Feed dispensers

Abstract

A granular feed dosing device 100 with a receptacle 12 for a quantity of granular feed, a dispensing tube 282 in fluid communication with an outlet 16 of the receptacle and a valve. The valve is movea

Description

This invention relates to feed dispensers, and in particular, but without limitation, to automated feed dispensers for livestock. 5 Modern farming practices usually involve feeding herds of cattle or other livestock batch-wise. This is usually accomplished by leading the livestock into a feeding shed where feed is laid out for the animals to eat. Conventionally, a feeding shed comprises an elongate, generally linear trough into which feed is poured by a tractor or other vehicle driving along an opposite side of the trough to where the animals are located. A restraint is used to prevent the animals from coming into contact with 10 moving farm machinery, and when the trough has been filled, the restraint is removed allowing the animals access to the feed within the trough. Once the animals have fed, they walk out of the feeding shed. The process tends to be self-regulating to a certain extent because the animals will not generally over or under eat, and the procession of animals within the somewhat linear arrangement of the feeding shed encourages the animals to move along in turn. 15 However, conventional feeding sheds with elongate troughs, whilst being relatively simple to operate and maintain, suffer from the disadvantage of being unable to regulate the amount of feed that each individual animal consumes in a given feeding session. The reason for this is that the feed is freely available to all animals and each of them can eat as much as they want (or can) within a given timeframe. This could lead to weaker animals eating less, thereby exacerbating the problem of feed 20 differentials amongst a herd. A solution to this problem is to use metered feeding system, in which each animal receives a metered quantity (or dose) of feed at each feeding session. A similar arrangement to the aforedescribed feeding trough is used, but rather than simply filling the trough with feed and allowing the animals to feed at will, individual "feed stations" are created whereby metered quantities of feed 25 are dispensed at each station into the feeding trough. Typically, feed dispensers will be located 31 01 25 approximately one metre apart affording the animals sufficient space to feed from the trough whilst also permitting adequate segregation of the individually metered doses of feed. Known metered feed dispensers typically comprise a screw-fed feed mechanism, such as an auger, which conveys granular feed along a tube. Outlets communicate with the auger tube at 5 intervals and dispense feed into individual receptacles - one corresponding to each feed station. The individual receptacles are then fitted with a valve, which is closed when feed is stored in the receptacle, but which can be opened to allow the feed within each individual receptacle to drop into the feeding trough below - thereby dispensing the desired quantity of feed for each animal. In order to prevent scattering and spoiling of the feed, a dispensing tube usually extends down 10 from the receptacle with the valve located at the upper end thereof. Thus, when the valve is opened, the feed is dispensed from the receptacle, past the valve, down through the tube and in a more controlled fashion into the feeding trough below. Such a configuration enables the feeding stations to be located closer together as the lateral spread of feed and scattering is significantly reduced by using a dispensing tube. 15 The valves that are used in conventional dosed feeding systems typically comprise either a flap valve, which is essentially a "trap door" device that opens to provide an aperture between an outlet opening of the receptacle and the upper end of the dispensing tube; or a ball or plug located within the dispensing tube, which can be lifted so as to expose an outlet opening in the receptacle thus allowing feed to drop into the dispensing tube, and then into the feeding trough below. 20 The flap valve and ball valve of the known metered feeding systems are often controlled using an actuator, such as a wire or chain, which can be manually operated, for example, by using a pull handle; or which can be automated, for example, by using a solenoid or a motorised cam device. Typically, all of the flap / baII valves are interconnected such that a single actuation causes all of the valves to open together, which means that a metered quantity of feed is dispenses into each feeding 25 station simultaneously. 