GB2207842A

GB2207842A - A feeding apparatus for fish

Info

Publication number: GB2207842A
Application number: GB08818657A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mads Busk
Original assignee: Skretting A S T
Current assignee: Skretting A S T
Priority date: 1987-08-14
Filing date: 1988-08-05
Publication date: 1989-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 2008-08-05
Also published as: GB8818657D0; NO162143B; GB2207842B; NO873422L; NO162143C; NO873422D0

Abstract

Feeding apparatus especially for breed fish in seines comprises a container 1 which is intended to be placed above the seine, whence food is dispensed into an underlying, rotary, upwardly open weighing cup 10 in predetermined portions and at predetermined time intervals. The weighing cup 10 is connected to a weigher for weighing each portion before it is hurled out of the cup and distributed to the fish from a disc 11 by centrifugal force. Exact feeding and an accurate indication of amount of food fed are achieved. <IMAGE>

Description

A FEEDING APPARATUS FOR FISH This invention relates to an arrangement of a feeding apparatus for fish, especially for breed fish in seines, comprising a food container intended to be placed above a seine, and wherein the food is fed to the fish from the apparatus by being hurled out by centrifugal force.

Known feeding apparatus for breed fish in seines are very inaccurate when alloting the food, and neither do they give any particular information concerning the amount of food consumed per seine.

Large savings in expenses for food might be achieved by a more accurate feeding, and it is also desirable to provide better information on how much food is at any time being consumed. These measures will improve the economy in breeding plants. Today, this can only be obtained by means of large central feeding plants which, however, have some physical limitations. Therefore, a larger degree of flexibility is desirable.

In accordance with the present invention, one has aimed at providing a feeding apparatus wherein an exact feeding and an accurate indication of the amount of food fed are achievable, and wherein a far larger degree of flexibility than at known large central feeding plants is obtained. Furthermore, the possibilities are sought adjusted for computer control so that the food account becomes perspicuous and less labour demanding.

The present invention accordingly provides an arrangement of feeding apparatus for fish, especially breed fish in seines, comprising a container, intended to be placed above a seine, for holding a quantity of food which is to be fed to the fish by being hurled out from the apparatus by the effect of centrifugal force, characterized in that the food container is associated with an underlying, upwardly open weighing cup into which the food is dropped in dosed predetermined portions, said weighing cup being connected to a weigher for the weighing of each said portion before it is hurled out by centrifugal force.

From the food container, the food is dosed out in portions of desired amount and at desired time intervals. The feeding out of the food may be effected by means of a stationary vibrator or equivalent feeding means. The food lands in an upwardly open weighing cup which preferably is rotatable and which advantageously may be mounted on a common drive shaft with a hurling out disc for the food. The weighing cup rests on a weigher which preferably is connected to an electronic control unit integrated with a micro processor. The micro processor is for example programmed in accordance with a desired feeding out time and desired weight at each feeding operation, and simultaneously measures may be taken to compensate for deviations in amount of food fed out in relation to amount of feed set. Such a feeding apparatus is intended to be placed about each seine.The weighing device may include provision for a wave influence compensation.

An embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention is further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 in side elevation/vertical section shows the lower portion of a feeding apparatus for fish; Figures 2 - 4 show corresponding views/sections on a smaller scale and serve to exemplify the function of the apparatus; Figure 2 illustrating the dosing, Figure 3 the weighing, and Figure 4 the hurling out of the food.

The reference numeral 1 denotes a food container of which only the lower portion is shown. In its lower portion, the food container 1 has an internal downwardly pointing outlet tube 1' wherein radial arms 2 support a drive motor 3 for a stationary vibrator 4 serving as a food feeding out means.

To the lower portion of the food container 1 is bolted a suspension arm 5 carrying a weather protection screen 6 and a motor housing 7 surrounding a drive motor, a weigher and an electronic control unit including a micro processor. Said drive motor, weigher, control unit and micro processor are not shown, but may be of per se known design.

The outgoing vertically upwardly pointing drive shaft 8 of said drive motor is surrounded by a rubber bellows 9 to ensure a water-tight bushing.

The drive shaft 8 is concentric with the outlet tube 1' of the food container 1 and with the vibrating food feeding means 4. On the drive shaft 8 is coaxially mounted a weighing cup 10 and an underlying per se known hurling out disc 11, the action of which is based on the effects of centrifugal force.

The hurling out disc 11 is shaped for its purpose and may e.g. have radial wings or the like in order to increase its effect.

The weather protecting screen 6 surrounds substantially only the upwardly open weighing cup 10 which from its bottom widens conically in the upwards direction so that it is widest at the opening 10'.

