CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to agricultural grain storage bins and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for safely removing grain from such storage bins.

II. Discussion of the Prior Art

Conventional grain storage bins generally comprise a concrete base upon which a cylindrical, corrugated-steel wall is situated and atop the cylindrical wall is a conical top having a closable opening through which grain to be stored may be entered, usually by way of an auger conveyor capable of moving grain to be stored from ground level to the top of the bin. Such bins are sold in varying sizes and may range in diameter from around 15 feet to as much as 150 feet and of a height dimension from about 20 feet to 200 feet. Such grain bins will typically have a false floor disposed a few feet above the concrete foundation slab and the false floor will have at least one gated opening therein leading to a sump formed in the foundation slab. Disposed beneath the false floor is an electric motor driven auger based unloading conveyor leading from the sump to the exterior of the bin. When the gate for the opening in the floor is opened, the grain will flow into the sump by gravity and will be carried out by the unloading conveyor to another exterior conveyor for loading the grain into a truck for transport.

Existing systems further incorporate a so-called "sweep auger" on the false floor for moving grain remaining after the gravity flow ceases from the floor to the gated opening. The sweep auger is adapted to be mechanically coupled via gear boxes to the unloading conveyor disposed beneath the false floor and is therefor driven by the same electric motor used to drive the unloading conveyor.

It is often found that due to moisture in the grain and some rotting that may take place during prolonged storage, as well as ice formation in colder climates, that the grain can become clumped and when the clumps reach the opening in the false floor, they are too large to pass through and therefore occlude the opening. This can create a serious safety hazard should a worker enter the bin and attempt to clear the blocked opening. There have been many instances where the grain sloping down from the bin walls to the gated opening will suddenly form an avalanche to bury and smother a worker as an attempt is being made to dislodge clumps from the gated opening in the false floor. It is a principle object of the present invention to address this problem in a way that does not endanger a worker.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is provided a method of breaking up clumps of compacted grain reaching a discharge opening in the floor of a grain storage bin during gravity flow of grain through the discharge opening. To achieve this end. A beater member having a shaft of a length sufficient to span a length dimension of the discharge opening is placed in close, but non-contact relation over the floor opening. Affixed to the beater shaft is a plurality of radially projecting steel fingers that are affixed along the length of the shaft of the beater member. The beater member is journaled for rotation in bearing blocks affixed to the frame of the sweep conveyor. A circular flange member is affixed to a first end of the beater member's shaft. The second end of the beater member's shaft is mechanically coupled to a rotational drive source for only driving the beater member during gravity flow of loose grain with clumps of compacted grain to and through the discharge opening where the fingers on the beater member shaft are effective to reduce the size of any clumps reaching the discharge opening. Once the flow due to gravity ceases as the level of the grain in the bin is reduced and it is therefore safe to enter the bin, a worker bolts the flange on the end of the beater assembly to a similar flange formed on an end of the shaft of the sweep auger. As such, both the beater member and the sweep auger will be driven for moving grain remaining on the floor of the grain bin into the gated opening.

The drive source for rotating the beater member includes a motor coupled in driving relation to a first end of a shaft of an unloading auger disposed beneath the floor of the grain storage bin and where a second end of the unloading auger's shaft connects to an input shaft of a first right angle gear box. A second right angle gear box has its input shaft coupled to the output shaft of the first right angle gear box and has its output shaft coupled to the shaft of the beater member. With this arrangement, the unloading auger, the beater member and the sweep auger are simultaneously driven to move the grain remaining on the bin floor when gravity is no longer able to cause the grain to feed into the gated opening and the combination functions to empty the remaining grain from the bin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals in the several views refer to corresponding parts:

Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of a grain bin incorporating the present invention;

Figure 2 is a partial view of the false floor of the grain bin showing the beater assembly of the present invention mounted to the sweep auger and overlaying the gated opening in the bin's false floor;

Figure 3 is a partial, closeup view of the beater member inserted between the sweep auger's shaft and a right angle gear box; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the flanges used to selectively couple the beater shaft to the shaft of the sweep auger.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

This description of the preferred embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as "lower", "upper", "horizontal", "vertical", "above", "below", "up", "down", "top" and "bottom" as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally", "downwardly", "upwardly", etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as "connected", "connecting", "attached", "attaching", "join" and "joining" are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece, unless expressively described otherwise.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is illustrated a partial view of a grain bin 10 mounted on top of a concrete slab 12 that includes a tunnel 14 in which is placed a discharge auger 16 of a conventional design wherein auger flights 18 are affixed to a drive shaft 20 that is adapted to be driven by a suitable electric motor 22. The end of the shaft 20 opposite from the motor 22 is coupled to a first right angle gear box 24 whose output shaft extends through an opening in a false floor 26 of the bin 10 and connects to an input shaft of a second right angle gear box 28 whose output shaft is coupled in driving relation to a shaft 30 of a beater assembly, indicated generally by numeral 32. The opposite end of the shaft 30 is journaled for rotation in a bearing block bracket 34 connected to the orbiting arm 36 of the bin's sweep auger assembly indicated generally by numeral 38.

