Lifting barrier gate for separating livestock stalls

Abstract

Liftable barrier gate (12) for separating islands of livestock stalls, comprising two vertical posts (1) between which the barrier (12) is movable and means for lifting said barrier (12) with counterweights or motorized, the barrier (12) being provided at its axial ends with locks (10) each provided with a latch capable of cooperating with at least one opening made in the post (1), said latch being movable horizontally between a first locking position inside said opening and a second unlocking position, drive means being provided for moving the latch from the first to the second position and return means being provided for returning the latch to the first position.The lifting means comprise two cables (13) each movable along a vertical path section (132) extending along a post (1), each cable (13) being connected to an internal mechanism of the lock (10) transforming a vertical pull of the cable (13) on the barrier (12) into a horizontal pull of the latch towards its second unlocking position. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Liftable barrier gate for separating livestock stalls

[0001] The invention relates to the field of animal breeding installations, particularly for cattle. It relates more particularly to separation barriers between islands of cubicles arranged in stables. These barriers are generally movable in a structure comprising at least two vertical posts along which they slide, or even an upper horizontal bar supported by said posts to form a gantry, the assembly having the function of allowing or preventing the passage of animals between two adjacent islands of cubicles, depending on the position given to the barrier. In the remainder of the text, this passage structure will be called a gate with a lifting barrier.

[0002] There are a number of manually raised barrier configurations that comply with the structure mentioned, and allow the vertical movement of a barrier along two parallel posts. In the lowered position, the barrier prevents the animals from moving freely throughout the barn. It confines them to their space. When it is necessary to open this passage, in particular when it is necessary to move the animals, these barriers are pushed back to the upper position. The barrier is raised and lowered manually, but this manipulation is generally assisted by counterweights which, in certain embodiments, extend inside the tubular section posts. Cables or ropes then connect each of the lateral ends of the barrier to these counterweights by passing through a pulley provided at the upper end of these posts.

[0003] Locks are used in practice to immobilize the barrier in the lower position to prevent it from being lifted by animals. A lock is installed for this purpose at each end of the barrier, and comprises a latch capable of cooperating with at least one opening or a striker fixed in correspondence on the posts. The latch slides, for example, inside a lower horizontal bar of the barrier, and comprises a free end capable of projecting at one of the ends of this bar so as, in the locking position, to engage in an opening in the post.

[0004] The latch is pushed back into its projecting locking position by a spring. By means of a manual control member fitted to the lock, a user can, when he wishes to lift the barrier, push this latch back into an unlocked interior position, free from the strike plate, against the action of the spring. Of course, the same operation must occur on each side of the barrier, and the user must therefore unlock each of the locks with which the barrier is provided at its two ends. According to a possible variation, the locks are not installed in the lower horizontal bar of the barrier, but are placed just below.

[0005] Embodiments are also known in which the unlocking control of the locks can be carried out simultaneously in the middle part of the barrier, from where it is then advisable to lift this barrier to raise it. In short, there is centralization of the unlocking control, with the additional advantage that the user positions himself in the middle of the barrier to activate the unlocking, at the very place where it is then advisable to manipulate the barrier to move it.

[0006] In all these solutions, the barrier is held in the high position only by the action of the counterweights. These must, therefore, be sized to exert on the barrier a traction greater than its weight, to prevent it from descending by simple gravity as soon as the user releases the barrier after having lifted it. In these counterweight configurations, it must also be held in the low position while the locks are returned to the locking position.

[0007] The major drawback of these solutions is of a safety nature, and comes from the fact that a break in one of the cables or ropes connecting the barrier to the counterweights causes the barrier to fall. Even if this fall may only be partial if the break affects, for example, only a single rope or cable on one side of the barrier, the barrier collapses on that side and can strike and seriously injure an operator located below. In addition, the barrier can then become skewed between the posts along which it moves, and this can lead to a blockage between the posts causing damage.

[0008] As an alternative to counterweight systems, it is also known to motorize the movements of the barrier, for example by means of jacks acting on the cables or ropes or even motorized hoists. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the locks that block the barrier in the low position are unlocked before controlling the automated lifting.

