CA2826659C - Animal drafting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Animal drafting apparatus which includes: - a pen having sides spaced apart to define therebetween a space into which an animal may be received; - an entry gate at one end of the pen; - said entry gate being formed in two parts, each of which is supported for pivotal movement; - one part of said entry gate being movable between the open and closed positions by a drive means and the other part of said entry gate being moved between said open and closed positions simultaneously with said first part, by means of a linkage between said one part and said other part; - at least one exit gate at the other end of the pen; - the or each exit gate being pivotable between the open and closed positions.

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION: ANIMAL DRAFTING APPARATUS
Technical Field The present invention relates to apparatus for drafting animals, e.g. sheep, goats, pigs, cattle. The apparatus has been designed particularly for drafting sheep, and will therefore be described with special reference to that application, but it will be appreciated that the apparatus may in fact be scaled up for use with, e.g.
cattle or deer, or used for other small animals such as pigs or llamas.
-to Background Art Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification is not an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
Drafting apparatus at its most simple is any arrangement for separating a group of animals according to predetermined criteria, e.g. weight, physical condition, age.
However, to minimise the number of people involved in the operation, most farmers used drafting apparatus which can be set up in a race in which provides an entry gate into a pen which allows inspection and/or weighing and/or veterinary treatment, and one or more exit gates from the pen, so that the animal in the pen is allowed to leave the pen through the gate appropriate to that animal's status according to the predetermined criteria.
Usually, the opening and closing of the entry and exit gates are controlled by remote control operated by the farmer. Alternatively, the entry and/or exit gates may be set to open or close automatically.
The usual arrangement is for the opening and closing of the entry and exit gates to be operated by pneumatic rams; these are robust, but they require a compressor to be available on site, and also have the drawback of being rather noisy in operation, and can frighten nervous stock.
The entry and exit gates usually are sliding gates which slide across the corresponding opening on a framework which projects to the side of the drafting apparatus.
This means that the drafting apparatus needs a space roughly twice the width of the race, which can be inconvenient when operating in small yards. Further, the framework projecting sideways from the top of the apparatus can be hazardous to operators trying to move around the apparatus.
An additional drawback is that the gates slide in one direction or the other ¨
the apparatus has to be manufactured with either right-hand gates or left-hand gates, according to the intended site.
Disclosure of Invention An object of the present invention is the provision of drafting apparatus which has a io significantly smaller width compared with known drafting apparatus, and which preferably does not require the use of a pneumatic operating system.
The present invention provides drafting apparatus which includes:
¨ a pen having sides spaced apart to define therebetween a space into which an animal may be received;
¨ an entry gate at one end of the pen;
¨ said entry gate being formed in two parts, each of which is supported for pivotal movement;
¨ one part of said entry gate being movable between the open and closed positions by zo a drive means and the other part of said entry gate being moved between said open and closed positions simultaneously with said first part, by means of a linkage between said one part and said other part;
¨ at least one exit gate at the other end of the pen;
- the or each exit gate being pivotable between the open and closed positions.
Preferably, said entry and exit gates are pivotable between open and closed positions by means of one or more electric motors. However, the gates could be pivoted manually, pneumatically or hydraulically, if required.
Preferably, each part of the entry gate is made of a series of substantially vertical spaced pillars which are mounted between upper and lower supports; most preferably, the pillar at the innermost edge of each part is formed as a roller.

2 Preferably, the drive means connected to said one part of said entry gate is connected to the lower end of said one part; and the linkage between said one part and said other part extends between the lower ends of said one part and said other part.
Preferably also, each part of said entry gate is supported for pivotal movement at a position further towards the interior of the pen than the closed position of the entry gate.
Preferably also, the gap between the outer edge of each part of the entry gate and the io adjacent portion of said apparatus is obscured by a flexible replaceable blind.
Preferably, there are two exit gates which are arranged as a V shape in plan, each gate being pivoted to a frame at the widest part of the V shape and arranged to close at an upright at the apex of the V.
Preferably, the apparatus further includes a programmable electronic control system which is programmable to control the drive means for opening and closing both parts of said entry gate, and one or more further drive means for opening and closing the or each exit gate.
Preferably, the connection between the two parts of the entry gate and the associated drive means is such that inward pressure on said parts initially allows said entry gate to open and then rapidly closes said entry gate.
Preferably, the gap between the adjacent inner edges of the parts of the entry gate where the entry gate is in the closed position can be set to a pre-selected width by the programmable electronic control system.
Preferably, said pen is a weighing crate incorporating means for weighing an animal in the crate, and said control system is also programmable so as to close the entry gate when a weight is sensed in the weighing crate. Most preferably, said control system is programmable so as to open the entry gate when no weight is sensed in the weighing crate.

