Automatic feeder

Abstract

The utility model provides an automatic feeder capable of well keeping feed dry. The automatic feeder comprises a feed storage bin used for storing feed, and the feed storage bin is provided with a feed outlet capable of feeding the feed in a penetrating mode; the heating part is used for heating the feed, and the heating part is in direct contact or indirect contact with the feed storage bin; the motor is used for driving the storage bin to feed the feed; and the control part is connected with the heating part and the motor so as to control the heating part and the motor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automatic feeding equipment, and more particularly to an automatic feeder. Background Technology

[0002] As people's living standards improve, pets are becoming increasingly common. For example, the number of people keeping various ornamental fish has grown rapidly in recent years. These fish require frequent and regular feeding; overfeeding can lead to bloating and death, while neglecting to feed them for extended periods can cause starvation. Therefore, automatic feeders are needed to provide timed and measured feeding. However, most automatic feeders on the market have the following problems: when feeding is not required, the feed easily comes into contact with moisture molecules in the air, causing it to become damp, spoiled, moldy, and clump together over time, affecting the fish's health and potentially leading to death. To address this issue, existing technology proposes a moisture-proof baffle covering the feed outlet. However, because feeders operate in a relatively humid environment, even with this baffle, the moisture-proof effect on the feed is still insufficient. Utility Model Content

[0003] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an automatic feeder that can effectively keep feed dry.

[0004] One aspect of this utility model provides an automatic feeder, comprising: a storage bin for storing feed, the storage bin having a through-hole for dispensing the feed; a heating unit for heating the feed, the heating unit being in direct or indirect contact with the storage bin; a motor for driving the storage bin to dispense the feed; and a control unit connected to the heating unit and the motor to control the heating unit and the motor.

[0005] Preferably, in one embodiment, the heating element and the discharge port are arranged separately with a gap between them.

[0006] Preferably, in one embodiment, the storage bin includes a first wall and a second wall disposed opposite to each other, the heating element is laid on the wall surface of the first wall or disposed close to the first wall, and the discharge port is provided through the second wall.

[0007] Preferably, in one embodiment, the motor is connected to the storage hopper and the control unit. Under the control of the control unit, the motor can drive the storage hopper to rotate. When the motor drives the storage hopper to rotate, the first wall is located below the second wall to heat the feed in the storage hopper. Alternatively, the second wall is located below the first wall to allow the feed in the storage hopper to fall to the outside through the discharge port.

[0008] Preferably, in one embodiment, the storage bin includes a first wall and a second wall disposed opposite to each other, and the automatic feeder further includes a third wall covering at least a portion of the storage bin. The heating element is fixedly clamped between the third wall and the storage bin. The discharge port is formed through the second wall. The motor is connected to the storage bin and the control unit. Under the control of the control unit, the motor can drive the storage bin to rotate. When the motor drives the storage bin to rotate, the first wall is located below the second wall to heat the feed in the storage bin, or the second wall is located below the first wall to allow the feed in the storage bin to fall to the outside through the discharge port.

[0009] Preferably, in one embodiment, a heating wall is provided on the wall of the storage bin, the heating wall is located near the discharge port, and one end of the heating wall is connected to the discharge port, and the heating part is in direct or indirect contact with the heating wall.

[0010] Preferably, in one embodiment, the storage bin includes a first inclined wall and a second inclined wall disposed opposite to each other, the first inclined wall and the second inclined wall being inclined at intervals, one end of the first inclined wall and the second inclined wall being connected to the discharge port to guide the feed to the discharge port, the distance between the first inclined wall and the second inclined wall increasing as they move away from the discharge port, and the heating wall being a portion of the first inclined wall and the second inclined wall near the discharge port.

[0011] Preferably, in one embodiment, the heating wall is made of a thermally conductive material.

[0012] Preferably, in one embodiment, the drive shaft of the motor is connected to a switch of the storage hopper to drive the switch to open or close the discharge port.

[0013] Preferably, in one embodiment, a humidity sensor is further included to detect the humidity inside the storage silo. The humidity sensor is connected to the control unit, and when the humidity inside the storage silo is detected to reach a threshold, the control unit controls the heating unit to heat the silo. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a perspective view schematically showing the automatic feeder according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 The diagram shows the internal structure of the automatic feeder.

