A storage tank and its automatic spading device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of storage tank and its automatic spading device.The automatic spading device includes: push plate assembly, it includes fixed part and push plate, at least two push plates are spaced apart along the length direction of the fixed part;Drive assembly, it includes guide rail, sliding member and driving part, sliding member is slidably connected with the guide rail, and is connected with the fixed part;The driving part is drivingly connected with the sliding member, to drive the sliding member moves along the guide rail.The utility model moves by cylinder drive push plate assembly, replaces artificial spading, improves loading efficiency and reduces manpower cost and labor intensity;At the same time, by setting multiple push plates, it is realized to increase the pushing area of push plate assembly when slider moves the same distance, to increase the single pushing capacity and pushing distance of push plate assembly, to further facilitate shorten loading time and improve tank fullness coefficient.In addition, automated operation reduces artificial contact, reduces biological safety risk, reduces additional disinfection demand brought by artificial operation, reduces operating cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of bulk material transport vehicles, and in particular to an automatic material handling device. Background Technology

[0002] Compared to bagged material transport, bulk material transport offers advantages such as labor savings, lower costs, no material contamination during transport, and higher loading and unloading efficiency, and is gradually replacing bagged material transport. Bulk material transport vehicles are specialized logistics equipment for transporting bulk materials. They are equipped with dedicated storage tanks with openings at the top and discharge ports at the bottom. In the material processing workshop, workers load materials into the tanks through the unloading mechanism, then drive the vehicles to the farms, where they are unloaded through the discharge ports. However, during loading, the material tends to accumulate in a cone-shaped pattern inside the tank, preventing it from being completely filled, resulting in a low loading capacity, with a filling coefficient of only about 70%.

[0003] Currently, in order to improve the tank filling coefficient, material processing workshops typically adopt... Figure 1 The manual material-removing device shown is simple in structure, comprising a material-removing rod 1, a material-removing plate 2, and a handle 3. The material-removing rod 1 has the material-removing plate 2 and the handle 3 fixed to its two ends, respectively. The material-removing plate 2 is an arc-shaped plate to increase the amount of material removed in a single operation. In actual use, this manual material-removing device can increase the tank's filling coefficient to approximately 90%, but its loading efficiency is relatively low. Utility Model Content

[0004] Therefore, the purpose of this utility model is to provide an automatic material unloading device that can improve loading efficiency.

[0005] This utility model can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] An automatic material handling device includes:

[0007] A pusher assembly includes a fixing part and at least two pushers, the at least two pushers being spaced apart along the length direction of the fixing part;

[0008] A drive assembly includes a guide rail, a slider, and a drive component. The slider is slidably connected to the guide rail and connected to the fixed part. The drive component is drivenly connected to the slider to drive the slider to move along the guide rail. The drive component is a cylinder, an electric push rod, a hydraulic push rod, or a lead screw reciprocating mechanism.

[0009] Compared to existing technologies, this invention uses a cylinder-driven pusher assembly to move, replacing manual material handling, thus improving loading efficiency and reducing labor costs and intensity. Simultaneously, by setting multiple pushers, the pushing area of ​​the pusher assembly is increased when the slider moves the same distance, thereby increasing the amount and distance pushed by the pusher assembly in a single operation, which helps to shorten loading time and improve the tank filling coefficient. Furthermore, automated operation reduces human contact, lowers biosafety risks, reduces the additional disinfection requirements associated with manual operation, and lowers operating costs.

[0010] Furthermore, the pusher plate is a straight plate; or, at least one pusher plate has both ends bent into an arc or "V" shape away from the center of the fixed part. By setting the pusher plate to an arc or "V" shape, the amount of material carried back by the pusher plate in the later stage of material loading is reduced, thereby improving the material handling efficiency of the automatic material handling device, and thus improving the material loading efficiency of the storage tank.

[0011] Furthermore, each pusher plate includes a rotating shaft, a first rotating plate, and a second rotating plate; the rotating shaft is fixed to the bottom of the fixed part; the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate are rotatably connected to the rotating shaft; a first limiting baffle is respectively provided on the side of the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate near the middle of the fixed part to limit the maximum included angle between the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate, and a second limiting baffle is respectively provided on the side of the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate away from the middle of the fixed part to limit the minimum included angle between the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate. When the foldable pusher plate moves in different directions, it can better guide the material to slide by changing its shape through folding.

[0012] Furthermore, the maximum included angle is 140°-180°, and the minimum included angle is 60°-120°.

[0013] Furthermore, the automatic material handling device also includes a dust cover over the drive assembly, the dust cover having an arc-shaped or triangular cross-section. This design prevents dust from entering the cylinder and affecting its operation, while also preventing material from accumulating on top of the automatic material handling device.

[0014] Furthermore, the driving component is a cylinder, an electric push rod, a hydraulic push rod, or a lead screw reciprocating mechanism; the cylinder is a rodless cylinder, and the piston of the rodless cylinder is magnetically coupled or mechanically connected to the sliding member, which is slidably or rollingly connected to the guide rail. This design reduces the space occupied by the automatic material handling device, allowing the bulk material transport vehicle to have more space for storage and minimizing interference from the automatic material handling device during the material loading process.

[0015] Furthermore, the driving component is a rod-type cylinder, and the piston rod of the rod-type cylinder is fixedly connected to the sliding component; the guide rail is a sliding rod, and the sliding component is sleeved on the sliding rod; the fixing part is a bushing, which is sleeved on the sliding rod and fixedly connected to the sliding component. The rod-type cylinder can provide a large thrust to effectively load materials to the target position, and the rod-type cylinder can achieve movement of the push plate assembly over a long distance by adjusting the length and stroke of the connecting rod.