3 Brief Description of Drawings By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figures la and b are isometric views of the drafting apparatus of the present invention, from the front and rear respectively;
Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the apparatus of the present invention, with the entry gate and both exit gates closed;
Figure 3 is a plan view from below of the apparatus of Figure 1, with the components of the weighing apparatus omitted for clarity, and showing the entry gate and both exit gates closed; the drive linkage for one exit gate is omitted;
Figures 4 and 5 are cut-away simplified plan views from below, omitting the motors and controls for the exit gates, and respectively showing the entry gates shut and open.
Figure 6 is a front view of the entry gate of the apparatus of Figure 1, with the gate closed;
Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, but with the gate open; and Figure 8 is a side view of the apparatus, with entry and exit gates closed.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Referring to the drawings, a drafting apparatus 10 incorporates a pen in the form of a weighing crate 11 (shown in Figures 1 and 5 only) and is designed to be connected to races, in known manner, using upper and lower pairs of connecting eyes 12. The connecting eyes 12 are arranged in pairs to prevent the panels forming the races from pivoting relative to the apparatus 10.
The drafting apparatus 10 has an entry gate 13 at one end and two exit gates 14,15, at the other end. The particular embodiment of the invention shown provides for drafting animals in one of two directions, but it will be appreciated that one, three or more exit gates can be provided if required.
The weighing crate 11 provides a pair of opposed sides 16,17 arranged one on each side of a base 11a, the underside of which rests on spaced load cells (not shown) which are connected to electronic scales and a scale read-out (not shown), in known manner. The sides 16,17 each are connected to the base ha along a lower edge,

4 and the lower portions of the sides are inclined away from each other to form a roughly V-cross-section enclosure suitable for accommodating sheep, particularly sheep in full wool. Preferably, the panels 16,17 are made of a tough, impact resistant solid material, which can be easily cleaned.
In general, it is advantageous for a drafting apparatus to incorporate a weighing crate, but if any reason this is not required, then the weighing crate can be replaced by any suitable containment.
At each end of each side 16,17, the vertical edges of the sides 16,17 are secured to first front and rear arches 18,19. The lower ends of each of the arches 18,19 are rigidly secured to two parallel longitudinal support beams 20,21 which, together with two parallel crossmembers 22,23 form the rectangular base framework of the apparatus. Two further base members 23a,23b are arranged in a V shape at the exit end of the apparatus, to form part of the supporting structure for the exit gates.
The upper portion of the arches 18,19 support two spaced parallel anti-jump bars 24,25 which extend the full length of the weighing crate, and, at the exit end of the apparatus, extend over the top of the exit portion of the apparatus, between the two exit gates. An additional anti-jump bar 25a extends from the centre of the rear arch 19, over the exit portion of the apparatus and curves downwards with the lower end secured to the apex of the V formed by the base members 232,23b.
A pair of second front and rear arches 30,31 are secured rigidly to the base framework respectively at the front of the apparatus and adjacent the end of the weighing crate 11. The plane of each arch 30,31 lies in a substantially vertical plane. The mid-points of each of the arches 30,31 are connected by a tie bar 32 which extends the full length of the apparatus, down the centre line of the apparatus and at the exit end of the apparatus is curved to form a vertical support member 33, the lower end of which is rigidly secured to the apex of the V formed by the base members 23a,23 b. The tie bar 32 provides an upper bracing member for the apparatus and also supports an electronic control box which incorporates a read-out (not shown), mounted in a carrier 34.

