Poultry loading apparatus
AssigneeG.M.G. System S.p.A.
InventorGiuseppe Mola
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus is provided for loading poultry from a rearing house into a series of hen-coops arranged in vertical rows on a transport vehicle. The apparatus includes an elevator conveyor which takes the animals from an assembly enclosure to a vehicle movable transversely of the elevator conveyor. This vehicle comprises a first horizontal conveyor extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and arranged to receive animals from the elevator conveyor, an adjustable-inclination conveyor disposed alongside the first horizontal conveyor, a second horizontal conveyor disposed transversely to the first horizontal conveyor and arranged to transfer animals from that conveyor onto the adjustable-inclination conveyor, and a pneumatic forced-delivery unit located transversely at the output end of the adjustable inclination conveyor.
Claims11
Apparatus for loading poultry from a rearing house to a series of housings disposed in vertical rows alongside the outside of the rearing house, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a continuous-belt elevator conveyor having a loading end located in correspondence with an exit from said rearing house and a discharge end projecting from the rearing house,
- (b) an assembly enclosure having convergent walls disposed within the rearing house and arranged to guide the poultry towards the loading end of the said elevator conveyor,
- (c) a vehicle movable transversely of said elevator conveyor and having a support structure carrying:
- a first horizontal continuous-belt conveyor directed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and arranged to receive poultry from the discharge end of the said elevator conveyor,
- an adjustable-inclination, continuous-belt conveyor disposed alongside the said first horizontal conveyor and having a transport direction opposite to that of the said first horizontal conveyor, the input end of said adjustable-inclination conveyor being articulated in a position substantially corresponding to the exit end of the said first horizontal conveyor,
- a second horizontal continuous-belt conveyor directed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and arranged to transfer poultry from the exit end of the first horizontal conveyor to the input end of the said adjustable-inclination conveyor,
- a pneumatic force-delivery unit associated with the exit end of the adjustable-inclination conveyor and including an outlet duct structure defining an outlet duct which is directed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and has an outlet mouth facing away from said elevator conveyor, said forced-delivery unit being operative to generate directed air flow for urging poultry along said outlet duct, and
- means for vertically displacing the exit end of the adjustable-inclination conveyor and the outlet duct structure of the said pneumatic unit in dependence on the vertical position of the said housings intended to receive the poultry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.