A feeding device, a feeding mechanism and a feeding method thereof

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of aquaculture equipment technology, disclosing a feeding device, a feeding mechanism, and a feeding method thereof. The feeding device includes a hopper, a feeding control component, a feeding pipe, a pipeline detector, and a blower. The feeding pipe has an inlet end, an outlet end, and an air inlet end. The hopper is connected to the inlet end of the feeding pipe via the feeding control component, which controls the connection or disconnection between the hopper and the inlet end of the feeding pipe. A pipeline detector is installed on the feeding pipe to detect blockages inside the pipe. The blower is connected to the air inlet end of the feeding pipe and can clear blockages in the feeding pipe based on the results detected by the pipeline detector. This feeding device can promptly detect potential pipe blockages and significantly improve the handling of blockages, eliminating the need to remove pipes and machines for clearing blockages, thus improving production safety and efficiency and significantly reducing costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aquaculture equipment technology, and in particular to a feeding device, a feeding mechanism, and a feeding method thereof. Background Technology

[0002] Feeders are a common mechanical device used in aquaculture to feed animals at regular intervals and in measured quantities. In aquaculture, pneumatic feeders, which use wind power to convey feed, are a commonly used type of aquaculture machinery. A typical pneumatic feeder consists of a hopper, a throwing mechanism, and a feeding pipe. Feed pellets in the hopper are transported to the throwing mechanism via the feeding pipe. A typical pneumatic feeder uses the rotation of the throwing mechanism to generate negative pressure, creating a pressure difference across the feeding pipe. This causes airflow to continuously flow from the hopper to the throwing mechanism, propelling the feed pellets in the hopper towards the throwing mechanism, where they are eventually ejected. However, the inventors have discovered at least the following problem with this technology: because the pneumatic feeder creates a pressure difference within the feeding pipe connecting the hopper and the throwing mechanism, thus driving airflow from the hopper side to the throwing mechanism side and propelling the feed pellets from the hopper to the throwing mechanism... Due to frictional resistance in pipelines, the air velocity at the end of a long pipeline gradually decreases. When the velocity drops to a certain level, the airflow may be unable to propel the feed pellets. Furthermore, the density of feed pellets is not constant; in actual production, liquids are often added to the feed, increasing the weight and viscosity of the pellets. This makes it easier for feed pellets to accumulate locally in the pipeline, leading to blockages. Existing pneumatic feeders cannot detect pipeline blockages in a timely manner. Even after a blockage occurs, feed continues to be fed into the pipeline from one side of the hopper, eventually causing the blockage to worsen until it becomes completely blocked. This not only affects the feeding process but also creates severe blockages in the pipeline that are difficult to clear. Clearing the blockage requires locating the pipe and the machine itself, significantly impacting production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a feeding device that can detect whether the feeding pipe is blocked in a timely manner and clear the blockage in a timely manner, which can significantly improve the situation of the feeding pipe being blocked.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a feeding device, which includes: a hopper, a feeding control component, a feeding pipe, a pipeline detector, and a blower.

[0005] The feeding pipe has a feeding end, a discharging end, and an air inlet end;

[0006] The hopper is connected to the feed end of the feeding pipe through the feeding control component, and the feeding control component can control the connection or disconnection between the hopper and the feed end of the feeding pipe.

[0007] The feed pipe is equipped with a pipe detector, which is used to detect the blockage status inside the feed pipe;

[0008] The blower is connected to the air inlet of the feed pipe, and the blower can clear blockages in the feed pipe based on the results detected by the pipeline detector.

[0009] In some embodiments, the feed end of the feed tube is located above the discharge end and the air inlet end, and the air inlet end and the discharge end are located on opposite sides of the feed tube. The radial length of the air inlet end of the feed tube is less than the radial length of the discharge end, and the central axis of the air inlet end is located below the central axis of the discharge end.

[0010] In some embodiments, the air pressure detector is disposed above the feed pipe near the air inlet and extends at least partially into the feed pipe, and the air pressure detector detects whether the internal pipeline is blocked by detecting the air pressure in the feed pipe near the air inlet.

[0011] In some embodiments, the length of the air pressure detector extending into the feed tube is at least 2 mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the feed end has a funnel-shaped structure, the radial area of ​​the end of the feed end near the hopper is greater than the radial area of ​​the end away from the hopper, and the inner surface of the feed end has an inclined surface structure.

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention also provide a feeding mechanism, which includes a rotary driver, a throwing disc, and a feeding device as described above;

[0014] The output shaft of the rotary driver is connected to the throwing disc and can drive the throwing disc to rotate. The discharge end of the feeding device is connected to the throwing disc through a conveying pipe. The rotation of the throwing disc can form a flowing airflow, which pushes the material in the feeding device to be conveyed along the conveying pipe to the throwing disc for throwing operation.

