Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a feed magazine of the kind typically used for storing feed prior to feeding, wherein the feed magazine includes a bottom with two ends and with two sides and a number of side faces, wherein the feed magazine further includes means for transporting feed in direction towards one or both of the two ends of the feed magazine, wherein the means for transporting feed in direction towards one of the ends include a number of juxtaposed planks extending longitudinally of the feed magazine and in direction of movement of the feed, wherein the planks rest on a base and are fixed set by set to one or more movable crossbars, wherein the movable crossbars are connected to a number of linear actuators, wherein each set of planks are moved in a reciprocating movement by the linear actuators and crossbars, the feed magazine including at least three sets of planks. The invention also relates to a method for operating such a feed magazine. Background of the Invention

It is commonly known in farming to use feed magazines for transport, however primarily for mixing and storing feed before distributing the feed to respective domestic animals. For example, such feed magazines are used for separating ensilage before feeding the ensilage. By placing ensilage or similar on a base which is moved towards a so-called shredder, one or more rollers, or against a more or less vertically oriented conveyor, there is achieved a loosening effect, and the feed is thus transported to a feed cart for distribution or for laying immediately in front of the domestic animals in question. It is commonly known to use bases in such feed magazines which include a system of bottom chains and carriers that are slowly moved in direction against the end of the feed magazine at which the feed is taken out. However, such systems are somewhat inexpedient for various reasons. One reason is an aggressive environment with a relatively strong and in some cases rapid decomposition of e.g. ferrous metals due to corrosion. Another drawback of the prior art systems is that a breakdown cannot readily be repaired due to a full or partly full magazine. In case that a bottom chain breaks, which typically occurs when the bottom chain is most loaded corresponding to the magazine being full, it is thus often necessary to empty the feed magazine for repairing a broken bottom chain. Such a process of emptying the feed magazine and repairing the occurred damage is often time-consuming, and obviously it never happens at a convenient time.

Thus there is an expressed wish for a feed magazine which in contrast to prior art feed magazines are reliable and which can stand the aggressive environment without any further measures. Such a feed magazine should be very simple and robust and not require any substantial or special maintenance.

Object of the Invention

The object of the invention is to indicate a feed magazine wherein the bottom of the feed magazine is plane and without movable chains, and which is robust, corrosion- resistant and simple in construction.

Description of the Invention

As indicated in the introduction, the present invention concerns a feed magazine of the kind typically used for storing feed prior to feeding, wherein the feed magazine includes a bottom with two ends and with two sides and a number of side faces, wherein the feed magazine further includes means for transporting feed in direction towards one or both of the two ends of the feed magazine, wherein the means for transporting feed in direction towards one of the ends include a number of juxtaposed planks extending longitudinally of the feed magazine and in direction of movement of the feed, wherein the planks rest on a base and are fixed set by set to one or more movable crossbars, wherein the movable crossbars are connected to a number of linear actuators, wherein each set of planks are moved in a reciprocating movement by the linear actuators and crossbars, the feed magazine including at least three sets of planks.

By moving all sets of planks at once in the same direction, the load/feed on the planks is displaced, and by subsequently retracting one set of planks, the load remains where it is. This is due to the fact that a lesser area than the one which is kept unmoved is retracted. By a feed magazine according to the invention where the said movement is repeated again and again until the feed magazine is empty, there is achieved the option of an individually variable speed, for example as a slow or rapid conveying, while at the same time entailing a solution which is simple, robust and reliable, where the bottom of the feed magazine is plane and is only constituted by the upwardly facing surfaces of the planks. Therefore there are no chains or other movable parts which are moved along the bottom and which hereby move the feed against the end of the feed magazine.

In principle, the planks lie loosely beside each other and can be held in place by the sides of the feed magazine which then may be adapted as a kind of edge guides.

A feed magazine according to the invention, and thereby the planks, can readily be made in lengths of 3 metres, though typically with a length of 4 to 6 metres, or even up to 12 metres, or more.

The base on which the planks are resting can be constituted by a number of supporting transverse girders, e.g. steel girders, which are arranged with suitable spacing.

Typically, on a feed magazine according to the invention, at one end there is arranged an unloader in the form of a more or less vertically standing device with a kind of carriers or rollers which convey feed from the feed magazine to a feed cart or the like.