5 Referring in particular to Figures 6 and 7, the entry gate 13 consists of two mirror image parts 13a and 13b which can be pivoted between the position shown in Figures

6 and 7 to respectively close and open the gate.
Each part of the entry gate 13a,13b, consists of three spaced vertical pillars 38,39,40 mounted between pivotal upper and lower supports 41,42. The pillars 38, which form the inner part of the gate 13 when it is closed, are formed as freely rotatable rollers mounted between end bearings (not visible) which are secured to the supports 41,42.
Forming these pillars as rollers means that if part of an animal becomes trapped io between the sections of the gate, it is easier for them to pull themselves clear without injury.
The pillars 39 of each of the gate parts are rigidly mounted between the supports 41,42. The third pair of pillars 40 each support one longitudinal edge of a flexible blind 43 which may be made of any suitably robust material, (e.g. a heavy duty plasticised canvas). The lower end of each pillar 40 is mounted to the corresponding support 42;
the upper end of each pillar 40 is releasably mounted to the corresponding support 41, so that each pillar 40 can be disengaged from the corresponding support if the blind 43 needs to be replaced.
Each flexible blind 43 is a simple flat sheet of material formed with a hem along each longitudinal edge; one hem is threaded over the corresponding pillar 40 and the other hem is threaded over a support pillar 44 (Figure 2 only); the hem can be removed from the support pillar 44 if it is necessary to replace the blind. Each support pillar 44 is mounted on the adjacent vertical portion of the second front arch 30 by means of brackets secured to the arch.
The use of the blinds 43 ensures that there is no visible gap at either side of the apparatus, as viewed by an incoming animal:¨ any visible gap encourages an animal going through the apparatus to try to escape through that gap. However, many animals are a poor judge of the width of a gap, and freeing animals who have become jammed in apparatus is a lengthy and difficult process and can result in injury both to the animal and to the person trying to assist.
Each of the upper supports 41 is in the form of an oval plate which overlies and secures the upper ends of the pillars 38, 39 and 40, and which also supports a U-shaped connector 50, one end of which is rigidly secured between the corresponding upper support 41 and the ends of the propellers 39 and 40, and the other end of which is pivoted by a pivot 51 to a crossbar 52 which is secured across the anti-jump bars 24,25, at right angles to the longitudinal axes of these bars.
When the connectors 50 are pivoted to the position shown in Figure 2, the centre portions 50a of each connector are substantially parallel to the anti-jump bars 24,25 and the entry gate 13 is closed, with both halves 13a,13b of the gate lying in the same plane, across the front of the apparatus. When the centre portions 50a of each connector, and the associated halves of the gate 13, are pivoted as indicated by arrows A of Figure 2, the entry gate is opened to the position shown in Figure

7 where the gap G between the pillars 38 is sufficient to admit an animal into the weighing crate 11. The gap G can be adjusted in width as hereinafter described, to admit various sizes of animal.
The parts of the entry gate 13 are moved between the open and closed positions by a drive mechanism connected to the lower supports 42. Moving the parts of the entry gate from below has the advantage of keeping the upper part of the apparatus as clear as possible. This is especially useful if the apparatus is to be used for smaller animals such as pigs or sheep, because the overall height of the apparatus is relatively low and it is convenient to work on the animals from above. As shown in Figure 5, each of the supports 42, which carries the lower ends of the pillars 38, 39 and 40, is supported upon a connector 53,54 which is pivoted by a pivot 55,56 to a crossmember 57 rigidly secured across the longitudinal members of the base framework. At the pivot 55, the adjacent end of the connector 53 is connected to an arm 58, the other end of which is pivoted to a hooked member 59 which is connected to an electric motor 60. The arm 58 also is connected to the connector 54 by a pivot arm 61 which is pivoted at one end to the arm 58 and at the other end to an arm 62, which is connected to the end of connector 54 remote from the pillars.
The connection between the hooked member 59 and the electric motor 60 is by means of a pivoted drive block 63, one end of which is connected to the drive shaft of the motor 60 and the other end of which is connected to the centre of the curve of the hooked member 59. The pivotal connections between the motor and the hooked member 59 are in substantially the same plane, to minimise the sideloading on the bearings of the electric motor 60. It will be noted that the gate parts 13a,13b are pivoted for their open and closing movement at pivots 55,56 which are located spaced behind the plane of the entry gate 13 in its closed position (see Figure 4).
The manner in which the parts 13a,13b of the entry gate are mounted means that as the parts move from the open to the closed position, they tend to move in a scooping movement which is effective in pushing into the crate an animal which is not properly positioned and is partly outside the crate.
When the gates 13a,13b, are fully closed, the hooked member 59 is in the position shown in Figure 3, with the hooked portion of the hooked member 59 curved around ro the motor 60 and the end of the member 59 in contact with a stop 65. In this position, the member 59 is over-centred, and the gates 13a,13b are locked closed.
To move the gates 13a,13b to the open position shown in Figure 5, the motor 60 is rotated in the direction of Arrow B (Figure 3) rotating the hooked member 59 in the same direction and moving the arm 58 in the direction of Arrow C. This swings the connector 53 and the associated support 42 carrying the corresponding pillars 38, 39, 40 of gate 13a towards the open position shown in Figure 5, and at the same time, via the pivot arm 61, the arm 62 and the connector 54 are swung in the direction of Arrow D (Figure 3) to simultaneously open the gate 13b. The width of the gap G
between the pillars 38 when the gate 13 is open is governed by the amount of rotation of the motor 60; this is controlled by the electronic control system of the motor so that the gap G is the required preset width. It will be noted that only one part of the gate 13 (part 13a ) is driven directly:¨ the other part 13b of the gate is moved via its linkage to the part 13a. This has a significant cost advantage, in that only one electric motor (or other drive means) is required for the entry gate, and also ensures that the two parts of the gate move simultaneously.
Each of the exit gates 14,15 is independently controlled and is driven by its own electric motor 70,71. Each of the exit gates 14,15 is a metal framed barred gate of known type. The gate bars are depicted as a horizontal but alternatively may be vertical bars to prevent animals from hooking legs over horizontal bars. Each of the gates 14,15 is pivotally hung from the adjacent upright of the second rear arch 31, in known manner. Each gate 14,15 closes against the vertical support member 33 (see Figure 8).

