Feeding apparatus

Abstract

To provide a feeding apparatus that can properly adjust a feeding amount for livestock in a simple way.SOLUTION: A feeding apparatus includes: a feeder body 2 having a feed storage space 21 therein and in which a feeding hole 23 opening so as to correspond to a position of a feed receiving part 22 for receiving feed for the feed storage space 21 is formed; an adjustment plate 3 fitted to the feeder body 2 in an elevating / lowering manner so as to be capable of changing an opening degree of the feeding hole 23; elevating means 4 for allowing the adjustment plate 3 to perform an elevating operation; and a scale part 5 in which a scale for displaying the opening degree of the feeding hole 23 by the adjustment plate 3 is formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a feeding device used for feeding animals such as livestock.

Background Art

[0002] As livestock feed (for pigs, cows, etc.), there are, for example, types such as mash obtained by pulverizing raw materials into a powder, pellets obtained by adding steam to the pulverized raw materials and pressure - molding them into a pellet shape, and crumbles obtained by finely pulverizing pellets. These types of granular feeds are selected and provided according to the growth stage, body size, breed, etc. of the livestock.

[0003] Conventionally, various feeders for feeding granular feed to livestock have been used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a feeder for breeding animals in which the front side of the feeder body is partitioned into a feeding trough by a partition board, the back side is partitioned into a feed trough by a partition board, and a gap for flowing feed from the feed trough to the feeding trough is provided between the lower part of the partition board and the bottom of the feeder body, and the gap has an adjustable opening degree.

[0005] In the feeder for breeding animals of Patent Document 1, a regulating plate that is lifted and lowered via a lifting operation part is provided on the lower side of the partition board. The lifting operation part has a handle for rotating forward and backward attached to an operation part main body containing a female screw member, an operation rod screwed into the female screw member is suspended, and the regulating plate is attached to the operation rod.

[0006] Then, by rotating the handle of the lifting operation part forward and backward as necessary, the regulating plate moves up and down, adjusting the opening degree of the gap at its lower part, and adjusting the flow rate of the feed flowing from the feed trough to the feeding trough side through the gap.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] When raising livestock, it is necessary to give an appropriate amount of feed so that the livestock can ingest nutrients moderately and grow and fatten. Furthermore, if too much feed is fed, there is a risk that the livestock may overeat, or mold may occur due to mixing with moisture, livestock saliva, etc., or the feed may deteriorate, resulting in a deterioration of the hygiene situation. Therefore, it is extremely important to appropriately adjust the amount of feed in the feeder.

[0009] However, in the structure of the feeder as in the conventional Patent Document 1, since the opening degree of the gap below the adjustment plate was adjusted by visual estimation depending on the experience of the operator, etc., it was difficult to accurately adjust the amount of feed.

[0010] Furthermore, when livestock such as pigs eat feed, there is a risk that the pig's mouth, nose, head, etc. may hit the adjustment plate many times, or the operator's body or objects may accidentally touch the handle, etc., causing the adjustment plate to deviate from the predetermined adjustment position, and there were problems such as the opening degree of the gap changing and the feed supply amount not being able to be appropriately controlled.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a feeding device that can easily and appropriately adjust the feeding amount to livestock regardless of the experience of the operator or visual estimation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] To solve the above problems, a feeding device according to the present invention includes a feeder body having a feed storage space inside, a feeding port formed to open corresponding to the position of a feed receiving portion that receives the feed in the storage space, an adjustment plate attached to the feeder body so as to be movable up and down so that the opening degree of the feeding port can be changed, lifting means for moving the adjustment plate up and down, and a scale portion formed with a scale for indicating the opening degree of the feeding port by the adjustment plate.

[0013] Further, the elevating means includes an operating rod having a lower end connected to the adjustment plate, and a base portion installed on the upper side of the feeder main body and through which the operating rod can be inserted. The scale portion may have a scale indicating the amount of movement of the operating rod relative to the base portion.