[0015] In some embodiments, the central axis of the throwing disc is provided with a mounting position connected to the output shaft of the rotary driver, and the throwing disc is also provided with a feed inlet communicating with the conveying pipe;

[0016] The throwing disc includes a base, a disc body, and multiple throwing blades. The throwing blades are disposed between the disc body and the base. A throwing channel is formed between two adjacent throwing blades. The throwing channel is connected to the feed inlet. The blade surface of the throwing blade is arc-shaped, and the arc bending direction of the throwing blade is opposite to the rotation direction of the throwing disc.

[0017] In some embodiments, the feed inlet is located on the chassis, and the side surface of the disc body near the chassis has an inclined surface structure with a low center and a high perimeter.

[0018] In some embodiments, the throwing disc further includes a top disc disposed on the side of the disc body away from the base plate, and a sealed receiving cavity is formed between the top disc and the disc body, the throwing blades penetrate the disc body, and a portion of the throwing blades are received in the receiving cavity.

[0019] Embodiments of the present invention also provide a feeding method, based on the feeding mechanism described above, comprising the following steps:

[0020] The rotary driver drives the throwing disc to rotate, and the rotating disc generates a flowing airflow.

[0021] The feeding control unit controls the material bin and the feeding pipe to be connected to each other. The airflow generated by the rotation of the throwing disc pushes the material in the feeding device to be continuously transported to the throwing disc along the conveying pipe for throwing operation.

[0022] During the material conveying process, the pipeline detector simultaneously detects whether there is any blockage in the feeding pipe;

[0023] When a partial blockage occurs in the feeding pipe, the feeding control unit controls the hopper to stop feeding material into the feeding pipe and starts the blower to blow air into the feeding pipe to push the material that is about to block the feeding pipe to continue moving towards the throwing plate, thereby clearing the feeding pipe.

[0024] Compared with related technologies, the hopper of this invention is connected to the inlet end of the feeding pipe via a discharge control component. A pipe detector is installed on the feeding pipe, and a blower is installed at the air inlet end of the feeding pipe. The blower can clear blockages in the feeding pipe based on the results detected by the pipe detector. The pipe detector can detect the blockage status inside the feeding pipe, thereby promptly identifying potential blockages. By limiting the discharge speed through the discharge control component and creating a pressure difference through the blower, the blockage can be cleared. This significantly improves the situation of blockages in the feeding device, eliminating the need to dismantle the pipe and remove the machine to clear the blockage when it occurs, thus improving production safety and efficiency. Furthermore, since the blower is only activated when blockages are likely to occur, a high-power blower is not required, thereby significantly reducing costs. Attached Figure Description

[0025] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal cross-sectional structure of the feeding pipe near the air inlet end according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the material throwing disc according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the feeding disc;

[0031] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the throwing disc and the throwing blades;

[0032] Figure 7 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the assembled disc body, top disc, and throwing blades of the throwing disc;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the rotational motion of the feeding disc and the direction of movement of the feed pellets;

[0034] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the movement direction of feed pellets in an existing feed throwing disc;

[0035] Figure 10 yes Figure 4 A partial exploded view of the material throwing disc.

[0036] 100. Feeding mechanism;

[0037] 1. Throwing disc; 11. Base plate; 111. Connecting through hole; 12. Disc body; 13. Throwing blades; 131. Throwing channel; 14. Top plate; 141. Receiving cavity; 15. Mounting position; 16. Feed inlet; 17. Reinforcing member; 181. Buckle; 182. Slot; 19. Limiting member;

[0038] 3. Feeding device; 31. Hopper; 32. Discharge control component; 33. Feeding pipe; 331. Feeding end; 332. Discharge end; 333. Air inlet; 334. Air port; 34. Pipeline detector; 35. Blower;

[0039] 4. Rotary actuator; 41. Connecting pipe; 42. Housing; 5. Delivery pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many technical details have been presented in the various embodiments of the present invention to enable the reader to better understand this application. However, the technical solutions claimed in this application can be implemented even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments.

[0041] In embodiments of the present invention, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "middle," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and "longitudinal" indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing the present invention and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated devices, elements, or components to having a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0042] Furthermore, in addition to indicating direction or positional relationship, some of the aforementioned terms may also have other meanings. For example, the term "above" may also be used in certain situations to indicate a dependency or connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0043] Furthermore, the terms "installation," "setting," "equipped with," "opening," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal connection between two devices, components, or parts. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0044] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are primarily used to distinguish different devices, elements, or components (which may be the same or different in specific type and construction), and are not intended to indicate or imply the relative importance or quantity of the indicated devices, elements, or components. Unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0045] It should be noted that the feeding device 3 can be used to feed various materials. Specifically, in this embodiment, the feeding device 3 is mainly used for feed feeding in the aquaculture field. Of course, in other embodiments, the feeding device 3 can also be used for feeding materials in other places, and no particular limitation is made here.

