Livestock water supply device

Abstract

Provided is a livestock water supply device that eliminates the need for the attachment and detachment operation of a protective cover, and can open and close the faucet of the water tank with a hygienic and simple operation without putting hands into the dirty water in the water tank. 【Solution means】It has a pair of rail members 3, a float valve 4, an opening and closing faucet mechanism 5, and a protective cover 6 including a lid portion 61 and a pair of partition plates 62. The opening and closing faucet mechanism 5 is composed of a parallel link mechanism having a lower frame 51, an upper frame 52 provided with a hanging rod 57 for fixing a faucet 7, a connecting frame 53, and a handle frame 54 provided with an operation handle 54a. When closing the faucet, the lower frame 51 is slid forward to lower the upper frame 52. When opening the faucet, the lower frame 51 is slid backward to raise the upper frame 52.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a livestock watering device for allowing livestock to drink water.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in livestock houses such as cowsheds, livestock watering devices for allowing livestock to drink water have been used. For example, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3201191 discloses a livestock waterer provided with a horizontally long rectangular water tank having an open upper end (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the livestock waterer described in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent livestock from mischievously pulling out the rubber stopper of the water tank and draining the water, a rubber stopper for draining the water in the water tank is provided at a position directly below the second reinforcing member. Therefore, when cleaning the livestock waterer or draining dirty water soiled by livestock, etc., after removing the second reinforcing member, one has to put a hand into the dirty water to pull out the rubber stopper. Also, when storing water again, after fitting the dirty rubber stopper by hand, the second reinforcing member has to be attached, which is an unhygienic and repulsive operation.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a livestock watering device that eliminates the need for attaching and detaching a protective cover, does not require putting a hand into the dirty water in the water tank, and can open and close the stopper of the water tank with a hygienic and simple operation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The livestock water supply device according to the present invention is a livestock water supply device for allowing livestock to drink water in order to solve the problem of eliminating the need for attaching and detaching a protective cover and opening and closing the faucet of the water tank with a hygienic and simple operation without putting hands into the dirty water in the water tank. It includes a pair of rail members spanned in a substantially parallel direction at a predetermined interval on the inner wall surface of the water tank, a float valve provided between the rail members for keeping the water level in the water tank constant, an opening and closing faucet mechanism provided on the rail members for opening and closing the faucet of the water tank, a lid portion formed in a substantially lid box shape for covering the upper surface side of the opening and closing faucet mechanism, and a protective cover having a pair of partition plates covering the outside of each rail member from both ends of the lid portion to the bottom of the water tank. The opening and closing faucet mechanism is composed of a parallel link mechanism having a lower frame slidable along the rail members, an upper frame having a hanging rod that abuts against the inner surface of the lid portion to restrict a substantially horizontal relative movement with respect to the lid portion and fixes the faucet in a vertically downward position, a connecting frame connecting the rear end portions of the lower frame and the upper frame, and a handle frame connecting the front end portions of the lower frame and the upper frame and having an operation handle for operating the opening and closing faucet mechanism. When closing the water tank, the upper frame is lowered by sliding the lower frame forward by the operation handle, and when opening the water tank, the upper frame is raised by sliding the lower frame backward by the operation handle.

[0007] Also, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of stably sliding the lower frame with respect to the rail members, the lower frame is connected to the connecting frame and the lower frame is connected to the handle frame by joint shafts, and tires running on the upper surface of the rail members are rotatably provided at both ends of each joint shaft. The lower frame may be provided on the inner surface of each rail member and formed such that its lower edge portion is positioned below the upper edge portion of the rail member.

[0008] Furthermore, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of preventing the opening / closing plug mechanism from reversing from the dead point position, when the opening / closing plug mechanism is in the closed state, the rail member is provided with an anti-reversal member that abuts against the upper surface of the tire and prevents the handle frame from over-rotating and reversing.

[0009] Also, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of smoothly and reliably attaching the protective cover, inclined guide portions that are inclined obliquely downward and abut against the lower end portion of the lid portion to guide the upper frame on the inner surface of the lid portion are provided at both end portions of the upper frame.