[0016] Furthermore, the driving component is an electric push rod, which includes a motor, a reduction gearbox, a lead screw, and a piston. The motor drives the output shaft of the reduction gearbox to rotate. One end of the lead screw is connected to the output shaft of the reduction gearbox, and the other end is connected to the piston through a lead screw nut. The end of the piston away from the lead screw is fixedly connected to the sliding member. The electric push rod is electrically connected to a controller. When the upward trend of the motor current becomes steep, the controller is triggered to control the electric push rod to stop running.

[0017] This utility model also provides a storage tank, which includes a tank body, and the automatic material feeding device is disposed inside the tank body, the automatic material feeding device being parallel to the top of the tank body. This arrangement reduces the angle between the pusher assembly and the top of the tank body, thereby helping to shorten the distance between the pusher assembly and the top of the tank body, allowing the pusher assembly to push the material more evenly to the front and rear corners of the tank body during movement, thus improving the tank's filling coefficient.

[0018] Furthermore, the storage tank also includes a material fullness detection sensor, located at a distance of 5% of the tank's sidewall height from the top of the tank and within 5% of the tank's length from the sidewall. This feature detects the material accumulation within the tank and promptly stops loading to prevent underloading or overloading. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a manual material handling device in the prior art.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the storage tank in Example 1.

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic material handling device.

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the automatic material handling device operating at the first position A1.

[0023] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the automatic material handling device operating at the second position A2.

[0024] Figure 6 for Figure 2 A bottom view of the automatic material handling device.

[0025] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the pusher assembly provided in another embodiment.

[0026] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the driving component.

[0027] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic material handling device in Example 2.

[0028] Figure 10 for Figure 9 A top view of the automatic material handling device.

[0029] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of the driving component.

[0030] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the drive component in Example 4.

[0031] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the pusher assembly in Example 5.

[0032] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the pusher assembly in Example 6.

[0033] The technical solution of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Taking pelleted feed as an example, as the livestock industry transforms towards automation, large-scale production, and intensification, many farms are gradually expanding their operations, leading to a sharp increase in feed consumption. To avoid untimely feed supply and excessively high feed storage costs, farms are placing higher demands on the volume and frequency (timeliness and stability) of feed transported per trip. Against this backdrop, the limitations of manual feed loading devices are becoming increasingly apparent. Manual loading devices are inefficient and cannot meet the needs of large-scale feed transportation. How to improve loading efficiency and further increase the tank filling coefficient has become a key issue that urgently needs to be addressed in the current bulk feed transportation sector.

[0035] This invention analyzes the reasons for the low operating efficiency of manual feed-feeding devices and finds that: to meet the biosafety requirements when manually feeding feed, workers need to disinfect the bulk feed transport vehicle before loading; during loading, workers need to wear protective clothing and stand on a working platform located to the left or right of the bulk feed transport vehicle and above the tank opening, requiring high-level operation and maintaining a certain distance from the tank opening and the feed. This operational requirement necessitates a relatively long feed-feeding rod 1. However, an excessively long feed-feeding rod 1 not only increases the difficulty of operating the manual feed-feeding device but also makes adjusting its angle with the tank opening extremely laborious.

[0036] Secondly, to improve loading efficiency, the feeding process is typically divided into two stages. The first stage involves feeding while feeding is being loaded, and the second stage alternates between loading and feeding. During feeding, the feeding plate 2 needs to overcome the impact of the continuously falling feed. Workers must exert extra force to maintain the feeding direction, further increasing the operational difficulty. In practice, workers need to constantly push the feeding device, resulting in low overall operational efficiency. Moreover, as workers' working hours increase, their physical strength gradually decreases, further reducing loading efficiency.

[0037] Furthermore, this invention analyzes the reasons why the tank filling coefficient of the manual feeding method is difficult to further improve. It finds that: high-level operation results in a large angle between the feeding plate 2 and the top of the tank, making it impossible to evenly push the feed to the top space of the tank, thus limiting the utilization rate of the tank space; secondly, the manual feeding device is only equipped with one feeding plate 2. To use this feeding plate 2 to push the feed to the side wall of the tank to fill the gap between the tank and the feed pile, it is necessary to extend the length of the feeding rod 1 and reduce the angle between the feeding rod 1 and the top of the tank. However, such adjustments would further increase the physical exertion of the workers, leading to a significant reduction in the operating efficiency of the manual feeding device.

[0038] Based on this, the present invention provides an automatic material feeding device, which is fixed to the top of the tank and parallel to the top of the tank. A drive assembly pushes a pusher plate assembly back and forth to replace manual material feeding, thereby improving feeding efficiency and tank filling coefficient, and reducing labor and disinfection costs. The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] Please see Figures 2-7This embodiment provides a storage tank, which includes a tank body 100 and at least one automatic material feeding device 200 disposed within the tank body 100. The automatic material feeding device 200 includes a pusher plate assembly 210 and a drive assembly 220. The pusher plate assembly 210 includes a fixed part 212 and a plurality of push plates 214. The push plates 214 are straight plates, and the plurality of push plates 214 are spaced apart along the length direction of the fixed part 212. The drive assembly 220 includes a guide rail 222, a sliding member 224, and a drive member 226. The sliding member 224 can slide along the guide rail 222, and its bottom is fixedly connected to the fixed part 212. The drive member 226 is drivenly connected to the sliding member 224 to drive the sliding member 224 to move along the guide rail 222, thereby driving the pusher plate assembly 210 to move between a first position A1 and a second position A2.

