US3217907A - Silo unloader lowering control - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 16, 1965 F. E. BuscHBoM 3,217,90'7

SILO UNLOADER LOWERING CONTROL Filed June 7, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Flag INVENTOR FLOYD E. Bax/150M Nov. 16, 1965 Filed June 7, 1963 F/GZ F. E. BUSCHBOM SILO UNLOADER LOWERING CONTROL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FL are E Bax/150M y f wmtw A7- TORNE K5 SILO UNLOADER LOWERING CONTROL Filed June 7, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 LL /00 T 94 72-- T I INVEN TOR LOY0 t. BUJCHBOM ATTORNEY-i Nov. 16, 1965 F. E. BUSCHBOM 3,217,90'7

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United States Patent 3,217,907 SILO UNLGADER LOWERING CUNTRGL Floyd E. Buschhom, Long Lake, Minn, assignor to Vandale Corporation, Long Lake, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Filed June 7, 1963, Ser. No. 286,291 12 Claims. (Cl. 214-17) The present invention relates to materials handling equipment and more particularly to ensilage unloading equipment and to a control device therefor. While the invention can be employed for unloading a variety of materials, it is particularly well adapted for agricultural use in the removal of ensilage from a silo.

In recent years a variety of automatic silo unloading devices have come into use. These devices ordinarily include a motor driven auger and a means for moving the auger from one location to another within the silo. In the past, such silo unloaders have been customarily supported for vertical movement with the silo by the provision of a hand operated crank. These manually operated devices not only are fatiguing and time-consuming to operate but also require constant attention during the removal of ensilage from the silo. Moreover, there is no reliable way to judge the position of the unloader since it is hidden within the silo.

A further shortcoming of these prior devices is that since they are necessarily located adjacent to the silo, the work must often be carried out from an inconvenient or otherwise undesirable location. The inconvenience associated with the operation of prior art devices has, in fact, sometimes resulted in the failure to raise the unloader after it has been used which in winter months results in the freezing of the unloader to the top of the ensilage stored within the silo. Freeing an unloader which has become frozen to the top of the ensilage is an unpleasant task requiring substantial time and effort.

Still another shortcoming of the prior art devices of the class described results from the fact that the constant raising and lowering of the unloader from the surface of the ensilage will often subject the unloader motor to loads in excess of the prescribed limits thereby reducing the life of the equipment.

In view of these and other defects of the prior art it is thus one object of the present invention to provide an improved silo winch control which will enable the silo unloader to be quickly raised or lowered with little manual effort.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved silo unloading control including a provision for raising and lowering the unloader from a remote location.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a silo unloader control which can be set to lower the unloader at a predetermined rate and will continue to operate unattended.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved silo winch control including a means for indicating the period of time during which the unloader was raised or lowered within the silo.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved silo unloader control including a means which will prevent the unloader motor from being overloaded.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved apparatus enabling a silo unloader to be raised or lowered at relatively fast or relatively slow rates as desired.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an unloader, winch and control therefor having a novel cooperative relationship, the control embodying a unique means for indicating the duration of movement of the unloader and a movable switch cooperatively associated therewith to regulate the duration of operation of the winch.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved silo unloader winch control including a means for raising and lowering the unloader at a plurality of predetermined rates and including a means for controlling at least one of said rates.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which the same numerals refer to corresponding parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical side elevational view partly in section of a silo including a silo winch control according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the winch and associated components taken on line 22 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the winch embodying the present invention taken on line 3-3 of FIGURES 1 and 4;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the winch;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view partly broken away of the control according to the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view partly broken away of the control according to the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is an end elevational view partly broken away of the control taken on line 88 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a partial side elevational view of the control showing the position indicator arm; and

FIGURE 10 is a schematic wiring diagram of the con trol according to the present invention.

Referring now to the figures which illustrate a preferred form of my invention there is shown a silo 10 within which is stored ensilage 12. The ensilage 12 is removed from the silo by means of a silo unloader of the type shown in my Patents No. 2,794,560 and No. 2,877,907 to which reference is made. The unloader is indicated generally at 14 and includes a supporting framework 16, a

drive motor 18, an auger means 29, impeller unit 22 and an exhaust chute 24 and suitable drive hubs. The unload-er 14 is supported by means of cables 26 which extend upwardly from the impeller unit 22 to a connecting hook 28. Extending upwardly from book 28 is an elongated flexible connecting member such as a cable 30 which is entrained over a sheave 32 at the top of the silo. The sheave 32 is itself supported by a plurality of inclined tripod legs 34, 36 and 38 which are connected at their upper ends and rest at their lower ends upon the wall of the silo 10. From sheave 32 the cable 30 extends downwardly and over a sheave 40 positioned in an opening 42 in the silo roof 44. From the sheave 45, the cable 311 extends downwardly at 46 to a winch indicated generally at 48.

