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US 2003/0192487 A1Published application
Livestock weighing and sorting apparatus
AssigneeRaytec Limited
InventorRaymond G. Zimmerman
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AssigneeRaytec Limited
InventorRaymond G. Zimmerman
Estimating the term…
A livestock weighing and sorting apparatus includes a frame, a weighing station supported by the frame and defining inlet and outlet openings and a passageway extending therebetween for permitting an animal to go through the weighing station and be weighed while therein, dual inlet gates mounted to the frame side-by-side one another adjacent to the inlet opening and movable toward and away from each other between opened and closed positions, a first actuator mechanism actuatable to move the dual inlet gates between the opened and closed positions, an outlet sort gate mounted to the frame adjacent to the outlet opening and movable between a centered closed position and either a first opened position or a second opened position, and a second actuator mechanism actuatable to move the outlet sort gate between the centered closed position and either the first or second opened positions.
A livestock weighing and sorting apparatus, comprising:
A livestock weighing and sorting apparatus, comprising:
A livestock weighing and sorting apparatus, comprising:
A method of automatically weighing and sorting livestock by weight by permitting an animal to pass through a livestock weighing and sorting apparatus that includes a weighing station having an inlet opening and an outlet opening defining a passageway extending therethrough and a weighing scales associated therewith, dual inlet gates disposed at said inlet opening and mounted for undergoing pivotal movement by a first actuator mechanism toward and away from each other between an open position wherein an animal may move forwardly through the inlet opening and into the passageway and a closed position relative to said inlet opening wherein an animal is prevented from moving rearwardly from the passageway once within the passageway, and an outlet sort gate disposed adjacent to said outlet opening and mounted for undergoing pivotal movement by a second actuator mechanism between a closed position wherein an animal within the passageway is prevented to exit the passageway through the exit opening and an open position relative to said outlet opening wherein an animal within the passageway is permitted to exit the passageway forwardly through the outlet opening, comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Animal husbandry: other apparatus for animal husbandry
Gates, doors: sorting gates
Animal husbandry
Term end not estimated
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to automatic sorting of livestock by weight and, more particularly, is concerned with a livestock weighing and sorting apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a livestock weighing and sorting apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of an entry end of the apparatus as seen along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing dual inlet gates of the apparatus.
Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 5, there is illustrated a livestock weighing and sorting apparatus, generally designated 10, of the present invention. The apparatus 10 basically includes a frame 12, a weighing station 14 operatively supported by the frame 12 and defining inlet and outlet openings 16, 18 and a passageway 20 extending therebetween for permitting an animal A, such as a pig, to go through the weighing station 14 and be weighed while therein, an inlet gate assembly 22 formed by dual right and left inlet gates 24, 26 pivotally mounted side-by-side one another to the frame 12 and disposed adjacent to the inlet opening 16 of the weighing station 14 and being pivotally movable toward and away from each other between opened and closed positions (as seen respectively in FIGS. 13 and 14), a first actuator mechanism 28 mounted between the frame 12 and dual inlet gates 24, 26 and being actuatable to move the dual inlet gates 24, 26 between the opened and closed positions, a generally T-shaped outlet sort gate 30 (described in further detail later on) is pivotally mounted to the frame 12 and disposed adjacent to the outlet opening 18 of the weighing station 14 and being pivotally movable between a centered closed position (as seen in FIGS. 13 and 14) and either a first opened position (as seen in FIG. 15) or a second opened position (as seen in FIG. 16), and a second actuator mechanism 32 (FIG. 13) mounted between the frame 12 and the outlet sort gate 30 and being actuatable to pivotally move the outlet sort gate 30 between the centered closed position and either the first or second opened positions.
More particularly, the frame 12 of the apparatus 10 has a lower framework 34 of generally rectangular configuration, an upper framework 36 made up of opposite side and end plates 38, 40 and opposite end pairs of upright frame members 42, 44 spaced from one another and extending upright between and fixedly connected at opposite pairs of corners of the frame 12 with the lower and upper frameworks 34, 36. The pairs of upright frame members 42, 44 form therebetween opposite entry and exit ends 46, 48 of the frame 12.
The weighing station 14 of the apparatus 10 includes a cage 50 and a plurality of load cells 52. The cage 50 has a generally rectangular configuration formed by a pair of opposite inlet and outlet ends 54, 56, a top 58, a bottom platform 60, and a pair of opposite lateral sides 62, 64. Each end 54, 56 takes the form of pairs of vertical corner members 66, 68, The top 58 takes the form of a pair of horizontal end members 70, 72 and a plurality of horizontal tubes 74 extending between and fastened to the horizontal end members 70, 72. The respective horizontal end members 70, 72 also extend between and are fastened to the pairs of vertical corner members 66, 68. The opposite lateral sides 62, 64 are made up of lower side panels 74, 76 and a plurality of vertically spaced upper tubes 80, 82 extending between and connected to the vertical corner members 66, 68. The inlet opening 16 and outlet opening 18 of the weighing station 14 are defined at the inlet and outlet ends 54, 56 of the cage 50 adjacent to the respective opposite entry and exit ends 46, 48 of the frame 12. The passageway 20 extends between the inlet and outlet openings 16, 18 of the cage 50 and the entry and exit ends 46, 48 of the frame 12 and also between the opposite lateral sides 62, 64 and over the bottom platform 60 for permitting an animal to go through the passageway 20 from the respective inlet opening 16 and entry end 46 to the respective outlet opening 18 and exit end 48 of the weighing station 14 and frame 12 and to be weighed as the animal is present in the weighing station 14. At least one and preferably a pair of the load cells 52 is stationarily mounted to the end plates 40 of the upper framework 36 of the frame 12 adjacent to each of the entry and exit ends 46, 48 and adjacent to the opposite inlet and outlet ends 54, 56 of the cage 50 such that the cage 50 is supported at its upper horizontal end members 70, 72 by S-shaped hooks 84 hanging from tabs 86 extending outwardly from the load cells 52.