Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1
METERING DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED UNLOADING METHODS FOR HOPPER-
BOTTOMED STORAGE BINS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to equipment and methods for
unloading hopper-bottomed storage bins.
BACKGROUND
Hopper-bottomed storage bins are commonly employed in the agriculture
industry for the purpose of storing seed or grain. Unloading of such granular
material
from the bin conventionally involves free gravitational dumping of the
granular material
through a bottom hopper outlet of the bin into an inlet hopper of a portable
transfer
conveyor, which may be a cleated belt conveyor or a screw auger conveyor.
Before
unloading of the storage bin is initiated, the transfer conveyor is wheeled
into a position
aligning its inlet hopper under the hopper outlet, at which point a slide gate
on the bin's
hopper outlet is opened to start dumping the granular material from the
storage bin into
the inlet hopper of the running transfer conveyor. From the inlet hopper
residing at
ground level under the hopper outlet, the transfer conveyor features an
inclined housing
through which the conveyor belt or screw auger slopes upwardly to an upper end
of the
inclined housing, where a downwardly opening discharge of the transfer
conveyor
dumps the granular material into a targeted destination of the granular
material.
Without limiting the present invention to use with any particular pieces of
equipment,
this targeted destination may be a transport truck or trailer, a seed tote, a
seed treater,
a grain cleaner, or a grain dryer.
This conventional unloading procedure is subject to inefficiencies,
included underused equipment capacity and wasteful material losses, as the
volume of
granular material flowing between the storage bin and the targeted destination
is not
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controlled with any notable degree of precision. The human operator of the
transfer
conveyor may terminate the operation thereof before the targeted destination
is filled to
its maximum capacity, or may allow the transfer conveyor to run to long,
resulting
spillage when the destination is overfilled beyond its designed capacity. Even
if the
termination of the conveyor is accurately timed to prevent underfill or
overfill at the
targeted designation, a residual volume of granular material remains within
the transfer
conveyor, representing a wasted fraction of the stored bin contents.
Accordingly, there is a need for equipment and methodologies for more
efficient unloading of the hopper-bottomed storage bins.
0 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided metering
device for metered dispensing of granular material from a hopper bottom
storage bin,
said metering device comprising:
a metering housing;
5 a
housing inlet opening downwardly into the housing for receiving said
granular material from a hopper outlet of the hopper bottom storage bin;
a housing outlet from which the granular material is dispensable from the
housing; and
a metering mechanism operable within the housing between the housing
20
inlet and the housing outlet to receive the granular material from the housing
inlet and
dispense said granular material through the housing outlet in a metered
fashion;
a motor mounted to the meter housing and operably coupled to the
metering mechanism for selective driven operation thereof; and
a mounting arrangement from which the metering housing is suspended,
2 5
said mounting arrangement being configured for attachment to the hopper bottom
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storage bin in a position suspending the metering housing below the hopper
outlet.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method
of unloading granular material from a hopper-bottomed storage bin, said method
comprising, with a metering housing of said device suspended from said hopper-
bottomed storage bin in a working position under a hopper outlet thereof,
positioning
an inlet hopper of a portable conveyor under an outlet of the metering device,
and
operating said metering device to perform controlled dispensing of granular
material
from said hopper-bottomed storage bin into said portable conveyor for
transport of a
metered quantity of said granular material through said conveyor to a targeted
destination.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of
supporting a metering device in working relation to a hopper outlet of a
hopper-
bottomed storage bin, said method comprising suspending a metering housing of
said
metering device from spokes of said hopper-bottomed storage bin that emanate
5 outwardly from said hopper outlet to connect with outer support legs of
said hopper-
bottomed support bin.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a metering
device comprising:
a housing having a housing inlet for receiving granular material and a
2 0 housing outlet for dispensing said granular material;
a metering mechanism comprising a set of rollers rotatably supported in
the housing, an endless belt entrained about said set of rollers to follow a
revolutionary
path therearound, and a set of cleats attached to said belt at regularly
spaced intervals,
the rollers and the belt being oriented to convey the cleats in underpassing
relation to
25 the housing inlet of the metering housing, and onward toward the housing
outlet of the
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metering housing, during an upper span of said revolutionary path; and
an internal liner disposed on an interior side of an upper wall of the
metering housing at an area thereof residing between the housing inlet and the
housing
outlet, said internal liner being of distinct material composition from the
upper wall of
the metering housing and being positioned for sliding contact thereof by the
cleats as
said cleats move past the housing inlet toward the housing outlet during said
during an
upper span of said revolutionary path.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is an elevational view of a hopper-bottomed storage bin on which
a metering device of the present invention has been installed to provide
controlled
discharge of granular material from the hopper-bottomed storage bin.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the metering device with the
hopper-bottomed storage bin of Figure 1 cut away along line A ¨ A thereof to
illustrate
mounting of the metering device on spokes of a base section of the hopper-
bottomed
storage bin.