[0041] Specifically, the tank 100 is mounted on a transport vehicle and is a horizontally placed hollow cylinder. It has a tank opening 110 at the top, with a tank cover hinged to the outside of the opening 110. A discharge port is located at the bottom or on the bottom side wall. It can load bulk, fine granular or powdery materials such as feed or cement raw materials. In this embodiment, the designed full-load capacity of the tank 100 is 29-30 tons.

[0042] The automatic material feeding device 200 is parallel to the top of the tank 100, and its distance from the top of the tank 100 is within 10% of the side wall height, preferably within 5% of the side wall height. Without interfering with the tank 100, the closer the pusher assembly 210 is to the tank opening 120, the smaller the top space of the pusher assembly 210, thus avoiding waste of the top space and ensuring that the material inside the tank 100 is fully pushed towards the top corner of the tank 100, thereby improving the filling coefficient of the tank 100.

[0043] The fixing part 212 is a fixing plate, which is horizontally arranged inside the tank body 100. The push plate 214 is vertically arranged at the bottom of the fixing plate, that is, the push plate 214 forms a 90° angle with the fixing plate. Preferably, at least three push plates 214 are evenly arranged at the bottom of the fixing plate along the length direction of the fixing plate. For example, in this embodiment, seven push plates 214 are provided at the bottom of the fixing plate. Under the premise that the length of the guide rail 222 and the spacing between the push plates 214 remain unchanged, increasing the length of the fixing plate and increasing the number of push plates 214 helps to expand the overall pushing area of ​​the push plate assembly 210, thereby increasing the amount of material pushed by the push plate assembly 210 in a single movement, and thus improving the pushing efficiency. Furthermore, the fixing plate and the push plates 214 are made of stainless steel and are fixed by welding.

[0044] When the pusher assembly 210 is used for feed loading, excessively dense pushers 214 can lead to greater feed wear, increased feed ash content, and more pronounced material backflow during the later stages of loading. Therefore, see [reference needed]. Figure 7Preferably, the number of push plates 214 is three, located in the middle and at both ends of the fixed plate. More preferably, at least one through hole is provided between the end and the middle of the fixed plate to prevent material from accumulating above the fixed plate and to reduce the friction between the fixed plate and the material, thereby improving the flowability of the material.

[0045] Furthermore, the lengths of the fixing plate and push plate 214 are less than the diameter of the can opening 110. From the middle to the end of the fixing plate, the lengths of the push plates 214 gradually decrease and are mirror-symmetrical. That is, the push plates 214 closer to the middle of the fixing plate are longer, making the overall size of the push plate assembly 210 smaller than the size of the can opening 110. This allows the entire push plate assembly 210 to horizontally enter and exit the can opening 110, facilitating its installation and removal. The height of the push plates 214 is 5-8 cm, and the spacing between the push plates 214 is 5-8 cm. In this embodiment, the heights of the push plates 214 are equal, and the distance between two adjacent push plates 214 is equal to the height of the push plates 214. In other embodiments, the distance between two adjacent push plates 214 gradually decreases from the middle to the end of the fixed plate, that is, the distance between adjacent push plates 214 in the middle is larger and the distance between adjacent push plates 214 on both sides is smaller, so as to match the distribution of materials when they are naturally piled up and avoid the concentration of the force of material pulling in the middle.

[0046] The drive assembly 220 also includes two fixing blocks 228, with both ends of the guide rail 222 fixedly connected to the two fixing blocks 228 respectively. Preferably, the guide rail 222 includes at least two parallel linear guide rails, and the slider 224 is slidably or rollingly connected to the linear guide rails to improve the sliding stability of the slider 224. The slider 224 may be a slider. The top of the fixing block 228 is fixedly connected to the top of the tank 100 or the inner wall of the tank opening 110, or the fixing block 228 is fixedly connected to the top of the tank 100 or the inner wall of the tank opening 110 through a mounting member.

[0047] The driving component 226 is a cylinder 227. The cylinder 227 is supplied with air by an air pump, an independent compressed air source, or a compressed air source provided by the transport vehicle. When the compressed air source supplies air to the cylinder 227, the cylinder 227 drives the sliding member 224 to reciprocate linearly along the guide rail 222, thereby driving the push plate 214 to reciprocate linearly synchronously via the fixed plate. The cylinder 227 includes a cylinder barrel and a piston that reciprocates within the cylinder barrel. The cylinder barrel passes through the middle of the sliding member 224 and is fixedly connected to two fixed blocks 228. The cylinder 227 can be a rodless cylinder, with the piston magnetically coupled or mechanically connected to the sliding member 224. The cylinder 227 can also be a rod cylinder, which includes a piston rod fixedly connected to the piston and threadedly connected to the sliding member 224. In other embodiments, the driving component 226 is selected from a hydraulic push rod or a lead screw reciprocating mechanism. The structure of the hydraulic push rod and lead screw reciprocating mechanism is existing technology, and its specific structure and working principle will not be described in detail in this embodiment 1.

[0048] An air pipe connection port is provided on the inner wall of the tank opening 110. The inflation end of the air pipe of the cylinder 227 passes through the air pipe connection port and is connected to an air pump or compressed air source. Preferably, the air pipe is installed at the air pipe connection port through an air pipe connector, which ensures the airtightness of the storage tank while leading the air pipe out of the tank body 100, and avoids the material from being contaminated during transportation.

[0049] To prevent dust from entering the cylinder 227 and affecting its operation, the automatic material handling device 200 also includes a dust cover 230, which is placed outside the drive assembly 220. Preferably, the body cross-section of the dust cover 230 is arc-shaped or triangular to prevent material from accumulating on the dust cover 230.

