Drop hose irrigation device and method of mounting such irrigation device to a supporting rod of an irrigation system

1. A drop hose irrigation device ( 1 ′) comprising:

a substantially vertical pipeline section ( 2 ), which is configured to be secured to a truss ( 3 ) of an irrigation system ( 4 ) having a substantially horizontal supporting rod ( 10 ); and

a support ( 1 ) having a substantially U-shaped bracket ( 15 ), said bracket ( 15 ) having a pair of side walls ( 16 , 17 ) joined together by a substantially cylindrical connecting wall ( 18 ) extending along a substantially horizontal axis;

wherein said side walls and said connecting wall ( 16 , 17 , 18 ) have substantially cylindrical smooth inner surfaces ( 20 , 21 ) with substantially parallel opposed longitudinal projections ( 22 , 23 ) for snap-fit locking engagement of said bracket ( 15 ) on the supporting rod ( 10 ), and

wherein a pair of substantially horizontally and vertically offset curved appendages ( 28 , 29 ) extend from one of said side walls ( 16 ) and define a pair of substantially vertical locking seats ( 30 , 31 ) and a substantially horizontal gap ( 37 ), said locking seats ( 30 , 31 ) having oppositely directed concavities for receiving said pipeline section ( 2 ) in said gap ( 37 ) and locking said pipeline section within said seats ( 30 , 31 ) by rotation about a substantially horizontal axis (X) from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of said side walls ( 16 ) defines a supporting surface ( 24 ) for the pipeline section ( 2 ) to rest thereupon.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said supporting surface ( 24 ) comprises a first substantially flat portion ( 25 ) and a second portion ( 26 ), which is also substantially flat and is inclined relative to the first portion, said first and said second portions ( 25 , 26 ) being joined together along a substantially longitudinal connecting line ( 27 ).

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , implemented in the irrigation system ( 4 ) comprising a feeding line ( 8 ) for feeding an irrigation liquid, wherein said pipeline section ( 2 ) has an upper end ( 12 ) in fluid communication with the feeding line ( 8 ) and a lower end ( 13 ) equipped with a liquid emitter ( 14 ).

5. A method of mounting a drop hose irrigation device ( 1 ′) as claimed in claim 1 to a substantially horizontal supporting rod ( 10 ) of a truss ( 3 ) of an irrigation system ( 4 ), the method comprising:

a) connecting said pipeline section ( 2 ) to a liquid feeding line ( 8 ) of the irrigation system ( 4 );

b) providing said support ( 1 ) with said bracket ( 15 ) having said pair of substantially horizontal and vertically offset appendages ( 28 , 29 ), which define said substantially horizontal gap ( 37 ) therebetween, and said substantially vertical locking seats ( 30 , 31 );

c) coupling said bracket ( 15 ) to the supporting rod ( 10 ) by snap-fit engagement;

d) arranging said pipeline section ( 2 ) in a substantially horizontal position and introducing said pipeline section into said gap ( 37 ); and

e) rotating said pipeline section ( 2 ) by an angle of substantially 90° about a substantially horizontal axis (X) to a substantially vertical locked position inside said substantially vertical locking seats ( 30 , 31 ).

6. A drop hose irrigation device ( 1 ′) comprising:

a substantially vertical pipeline section ( 2 ), which is configured to be secured to a truss ( 3 ) of an irrigation system ( 4 ) having a substantially horizontal supporting rod ( 10 ); and

a support ( 1 ) having a substantially U-shaped bracket ( 15 ), said bracket ( 15 ) having a pair of side walls ( 16 , 17 ) joined together by a substantially cylindrical connecting wall ( 18 ) extending along a substantially horizontal axis;

wherein said side walls and said connecting wall ( 16 , 17 , 18 ) have substantially cylindrical smooth inner surfaces ( 20 , 21 ) with substantially parallel opposed longitudinal projections ( 22 , 23 ) for snap-fit locking engagement of said bracket ( 15 ) on the supporting rod ( 10 ),

wherein a pair of substantially horizontally and vertically offset curved appendages ( 28 , 29 ) extend from one of said side walls ( 16 ) and define a pair of substantially vertical locking seats ( 30 , 31 ) and a substantially horizontal gap ( 37 ), said locking seats ( 30 , 31 ) having oppositely directed concavities for receiving said pipeline section ( 2 ) in said gap ( 37 ) and locking said pipeline section within said seats ( 30 , 31 ) by rotation about a substantially horizontal axis (X) from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position,

wherein one of said side walls ( 16 ) defines a supporting surface ( 24 ) for the pipeline section ( 2 ) to rest thereupon,

wherein said supporting surface ( 24 ) comprises a first substantially flat portion ( 25 ) and a second portion ( 26 ), which is also substantially flat and is inclined relative to the first portion, said first and said second portions ( 25 , 26 ) being joined together along a substantially longitudinal connecting line ( 27 ), and

wherein said substantially horizontal rotation axis (X) of said pipeline ( 2 ) intersects said substantially longitudinal connecting line ( 27 ).

7. The device as claimed in claim 6 , a first one of said pair of appendages ( 28 ) extends from said first portion ( 25 ) and a second one of said pair of appendages ( 29 ) extends from said second portion ( 26 ) with respective substantially curved connecting sections ( 32 , 33 ).

8. The device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each of said appendages ( 28 , 29 ) comprises a straight section, which is spaced apart from each of the first and second portions ( 25 , 26 ) of said supporting surface ( 24 ) and is adapted to define a slot ( 30 , 31 ) with curved sections ( 32 , 33 ), said curved sections ( 32 , 33 ) having a substantially semicircular shape substantially mating a shape of said pipeline section ( 2 ).

9. The device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said appendages ( 28 , 29 ) are substantially parallel to said longitudinal connecting line ( 27 ) and are transversely offset to define said open gap ( 37 ) that faces said longitudinal connecting line ( 27 ).

10. The device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said gap ( 37 ) is substantially flared to allow the pipeline section ( 2 ) to be introduced in a substantially horizontal position, parallel to said longitudinal connecting line ( 27 ) before being rotated about said substantially horizontal axis (X), perpendicular to said longitudinal connecting line ( 27 ), to be locked in the substantially vertical position.