As shown in Figure 2, the beater assembly 32 overlays a rectangular opening 40 formed through the false floor 26 of the bin. A gate comprising a flat metal sheet 42 (Figure 3) is mounted in a pair of longitudinal guides (not shown) disposed on the underside of the false floor 26. A rack and pinion or other suitable mechanism controlled by an operator from a location external to the bin is used for opening and closing the gate 42 relative to the rectangular opening 40 formed through the false floor 26 of the bin, as is well known in the prior art .

Affixed to the upper surface of the slide plate 42 is a blade assembly 44 having a flat base 43 to which a plurality of triangularly shaped blades with serrated side edges 46 are attached by welding.

Also seen in Figure 3 is a universal joint 48 that is used to couple the output shaft of the gear box 28 to the shaft 30 of the beater assembly 32 to accommodate any minor misalignment of the gear box output shaft and the beater shaft. The opposite end of the shaft 30 has a cylindrical flange 48 affixed to it that is adapted to be selectively joined to a mating flange 50 that is fixedly attached to the inner end of the sweep auger shaft 52.Figure 4 illustrates the construction of the pair of flanges 48,50 showing the apertures 53 and the posts 55 that are dimensioned to form an interference fit in bores (not shown) formed in the ends of the beater shaft 30 and the sweep auger shaft 52. The sweep auger's shaft 52 is journaled at its inner end by bearing bracket 35.

When it is desired to unload grain from a filled or partially filled bin, the motor 22 will be turned on to rotate the shaft 20 of the unloading auger 16. At this time, there is no connection between the flanges 49 and 50. The motor 22 is of a sufficient horsepower to rotate the beater assembly even when the bin is filled to capacity and the load is compacted. The rotation of the shaft 20 is coupled through the pair of right angle gear boxes 24 and 28 to drive the beater assembly 30. At this time, the sweep auger shaft 52 remains stationary. As gravity causes grain to flow through the now-open gate into the sump 14, the discharge auger 16 will move the grain from the sump to a location exterior of the bin where typically another elevator auger (not shown) will move the grain exiting the bin into an awaiting grain truck for transport.

Should a large clump of congealed grain flow downward, it will be engaged by the rotating beater assembly and the knives thereon will flail the clump and break it up so that the pieces thereof are able to flow through the open gate into the sump where they will be extracted by the discharge auger 16.

Once the level of the grain in the bin has reached the point where gravity flow thereof ceases, the grain in the bin will be at a level where it is safe for a person to enter the bin and insert bolts through aligned apertures 53 in the flanges 49 and 50 so that the sweep auger shaft will be driven along with the beater shaft 30. Thus, as the sweep auger is made to orbit about a central axis of the bin, grain remaining on the floor of the bin will be moved to the gated opening and deposited within the sump 14 where it too is extracted by the discharge auger assembly 16 (Figure 1).

In that it may happen that clumped grain can build up in a zone that is not reached by the beater fingers, these clumps can be reduced by repeatedly opening and closing the gate plate 42 relative to the opening and thereby move the knife assembly blades 46 through such clumped material to thereby break it up, allowing it to fall into the sump for extraction.

Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the beater assembly 32, along with the universal joint 48, the flanges 49 and 50 and the bearing brackets 34 and 35, along with the knife assembly, can be sold as a kit.

With minimal effort, it can be installed in existing unloading and sweep systems merely by cutting the shaft 52 of an existing sweep auger, disconnecting the cut portion from the output shaft of the right angle gear box 28 and then inserting the universal joint 48 onto the shaft of the gear box. Next, by supporting the free ends of the beater shaft 30 and the remaining portion of the sweep auger shaft 52 by the bearing brackets 34 and 35, both the beater assembly and the sweep auger are able to be rotated when the flanges 49 and 50 are bolted to one another.

This invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use embodiments of the example as required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different devices and that various modifications can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself. For example, the knife-like fingers on the beater assembly may be formed so as to act to advance the grain to the gated opening in the bin's false floor similar to an auger flight.

What is claimed is: