METHOD AND MEANS FOR ADDING SMALL MEASURED QUANTITIES OF SELECTED MATERIALS TO A LARGE CAPACITY MATERIAL-MIXING PLANT

• US 3,822,056 A
• Filed: 03/31/1972
• Issued: 07/02/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Roland J. Hawes Jr, Sherman H. Brewster
• Original Assignee: Roland J. Hawes Jr, Sherman H. Brewster
• Inventors: Hawes, Roland J. Jr., Brewster, Sherman H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hornsby, Harvey C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US05/239,909
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 222/1,132,135,144.5,145 119/51R 259/149,154,165,DIG.41,18-26 141/9,100,102-105 99/494 100/147
• US Class Current: 366/114
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/88 by feeding the materials batchwise

Abstract

Small, measured amounts of concentrated liquid and dry flowable microingredients, such as vitamins, minerals, antibiotics and hormones, are stored and metered separately but delivered simultaneously to the large-capacity batch mixer of a commercial feed mill. Here the microingredients are added to large quantities of previously delivered macroingredients, such as various animal feed grains and molasses, during the batch-mixing cycle. The amounts of microingredients and optionally some macroingredients dispensed are accurately determined through the use of calibrated cyclically operating metering pumps in the case of liquids and augers in the case of dry materials. The number of metering pulses or revolutions required to dispense a desired quantity of each ingredient is predetermined, and each pulse or revolution is counted during operation of each metering device. When the preset number of counts for each metering device is reached, that device is automatically shut off. Delivery and mixing continues until all metering devices have reached their preset counts and shut off and all dispensed microingredients have been delivered to the batch mixer and blended into the feed.

Claims

1. The method of forming a mixture of several different flowable materials with the mixture containing predetermined quantities of the several materials comprising:

metering the several materials separately from separate storage containers for each material using a separate cyclical metering means to dispense each material, calibrating the quantity of material dispensed during each metering cycle of the associated metering means, counting the number of metering cycles of each metering means during its operation, and discontinuing the operation of each metering means independently of the other metering means when the desired number of metering cycles of each metering means have been counted that will dispense the desired quantity of each of the several materials, at least some of said metering means beginning their dispensing operations simultaneously but ending their dispensing operations after different time intervals of continuous operation depending on the number of metering cycle counts desired for each of the operating metering means.

2. The method of claim 1 including conveying each of the several materials dispensed directly to a common mixing device for intermixing with the others of said several materials.

3. The method of claim 1 including mixing the several materials together after they are dispensed from their separate storage containers and continuing the mixing of said materials after all of the several metering means have stopped operation following completion of their respective desired number of operating cycles.

4. The method of claim 1 including conveying the several materials dispensed to a mixing device and there mixing the materials together as the several metering means operate, and Continuing the conveying and mixing after all metering devices have stopped operation upon completion of their counts and until all materials dispensed have been conveyed to and thoroughly intermixed in the mixing devices.

5. The method of claim 1 including counting only the metering cycles of each metering means that result in material actually being dispensed.

6. The method of adding accurate predetermined amounts of several different microingredients to a finished animal feed mixture of macroingredients during the preparation of the finished feed mixture in a feed mill, comprising the steps:

storing separately adjacent said mill quantities of said several different microingredients in either readily flowable liquid or dry particle concentrate form, during the composition of said mixture of macroingredients in said feed mill, metering the several different microingredients from their separate storage means simultaneously using a separate cyclical metering device for each different microingredient, and conveying the dispensed microingredients into said feed mill for intermixing with each other and with said macroingredients. during the metering of said several microingredients, counting the number of metering cycles of each operating metering device, and stopping the operation of each metering device independently of the other operating metering devices when each such metering device has completed a predetermined number of operating cycles to dispense a desired amount of a specific microingredient.

7. The method of claim 6 including adding the dispensed microingredients directly to the mixer portion of said feed mill progressively as the mixer operates to mix the macroingredients of the mixture to gradually blend said microingredients into said mixture.