[0014] Further, the elevating means further includes a male screw portion provided on the upper portion of the operating rod, a rotation operation member that engages with the male screw portion passing through the base portion and raises and lowers the operating rod by a rotation operation, and a handle attached to the rotation operation member. The scale of the scale portion may indicate the amount of upward protrusion of the operating rod from the base portion.

[0015] Further, the scale portion may be integrally provided on the rotation operation member in a rising shape.

[0016] Further, a locking device for holding the adjustment plate at a predetermined opening degree of the feeding port may be provided.

[0017] Further, the locking device may include a rotation locking structure that locks the rotation operation member or the handle and the base portion to suppress the rotation of the rotation operation member.

[0018] Further, the handle is provided so as to be vertically movable relative to the rotation operation member, and the locking device may include an insertion hole drilled vertically in the base portion so that the lower end of the handle can be inserted and removed.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the feeding device of the present invention, there is provided a feeder body having a feeding space for feed therein, and a feeding port formed corresponding to the position of a feed receiving portion for receiving the feed in the receiving space; an adjusting plate attached to the feeder body so as to be movable up and down so as to be able to change the opening degree of the feeding port; lifting means for moving the adjusting plate up and down; and a scale portion formed with a scale for displaying the opening degree of the feeding port by the adjusting plate. Therefore, the opening degree of the feeding port can be accurately adjusted using the scale as a guide. As a result, the amount of feed to be given to livestock can be easily and appropriately set, and the livestock can be well raised. Further, since a locking device for holding the adjusting plate at a predetermined opening degree of the feeding port is provided, the position of the adjusting plate does not accidentally shift and the opening degree of the feeding port does not change, so that feeding management can be appropriately performed and animals can be well raised, fattened, etc.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically using preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the following embodiments are merely examples embodying the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0022] The feeding device of the present invention is an animal feeder that stores a certain amount of feed for livestock such as pigs and cows and other breeding animals, and feeds the livestock while adjusting the necessary amount of feed from among them.

[0023] Figs. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the feeding device of the present invention. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the feeding device 1 according to this embodiment includes a feeder main body 2, an adjustment plate 3, a lifting means 4, a scale portion 5, and a locking device 6.

[0024] The feeder main body 2 is a storage tank for storing feed and is a feeding means having a feeding port for feeding a fixed amount. The feeder main body 2 has a storage space 21 for storing livestock feed inside, a feed receiving portion 22 installed below the storage space 21 for receiving the feed from the storage space 21, and a feeding port 23 opened at a position corresponding to the feed receiving portion 22.

[0025] In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the feeder main body 2 has left and right side wall portions 24, 24, a front wall portion 25, and a rear wall portion 26, and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as an overall contour shape. In Fig. 1, the right side is the front side and the left side is the rear side.

[0026] The feeder main body 2 uses the hollow internal space surrounded by the side wall portions 24, 24, the front wall portion 25, and the rear wall portion 26 as the feed storage space 21. The upper surface side of the feeder main body 2 is open at 27, and the opening 27 communicates with the storage space 21.

[0027] The side wall portions 24, 24 of the feeder main body 2 are composed of vertically long rectangular flat plates and are erected in parallel facing each other with a predetermined interval. The rear wall portion 26 of the feeder main body 2 is composed of a horizontally long rectangular flat plate and is connected to the side wall portions 24, 24 so as to close the rear surface side of the side wall portions 24, 24.

[0028] The front wall portion 25 of the feeder main body 2 is installed facing the rear wall portion 26 with a predetermined interval and is installed so as to close the front side of the storage space 21.

[0029] In this embodiment, the front wall portion 25 of the feeder main body 2 is integrally formed with, for example, an upper end wall portion 25a formed substantially vertically so as to close the upper side of the front surface, an inclined portion 25b connected to the lower end of the upper end wall portion 25a and inclined downward so as to gradually approach the rear wall portion 26 side, and a hanging wall portion 25c vertically provided downward from the lower end of the inclined portion 25b. Further, the front wall portion 25 of the feeder main body 2 has a lower end wall portion 25d formed substantially vertically so as to close the lower side of the front surface side.

