Patent Publication Number: US-2023148571-A1

Title: Poultry feeder line sensor tube overflow

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of Invention 
     This disclosure relates to automated poultry feeding systems, and more particularly to a feed overflow device for a poultry feeding system. 
     Description of Related Art 
     In large poultry raising operations, the birds are typically housed in a long poultry house and are fed by a large number of feeding stations that are supplied with feed from a bulk feed tank outside of the poultry house. Horizontal feed tubes are used to distribute to the series of feeding stations. Feed is moved through the feed tubes typically by means of augers. One main supply feed tube may deliver feed to a number of hoppers that in turn supply a number of lateral feed lines. The individual feeding stations are suspended from one of the lateral feed lines by means of a drop tube which is in communication with the feed tube by means of an opening in the feed tube. As feed passes over the opening, the feed will drop through the tube to fill the feeder pan and associated drop tube with feed. As can be appreciated, the hoppers are generally filled sequentially, with the hoppers at the beginning of the main feed supply line being filled first, with the feeding stations also being generally filled sequentially, with the feeding stations at the beginning of the lateral feed line being filled first. 
     When a hopper runs low on feed, a sensor triggers the auger to begin delivering more feed through the main supply line. One issue that may occur is an overflow near the end of the main supply line may cause feed to back up into the fill line controller area. While the controller area may have a mechanical safety switch to shut off the motor, the controller area needs to be cleared of the packed feed and the system mechanically reset before feed can be delivered again to the hoppers. If the system doesn&#39;t get reset promptly, the feed stations may run empty causing the birds to miss a feeding. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, in one aspect the invention is directed to a feeding system for a poultry house used to deliver feed from a bulk feed tank to a plurality of feeding stations. The feeding system includes an overhead feed line supplying a plurality of lateral feed lines spaced along a length of the overhead feed line. Each of the lateral feed lines has a respective feed hopper connected to the overhead feed line. The overhead feed line has a conveyor extending along the length of the overhead feed line with a control unit at an end of the overhead feed line configured to operate the conveyor to move feed to the plurality of hoppers. Each of the plurality of feed hoppers is connected to the overhead feed line with the drop tube. The feed hopper located along the length of the overhead feed line closest to the end of the overhead feed line has an overflow device, the overflow device having a proximal end connected to the drop tube, a feed opening at a distal end through which feed flows into the feed hopper, and at least one additional side opening configured to allow feed to flow out of the overflow device through a path other than through the feed opening if the feed level in the feed hopper reaches a determined level. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the distal end of the overflow device is positioned in the feed hopper such that the feed level sensing device is configured so as to send a signal to the control unit while the feed level in the feed hopper is still below a full capacity of the feed hopper such that there is a portion of the feed hopper above a desired full level that is reserved as excess capacity so that when excess feed flowing through a portion of the overhead feed line can escape through the side openings into the overflow portion of the feed hopper. 
     This summary is provided to introduce concepts in simplified form that are further described below in the Description of Preferred Embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the disclosed or claimed subject matter and is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the disclosed or claimed subject matter. Specifically, features disclosed herein with respect to one embodiment may be equally applicable to another. Further, this summary is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Many other novel advantages, features, and relationships will become apparent as this description proceeds. The figures and the description that follow more particularly exemplify illustrative embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosed subject matter will be further explained with reference to the attached figures, wherein like structure or system elements are referred to by like reference numerals throughout the several views. 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic drawing of a poultry house having a feeding system; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of a portion of the feeding system of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is a side view of a feeder line sensor tube overflow; and 
         FIG.  4    is an exploded perspective view of the feeder line sensor tube overflow. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what we presently believe is the best mode of carrying out the invention. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     Referring now to the drawings and particularly to  FIG.  1   , an automated feeding system is indicated at  10 . By way of background and as would be understood by one skilled in the art, the automated feeding system  10  is used in a poultry house  12  to deliver feed that is typically stored in a bulk feed tank  14  located outside of the poultry house  12  in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. Typically, such poultry houses  12  are long structures having a length of several hundred feet and a width of about 40-60 feet. For example, a typical poultry house  12  may have a length of about 300 feet and house about 15,000-20,000 birds. The automated feeding system  10  has at least one overhead feed line  18  which typically runs the length of one direction of the poultry house  12 . Turning also now to  FIG.  2   , the overhead feed line  18  comprises a rigid conveyor tube  20  that extends a relatively long distance within the poultry house. The feed conveyor tube  20  has a plurality of bottom-facing openings that direct feed to a plurality of feed hoppers  22  spaced along the length of the feed conveyor tube  20  so that feed conveyed by the overhead feed line  18  may be delivered to each of the feed hoppers  22 . In the illustrated example, three feed hoppers ( 22 A,  22 B and  22 C) are shown, however, the automated feeding system  10  will likely have many more feed hoppers  22  spaced along each of the overhead feed lines  18 . 