The winch 48 includes a support assembly 50, a winch reel 52 and a drive means such as a reversible electric drive motor 54. The supporting framework 50 comprises a pair of laterally spaced and parallel and horizontally extending L irons 56 and 58 afiixed at their inward ends to a pair of vertical members such as L irons 60 and 62. The motor 54 is mounted by bolts 57 upon a bracket 59 which is itself rigidly attached to the outward ends of the horizontal support members 56 and 58. At the upper end of the L irons 60 and 62 are a pair of horizontally extending spacers 64 and 66 respectively (FIGURES 2 and 3) which rest at the inward ends against the outside surface of the silo 1t). Rigidly secured to the vertical members 60 and 62 as by welding are a pair of retaining members such as identical hooks 68 and 70, each of which extends beneath one of the circular reinforcing rods 72 which encircle the silo 1d. Positioned laterally of each of the vertical members 60 and 62 are connecting clips 80 and 82 respectively, each including upper and lower slidably related hook members A and B which are secured together by a bolt 84. During assembly, the portions A and B are slid toward each other until the hooked ends thereof are engaged over the retaining rods 72 at which time the nut 85 can be tightened upon bolt 84. The clips 80 and 82 thus function to reliably secure the reinforcing rod 72 to which the members 68 and 70 are secured to the next lower rod 72. It will be seen that while the supporting framework 58 is securely fastened to the reinforcing rods 72, it can nonetheless be put in place with relative ease.

Rigidly affixed to the vertical members 60 and 62 respectively, by fasteners such as bolts 90 is a housing 92 including a gear case 94 within which is rotatably mounted a worm gear 96 and a worm gear 98. The worm 96 is aflixed to a shaft 160 which is suitably coupled to the drive motor 54. The worm gear 98 is affixed to a shaft 102 which is mounted for rotation upon spaced journals 104 and 106. Rigidly aflixed to the shaft 102 is a reel 1108 upon which is wound the lower end of cable 31), as best seen in FIGURE 2.

It can thus be seen that as the motor 54 is operated in one direction during operation of the apparatus, the shaft 100 will cause the worm 96 to turn in a first direction thereby rotating the worm gear 98 and reel 108 at a reduced speed and in a direction adapted to allow the cable 30 to unwind from the reel 108. When the motor 54 is operated in the other direction, shaft 100 and worm 96 will turn the worm gear 98 and reel 108 at a reduced speed and in the opposite direction thereby causing the cable to be wound upon the reel which in turn raises the silo unloaded 14.

Refer now to FIGURES 6-10 which illustrate the con trol according to the present invention. The control includes a housing 110 having side, top and bottom walls and a supporting bracket 112 rigidly afixed to one of the side walls. Bracket 112 includes a vertically disposed portion 114 upon which a regulator or timer motor 116 is mounted.

The timing motor 116 includes a timing shaft 118 which extends through one of the side Walls of the housing and has rigidly connected to it at its outward end a position indicator member or arm 1211. An indicator plate 122 (FIGURES 8 and 9) is aflixed to the Wdll of the casing 116 and is provided with arbitrarily spaced position indicator marks 124 which, if desired, can be designated by numbers (not shown) so that the position of arm 12% can be observed with reference to a fixed reference point.

