AU2008203097A1

AU2008203097A1 - Sheep delivery conveyor

Info

Publication number: AU2008203097A1
Application number: AU2008203097A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Neville Kinane; Andrew Wytkin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-07-12
Filing date: 2008-07-14
Publication date: 2009-01-29

Description

00 00 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION TITTLE "SHEEP DELIVERY CONVEYOR" The invention is described in the following statement: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to transporting and delivery of sheep to a operator. Sheep are flock animals and are difficult to encourage to maintain movement in a single file that is contrary to their normal sociological environment. Whereas it is a requirement to deliver sheep to operators to perform husbandry functions on the sheep singularly and in a single file As it is also an advantage to have the sheep handling in a longitudinal arrangement for the efficiency of space It is a requirement that the sheep to be referenced in relation to to their position in the single file for the purpose of categorising the sheep into groups.

1^ o", 0", CO PEESEIIAINFRTEIVNINTTL "S0PDLVR OVYR position in the single file for the purpose of categorising the sheep into groups.

00 O It is also difficult to transport and store sheep temporarily in an order and this system allows (-i for a large number of sheep to be categorised and stored for any husbandry or transport application. The sheep need to be delivered to operational stations for shearing, crutching or other husbandry functions, the sheep need to be inverted from the delivery system onto or into a device or position.

C-q 00 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART The delivery of sheep to operators can be divided into the mechanised semi mechanised and non mechanised systems where the non mechanised systems the sheep walk through the system and are encouraged to move in one direction by the use of a number of mechanical devices to stop them from backing out, turning around and being held in the correct position for the operation. This type of operation is limited to operations where the sheep are moving quickly through the system it is not reliable or suitable for tracing and indexing the sheep from station to station. Semi Mechanised systems are where the animal is located into a staged position and moved to each position by walking to the next stage. The fully mechanised systems the sheep are forced into the transition area and are then mechanically delivered to the operator. These are divided into V type conveyor restraint or pick and place type of restraint or clamp. The V-type Conveyor is a device that hold the sheep or animal in a V where the legs of the animal protrude through the bottom of the Vee and the weight of the animal clamps the animal into the Vee and the belts on the Vee can be driven forward and back Australian patent 20062020249 discloses this type of arrangement, the heavier the sheep the more force on the belt and the more friction, increasing the horsepower to drive the belts. The limiting factor for these type of sheep transporting devices is that they are limited to delivery of sheep in a straight line. Pick and place systems have to adjust to the various sheep sizes and are complicated equipment. Patent 200072333 discloses a arrangement that 00 S indexes the sheep and inverts them. Another type of conveyor is a conveyor that supports the sheep under the brisket or belly of the sheep US patent 5070 818 1991 discloses a conveyor to support the animal under the brisket and Australian Patent 199341211 discloses that the underneath support conveyor could be be articulated so that the sheep can be transported around corners in particular both patents disclose specific art to holding the sheep on the c conveyors and the driving of the conveyors.

00oO SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One embodiment of the present invention relates to the supporting of the sheep underneath the animal between the legs so that the sheep is not wedged. The invention relates to the support under the sheep be a motorised belt or conveyor chain system that will move the sheep along the longitudinal length, the chain can have lateral movement and as it is central the conveyor can be directed in any direction and this is not limited to a straight line as in all other devices The conveyor support must be of a diameter where the belt, chain runs in a recessed groove on the top diameter of the support which would be tube like the chain as it returns is enclosed in the pipe of a diameter 120-200 mm. The sheep straddles this pipe and there are sides to hold the sheep from rocking off the pipe The length of each section is metre and the minimum horizontal transposition radius is 1 metre to move sheep on the conveyor around a horizontal curve. Sheep as they feed into conveyor type devices rush at the device and they are tight from one animal to the next, by have a plurality of devices in a row the consecutive device can run faster than the previous separating the sheep. Indexing the sheep to set stations can also be controlled as the are moved through the system.

