FR2582193A1 - Head for chopping and dispensing food products for livestock and trailer equipped with such a head - Google Patents

Abstract

The chopping and dispensing head consists of a removable casing 6 capping the top part of the fan 1 and containing, on the one hand, all the elements required for chopping the products, and, on the other hand, means for orienting the products in order to enable them to be mixed, chopped, recycled and dispensed, as appropriate. The chopper arranged in the head comprises a device for driving in a single direction of rotation and it interacts with a cutter-holder device 16 equipped with a system protecting against hard objects.

Description

 The present invention relates to a head for chopping and distributing food products for livestock; it also relates to trailers fitted with such a chopping head.

 In document FR-2,528,773 of the applicant, there is described a trailer offering multiple possibilities in the agricultural field and in particular in the handling and transport of food products.

 This is how this trailer allows the distribution of food in the troughs, the production of bedding for livestock, the chopping and preparation of products in the trailer itself and, possibly, the spreading of manure in the open field.

 This type of trailer includes a conveyor device which routes the products to be distributed to a shredding system downstream of which a fan ejects the said products either directly or through a chopper, towards the outside or inside of the trailer to carry out product preparation.

 I1 appeared that the establishment of a chopper above the fan caused difficulties in the realization of the casings become complex by the fact that they enveloped both the fan and the chopper. On the other hand, an incident on the fan or on the chopper often caused additional damage to the other.

 The invention aims to remedy these drawbacks, in particular and first of all, it simplifies the production of the casings surrounding the fan and the chopper.

 The chopping and distribution head according to the invention also offers great operating safety for the chopper and the fan; it also allows rational and more efficient use of the chopper by facilitating its maintenance.

 Another object of the invention is to simplify the various maneuvers which make it possible to use all the possibilities of the trailer.

 According to the invention, the head for chopping and distributing food products for livestock contains the chopper and the means which make it possible, depending on the case, to mix, chop, recycle, distribute the products; this head consists of a removable casing covering the upper part of the fan and containing on the one hand, all the elements necessary for chopping and, on the other hand, the means of orientation of the products ejected according to the cases of intended destination.

 According to the invention, the chopper is arranged substantially vertical to the fan in the housing; it cooperates with a knife-holder device provided with a safety system and it includes a drive by means of a coupling with only one direction of rotation.

 According to another arrangement of the invention, the knife holder is arranged at the upper part of the housing, on the side of the chopper, articulated on the housing along an axis parallel to the axis of the chopper and placed below the level of said axis of the chopper.

 According to another arrangement of the invention, the knife holder comprises two consecutive knives separated by a lunule-shaped chamber whose large arc has a diameter substantially equal to half the diameter of the chopper. These two consecutive knives allow a finer cutting of the straw in particular, when it is used as litter.

 According to another arrangement of the invention, a third retractable knife is disposed in the median plane of the two previous knives; in the active position, this counter-knife defibers the straw strands for the use of the latter in feeding cattle.

 According to a preferred arrangement, the width of this counter knife is substantially equal to twice that of the other knives and its active end is striated in one direction or in both directions.

Still according to the invention, the housing supports, opposite the knife holder with respect to the chopper, a device for sharpening the blades of the chopper; this device is arranged substantially in the horizontal plane passing through the axis of the chopper
According to another arrangement of the invention, the chopper is of the open type, consisting of an axis and discs at the periphery of which the cutting blades are fixed.

 To obtain all the different possibilities of using the trailer, the head comprises, at the periphery of the fan, movable partitions, or flaps, adjustable.

 According to the invention, the casing comprises a hinged flap which allows direct ejection, by a lateral outlet orifice, of the non-chopped products propelled by the fan.

 According to another arrangement of the invention, the casing comprises a movable partition guided by sliding rails, which allows the closing or clearing of the passage of the products towards the chopper; this movable partition comprises a circular part and a rectilinear part extending by a fixed partition to the lower knife of the knife holder.

 The invention also relates to trailers fitted with such a chopping and distribution head.

 The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description and the appended drawings given for information and in which - FIG. 1 is a general view of the tractor, the trailer with its chopping and distribution head according to the invention. invention; - Figure 2 is an enlarged and cutaway view of the part of the head comprising the chopper and the knife holder - Figure 3 is a view of the active end of the defibration counter knife.

 The chopping and distribution head is suitable for a trailer which has a large diameter fan 1 placed at the front and which is driven by the power take-off of the tractor. Such a trailer is notably described in patent FR-2,528,773 of the applicant. The front fan 1 is partially arranged in an envelope 2 secured to the trailer. It supports the axis 3 of the fan and receives the general power source 4 connected to the PTO of the tractor. The casing 2 follows the shape of the fan 1 and ends in a horizontal plane 5, above the axis 3 of said fan 1. The chopping and distribution head rests on this horizontal plane 5, it is made up inter alia , a casing 6 which covers the upper part of the fan 1; this casing 6 is secured to the casing 2 by appropriate means which make it easily removable.

