DESCRIPTION:

Technical filed of the invention

The invention relates to a transport system for transporting hatching frames in an hatching space for eggs, which hatching frames are each provided with two mutually opposite sides, which transport system comprises a rail, as well as a number of carriers for carrying the hatching frames, which carriers are provided with wheels which are movable along the rail, each carrier having a front side and a rear side viewed in the direction of travel.

The hatching frame carries the eggs during the transport through the hatching space and can be provided with a number of holders for eggs. The hatching frame can also be formed by a frame on which or in which an existing egg tray with eggs can be placed. Furthermore, the hatching frame can also be formed by an existing egg tray if this egg tray is sufficiently strong to be self-supporting.

Background of the invention

Such a transport system is generally known. In hatcheries in which eggs are hatched while they are present in hatching frames, the hatching frames are transported automatically and mechanically through the hatchery. Due to the high investment costs that such a system entails, this is only rewarding for large companies.

The eggs are supplied in various hatching frames or egg trays and are transferred to hatching frames of the transport system. This transfer is also done mechanically and in many cases automatically. This also involves high investments.

In simple hatcheries, the eggs to be hatched are placed manually in hatching containers and these containers are placed in a hatching space. This is very labor-intensive. Summary of the invention

An object of the invention is to provide a transport system of the type described in the preamble with which, with low investment costs, hatching frames can be transported in a hatchery in an efficient and good manner. To this end, the transport system according to the invention is characterized in the carriers at the front side and the rear side are provided with coupling means for coupling to said opposite sides of the hatching frames, such that during use each hatching frame with one of said opposite sides is coupled to one of the carriers and with the other of the opposite sides is coupled to another of the carriers so that each hatching frame is present between two carriers and is carried by both carriers and wherein each carrier, with the exception of the front carrier and the rear carrier, is coupled to a hatching frame at the front side and is coupled to another hatching frame at the rear side.

Because existing hatching frames are coupled to carriers of the transport system or existing egg trays can be placed on the hatching frames, the eggs do not need to be transferred first. The carriers with the brooding frames in between can then easily be pushed by hand. The wheels and rail are designed in such a way that the wheels roll lightly over the rail. The transport system according to the invention therefore does not require electronic transport and control systems, as a result of which it is relatively inexpensive and is very suitable for small businesses.

The rails are preferably present at such a height that a hatching frame or egg tray manually taken from a supply cart can easily be placed in the transport system without or substantially without having to lift it. All these advantages make the transport system according to the invention ergonomic, with everything being able to take place with manual force.

Many different existing hatching frames and egg trays of different sizes can be used in the transport system according to the invention. In case existing egg trays are too weak to be self-supporting between two carriers or because of a deviating shape cannot be coupled to the carriers, the hatching frame can be designed as a sturdy frame for coupling with the carriers and the existing slack egg tray or otherwise formed egg tray can be arranged on the sturdy frame.

A favorable embodiment of the transport system according to the invention is characterized in that a rail section of the rail which is adjacent to one end of the rail is inclined upwards from the end. By providing the sloping rail section at the lower end with an adjustable stop, under the influence of the force of gravity a rear carrier can easily be positioned at the desired distance from a front carrier held by a flap or catch. This makes it easy to manually couple an existing hatching frame or an existing egg tray with the carriers. Preferably, a passage flap is present near the upper end of the inclined rail section, which can hold the front carrier. This passage flap can be opened by pressing a carrier against it and closes with the arrival of a next carrier.

In order to be able to hold the carriers easily, preferably on each carrier there are two cams at a distance from each other in the direction of travel, between which the passage flap is in the holding position.

A favorable embodiment of the transport system according to the invention is characterized in that the passage flap is connected to a spring which is tensioned when the passage flap is rotated over a first angle and then relaxes and thereby further rotates the passage flap over a second angle in the same direction as the passage flap has been rotated over the first angle. As a result, the passage flap flips itself (with the aid of the spring) to a passage position in which it does not come into contact with the eggs in or on the hatching frame, so that the eggs cannot be damaged when passing the passage flap.