[0046] The first embodiment of the present invention relates to a feeding device 3, such as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the feeding device 3 includes: a hopper 31, a feeding control component 32, a feeding pipe 33, a pipeline detector 34, and a blower 35; wherein, the hopper 31 is used to store materials to be fed, such as feed pellets in the field of aquaculture.

[0047] The feeding pipe 33 has an inlet end 331, an outlet end 332, and an air inlet end 333. The hopper 31 is connected to the inlet end 331 of the feeding pipe 33 via a discharge control component 32, and the discharge control component 32 can control the connection or disconnection between the hopper 31 and the inlet end 331 of the feeding pipe 33. It should be noted that the connection or disconnection between the hopper 31 and the inlet end 331 of the feeding pipe 33 refers to the flow paths of the two being connected or disconnected. The discharge control component 32 can be any device capable of controlling material discharge, such as one that can switch its own state to connect or disconnect the hopper 31 and the inlet end 331 of the feeding pipe 33. For example, it can be an electrically driven control mechanism for discharging, such as a device that only needs to meet the requirement of discharging when powered on and not discharging when powered off. Specifically, the discharge control component 32 can be a commonly used vibratory feeder, screw feeder, etc., which are not the focus of this invention and will not be specifically described here. In addition, the discharge end 332 of the feeding pipe 33 can be connected to the throwing plate 1 through the conveying pipe 5. Specifically, the throwing plate 1 generates negative pressure by rotating, thereby creating an air pressure difference on both sides of the conveying pipe 5. This causes the airflow to continuously flow from the hopper 31 to the throwing plate 1, driving the feed particles in the hopper 31 to move continuously towards the throwing plate 1 under the push of the airflow, and finally entering the throwing plate 1 and being thrown out by the throwing plate 1.

[0048] A pipe detector 34 is installed on the feeding pipe 33 to detect any blockages inside the feeding pipe 33. A blower 35 is connected to the air inlet 333 of the feeding pipe 33, and the blower 35 can clear any blockages in the feeding pipe 33 based on the results detected by the pipe detector 34. Furthermore, it should be noted that the feeding device 3 may also include a conventional control circuit with a microprocessor, control buttons, a display screen, etc., which can control the operating status of the feeding control component 32, the pipe detector 34, and the blower 35, and enable manual interaction to feed materials. No further details are provided here.

[0049] The working principle of the feeding device 3 is as follows: When feeding is required, the feeding control component 32 controls the material bin 31 and the feeding pipe 33's inlet end 331 to be interconnected. The material in the material bin 31 can enter the feeding pipe 33 through the feeding control component 32 and the feeding pipe 33's inlet end 331, and be output through the feeding pipe 33's outlet end 332. During the material conveying process, the pipeline detector 34 simultaneously detects whether the feeding pipe 33 is blocked. When a partial blockage occurs in the feeding pipe 33, the feeding control component 32 controls the material bin 31 to stop conveying material to the feeding pipe 33's inlet end 331, and starts the blower 35 to blow air into the feeding pipe 33 to push the material that is about to be blocked in the feeding pipe 33 to move, thereby clearing the feeding pipe 33.

[0050] In summary, the hopper 31 of the feeding device 3 is connected to the inlet end 331 of the feeding pipe 33 via the discharge control component 32. A pipeline detector 34 is installed on the feeding pipe 33, and a blower 35 is installed at the air inlet end 333 of the feeding pipe 33. The blower 35 can clear blockages in the feeding pipe 33 based on the results detected by the pipeline detector 34. The pipeline detector 34 can detect the blockage status inside the feeding pipe 33, thereby promptly identifying potential blockages. By limiting the discharge speed through the discharge control component 32 and creating a pressure difference through the blower 35, the blockage can be cleared. This significantly improves the situation of blockages in the feeding device 3, eliminating the need to remove the pipe and machine to clear the blockage when it occurs, thus improving production safety and efficiency. Furthermore, since the blower 35 is only turned on when blockages are likely to occur, a high-power blower 35 is not required, thus significantly reducing costs.

[0051] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the feed end 331 of the feed pipe 33 is located above the discharge end 332 and the air inlet end 333, and the air inlet end 333 and the discharge end 332 are located on opposite sides of the feed pipe 33. The radial length of the air inlet end 333 of the feed pipe 33 is less than the radial length of the discharge end 332, and the central axis of the air inlet end 333 is located below the central axis of the discharge end 332. The material in the hopper 31 can enter the feeding pipe 33 through the feed end 331 under the action of gravity and flow out through the discharge end 332 of the feeding pipe 33 to the equipment of the next process, such as flowing into the throwing plate 1 for throwing operation. When a local blockage occurs in the feeding pipe 33, the blower 35 is activated to blow air into the feeding pipe 33 to push the material that is about to be blocked in the feeding pipe 33 to move. The radial length of the air inlet 333 of the feeding pipe 33 is set to be smaller than the radial length of the discharge end 332, and the central axis of the air inlet 333 is located below the central axis of the discharge end 332. This allows the airflow entering from the air inlet 333 of the blower 35 to directly enter the discharge end 332 of the feeding pipe 33 without being reflected by the pipe wall and overflowing from the feed end 331.

[0052] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2As shown, the pipeline detector 34 is a pneumatic pressure detector. The pneumatic pressure detector is positioned above the feed pipe 33 near the air inlet 333 and extends at least partially into the feed pipe 33. The pneumatic pressure detector detects whether the internal pipeline is blocked by measuring the air pressure near the air inlet 333 within the feed pipe 33. Since the feed pipe 33 is the end of the conveying pipe 5 connected to the throwing disc 1 when feeding material, the air velocity is reduced, making it most prone to blockage. Therefore, positioning the pneumatic pressure detector above the air inlet 33 of the feed pipe 33 ensures more stable airflow and facilitates accurate detection of blockages within the feed pipe 33. The pneumatic pressure detector is typically a small-diameter tube, usually with an inner diameter of 2–4 mm. This tube can penetrate deep into the feed pipe 33, and the height h of its lower edge from the upper inner wall of the feed pipe 33 is at least 2 mm. The pressure detector can be connected to an external barometer to measure the static pressure of the gas flowing through the feed pipe 33. According to Bernoulli's law of fluid mechanics, the following formula applies:

[0053]

[0054] When the gas flows inside the feed pipe 33, i.e., when the velocity V is greater than 0, its static pressure p will decrease. Therefore, based on the measured static pressure, the fluid velocity can be calculated according to the above formula. Since the fluid near the pipe wall will experience viscous resistance and its velocity will decrease, the lower edge of the air pressure detector needs to maintain a certain distance from the upper wall inside the feed pipe 33 to accurately measure the air velocity inside the pipe. Generally, the distance h should be at least 2 mm, and usually more than 5 mm will yield better results.

[0055] The working principle of the air pressure detector is as follows: After feeding begins, the air pressure detector will continuously measure the air pressure inside the feed pipe 33. When the feed pellets can be conveyed normally, the airflow in the pipe will remain within a certain speed range, that is, the fluctuation range of the air pressure value will not exceed the threshold. However, when a local blockage occurs in the pipe, reducing the area through which the airflow passes, the airflow speed in the pipe will decrease, causing the measured air pressure value to exceed the preset threshold range. If the detected air pressure value is greater than the threshold (the airflow speed decreases and the static pressure of the gas increases), the feeding control component 32 controls the hopper 31 to stop conveying material to the feed end 331 of the feed pipe 33 to prevent more feed pellets from entering the feed pipe 33 and causing more serious pipe blockage. At the same time, the drum is activated. The blower 35 blows air into the feed pipe 33, increasing the air pressure inside the pipe and pushing the feed particles that are about to block the pipe further out of the discharge end 332, thereby clearing the pipe. After the above clearing step is started, the air pressure detector needs to continuously monitor the air pressure inside the pipe. If the air pressure drops below the threshold, it can be confirmed that the pipe has been cleared. After the pipe is cleared, the blower operation can be stopped and the material feeding can be restarted. If the air pressure detected by the air pressure detector does not drop below the threshold after a period of time after the clearing step is started, it can be known that the pipe has not been completely cleared. At this time, the equipment can be stopped, paused for a few seconds, and then the blower 35 can be restarted. The air pressure should be continuously measured. After confirming that the air pressure is below the threshold, the normal feeding process can be resumed.

[0056] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the feed end 331 has a funnel-shaped structure. The radial area of ​​the end of the feed end 331 near the hopper 31 is larger than the radial area of ​​the end away from the hopper 31, and the inner surface of the feed end 331 has an inclined surface structure. Under the action of gravity, the feed particles will fall from the feed end 331 into the feed pipe 33, ensuring that all the material can fall into the feed pipe 33 and flow out through the discharge end 332. In addition, the hopper 31 also has a funnel-shaped structure, which facilitates the falling of feed particles under the action of gravity.

[0057] In some embodiments, the feed pipe 33 may also be provided with an air inlet 334 above the air inlet end 333, which connects to the outside. The air inlet 334 can increase the air inlet area and increase the air intake to further reduce the problem of blockage.

