Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a system for the installation of fencing on a property.

Background of the invention

Farming is a $46 billion industry in Australia. Over 3.84 million km ² of Australian land is being used for agricultural business, with over 157,000 farms spread across Australia.

Fencing is a very broad term used for a structure that forms a physical barrier separating land. A fence is usually made up of a series of spaced posts secured into the ground, which are connected by horizontal planks, poles, wires, netting, etc. Strainer assemblies are usually provided at both ends of a fencing section, with intermediate posts spaced in between and wires running between strainer assemblies through the intermediate posts. Fencing is a vital part of any farming business. While many improvements in farming machinery have been made over the past centuries, fencing tools and equipment have yet to be been given a solution to remove the high cost and labour involved in the installation of fencing.

The cost of building a fence is made up with a combination of materials and labour. Not only have labouring costs risen more recently but there is also less labour available, particularly in rural areas.

Modern machinery has advanced over the past number of decades, with these improvements in machines reducing the amount of labour needed on farms. There are therefore fewer people now working on medium to large acre properties and due to this, labour is not only hard to find, but can also be more expensive or of poor quality. There is therefore a need to reduce the overall cost of installing a fence.

Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgment or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant, and/or combined with other pieces of prior art by a skilled person in the art.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect, there is provided a fencing system, including: a moveable platform, capable of being driven independently or towed behind a vehicle; a post driver assembly mounted to the platform; a post feeding assembly configured to hold a series of posts and successively feed them into the post driver assembly, the post driver assembly adapted to drive the successive posts into the ground; at least one wire spool mounted to the platform and configured to gradually allow wire to feed out of the rear of the platform as the platform is moved forward; wherein the system is adapted to enable the platform to be moved forward and stopped at intermediate distances to drive posts into the ground, with wire being simultaneously fed adjacent the posts or through the posts.

The moveable platform may be a trailer or incorporated into a vehicle. The vehicle may be driven by a person or be autonomous. The moveable platform is advantageously covered by a canopy, which may fully house the system components in a storage position for transport and security.

The post driver assembly is preferable a weighted donger, being a moveable weight held within a frame that is dropped from a height onto the top of a post to drive it into the ground. The weight may be returned to its upper position using a drive mechanism, for example a stepper motor and a linear actuator. In an alternative embodiment the post driver assembly may incorporate a hydraulic press or a pneumatic device to pound the post in the ground.

The post feeding assembly may include a conveyor comprising at least one opposing pair of rotational conveyor belts. There may be an upper conveyor belt pair and a lower conveyor belt pair that guide opposing ends of a post. One of the conveyor belts in a pair may include a series of outwardly extending fingers creating troughs in- between, the other conveyor belt in the pair including peaks and troughs, with opposing troughs between the conveyors being configured to receive a post and guide it along the conveyor system. The fingers are preferably shaped to match the specific post being used. The conveyor belts are preferably inter-changeable, such that conveyor belts can be used that specifically match the post being used for a particular installation.

The post feeding assembly preferably holds at least 20 posts when filled, more preferably 30 or more, most preferably 40 or more; this is dictated by the length of the conveyor and the number of troughs created.

Positioned at the end of the conveyor there may be at least one set of opposing arms to transfer an individual post from the end of the conveyor to a post driving location, and hold it in position whilst being driven into the ground. There may be a set of upper arms and a set of lower arms. An arm may run on a looped track, such that the movement is cyclical to grasp a post between two arms, move forward to transfer the post to the driving position, then move in opposing directions to release the post, move backwards to the end of the conveyor and move towards each other to grasp another post; this cycle is continuously repeated.

The post driver assembly and the post feeding assembly can both be seated on a single floor plate. The floor plate may be slidable sideways in both directions to enable alignment with the desired post location.

The floor plate, whether holding just the post driver assembly alone or in combination with the post feeding assembly, may have the ability to be stabilised so that when the platform is positioned on a sloping ground, the post driver assembly can be adjusted to drive the post into a substantially vertical orientation when desired, or within a predetermined set of directional parameters. This may be accomplished with the integration of three linear actuators connected to the platform via an actuated universal joint, multiple pivot joint, etc.

One or more wire spools may be configured to be held on a single spindle. The spindle may be mounted to the platform. The wire may be threaded from the spool adjacent the post driver assembly, through the post driver assembly, or through holes in the posts held in the conveyor.

The spindle may be configured to tilt sideways from the platform to allow reloading of wire spools onto the spindle. In an embodiment, the wire from a lowermost wire spool may be fed through an opening in the bottom of the platform to a guide held underneath, positioning a wire near the ground for subsequent attachment to posts.