Figure 3 is a front side perspective view of the metering device in isolation.
Figure 4 is a rear side perspective view of the metering device.
Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the metering device.
Figure 6 is an opposing side elevational view of the metering device.
Figure 7 is a rear end view of the metering device.
Figure 8 is a front end view of the metering device.
Figure 9 is a top view of the metering device.
Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the metering device of Figure 9, as
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viewed along line B B thereof.
Figure 11 is a partial closeup perspective view of the metering device,
with select components of an adjustable pivot joint thereof hidden to reveal
other
internal components thereof.
Figure 12 is another partial closeup perspective view of the metering
device of Figure 3, with select components of the adjustable pivot joint
thereof once
again hidden to reveal other internal components thereof.
Figure 13 is a plan view of the metering device of Figure 2 with a metering
housing thereof residing in a working position aligned under a bottom hopper
outlet of
== 0 the storage bin.
Figure 14 is a plan view similar to Figure 13, but with the metering housing
swung out into a withdrawn position retracted from under the bottom hopper
outlet of
the storage bin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
5 Figure 1 illustrates a metering device 10 of the present invention in
an
installed position mounted to the spoked base of an existing hopper-bottomed
granular
storage bin 12 in which seed, grain or other granular material is stored. The
storage
bin features a cylindrical outer bin wall 14 closing around a central
longitudinal axis AL
of the bin, and a frustonical hopper bottom 16 whose wider upper end is
affixed to the
20 bottom end of the outer bin wall 14 and whose narrower bottom end
terminates at a
bottom hopper outlet 18 of the bin. The outer bin wall 14 and attached hopper
bottom
16 delimit an interior storage space of the bin above the bottom hopper outlet
18 thereof.
The hopper bottom 16 shares the same vertically-oriented central
longitudinal axis AL as the outer bin wall, and the hopper outlet 18 is
likewise centered
25 on this same axis. A support base 20 of the bin 12 features a plurality
of upright support
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legs 22 standing vertically upward from a concrete pad or other horizontal
ground
surface SG in a circumferential array spaced around the hopper outlet 18 in
underlying
relation to the outer perimeter of the bin. The upper ends of the support legs
22 attach
to the bin at this outer perimeter thereof where the outer bin wall 14 and
hopper bottom
16 are jointed together. The support legs therefore carry the bin in an
elevated state
spacing the hopper outlet 18 above the ground surface SG. The support base 20
also
features a plurality of spokes 24 each emanating radially outward from the
hopper outlet
18 to a respective one of the support legs 22 in a common horizontal plane
shared by
said spokes 24 and the hopper outlet.
0 The metering device 10 features a metering housing 26 supported in a
horizontal plane closely underlying that shared by the hopper outlet 18 and
base spokes
24. This metering housing 26 is designed to receive granular material from the
interior
space of the storage bin through the bottom hopper outlet 18, and contains a
metering
mechanism (described in more detail below) for the purpose of enabling precise
5 volumetric control over the dispensing of this granular material from
the bin 12. The
metering housing 26 is suspended in a hanging state from a mounting
arrangement
that is seated atop the base spokes 24 and is secured thereto, whereby the
entirety of
the metering device is supported solely by the bin in an installed position
suspended
therefrom in elevated relation above the ground surface SG.
20 With reference to Figure 2, the mounting arrangement the metering
device 10 is a U-shaped mounting frame 28 having two parallel outer legs 30a,
30b and
a cross-leg 32 that perpendicularly joins said outer legs 30 together at
matching ends
thereof. In the installed position of the metering device on the storage bin
12, these
three frame legs 30a, 30b, 32 are seated atop the coplanar base spokes 24 of
the
25 storage bin and reside on three respective sides of the hopper outlet 18.
In the
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drawings, the hopper outlet 18 is delimited by a small-stature cylindrical
collar 34 to
which the inner ends of the spokes are attached, and which in turn is affixed
to the
narrower end of the bin's frustoconical hopper bottom 16. Figure 2 also shows
the
inclusion of a slide gate 36 slidably carried in a track 37 affixed to the
outlet collar 34.
