MECHANISM FOR ALIGNING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS USED FOR FARM CROPS

摘要

The present invention is a wind adjustment device that takes into account the wind pushing against the surface of the water pipe mainline segments and elongated truss spans located between the mobile support towers. Although there are currently mechanisms to take into account alignment issues with the mobile support towers there are currently no mechanisms to take into account the curvature of the water pipe mainline segments and elongated truss spans located between the mobile support towers as a result of the wind pushing on the surface.

主权项

1. An apparatus for aligning a lateral move or center pivot irrigation system for use in irrigating crops and to account for misalignments due to wind comprising:
at least a portion of an irrigation system comprising at least two spaced towers on wheels operable to transport said towers through a field as a unit, wherein each of the at least two spaced towers comprise a tower with a base resting on wheels, a drive motor in communication with at least one of the wheels to move each tower through the field, a motor control mechanism connected to the drive motor to control the direction and speed or timing of the drive motor, a conduit structure connected to the tower and spanning to an adjacent tower, a flexible conduit connection to connect each conduit structure to the adjacent conduit structure, an alignment sensing mechanism connected to the conduit structure to determine variation in the conduit caused by the tower lagging behind or moving ahead of the adjacent tower, a conduit alignment control mechanism connected to the alignment sensing mechanism and the motor control mechanism to control the direction and speed or timing of the drive motor to move each tower through the field and maintain the alignment of the conduit structure, and in response to the alignment sensing mechanism the conduit alignment control mechanism stops the drive motor of the tower if the tower is ahead of the adjacent tower or starts the drive motor if the tower is behind of the adjacent tower, (or slightly adjusts the speeds of the towers if the irrigation system is a continual move system) until the alignment is re-established; and a wind sensing mechanism connected to the conduit structure and/or an alignment linkage to determine the force and direction of the wind and in communication with a wind alignment control mechanism, wherein the wind alignment control mechanism is in communication with the motor control mechanism to respond to the wind acting on the wind sensing mechanism the wind alignment control mechanism to control the direction and speed or timing of the drive motor to move each tower through the field and maintain the alignment of the conduit structure.