ES1244914U - Animal feeder (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Feeder (1) for animals, especially suitable for pigs, comprising a hopper (2) with a lower mouth (2a) for the exit of the feed or grain used to feed the animals, a feeder plate (3) arranged in its lower part that collects the food that falls by gravity from the interior of the hopper (2), and means for regulating the food supplied, characterized in that said regulation means comprise - a distributor support (7) provided with a tubular upper portion (7a) coupled with adjustment to the lower mouthpiece (2a) of the hopper (2), and a lower portion (7b) divided into two extensions, like legs (8), essentially vertical, each one arranged so as to open onto a respective feeding plate (3); and - two sliding pipes (9), each telescopically coupled to a leg (8), each provided with a lower outlet (9a) for unloading the food, and each sliding pipe (9) being independently operable, so that the telescopic displacement of each sliding spout (9), between an upper position of maximum opening and a lower position of minimum opening or closing, allows to regulate the effective height of the lower discharge outlet (9a) with respect to the area of the feeding bowl arranged immediately below. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Animal feeder

Technical sector of the invention

The invention relates to an animal feeder, especially suitable for pigs.

Background of the Invention

Currently, multiple variants of feeders for pigs are known, which basically consist of a container configured as a hopper, generally prismatic or frusto-conical, provided with a lower mouthpiece for the exit of the feed or grain used to feed the animals, and a feeder plate arranged in its lower part that collects the food that falls by gravity from inside the hopper.

Usually, conventional feeders also comprise means for regulating the quantity or dose of feed supplied, which allow regular amounts of feed to be discharged onto the feeder plate at the request of the animal. Occasionally, the feeders comprise an actuator element, such as a lever or button that causes a dispenser tray to be shaken, located below or in the lower mouth of the hopper.

By way of example, patent ES2319247, of the same owner as the present invention, discloses an animal feeder hopper that comprises regulation means provided with a distribution tray arranged under the lower mouth of the hopper, on which it is accumulated a quantity of feed that falls freely by gravity through said mouth. In this case, the distribution tray is hingedly attached to a support body attached to the hopper, and in addition, said tray has a pendulum lever for its operation that protrudes below it, capable of being easily actuated by an animal . To this end, when an animal in search of food pushes the pendulum lever, there is a sudden displacement of the distribution tray from its normal resting position, so that the feed accumulated on said tray falls by gravity towards the feeding plate, The more feed is unloaded, the feed from the lower mouth of the hopper occupies the free space of the feed displaced, thus accumulating a new dose of feed on the distribution tray.

It should be noted that on occasions it is necessary to modify the quantities of food supplied for its adaptation, among other factors, to the type of animal, to the phase of growth or fattening of the animal, or even to completely prevent the unloading of food when periods of fasting for certain animals, such as pigs.

In order to regulate the amount of feed that is released each time the distribution tray is operated by the animal through the pendulum lever, hoppers are known that also have means to regulate the distance that separates the distribution tray with respect to the lower mouth of the hopper. The greater the distance, the greater the amount of feed that may accumulate on the distribution tray.

Patent ES2341148, from the same applicant as the present application, discloses an alternative solution to regulate the quantity of food supplied. In this solution, the feeder is equipped with a regulation device that includes a tubular body with a section similar to that of the lower mouth of the hopper, telescopically attachable to it, which allows its height adjustment. In this way, the feed falls freely by gravity towards the feeding plate, leaving in turn a quantity of said feed stored in the interior space of the tubular body, which can be progressively discharged as the animal eats the feed deposited on the plate feeder. The telescopic displacement of the tubular body allows to regulate the separation distance between its lower discharge mouth and the feeder plate, thus varying the effective length of the hopper. Therefore, the greater the separation distance, the greater the feed rate supplied on the feeding plate.

In addition, the aforementioned regulation device comprises a vertical inner rod joined jointly by its lower part to said tubular body, and actuating means on the rod accessible by a user from the upper and outer part of the hopper, said rod being capable of be displaced vertically by said drive means, thus dragging the tubular body in its movement.

