Method and apparatus for determining a mixing regime for use in the preparation of animal feed from a set of ingredients, and a system for producing the animal feed

摘要

A method and apparatus for determining a mixing regime for use in the preparation of an animal feed in which a main computer is programmed to store a master list of ingredients which are available to farmers and from which a farmer can select a specific set of ingredients for the preparation of animal feed. The main computer is programmed to store the ingredients in a look-up table cross-referenced with standard mixing periods to which the respective ingredients should be subjected during the mixing regime to produce an animal feed. Additionally, the look-up table contains mixing factors by which the standard mixing periods may be altered in order to take account of non-standard conditions, such as variations of the ingredients, the proportion of the particular ingredient, the average size or weight of the animals and the mixing apparatus and condition thereof in which the animal feed is to be mixed. The computer is programmed to determine the mixing period to which each ingredient is to be subjected in the mixing apparatus based on the corresponding standard mixing periods and any mixing factors which should be taken into account. The computer is programmed to then produce a sequence in which the ingredients are to be loaded into the mixing apparatus and the instants at which the respective ingredients are to be loaded into the mixing apparatus, so that each ingredient is subjected to the appropriate mixing period for that ingredient during the mixing cycle of the mixing regime, in order to avoid over-mixing and under-mixing of ingredients.

主权项

1. A method for determining a mixing regime under which ingredients of a set of ingredients are to be mixed in the preparation of animal feed, the method comprising:
reading the ingredients from the set of ingredients, obtaining standard mixing periods for at least some of the respective ingredients of the set thereof from a master table comprising a list of ingredients or categories of ingredients suitable for use in the preparation of animal feeds cross-referenced with corresponding standard mixing periods, identifying any non-standard conditions identifiable from the read set of ingredients, in response to a non-standard condition being identified, obtaining a mixing factor from mixing factors cross-referenced with at least some of the ingredients or categories of ingredients in the master table, for altering the standard mixing period obtained for a corresponding one of the ingredients of the set of ingredients to compensate for the identified non-standard condition, determining the mixing periods to which the at least some of the ingredients of the set thereof are to be subjected during a mixing cycle of the mixing regime as a function of the corresponding standard mixing periods and any corresponding identified mixing factors, and producing a loading sequence of the mixing regime in which the ingredients of the set of ingredients are to be loaded into mixing apparatus during the mixing cycle for mixing thereof to produce the animal feed, so that the ingredients for which mixing periods are determined are subjected to mixing for the corresponding determined mixing periods during mixing of the set of ingredients under the mixing regime.