Safety bypass gate for emergency exit from watering area to feeding
Contents
1. limp mode By connect ing the safety bypass gate 10 to the same air pressure line used by the sorting scale 35 the safety bypass gate 10 will auto matically unlock upon the release of air pressure at the scale 35 for an added measure of safety for high usage facilities Mechanical Damage to Sorting Scale Interrupting Use If mechanical damage to the sorting scale 35 occurs e g broken parts blocking the passage a controller 42 associated with the sorting scale 35 notes the interruption using its idle alert function Upon activation of the idle alert function the survey scale 35 automatically goes into limp mode to release the safety bypass gate 10 until the sorting scale 35 can be repaired Blockage of Sorting Scale The sorting scale 35 may become blocked if an animal dies in the sorting scale 35 or next to its entry or if penning or any other object is accidentally lodged within the scale 35 When such an event occurs the idle alert function of the controller 40 of the sorting scale 35 can be activated causing the sorting scale 35 to go into limp mode to release the safety bypass gate 10 Load Cell Failure If the load cell on the sorting scale 35 is destroyed by lightning or corrosion or is accidentally disconnected then the idle alert function of the controller 40 can be activated and the sorting scale can go into limp mode to release the safety bypass gate 10 Incorrect Controller Settings If the user c2. 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 According to one aspect of the present invention a live stock management system is provided comprising a feeding area a watering area a first passage between the watering area and the feeding area a safety bypass gate having a closed position and an open position for allowing animals to pass through a second passage between the watering area and the feeding area and a means for moving the gate from the closed position to the open position to provide an emergency exit through the second passage when the first passage becomes blocked According to another aspect of the present invention a safety bypass gate for use in a livestock facility is provided comprising a first gate member mounted for pivotal move ment about a first vertical axis along one side for movement between a closed position and an open position a first spring arranged to bias the first gate member from its closed position to its open position and a locking mechanism having a chan nel member that is movable between a locked position in which the channel member straddles a top edge of the gate member to hold the gate member in its closed position and an unlocked position in which the channel member is disen gaged from the gate member to allow the gate member to move to its open position According to yet another aspect of the present invention a method of managing livestock is provided comprising pro viding a pen having a w
3. gate members when in said closed position said safety bypass gate having a first and a second gate hinge spring that respectively biases said gate members from their closed position to their open position when said channel member moves to a raised unlocked position said chan nel member attached to a vertically positioned cylinder rod of a pneumatic actuator and said cylinder rod holds said channel member in its lowered locked position a return spring in said pneumatic actuator retracts said cylinder rod to move said channel member to its raised unlocked position upon a drop in air pressure US 7 966 976 B2 7 2 The livestock management system according to claim 1 further comprising a sorting mechanism for sorting animals as the animals pass through said first passage 3 The livestock management system according to claim 2 wherein said feeding area comprises first and second feeding areas and said sorting mechanism has a first sorting position for causing animals to pass from the watering area to the first feeding area and a second sorting position for causing ani mals to pass from the watering area to the second feeding area 4 The livestock management system according to claim 2 wherein said sorting mechanism includes a scale and is oper able to sort animals into different feeding groups based on weight 8 5 The livestock management system according to claim 1 wherein said loss of air pressure is responsive to a pow
4. present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A safety bypass gate and livestock management system according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS 1 to 10 of the accompanying drawings US 7 966 976 B2 3 As shown in FIGS 1 to 7 the safety bypass gate 10 includes a frame 11 comprising top and bottom frame mem bers 12 13 and right and left vertical side frame members 14 15 Floor anchor holes 16 are provided in the bottom frame member 13 to secure the gate 10 to the floor ofa pen in which itis used The vertical side frame members 14 15 can also be fastened to pen dividers walls or stationary posts to secure the bypass gate 10 in a desired location A first gate member 17 is mounted to the right side frame member 14 using a first hinge 18 for pivotal movement about a first vertical axis A second gate member 19 is mounted to the left side frame member 15 using a second hinge 20 for pivotal movement about a second vertical axis Bushings 21 can be used in the hinges 18 to ensure smooth pivotal move ment of the gate members 17 19 The first and second gate members 17 19 are movable about the first and second hinges 18 20 respectively between a closed position FIGS 1 to 4 and an open position FIGS 5 and 6 In the closed position the top edges 22 of the gate members 17 19 are generally aligned with each other First and second coil springs 23 24 are arranged on the
