Sweep conveyor assembly for use in a silo or granary

A sweep conveyor assembly for use in a silo or granary (70) having a floor (71) and a generally cylindrical wall (72) upstanding from the floor (71) and a discharge apparatus (1) for discharging material (74) from a centre of the floor (71) to an exterior location, the sweep conveyor (S) assembly comprising:

• a sweep conveyor (S) for transporting material (74) inside the silo (70) or granary towards the centre of the floor (71) where it can be discharged by the discharge apparatus (1),
• a holder (H), and
• a link mechanism (8) for connecting the sweep conveyor (S) to the holder (H), said link mechanism (8) comprising a connection link (L) having a first end (83) and a second end (84),
• said first end (83) being configured to be connected to the holder (H) at a fixed pivot point (10) and the sweep conveyor (S) being configured to be connected to the second end (84) of the connection link (L) at a movable pivot point (11), wherein
• the connection link (L) is arranged to rotate about the fixed pivot point (10), forming a first angle (α) between the connection link (L) and an axis extending along a geometrical centre of the holder (H),
• the sweep conveyor (S) is arranged to rotate about the movable pivot point (11), forming a second angle (β) between the sweep conveyor (S) and the connection link (L), whereby the movable pivot point (11) is moved to increase the reach of the sweep conveyor (S),
• the link mechanism (8) is arranged to control a ratio between the first angle (α) and the second angle (β), and a magnitude of the first angle (α) and second angle (β) is controlled by an angular position of the sweep conveyor (S),
• the link mechanism (8) comprises at least two wheels arranged in rolling interaction with each other, and
• the connection link (L) is formed between a center of rotation of each of two wheels, and the wheels are preferably cog wheels.

A sweep conveyor assembly for use in a silo or granary (70) having a floor (71) and a generally cylindrical wall (72) upstanding from the floor (71) and a discharge apparatus (1) for discharging material (74) from a centre of the floor (71) to an exterior location, the sweep conveyor (S) assembly comprising:

• a sweep conveyor (S) for transporting material (74) inside the silo (70) or granary towards the centre of the floor (71) where it can be discharged by the discharge apparatus (1),
• a holder (H), and
• a link mechanism (8) for connecting the sweep conveyor (S) to the holder (H), said link mechanism (8) comprising a connection link (L) having a first end (83) and a second end (84),
• said first end (83) being configured to be connected to the holder (H) at a fixed pivot point (10) and the sweep conveyor (S) being configured to be connected to the second end (84) of the connection link (L) at a movable pivot point (11), wherein
• the connection link (L) is arranged to rotate about the fixed pivot point (10), forming a first angle (α) between the connection link (L) and an axis extending along a geometrical centre of the holder (H),
• the sweep conveyor (S) is arranged to rotate about the movable pivot point (11), forming a second angle (β) between the sweep conveyor (S) and the connection link (L), whereby the movable pivot point (11) is moved to increase the reach of the sweep conveyor (S),
• the link mechanism (8) is arranged to control a ratio between the first angle (α) and the second angle (β), and a magnitude of the first angle (α) and second angle (β) is controlled by an angular position of the sweep conveyor (S),
• the link mechanism (8) comprises a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator (41, 42, 45) or a wire or chain or belt (39) actuator between the first end (83) and the second end (84),
• the connection link (L) is formed between the fixed pivot point and the movable pivot point, and
• the hydraulic or pneumatic actuator (41, 42, 45) comprises a first hydraulic or pneumatic actuator (41) connected between the holder (H) and the first end (83) of the link (L), and a second hydraulic or pneumatic actuator (42) connected between the sweep conveyor (S) and the second end (84) of the link (L).

A sweep conveyor assembly for use in a silo or granary (70) having a floor (71) and a generally cylindrical wall (72) upstanding from the floor (71) and a discharge apparatus (1) for discharging material (74) from a centre of the floor (71) to an exterior location, the sweep conveyor (S) assembly comprising:

• a sweep conveyor (S) for transporting material (74) inside the silo (70) or granary towards the centre of the floor (71) where it can be discharged by the discharge apparatus (1),
• a holder (H), and
• a link mechanism (8) for connecting the sweep conveyor (S) to the holder (H), said link mechanism (8) comprising a connection link (L) having a first end (83) and a second end (84),
• said first end (83) being configured to be connected to the holder (H) at a fixed pivot point (10) and the sweep conveyor (S) being configured to be connected to the second end (84) of the connection link (L) at a movable pivot point (11), wherein
• the connection link (L) is arranged to rotate about the fixed pivot point (10), forming a first angle (α) between the connection link (L) and an axis extending along a geometrical centre of the holder (H),
• the sweep conveyor (S) is arranged to rotate about the movable pivot point (11), forming a second angle (β) between the sweep conveyor (S) and the connection link (L), whereby the movable pivot point (11) is moved to increase the reach of the sweep conveyor (S),
• the link mechanism (8) is arranged to control a ratio between the first angle (α) and the second angle (β), and a magnitude of the first angle (α) and second angle (β) is controlled by an angular position of the sweep conveyor (S), and
• the sweep conveyor (S) is essentially horizontal when mounted on the link mechanism (8), but one end portion (51) of the sweep conveyor (S) extends upwards at an angle (ζ) from the horizontal direction, said end portion (51) being at the end configured to be connected to the link mechanism (8).