JP5265611B2 - Automatic feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic feeding device which gives a feeding time, when a timer is operated, and discharges a feed, when a pedal or the like is stepped at the time, and does not discharge the feed, even when the pedal or the like is stepped in a timer-non-operated state. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic feeding device 10 has a casing portion 12 having an opening for charging a feed in the upper portion, and a lid portion 14 for covering the upper opening. A portion of the peripheral wall of the casing portion 12 is notched, and a tray 20 having a feed-saving portion 16 at the tip, and a pedal 18 to be stepped by a leg of a domestic dog 8 are extended on the outside of the casing portion 12. A timer 22 for setting a feeding time for supplying the feed to the tray 20, and a supplied feed quantity-setting portion 24 for setting the quantity of the feed to be supplied for one meal are disposed on the peripheral wall of the casing portion 12. A basket not supplying the feed, until the timer 22 does not reach a feeding time, and an opening or closing portion for opening the discharging portion of the basket, when the pedal 18 is stepped, are disposed in the casing portion 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic feeding device, and more particularly, to an automatic feeding device capable of setting a feeding time for feeding food to a tray.

  Several devices have been conceived that can automatically feed a dog or the like when leaving the house. For example, in Patent Document 1, as an automatic feeding device for pets, a hopper that is formed of a plurality of inclined plates and accommodates food is disposed in a case, and a slit is formed below the lower opening of the hopper. A hollow rotating drum, a tray with a rear inclined surface positioned below the rotating drum and a front dish extending to the front of the case, and a motor disposed on the inner side of the cover to rotate the rotating drum at a predetermined time And an electric timer that can be rotated a predetermined number of times. Accordingly, it is stated that at the time set by the timer, the amount of food prescribed by the set number of rotations is automatically accommodated in the tray and can be eaten by the dog.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, as a pet feeding water device, a feeding unit includes a hopper that stores food, and a feeding unit that automatically discharges the food in the hopper to a feeding tray installed at a feeding port. Is provided with a tank for storing water and a water supply means for automatically supplying water to a water tray installed at a water supply port. Here, what amount of food is to be given at what time is set by the operation unit of the control unit. After that, when a set time is reached, for example, by a supply means that discharges a certain amount of food by opening / closing time control of the on-off valve It is stated that a certain amount of food is supplied to the food tray, and water is supplied from the water supply means so that the water tray is always filled with an appropriate amount of water.

JP-A-8-140516 JP 2002-65093 A

  As described above, some automatic feeding devices automatically come out of food at a fixed time using a timer. Since these foods automatically come out regardless of whether the dog or the like eats food, they are left as they are when they do not eat food. In order to prevent this, for example, it is possible to educate a dog or the like so that food is provided when the pedal is depressed. In this case, since the food comes out every time the dog or the like steps on the pedal, etc., regular feeding is not possible.

  In addition, as seen in the above-mentioned patent document, an electric timer, an electrically operated supply device, and the like are used to automate feeding, and a power source is required. In this case, if a power failure occurs or the battery runs out, feeding becomes impossible.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic feeding device in which a timer is activated and feeding time is reached, and when the pedal is depressed, the food is fed for the first time, but when the timer is not activated, the pedal does not come out even when the pedal is depressed. It is to be. Another object is to provide an automatic feeding device that does not require the use of a power source including a battery. The following means contribute to at least one of these purposes.

  The automatic feeding device according to the present invention is capable of setting a feeding time for feeding food to the tray, and a timer for moving the output shaft when the set feeding time is reached, and protruding in the axial direction by movement of the output shaft of the timer. A movable pusher, a hopper that stores and feeds bait to the tray side, and is disposed between the hopper side and the tray side, and has a plurality of blades that form a partition in the circumferential direction, around the rotation axis An impeller that is rotatable, a lock position at which the impeller is stopped by engaging with a lock pin provided on the impeller, and a lock at which the impeller can be rotated by disengaging the lock pin. A lock arm that changes the position relative to the impeller, a hold position that holds the lock arm at the lock position, and a reset that moves the lock arm from the lock position to the lock release position. The position with respect to the lock arm can be changed between the position and the pusher is pushed back by the return force due to the eccentricity between the support point and the center of gravity. The lock resetter that moves to the reset position that is separated from the lock arm by the protrusion, and the output shaft of the timer pusher protrudes at the set feeding time, the lock resetter moves to the reset position, and the lock resetter moves to the reset position When the lock arm takes the release position and the impeller can be rotated by this, the basket for receiving the food supplied by the impeller rotating by the weight of the food from the hopper, and the weight of the supplied food Moves along with the movement of the basket that moves in the direction of gravity. When the amount of movement corresponding to the feed amount set arbitrarily is reached, the lock arm is pushed or pulled to forcibly move from the unlocked position to the locked position, and the lock setter that stops the impeller and the basket And an opening / closing part that is openable and closable toward the tray, and a pedal that is depressed to move the opening / closing part to open toward the tray.

  In the automatic feeding device according to the present invention, the timer is preferably a mechanical timer. In the automatic feeding device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the tray includes an extension portion extending obliquely from a lower portion of the opening / closing portion of the basket and a food reservoir portion provided at a tip of the extension portion.

  Moreover, in the automatic feeding apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the automatic feeding device includes a housing portion that arranges the food reservoir and the tip of the pedal on the outside of the peripheral wall.

  With the above configuration, in the automatic feeding device, when the feeding time set by the timer is reached, the lock resetter moves to the reset position, the lock arm takes the release position, and thereby the impeller can rotate, and the feeding from the hopper The impeller rotates by its own weight, and feed is supplied to the basket. When the feed to be supplied reaches a movement amount corresponding to a feed amount arbitrarily set in advance, the impeller is stopped by the lock setter. When the pedal is depressed, the open / close portion of the basket is opened, and the food falls on the tray.

  Thus, since the bait is supplied to the basket for the first time when the timer reaches the feeding time, no bait is supplied to the tray even if the pedal is depressed before that time. By pressing the pedal after the timer has reached the feeding time, the food will appear in the tray for the first time. Further, when a predetermined feeding amount is supplied to the basket, the impeller stops there, and the feeding is not performed until the next timer feeding time.

  Further, the rotation of the impeller is performed by the weight of the falling bait, and no special driving device is required. The lock arm that regulates the rotation of the impeller, the lock setter that regulates the state of the lock arm, the lock resetter, etc. are all operated by mechanical mechanisms such as protrusion, engagement, dead weight, contact, pushing, pulling, stepping, etc. To do. If the timer is of a spring type or the like, it can be operated without using any power source including a battery.

  Moreover, in an automatic feeding apparatus, since a timer is a mechanical timer, it can be set as the automatic feeding apparatus operated without using the power supply containing a battery at all as mentioned above.

  Moreover, in an automatic feeding apparatus, a tray contains the extension part extended incline from the lower part of the opening-and-closing part of a basket, and the food storage part provided in the front-end | tip of an extension part. As a result, the dog or the like can eat food at the previous feeding section extended from the automatic feeding device.

  In addition, the automatic feeding device includes a housing portion that arranges the food reservoir and the tip of the pedal on the outside of the peripheral wall, so that only a portion necessary for a dog or the like is taken out of the housing, and the mechanism is mounted on the housing. It can be housed in a container to protect dogs and other mechanisms.