5. s U S Pat No 7 210 428 In this case additional safety bypass gates 10 can be used to ensure that animals are allowed emergency access to the additional feeding areas during abnormal conditions While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit What is claimed is 1 A livestock management system comprising a feeding area a watering area a one way gate for allowing animals to pass from said feeding area into said watering area a first passage for allowing animals to pass from said water ing area into said feeding area a safety bypass gate having a closed position and an open position for allowing animals to pass through a second passage between the watering area and the feeding area said safety bypass gate being separate from said one way gate whereby said gate moves from said closed position to said open position to provide an emergency exit through said second passage when said first passage becomes blocked said safety by pass gate includes a pair of pivoting gate members and a channel member having opposing surfaces that fits over top edges of said gate members to secure the gate in said closed position said opposing surfaces of said channel member directly engages a front and a back side of the pair of
6. 524 119 842 U S Patent Jun 28 2011 Sheet 1 of 6 US 7 966 976 B2 U S Patent Jun 28 2011 Sheet 2 of 6 US 7 966 976 B2 US 7 966 976 B2 Sheet 3 of 6 Jun 28 2011 U S Patent fp AN N ct A Q U S Patent Jun 28 2011 Sheet 4 of 6 US 7 966 976 B2 36 37 38 Bulk Bin Bulk Bin 1 2 U S Patent Jun 28 2011 Sheet 5 of 6 US 7 966 976 B2 36 37 38 Bulk Bin Bulk Bin 1 2 U S Patent Jun 28 2011 Sheet 6 of 6 US 7 966 976 B2 NORMAL FLOW OF ANIMALS BETWEEN WATERING AND FEEDING AREAS USING ONE WAY GATES AND SORTING MECHANISM Loss of Air Pressure Loss of Electric Power Idle Alert Function Activated Maintain Bypass Gate in Locked and Closed Position Unlock and Move Bypass Gate to Open Position Inspect and Correct Problem Reset Bypass Gate into Locked Position US 7 966 976 B2 1 SAFETY BYPASS GATE FOR EMERGENCY EXIT FROM WATERING AREA TO FEEDING AREA IN LIVESTOCK FACILITY RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit under 35 U S C 119 e of U S Provisional Application No 60 810 493 filed on Jun 1 2006 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention The prese
7. US007966976B2 a2 United States Patent 10 Patent No US 7 966 976 B2 Thibault 45 Date of Patent Jun 28 2011 54 SAFETY BYPASS GATE FOR EMERGENCY 3 814 060 A 6 1974 Swenson oo cece 119 734 EXIT FROM WATERING AREA TO FEEDING peer l E s Dn s AREA IN LIVESTOCK FACILITY LO Sige male 4 213 379 A 7 1980 Cromley oo 454 239 75 Inventor Ronald M Thibault Osborne KS US 4 228 842 A 10 1980 Clark 4 302 908 A 12 1981 Parker 49 122 73 Assignee Osbourne Industries Inc Osborne KS 4 372 592 A 2 1983 Beese US 4 904 880 A 2 1990 Yoshida EORR AER 307 66 4 919235 A 4 1990 DelSavio Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this 35016 Nod aM ENN 119 51 02 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 741 days Continued 21 Appl No 11 754 591 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Gen II The Ultimate Hog Sorting Machine Sierens Equipment Ltd 22 Filed May 29 2007 Cunada user tandab 65 Prior Publication Data Primary Examiner Andrea M Valenti US 2007 0277748 Al Dec 6 2007 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Jeffrey L Thompson Thompson amp Thompson P A Related U S Application Data 60 Provisional application No 60 810 493 filed on Jun EP ABSTRACT 1 2006 A safety bypass gate is provided for use with a livestock management system having a sorting scale arranged between 51 Int CI watering and feeding areas The safety bypass gate changes A01K 29 00 2006 01 from a closed po
8. atering area separate from a feeding area sorting animals as they pass between the watering and feeding areas and opening a safety bypass gate between the watering and feeding areas upon occurrence of a condition that blocks a normal passage between the watering and feed ing areas BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will become more clearly appreci ated as the disclosure of the present invention is made with reference to the accompanying drawings In the drawings FIG 1 is a perspective view of a safety bypass gate in its closed position according to the present invention FIG 2 is a front elevation view of the safety bypass gate shown in FIG 1 FIG 3 is a plan view of the safety bypass gate shown in FIG 1 FIG 4 is a side elevation view of the safety bypass gate shown in FIG 1 FIG 5 is a perspective view of the safety bypass gate in its open position FIG 6 is a plan view of the safety bypass gate shown in FIG 5 FIG 7 is an exploded perspective view of the safety bypass gate according to the present invention FIG 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of a pen layout for a livestock management system using the safety bypass gate according to the present invention FIG 9 is a diagrammatic plan view of the pen layout shown in FIG 8 with the safety bypass gate in its open position FIG 10 is a flow chart showing the operation of the safety bypass gate in a livestock management system according to the