8 Each gate 14,15 is moved between the open and closed positions as follows:¨ a push plate 73 is rigidly secured to the bottom of each gate 14,15 adjacent the corresponding hinges, and the end of the push plate 73 is pivoted to one end of a hooked member 74, the other, curved, end of which is pivoted to a connection block 75, the other end of which is secured to the shaft of the corresponding motor 70,71 as shown in Figure 3 in respect of motor 71 only. When the motor 71 is driven in the direction of Arrow E, the hooked member 74 is driven in the same direction, to move the push plate 73 in the direction of Arrow F, thus opening the gate. To close the gate, the motor 71 is rotated in the opposite direction. As with the motor 60 which opens and closes the io entry gate 13, the hooked member 74 is arranged to over centre when the gate is closed (as shown in Figure 3) so that the gate is locked shut. The motor 70 operates in the same manner in respect to gate 14.
In use, the motors 60,70,71 are protected by removable housings 60a,70a,71a.
The above described apparatus is used as follows:¨ in the simplest mode of use, a remote-controlled device of known type is used to open and close the entry gate 13 and the exit gates 14 and 15. Thus, the farmer opens the entry gate 13 to admit a single animal into the weighing crate 11, the animal is then, for example, weighed, tagged and examined and, with the gate 13 shut, either the gate 14 or the gate 15 is opened to release the animal from the apparatus through one of the gates 14 or 15, which is then shut. The gate 13 is then opened to admit another animal.
Unless only a few animals are to be dealt with, the above described fully individual mode is slow. In general, apparatus of this type is used for large numbers of animals, and it therefore is advantageous to use a programmable electronic control system to control all of the motors, and to set up this electronic control system to automatically follow one of several automatic sequences. With these automatic sequences, the remote control is not required at all.
One possible sequence is as follows:
¨ exit gates 14 and 15 closed ¨ open gate 13 ¨ close gate 13 behind animal - record animal's weight using the weighing crate 11 ¨ record animal's tag number using an optical reader (not shown)

9 ¨ as soon as the two preceding steps have been completed, open either gate 15 or gate 14 according to the recorded weight or the tag number of the animal ¨ close the gate 14 or 15 which has been opened ¨ open gate 13 to admit a further animal.
A variation on the above sequence is to open one of the exit gates after a predetermined elapsed time.
The remote control has a "hold" function which allows the farmer to freeze the whole sequence if any reason a delay is needed.
Preferably, the entry gate 13 is set in its "open" position so that the animal entering has to push through the gate; the control of the electric motor 60 is arranged such that the movement of the linkage connecting the two halves of the gates 13 with the motor 60 which occurs when the halves of the gate are pushed apart triggers a drive to the motor which snaps the gate shut. An alternative setup is an arrangement whereby, when a weight is sensed in the weighing crate 11, the motor 60 is triggered to snap the gate 13 shut. However, the arrangement whereby an animal pushing through the entry gate 13 triggers the closing of that gate is preferred, because this makes for a shorter sequence:- when very large numbers of animals are being dealt with, it is a considerable advantage to keep the cycle as short as possible.
As mentioned earlier, the gap G between the pillars 38 of the two halves of entry gate 13 can be pre-set to any of a range of widths. If this is done, the gap G is automatically returned to the pre-set width when the gate 13 is automatically re-opened.
Preferably, the system also includes a feature that when weight is removed from the weighing crate 11, the motor 60 is activated to reopen the gate 13.
It will be appreciated that multiple variations of the triggering factors for opening and closing the entry and exit gates can be programmed into the system, and these triggering factors can also be incorporated into a pneumatically or hydraulically powered apparatus.

