Animal husbandry – Milkers – With automatic control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-10
2001-10-30
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Milkers
With automatic control
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308655
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a device according to the preliminary part of claim
1
.
Such a device is known from EP 0277396. The disadvantage of the known device is that as a result of the underpressure in the milk cup the milk cup moves upwardly along the teat and can pinch the milk flow from the udder to the teat. This disadvantage arises when the leakage-air supply to the upperchamber, which is the upper part of the milk cup, is insufficiently warranted, as the teatdiameter determines how much air flows into and out of the upperchamber. One of the consequences can be that in the upperchamber the full underpressure of the milkline arises which increases the chance that the milk cup creeps upwardly which causes the teat to be pinched off.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to create a controlled supply of leakage air in a simple and dependent way the device conforms to the characterising part of claim
1
.
In this way in a simple manner the combination of dosing of rinsing fluid and dosing of air is made whereby the milk cup remains simple in design.
From EP 0430526 it is known to supply air to the upperchamber via a tube. In this known device the air supply to the topside of the milk cup is used to remove the milk cup from the teat of the cow. The air supply is not used during milking and certainly not for preventing the upwardcreep of the milk cups along the teats.
In accordance with a further improvement, the dosing means are executed such that they dose rinsing fluid after underpressure has been created in the first supply line, for instance by attaching the milk cup around a teat. In this way rinsing fluid is only dosed after a teat has been brought into the milk cup. This means that very little rinsing fluid can be dosed because it can be done during a limited time period and exactly on the suitable moment during the start of the milking of a teat.
In accordance with an embodiment the dosing means comprise a container with rinsing fluid wherein the first supply line can be submerged. In this way the rinsing fluid is dosed in the first supply line in a simple way and is transported through the underpressure to the topside of the milk cup.
In accordance with a further improvement the container is movable between a first position whereby the container is submerged in rinsing fluid and a second position whereby the first supply line is submerged in the container. Herewith the dosing is realised with simple mechanical means, whereby the volume of the container is the maximum quantity of rinsing fluid to be dosed.
According to an other aspect of the invention the first supply line is connected with an adjustable air supply. Herewith the supply of the quantity of air to the upperchamber at the top of the milk cup can be adjusted to the teat of the cow milked at that instance.
In accordance with a further improvement there are means for determining the identity of the animal to be milked and means for adjusting the adjustable air supply according to the identity of the animal to be milked. In this way before starting the air supply to the milk cup can be adjusted, and can be adjusted to the diameter and the length of the teats of the animal. In this way it is prevented in a simple way that an animal is troubled by upwardly creeping teat cups.
In accordance with an embodiment the adjustable air supply comprises an adjustable restriction. So in a simple way a controlled pressure in the upperchamber of the teat cup is attained.
In accordance with another embodiment the adjustable air supply comprises a pressure source with an adjustable pressure. In this way the pressure in the upperchamber can be controlled independently of the quantity of air alongside the teat and the milk cup.
According to another aspect of the invention the milkline is provided with at least one opening connected with a second supply line connected in a similar way as the first supply line with the air supply for during milking supplying air and possibly for at the milking start dosing of rinsing fluid with the dosing means. In this way it is attained that the air supply to the milkline is through a tube so that there is no contamination in this air supply, and so that also plugging of the airsupply openings can be avoided. These openings can also be cleaned with the rinsing fluid.
According an improved embodiment the first supply line and the second supply line are connected via a T-piece with the airsupply. In this way thereover a part or possibly the main part of the line a combined supply, which makes a more simple embodiment.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention between the milk cup and the receptacle for milk a filter is provided with a filter element and provided with bypass means for placing the filter element outsides the milkstream. In this way it can be chosen whether the contamination that at the start flows with the milk, such as the dried milk from the teat openings, will be caught on a filter element or that it will be passed directly to the drain without passing the filter. By not guiding part of the milk stream through the filter element after the first contamination has been caught the caught contamination will not be taken up in the fluid. In this way as little as possible of the contamination will come into the milk which improves the milk quality.
In accordance with an embodiment the bypass means comprise a short-circuit line over the filter element with a valve. In this way it is reached in a simple way that the milk stream is passed around the filter element.
In accordance with another embodiment the bypass means comprise a slide wherein the filter element is encompassed. In this way the filter element can be taken quickly out of the line and the milk stream can continue to flow through the same line whereby the underpressure in the drainage line does not change.
In accordance with another embodiment rinsing means are provided for cleaning the filter element. In this way in a simple way the filter element can be cleaned while it remains mounted in the filter.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention the topside of the milk cup is detachable from the flexible movable inner-wall, and is made of silicones rubber. By separating the flexible movable inner-wall and the topside of the milk cup they can be made of different materials. So it is possible to make the topside of the milk cup of silicones rubber so that the teats slide easily into the teatopening. The flexible movable inner-wall will then be made of customary material, which is a bit rough but proof against the flexible movements.
The invention also comprises a method in accordance with the preliminary part of claim
16
. Such a method is known from the earlier discussed European patent application EP 0430526. The disadvantage of the known method is that the milk cup can creep up along the teat and pinch the milk flow from the udder to the teat.
In accordance with the invention after attachment of the milk cup continuously air is dosed into the topside of the milk cup, alternatively or optionally preceded by dosing of a rinsing fluid. In this way the above mentioned disadvantage is taken away and is assured that always sufficient leakage air is available to flow along the flexible inner wall to the milkline.
In accordance with a further improvement by dosing air the airpressure in the topside of the milk cup is kept at a value which is characteristic for the animal to be milked. So it is assured that the airsupply is adapted to the teatdiameter and the teatlength of the animal to be milked, which causes the airsupply to be adapted accurately to the creepage conduct of the milk cup.
In accordance with a further improvement of the method for the milking of animals with a device whereby between the milk cup and the receptacle for milk a filter is placed with a filter element and provided with bypass means for placing the filter element outside of the milkstream. According to the improvement the first part of the fluid flowing to the receptacle for milk is passed through the filter element
Jordan Charles T.
Prolion B.V.
Shaw Elizabeth
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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