[0030] Due to the inclined portion 25b of the front wall portion 25, the accommodation space 21 is provided such that the front-rear width gradually narrows downward. Further, a feeding space 28 is formed on the front side inside the feeder main body 2, that is, on the front side of the inclined portion 25b and the hanging wall portion 25c, for livestock or the like to put their heads in and eat the feed on the feed receiving portion 22. Therefore, it can be said that the inclined portion 25b and the hanging wall portion 25c constitute a partition wall portion that divides the internal space of the feeder main body 2 into the accommodation space 21 and the feeding space 28 in the front-rear direction.

[0031] In this embodiment, the hanging wall portion 25c is provided with a slight inclination such that the lower end is slightly closer to the rear wall portion 26 side than the vertical direction. A rear bent wall portion 25e bent so as to incline toward the rear wall portion 26 side is integrally provided on the lower end side of the hanging wall portion 25c.

[0032] The feed receiving portion 22 is provided on the lower side inside the feeder main body 2. In this embodiment, for example, a horizontal portion 222 for placing feed is installed at a predetermined gap downward from the lower end of the rear bent wall portion 25e of the front wall portion 25.

[0033] The feed receiving portion 22 is integrally formed with, for example, a rear inclined portion 221 inclined downward from the rear wall portion 26 toward the front, a horizontal portion 222 connected to the rear inclined portion 221, and a front inclined portion 223 inclined upward from the front end portion of the horizontal portion 222 toward the upper end side of the lower end wall portion 25d of the front wall portion 25. The rear inclined portion 221 of the feed receiving portion 22 faces the accommodation space 21 of the feeder main body 2 and causes the feed accommodated in the accommodation space 21 to flow down to the horizontal portion on the front side.

[0034] In addition, the feeder main body 2 may be configured such that, for example, a water supply section or a water supply device through which livestock can drink water is provided further below the food receiving section 22.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, an opening surrounded by the lower end of the rear bent wall portion 25e of the front wall portion 25, the horizontal portion 222 of the food receiving portion 22, and the left and right side wall portions 24, 24 serves as the feeding port 23. An adjustment plate 3 is installed at the position of the feeding port 23. By raising and lowering the adjustment plate 3, the opening degree D of the feeding port 23 can be adjusted, and the amount of food replenished from the accommodation space 21 to the horizontal portion 222 of the food receiving portion 22 can be adjusted.

[0036] The adjustment plate 3 is an opening degree adjustment means that is attached to be vertically movable inside the feeder main body 2 via a lifting means 4 so that the opening degree D of the feeding port 23 can be changed. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the adjustment plate 3 is formed in a substantially horizontally long rectangular contour shape that completely closes the feeding port 23 in the state of descending to the lowest position, for example.

[0037] The adjustment plate 3 is installed in parallel with the hanging wall portion 25c of the front wall portion 25. The upper end of the adjustment plate 3 is provided with a front bent wall portion 3a that is bent in a substantially U shape toward the front side.

[0038] In the present embodiment, by providing the front bent wall portion 3a on the adjustment plate 3 side and the rear bent wall portion 25e on the hanging wall portion 25c side, the contact friction between the adjustment plate 3 and the hanging wall portion 25c can be relatively reduced, the lifting operation can be performed smoothly, and the gap between the adjustment plate 3 and the hanging wall portion 25c can be ensured to be as small as possible to prevent food leakage.

[0039] Furthermore, both the left and right sides of the adjustment plate 3 are guided vertically along guide portions 29 provided on the inner surface sides of the left and right side wall portions 24 of the feeder main body 2 and move up and down.

