GB1599455A - Animal conveyor - Google Patents

Animal conveyor Download PDF

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Publication number
GB1599455A
GB1599455A GB511478A GB511478A GB1599455A GB 1599455 A GB1599455 A GB 1599455A GB 511478 A GB511478 A GB 511478A GB 511478 A GB511478 A GB 511478A GB 1599455 A GB1599455 A GB 1599455A
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GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
conveyor
animal
platform
belts
animals
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
GB511478A
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
CROOK A S
Original Assignee
CROOK A S
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by CROOK A S filed Critical CROOK A S
Priority to GB511478A priority Critical patent/GB1599455A/en
Publication of GB1599455A publication Critical patent/GB1599455A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
    • A22B—SLAUGHTERING
    • A22B7/00—Slaughterhouse arrangements
    • A22B7/001—Conveying arrangements
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K1/00—Housing animals; Equipment therefor
    • A01K1/06—Devices for fastening animals, e.g. halters, toggles, neck-bars or chain fastenings
    • A01K1/0613—Devices for immobilisation or restraint of animals, e.g. chutes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G15/00—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration
    • B65G15/10—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface
    • B65G15/12—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface with two or more endless belts
    • B65G15/14—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface with two or more endless belts the load being conveyed between the belts
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Animal Husbandry (AREA)
  • Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Structure Of Belt Conveyors (AREA)