Such a design favours the later to be described discharge of the cup 10 in connection with the hurling out of the food.

The amount of food which it is desired to feed out per unit time and the duration of the unit time are set on the electronic control unit which is included as integrated part of the weighing unit and which e.g. may be placed in the motor housing 7, or may be connected separately.

Reference is made to Figures 2 - 4 which in that order illustrate the dosing (Figure 2), the weighing (Figure 3) and the hurling out (Figure 4) of the food.

The amount of food set in the electronic control unit is, according to Figure 2, dosed down from the food container 1 to the weighing cup 10 by means of the vibrating food feeding means 4 while the weighing cup is rotated slowly by means of the drive shaft 8.

By letting the weighing cup 10 perform a slow rotation, a more even distribution of the food in the cup is achieved, but this rotation of the cup during filling is not necessary in order to let the feeding apparatus according to the invention function in accordance with its purpose.

The electronics in said control unit will stop the dosing when the pre-set amount of food (weight) is reached. At this time, the micro processor attends to the stopping of the feeding means 4 so that its vibration ceases. When the feeding means no longer vibrates, the feeding out of food from the container 1 stops, in that food pellets in per se known manner will bridge the narrow feeding slot between the outlet tube 1' of the container and the vibrator 4. Thus, feeding out of food from the container 1 only takes place when the feeding means 4 vibrates. Measures have been taken to eliminate the effect of possible wave movement and to compensate for deviations between weighed and set amount of food, but these will be described later.

The weighing of the amount of food in the cup 10 takes place, according to Figure 3, by means of a weigher (not shown) in the motor housing 7.

After the weighing is effected, the hurling out of the food takes place according to Figure 4, in the following way: The weighing cup 10 and the hurling out disc 11, are as previously mentioned, mounted on the common shaft 8. When the hurling out of food is to start, the drive shaft 8 is put into rapid rotation. The food in the cup 10 will then, as a result of the centrifugal force effect and favoured by the conical shape of the cup, be hurled out of the cup and hit the inner side surfaces of the weather protection screen 6, from where the food drops down on the hurling out disc 11 which hurls the food laterally outwards in per se known manner, so that the food is distributed over a relatively large area of the water surface within the seine.

One feeding apparatus is suspended above each seine - this being contrary to comprehensive central feeding plants - and the various components take accordingly part in the wave movements to which the seine is exposed. Relating to the weighing cup, this may give rise to effects for which compensation must be made. When e.g. a wave-crest lifts the seine, the weighing cup will place an additional pressure on the weigher which thereby indicates a larger food weight than the weighing cup actually contains. Therefore, the micro processor is so programmed it controls the weigher to effect a number of weighings, e.g. in the course of a 10 seconds period, and the micro processor determines the average value of these weighings as the correct weight. Such an average weight calculation is effected at each feeding out of food. If the average value deviates from the value set, this is compensated for at the next dosage of food. Thus, if the set feed weight at each dosage is e.g. 1000 grams and said average value only is 950 grams, the micro processor is programmed to provide for dosage of 1050 grams the next time. If the average value is too high, e.g. 1030 grams, the micro processor provides for the vibrator 4 to vibrate for a shorter time next time, so that weighed-in food weight then only becomes 970 grams.

The wave compensation system has been tried out in practice and has been found to give very accurate results.

Claims

1. An arrangement of feeding apparatus for fish, especially breed fish in seines, comprising a container, intended to be placed above a seine, for holding a quantity of food which is to be fed to the fish by being hurled out from the apparatus by the effect of centrifugal force, characterized in that the food container is associated with an underlying, upwardly open weighin cup into which the food is dropped in dosed predetermined portions, said weighing cup being connected to a weigher for the weighing of each said portion before it is hurled out by centrifugal force.

2. An arrangement as set forth in Claim 1, wherein the feeding apparatus comprises a hurling out disc rotatable about a vertical axis and the function of which is based on centifugal force effect, characterized in that the weighing cup is mounted above the hurling out disc on a common drive shaft.

3. An arrangement as set forth in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the open weighing cup widens conically upwards, thereby to favour the discharge of the cup in connection with the hurling out of the food by centrifugal force effect.

4. An arrangement as set forth in Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the weighing cup is surrounded by a weather protection screen the lower edge of which is a distance above the underlying hurling out disc, so that the food which is hurled out of the weighing cup by centrifugal force hits the inner side surface of the screen from whence it drops down on the hurling out disc.

5. An arrangement as set forth in any of the preceding claims, wherein the food container includes a feeding out means, characterized in that the feeding out means is a stationary vibrator arranged in the lower outlet opening of the container.

6. An arrangement of feeding apparatus for fish, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.