Animal husbandry – Milkers – Methods of milking
Patent
1998-10-07
2000-08-01
Pice, Thomas
Animal husbandry
Milkers
Methods of milking
A01J 500
Patent
active
060950862
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for unmanned milking of animals with an automatically operating control system, that includes two or more milking stalls which are placed one after another in lengthwise direction and which are provided on a long side with an entrance door movable with drive means and an exit door movable with drive means, a waiting area for animals for milking, a passageway to an accommodation area which runs from the exit door of the first milking stall along the long side of the other milking stalls along which milked animals can leave the milking device and a separating fence along the passageway on the side remote from the milking stalls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such milking devices are known inter alia from EP 0270165. The drawback of the known device is that the cows enter the first and further milking stall via a passageway, wherein the cows must walk one behind another. The cows must herein always wait for each other, when entering or leaving a milking stall. Long waiting times can hereby occur and the milking stalls are not always utilised optimally. These waiting times occur particularly when one cow of a high rank stands still for the entrance of or in the passageway and the other cows do not push her aside. The capacity of the installation is hereby limited. The invention has for its object to increase the capacity of the known milking device by improving the access to the milking stalls.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, a separating fence is provided close to the entrance door of a second milking stall or subsequent milking stall. The separating fence may have an access gate movable with drive means which can leave clear an access path from the waiting area to the relevant milking stall.
Thus is achieved that at two or more locations there is access to the milking stalls and that one cow can no longer prevent other cows from being milked.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a separating fence between the passageway and the waiting area is provided with at least one access gate for creating an access path crossing the passageway near an entrance gate of a further milking stall. In this way a short path is created giving direct access from the waiting area to the further milking stalls.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, either the opened access gate or the opened entrance gate forming an entrance path to a further milking stall prevents direct access from the waiting area to the part of the passageway leading to the accommodation area.
Thus is achieved in simple manner that a cow cannot enter that part of the passageway which is in open connection with the accommodation area without having visited a milking stall.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, coupling means are provided between an entrance gate of a further milking stall and an associated access gate so that both gates can be moved by combined drive means. Control of the access gates is greatly simplified hereby because they are mainly actuated by the entrance doors.
According to a further embodiment of the invention the hinges of the entrance gate(s) and the exit gate(s) of the further milking stalls are arranged such that both gates open on the side remote from the first milking stall. Hereby it is prevented that a cow gets jammed in the passageway with her hipbone between a gate that opens and the separating fence. Now the opening gate will stimulate the cow to walk on or take a step back.
According to another feature of the inventions the separating fence is provided with a return gate for providing a return path from the exit gate of the last milking stall to the waiting area. In simple manner is thus achieved that the animals for whom connecting the teat cups has failed can be sent back to the waiting area via a short path by making an opening in the separating fence. Not longer having to walk a long path this will reduce congestion.
In an embodiment where each milking stall is provi
REFERENCES:
patent: 4000718 (1977-01-01), Brown
patent: 5069160 (1991-12-01), Street et al.
patent: 5782199 (1998-07-01), Oosterling
Aurik Erik Arnoldus
Nugteren Robert Jan
Van Veldhuizen Gijs Bertus Wouter
Pice Thomas
Prolion B.V.
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