[0040] The lifting means 4 is a lifting means for adjusting the opening degree D of the feeding port 23 by lifting and lowering the adjusting plate 3. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the lifting means 4 includes, for example, a base portion 41 attached to the feeder main body 2, an operating rod 42 having an adjusting plate 3 attached to the lower end thereof and being insertable through the base portion 41 so as to be movable up and down, and an operation input means 43 provided on the upper side of the operating rod 42.

[0041] The base portion 41 is a support base member that supports the constituent member of the lifting means 4 and the adjusting plate 3. In the present embodiment, the base portion 41 is installed in a spanning manner between the upper end wall portion 25a of the front wall portion 25 and the upper end portion of the rear wall portion 26 at a position close to the opening 27 on the upper end side of the feeder main body 2. The base portion 41 is made of, for example, a member having a U-shaped cross section like a channel member and being long in one direction, and is arranged so as to horizontally cross the left - right center position of the opening 27 on the upper end side of the feeder main body 2 in the front - rear direction, and both ends are fixed to the front wall portion 25 and the rear wall portion 26.

[0042] The base portion 41 is attached with an inclination such that the front end side is slightly lower than the rear end side. A through - hole 44 is provided at the front - rear intermediate position of the base portion 41 so that the operating rod 42 can be inserted therethrough in a penetrating manner.

[0043] The operating rod 42 is made of, for example, a long rod - shaped body in the vertical direction, and an adjusting plate 3 is connected to the lower end. A male screw portion 42a is formed on the upper side of the operating rod 42. The male screw portion 42a of the operating rod 42 is movable up and down along the longitudinal axis direction in a state of being inserted through the through - hole 44 of the base portion 41.

[0044] The operation input means 43 is provided on the portion of the male screw portion 42a of the operating rod 42 that protrudes upward from the base portion 41.

[0045] The operation input means 43 is a means for inputting a driving force for lifting and lowering the operating rod 42. It includes a rotary operation member 45 that engages with the male screw portion 42a of the operating rod 42 and is installed on the base portion 41, and a handle 46 attached to the rotary operation member 45.

[0046] The rotation operation member 45 is, for example, composed of a plate-shaped lever member that is long on one side. One end side of the rotation operation member 45 is provided with a female screw portion 45a that engages with the male screw portion 42a of the operation rod 42. The rotation operation member 45 is connected to the base portion 41 so as to be rotatable forward and backward around the central axis of the operation rod 42.

[0047] On one end side where the rotation operation member 45 engages with the operation rod 42, it is formed to rise and incline toward the other end side while approaching the base portion 41, and a handle 46 is attached to the other end side portion that is arranged with a slight gap from the base portion 41.

[0048] Also, on one end side of the rotation operation member 45, a rising piece portion 47 that is bent and erected upward is integrally provided. The rising piece portion 47 is formed to rise from the rotation operation member 45 in a state slightly inclined with respect to the base portion 41.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the handle 46 is, for example, composed of a columnar rod member, and is inserted into an engagement hole 45b that is drilled through the other end side of the rotation operation member 45 so as to be vertically movable.

[0050] Stopper portions 461 that protrude in the radial direction are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the handle 46 to prevent the handle 46 from being removed from the engagement hole 45b of the rotation operation member 45. The stopper portions 461 are formed, for example, with a protruding width that spreads like a flange from the upper end or the lower end of the handle portion and catches on the edge of the engagement hole 45b of the rotation operation member 45.

[0051] With such a configuration of the lifting means 4, with the handle 46 moved upward, the handle 46 is grasped by hand and rotated, and by rotating the operation rod 42 forward and backward around the axis via the rotation operation member 45, the male screw portion 42a of the operation rod 42 screws up and down with respect to the female screw portion 45a of the rotation operation member 45. As a result, the operation rod 42 and the adjustment plate 3 connected to the lower end thereof move up and down, and the opening degree D of the feeding port 23 can be adjusted to be increased or decreased.