Description

(54) ANIMAL CONVEYOR (71) I, ANDREW SIDNEY CROOK, a British Subject, of 29 Southfield Drive, West Bradford, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 4TU, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention concerns an animal conveyor which enables animals, for example farm animals, such as sheep, or pigs, to be segregated and progressed individually and successively so that they can conveniently be handled and/or treated individually, for example by inoculation, worm drenching or foot paring.
It is already known, of course, to provide for farm animals, such as horses, sheep and cattle, to pass successively to or past a treatment station by the simple expedient of erecting fences which converge to a gangway through which the animals can only pass one at a time. The animals are then driven into the space between the fences, so that they have to pass individually through the gangway. This arrangement, of course, is dependent upon the animals themselves for their mobility, and there is no effective control of the speed of movement of the animals.
Conveyor arrangements comprising a side-by-side pair of conveyors whose upper runs are disposed to define a V along which animals are progressed individually at a predetermined speed, independently of the animals' own capability of moving, are already known, but none of these is specifically adjustable according to the sizes of the animals being treated. It is an object of the present invention to provide such an arrangement.
With this object in view, the present invention provides an animal conveyor characterised in that it comprises a side-byside spaced-apart pair of endless conveyor belts each mounted to move substantially horizontallv with its upper run in a plane inclined to the horizontal so that the two said upper runs define a V for entry therebetween of animals to be conveyed, for their bodies to be supported by the belts with their legs hanging down between the belts at the root of the V, means for varying the spacing apart of the upper runs of the conveyor belts according to the sizes of the animals to be conveyed, and drive means for driving said belts at substantially equal speeds.
The drive means may comprise hydraulic or pneumatic motors, preferably it comprises a respective electric motor for each said conveyor belt.
The angles of the planes of the upper runs of the two endless belts should, of course, be such as to provide firm, reliable and comfortable support for the animals being handled by the conveyor, with there being a minimum risk of animals tending to slip downwards and to become squeezed between the belts. In practice, these requirements are found to be met if the angle of the plane of each upper run of the endless belts is at approximately 45" to the vertical, although it will readily be understood that variations, for instance of up to 10 to either side of the 45" disposition, may be practical according to the size, nature and weight of the animals being handled.
The arrangement of the invention is adapted for adjustment of the spacing between the upper runs of the two endless belts, in accordance with the sizes of the animals being handled, it being readily understood that the conveyors need to be more widely spaced when handling cattle than when handling sheep. For this purpose each said endless conveyor is conveniently supported by a respective upright frame whose angle relative to the vertical is adjustable to vary the spacing between the upper runs of said conveyor belts.
To provide for animals approaching the conveyor to follow a declining path so that their bodies move down and come into contact with, and become supported by the upper runs of the conveyor belts, the arrangement of the invention preferably further includes, at the entry end of the conveyor, an entry platform lowerable to lower an animal supported thereby into the posi tion supported by the belts. This entry platform may conveniently be adapted to sink under the weight of an animal standing thereon, and may, then, be supported by inclined substantially parallel struts which are spring-loaded into a raised position of the entry platform.
The conveyor preferably includes also a fixed exit platform onto which animals can walk upon being carried thereto by the endless belts. This exit platform advantageously has an inclined leading end to facilitate the walking thereon of the animals carried by the endless belts.
The arrangement of the invention is preferably such that it is located at the distal end of a gangway leading from and disposed so as not to be directly visible from a pen from which animals are supplied to the conveyor.
The invention wifl-be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the conveyor of the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional end view taken as indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan, to a reduced scale showing how the conveyor of Figs. 1 and 2 may in practice, be installed at the distal end of a short gangway leading from an animal pen.
The illustrated embodiment of the animal conveyor of the invention comprises a spaced-apart pair of upright frames, indicated generally by the reference numerals 10 and 11 each of which frames comprises at least two tubular uprights 12, 13, connected at their upper ends by respective boxsectioned girders 14, the two girders 14 extending substantially parallel to one another. The lower ends of the uprights 12, 13 are mounted in respective transverse anchors formed by pairs of angle bars 14, 15 and 16, 17 by means of pivot pins of which three are shown at 18, 19 and 20. It will be appreciated that the pivot pins 18 and 20 of the frame 10 are aligned and substantially parallel to the longitudinal directions of the girders 14, as also are the pivot pins of which only the pin 19 can be seen in the drawings of the frame 11. Thus, the two frames 10 and 11 can be adjusted about the axes provided by these pivot pins so as to vary the spacing apart of the girders 14 at the upper ends of teuprights 12,13.
Adjustment of the upright attitudes of the two frames 10, 11 can be effected by means of a pair of rods 22, 23 which are oppositely-threaded at their two ends and engage into respective threaded holes through respective lugs (of which only lugs 24, 25 can be seen in Fig. 2) fixed to the corresponding uprights 12, of the two frames 10, 11. A respective collar 26 midway along each rod 22, 23 is located so as to be captive between a pair of confining plates 27, thereby to restrain the rod 22, 23 against axial movement so that rotation of the rod 22 or 23 will cause equal and symmetrical pivotal movement of the two frames 10 and 11, about the pivot axes of their pivot pins towards and awav from one another.
Each upright frame 10, 11 serves to support a plurality of angle-sectioned arms 28 each of which is connected by its upper end to the respective girder 14 and extends downwardly at an angle of about 45" relative to the vertical. As can be seen from Fig.
2, the arms 28 extend symmetrically inwards of the space between the two frames 10, 11, towards each other, and it will be understood that on each frame 10, 11 the respective arms 28 are aligned with and parallel to one another. Fish plates 29 serves to strut the arms 28 relative to their uprights 12.
