In-ground, popup water sprinkler system for custom layouts

Abstract

A sprinkler system for lawns and landscaping is custom-fitted to each particular lot or area to be irrigated. Each in-ground, pop-up, rotating sprinkler head has a pattern defining plate fitted therein having a central opening made therein, as by laser cutting, solid particle deposition, or the like, the opening being congruent with the area to be watered, as adjusted for any sloped portions of the area. A pattern sampling aperture aligned with spray nozzles of the sprinkler rotates about the opening in the defining plate, feeding an amount of water to each radial line of the area about the sprinkler sufficient to reach from the sprinkler position out to the periphery. A speed control comprising a spring-biased cam and an opposing turbine wheel in the water flow slows spray head rotation at arc portions of longer water throw and speeds rotation where the throw is shorter, thus to obtain substantially uniform water coverage over all parts of the area served by each sprinkler head.

I claim as my invention: 
     
         1 . A method for spraying water substantially evenly onto an irregular, defined ground area from a sprinkler having at least one spray nozzle and a custom-cut, internal pattern defining plate corresponding to said defined ground area, the method comprising the steps of:
 measuring said defined area from a point fixed with respect to said area so as to define a periphery of said area, each measurement including at least two of a distance, a relative compass direction, and an up, down, or no slope associated with portions of said periphery;   creating a facsimile map of the area with respect to said fixed point;   manipulating the facsimile map to include adjustments as for any slopes measured, and for any water pressure and flow volume parameters known, to provide an empirically accurate ground coverage pattern to be produced by said sprinkler;   making said map with said manipulations to form a periphery of an opening of a pattern defining plate,   installing said plate into said sprinkler at said point within said area and orienting the plate to correspond to the orientation of said area; and   applying pressurized water into said sprinkler in sufficient volume to irrigate said area substantially uniformly over said area by the sprinkler's spraying water along lines from the sprinkler head to the periphery of said area.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sprinkler is a pop-up sprinkler having at least one radially-extending, pattern sampling slot sweeping about the opening of the thin pattern defining plate, whereby the volume and distance of the resulting spray from a nozzle governed by that slot corresponds at each compass direction to the distance to the outer edge of the area to be sprinkled. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
 measuring the water pressure in force per unit area at a water source that will be used for said spray irrigation, and   measuring the maximum flow rate in gallons per minute at said water source,   whereby to allow customizing the pattern defining plate more precisely in the step of manipulating the map for the expected operating conditions of use.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed point is located at approximately a central point of the area. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed point is within the area but not at approximately a central point thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sprinkler is adapted to rotate more quickly as lines to portions of the periphery nearer to the sprinkler are sprayed and more slowly as lines to portions of the periphery farther from the sprinkler are sprayed. 
     
     
         7 . An in-ground water sprinkler customized to spray an irregular area of ground to be watered, the sprinkler comprising:
 a sprinkler head set to rotate about a vertical axis and to spray water to said area;   a pattern defining plate fixed in said sprinkler and having internal edges defining an opening which at least generally maps to the irregular area to be watered;   a pattern sampling aperture in a plate in said sprinkler which rotates with the sprinkler head and cooperates with the opening in the pattern defining plate to send a flow of water through said sprinkler to said area in accordance with said opening in the defining plate and said area; and   a speed control means for slowing the rotation of said sprinkler head in angular portions of longer water throw to the periphery and for allowing relatively faster rotation of said sprinkler head in angular portions of shorter water throw to the periphery.   
     
     
         8 . A water sprinkler as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the speed control means comprises:
 a first opening in a plate fixed in the sprinkler body with respect to the ground area, the opening forming a stream of water impinging in a first circumferential direction on an upper turbine wheel which turns to power a gear train for turning the spray head of the sprinkler;   a second opening in said plate fixed in the sprinkler body, this opening forming a stream of water impinging in an opposite circumferential direction on said upper turbine wheel;   a lower turbine wheel with angular blades set in the flow of water through the sprinkler body for a pivoting movement therein under the force of said flow of water;   a cam attached to the lower turbine wheel for pivoting therewith and having a slightly inward-spiraling outer edge, the edge being outward at one radial portion and inward at an opposite radial portion of the cam at rest; and   a torsion spring biasing the cam and turbine in an oppositely-pivoting position from said plate fixed in the sprinkler body,   
       whereby when water flow is greater the lower turbine and cam pivot in one direction, allowing the second opening in the fixed plate to slow the upper turbine and spray head rotation to provide more water in areas of greater water throw to the periphery of the area to be watered, and when water flow is lesser then the lower turbine and cam pivot opposite to said one direction to avoid or limit flow through the second opening in the fixed plate and thus to speed the upper turbine and spray head through areas of lesser water throw.