[0052] The locking device 6 is a locking means for holding the adjusting plate 3 at a predetermined opening degree D of the feeding port 23. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the locking device 6 includes a rotation lock structure that inhibits the rotation of the rotation operation member 45 by locking the handle 46 and the base portion 41. That is, the locking device 6 restricts the rotation of the rotation operation member 45, thereby inhibiting the lifting movement of the operation lever 42 and the adjusting plate 3. As a result, the adjusting plate 3 can be held at a predetermined adjustment position, and the predetermined opening degree D of the feeding port 23 can be maintained.

[0053] In the present embodiment, the rotation lock structure of the locking device 6 includes the handle 46 and the insertion holes 61 provided in the base portion 41. The insertion holes 61 in the base portion 41 are drilled vertically at two positions where the handle 46 and the base portion 41 overlap in plan view, corresponding to the position of the handle 46 attached to the other end side of the rotation operation member 45. The insertion holes 61 in the base portion 41 are formed as holes having a diameter larger than that of the stopper portion 461 on the lower end side of the handle 46, and the lower end of the handle 46 including the stopper portion 461 can be inserted and removed vertically.

[0054] When performing the locking operation by the locking device 6, the handle 46 is rotated to any rotation position (the solid line position X1 and the two-dot chain line position X2 in FIG. 5) where the handle 46 overlaps the base portion 41 in plan view together with the rotation operation member 45. With the handle 46 and the insertion holes 61 in the base portion 41 aligned, the handle 46 is lowered so as to be inserted into the insertion holes 61. As a result, the lower part of the handle 46 engages with the base portion 41, thereby locking the rotation of the rotation operation member 45, and the adjusting plate 3 is held in position.

[0055] On the other hand, when releasing the lock by the locking device 6 and performing the lifting operation of the adjusting plate 3, the engagement between the lower end of the handle 46 and the base portion 41 is released only by moving the handle 46 upward. Note that the locking device 6 is not limited to the above, and any other locking structure such as a structure that locks the rotation operation member 45 and the base portion 41 with another pin member or the like may be used.

[0056] The scale portion 5 is a scale means for displaying the opening degree D of the feeding port 23 by the adjustment plate 3, in which a scale 51 is formed. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the scale portion 5 is installed on the upper side of the feeder main body 2, and is integrally provided on a rotation operation member 45 installed on the base portion 41 of the lifting means 4.

[0057] The scale portion 5 is configured by forming a scale 51 on the rising piece portion 47 of the rotation operation member 45. The scale 51 is displayed so as to measure the upward protruding amount from the base portion 41 of the operation rod 42, and by displaying this protruding amount, it shows the moving amount of the operation rod 42 with respect to the base portion 41, that is, the lifting and lowering movement amount of the adjustment plate 3.

[0058] The scale 51 of the scale portion 5 has scale lines formed at a predetermined interval (for example, 1 mm interval), and the upper end position of the operation rod 42 when the adjustment plate 3 descends to the lowest position to close the feeding port 23 is set to 0. Note that the range of the scale 51 of the scale portion 5 may be formed according to the upper and lower limits corresponding to the adjustable opening degree D. For example, the scale 51 may be formed so as to be able to display up to the upper limit position of the operation rod 42 when the adjustment plate 3 rises to the highest position and the feeding port 23 is completely opened.

[0059] For example, when the operator operates the handle 46 of the lifting means 4 to raise and lower the adjustment plate 3, by aligning the upper end 42t of the operation rod 42 with an arbitrary scale line of the scale 51 for adjustment, the appropriate opening degree D of the feeding port 23 can be accurately adjusted. Note that the scale portion 5 may be configured to display the moving amount of the operation rod 42 with respect to the base portion 41 by forming a scale on the operation rod 42 itself, or by forming a rising portion with a scale on the base portion 41. Also, for example, a rotation speed indicator or the like may be attached to the rotation operation member 45, and the opening degree of the feeding port may be displayed based on the rotation speed or the like from the lifting and lowering positions of the operation rod and the adjustment plate 3.