[0050] The working principle of the storage tank in Embodiment 1 is as follows: During the process of loading material from the tank opening 110 to the tank body 100 using the feeding structure, a compressed air source or air pump supplies air to the cylinder 227 through an air pipe. The cylinder 227 drives the sliding member 224 to perform linear reciprocating motion along the guide rail 222. The sliding member 224 drives the pusher plate assembly 210 to perform linear reciprocating motion synchronously. When the pusher plate assembly 210 moves forward, the pusher plate 214 moves the material accumulated at the tank opening 110 from the tank opening 110 to the front of the tank opening 110. When the pusher plate assembly 210 moves backward, it moves the material accumulated at the tank opening 110 from the tank opening 110 to the rear of the tank opening 110. Tests show that, compared to not using an automatic feeding device, the automatic feeding device provided in Embodiment 1 can increase the filling coefficient of the storage tank from 70% to approximately 98%.

[0051] Compared to existing technologies, the storage tank of this embodiment has the following advantages:

[0052] (1) An automatic material feeding device is installed in the storage tank to replace manual feeding. The push plate assembly is driven by a cylinder to move, which can improve the loading efficiency of materials and reduce labor costs and labor intensity.

[0053] (2) By setting multiple push plates on the fixed plate, the pushing area of ​​the push plate assembly (i.e., the area between the first push plate in front at the first position A1 and the last push plate behind at the second position A2) is increased when the sliding member moves the same distance (i.e., from the first position A1 to the second position A2). Compared with a single push plate, more material can be pushed at once, thereby increasing the amount of material pushed at one time, which is conducive to shortening the loading time and improving the loading efficiency.

[0054] (3) By placing the automatic material feeding device parallel to the top of the tank, the distance between the automatic material feeding device and the top of the tank can be minimized, ensuring that the material is evenly pushed to the top corner of the tank, reducing space waste, and thus increasing the tank's filling coefficient (to approximately 98%). For transportation companies, the increased tank filling coefficient means that fewer transport vehicles and personnel can be used to transport the same volume of material, which not only reduces transportation costs but also reduces the difficulty of vehicle and personnel scheduling, improves transportation efficiency, and is conducive to increasing economic benefits. For shippers and receivers, the reduction in transportation costs directly reduces production costs, while the stability and timeliness of material transportation are improved, ensuring timely supply of materials and guaranteeing normal production.

[0055] (4) In the process of transporting bulk feed, using this automatic feeding device instead of manual feeding can reduce the contact between workers and feed, thereby reducing the additional disinfection needs and operating costs caused by manual operation.

[0056] Example 2

[0057] In Embodiment 1, due to the limited range of action of the pusher assembly 210 (approximately twice the inner diameter of the can opening 110), it can only directly act on the material within its own movement path, pushing this material to both sides of the can 100 to fill the gap between the material accumulation area below the pushing area and the can 100. However, for other spatial areas, including spaces on the same horizontal plane but outside the pushing area, and spaces above the pushing area, the pusher assembly 100 is difficult to effectively fill, thus limiting the material loading capacity (fill factor) of the can 100. Theoretically, the longer the pushing area of ​​the pusher assembly 210, the larger the area of ​​material it can reach and push, thus filling the space inside the can 100 more extensively; at the same time, the shorter the distance between the pusher assembly 210 and the top of the can 100, the more conducive it is to fully filling the space above the pushing area, reducing the gap between the material accumulation and the top of the can. Based on this, Embodiment 2 optimizes the pusher assembly 210 and the drive assembly 220. By increasing the pushing area of ​​the pusher assembly 210 and / or shortening the distance between the pusher assembly 210 and the top of the tank 100, the filling coefficient of the tank 100 is further improved.

[0058] Specifically, please refer to Figure 8-10 The storage tank provided in Embodiment 2 includes a tank body 100, an automatic material feeding device 200 disposed within the tank body 100, and a dust cover 300. The automatic material feeding device 200 includes a pusher plate assembly 210 and a drive assembly 220. The pusher plate assembly 210 includes a fixed part 212 and several pusher plates 214. The pusher plates 214 are straight plates, and the several pusher plates 214 are spaced apart along the length direction of the fixed part 212. The drive assembly 220 includes a sliding member 224 and a drive member 226. The sliding member 224 can slide along the guide rail 222, and its bottom is fixedly connected to the fixed part 212. The drive member 226 is drivenly connected to the sliding member 224 to drive the sliding member 224 to move along the guide rail 222, thereby driving the pusher plate assembly 210 to move between the first position A1 and the second position A2. The structures of the tank body 100 and the dust cover 300 are the same as in Embodiment 1, and will not be described again here.

[0059] Unlike Embodiment 1, the fixing part 212 is a bushing, and a number of push plates 214 are evenly arranged at the bottom of the bushing along the length direction of the bushing. Each push plate 214 has the same size, and the distance between two adjacent push plates 214 is equal to the height of the push plate 214.

[0060] The driving component 226 is a cylinder 227, which is fixed parallel to the top of the tank body 100 by a mounting component. The cylinder 227 is a single-rod or double-rod cylinder. The cylinder barrel of the cylinder 227 is fixedly connected to the guide rail 222, and the piston rod is fixedly connected to the sliding member 224. The guide rail 222 is a sliding rod, with a bushing slidably disposed outside the sliding rod. The sliding member 224 is slidably disposed outside the sliding rod, and its bottom is fixedly connected to the bushing. When the piston of the cylinder 227 reciprocates within the cylinder barrel, the piston drives the piston rod to reciprocate, and the piston rod drives the sliding member 224 and the bushing to reciprocate linearly along the sliding rod, thereby moving the material accumulated at the tank opening 110 from the front of the tank opening 110 to the rear of the tank opening 110. Preferably, the sliding rod includes at least two parallel sliding rods to improve the stability of the sliding member 224.

