Flow regulator

Abstract

A flow regulator for regulating a flow rate of water within at least a section of a water system includes a base member and a piston member. The piston member is movable relative to the base member and includes at least one aperture through which water can flow as the water passes through the flow regulator. Movement of the piston member toward and away from the base member decreases and increases, respectively, an area of the aperture through which water can flow.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a flow regulator, in particular for use in irrigation applications.

[0002] BACKGROUND

[0003] Flow regulators are commonly used to regulate the flow of liquid in irrigation systems. Such flow regulators can vary from simple orifices to more complex hydraulic networks that can compensate for pressure variations.

[0004] For example, US 2986157 describes a pilot valve that can be used to open and close a valve in response to pressure. The pilot valve includes a relatively small passage through which hydraulic pressure can be used to control the control valve.

[0005] Flow regulators used in irrigation systems, which deliver relatively dirty water, should preferably include relatively large passages so that they are not prone to clogging and thereby function to regulate flow as designed.

[0006] SUMMARY

[0007] The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, and are non-limiting in scope.

[0008] In embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a flow regulator for regulating the flow velocity of water within at least a section of a water system, such as an irrigation system, the flow regulator comprising a base member and a piston member movable relative to the base member, the piston member comprising at least one gap through which water can flow when the water passes through the flow regulator, wherein movement of the piston member towards and away from the base member is adapted to decrease and increase, respectively, the area of the gap through which water can flow.

[0009] Preferably, the piston member comprises an opening upstream of the gap through which the water first passes.

[0010] Typically, water flowing through the flow regulator cannot bypass the at least one gap and / or opening into the piston member.

[0011] Preferably, the at least one gap provides a passage therethrough that gradually decreases from a deeper start of the gap to a shallower end of the gap. Such gradual decrease can be defined as following a substantially helical path that spirals around at least a section of the piston member.

[0012] Preferably, the piston member comprises a generally cylindrical shape that is hollow along at least a portion of its axis thereby forming a peripheral shroud, and the at least one gap is formed on a downstream side of the shroud.

[0013] Preferably, the movement of the piston member towards and away from the base member is influenced by the water pressure existing upstream and downstream of the inlet of the piston member.

[0014] This movement action within the flow regulator caused by the pressure existing upstream and downstream of the piston member, in particular the opening leading to the piston member, provides a so-called direct flow regulation, which is characterized by a relatively high response speed, suitable for relatively short operating periods and / or short stabilization times, typically for at least some irrigation actions, such as a filtering action which can be used together with a flow regulation.

[0015] Preferably, the relatively large water passage provided by the flow regulator provides a relatively high reliability of operation with dirty water, thus greatly reducing the possibility of clogging of the regulator during use.

[0016] Generally, the self-regulating movement provided in the flow regulator during operation allows a substantially constant variation of the passage size through the regulator, which facilitates the removal of debris / dirt that can be trapped in the water passage of the regulator.

[0017] For example, dirt trapped within the notch of the flow regulator, which notch can be defined as representing the minimum passage through the regulator, can be released from said position in the notch to flow downstream when the downstream pressure rises and causes the piston member to move away from the base member.

[0018] In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent in view of the drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the referenced drawings. It is intended that the embodiments disclosed herein and the drawings be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. However, the present invention (both as to organization and method of operation, together with its objects, features, and advantages) can best be understood by referring to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0021] FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B schematically illustrate a filtering device that can be on the upstream side of an irrigation system comprising a flow regulator according to an embodiment of the invention; and an irrigation system that can be used for flooding with a flow regulator according to an embodiment of the invention, respectively;

[0022] FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B schematically illustrate an embodiment of a flow regulator, respectively, in an assembled state and in a disassembled state;

[0023] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C schematically illustrateFIG. 2A and FIG. 2B Different views of the piston component of the flow regulator;

[0024] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B schematically shown FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B Different views of the base components of the flow regulator; and

[0025] FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B schematically shown FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B Cross-sectional views of the flow regulator under different regulation states.

[0026] It should be understood that, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, the elements shown in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, some of the dimensions of the elements may be enlarged relative to others for clarity. Furthermore, where appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated within the figures to indicate similar elements.

