Richdel, Inc.

Richdel Div. of Garden America Corp.

Donald E Lovelace

Myrl J Saarem

Dale C Firebaugh

Dale F Soukup

A gear driven sprinkler head with a pop-up spray nozzle driven by a water-flow powered motor. The nozzle is rotated incrementally through an adjustable arc to irrigate a sector of a particular size, and it is automatically reversed at the end points of the selected irrigated sector. The nozzle may be interchanged with other nozzles to provide matched precipitation rates for sectors of different sizes. The feature of incremental rotation of the nozzle overcomes the problem of reduced throw distance at high rotational speeds encountered by the prior art assemblies of the same general type.

Pop-up gear driven sprinkler head

A solenoid-operated pilot-actuated valve is provided of the diaphragm type which has particular utility for irrigation purposes. The valve also finds industrial utility where it is desirable to control large amounts of flow energy with a small control signal. The valve includes a diaphragm chamber into which fluid is introduced to establish a fluid pressure which normally forces the diaphragm against an annular seat in the valve to maintain the valve in a closed condition. A stationary bleed tube is provided which extends through the diaphragm into the diaphragm chamber. A solenoid plunger normally closes off the upper end of the bleed tube. However, when the solenoid is energized, the plunger is withdrawn and opens the bleed tube, the diaphragm chamber is drained sufficiently to reduce the pressure therein to a point at which the diaphragm is forced off its seat by the upstream fluid pressure, and the valve is opened. Fluid is introduced into the diaphragm chamber from the upstream fluid pressure when the valve is closed through a restricted annular passage between the bleed tube and a guide mounted on the diaphragm. Movement of the diaphragm causes the guide to move up and down with respect to the bleed tube to provide a self-cleaning action in the annular passage.

Solenoid-operated pilot-actuated valve

A motor driven diverter valve is provided which diverts fluid flow from a single inlet port to either one of two outlet ports, or vice versa. The valve finds general, although not exclusive, utility in solar heating systems for swimming pools, in which the valve is used selectively to divert water flow from the normal pump-filter loop of the pool installation through the solar collectors. In such an application, the diverter valve of the invention may be operated automatically in response to an electrical switching signal derived, for example, from a temperature controller in the solar heating control system, to direct the water through the solar collectors for one operating position of the valve, and to by-pass the solar collectors for a second operating position. The valve of the invention uses two synchronous permanent magnet drive motors which together consume less power than the conventional single shaded pole motor/gear box arrangement of the prior art.

Motorized diverter valve

A valve module is provided which finds particular utility in a domestic solar water heater system. The solar water heater system includes a collector, a storage tank, and a circulating pump. The system also includes a solid state electronic control module which automatically stops the circulating pump when the temperature of the water in the collector drops below the temperature of the water in the storage system, so that water is circulated through the system only when solar heat is available to heat the water to a temperature above the temperature of the water already stored in the storage tank. The valve module, upon a signal from the control module, causes the water to drain out of the collector when the temperature of the water in the collector falls to freezing temperatures so as to prevent damage to the collector. The control module also serves to stop the pump, to close the valve module, and to drain the collector when the temperature of the water in the storage tank reaches a predetermined maximum temperature.

Solar heat system

A domestic solar water heater system is provided which includes a collector, a storage tank, and a circulating pump. The system also includes a solid state electronic control module which automatically stops the circulating pump when the temperature of the water in the collector drops below the temperature of the water in the storage system, so that water is circulated through the system only when solar heat is available to heat the water to a temperature above the temperature of the water already stored in the storage tank. The system also includes a valve module which, upon a signal from the control module, causes the water to drain out of the collector when the temperature of the water in the collector falls to freezing temperatures so as to prevent damage to the collector. The control module also serves to stop the pump, to close the valve module, and to drain the collector when the temperature of the water in the storage tank reaches a predetermined maximum temperature.

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Carson City, NV, United States of America

Donald E Lovelace