[0017] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 The diagram shows an exploded view of the overall structure of the automatic feeder.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a perspective view schematically illustrating the automatic feeder according to Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 The diagram shows the internal structure of the automatic feeder.

[0020] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 4 The diagram shows an exploded view of the overall structure of the automatic feeder.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the internal structure of an automatic feeder according to a variation of Embodiment 2, Example 1.

[0022] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 7 The diagram shows an exploded view of the overall structure of the automatic feeder.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing the internal structure of an automatic feeder according to a variation of embodiment 2.

[0024] Main component description:

[0025] 100, 200: Automatic feeder; 10: Storage bin; 13, 13a: Discharge port; 17: Fixing part; 20, 20a, 20b, 20c: Heating part; 30: Control part; 40, 40a: Motor; 50: Humidity sensor; 60: Power supply unit. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solution of this utility model will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0027] To make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, directional terms used in this utility model, such as up, down, top, bottom, front, back, left, right, inside, outside, etc., are only for reference to the accompanying drawings and are not intended to limit this utility model.

[0028] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the following embodiments are merely examples for illustrating this disclosure, and the technical content described in the claims is not limited to the following description.

[0029] Implementation Method 1

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view of the automatic feeder 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 This is an internal structural diagram showing the main parts of the automatic feeder 100. Figure 3 This is an exploded view showing the overall structure of the automatic feeder 100.

[0031] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the automatic feeder 100 involved in this embodiment mainly includes a housing 1, a heating unit 20, and a control unit 30. A storage bin 10 is formed inside the housing 1 for storing feed. A heating wall 101 is provided on the inner wall of the storage bin 10 for heating the feed stored in the storage bin 10. The storage bin 10 also has a through-hole 13 for dispensing the feed. The heating unit 20 is laid on the entire surface of the heating wall 101 of the storage bin 10 to heat the heating wall 101. The control unit is connected to the heating unit 20 and can control the heating unit 20 to heat the feed stored in the storage bin 10, thereby evaporating moisture from the air and the feed, keeping the feed dry. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the storage bin 10 can be formed directly.

[0032] In this embodiment, the housing 1 has openings on both sides, one opening being a feed inlet and the other a discharge outlet 13. The housing 1 also includes a storage cover 11 for closing the feed inlet of the storage bin 10. The storage bin 10 is formed inside the housing 1 and includes a first inclined wall 102 and a second inclined wall 104 disposed opposite to each other. The first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104 are inclinedly spaced apart from each other, such that the distance between the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104 increases as it moves away from the discharge outlet 13. One end of the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104 is connected to the feed inlet, and the other end of the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104 is connected to the discharge outlet 13, so as to guide the feed along the inclined first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104 to the discharge outlet 13.

[0033] The heating wall 101 is located near the discharge port 13 of the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104. In other words, the heating wall 101 is a part of the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104 near the discharge port 13. The heating element 20 is laid on the entire surface of the heating wall 101 to increase the heating area and thus quickly heat the feed located at the heating wall 101.

[0034] In this embodiment, the heating element 20 is laid on the back side of the heating wall 101, but it is not limited to this; it can also be laid on the front side of the heating wall 101, depending on the actual needs. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heating wall 101 is a part of the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104, but it is not limited to this; the heating wall 101 can also be the entire surface of the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104. Additionally, in this embodiment, the heating wall 101 is provided on the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104, but it is not limited to this; all or part of all walls of the storage bin 10 can be provided as heating walls 101.

[0035] In addition, in this embodiment, the heating wall 101 is integrally formed of the same material as the first inclined wall 102 and the second inclined wall 104. However, it is not limited to this. For example, when the heating part 20 is laid on the back side of the heating wall 101, the heating wall 101 may be made of a thermally conductive material to further improve the heat conduction efficiency, thereby improving the heating efficiency.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heating element 20 is preferably a sheet-like structure, such as a carbon fiber heating element, a graphene heating element, or a ceramic PCT heating element. Alternatively, the heating element 20 can be a sheet-like structure composed entirely of a heating element, or it can be a sheet-like structure formed by laying heating tubes and heating wires. The structure and shape of the heating element 20 are not limited to these; in other embodiments, the heating element 20 can also be a warm air device. The heating temperature of the heating element 20 is typically set to 40°C to 60°C. Therefore, by using the heating element 20 to heat the heating wall 101, the feed stored in the storage silo 10 can be efficiently heated and dehumidified over a large area, thereby efficiently evaporating moisture from the air and the feed, keeping the feed in a dry state.