[0027] Detailed description

[0028] First, pay attention FIG. 1A The illustration shows a possible filtration device 10 that can be located upstream of an irrigation system. The filtration device in this example includes multiple media filters 12. The filtration devices can be arranged in groups 14 (here, three such groups), each group comprising several media filters 12 (here, five).

[0029] Each group 14 within the filtration device may include an inlet pipe 16, an outlet pipe 18, and a flushing pipe 20. Each media filter 12 may be connected to the inlet pipe 16 and the flushing pipe 20 via a three-way valve 22 at its upper side 5; and to the outlet pipe 18 at its lower side 7.

[0030] During a given filter cycle, a three-way valve associated with the filter can be controlled to open the flow path, allowing water from inlet pipe 16 to flow into the filter via the upper side 5 (while blocking the path to flushing pipe 20). The water flowing downward through the medium within the filter can then be discharged from the filter at the lower side 7 into outlet pipe 18, and may travel downstream from the outlet pipe to irrigate fields (or similar sites).

[0031] During a given filter's backwash cycle, the three-way valve associated with the filter can be controlled to open a flow path between the filter's upper side 5 and the backwash pipe 20 (while blocking the route to the inlet pipe 16). The pressurized water present in the discharge pipe 18 can then flow up through the filter via the filter's lower side 7 to flush dirt out of the medium within the filter and then out through the filter's upper side 5 to the backwash pipe 20 and from the backwash pipe to the reservoir, the ambient environment or any other device suitable for receiving such relatively dirty water.

[0032] A filtration cycle can be performed by controlling the three-way valves of all but one of the medium filters, and the remaining filter can perform a backwash cycle via its three-way valve control to obtain pressurized water within the discharge pipe 18 suitable for powering the backwash cycle of the medium filters. Thus, most of the water filtered by the medium filters can be used for its intended purpose (e.g. irrigation), while a small portion of the water can be used to backwash one of the medium filters.

[0033] In an aspect of the invention, an embodiment of the flow regulator 24 can be installed to the downstream side of each backwash pipe 20. The flow regulator 24 can be used to regulate the flow velocity of the water passing through the backwash pipe during the filter's backwash cycle to an appropriate flow velocity range that is substantially optimized to flush dirt out of the medium within the filter while substantially avoiding or limiting the loss of medium particles flushed out of the filter with the water flowing through the filter.

[0034] Note FIG. 1B which illustrates another example of the system 100 in which an embodiment of the flow regulator 24 can be installed. In this example, the system 100 is a flooding system suitable for delivering water to a field via the pipe 101 so that the water can simply flow through the ground past the crops in the field.

[0035] Note also FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B which illustrates an embodiment of the flow regulator 24 of the invention. The flow regulator has an upstream side 241 through which water enters the regulator and a downstream side 242 through which water exits the regulator. The flow regulator has a housing 26 which in this example is comprised of an upstream portion 261 and a downstream portion 262. The housing encloses the following main elements: a piston member 28, an orifice member 30 and a base member 32.

[0036] Note FIG. 3A to FIG. 3Cwhich is a close-up view of the piston member 28 and the orifice member 30. The orifice member 30 includes a substantially annular substantially flat orifice face 301 and a through-hole 302 through the face 301. The orifice member 30 also includes a coupling member 303 (here at its downstream lower side) for coupling the orifice member 30 to the piston member. The piston member 28 has a substantially cylindrical shape, a flange 281 defining an opening 282 at its substantially upstream side, and a peripheral skirt 283 including a lower side 282 that is irregularly edged by angular notches 2821. In this example, each angular notch 2821 tapers (here in a substantially linear manner) in the circumferential direction from a notch-deeper start 1 to a notch-shallower end 2. In this example, adjacent notches 2821 are circumferentially separated by a partition 99.