It is a figure explaining the external appearance of the automatic feeding apparatus in embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the internal structure of the automatic feeding apparatus in embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows an initial state in order to demonstrate operation | movement of the automatic feeding apparatus in embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining a mode when the timer becomes feeding time from the initial state of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state where the lock arm is released and the impeller rotates and food is supplied to the basket following FIG. 4. It is a figure explaining a mode that a predetermined feeding amount is supplied after FIG. 5, a lock arm will be in a locked state, and an impeller stops rotation. It is a figure explaining a mode that a pedal is depressed after FIG. 6 and bait is supplied to a tray. It is a time chart regarding operation | movement of the automatic feeding apparatus in embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of the internal structure of the automatic feeding apparatus of another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 9. It is a figure which shows an initial state in order to demonstrate operation | movement of the automatic feeding apparatus in embodiment of FIG. It is a figure explaining a mode when the timer becomes feeding time from the initial state of FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the lock arm is released and the impeller rotates and food is supplied to the basket following FIG. 12. It is a figure explaining a mode that a predetermined feeding amount is supplied after FIG. 13, a lock arm will be in a locked state, and an impeller stops rotation. It is a figure explaining a mode that a pedal is depressed after FIG. 14 and bait is supplied to a tray.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Below, although the automatic feeding apparatus with respect to a dog is demonstrated, what is necessary is just an animal which needs to supply food regularly, and pets other than a dog etc. may be sufficient. For example, it may be a cat, a pig, a horse, a cow, or a bird. Below, although solid granular pet food is demonstrated as a bait | feed, as long as it can supply continuously using an impeller, a shape etc. will not ask | require.

  In the following, a mechanical timer that vibrates the output shaft with a mainspring as a timer will be described. However, this is an example in which all components of the automatic feeding device are mechanical and do not use any power source including batteries. belongs to. At present, mechanical timers are rather expensive and large compared to battery-powered timers, etc., so they consume less power, do not run out of battery for a long time, and are safe for dogs and the like. If present, a battery-driven timer may be used.

  The shape, dimensions, materials, and the like of the mechanism used below are examples for explanation, and can be appropriately changed according to the specifications of the automatic feeding device.

  Below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element in all the drawings, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted. In the description in the text, the symbols described before are used as necessary.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the external appearance of the automatic feeding device 10. Here, the dog 8 is shown as a subject to which food is regularly supplied. The automatic feeding device 10 has a substantially rounded rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a housing portion 12 having an opening for feeding food into an upper portion and a lid portion 14 for covering the upper opening.

  A part of the peripheral wall of the housing portion 12 is cut out, and the tray 20 extending outward therefrom is a saucer having an inclined surface for receiving food supplied inside the housing portion 12 as will be described later. . The inclined surface of the tray 20 is set at an appropriate inclination angle so that the inner side of the casing 12 is high and the outer side is low, and bait slides down from the inner side of the casing 12 toward the outer side. The

  The feed reservoir 16 at the tip of the tray 20 is a recess having a function of receiving and storing the food that slides down the inclined surface of the tray. The size of the indentation is preferably the same as that of a general food tray for dogs.

  The pedal 18 that extends outward from a notch in a part of the peripheral wall of the housing portion 12 along with the tray 20 is a stepping means having a size that allows the dog 8 to step on its legs. When the pedal 18 is stepped on by the dog 8, when the bait is already supplied to the basket inside the housing portion 12 as will be described later, the bait falls from the basket to the tray 20, and the tray 18 as described above. It has the function of sliding down 20 inclined surfaces and being supplied to the feed reservoir 16.

  The timer 22 provided on the peripheral wall of the housing unit 12 is a spring type time setting device capable of setting a feeding time for supplying food to the tray 20. For example, when the hand tip of the hand dial is set to the desired set time, the timekeeping mechanism is operated by the mainspring from that time, and the hand tip of the hand dial advances toward the origin. Can be used as a starting point, and at that time, for example, a notification that the set time has been reached by striking a bell or the like can be used. Since the timer 22 is for feeding the dog 8 periodically, the time accuracy may not be so high. Since the dog 8 is fed once to several times a day, the timer 22 may be a timer in increments of 1 hour.

  The feed amount setting unit 24 provided on the peripheral wall of the housing unit 12 is an operation unit that sets the amount of feed to be fed at one time. Here, a scaled hand screw can be used. For example, when it is set so that the feeding amount is 10 g per rotation, when it is desired to feed 50 g of food per rotation, the hand screw may be rotated five times.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism configuration inside the casing 12 of the automatic feeding device 10. As a mechanism configuration of the automatic feeding device 10, in addition to the pedal 18, the tray 20, the timer 22, and the feed amount setting unit 24 described in FIG. 1, a hopper 30, a pusher 42, a lock arm 50, a lock resetter 44, and a lock setter 70. , Impeller 60, basket 100, opening / closing part 110 provided in basket 100, and the like. Each element is fixed to the casing 12 or held movably, but the description of these fixing and holding parts is omitted unless otherwise specified.

  The hopper 30 opens the lid portion 14 described with reference to FIG. 1, and feeds the bait, and the bait dropping device for moving the bait to move downward from above the automatic feeding device 10 to reach the impeller 60. It is. That is, the hopper 30 has a function as a bait feeding part for storing bait and guiding and feeding it to the impeller 60 on the tray 20 side.

  The hopper 30 is configured so as to be folded back alternately while inclining several stages of the sliding grooves 31 and 32 between the partition walls 13 appropriately provided inside the housing portion 12. In FIG. 2, the two-stage sliding grooves 31 and 32 are shown, but of course, three or more stages may be used, and in some cases, a single-stage sliding groove may be used.

  The sliding grooves 31 and 32 have a function of a bait supply path, and are hook-shaped members arranged at an inclination of an angle of about 20 degrees to 30 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane. For example, a plastic pipe can be divided in the axial direction and the inner diameter of the pipe can be used as a groove. In this case, the groove shape in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the sliding groove is a semicircular shape or a partial circular shape. A cross-sectional shape other than a semicircular shape or a partial circular shape may be used. For example, a U shape, a V shape, a box groove shape, or the like may be used.

  The output shaft 40 that is a part of the timer 22 is a shaft that moves when the timer 22 reaches a set feeding time. For example, in the case of a timer that rings a bell at a set time, the output shaft 40 has a hammer that strikes the bell, but the hammer can be used as it is. In the case of this bell-type timer, the output shaft 40 repeats reciprocation so as to vibrate left and right, for example, in order to ring a bell.

  The pusher 42 is a shaft member that can move so as to protrude in the axial direction by the movement of the output shaft 40 of the timer 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the pusher 42 is held by an elongated annular guide member so as to be movable in the axial direction. One end of the pusher 42 in the axial direction faces the output shaft 40 of the timer 22, and the other end 43 contacts the side surface of the lock resetter 44.

  The lock resetter 44 is an elongated member that is supported by hanging from a support point 46 provided in the housing unit 12. The lock resetter 44 has a function of releasing the lock state of the lock arm 50 described below, that is, a function of resetting the lock. Details thereof will be described later.

