A spool and wobbler assembly for a sprinkler includes a spool section with facing spool flanges on opposite sides of a spool core, where at least one of the spool flanges includes a circumferential rolling ledge. A wobbler cage including a wobbler ring is supported on the spool section, and a water deflector plate is coupled with the wobbler cage. An underside of the wobbler ring is provided with a circumferential rolling surface that engages the circumferential rolling ledge of the at least one spool flange. The rolling surface and rolling ledge provide for smoother orbital motion of the deflector plate.

A speed retarding device for a rotary nozzle includes a hollow cylindrical housing and a rotatable tubular shaft rotatably carried by the housing. The shaft has an enlarged drag sleeve portion carried in the housing and a shaft end extending through at least one end of the housing to receive a rotary nozzle thereon. A pair of support bearings support the drag sleeve portion of the shaft in the housing. An annular inner seal between each of the support bearings and the drag sleeve portion defines a cavity within the housing receiving a viscous fluid confined within the cavity. The support bearings are separated from the cavity confining the viscous fluid and an outer annular seal on the shaft adjacent each support bearing prevents environmental contamination such as water and debris from entry into the support bearings.

A rotational speed control device includes a housing containing a viscous fluid and a shaft disposed in the housing and rotatable relative to the housing. A rotor may be movable axially on the shaft depending on the rotating speed of the shaft. The rotor is biased in a low torque direction. A braking torque between the rotor and the housing and/or between the rotor and a drive control ring is varied according to an axial position of the rotor on the shaft. The device may incorporate bypass channels to control a circulating pressure of the viscous fluid.

A sprinkler including a fixed base defining a water inlet and a nozzle, a rotating assembly arranged for rotation relative to the fixed based about a rotation axis and including a water stream director, receiving a pressurized stream of water from the nozzle and directing it in a generally radially outward direction and a rotation speed governing assembly operatively associated with the rotating assembly and operative to intermittently reduce a speed of rotation of the rotating assembly, so as to thereby increase a radial range of the stream, the rotational speed governing assembly including a rotating enclosure rotating together with the rotating assembly and enclosing a viscous material, a static element and a moving element.

A sprinkler head nozzle assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing including an inlet for pressurize water and an outlet downstream of the inlet, a valve member, operable to extend and reduce an arcuate opening at the outlet of the housing, wherein the size of the arcuate opening indicates the arc of coverage of the sprinkler head nozzle assembly and a rotating distributor, mounted on a central shaft extending through the housing and the valve member, and operable to deflect a flow of water from the arcuate opening out of the nozzle assembly.

An apparatus for retarding rotation of a nozzle includes a hollow housing, a rotary shaft within the housing, a rotatable rotor on the rotary shaft free to move axially along the shaft, and a cam assembly coupling the rotor and shaft together in the housing such that rotor rotation on the shaft causes the cam assembly to displace the rotor axially on the shaft in a first direction. A set of springs on the shaft biases the rotor in a second direction opposite the first direction on the shaft. Finally, a viscous fluid disposed between the rotor and the housing generates a drag on rotor rotation with the shaft. Relative rotation of the rotor with respect to the shaft in conjunction with a variable gap between the rotor and housing are used to slow and thus control rotary nozzle speed.

A rotational speed control device maintains a shaft rotation speed. The device includes a housing containing a viscous fluid and a shaft disposed in the housing and rotatable relative to the housing. A rotor is coupled with the shaft for rotation in the viscous fluid. The rotor is axially displaceable along the shaft between a low-shear position and a high-shear position. A spring mechanism is disposed in the housing and biases the rotor toward the low-shear position. The rotor may be designed to cooperate with the housing or other nonrotating features within the housing to vary a shear gap according to the axial position of the rotor. The rotor, housing and spring mechanism can be designed to cooperate to create large changes in braking torque in response to small changes in shaft rotational speed. This allows the rotation speed to be controlled within a relatively narrow range.

A sprinkler includes a pop-up deflector plate that is engageable with a brake assembly in an extended position. A brake module is secured to a sprinkler body and includes a rotatable connector coupled with the brake assembly. The pop-up deflector plate is disposed adjacent the nozzle and engages the rotatable connector in the extended position.

A sprinkler head nozzle assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing including an inlet for pressurize water and an outlet downstream of the inlet, a valve member, operable to extend and reduce an arcuate opening at the outlet of the housing, wherein the size of the arcuate opening indicates the arc of coverage of the sprinkler head nozzle assembly and a rotating distributor, mounted on a central shaft extending through the housing and the valve member, and operable to deflect a flow of water from the arcuate opening out of the nozzle assembly.

An irrigation nozzle with a rotating deflector is provided whose rotational speed may be controlled by a friction brake. The nozzle may also include an arc adjustment valve having two portions that helically engage each other to define an opening that may be adjusted at the top of the sprinkler to a desired arcuate length. The arcuate length may be adjusted by pressing down and rotating a deflector to directly actuate the valve. The nozzle may also include a radius reduction valve that may be adjusted by actuation of an outer wall of the nozzle. Rotation of the outer wall causes a flow control member to move axially to or away from an inlet.