     As would be understood by one skilled in the art, a conveyor  24  extends along the length of the overhead feed line  18  in the conveyor tube  20 . In one embodiment the conveyor  24  is an auger conveyor rotatably driven by an electric motor  30  and suitable gearbox  31  located in a control unit  32  where the conveyor  24  is connected to the gear box  31 . Alternatively, it will be understood that other types of feed conveying mechanisms, other than an auger can be used to deliver feed through the feed conveyor tube  20  such as a so-called centerless or flexible auger, such as shown in the prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,882, or other such conveying means. 
     A lateral feed line  34  extends from each of the feed hoppers  22 . Each of the lateral feed lines  34  has a multiplicity of feeding stations  36  spaced therealong at substantially equal intervals (e.g., about 2.5 foot intervals). As feed is delivered through the conveyor tube  20 , as noted above, the feed drops through a drop tube  38  to the specific hopper  22  under gravity. Feed from each feed hopper  22  is then used to supply the lateral feed lines  34 , which in turn supplies the feeding stations  36 . As the birds in the poultry house consume the feed in the feeding stations  36 . As the feeding stations  36  may be of any known design, they will not be described in further detail herein. The automated feeding system  10  is typically suspended from the ceiling or roof of the poultry house  12  by means of a well-known winch and cable assembly (shown schematically at  39 ) that may be selectively operated to raise or lower the overhead feed line  18  and all of the feeding stations  36  connected thereto. 
     As best seen in  FIG.  2    each feed hopper  22  is connected to the conveyor tube  20  of the overhead feed line  18  with the drop tube  38 . The drop tube  38  closest to the end of the overhead feed line  18  extends downward from near the control unit  32 . In one embodiment, the control unit  32  has relays (not shown) to connect to the motor  30  and a capacitance or mechanical pressure switch (not shown) that detects whether the control unit  32  is full of feed to act as a backup safety. If feed backs up all the way to this control unit  32 , it will shut of the motor  30  so that feed doesn&#39;t destroy the system  12 . If enough feed gets to the point where the safety switch is triggered, the feed likely has become packed in because it had no outlet. This will leave residue in the control unit  32  that will need to be manually cleaned. 
     Turning now to  FIGS.  3  and  4   , the level of feed in the hoppers  22  is desirably monitored with a feed level sensing device  40  that uses infrared (IR) sensors such as the system disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 9,247,718 entitled Poultry Feeder with Level Sensor. However, one skilled in the art will understand that other feed level sensing systems using mechanical or other sensors may be used using sound engineering judgment with departing from the scope of the invention. Because feed level sensing devices  40  are known in the art, such a device need not be discussed in further detail herein. 
     When the feed level sensing device  40  senses that the level of feel in its associated hopper  22  has dropped below a desired level, the feed level sensing device  40  sends a signal to the control unit  32  ( FIG.  2   ), which activates the motor  30  ( FIG.  2   ) to cause feed to be delivered through the conveyor  24  to the hoppers  22 . Hence, the motor  30  for the auger (or other conveying mechanism)  24  will not be activated until the feed level sensing device  40  determines that the feed in the hopper  22  has fallen below a predetermined level. 
     According to the invention, at least the feed hopper  22 C closest to a downstream end  42  of the overhead feed line  18  is connected to its drop tube  38  with an overflow device  50 . In one embodiment, the overflow device  50  is a device connected to the drop tube  38  at a proximal end  52  and with a normal-flow feed opening  54  at a distal end  56  through which feed flows into the feed hopper  22 C. The overflow device  50  has at least one additional side opening  58  configured to allow feed to flow out of the overflow device  50  through a path other than through the feed opening  54  in the distal end  56 . In the illustrated embodiment, the overflow device  50  comprises a cylindrical tube  60  with a plurality of side openings  58  that allow feed to flow out of the cylindrical tube  60  but such that the feed flowing out of the side openings  58  still falls into the hopper  22 C. The cylindrical tube  60  receives a sensor mounting ring  62  configured to mount the feed level sensing device  40 . The distal end  56  of the overflow device  50  is positioned in the feed hopper  22 C such that the feed level sensing device  40  is configured so as to send a signal to stop the motor  30  while the feed level in the feed hopper  22 C is still below a full capacity of the feed hopper  22 C. Thus, there is a portion of the feed hopper  22 C above a desired full level (F) that is reserved as excess capacity. If another feed hopper ( 22 A or  22 B) signals that feed is required even when a portion  64  of the conveyor tube  20  leading to the drop tube  38  of feed hopper  22 C is full of feed and feed hopper  22 C is at or reaches its desired full level(F), excess feed flowing through the portion  64  of the conveyor tube  20  can escape through the side openings  58  into the overflow portion (OF) of the feed hopper  22 C, therefore desirably preventing feed from compacting around the control unit and gearbox  31  and motor  30  of the conveyor  20 . 
     While the automated feeding system  10  of the present disclosure has been described to be a broiler feeding system  10  intended for use in raising broiler chickens, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the automated feeding system  10  described herein may be used with all types of poultry, including other livestock, such as ducks and turkeys. As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the broad scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.