[0037] The control unit 30 includes a control circuit board 31, a display unit 33 mounted on the control circuit board 31, and multiple control buttons 35. The control circuit board 31 is installed inside the housing 1 and connected to the heating unit 20 to control the heating unit 20. The display unit 33 is located on the outer surface of the housing 1 to display various heating information to the user. The multiple control buttons 35 are located on the outer surface of the housing 1 and connected to the control circuit board 31. The user can use these multiple control buttons 35 to make various settings, such as setting feeding timers, heating timers for the heating unit 20, etc., to set various modes.

[0038] In addition, the automatic feeder 100 also includes a motor 40 electrically connected to the control unit 30 as a first motor. Figure 2 As shown, the drive shaft 41 of the motor 40 is connected to the switch 15 of the storage bin 10 to drive the switch 15 to open or close the discharge port 13. Thus, when feed is added according to the feeding schedule, the control unit 30 controls the switch 15 to open the discharge port 13, causing the feed to fall from the discharge port 13. The opening and closing timing of the switch 15 is preset by the user according to the amount of feed added; it can be opened once a day or multiple times a day, depending on actual needs.

[0039] The automatic feeder 100 also includes a humidity sensor 50 electrically connected to the control unit 30, which protrudes into the interior of the storage bin 10 to detect the humidity inside the storage bin 10. When the humidity inside the storage bin 10 is detected to reach a preset value (e.g., 60%), the control unit 30 automatically controls the heating unit 20 to heat the food even if the preset heating time has not yet arrived.

[0040] The automatic feeder 100 also includes a power supply unit 60. The power supply unit 60 is a battery, preferably a rechargeable lithium battery, which is connected to a charging interface (not shown) that can be mounted on the control circuit board 31. Therefore, the user can charge the battery at any time by connecting it to a charger via the charging interface 41, based on the battery level displayed on the display unit 33, thus achieving energy saving and environmental protection. Furthermore, the power supply unit 60 is connected to the heating unit 20, the control unit 30, the motor 40, and the humidity sensor 50 to supply them with power.

[0041] Furthermore, the automatic feeder 100 also includes a fixing part 17, which extends vertically from the bottom of the housing 1 and includes a pair of fixing plates 171 and 172 spaced apart and opposite to each other, and a fixing bolt 174. One of the fixing plates 171 and 172 (e.g., fixing plate 172) has a fixing screw hole 173, and the fixing bolt 174 passes through the fixing screw hole 173 and abuts against the other fixing plate 171. Thus, for example, the automatic feeder 100 can be fixed at any position on a fish tank of various thicknesses (various types), greatly improving ease of use. Moreover, the structure of the fixing part 17 is not limited to this, as long as it can securely fix the automatic feeder 100 to various fish tanks.

[0042] Therefore, according to the automatic feeder 100 of this embodiment, the user can pre-set feeding controls (e.g., feeding frequency, feeding time, feeding amount, etc.) and heating controls (heating time, heating duration, etc.) according to their own needs. Feeding controls and heating controls can also be combined, for example, by heating the heating element for a predetermined time before each feeding. Thus, feeding can be performed automatically when the user is traveling or away from home. Of course, the user can also directly and manually control heating and feeding to enjoy the pleasure of feeding during leisure time.

[0043] In addition, by installing heating walls and heating elements on the entire surface of the heating walls in the openable storage silo, the feed stored in the silo can be heated efficiently, effectively reducing feed moisture and clumping, thus maintaining the feed in a dry and fresh state for a long time and greatly improving the feed's moisture-proof effect.

[0044] Implementation Method 2

[0045] based on Figures 4-6 Another embodiment of the present invention will now be described. For ease of explanation, components that have the same function as those described in Embodiment 1 above will be labeled with the same or similar reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic perspective view of the automatic feeder 200 according to this embodiment. Figure 5This is an internal structural diagram showing the main parts of the automatic feeder 200. Figure 6 This is an exploded view showing the overall structure of the automatic feeder 200.

[0047] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the automatic feeder 200 according to this embodiment includes a housing 1, a heating unit 20a and a control unit 30.