The track enables linear displacement of the slide gate 36 between a closed
position
spanning across the hopper outlet 18 to close off the interior space of the
bin and
prevent release of the stored granular material therefrom, and an open
position
withdrawn at least partially outward from under the hopper outlet 18 to allow
release of
said granular material from the bin's interior space. In the installed
position of the
0 metering device 10, the metering housing 26 is resides below the slide
gate 36 and its
associated track 37 so that the slide gate 36 is operable to selectively block
and enable
release of granular material from the storage bin 12 into the metering housing
26.
The U-shaped mounting frame 28 of the metering device 10 has an
unoccupied open end 38 situated opposite the cross leg 32 thereof, whereby the
' 5 mounting frame 28 spans around only three of the hopper outlet's four
sides in the
installed position of the metering device 10. This allows the mounting frame
28 to be
slipped into this installed position by accommodating the receipt of the
hopper outlet 18
through the open end 38 of the mounting frame as the mounting frame is
horizontally
displaced over the base spokes 24 of the bin into this installed position. At
each spoke
20 24 spanned by one of the frame legs 30a, 30b, 32 of the mounting frame,
the mounting
frame 28 is secured to the spoke 24 by a respective clamp 40 that embraces
over the
topside of the frame leg and beneath the underside of the respective spoke 24.
Such
clamped securement of the mounting frame 28 to the base spokes 24 of the bin
enables
simple, removable attachment of the metering device 10 to an existing storage
bin
5 without any drilling or other modification to the existing bin structure.
However, it will
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be appreciated that the mounting frame may additionally or alternatively be
welded or
bolted to the spokes if desired for a more permanent installation.
The metering housing 26 is pivotally coupled to the mounting frame 28 by
an adjustable pivot joint 42 through which the metering housing 26 is both
pivotable
about an upright axis to swing between working and withdrawn positions
relative to the
hopper outlet 18, and adjustable in a tilt angle at which it resides relative
the frame in
order to allow proper levelling of the metering housing should it be installed
on a bin
whose base spokes 24 deviate from true horizontal.
Turning away from Figure 2, attention is turned the larger scale views of
0 the metering device in Figures 3 to 12 in order to provide more detail on
the construction
of the device itself.
The metering housing 26 features a horizontal upper wall 44, a pair of
vertical side walls 46a, 46b depending downwardly from the upper wall 44 at
opposing
perimeter sides thereof, and a vertical rear wall 48 likewise depending
downwardly from
the upper wall 44 at a rear perimeter edge thereof and spanning
perpendicularly
between the two side walls to close off a rear end of the metering housing. At
an
opposing front end of the metering housing, a discharge hood 50 is affixed to
the upper
and side walls of the housing. The hood 50 features a curved wall 52 that
slopes
forwardly and downwardly from the upper housing wall 44 and has an externally
convex
and internally concave curvature. Opposing sides panels 54a, 54b of the hood
50 each
close off a respective side thereof by spanning from a respective side wall
46a, 46b of
the housing 26 to the terminal end of the curved hood wall 52 furthest from
the housing
side walls 46a, 46b. An internal space of the metering housing is delimited
below the
upper wall 44 thereof between the housing side walls 46a, 46b and hood side
panels
54a, 54b, and between the rear housing wall 48 and curved hood wall 52. An
inlet
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opening 56 if the housing penetrates a generally central area of the upper
wall 44 to
define the inlet from which granular material from the storage bin hopper
outlet 18
gravitationally falls into the interior of the metering housing 26 when the
slide gate 36
of the storage bin is opened. The front and rear ends of the metering housing
are
separated in a horizontally longitudinal reference direction, while the side
walls of the
housing are separated in a horizontally lateral reference direction that is
perpendicular
to the longitudinal reference direction.
The metering mechanism installed in the housing 26 features a first
horizontal roller 58 whose roller shaft 58a penetrates the side walls 46a, 46b
of the
metering housing 26 near the front end thereof. The first roller shaft 58a is
rotatably
supported within the interior space of the metering housing 26 by a pair of
bearings
60a, 60b mounted to said housing side walls 46a, 46b. A right-angle gearbox 62
is
mounted to one of the housing side walls 46b, outside of which an output shaft
of the
gearbox is coupled to a respective end of the first roller shaft 58a. On this
same outer
side of the metering housing 26, a drive motor 64 is likewise externally
mounted to
housing side wall 46b in a position in which the motor driveshaft lies in the
longitudinal
reference direction parallel to the housing side wall 46b. The motor
driveshaft is
coupled in-line to an input shaft of the gearbox 62. The rotational axes AI,
Ao of the
gear box's input and output shafts, which are respectively shared by the motor
21 driveshaft and first roller shaft 58a, lie perpendicular to one another
in the longitudinal
and lateral reference directions. The first roller 58 thus lies in the lateral
reference
direction, and the right-angle gearbox enables driven rotation of the first
roller 58 about
its laterally oriented axis Ao under driven rotation of the motor driveshaft
about its
longitudinally oriented axis Ai.