  As described above, the support point 46 of the lock resetter 44 is a point that rotatably supports the lock resetter 44 on the casing unit 12. Specifically, the rotation point corresponding to the shaft provided on the casing unit 12 is rotated. It is a support hole. Conversely, the lock resetter 44 may be provided with a rotation shaft, and the housing portion 12 may be provided with a rotation support hole. The support point 46 is provided at a position higher than the axial center position of the lock resetter 44. That is, the support point 46 is set at a position different from the position of the center of gravity of the lock resetter 44. As a result, the lock resetter 44 tends to be parallel to the gravity direction from the support point 46 due to the restoring force due to the eccentricity between the support point 46 and the center of gravity (not shown). Therefore, a state in which the lock resetter 44 is supported by being suspended from the support point 46 in parallel with the direction of gravity is a normal state.

  The side surface of the lock resetter 44 is a surface that contacts the other end 43 of the pusher 42. Therefore, there is the following close relationship between the position of the lock resetter 44 with respect to the housing unit 12 and the position of the pusher 42.

  That is, the pusher 42 is not affected by the output shaft 40 in the normal state where the output shaft 40 of the timer 22 is stationary. On the other hand, the longitudinal direction of the lock resetter 44 is parallel to the direction of gravity due to the return force. Therefore, even if the pusher 42 protrudes to the lock resetter 44 side, the pusher 42 is pushed back to the output shaft 40 side of the timer 22 by the restoring force due to the eccentricity between the support point of the lock resetter 44 and the center of gravity. That is, in a normal state where the output shaft 40 of the timer 22 is stationary, the lock resetter 44 has a longitudinal direction parallel to the gravity direction, and the other end 43 of the pusher 42 is parallel to the gravity direction of the lock resetter 44. In contact with the right side so that it is just vertical.

  On the other hand, when the output shaft 40 of the timer 22 vibrates, the pusher 42 moves along the axial direction by the vibration and protrudes from the guide portion, and pushes the lock resetter 44. Thus, the lock resetter 44 is a member having a function of changing the position between the normal position based on the return force due to its own weight and the position pressed by the pusher 42.

  The tip 48 of the lock resetter 44 opposite to the support point 46 is a portion that contacts the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50. As described above, the lock resetter 44 is rotatably supported with the support point 46 as the center of rotation, so that when the tip 48 is pushed by the pusher 42 protruding, the lock resetter 44 starts from the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50. The tip 48 is separated. As described above, in the relationship with the lock arm 50, the lock resetter 44 is a member that changes its position between the position where the tip 48 is in contact with the lock arm 50 and the position where it is separated from the lock arm 50. But there is.

  The lock arm 50 is an elongated plate member that extends in the horizontal direction with a support point 52 provided on the housing unit 12 interposed therebetween. The lock arm 50 has a function of stopping the rotation of the impeller 60, that is, a function of locking the operation of the impeller 60. By releasing this lock, the impeller 60 can rotate. The unlocking is performed in cooperation with the lock resetter 44 described above, and when the lock is released, the lock state is reset again by the cooperation with the lock setter 70. Details of these cooperations will be described later.

  As described above, the support point 52 of the lock arm 50 is a point that rotatably supports the lock arm 50 on the housing unit 12. Specifically, the support point 52 rotates corresponding to an axis provided on the housing unit 12. It is a support hole. Conversely, the lock arm 50 may be provided with a rotation shaft, and the housing portion 12 may be provided with a rotation support hole.

  The weight 53 provided at the end of the lock arm 50 is a part having a function of bringing the center of gravity of the lock arm 50 toward the end. Specifically, a metal having a large specific gravity or the like may be embedded in the end portion of the lock arm 50, or the weight itself may be hung from the end portion of the lock arm 50. Due to the action of the weight portion 53, the lock arm 50 tries to rotate in the direction of lowering the end portion side around the support point 52.

  The side opposite to the end portion across the support point 52 of the lock arm 50 is the tip of the lock arm 50. The upper tip 54 provided at the tip of the lock arm 50 is a portion that contacts the tip 48 of the lock resetter 44 as described above. As described above, the lock arm 50 is rotatably supported around the support point 52 and is going to rotate so as to lower the end portion by the function of the weight portion 53. In other words, the lock arm 50 is going to rotate in the direction of raising the tip around the support point 52. Since the lock resetter 44 is in contact with the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50, the lock resetter 44 has a function of restricting the rotation of the lock arm 50 around the support point 52.

  The lower tip 56 provided at the tip of the lock arm 50 is a portion that engages with the lock pin 68 of the impeller 60. By this engagement, the rotation direction of the impeller 60 is regulated. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the direction in which the impeller 60 attempts to rotate when bait falls from the sliding groove 32 of the hopper 30 toward the impeller 60 is regulated by the lower tip 56. Direction. Therefore, when the lock arm 50 engages with the lock pin 68, even if bait is supplied toward the impeller 60, the impeller 60 cannot rotate and remains in a stopped state. That is, when the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 engages with the lock pin 68 of the impeller 60, the operation of the impeller 60 is locked. The lock arm 50 has a function of locking the rotation of the impeller 60 in this way.

  The positions and shapes of the support point 52, the upper tip portion 54, and the lower tip portion 56 in the lock arm 50 are such that the tip wheel 48 of the lock resetter 44 and the upper tip portion 54 of the lock arm 50 are in contact with each other. The lock pins 68 of the 60 and the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 are accurately set.

  The guide hole 58 provided at the distal end portion of the lock arm 50 is an arc-shaped elongated hole having the support point 52 as the center of the arc. The guide hole 58 is a hole for receiving a set pin 76 provided at the tip of the lock setter 70. The lock arm 50 can rotate around the support point 52 as described above, but the rotation range is determined by the range of the guide hole 58. When the set pin 76 moves through the guide hole 58 to the end by the movement of the lock setter 70, the lock arm 50 is pushed or pulled by the movement of the set pin 76, and the support point 52 is moved. Rotate around. As a result, the lock arm 50 is locked, and details thereof will be described later.

  Here, before describing the impeller 60, the relationship between the lock arm 50 and the lock resetter 44 will be described. As described above, in the normal case where the output shaft 40 of the timer 22 is stationary, the pusher 42 does not protrude due to the vibration of the output shaft 40, so that the lock resetter 44 moves in the direction of gravity from the support point 46 by its own weight. It will be in the state of hanging in parallel to. As described above, the tip 48 of the lock resetter 44 is in contact with the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50.

  At this time, as described above, the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 is engaged with the lock pin 68 of the impeller 60 to lock its operation so that the impeller 60 does not rotate. That is, the lock arm 50 is in the locked position. On the other hand, the lock arm 50 is about to rotate in the direction in which the upper tip 54 is moved upward by the action of the weight 53. That is, if there is nothing, the lock arm 50 is about to come off the locked position by the action of the weight portion 53. Here, as described above, since the tip 48 of the lock resetter is in contact with the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50, the movement of the lock arm 50 to be released from this locked position is restricted. Become.

  That is, the tip 48 of the lock resetter 44 and the top tip 54 of the lock arm 50 are pressed against each other by the movement of the lock arm 50 to move upward around the support point 52 by the action of the weight 53. It has become a relationship. Thus, in the normal case where the output shaft 40 of the timer 22 is stationary, the lock resetter 44 has a function of holding the lock arm 50 at the lock position. Therefore, the normal position of the lock resetter 44, that is, the position in which the longitudinal direction is parallel to the gravity direction from the support point 46 can be referred to as a hold position for holding the lock position of the lock arm 50.