In order to be able to easily position the hatching frames in a direction transverse to the direction of travel coupling of an existing hatching frame with the carriers, preferably adjustable lateral guides are provided at the location of the passage flap, which form a funnel, and guide the hatching frame to the correct position.

Furthermore, at least one pivotable pawl is present at the location of the inclined rail section, which prevents the carrier on the inclined rail section from rolling back, which pawl can be turned away by a carrier moving forward in the direction of travel. This pawl together with the passage flap ensures accurate positioning of the front carrier of a hatching frame to be placed.

In order to ensure that there is little friction between the wheels and the rail bars and to reduce the risk of getting off the rail, the rail bars of the rail preferably have a rectangular cross section and the wheels of the wheel sets preferably have a V - shaped circumferential groove. Preferably, the width of the circumferential groove is equal to or substantially equal to the width of the wheel. In combination with a rectangular rail, in which, viewed in cross-section, the sidewalls of the groove are on the sides of the rail, the chance of getting off the rail will be greatly reduced compared to conventional transport systems. A favorable embodiment of the transport system according to the invention is characterized in that the rail comprises two parallel rail bars present at a distance from each other, and each carrier is formed by a wheel set which has an elongate frame that at each end is provided with at least two wheels of which the wheel axles extend in the longitudinal direction of the frame, and wherein the wheels are present one behind the other in the width direction of the frame, so that the frame in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is moveable along the rail.

Another favorable embodiment of the transport system according to the invention is characterized in that the rail comprises at least one rail bar, and each carrier has at least one wheel rotating around a wheel axle, as well as a suspension element, is provided with an upper end, which is connected to the wheel axle, and a lower end, which is connected to an elongated frame which also forms part of the carrier and extending transversely to the direction of travel and, seen in the direction of travel, at the front and rear side is provided with the coupling means. The length of the suspension element is preferably adjustable, so that the height of the carriers can be adjusted.

Yet another favorable embodiment of the transport system according to the invention is characterized in that the hatching frame is provided with at least one set of wheels. The hatching frame, together with one or two wheel sets, can form one unit to be placed on the rail. As a result, the hatching frame does not need to be coupled or at most need to be coupled to one set of wheels, which makes it easier to introduce hatching frames into the system.

The invention also relates to a building provided with a conditioned hatching space for eggs having a transport system according to the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be further elucidated below on the basis of drawings. These drawings show embodiments of the transport system according to the present invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a first embodiment of the transport system according to the invention at the location of the introduction of a hatching frame;

Fig. 2 is the passage flap of the transport system shown in Fig. 1 in detail; Figure 3 is the situation when introducing a hatching frame in the transport system just before the hatching frame is coupled to the wheel sets;

Figure 4 is the situation when introducing a hatching frame in the transport system just after the hatching frame is coupled to the wheel sets;

Figure 5 is a second embodiment of the transport system according to the invention;

Figure 6 is a detail of the transport system shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a front view of the transport system shown in Figure 5; and

Figure 8 is a side view of the transport system shown in Figure 5.

Detailed description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the transport system for transporting hatcheries according to the invention. The transport system 1 has a rail 3 with two parallel and spaced rail bars 5. A rail section 7 adjoining one end of the rail extends upwardly from the end 7b of the rail. Carriers 9 and 11 provided with wheels 17 can be moved over the rail. These wheeled carriers are formed by wheel sets. Each wheel set has an elongated frame formed by two parallel and spaced apart profiles which with the ends are attached to wheel housings in which the wheels 17 are located. The wheels axis of the wheels are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the frame and in each wheel housing the wheels are in a row in the direction of travel.

The wheel sets, in the direction of travel, at the front side and at the rear side are provided with coupling means 13 (better visible in the other figures) for coupling to two opposite sides 15a and 15b of a hatching frame 15. These coupling means 13 can be formed by hooks behind which the hatching frame can be hooked with a border.