Adjacent their lower ends, the arms 28 of each frame 10 and 11 support a respective pair of slide boxes 30,31 which extend para llel to the respective frame 10, 11, from end to end of the latter, and are spaced apart slightly to provide a narrow gap 32 therebetween. The slide box 30 is of invertedchannel section providing a respective sliding surface 33 which is at approximately 45" to the horizontal, whilst the box 31 is of angled configuration providing a respective sliding surface 34 parallel to the surface 33 and a respective smooth guard surface 35 which extends vertically downwards past the lower ends of the arms 28. These slide boxes 30, 31 serve to support the respective upper runs 36 of two endless conveyor belts 37, 38, these belts each being of a cross-section such as to provide a respective central rib 39 which locates in the respective gap 32 between the boxes 30, 31, thereby to guide the runs of the belts 37, 38.
At one end, which is the "entry" end of the conveyor, each belt extends around a respective idler roller 40 journalled in respective support plates 41, 42 carried in an extension 43 of the respective upright frame 10, 11 adjusting means (not visible) being provided to enable these idler rollers 40 to be displaced to vary the tensions in the respective belts 37, 38.
At the other end, which is the "exit" end of the conveyor, each belt 37, 38 extends around a respective drive roller 44 journalled in respective support plates 45, 46 forming an extension of the respective upright frame 10, 11, the support plate 45 in each case carrying a respective electric motor 47 by which the drive roller 44 is rotated. The two motors 47 are appropriately correlated, connected together, or otherwise adapted to drive their respective belts 37, 38 at substantially equal speeds. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the drive rollers 44 are circumferen tially grooved midway along their lengths for the respective ribs 39 to locate therein, and it will be understood that the idler rollers 40 are correspondingly grooved.
A respective filler box 70 providing a sliding surface 71 flush with the surface of the upper run of the respective belt is supported by the arms 28 above the slide boxes 30.
At the entry end of the conveyor, there is a fixed platform 48 disposed between the extensions 43 and at least partially supported by legs 49. Extending as a continuation of this fixed platform is an entry platform 50 which is supported from below by parallel pairs of struts 51, 52 pivotally connected to a ground structure 53 by pivots 54. Springs 55 between the struts 51 and the adjacent legs 49 serve to load the entry platform 50 into its position illustrated in Fig. 1, and the arrangement is such that upon an animal, such as a sheep, walking onto the platform 50, the latter will sink slowly. If desired, a damping arrangement (not shown) may be provided to ensure that the downward movement of the platform 50 is relatively slow, and no sudden movements arise.
At the exit end of the conveyor, there is a fixed exit platform 56 supported on legs 57 this having a gently upwardly-inclined leading end 58.
The conveyor, as described, will of course be installed in such a way that animals, such as sheep, will approach the same at the level of the fixed platform 48. This can, therefore, be achieved by installing the conveyor structure in an appropriate dug-out or hollow in the ground, or by providing a gentlyinclined approach ramp to the platform 48.
It is desirable that animals approaching the conveyor should not have direct visibility of the conveyor except at the final approach, and for this reason an arrangement similar to that illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3 is desirable. In this, the conveyor, indicated generally by the numeral 60, is provided at the distal end of a curved gangway 61 leading from a pen 62 for the animals.
Each successive animal, walking along the gangway 61, eventually reaches the entry platform 50 which, as described, sinks slowly under the weight of the animal. As a result, the animal is lowered gently so that the sides of its body rest upon the upper runs of the endless belts 37, 38 and its legs hang down in the gap between said belts.
The belts 37, 38 being driven, the animal is progressed at a predetermined speed along the conveyor, and whilst this is occurring the animal can be subjected to any desired treatment, e.g.inoculation, worm drenching or foot paring. As the animal approaches the exit end of the conveyor, its feet encounter the inclined leading end 58 of the exit platform 56 and the animal is able then to walk onto the platform and away from the conveyor.
It will readily be understood that the spacing between the belts 37, 38 can be adjusted, by means of the threaded rods 22, 23, according to the size of the animals being handled.
The invention is not confined to the precise details of the example illustrated in the drawings and above described, and variations may be made thereto within the scope of the following claims.
WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. An animal conveyor characterised in that it comprises a side-by-side spaced-apart pair of endless conveyor belts each mounted to move substantially horizontally with its upper run in a plane inclined to the horizontal so that the two said upper runs define a V for entry therebetween of animals to be conveyed, for their bodies to be supported by the belts with their legs hanging down between the belts at the root of the V, means for varying the spacing apart of the upper runs of the conveyor belts according to the sizes of the animals to be conveyed, and drive means for driving said belts at substantially equal speeds.
2. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drive means comprises a respective motor for each said endless conveyor belt.
3. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 2 wherein the said motors are electric motors.
4. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the endless conveyor belts are disposed with the planes of their upper runs at approximately 45" to the horizontal.
5. An animal conveyor as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each said endless conveyor belt is supported by a respective upright frame whose angle relative to the vertical is adjustable to vary the spacing between the upper runs of said conveyor belts.
6. An animal conveyor as claimed in any preceding claim further characterised by the provision, at the entry end of said conveyor of an entry platform lowerable to lower an animal supported thereby into the position supported by the belts.
7. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 6 wherein the entry platform is adopted to sink under the weight of an animal standing thereon.
8. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 7 wherein the entry platform is supported by inclined substantially parallel struts spring-loaded into a raised position of the entry platform.
9. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 6, 7, or 8 further including a fixed exit platform onto which animals can walk upon
