Abstract:
An auger assembly transfers particulate material from a source area to a target area using a main auger, an intermediate swing auger and a loading swing auger connected in series with one another. The main auger is supported on a wheeled frame similar to conventional grain augers while the intermediate swing auger is pivotal thereon and the loading swing auger is pivotal on the intermediate swing auger. The inlet hopper of the auger assembly can thus be more easily positioned relative to the main auger for proper alignment with the discharge hopper of a particulate material container even when the discharge hopper is within a confined space.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an auger assembly of the type commonly used for conveying particulate material, for example grain and the like, and more particularly relates to an auger assembly having auger tubes which are pivotal relative to one another. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is common to use grain augers and the like to transfer grain or other particulate material from a source area to a target area, for example from a transport container to a bin or other storage type container. Transport containers generally involve a container supported for rolling movement along the ground by wheels spaced apart at opposing ends of the container. A hopper type discharge is then typically located between the wheels below the container for discharging into the auger which subsequently conveys the material to the storage container. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,715 to Feterl, U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,866 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,055 both to Stewart et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,066 to Boppart disclose various examples of grain augers used for conveying particulate materials. In each instance a main auger is supported on a wheeled frame for positioning of the discharge in alignment with the target area. A swing auger is provided at the inlet of the main auger for alignment with the source area. The hopper at the inlet of the swing auger however is restricted to positioning along an arced path which is difficult to align with the discharge hopper of a transport container. Often due to the narrow space between wheel sets within which a discharge hopper on a transport container is located, it is not possible to displace the swing auger is an arcing motion under the transport container parked beside the main auger without multiple steps of advancing and subsequent reversal of the vehicle position for proper alignment with the discharge hopper on the vehicle with the inlet hopper on the swing auger. The swing augers are thus difficult and time consuming to set up and may result in lost material being transferred due to its poor alignment. 
     On a much larger scale, for example when excavating earth in mines and the like, large conveyor systems can be used which involve multiple conveying sections connected in series as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,094 to Weyerman et al which discloses such a conveyor system. These conveyor systems however are much too large with far too many sections for the simple task of effectively transferring material from a small source such as a transport container to a suitable storage container at the target area with minimal set up time required. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an auger assembly comprising: 
     a main auger tube containing a main auger therein to transport material from an inlet end to an outlet end of the main auger tube; 
     an intermediate swing auger tube containing an intermediate auger therein to transport material from an inlet end to an outlet end of the intermediate swing auger tube; 
     the outlet end of the intermediate swing auger tube being pivotally coupled to the inlet of the main auger tube such that material from the intermediate swing auger tube is discharged to the main auger tube; 
     a loading swing auger tube containing a loading auger therein to transport material from an inlet end to an outlet end of the loading swing auger tube; 
     the outlet end of the loading swing auger tube being pivotally coupled to the inlet of the intermediate swing auger tube such that material from the loading swing auger tube is discharged to the intermediate swing auger tube; and 
     a loading hopper having an open top end coupled to the inlet of the loading swing auger tube for loading the material through the open top end of the loading hopper. 
     According to a second aspect there is provided a method of transferring particulate material from a source area to a target area, the method comprising: 
     providing an auger assembly including a main auger, an intermediate auger and a loading auger connected in series with one another in which the main auger is supported on a main frame, the intermediate auger is pivotal relative to the main auger and the loading auger is pivotal relative to the intermediate auger; 
     aligning an outlet end of the main auger with the target area; 
     positioning an inlet end of the loading auger below the source area by pivoting both the loading auger relative to the intermediate auger and the intermediate auger relative to the main auger; and 
     driving rotation of the augers to convey the particulate material from the inlet of the loading auger to the outlet of the main auger. 
     The combination of a single main auger with only two swing augers is particularly suited for proper alignment of the inlet hopper with the discharge of a transport container unlike prior art auger assemblies which rely on a single swing auger configuration. By combining two swing augers, the inlet hopper is permitted to be placed any number of positions in all directions relative to the inlet of the main auger once the main auger is already in alignment with the target area. 
     There may be provided gearboxes coupling the main auger to the intermediate auger and coupling the intermediate auger to the loading auger such that the augers are commonly driven. Preferably the main auger is connected to an input drive shaft having a power take off coupling for driving the main auger directly. The intermediate auger and the loading auger can thus be driven off rotation of the main auger through the gearboxes. 
     Preferably the main auger tube is supported on a wheeled frame having a hitch and is much longer than the intermediate swing auger tube and the loading swing auger tube combined. 