[0037] The orifice member 30 can be snap-mounted onto the piston member 28 (see FIG. 3B ) via its coupling member 303 so that its hole 302 is aligned with the opening 282. Thus, by mounting an orifice member 30 having a hole 302 of a certain size to the piston of a flow regulator, a relatively universal adjustment of the flow regulator can be performed so that it can regulate the flow passing therethrough to a desired flow rate range, for example suitable for flushing a certain media filter without substantially loosening the media particles during such flushing action. As seen in FIG. 3C The piston member 28 can include a plurality of eye members 283 at the lower downstream side of its flange 281.

[0038] Note FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B which shows a close-up view of the base member 32. The base member 32 includes a substantially cylindrical core 321 and a plurality of upwardly projecting pedestals 322 that are elevated above the upper side of the core. Each pedestal 322 includes a further upwardly projecting smaller diameter stem 323 at its upper side. The core follows a substantially conical shape at its periphery 324 that slightly diverges downwardly toward a circumferential edge 325, and the core is formed with a plurality of channels 326 at its periphery 324, each channel 326 providing a route of communication between the periphery 324 and the lower side of the base member.

[0039] Note FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B which provides cross-sectional views of the flow regulator during different adjustment states. In the assembled state of the flow regulator, the piston member 28 can be placed above the base member 32, with each stem 323 of the base member 32 interacting with and being positioned within a respective eye member 283 of the piston.

[0040] A number of biasing members 40, here in the form of compression springs, can be placed on at least some of the rods 323 and their respective eye members 283 and abutment members 322. Such biasing members 40 can thus be held between the underside of the piston flange 281 and the core 321 of the base member.

[0041] The piston member 28 can be placed above the base member 32, with the shroud 283 of the piston member 28 substantially surrounding the perimeter 324 of the core of the base member at substantially adjacent its irregular underside. The piston and base member in assembled state form a chamber 3 between them, which chamber 3 can be open to the outside via the gap 2821 at its downstream side and via the hole 302 at its upstream side.

[0042] Water entering the flow regulator enters it via its upstream side 241, enters the chamber 3 via the hole 302, and then exits the flow regulator at its downstream side 242 via the gap 2821 and the channel 326. The pressure of the water at the upstream side 241 of the flow regulator pushes against the orifice face 301 of the orifice member to exert a force Fu, which acts to bias the piston member 28 towards the base member 32.

[0043] As the force Fu builds up and exceeds the counteracting force exerted by e.g. the biasing members 40, the piston member can move towards the base member and thereby gradually / proportionally reduce the area of the gap through which water can flow downstream (see FIG. 5B ). Thus, the flow velocity of the water through the flow regulator is proportionally reduced, while pressure builds up at the downstream side of the hole 302 (i.e. at the chamber 3 between the hole 302 and the gap 2821), which pressure forms a resultant force Fc (exerted by the pressure and the spring), which pushes against the piston member in the upstream direction.

[0044] When the force Fc downstream of the hole 302 overcomes the force Fu, the piston member can move upstream back in the direction away from the base member, and thereby the area of the gap through which water can flow increases, increasing the flow velocity through the flow regulator.

[0045] Thus, due to the pressure fluctuations upstream and downstream of the piston, the movement of the piston member can oscillate upstream and downstream, and thereby regulate the flow of water through the flow regulator within a given flow velocity range defined by the dimensions of the flow regulator and the diameter of the detachable orifice member. Thereby, an optimal flow velocity range can be obtained, which is suitable for performing the flushing action of the media filter.

[0046] In one aspect of the application, a given flow regulator 24 can be adjusted to accommodate different operating conditions by appropriate selection of its biasing means and in particular the orifice diameter of its removable orifice member. For example, a flow regulator of a certain size used in a system that generally exhibits a first flow velocity can be equipped with a biasing means having a first spring constant and a first diameter of the orifice 302. However, a similar flow regulator used under different operating conditions can be equipped with a different type of spring and a different orifice diameter.

[0047] In addition, while the application or applications has / have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description is to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the application or applications is / are therefore not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application or applications, from a study of the drawings, the application or applications and the appended claims.