In this case, the vertical rod actuation means comprise a piece slider attached to the upper end of the vertical rod and mounted with the ability to slide up or down on a guide bar firmly attached to the hopper, the sliding piece being provided with a projection; and a manually operated rotary cam by means of a lever-like command, and the cam being adapted to be fixed at the upper end of the hopper, for example on a lid thereof, and so that its axis of rotation is preferably horizontal , being further provided with an eccentric groove in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cam. In turn, the projection of the sliding part is inserted in the slot of the rotating cam, so that turning it in one direction around its axis causes the sliding part to rise, while turning in the opposite direction produces the descent of the sliding piece. Consequently, by turning the knob it is possible to raise or lower the rod, and therefore the telescopic tubular body, depending on whether the knob is turned in one direction or the opposite.

Usually, farms contain several enclosures or compartments intended to group animals according to their feeding requirements, for example, depending on the type of animal, its weight, its growth phase, among other factors.

Utility model ES1203886 refers to a single hopper with two feed outlets, provided with two pendulum-operated dispenser trays, each arranged in one of the outlets, so that each dispenser tray can be independently adjusted in height to adjust to will the amount of feed supplied by each outlet that gets into a corresponding feeder plate. This allows with the same hopper to feed two groups of livestock that require a different feeding regime.

However, it would be desirable to have an alternative solution to the hoppers that use two pendulum-operated distribution trays described above, which allows the amount of feed or grain supplied to be regulated independently on each hopper feeder plates in a simpler and effective.

It would also be of interest that said solution guarantees adequate accessibility of the animal to the food dispensed. It is not desirable that gaps, interstices or empty spaces inaccessible by animals be created between the discharge mouths and the walls of the respective feeder plates.

Explanation of the invention

In order to provide a solution to the problems posed, an animal feeder, especially suitable for pigs, is disclosed, which comprises a hopper with a lower mouthpiece for the exit of the feed or grain used to feed the animals, a feeder plate arranged in its lower part that collects the food that falls by gravity from the interior of the hopper, and means for regulating the supplied food, characterized in that said regulation means comprise

- a distributor support provided with a tubular upper portion coupled with adjustment to the lower mouth of the hopper, and a lower portion divided into two extensions, by way of legs, essentially vertical, each one arranged so as to open onto a respective feeding bowl ; and

- two sliding pipes, each telescopically coupled to a leg, each provided with a lower feed discharge outlet, and each sliding pipe being independently operable, so that the telescopic displacement of each sliding pipe between an upper position with a maximum opening and a lower position of minimum opening or closing, it allows to regulate the effective height of the lower discharge outlet with respect to the area of the feeder plate arranged immediately below.

Thanks to the arrangement of the distributor support and the two telescopic sliding spouts, it is possible to independently regulate the quantity of food supplied in different areas of the feeding bowl in a simpler and more efficient way than the devices known in the state of the art that used pendulum drive distribution trays.

The greater the separation distance between the outlet mouth of a sliding spout with respect to the associated area of the feeder plate, the greater the rate of food supplied over said area of the feeder plate.

Preferably, the feeder plate is configured so that the food fed in the areas immediately below each slide spout does not mix. To this end, it is foreseen that there will be a separating partition on the feeding plate, arranged between the sliding spouts. The partition can be factory-formed or, preferably, removable, so that if it is removed, the feeder can be used to feed animals in the same room, ideally selecting the same position for the two movable spouts.

In an embodiment of interest, the upper portion of the distributor support has an essentially circular cross section similar to that of the lower mouth of the hopper, and the two legs of the distributor support are configured in such a way that the projection of their cross sections practically occupies the entire cross-sectional area of the upper portion of the distributor support.

Preferably, each leg of the distributor support has a "D" shaped cross section, which defines a straight side wall and an essentially semicircular peripheral wall, both legs also being arranged symmetrically with their respective straight side walls facing each other and joined superiorly by an essentially horizontal diametrical portion of the distributor support, which determines a minimum separation distance between both legs. In correspondence with this shape, each telescopic sliding spout also has a "D" shaped cross section similar to that of the respective leg to ensure the correct clearance the adequate movement of the sliding pipes with respect to the respective legs.