Advantageously, the system is automated, such that sensors and accelerometers are integrated into the system to determine positioning of posts and components of the system, processors are used to determine the required locations of components and speed of motors etc, and controllers are used to activate and stop components of the system.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for installing a fence on a property, including: providing and activating a GPS base unit; attaching a GPS rover unit to a fencing system according to the first aspect; installing strainer posts at desired locations on the property; determining the GPS locations of two spaced apart strainer posts; calculating the number of intermediate posts required between the two strainer posts and their desired GPS location; positioning the moveable platform with respect to a first strainer post; attaching the end(s) of the wire to the first strainer post; advancing the moveable platform to the first and subsequent intermediate post locations and driving posts into the ground at the calculated desired GPS locations.

Advantageously, the advancing of the moveable platform to the desired GPS locations can be autonomously controlled. Alternatively, the GPS location information can be sent to a driver on board display to notify the driver of any adjustments needed to the positioning of the platform and/or post feeding assembly.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a self-levelling post driver system, including: a frame for holding a post in a desired position; a post driver assembly mounted within the frame; an accelerometer for determining the position of the frame relative to vertical; a plurality of adjustable legs capable of independent adjustment in order to position the post held in the frame in a predetermined orientation relative to the ground; a processor and controller for independent adjustment of the legs.

The post driver assembly may be seated on a floor plate. The adjustable legs may be linear actuators connected to the floor plate via an actuated universal joint, multiple pivot joint, etc. There is preferably three linear actuators.

The floor plate may also be slidable sideways in both directions to enable alignment with the desired post location.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided an automatic post driver system, including: a frame for holding a post in a desired position; a weight moveable held within the frame adapted to contact the top of the post and drive the post into the ground; means to move the weight within the frame; sensors to determine the height of the top of the post above the ground; a processor for determining the height that the weight is required to be dropped from to achieve the force require to drive the post to a predetermined height above the ground; and a controller for actuating the means to move the weight and releasing the weight to drive the post into the ground.

Brief description of the drawings

Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG 1 a is a representative front view of a fence;

FIG 1 b is a representative top view of a property with a bordering fence; FIG 2 is a perspective view of the fencing system according to an embodiment;

FIG 3a is a side view of the fencing system of FIG 2 with the side of the trailer removed, with the post driver frame positioned in a transport position;

FIG 3b shows the system of FIG 4a, with the post driver frame in the in-use position; FIG 4 is a top view of the fencing system of FIG 2 with trailer panels shown exploded;

FIG 5 is a perspective view of the post driver frame and post feeding frame;

FIGs 6a through 6C illustrate the post feeding assembly being loaded with posts;

FIG 7 is a perspective view of the fencing system of FIG 2, with an alternative trailer design, showing the loading of the feeding assembly;

FIGs 8a through 8d are top sectional views, illustrating the transferring of the post from the post feeding assembly to the post driver assembly;

FIG 9a is a perspective view of the fencing system of FIG 7, with the post driver weight in the upper position; FIG 9b shows the system of FIG 9a, with the post driver weight in the lower position;

FIGs 10a through 10c show the post driver assembly and post feeding assembly being stabilised; FIGs 1 1 a and 1 1 b show the sideways adjustment of the post driver assembly and post feeding assembly;

FIG 12 shows a guide system for attaching the wires to the post of FIGs 1 1 a and 1 1 b; and

FIG 13 shows the fencing system of FIG 2 and a GPS base station. Detailed description of the embodiments

The present invention relates to the installation of a fence 10, similar to that shown in FIG 1 a. Strainer assemblies 12 are located at each end of a long section of fence. The main role of the strainer assembly is to be able to structurally hold the force of the strained up wires and netting of the fence. Strainer assemblies will be found at the beginning and end of the fence, anywhere there is a major change in direction or topography, as well as a sturdy structure in which to attach a gate to. In fences that range over a severe distance you will find strainer assemblies in the middle to help strengthen the fence line. An example property is shown in FIG 1 b, where five strainer assemblies 12 are positioned around the border of a paddock 16. The fences may be providing the property border next to a road 14 or may be dividing paddocks 16.

Intermediate posts 18 in a fence sit at regular intervals between the strainer assemblies 12, as shown in FIG 1 a. The main purpose is to guide the wires 20 and netting, as well as providing a smaller amount of structural support.

The number of intermediate posts 18 will be determined by the distance between strainer assemblies 12, as well as a desired distance between posts. The desired distance between posts will depend on its purpose and mainly the livestock type and predicted pressure it is required to hold. Whilst less posts makes for an easier and cheaper fence installation, if spacing is too large the pressure is not distributed across multiple posts and breakages are more likely to occur. The three mains forms of wires used in fencing are prefabricated rolls, plain wire and barbed wire. Wires come in many different thicknesses also known as gauges and tensile strengths depending on its purpose. The spacing between wires is also important, as smaller animals will require smaller gaps. There may also be a need to integrate barbed wire or electric wire into the fence.