[0009] Thus, according to a known configuration, a hoist controlled by an electric motor is mounted on the upper bar of the gantry. This hoist acts on a rope extending over a vertical path located midway between the posts, between the upper bar and the barrier. This rope then splits in the barrier towards the ends of the latter, first crossing it vertically until reaching a lower bar of the barrier. Then, each of the strands goes towards one of the ends of the barrier, where they are connected to a latch of the lock located there. To attach the strands to the latches, these are equipped with an eyelet at one of their ends, while their opposite end is conventionally biased by a spring towards a projecting locking position, capable of engaging in a keeper fixed in correspondence on a pole.

[0010] This solution makes it possible to automate the unlocking of the barrier, because when the hoist is actuated and pulls vertically on the rope, the latter exerts an upward action on the barrier. The two strands which split this rope in the lower part are stretched and each pull on one of the latches of the locks, bringing them into the unlocked position. As the traction continues to be exerted on the rope, the barrier can be raised. In this system, the weight of the barrier combined with the change in direction of the strands leads to the exercise of a horizontal axial force on the latches, which are held in abutment in the unlocked position as long as the rope is taut.

[0011] Such a motorized design, more convenient to use than the purely manual solutions described above, however presents higher risks of malfunction. Thus, the strands of rope extending inside the barrier are likely to become blocked, the vertical lifting action then being exerted on the barrier even before the latches are in the unlocked position. Furthermore, traction exerted on the center of the barrier requires perfect balancing of the latter with respect to the traction axis. Finally, the slightest resistance to the movement of one of the lateral ends of this barrier along a post produces an imbalance with respect to the opposite lateral end, causing the barrier to orient itself at an angle. It then risks becoming stuck between the vertical posts which guide it.

[0012] The present invention overcomes these drawbacks by proposing a gate configuration of original design that is robust and reliable, furthermore preventing the risks of accidental fall of the barrier. The design is therefore specifically oriented towards a security objective.

[0013] The invention applies to a gate with a lifting barrier for separating islands of livestock stalls which conventionally comprises two vertical posts between which the barrier is movable, and means for lifting said barrier with counterweights or motorized means, the barrier being provided at its axial ends with locks each provided with a latch capable of cooperating with at least one opening made in the post. In a manner also known, said latch is movable horizontally between a first locking position inside said opening and a second unlocking position, drive means being provided for moving the latch from the first to the second position and return means being provided for returning the latch to the first position.

[0014] According to the invention, the gate is such that the lifting means comprise two movable cables each along a vertical path section extending along a post, each cable being connected to an internal mechanism of the lock transforming a vertical pull of the cable on the barrier into a horizontal pull of the latch towards its second unlocking position.

[0015] The configuration with two lateral vertical cables each cooperating with a lock proves to be very secure because, whether during the raising or lowering of the barrier, or when it is raised, the breaking of one of the cables has the consequence of releasing the traction action on the corresponding locking mechanism. Under the action of the spring, the latch is then returned to its first locking position, allowing its free end then projecting from the end of the barrier to engage in the nearest opening made in the opposite post. The barrier can therefore only fall to a height corresponding to the distance between two successive openings made in the posts.

[0016] According to a possible configuration of the invention, the cable is connected to a rider of the lock which is movable along a predetermined vertical travel between horizontal stops secured to the barrier, said vertical travel crossing the latch, one end of an L-shaped lever mounted to pivot relative to the barrier being connected to rotation at the lower end of the rider, the other free end of the lever being connected to the end of the latch distal to the post.

[0017] This locking mechanism has the effect of transforming the vertical force due to the rope into a horizontal force exerted at the inner end of the latch, pulling it towards the inside of the barrier to remove the mechanical connection blocking it in the opening of the post, thus vertically releasing the barrier. The same operation is carried out at the other end of the barrier. The vertical traction, moreover still applied by the ropes, then pulls the barrier upwards and gradually frees the passage between two islands of cubicles.

