Abstract:
An irrigation pipe connector has a core that is adapted to connect to an irrigation element and a wing that is attachable to a wall of a pipe. The wing is provided with resiliency to allow the connector to deform in response to changing fluid pressures in the pipe. In addition, the wing may be provided with a thin segment in order to reduce potential damage during welding of the wing to the wall of the pipe.

Description:
[0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/031,293, filed Feb. 25, 2008, whose contents are incorporated in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a connector for use in an irrigation system. 
         [0003]    Such a connector may be used in a main distribution pipe to enable for example drip irrigation pipes to branch off therefrom. 
         [0004]    US Patent Application No. 20050194469, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an irrigation pipe with pipe connectors. 
         [0005]    US Patent Application No. 20070074776, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes that the walls of a pipe under internal hydrostatic pressure experience stress. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The following embodiment and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. 
         [0007]    In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a irrigation pipe connector. In one embodiment, the irrigation pipe connector includes: (a) a core having an upper portion, a lower portion and an opening extending between the upper and lower portions, the core being adapted to connect to an irrigation element, and (b) a wing connected to the core and extending radially outwardly therefrom, the wing comprising a leg and a flange, the flange being adapted to attach to a wall of an irrigation pipe, the leg being attached at a first end thereof to the flange and at a second end thereof to the core; wherein at least a portion of the connector is adapted to resiliently bend to thereby allow displacement of the flange relative to the core. 
         [0008]    The core and the wing may be integrally formed of the same material and have unitary one-piece construction. 
         [0009]    The opening may comprise a bore and the connector is adapted to connect to the irrigation element at the bore. Furthermore, the bore may be threaded. 
         [0010]    A groove may be formed in the connector between the core and the leg. Furthermore, a depth of the groove may be at least as great as a thickness of the leg. In addition, the leg may extends upwardly and radially outwardly, from the core&#39;s lower portion towards the flange. 
         [0011]    The core has an axis (C), and the flange may comprise a radially inward segment and a peripheral segment that extends radially outwardly from the radially inward segment; wherein a thickness of the peripheral segment is smaller than a thickness of the radially inward segment, the thicknesses of the segments being taken in a direction along the axis (C). 
         [0012]    In another embodiment, the irrigation pipe connector includes: (a) a core having an axis (C) and being adapted to connect to an irrigation element; and (b) a wing connected to the core and extending radially outwardly therefrom relative to the axis (C), the wing comprising a radially inward segment and a peripheral segment that extends radially outwardly from the radially inward segment; wherein a thickness of the peripheral segment is smaller than a thickness of the radially inward segment, the thicknesses of the segments being taken in a direction along the axis (C). 
         [0013]    In still another embodiment, the irrigation pipe connector includes: (a) a core adapted to connect to an irrigation element; and (b) a wing comprising a leg and a flange, the wing extending about the core and connected to the core via the leg, the wing being attachable to a pipe; wherein the flange comprises a main segment and a peripheral segment and the peripheral segment has a thickness that is smaller than a thickness of the main segment. 
         [0014]    In another aspect, the present invention is directed to an irrigation pipe having a lumen including a pipe wall; and at least one irrigation pipe connector. The irrigation pipe connector includes: (a) a core adapted to connect to an irrigation element; and (b) a wing extending about the core and comprising a segment connected to the pipe wall; wherein at least a portion of the wing is adapted to resiliently bend to thereby allow displacement of the segment connected to the pipe wall relative to the core. 
         [0015]    In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiment described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the figures and by study of the following detailed descriptions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0016]    Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative, rather than restrictive. The disclosure, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures, in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a pipe incorporating connectors in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  shows a partial cross sectional view of the pipe taken through one of the connectors in the plane II-II in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective top view of the connector; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  shows a section of  FIG. 2 ; and 
           [0021]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show the arrangement of  FIG. 2  with the connector coupled to an irrigation element and subjected to various resilient bending. 
       
    
    
       [0022]    It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated within the figures to indicate like elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    Attention is first drawn to  FIG. 1 . A pipe  10  having a longitudinal axis X has an axially extending lumen  12  that is surrounded by a wall  14 . Two connectors  16 , each having its own axis C, are attached at longitudinally spaced apart locations to the wall  14  of the pipe  10  adjacent apertures  11  that are formed through the wall  14 . The pipe  10  is of a lay-flat type which when not in use under internal fluid pressure and/or when rolled on a reel may have a shape of a generally flat strip (not shown). When the pipe  10  is under no internal fluid pressure, the connector axis C may be coincident with a normal N to the pipe  10 . 