As the sheep are not wedged into the conveyor only the weight of the sheep is required to be driven and not the additional friction developed by the force of the sheep.

00 S The sheep is positioned on top of the pipe type conveyor it's centre of gravity is above the pipe this enables the sheep to be rotated about the centre of the pipe either as the pipe and the sides of the conveyor rotate through a spiral or where the pipe is level and the sheep is rotated about the centre of the pipe delivering the sheep to a operator. The operation is with little effort as the centre of gravity is moved off centre of the vertical plan of the sheep the c, sheep rotates about the centre of the pipe conveyor without getting entangled.

00 Embodiment of the present invention described in relation to the drawings Figure 1, the cross section view of the conveyor from the rear of the sheep Figure 2 ;the same cross section as Figure 1 with the sheep partially rotated.

Figure 3 Cross section from the rear showing the delivery of the sheep to a work station.

Figure 4 shows one embodiment of a sheep being transferred from the upright to the inverted down the line of the conveyor.

Detailed description of the prefered embodiements The Sheep is supported on the conveyor pipe with conveyor belt/ chain 14 interacting with the underside of the sheep and returning down the centre of the pipe 11. The Sheep 13 is held on the pipe via 12 the side walls. When the sheep is required to be delivered to a operator with an additional device that required the sheep to be inverted the side walls 12 rotate about the pipe 11 to a position of Figure 2 and then figure 3 where the sheep can be guided into the secondary device.

If the operator needs not to invert the animal but have more access to the sheep for husbandry operations then the sheep may only be rotated to a position similar to Figure 2 and side 12 A or 12 B partially or filly removed for access to be gained. Tp achieve separation of the sheep there is plurity of conveyor tubes with consecutive conveyors moving faster than the first so that the sheep 13 is seperate and the point of rotating.

In figure 4 the sides 21 A and B are also tubes with conveyors that twist around the central 00 0 conveyor 14 as the sheep is driving forward the twisting side guides can position the sheep

(N

in a inverted position.

Modifications and variations such as would be deemed apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed within the scope of the present invention.

00 t"- 0- 0-0

Claims

1. A sheep conveyor for transporting sheep to be delivered to a operator inverted comprising; an central tube of diameter 100-200 mm that supports the sheep from the underside, Cc with vertical sides to prevent the sheep rolling off the tube. 00

2. In accordance with claim i of the present invention a endless belt or chain conveyor Sthat fits to the top of the tube to move the sheep

3. In accordance with claim 2 of the present invention a endless belt or chain conveyor that returns through the inside of the tube.

4. In accordance with claim 2 of the present invention a endless belt or chain conveyor that fits to the top of the tube to move the sheep that can not be pulled off the tube when a sheep is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the tube.

In accordance with claim 1 and the preceding claims of the present invention the sheep can be rotated about the longitudinal axis tube by means of rotating the sides about the same axis,

6. In accordance with claim 5 of the present invention the sides can be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the tube to tip the sheep off the tube the when the sides pass through the horizontal plane on another device for shearing or other husbandry operation,

7. In accordance with claim 1 and 5 of the present invention one of the sides can be removed after the sheep is rotated to have access to the sheep,

8. In accordance with claim 1 of the present invention where the side walls or supports can spiral about the longitudinal axis so that as the sheep is driven along the tube it is inverted,

9. In accordance with claim 6 of the present invention where the side walls are tube 00 O conveyors to assist in driving the sheep.

10. In accordance with claim 1 and the preceding claims of the present invention a plurality of support tubes arranged longitudinally

11. In accordance with claim 8 of the present invention each tube with conveyor is driven independently C

12. In accordance with claim 9 of the present invention each tube with conveyor is driven 00 with consecutively faster speed on the second tube to the first separating the sheep. Ci

13. In accordance with claim 1 and the preceding claims of the present invention a plurality of tubes fitted in an arrangement to index and hold a number of sheep greater than Dated: 10 July 2008 Andrew J. Wytkin CUSTOMER ID: 6910022097