 The head contains a chopper 7 disposed substantially vertically above the fan 1. This chopper-7 is rotated from the power source 4 at a speed of rotation markedly greater than that of the fan 1 given its diameter more low ; this rotation speed ratio is of the order of six to seven for a diameter ratio of the order of three to four. A coupling system of the claw clutch type with a single direction of rotation, is disposed between the chopper and the power source 4. This system, not shown, is arranged on the shaft 8 of the chopper 7, and it is operated by a shoe 9 secured to a rod 10 controlled at will by the user. This coupling allows first of all to operate the fan 1 without the chopper 7 for cases, for example, where the trailer transports products which n 'do not need to be chopped given their nature or destination. The fan 1 then ejects the products without passing through the chopper by means of a lateral opening ll which can be closed off by a movable flap 12 detailed below.

 This coupling also constitutes security because it only plays the clutch role in one direction of rotation; the other direction being free when, for example, an incident causes the fan 1 to stop. The chopper 7 has blades 13, FIG. 2, and its structure is of the open type, that is to say that it consists of two discs 14, at least, integral with the shaft 8, at the periphery of which are fixed said blades 13. This open structure of the chopper 7 allows good evacuation of the air current created by the fan 1.

 On either side of the chopper 7, the head contains other elements associated with the chopping function. Opposite the upper ejection orifice 15 of the chopped products, relative to the chopper 7, there is the knife holder device 16. This device appears in the cut-away part of the drawing and it comprises two knives 17, or counterknives, separated by an interval corresponding substantially to an eighth of the circumference of the chopper 7 and a retractable counter-knife 18 for defibering. The knives 17 are arranged on a support 19 which comprises, between these two knives 17 a chamber 20 in the form of an open lunula and centered on the side of the chopper 7, the diameter of the large arc of circle being substantially less than the radius of the chopper 7.

Each knife 17 is adjustable on the knife holder device and the latter is pivotally mounted around an axis 21 so as to be able to retract automatically and constitute operational safety for the chopper.

 The articulation axis 21 of the knife holder 16 is located below the level of the axis 8 of the chopper, parallel to the latter. The safety member is constituted by one or two bolts 22 arranged laterally in ears 23a and 23b secured respectively to the knife holder 16 and the casing 6 of the head. In the event of rupture of the bolt (s) 22 by elongation, the knife holder 16 pivots about its axis 21 and rocks substantially perpendicular to its normal operating position. This security on the knife holder 16 is intended to prevent any accidental blocking of the chopper 7 when ingestion of hard bodies of all kinds.

 The active end of the counter knife 18 is located, in the inactive working position, on the top of the large arc of the lunar chamber 20; in the active working position, said counter-knife 18 tangents the blades 13 of the chopper 7 in order to achieve defibration of the straw in particular. This counter knife 18 is guided in the median plane 24 of the knives 17 and it is brought into the active position or retracted by any suitable means of the screw-nut type or by a cam system.

 Under the upper ejection orifice 15, and above the adjustable flap 12 there is an automatic sharpening device for the blades 13 of the chopper 7. This device consists of a movable drawer 25, guided parallel to the axis of the chopper 7 by slides 26 integral with the casing 6 constituting the head. A screw 27 makes it possible to adjust, perpendicular to the drawer 25, the knife sharpening tool 13 over their entire width. In the rest position, the drawer 25 is retracted into the thickness of the casing 6 forming the head.

 The casing 6 is therefore placed on the horizontal plane 5 formed by the upper edge of the casing 2 of the fan 1. This casing 6 has, internally, fixed partitions and movable partitions in the form of a flap 12 or retractable hatches.

 When the chopper 7 is kept out of service, the products are ejected directly through the lateral orifice 11 of the casing 6 by keeping the shutter 12 open.

This flap 12 is articulated around an axis 28 arranged in the extension of the movable partition 29, which movable partition 29 extends from said axis 28 to the horizontal joint plane 5 of the casing 6. This partition 29 has a circular part from of the horizontal parting line 5 and ends in a rectilinear part. The adjustable flap 12 is rectilinear and it is in the extension, in the fully open position, of the rectilinear part of the movable partition 29. The section of the outlet orifice 11 is defined by the lateral sides of the casing 6, the adjustable shutter 12 and a fixed partition 30 which is heard up to the upper stop 31 of a portion of curved sheet metal 32 which envelops the fan 1 inside the casing 6.

