Inventors:
Jose Arthur Vasquez - Denver CO
International Classification:
G01G 1910
Abstract:
Apparatus and method for delivering a measured amount of material to a receiving area includes a dispensing bucket on a carriage assembly that is pivoted about a horizontal axis on the free end of a vehicle-supported boom adapted to scoop up the material from a supply. The bucket has a central, restricted discharge opening with a controlled movable closure and further has an auger that gradually moves controlled amounts of the material out through the discharge opening for the controlled dispensing of the material from the bucket over a limited area. The carriage assembly has a carriage body on which the bucket is mounted so that the bucket is moved up and down relative to a carriage frame to further position the bucket relative to the end of the boom and achieve greater bucket heights above the end of the boom. The bucket is suspended on a weighing mechanism in the form of a hydraulic cylinder supported on the carriage frame that is used to selectively elevate the bucket relative to the carriage frame above an at-rest position and the pressure in the hydraulic cylinder is sensed by a pressure gauge that is marked to indicate the weight of the material in the bucket. The vehicle moves the bucket to pick up the material in a scooping action, the bucket is positioned upright and the contained material is weighed, and excess amounts of the material are dispensed from the bucket until a selected measured quantity remains.