9. elow various abnormal conditions in the livestock facility may be detected and used as a trigger to unlock the locking mechanism 25 and open the gate members 17 19 of the bypass gate 10 For example the abnormal conditions can include a loss of air pressure loss of electric power and or activation ofan idle alert function in the controller ofa sorting scale Because the pneumatic actuator 28 is exposed to an aggres sive dusty environment the part ofthe cylinder rod 27 that is retracted into the cylinder 31 ofthe actuator 28 is protected by a rubber boot 32 and is not exposed to the animals or dust The cylinder rod 27 of the actuator 28 is preferably made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion over time The hinge springs 23 24 forthe gate members 17 19 are also preferably made of stainless steel As described above the safety bypass gate 10 ofthe present invention does not rely on air pressure to hold the gate mem bers 17 19 in position instead it relies on the mechanical interaction between the channel member 26 and the top edges 22 of the gate members 17 19 This arrangement makes the gate 10 resistant to cylinder leakage or deterioration over time and changes in air pressure have no effect until the force 0 5 25 40 45 50 60 65 4 delivered by the air pressure drops below the force of the return spring 29 At that point the channel member 26 is withdrawn and the gate 10 is allowed to open wi
10. ember 26 to avoid personal injury as the channel member 26 re engages the gate members 17 19 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 s shown in FIGS 8 and 9 the safety bypass gates 10 are located immediately next to the sorting scale 35 It is believed that the animals will tend to use the safety bypass gates 10 more effectively in this position as the animals develop the habit of seeking an exit from the watering area 36 at the sorting scale 35 One safety bypass gate 10 may be sufficient to provide a measure of safety until an abnormal condition is corrected in the livestock facility e g all of the animals could be kept temporarily in just one of the feeding areas 37 38 However the use of two safety bypass gates 10 as shown in FIGS 8 and 9 will provide an added measure of safety and will eliminate the possibility of the animals becoming overcrowded and unduly stressed before the abnormal condition is corrected In an alternative arrangement a first safety bypass gate 10 can be located between the watering area 36 and one of the feeding areas 37 and a second safety bypass gate 10 can be located between the two feeding areas 37 38 When two or more safety bypass gates 10 are used they can be connected to the same source of air pressure so that they are activated simul taneously It is also noted that pen layouts using three and four way sorts are possible using the technology described in Appli cant
11. er failure 6 The livestock management system according to claim 1 wherein said loss of air pressure is responsive to a drop in pressure in a pneumatic system used to operate other parts of the system 7 The livestock management system according to claim 2 further comprising a controller having an idle alert function associated with said sorting mechanism wherein said loss of air pressure is responsive to said idle alert function said idle alert function being activated by below normal use rates of the sorting mechanism
12. first and second hinges 18 20 for biasing the gate members 17 19 toward their open position to encour age animal flow when the bypass gate 10 is unlocked A locking mechanism 25 is provided for holding the gate members 17 19 in their closed position during normal opera tion and for releasing the gate members 17 19 to their open position to provide an emergency exit when abnormal condi tions exist The locking mechanism 25 includes a gate locking channel member 26 that is in a locked position when lowered and an unlocked position when raised In the locked position the channel member 26 straddles the top edges 21 22 ofthe gate members 17 19 with opposing surfaces of the channel member 26 engaging front and back sides of the gate mem bers 17 19 to hold the gate members 17 19 in their closed position In the unlocked position the channel member 26 is raised and disengaged from the gate members 17 19 to allow the gate members 17 19 to move to their open position The channel member 26 is attached to a cylinder rod 27 of a pneumatic actuator 28 which uses air pressure to extend the cylinder rod 27 to hold the channel member 26 in its lowered locked position A return spring 29 is provided within the pneumatic actuator 28 to retract the cylinder rod 27 to move the channel member 26 to its raised unlocked position upon a drop in air pressure The actuator 28 is attached to the top frame member 12 by threaded fasteners 30 As explained b
