GB2231767A - Bird and fish feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

A feeder for livestock comprises a container (12) with a screw conveyor (14) for conveying granular material inside the container to an egress port thereof. Outside the container and adjacent to the egress port, there is mounted an impeller (23) which is rotated at high speed about a horizontal axis. <IMAGE>

Description

Title:- "Feeder" Description of the Invention This invention relates to a feeder for livestock and with particularly, but not exclusively, for birds, water fowl, fishes.

There is a need to feed birds, such as game birds in a habitat providing cover for the birds, for example in the form of bushes or other relatively tall vegetation.

There is also a need to feed water fowl or fishes by distributing the feed onto a pond or other body of water away from the shore.

An object of the invention is to provide a feeder which aims to satisfy the above needs.

According to the present invention we provide a feeder for livestock comprising a container for particulate feed, means to deliver the feed to an impeller, said impeller being adapted to propel the feed in a trajectory which initially, on leaving the impeller, has a vertical component of motion.

A feeder embodying the present invention is able to propel the feed in a generally parabolic trajectory so that the feed can be delivered over bushes and other relatively high cover in the region of the feeder to a desired feed site remote from the feeder or can be used to deliver feed onto the surface of a body of water at a significant distance from the edge thereof, even when the body of water is surrounded by bushes or relatively high cover.

The impeller may be rotated about a generally horizontal axis.

The impeller comprises a plurality of impelling surfaces which extend generally transversely to the axis of rotation.

The means to deliver the feed may comprise a conveyor means to deliver feed from the interior of the container through a delivery port thereof whereat the feed enters into propelling relationship with the impeller.

The conveyor means may comprise a screw conveyor.

The screw conveyor may be disposed at or adjacent to the bottom of the container and deliver the feed in a direction generally axially of the axis of rotation of the impeller and to a delivery port in the wall of the container below which the impeller is disposed so that the feed falls onto the impeller in juxtaposition therewith so as to be impelled in said trajectory.

The screw conveyor and the impeller may be in coaxial relation with each other but arranged to turn at respective different speeds. The delivery port is preferably overlapped with the impeller, as viewed towards the axis thereof, and may face away from the axis.

Means may be provided to control operation of the feeder in a predetermined time program.

Examples of feeders embodying the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a feeder embodying the invention, FIGURE 2 is a cross-section on the line II-II of Figure 1, FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the feeder of Figure 1, and FIGURES 4 and 5 illustrate diagramatically a modification of the feeder of Figures 1 to 3.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, a feeder comprises a pair of uprights 10 which, at their lower ends, are provided with feed 11 to engage the ground. Extending between and carried by the uprights 10 is a container 12 of prism shape provided with a removable lid 15 to close the upper end.

Disposed within the container 12 adjacent the bottom is a screw conveyor member 14 journalled in bearings 16a,16b provided in the uprights 10 affording the end walls of the container 12. The bearing 16a provides a seal with one upright 10 to prevent egress of granular feed therethrough and a shaft 17, fixed to rotate with the screw member 14, carries a large diameter pulley 18 driven by a belt 19 from pulley 18a driven by a pancake electric motor 20 carried on the associated upright 10.

The bearing 16b in the other upright 10 is carried in a spider 21 in the upright 10 so as to permit egress of feed from the interior of the container through the apertures provided between the legs of the spider so that feed can enter a tubular extension 22 which affords an egress port of the container 12.

An impeller 23 is mounted for rotation below the outer end 24 of the tubular extension 22 on one end of a shaft 25 journalled in a bearing 26 in the upright 10.

The other end of the shaft 25 is connected to a universal joint 25a and to a further shaft 25b carried in bearings 25c. The shaft 25b is driven from the motor 20 through a further belt and pulley drive 27. If desired other drive transmitting means may be provided to drive the impeller 23 and or shaft 25 and the conveyor member 14 such as a chain drive or a gear train.

The impeller 23 comprises disc 23a having a plurality of radial vanes 28. The feed falls under gravity onto a central part of the disc 23a and so correct impulsion is insured. Because the vanes do not extend to the centre of the disc there is no risk of the feed being struck by the vane before it has fallen on to the disc. Once the feed has fallen onto the disc it falls outwardly under centrifugal force into engagement with the inner end of a vane and then moves outwardly to the periphery of the vane where it is propelled from the impeller.

If desired a guide surface of generally frustoconical shape or approximating to the shape of a caustic surface may be provided with the larger diameter end at the disc 28 and the smaller diameter end on the shaft 25.

If desired, the impeller may be of other form, for example a plurality of radial vanes without any disc and arrange to rotate about a horizontal axis below the tube 22. This arrangement is not so satisfactory for high speeds of revolution.

A programming means 30 is provided to control operation of the motor 20 so that the motor 20 is caused to operate in a desired programme for example for a considerable period of time such as seventeen seconds at a suitable time period, for example, every six hours daylight.

