius through external adjustment, comprising:

a housing having a water inlet,

a sprinkler head having a water outlet in fluid communication with said housing inlet,

means in said housing for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head,

water turbine means in said housing operable by water admitted through said inlet for rotating said sprinkler head, and

means for reversing the direction of rotation of said sprinkler head including overcenter actuating means responsive to the arcuate position of said means for rotatably mounting the sprinkler head, and reversing gear means including a movably mounted gear in operative engagement with said overcenter actuating means so as to rotate said sprinkler head in opposite directions.

2. The sprinkler device of claim 1 wherein said movably mounted gear is supported adjacent one end of a pivot plate, and said means for reversing the direction of rotation of said sprinkler head additionally includes means interconnecting said overcenter actuating means and the opposite end of said pivot plate, whereby movement of said overcenter actuating means moves said pivot plate into one of two positions so that said movable gears engages one of the two counterrotating gear units so as to rotate the sprinkler head in opposite directions.

3. The sprinkler device ofclaim 2 wherein said reversing gear means additionally includes gear reduction means, said reversing gear means and gear reduction means and said over-' center actuating means being sealingly enclosed in an inner housing to prevent contamination thereof by the water flowing through said sprinkler device when in operation,

4. The sprinkler device of claim 3 additionally including means for diverting a portion of the water admitted through said water inlet so as to bypass said water turbine means thereby allowing the water to pass directly to the sprinkler head water outlet.

5. A sprinkler device for discharging water over a selected arcuate sector of a selected radius through external adjustment, comprising:

a housing having a water inlet,

a sprinkler head having a water outlet in fluid communication with said housing inlet,

means in said housing for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head,

water turbine means in said housing operable by water admitted through said inlet for rotating said sprinkler head,

means for reversing the direction of rotation of said sprinkler head including reversing gear means responsive to the arcuate position of said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head; and

means for externally adjusting the arcuate movement of said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head so as to vary the arc of rotation of said sprinkler head between reversals thereof while said sprinkler device is in operation.

6. The sprinkler device ofclaim 5 wherein said means for adjusting the arcuate movement of said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head comprises, gear means rotatably mounted on said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head and carrying a pin radially spaced from the axis of said sprinkler device, pinion drive gear means carried by said sprinkler head and axially slidably disposed in said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head and engaging said gear means, means for rotating said pinion gear externally from said housing, whereby said pin supported by said gear means may be selectively arcuately positioned to adjust the arc of rotation of said sprinkler head.

7. The sprinkler device of claim 6 wherein said sprinkler head includes means for arcuately adjusting said sprinkler head relative to said means for rotatably mounting said head.

8. The sprinkler device of claim 7 wherein said housing carries means for externally selectively adjusting the rate of waterflow through the sprinkler device, whereby the radius of the arcuate sector over which water is discharged through the sprinkler head is selected,

9. A popup-type sprinkler device for discharging water over an arcuate sector of externally selected width, radius and position, comprising:

a housing having a water inlet,

a sprinkler head having a water outlet in fluid communication with said housing inlet,

a shaft in said housing for mounting said sprinkler head for rotatable and axially slidable movement,

water turbine means in said housing, rotatable by water ad mitted through said inlet for rotating said sprinkler head and carrying a turbine pinion gear,

a pair of gear units comprising coaxially secured pinions and spur gears, one of said spur gears engaging said turbine pinion gear and engaging the other spur gears so that said gear unit pinion gears counterrotate,

a movable gear mounted on a pivot plate and engaging one of said counterrotating pinion gears,

a spur gear mounted on said shaft and engaging said movable gear through a gear reduction train,

an overcenter actuating means for moving said pivot plate in response to the arcuate position of said sprinkler head shaft,

means for selectively, externally adjusting the limits of arcuate movement of said sprinkler head shaft so as to select the width of the arcuate sector through which the sprinkler head oscillates,

means for selectively, externally adjusting the rate of waterflow through said sprinkler so as to select a sector radius, and

means for selectively, externally adjusting the position of said sprinkler head on said mounting shaft so as to arcuately position the arcuate sector over which water is discharged.

