Animal husbandry – Milkers – With automatic control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-28
2001-04-10
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3643)
Animal husbandry
Milkers
With automatic control
C119S014020, C119S014030, C119S014140, C119S520000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213052
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for milking animals having at least two milking stalls which are each provided with a movable entrance gate and a movable exit gate and spurring means to drive the animals out of the milking stalls, and a passageway along the entrance gates and the exit gates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such devices are known and are to be found in many dairy farms where cows are milked with automatic milking installations wherein for instance the milking apparatus is automatically removed from the udders and the cows are driven out of the milking stall.
One such device is known from EP-A-0 432 148 which discloses a pusher unit and pusher element for pushing animals from the fenced passageway towards milking stalls or back towards a waiting area. These pushers are used for pushing the animals through sorting gates.
The disadvantage of the known device is that an animal that has been milked may remain standing in the passageway, thereby preventing the next animal walking from the waiting area to the milking stall from being milked. It has appeared that animals may remain standing there although there is no eating or drinking available. This reduces the effective use of the milking stalls which is undesirable.
The invention aims to improve the effective use of the milking stalls and, therefore, the passageway is provided with spurring means for spurring on the animals to an accommodation area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
By providing the passageway with spurring means a milked animal is effectively stimulated to go to the accommodation area making it possible for animals to proceed from the waiting area to the milking stalls thereby improving the effective use of the milking stalls.
According to a further improvement the passageway is provided with detection means connected to a control for detecting the presence of animals in the passageway. In this way the spurring means need only to be activated when an animal remains standing in the passageway.
The invention also concerns spurring means for spurring an animal in a desired direction in the passageway. Such spurring means are known for instance from NL 8104807. The disadvantage of this known device is that the chains that may touch the animals are hanging permanently in the passageway. This means that during movement of the spurring means back towards the starting point there may be no animals in the passageway, otherwise they may panic or get frightened as they have learned that these chains might hurt them. For this, separate control measures are required which make the installation complicated and also prevents effective use of the spurring means.
In order to improve this the spurring means includes a movable spurring member having positioning means for making the spurring means protrude into the passageway only during movement in a desired direction. By positioning the movable spurring member only in one direction in the passageway it can be brought back to the starting position while there are animals in the passageway. This makes it possible to spur the animals that have just entered the passageway so that they can enter and use the passageway while the spurring member is brought back to its starting position.
According to a further improvement detection means are arranged on the movable spurring member. In this way the progress of the spurring member can be adapted to the presence and the walking speed of the animal in the passageway.
The invention also concerns a method for milking of animals. A method is for instance known from EP-A-0 432 148 for milking animals. The disadvantage of this method is that animals may remain standing in the passageway thereby preventing renewed use of the passageway for allowing an animal to enter a milking stall.
The invention aims to remove this disadvantage by using the method according to the present invention in which the spurring means is used to prompt the animal through the passageway. In this way, the animal leaves the passageway within a fixed period of time thereby improving efficiency.
In accordance with the invention this disadvantage may also be removed in another way by using detection means. In this way the movement of the animal in the passageway is monitored, so that there is no fixed waiting time (mostly based on the slowest animals). In this way the efficiency is further improved. ending of the milking these animals are driven out of the milking stall and are driven via a passageway to an accommodation area.
In the known method it is possible for animals to stand still in the passageway, whereby the capacity of the milking device is unnecessarily limited.
According to the invention an improvement is achieved here in that following a time adjustable in a control after the animals have left the milking stall they are prompted to walk with automatically operating spurring means.
By prompting the animals to walk at an adjustable time after leaving the milking stall they learn this rhythm and will have less of a tendency to remain waiting in the passageway. This prevents stationary animals obstructing the access to a milking stall.
According to another method according to the invention improvement can likewise be achieved here in that the presence of animals in the passageway is determined with detection means and if this presence lasts longer than a time adjustable in a control after the animals have left the milking stall they are prompted to walk with automatically operating spurring means.
Determining the presence of the animals in the passageway with detection means results in an immediate response to an excessively long stay in the passageway, whereby the least possible time is lost.
A further improvement of the method is achieved in that the animals are spurred on by moving a movable member provided with stimulating means in a walking direction in the passageway. The animals are hereby driven in simple manner to the accommodation area.
The invention is elucidated hereinbelow with reference to the drawings.
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Starline, Inc. “Modern Plans and Equipment for Parlor Milking Systems.” 1950. All pages.*
Database WPI, Week 8205, Accession No. 82-B1155E entitled “Cattle-driving method from stall—moves electrically—energised curtain over passage.”
Nguyen Son T.
Poon Peter M.
Prolion B.V.
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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