[0061] See Figure 10 The mounting components include a cylinder mounting block 231, a cylinder fixing plate 232, and a cylinder mounting plate 233. The cylinder mounting block 231 is bolted or welded to the inner wall of the tank opening 110 and fixedly connected to the cylinder fixing plate 232. The top of the cylinder 227 is fixedly connected to the cylinder mounting plate 233, and the bottom of the cylinder fixing plate 232 is fixedly connected to the cylinder mounting plate 233. The cylinder fixing plate 232 also has a protrusion protruding from the bottom of the cylinder 227, and the protrusion is fixedly connected to the slide rod.

[0062] Preferably, the length of the pusher plate 214 is less than or equal to the inner diameter of the tank opening 100, and the length of the bushing is greater than the inner diameter of the tank opening, so as to increase the pushing area of ​​the pusher plate assembly 210. More preferably, the length of the bushing is 2 to 3 times the length of the tank opening 110 and 50% to 80% of the length of the tank body 100, so as to increase the number of pusher plates 214 and the pushing area of ​​the pusher plate assembly 210 (i.e., reduce the distance between the pusher plate assembly 210 and the front and rear sides of the tank body 100), increase the single push amount of the pusher plate assembly 210, and enable the pusher plate assembly 210 to push more material into the gap between the material accumulation area and the tank body 100, thereby further improving the filling coefficient of the tank body 100.

[0063] The push plate 214 is a rectangular straight plate, or the top two sides of the push plate 214 are arc-shaped and the arc matches the arc of the top of the tank 100, thereby reducing the interference of the push plate 214 on the tank 100. This achieves the goal of reducing the distance between the push plate 214 and the top of the tank 100 without shortening the length of the push plate 214, thereby increasing the filling coefficient of the tank 100.

[0064] This embodiment expands the pushing area of ​​the pusher assembly by increasing the number and length of the pushers, enabling the pusher assembly to push more material into the gap between the material accumulation area and the tank. Compared to Embodiment 1, this reduces the gap between the material accumulation area and the tank, minimizing space waste and significantly improving the tank's filling coefficient. Testing shows that the tank's filling coefficient can be increased to approximately 99%. Secondly, expanding the pushing area of ​​the pusher assembly increases the amount of material pushed by the pusher assembly in a single movement, thereby reducing the number of pushes, shortening material loading time, and further improving loading efficiency. This is beneficial for meeting the timeliness requirements of large-scale farms for transporting feed and other materials.

[0065] Example 3

[0066] In Embodiments 1 and 2, it is necessary to manually judge the loading progress of the material and control the operation of the automatic material feeding device according to the loading progress, which is relatively troublesome. In order to better control the operation of the automatic material feeding device, the storage tank is further equipped with a material full detection sensor 400 and a controller (not shown in the figure). The material full detection sensor is set on the side wall of the tank 100, preferably on the vertical side wall at the end of the 100, and the distance from the top of the tank 100 is within 5% of the height of the side wall; when the material full detection sensor detects that the material has reached its detection height, it triggers the controller to control the drive assembly 200 to stop working.

[0067] See Figure 3In some embodiments, the material fullness detection sensor 400 is mounted on the automatic material feeding device via a mounting plate 410. One end of the mounting plate 410 is fixedly connected to the material fullness detection sensor 400, and the other end is fixedly connected to the fixing block 228 or a mounting component. The distance between the material fullness detection sensor 400 and the side wall of the tank 100 is within 5% of the length of the tank 100. In this embodiment, the material fullness detection sensor 400 includes a limit switch and a baffle movably disposed below the limit switch. When the material pushes the baffle, it triggers the limit switch and generates a corresponding signal. In other embodiments, the material fullness detection sensor 400 may also be an ultrasonic ranging sensor, radar, etc.

[0068] The storage tank is also equipped with an alarm (not shown in the figure). When the material full detection sensor 400 detects that the material has reached its detection height, it triggers the controller to control the alarm to remind the staff to stop loading the material and avoid excess material overflow and waste.

[0069] Because the material falls directly into the space below the tank 100 via the material-feeding device when it is initially loaded, the material-feeding device has a poor material-feeding effect. Therefore, in this embodiment, a material accumulation detection sensor is added to the inner wall of the tank opening 110. Only when the material accumulation detection sensor detects that the material has reached its detection height, i.e., when the material accumulates at the tank opening 110, does the controller trigger the drive assembly 200 to start working. When the material full detection sensor 400 detects that the material has reached its detection height, or when both the material accumulation detection sensor and the material full detection sensor 400 simultaneously detect that the material has reached its detection height, the controller triggers the drive assembly 200 to stop working. The material accumulation detection sensor can be selected from distance sensors, radar, etc.

[0070] Preferably, between the material accumulation detection sensor detecting that the material has reached its detection height, the controller controls the slider 224 of the drive assembly 200 to be located at the end of the guide rail 222, so that the pusher assembly 210 is located at the first position A1 or the second position A2, so as to reduce the area of ​​the entire automatic material feeding device blocking the can opening, thereby improving the loading efficiency of the material.

[0071] Compared with existing technologies, the above-mentioned storage tank achieves precise control of the material loading and unloading process through the controller, further reducing the labor cost and energy consumption of the unloading process.

[0072] Example 4

[0073] In Embodiments 1 and 2, manual judgment is required to determine when the material fills the tank 100 and to control the drive unit 226 to stop operating, which is quite cumbersome. Embodiment 3 uses a material detection sensor to detect the material accumulation height, but this increases the complexity of the storage tank. Therefore, this Embodiment 4 improves the drive unit 226.