  Here, when the timer 22 reaches the feeding time and the output shaft 40 vibrates, the pusher 42 protrudes toward the lock resetter 44. The pusher 42 is set so that the pushing force of the pusher 42 becomes larger than the frictional force at the contact portion between the tip 48 of the lock resetter 44 and the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50. Is rotated around the support point 46. In this way, the tip 48 of the lock resetter 44 is separated from the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50. By this separation, the lock arm 50 can rotate around the support point 52 by the action of the weight portion 53. Then, when the lock arm 50 rotates around the support point 52, the engagement between the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 and the lock pin 68 of the impeller 60 is released. As a result, the impeller 60 can rotate.

  Thus, when the timer 22 reaches the feeding time and the output shaft 40 vibrates, the lock resetter 44 moves from the hold position to a position where the tip 48 is separated from the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50. To do. By the movement of this position, the lock arm 50 moves from the lock position to a position where the lower end portion 56 releases the engagement with the lock pin 68 of the impeller 60. If the position where the lock arm 50 has moved from the lock position is called a lock release position, the corresponding position of the lock resetter 44 can be called a reset position.

  That is, the lock arm 50 engages with the lock pin 68 provided on the impeller 60 to release the impeller 60 from the lock position where the impeller 60 is stopped and the lock pin 68 is disengaged. It is a member which can change the position with respect to the impeller 60 between the lock release positions which can be rotated.

  The lock resetter 44 is a member that can change the position relative to the lock arm 50 between a hold position where the lock arm 50 is held at the lock position and a reset position where the lock arm 50 is moved from the lock position to the lock release position. It can be said.

  Thus, when the timer 22 has not reached the feeding time and the output shaft 40 is stationary, the lock resetter 44 is in the hold position and the lock arm 50 is in the lock position. When the timer 22 reaches the feeding time and the output shaft 40 vibrates, the lock resetter 44 moves to the reset position, and the lock arm 50 moves to the lock release position.

  Next, the impeller 60 is a rotating body that is disposed between the hopper 30 side and the tray 20 side, has a plurality of blades 64 that can rotate around the rotation shaft 62 and that form partitions in the circumferential direction.

  The rotating shaft 62 of the impeller 60 is a shaft that is rotatably supported by an appropriate rotating bearing portion provided in the housing portion 12. The position of the rotating shaft 62 is set at a position shifted from a position directly below the bait dropping opening at the tip of the sliding groove 32 provided on the lowermost side of the hopper 30. In other words, in the case of a water wheel, the water falling from the bait dropping port at the tip of the sliding groove 32 is fed to the outer periphery of the impeller 60 in the same manner as when water falls in the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the water wheel. The position of the rotating shaft 62 is set so that the blades 64 can be received in the tangential direction.

  The plurality of blades 64 are plate members arranged so as to protrude radially from the drum attached to the rotation shaft 62 toward the outer peripheral side. A plurality of blades 64 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the drum. In the example of FIG. 2, there are seven blades 64, but of course other numbers may be used. Disks disposed on both sides of the plurality of blades 64 are attached to the rotating shaft 62. A plurality of partition spaces are formed in the circumferential direction of the impeller 60 by the both side disks, the outer periphery of the drum, and the plurality of blades 64. This partition space becomes a space for receiving food.

  The lock pin 68 is a pin having a function of cooperating with the lock arm 50 and holding the impeller 60 in the stop position without rotating when the lock arm 50 is in the lock position. When the lock arm 50 is in the unlocked position, the lower tip 56 of the lock arm 50 and the lock pin 68 are disengaged and the impeller 60 can rotate. As described above, the bait falling from the bait dropping port at the tip of the sliding groove 32 is received by the vane 64 in the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the impeller 60, so that the vane rotates just as it receives the falling water and rotates. The car 60 is rotated by its own weight. That is, no special motor or the like is required for the rotation of the impeller 60.

  The lock pins 68 are a plurality of pins arranged on a pin arrangement disk attached to the rotating shaft 62. The lock pins 68 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of an arrangement circle having a predetermined radius around the rotation shaft 62. The radius of the arrangement circle is set so that the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 is just engaged with the lock pin 68. In FIG. 2, seven lock pins 68 are arranged, but the number may be other than this, similarly to the number of blades 64. The number of blades 64 and the number of lock pins 68 may not be the same.

  The arrangement of the lock pins 68 is set in consideration of the relationship with the arrangement of the blades 64. That is, when the lock pin 68 engages with the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50, the blade 64 that is almost directly below the bait dropping opening of the lowermost sliding groove 32 of the hopper 30 faces slightly upward from the horizontal position. The relationship is set as follows. By doing in this way, when the impeller 60 is in the stop position, the bait falling from the bait dropping opening of the sliding groove 32 is received by the vanes 64 and can be prevented from going toward the basket 100.

  The receiving wall 130 arranged facing the bait drop opening of the lowermost slide groove 32 of the hopper 30 receives the bait discharged from the bait drop opening by sliding down the slide groove 32 and directs the flow downward. This is a wall member having a function. The arrangement of the receiving wall 130 is such that, when the impeller 60 is at the stop position, the gap between the tip of the blade 64 disposed just below the bait dropping opening of the sliding groove 32 is narrower than the minimum size of the granular bait. Is set to be Thereby, it is possible to prevent the bait from flowing into the basket 100 through the gap between the tip of the blade 64 and the receiving wall 130.

  The second receiving wall 120 disposed below the receiving wall 130 is a wall member having a function of preventing the bait from being removed from the basket 100 when the impeller 60 rotates and feeds the bait to the basket 100 side. is there.

  The basket 100 is a container that receives bait supplied by the impeller 60 that is rotated by the weight of the bait from the hopper 30 when the impeller 60 becomes rotatable. The basket 100 has an upper opening 102 on the upper side facing the impeller 60. Further, a discharge port 104 is provided at the bottom facing the tray 20. The shape of the bottom preferably has a slope or slope so that the falling bait is collected near the outlet 104. In the example of FIG. 2, a bottom having a shape that protrudes round and downward is shown.

  The opening / closing part 110 attached to the basket 100 is a movable lid member that has a function of covering the discharge port 104 of the basket 100 in the closed state and exposing the discharge port 104 to the tray 20 side in the open state. A rotating shaft 106 provided in the basket 100 is a shaft member that rotatably supports the opening / closing portion 110. In this case, a support hole corresponding to the rotation shaft 106 is provided in the opening / closing part 110. Conversely, the rotation shaft may be provided in the opening / closing part 110 and the support hole may be provided in the basket 100.

  The support shafts 72 and 74 provided in the basket 100 are members corresponding to two link points where one ends of the two link members 82 and 84 are rotatably connected.

  The two link members 82 and 84 are elongate plate members each provided with a rotation hole at both ends. The rotation hole at one end of the link member 82 is rotatably connected to the support shaft 72 of the basket 100, and the rotation hole at the other end is rotatably connected to the support shaft 86 of the housing unit 12. Similarly, the rotation hole at one end of the link member 84 is rotatably connected to the support shaft 74 of the basket 100, and the rotation hole at the other end is rotatably connected to the support shaft 88 of the housing unit 12.