The metering mechanism further comprises a second roller 66 lying
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parallel to the first roller in distally spaced relation thereto near the
opposing rear end
of the metering housing. The roller shaft 66a of the second roller 66 is not a
motor
driven shaft like that of the first roller, but is instead an idler shaft
similarly supported by
a pair of bearings 68a, 68b carried on the opposing sides walls 46a, 46b of
the metering
housing 26. These bearings 68a, 68b may be mounted on a pair of movable
supports
70 each slidable back and forth in the longitudinal reference direction within
a respective
guide track 72 having upper and lower rails 72a, 72b affixed to the respective
housing
side wall 46a, 46b, whereby the second roller shaft 66a is selectively
displaceable
toward and away from the first roller shaft 58a to adjust a belt-tension of
the metering
mechanism.
With reference to Figure 10, an endless belt 74 having an array of
identical cleats 76 affixed thereto at regularly spaced intervals over the
endless length
thereof is entrained about the first and second rollers 58, 66 inside the
metering housing
26. The first roller 58 is driven in a working direction Dw by the drive motor
64 via the
gearbox 62 such that the belt 74 makes a rearward lower pass toward the rear
end wall
48 of the housing, and an upper pass toward the hood 50 at the front end of
the housing.
During this travel of the belt 74 around the rollers 58, 66, the cleats 76
thus pass
underneath the inlet 56 of the housing 26 toward the hooded front end thereof
during
the upper span of this revolutionary path around the rollers. The open space
between
2) the first roller 58 and the terminal end of the curved hood wall 52
denotes an outlet
opening 78 of the metering housing, toward which granular material entering
the inlet
56 of the housing and falling onto the upper span of the moving belt 74 is
conveyed by
the cleats 76 during this driven revolution of the belt 74 around the rollers
58, 66 by the
drive motor 64 and gear housing 62.
Affixed to the underside of the housing's upper wall 44 at the area thereof
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between the housing inlet 56 and housing outlet 78 is an internal liner 80
made of low
friction polymeric material, such as ultra high molecular meight polyethylene
(UHMW).
The cleats 76 on the belt 74 have a sufficient height to make sliding contact
with the
underside of this internal liner 80 as they travel forwardly thereunder toward
the outlet
78 of the metering housing 26. This way, no gap space is left between the top
edge of
each cleat and the liner 80, thus preventing granules of material from
escaping the
space between two adjacent cleats as they travel from the housing inlet 56
toward the
housing outlet 78. Granular material falling from the hopper outlet 18 into
the housing
26 fills the entire available space between any two adjacent cleats as they
underpass
the housing inlet 56. Granules piled above the top edges of these two adjacent
cleats
is sheared away as those two cleats come into wiping contact with the
underside of the
polymeric liner 80. Accordingly, each inter-cleat space travelling toward the
housing
outlet 78 contains a precise quantity of granular material fully occupying a
predetermined volumetric capacity of this inter-cleat space between the two
adjacent
cleats.
To prevent damage to the cleats 76, and to achieve and maintain full and
continuous contact with the liner 80 as the cleats come into contact therewith
for optimal
volumetric accuracy, the interior liner 80 is provided with a convexly
contoured
curvature at a contact edge 80a thereof that borders the housing inlet 56 at a
front
2 D boundary thereof nearest the front end the housing. This represents an
initial contact
area at which the top edge of each cleat first contacts the liner, and the
curvature of
this contact area provides a smooth transition from the inlet-underpassing
stage of the
cleat's travel to the liner-wiping stage thereof, as opposed to more abrupt
impact of the
upper edge of the cleat against a hard square edge. With the exception of this
curved
area at contact edge 80a, the remainder of the liner 80 is a flat plate of
purely planar
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form spanning the full width of the belt cleats in the lateral direction of
the housing, and
spanning a longitudinal distance at least as great as the longitudinal inter-
cleat measure
between any two adjacent cleats. As shown, the belt 74 may ride over a
horizontal
support plate 82 that underlies at least a full area of the housing inlet 56
as the belt
travels through the upper span of its revolutionary path around the rollers
58, 66. The
support plate helps prevent sagging of the belt at this upper span thereof
onto which
the granular material falls from the hopper outlet 18.