[0074] Please refer to 11. The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the driving component 226 is an electric push rod, and the electric push rod is electrically connected to a controller.

[0075] Specifically, the electric linear actuator includes a motor, a gearbox, a cylinder, a lead screw, and a piston. The motor is connected to the gearbox via a transmission mechanism, driving the output shaft of the gearbox to rotate. The lead screw is located inside the cylinder, with one end connected to the output shaft of the gearbox and the other end connected to the piston via a nut, which is fixed to the piston. When the output shaft of the gearbox rotates, it drives the lead screw to rotate, and the nut rotates along the axial direction of the lead screw, thereby driving the piston to perform linear reciprocating motion along the cylinder.

[0076] The electric push rod is located on the outside of the two fixed blocks 228. The end of the cylinder away from the gearbox is fixedly connected to the adjacent fixed block 228. The top of the cylinder and / or the gearbox is fixedly connected to the top of the tank 100. The end of the piston away from the cylinder is fixedly connected to the sliding member 224. When the piston moves linearly back and forth along the cylinder, the piston drives the sliding member 224 to move linearly back and forth along the guide rail 222, which in turn drives the push plate assembly 210 to move linearly back and forth.

[0077] In the early stages of material loading, the amount of material in the storage tank is relatively small. At this stage, the pusher assembly encounters a limited amount of material during its reciprocating motion, and most of the material slides down after moving a short distance, filling the lower space of the storage tank. This results in relatively low resistance for the pusher assembly. As material is continuously loaded into the storage tank, it gradually accumulates. During subsequent reciprocating motions of the pusher assembly, the amount of material to be pushed increases, the distance the material is pushed also increases, the material density gradually increases, and the contact between the materials gradually tightens. This leads to a gradual increase in the interaction forces between the materials and the friction between the material and the tank wall, thus gradually increasing the resistance experienced by the pusher assembly. When the material essentially fills the plane of the pusher assembly, the resistance experienced by the pusher assembly increases dramatically.

[0078] As resistance increases, the electric actuator must provide greater thrust to overcome this increased resistance, enabling the pusher assembly to continue reciprocating. With increased thrust, the power consumption of the electric actuator also increases, resulting in a greater current fed back to the motor. In other words, the motor current is directly proportional to the resistance experienced by the pusher assembly. Specifically, in the initial stage of material loading, the motor current rises relatively gradually due to the lower resistance of the pusher assembly. However, as material accumulates, the resistance gradually increases, and the current rise accelerates. When the material essentially fills the plane of the pusher assembly, the resistance increases dramatically, and the current rise becomes steep.

[0079] Based on this, the controller can determine the degree of material accumulation according to the trend of motor current. When the upward trend of motor current becomes steep, the controller is triggered to stop the motor.

[0080] Preferably, the storage tank is also equipped with an alarm (not shown in the figure). When the rising trend of the motor current becomes steep, the controller is triggered to control the alarm to remind the staff to stop loading materials and avoid excess material overflow and waste.

[0081] This embodiment eliminates the need for manual judgment of when the tank is full and the drive unit to stop operating. The controller automatically controls the process based on changes in motor current, simplifying operation. Compared to Embodiment 3, which uses a material detection sensor to monitor material accumulation height, this embodiment eliminates the need for an additional sensor, reducing the complexity of the storage tank.

[0082] Example 5

[0083] In embodiments 1-4, the pusher assembly has several pushers 214, and the pushers 214 are straight plates. In the early stage of material loading, when the pusher assembly 210 moves forward, the pushers 214 pass through the accumulated material, pushing the material forward. When the material is pushed into the gap between the accumulated material and the tank, the material slides down and detaches from the pushers 214. When the pusher assembly 210 reaches the end of its stroke and begins to move backward, the pushers 214 again pass through the accumulated material, pushing the material backward. When the material is pushed into the gap between the accumulated material and the tank, the material slides down and detaches from the pushers 214. However, in the later stage of material loading when the storage tank is almost full, especially when the material basically fills the space below the pusher assembly 210, the materials are compressed against each other, forming a relatively compact pile. At this time, the reciprocating motion of the pusher assembly 210 will subject the material to complex forces. When moving forward, the pusher plate 214 provides a forward thrust to the material, and the material squeezes and transmits force to each other. However, when the pusher plate 214 moves backward, the material cannot quickly detach from the pusher plate due to the constraint of the surrounding material and the friction between the material and the pusher plate 214. This causes some material to be driven backward by the pusher plate and then gather back towards the center of the tank 100, resulting in material backflow. Consequently, the amount of material actually pushed by the pusher plate assembly 210 does not reach the expected amount of material, leading to low material handling efficiency.

[0084] Therefore, based on embodiments 1-4, this embodiment 5 improves the shape of the pusher plate of the pusher plate assembly 210, thereby increasing the amount of material actually pushed by the pusher plate assembly 210 by reducing the material backflow during the reciprocating motion of the pusher plate assembly 210.

[0085] Please see Figure 12The fixing plate has a first end 212a, a second end 212b, and a middle portion 212c. The distance from the first end 212a to the middle portion 212c is preferably equal to the distance from the second end 212b to the middle portion 212c. The push plate 214 includes a plurality of first push plates 216 and a plurality of second push plates 218 fixed to the bottom of the fixing plate. The plurality of first push plates 216 are evenly spaced along the middle portion 212c of the fixing plate to the first end 212a of the fixing plate, and the plurality of second push plates 218 are evenly spaced along the middle portion 212c of the fixing plate to the second end 212b of the fixing plate.

[0086] The two ends of the first push plate 216 and the second push plate 218 are bent away from the middle 212c of the fixed plate.