[0010] Furthermore, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of maintaining the open state even when the hand is released from the operation handle, the lower frame may be formed to have a length that abuts against the inner wall surface of the water tank when the handle frame is rotated 90 degrees or more from the closed state toward the open state.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to open and close the water tank plug with a hygienic and simple operation without the need for the attachment / detachment operation of the protective cover and without putting the hand into the dirty water in the water tank.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the livestock water supply device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The livestock water supply device 1 of this embodiment is for allowing livestock to drink water. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, mainly, it has a water tank 2 for storing drinking water for livestock, a pair of rail members 3, 3 spanned on the inner wall surface of the water tank 2, a float valve 4 provided between the rail members 3, an opening and closing plug mechanism 5 for opening and closing the plug 7 of the water tank 2, and a protective cover 6 for covering the float valve 4 and the like to protect it from livestock. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

[0015] In the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction of the livestock water supply device 1 is taken as the left - right direction, and the direction perpendicular to the left - right direction is taken as the front - rear direction for description. Also, in FIG. 2, for the sake of easy viewing, the illustration of the front inspection door is omitted. Furthermore, in the present invention, livestock includes all animals that are preferably automatically supplied with drinking water during breeding, such as cows, horses, pigs, sheep, etc.

[0016] The water tank 2 stores drinking water for livestock. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a flexible hose 21 for supplying tap water is piped inside the livestock water supply device 1, and its tip is introduced between the rail members 3. And tap water is supplied through the float valve 4 attached to the tip. In this embodiment, tap water refers to all water supplied from a water supply facility, including not only tap water suitable for human drinking but also agricultural water such as well water.

[0017] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(c), a drain port 22 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 2 at a position partitioned by a protective cover 6. Further, in the present embodiment, a heater 23 for preventing water from freezing in cold regions or the like is provided in the water tank 2. Note that in FIG. 3, for the sake of clarity, the illustration of the rail member 3, the opening / closing plug mechanism 5, and the protective cover 6 is omitted.

[0018] The rail member 3 is for reinforcing the water tank 2 and placing the opening / closing plug mechanism 5 thereon. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of rail members 3, 3 are spanned in a substantially parallel direction with a predetermined interval on the inner wall surface of the water tank 2. Further, the upper surface of each rail member 3 is configured as a substantially horizontal plane so that the tire 56 of the opening / closing plug mechanism 5 can travel. Note that the interval between the rail members 3 may be set to such an extent that at least the float valve 4 can be arranged. Also, in the present embodiment, the rail member 3 is provided at a substantially central position of the water tank 2, but it is not limited to this position and may be provided above the drain port 22.

[0019] The float valve 4 is for keeping the water level in the water tank 2 constant. In the present embodiment, the float valve 4 is provided between the pair of rail members 3, 3 and is connected to the tip of the flexible hose 21. Further, the float valve 4 has a float 41 that moves up and down according to the water level, and a valve (not shown) that discharges or stops tap water according to the height position of the float 41. Then, while the float 41 is at a position lower than a certain water level, tap water is discharged, and when it reaches a position higher than the certain water level, tap water is stopped.

[0020] The opening and closing plug mechanism 5 is for opening and closing the plug 7 of the water tank 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, it includes a lower frame 51 and an upper frame 52 provided vertically along a substantially horizontal direction, a connecting frame 53 connecting the inner ends of the lower frame 51 and the upper frame 52, and a handle frame 54 connecting the front ends of the lower frame 51 and the upper frame 52, and is constituted by a parallel link mechanism.

[0021] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower frame 51 is connected to the connecting frame 53 and the lower frame 51 is connected to the handle frame 54 by joint shafts 55. Tires 56 that run on the upper surface of the rail member 3 are rotatably provided at both ends of each joint shaft 55. With this configuration, the lower frame 51 can slide in the front - rear direction along the rail member 3. Also, the upper frame 52 is connected to the connecting frame 53 and the upper frame 52 is connected to the handle frame 54 by the joint shafts 55 in the same manner.

