Feed conveying device

Abstract

To provide a feed conveying device that suppresses breakage of feed during conveyance.SOLUTION: A feed conveying device 1 comprises a pipe 2, a linear member 3 that moves within the pipe 2, and a disk 4 that is provided on the linear member 3, and conveys solid feed F. The device includes an intrusion prevention member 8 that prevents the feed F from intruding into a gap g between the pipe 2 and the disk 4. The intrusion prevention member 8 includes an elastic portion that is disposed on the downstream side in the movement direction of the disk 4 relative to the gap g. The elastic portion may include radial sections 82 that are formed radially at intervals.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a feed conveying device that conveys feed to a feeding device for feeding farmed fish or livestock. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as a device for delivering lump feed supplied from a feed hopper to a number of feeders, Patent Document 1 describes a feed conveying device in which a disc cable, with discs fixed at predetermined intervals to a flexible wire, is connected in an endless manner and inserted into a pipe, and the disc cable is pushed forward by a drive device to convey the feed placed between the discs of the disc cable and deliver it to the feeders via a feed drop pipe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-292133 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a feed conveying device such as that described in Patent Document 1 above, a gap is provided between the outer edge of the disc and the inner surface of the pipe to allow the disc cable to move smoothly inside the piping. However, when transporting chunks of feed, there is a risk that the feed will get into this gap and become pinched between the disc and the pipe, causing damage such as cracking, chipping, or breakage. Furthermore, at the connection between the piping and the feed drop pipe, the feed may be damaged by being pinched between the corner facing the disk and the moving disk.

[0005] If the feed is damaged, the powdered or small pieces of feed will stick to the inside of the feed container or sink to the bottom of the fish tank, making it inedible to the livestock or farmed fish, resulting in the need for extra feed and increased costs. In particular, in the case of fish farms, the water becomes polluted by such feed, and a great deal of energy is required to purify the water.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a feed conveying device that prevents damage to feed during conveyance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Means 1 is a feed conveying device that comprises a piping, a linear member that moves within the piping, and a disc attached to the linear member, and that conveys lump feed, and is characterized in that it is equipped with an intrusion prevention member that prevents the feed from entering the gap between the piping and the disc.

[0008] Means 2 is the feed conveying device according to Means 1, characterized in that the intrusion prevention member has an elastic part that is arranged downstream of the gap in the moving direction of the disk.

[0009] Means 3 is the feed conveying device according to Means 2, characterized in that the elastic portion has radial portions formed radially at intervals when viewed from the front of the intrusion prevention member.

[0010] Means 4 is the feed conveying device according to means 1, characterized in that the intrusion prevention member is detachably attached to the disk.

[0011] Means 5 is a feed conveying device according to Means 4, characterized in that the intrusion prevention member is formed in a ring shape when viewed from the front and has a cutout portion through which the linear member passes when attached to and detached from the disk.

[0012] Means 6 is a feed conveying device described in any of means 1 to 5, characterized in that the piping has a feed drop outlet through which the feed falls, and at least the part of the feed drop outlet facing the moving disk is provided with an inclined portion that gradually rises toward the downstream side in the direction of movement of the disk. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the feed conveying device of the present invention, since it is provided with an entry prevention member that prevents feed from entering the gap between the pipe and the disk, it is possible to suppress the blocky feed from being pinched and damaged between the pipe and the disk, making it difficult for the feed to be wasted, reducing the labor and cost required for feed removal, and realizing cost reduction.

[0014] In addition, since the entry prevention member is provided with an elastic portion disposed on the downstream side of the moving direction of the disk from the gap, the elastic portion pushes the feed in the direction opposite to the gap, so it is possible to more reliably prevent the feed from entering the gap, and since the elastic portion is prevented from bending and excessive friction from occurring, it does not hinder the movement of the disk.

[0015] In addition, when the elastic portion is provided with a radial portion formed radially at intervals, the elastic portion is more easily bent, the friction between the disk and the pipe is reduced, and the movement of the disk becomes smoother.

