FEEDER

Abstract

A feeder comprising: a feed container having a volume for holding feed, a feed input part for providing a feed input into the feed container, a feed valve which is connected to the feed input part and the feed container, wherein the feed valve is configured to regulate and control the flow of feed into the feed container, a dosing valve which is connected to the feed container and controls and regulates the flow of feed out of the container, a first feed sensor which is configured to provide a first parameter representing an amount of feed inside the feed container, where the feed valve and/or the dosing valve are configured to be controlled by a control signal that is at least partly based on the first parameter.

Claims

1. A feeder comprising: a feed container having a volume for holding feed, a feed input part for providing a feed input into the feed container, a feed valve, which is connected to the feed input part and the feed container, wherein the feed valve is configured to regulate and control the flow of feed into the feed container, a dosing valve, which is connected to the feed container and controls and regulates the flow of feed out of the container, and a first feed sensor, which is configured to provide a first parameter representing an amount of feed inside the feed container, wherein the feed valve and/or the dosing valve are configured to be controlled by a control signal that is at least partly based on the first parameter.

2. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the feeder comprises a dispensing part configured to dispense feed from the feed container, wherein the dispensing part is optionally positioned downstream from the dosing valve.

3. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the feeder comprises a controller, wherein the controller input is configured to be the first parameter and, wherein the controller output is configured to be the control signal for the feed valve and/or the dosing valve.

4. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the feeder comprises a trigger sensor.

5. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the feeder comprises a display.

6. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein feeder comprises a memory unit.

7. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the feeder comprises a trough having a second feed sensor configured to provide a second parameter, wherein the control signal may optionally be configured to be at least partly based on the second parameter.

8. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the dosing valve is a rotor valve.

9. The feeder in accordance with claim 8, wherein the rotor valve has a predefined dosing amount.

10. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first and/or the second feed sensor is a weight sensor.

11. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the feeder is an animal livestock feeder.

12. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the feeder comprises an identification sensor.

13. The feeder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the feeder comprises a housing, wherein the housing may house one or more elements of the feeder, the elements selected from the group consisting of the container, the first feed sensor, the second feed sensor, the feed valve, the dosing valve, the dispensing part, the display, the memory, the trigger sensor, the identification sensor and the controller.

14. A feeding system comprising one or more feeders in accordance with claim 1, wherein the system comprises a feed storage and a feed line to transport feed from the feed storage to one or more feeders.

15. A method of operating a feeder, wherein the method comprises: providing a feed container having a volume for holding feed, providing a feed input part for providing a feed input into the feed container, providing a feed valve, which is connected to the feed input part and the feed container, wherein the feed valve is configured to regulate and control the flow of feed into the feed container, providing a dosing valve, which is connected to the feed container and controls and regulates the flow of feed out of the container, providing a first feed sensor device, which is configured to provide a first parameter representing an amount of feed inside the feed container, and generating a control signal for the feed valve and/or the dosing valve based at least partly on the first parameter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The following is an explanation of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0043] FIG. 1 is a first schematic view of the structure of the feeder provided by the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 2 is a second schematic view of the structure of the feeder provided by the present invention.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a side view of a feeding system.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a feeder or a feeding system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The feeder will now be described in accordance with the embodiments shown in the drawings. The disclosed embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not limited by the description of the embodiments, but the scope of the claims, and also includes all modifications within the scope of the claims.

[0048] The structure of the cold-rolled plate type detecting system provided by the present invention will be described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention provides a feeder comprising a feed line 1 and a feeder body 2, and the feeder body 2 includes a controller 21, a discharge valve 22, a weighing sensor 23, and a dispenser 24, the rotor dosing valve 25 and the discharge pipe 26, wherein the feed line 1 is connected to the controller 21, and the feed line 1 and the controller 21 are respectively connected to the discharge valve 22 and the weighing sensor 23 is disposed between discharge valve 22 and the dispenser 24, a rotor dosing valve 25 is disposed between the dispenser 24 and the discharge pipe 26, and the weighing sensor 23 and the rotor dosing valve 25 are respectively connected to the controller 21.

[0050] Illustratively, the controller 21 could be a microcontroller or a controller 21 including a PCB control board; exemplarily, a pipe having a diameter of 140 mm may be used as the dispenser.

[0051] Illustratively, during using the feeder, when it is desired to feed the cultured animal, the feeding line 1 is controlled by the controller 21, and the feed is drawn from the silo while the discharge valve 22 is opened by the controller 21, the feed is passed through the weighing sensor 23 into the dispenser 24, and the weighing 23 transmits the weight signal of the feed to the controller 21, and when the feed weight entering the dispenser 24 reaches the desired feed, the controller 21 controls the feeding line 1 and the discharge valve 22. The transport of the feed is stopped and the discharge valve 22 is closed, at the same time, during the feeding process, the controller 21 also controls the opening of the rotor dosing valve 25 to allow the feed to be discharged through the discharge pipe 26 for consumption by the animal. In this way, in the process of using the feeder, the keeper can simply put the feed through controlling the controller 21, and does not need to transport the feed in person, and can also accurately control the weight of the feed by the controller 21, thereby avoiding waste of feed.