[0058] The second embodiment of the present invention relates to a feeding mechanism 100, such as... Figures 1 to 10As shown, the feeding mechanism 100 includes a rotary driver 4, a throwing disc 1, and a feeding device 3 as described above. The output shaft of the rotary driver 4 is connected to the throwing disc 1 and can drive the throwing disc 1 to rotate. The discharge end 332 of the feeding device 3 is connected to the throwing disc 1 through a conveying pipe 5. The rotation of the throwing disc 1 can form a flowing airflow, which pushes the material in the feeding device 3 to be conveyed along the conveying pipe 5 to the throwing disc 1 for throwing operation. The rotary drive 4 includes a housing 42 with an output shaft mounted on it. The housing 42 has a connecting pipe 41 that communicates with the throwing disc 1. The output shaft is connected to the throwing disc 1. The connecting pipe 41 of the housing 42 is connected to the discharge end 332 of the feeding device 3 through the conveying pipe 5. The rotary drive 4 drives the throwing disc 1 to rotate around the central axis of the throwing disc 1. The resulting negative pressure forces the feed particles in the hopper 31 into the throwing disc 1 through the conveying pipe 5 and the connecting pipe 41 for throwing operation. It should be noted that the housing 42 of the rotary drive 4 does not rotate with the output shaft of the rotary drive 4. Therefore, when the rotary drive 4 drives the throwing disc 1 to rotate, it will not affect the feeding operation of the throwing disc 1 from the feeding device 3.

[0059] The feeding method of the feeding mechanism 100 includes the following steps:

[0060] The rotary driver 4 drives the throwing disc 1 to rotate, and the throwing disc 1 can generate a flowing airflow during the rotation process;

[0061] The feeding control component 32 controls the material bin 31 and the feeding pipe 33 to be connected to each other. The airflow generated by the rotation of the throwing disc 1 pushes the material in the feeding device 3 to be continuously transported to the throwing disc 1 along the conveying pipe 5 for throwing operation.

[0062] During the material conveying process, the pipeline detector 34 simultaneously detects whether there is any blockage in the feeding pipe 33;

[0063] When a partial blockage occurs in the feeding pipe 33, the feeding control unit 32 controls the hopper 31 to stop feeding material to the feed end 331 of the feeding pipe 33, and starts the blower 35 to blow air into the feeding pipe 33 to push the material that is about to be blocked in the feeding pipe 33 to continue to move towards the throwing plate 1, thereby clearing the feeding pipe 33.

[0064] In the aforementioned feeding mechanism 100, the material is conveyed from the feeding pipe 33 to the feeding plate 1 by generating negative pressure through the rotation of the throwing plate 1. That is, the feeding method adopts negative pressure air conveying, which is significantly cheaper than positive pressure air conveying. Positive pressure air conveying requires the use of a more expensive vortex blower and a fan-off feeding device to cooperate with the feeding, and the overall cost is much higher than that of negative pressure feeding. In addition, the fan-off device is prone to causing feed wear and breakage. Furthermore, the hopper 31 of the feeding device 3 is connected to the inlet end 331 of the feeding pipe 33 via the discharge control component 32. A pipe detector 34 is installed on the feeding pipe 33, and a blower 35 is installed at the air inlet end 333 of the feeding pipe 33. The blower 35 can clear blockages in the feeding pipe 33 based on the results detected by the pipe detector 34. The pipe detector 34 can detect the blockage status inside the feeding pipe 33, thereby promptly identifying potential blockages. By limiting the discharge speed through the discharge control component 32 and creating a pressure difference through the blower 35, the blockage can be cleared. This significantly improves the situation of blockages in the feeding device 3, eliminating the need to remove the pipe and machine to clear the blockage when it occurs, thus improving production safety and efficiency. Moreover, since the blower 35 is only turned on when blockages are likely to occur, a high-power blower 35 is not required, thus significantly reducing costs.

