Patent ID: 8302887

Claim:
A drip emitter comprising: a housing defining an emitter inlet and an emitter outlet downstream of the emitter inlet, the emitter inlet adapted to receive fluid under pressure from a supply tube and the emitter outlet adapted to emit fluid; a flow path extending through the housing from the emitter inlet to the emitter outlet, the flow path including a pressure reducing flow duct; the pressure reducing flow duct comprising: a duct inlet and a duct outlet located downstream of the duct inlet and having an unobstructed central region with a width (R); a first set of baffles located adjacent to one side of the central region and a second set of baffles located adjacent to the other side of the central region, each baffle having a pair of side wall portions with the baffles of each set extending from a common wall and with each baffle terminating in a baffle edge; wherein the one side of the central region is defined by a first generally linear imaginary line connecting the edges of the first set of baffles and the other side of the central region is defined by a second generally linear imaginary line connecting the edges of the second set of baffles and wherein (R) is the minimum distance between the first and second imaginary lines; and a first set of flow recesses defined by the first set of baffles adjacent to one side of the central region and a second set of flow recesses defined by the second set of baffles adjacent to the other side of the central region, each flow recess defined at least in part by opposing side wall portions from successive baffles; a diaphragm overlaying and forming at least a portion of the pressure reducing flow duct; and a pressure chamber defined by at least one elongated channel in an interior surface of the housing and by the diaphragm, and separated from the pressure reducing flow duct and from fluid flowing in the flow path by the diaphragm, the pressure chamber adapted to receive fluid from a supply tube to build pressure therein to deflect the diaphragm a distance (D) to vary emission rate of fluid from the emitter outlet depending on supply tube pressure; wherein the interior surface of the housing defines a raised region defining at least in part the elongated channel and the raised region engaging the diaphragm to form the pressure chamber; wherein the elongated channel extends centrally and longitudinally along the interior surface of the housing and includes a stop to divide the channel into two sub-channels; wherein the pressure chamber is situated in the interior surface of the housing to overlay the unobstructed central region of the pressure reducing flow duct and to deflect the diaphragm into at least the unobstructed central region depending on supply tube pressure.