MANURE-COLLECTION DEVICE

Abstract: Manure-collection device, comprising a floor (2), which is provided with openings and beneath which there is a fluid-manure pit, and scraper means (5) which move over the said floor. The drive (20) for the scraper means is supported by the floor (2) and is steered using a guide which interacts with at least one slot (4) arranged in the floor. The drive (20) is provided with wheels. The motor of the drive extends beneath the floor (2).

Description: Manure-collection device The present invention relates to a manure-collection device according to the preamble of Claim 1. A manure-collection device of this kind is known from Dutch patent application 9200871. In the quest to limit emissions from manure in stables to as low a level as possible, there is an ever increasing trend to remove manure deposited on the stable floor as quickly as possible. This is preferably carried out by means of automatically controlled manure-scraping devices, which comprise scraper members which are moved along the floor and move the manure along in front of them to a trough arranged at the end of the floor. From there, the manure is discharged into a closed silo. In the prior art, scraper members of this kind are generally driven by means of chains which extend in slots arranged in the stable floor in question. If a stable has a number of walking areas where manure can be deposited by, for example, cows, then a number of scraper members are present, which are frequently driven by a common motor with the aid of a very long chain. It has been found that such devices with chains last three to five years and require a great deal of maintenance. The length of a chain of this kind is substantial (up to 200 metres) and therefore expensive. The object of the present invention is to provide a device in which vulnerable chains of this kind are no longer required and by means of which the emission-causing manure is removed from the stable floor as quickly as possible. This object is achieved in a device of the type mentioned above by means of the characterizing features of Claim 1. The invention is based on the idea of providing in the floor a single slot which extends over the entire thickness of the floor. This slot serves to guide the manure-scraping device, and unlike in the prior art this device is not driven or guided with the aid of a chain, but rather is self-propelling and is guided through the slot; i.e. it comprises a carriage provided with a motor, which motor is powered with the aid of a line. In particular, a drive of this kind comprises two clamping members which, in the position of use, are arranged at a vertical distance from one another and are connected by a support, the upper, or bearing, member being designed to move over the said floor and bearing the scraper member, and the lower, or clamping, member being supported against the bottom of the floor, and the support extending through the said slot in the floor, and the lower clamping member being provided with motorized drive means. A design of this kind makes it possible to achieve a particularly long service life, while the manure is not transported over a great distance before falling into the chamber beneath the floor, so that emissions can be limited. Surprisingly, it has been found that a slot into which the manure material is introduced may be relatively narrow. The width is preferably greater than 4 cm. This is due to the fact that, in the event of the slot becoming blocked, the reciprocating movement of the device and the movement of the animals press further material downwards, resulting in automatic unblocking. Displacement of manure can be promoted further if the scraper members are provided with spray means. This means that the spray means are active in front of or behind the scraper members as the device according to the invention moves forwards or backwards. Water, for example, can be supplied to the spray means via the same hose assembly as that which is used for supplying power for the drive motor. As well as water, it is also possible to spray acidifying agents, in order immediately to limit emissions. Moreover, it is possible to cover the slot with a strip of relatively stiff, rubbery material, which strip is preferably provided on the underside with centring means in order to be positioned in the slot. In this case, the device according to the invention can run beneath the strip, i.e. as a result of the movement of the device along the slot the strip is lifted out of the slot, moved over the device and is placed back in the slot behind the device. If a number of manure-scraping devices according to the invention are used in one stable, these devices are independent of one another. As a result, operational reliability is increased. The supporting and/or clamping members for the scraper members, and more particularly the drive for the scraper members, may comprise any structure known in the prior art, such as sliding components. However, it is preferred for these parts as far as possible to be of rolling design. Rolls or wheels of this kind may be arranged either above or below the floor. The drive means may likewise comprise any structure known in the prior art, such as electric motors, air-driven motors and hydraulic motors. In view of the particular explosive environment in a liquid- manure pit, it is preferred not to use electric motors. Hydraulic motors may be particularly attractive, in particular if a water-based fluid is used as the hydraulic medium, so that leakage has no effect whatsoever. Moreover, hydraulic motors have the advantage that they can be obstructed without damage. This is important in particular if the manure-scraping device according to the present invention meets an obstacle, such as an animal, during operation. Naturally, it is also possible, by adjusting the pressure on the relevant wheels of the manure-scraping device, to provide for these wheels to slip when they strike an obstacle. The device is preferably centred with respect to the floor by providing at least one of the wheels with either a conical design or a stepped design, the conical/stepped part being situated m the slot in the floor. It is possible to arrange a scraper member on one or both sides of the drive. The motor is preferably arranged to lie outside the vertical region of the slot. As a result, material falling through the slot will not strike the motor. In order to provide accurate control of the above-described manure-collecting means, it may be advantageous to provide the clamping member with an extension or undercarriage which is situated beneath the floor. At the free end of this extension, there may be a steering roll which engages in the slot. Moreover, there may be an adjustment member for controlling the clamping force. The invention likewise relates to scraper means as described above . The invention will be explained in more detail below, with reference to an exemplary embodiment depicted in the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a floor provided with the scraper means according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a detailed top view of the drive of the scraper means according to the invention, and Fig. 3 shows a side view of the detail in accordance with Fig. 2. In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a part of a stable. It should be understood that the design to be described below can also be used in other structures. This stable is provided with a floor 2, under which is situated a pit 3. A slot 4 extends over the entire length of floor 2, and the adjoining parts of the floor run in a slightly inclined manner towards this slot 4. The width of the slot 4 is about 4 cm, and beneath this slot 4 is arranged a trough 22, which is arranged such that it slopes in the longitudinal direction and opens out onto a transport device (not shown in more detail), in order to move liquid manure collected therein into a silo. The slot 4 serves as a guide for the collecting means or device 5. This device is connected via a line 6 to a hydro generator 7 or power supply (not shown), in which control means for device 5 are also present. Device 5 comprises a drive 11, on either side of which is situated a scraper plate 10. Figs. 2 and 3 show the drive according to the invention in more detail. It comprises an undercarriage 12, which in the position of use is situated beneath the surface of the floor. Oscillating or protective discs 28 are fastened to the drive shaft. Support rolls or drive wheels 13 are positioned further along the drive shaft on which the oscillating discs are arranged. The shaft together with discs and wheels is driven via a reduction gearbox 1 , which is connected to a hydro motor 20. This hydro motor 20 is provided, via line 6, with pressurized hydraulic meαium (such as water) originating from source 7. Motor 20 is situated outside the axis of the undercarriage 12 and, in order to prevent the drive 11 from tipping over, ballast 21 is provided. Moreover, this ballast 21, together with motor 20 and the remaining components of the device, serve to provide sufficient pressure, so that the support rolls 13 do not slip unnecessarily along the bottom part of the floor during normal operation. Close to the end where the support rolls 13 are arranged, undercarriage 12 is provided with a support 9 which extends essentially vertically and on which bearing rolls 15 are arranged. In the drawing, these bearing rolls 15 are arranged slightly closer to the centre of the undercarriage than the support rolls 13. In combination with the weight of the abovementioned motor 20 and ballast 21, a lever effect thus provides for an optimum pressure exerted by the wheels. On the front and rear side, in the direction of movement, support 9 is provided with plastic guide plates 27, which ensure correct positioning of the support with respect to the slot. Close to the other end, the undercarriage is provided with an adjusting pin 19, which is designed as a bolt and runs in slot 4. Moreover, a pressure roll 16 is provided, via a hinge 18 and arm 17. As can be seen in Figure 2, the pressure roll has a central part 29 which has a relatively great diameter and fits precisely in slot 4, and two adjacent parts 30 which have a relatively small diameter and rest against the underside of the floor. With the aid of spring force or some other means, pressure roll 16 is operated in such a manner that the device 11 is always situated in an essentially horizontal position and governs the slipping force of the drive wheels 13. The spring force is adjusted using bolt 19. Motor 20, and thus reduction gearbox 14 and consequently support rolls 13 are driven with the aid of hydraulic generator 7. As a result, the device, with the scraper plates 10, can move backwards and forwards across the floor. Such a design is particularly simple to use and may also be arranged in an existing stable without requiring major building work. Unlike metal chains, cable or hose 6 floats on the material situated in the pit and is particularly resistant to the conditions which prevail therein. As can be seen from Figure 1, a feedline 23 for spray liquid is also present. This feedline extends through support 9 and emerges at 24, as can be seen from Figure 2, and at 24 it is connected to line 25 and coupled to spray nozzles 26 on the scraper plate 10. Although the invention has been described above with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that this embodiment can be changed in a number of ways without departing from the scope of the present invention for which protection is sought in the appended claims. For example, it is possible to arrange more than one slot in the floor in order to control the device, and also to arrange the motor between two or more slots of this kind. Moreover, it is possible to provide more than one manure-scraping device next to one another, and also to alter the scraper plates as is generally known in the prior art, i.e. to provide them with a V-shape and/or to allow them to act in more than one direction of movement. Also, the floor may be provided, on the underside or on the top side, close to the slot, with traction-promoting means for the carriage, such as a rack which interacts with a toothed drive wheel which is arranged on the carriage.