With reference to Figures 3 and 4, to establish and maintain alignment of
the metering housing inlet 56 with the hopper outlet 18, the top of the
metering housing
26 features an alignment and latching mechanism, which includes a right-angle
alignment bracket 84 featuring first and second bracing members 86, 88 fixed
atop the
housing's upper wall 44. The first bracing member 86 lies in the longitudinal
reference
direction at a side of the inlet opening 56 nearest the respective housing
side wall 46b.
The second bracing member 88 lies perpendicularly of the first bracing member
86 in
the lateral reference direction at a location at or near the front boundary
56a of the inlet
opening. When the metering housing is in a working position aligning the
housing inlet
56 with the hopper outlet 18 of the storage bin 12, the first bracing member
86 resides
on a respective side of the hopper outlet in abutting contact with a
respective side of
the bin's slide gate track 37, while the second bracing member 88 resides on a
D neighbouring side of the hopper outlet 18 in abutment with a closed
terminal end of the
bin's slide gate track 37, i.e. an end of the slide gate track 37 opposite
from that from
which the slide gate 36 is pulled into the open position. This working
position of the
metering housing 26 is shown in Figure 13.
To further secure the metering housing 26 in the working position, a
latching member 90 is pivotally coupled to the second bracing member 88 at a
distal
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13
end thereof opposite the first bracing member 86 at or adjacent the plane of
the
opposing housing side wall 46a. The latching member 90 can swing relative to
the
second bracing member 88 about an upright latch axis AL defined by an upright
pivot
pin that penetrates the latching member and second bracing member 88 near the
distal
end thereof. With reference to Figure 9, the latching member 90 can swing
about this
axis between the solid line latching position, in which the latching member 90
reaches
perpendicularly from the second bracing member 88 in the longitudinal
reference
direction so as to lie parallel and opposite to the first bracing member 86 in
abutted
contact against a second opposing side of the slide gate track 37, and the
broken-line
- 0 release position, in which the latching member instead reaches
laterally outward from
the second bracing member in generally parallel relation thereto.
A locking pin (not shown) can be mated through pin holes in the latching
member and a cooperative lug (not shown) on the side wall 46a of the metering
housing
26 to selectively lock the latching member in the latching position. In the
locked in the
- 5 latching position, the latching member 90 blocks swinging of the
metering housing 26
Out of the working position about an upright pivot axis of the pivot joint 42,
as the first
bracing member 86 and the opposing latching member 90 embrace opposing sides
of
the slide gate track 37 on opposite sides of the hopper outlet 18, thus
blocking swinging
of the metering housing relative to the hopper outlet 18. This locked state of
the
20 metering housing in the working position aligned under the hopper outlet 18
of the
storage bin is shown in Figure 13. Unlocking of the latching member 90 from
the
latching position, and swinging thereof into the release position allows the
metering
housing 26 to be swung about the pivot joint 42 into the withdrawn position of
Figure
14, where the metering housing is fully withdrawn out from under the hopper
outlet 18,
25 thus giving access to the topside of the metering housing for cleanout or
inspection
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thereof via the inlet opening 56, and also giving access to the bin outlet 18,
for example
for cleaning or inspection thereof once the storage bin has been fully
emptied.
Referring to Figures 11 and 12, attention is now turned to the adjustable
pivot joint 42, which features an upright multi-piece support shaft 92
composed an outer
bushing or sleeve 94 and an inner shaft 96 extending axially thereth rough. A
lower end
portion 96a of the inner shaft 96 situated outside the outer sleeve 94 beyond
the lower
end thereof is affixed to the metering housing, for example via penetrating
and welded
attachment to a stub-like support arm 98 that cantilevers a short distance
outward from
the first bracing member 86 atop the metering housing 26 at a rear corner
thereof. In
0 the illustrated example, the pivot joint 42 is particularly situated at
the rear corner at the
same side of the housing on which the drive components (motor 64 and gearbox
62)
are carried, so that the radial distance to the drive components from the
pivot axis of
the pivot joint 42 is lesser than if the pivot joint and drive components were
located at
opposing sides of the housing 26. This way, the degree of strain placed on the
pivot
= 5 joint 42 by the weight of the drive components is minimized.
