Feedbunk soaking system
OwnerTed A. Gribble, Donald L. Gribbleinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system may provide for delivering a sequence of one or more soaking sprays at a station where an animal is present. The station may include a pressurized pipe supplying a liquid for the soaking spray, a valve and nozzle coupled to the pipe, and a control circuit coupled to the valve. The control circuit may be operable to determine the sequence of the soaking spray using a signal from an animal sensor that is configured to detect the presence of the animal at the station. The system may include an environmental sensor providing at least one signal to the control circuit. The signal from the environmental sensor may be used by the control circuit to determine the sequence for the soaking spray.
Claims20
A system for delivering a sequence of one or more soaking sprays at a station only when a first animal is present at the station and only when an ambient temperature at the station is above an upper end of a predetermined range, and wherein the station is provided with a pressurized pipe supplying a liquid for the soaking spray, the system comprising:
- a. a valve configured to be coupled to the pipe and operable for controlling delivery of the soaking spray;
- b. a nozzle coupled to the valve, the nozzle configured to deliver the soaking spray of the liquid from the pipe to the animal;
- c. a control circuit coupled to the valve, the control circuit operable to determine the sequence of the soaking spray;
- d. an ultrasonic animal sensor coupled to the control circuit and configured to detect the presence of the first animal at the station;
- and
- e. a temperature sensor providing a signal to the control circuit, the signal representing the ambient temperature at the station, wherein the control circuit determines the sequence to include no soaking spray unless the ambient temperature is above the upper end of the predetermined range, and, if so, the soaking spray is delivered to the animal at the station in the sequence.
A network of controlled piping coupled to a plurality of stations, the network configured for selectively delivering a soaking spray at each station only when an ambient temperature at the station is above an upper end of a predetermined range, the network configured for operating under control of one or more signals developed adjacent the stations to deliver the soaking spray to one or more animals, the network comprising:
- a. a plurality of nozzles, at least one nozzle at each station, each nozzle configured to be coupled to the pipe and to deliver the soaking spray from the pipe to the animal;
- b. a plurality of valves, each valve operably coupled to the piping and to at least one nozzle, each valve configured for controlling delivery of the soaking spray at one of the stations;
- c. a control circuit coupled to the plurality of valves;
- d. a plurality of ultrasonic animal sensors coupled to the control circuit, at least one sensor at each station, each ultrasonic animal sensor configured to detect the presence of one of the animals at the station;
- and
- e. at least one temperature sensor providing at least one signal to the control circuit, the temperature sensor configured to be positioned in the vicinity of at least one of the stations, the at least one signal representing the ambient temperature in the vicinity of at least one of the stations, wherein the control circuit determines the sequence to include no soaking spray unless the ambient temperature is above the upper end of the predetermined range, and, if so, wherein the soaking spray is delivered to the animal at the station in a sequence determined at least in part by the at least one signal from the temperature sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.