Claims: Claims 1. Manure-collection device, comprising a floor (12) provided with at least one elongate slot (4), as well as manure-collecting means (22), scraper means (5) being provided in order to move manure from the floor into the said collecting means, said scraper means comprising a scraper member (11) and a drive, comprising a self-propelling carriage, which is guided along the said slot, is provided with a motor and to which the scraper member is fastened, characterized in that said slot, over essentially its entire length, extends across the complete thickness of the floor, and wherein said motorized drive means (20) are arranged beneath said floor and being connected to said scraper means by means of a support (9) which extends through said slot. 2. Device according to Claim 1, wherein said drive comprises two members which, m the position of use, are arranged at a vertical distance from one another and are connected by the said support (9), the upper, or bearing, member (15) being designed to move over the said floor and bearing the scraper member, and the lower, or clamping, member (13) being supported against the bottom of the floor, and the support extending through the said slot (4) in the floor, and the lower clamping member being provided with motorized drive means (20). 3. Device according to Claim 1, wherein said clamping members comprise sets of wheels. 4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said motorized drive means comprise a hydro motor. 5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said manure-collecting means (22) is arranged beneath the slot, and the slot having a width of at least 4 cm. 6. Device according to one of the preceding claims in combination with Claim 2, wherein said motor is arranged lying outside the vertical plane of the said slot. 7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said lower clamping member comprises an extension (12) which extends in the direction of the slot and on which a steering member (16), extending into the slot, is arranged. 8. Device according to Claim 7, wherein a member (19) for adjusting the clamping force is arranged close to the said steering member and the upper clamping member (15) is arranged, in the horizontal direction, between the lower clamping member and the steering member (16). 9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said scraper members is provided with spray means. 10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the slot is provided with displaceable cover means. 11. Scraper means for use in the device according to one of the preceding claims.

Inventors: POORTVLIET MARINUS GIOVANNI, POORTVLIET, MARINUS, GIOVANNI
Applicants: POORTVLIET MARINUS GIOVANNI, POORTVLIET, MARINUS, GIOVANNI
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A01K1
IPC codes: A01K1