FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a gate control device. In particular, the present invention relates to a gate control device with an elongate deformable reservoir that activates a hydraulic cylinder assembly.

BACKGROUND

Gate control devices are used in many environments, including farming environments, to aid persons, such as farmers, when opening and/or closing a gate. Some of these devices are automatic so that the farmer does not have to leave the vehicle they are travelling upon in order to operate the gate, thus saving time and effort.

Although there are various powered gate control devices in existence, these are not particularly suited for operation in a farm environment due to the potentially harsh conditions in which the devices must operate and the difficulty with powering these devices in remote areas. Therefore, mechanical gate control devices are the preferred option in a farming environment.

However, the majority of mechanical gate control devices have the potential problem of being actuated by livestock. Even where the chances of activation are minimised, there still exists a possibility that an animal may open the gate by activating the mechanism if sitting or lying down near the opening mechanism.

Further, many of these gates rely on a timing mechanism or swinging mechanism to close the gate behind the user, and not on a positive actuation of the control mechanism. This can result in the gate closing on the vehicle before it has passed through the gateway.

One example of a known gate is the Burlee gate, which can be viewed at the following website: http://www.burleegates.co.nz/index.html. This gate works by using a spring mechanism that unlatches the gate from the post to which it is attached, and provides a spring action to cause the gate to move into a second open position where it is latched against a second post. The gate in its open position is latched for an adjustable set time before the gate is released and is able to return to its latched closed position. Even though the opening mechanism has been positioned strategically to reduce the chances of livestock actuation, it does not completely remove the possibility of such an activation, as this gate could be opened by an animal lying down near to the gate and actuating the gate mechanism.

Another device is described in NZ516364, where a pressure generating unit is provided, which, when a car is driven onto it, causes the hydraulic pressure to change in the system thus actuating a piston rod to cause the gate to open. There is a risk that the described system could potentially be actuated by livestock if one or two animals were asserting pressure down on the pressure generating unit. For example, if the cows were lying down on top of the unit or standing on the unit in close proximity to each other.

NZ 242712 describes a device that only requires pressure to be applied at a single point on a pressure pad to actuate the device. Upon applying this pressure, water in a pipe system is forced into a reservoir to change the weight balance of the gate, thus opening the gate. The device works by causing a change in the weight of a section of the gate at one end to cause the gate to pivot and raise the opposite end of the gate in the air to open. Again, this device may be actuated by an animal asserting pressure on the pressure pad by standing on it.

Gate-mate is a device that uses a gas hydraulic system to unlock a gate and automatically close the gate afterwards. The system is actuated by a vehicle pushing up against an actuator located on the front of the gate. Although the chances of livestock being able to open the gate are minimised due to the positioning and sensitivity of the actuator, there is still a risk of accidental actuation if an animal nudges up against the device. These types of gate are only arranged to move over a range of ninety degrees, sufficient to allow a vehicle to pass through the gate way. However, there are envisaged circumstances where a further range of movement would be beneficial. For example, the driver of the vehicle may wish to make a tight turn either left or right once it has passed through the gateway, whereas the gate having only moved by ninety degrees impedes the desired route of the vehicle driver on one side.

The present invention aims to overcome, or at least alleviate, some or all of the afore-mentioned problems, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a gate control device including: a pressure circuit including an elongate deformable reservoir adapted to contain a fluid, a hydraulic cylinder assembly adapted to be in connection with the elongate deformable reservoir, and connecting means adapted to connect the hydraulic cylinder assembly to a gate, wherein the hydraulic cylinder assembly is adapted to open the gate, via the connecting means, upon a first portion of the elongate deformable reservoir applying fluid pressure to the hydraulic cylinder assembly, where the fluid pressure is applied by forcing the fluid to move along the first portion of the elongate deformable reservoir upon applying, when in use, an external force along the first portion of the elongate deformable reservoir.

According to particular embodiments of the present invention the gate control device minimises the risk of animals opening the gate by only allowing the gate to be actuated through the action of an external force rolling over the elongate deformable reservoir. As animals are not able to cause an external force of this manner to occur, they are unable to actuate the gate control device.

Further, the connecting mechanism on the gate enables the gate to operate in a 180 degree range of motion, thus allowing the user to circumvent the gate effectively once passing through the gateway. According to an embodiment, a closing mechanism is provided that triggers the gate to close only after a vehicle has passed through the gateway thus reducing the risk of the gate closing on the vehicle before it has passed completely through the gateway.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 A shows a plan view of a gate and a gate control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1 B shows a cross sectional view of a hydraulic cylinder and connections used in the embodiment shown in Figure 1A; Figure 2A shows a plan view of a gate and a gate control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2B shows an alternative hydraulic cylinder arrangement to the embodiment shown in Figure 2A;

Figure 3A shows a double movement latch mechanism for use with a gate control device;

Figure 3B shows detail of the latch mechanism in Figure 3A;

Figure 4 shows a conceptual view of a gate control device operated to close a gate according to embodiments of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a conceptual view of a gate control device operated to open a gate according to embodiments of the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

First Embodiment

Figure 1 A shows a plan view of a gate and a gate control device according to this first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to figure 1A, a gate 101 is shown for closing off a gateway formed in a gap in fencing 103. A support post 105 is provided on one side of the gateway, and a stop post 107 is provided on the other side.