An upper end portion 96b of the inner shaft 96 is situated outside the outer
sleeve 94 in upwardly spaced relation beyond the upper end of the outer
sleeve. A
tubular outer casing 100 of the pivot joint 42 (hidden in Figures 11 and 12 to
reveal
inner components of the joint, but visible in the other figures) closes around
the support
20 shaft 92 and has a square or rectangular cross-section so that four
walls of this outer
casing 100 face respectively outward from the upright support shaft 92 on all
four sides
thereof. On an inboard wall 100a of the casing 100 that faces laterally inward
of the
metering housing (i.e. toward the side of the metering housing opposite the
pivot joint
42), outer leg 30b of the mounting frame 28 is affixed to the casing 100 and
projects
perpendicularly from the inboard wall 100a of the casing toward the opposing
side of
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the housing 26. On a front wall 100b of the casing 100 that faces toward the
front end
of the metering housing 26, the cross-leg 32 of the mounting frame 28 is
affixed to the
casing 100 and projects perpendicularly from the front wall 100b of the casing
toward
the front end of the housing 26.
The inboard wall 100a of the casing features a slot-shaped opening
therein that aligns with a matching slot-shaped opening of matching elevation
in an
opposing outboard wall 100c of the casing 100. Likewise, the front wall 100a
of the
casing 100 features a slot-shaped opening therein that aligns with a matching
slot-
shaped opening of matching elevation in an opposing rear wall 100d of the
casing 100.
0 A lateral adjustment bracket 102 has a sliding tab 102a thereof received in
sliding
relation through the aligned slot-shaped openings in the inboard and outboard
walls
100a, 100c of the casing 100, and a longitudinal adjustment bracket 104
likewise has
a sliding tab 104a thereof received in sliding relation through the aligned
slot-shaped
openings in the front and rear walls 100b, 100d of the casing 100. To enable
this, the
5 aligned openings in the front and rear walls of the casing are at
different elevation from
the aligned openings in the inside and outboard walls of the casing so that
the slide
tabs 102a, 102b don't interfere with one another inside the casing 100.
The lateral adjustment bracket 102 has a downturned flange 102b at a
proximal the end of its sliding tab 102a situated to the inboard side of the
pivot joint
20 casing 100, and the longitudinal adjustment bracket 104 likewise has a
downturned
flange 104b at a proximal end of the sliding tab 104a situated to the front
side of the
pivot joint casing 100. A lateral adjustment bolt 106 is engaged through a
pair of
threaded bores respectively provided on the downturned flange 102b of the
lateral
adjustment bracket 102 and on the inboard wall 100a of the casing 100, for
example as
;!5 provided by a pair of threaded nuts 108a, 108b respectively affixed to
the outboard
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sides of the bracket flange 102b and casing wall 100a. Likewise, a
longitudinal
adjustment bolt 110 is engaged through a pair of threaded bores respectively
provided
on the downturned flange 104b of the longitudinal adjustment bracket 104 and
on the
front wall 100b of the casing 100, for example as provided by another pair of
threaded
nuts 112a, 112b respectively affixed to the rear sides of the bracket flange
104b and
casing wall 100b.
Figure 11 shows the pivot joint 42 with the outer casing 100 removed to
show the internal workings of the joint. Inside the outer casing 100, the
sliding tab 104a
of the longitudinal adjustment bracket 104 features an elongated slot 114
whose width
- 0 is measured in the longitudinal reference direction and closely
conforms to the outer
diameter of the support shaft's outer sleeve 94, but whose length is measured
in the
lateral reference direction and notably exceeds the diameter of the support
shaft's outer
sleeve 94. In Figure 12, in addition to the outer casing 100 of the pivot
joint being
removed, the longitudinal adjustment bracket 104 is also omitted in order to
reveal a
5 similar elongated slot 116 in the lateral adjustment bracket 102. This
second slot 116
is of same relative dimension to the support shaft's outer sleeve as the first
slot 114,
but is oriented perpendicular to the first slot 114. Accordingly, the width of
the second
slot 116 is measured in the lateral reference direction and closely conforms
to the outer
diameter of the support shaft's outer sleeve 94, while its length is measured
in the
20 longitudinal reference direction and notably exceeds the diameter of the
support shaft's
outer sleeve 94. The elongated slot 116 in the lateral adjustment bracket 102
thus
allows relative tilting between the lateral adjustment bracket 102 and the
support shaft
92 in the longitudinal direction, but not in the lateral direction. To the
contrary, the
elongated slot 114 in the longitudinal adjustment bracket 104 allows relative
tilting
5 between the longitudinal adjustment bracket 104 and the support shaft 92
in the lateral
CA 3020110 2018-10-09
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direction, but not in the longitudinal direction.