31 01 25 The known metered feeding stations suffer from a number of drawbacks, but chiefly reasonably frequent clogging. This occurs because if a small quantity of feed is retained at the outlet opening from the receptacle leading into the dispensing tube, then it can jam the flap valve or ball valve meaning that it cannot open in subsequent operations. This necessitates the use of some force 5 or wiggling of the valve to free it and, although this can be a time consuming and fiddly process, more importantly, it means that certain feed stations can be out of operation for a certain amount of time - meaning that certain animals are not fed at all. Not only does this defeat the object of a metered feeding system, but it also causes the affected animal some distress and it can lead to tousling between animals where animals either side of a faulty feeding station are receiving feed, but one 10 animal is not and tries to take the feed from an adjacent feeding station. This can stress the animals, which is undesirable. Alternatively, if the valve is jammed slightly open, it can lead to a constant trickle of feed being dispensed, which also defeats the object of a metered feeding system. A need therefore exists for a solution to one of more of the aforedescribed problems and / or 15 an alternative feed dispensing system. Aspects of the invention are set forth in the appended independent claim or claims. Preferred and / or optional features of the invention are set forth in the appended dependent claims. According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a granular feed dosing device comprising a receptacle for containing a quantity of granular feed, a receptacle inlet through which 20 feed enters the receptacle, a receptacle outlet through which feed exits the receptacle, a dispensing tube in fluid communication with the receptacle outlet, which dispensing tube guides exiting feed from the receptacle, and a valve means located within the dispensing tube, which is moveable between a first position in which the receptacle outlet is closed, and a second position in which the receptacle outlet is open, wherein the valve means comprises a tube axially located within the 25 dispensing tube and being axially displaceable by an actuator between the said first and second positions. 31 01 25 The invention thus differs from the prior art insofar as the valve means is of a different and / or improved type. In essence, the valve means comprises a "tube within a tube" and this has various advantages. Firstly, the rotational orientation of the valve within the dispensing tube can be irrelevant if 5 the two have a circular cross-section. This can reduce alignment issues. Secondly, the axial displacement of the valve tube within the dispensing tube has a "knifing" action, which reduces the likelihood of the valve means and / or the receptacle outlet opening from being clogged or jammed by feed. In other words, an edge of the valve tube can be used to "wipe" or "slice" past the receptacle outlet, thereby automatically clearing the receptacle outlet of any residual 10 feed each time it is actuated. This addresses the aforedescribed issue of valve jamming / clogging in an effective and straightforward manner. Thirdly, by providing a "tube within a tube" configuration, it means that there is a continuously open passageway extending all the way up through the middle of the dispensing tube. This has the advantage that when animals are feedingfrom the trough below the dispensing tube, and are exhaling 15 warm, moist air; that warm, moist air is able to rise up through the dispensing tube and be vented out through the top of it. This reduces the likelihood of accumulating condensation and moisture within the dispensing tube, which would otherwise have a tendency to cause the feed to stick to the internal walls thereof and / or to jam / block the valve. In addition, in preferred embodiments, and unlike the prior art, the tube valve arrangement 20 allows the entire closing mechanism to be sited outside the body of the storage vessel and thus to be readily serviced and cleaned without having to gain access to the interior of the storage vessel. This has the advantage that the valve and drop tube can be readily and easily cleaned by use of a hose pipe or power washer with the valve in the closed position. Whereas with prior art valves, the entire feeder has to be cleaned which may not be advantageous. 