One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a system for the installation of intermediate posts 18 and wires 20 between strainer assemblies 12. However it will be appreciated that the present invention could also be adapted to drive in the strainer assemblies. A movable platform 22 integrated into a trailer 24 is towed behind a vehicle 26, although it will be appreciated that the movable platform may be integrated directly into a vehicle. As shown in FIG 2, the trailer may be made up of a steel bottom tray 22 and a rotary moulded exterior cover or canopy 28, made for example from polyethylene. There may be removable access covers, which may be in the form of doors 30 that provide access to the rear, top and sides of the canopy. Mounted to the platform 22 is a post driver assembly. In the embodiment shown the assembly comprises an upright frame 32 and a weight 33 that moves within the frame on rollers. The frame 32 is pivotally mounted to the platform 22, allowing it to be lowered within the trailer canopy 28 for road transport, as shown in FIG 3a. Once on a property, the frame is pivoted into an upright orientation and locked into position, as shown in FIG 3b.

As shown in FIGs 3a to 4, positioned in front of the post driver frame 32 is a post feeding assembly 34, which can be pre-loaded with a plurality of intermediate posts 18, to be described further below. Both the post driver frame 32 and the post feeding assembly 34 are seated on a metal plate 36 (FIG 4). Towards the front of the trailer is spindle 38 that receives wire spools 40 that are wound with wires 20. The spindle is configured to tilt sideways from the platform to allow reloading of wire spools onto the spindle.

Also at the front of the trailer is a generator 42 for powering the system. It will be appreciated that batteries may also be utilised instead of the generator. FIG 5 shows the combination of the upright frame 32 together with the post feeding frame 44 and an intermediate post transfer frame 46. The frame of this illustrated embodiment is constructed by welding structural steel tube (typically RHS) together to form guide rails for the moveable parts. As can be seen in FIG 5, the upright frame 32 is wider than the other frame sections, enabling it to pivot downwards over the top of the other frame sections to lie flat on the trailer floor, as shown in FIG 3a. Upright frame 32 also partially or fully sits over post transfer frame 46.

FIGs 6a through 6d show the loading of the feeding assembly 34. The feeding assembly includes a conveyor that has rotating conveyor belts 48. Four conveyor belts 48 are used, two upper belts being a left upper belt 48a and a right upper belt 48b and two lower belts being a left lower belt 48c and a right lower belt 48d. The belts 48 rotate around sleeves 51 that are fitted to the upright frame sections 50 at the front end and stepper motors 52 mounted on pads 54 at the rear end. The conveyor belts are typically made of rubber and a left and right pair work together to guide the posts 18. The left belts 48a, 48c include a series of outwardly extending fingers 56 with troughs 58 in between. The right belts 48b, 48d include a series of peaks 60 and troughs 62. This conveyor belt profile is specifically designed to accommodate a 3-point star picket post. The belts are removable so that they can be interchanged for belts specifically designed for the posts being used for a particular fence installation. As can be seen, the conveyor belts are adjacent each other on the inside of the frame 44, with opposing troughs 58, 62 creating a void shaped to receive the star picket post. Cooperative rotation of the conveyor belts transfers the posts 18 to the post driver assembly. Posts 18 are introduced from the front end of the frame 44 (see FIGs 6a, 6b) and are conveyed along the conveyor (FIG 6c) to the rear end (FIG 6d). The feeding assembly can be pre- loaded with posts before commencing the construction of a fence, with the stepper motors being stopped until the system is ready to be used. Loading of the posts 18 can be done via side access to the trailer, as shown in FIG 7. The feeding mechanism illustrated can hold 30 posts. Flowever it will be appreciated that lengthening of the conveyor would enable the system to hold more posts.

At the end of the conveyor is the post transfer frame 46. The frame 46 creates tracks 64, being rectangular loops. Opposing arms 66 are mounted on respective tracks, with an upper pair of arms 66a and a lower pair of arms 66b being provided to grasp the post 18 as it exits the conveyor. As shown in FIG 8a, the two arms 66a move towards each other to grasp the post 18. The arms move along the track rearwardly to position it underneath the post driver (FIG 8b). The post is driven into the ground (as described below) and the arms move away from each other to release the post (FIG 8c). They return to their original position (FIG 8d) by sliding forwards along the track, ready to move together again to grasp a subsequent post.

The post driver assembly illustrated is a weighted donger, whereby a weight 33 runs along tracks created by frame 34. The weight 33 is dropped from a predetermined height (FIG 9a) to create a force on the top of the post sufficient to drive it into the ground (FIG 9b). It will be appreciated that the weight may need to be dropped several times to drive the post into the ground sufficiently to obtain the desired height. Whilst the initial impact may be created from dropping the weight from maximum height, subsequent drops may be from a lesser height if a smaller impact is required to achieve the desired height. The weight can be moved upwards by a linear actuator for example.