[0065] In some embodiments, such as Figures 4 to 10 As shown, the central axis of the throwing disc 1 is provided with a mounting position 15 connected to the output shaft of the rotary drive 4, and the throwing disc 1 is also provided with a feed inlet 16 connected to the conveying pipe 5; the throwing disc 1 includes a base 11, a disc body 12 and a plurality of throwing blades 13, the throwing blades 13 are arranged between the disc body 12 and the base 11, and a throwing channel 131 is formed between two adjacent throwing blades 13, the throwing channel 131 is connected to the feed inlet 16, the blade surface of the throwing blade 13 is arc-shaped, and the arc bending direction of the throwing blade 13 is opposite to the rotation direction of the throwing disc 1 (wherein the rotation direction of the throwing disc is as follows). Figure 8(As shown in d1). Specifically, the mounting position 15 can be located at the bottom or top of the throwing disk 1 corresponding to the central axis, without particular limitation. Similarly, the feed port 16 can be located at the top or bottom of the throwing disk 1. To facilitate the assembly of various components and save structural space, preferably, the mounting position 15 is provided at the bottom of the throwing disk 1 at its own central axis, and the feed port 16 is provided at the periphery of the mounting position 15 at the bottom of the throwing disk 1. The feed port 16 is connected to the connecting pipe 41 on the housing 42 of the rotary driver 4 and forms a sealed fit. The base 11 and the disk body 12 are adapted to each other in shape, for example, both are circular structures, and the two fit together to form a circular disk structure with open edges. When the aforementioned throwing disc 1 rotates under the drive of the rotary driver 4, the throwing blades 13 throw the air in the center of the throwing disc 1 outwards, creating a centrifugal fan effect. At this time, the throwing disc 1 will draw in air at high speed from the feed inlet 16 below, and the air will drive the feed particles in the hopper 31 to move continuously towards the throwing disc 1. Under the push of the throwing blades 13, the particles are thrown outwards, thereby achieving the feeding effect. The throwing blades 13 are arc-shaped, and the arc curvature of the throwing blades 13 is opposite to the rotation direction of the throwing disc 1. This structure allows the feed particles to be thrown out at an angle away from the axis during rotation (wherein the throwing direction of the feed particles is as follows). Figure 8 As shown in d2), compared to the existing feeding disc 1 with straight-edged throwing blades 13, the direction in which it throws out feed pellets is along the tangent of the disc (wherein the direction of the feed pellets being thrown out is as shown in d2). Figure 9 As shown in d3), under the same diameter throwing disc 1 and rotation speed, the arc-shaped throwing blade 13 can achieve a longer throwing distance. Moreover, the arc-shaped throwing blade 13 will contact the feed particles at a certain incident angle during operation, avoiding direct vertical impact on the feed particles, which can significantly reduce the breakage of the feed particles.

[0066] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the feed inlet 16 is located on the base 11, and the surface of the disc body 12 near the base 11 has an inclined structure with a lower center and higher edges. Specifically, in this embodiment, the surface of the disc body 12 near the base 11 has an inverted conical structure, so that when the feed particles enter from the feed inlet 16 and are thrown out under centrifugal force, they can be thrown at an upward angle. Specifically, when the throwing disc 1 is working, the airflow enters the throwing disc 1 from the feed inlet 16 at the center of the base 11 (wherein the direction of airflow is as follows). Figure 7As shown in d4, the feed pellets move upwards, gaining an initial upward velocity. The inverted conical disc structure allows the feed pellets to maintain an upward velocity component and be thrown upwards in a parabolic trajectory, thus greatly increasing the actual throwing distance. In contrast, with the existing planar disc structure of the throwing disc 1, the feed pellets are blocked or even reflected downwards by the upper disc surface, thus greatly shortening the actual throwing distance. Specifically, the disc 12 can have only one side surface near the base 11 with an inclined surface structure that is low in the center and high around the edges. However, in other embodiments, the disc 12 can also have an inclined surface structure that is low in the center and high around the edges on both the surface near and away from the base 11, that is, the entire disc 12 has an inclined surface structure that is low in the center and high around the edges. No particular limitation is made here. In one specific embodiment, the disk body 12 is generally inverted conical in shape. A motor bushing is provided at the central axis of the disk body 12. The motor bushing is the mounting position 15. The motor bushing is fixed on the motor shaft of the rotary driver 4, such as a rotary motor. For example, it can be fixed by thread. In practical applications, it can also be fixed on the motor shaft by means of a flat opening or a key bar. One end of each throwing blade 13 extends from the motor bushing to the outer edge to form the arc-shaped blade surface.

[0067] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the throwing disc 1 also includes a top disc 14, which is disposed on the side of the disc body 12 away from the base disc 11, and a sealed receiving cavity 141 is formed between the top disc 14 and the disc body 12. The throwing blades 13 penetrate the disc body 12, and part of the throwing blades 13 are housed in the receiving cavity 141. The shape of the top disc 14 is adapted to the shape of the disc body 12. The throwing blades 13 penetrate the disc body 12. The throwing blades 13 on the upper part of the disc body 12 can strengthen the overall strength of the throwing disc 1 and greatly improve the structural strength. However, these throwing blades 13 will increase air resistance. Therefore, by adding a top plate 14 above the disc body 12, a sealed cavity is formed between the top plate 14 and the disc body 12. Specifically, the top plate 14 can be sealed and fixed to the disc body 12 and the base plate 11 with fasteners and rotate with it. The sealed cavity formed between the top plate 14 and the disc body 12 can prevent air from entering the receiving cavity 141 from above, which can significantly reduce the air resistance when the throwing disc 1 is working and improve the working efficiency of the throwing disc 1.