[0022] Further, in this embodiment, the lower frame 51 is provided on the inner surface of each rail member 3. As shown in FIG. 4, its lower edge is bent downward so that it is located below the upper edge of the rail member 3. With this configuration, since the left - right movement of the lower frame 51 is restricted by the rail member 3, the tire 56 does not derail from the rail member 3, and the lower frame 51 slides stably in the front - rear direction. Furthermore, the rail member 3 is provided with an anti - reversal member 31 that abuts on the upper surface of the tire 56 when the opening and closing plug mechanism 5 is in the closed state, preventing the handle frame 54 from over - rotating and reversing.

[0023] The upper frame 52 is formed in a shape that abuts against the inner surface of the lid portion 61 of the protective cover 6, and relative movement of the lid portion 61 in a substantially horizontal direction (left - right direction and front - back direction) is restricted. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a hanging rod 57 for fixing the plug 7 in the vertically downward position is fixed to the upper frame 52 via a fixed beam 58. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, at both ends of the upper frame 52 in the front - back direction, there are provided inclined guide portions 52a that are inclined obliquely downward and abut against the lower end portion of the lid portion 61 to guide the upper frame 52 on the inner surface of the lid portion 61.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, the handle frame 54 is provided with an operation handle 54a for operating the opening - closing plug mechanism 5. Here, as described above, relative movement of the upper frame 52 in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the lid portion 61 is restricted. Therefore, when the operation handle 54a is tilted from the front side to the back side (black arrow in FIG. 4), due to the action of the parallel link mechanism, the lower frame 51 slides forward and the upper frame 52 descends along the vertical direction. On the other hand, when the operation handle 54a is pulled up from the back side to the front side (white arrow in FIG. 4), due to the action of the parallel link mechanism, the lower frame 51 slides backward and the upper frame 52 ascends along the vertical direction.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the plug 7 is opened and closed using the ascending and descending movement of the upper frame 52 along the vertical direction described above. That is, when closing the water tank 2, the upper frame 52 is lowered by sliding the lower frame 51 forward by the operation handle 54a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the plug 7 is fitted into the drain port 22 and is in the closed state. On the other hand, when opening the water tank 2, the upper frame 52 is raised by sliding the lower frame 51 backward by the operation handle 54a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the plug 7 is removed from the drain port 22 and is in the open state. Note that in FIG. 5, for the sake of clarity, the illustration of the float valve 4, the flexible hose 21, etc. is omitted.

[0026] In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the lower frame 51 is formed to have a length such that when the handle frame 54 is rotated by 90 degrees or more from the closed state toward the open state, the inner end of the lower frame 51 abuts against the inner wall surface of the water tank 2. With this configuration, since the open state is maintained by the weight of the protective cover 6, the upper frame 52, etc., it is not necessary to continuously hold the operation handle 54a until the water tank 2 is completely drained.

[0027] The protective cover 6 is for covering the float valve 4 etc. to protect it from livestock. In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the protective cover 6 is formed in a substantially lid box shape and includes a lid portion 61 that covers the upper surface side of the opening and closing plug mechanism 5, and a pair of partition plates 62, 62 that cover the outside of each rail member 3 from both left and right end portions of the lid portion 61 to the bottom of the water tank 2.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the lid portion 61 has an opening and closing door 63 that opens when operating the operation handle 54a and closes when supplying water to livestock. Further, the lid portion 61 and each partition plate 62 are formed to have a length in the front-rear direction that is substantially the same as the dimension between the opposing inner wall surfaces of the water tank 2. And on the inner wall surface of the water tank 2, guide plates 64 for sliding in the vertical direction are provided at both end portions of each partition plate 62. Furthermore, punch holes 65 for quickly supplying the tap water discharged from the float valve 4 to the entire water tank 2 are formed in each partition plate 62.

[0029] Next, the operation of the livestock watering device 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0030] When using the livestock watering device 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the protective cover 6 is covered from above the opening and closing plug mechanism 5 in the closed state. At this time, the inclined guide portions 52a provided at both end portions of the upper frame 52 abut against the lower end portion of the lid portion 61 and guide the upper frame 52 on the inner surface of the lid portion 61. As a result, even if the opening and closing plug mechanism 5 is displaced in the front-rear direction, it is guided to the correct position, so that the lid portion 61 of the protective cover 6 does not ride on the opening and closing plug mechanism 5 and is smoothly and surely attached.