8. The method of claim 6 including conveying dispensed dry microingredients into said feed mill in the undiluted dry particulate concentrated form in which they are metered from their storage containers.

9. The method of claim 6 including metering liquid concentrate microingredients into a liquid carrier and spraying the carrier-borne liquid microingredients directly into the mixer portion of said feed mill in a fine mist after adding the macroingredients to said mixer and during the operation of said mixer.

10. The method of claim 6 including normally continuing the operation of each operating metering device until its predetermined count is completed, but in any event stopping the operation of all metering devices when a predetermined time interval has elapsed, said predetermined time interval being greater than the time interval that would normally be required for all metering devices to complete their predetermined counts.

11. The method of claim 20 wherein the preparation of the finished feed is carried out in a feed mill having a batch-type mixer, said batch-type mixer being operated for a preset mixing time period during each batch mixing cycle, said predetermined time interval determining the maximum operating time for said metering devices being less than said preset mixing time period.

12. The method of claim 6 including providing a separate counter, count selector and count recorder for each separate microingredient to be dispensed, arranging the count selectors in a bank of such selectors on a face of a control panel, indicating the kinds of microingredients required and the quantity of each kind required on a separate formula strip for each different feed formulation produced in said feed mill by expressing the required quantities of microingredients in terms of required metering cycle counts on a strip and indexing the indicated metering cycle counts on each strip with the corresponding count selectors on said panel face, whereby when a given formula strip is removably attached to said panel face alongside the bank of count selectors, the strip will indicate which count selectors should be set and at what count levels for a selected feed formulation.

13. The method of claIm 6 including feeding at least one macroingredient of the feed mixture into said feed mill using a cyclical macroingredient metering device, counting the number of metering cycles of said device and stopping the operation of said macroingredient metering device when a predetermined number of counts is completed to dispense a desired quantity of said macroingredient.

14. Apparatus for delivering predetermined accurate small quantities of several different liquid or dry microingredients into a batch-processing mill for processing large quantities of macroingredients into a finished mixture within a batch mixer of said mill, said mill also including mill control means for determining the operating cycle of said batch mixer, said apparatus comprising:

a series of storage containers for storing separately quantities of different microingredients in a flowable, concentrated form, a separate and independently cyclically operable metering means for metering microingredient material from each said container, conveyor means for conveying materials dispensed by said metering means into a batch-processing mill, and control means including counting means for counting each metering cycle of each operating metering means and stopping the operation of each operating metering means independently of the other said metering means upon completion of a predetermined number of operating cycle counts.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein at least some of said storage containers are adapted for storing flowable dry microingredient materials and corresponding said metering means are operable to meter predeterminable quantities of said dry materials during each metering cycle, said conveyor means comprising a conveyor belt means, said control means including means operable to continue the running of said conveyor belt means for a period of time following completion of the metering cycle counts of all said dry metering means sufficient to empty said belt means of all dispensed materials.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said control means includes material flow-indicating means for indicating the actual flow of material under the influence of each said metering means, said counting means and said flow-indicating means for each different ingredient being operably interconnected so that a count can be recorded only when there is actual dispensing of material during the operation of any said metering means.

17. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said control means includes means for maintaining said conveyor means in operation for a predetermined time period after the last operating metering means stops upon completion of its count to enable said conveyor means to deliver all dispensed materials to said batch-processing mill.

18. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said control means includes a counter-override timing means operable upon timing out to stop the operation of all operating metering means after a predetermined maximum time interval of operation regardless of the stage of completion of the metering cycle counts of said metering means.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said count-override timing means includes means operatively connectable to said mill control means to prevent upon the timing out of said timing means the completion of a batch-mixing cycle.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said control means includes mill control bypass means operable to override selectively said mill control means and said timing means when timed out to enable completion of a batch-mixing cycle.

21. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said control means includes selectively and alternatively operable manual and automatic starting means for commencing simultaneous operation of preselected said metering means, said control means being operable upon selection of said manual start means to operate the selected said metering means and said conveyor means to the completion of an overall operation cycle of said apparatus And to condition said apparatus for the next operating cycle, said control means being operable upon selection of said automatic start means to condition said metering and conveyor means for operation in response to operation of a selected phase of said processing mill.

22. Apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said control means includes remote control means for controlling the delivery and quantity delivered of at least one remote macroingredient to said processing mill during an operating cycle of said mill, said remote control means including a remote counting means for determining the quantity of said macroingredient delivered on a metering-cycle count basis.

23. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein at least some of said storage containers comprise a bank of dry material storage bins and said cyclical metering means comprises a metering auger extending along the bottom of each bin and into an integral auger tube projecting forwardly from a lower portion of each bin and terminating at a material outlet opening.

24. Apparatus according to claim 23 wherein each said bin includes a normally closed closure member covering said outlet opening of each said auger tube to prevent the accidental spillage of material therefrom, said closure member being movable to an open position permitting material to be metered from said outlet opening upon operation of said auger within said tube.

25. Apparatus according to claim 24 including means operable to open said closure member only in response to a positive pressure of material against said closure member from within said auger tube.

26. Apparatus according to claim 25 wherein said counting means for each metering means is operable to count each revolution of each said metering auger only upon both (1) rotation of said auger and (2) opening of said closure member, whereby a count is recorded only upon a positive flow of material from said outlet opening induced by operation of said auger.

27. Apparatus according to claim 24 wherein each said bin includes vibrator means operable during operation of the associated said auger for inducing the downward flow of material within said bin to said auger.

28. Apparatus according to claim 14 including a vibrator means for each dry material storage container operable during operation of the associated said metering means to induce a flow of material within said container to said metering means, said vibrator means comprising a multiple-frequency vibrator means and material-level sensitive means within said dry storage container operably interconnected in a manner so as to vibrate said container at a high frequency when said dry material is at a high level within said container and at a lower frequency when said material drops to a lower level within said container.

29. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said storage containers include liquid microingredient concentrate storage containers, said metering means for each said liquid storage container comprising a positive-displacement pump, said counting means for each said pump including means for counting the strokes of said pump.

30. Apparatus according to claim 29 including flowsensing means operable to sense a positive liquid flow from the outlet side of said pump, said flow-sensing means being operably interconnected with said counting means so as to record a count only when there is a positive flow of liquid from the outlet side of said pump.

31. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said control means includes a control unit housing control elements of said apparatus including a separate counting means for each different said microingredient, each said separate counting means including a manual count selector and a count recorder, said count selectors being arranged in a bank on a control panel face of said unit with each count selector in said bank corresponding to a different said microingredient, a plurality of formula strips selectively attachable to said control panel face in a predetermined Position alongside said bank of count selectors, each said formula strip representing a different microingredient combination to be dispensed either by kinds of microingredients or by quantity or both, during a batch-mixing cycle, each said formula strip indicating both the kinds of microingredients to be dispensed and the respective quantites of each kind of expressing the quantity of each kind on said strip in terms of a number of metering cycle counts required to dispense said quantity and by indexing the indicated counts for said different kinds on said strip with the corresponding count selector in said bank of selectors, whereby a formula strip attached in said predetermined position on said panel face indicates both which count selectors to set and what number of counts to select to deliver a predetermined combination of microingredients in predetermined quantities to said processing mill during an operating cycle.

32. In an apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of dry flowable material from a storage container means having metering means for metering said material from a material outlet opening leading from said container means, a flow control means for controlling the quantity of material dispensed from said container means comprising:

a normally closed closure member covering said outlet opening to prevent accidental spillage of material from said container means, closure-operating means for opening and closing said closure member, and means operable in response to a positive material pressure pushing outwardly against said closure member from within said container to activate said closure-operating means to open said closure member, said metering means comprising a cyclical metering device and said control means including counting means for counting each metering cycle of said cyclical metering means and means for stopping the operation of said metering means upon completion of a predetermined number of operating cycle counts, said counting means being operable to count a metering cycle only in response to both (a) operation of said metering means and (b) opening of said closure member, whereby a count is recorded only upon a positive flow of material from said outlet opening induced by operation of said metering means.