     The loader hopper preferably includes an enclosed bottom and side walls extending upwardly to the open top end. The loader hopper can be supported adjacent the ground by supporting the loading swing auger tube substantially below the main auger tube in elevation. 
     Pivotal movement of the intermediate swing auger tube relative to the main auger tube is preferably restricted about one axis and may be power assisted by providing a hydraulic actuator coupled between the intermediate swing auger tube and the main auger tube. 
     Preferably pivotal movement between the intermediate swing auger tube and the loading swing auger tube is permitted freely about at least two axes. 
     The intermediate swing auger tube may be supported for pivotal movement across the hitch, but the inlet of the loading swing auger tube is preferably lower in elevation than the hitch. 
     The swing auger tubes may be pivotal into a transport position in which the intermediate swing auger tube and the main auger tube are positioned end to end substantially in the longitudinal direction and the loading swing auger tube extends alongside the intermediate swing auger tube from the inlet of the intermediate swing auger tube towards the main auger tube. 
     In addition, the swing auger tubes may be pivotal into a loading position in which the loading swing auger tube extends across the frame in a loading direction perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the main auger tube in which the loading swing auger tube is movable in the loading direction by pivoting the intermediate swing auger tube relative to the main auger tube. 
     The intermediate swing auger tube and the main auger tube are preferably parallel with one another when oriented in a generally common vertically plane. 
     One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is side elevation view of the auger assembly according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  are top plan and end elevation views of the auger assembly in the position according to  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the auger assembly in which the inlet hopper has been displaced in a liner direction perpendicular to the main auger in relation to the position shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a end elevation view of the auger assembly in the position of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the auger assembly in a transport position. 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevation view of the auger assembly in a fully extended position. 
     
    
    
     In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the accompanying figures there is illustrated an auger assembly generally indicated by reference numeral  10 . The assembly  10  generally comprises a main auger tube  12 , an intermediate swing auger tube  14  and a loading swing auger tube  16  connect in series with one another for conveying particulate material therethrough. 
     The main auger tube  12  is elongate in a longitudinal direction from an inlet end  18  to an outlet end  20  thereof. A main auger is contained within the main auger tube for conveying the material from the inlet to the outlet. A wheeled framed  22  is provided for supporting the main auger for rolling movement along the ground. The frame  22  supports the main auger at an upward inclined towards the outlet which supports a discharge hopper  24  thereon. The frame  22  is similar to conventional frames for grain augers which may include a height adjustment mechanism and the like. 
     The frame  22  extends in the longitudinal direction of the main tube and includes a hitch bar which extends from the inlet end of the main auger beyond the main auger. The frame  22  slopes downwardly at the same slope as the main auger to meet the hitch bar spaced below the inlet end  18 . 
     The intermediate swing auger tube  14  contains an intermediate auger therein for conveying material therethrough in the longitudinal direction of the tube from inlet end  28  to the outlet end  30  of the intermediate swing auger tube. The outlet end  30  is pivotally coupled to the inlet end of the main auger for pivotal movement about a single axis of rotation extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of each of the tubes  12  and  14  respectively. 
     A crank arm  32  projects laterally outwardly from the outlet end of the intermediate swing auger tube  14  for connection of a hydraulic actuator  34  coupled between the inlet end  18  of the main auger  12  and the free end of the crank arm  32 . Pivotal movement of the intermediate swing auger tube  14  relative to the main auger tube  12  is thus controlled by linear contraction and extension of the actuator  34  which provides some power assistance to the motion. 
     The intermediate swing auger tube  14  lies parallel to the main auger tube when both lie in a generally common vertical plane wherein the intermediate swing auger tube extends at a downward incline from the inlet end of the main auger tube, at a slope similar to the frame and main auger tube, towards the hitch bar. The intermediate swing auger tube  14  terminates above the hitch bar so that the tube  14  can be pivoted in a side to side lateral motion across the hitch bar of the frame because the inlet  28  at the bottom end is spaced above the hitch bar of the frame. 
     Two gear boxes  36  are mounted at the outlet  30  of the intermediate swing auger tube  14  and the inlet of the main auger tube  12  respectively for linking the auger shafts of the main auger and intermediate auger for common rotation together. The gear boxes are suitably arranged to maintain a driven connection between the augers as the intermediate swing auger tube is pivoted relative to the main auger tube. In this arrangement rotation of the intermediate auger is driven by rotation of the main auger. 