[0031] In this covered state, the protective cover 6 is restricted from moving in the front - rear direction by the lid portion 61 abutting against the inner wall surface of the water tank 2, and is restricted from moving in the left - right direction by each partition plate 62 abutting against the guide plate 64. And since the upper frame 52 abuts against the inner wall surface of the lid portion 61 of the protective cover 6, the upper frame 52 is also restricted from moving relative to the lid portion 61 in a substantially horizontal direction. Therefore, the protective cover 6 and the upper frame 52 are integrally lifted and lowered only in the vertical direction by the opening - closing plug mechanism 5, and the plug 7 is opened and closed by this lifting and lowering operation.

[0032] Next, when supplying water to livestock using the livestock watering device 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5(a), the upper frame 52 lowered to the lowest position fits the plug 7 into the drain port 22 via the hanging rod 57 to be in a closed - plug state. Thereby, the float valve 4 connected to the water supply supplies tap water into the water tank 2 and keeps its water level constant. Therefore, livestock can drink water as much as they like at any time.

[0033] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the protective cover 6 covers facilities such as the float valve 4, the flexible hose 21, the opening - closing plug mechanism 5, and the plug 7 to protect them from livestock. For this reason, it is possible to prevent livestock from damaging these facilities by pulling or biting them playfully, and it is also possible to prevent livestock from pulling out the plug 7 playfully and draining the drinking water.

[0034] Note that when the opening - closing plug mechanism 5 is in the closed - plug state, it is at a dead - point position as a parallel link mechanism, so there is a risk of inversion. For this reason, in the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the anti - inversion member 31 abuts against the upper surface of the tire 56 to restrict the upward movement of the lower frame 51. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the handle frame 54 from rotating excessively downward and the parallel link mechanism from inverting.

[0035] Next, when draining the dirty water in the water tank 2, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 7(a), after opening the opening / closing door 63, as shown in FIGS. 6(b), (c) and 7(b), the operation handle 54a is pulled upward from the back side to the front side. As a result, the lower frame 51 slides rearward by the action of the parallel link mechanism, and the upper frame 52 rises along the vertical direction. As the upper frame 52 rises, the protective cover 6 is pushed upward, and the hanging rod 57 pulls out the plug 7 from the drain port 22, so that the water in the water tank 2 is completely drained. Therefore, the user does not need to remove the protective cover 6 or put their hand into the dirty water in the water tank 2 to pull out the plug 7, and can pull out the plug 7 of the water tank 2 with a hygienic and simple operation.

[0036] At this time, in the present embodiment, since the movement of the lower frame 51 in the left-right direction is restricted by the rail member 3, the tire 56 does not derail from the rail member 3, and the lower frame 51 stably slides along the front-rear direction.

[0037] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6(d) and 7(c), when the handle frame 54 is rotated by 90 degrees or more from the closed state to the open state, the rear end of the lower frame 51 abuts against the inner wall surface of the water tank 2. As a result, the movement of the upper frame 52 downward due to the weight of the protective cover 6, the upper frame 52, etc. is restricted, so that the open state is maintained. For this reason, it is not necessary to continuously hold the operation handle 54a until the water tank 2 is completely drained.

[0038] When storing drinking water in the water tank 2 after draining the sewage in the water tank 2, the operation handle 54a is tilted from the front side to the back side. As a result, the lower frame 51 slides forward by the action of the parallel link mechanism, and the upper frame 52 descends along the vertical direction. As the upper frame 52 descends, the protective cover 6 also descends by its own weight, and the hanging rod 57 fits the plug 7 into the drain port 22. Therefore, the user can fit the plug 7 of the water tank 2 and attach the protective cover 6 at the same time with a hygienic and simple operation without touching the dirty plug 7 with their hands.