A feed magazine according to the invention may, as mentioned above, advantageously include at least three sets of planks. These three sets of planks may each include an undefined number of planks. A set of planks can e.g. include eight planks, each with a width of 10 cm. When using three of such sets of planks, the total width of the bottom of the feed magazine amounts to 240 cm.

The new feature of a feed magazine according to the invention is that the surface of the planks, or at least part of the surface of the planks which is in direct contact with feed, includes a outer surface of synthetic material/plastic. Hereby is achieved a good and robust protection of the planks against corrosion, pitting and/or unintended decomposition and against wear by the feed stored and transported in the feed magazine. In a variant of the invention, only a part of the planks is encased by the outer surface of synthetic material/plastic which is an option and which in some cases will be preferable due to cost, wear on the underlying structure, and/or wear and corrosion risk due to the feed. In order to achieve as robust and secure plank as possible, it is preferred, however, that the protective coating on the surface is provided on all faces of the plank. However, the thickness may vary on such outer surface, depending on the position on plank and according to wish, need, and/or load.

In a preferred embodiment of a feed magazine according to the invention, the planks can be made with a core of metal, wood or other dimensionally stable material, and be entirely or partially encased by a material of synthetics/plastic, including a fibre- reinforced plastic composite material. By making the planks with a core of wood, for example, there is achieved good flexibility in the plank while at the same time providing ample rigidity and a reasonable cost. By encasing all or some parts of a plank with synthetic material, a suitable plastic which e.g. can be fibre-reinforced with suitable fibres or the like, there is achieved a strong and robust surface on the plank as well as a surface which will not allow juices from the feed or other liquids to penetrate into the wood. In case that the core is made of metal, e.g. aluminium, steel or stainless steel, there is achieved unique protection against corrosion and wear.

In a preferred embodiment of a feed magazine according to the invention, the planks can be made of a fibre-reinforced plastic composite. The fibres can e.g. be glass fibres, carbon fibres or other kinds of fibres, including plant fibres or even of metal (aluminium, steel, stainless steel or other suitable metal alloys), where the fibres comprise single fibres, strands or mats of the chosen fibre types, or combinations thereof, where these fibres and/or threads are embedded in polyester, epoxy, vinylester, or other suitable plastic. Such planks can be made by moulding by processes suited for the purpose, though pultrusion is evidently regarded as the most suited and cheapest process, which, however, may be varied depending on various conditions. The planks can be made with a relatively thin surface layer and can also be constructed with several core parts in longitudinal as well as transverse direction of respective planks. Such core parts can be of identical or different materials depending on need, as the construction can be determined by specific conditions, such as e.g. type of feed and/or dimensions of the feed magazine itself and of the individual planks.

The planks can be solid, tubular, U-shaped, H-shaped, C-shaped, or can have any other suitable cross-sectional shape depending on what is evidently the most suitable for the specific purpose. By making the planks with a general shape as a C with the back of the C facing upwards serving as support for the feed, and why the flanges of the C therefore support and bear on the base under the planks, there is achieved a very advantageous solution which is robust, having a low self- weight and which is easy to provide with the necessary fittings. In an embodiment of a feed magazine according to the invention, the movable crossbars can be arranged on a carriage, the carriage including wheels or slide shoes that engage and are guided in longitudinal beams under the feed magazine. These longitudinal beams can be U- or H-shaped longitudinal steel beams which, apart from serving as tracks for wheels or slide shoes on the carriages, serve to support and carry the entire feed magazine. These longitudinal beams can in principle be compared to the side members in a typical agricultural waggon or in a lorry. Typically, there will one of the mentioned carriages for each set of planks, and a typical travel is between 5 and 50 cm, preferably about 25 cm. In a particularly preferred variant of the invention, these carriages are provided with a kind of slide shoes or wear blocks, having the advantage that feed residues are not squeezed into the track in the U- or H-profile, which will happen if wheels are used. By slide shoes/wear blocks there is thus no great need for servicing and cleaning of the tracks in the beams.

A feed magazine according to the invention may advantageously be adapted such that the linear actuators are single-acting hydraulic cylinders. Hereby is achieved a very simple and thereby robust design as no complicated control of the oil flow is required. A very simple change-over valve can be used as it only has to operate according to a given sequence and is only to supply pressure to one of the single-acting hydraulic cylinders at a time. When a cylinder is activated by supplying an oil flow, this cylinder is pressed out/extended and simultaneously another cylinder is compressed/retracted, and the oil from the other cylinder is conducted to a tank.

