Animal Feeder Feed Restrictor Spillage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional animal feeders suffer from hay spillage, contamination, and inefficient feed consumption rate control, leading to waste and potential digestion issues.
Innovation Solution
An improved animal feeder design featuring a cylindrical barrel with an insertable feed restrictor that includes feed access holes, allowing controlled access to the feed and floating/spinning within the barrel to ensure all feed is consumed efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an open-top hay box is used to allow animal access to feed, then ease of operation is improved, but hay spillage and contamination increase
Solution Approach 1:
The feed access opening is segmented into multiple smaller openings in the front wall of the box, allowing animals to access feed while preventing excessive spillage onto the floor
Solution Approach 2:
The front wall is designed with specific local properties (openings) that differ from the rest of the box structure, providing controlled access points that balance animal access needs with spillage prevention
2Ease of operation
If feed is continuously provided in an open box, then ease of operation is improved, but feed consumption rate control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The box design allows the feed level to dynamically adjust as animals consume it, with the front wall openings providing continuous access while the restricted geometry naturally limits the rate at which animals can consume feed
3Device complexity
If a traditional hay box is used, then device complexity is kept simple, but feed waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the feed access into multiple controlled openings in the front wall rather than a single large open top, the design prevents hay from spilling onto the floor while maintaining relative structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from vertical access (open top) to horizontal access (front wall openings), changing the dimension of feed access to reduce spillage while maintaining ease of use
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design minimizes hay spillage, reduces contamination, and regulates feed consumption, providing continuous and efficient access to the feed, thus reducing waste and potential digestion problems.
Implementation Method 1
the disk will float on the feed within the bucket and will change in elevation within the bucket in response to removal of feed during feeding
Implementation Method 2
The feed restrictor can spin laterally within the barrel to expose all areas of the feed underneath the feed access holes
Data Source
AI summary
An improved animal feeder with an insertable feed restrictor. An example embodiment includes: a barrel into which animal feed may be deposited, the barrel including a slotted lip with a plurality of notches at an upper opening of the barrel; and a feed restrictor configured for removable insertion into the opening of the barrel, the feed restrictor including a round side surface including a plurality of nubs, the feed restrictor including a plurality of feed access holes arranged on a lower surface of the feed restrictor, the feed restrictor being configured to float on top of the animal feed deposited in the barrel, the feed restrictor being further configured to freely spin laterally in the barrel, the feed restrictor being further configured to lock into the barrel when the plurality of nubs on the feed restrictor are mis-aligned with the plurality of notches on the slotted lip of the barrel.