[0052] In the feeder provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the feeding line 1 and the feeder body 2 are included, and the feeder body 2 includes a controller 21, a discharge valve 22, a weighing sensor 23, a dispenser 24, and a rotor dosing valve 25 and discharge pipe 26, wherein the feeding line 1 is connected to the controller 21, and the feeding line 1 and the controller 21 are respectively connected to the discharging valve 22, and the weighing sensor 23 is disposed between the discharging valve 22 and the dispenser 24, the rotor dosing valve 25 is disposed between the dispenser 24 and the discharge pipe 26, and the weighing sensor 23 and the rotor dosing valve 25 are respectively connected to the controller 21. This allows the feeding line 1 to be controlled by the controller 21 to draw the feed from the silo while using the feeder, at the same time, the discharge valve 22 is opened by the controller 21, so that the feed enters the dispenser 24 through the weighing sensor 23, and the weighing sensor 23 transmits the weight signal of the feed to the controller 21, and when the feed weight entering the dispenser 24 reaches the desired feed, the controller 21 controls the feeding line 1 and the discharge valve 22 and stops transporting the feed and closes the discharge valve 22. At the same time, during the process of feeding, the controller 21 also controls the opening of the rotor dosing valve 25 to allow the feed to be discharged through the discharge pipe 26 for consumption by the animal. In this way, in the process of using the feeder, the keeper can simply put the feed through controlling the controller 21, and does not need to transport the feed in person, which greatly saves the labor cost, reduces the breeding cost, and can also precisely controls the weight of the feed by controller 21, avoids waste of the feed, thereby further reducing the cost of breeding.

[0053] Illustratively, as shown in FIG. 2, the feeder body 2 may further includes a display screen 27 disposed on the dispenser 24, the display screen 27 is coupled to the controller 21 specifically, the display screen 27 can display the temperature of the culture environment in which the feeder is placed, the humidity and the amount of feed in the feeder etc., to facilitate statistics by technician.

[0054] Optionally, the above feeder may further include a control terminal (not shown) and the controller 21 is connected to the control terminal. Illustratively, the controller 21 can be wirelessly connected to the control terminal, specifically, the control terminal can be mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a computer.

[0055] Exemplarily, the controller 21 can be connected to the control terminal through a control gateway and a black box respectively. When the controller 21 cannot be connected to the control terminal due to a malfunction, it can automatically run through the information in the black box until it is reconnected with the control terminal, thereby preventing the farmed animal from breaking feed.

[0056] Alternatively, the feeder body 2 may further includes a reader (not shown) provided on the dispenser 24 for reading information on the cultured animals, the reader is coupled to the controller 21. Illustratively, the reader can be placed on the side of the feeder 24 towards the farmed animal, when the farmed animal wants to eat near the feeder, the farmed animal label can be read by the reader to obtain the information of the farmed animal, and the information of the farmed animal can be transmitted to the control terminal through the controller, and the technician can obtain the information of the farmed animal through the control terminal without going to the farm in person.

[0057] Illustratively, the above reader may be a radio frequency reader, and correspondingly, a radio frequency tag may be set on the farmed animal to facilitate management of the farmed animal.

[0058] In addition, the controller 21 is further provided with a storage unit for storing farmed animal information, so that the farmed animal information read by the reader can be stored in the controller 21, so that the technician can view the research in the future.

[0059] Alternatively, the feeder body 2 may further includes a trigger sensor (not shown) disposed on the dispenser 24, the trigger sensor is coupled to the controller 21. Illustratively, when the farmed animal wants to eat near the feeder, the trigger sensor can be activated, and the trigger sensor transmits a trigger signal to the controller 21, and the controller 21 can transmit the signal back to the control terminal, and the control terminal can send feeding instruction to the controller 21 according to the signal, and the feed is placed by the controller 21.

[0060] Further optionally, the above-mentioned feeder may further includes a trough (not shown) disposed under the discharge pipe 26, and a weighing sensor may be disposed on the trough to collect the remaining feed weight information in the trough, and the weight sensor can be connected to the controller 21 so that the remaining feed weight information in the trough can be transmitted to the controller 21 and transmitted to the control terminal through the controller 21, so that the technician can control the weight of the delivered feed. In addition, the weighing sensor can also be directly connected to the control terminal.

[0061] FIG. 3 discloses a side view of a feeding system, where the feeding system comprises at least three feeders 3, where the three feeders are connected to each other via a common feed line 1. Each of the discharge parts 26 may be introduced into one pen, where each pen (not shown) holds one or more animals, where each feeder may be individually configured to feed the one or more animals in each pen.