         [0024]    An outward and an inward direction of the axis C is defined respectively out of and into the pipe  10 . It should be noted that the directional terms appearing throughout the specification and claims are for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. The terms “up”, “above”, “upper”, “out” (and derivatives thereof) define similar directions; and the terms “down”, “below”, “lower”, “in” (and derivatives thereof) define similar directions. 
         [0025]    Attention is drawn to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The connector  16  has a central core  18  that extends a thickness or height H along axis C and a peripheral wing  20  that is located thereabout. In one embodiment, the central core  18  and the peripheral wing  20  are integrally formed of the same material and have unitary one-piece construction. 
         [0026]    The central core  18  has an upper portion  18   a  which is exposed to the outer surface of the pipe  10  and an lower portion  18   b  which is exposed to the inner surface of the pipe  10 . In one embodiment, the wing  20  extends radially outwardly relative to the core  18 . The core  18  is adapted to retain an irrigation element  40  (See  FIGS. 5A ,  5 B) and is provided with an opening  22  that is formed therein along axis C and extends between the upper portion  18   a  and the lower portion  18   b.  In one embodiment, the opening  22  is in the form of a through going bore  22 . The bore  22  is optionally adapted to connect to the irrigation element which may be for example a drip irrigation pipe, an irrigation fitting, a sprinkler, a valve, a pressure regulator, etc. Optionally, the bore  22  is threaded though other means may be formed in the bore  22  in order to retain an irrigation element. Preferably the core  18  is adapted to releasably retain irrigation elements. 
         [0027]    The wing  20  has a leg  24  and a flange  26  which are joined at a rim  28 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , the leg  24  is attached at its first end  24   a  towards the flange  26  and at its second end  24   b  to the core  26 . At its second end  24   b,  the leg  24  extends outwardly from an inner circumference of the core  18 , proximate the core&#39;s lower portion  18   b,  to the rim  28 . Thus, in one embodiment, the leg  24  extends from the core&#39;s lower portion  18   b,  upwardly along axis C and radially outwardly away from axis C, to the flange  26 . As also seen in  FIG. 2 , the thickness of the leg  24  is given by T 1 . 
         [0028]    The flange  26  has a radially inward main segment  30  and a radially outward peripheral segment  32 . The main segment  30  extends in a radially outward direction relative to the core  18 , generally perpendicular to axis C and in a direction away from axis C from the rim  28  to the peripheral segment  32 . The peripheral segment  32  extends from the main segment  30  in a radially outward direction relative to the core  18 . The connector  16  is attached at the flange  26  optionally to an inner surface  34  of the wall  14  adjacent aperture  11  and optionally the attachment is performed by, for example, bonding or welding, etc. 
         [0029]    A peripheral groove  36  is formed in the connector  16  between the leg  24  and the core  18 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , the depth of the groove  36 , which depth is taken from the uppermost level of the main segment  30  and the peripheral segment  32 , is given by T 2 . In one embodiment, the groove depth T 2  is at least 1.0 times T 1 , and more preferably 2.0 times T 1 . This optionally provides a first resilient region R 1  in the connector  16  about the axis C, between the leg  24  and the core  18  at the core&#39;s lower portion  18   b.  Optionally, a second resilient region R 2  may be formed in the connector  16  adjacent the rim  28  where the flange  26  and leg  24  merge. It is noted that the term resilience implies that the resulting structure is afforded locations with resilient bending. The degree of resilient bending is a question of optimal design and it may be that embodiments of the connector  16  may have only one location or more than two locations that are afforded resilient bending. 
         [0030]    In cross sections including axis C, the aperture  11  in the pipe&#39;s wall  14  has a dimension D 1  that is the diameter of the aperture  11  when the pipe  10  is in a lay-flat state wherein the aperture  11  may have a circular form. It is noted that when subjected to internal fluid pressure, the aperture  11  may assume an elliptical shape when viewed along the axis C (view not shown) with the larger dimension of the ellipse being oriented along the pipe&#39;s circumferential direction. This is due to the fact that pipes under internal hydrostatic pressure typically experience larger stress in the circumferential direction as opposed to the longitudinal direction. 
         [0031]    Attention is drawn to  FIGS. 5A and 5B  showing a partial view of an irrigation element in the form of a fitting  40  that is retained in the connector&#39;s opening  22 . As seen in the cross-section of  FIG. 5A , under internal fluid pressure illustrated by short arrows  38 , the pipe  10  expands outwardly and thereby the aperture  11  reaches an enlarged state. At least a portion of the wing  20  is adapted to resiliently bend to thereby allow displacement relative to the core  18  of the wing&#39;s flange  26  that is attached to the pipe&#39;s wall  14 . In a cross section including axis C, the aperture  11  in the pipe&#39;s wall  14  has in the enlarged state a dimension D 2  that is larger than a respective dimension D 1  of the aperture  11  in the lay-flat state. In one embodiment, in the pipe&#39;s circumferential direction D 2  may be 25% larger than D 1  and in the pipe&#39;s longitudinal direction D 2  may be 15% larger than D 1  and therefore in this embodiment the resiliency of the connector is adapted to allow such varying displacements of the flange  26  in relation to the core  18 . 