Claims (9)

1. A sprinkler device for discharging water over a selected arcuate sector of a selected radius through external adjustment, comprising: a housing having a water inlet, a sprinkler head having a water outlet in fluid communication with said housing inlet, means in said housing for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head, water turbine means in said housing operable by water admitted through said inlet for rotating said sprinkler head, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of said sprinkler head including overcenter actuating means responsive to the arcuate position of said means for rotatably mounting the sprinkler head, and reversing gear means including a movably mounted gear in operative engagement with said overcenter actuating means so as to rotate said sprinkler head in opposite directions.

2. The sprinkler device of claim 1 wherein said movably mounted gear is supported adjacent one end of a pivot plate, and said means for reversing the direction of rotation of said sprinkler head additionally includes means interconnecting said overcenter actuating means and the opposite end of said pivot plate, whereby movement of said overcenter actuating means moves said pivot plate into one of two positions so that said movable gears engages one of the two counterrotating gear units so as to rotate the sprinkler head in opposite directions.

3. The sprinkler device of claim 2 wherein said reversing gear means additionally includes gear reduction means, said reversing gear means and gear reduction means and said overcenter actuating means being sealingly enclosed in an inner housing to prevent contamination thereof by the water flowing through said sprinkler device when in operation.

4. The sprinkler device of claim 3 additionally including means for diverting a portion of the water admitted through said water inlet so as to bypass said water turbine means thereby allowing the water to pass directly to the sprinkler head water outlet.

5. A sprinkler device for discharging water over a selected arcuate sector of a selected radius through external adjustment, comprising: a housing having a water inlet, a sprinkler head having a water outlet in fluid communication with said housing inlet, means in said housing for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head, water turbine means in said housing operable by water admitted through said inlet for rotating said sprinkler head, means for reversing the direction of rotation of said sprinkler head including reversing gear means responsive to the arcuate position of said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head; and means for externally adjusting the arcuate movement of said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler heaD so as to vary the arc of rotation of said sprinkler head between reversals thereof while said sprinkler device is in operation.

6. The sprinkler device of claim 5 wherein said means for adjusting the arcuate movement of said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head comprises, gear means rotatably mounted on said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head and carrying a pin radially spaced from the axis of said sprinkler device, pinion drive gear means carried by said sprinkler head and axially slidably disposed in said means for rotatably mounting said sprinkler head and engaging said gear means, means for rotating said pinion gear externally from said housing, whereby said pin supported by said gear means may be selectively arcuately positioned to adjust the arc of rotation of said sprinkler head.

7. The sprinkler device of claim 6 wherein said sprinkler head includes means for arcuately adjusting said sprinkler head relative to said means for rotatably mounting said head.

8. The sprinkler device of claim 7 wherein said housing carries means for externally selectively adjusting the rate of waterflow through the sprinkler device, whereby the radius of the arcuate sector over which water is discharged through the sprinkler head is selected.

9. A popup-type sprinkler device for discharging water over an arcuate sector of externally selected width, radius and position, comprising: a housing having a water inlet, a sprinkler head having a water outlet in fluid communication with said housing inlet, a shaft in said housing for mounting said sprinkler head for rotatable and axially slidable movement, water turbine means in said housing, rotatable by water admitted through said inlet for rotating said sprinkler head and carrying a turbine pinion gear, a pair of gear units comprising coaxially secured pinions and spur gears, one of said spur gears engaging said turbine pinion gear and engaging the other spur gears so that said gear unit pinion gears counterrotate, a movable gear mounted on a pivot plate and engaging one of said counterrotating pinion gears, a spur gear mounted on said shaft and engaging said movable gear through a gear reduction train, an overcenter actuating means for moving said pivot plate in response to the arcuate position of said sprinkler head shaft, means for selectively, externally adjusting the limits of arcuate movement of said sprinkler head shaft so as to select the width of the arcuate sector through which the sprinkler head oscillates, means for selectively, externally adjusting the rate of waterflow through said sprinkler so as to select a sector radius, and means for selectively, externally adjusting the position of said sprinkler head on said mounting shaft so as to arcuately position the arcuate sector over which water is discharged.

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