[0016] In addition, when the entry prevention member is detachably provided on the disk, it is possible to retroactively attach the entry prevention member to an existing disk, the installation position of the entry prevention member can also be arbitrarily adjusted, and it can be easily replaced when the entry prevention member is damaged or worn.

[0017] In addition, since the entry prevention member is formed in an annular shape in a front view and is provided with a notch through which a linear member passes when attaching and detaching from the disk, the entry prevention member can be easily attached to and detached from the disk in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the linear member.

[0018] In addition, the pipe has a feed dropping port through which the feed drops, and at least a portion of the feed dropping port facing the moving disk is provided with an inclined portion inclined to gradually rise toward the downstream side of the moving direction of the disk, so that the feed can be prevented from being pinched and strongly pressed between the feed dropping port and the moving disk and damaged.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a feed conveying device, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of the feed conveying device viewed from the side, Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the X portion of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line AA of Figure 2, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line BB of Figure 2, Figure 6 shows a modified example of the cross-sectional view along the line BB of Figure 2, Figure 7 is an oblique view of an intrusion prevention member, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the feed drop inlet portion viewed from the side.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a feed conveying device 1 of the present invention is used to convey lump feed.

[0023] The feed conveying device 1 comprises a pipe 2 connected in an endless fashion, a linear member 3 connected in an endless fashion and inserted into the pipe 2, a plurality of discs 4 provided on the linear member 3, a drive device 5 for moving the discs 4 within the pipe 2, and a feed hopper 6 for supplying lump feed F into the pipe 2.

[0024] The lump feed F conveyed by the feed conveying device 1 is, for example, solid feed having a predetermined shape. The predetermined shape may be a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, a sphere, etc., and in this embodiment, the solid feed is a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0025] Feed F is fed from the lower end of the feed hopper 6 into the inside of the pipe 2 by, for example, falling under its own weight.

[0026] The piping 2 is disposed horizontally, and feed drop pipes 21 are connected at appropriate intervals to the bottom surface of the piping 2. The feed drop pipes 21 are each connected to a feeding device 7 for feeding livestock and farmed fish.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 8, the pipe 2 has feed drop ports 20 through which the feed F falls. That is, the feed drop ports 20 are formed at appropriate intervals on the bottom surface of the pipe 2, and the upper end of the feed drop pipe 21 is connected to the feed drop ports 20, and the lower end of the feed drop pipe 21 is connected to the feeding device 7. Specifically, the upper end of the feed drop pipe 21 is connected to the bottom surface of the pipe 2 so as to cover a wider area than the feed drop ports 20.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the linear member 3 is a flexible wire, and the disks 4 are attached to the linear member 3 at appropriate intervals. In this embodiment, the linear member 3 is a wire, but may be a chain.

[0029] The linear member 3 and the disk 4 are moved inside the pipe 2 in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

[0030] As the linear member 3 and the disk 4 move, the feed F in the pipe 2 is pushed by the disk 4 and conveyed, and is supplied to the feeding device 7 through the feed dropping port 20 and the feed dropping pipe 21. In the following description, the downstream side in the moving direction of the disk 4 is defined as the front side, and the upstream side in the moving direction is defined as the rear side.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the disk 4 includes a disk-shaped main body portion 40 having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe 2, and support cylinders 41 protruding in the front-rear direction from the central portions of the front and rear surfaces of the main body portion 40, respectively.

[0032] The linear member 3 passes through the centers of the front and rear support cylinders 41 and the main body portion 40. The linear member 3 and the disk 4 are fixed by an appropriate method, and the disk 4 also moves as the linear member 3 moves.

[0033] The outer diameter of the disk 4 is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe 2, and a gap g is formed between the outer peripheral edge of the disk 4 and the inner peripheral surface of the pipe 2, so that the disk 4 can move smoothly.

[0034] Since the support cylinders 41 are provided on the front and rear surfaces of the main body portion 40, the disk 4 is less likely to tilt in the front-rear and left-right directions even when the disk 4 moves while pushing the feed F.

[0035] The disk 4 includes an entry prevention member 8 that prevents the feed F from entering the gap g between the pipe 2 and the disk 4.

