Continuous tube multiple emitter

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS.
1 through 9, the embodiment of the continuous tube multiple emitter herein illustrated includes a flow tube 1 which may be a standard flexible plastic tube used in irrigation.
For the purpose of this invention the flow tube is provided with a series of perforations 2, the spacing of which varies depending upon the crop to be irrigated.
The perforations receive a series of emitters 3.
Each emitter includes an exposed base 4 which is shown as rectangular in shape with several longitudinal channels 5 bordered by side flanges 6 having confronting grooves 7 which receive the side margins of a small plastic cover plate 8.
The opposite or inner side 9 of the base confronts the flow tube 1 and is curved in conformity thereto.
The inner side 9 of the base 4 is provided with a neck 10 dimensioned to be received in a flow tube perforation 2.
The inner side of the neck is defined by a sealing flange 11 conforming to the inner surface of the flow tube 1.
The sealing flange is joined to a transition portion 12 which merges into an emitter tube 13.
The emitter tube 13 is formed by a pair of confronting arched walls 14 joined at their lateral edges by thin webs 15.
One of the walls is provided with a drip or trickle flow groove 16.
In their normal state the walls 14 define a flush flow passage 17, which is collapsible at a predetermined low pressure in the flow tube 1 into mutual sealing contact except for the groove 16 which becomes a drip or trickle flow passage.
Within the transition portion 12, the lower end of the flush flow passage is defined by a pair of downwardly converging end walls 19 which merge into a outlet passage 20 intersecting the channels 5.
The emitters 3 are molded from a highly elastomeric material having a shore hardness in the order of 40, and are installed by forcing the emitter tube 13, transition portion 12 and sealing flange 11 through the perforation 2.
As the plate 8 is omitted during the insertion of the emitter, a tool may be inserted into the outlet passage 20 to stretch the neck 10 and cause the sealing flange 11 to assume it sealing position within the flow tube 1