In this embodiment, the gate is sized so that it is not able to pivot about its hinge

108 on a first side of the fence and pass through the gateway to the opposite side of the fence, i.e. the gate is only able to open in one direction. This is due to the stop post providing a block to the gate from opening in the opposite direction. It will be understood that this type of arrangement will only be suitable for keeping livestock in an area on the side of the gate where the gate swings otherwise the livestock would be able to push the gate to open it.

A gate control device 109 is provided that includes a pressure circuit 111 , a first portion of an elongate deformable reservoir 113, a second portion of an elongate deformable reservoir 114 and a hydraulic cylinder assembly 115. The hydraulic cylinder assembly includes a rod 117 that operates laterally when fluid pressure is applied to an inlet valve on the hydraulic cylinder assembly.

In this embodiment water is used as the fluid to operate the hydraulic cylinder assembly, move the rod and control the gate. However, it will be understood that various other fluids may be used, such as, for example, air, oil and hydraulic fluid.

The elongate deformable reservoir is formed in this embodiment from hard wearing plastic tubing or hosing of approximately 40mm in diameter, and is filled with the fluid. However, it will be understood that various other dimensions could be used as an alternative, for example, in the range 30 to 50mm or greater. The diameter of the tubing may be varied depending on the length of the tubing used to ensure a correct pressure is maintained in the system and to ensure the pressure is sufficient to enable the gate to be operated by most suitable farm vehicles. For example, the tubing may be of a 9 metre length and 40 mm diameter to provide a suitable pressure of around 5 psi for opening the gate at the correct speed. This type of arrangement is thus suitable for relatively 4 wheel all terrain vehicles (ATV) which have relatively low tyre pressure. It will be understood that the length of tubing, diameter of tubing and pressure set in the system may be adapted and modified according to how fast or far the gate is required to open, the type and speed of the vehicles using the system and the needs of the user.

Further, it will be understood that the pressure circuit may include different rated pressure seals and pressure release valves in order to adjust the operation of the system according to the requirements of the user. For example, the system may incorporate an adjustable pressure release valve to adjust the amount of pressure at which the system is arranged to operate and so adjust the speed and range of the gate movement.

The material of the tubing may be any suitable deformable material that can contain a fluid, such as rubber or PVC, for example.

As mentioned above, the elongate deformable reservoir has a first portion 113 and a second portion 114. Each of the first portion 113 and second portion 114 of the elongate deformable reservoir has a first section (113A and 114A) laid in position on the ground on either side and near the entrance where the gate is located, and a second section (113B and 114B - shown in dotted lines) laid under the ground within protective tubing. The reservoir is positioned to allow a vehicle to ride over the first section of the reservoir as it approaches the gate.

It will be understood that, as an alternative, sections of the reservoir are not required to be buried and may be laid on the top of the surface. For example, the first sections may be laid adjacent the second sections. It may be particularly advantageous not to require the ground to be dug up in situations where the device is to be used in an environment with a particular hard surface.

Referring to Figure 1 B, the hydraulic cylinder assembly 115 includes a rod 117. The cylinder assembly 115 has two ports (211 and 217); one is connected to the first portion 113, and the other is connected to the second portion 114 of the elongate deformable reservoir. As a vehicle approaches the gate, the tyres of the vehicle apply an external (i.e. external to the tubing) downward rolling force to the first section 113A of the first portion 113 of the elongate deformable reservoir by rolling over the tubing and forcing the fluid to travel in the direction of the arrow 122. This effectively reduces the volume in the elongate deformable reservoir in that portion. The fluid in the tubing is thus forced via the first port (open) 211 into a first part of the hydraulic cylinder reservoir 213. This fluid movement and pressure increase causes the diaphragm 215 to move within the hydraulic cylinder reservoir 213 and move the rod 117 in a direction that opens the gate. That is, the rod is retracted into the cylinder body.

The first section 114A of the second portion 114 of the elongate deformable reservoir is located on the ground at a point past the gateway. The distance the first section 114A of the second portion 114 of the elongate deformable reservoir is placed away from the gate is determined by the length of the vehicles that are likely to use the gateway. The distance is chosen so that it is sufficient to allow the vehicle to pass through the gateway a far enough distance before operating the gate device, such that when the gate is operated to close, the gate does not come into contact with the back end of the vehicle.