[0036] The entry prevention member 8 has an outer diameter that is generally disk-shaped, and is detachably provided on the front side of a plurality of (preferably, every 2 to 4) disks 4 of the disk 4. The entry prevention member 8 is integrally formed from an elastic material.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 and 7, the entry prevention member 8 includes a circular plate 80, a side wall portion 81, a radial portion 82, a claw attachment portion 83, a locking claw 84, and a protrusion 85.

[0038] The circular plate 80 is formed in a circular plate shape with a diameter smaller than that of the main body 40 of the disk 4, and shares the central axis with the disk 4.

[0039] At the center of the circular plate 80, an insertion hole 86 for passing the linear member 3 and the support cylinder 41 of the disk 4 is provided, and a notch 87 that continues from the insertion hole 86 to the outer peripheral edge of the circular plate 80 is formed. The notch 87 is formed so as to reach the outer periphery of the entry prevention member 8 formed in an annular shape.

[0040] The side wall portion 81 is columnar and is formed to extend rearward from the peripheral edge of the circular plate 80. The side wall portion 81 is not formed in the portion continuous with the notch 87.

[0041] The front end of the side wall portion 81 is continuously located at the peripheral edge of the circular plate 80, and the rear end 81a is formed so as to abut on the front surface of the disk 4 (FIG. 3). When the rear end 81a of the side wall portion 81 abuts on the front surface of the disk 4, the position of the entry prevention member 8 becomes stable with respect to the disk 4.

[0042] The radial portions 82 are formed in a plurality of radially outward directions at intervals in a front view from the outer peripheral portion near the rear end of the side wall portion 81. The tips of the radial portions 82 are formed so as to reach near the inner peripheral surface of the pipe 2 beyond the outer peripheral edge of the main body portion 40.

[0043] The interval between adjacent radial portions 82 is set to such an extent that solid feed F does not pass through.

[0044] The interval between adjacent radial portions 82 on the outer peripheral side of the portion where the notch 87 is formed is wider than the interval between adjacent radial portions 82 in other portions. The interval between adjacent radial portions 82 on the outer peripheral side of the portion where the notch 87 is formed may also be set to such an extent that solid feed F does not pass through.

[0045] The claw attachment part 83 is protruded radially outward at three locations equally spaced in the circumferential direction from the peripheral edge of the circular plate 80 and the outer peripheral surface of the side wall part 81. That is, the claw attachment part 83 is formed in a three-directional radial shape. The radial part 82 is not formed in the part where the claw attachment part 83 is formed.

[0046] The tip of the outer peripheral edge of the claw attachment part 83 is formed so as to reach outside the outer periphery of the main body part 40 of the disk 4, and the locking claw 84 protrudes rearward through between the radial parts 82 from the rear surface of the tip of the outer peripheral edge of the claw attachment part 83.

[0047] The rear end part 83a inside the part where the locking claw 84 of the claw attachment part 83 is provided is formed so as to contact the front surface of the disk 4 (Fig. 3).

[0048] As shown in Fig. 3, the locking claw 84 is plate-shaped and extends rearward from the claw attachment part 83 beyond the disk 4, and is provided with a tapered surface 84b on the inner peripheral side of the rear end part and a locking surface 84a in front of the tapered surface 84b.

[0049] The tapered surface 84b is inclined so that the outer diameter becomes narrower from the rear side to the front side, and the outer peripheral edge of the disk 4 is formed to be positioned between the rear end part and the front end part. The locking surface 84a is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the rear surface of the disk 4.

[0050] As shown in Figs. 2 to 5 and Fig. 7, the protrusion 85 is formed radially outward on the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the outer peripheral edge of the claw attachment part 83. The protrusion 85 has the same shape as the tip part of the radial part 82, and is formed so as to reach near the inner peripheral surface of the pipe 2 in the same manner as the tip part of the radial part 82.

[0051] The attachment of the entry prevention member 8 to the disk 4 is performed as follows. In front of the disk 4, the access prevention member 8 is brought close from the side (for example, above) of the support cylinder 41 and the linear member 3, and the support cylinder 41 and the linear member 3 are passed through the notch 87 into the insertion hole 86. Since the access prevention member 8 is formed of an elastic body, it can be passed through while expanding the notch 87 and the insertion hole 86 according to the shapes of the support cylinder 41 and the linear member 3.

