Apparatus for automatically distributing liquid feed rations

Claim 1

An apparatus for automatically distributing individual, proportioned rations of liquid or semi-liquid feed intended for feeding animals in individual, aligned boxes provided with individual troughs, said apparatus comprising : a movable carriage and a first motor for driving said carriage ; guide rails for said carriage, which pass in line with said boxes ; a tank containing liquid feed product, mounted on said carriage ; a mixer device and device for regulating the temperature of the feed product and associated with said tank ; a pouring spout integral with said carriage jutting over the aligned troughs and connected by a conduit to the tank of feed product ; a suction-delivery pump with piston interposed on the conduit between the said tank and said pouring spout; a second electric motor driving said pump ; a programmed control device associated respectively with the motor actuating the carriage and with the pump and suitable for stopping the carriage opposite each individual box and starting the motor of the piston pump distributing the feed liquid, and for limiting the amplitude of the movement of the piston, thus proportioning the quantity of feed product distributed to each box, said programmed control device consisting of a feeler assembly comprising a plurality of contacts, stepped in height, each contact corresponding to the control of a determined quantity of feed product ; a set of guide rails disposed linearly in line with the boxes and suitable for receiving and guiding the feeler assembly, integral with the carriage ; a plurality of catch devices, each catch being suitable for cooperating with one of the contacts and being adjustable in height by sliding on a support rod and being suitable for actuating one of the contacts, a catch device being disposed on each individual box ; a switch controlling the stopping of the drive motor of the carriage and sensitive to the action of each of the contacts, a plurality of retractable stops stepped in height, each stop brought into active position being suitable for limiting the stroke of the piston rod, a plurality of sheathed steel cables connecting each of the contacts to each of said stops, so that the feeler assembly driven with the carriage and meeting a catch corresponding to a box is subjected to the action of the catch, suitably positioned in height, which causes the rotation of the corresponding contact, this latter actuating the switch controlling the stopping of the carriage and the distribution of liquid by the pump, and the placing in active position of a stop limiting the stroke of the piston.

Claim 2

An apparatus for automatically distributing individual, proportioned rations of liquid or semi-liquid feed intended for feeding animals in individual, aligned boxes provided with individual troughs, said apparatus comprising : a movable carriage and a first motor for driving said carriage ; guide rails for said carriage, which pass in line with said boxes ; a tank containing liquid feed product, mounted on said carriage ; a mixer device and device for regulating the temperature of the feed product and associated with said tank ; a pouring spout integral with said carriage jutting over the aligned troughs and connected by a conduit to the tank of feed product ; a suction-delivery pump with piston interposed on the conduit between the said tank and said pouring spout; a second electric motor driving said pump ; a programmed control device associated respectively with the motor actuating the carriage and with the pump and suitable for stopping the carriage opposite each individual box and starting the motor of the piston pump distributing the feed liquid, and for limiting the amplitude of the movement of the piston, thus proportioning the quantity of feed product distributed to each box, said programmed control device consisting of a feeler assembly comprising a plurality of contacts, stepped in height, each contact corresponding to the control of a determined quantity of feed product ; a set of guide rails disposed linearly in line with the boxes and suitable for receiving and guiding the feeler assembly, integral with the carriage ; a plurality of catch devices, each catch being suitable for cooperating with one of the contacts and being adjustable in height by sliding on a support rod and being suitable for actuating one of the contacts, a catch device being disposed on each individual box ; a switch controlling the stopping of the drive motor of the carriage and sensitive to the action of each of the contacts, a plurality of retractable stops stepped in height, each stop brought into active position being suitable for limiting the stroke of the piston rod, a plurality of sheathed steel cables connecting each of the contacts to each of said stops, so that the feeler assembly driven with the carriage and meeting a catch corresponding to a box is subjected to the action of the catch, suitably positioned in height, which causes the rotation of the corresponding contact, this latter actuating the switch controlling the stopping of the carriage and the distribution of liquid by the pump, and the placing in active position of a stop limiting the stroke of the piston.