As an alternative to a weighted donger, a non-illustrated embodiment could incoproate a post driver assembly that utilises a hydraulic press or a pneumatic drive to pound the post into the ground. A person skilled in the art will appreciated how these drivers can be incorporated into the system.

The process for installing the fence begins by positioning the rear of the trailer adjacent a strainer post 12. The ends of the wires 20 are attached to the strainer post 12 at the desired heights. This may include a wire 20a close to the ground, which would be guided underneath the trailer via an underlying guide and reel.

The trailer is then advanced forward to the location of the first intermediate post 18. As the trailer advances, the wires 20 spool out of the rear of the trailer. The wire 20 in the illustrated embodiment runs adjacent the frame 32. Flowever, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments the wire may run through the frames or have been threaded through apertures in the posts 18 whilst held within the conveyor. Advantageously each wire coil on the wire spinner, could be controlled by an individual high torque stepper motor, which will both allow for the wires to be spun out at an accurate timing and distance, but also help in straining the fence at the end of the run. The wire coils could rotate, tightening and tensioning the wires to a desired tension allowing for an easier straining of the fence.

When the trailer is in the desired location, it is stopped, the arms 66 grasp a post 18 from the end of the conveyor and position it in the frame 32 under the weight 33. The weight is dropped onto the top of the post and the post is driven into the ground. The trailer is then advanced again to the desired location of the next post 18 and the process is repeated. The process is continuously repeated until the trailer reaches the next strainer post 12.

In most instances where the trailer is situated on uneven or sloping ground, it is still desired that the post 18 is driven into the ground in a vertical or near vertical orientation. To enable this, the post driver assembly and the post feeder assembly are seated on common floor plate 36. The plate 36 has the ability to be stabilised in a horizontal orientation. This is achieved by three linear actuators 70 statically connected to the moveable platform 22, with arms 72 mounted to the plate 36 via universal joints 74. The three actuators are configured in a triangle (see FIG 4) to allow full freedom of movement of the plate 36 to achieve the desired orientation, as shown in FIGs 10a through 10c. The actuators are controlled by stepper motors.

There may also be instances where the trailer is not correctly aligned with the fence line. This may be due to the presence of rocks etc. The plate 36 is therefore also capable of sideways movement by sliding on tracks using linear actuators (not shown), as represented in FIGS 1 1 a, 1 1 b. Around 500mm of lateral movement could be accommodated.

The present invention can be used with a variety of types of posts, with many of the posts requiring a subsequent step of attaching the wire that is sitting adjacent the posts to the posts. This may be a manual task that is performed as the vehicle is advancing or subsequent to installation of an entire fence section. This may typically be a manual process.

Advantageously, the system would be used with a post that enables quick connection of the wires. For example, there have been posts developed that include an L-shaped slot, with a rotational clip that locks the wire into the slot. Such a post is the Clipex® post.

To automate the connection of the wires to the Clipex® post, a guide 76 can be used (see FIG 12) that is connected to the platform 22 via actuators (not shown). It can be moved towards the fence post to push the wires into the slots and then moved downwards to rotate the clips, locking the wires to the post.

When the end of the fence is installed, the wire spinner may automatically tension the wire and then it can be held and tied off.

In some embodiments, the system is automated, such that there are sensors and accelerometers that determine the positioning of posts and components of the system and controllers that move the components when needed and turn motors on and off. Processors are used to determine the speed of motors, the required locations of components and the system may also advance automatically itself to the next desired post location. In particular, the post driver assembly may be automated. In some embodiments, the post driver assembly may be provided as a separate assembly that may be used independent of the system and trailer.

The post driver assembly may incorporate a gyroscope and accelerometer. In some embodiments, these may be positioned on the feeding assembly. Using information from the gyroscope, the linear actuators 70 can be actuated to control the angle of the plate 36.

According to one embodiment, real time kinematic (RTK) satellite navigation is used with GPS tracking. An RTK base station 78 (see FIG 13) will be positioned on the property to improve the accuracy of the GPS tracking. The base station can be set up at the beginning of the day and left in the one spot, provided the trailer does not leave a 10km radius.

A rover unit 80 can be positioned on the strainers 12 to determine their location. A processor, which may be integrated into an application on a smart device, can work out the required distance of the fence to be built, the required amount of materials and the distance between each post. GPS coordinates for the intermediate posts 18 are calculated and stored. A rover unit 80 can be attached to the trailer, typically to the frame 32. The post location information is then either communicated to the driver of the vehicle, including when the desired post locations are reached, or the movement of the vehicle can be automated.

The present invention provides a system for installing fencing that requires minimal labour and increases the speed of installation. An average contractor will complete 200 metre of fencing on a good day (not including insertion of strainer posts). It is expected that the present invention would be able to complete up to 40km of fencing in one day.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.