According to this embodiment, the partition that separates two areas in the feeder plate is located between the straight walls of the sliding pipes.

Therefore, the facing parts of the sliding pipes and the partition wall will be parallel arranged, thus avoiding the formation of spaces or gaps between facing surfaces of difficult access for the animals.

This particular "D" shaped configuration of the sliding pipes is an optimal embodiment compared to other possible embodiments, for example compared to an alternative arrangement in which the two sliding pipes have a circular cross section and the separating partition is oriented tangent to the sliding pipes, since in this case the formation of corners or spaces of difficult access in the areas close to the point of tangency would be inevitable, which would significantly hinder the adequate access of the animal to food in said areas.

According to another characteristic in a variant of interest of the feeder, the bottom of the feeder plate comprises an elevation arranged below the lower discharge outlets of the sliding pipes, intended to prevent the food directly discharged on said elevation from being soaked with liquids that could be supplied to the periphery of the plate feeder.

Advantageously, the regulation means comprise two essentially vertical inner rods, each one respectively linked to a sliding spout for its independent actuation, each rod being jointly connected by its lower end to the respective sliding spout, and coupled by its end. superior to some actuation means configured to procure its vertical displacement, thus dragging in its movement its respective sliding spout.

According to a preferred embodiment, the actuation means of each rod comprise an eccentric rotating axis rotary cam manually operable by means of a lever-like command, said command being accessible from the upper part of the hopper, and said rotating cam being connected by transmission means to the upper end of the rod, so that by turning the knob in one direction or the other, the rod can be raised or lowered, and therefore the respective telescopic sliding spout.

Advantageously, the eccentric axes of rotation of both cams are coaxial, and are assembled in the same support for housing the cams that is fixed on the upper part of the hopper, thus leaving both lever controls arranged on one side and another of said support symmetrically.

Brief description of the drawings

The attached drawings illustrate, by way of non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment for an animal feeder according to the invention. In said drawings:

- Fig.1 is a perspective view of the trough according to the invention;

- Fig. 2 is a cross section of the trough of Fig. 1, showing a position of use of the regulation means in which one of the telescopic sliding pipes is in its minimum open or closed position, while the another is in its maximum open position;

- Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the lower area of the trough of Fig. 2, according to a vertical section plane, to better show the regulation means;

- Fig. 4 is an elevation view of the distributor support that can be fixedly attached to the lower mouth of the feeder hopper;

- Fig.5 is a plan view of the distributor support of Fig. 4;

- Fig. 6a is a sectional perspective view of the regulation means, showing a position of use in which the two telescopic sliding pipes are in their minimum open or closed position;

- Fig. 6b is a view analogous to Fig. 6a, showing another position of use according to Figs. 2 and 3, in which one of the telescopic sliding pipes is in its minimum open or closed position, while the other is in its maximum open position;

- Fig. 7a is a perspective view of the upper part of the hopper, showing the two lever controls for the independent actuation of two telescopic sliding supports, where both controls are rotated in an angular position in which the two sliding pipes telescopes are in their minimum open or closed position, as shown in Fig. 6a; and

- Fig. 7b is a view analogous to Fig. 7a, showing the two controls in an angular position in which one of the telescopic sliding pipes is in its minimum open or closed position, while the other is in its maximum opening position, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6b.

Detailed description of the drawings

In figures 1 and 2, an animal feeder 1, especially suitable for pigs, is represented, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a hopper 2 with a lower mouth 2a for the exit of the feed or grain used for the feeding of the animals, and a feeder plate 3 arranged in its lower part to collect the food that falls by gravity from the interior of the hopper 2.