[0018] More specifically, the L-shaped lever may comprise a first part comprising the rotary connection with the rider and the pivoting connection relative to the barrier, and a control arm secured to said first part, constituting the base of the L and connected at its free end to the latch. The relative positioning of the lever, the rider and the latch are provided so that when said lever pivots, the resulting tilting of the L generates at one of its free ends a horizontal component which is transmitted to the latch.

[0019] According to one design possibility, the rider may comprise two identical branches arranged opposite each other which surround the latch, connected at their two ends by spacers, the cable being connected via a connecting rod protruding from an upper bar of the barrier to the upper spacer and the tilting lever being connected to the lower spacer. The two-branch configuration makes it possible to surround the latch, the movement of which can take place between these arms. Their respective paths therefore intersect.

[0020] In practice, the lock comprises a housing secured to the barrier, having a lower wall acting as a lower stop for the rider, and an upper wall acting as an upper stop and provided with a hole for the passage of the rope or the connecting rod which connects the rope to the rider. Preferably, the upper wall of the lock housing is constituted by an upper bar of the barrier.

[0021] In this case, the return means consist of a compression spring interposed between a pin passing through the latch and a stop secured to a wall of the housing, consisting of a plate projecting from said wall and provided with an orifice for the passage of the latch.

[0022] The transition from a locked position to an unlocked position of the latch has been explained above. The reverse path of the latch to the locked position projecting outside the end of the barrier involves a release of the vertical traction exerted by the cable on the rider. In a version of the invention which is not motorized but dependent on counterweights, such a release does not occur, and the barrier can therefore be provided at its ends with additional locks with horizontal latches that can be manually actuated between a locking position also in an opening of a post and an unlocking position against return means. These additional locks can then each comprise a casing, for example secured under a lower bar of the barrier.

[0023] Mention has been made of the vertical sliding of the barrier between the posts. For this purpose, preferably, each end of the barrier may comprise a slide adapting to the contour of the post, and which guides said sliding. Furthermore, more precisely according to the invention, each rope is made up of a rope or a cable, for example metallic.

[0024] The basic structure of the gate of the invention comprises the two vertical posts between which the barrier can slide in both directions. According to a possible configuration, said gate can be configured as a gantry with an upper horizontal bar supported by the posts. This is a design used in particular when the lifting means consist of a motorized hoist arranged centrally at the level of the horizontal bar and driving two opposite ropes, each of said ropes following a horizontal path section oriented along the horizontal bar towards a post, in the vicinity of which it is guided towards the vertical path section which was mentioned previously. The ropes or portions of ropes are therefore driven along two substantially perpendicular path sections, along the top bar of the gantry and along the posts to the barrier which they contribute to moving.

[0025] Alternatively, as mentioned, the lifting means may consist for each cable of a counterweight guided in or near a post, and the lower free end of which is fixed in the same way to the bolt clamp.

[0026] Other aims and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the following description, which presents a preferred embodiment of the invention. This is, however, given only as an indicative and non-limiting example.

[0027] Understanding of this description will be facilitated by referring to the attached drawings in which:

[0028] [Fig-1] represents a perspective view of a gate according to the invention, in version in motorized gantry, lowered barrier preventing the passage of animals;

[0029] [Fig.2] shows the view of [Fig. 1], with the barrier in the high passage position;

[0030] [Fig.3] shows a detailed view of the lock at one end of the barrier;

[0031] [Fig.4] is a perspective view of the lock with the latch in its first position locking; and

[0032] [Fig.5] shows the same view with the latch in its second unlocking position.

[0033] With reference to the figures, the gate of the invention comprises a structure composed of two vertical posts 1 surmounted by an upper horizontal bar 2 which has a motorized central hoist 3. The barrier 12 comprises two parallel bars, upper 121 and lower 122, and has at its ends two locks 10, one at each lateral end 11 of the barrier 12. On each of these locks 10 acts a rope 13 in the form of a cord or a cable connected to the motorized lifting system, in this case the central hoist 3 mounted on the top bar 2 of the gantry. The ropes 13 comprise two sections of respectively horizontal appearance 131 at the outlet of the hoist 3 and along the top bar 2 and vertical 132 along the posts 1.