In order to limit the risk of getting off the rail, the rail bars 5 have a rectangular cross-section and the wheels 17 (see Fig. 2 in which two wheels are shown with broken lines, one of which in cross-section) of the wheel sets are provided with a V-shaped, circumferential groove 19 (see also figure 2).

Near the upper end of the inclined rail section 7a there is a passage flap 21 which can hold a wheel set and opens when the wheel set is pushed against the flap. In figure 2 this passage flap 21 is shown in detail. The elongated profiles of the frame of the carriers 9 and 11 form cams 23 between which the passage flap is in the holding position. This is most clearly visible in Fig. 4 because in Fig. 2 the passage flap 21 is shown in the open position. In front of the passage flap 21 - which also functions as the front stop for a hatching frame when introducing a hatching frame into the system - adjustable lateral guides are present for positioning the hatching frame. In Fig. 2, one of the lateral guides is omitted for the sake of clarity. The passage flap 21 is connected to two springs 27, which are tensioned when the passage flap is rotated over a first angle and then released and thereby further rotate the passage flap through a second angle in the same direction as the passage flap is rotated through the first angle.

Near the passage flap 21 on the side of the sloping rail section 7 there are furthermore two pawls 29 which are rotatable in one direction and which prevent the carrier 9 from rolling back. These paws are pushed downwards when the carriers are pushed over the rail and, after passing a wheel set, they return to the stop position under the influence of gravity.

Figure 3 shows the situation when introducing a hatching frame 15 in the transport system 1 just before the hatching frame is coupled to the carriers 9 and 11. The eggs to be hatched are delivered in hatching trolleys. The hatching frames must be placed in the transport system from the hatching trolleys. To this end, a carrier 9 is first placed on the rail 3 and pushed under the passage flap 21, which is then still open. Subsequently, the passage flap 21, which secures both the carrier and is an abutment for the hatching frame, is closed manually (or possibly via a mechanism that is activated by moving the carrier). A second carrier 1 1 is then placed on the sloping rail section 7. The second carrier 11 will run against stops 31 arranged on the rail bars 5 in that the carrier is positioned on the rail section 7 which slopes downwards. The hatching frame 15 is then placed on the carriers 9 and 1 1. This is simple because the lateral guides 25 facilitate positioning. Then the two carriers with the hatching frame in between can be pushed over the rail. As a result, the passage flap 21 will automatically open with the aid of the two springs 27, as described above. Now a subsequent hatching frame can be brought into the transport system. By way of illustration, Figure 4 shows the situation when placing the hatching frame 15 in the transport system 1 just after the hatching frame is coupled to the carriers 9 and 11.

Figures 5-8 show a second embodiment of the transport system for transporting hatching frames according to the invention. In this transport system 31 the rail 33 has only one rail bar 35 and each carrier 39 is provided with two wheels 43 rotatable about a wheel axle 41 and running in the rail bar (C-profile), see figure 7. Each carrier 39 has an elongate frame 48 provided with coupling means 47 for coupling to the hatching frames 45. Each carrier further has a suspension element 49 which is formed by a number of tubes which can be slid into and out of each other with which the length can be adjusted. Each suspension element 49 is provided with an upper end 49a, which is connected to the wheel shaft 41, and a lower end 49b, which is connected to the frame 48. The frame 48 extends transversely to the direction of travel and is, in the direction of travel at the front side and at the rear side, provided with coupling means 47 for coupling to two mutually opposite sides of a hatching frame 45. These coupling means 47 (see Figure 6) are formed by hooks behind which the hatching frames 45 are hooked with an outer edge.

Although the invention has been explained above with reference to the drawings, it should be noted that the invention is by no means limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings. The invention also extends to all embodiments deviating from the embodiments shown in the drawings within the framework defined by the claims. Thus, instead of the individual wheel sets and hatching frames shown here, the hatching frame can form a unit together with one or two wheel sets so that the hatching frame does not have to be coupled at all with one set of wheels, which facilitates the introduction of hatching frames into the transport system.