[0068] In some embodiments, such as Figure 10As shown, the feeding disc 1 also includes a reinforcing member 17. The two opposite ends of the reinforcing member 17 are connected to the base 11 and the disc body 12, respectively. The reinforcing member 17 is disposed on at least one side of the surface of the feeding blade 13 and is fitted against the feeding blade 13. The reinforcing member 17 and the feeding blade 13 have the same curved surface shape, allowing the reinforcing member 17 to fit tightly against the feeding blade 13. Specifically, a layer of reinforcing member 17, such as a steel sheet, can be tightly fitted only on the side of the feeding blade 13 that contacts the thrown feed particles. This effectively improves the structural strength and wear resistance of the feeding blade 13, increasing its service life. Furthermore, in other embodiments, a layer of the reinforcing member 17 can be tightly fitted on both opposite sides of the feeding blade 13, without particular limitation, to further improve the structural strength and wear resistance of the feeding blade 13.

[0069] In some embodiments, the two opposite ends of the reinforcing member 17 are fixed to the chassis 11 and the disc body 12 respectively by a connecting structure, wherein the connecting structure is a snap-fit, welding, bonding or threaded connection, etc. It should be noted that the connecting structure is not limited to the above-described scheme, and other connecting structures that can fix the reinforcing member 17 to the chassis 11 and the disc body 12 respectively are also applicable.

[0070] In some embodiments, such as Figure 10 As shown, limiting members 19 are also provided on the chassis 11 and the disc body 12 respectively. Each reinforcing member 17 has a limiting member 19 on each of its opposite sides. The two limiting members 19 cooperate to form a limiting space for locking the reinforcing member 17. Through the cooperation of the limiting member 19 with the slot 182 and the buckle 181, the reinforcing member 17 can be firmly fixed between the chassis 11 and the disc body 12 to prevent the reinforcing member 17 from falling off during the rotation of the throwing disc 1.

[0071] In some embodiments, an elastic buffer is also provided between the feeding blade 13 and the reinforcing member 17. The elastic buffer can be an elastic rubber pad or a soft rubber pad, which can increase elasticity, significantly reduce the impact force when the reinforcing member 17 hits the feed pellets, and further reduce feed breakage.

[0072] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the top plate 14, plate body 12 and base plate 11 are all provided with connecting through holes 111. The top plate 14, plate body 12 and base plate 11 are connected by threaded fasteners that are sequentially inserted into the connecting through holes 111 of the top plate 14, plate body 12 and base plate 11 to form a threaded connection, thereby fixing the three together to form a throwing plate 1 structure for throwing operation. No welding is required, the manufacturing process is simpler, and the cost can be significantly reduced.

[0073] The present invention provides a specific embodiment of the working principle of the feeding mechanism 100:

[0074] When the throwing disc 1 is turned on, the rotary driver 4 drives the throwing disc 1 to rotate. During the rotation, a negative pressure is generated in the feeding pipe 33, and air flows from the feeding pipe 33 to the throwing disc 1.

[0075] After the feeding disc 1 is turned on for a few seconds (the exact time depends on the length of the conveying pipe 5), an airflow will begin to form in the feeding pipe 33 and flow towards the feeding disc 1. The feeding control component 32 controls the connection between the feed bin 31 and the feed inlet 331 of the feeding pipe 33. At this time, the feed pellets are continuously transported into the feeding pipe 33.

[0076] Feed pellets falling into the feeding pipe 33 are propelled by the airflow generated by the throwing plate 1 through the discharge end 332 and the conveying pipe 5 to continuously move towards the throwing plate 1, forming a continuous throwing action;

[0077] After feeding begins, the air velocity in the feeding pipe 33 will decrease as it is the end of the conveying pipe 5, making it most prone to blockage. Therefore, the air pressure in the internal pipe of the feeding pipe 33 near the air inlet 333 is continuously measured by an air pressure detector. When the feed pellets can be conveyed normally, the airflow in the feeding pipe 33 will be kept within a certain speed range, that is, the fluctuation range of the air pressure value will not exceed the threshold. However, when a local blockage occurs in the feeding pipe 33, reducing the area through which the airflow passes, the airflow velocity in the feeding pipe 33 will decrease, thereby causing the measured air pressure value to exceed the preset threshold range.

[0078] If the detected air pressure value is greater than the threshold (the airflow speed decreases and the static pressure of the gas increases), the feeding of hopper 31 will be stopped immediately to prevent more feed particles from entering the feeding pipe 33 and causing more serious pipe blockage. At the same time, the blower 35 will be activated to blow air into the pipe of the feeding pipe 33. The blower 35 will increase the air pressure in the feeding pipe 33 and increase the air pressure difference between the feeding pipe 33 and the throwing plate 1, pushing the feed particles that are about to block the pipe to continue to move towards the throwing plate 1, thereby clearing the pipe.