[0062] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a feeder 3 and/or a feeding system 30. In one embodiment, where the controller 31 is a part of the feeder 3, the first feed sensor 32 may provide input to the controller 31, and the feed valve 33 and the dosing valve 34 may be controlled by the controller 31, and the controller 31 may monitor the status of the feed valve 33 and the dosing valve 34. Furthermore, optional input/or outputs may be provided by the trigger sensor 35, a second feed sensor 36 and an ID sensor 37.

[0063] In another embodiment, where the controller 39 of the feeder may be centralized, e.g. as part of a feeding system where one centralized controller 39 may control a plurality of feeders, the feeder 30 may be provided with a controller interface 38, where the controller interface may be utilized to communicate with a centralized controller, and where the controller interface 38 provides the communication for the first feed sensor 32, feed valve 33, the dosing valve 34, and optionally to the trigger sensor 35, a second feed sensor 36 and an ID sensor 37. Further types of inputs and/or outputs may be envisioned by the present invention, where the parts of the feeder may be introduced to communicate with the controller 31 or the controller interface 38.

[0064] After considering the specification and practice of the feeder disclosed here, technicians in this field can easily think of another implementation plans of the feeder. The present application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptive changes of the present invention, which are in accordance with the general principles of the invention and include common general knowledge or common technical means in this technical field that is not disclosed. The specification and examples are to be regarded as illustrative only. The true scope and spirit of the disclosure are indicated by the claim.

[0065] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment of the invention, the structure and the precise structure shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.

Items

[0066] 1. A feeder comprises a feed line and a feeder body, the feeder body comprises a controller, a discharge valve, a weighing sensor, a dispenser, a rotor dosing valve and a discharge pipe, wherein, the feed line is connected to the controller, and the feed line and the controller are respectively connected to the discharge valve and the weighing sensor is disposed at the discharge valve and dispenser, the rotor dosing valve is disposed between the dispenser and the discharge pipe, and the weighing sensor and the rotor dosing valve are respectively connected to the controller.

[0067] 2. The feeder of item 1 wherein said feeder body further comprises a display screen disposed on said dispenser, the said display screen is coupled to the said controller.

[0068] 3. The feeder according to item 1, wherein said feeder body further comprises a reader disposed on said dispenser for reading information of farm animal, said reader and said controller are connected.

[0069] 4. The feeder of item 1, wherein said feeder body further comprises a trigger sensor disposed on said dispenser, said trigger sensor is coupled to said controller.

[0070] 5. The feeder of item 1, wherein said controller is a microcontroller.

[0071] 6. The feeder of item 1, wherein said controller comprises a PCB control board.

[0072] 7. The feeder according to item 1, wherein said controller is provided with a storage unit for storing farming animal information.

[0073] 8. The feeder of item 1, wherein said feeder further comprises a control terminal, said controller is coupled to said control terminal.

[0074] 9. The feeder according to item 8, wherein said controller is connected to said control terminal via a control gateway and a black box respectively.

[0075] 10. The feeder according to item 1, wherein the feeder further comprises a trough disposed under the discharge pipe, the trough is provided with a weighing sensor, the weighing sensor and the controller are connected.

[0076] The use of the terms first, second, third and fourth, primary, secondary, tertiary etc. does not imply any particular order, but are included to identify individual elements. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, third and fourth, primary, secondary, tertiary etc. does not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, third and fourth, primary, secondary, tertiary etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Note that the words first, second, third and fourth, primary, secondary, tertiary etc. are used here and elsewhere for labelling purposes only and are not intended to denote any specific spatial or temporal ordering.

[0077] Furthermore, the labelling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element and vice versa.

[0078] It is to be noted that the word comprising does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

[0079] It is to be noted that the words a or an preceding an element do not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

[0080] It should further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that the exemplary embodiments may be implemented at least in part by means of both hardware and software, and that several means, units or devices may be represented by the same item of hardware.

[0081] Although features have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the claimed invention, and it will be made obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense. The claimed invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.

LISTING OF REFERENCES

[0082] 1 Feeding line [0083] 2 Feeder body [0084] 3 Feeder [0085] 21 Controller [0086] 22 Discharge valve [0087] 23 Weighing sensor [0088] 24 Dispenser [0089] 25 Rotor dosing valve [0090] 26 Discharge pipe [0091] 27 Display [0092] 30 Feeding system [0093] 31 Controller [0094] 32 First feed sensor [0095] 33 Feed valve [0096] 34 Dosing valve [0097] 35 Trigger sensor [0098] 36 Second feed sensor [0099] 37 ID sensor [0100] 38 Controller interface [0101] 39 Controller centralized