As can be seen in Figures 3 to 5, the feeder 1 is also provided with means for regulating the quantity of the food supplied, which in the example comprise - a dispenser support 7 provided with a tubular upper portion 7a coupled with adjustment to the lower mouth 2a of the hopper 2, and a lower portion 7b divided into two extensions, like legs 8, essentially vertical, each one arranged in such a way as to open onto a respective feeder plate 3; and

- two sliding pipes 9, each telescopically coupled to a leg 8, each provided with a lower outlet 9a for unloading the food, and each sliding pipe 9 being independently controllable, so that the telescopic displacement of each sliding pipe 9 , between an upper position of maximum opening and a lower position of minimum opening or closing, allows to regulate the effective height of the lower discharge outlet 9a with respect to the area of the feeder plate 3 arranged immediately below.

In this embodiment, the feeder plate 3 has a single bottom but is compartmentalized by means of a separating partition 4. This partition 4 is vertically oriented and is arranged between the sliding pipes 9 (see for example figure 3).

Likewise, the feeder 1 has on both sides of the hopper 2 a separator panel 5 and conventional anchoring means 6 for the installation of the feeder 1 on a wall (not shown) of the farm that separates two adjacent enclosures. In this way, each area of the feeder plate 3 on each side of the partition 4 is arranged inside a respective enclosure.

Figures 2, 3 and 6b show a position of use in which one of the telescopic sliding pipes 9 - the one on the left in the figures - is in its minimum open or closed position, while the other is located in its maximum open position. Figure 6a shows the position in which the two telescopic sliding pipes 9 are in their minimum open or closed position.

As can be seen in Figures 4 and 5, the upper portion 7a of the distributor support 7 has an essentially circular cross-section, similar to that of the lower mouth 2a of the hopper 2, while the two legs 8 of the distributor support 7 they are configured in such a way that the projection of their cross sections practically takes advantage of the entire cross sectional area of the upper portion 7a of the distributor support 7.

In the shown embodiment, each leg 8 of the distributor support 7 has a "D" shaped cross section, which defines a straight side wall 8a and an essentially semicircular peripheral wall 8b (see figure 5), with both legs 8 also being symmetrically arranged with their respective straight side walls 8a facing each other and joined superiorly by means of an essentially horizontal diametrical portion 8c of the distributor support 7, which determines a minimum separation distance between both legs 8. Accordingly, each telescopic sliding spout 9 also has a cross section in the form of a "D" similar to that of the respective leg 8 to ensure with the correct clearance the adequate movement of the sliding pipes 9 with respect to the respective legs 8.

In the example, the bottom of the feeder plate 3 comprises an elevation 10 in the area immediately below the lower outlets 9a for the discharge of the sliding pipes 9, intended to prevent the food directly discharged on said elevation 10 from being soaked with liquids that could be supplied to the periphery of the feeder plate 3.

Furthermore, each sliding spout 9 comprises on its outer surface a plurality of fins 11 (see figure 3) provided to facilitate contact by striking the animal on the respective sliding spout 9 in search of food, thus causing vibrations in the whole of all the hopper 2 of sufficient magnitude so that the food falls on the respective feeder plate 3.

As can be seen, for example, in Figures 2 and 3, the regulation means comprise two essentially vertical inner rods 12, each linked respectively to a sliding spout 9 for its independent operation, each rod 12 being connected for this purpose jointly by its lower end to the respective sliding spout 9, and coupled by its upper end to actuation means of known type, configured to procure its vertical displacement, thus dragging in its movement its respective sliding spout 9.

Referring now to Figures 7a and 7b, said actuation means for each rod 12 comprise a cam (not shown) with an eccentric axis of rotation 13 manually operable by a lever 14 as a lever, said lever 14 being accessible from the upper part 2b of hopper 2. Said cam is connected by means of transmission (not shown) to the upper end of rod 12, so that by turning knob 14 one way or the other, it is possible to raise or lower rod 12, and therefore the respective telescopic sliding spout 9.

In patent ES2341148 cited in the background section of the present application, an example of said rod actuation means 12 is described in more detail.

It is, however, particular to the embodiment exemplified by the present invention, that the eccentric axes of rotation 13 of both cams have been arranged coaxially, and are assembled in the same cams housing support 15 that is fixed on the upper part 2b of the hopper 2, thus leaving both lever controls 14 arranged on one side and the other of said support 15 symmetrically.