 When the chopper 7 is operational, the flap 12 is pivoted to place its end 33 at the edge 31 of the fixed partition 30. The partition 29 is pivoted in its slides downwards to take place, as shown in thin lines , along the envelope 2 for its circular part; the end 34 of the rectilinear part of said partition 29 which is positioned against the fixed partition 35 which fixed partition 35 extends to the lower knife 17 passing in front of the pivot axis 21 of the knife holder 16. This arrangement of the walls channels the products to the chopper 7 which, after cutting them in two stages, ejects them through the chute 36 constituted by the side walls and the upper part of the casing 6 as well as a fixed partition 37 inclined downwards from Ilinté - laughing outward; this fixed partition 37 passes over the sharpening device of the chopper 7.

 A hatch 38 in the shape of an arc of a circle closes the space between the upper knife 17 and the edge 39 of the upper part of the casing 6, constituting the chute 36. Two other portions of an arc of a circle 40 and 41, arranged on either side of the sharpening device envelops the chopper 7 between the stop 42 of the fixed partition 37 and the axis 28 of the movable flap 12.

 Fixed and movable partitions can take other forms; in particular, it is therefore possible to replace the movable partition 29 with a simple hatch which would fill the space between the bottom of the casing 6 and the fixed partition 35.

 FIG. 3 represents the active end of the counter knife 18. This extremist has ridges 43 inclined in one direction, regularly spaced, and ridges 44 inclined in the other direction. These striations 43 and 44 produce, with the blades 13 of the chopper 7, a bursting of the fibers and, more particularly, a defibration of the straw.

 The invention is not limited to the embodiment described, it embraces all the variants compatible with each of the appended claims.

Claims (12)

- CLAIMS  1.- Chopping and distribution head for livestock food products, suitable for a trailer comprising a conveyor belt for advancing products towards a fan (1) which ejects, as appropriate, these same products, in a chopper (7) , characterized in that the head consists of a removable casing (6) covering the upper part of the fan (1) and containing on the one hand, all the elements necessary for chopping the products and, on the other hand, means product orientation to allow them to mix, chop, recycle, -distribute.  2.- chopping and distribution head according to claim 1, characterized in that the chopper (7) is disposed substantially vertically of the fan (1) in the housing (6), this chopper (7) cooperates with a device knife holder 16 provided with a safety system and it comprises a drive device with only one direction of rotation by means of a claw coupling.  3.- chopping and distribution head according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the knife holder device (16) cooperating with the chopper (7) is disposed on the side of the chopper (7) and articulated on the casing (6) along an axis (21) parallel to the axis (8) of the chopper (7) and placed below the level of said axis (8).  4. Chopping and dispensing head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the knife holder device (16) comprises two consecutive knives (17) separated on the knife holder (16) by a chamber (20) in the form of a lunula whose large arc has a diameter substantially equal to half the diameter of the chopper (7).  5.- chopping and distribution head according to claim 2, characterized in that the safety system of the knife holder device (16) consists of at least one bolt (22) intended to be broken in the event of ingestion hard bodies and to allow tilting of the knife holder (16) around its axis (21) which is parallel and below the level of the axis (8) of the chopper (7).  6. Chopping and distribution head according to claim 4, characterized in that the knife holder (16) comprises a counter-knife (18) of retractable defibration, situated in the median plane (24) of the knives (17) ; the end of this counter knife (18) is located, in the inactive working position, on the top of the large arc of the lunar chamber (20).  7.- chopping and distribution head according to claim 6, characterized in that the width of the active end of the counter knife (18) is substantially equal to twice that of the knives (17) and that this active end comprises inclined streaks (43, 44) which, with the blades (13) of the chopper (7) defibering.  8. Chopping and distribution head according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the casing (6) comprises, opposite the knife holder (16) relative to the chopper (7), a device for sharpening the blades (13) of said chopper (7) disposed substantially in a horizontal plane passing through the axis (8) of the chopper (7) and consisting of a drawer (25) sliding parallel to the axis ( 8) of the chopper (7) in slides (26).  9. Chopping and distribution head according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the chopper (7) is of the open type, consisting of an axis (8) and two discs (14), at least, on the periphery of which the cutting blades 13 are fixed.  10. Chopping and distribution head according to any one of claims 1 9, characterized in that the casing (6) comprises an articulated flap (12) allowing direct ejection through the lateral evacuation orifice (11) non-chopped products pushed by the fan (1).  11. Chopping and distribution head according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the casing (6) comprises a movable partition (29) guided by slides, allowing the obturation or the clearance of the passage. products to the chopper (7); this movable partition (29) comprises a circular part and a rectilinear part extending by a fixed partition (35) up to the lower knife (17).  12.- Trailer mixing and / or distributing feed for livestock of the type comprising a conveyor belt for conveying products to a shredding system followed by a fan disposed frontally at the front of the trailer, which fan powers, depending on the case, the products through a chopper and then towards a chute allowing an evacuation or a recycling of the products, characterized in that it comprises a chopping and distribution head of the products according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, disposed on the casing (2) of the fan (1).