[0079] Afterwards, the air pressure detector continuously monitors the air pressure in the feeding pipe 33. If the air pressure drops below the threshold, it can be confirmed that the pipe has been cleared. After the pipe is cleared, the blower 35 can be stopped and the hopper 31 can be restarted to continue the normal feeding process. If the air pressure detected by the air pressure detector is not below the threshold, it can be known that the pipe has not been completely cleared. At this time, the throwing plate 1 and the blower 35 can be stopped. After pausing for a few seconds, the throwing plate 1 and the blower 35 can be restarted, and the air pressure can be continuously measured. After confirming that the air pressure is below the threshold, the normal feeding process can be resumed. Otherwise, the clearing steps can be repeated until the pipe is cleared.

[0080] For feeding mechanisms 100 with shorter conveying pipes 5, the blower 35 may not need to be started. When the air pressure detector detects that the air pressure is higher than the threshold and a blockage is about to occur, simply close the hopper 31 immediately to stop feeding, and continue to open the throwing disc 1 to extract feed pellets to clear the pipe. If the air pressure fails to recover, the throwing motor can be stopped briefly and then restarted. The change in airflow during startup can be used to clear the pipe and also achieve the effect of avoiding blockage.

[0081] The "subject name" provided by the embodiments of the present invention has been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the idea of ​​the present invention. There may be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. A feeding mechanism, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism includes a rotary drive, a throwing disc, and a feeding device; The feeding device includes: a hopper, a discharge control component, a feeding pipe, a pipeline detector, and a blower. The feeding pipe has an inlet end, an outlet end, and an air inlet end. The hopper is connected to the inlet end of the feeding pipe through the discharge control component, and the discharge control component can control the connection or disconnection between the hopper and the inlet end of the feeding pipe. The pipeline detector is installed on the feeding pipe and is used to detect the blockage state inside the feeding pipe. The blower is connected to the air inlet end of the feeding pipe and can clear the blockage position inside the feeding pipe based on the result detected by the pipeline detector. The output shaft of the rotary driver is connected to the throwing disc and can drive the throwing disc to rotate. The discharge end of the feeding device is connected to the throwing disc through a conveying pipe. The rotation of the throwing disc can form a flowing airflow, which pushes the material in the feeding device to be conveyed to the throwing disc along the conveying pipe for throwing operation. The central axis of the throwing disc is provided with a mounting position for connecting to the output shaft of the rotary drive, and the throwing disc is also provided with a feed port that communicates with the conveying pipe. The throwing disc includes a base, a disc body, a top disc, and multiple throwing blades. The throwing blades are disposed between the disc body and the base. The shape of the top disc is adapted to the disc body. The top disc is disposed on the side of the disc body away from the base, and a sealed receiving cavity is formed between the top disc and the disc body. The upper end of the throwing blade penetrates the disc body, and a part of the throwing blade is housed in the receiving cavity. A throwing channel is formed between two adjacent throwing blades. The throwing channel is connected to the feed inlet, which is located on the base. The surface of the disc body near the base has an inclined surface structure with a low center and a high perimeter.

2. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface of the throwing blade is arc-shaped, and the direction of the arc curvature of the throwing blade is opposite to the rotation direction of the throwing disc.

3. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feed inlet of the feed pipe is located above the discharge end and the air inlet, and the air inlet and the discharge end are located on opposite sides of the feed pipe. The radial length of the air inlet of the feed pipe is less than the radial length of the discharge end, and the central axis of the air inlet is located below the central axis of the discharge end.

4. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pipeline detector is a pneumatic pressure detector. The pneumatic pressure detector is located above the feed pipe near the air inlet and extends at least partially into the feed pipe. The pneumatic pressure detector detects whether the internal pipeline is blocked by detecting the air pressure in the feed pipe near the air inlet.

5. The feeding mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, The length of the air pressure detector extending into the feed tube is at least 2 mm.

6. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feed end has a funnel-shaped structure, the radial area of ​​the end of the feed end near the hopper is greater than the radial area of ​​the end away from the hopper, and the inner surface of the feed end has an inclined surface structure.

7. A feeding method, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism according to any one of claims 1-6 includes the following steps: The rotary driver drives the throwing disc to rotate, and the rotating disc generates a flowing airflow. The feeding control unit controls the material bin and the feeding pipe to be connected to each other. The airflow generated by the rotation of the throwing disc pushes the material in the feeding device to be continuously transported to the throwing disc along the conveying pipe for throwing operation. During the material conveying process, the pipeline detector simultaneously detects whether there is any blockage in the feeding pipe; When a partial blockage occurs in the feeding pipe, the feeding control unit controls the hopper to stop feeding material into the feeding pipe and starts the blower to blow air into the feeding pipe to push the material that is about to block the feeding pipe to continue moving towards the throwing plate, thereby clearing the feeding pipe.

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