Extending radially from the shaft 118 is a switch operating member 126. The member 126 extends radially a sufiicient distance to engage the switch lever 128 of a current control device such as a normally open micro switch 135. The microswitch 131) is itself mounted for sliding movement along a guide 132 supported upon bracket 112. The guide 132 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 134 into which projects a bolt 136 attached to microswitch 131 at its upper end. Extending upwardly from the microswitch and rigidly connected thereto is an adjustment bracket 138 to which is threaded a thumb screw 140 mounted at 141 for rotation in one wall of the housing 110. By turning the screw 140 in a first direction, the microswitch 130 can be made to move along the guide 132 toward the shaft 1118 thereby enabling the operating member 126 to engage the lever 128 sooner during one complete revolution and to remain in engagement therewith longer as the shaft 115 turns. By turning the screw 1411 in the opposite direction, the microswitch 130 can be slid along the guide 132 in the opposite direction or toward the left as seen in FIGURE 6, thereby causing the member 126 to engage the lever 128 at a later time during one revolution of shaft 118 and to remain in engagement therewith for a shorter duration of time. In this way, the movement of the microswitch 1311 upon the guide 132 by the screw 14!) comprises a means for controlling the interval of time during which the motor 54 is in the operating condition.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 10, it will be Seen that current is supplied to the control through commercial power lines 151 151 and 152. Lines 1511, 151 and 152 are connected through the silo unloader switch 154 to the motor 18. The silo unloader switch 154 may, for exam ple, be a manually actuated triple pole, single throw toggle type. Line 151 is connected to a plug terminal 156 through the silo unloader switch 154. The line 1511 is connected through the silo unloader switch 154 with a plug terminal 158. Terminals i and 162 are adapted to be connected to the terminals 158 and 156. Connected in series with the terminals 160 and 162 by means of lines 163 and 165 are the terminals 164 and 166 of the motor 54. Connected in line 165 between the terminals 1611 and 164 are a pair of switches 168 and 170. The microswitch 130 is wired in series with the switch 168 in parallel with motor 54 by means of conductors 172 and 174.

Wired between the conductors 165 and 163 in parallel with motor 54 is a double pole double throw motor reversing switch 176. Switch 176 includes a pair of movable contacts connected to lines 163 and 165, a first pair of terminals and a second pair of terminals connected by means of conductors 178 and 181), to a pair of contacts 182 and 184 on the motor 54. By throwing the switch 176 so as to engage the first terminals, motor 54 can be made to turn clockwise and by throwing the switch so as to contact the second terminals, the motor 54 can be made to turn in a counterclockwise direction. The switch 176 may therefore be thought of as a means for reversing the direction of rotation of the winch.

Wired to the conductors 15d and 152 are a pair of conductor- s 186 and 188 to which are secured plug terminals 190 and 192 respectively. The terminals .161) and 162 can be connected to the terminals 191) and 192 When it is desired to run the winch motor 54 without operating the motor 18 as for example when it is necessary to raise the unloader assembly 14 the full height of the silo 10.

Operation The unloader will ordinarily be started in the up position, that is a position above the upper surface of the ensi-lage. To begin the operation, the operator should open switch 170 and close the switch 168 (start position) thereby completing a circuit through the motor 116 and the motor 18. The control is then operated so as to lower the unloader into engagement with the ensi-lage. The auger 20 will then move the ensilage to the impeller mechanism 22 which forces the ensilage into the exhaust chute 24 in the usual manner while the timer motor 116 turns shaft 118 in a clockwise direction as seen in FIGURE 6. After the motor 18 has been operating for a time, the operating member 126 will engage the switch member 128 which during the entire period of engagement will maintain the microswitch 130 in the closed condition thereby allowing current to pass through the motor 54. Operation of the motor 54 will cause the cable 30 either to be wound upon the reel 180 or unwound therefrom depending upon the condition of switch 176. During normal unloading operation, the switch 176 should be in the down position to allow the unloader 14 to be lowered at regular timed intervals determined by the periodic closure of the switch 116. It will thus be apparent that the unloader 14 can be lowered at a relatively slow rate without the attention of the operator. As the unloader 14 is thus lowered, the ensilage 12 is, of course, removed by the auger 20. Since the unloader 14 is lowered at a predetermined rate with my invention, the loading of the motor 18 can be kept within predetermined or established limits thereby prolonging the life of the equipment.

If it is desired to lower the unloader 14 at a more rapid rate, the screw 140 should be turned so as to slide the microswitch 130 toward the right in FIGURE 6, thereby causing the switch 130 to remain closed for a longer period of time each time it is contacted by the switch operating member 126. On the other hand, if it is desired to lower the unloader 14 at a slower rate the switch 130 is moved toward the left in FIGURE 6.

When it is desired to move the unloader 14 either up wardly or downwardly at a relatively rapid rate as for example when the unloader is to be raised to the top of the silo, the switch 170 is closed thereby serving to bypass the switch 116 and enable the motor 54 to operate continuously rather than intermittently. It should be noted that when the unloader 14 is being either raised or lowcred, the position thereof can be reliably judged by observing the movement of the arm 120 on the indicator dial 122 during the time the switch 170 is closed. Thus, while the exact height to which the unloader is raised is not itself critical, it is important to be able to lower it back into engagement with the surface of the ensi-lage. The engaged position is, of course, the same position the unloader was in before being raised above the surface of the ensilage when the unloader was stopped the previous time. This can be readily accomplished by allowing the indica tor 120 to swing through equal arcs while switch 170 is closed during both elevation and lowering. The motor 116 thus serves a double function, namely, that of controlling the operation of the switch 116 and also as a means for visually indicating the duration of movement of the unloader 14 within the silo.

