Automatic Travelling Lawn Sprinkler.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application; 19th Oct., 1892—Accepted, 19th Nov:, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Automatic Travelling Lawn Sprinkler.
We, GABRIEL CARLSON and ALFRED WILSON PARIS, Mechanics, residing
in the City of Minneapolis (929 Guaranty Loan Building), County of Hennepin,
State of Minnesota, one of the States of the United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying drawings:-
The object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler, suitable for sprinkling
lawns, gardens, or other similar uses and which will automatically travel over the
ground to be sprinkled and distribute the water over a wide area to either side of
the path of the machine. The machine is also of such construction, that it will
automatically reverse its direction of travel, and that it may be guided by a portable,
flexible track, in any desired path. The rope or cable constituting the track is
engaged by grooved wheels on the supporting truck of the machine; and, on
account of the flexibility of the track, the same may be arranged on curves or
irregular lines, so as to make the machine pursue either a straight or tortuous path;
and on account of the portability of the cable or rope track, the same may be
readily changed from one location to another, at will. The machine is propelled
by a water wheel, carried on the truck and operated by the discharge of
water from a nozzle also carried on the truck and connected by a flexible
hose with a supply of water under pressure, such as a city main or
elevated tank. The flexible section of hose is dragged by the machine, in its travel
over the ground, and must be of sufficient length to permit the desired travel of
the machine.
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The water wheel is connected to the truck wheels through a reducing drive, so
as to convert the high speed of the water wheel into power with slow motion on
the truck.
The water-wheel and the discharge nozzle are carried by a pivoted support, to
which a lateral swinging motion is imparted' crosswise of the line of travel. The
water-wheel, in addition to its function as a motor acts also as a sprayer, and, in
cooperation with the discharge nozzle and the lateral swinging motion of the pivoted
support, distributes the water in the form of a shower over a wide belt on both
sides of the machine.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like letters refer to like parts
throughout,
L
Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine, some parts being partly broken away.
Figure 2 is a rear end elevation of the same, supposing the machine to be moving
away from the observer, looking at Figure 1, some parts being broken away.
AB B, C are the supporting truck, of which parts A is the frame, B B a pair
of grooved wheels located in line with each other and loosely mounted on their
supporting spindles, at one side of the machine; and C is a plane surfaced wheel
keyed fast to the left end of a main driving shaft or axle D, located at the center
of the frame. This arrangement of the wheels B B C permits the truck to be
more readily guided by the flexible rope or cable track B', lying loose on the
ground.
A link belt chain D', passing over a sprocket d'on the main shaft or axle D and
to the sprocket b on the inner hubs of the grooved wheels B connect all the truck
wheels for movement together with a positive action.
****
D' are a pair of bevel gears on a common hub, which is loosely, sleeved on the
driving axle D and permitted to slide but not to turn thereon by a pin and slot
connection, as shown at d. The bevel gears D are connected by a spring D with

page_text: a sliding collar D' on the shaft D. This sliding collar D is held and operated by
a bell-crank shifting lever D', and a horizontal reversing rod D connected thereto.
This reversing rod works through keepers d² on the frame and is permitted a limited
sliding motion lengthwise of the machine, by stop washers d³. The said reversing
rod is held in either one of its extreme positions, by a cam-ended spring latch D',
engaging cam shaped notches d on the said rod. The reversing rod D' has
expanded ends adapted to strike stakes (not shown) at the opposite limits of the
machine's travel, to shift the rod from one to the other of its extreme positions,
and through the same to shift the bevel gears D2 for reversing the direction of
travel..
E is a bevel pinion, on a short shaft E', which is in mesh with one or the other
of the bevel gears D. This bevel pinion E is driven from the water wheel, as
will now be traced. F is a yoke or bracket-like support pivotally connected at its
lower end to the frame, as shown at f, and carrying at its upper end a cross shaft F¹,
to which the water-wheel F is rigidly secured. Motion from the water-wheel
shaft is transmitted through a reducing drive G G G G G G and G to the
shaft E and bevel pinion E. H' is a flexible section of hose communicating with
a supply of water under pressure and of a length to permit the travel of the
machine, and connected to a fixed section of pipe H on the truck frame. His a
discharge nozzle, which is connected to the fixed section H2 by a swivelled
joint, as shown at h. The upper or free end of the nozzle is held in a stirrup
fixed to the support F. The center of the pinion G³, the support pivots and
the swivelled joint h, are in the same line. Hence, the support F, together with
the nozzle H³, will swing from a common center and will not interfere with the
driving connections from the water-wheel to the other members of the train of
reducing gears. The pivoted support F has an arm F³, which extends outward
and downward below the pivots of the support, and is connected by a link F
with a crank-arm F, on the end of the short shaft E'; which connections will
impart to the said support and the water-wheel and nozzle carried thereby a
lateral rocking motion, when the machine is travelling.