Distance considerations also apply to the first section 113A of the first portion 113 of the elongate deformable reservoir in order to enable the gate to open sufficiently prior to the vehicle passing through the gateway and so stop the vehicle front end coming into contact with the gate.

When the vehicle passes through the gateway and reaches the second portion of the elongate deformable reservoir, the same type of external force is applied along the deformable reservoir so that the fluid in the first section of the second portion is forced in the opposite direction as previously discussed and into the second port (close) 217 on the hydraulic cylinder assembly. The fluid thus enters the second part of the hydraulic cylinder reservoir 219 and applies pressure to the diaphragm 215 from the other side and so causes the rod 117 to extend out of the cylinder body and close the gate.

In this embodiment, a first connecting mechanism 119A pivotally connects the body of the hydraulic cylinder assembly 115 to the support post 105 and the gate 101. The hydraulic cylinder assembly is attached to the gate so that it lies substantially parallel to and away from the gate. The connecting mechanism includes a first connector that pivotally connects, at a first end, to the support post; a second connector that pivotally connects, at a first end, to the body of the hydraulic cylinder assembly; and a third connector that pivotally connects, at a first end, to one side of the gate. Each of the three connectors are connected together pivotally at their second end to create a pivoting movement that allows the gate to open in a full 180 degrees of motion.

A second connecting mechanism 109B also includes a fixed connector between the distal end of the rod and the gate 101. The fixture point on the gate is located towards the top edge of the gate about a third of the way along its length. This position is such that when the rod moves due to fluid pressure being applied to the cylinder 115, the gate is moved (as shown by the solid arrow in Figure 1A) due to the effective force being applied on the gate by the rod. As the other end of the hydraulic cylinder assembly is pivotally attached, the gate is able to swing open via its hinge 108.

Referring to figure 1 B, arrow 221 indicates the direction of the rod when the gate is opening, and arrow 223 indicates the direction of the rod when the gate is closing.

Second Embodiment

Figure 2A shows a plan view of a gate and a gate control device according to this second embodiment. This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment apart from the addition of a latch. It will also be understood that the latch mechanism described in this embodiment may also be applied to any of the gate control device embodiments described herein.

The latch system 201 includes a latch 203, a pivotal connection 205 with the gate, an aperture 207, and a connecting device 209 that connects to the rod of the hydraulic cylinder assembly at a connection point 211. The latch components may be made from any suitable material, such as stainless steel or plastic, for example.

The latch 203 is pivotally attached to the gate via the pivotal connection 205 such that the latch 203 can pivot about a point between a first position where the gate is prevented from swinging open, to a second position that freely allows the gate to open up. In this embodiment, the gate is sized so that it is not able to pivot about its hinge on a first side of the fence and pass through the gateway to the opposite side of the fence, i.e. the gate is only able to open in one direction. This is due to the stop post providing a block to the gate from opening in the opposite direction.

The latch 203 includes a protrusion 213 that locates on an opposite side of the stop post 107 to the side that the gate is located thus providing a stop mechanism that locks the gate in a closed position. When the rod is caused to move by the vehicle riding over the elongate deformable reservoir, the connecting device 209, such as a wire cable, between the rod and the latch causes the latch to pivot so that the protrusion is moved away from the stop post and towards the hydraulic cylinder assembly, thus unlocking the latch.

When the gate is closing, the force applied by the rod on the gate causing the gate to move is sufficient to cause the protrusion 213 of the latch 203 to ride over the stop post 107 and relocate itself in the locked position.

Referring to figure 2B an alternative arrangement is shown whereby the hydraulic cylinder assembly is reversed. That is, the rod 117 is attached to the first connecting mechanism 119A. The hydraulic cylinder body or barrel 115 includes an attachment portion 215 with an aperture 217 that is arranged to connect to the connecting device 209 and second connecting mechanism 109B. It will be understood that for this alternative arrangement to operate in the same manner as described above, the tubing connections to the hydraulic cylinder assembly are required to be connected in an opposite manner to that shown in figure 1 B. Third Embodiment

Figure 3A shows a double movement latch mechanism for use with a gate control device described herein. Figure 3B shows details of the latch mechanism.

Again, in this embodiment, the gate is sized so that it is not able to pivot about its hinge on a first side of the fence and pass through the gateway to the opposite side of the fence, i.e. the gate is only able to open in one direction. This is due to the stop post providing a block to the gate from opening in the opposite direction.

The latch according to this embodiment operates by way of a double movement utilising the hydraulic cylinder assembly. During the gate opening stage, the first movement uses the rod movement to retract the latch, and the second movement uses the rod movement to pull the gate to open the gate while the latch is retracted. During the gate closing stage, the first movement uses the rod movement to release the latch, and the second movement uses the rod movement to push on the gate to shut the gate while the latch is released, so that the latch rides over the stop post.