In one variant, the invention can be operated by four hydraulic cylinders which are activated one by one, where during activation of one cylinder, another is compressed as all four cylinders are arranged in one long row between two fixed ends. These fixed ends may advantageously be arranged between the two above mentioned longitudinal beams.

In order for a feed magazine according to the invention to work, as mentioned above there is required a base upon which the planks can rest. This base can be constituted by a number of transverse girders advantageously made of steel and with a slide coating, for example a slide coating of PE-HD, PTFE or similar, on the surface on which the planks are moved in the reciprocating movement. The planks are thus moved on the slide coating and not directly on the transverse girders. Hereby is achieved the advantage that the planks are not worn appreciably on the bearing surface, and at the same time it is possible replace the mentioned slide coating in connection with regular service of the feed magazine.

A feed magazine according to the invention is typically designed such that each plank includes a fitting which is in contact with a movable crossbar, the plank in question being held in position by its self-weight and by the feed lying on the plank. Alternatively, the plank can be fastened in a simple way such that it can easily be released. A plank can thus readily be dismounted and possibly replaced, for example without use of tools as it is actually not necessarily fixed. The fitting is adapted to be pulled and pushed in longitudinal direction of the plank in order achieve that feed is moved along the feed magazine without using bottom chains or similar carriers running along the bottom. In order to optimise the use of a feed magazine according to the invention, the feed magazine can be mobile and include at least one set of wheels or rollers at one end. The feed magazine can thus be moved with a tractor or similar between a silo and the place where the feed is mixed and/or filled into a feed cart before distribution. It is hereby avoided to arrange the barn where the feed is filled into a feed cart in order to enable driving with a loading machine between different feed magazines. By drawing a feed magazine out for filling, appreciably less space is required as in principle it is sufficient to access the individual feed magazine or magazines at one end. The invention furthermore concerns a method for operating a feed magazine of the kind typically used for storing feed prior to feeding, wherein the feed magazine includes a bottom with two ends and with two sides and a number of side faces, wherein the feed magazine further includes means for transporting feed in direction towards one or both of the two ends of the feed magazine.

The new feature of the method is that it includes at least the following steps for controlling and operating a number of planks arranged set by set and individually displaceable set by set, wherein these planks constitute a bottom in the feed magazine:

- activating a first linear actuator for positioning all sets of planks in a starting position and for compressing a further linear actuator;

- activating a second linear actuator for positioning one first set of planks in a displaced position and for compressing the first linear actuator;

- activating a third linear actuator for positioning one second set of planks in a displaced position and for compressing the second linear actuator;

- activating a fourth linear actuator for positioning one third set of planks in a displaced position and for compressing the third linear actuator.

In that the linear actuators are activated one by one, there is achieved that activation of one linear actuator causes compression of another linear actuator whereby only one linear actuator is extended at a time while another is compressed, providing a very simple control and construction in general. A linear actuator can be a hydraulic cylinder as mentioned above, though pneumatic actuators or electric actuator of suitable kind can be used as well. Furthermore, it is possible to use a kind of chain drive for performing the longitudinal movements of respective movable crossbars. However, it is important that all parts of the solution causing the movement of the planks are arranged under the planks and therefore that they are not in contact with the feed. As mentioned above, this has a very significant influence on the durability of the apparatus as corrosion of these protected movable parts will not take place. It is only the planks which are in contact with the feed and which thus are exposed to the aggressive substances therein, but since the planks are preferably made of fibre composite, they are not sensitive to corrosion in the same way as ferrous metals.

The invention also concerns a method for operating a feed magazine wherein the feed magazine includes several sets of planks, each set of planks being moved under the action of one or more co-ordinated linear actuators, wherein the sets of planks are arranged juxtaposed, for example one plank of a first set, one plank of a second set, one plank of a third set, one plank of a first set, one plank of a second set, one plank of a third set, and so on, wherein each set of planks is moved in the same direction at the same time. Thus is achieved a very simple, rapid and robust moving of feed in a feed magazine.

Description of the Drawing

The invention is described in the following with reference to the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a feed magazine with sides and bottom.

Fig. 2 shows a bottom of a feed magazine with only three planks shown in a first position.

Fig. 3 shows a carriage for a bottom of a feed magazine.

