Chick Feeding Station Deflectors Prevent Conveyor Injury
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional poultry chick feeding stations pose safety risks as chicks can get injured on conveyor systems and may become trapped in gaps between deflectors and conveyor flights, despite existing deflector mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
The chick feeding station incorporates longitudinal deflectors and supports that act as guardrails, allowing chicks to stand inside the trough while preventing them from standing on conveyor elements, with adjustable and removable supports to ensure safety and access to feed, and deflectors designed to accommodate varying chick sizes and ages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the height of conveyor flights is increased to improve feed transport effectiveness, then the conveyor performance is improved, but the gap between the bottom of the trough and the lower end of the deflector increases, creating safety risks for chicks
Solution Approach 1:
The single deflector structure is segmented into multiple deflectors positioned at different locations and heights within the trough. This segmentation allows each deflector to address specific gap zones created by high conveyor flights, preventing chicks from becoming trapped while preserving the high-flight conveyor design for improved feed transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from a single-point deflection approach to a multi-dimensional array of deflectors positioned at various heights and longitudinal locations. This dimensional expansion creates overlapping protection zones that cover the entire gap area between the trough bottom and conveyor flights, eliminating safety risks while maintaining high conveyor performance.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If deflectors are extended deeper into the trough to prevent chick injury, then chick safety is improved, but the deflectors may collide with conveyor flights and interfere with feed transport
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of one deep deflector that would collide with flights, the protection function is segmented into multiple shallower deflectors positioned at different longitudinal locations. Each deflector operates in its own zone without interfering with conveyor flights, while collectively providing comprehensive chick protection throughout the trough length.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflector positions and angles are optimized to dynamically guide chicks away from dangerous zones without creating rigid obstacles that would block feed flow. The segmented arrangement allows feed to flow over and around the deflectors while chicks are gently redirected to safety zones.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional deflectors are used to push chicks away from the conveyor, then some chick safety is provided, but chicks can still become trapped in the gap between the deflector and trough floor
Solution Approach 1:
The single escape path provided by conventional deflectors is segmented into multiple escape routes at different heights and locations. Chicks that might become trapped between a single deflector and trough bottom now have alternative escape paths through or over other deflectors in the array, ensuring reliable escape capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing just enough deflection to push chicks away, the system uses multiple deflectors that collectively provide excessive protection coverage. This redundant protection ensures that even if a chick misses one deflector or becomes temporarily trapped, other deflectors provide additional escape opportunities, greatly enhancing reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A chick feeding station having an elongate trough for holding poultry feed, a conveyor which is placed in the trough and moves feed in the longitudinal direction of the trough, and deflectors and supports that provide chick safety. The conveyor is a chain conveyor with flights. The deflectors are mounted on the chick feeding station such that they extend from just above the conveyor flights and obliquely upward in the direction of travel of the conveyor, to move a chick to an upper level of the trough. A support for each deflector is also provided in the trough, the supports extending above the flights in the longitudinal direction of the trough, all the way to and through the deflectors.