     The loading swing auger tube  16  contains a loading auger therein for conveying the particulate material from the inlet end  38  to the outlet end  40  in the longitudinal direction thereof. The outlet end  40  is pivotally connected to the inlet end  28  of the intermediate swing auger tube for relative pivotal movement therebetween. The loading swing auger tube  16  is pivotal about an upright axis perpendicular to both the tubes  14  and  16  as well as being pivotal about a lateral axis at the connection of the loading auger and intermediate auger to permit both side to side pivoting motion and up and down pivoting motion of the loading swing auger tube  16  relative to the intermediate swing auger tube  14 . 
     Two gear boxes  42  similarly couple the shafts of the loading auger and intermediate auger at the tubes  14  and  16  respectively. The gear boxes  42  are arranged to maintain a linked connection between the loading auger and the intermediate auger as the loading swing tube is pivoted relative to the intermediate swing auger tube so that rotation of the loading auger is driven off of rotation of the intermediate auger which is in turn driven by rotation of the main auger. 
     The loading swing auger tube  16  is supported substantially below the main auger tube in elevation with the inlet end  38  being positioned below the hitch bar of the frame, adjacent the ground. A loading hopper  44  is mounted at the inlet end  38  to receive the particulate material discharged from the source area to be conveyed to the target area. 
     The loading hopper includes an enclosed bottom  46  with four side walls  48  extending upwardly therefrom to an open top end  50 . The bottom and side walls fully surround the inlet end  38  of the loading auger. Either the inlet hopper is pivotal relative to the loading swing auger tube  16  or the loading swing auger tube  16  is pivotal relative to the gear box which couples it to the intermediate swing auger tube, or a combination thereof to ensure that the loading hopper  44  is pivotal about the longitudinal axis of the loading auger relative to the gearboxes  42 . In this arrangement the loading hopper has three degrees of freedom to permit the loading hopper to remain level as it is displace anywhere along the ground about the inlet end of the main auger. 
     A drive line  52  couples through the gear boxes  36  for directly driving the main auger within the main auger tubes. It is desirable to drive the main auger directly as the main auger is typically much longer then the intermediate swing auger tube and the loading swing auger tubes combined. The drive line  52  extends near the frame at a downward slope below the intermediate swing auger tube at a similar incline thereto up to the hitch bar of the frame to ensure that there is sufficient clearance for the intermediate swing auger tube to be pivotally displaced across the drive line  52  as well. The drive line  52  continues along the hitch bar towards the hitch at the free end thereof which connects to the towing vehicle. The free end of the drive line  52  includes a suitable coupling  54  thereon of the type which readily connects the power takeoff shaft connector of the towing vehicle so that all of the augers can be commonly driven through the gear boxes by the power takeoff of the towing vehicle. 
     In use, the augers are operated commonly by driving rotation thereof so that material received in the loading hopper is conveyed through the loading swing auger tube to the intermediate swing auger tube and in turn to the main auger tube which discharges the material at the outlet end thereof. Typically the auger assembly is moved about on its wheeled frame for first aligning the main auger with the target area. Once in position a transport container comprising source particulate material is positioned along side the auger assembly. 
     By pivoting both the loading swing auger tube relative to the intermediate swing auger tube and the intermediate swing auger tube relative to the main auger tube, the loading hopper at the inlet end of the loading swing auger tube can be positioned below the discharge hopper of the source material. For transport, it may be desirable to position the swing auger tubes as illustrated in  FIG. 6  in which the intermediate swing auger tube and the main auger tube are positioned end to end substantially in the longitudinal direction and the loading swing auger tube extends along side the intermediate swing auger tube from the inlet thereof towards the main auger tube. The hitch bar extends beyond the inlet of the main auger tube longer than the intermediate swing auger tube so that the hitch at the free end thereof is unobstructed for connection to the towing vehicle. 
     Alternatively the swing auger tubes may be pivotal into a loading position in which the loading swing auger tube extends across the frame in a loading direction, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , in which the loading auger lies perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the main auger tube. In this position the loading swing auger tube is moveable in the loading direction towards the position illustrated in  FIG. 4 , by simple pivoting the intermediate swing auger to relative the main auger tube. The loading hopper at the inlet of the loading swing auger tube can thus be displaced substantially linearly in a lateral direction of the main auger for insertion within narrow spaces such as when accessing the discharge hopper of a transport container which is confined between two wheel sets below the container. 
     When positioned as shown in  FIG. 1 through 3 , in which the intermediate swing auger tube extends at an incline in a first lateral direction from the frame and the loading swing auger tube extends back across the frame in an opposing lateral direction, pivoting the intermediate swing auger tube further away from the frame supporting the main auger tube thereon causes the loading swing auger tube to ride up on the hitch bar for automatically lifting the loading hopper up off the ground. 
     Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.