[0052] After that, the disk 4 and the access prevention member 8 are brought closer, and the locking claw 84 is elastically deformed and locked to the rear surface of the outer peripheral portion of the main body portion 40 of the disk 4 (FIGS. 2 and 3). As the disk 4 and the access prevention member 8 approach each other, the tapered surface 84b of the locking claw 84 abuts against the outer peripheral portion of the main body portion 40 of the disk 4, promoting the elastic deformation of the locking claw 84 and causing the locking claw 84 to expand.

[0053] When the disk 4 and the access prevention member 8 approach each other and the front surface of the main body portion 40 of the disk 4 abuts against the rear end 81a of the side wall portion 81 and the rear end portion 83a of the claw attachment portion 83, the locking claw 84 returns from the expanded state, and the locking surface 84a abuts against the rear surface of the main body portion 40 of the disk 4, and the locking claw 84 is locked to the disk 4 (FIG. 3). Note that either one of the rear end 81a of the side wall portion 81 and the rear end portion 83a of the claw attachment portion 83 may abut against the front surface of the main body portion 40 of the disk 4.

[0054] In a state where the access prevention member 8 is attached to the disk 4, the tip of the radial portion 82 and the protrusion 85 are located in front of the gap g formed between the outer peripheral edge of the main body portion 40 of the disk 4 and the inner peripheral surface of the pipe 2. The portion of the radial portion 82 and the protrusion 85 located in front of this gap g correspond to the elastic portion of the present invention.

[0055] When the disk 4 provided with the access prevention member 8 moves, the lump-shaped feed F moves together, but due to the presence of the radial portion 82 or the protrusion 85, it does not enter the gap g, and it is prevented that the feed F is pinched between the pipe 2 and the disk 4 and damaged.

[0056] In the examples shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the notch 87 of the entry prevention member 8 is open downward. However, as shown in FIG. 6, after the entry prevention member 8 is attached to the disk 4, the notch 87 may be turned sideways so that the radial portion 82 faces the bottom surface of the pipe 2 and can send the feed F.

[0057] Since the radial portion 82 and the protrusion 85 are elastic bodies and are easily bent, even if they come into contact with the pipe 2, no large frictional force is generated, and the disk 4 moves smoothly inside the pipe 2.

[0058] Since the radial portion 82 and the protrusion 85 are elastic bodies and are easily bent, when the feed F comes into contact, they are bent moderately to absorb the impact, so the feed F is not easily damaged.

[0059] The entry prevention member 8 can be easily attached to and detached from the disk 4 from the side of the linear member 3, so it can be attached and detached while the linear member 3 is provided endlessly. When replacing, only the entry prevention member 8 can be easily attached and detached.

[0060] The number of entry prevention members 8 attached to a plurality of disks 4 can be arbitrarily adjusted. Also, it is easy to change the position of the entry prevention member 8. Also, the entry prevention member 8 can be attached to a feed conveying device having an existing disk 4 and a linear member 3.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 8, when the disk 4 reaches the feed dropping port 20 of the pipe 2, the feed F conveyed inside the pipe 2 drops into the feed dropping pipe 21 through the feed dropping port 20.

[0062] At this time, for example, if the feed F stays in the feed dropping pipe 21 or gets caught on the disk 4 or the entry prevention member 8, the feed F may not drop from the feed dropping port 20 and may pass through the feed dropping pipe 21, and there is a risk of being damaged by being sandwiched between the portions of the feed dropping port 20 facing the moving disk 4.

[0063] In order to prevent this, an inclined portion 22 may be provided at a portion facing the moving disk 4 of the feed dropping port 20.

[0064] The inclined portion 22 has a surface inclined so as to gradually rise toward the downstream side in the moving direction of the disk 4, and reinforcing ribs 220 are formed on the upper surface of the inclined portion 22 along the inclined direction. The reinforcing ribs 220 may be provided as necessary or may not be provided.