13. hooses certain settings on the controller 40 for the sorting scale 35 these settings may lead to lack of use of the sorting scale 35 Then in some cases the idle alert func tion of the controller 40 may be activated causing the sorting scale 35 to go into limp mode to release the safety bypass gate 10 Upon occurrence of any one of these events conditions the safety bypass gates 10 are automatically unlocked and moved into their open positions as shown in FIG 9 The animals are then allowed to pass freely through the bypass gate 10 as necessary to continue their normal pattern of movement between the watering area 36 and the feeding areas 37 38 This relieves the emergency situation that might otherwise result if the watering area 36 becomes overpopulated or if animals are prevented from accessing their feed in the feeding areas 37 38 The user can then inspect and correct the prob lem and then reset the safety bypass gates 10 into their closed and locked position The safety bypass gate 10 is reset by first disconnecting air pressure from the pneumatic actuator 28 using a manual air valve 41 The gate members 17 19 are then gathered together under the channel member 26 and when aligned the air pressure is reconnected using the manual air valve 41 to lower the channel member 26 into locking engagement with the top edges 21 22 of the gate members 17 19 Of course it is important to keep fingers and hands clear of the channel m
14. may become overpopulated leading to animal injury or loss While the sorting scale 35 provides a first primary passage from the watering area 36 back to the feeding areas 37 38 the safety bypass gate 10 provides a second emergency passage when the first passage through the scale 35 becomes blocked With the safety bypass gates 10 in their closed position as shown in FIG 8 the animals will have a normal routine of passing from the feeding areas 37 38 through one way gates 39 40 into the common watering area 36 and then return to the feeding areas 37 38 through the sorting scale 35 The sorting scale 35 has a first sorting position for causing animals to pass from the watering area 36 to the first feeding area 37 and a second sorting position for causing animals to pass from the watering area 36 to the second feeding area 38 The sorting scale 35 can be used to sort the animals into different feeding groups based on their detected weights or other pre determined sorting criteria A number of different events or conditions can be used as a trigger to allow the safety bypass gates 10 to move from their closed positions to their open positions as shown in FIG 9 to allow animals to exit from the watering area 36 without passing over the sorting scale 35 As depicted in the flowchart of FIG 10 these events conditions include 1 loss of air pressure 2 loss of electric power and 3 activation of an idle alert function caused by belo
15. nt invention relates to livestock management sys tems and methods in which animals are kept in a pen having a watering area separate from a feeding area and in particular to asafety bypass gate used to provide an emergency passage for animals upon occurrence of abnormal events that block a normal passage across a sorting scale between the watering and feeding areas 2 Description of the Related Art Split weight feeding systems using automated sorting mechanisms are used in livestock facilities to improve feed ing efficiencies to limit the weight distribution spread of the animals in the herd and to reduce sort losses at market An example of a split weight feeding system is described in U S Pat No 7 210 428 This split weight feeding system relies upon the continuous natural pattern of movement of the ani mals to water and then back to their preferred feeding area within a large pen configuration The animals pass through a sorting mechanism e g a scale with sorting gates as they move between the watering and feeding areas Abnormal events can sometimes block the normal flow between the watering and feeding areas and raise the stress levels on the animals Under some abnormal circumstances the water pen may become overpopulated or the animals may be blocked from the feeding or watering areas leading to animal injury or loss To manage these problems producers must walk their pens regularly and maintain close supervision to preven