[0060] Next, a usage example of the feeding device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0061] Granular feed such as crumbled feed is put into the accommodation space 21 from the opening 27 on the upper end side of the feeder main body 2, and the accommodation space 21 is filled with a certain amount of feed.

[0062] For example, according to breeding conditions such as the type and size of livestock being bred, the operator operates the handle 46 of the lifting means 4 to move the adjusting plate 3 up and down to adjust it so that the opening degree D of the feeding port 23 is achieved. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, while looking at the scale portion 5 provided on the rotation operation member 45 linked to the handle 46 on the upper side of the feeder main body 2 and the position of the upper end 42t of the operation rod 42, the adjusting plate 3 can be accurately adjusted so as to have a predetermined appropriate opening degree. Also, since the scale portion 5 is provided on the upper side of the feeder main body 2 near the handle 46 operated by the operator, the scale portion 5 is easy to visually confirm and has good operability.

[0063] After adjusting the opening degree of the feeding port 23 by the adjusting plate 3, as shown in FIG. 5, the locking device 6 is set in the locked state by lowering the handle 46 so as to insert it into the insertion hole 61 of the base portion 41. In this state, the handle 46 and the base portion 41 are locked, and the rotation of the rotation operation member 45 is suppressed, so that the adjusting plate 3 is locked so as not to shift up and down from the adjusted position.

[0064] By locking the adjusting plate 3 in this way so as to hold it in the adjusted position, for example, even if the mouth, nose, head, etc. of the livestock hits the adjusting plate, or the body of the operator accidentally hits the handle, the adjusting plate will not shift, and the appropriately adjusted opening degree D of the feeding port 23 can be maintained. As a result, the amount of feed given to livestock and the like can be appropriately controlled, and the livestock can be bred and fattened while being well managed.

Industrial Applicability

[0065] The feeding device of the present invention can be suitably used for feeding livestock animals such as pigs and cows and other animals while appropriately adjusting the amount of feed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0066] 1 Feeding device 2 Feeder body 21 Accommodation space 22 Bait receiving part 23 Feeding port 3 Adjusting plate 4 Lifting means 41 Base 42 Operating rod 42a Male screw part 44 Through hole 45 Rotating operation member 46 Handle 47 Upright piece part 5 Scale part 51 Scale 6 Locking device 61 Insertion hole

Claims

1. A feeder body having a feeding space inside and a feeding port formed to open corresponding to the position of a food receiving part for receiving food in the receiving space, An adjustment plate movably attached to the feeder body so that the opening degree of the feeding port can be changed, Lifting means for lifting and lowering the adjustment plate, A scale portion formed with a scale for displaying the opening degree of the feeding port by the adjustment plate, and a feeding device characterized by comprising the same.

2. The lifting means has an operating rod whose lower end is connected to the adjustment plate, And a base installed on the upper side of the feeder body and through which the operating rod can be inserted, The scale portion has a scale indicating the amount of movement of the operating rod relative to the base, and the feeding device according to Claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The lifting means has a male screw portion provided on the upper part of the operating rod, A rotary operating member that engages with the male screw portion passing through the base and raises and lowers the operating rod by a rotary operation, And a handle attached to the rotary operating member, and further has, The scale of the scale portion displays the amount of upward protrusion of the operating rod from the base, and the feeding device according to Claim 2, characterized in that.

4. The scale portion is integrally provided upright on the rotary operating member, and the feeding device according to Claim 3, characterized in that.

5. The feeding device according to any one of Claims 3 or 4, characterized in that a locking device for holding the adjustment plate at a predetermined opening degree of the feeding port is provided.

6. The locking device includes a rotation lock structure that locks the rotary operating member or the handle and the base to suppress the rotation of the rotary operating member, and the feeding device according to Claim 5, characterized in that.

7. The handle is provided so as to be vertically movable with respect to the rotary operating member, The locking device includes an insertion hole drilled vertically in the base so that the lower end of the handle can be inserted and removed, and the feeding device according to Claim 5, characterized in that.

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