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (12)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. tially grooved midway along their lengths for the respective ribs 39 to locate therein, and it will be understood that the idler rollers 40 are correspondingly grooved. A respective filler box 70 providing a sliding surface 71 flush with the surface of the upper run of the respective belt is supported by the arms 28 above the slide boxes 30. At the entry end of the conveyor, there is a fixed platform 48 disposed between the extensions 43 and at least partially supported by legs 49. Extending as a continuation of this fixed platform is an entry platform 50 which is supported from below by parallel pairs of struts 51, 52 pivotally connected to a ground structure 53 by pivots 54. Springs 55 between the struts 51 and the adjacent legs 49 serve to load the entry platform 50 into its position illustrated in Fig. 1, and the arrangement is such that upon an animal, such as a sheep, walking onto the platform 50, the latter will sink slowly. If desired, a damping arrangement (not shown) may be provided to ensure that the downward movement of the platform 50 is relatively slow, and no sudden movements arise. At the exit end of the conveyor, there is a fixed exit platform 56 supported on legs 57 this having a gently upwardly-inclined leading end 58. The conveyor, as described, will of course be installed in such a way that animals, such as sheep, will approach the same at the level of the fixed platform 48. This can, therefore, be achieved by installing the conveyor structure in an appropriate dug-out or hollow in the ground, or by providing a gentlyinclined approach ramp to the platform 48. It is desirable that animals approaching the conveyor should not have direct visibility of the conveyor except at the final approach, and for this reason an arrangement similar to that illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3 is desirable. In this, the conveyor, indicated generally by the numeral 60, is provided at the distal end of a curved gangway 61 leading from a pen 62 for the animals. Each successive animal, walking along the gangway 61, eventually reaches the entry platform 50 which, as described, sinks slowly under the weight of the animal. As a result, the animal is lowered gently so that the sides of its body rest upon the upper runs of the endless belts 37, 38 and its legs hang down in the gap between said belts. The belts 37, 38 being driven, the animal is progressed at a predetermined speed along the conveyor, and whilst this is occurring the animal can be subjected to any desired treatment, e.g.inoculation, worm drenching or foot paring. As the animal approaches the exit end of the conveyor, its feet encounter the inclined leading end 58 of the exit platform 56 and the animal is able then to walk onto the platform and away from the conveyor. It will readily be understood that the spacing between the belts 37, 38 can be adjusted, by means of the threaded rods 22, 23, according to the size of the animals being handled. The invention is not confined to the precise details of the example illustrated in the drawings and above described, and variations may be made thereto within the scope of the following claims. WHAT I CLAIM IS:
1. An animal conveyor characterised in that it comprises a side-by-side spaced-apart pair of endless conveyor belts each mounted to move substantially horizontally with its upper run in a plane inclined to the horizontal so that the two said upper runs define a V for entry therebetween of animals to be conveyed, for their bodies to be supported by the belts with their legs hanging down between the belts at the root of the V, means for varying the spacing apart of the upper runs of the conveyor belts according to the sizes of the animals to be conveyed, and drive means for driving said belts at substantially equal speeds.
2. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drive means comprises a respective motor for each said endless conveyor belt.
3. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 2 wherein the said motors are electric motors.
4. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the endless conveyor belts are disposed with the planes of their upper runs at approximately 45" to the horizontal.
5. An animal conveyor as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each said endless conveyor belt is supported by a respective upright frame whose angle relative to the vertical is adjustable to vary the spacing between the upper runs of said conveyor belts.
6. An animal conveyor as claimed in any preceding claim further characterised by the provision, at the entry end of said conveyor of an entry platform lowerable to lower an animal supported thereby into the position supported by the belts.
7. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 6 wherein the entry platform is adopted to sink under the weight of an animal standing thereon.
8. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 7 wherein the entry platform is supported by inclined substantially parallel struts spring-loaded into a raised position of the entry platform.
9. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 6, 7, or 8 further including a fixed exit platform onto which animals can walk upon
being carried thereto by the endless belts.
10. An animal conveyor as claimed in claim 9 wherein the leading end of the exit platform is inclined.
11. An animal conveyor as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that it is located at the distal end of a gangway leading from and disposed so as not to be directly visible from a pen from which animals are supplied to the conveyor.
12. An animal conveyor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
GB511478A 1978-05-26 1978-05-26 Animal conveyor Expired GB1599455A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB511478A GB1599455A (en) 1978-05-26 1978-05-26 Animal conveyor

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB511478A GB1599455A (en) 1978-05-26 1978-05-26 Animal conveyor

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB1599455A true GB1599455A (en) 1981-10-07

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB511478A Expired GB1599455A (en) 1978-05-26 1978-05-26 Animal conveyor

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0141384A2 (en) * 1983-10-26 1985-05-15 Banss Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG Restrainer for stunning slaughter cattle
DE3919469A1 (en) * 1989-06-14 1990-12-20 Hackmack Alfred Excavator optional accessory with release mechanism
GB2245535A (en) * 1990-06-28 1992-01-08 David Green Fabrications Ltd Animal husbandry conveyor

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0141384A2 (en) * 1983-10-26 1985-05-15 Banss Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG Restrainer for stunning slaughter cattle
EP0141384A3 (en) * 1983-10-26 1986-10-22 Banss Kg Maschinenfabrik Restrainer for stunning slaughter cattle
DE3919469A1 (en) * 1989-06-14 1990-12-20 Hackmack Alfred Excavator optional accessory with release mechanism
GB2245535A (en) * 1990-06-28 1992-01-08 David Green Fabrications Ltd Animal husbandry conveyor
GB2245535B (en) * 1990-06-28 1993-12-08 David Green Fabrications Ltd An animal husbandry conveyor

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