  The inter-hole distance between the rotation holes at both ends of the link member 82 is set to be the same as the inter-hole distance between the rotation holes at both ends of the link member 84. The inter-axis distance between the support shafts 72 and 74 in the basket 100 is set to be the same as the inter-axis distance between the support shafts 86 and 88 in the housing unit 12. Therefore, when the parallelogram is formed by the four support shafts 72, 74, 86, and 88 and the basket 100 is moved downward by feeding bait to the basket 100, the link members 82 and 84 are parallel to each other. It will move while maintaining. Thus, the two link members 82 and 84 are members that constitute a part of the link mechanism.

  In the above description, the rotation holes are provided in the link members 82 and 84, and the support shafts are provided in the basket 100 and the housing portion 12, but this is reversed, and the support shafts are provided in the link members 82 and 84, and the baskets are provided. It is good also as what provides a rotation hole in 100 and the housing | casing part 12. FIG.

  The spring hook shaft 90 provided in the intermediate part of the link member 82 is a member for hooking one end of the spring 80 that sets the amount of feeding. That is, an urging force corresponding to the amount of feeding is applied to the spring hook shaft 90. Since the link member 82 can rotate around the support shaft 86 of the housing portion 12 as the center of rotation at the fixed position, the urging force is applied to the basket 100 (the distance between the spring hook shaft 90 and the support shaft 86). ) / (Distance between the support shaft 72 and the support shaft 86) is applied.

  The spring 80 is a coil spring having one end connected to the spring hook shaft 90 of the link member 82 and the other end connected to the feed amount setting unit 24.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, the feed amount setting unit 24 is a hand screw with a scale, and the other end of the spring 80 is connected to the tip side of the screw. In the above example, when the hand screw is rotated once, the feeding amount is set to 10 g. However, in the link member 82 (distance between the spring hook shaft 90 and the support shaft 86) / (the support shaft 72 and the support shaft). If the distance between the shafts 86) = 0.5, the amount of food fed in the basket 100 is half of the biasing force in the spring hanging shaft 90, so that when the hand screw is rotated once, the biasing force in the spring hanging shaft 90 becomes 20 g. do it.

  The spring constant of the spring 80 and the pitch of the hand screw of the feed amount setting unit 24 are set so that the amount of turning the hand screw does not become a burden on the user. In the above example, since the hand screw is rotated once for every 10 g of feed, when the spring constant of the spring 80 is 20 g / 2.5 mm, the pitch per rotation of the hand screw may be 2.5 mm. . Thus, when the feeding amount is 50 g, the hand-rotating spring is rotated 5 times, the urging force at the spring hook shaft 90 is 100 g, and the displacement is 12.5 mm. At this time, the biasing force on the support shaft 72 of the basket 100 is 50 g, and the displacement is 50 mm.

  The lock setter 70 in FIG. 2 is a member having a function of returning the lock arm 50 to the lock position again when the lock arm 50 is in the lock release position. The timing at which the lock arm 50 is returned to the locked position again is when food is supplied to the basket 100 and the supply amount reaches the feed amount set by the feed amount setting unit 24.

  The lock setter 70 is configured by an L-shaped member. Portions corresponding to L-shaped legs of the lock setter 70 are connected to support shafts 72 and 74 of the basket 100. Specifically, support holes respectively corresponding to the support shafts 72 and 74 are provided, and the support shafts 72 and 74 are inserted into these support holes with appropriate gaps. As a result, the lock setter 70 moves up and down in conjunction with the vertical movement of the basket 100.

  As described in the lock arm 50, the set pin 76 provided in the portion corresponding to the L-shaped horizontal portion of the lock setter 70 is disposed in the guide hole 58 of the lock arm 50, and moves the lock arm 50 up and down. It is a pin having a function to regulate. Here, when the lock arm 50 is in the unlocked position, as the bait is supplied to the basket 100 and the basket 100 gradually moves downward, the set pin 76 gradually moves downward in the guide hole 58 of the arc-shaped elongated hole. After moving and hitting the lower end of the arc-shaped elongated hole, it has a function of pushing down the tip of the lock arm 50 downward.

  The arrangement relationship between the set pin 76 and the guide hole 58 and the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 is such that when the feed amount in the basket 100 becomes the feed amount set by the feed amount setting unit 24, the set pin 76 76 is set so that the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 engages with the lock pin 68 by pushing down the lock arm 50. Thus, when the lock arm 50 is in the unlocked position, the bait is supplied to the basket 100, and when the supply amount becomes the feed amount set by the feed amount setting unit 24, the lock arm 50 returns to the lock position. And can.

  That is, the lock setter 70 moves together with the movement of the basket 100 that moves in the direction of gravity due to the weight of the feed that is supplied, and the lock setter 70 locks when the movement amount becomes a movement amount corresponding to a feed amount that is arbitrarily set in advance. It is a member having a function of pushing down the arm 50 to forcibly move it from the unlocked position to the locked position and stop the impeller 60.

  The operating lever 112 is a V-shaped member whose one end is connected to the pedal 18 and whose other end contacts the opening / closing part 110. The other end is not connected to the opening / closing part 110 but contacts it because the opening / closing part 110 moves up and down together with the basket 100. The operation lever 112 is rotatably supported by a rotation center 114 provided in the housing portion 12 at the V-shaped bending point.

  The operating lever 112 has a function of collecting the bait in the basket 100 in the bait reservoir 16 at the tip of the tray 20 when the pedal 18 is depressed. That is, when the pedal 18 is stepped on by the dog 8, the operation lever 112 rotates around the rotation center 114, and the opening / closing part 110 can be rotated around the rotation shaft 106 provided in the basket 100. As a result, the discharge port 104 at the bottom of the basket 100 is exposed toward the tray 20, and when there is food in the basket 100, the food is supplied to the tray 20. Since the tray 20 is inclined toward the food reservoir 16 as described above, the food slides on the inclined surface and is collected in the food reservoir 16.

  The time-series operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 3 to 7 are diagrams showing the flow of bait in time series, and FIG. 8 is a time chart relating to the operation of the automatic feeding apparatus 10. Here, FIG. 3 is an initial state, FIG. 4 is a time when the timer 22 has reached the feeding time, FIG. 5 is a state when the lock arm 50 is in a released state, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state when the pedal 18 is depressed.

  FIG. 3 is an initial state of the automatic feeding apparatus 10. Here, the user opens the lid portion 14 to supply the granular pet food bait 6 to the hopper 30 and closes the lid portion 14 again. Next, the feeding amount setting unit 24 sets the feeding amount, and the timer 22 The state where the feeding time is set is shown in.

  Here, since the timer 22 has not yet reached the feeding time, the output shaft 40 of the timer 22 is stationary. Therefore, the lock resetter 44 is in the hold position, the lock arm 50 is in the lock position, and the impeller 60 is in a stopped state. The bait 6 thrown into the hopper 30 flows downward by its own weight through the sloping grooves 31 and 32, is discharged from the bait dropping opening of the lowermost sliding groove 32, and is guided to the receiving wall 130. Then, it falls toward the impeller 60.