In figure 7a the two controls 14 are shown rotated in an angular position in which the two telescopic sliding pipes 9 are in their minimum open or closed position (see figure 6a); while in figure 7b the two controls 15 are shown in an angular position in which one of the telescopic sliding pipes 9 is in its minimum open or closed position, while the other is in its maximum open position ( see figures 2, 3 and 6b).

Claims (8)

1. Feeder (1) for animals, especially suitable for pigs, comprising a hopper (2) with a lower mouth (2a) for the exit of the feed or grain used to feed the animals, a feeder plate (3) arranged in its lower part that collects the food that falls by gravity from the interior of the hopper (2), and means for regulating the food supplied, characterized in that said regulation means comprise - a distributor support (7) provided with a tubular upper portion (7a) coupled with adjustment to the lower mouthpiece (2a) of the hopper (2), and a lower portion (7b) divided into two extensions, like legs ( 8), essentially vertical, each one arranged so as to open onto a respective feeding plate (3); and - two sliding pipes (9), each telescopically coupled to a leg (8), each provided with a lower outlet (9a) for unloading the food, and each sliding pipe (9) being independently operable, so that the telescopic displacement of each sliding spout (9), between an upper position of maximum opening and a lower position of minimum opening or closing, allows to regulate the effective height of the lower discharge outlet (9a) with respect to the area of the feeder plate arranged immediately below. 2. Feeder (1) for animals, according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper portion (7a) of the distributor support (7) has an essentially circular cross section similar to that of the lower mouth (2a) of the hopper (2) , and because the two legs (8) of the distributor support (7) are configured in such a way that the projection of their cross sections practically takes advantage of the entire cross-sectional area of the upper portion (7 a) of the distributor support (7) . 3. Animal feeder (1), according to claim 2, characterized in that each leg (8) of the distributor support (7) has a "D" shaped cross section, which defines a straight side wall (8a) and a wall essentially semicircular peripheral (8b), both legs (8) also being arranged symmetrically with their respective straight side walls (8a) facing each other and joined superiorly by means of an essentially horizontal diametral portion (8c) of the distributor support (7), which determines a minimum separation distance between both legs (8); presenting each pipe in correspondence telescopic sliding (9) a cross section in the form of "D" similar to that of the respective leg (8) to ensure with just enough clearance the proper movement of the sliding pipes (9) with respect to the respective legs (8). Feeder (1) for animals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the feeder plate (3) is configured so that the food fed in the areas immediately below each sliding spout (9) does not mix, providing To this end, there is a separating partition (4) in the feeder plate (3), arranged between the sliding pipes (9), where appropriate, adjacent to the straight side walls thereof. 5. Feeder (1) for animals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom of the feeder plate (3) comprises a rise (10) immediately below the lower outlets (9a) for unloading the sliding pipes (9 ), intended to prevent the food directly unloaded on said elevation (10) from being soaked with liquids that could be supplied to the periphery of the feeder plate (3). 6. Feeder (1) for animals, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the regulation means further comprise two internal rods (12), essentially vertical, each linked respectively to a sliding spout (9) for its actuation of independently, each rod (12) being jointly connected at its lower end to the respective sliding spout (9), and coupled at its upper end to actuation means configured to procure its vertical displacement, thus dragging its movement to its respective sliding spout (9). 7. Feeder (1) for animals, according to claim 6, characterized in that the actuation means of each rod (12) comprise a rotating cam with an eccentric axis of rotation (13) manually operable by means of a lever-like control (14) , said control (14) being accessible from the upper part (2b) of the hopper (2), and said rotating cam being connected by means of transmission means to the upper end of the rod (12), so that when turning the control (14) in one direction or the other, it is possible to raise or lower the rod (12), and therefore the respective telescopic sliding spout (9). 8. Feeder (1) for animals, according to claim 7, characterized in that the eccentric rotational axes (13) of both cams are coaxial, and are assembled in the same support (15) for accommodating the cams that is fixed on the upper part (2b) of the hopper (2), thus leaving both lever controls (14) arranged on one side and the other of said support (15) symmetrically.