[0048] In this embodiment, the housing 1 includes a main housing 1a and a storage bin 10a rotatably connected to the main housing 1a.

[0049] In this embodiment, the storage silo 10a has a cylindrical structure, and both the heating wall 101a and the discharge port 13a are formed on the cylindrical wall of the storage silo 10a. The heating wall 101a is located opposite the discharge port 13a and is spaced apart from it. However, the structure of the storage silo 10a is not limited to this; it can also be rectangular or elliptical. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferred that the heating wall 101a is positioned opposite the discharge port 13, but this is not a limitation. The heating wall 101a can be located in other positions as long as it facilitates heating of the feed stored in the storage silo 10a.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the storage bin 10a includes a first wall 103 and a second wall 105 disposed opposite to each other. The first wall 103 is a heating wall 101a, and the heating element 20a is laid out curvedly along the entire curved surface of the first wall 103. A discharge port 130 is provided through the second wall 105. In this embodiment, the heating element 20a is laid on the inner wall surface of the heating wall 101a, and the surface of the heating element 20a is preferably made of a material that can directly contact the feed.

[0051] The main housing 1a has an opening on one side. The control unit 30 is located inside the main housing 1a, and a main housing cover 35 is provided on the opening of the main housing 1a. The automatic feeder 200 also includes a motor 40a as a second motor. The motor 40a is installed inside the main housing 1a and is connected to the storage bin 10a and the control unit 30. Under the control of the control unit 30, the motor 40a can drive the storage bin 10a to rotate relative to the main housing 1a.

[0052] Specifically, the storage bin 10a also includes a storage cover 11a, with one end of the storage bin 10a near the main housing 1a fitted onto the storage cover 11a. A shaft connector 90 is located at the center 111a of the storage cover 11a, and the storage cover 11a is connected to the rotating shaft 41a of the motor 40a via the shaft connector 90. The motor 40a is also connected to the control unit 30, enabling the motor 40a to drive the storage cover 11a and the storage bin 10a fitted onto it to rotate under the control of the control unit 30.

[0053] As is readily understood, in this embodiment, when feed heating is required, motor 40a drives storage bin 10a to rotate to a first state, such that the first wall 103 is positioned below the second wall 105, enabling heating of the feed within storage bin 10a. When feeding is required, motor 40a drives storage bin 10a to rotate to a second state, such that the second wall 105 is positioned below the first wall 103, allowing the feed within storage bin 10a to fall to the outside via discharge port 13a. Furthermore, when no feeding operation is being performed, storage bin 10a is maintained in the first state.

[0054] Furthermore, a magnetic conductive exchanger 80 connected to the control unit 30 is provided on the storage cover 11a, along with a movable charging interface 81 and a data connector 82. A humidity sensor 50 is located on the magnetic conductive exchanger 80 and protrudes through the storage cover 11a into the storage hopper 10a to detect the humidity inside the storage hopper 10a, or it can directly contact the feed to detect the feed humidity. Additionally, one end of the heating unit 20a is also located on the magnetic conductive exchanger 80. This allows for efficient parallel charging and data transmission.

[0055] In addition, the automatic feeder 200 also includes a power supply 60 and a fixing part 17, which will not be described again here.

[0056] Therefore, according to the automatic feeder 200 of this embodiment, by providing a heating wall in the rotating storage bin and a heating part covering the entire wall surface of the heating wall, the feed stored in the storage bin can be heated efficiently, effectively reducing feed from getting damp and clumping, thereby maintaining the feed in a dry and fresh state for a long time and greatly improving the feed's moisture-proof effect.

[0057] Variation 1 of Implementation Method 2

[0058] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the difference from Embodiment 2 is that in Modification 1, the heating element 20b is arranged on the outer wall surface of the heating wall 101a. Specifically, a third wall 107 extends from the bottom end of the main housing 1a on the side near the storage bin 10a, covering at least a portion of the storage bin 10a. The heating element 20b is completely covered by the third wall 107, preferably, the third wall 107 is slightly larger than the heating element 20b. Thus, the heating element 20b is sandwiched between the third wall 107 and the storage bin 10a.