[0034] At their lower end, these ropes or cables 13 act on a connecting rod 14 connected to a vertical rider 15 of such a structure that it develops on either side of a horizontal latch 16 whose trajectory it crosses, said latch 16 being one of the components of a lock 10 described in detail below. This rider 15 is mounted to move along a predetermined vertical travel 17, limited by two horizontal stops of the housing 21 of the lock 10, in this case the lower 212 and upper 211 walls of said housing 21, the upper wall 211 being in this configuration constituted by the internal wall of the upper bar 121 of the barrier 12.

[0035] Furthermore, the rider 15 is connected, at its lower end 18, with free rotation to the end 19 of a tilting lever 20 pivotally mounted at 23 in the housing 21 of the lock 10. This tilting lever 20 is extended, beyond its pivot axis 23, by a control arm 24 connected at its free end 25 to the rear end 26 of the latch 16 on which it can therefore act.

[0036] The operation is as follows: starting from the lowered rest position of the barrier 12 as seen in [Fig.l], and when a command is given to raise this last in order to raise it as shown in [Fig.2], an upward pull is exerted on the cables 13. This pull causes - via the connecting rods 14 - the riders 15 to move vertically over at least part of their travel 17 relative to the latches 16. This movement of the rider 15 in turn controls the tilting of the lever 20 whose control arm 24, attached to a first part 201 of the lever 20, comes to exert on the latch 16 an axial pull towards the inside of the barrier 12, against the action of a spring 40. The latter is provided to return these latches 16, initially pushed into the locking position by these springs 40, to their unlocked position as shown in [Fig.5]. The spring 40, one end of which is secured to the latch 16 by a through pin 42, is in abutment at its other end against a plate 41 protruding from the bottom wall of the housing 21 of the lock 10.

[0037] The action of the vertical traction exerted on the ropes or cables 13 also brings the riders 15 into abutment at the end of their travel against the upper wall 211, that is to say in this case the lower wall of the bar 121 of the barrier 12, of the housing 21 of the lock 10. This traction leads to the barrier 12 being raised, after automatic unlocking of the latches 16.

[0038] This device for a lifting barrier for separating cubicles is completed by openings 27 arranged over at least part of the height of the posts 1, openings 27 in which the latches 16 of the bolts 10 are capable of engaging. Thus, whether during the raising or lowering of the barrier 12, or when the latter is raised, the breaking of a cable 13 has the consequence of releasing the traction action on the rider 15 to which the cable 13 is connected, releasing the tilting lever 20. Under the action of the spring 40, the latch 16 is then pushed back into its first locking position, involving the projection of its free end outside the end 11 of the barrier 12, allowing this projecting end to engage in the nearest opening 27 arranged in the corresponding post 1, as soon as it arrives opposite of an opening 27.

[0039] The barrier 12 can therefore only fall to a height corresponding to the distance between two successive openings 27 of the posts 1. It is understood that, in a solution with motorized lifting control such as that which appears in the figures, the locks 10 of the safety device according to the invention can be used to lock the barrier 12 in the low position, insofar as the motorization can release the traction action exerted on the ropes or cables 13 in order to allow the return springs 40 to push the latches 16 of the locks 10 back into the locking position. It is sufficient to position oneself in front of an opening 27. In a counterweight solution, this is not the case, because the counterweights permanently maintain their traction action on the cables 13, which permanently retain in the unlocked position, against the action of the springs 40, the latches 16 of these locks 40 of the device of the invention.

[0040] Also, in such a manual counterweight lifting solution, the barrier 12 can be provided with additional locks 29 for locking the barrier 12 in the low position, as shown in particular in [Fig. 3]. Such additional locks 29 can take position in a dedicated casing 30 installed, in the embodiment illustrated in [Fig. 3], at the lateral ends 11 of the barrier 12, under the lower bar 122 of the latter.

[0041] Each end 11 of the barrier 12 further comprises a slide 50 adapting to the contour of the post 1, and which allows more precise guidance of the sliding of the barrier 12 when it moves vertically upwards or downwards. In the configuration shown, and this appears particularly clearly in Figures 4 and 5, the posts 1 are of square section, and the slides 50 consequently have a U-shaped section.