25 In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the valve tube is actuated by using a lifting cord, wire or chain, which, when pulled, lifts the valve tube up past the receptacle outlet to the second 31 01 25 position. When the cord, wire or chain is released, gravity can cause the valve tube to drop back down into the first position. Additionally, or alternatively, resilient means, such as a coil spring, could be used to bias the valve tube down into the said first position. Suitably, the biasing spring is located around a shaft, which is coaxial with the valve tube, thus minimising the disruption of the passageway 5 for the through-flow of air / vapour. Additionally or alternatively, the actuation of the valve tube could be by way of positive actuation in both directions. For example, a linkage system or a cam arrangement could be used to lift and lower the valve tube between the first and second positions. It is also important to note that the first position is one in which the receptacle outlet is closed, 10 and the second position is one in which the receptacle outlet is open. The first position is thus a position in which the valve tube aligns with the outlet aperture of the receptacle, but the second position could be one where the valve tube has been moved up past the receptacle outlet, or down past the receptacle outlet. However, it is preferred that the second position is one in which the valve tube is moved up, so that gravity can be used to drop the valve tube back into the first position, which 15 is the "at rest" position of the valve in most cases. In order to vary the "dose" or quantity of feed dispensed during each actuation of the device, a shutter may be provided within the receptacle. Suitably, the receptacle has a generally wedge-shaped side profile, which has a larger cross-section towards the top and a smaller cross-section towards the bottom. The receptacle outlet is preferably located at the bottom of the receptacle so 20 that a sloping base wall of the receptacle guides the granular feed towards the outlet. The shutter is suitably a slide plate which extends down into the receptacle forming a moveable partition with an opening towards the bottom of the receptacle. By moving the shutter plate up or down, the size of the opening can be varied, and this adjusts the amount of feed that is dispensed, with each actuation, as shall be described in greater detail below. 25 The receptacle is suitably automatically refilled using a feed delivery system, such as an auger tube. The feed dispenser is suitably part of a larger multi-station feeding system. 31 01 25 Embodiments of the invention shall now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 and 2 are schematic, cross-section views of a first known metered feed dispenser; Figures 3 and 4 are schematic front views of a second known metered feed dispenser; 5 Figures 5 and 6 are, respectively, front and side views of a metered feed dispenser in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figures 7 and 8 are detail views of Figure 6 showing the valve in the closed and open positions, respectively; Figures 9 and 10 are front views of Figures 7 and 8 showing the valve in the closed and open 10 positions, respectively; and Figure 11 is a schematic side view of a feed dispenser in accordance with the invention in use. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a first known feed dispenser 10 comprises a feed receptacle 12 with an inlet aperture 14 and an outlet aperture 16. A flap valve arrangement 18 has a closure plate 20 that closes-off the lower end of the receptacle 12, where it tapers 22 towards the 15 outlet 16. The flap valve arrangement 18 has a mechanism which moves the closure plate 20 from the closed position (as shown in Figure 1) to the open position (as shown in Figure 2). A quantity of feed 24 is dispensed into the receptacle 12 by an auger tube 26, whose auger (not shown) rotates so as to convey feed along the axis of the tube (out of the plane of the drawing) where it is dispensed into the individual receptacles 12 as it moves along. A dispensing tube 28 20 connects to the outlet 16 of the receptacle 12, such that when the closure plate 20 is moved to the open position by the actuator 18, the feed 24 drops from the receptacle 12, down through the dispensing tube 28 and out through an opening 30 at a lower end thereof into a trough below (not shown). Once feed 24 has been dispensed and the receptacle 12 is empty, the closure plate 20 is 25 moved back into the closed position (as shown in Figure 1) and the auger 26 is used to refill the receptacle 12 with feed 24 once again. 31 01 25 It will be appreciated that if any feed 24 gets stuck to the closure plate 20 or to the tapered portion 22, then there is a possibility that the closure plate 20 may not seat properly or move back to the fully-closed position as shown in Figure 1. This could lead to the outlet 16 being left slightly open enabling a trickle of feed 24 to bypass the closure plate 20. 5 Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, a similar known feed dispenser 50 is shown, which has an auger 26 arrangement, a receptacle 12, a tapered part 22 leading to a dispensing tube 28. Here, the receptacle 12 is filled by the auger tube 26 as previously described and the feed 24 occupies the receptacle 12, but is unable to enter the dispensing tube 28 by virtue of a teardrop-shaped plug 52, which closes off an upper end of the dispensing tube 28 at the outlet 16 of the receptacle 12. 