It is apparent that many modifications and variations of this invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The specific embodiments described are given by way of example only and the invention is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A control for a silo unloader comprising in combination, winch means operatively connected to said silo unloader for raising and lowering said unloader, selectively operable first control means for turning on and off said winch, and second control means for operating said winch intermittently for predetermined periods of time.

2. A silo evacuating implement comprising in combination, a silo unloader, winch means operatively connected to said silo unloader for raising and lowering said unloader, selectively operable first control means for turning on and off said winch, second control means for operating said winch intermittently for predetermined periods of time and adjust-able means for regulating each period of time during which said second control means operates.

3. An implement comprising in combination, a silo unloader, Winch means operatively connected .to said silo unloader for raising and lowering said unloader, selectively operable first control means for turning on and off said winch, second control means for operating said winch intermittently for predetermined periods of time, an adjustable means for regulating each period of time during which said second control means operates and a selectively operable reversing means connected to said Winch for changing the direction of rotation thereof.

4. An unloading implement for use with a source of current, said apparatus comprising in combination a silo unloader, an elongated flexible connecting member extend ing upwardly therefrom to the upper end of said silo, a winch means connected to the opposite end of said connecting member from the silo unloader, .an electric drive motor connected to said winch, conductor means adapted to connect a source of current to said electric drive motor, switch means connected between said source of current and said electric drive motor, a current control connected between the source of current and said drive motor and a regulator for intermittently operating the current control so as to cause the motor to be operated at spaced intervals and a by-pass connected in series with the current control to operate said motor without regard to the condition of said current control.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the regulator comprises a timing motor connected across said source of current.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein an indicator arm is operatively connected to said timer motor for providing visual data indicating the vertical position of said silo unloader in the silo.

7. An agricultural implement comprising in combination, a silo unloader, a flexible connecting member se cured thereto and extending upwardly therefrom, a winch means secured to the end of the connecting member opposite from the silo unloader, a drive motor for operating the winch, a normally open switch means operatively connected to said motor, a timing motor conductively connected to said switch means for regulating current flow thereto, a switch operating member connected to the shaft of said motor and positioned to operatively engage and close said switch means at periodic interval-s.

8. The apparatus according to claim '7 including means for mounting the switch means for movement toward or away from said switch operating member whereby the switch operating member is adapted to engage the switch means for a greater period of time when the switch means is moved toward the switch operating member to thereby increase the period of time during which the switch means is in the closed position.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein .a position indicator arm is connected to the timing motor to provide visual data indicating the position of the movable portion of the timer motor with respect to .a reference point.

10. A silo unloader and control therefor for unloading silos comprising, a silo unloader disposed within a silo, a flexible support means rotatably secured to said silo unloader, a winch means secured to said silo .and operably secured to said flexible support means, motor means drivingly secured to said winch means, conductor means conductively secured to said motor means, switch means comprising a portion of said conductor means, a timing motor mounted near said switch means, a switch actuating arm operably secured to said timing motor and disposed so as to be rotated thereby, means for moving said actuating warm and said switch relative to one another to provide variable engagement therebetween, and means secured to said timing motor for establishing visual data indicating the position of said silo unloader Within said silo.

11. A control for a silo unloader comprising in combination, Winch means operatively eonnected to said silo unloader for raising and lowering the unloader, selectively operable first control means movable to a first position for turning off said Winch and movable to a second position to turn on said winch, and second control means for operating said Winch intermittently for predetermined periods of time When the first control means is in the on position.

a 12. The control defined in claim 11 including, an adjustable means for regulating each period of time during Which said second control means operates.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,430,203 11/1947 Bailey 2-14-17 2,511,246 6/ 1950 Chamberlin 214-17 2,518,601 8/1950 Cor'dis 21417 2,578,632 12/1951 Miller 20038 2,580,306 12/1951 Leach et al 2l41-7 2,958,510 11/1960 Finch 254173 15 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A CONTROL FOR A SILO UNLOADER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, WHICH MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SILO UNLOADER FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID UNLOADER, SELECTIVELY OPERABLE FIRST CONTROL MEANS FOR TURNING ON AND OFF SAID WINCH, AND SECOND CONTROL MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID WINCH INTERMITTENTLY FOR PREDETERMINED PERIODS OF TIME.

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