The bottom end of the pivot joint's outer casing is capped off by a bottom
cover 118 affixed thereto . As shown in Figure 12, a central hole 118a in this
bottom
cover has a diameter exceeding the inner shaft 96 which passes through this
hole in
the bottom cover 118 to make the connection to the support arm 98 of the
metering
housing 26 at a distance below the casing 100 of the pivot joint 42. The outer
sleeve
94 of the support shaft however doesn't penetrate the bottom cover 118 of the
casing
100, and instead terminates inside above the bottom cover 118 within the
interior space
of the casing 100. The outer circumference of the inner shaft 96 and the inner
circumference of the hollow outer sleeve 94 closely conform to one another
maintain a
substantially concentric relationship between these shaft components, thereby
preventing relative tilting therebetween so that the entire support shaft 92
tilts as a
singular unit, but at the same time, the inner shaft 96 is rotatable relative
to the outer
sleeve 94.
Since the inner shaft 92 is rigidly connected to the metering housing 26
via the support arm 98 and first bracing member 86, the metering housing 26
than thus
be swung back and forth relative to the mounting frame 28 about the upright
pivot axis
Ap defined by the inner shaft, due to the rotatability of the inner shaft
about this axis
relative to the surrounding outer sleeve 94. As discussed above, this enables
swinging
movement of the metering housing between a working position aligned under the
storage bin hopper outlet 18, and a withdrawn position retracted out from
under the
storage bin hopper outlet 18 to enable access to both the metering housing
inlet 56 and
the hopper outlet for cleanout or inspection purposes between uses of the
metering
device. As shown in Figure 12, a turn-stopper 120 may be provided to prevents
rotation
of the outer sleeve of the support shaft, thereby preventing rotational wear
on the
CA 3020110 2018-10-09
18
exterior thereof. Accordingly, all relative rotational movement occurs at the
lubricated
interface between the inner shaft and outer sleeve, and not at the non-
lubricated outer
surfaces of the sleeve.
Additionally, the adjustment brackets 102, 104 allow adjustment of the
particular orientation of the upright pivot axis AP relative to the plane of
the mounting
frame, whereby the support shaft 92 can be titled to a limited degree relative
to the
plane of the mounting frame in order to properly set the metering housing 26
in a true
horizontal orientation even if the mounting frame 28 is slightly out of
horizontal due to
a non-level condition of the storage bin's base structure 20.
Advancing the lateral adjustment bolt 106 on the lateral adjustment
bracket 102 in a tightening direction through the threaded bores in which it
is engaged
will draw the down-turned flange 102b of the lateral adjustment bracket in an
outboard
direction moving closer to the pivot joint casing 100, thus driving the slide
tab 102a of
the lateral adjustment bracket 102 further through the pivot joint casing 100
in this
5 outboard direction, during which the slot 116 in the lateral adjustment
bracket 102
pushes the upper portion of the support shaft's outer sleeve 94 in the
outboard direction.
This serves to laterally tilt the metering housing 26 relative to the mounting
frame 28 in
a manner lifting the side of the metering housing opposite the pivot joint 42.
Reversing
the lateral adjustment bolt 106 in a loosening direction causes the reverse
lateral tilting
2.0 effect, by retracting the down-turned flange 102b of the lateral
adjustment bracket 102
in the inboard direction moving away from the pivot joint casing 100, thus
retracting the
slide tab 102a further out of the pivot joint casing in this inboard
direction, during which
the slot 116 in the lateral adjustment bracket 102 pulls the upper portion of
the support
shaft's outer sleeve 94 in the inboard direction. This serves to laterally
tilt the metering
25 housing 26 relative to the mounting frame 28 in a manner lowering the side
of the
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19
metering housing opposite the pivot joint 42.