10 A cord or wire 54 is used to raise the plug 52, and as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, when the plug 52 is raised, the outlet 16 becomes unblocked thus permitting the feed 24 to drop from the receptacle 12, through the dispensing tube 28, out through an outlet 30 at its lower end and into a feeding trough (not shown) below. A reasonable amount of tension is needed on the cord or chain 54 to overcome the weight of 15 the feed 24 acting downwardly upon it and also to overcome the fact that the tapering 22 can cause the plug 52 to become wedged in the outlet 16. It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the dispensing tube 28 has an open lower end 30 and an upper end, which is closed-off by the receptacle 12 above. Thus, any warm air from the feeding animals entering the opening 30 at the bottom of the dispensing tube 20 will tend to rise up 20 the dispensing tube 28 and form condensation / moisture at the flap valve closure plate 20, or on the bung 52. This can give rise to frequent blockages and / or errors in the metered dosing. Turning now to Figures 5 to 11 of the drawings, an embodiment of a feed dosing device 100 in accordance with the invention is shown. The arrangement is somewhat similar to that described previously - insofar as an auger tube 26 is used to dispense feed 24 into a receptacle 12. A dispensing 25 tube 28 is also provided, which is in fluid communication with an outlet port 16 of the receptacle 12. However, as can be seen from Figure 6 in particular, the outlet port 16 is not located at the top end of 31 01 25 the dispensing tube 28, but rather communicates with a side access opening into a side wall of the dispensing tube. It will be noted that the dispensing tube 28 in Figure 6 is a two-part arrangement This facilitates modularisation of the feed dosing device 100 since an upper portion 282 of the dispensing 5 tube can be formed integrally with the receptacle 12; and a lower, cut-to-length portion 284 can be push-fitted onto a swaged part of the middle portion 282. It can be seen, therefore, from Figures 6 and 11 in particular, that there is a continuous open tube extending from the lower opening 30 of the dispensing tube 28 all the way up to an upper opening 302 at the upper end of the dispensing tube 28 / 282. 10 A valve tube 102 is provided, which is an open-ended tube that is axially receivable and slideable within the upper part 282 of the dispensing tube 28. The valve tube 102 is suspended from a wire 104, which passes around a pulley wheel 106 and is connected to an actuator line 108 - as can be best seen in Figures 9 and 10 of the drawings. Thus, by pulling on the actuator line 108, the wires 104 are retracted, thus liftingthe valve tube 102 up past the receptacle outlet opening 16 and enabling 15 feed 24 to fall from the receptacle 12 and down out through the dispensing tube 28 as is best shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. This is also shown in enlarged detail in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings. Within the receptacle 12, there is provided a set of guide channels 110, which retain, at its opposite side edges, a shutter plate 112, which can be slid along the guide channels 110 by a further actuator cable 114. In Figure 6 of the drawings, it can be seen that the slide plate 112 has been raised, 20 whereas in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings, it has been lowered. By raising or lowering the slide plate 112 it is possible to vary the amount of feed 24 within the receptacle 12. As shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, the slide plate 112 is retracted, and so the feed level 116 within the receptacle 12 is relatively high. However, by incrementally lowering the slide plate 112, different upper feed levels 118,120 can be obtained - thus varying the "dose" of feed 24 25 dispensed during each actuation. As can be seen in Figure 11, in particular, when livestock 200 feeds and exhales breath 202 into the feeding trough (not shown) that warm, moist breath 202 is able to rise up through the dispensing tube 28, through the valve tube 102 and be vented 204 from the top of the arrangement. This reduces the amount of condensation / moisture that builds-up within the dispensing tube 28, thus 5 reducing the likelihood of jamming either open or closed the valve tube 102. However, even if the outlet 16 does become slightly obstructed, as can be seen from Figure 6 of the drawings, in particular, the lower edge of the feed tube 102 acts as a "knife" that wipes past the opening 16 during each actuation. This effectively clears the opening 16 each time the device is actuated. The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments, which are merely 10 exemplary. LD 31 01 25