  When the lock arm 50 is in the locked position and the impeller 60 is in a stopped state, the blades 64 immediately below the bait dropping port of the lowermost sliding groove 32 are slightly upward from the horizontal state. The gap between the tip of the blade 64 and the receiving wall 130 is narrower than the minimum dimension of the granular bait 6. Therefore, the bait 6 is received by the blades 64 immediately below the bait dropping port and does not flow toward the basket 100. Therefore, the basket 100 is empty. Even if the dog 8 depresses the pedal 18 in this state, the opening / closing part 110 is in the open state, but the bait 6 is not in the basket 100, so the bait 6 is not supplied to the tray 20.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the timer 22 reaches the feeding time and the output shaft 40 vibrates as if it rings a bell. When the output shaft 40 vibrates, the pusher 42 protrudes toward the lock resetter 44 side. As a result, the lock resetter 44 moves from the hold position to the reset position, and the lock arm 50 moves from the lock position to the lock release position. In FIG. 4, the moment when the upper tip 54 of the lock arm 50 is separated from the tip 48 of the lock resetter 44 and the engagement between the lower tip 56 of the lock arm 50 and the lock pin 68 of the impeller 60 is released. It is shown. Immediately after this, the impeller 60 starts to rotate due to its own weight.

  FIG. 5 shows how the lock arm 50 is in the unlocked position and the impeller 60 rotates, thereby feeding the bait 6 into the basket 100 one after another. The basket 100 moves downward according to the dead weight of the bait 6 accumulated in the basket 100, and the lock setter 70 also moves downward in conjunction with this. Here, since the amount of the bait 6 in the basket 100 has not reached the amount of feeding set by the feeding amount setting unit 24, the set pin 76 of the lock setter 70 has an arc shape of the guide hole 58 of the lock arm 50. It has not hit the lower end of the slot yet.

  FIG. 6 shows a state where the bait 6 in the basket 100 has reached the feeding amount set by the feeding amount setting unit 24. At this time, the set pin 76 of the lock setter 70 lowered together with the basket 100 hits the lower end of the arc-shaped elongated hole of the guide hole 58 of the lock arm 50 and further pushes down, and the lower tip 56 of the lock arm 50 and the impeller 60 lock pins 68 engage. Thereby, the lock arm 50 returns to the lock position, and the rotation of the impeller 60 is stopped to be in a stopped state. Moreover, the lock resetter 44 returns to the hold position when the upper end portion 54 of the lock arm 50 moves downward.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state where the dog 8 has stepped on the pedal 18 after FIG. 6. By depressing the pedal 18, the operating lever 112 rotates around the rotation center 114. As a result, the opening / closing part 110 is rotated around the rotation shaft 106 to expose the discharge port 104 at the bottom of the basket 100 toward the tray 20. In this way, the bait 6 in the basket 100 is supplied to the tray 20, and the bait 6 slides on the inclined surface of the tray 20 and is collected in the bait reservoir 16.

  FIG. 8 is a time chart summarizing the above operations. The horizontal axis in FIG. 8 is time, and the vertical axis is the state of each element of the automatic feeding device 10. That is, from the uppermost side to the lowermost side, the timer 22, the output shaft 40, the lock resetter 44, the lock arm 50. The feed amount of the impeller 60, the position of the basket 100, the lock setter 70, the pedal 18, and the tray 20 is taken.

Time t ₁ is the time when the timer 22 becomes the feeding time. In FIG. 7, the state of the timer 22 is shown as ON. The state before this is the initial state described with reference to FIG. 3, where there is no bait 6 in the basket 100, and the position of the basket 100 is high. Even if the pedal 18 is depressed before time t ₁ , the bait 6 is not supplied to the tray 20.

At time t ₁ , the output shaft 40 vibrates, whereby the lock resetter 44 moves from the hold position to the reset position. Further, the lock arm 50 moves from the lock position to the lock release position. As a result, the impeller 60 changes from the stopped state to the rotating state, and the bait 6 starts to be supplied to the basket 100. These states are as described in FIG.

The state between the time t ₁ and the time t ₂ is the state described with reference to FIG. 5, but the position of the basket 100 is gradually lowered, and the position of the lock setter 70 is gradually lowered in conjunction with this. During this period, since the set pin 76 of the lock setter 70 does not hit the lower end of the arc-shaped elongated hole of the guide hole 58 of the lock arm 50, the position of the lock arm 50 is not restricted by the lock setter 70. It is in a free state.

Time t ₂ is when the amount of the feed 6 in the basket 100 reaches the feed amount set by the feed amount setting unit 24. At this time, the set pin 76 of the lock setter 70 that has continued to descend hits the lower end of the arc-shaped elongated hole of the guide hole 58 of the lock arm 50 and is further pushed down to lower the lower end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 and the impeller 60. The engagement of the lock pin 68 is set. As a result, the lock arm 50 returns to the locked position, the impeller 60 changes from the rotating state to the stopped state, and the lock resetter 44 enters the hold position. This state is the state described in FIG.

If the dog 8 steps on the pedal 18 between the time t ₁ and the time t ₂ , the opening / closing part 110 is opened, and the bait 6 flows out to the tray 20 without accumulating the bait 6 in the basket 100. Can occur. Although the time axis from time t ₁ to time t ₂ is extended for the sake of explanation in FIG. 8, it is actually several seconds or less. Therefore, this is unlikely to occur. In order to reliably prevent the bait 6 from flowing out, even if the pedal 18 is depressed until the lock setter 70 returns the lock arm 50 to the lock position by using the movement of the lock setter 70, the operating lever 112 can be opened and closed. It is preferable not to contact 110.

Time t ₃ is when the dog 8 steps on the pedal 18 after time t ₂ . At this time, the opening / closing part 110 is rotated around the rotation shaft 106 by the operation lever 112, the discharge port 104 at the bottom of the basket 100 is exposed toward the tray 20, and the bait 6 in the basket 100 is inclined to the tray 20. The surface slides and is collected in the food reservoir 16. This state is as described in FIG.

  9 and 10 are diagrams showing an internal configuration of the automatic feeding apparatus 210 that can perform the same operation as that of FIG. 2 with the number of parts reduced. 9 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 10 is a side view thereof.

  This automatic feeding device 210 includes a hopper 230, a lock arm 250, a lock resetter 244, a connection string 270 corresponding to the lock setter, in addition to the pedal 18, the tray 20, the timer 22, and the feed amount setting unit 24 described in FIG. An impeller 260, baskets 300 and 301, and the like are included. Although the output shaft and pusher of the timer 22 described in FIG. 2 are also used, the illustration thereof is omitted in FIGS. As described above, the internal configuration of the automatic feeding apparatus 210 includes elements having the same functions as those of the automatic feeding apparatus 10 described with reference to FIG. Below, it demonstrates centering on the point which is different from the automatic feeding apparatus 10 demonstrated in FIG.

  Since what has the almost same structure as FIG. 2 is the impeller 260, this will be described first. The impeller 260 has a rotation shaft 262, a plurality of blades 264, and a plurality of lock pins 268. In FIG. 9, the number of blades 264 and the number of lock pins 268 are six, which is different from the case of FIG.

  The hopper 230 is a shooter having an inclined surface without using a plurality of sliding grooves as shown in FIG. The position directly below the lowermost opening of the shuter is set to a position shifted from the position of the rotating shaft 262 of the impeller 260. As described with reference to FIG. 2, this is similar to the case where water falls in the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the water wheel. The blades 264 can be received.