[0087] As an example, the two ends of the first push plate 216 are bent into arc-shaped plates towards the first end 212a, and the two ends of the second push plate 218 are bent into arc-shaped plates towards the second end 212b. The curvature of the first push plate 216 and the second push plate 218 is 0.01m. -1 up to 0.1m -1 For materials with good flowability, the curvature can be set to 0.01m. -1 up to 0.03m -1 To reduce material accumulation and residue, the curvature can be set to 0.05m for materials with poor flowability. -1 up to 0.1m -1 To provide sufficient thrust.

[0088] As an example, the two ends of the first push plate 216 are bent into a "V" shape towards the first end 212a, and the two ends of the second push plate 218 are bent into a "V" shape towards the second end 212b. The angle between the first push plate 216 and the second push plate 218 is 60°-120°, preferably 90°.

[0089] Furthermore, the push plate 214 also includes a third push plate 217, which is disposed in the middle 212c of the fixed plate and is a straight plate. The first push plate 216 and the second push plate 218 can be configured with different shapes, or a plurality of first push plates 216 and a plurality of second push plates 218 can be configured symmetrically along the third push plate 217.

[0090] The working principle of the pusher assembly 210 in this embodiment is as follows:

[0091] As the pusher assembly 210 moves in a direction from the second end 212b of the fixed plate to the first end 212a, a plurality of first pushers 216 play a major role. The first pushers 216 penetrate the material pile in a concave arc or V-shape, applying a forward thrust to the material in the center. Due to the continuous movement of the pusher assembly 210, the material in the center is gradually pushed and fills the gap between the originally piled material and the side wall of the tank 100. In this process, the concave arc or V-shaped first pushers 216 help to increase the amount of material they push.

[0092] When the pusher assembly 210 reaches the end of its stroke and begins to move in the direction from the first end 212a of the fixed plate to the second end 212b, a plurality of second pushers 218 take over the work of the first pusher 216. Similarly, these second pushers 218, with their concave arc or V-shaped shapes, exert a pushing force on the material in the middle, causing it to continue filling the gap between the accumulated material and the sidewall of the tank 100. Simultaneously, the accumulated material at the edge of the tank 100, between the plurality of first pushers 216, is guided by the convex arc or V-shaped pusher surfaces. The inclined design of the pusher surfaces allows the material to slide along the pusher surfaces towards both ends, thereby significantly reducing the amount of material pushed by the first pushers 216, and thus reducing material backflow; that is, the material can remain at both ends of the tank 100 as much as possible, rather than re-accumulating in the middle.

[0093] Compared to existing technologies, the storage tank in this embodiment has the following advantages: When the arc-shaped and V-shaped push plates move inward, the concave shape allows the push plates to push more material and reduces material falling off the sides of the push plates; when they move outward, the convex shape reduces the normal pressure between the material and the push plates, thereby reducing friction and making it easier for the material to detach from the push plates, thus reducing the amount of material carried back, improving the material handling efficiency of the automatic material handling device, and further improving the loading efficiency of the storage tank. At the same time, it also helps to reduce mutual compression and constraint between materials, further improving the flowability of the material and making efficient material handling and uniform distribution easier to achieve.

[0094] Example 6

[0095] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 5 is that the push plate 214 is foldable, and the push plates 214 are mirror-symmetrical about the middle of the fixed plate. That is, the first push plates 216 and the second push plates 218 have the same structure but opposite folding directions.

[0096] Please refer to 13. Each push plate 214 includes a rotating shaft 2141, a first rotating plate 2142, and a second rotating plate 2143. The first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 are rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 2141. A first limiting baffle 2144 is provided on the side of the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 near the middle portion 212c of the fixed plate, which is used to limit the maximum included angle between the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143. A second limiting baffle 2145 is provided on the side of the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 away from the middle portion 212c of the fixed plate, which is used to limit the minimum included angle between the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143.

[0097] The top of the rotating shaft 2141 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the fixed plate. The bottom of the rotating shaft 2141 is provided with a limiting part, and the rotating shafts 2141 of each first push plate 214 are arranged sequentially along the central axis of the length direction of the fixed plate, preferably evenly distributed along the central axis of the length direction of the fixed plate.

[0098] The first rotating plate 2142 includes a plate body and a first sleeve fixed to the end of the plate body. The first sleeve is sleeved on the rotating shaft 2141. The length of the first sleeve is less than half the length of the rotating shaft 2141, and the inner diameter of the first sleeve is less than the outer diameter of the limiting part.

[0099] The second rotating plate 2143 includes a plate body and a second sleeve fixed to the end of the plate body. The second sleeve is sleeved on the rotating shaft 2141. The length of the second sleeve is less than half the length of the rotating shaft 2141, and the inner diameter of the second sleeve is less than the outer diameter of the limiting part.

[0100] Two first limiting baffles 2144 are respectively disposed at both ends of the fixed plate in the width direction and fixedly connected to the bottom of the fixed plate. The sides of the first limiting baffles 2144 facing the first rotating plate 2142 or the second rotating plate 2143 can abut against the corresponding first rotating plate 2142 or the second rotating plate 2143, so that the maximum included angle between the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 is 140°-180°. Preferably, the included angle between the two first limiting baffles 2144 is equal to the maximum included angle between the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143, and the maximum included angle between the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 is 180°.

[0101] Two second limiting baffles 2145 are respectively disposed at both ends of the fixed plate in the width direction and fixedly connected to the bottom of the fixed plate. The sides of the second limiting baffles 2145 facing the first rotating plate 2142 or the second rotating plate 2143 can abut against the corresponding first rotating plate 2142 or the second rotating plate 2143, so that the minimum included angle between the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 is 60°-120°. Preferably, the included angle between the two second limiting baffles 2145 is equal to the minimum included angle between the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143, and the minimum included angle between the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 is 90°.

