AUTOMATIC PET FEEDER

Abstract

An automatic pet feeder includes a main housing, a food hopper, a food conveyance mechanism, a main control circuit module and a drive motor for the food conveyance mechanism. The food conveyance mechanism is configured to be a toothed conveyor belt, and a conveyor belt passage is provided at a lower part of the food hopper. The toothed conveyor belt passes through a bottom of the food hopper, moves upwards in the food hopper, and turns to move downwards at a level higher than the height of the stored food in the food hopper and above a feeding trough. A cross section of the conveyor belt passage conforms to a projection of the conveyor belt on a plane perpendicular to a running direction of the conveyor belt, and a length of the conveyor belt passage is longer than a length of a conveyor belt segment.

Claims

1. An automatic pet feeder, comprising: a main housing, a food hopper, a food conveyance mechanism, a main control circuit module, and a drive motor for the food conveyance mechanism, wherein the food conveyance mechanism is configured to be a toothed conveyor belt, and a conveyor belt passage is provided at a lower part of the food hopper, the toothed conveyor belt passing through a bottom of the food hopper, moving upwards in the food hopper, and turning to move downwards at a level higher than the height of the stored food in the food hopper and above a feeding trough; a cross section of the conveyor belt passage conforms to a projection of the conveyor belt on a plane perpendicular to a running direction of the conveyor belt, and a length of the conveyor belt passage is longer than a length of a conveyor belt segment; and the toothed conveyor belt is in joint operation with the drive motor for the food conveyance mechanism, the drive motor is in connection with the main control circuit module, and a carrier surface defined by a tooth of the conveyor belt and the conveyor belt is larger than an outer diameter of a pet food particle.

2. An automatic pet feeder, comprising: a main housing, a food hopper, a food conveyance mechanism, a feeding ramp, a main control circuit module, and a drive motor for the food conveyance mechanism, wherein the food conveyance mechanism is configured to be a toothed conveyor belt, a conveyor belt passage is provided at a lower part of the food hopper, the toothed conveyor belt passing through a bottom of the food hopper, moving upwards in the food hopper, and turning to move downwards at a level higher than the height of the stored food in the food hopper and above the feeding ramp; a cross section of the conveyor belt passage conforms to a projection of the conveyor belt on a plane perpendicular to a running direction of the conveyor belt, and a length of the conveyor belt passage is longer than a length of a conveyor belt segment; and the toothed conveyor belt is in joint operation with the drive motor for the food conveyance mechanism, the drive motor is in connection with the main control circuit module, and a carrier surface defined by a tooth of the conveyor belt and the conveyor belt is larger than an outer diameter of a pet food particle.

3. An automatic pet feeder, comprising: a main housing, a food hopper, a food conveyance mechanism, a feeding ramp, a main control circuit module, and a drive motor for the food conveyance mechanism, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a feeding trough and a pressure sensing member, the feeding trough is provided below an exit of the feeding ramp, the feeding trough is in connection with the main housing through at least three fulcrums, of which at least first and second fulcrums form an approximately horizontal rotating axis, and a third fulcrum is in contact with the pressure sensing member; the pressure sensing member is in connection with a main control circuit, and a bottom of the feeding trough is higher than a bottom support surface of the main housing; and the food conveyance mechanism is driven by a drive motor for the food conveyance mechanism to transport pet food from the food hopper to a position above the feeding ramp.

4. (canceled)

5. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a feeding trough and a pressure sensing member, the feeding trough is provided below an upper turning area of the conveyor belt or below an exit of the feeding ramp, the feeding trough is in connection with the main housing through at least three fulcrums, of which at least first and second fulcrums form an approximately horizontal rotating axis, and a third fulcrum is in contact with the pressure sensing member; and the pressure sensing member is in connection with a main control circuit, and a bottom of the feeding trough is higher than a bottom support surface of the main housing.

6. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 1, wherein a food removing brush or a silicone scraper is further provided above the feeding ramp, and an end of the food removing brush or the silicone scraper is in contact with an outer edge of the tooth of the conveyor belt.

7. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a counting sensor, and a detection area of the counting sensor is configured to be a passing path of the toothed conveyor belt.

8. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the toothed conveyor belt is configured to be a flexible conveyor belt made of silicone or rubber, and an intersegment bending of the flexible conveyor belt is realized by bending its own material.

9. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the main control circuit module further comprises a wireless communication circuit module.

10. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a camera assembly, and the camera assembly is in connection with the main control circuit module.

11. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a speaker member, and the speaker member is in connection with the main control circuit and is capable of producing sound under control.

12. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 1, wherein a top of the automatic pet feeder is provided with a hanging rope or a hanging rope tether loop.

13. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 2, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a counting sensor, and a detection area of the counting sensor is configured to be a passing path of the toothed conveyor belt.

14. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 2, wherein the toothed conveyor belt is configured to be a flexible conveyor belt made of silicone or rubber, and an intersegment bending of the flexible conveyor belt is realized by bending its own material.

15. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 2, wherein the main control circuit module further comprises a wireless communication circuit module.

16. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 3, wherein the main control circuit module further comprises a wireless communication circuit module.

17. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 2, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a camera assembly, and the camera assembly is in connection with the main control circuit module.

18. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 3, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a camera assembly, and the camera assembly is in connection with the main control circuit module.

19. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 2, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a speaker member, and the speaker member is in connection with the main control circuit and is capable of producing sound under control.

20. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 3, wherein the automatic pet feeder further comprises a speaker member, and the speaker member is in connection with the main control circuit and is capable of producing sound under control.

21. The automatic pet feeder according to claim 2, wherein a top of the automatic pet feeder is provided with a hanging rope or a hanging rope tether loop.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Description of the Drawings

[0020] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an automatic pet feeder according to Embodiment 1.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a first perspective view of the automatic pet feeder according to Embodiment 1.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a second perspective view of the automatic pet feeder according to Embodiment 1.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a first perspective cross-sectional view of the automatic pet feeder according to Embodiment 1 (no oblique line on the cutting plane).

[0024] FIG. 5 is a second perspective cross-sectional view of the automatic pet feeder according to Embodiment 1 (no oblique line on the cutting plane).

[0025] The meanings of the signs in the figures are as follows: 1 main housing; 2 food hopper; 3 feeding ramp; 4 toothed conveyor belt; 5 conveyor belt driving gear; 6 conveyor belt suspension wheel; 7 motor; 8 drive belt; 9 silicone scraper; 10 main control circuit module; 11 counting sensor; 12 battery compartment; 13 food hopper top cover; 14 handle-typed food hopper top cover lock; 15 feeding trough; 16 first fixed fulcrum of the feeding trough; 17 second fixed fulcrum of the feeding trough; 18 pressure sensor.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the Present Invention

[0026] Examples of specific implementations are provided below with reference to the drawings.

[0027] Embodiment 1 is shown in FIGS. 1-5, an automatic pet feeder adopts ABS plastic to manufacture the main housing, nylon injection molding to manufacture single segments of the conveyor belt having bucket teeth, and stainless steel shafts to connect conveyor belt segments with one another to form a closed conveyor belt chain. The conveyor belt moves upwards from the hopper-opening shaped conveyor belt passage at the lower part of the food hopper into the food hopper, and slides upwards along a 30-degree inclined sidewall of the food hopper. The back of the conveyor belt is provided with grooves. The lower part of the conveyor belt is fixed on the conveyor belt driving gear, and the upper part of the conveyor belt is fixed on the conveyor belt suspension wheel. The conveyor belt driving wheel is synchronously fixed with a pulley, and a brush motor fixed on the main housing drives the belt through the pulley. The feeding ramp is inclined at an angle of 30 degrees to the horizontal plane. The conveyor belt is turned over at a position of the conveyor belt suspension wheel above the feeding ramp after carrying dog food in the food hopper. The dog food falls freely after the conveyor belt bucket teeth are flipped over and slides into the feeding trough along the feeding ramp. The feeding trough is sleeved on scalable circular buttons on both sides of the main housing through two circular holes, and the feeding trough is supported on a strain gauge pressure sensor. An infrared geminate-transistor counting sensor is set at a position below the feeding ramp where the conveyor belt passing. A silicone scraper is provided at the top of the feeding ramp, when the conveyor belt is running, the minimum distance between the edge of silicone scraper and the edge of the tooth of the conveyor belt is 0.1 mm. The main control circuit module board of this embodiment is fixed to the main control circuit board in the main housing. The main control circuit board is in connection with the motor, the counting sensor and the pressure sensor, at the same time, it is also in connection with the mains and the spare battery compartment. The top of the automatic pet feeder is provided with a rotatable handle. When the handle is rotated over the food hopper top cover, the food hopper top cover can be locked. At the same time, the handle can be used to tie an anti-toppling hanging rope.