Claim 4

An apparatus for automatically distributing individual proportioned rations of liquid or semi-liquid feed intended for feeding animals in individual aligned boxes provided with individual troughs, said apparatus comprising : a movable carriage and a first motor for driving said carriage ; guide rails for said carriage, which pass in line with said boxes ; a tank containing liquid feed product, mounted on said carriage ; a mixer device and device for regulating the temperature of the feed product and associated with said tank ; a pouring spout integral with said carriage jutting over the aligned troughs and connected by a conduit to the tank of feed product ; a suction-delivery pump with piston interposed on the conduit between the said tank and said pouring spout, the piston of the pump being driven by a rack rod ; a second motor for driving said pump and a pinion moved by this motor and meshing on said rack rod ; a programmed control device associated respectively with the motor actuating the carriage and with the pump and suitable for stopping the carriage opposite each individual box and starting the motor of the piston pump distributing the feed liquid, and for limiting the amplitude of the movement of the piston, thus proportioning the quantity of feed product distributed to each box, said programmed control device consisting of a first switch controlling the stopping of the motor driving the carriage, a second switch controlling the starting of the motor driving the pump, means sensitive to the passage of the carriage in front of a fixed mark, corresponding to the positioning of the carriage in front of a box to be fed, these means being suitable for bringing said switches into active position, a drum mounted to rotate along a vertical axis on the carriage, the drum comprising a plurality of stops adjustable in height and regularly distributed on the cylindrical wall of said drum, each stop brought by the rotation of the drum into active position being suitable for limiting the high stroke of the rack rod controlling the displacement of the piston, the drum further comprising a step-by-step advance device for successively bringing the said stops into active position after the carriage is restarted each time, a first high switch integral with said rod of said piston and suitable for bearing against the stop disposed on the drum and placed in active position on the path of said switch, said first high switch being suitable for causing the reversal of the direction of drive of the motor driving the pump and for causing the delivery of the sucked in liquid, a second switch sensitive to the arrival of the piston in low position at the end of delivery and suitable for causing the stopping of the motor driving the pump and the restarting of the motor driving the carriage.

Claim 5

An apparatus for automatically distributing individual proportioned rations of liquid or semi-liquid feed intended for feeding animals in individual aligned boxes provided with individual troughs, said apparatus comprising : a movable carriage and a first motor for driving said carriage ; guide rails for said carriage, which pass in line with said boxes ; a tank containing liquid feed product, mounted on said carriage ; a mixer device and device for regulating the temperature of the feed product and associated with said tank ; a pouring spout integral with said carriage jutting over the aligned troughs and connected by a conduit to the tank of feed product ; a suction-delivery pump with piston interposed on the conduit between the said tank and said pouring spout, the piston of the pump being driven by a rack rod ; a second motor for driving said pump and a pinion moved by this motor and meshing on said rack rod ; a programmed control device associated respectively with the motor actuating the carriage and with the pump and suitable for stopping the carriage opposite each individual box and starting the motor of the piston pump distributing the feed liquid, and for limiting the amplitude of the movement of the piston, thus proportioning the quantity of feed product distributed to each box, said programmed control device consisting of a first switch controlling the stopping of the motor driving the carriage, a second switch controlling the starting of the motor driving the pump, means sensitive to the passage of the carriage in front of a fixed mark, corresponding to the positioning of the carriage in front of a box to be fed, these means being suitable for bringing said switches into active position, a drum mounted to rotate along a vertical axis on the carriage, the drum comprising a plurality of stops adjustable in height and regularly distributed on the cylindrical wall of said drum, each stop brought by the rotation of the drum into active position being suitable for limiting the high stroke of the rack rod controlling the displacement of the piston, the drum further comprising a step-by-step advance device for successively bringing the said stops into active position after the carriage is restarted each time, a first high switch integral with said rod of said piston and suitable for bearing against the stop disposed on the drum and placed in active position on the path of said switch, said first high switch being suitable for causing the reversal of the direction of drive of the motor driving the pump and for causing the delivery of the sucked in liquid, a second switch sensitive to the arrival of the piston in low position at the end of delivery and suitable for causing the stopping of the motor driving the pump and the restarting of the motor driving the carriage.