Fig. 4 shows a bottom of a feed magazine with only three planks shown in a second position.

Fig. 5 shows a bottom of a feed magazine with only three planks shown in a third position. Fig. 6 shows a bottom of a feed magazine with only three planks shown in a fourth position.

Fig. 7 shows a bottom of a feed magazine as seen from below.

Fig. 8 shows schematically the four different positions of the linear actuators.

In the explanation of the Figures, identical or corresponding elements will be provided with the same designations in different Figures. Therefore, no explanation of all details will be given in connection with each single Figure/embodiment.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention

In Fig. 1 is seen a feed magazine 1 with a bottom 2 in which is provided a number of planks 3. Along the sides of the bottom 2 are arranged three side faces 4 whereas an opening 5 is provided at the fourth side. By this opening 5 and during use is provided a more or less vertical, not shown conveyor, roller or the like that moves the feed out of the feed magazine 1 and up into a not shown feed cart or the like. The feed magazine 1 is here shown in a stationary version provided with legs 6. A feed magazine 1 as shown may typically have a length of about 6 m or more and a width of about 2.5 m or more.

Fig. 2 shows a bottom 2 of a feed magazine 1 which is sectioned longitudinally, thus showing half of a bottom 2 where three planks 3 appears, shown in a first position corresponding to a starting position. In order to show the structures under the planks 3, only three juxtaposed and elongated planks 3 are shown here, each provided with a fitting 7 for fixing to a movable crossbar 8. As seen on the Figure, the planks 3 are each fixed to the fitting 7 by screws 9. The planks 3 rest on the movable crossbars 8, but also on the transverse beams 10 which can be of steel and be provided with a not shown slide coating on the bearing face. Along the bottom 2 is seen one of the longitudinal beams 1 1 which are here made of U-shaped steel sections. Between the longitudinal beams 1 1 there are arranged three carriages 12, one for each set of planks 3. The carriages 12 are guided in the beams 1 1 and are provided with fittings 13 for the movable crossbars 8. The carriages 12 are interconnected by linear actuators 14 mounted between the carriages 12 and between an end piece 15 and a carriage 12, respectively. Fig. 3 shows a carriage 12 for a bottom 2 of a feed magazine 1. The carriage 12 has two longitudinal arms 16, where at each end of the arm 16 there is arranged a slide shoe 17 that fits in the U-sections of which the longitudinal beams 1 1 are made. Fig. 4 shows a bottom 2 for a feed magazine 1 with three planks 3 only. In Fig. 2, the planks 3 a, 3b, 3 c are shown in a position different from that in Fig. 2. In this situation, the plank 3 a has been pushed to the right as the linear actuator 14b is activated, moving the movable crossbar 8a and pressing the linear actuator 14a together. For the sake of clarity, only three planks 3 are shown, but it should be envisaged that e.g. eight sets, each of three planks 3a, 3b, 3c, lie side by side. It will thus be every third plank 3 that is displaced by activation of the actuator 14b.

In Fig. 5 appears a bottom 2 for a feed magazine 1 in a third position. In this situation, the plank 3b has now been pushed to the right also as the linear actuator 14c is activated, having moved the movable crossbar 8b and pressed the linear actuator 14b together.

In Fig. 6 appears a bottom 2 for a feed magazine 1 in a fourth position. In this situation, the plank 3 c has now been pushed to the right also as the linear actuator 14d is activated, having moved the movable crossbar 8c and pressed the linear actuator 14c together. In this Figure, all three planks 3a, 3b, 3c are thus all pushed aside and are now ready for being pushed back to the situation shown in Fig. 2, something which is effected by activating the linear actuator 14a. Hereby, the entire load of not shown feed disposed on the planks 3 is moved a step farther to the left. The above described process is then repeated again and again until the desired moving has been achieved.

Fig. 7 shows a bottom 2 for a feed magazine 1 as seen from below, where the longitudinal beams 1 1 appear with the three carriages 12 and the four linear actuators 14 in the form of hydraulic cylinders which are arranged between the two end pieces 15 and the carriages 12. Finally, Figs. 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d show schematically the four different positions of the linear actuators 14 where Fig. 8a corresponds to Fig. 2, Fig. 8b corresponds to Fig. 4, Fig. 8c corresponds to Fig. 5 and Fig. 8d corresponds to Fig. 6.