16. sition to an open position to provide an 52 U S Cl os 119 842 119 840 119 502 119 524 emergency exit from the watering area when a condition 58 Field of Classification Search 119 840 843 exists that prevents animals from passing over the sorting 119 423 426 502 506 510 515 14 03 scale The safety bypass gate includes a pair of pivoting gate 119 712 524 481 511 734 735 737 906 members and a channel member that fits over the top edges of 256 73 D25 50 the gate members to secure them closed The channel member See application file for complete search history is attached to a pneumatic actuator that uses air pressure to hold the channel member in its locked position and a spring 56 References Cited return that moves the channel member to its unlocked posi tion upon a drop in air pressure Springs bias the gate mem U S PATENT DOCUMENTS bers from their closed positions to their open positions when 1 743 875 A 1 1930 Bland 119 424 the channel member moves to its unlocked position 2 414 984 A 1 1947 Steele 2 668 381 A 2 1954 Ferris 7 Claims 6 Drawing Sheets US 7 966 976 B2 Page 2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 6 239 711 Bl 6 341 582 Bl 6 899 044 B2 7 210 428 B2 5 2001 Downey et al 1 2002 Gompper et al 5 2005 Thibault et al 5 2007 Thibault 7 464 666 B2 12 2008 Pratt 2003 0066492 Al 4 2003 Fransen et al 2003 0226522 Al 12 2003 Thibault cited by examiner 119 712 119
17. t or intercede if such abnormal events occur Accordingly a need exists for a system that provides an improved measure of safety in an automated livestock feed ing system particularly when abnormal events occur that would otherwise tend to prevent animals from moving between their watering and feeding areas SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an appa ratus and method for use in a livestock facility to provide an emergency passage between watering and feeding areas To accomplish this object the Applicant has developed a safety bypass gate for use with a livestock management sys tem having a sorting scale arranged between watering and feeding areas The safety bypass gate changes from a closed position to an open position to provide an emergency exit from the watering area when a condition exists that prevents animals from passing over the sorting scale The safety bypass gate includes a pair of pivoting gate members and a channel member that fits over the top edges of the gate mem bers to secure them closed The channel member is attached to a pneumatic actuator that uses air pressure to hold the channel member in its locked position and a spring return that moves the channel member to its unlocked position upon a drop in air pressure Springs bias the gate members from their closed positions to their open positions when the channel member moves to its unlocked position 20 25 30 35
18. th the gate hinge springs 23 24 functioning to fully open the gate 10 Even if the gate hinge springs 23 24 are damaged the gate 10 can be fully opened easily by the animals once the channel member 26 is disengaged The safety bypass gate 10 described above is particularly suitable for use in a livestock facility having a sorting scale 35 arranged between a common watering area 36 and first and second feeding areas 37 38 as shown in FIG 8 An example of such a livestock facility is disclosed for example in the Applicant s U S Pat No 7 210 428 which is incorporated herein by reference Such a livestock facility has been used effectively for raising pigs and relies upon the continuous natural pattern of movement of the pigs to water and then back to their preferred feeding area within a large pen configura tion For example the common watering area 36 may com prise about 20 of the total pen area while the feeding areas 37 38 may comprise the other 80 of the total pen area and groups of 500 to 600 pigs may be kept in the pen One or more safety bypass gates 10 can be used in such a livestock facility to provide an emergency exit from the watering area 36 whenever abnormal conditions exist that prevent animals from passing over the sorting scale 35 to return to the feeding areas 37 38 When such abnormal con ditions exist the normal flow of animals is blocked the stress levels on the animals increases and the watering area 36
19. w normal scale use rates e g mechanical damage or blockage of the sorting scale load cell failure incorrect controller settings etc A brief discussion of each of these events conditions will be provided below to aid in better understanding the invention Loss of Air Pressure This event may occur if the air compressor fails and no back up standby compressor exists or if an air line breaks or if power to the compressor s is interrupted If the sorting scale 35 is pneumatically operated it will be unable to actuate its gates and may go into a limp mode in which the entrance and exit gates can be operated by the animals If the total animal population in the pen is high and normal traffic through the scale 35 is high then passage through the scale 35 may be too slow to prevent overcrowding in the watering area US 7 966 976 B2 5 36 Since the safety bypass gate 10 is held in its closed locked position by maintaining air pressure at the pneumatic actuator 28 the gate 10 will automatically unlock and open to relieve the watering area 36 as soon as the air pressure drops below the force of the return spring 29 of the actuator 28 Loss of Electric Power This event may occur if electric power is lost a supply transformer fails a circuit breaker is opened or any other cause interrupts power to the sorting scale 35 The sorting scale 35 can be made to respond to power loss by releasing air pressure at the scale and going into
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