[0039] According to the livestock water supply device 1 according to the present invention as described above, the following effects can be obtained. 1. The attachment and detachment work of the protective cover 6 is not required, it is hygienic without putting hands into the dirty water in the water tank 2, and the plug 7 of the water tank 2 can be opened and closed with a one-touch simple operation. 2. The lower frame 51 can be stably slid on the rail member 3. 3. It is possible to prevent the opening and closing plug mechanism 5 from reversing from the dead point position. 4. The protective cover 6 can be attached smoothly and surely. 5. The open plug state can be maintained even when the hand is released from the operation handle 54a.

[0040] Note that the livestock water supply device 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be appropriately changed.

[0041] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the tire 56 is provided to facilitate the sliding movement of the lower frame 51, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As long as the lower frame 51 can slide along the rail member 3, a columnar protrusion may be provided instead of the tire 56.

[0042] Also, in the above-described embodiment, in order to enhance the stability of the sliding movement of the lower frame 51, the lower edge portion of the lower frame 51 is bent downward beyond the upper edge portion of the rail member 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and any shape may be used as long as the lower edge portion of the lower frame 51 contacts the inner surface of the rail member 3.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the anti-rotation members 31 are provided on both the front side and the back side. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and they may be provided on at least the back side only.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0044] 1 Livestock watering device 2 Water tank 3 Rail member 4 Float valve 5 Opening / closing plug mechanism 6 Protection cover 7 Plug 21 Flexible hose 22 Drain port 23 Heater 31 Anti-rotation member 41 Float 51 Lower frame 52 Upper frame 52a Inclined guide portion 53 Connecting frame 54 Handle frame 54a Operation handle 55 Joint shaft 56 Tire 57 Hanging rod 58 Fixed beam 61 Cover portion 62 Partition plate 63 Opening / closing door 64 Guide plate 65 Punch hole

Claims

1. A livestock watering device for allowing livestock to drink water, comprising: A pair of rail members spanned in a substantially parallel direction at a predetermined interval on the inner wall surface of the water tank; A float valve provided between the rail members for keeping the water level in the water tank constant; An opening and closing plug mechanism provided on the rail members for opening and closing the plug of the water tank; A protective cover formed in a substantially lid box shape for covering the upper surface side of the opening and closing plug mechanism, and a pair of partition plates covering the outside of each rail member from both end portions of the lid portion to the bottom of the water tank; Having; The opening and closing plug mechanism is: A lower frame slidable along the rail member; An upper frame provided with a hanging rod that abuts against the inner surface of the lid portion to restrict a substantially horizontal relative movement with respect to the lid portion and fixes the plug in a vertically downward position; A connecting frame connecting the rear end portions of the lower frame and the upper frame; A handle frame that connects the front end portions of the lower frame and the upper frame and is provided with an operation handle for operating the opening and closing plug mechanism; It is constituted by a parallel link mechanism having; When closing the water tank, the upper frame is lowered by sliding the lower frame forward by the operation handle; When opening the water tank, the upper frame is raised by sliding the lower frame backward by the operation handle. Livestock watering device.

2. The lower frame and the connecting frame, and the lower frame and the handle frame are connected by joint shafts, and tires that run on the upper surface of the rail members are rotatably provided at both ends of each joint shaft, and The lower frame is provided on the inner surface of each rail member and is formed such that its lower edge portion is positioned below the upper edge portion of the rail member. The livestock watering device according to claim 1.

3. The lower frame and the connecting frame, and the lower frame and the handle frame are connected by joint shafts, and tires that run on the upper surface of the rail members are rotatably provided at both ends of each joint shaft, and The livestock watering device according to claim 1, wherein the rail member is provided with an anti-reversal member that contacts the upper surface of the tire when the opening and closing plug mechanism is in the closed state, preventing the handle frame from over-rotating and reversing.

4. The livestock watering device according to claim 1, wherein inclined guiding portions that are inclined obliquely downward and contact the lower end portion of the lid portion to guide the upper frame on the inner surface of the lid portion are provided at both end portions of the upper frame.

5. The livestock watering device according to claim 1, wherein the lower frame is formed to have a length that contacts the inner wall surface of the water tank when the handle frame is rotated 90 degrees or more from the closed state toward the open state.

Images