[0048] In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can fulfil the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0049] The application or applications is / are also understood to encompass exact terminology, features, values or ranges etc. if these are mentioned herein in connection with terms such as "about, approximately, essentially, substantially, at least, etc. In other words, "about 3" shall also include "3", or "essentially vertical" shall also include "vertical". Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

[0050] While embodiments of the application have been described in some detail to facilitate understanding, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the application as claimed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A flow regulator for adjusting the flow velocity of water in at least one section of an irrigation system, the flow regulator comprising: A base member and a piston member movable relative to the base member, the piston member including at least one notch through which water can flow when water passes through the flow regulator. The movement of the piston member toward and away from the base member is influenced by water pressure present upstream and downstream of the inlet of the piston member, and the movement of the piston member toward and away from the base member is adapted to reduce and increase the area of ​​the notch through which water can flow, respectively. The piston component is located upstream of the base component, and The flow regulator includes an orifice member detachably coupled to the piston member, through which all water flowing through the flow regulator must pass, wherein the flow rate of water passing through the flow regulator is regulated within a given flow velocity range defined by the size of the flow regulator and the diameter of the orifice member.

2. The flow regulator of claim 1, wherein, Water flowing through the flow regulator cannot bypass the at least one gap.

3. The flow regulator of any one of claims 1-2, wherein, The at least one gap provides a passage through the at least one gap, the passage gradually decreasing in size from a deeper beginning of the gap to a shallower end of the gap.

4. The flow regulator of claim 3, wherein, The reduction in the area through which water can flow includes the area at the end of the gap that blocks the flow.

5. The flow regulator according to any one of claims 1-2 and 4, further comprising a biasing device adapted to move the piston member away from the base member.

6. The flow regulator of claim 3 further includes a biasing device adapted to move the piston member away from the base member.

7. The flow regulator according to any one of claims 1-2, 4 and 6, wherein, The movement of the piston component toward the base component is adapted to increase downstream pressure.

8. The flow regulator according to claim 3, wherein, The movement of the piston component toward the base component is adapted to increase downstream pressure.

9. The flow regulator according to claim 5, wherein, The movement of the piston component toward the base component is adapted to increase downstream pressure.

10. The flow regulator according to claim 1, wherein, The water pressure present downstream of the inlet of the piston assembly and affecting the movement of the piston assembly is essentially the pressure present in the chamber located between the base assembly and the piston assembly.

11. The flow regulator according to claim 10, wherein, The fluid communication between the chamber and the section of the regulator located downstream of the base member is substantially only via the at least one notch.

12. The flow regulator according to any one of claims 1-2, 4, 6 and 8-11, wherein, The at least one gap is more than one gap.

13. A method for regulating the flow velocity of water in at least one section of an irrigation system, wherein the method comprises the following steps: A flow regulator is provided, comprising a base member and a piston member, the piston member being located upstream of the base member and including at least one notch. The upstream side of the regulator is exposed to the incoming flow of pressurized water. The pressure from upstream is adapted to push the piston member in the downstream direction, thereby pushing the piston member toward the base member. The flow regulator includes an orifice member detachably coupled to the piston member, through which all water flowing through the flow regulator must pass, wherein the flow rate of water passing through the flow regulator is regulated within a given flow velocity range defined by the size of the flow regulator and the diameter of the orifice member.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The movement of the piston component toward and away from the base component is adapted to reduce and increase the area of ​​the notch through which water can flow, respectively.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Only the piston component is movable, while the base component is stationary.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, Only the piston component is movable, while the base component is stationary.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein, Essentially all water flowing downstream through the regulator must pass through at least one of the openings.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein, The at least one gap provides a passage through the at least one gap, the passage gradually decreasing in size from a deeper beginning of the gap to a shallower end of the gap.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, The at least one gap provides a passage through the at least one gap, the passage gradually decreasing in size from a deeper beginning of the gap to a shallower end of the gap.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The reduction in the area through which water can flow includes the area at the end of the gap that blocks the flow.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The reduction in the area through which water can flow includes the area at the end of the gap that blocks the flow.

22. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, 19-21, wherein, The flow regulator also includes a biasing device adapted to move the piston member away from the base member.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The flow regulator also includes a biasing device adapted to move the piston member away from the base member.

24. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The flow regulator also includes a biasing device adapted to move the piston member away from the base member.

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