10 The above described apparatus uses electric motors for opening and closing the gates; these motors may be any small, robust electric motor, preferably with a planned three gearbox and may run off a 12V battery, a 24V battery, or off mains power.
However, the gates could be opened and closed using pneumatic or hydraulic actuators instead. A further variant is to use two separate synchronised drive means at the entry gate, one for each half of the gate, but this significantly increases the cost of the apparatus. It also is possible to dispense with any driving means at all, and provide control handles for manually opening the entry and exit gates. In this case, the part of the entry gate 13a which in the above described embodiment is driven by 119 the motor 60, is provided with a control handle with which a user may swing the gate part 13a to pivot between open and closed positions, as described above. The linkage between the parts of the gate 13a,13b (provided by the arms 61 and 62, and the connector 54), ensures that as the gate part 13a is swung, there is a simultaneous equivalent movement of the part 13b. The exit gates 14,15 also may be provided with control handles for manual movement.
If the apparatus is to be used in remote locations where failure of a drive means cannot readily be repaired, it may be preferred to provide control handles as described in the preceding paragraph, even though the equipment is provided with drive means.
This means that the apparatus can continue to be used, albeit slowly, in the event of the failure of the drive means.
It would be possible to run animals through the apparatus in the reverse direction if required.
It will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention requires very little additional width over and above the width of the apparatus itself, to permit the entry and exit gates to open.

11

Claims (15)

Claims

1. Animal drafting apparatus which includes:
¨ a pen having sides spaced apart to define therebetween a space into which an animal may be received;
¨ an entry gate at one end of the pen;
¨ said entry gate being formed in two parts, each of which is supported for pivotal movement;
¨ one part of said entry gate being movable between the open and closed positions by a drive means and the other part of said entry gate being moved between said open and closed positions simultaneously with said first part, by means of a linkage between said one part and said other part;
¨ at least one exit gate at the other end of the pen;
- the or each exit gate being pivotable between the open and closed positions.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each part of the entry gate is made of a series of substantially vertical, spaced pillars which are mounted between upper and lower supports.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pillar at the innermost edge of each part is formed as a roller.

4. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the drive means connected to said one part of said entry gate is connected to the lower end of said one part; and the linkage between said one part and said other part extends between the lower ends of said one part and said other part.

5. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, wherein each part of said entry gate is supported for pivotal movement at a position further towards the interior of the pen than the closed position of the entry gate.

6. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, wherein there is a gap between the outer edge of each part of said entry gate and the adjacent portion of said apparatus, and each said gap is obscured by a flexible replaceable blind.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein there are two exit gates arranged as a V shape in plan, each gate being pivoted to a frame at the widest part of the V shape and arranged to close at an upright at the apex of the V.

8. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the drive means is selected from the group consisting of: electric motor, pneumatic ram, hydraulic ram, manual drive.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including a programmable electronic control system which is programmable to control the drive means for opening and closing both parts of said entry gate, and one or more further drive means for opening and closing the or each exit gate.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the connection between the two parts of the entry gate and the associated drive means is such that inward pressure on said parts initially allows said entry gate to open and then rapidly closes said entry gate.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the gap between the adjacent inner edges of the parts of the entry gate when the entry gate is in the dosed position can be set to a pre-selected width by the programmable electronic control system.

12. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-11, wherein said pen is a weighing crate incorporating means for weighing an animal in the crate.

13. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, wherein said pen is a weighing crate incorporating means for weighing an animal in the crate and the apparatus further includes a programmable electronic control system which is programmable to control a drive means for opening and dosing both parts of said entry gate, and one or more further drive means for opening and closing the or each exit gate; said control system further being programmable so as to close the entry gate when a weight is sensed in the weighing crate.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said electronic control system is programmable so as to open the entry gate when no weight is sensed in the weighing crate.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the connection between the two parts of the entry gate and the associated drive means is such that inward pressure on said parts initially allows said entry gate to open and then rapidly closes said entry gate