[0065] By providing the inclined portion 22 at the portion facing the moving disk 4 at the periphery of the feed dropping port 20 in this way, even if the feed F does not fall from the feed dropping port 20 and passes through the feed dropping pipe 21, the impact can be mitigated by climbing the inclined portion 22, and it is possible to prevent the feed from being damaged by being sandwiched between the portions facing the moving disk 4 of the feed dropping port 20.

[0066] Further, since the radial portions 82 and the protrusions 85 of the entry prevention member 8 are elastic bodies, the collision of the feed F against the inclined portion 22 can be mitigated, and further damage can be prevented.

[0067] 〔Other Modification Examples〕 The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the following are also included.

[0068] In the present embodiment, an entry prevention member is provided for each of a plurality of disks, and there is a disk without an entry prevention member, but an entry prevention member may be provided for all the disks to further reduce feed breakage.

[0069] In the present embodiment, a number of radial portions are provided at intervals on the entry prevention member made of an elastic material, but the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of cuts may be formed radially along the outer peripheral edge of the disk-shaped member of the elastic body to make it easily bendable to form the radial portions. Further, without making a plurality of radial cuts, the disk-shaped member of the elastic body may be formed to bend only by the elasticity of the outer peripheral edge. Further, the radial portions may be formed in a brush shape.

[0070] In this embodiment, the entire entry prevention member is formed of an elastic material. However, only the portion located in front of the gap between the pipe and the disk may be formed of an elastic body, and the other portions may be made of a rigid material without elasticity, such as metal or hard plastic, instead of the elastic body.

[0071] In this embodiment, the attachment and detachment between the disk and the entry prevention member is configured as a locking structure using claws. However, it is not limited to this. For example, bolt insertion holes may be provided in the circular plate 80 of the entry prevention member 8 and the main body portion 40 of the disk 4, and the disk 4 may be detachably attached by passing a bolt through the holes and tightening it with a nut.

[0072] In this embodiment, the upper end of the feed dropping pipe 21 is connected to the bottom surface of the pipe 2 so as to cover a wider range than the feed dropping port 20. However, the upper end of the feed dropping pipe 21 may be connected within the same range as the feed dropping port 20. When the inclined portion 22 is adopted in such a form, the inclined portion 22 is provided at the continuous portion between the feed dropping port and the upper end of the feed dropping pipe.

[0073] In this embodiment, an inclined portion is provided at the portion facing the disk where the feed dropping port moves. However, the inclined portion may be provided over the entire peripheral length of the feed dropping port.

[0074] Each technical matter in any of the embodiments including the modified examples may be applied to other embodiments and used as an example.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0075] 1 Feed conveying device 2 Pipe 20 Feed dropping port 21 Feed dropping pipe 22 Inclined portion 220 Reinforcing rib 3 Linear member 4 Disk 40 Main body portion 41 Support cylinder 5 Driving device 6 Feed hopper 7 Feeding device 8 Entry prevention member 80 Circular plate 81 Side wall part 82 Radial part 83 Claw attachment part 84 Locking claw 85 Protrusion 86 Insertion hole 87 Notch F Feed g Gap

Claims

1. A feed conveying device comprising a pipe, a linear member moving inside the pipe, and a disk provided on the linear member, for conveying bulk feed, comprising an entry prevention member for preventing the feed from entering the gap between the pipe and the disk. A feed conveying device characterized by the above.

2. The entry prevention member includes an elastic portion disposed on the downstream side in the moving direction of the disk from the gap. The feed conveying device according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The elastic portion includes a radial portion formed radially at intervals in a front view of the entry prevention member. The feed conveying device according to Claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The entry prevention member is detachably provided on the disk. The feed conveying device according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. The entry prevention member is formed in an annular shape in a front view and includes a notch through which the linear member passes when attaching to and detaching from the disk. The feed conveying device according to Claim 4, characterized by the above.

6. The pipe has a feed dropping port where the feed drops, and at least a portion of the feed dropping port facing the moving disk has an inclined portion inclined to gradually rise toward the downstream side in the moving direction of the disk. The feed conveying device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized by the above.

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