Figure 3A shows the arrangement when the latch 319 is released and the gate

101 is closed. The hydraulic cylinder assembly 301 includes a rod 303. The rod portion of the hydraulic cylinder assembly is fixedly connected to the gate via a connecting element 302. The hydraulic cylinder assembly body or barrel is pivotally connected to a pivotal latch operator 307 via an attachment portion 304 which includes an aperture aligned with an aperture 309 on the pivotal latch operator 307.

As mentioned above, the pivotal latch operator 307 includes an aperture 309 to enable a connecting device 323, such as a wire cable, to connect between the pivotal latch operator and the latch 319, as well as to connect the pivotal latch operator to the attachment portion 304 via a fastener 305. It will be understood that, as an alternative, the pivotal latch operator 307 may be connected by any suitable means directly to the base of the hydraulic cylinder assembly without the need for the attachment portion 304.

A pivot stop 313 is attached to the gate in line with the cylinder barrel 301. The pivot stop includes two surfaces, a first stop surface 327 upon which the pivotal latch operator abuts when the rod is retracted and the gate is being opened, and a second stop surface 329 upon which the pivotal latch operator abuts when the rod is extended and the gate is being closed. In this embodiment, the pivot stop is a separate flange that is attached to the gate by any suitable means, such as screw or bolt fixings. However, it will be understood that the pivotal stop may be formed as an integral part of the gate.

The connecting device 323, or cable, is connected to an aperture 321 on the latch 319. The latch itself is pivotally connected at a pivot point 317 to a latch support 315, which is fixedly attached to the gate. The orientation of the latch support 315 is such that it protrudes substantially perpendicularly away from the gate so that the latch can pivot in an arcuate manner parallel to the gate (as viewed in figure 3A). When the gate is closed, the stop post effectively locates within an area defined by the distal end of the gate, an edge of the latch support

315 and an edge of the released latch 325 thus stopping the gate from opening.

When the hydraulic cylinder assembly is actuated and the rod is caused to retract by the fluid pressure being applied by the vehicle travelling over the first portion of the elongate deformable reservoir, the pivotal latch operator 307 is caused to pivot about the pivotal connection 311 until it abuts the first stop surface 327 on the pivot stop. During this movement, the cable 323 is pulled by the cylinder body and so pivots the latch 319 about the pivotal connection 317 on the latch support. This retracts the latch to allow the gate to be opened.

As the rod further retracts, the pivotal latch operator (via the cylinder body) applies pressure to the first stop surface 327 on the pivot stop and pulls the gate open. After the vehicle has passed through the open gateway, the rod will then extend due to the second portion of the elongate deformable reservoir having external pressure applied to it. The moving cylinder body caused by the extending rod will first cause the latch to be released up until the pivotal latch operator abuts the second stop surface on the pivot stop 313. The continuing extension of the rod will then cause the gate to be pushed closed until the latch 319 rides over the stop post 107 and the gate end abuts the stop post 107.

Therefore, the initial movement of the rod, and so the hydraulic cylinder body, during the opening of the gate does not cause the gate itself to move, but only retracts the latch. Further, the initial movement of the rod, and so the hydraulic cylinder body, during the closing of the gate only causes the latch to be released and does not move the gate until after it is released.

Figure 4 shows a conceptual view of a gate control device with the gate in a closed position. This particular embodiment does not show a latch mechanism operated by the rod on the hydraulic cylinder assembly, however it will be understood that alterations and modifications may be made to this gate to conform to other herein described embodiments.

In this embodiment, the hydraulic cylinder assembly 401 is orientated such that the rod 403 is pivotally connected to the connecting mechanism 119, while the body of the hydraulic cylinder assembly is fixedly connected to the gate via another portion 119B of the connecting mechanism.

Figure 5 shows a conceptual view of the gate control device in figure 4 operated to open a gate. As can be seen the gate has pivoted around the support post 105 approximately 180 degrees to the open position due to the pivotal arrangement of the connecting mechanism connected between the support post, gate and hydraulic cylinder assembly. Further Embodiments

It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention described herein are by way of example only, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of invention.

Various materials may be used for the different parts of the invention. For example, it will be understood that sheet metal components may be used for the connecting mechanism, or alternatively moulded plastic components or other types of material may be used.

Further, it will be understood that various other arrangements of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (the cylinder body and rods) are envisaged that provide the same functionality, as well as the use of other types of hydraulic cylinder assemblies. For example, the hydraulic cylinder assemblies may be orientated in an opposite manner to that shown in figures 1 , 4 and 5. For example, the rod may be arranged to be in pivotal connection with the support post and the body of the cylinder may be fixedly in connection with the gate with the appropriate hydraulic connections being re-arranged. Further, it will be understood that the orientation of the hydraulic cylinder body and rod in figure 3A and 3B may be reversed along with the hydraulic connections to the tubing.