Animal husbandry – Milkers – Methods of milking
Patent
1994-06-06
1997-09-09
Swiatek, Robert P.
Animal husbandry
Milkers
Methods of milking
119 1408, 119 1455, A01J 5007
Patent
active
056645210
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to apparatus for and a method of milking an animal and is concerned with the automatic provision of information about the animal during milking by monitoring the milk and detecting a monitored condition in the milk, if such condition arises.
An electrical measuring device is known from German patent specification DE 1949559 for examination of milk during milking for pathological-changes, in particular changes indicative of mastitis infection. Measuring transducers, responding to the conductivity and/or permeability and/or the dielectric constants of the milk, are arranged to monitor milk originating from different teats of the animal being milked.
One problem is the provision of a reference standard because the mentioned properties of the milk, even when normal, will vary from one animal to another, from one day to another and in dependence upon the food the animal has been eating. The solution proposed by DE 1949559 relies upon the observation that it is common for mastitis to affect, at least initially, only one of the four teats of the udder. Accordingly DE 1949559 arranges the four transducers in a bridge circuit, which goes unbalanced if the conductivity of the milk from one teat changes with respect to that from the other three teats. There is, however, no indication of which teat is the source of milk of changed conductivity.
An appreciation on which the present invention is based, is the concept of rapid automatic indication of which path is carrying milk from an infected teat, and further, providing automatic control to divert the outflow of such milk when detected. For realisation of these concepts new solutions have been devised for the provision of both a reference standard and adequate detection sensitivity.
In accordance with the present invention, in one of its aspects, there is provided apparatus for use in the milking of an animal which comprises a plurality of inlet paths and a common outlet path, a respective transducer associated with each inlet path for providing a quantitative signal representing the magnitude of a property of milk in that path, comparison means for comparing the said signal in each inlet path with a reference, characterised in that the comparison means provides an output signal which identifies the inlet path in which the milk has a magnitude of the said property differing by more than a pre-determined amount from the reference magnitude.
For automatic control of the outflow of milk in response to such comparison, a subsidiary outlet path is provided, and each of the said inlet paths is provided with a valve capable of diverting flow from the inlet path away from the said common outlet path to the subsidiary outlet path. Preferably control means responsive to the said output signal actuate the valve in the input path identified by the output signal to divert flow to the said subsidiary outlet path. Conveniently, the control means is so arranged that, during an initial stage of milking, the valves direct milk from all the inlet paths to the subsidiary outlet path and, at the end of the initial stage, some or all of the valves are operated to direct milk from the corresponding inlet paths to the said common outlet path.
The said reference is preferably generated by reference means as an average of the signals representing the respective magnitudes of the property of the milk in the inlet paths. The monitored condition may be the presence in the milk of a substance which is one of the group comprising progesterone, pheromone and substances resulting from the occurrence of mastitis in the animal or an abnormal concentration of such substance in the milk. The monitored property may be electrical conductivity or some other property of the milk and the indication may be provided when the value of the property falls below or exceeds a threshold value.
The milk may be monitored by determining the effect of the milk on energy applied to the milk. The energy may be electromagnetic energy, alternatively, the milk may be monitored by monitoring the value of
REFERENCES:
patent: 4190020 (1980-02-01), Tamas et al.
patent: 5052341 (1991-10-01), Woolford et al.
New Zealand Patent Office Journal, No. 1359, vol. 18, Issue No. 7, dated Aug. 26, 1992, relating to New Zealand Patent 233,620.
Onyango et al, "A Low Maintenance Conductivity Sensor for Detecting mastitis," Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research (1988) 40, pp. 215-216.
Lake et al, "Trials of a novel mastitis sensor on experimentally infected cows," Journal of Dairy Research (1992) pp. 1 and 2.
Clare Alan
Simpson Sydney William
Hinds William R.
Swiatek Robert P.
Tickleford Limited
LandOfFree
Apparatus for and method of milking an animal does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for and method of milking an animal, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for and method of milking an animal will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-63673