[0059] Furthermore, the connecting portion (not shown) of the heating unit 20b can be directly connected to the control unit 30, thereby allowing the control unit 30 to control the heating unit 20b to heat the wall of the storage hopper 10a, thus heating the feed inside the storage hopper 10a. Additionally, when the motor 40a drives the storage hopper 10a to rotate, the heating unit 20b does not rotate with it. Therefore, it is easily understood that both the first wall 103 and the second wall 105 can serve as the heating wall 101a. Furthermore, the heating unit 20b (third wall 107) is configured not to cover the discharge port 13a when the motor 40a drives the storage hopper 10a to rotate to the second state.

[0060] Therefore, by setting it up in this way, the same effect as in implementation method 2 can be achieved.

[0061] Variation 2 of Implementation Method 2

[0062] like Figure 9 As shown, the difference from Embodiment 2 is that in Modification 2, the heating element 20c is configured not to directly contact the storage bin 10, that is, it is configured to be separated from the first wall 103 by a certain distance. In this Modification, the heating element 20c is configured as a cylindrical tube, but it is not limited to this and can be configured as other shapes. When the control unit 30 controls the heating element 20c to heat, it can directly heat the feed located around it. Similarly, the surface of the heating element 20c is preferably made of a material that can directly contact the feed.

[0063] Therefore, this setup can efficiently heat the feed stored in the silo, effectively reducing feed moisture and clumping, thus maintaining the feed in a dry and fresh state for a long time and improving its moisture-proof effect.

[0064] Furthermore, in this disclosure, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0065] All aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and should not be construed as limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments, but is defined based on the claims. Furthermore, all modifications are included within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic feeder characterized by comprising: The automatic feeder comprises: a storage bin for storing feed, the storage bin being provided with a discharge opening through which the feed can be discharged; a heating unit for heating the feed, the heating unit being in direct or indirect contact with the storage bin; a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity in the storage bin; a motor for driving the storage bin to discharge the feed; and a control unit connected to the heating unit, the humidity sensor and the motor to control the heating unit and the motor, wherein the control unit controls the heating unit to heat when the humidity sensor detects that the humidity in the storage bin reaches a threshold value.

2. The automatic feeder according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is spaced apart from the discharge opening.

3. The automatic feeder according to claim 2, wherein the storage bin comprises a first wall and a second wall arranged opposite to each other, the heating unit is arranged on the wall surface of the first wall or close to the first wall, and the second wall is provided with the discharge opening therethrough.

4. The automatic feeder according to claim 3, wherein the motor is connected to the storage bin and the control unit, and under the control of the control unit, the motor can drive the storage bin to rotate, when the motor drives the storage bin to rotate, the first wall is located below the second wall to heat the feed in the storage bin, or the second wall is located below the first wall to allow the feed in the storage bin to fall to the outside through the discharge opening.

5. The automatic feeder according to claim 2, wherein the storage bin comprises a first wall and a second wall arranged opposite to each other, the automatic feeder further comprises a third wall covering at least a portion of the storage bin, the heating unit is fixedly clamped between the third wall and the storage bin, the second wall is provided with the discharge opening therethrough, the motor is connected to the storage bin and the control unit, and under the control of the control unit, the motor can drive the storage bin to rotate, when the motor drives the storage bin to rotate, the first wall is located below the second wall to heat the feed in the storage bin, or the second wall is located below the first wall to allow the feed in the storage bin to fall to the outside through the discharge opening.

6. The automatic feeder according to claim 1, wherein a heating wall is arranged on the wall surface of the storage bin, the heating wall is located close to the discharge opening, and one end of the heating wall is connected to the discharge opening, the heating unit is in direct or indirect contact with the heating wall.

7. The automatic feeder according to claim 6, wherein the storage bin comprises a first inclined wall and a second inclined wall arranged opposite to each other, the first inclined wall and the second inclined wall are inclinedly arranged at a distance from each other, and one end of the first inclined wall and the second inclined wall is connected to the discharge opening to guide the feed to the discharge opening. The distance between the first inclined wall and the second inclined wall is greater the farther away from the discharge opening, and the heating wall is a portion of the first inclined wall and the second inclined wall close to the discharge opening.

8. The automatic feeder according to claim 7, wherein The heating wall is made of a heat-conducting material.

9. The automatic feeder according to claim 6, wherein The driving shaft of the motor is connected with the opening and closing part of the storage bin to drive the opening and closing part to open or close the discharge opening.

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