  Similarly to FIG. 2, when the impeller 260 is at the stop position, the receiving wall 330 also has a gap with the tip of the blade 64 disposed immediately below the lowermost opening of the hopper 230 so that the granular bait is minimum. The position is set so as to be narrower than the dimension.

  In FIG. 2, the lock arm 250 is arranged to engage with the lock pin 268 from above the impeller, whereas here, the lock arm 250 is arranged to engage with the lock pin 268 from below the impeller 260. A support point 252 of the lock arm 250 is provided on a bracket 211 that is fixed integrally with the housing unit 212. The position of the center of gravity of the lock arm 250 is different from that of the support point 252, and is provided on the distal end portion 256 side of the lock arm 250 here. Therefore, the lock arm 250 is about to rotate around the support point 252 in the direction in which the distal end portion 256 moves downward if there is no binding force.

  The weight portion 253 is provided on the receiving wall 330. The position of the weight portion 253 of the receiving wall 330 is set above the support point 252 of the lock arm 250. This ensures the above movement of the lock arm 250 to rotate when there is no binding force. Thus, by separating the weight portion 253 from the lock arm 250, it is possible to reduce the size of the lock arm 250 while ensuring the function.

  The distal end portion 256 of the lock arm 250 is an engaging portion having a function corresponding to the lower distal end portion 56 of the lock arm 50 of FIG. That is, the distal end portion 256 has a function of engaging with the lock pin 268 of the impeller 260. As shown in FIG. 2, it is different from the engagement relationship between the lower tip 56 of the lock arm 50 and the lock pin 68 in FIG. 2 that the tip 256 is engaged from the lower side of the lock pin 268. Yes.

  The lock resetter 244 is an elongated member that is rotatably supported around the rotating shaft 262 of the impeller 260 as a supporting point. Accordingly, the center of gravity is at a position different from the rotation axis 262, and in the normal case where the output shaft of the timer 22 (not shown) is stationary, the longitudinal direction of the lock resetter 244 is parallel to the direction of gravity.

As shown in FIG. 10, the lock resetter 244 has an L-shaped tip. The upper part of the portion bent in the L shape is a surface that supports the lower surface of the lock arm 250.
The relationship between the lock resetter 244 and the lock arm 250 is as follows. In the normal case where the output shaft of the timer 22 is stopped, the lock resetter 244 has the longitudinal direction parallel to the direction of gravity as described above, and uses the rotating shaft 262 of the impeller 260 as a support point. The lock arm 250 is held by an L-shaped bent portion at the tip of the lock resetter 244. When the lock arm 250 is held, the lock arm 250 engages with the lock pin 268 of the impeller 260 and stops the impeller 260 without rotating.

  That is, the position of the lock resetter 244 in the normal case where the output shaft of the timer 22 is stopped is a hold position for holding the lock arm 250 at the lock position. The lock arm 250 is in a locked position where the impeller 260 is stopped.

  The baskets 300 and 301 are greatly different from the case of the automatic feeding device 10 described in FIG. That is, two baskets 300 and 301 are combined to form one dish-like basket, and each of the baskets 300 and 301 is a member having a shape obtained by dividing one dish-like member in half.

  The common rotation fulcrum 303 is provided at a portion where the baskets 300 and 301 are combined, and has a function of integrally connecting the baskets 300 and 301 while allowing the baskets 300 and 301 to rotate relative to each other. Thus, in a normal case, the baskets 300 and 301 are integrated and combined into a single dish-like basket, and the bait 6 supplied from the upper opening 302 can be received.

  The pull string 292 is a string member having one end connected to the outer peripheral portion of each basket 300 and 301 and the other end connected to the operation lever 312. The pull string 292 is disposed along the casing 212 while changing the direction from the connection position of the baskets 300 and 301 to the connection position of the operation lever 312 via an appropriate roller or the like. The pull string 292 has a function of pulling the outer peripheral portions of the baskets 300 and 301 by the movement of the operation lever 312 when the pedal 218 is depressed. As a result, the baskets 300 and 301 have their respective outer peripheral portions separately moved upward with the common rotation fulcrum 303 as the center of rotation, and an opening directly below the common rotation fulcrum 303 serves as a discharge port 304. The bait 6 supplied to 301 moves to the tray 220 side.

  Thus, the baskets 300 and 301 function as one dish-like basket in a normal state, and when the impeller 260 rotates, the bait 6 supplied from the upper opening 302 is received and the pedal 218 is depressed. The baskets 300 and 301 are separated into two, and the bait 6 is supplied to the tray 220 from the discharge port 304.

  The weight part 280 corresponds to the feed amount setting part 24 and is a weight placed on the tray. The lower string 290 has one end connected to the tray of the weight portion 280 and the other end connected to the common rotation fulcrum 303 of the baskets 300 and 301. The hanging strap 290 is disposed along the casing 212 while changing the direction from the connection position of the tray of the weight section 280 to the connection position of the common rotation fulcrum 303 of the baskets 300 and 301 via an appropriate roller or the like. Is done.

  The lowering string 290 moves up and down by a balance between the weight of the weight portion 280 and the weight of the bait 6 supplied to the baskets 300 and 301. That is, in an empty state where the bait 6 is not supplied, the baskets 300 and 301 are lifted upward by the weight of the weight portion 280 and moved downward according to the amount of bait 6 supplied to the baskets 300 and 301. To do. Thus, the lowering string 290 has the function of the link member 82 in FIG.

  The connecting string 270 is a string member where one end is connected to an appropriate place of the lowering string 290, in the case of FIG. . The connecting string 270 has a function of pulling the distal end portion of the lock arm 250 as the baskets 300 and 301 are lowered, thereby rotating the lock arm 250 around the support point 252 and pulling the tip end portion 256 of the lock arm 250 upward. Have.

  When the amount of the feed 6 supplied to the baskets 300 and 301 becomes the feed amount set by the feed amount setting unit 24, the tip end portion 256 of the lock arm 250 is engaged with the lock pin 268 of the impeller 260. Try to match. That is, the connection string 270 is a member having a function as a lock setter. Thereby, when the amount of the bait 6 supplied to the baskets 300 and 301 becomes the feed amount set by the feed amount setting unit 24, the lock arm 250 returns to the lock position. When the lock arm 250 returns to the lock position, the lock resetter 244 returns to a position parallel to the direction of gravity by its own weight, and becomes a hold position for holding the lock arm 250 at the lock position.

  The time-series operation of the automatic feeding device 210 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 11 is an initial state, FIG. 12 is a time when the timer 22 has reached the feeding time, FIG. 13 is a state when the lock arm 250 is in a released state, and FIG. FIG. 15 shows a state when the pedal 218 is depressed, and these correspond to FIGS. 3 to 8 of the automatic feeding device 10, respectively.

  FIG. 11 shows an initial state of the automatic feeding device 210. Here, the user opens the lid 14, feeds the granular pet food bait 6 to the hopper 230 and closes the lid 14 again, and then the feeding amount setting unit 24 sets an appropriate weight for the weight unit 280. The state where the feeding amount is set by placing a weight and the feeding time is set by the timer 22 is shown.