[0042] The design methods illustrated by the figures are of course not exhaustive of the invention, which on the contrary includes variants of form for its different components.

Claims

Claims

1. A lifting barrier gate (12) for separating islands of livestock stalls, comprising two vertical posts (1) between which the barrier (12) is movable and means for lifting said barrier (12) with counterweights or motorized, the barrier (12) being provided at its axial ends with bolts (10) each provided with a latch (16) capable of cooperating with at least one opening (27) made in the post (1), said latch (16) being movable horizontally between a first locking position inside said opening (27) and a second unlocking position, drive means being provided for moving the latch (16) from the first to the second position and return means (40) being provided for returning the latch (16) to the first position, characterized in that the lifting means comprise two movable cables (13) each according to a vertical path section (132) extending along a post (1),each cable (13) being connected to an internal mechanism of the lock (10) transforming a vertical pull of the cable (13) on the barrier (12) into a horizontal pull of the latch (16) towards its second unlocking position.,

2. A lifting barrier gate (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the cable (13) is connected to a rider (15) of the lock (10) which is movable along a predetermined vertical travel (17) between horizontal stops (211), (212) integral with the barrier (12), said vertical travel (17) crossing the latch (16), one end (19) of an L-shaped lever (20) pivotally mounted relative to the barrier (12) being rotatably connected to the lower end (18) of the rider (15), the other free end (25) of the lever (20) being connected to the end (26) of the latch (16) distal to the post (1).

3. Liftable barrier gate (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the L-shaped lever (20) comprises a first part (201) comprising the rotary connection with the rider (15) and the pivoting connection (23) relative to the barrier (12), and a control arm (24) secured to said first part (201), constituting the base of the L and connected at its free end (25) to the latch (16).

4. A barrier gate (12) that can be raised according to one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the rider (15) comprises two identical branches arranged opposite each other which surround the latch (16), connected at their two ends by spacers, the cable (13) being connected via a link (14) extending from an upper bar (121) of the barrier (12) to the upper strut and the rocking lever (20) being connected to the lower strut.

5. A lifting barrier gate (12) according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the lock (10) comprises a housing (21) secured to the barrier (12), having a lower wall (212) acting as a lower stop for the rider (15), and an upper wall (211) acting as an upper stop and provided with an orifice for the passage of the cable (13) or the connecting rod (14) which connects the cable (13) to the rider (15).

6. Liftable barrier gate (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the upper wall (211) of the housing (21) of the lock (10) is constituted by an upper bar (121) of the barrier (12).

7. A barrier gate (12) that can be raised according to one of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the return means consist of a compression spring (40) interposed between a pin (42) passing through the latch (16) and a stop secured to a wall of the housing (21), consisting of a plate (41) projecting from said wall and provided with an orifice for the passage of the latch (16).

8. A lifting barrier gate (12) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the barrier (12) comprises at its ends (11) additional locks (29) with horizontal latches which can be manually actuated between a locking position in an opening (27) of a post (1) and an unlocking position against return means.

9. Liftable barrier gate (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the additional lock (29) comprises a casing (30) secured under a lower bar (122) of the barrier (12).

10. A lifting barrier gate (12) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each end (11) of the barrier (12) comprises a slide (50) adapting to the contour of the post (1).

11. A lifting barrier gate (12) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each rope (13) consists of a rope or a cable.

12. A lifting barrier gate (12) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is configured as a gantry with an upper horizontal bar (2) supported by the posts (1).

13. Liftable barrier gate (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the lifting means consist of a hoist (3) motorized device arranged centrally at the level of the horizontal bar (2), driving two opposite cables (13), each of said cables following a horizontal path section (131) oriented along the horizontal bar (2) towards a post (1), in the vicinity of which it is guided towards the vertical path section (132).

14. A lifting barrier gate (12) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the lifting means consist, for each cable (13), of a counterweight guided in or in the vicinity of a post (1).

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