# US 10,117,416 B2 · Vehicle for displacing feed lying on a floor in a sideward displacement direction > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,117,416 B2 - Document ID: US10117416B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/771,073 - Filed: 2014-01-31 - Published: 2016-01-07 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-21 - Assignees: Lely Patent N.V. - Applicants: Lely Patent N.V. - Inventors: Geert Cornelis Steen; Heine Stegink - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10117416B2 ## CPC - A01K 5/02: Automatic devices {(automatic identification devices for stock A01K11/006)} - A01K 1/01: Removal of dung or urine {; Removal of manure from stables}(A01K1/015 takes precedence) - A01K 1/0128: {by means of scrapers or the like moving continuously} - A01K 1/105: {Movable feed barriers} - A01K 5/0266: {with stable trolleys, e.g. suspended} - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract A vehicle for displacing feed includes a frame with wheels having a plurality of elongate tread portions and grooves, a motor for moving the vehicle in a moving direction, and a material displacer to displace the material, when the vehicle moves in the moving direction, over the floor towards a first side with respect to said moving direction. At least a majority of the tread portions is arranged such that they extend, when in contact with the floor, in a direction that makes a sharp angle with the forward direction opposite said first side. Thus, diagonal tread portions are predominantly directed to one side to counteract a reaction force of the feed being displaced sidewardly by the vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle for displacing material such as feed, comprising: a frame with a plurality of wheels having a tread pattern with a plurality of elongate tread portions and grooves; a motor device operably coupled to at least one of the plurality of wheels for moving the vehicle over a floor in a moving direction; and a material displacer coupled to the frame, and arranged to displace the material, when the vehicle moves in the moving direction, over the floor towards a first side with respect to said moving direction, wherein at least a majority of the tread portions is arranged such that the tread portions extend, when in contact with the floor, in a direction that makes a sharp angle with a forward direction opposite said first side. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said sharp angle is between 45 and 90°. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tread portions comprise mutually parallel tread portions. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tread portions extend over an entire width of the tread. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the grooved tread portions have a depth and the raised tread portions have a width, wherein the width is smaller than 3 times the depth. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of wheels have a mutually translationally identical tread pattern. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an autonomous unmanned vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the material displacer comprises a feed displacer configured to displace feed substantially sidewardly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: two wheels that are separately drivable by a separate drive; a distance determining device configured to determine a distance from the vehicle to a wall portion; a torque difference adjusting device configured to adjust the torque difference between the wheels; and a control unit configured to control the vehicle and move the vehicle in a direction of travel. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said sharp angle is between 45 and 75°. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said sharp angle is 60°. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tread portions comprise straight, linear tread portions. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tread portions consist of straight, linear tread portions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each one of the tread portions extends over an entire width of the wheel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the grooved tread portions have a depth and the raised tread portions have a width, wherein the width is smaller than 2 times the depth. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the material displacer comprises a feed displacer configured to displace feed substantially sidewardly, the feed displacer comprising a feed slide or a circular element freely rotatable for frictional drive with the ground and/or the feed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 2) The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the tread portions comprise mutually parallel tread portions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tread portions and grooves of the plurality of wheels are configured in such a manner that upon moving of the vehicle in the moving direction, the tread patterns of the plurality of wheels, in interaction with the floor, together generate a force acting on the vehicle having a component in a sideward displacement direction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tread pattern of the plurality of wheels of the entire vehicle is asymmetrical with respect to the moving direction. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wheels include a left wheel and a right wheel, and a majority out of all the tread portions of the left wheel and right wheel extend in the same direction that makes the sharp angle with the forward direction opposite said first side.