  Here, although not shown, since the timer 22 has not yet reached the feeding time, the output shaft 40 of the timer 22 is stationary. Therefore, the lock resetter 244 is in the hold position, the lock arm 250 is in the lock position, and the impeller 260 is in a stopped state. The bait 6 thrown into the hopper 230 flows downward under its own weight along the inclined surface of the hopper 230, is discharged from the lowermost opening, is guided by the receiving wall 330 and falls toward the impeller 260.

  When the lock arm 250 is in the locked position and the impeller 260 is in a stopped state, the blade 264 directly below the lowermost opening of the hopper 230 faces slightly upward from the horizontal state. The gap between the tip of the blade 264 and the receiving wall 330 is narrower than the minimum dimension of the granular bait 6. Therefore, the bait 6 is received by the blades 264 directly below the opening of the hopper 230 and does not flow toward the baskets 300 and 301. Therefore, the baskets 300 and 301 are empty. Even if the dog 8 depresses the pedal 218 in this state, the outlets 304 of the baskets 300 and 301 are opened. However, since the bait 6 is not in the baskets 300 and 301, the bait 6 is not supplied to the tray 220.

  Although not shown, FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the timer 22 reaches the feeding time and the output shaft 40 vibrates as if it rings a bell. When the output shaft 40 vibrates, the pusher 42 (not shown) protrudes toward the lock resetter 244. Accordingly, the lock resetter 244 moves from the hold position to the reset position, and the lock arm 250 moves from the lock position to the lock release position. In FIG. 12, the lower surface of the lock arm 250 is separated from the upper portion of the L-shaped bent portion of the lock resetter 244, and the engagement between the distal end portion 256 of the lock arm 250 and the lock pin 268 of the impeller 260 is released. The moment is shown. Immediately after this, the impeller 260 starts rotating due to its own weight.

  FIG. 13 shows that the lock arm 250 is in the unlocked position and the impeller 260 rotates, whereby the bait 6 is fed into the baskets 300 and 301 one after another. The baskets 300 and 301 move downward according to the weight of the bait 6 collected in the baskets 300 and 301, and the connection string 270 connected to the lowering string 290 moves downward in conjunction with this. Here, since the amount of the bait 6 in the baskets 300 and 301 has not reached the feeding amount set by the feeding amount setting unit 24, the rotation around the support point 252 of the lock arm 250 is still small, and the lock arm 250 The leading end portion 256 of the blade is not in contact with the lock pin 268 of the impeller 260.

  FIG. 14 shows a state where the bait 6 in the baskets 300 and 301 has reached the feeding amount set by the feeding amount setting unit 24. At this time, the connection string 270 lowered together with the baskets 300 and 301 pulls the end portion of the lock arm 250 sufficiently, whereby the tip end portion 256 of the lock arm 250 and the lock pin 268 of the impeller 260 are engaged. . Thereby, the lock arm 250 returns to the lock position, and the rotation of the impeller 260 is stopped to be in a stopped state. Further, when the lock arm 250 rotates around the support point 252 and the tip end portion 256 moves upward, the upper portion of the L-shaped bent portion of the lock resetter 244 is pulled into the lower portion of the lock arm 250, The lock resetter 244 returns to the hold position.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state where the dog 8 has stepped on the pedal 218 after FIG. 14. By depressing the pedal 218, the operation lever 312 rotates around the rotation center 314 as understood from FIG. As a result, the pull string 292 is pulled, and the baskets 300 and 301 have their respective outer peripheral portions separately moved upward with the common rotation fulcrum 303 as the rotation center, and an opening just below the common rotation fulcrum 303 opens. It becomes. The bait 6 supplied to the baskets 300 and 301 from the discharge port 304 moves toward the tray 220, slides on the inclined surface of the tray 220, and is collected in the bait reservoir 16. Thus, the automatic feeding apparatus 210 performs the same operation as the automatic feeding apparatus 10 described in FIG.

  The automatic feeding device according to the present invention can be used as a feeding device for animals that need to be fed regularly.

  6 Feeding, 8 Dogs, 10,210 Automatic feeding device, 12,212 Housing, 13 Partition, 14 Lid, 16 Feeding reservoir, 18,218 Pedal, 20,220 Tray, 22 Timer, 24 Feeding amount setting Part, 30, 230 hopper, 31, 32 sliding groove, 40 output shaft, 42 pusher, 43 other end of pusher (44,244) lock resetter, 46 support point (for lock resetter), 48 (end of lock resetter) 50, 250 Lock arm, 52, 252 (Lock arm) support point, 53, 253 Weight, 54 Upper tip, 56 Lower tip, 58 Guide hole, 60, 260 Impeller, 62, 262 Rotating shaft , 64, 264 Blade, 68, 268 Lock pin, 70 Lock setter, 72, 74, 86, 88 Support shaft, 76 Set pin, 8 0 Spring, 82, 84 Link member, 90 Spring hanging shaft, 100, 300, 301 Basket, 102, 302 Upper opening, 104, 304 Discharge port, 106 Rotating shaft, 110 Opening / closing part, 112, 312 Actuating lever, 114, 314 Center of rotation, 120 second receiving wall, 130, 330 receiving wall, 211 bracket, 256 tip, 270 connecting string, 280 weight part, 290 lowering string, 292 pulling string, 303 common rotation fulcrum.

Claims (4)

A feeding time for feeding food to the tray can be set, and a timer that the output shaft moves when the set feeding time is reached,
A pusher movable so as to protrude in the axial direction by movement of the output shaft of the timer;
A hopper for storing and feeding the bait to the tray side;
An impeller disposed between the hopper side and the tray side, having a plurality of blades forming a partition in the circumferential direction, and rotatable about a rotation axis;
Between the lock position where the impeller is stopped by engaging with the lock pin provided on the impeller and the unlock position where the impeller can be rotated by releasing the engagement with the lock pin, A lock arm that changes position relative to the car;
The position relative to the lock arm can be changed between the hold position where the lock arm is held at the lock position and the reset position where the lock arm is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position, usually due to the eccentricity between the support point and the center of gravity. A lock resetter that contacts the lock arm at the lock position while pushing back the pusher with a return force, takes a hold position, and moves to a reset position separated from the lock arm by the pusher's protrusion;
The timer pusher output shaft protrudes at the set feeding time, the lock resetter moves to the reset position, the lock resetter moves to the reset position, the lock arm takes the release position, and the impeller rotates by this A basket that catches the food supplied by the impeller rotating by the weight of the food from the hopper when it becomes possible;
When the movement of the basket moves in the direction of gravity due to the weight of the supplied bait, and the amount of movement becomes the amount of movement corresponding to the feeding amount set arbitrarily in advance, the lock arm is pushed or pulled to lock A lock setter that forcibly moves from the release position to the lock position and stops the impeller;
An opening / closing part provided in the basket and capable of opening and closing toward the tray;
A pedal that is opened to move toward the tray by moving the opening and closing part,
An automatic feeding device comprising: In the automatic feeding apparatus of Claim 1,
The automatic feeding device, wherein the timer is a mechanical timer. In the automatic feeding apparatus of Claim 1,
The tray
An extension extending obliquely from the lower part of the opening and closing part of the basket,
A bait reservoir provided at the tip of the extension;
An automatic feeding device comprising: The automatic feeding device according to claim 3,
An automatic feeding device comprising: a housing portion that arranges a bait reservoir portion and a distal end portion of a pedal on the outside of a peripheral wall.

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