         [0032]    As seen in the cross-section of  5 B, the irrigation element attached to the connector may be subjected in some cases to a force F acting in a direction transverse to axis C. Force F may be due to a lateral pipe (not shown) attached to the irrigation element that exhibits deformation due to high and low temperatures imposed thereupon during day and night. The core  18  and the wing  20  are arranged such that at least a portion of the wing  20  is adapted to resiliently bend to thereby allow displacement of the wing&#39;s flange  26  relative to the core  18 . When the connector  16  is installed in a pipe  10 , the connector&#39;s core  18  may bend relative to the pipe  10  such that the connector axis C may be tilted by an angle a relative to a normal N to the pipe  10 . In one embodiment, a may reach an angle of 10° when, for example, the connector is subjected to a force F of a magnitude of about 850 N. 
         [0033]    Under internal fluid pressure, the pipe  10  may experience stresses which may cause deformations in the wall  14  of the pipe  10  that may be transformed to the connector  16  that is attached thereto. These deformations may ruin or harm, inter alia, the retention of the irrigation element in the core  18 . In the connector  16  in accordance with the present disclosure, such deformations resiliently deform the wing  20  and thereby displace the flange  26  in relation to the core  18 . As a result, the extent of damage that may have been imposed upon the connector  16  is eliminated or decreased. 
         [0034]    By way of an example, the material of the pipe  10  may be polyethylene, the diameter of the pipe  10  may be about  100  millimeters, the pipe  10  may withstand fluid pressure of up to 3 bars and the wing  20  may start to resiliently deform at an internal fluid pressure in the pipe  10  of about 0.3 bars. 
         [0035]    Attention is now drawn to  FIGS. 2 and 4 . In an embodiment, the connector  16  is attached to the wall  14  of the pipe  10  by welding it to the wall  14  of the pipe  10  by at least portions of the connector  16  and/or wall  14  that at an instant immediately prior to attachment were in a melted form. Preferably, the connector  16  is attached to the wall  14  of the pipe  10  by ultrasonic welding and/or knurling and preferably the connector is made of a material that is similar to material that is included in the wall of the pipe. 
         [0036]    In a part that is adapted to be attached to a surface by such welding, the width of the part determines, inter alia, the amount of energy that is required for attachment. In a lay flat irrigation pipe  10 , portions of the wall  14  of the pipe  10  that are not attached to, or concealed by, the connector  16  may be damaged or harmed by this energy that is required for attachment. For example, a portion of the wall  14  adjacent the peripheral segment  32  of the flange  26  may be damaged when the flange  26  is attached to the wall  14 . The wall  14  of the lay flat irrigation pipe may be coated for example by a water impervious layer and during attachment damage may be caused to the layer by for example pin holes that are formed in the layer through which fluid may seep. 
         [0037]    As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the main segment  30  of the flange  26  has a first thickness WI and the peripheral segment  32  of the flange  26  has a second thickness W 2 , the thicknesses W 1  and W 2  being taken in a direction along the axis C. The second thickness W 2  is smaller than the first thickness W 1  and both thicknesses W 2 , W 1  are substantially smaller than the thickness H of the core  18  and/or a height of the core  18  that projects into the pipe  10 . 
         [0038]    As a result of W 2  being smaller than W 1 , the energy that is required for the attachment of the peripheral segment  32  of the flange  26  to the wall  14  of the pipe  10  is reduced in relation to the energy that is required for the attachment of the main segment  30  to the wall  14 . Therefore, the wall  14  adjacent the peripheral segment  32  is less likely to be damaged or may be damaged to a smaller extent during attachment. 
         [0039]    By way of an example, the first thickness W 1  is equal to about 2 millimeters and the second thickness W 2  is equal to about 0.6 millimeters. 
         [0040]    The thinner thickness W 2  of the peripheral segment  32  provides also the advantage that the connector  16  is provided with a flexible periphery at the flange  26 . This enables the pipe  10 , for example when under internal fluid pressure, to better assume a rounded form adjacent the connector  16 . It is noted that this advantage is present when the connector  16  is attached to the wall of the pipe also by methods such as by bonding, welding, etc. 
         [0041]    In the description and claims of the present application, each of the verbs, “comprise” “include” and “have”, and conjugates thereof, are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete listing of members, components, elements or parts of the subject or subjects of the verb. 
         [0042]    Although the present embodiment has been described to a certain degree of particularity, it should be understood that various alterations and modifications could be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure as hereinafter claimed.