The longitudinal adjustment bracket 104 and its respective adjustment
bolt 110 is operable in the same manner to adjust the longitudinal tilt of the
metering
housing 26. Advancing the longitudinal adjustment bolt 110 on the longitudinal
adjustment bracket 104 in a tightening direction through the threaded bores in
which it
is engaged will draw the down-turned flange 104a of the longitudinal
adjustment bracket
in a longitudinally rearward direction moving closer to the pivot joint casing
100, thus
driving the slide tab 104a of the longitudinal adjustment bracket further
through the pivot
joint casing 100 in this rearward direction, during which the slot 114 in the
longitudinal
adjustment 104 bracket pushes the upper portion of the support shaft 92
rearwardly.
This serves to longitudinally tilt the metering housing 26 relative to the
mounting frame
28 in a manner lifting the front end of the metering housing 26. Reversing the
longitudinal adjustment bolt 110 in a loosening direction causes the reverse
longitudinal
tilting effect, by retracting the down-turned flange 104a of the longitudinal
adjustment
5 bracket 104 in a longitudinally forward direction moving away from the
pivot joint casing
100, thus retracting the slide tab 104a further out of the pivot joint casing
in this forward
direction, during which the slot 114 in the longitudinal adjustment bracket
104 pulls the
upper portion of the support shaft 92 in the forward direction. This serves to
longitudinally tilt the metering housing 26 relative to the mounting frame 28
in a manner
lowering the front end of the metering housing 26.
The adjustment brackets and cooperating bolts thus provide a tilt
adjustment mechanism built into the pivot joint 42, by which a tilt or
inclination angle of
the metering housing 26 relative to the mounting frame 28 can be adjusted in
two
perpendicular directions to acquire a properly levelled housing orientation
regardless of
deviations in the levelness of a storage bin on which the metering device is
installed.
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20
While the illustrated embodiment uses bolts as passive actuators that rely on
use of
external hand or power tools to tilt the metering housing, other embodiments
may
employ active actuators, for example electric linear actuators powered from
the same
electrical power source used to drive the motor 64 of metering mechanism.
The forgoing metering device can be easily installed and properly leveled
on any hopper-bottomed storage bin with a spoked support base, whether as part
of a
new bin installation or as a retrofit to an existing storage bin. Since the
metering device
is a stand-alone unit that is neither incorporated into the bin structure
itself, nor part of
a larger transfer conveyor, grain cleaner, grain dryer, seed treater or other
conveying
or processing equipment, it can be readily used with any existing portable
transfer
conveyor. The meter housing outlet 78 is simply a downward facing discharge
opening
that is open to the surrounding ambient environment, and the suspended
mounting of
the device 10 places it in an elevated state with notable ground clearance and
a lack of
auxiliary supports that would interfere with placement of a transfer
conveyor's inlet
5 hopper under the outlet 78 of the device 10. Accordingly, the inlet hopper
of any
portable transfer conveyor can easily be wheeled into place under the meter
housing
outlet 78 to receive accurately metered granular material therefrom. However,
it will be
appreciated that the particular suitability of the preferred embodiment for
use as a retro-
fit and/or removable metering device compatible with portable transfer
conveyors does
0 not prohibit use of the metering device in other contexts.
Accordingly, the metering
device may be more permanently or integrally incorporated into the bin
structure,
whether at the time of manufacture or as a later retrofit installation, and/or
may be used
with fixed-location conveyors rather than portable transfer conveyors, for
example in
the context of a larger processing plant environment.
25 Use of an electric motor and accompanying VFD controller may
be
CA 3020110 2018-10-09
21
preferable over other possible drive options, in order to give the operator
precise control
over the motor operation. Together with the volumetric metering function of
the cleated
belt, this allows an operator to program precise loading operations into the
controller
based on the known volume capacity of the targeted destination for the
granular
material being unloaded from the storage bin. That is, the controller can be
pre-
programmed with data on the volumetric capacity of the cleated belt, i.e. the
volume of
total available inter-cleat space on the belt, which together with a selected
belt
revolution speed, can be used to automatically calculate how long the belt
should be
driven by the motor to deliver a targeted volumetric quantity of granular
material to the
outlet 78 of the metering device. So via a user interface of a VFD control
panel, which
may feature an alphanumeric keyboard, numeric keypad, touch-screen, dedicated
push
buttons, selection dials, or combinations thereof, a user can enter in a
desired
volumetric measure of material to be unloaded (e.g. based on the known
volumetric
capacity of the target destination), and optionally adjust an operating speed
of the motor
according to a delicacy, flowability or other characteristic of the granular
material
concerned, and the controller will automatically operate the cleated belt for
the
appropriately calculated amount of time to dispense that specifically targeted
volume of
material from the storage bin.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above
2D described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made,
it is
intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be
interpreted
as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
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