Animal husbandry – Feeding device – Hopper and trough
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-21
2003-07-15
Swiatek, Robert P. (Department: 3643)
Animal husbandry
Feeding device
Hopper and trough
C119S057200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06591780
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feed carrying apparatus for distributing feed for domestic animals to a number of feeding units through a pipeline from a feed hopper.
2. Related Art Statement
Various kinds of feed carrying apparatuses provided with pipelines have been heretofore known. Conventional systems include, for example, as shown in
FIGS. 34 and 35
, a system in which a pipeline
503
is provided at one end with a feed charging port from a feed hopper
505
, and disposed at the other end with a driving device
504
, whereby a centerless auger
502
which is housed in the pipeline
503
and connected to the driving device
504
is rotated by the driving device
504
to carry feed S within the pipeline
503
and feed S are fallen down into the feeding units
507
through feed falling-down pipes
506
from feed falling-down ports; and a system in which the centerless auger
502
is not rotated by the driving device
504
but forcibly fed to thereby carry feed S present between coils
502
a
of the centerless auger
502
within the pipeline
503
.
In the system for carrying feed S making use of the centerless auger
502
, however, a winding pitch of the coils
502
a
constituting the centerless auger
502
need be set as small as possible in order to maintain strength thereof. However, this poses a problem that when coarse compositions of feed S are contained in the coils
502
a
of the centerless auger
502
, carrying becomes disabled.
In order to overcome the problem as described above, there has been known a disk cable system in which as shown in
FIGS. 36 and 37
, a disk cable
602
connected endlesswise is inserted into a pipeline
603
, and the disk cable
602
is forcibly fed in a direction of arrow x by a driving device
604
to thereby carry feed S charged between disks
602
b
of the disk cable
602
from a feed hopper
605
and distribute them to feeding units
607
through feed falling-down pipes
606
.
In the disk cable
602
, as shown in
FIG. 37
, the disks
602
b
are secured to a flexible wire
602
a
in a fixed spaced relations.
In this disk cable system also, carrying resistance is great at corners
603
a
where the pipeline
603
is bent substantially at right angles (&thgr;=90°) vertically or horizontally, and for reducing the resistance, corner joints
608
housing wheels
625
therein are disposed at the corners
603
a,
as shown in FIG.
38
.
In the corner joint
608
, as shown in
FIG. 38
, collars
619
a,
620
a
and
619
b,
619
b
of covers
619
,
620
are placed in contact and fastened by bolts
621
and nuts
622
to thereby form a wheel receiving part
623
and a bent pipe part
624
.
Further, in order to be able to reduce a great carrying resisting force at the corners
603
a,
a wheel
625
is rotatably supported by a rotational shaft
626
in the wheel receiving part
623
, a disk cable
602
having disks
602
b
secured to a flexible wire
602
a
in a fixed spaced relations is inserted into the bent pipe part
624
, and the disk
602
b
is placed in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the wheel
625
for movement.
In the drive device
604
or
664
, as shown in
FIG. 39
or
40
, a driving sprocket
640
,
680
is disposed within a casing
639
,
679
, the disk cable
602
is extended over the sprocket
640
,
680
, and the driving sprocket
640
,
680
is driven by a driving motor
641
,
681
to thereby travel the disk cable
602
.
In order that the disk cable
602
is always tensed so as be traveled by the driving sprocket
640
,
680
positively, a floating pulley
642
,
682
is disposed in the casing
639
,
679
, the disk cable
602
is also extended over the floating pulley
642
,
682
and the floating pulley
642
,
682
is always tensed by a tension spring
643
,
683
through a support member
644
,
684
to constitute a disk cable tension applying mechanism
651
,
691
for applying tension to the disk cable
602
.
On the other hand, there is known a feed carrying apparatus wherein in order to resist against a great carrying resisting force at the corners
703
a,
as shown in
FIG. 42
, corner joints
708
comprising bent pipes having a relatively large radius of curvature are disposed at the corners
703
a,
and a plurality of drive devices
704
having a relatively small horse power are disposed directly before each of the corners
703
a.
The drive device
704
is designed so that as shown in
FIG. 43
, a drive pulley
720
and a driven pulley
721
are disposed in a casing
719
, a disk cable
602
is extended over the drive pulley
720
, and the drive pulley
720
is driven by a drive motor to thereby travel the disk cable
602
.
In order that the disk cable
602
is not loosened but always tensed so as be traveled by the drive pulley
720
positively, a floating pulley
722
is disposed in the casing
719
, the disk cable
602
is also extended over the floating pulley
722
, and the floating pulley
722
is always raised by a compression spring
723
to constitute a disk cable tension applying mechanism
731
for suitably adjusting tension of the disk cable
602
.
However, in the disk cable system in which the corner joint
608
having the wheel
625
housed therein is disposed, since an angle of an external angle of the bent pipe part
624
is formed to be substantially right angles (&thgr;=90°), when the pipeline
603
is repetitively bent vertically or horizontally or when obstacles D, D are present halfway of the pipeline channel, as shown in
FIG. 44
, the pipeline
603
is complicatedly bent and the pipeline channel is also lengthened, because of which the load applied to the wire
602
a
of the disk cable
602
becomes so great as to possibly break the wire in a short period of time.
Further, even the corner joint
608
having the wheel
625
housed therein, feed S breaks in the wheel receiving part
623
, and so, the wheel
625
may not be rotated smoothly so much, which also results in that the load applied to the wire
602
a
becomes excessively great.
In the system wherein the corner joint
608
having the wheel housed therein is disposed at the corner
603
a,
and the disk cable tension applying mechanism
651
,
691
for pulling the floating pulley
642
,
682
by the tension spring
643
,
683
is constituted, where the length of the disk cable
602
becomes elongated due to the use for a long period so that the elongation exceeds a fixed length, the disk cable
602
is loosened so that the tension spring
643
,
683
becomes contracted, failing to apply fixed tension to the disk cable
602
.
If this condition is left, the disk cable
602
cannot be traveled positively by the drive sprocket
640
,
680
or, in the worst case, the disk cable
602
is disengaged from the drive sprocket
640
,
680
, causing the disk cable
602
not to travel at all. It has been therefore necessary, after use for a long period, to separate the pipeline
603
once, and cut the disk cable
602
to a suitable length so as to be able to apply fixed tension.
Further, as shown in
FIG. 39
or
40
, since the floating pulley
642
,
682
is cantilevered by a support member
644
,
684
and a support shaft
642
a,
682
a
it is sometimes that the support shaft
642
a,
682
a
of the floating pulley
642
,
682
is apt to be slightly displaced, and after the use for a long period, the floating pulley
642
,
682
cannot be pulled positively, or the floating pulley
642
,
682
cannot be rotated smoothly.
In the conventional driving device
604
, since the elastic force of the tension spring
643
is changed in direction by two pulleys
646
,
646
through the wire
645
to transmit it to the floating pulley
642
, it is sometimes that the elastic force is materially lowered by the resisting force at the contact part with the two pulleys
646
,
646
, or the pulleys
646
,
646
are not rotated due to the use for a long period, failing to apply the elastic force.
In the conventional driving device
664
, in order to avoid that the disk cable
602
m
Fujii Shokai Co., Ltd.
Swiatek Robert P.
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