Claims

1. A granular feed dosing device comprising:a receptacle for containing a quantity of granular feed;a receptacle inlet through which feed enters the receptacle;a receptacle outlet through which feed exits the receptacle;a dispensing tube in fluid communication with the receptacle outlet that guides exiting feed from the receptacle; anda valve tube axially located within the dispensing tube that forms a valve located at the receptacle outlet which is moveable between a first position in which the receptacle outlet is closed, and a second position in which the receptacle outlet is open, whereinthe valve tube being axially displaceable within the dispensing tube by an actuator between the said first and second positions, and wherein receptacle outlet comprises a port opening into a side wall of the dispensing tube such that a side wall of the valve tube either obstructs or clears the port when it is in the first or second position, respectively.

2. The feed dosing device of claim 1, wherein the dispensing tube and the valve tube have annular cross-sections.

3. The feed dosing device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a lower and / or upper edge of the valve tube comprises a knife edge arranged, in use, to slide past the receptacle outlet during each actuation.

4. The feed dosing device of any preceding claim, wherein the valve tube and the dispensing tube together form a continuously open passageway extending all the way up through the middle of the dispensing tube.31 01 255. The feed dosing device of any preceding claim, wherein the valve tube is moved between the first and second positions by a lifting cord, wire or chain.

6. The feed dosing device of any preceding claim, wherein the valve tube is moved between the second and first positions by gravity.

7. The feed dosing device of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the valve tube is moved between the first and second positions, or vice versa, by a linkage or cam.

8. The feed dosing device of any preceding claim, further comprising a biasing means which biases the valve tube towards the first position.

9. The feed dosing device of any of claims 5 to 8, further comprising a control system for moving the valve tube.

10. The feed dosing device of claim 9, wherein the control system comprises a linkage, pull cord, chain or wire to which the valve tube is connected.

11. The feed dosing device of claim 10, further comprising a servo, motor or solenoid for displacing the linkage, pull cord, chain or wire.

12. The feed dosing device of any preceding claim, further comprising an adjustable partition within the receptacle.

13. The feed dosing device of claim 12, wherein the adjustable partition comprises a slide plate slidably located in grooves or channels, which is moveable in a substantially vertical plane so as to control the volume of feed retained within the receptacle.

14. The feed dosing device of claim 12 or claim 13, further comprising a control system for moving the adjustable partition.31 01 2515. The feed dosing device of claim 14, wherein the control system comprises a linkage, pull cord, chain or wire to which the adjustable partition is connected.

16. The feed dosing device of claim 15, further comprising a servo, motor or solenoid for displacing the linkage, pull cord, chain or wire.

17. The feed dosing device of any of claim 11 or claim 16, further comprising a control circuit for automatically controlling the respective servo, motor or solenoid.

18. The feed dosing device of any of any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing tube and the valve tube are located externally of the receptacle.

19. A feed dosing system comprising one or more feed dosing devices according to any preceding claim, the feed dosing system further comprising a feed delivery system for filling the or each receptacle.

20. The feed dosing system of claim 19, wherein the feed deliver system comprises an auger tube having a respective outlet in fluid communication with a respective receptacle inlet of the or each feed dosing device.

21. The feed dosing system of claim 19 or claim 20, further comprising a master controller for automatically controlling the operation of any one or more of the feed dosing device, the valve tube servo, motor or solenoid, and / or the adjustable partition servo, motor or solenoid.

22. The feed dosing system of claim 21, wherein the master controller comprises a timing circuit for individually or synchronously scheduling the actuation of the feed dosing device, the valve tube servo, motor or solenoid, and / or the adjustable partition servo, motor or solenoid.

23. The feed dosing system of claim 21 or claim 22, wherein the master controller comprises one ormore manually-operated buttons for individually or synchronously actuating the feed dosing device on demand, the valve tube servo, motor or solenoid on demand, and / or the adjustable partition servo, motor or solenoid on demand.LD

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