OPERATION.
The operation of the machine is obvious. Suppose the water under pressure
be turned on through the flexible hose, then the discharge from the nozzle will
drive the water-wheel at a high rate of speed, the end of the nozzle being
located in position to discharge against the vanes or paddles of the water-wheel.
The high speed of the water-wheel will be transmitted and converted into power
with slow motion, through the reducing drive, and be delivered on the bevel
pinion E and one or the other of the bevel gears D². The motion of the bevel
gear will be communicated directly to the driving shaft or axle D, and the plane
surfaced truck-wheel C, and, through the link belt D' and the sprockets engaged
thereby, to the grooved truck-wheels B. Hence, the machine will move in one
direction or the other, depending on which member of the bevel gears D' is in
mesh with the bevel pinion E. As shown in the drawings, the machine will move
away from the observer. When the limit of travel is reached, the reversing rod D'
will be thrown backward to its limit, thereby shifting the bevel gears D², so that
the right member will engage with the pinion E; and the travel will be reversed.
With every turn of the bevel pinion E and the shaft E' the support F, together
with the water-wheel and the nozzle, will be given a complete swing and return to
the opposite side of its central or vertical position, thereby distributing the water
to both sides of the path of travel.
We have found by actual experience that, with the pressure available from an
ordinary city main, that this machine will drag one hundred and fifty feet of bose ;
and that, under the rocking motion of the support F, the water will be distributed
over a belt extending fifty feet or more to the opposite sides of the line of travel.
It is of course' obvious, that the machine would travel over the ground without
the use of the rope or cable track B₁; but by the use of the track, the machine is

page_text: made to pursue a definite path, variable at will, and its reversal is insured by the
fact that the rope will direct the reversing rod against the properly located stakes,
at the opposite limits of the desired travel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The automatic travelling sprinkler, comprising the movable truck, the discharge
nozzle on the truck, a flexible hose connecting the said nozzle with a supply of
water under pressure and of sufficient length to permit the travel of the sprinkler,
the water-wheel on the truck operated by the discharge from the said nozzle, and a
drive for transmitting the motion from the water-wheel to the truck-wheels,
substantially as described.
2. In the automatic travelling sprinkler, substantially as described, a drive or
train of gearing for transmitting the motion from the water-wheel to the truck-
wheels, having as one of its elements a reversing device adapted to be tripped and
operated by an obstacle in the path of the same, under the travel of the truck, for
reversing the truck's travel, substantially as described.
3. In the automatic travelling sprinkler, substantially as described, a reducing
drive or train of gearing for converting the high speed of the water-wheel into
power with slow motion on the truck, substantially as described.
4. In the automatic travelling sprinkler, substantially as described, the combi-
nation with the movable truck and the swivelled discharge nozzle, of a swinging or
pivoted support on the truck, carrying the free end of the nozzle and the water-wheel,
a drive for transmitting the motion from the water-wheel to the truck wheels and
connections from one member of the said drive to said pivoted support, for imparting
the swinging or lateral rocking motion to the said support and the water-wheel
and nozzle carried thereby, substantially as described.
5. The combination with the automatic travelling sprinkler, having a water
motor and one or more grooved truck wheels, of a flexible pipe for supplying the
water to the motor, and a flexible rope or cable resting upon the ground and
engaged by said grooved truck wheels, whereby the sprinkler may be directed in
any desired path, variable at will, substantially as described.
Dated at Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A., this 6th day of October 1892.
Dated this 19th day of October 1892.
GABRIEL CARLSON.
ALFRED WILSON PARIS.
Abel & Imray,
Agents for the Applicants.