The programming means 30 is programmable to permit the motor 20 to be operated in any desired programme.

The motor 20 is powered by a twelve volt battery so that the unit is self-contained.

The juxtaposition between the impeller 23 and the delivery port is such that the impeller propels the particles of the feed in a trajectory which is initially inclined upwardly and forwardly, for example, at an angle of 45 so as to cause the particles to follow a generally parabolic trajectory. As a result particles can be delivered over relatively high cover, such as bushes or other vegetation or other cover such as snow to a desired feeding site. Similarly, when it is desired to deliver the feed on to the surface of a volume of water the above described trajectory ensures that the particles move a relatively great distance so that the particles can be delivered a substantial distance from the edge of the body of water and if the body of water is surrounded by cover then the particles can be delivered over this cover.

The feed may be any suitable feed in particulate form which can be propelled and the feeder may be used for any livestock including birds, fishes or mammals.

Whilst the feeder is primarily intended for use in commercial applications such as game bird rearing, in which case the container would be relatively large so as to accommodate sufficient feed for a relatively long period of operation without requiring refilling, if desired, a smaller version may be provided which may be used in environments such as a domestic environment, for example, to feed and encourage wildlife into urban gardens.

Certain parts of the feeder illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 correspond to parts of the feeder illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3. In Figures 4 and 5, such corresponding parts are identified by like reference numerals with the prefix 1. The preceding description is deemed to apply to such corresponding parts, except for the differences hereinafter mentioned.

In the feeder of Figure 4, the screw conveyor 114, the impeller 123 and the tubular extension 122 are coaxial with one another. The egress port of the container is at the periphery of the tubular extension 122 and preferably faces away from the axis of rotation of the impeller. The impeller comprises vanes 128 which are spaced from the axis of rotation of the impeller and the tubular extension 122 lies in the space between the vanes. The egress port faces towards the path along which the vanes travel when the impeller rotates.

The egress port may be formed in a sleeve which is mounted on the container 112 so that the position of the egress port can be adjusted through a limited range around the axis of rotation of the impeller. This enables the trajectory of granules leaving the impeller to be selected.

In both the feeder of Figures 1 to 3 and the feeder of Figures 4 and 5, the impeller is rotatable relative to the conveyor and is normally rotated at a speed which is much higher than that at which the conveyor turns. The impeller may be arranged for rotation independently of the conveyor. For example, the impeller may be connected with its drive shaft via a free-wheel device so that, when rotation of the shaft is discontinued, the impeller will continue to turn for a brief period. Alternatively, separate motors may be provided for turning the conveyor and the impeller. Turning of the impeller after the conveyor has ceased to turn insures that granular material which falls through the egress port after the conveyor has ceased to turn is impelled away from the feeder by the impeller.In a case where separate motors are provided for the conveyor and for the impeller, the impeller motor may be mounted adjacent to the impeller.

For example, the impeller maybe mounted directly on an output shaft of the impeller motor. The conveyor motor may be mounted on the container at an end thereof remote from the impeller.

In a case where a single motor is provided for driving both the impeller and the conveyor of the feeder illustrated in Figure 4, drive is transmitted to the impeller by a shaft which extends along the interior of a hollow conveyor member. During operation of the feeder shown in Figure 4, the conveyor member conveys granular material into the tubular extension 122 of the container.

The granular material then falls through the egress port and into the path of the vanes 128.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in the terms or means for performing the desired function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims (11)

CLAIMS:

1. A feeder for livestock comprising a container for particulate feed, an impeller and means for delivering the feed to the impeller, the impeller being adapted to propel the feed in a trajectory which initially, on leaving the impeller, has a vertical component of motion.

2. A feeder according to Claim 1 wherein the impeller is arranged for rotation about a generally horizontal axis.

3. A feeder according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the impeller comprises a plurality of impelling surfaces, each of which extends generally transversely to the axis of rotation of the impeller.

4. A feeder according to Claim 3 wherein said impelling surfaces are all spaced a substantial distance from the axis of rotation.

5. A feeder according to any preceding claim wherein the means for delivering the feed may comprise a conveyor means to delivering the feed to the impeller comprises a conveyor, wherein the container has an egress portion, wherein the conveyor is arranged for conveying the particulate feed to or through the egress port- and wherein the impeller is arranged relative to the egress port so that feed which passes through the egress port enters into impelling relationship with the impeller.

6. A feeder according to Claim 5 wherein the conveyor and the impeller are in substantially co-axial relation with each other.

7. A feeder according to Claim 6 wherein the egress port faces in a direction away from the axis of rotation of the impeller.

8. A feed according to Claim 7 wherein the position of the egress port is adjustable around the axis of rotation of the impeller.

9. A feeder substantially as herein described with reference and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A feeder according to Claim 8 modified substantially as herein described with reference and as shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

11. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein or in the accompanying drawings.