[0102] The working principle of the pusher assembly 210 in this embodiment is as follows:

[0103] When the pusher assembly 210 moves in the direction from the second end 212b of the fixed plate to the first end 212a, the resistance of the material causes the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 of each pusher 214 to rotate toward the second end 212b of the fixed plate. Specifically, the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 of the pusher 214 located between the middle portion 212c of the fixed plate and the first end 212a rotate to their maximum included angle and abut against the corresponding first limiting baffle 2144, thereby increasing the overall length of the pusher 214 and the amount of material it pushes, thus pushing and filling the gap between the originally accumulated material and the side wall of the tank 100. The first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 of the push plate 214, located between the middle part 212c and the second end 212b of the fixed plate, rotate to the minimum included angle and respectively abut against the corresponding second limiting baffle 2145, thereby reducing the overall length of the push plate 214, reducing the amount of material it pushes, and the V-shaped structure helps the material slide more smoothly along the surface of the push plate 214, reducing the accumulation and residue of material on the push plate 214, thereby reducing the amount of material carried back by the push plate 214.

[0104] When the pusher assembly 210 moves in the direction from the first end 212a of the fixed plate to the second end 212b, the resistance of the material causes the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 of each pusher 214 to rotate towards the first end 212a of the fixed plate. Specifically, the first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 of the pusher 214 located between the middle portion 212c of the fixed plate and the second end 212b rotate to their maximum included angle and abut against the corresponding first limiting baffle 2144, thereby increasing the overall length of the pusher 214 and the amount of material it pushes, thus pushing and filling the gap between the originally accumulated material and the side wall of the tank 100. The first rotating plate 2142 and the second rotating plate 2143 of the push plate 214, located between the middle part 212c of the fixed plate and the first end 212a, rotate to the minimum included angle and respectively abut against the corresponding second limiting baffle 2145, thereby reducing the overall length of the push plate 214, reducing the amount of material it pushes, and the "V" shaped structure helps the material slide more smoothly along the surface of the push plate 214, reducing accumulation and residue, and reducing material backflow.

[0105] Compared to existing technologies, the storage tank of this embodiment has the following advantages: the foldable pusher plate, by folding and changing its shape as it moves in different directions, can better guide the material to slide. When the pusher plate assembly moves from one side of the tank to the other, the pusher plate at the front of the assembly contacts the material in the middle, and its maximum angle can push more of the material in the middle towards the edge of the tank. Meanwhile, the pusher plate at the rear of the assembly contacts the material at the edge, and its minimum angle helps the material to detach from the pusher plate, thereby minimizing the amount of material brought back to the middle of the tank from the edge, improving the material handling efficiency of the automatic material handling device, and thus improving the loading efficiency of the storage tank.

[0106] This utility model is not limited to the above-described embodiments. If any modifications or variations to this utility model do not depart from the spirit and scope of this utility model, and if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims and equivalent technologies of this utility model, then this utility model also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An automatic material handling device, characterized in that, include: A pusher assembly includes a fixing part and at least two pushers, the at least two pushers being spaced apart along the length direction of the fixing part; A driving assembly includes a guide rail, a slider, and a driving component. The slider is slidably connected to the guide rail and connected to the fixed part. The driving component is drivingly connected to the slider to drive the slider to move along the guide rail.

2. The automatic material handling device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The push plate is a straight plate; or, at least one push plate has both ends bent into an arc or "V" shape away from the center of the fixing part.

3. The automatic material handling device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each push plate includes a rotating shaft, a first rotating plate, and a second rotating plate; the rotating shaft is fixed to the bottom of the fixed part; the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate are rotatably connected to the rotating shaft; a first limiting baffle is provided on the side of the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate near the middle of the fixed part to limit the maximum included angle between the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate, and a second limiting baffle is provided on the side of the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate away from the middle of the fixed part to limit the minimum included angle between the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate.

4. The automatic material handling device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The maximum included angle is 140°-180°, and the minimum included angle is 60°-120°.

5. The automatic material handling device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, It also includes a dust cover that covers the outside of the drive assembly, the dust cover having an arc or triangular cross-section.

6. The automatic material handling device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The driving component is a cylinder, an electric push rod, a hydraulic push rod, or a lead screw reciprocating mechanism; the cylinder is a rodless cylinder, and the piston of the rodless cylinder is magnetically coupled or mechanically transmitted to the sliding component, and the sliding component is slidably or rollingly connected to the guide rail.

7. The automatic material handling device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The driving component is a rod cylinder, and the piston rod of the rod cylinder is fixedly connected to the sliding component; the guide rail is a slide rod, and the sliding component is sleeved on the slide rod; the fixing part is a bushing, and the bushing is sleeved on the slide rod and fixedly connected to the sliding component.

8. The automatic material handling device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The driving component is an electric push rod, which includes a motor, a gearbox, a lead screw, and a piston. The motor drives the output shaft of the gearbox to rotate. One end of the lead screw is connected to the output shaft of the gearbox, and the other end is connected to the piston through a lead screw nut. The end of the piston away from the lead screw is fixedly connected to the sliding component. The electric push rod is electrically connected to a controller. When the upward trend of the motor current becomes steep, the controller is triggered to stop the electric push rod.

9. A storage tank, characterized in that, The device includes a tank body, wherein the tank body is provided with an automatic material feeding device as described in any one of claims 1-8, and the automatic material feeding device is parallel to the top of the tank body.

10. The storage tank according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a material filling detection sensor, which is located at a distance of 5% of the height of the tank sidewall and within 5% of the tank length from the top of the tank.

Images