Animal husbandry – Miscellaneous
Patent
1995-05-19
1997-12-16
Swiatek, Robert P.
Animal husbandry
Miscellaneous
119 1447, 119 1414, A01J 700
Patent
active
056973268
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to the examination of ruminant animals and more particularly to the examination of the teats and general condition of ruminant animals kept for milk.
The teats of a milking animal need careful attention to determine that a teat is clean and healthy before milk is drawn from the teat, whether by manual or automatic methods. The routine washing of teats before milking is now considered more likely to increase rather than decrease damage and cross-infection, particularly if the teats are generally clean. Other aspects of animal health also need to be examined and the time of presentation for milking is convenient for this. Ruminant animals not in milk or not kept for milk also need to be examined for general health.
There is therefore a need for a reliable technique for the general examination of ruminant animals.
It is an object of the invention to provide a technique for the examination of the condition and health of a ruminant animal and more particularly one which can be applied in milking animal husbandry whether as part of a manual or automatic milking regime or independently.
According to the invention there is provided a method for the examination of the condition of a ruminant animal including sampling odours from at least one part of the animal with an olfactory sensor thereby to identify specific aspects of the animal condition.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a method for the examination of a teat of a milking animal including establishing an examination region in the air around a teat to be examined, purging the region, drawing a sample of air from the region, applying the sample to a sensor and providing a sensor output indicative of any response of the sensor to said sample.
The invention also provides an apparatus to examine a teat of a milking animal including an examination device to receive a said teat, means to purge the examination device, means to support the device with said teat received therein, means to draw a sample of air from around the teat received in the device, means to apply said sample to a sensor and means to supply a sensor output indicative of sensor response to said sample.
The examination device may be an open-top vessel into which a teat can be inserted. The device may be a teat cup like structure.
The purging is arranged to at least reduce the inclusion of general ambient air in the sample, ensuring that the sample is representative of material diffusing from the teat or other part of the ruminant animal or a substance thereon. The purging air may be used as a reference for the sensor before a sample is taken. Purging air may be supplied selectively to the top and the bottom of the device. The purging may be by a flow of clean air, for example from a pressure bottle. The purging and sampling action may be controlled by a changeover valve. The sample may be drawn by a piston and cylinder arrangement operated by a lead screw actuator to enable a precise sample size. The purge air may drawn into a sample chamber then expelled to purge the region by the action of the piston and cylinder arrangement. The purge air and sample may flow in the same direction. The purge air and sample may be drawn past a sensor by suction.
The sensor is conveniently one commonly called an electronic "nose", that is an olfactory sensor. Such a sensor can be based on a conducting polymer, a metal oxide or other sensing material for olfactory purposes, with associated electronic signal processing circuitry.
The sensor can be arranged to sense diffusion from the teat or another part of the animal or a substance thereon of organic material characteristic of one or more of faecal material, blood, earth, the state of the metabolic process and the conditions of oestrus of ketosis.
The method and apparatus may be arranged for operation manually by an operator or in response to a control instruction by a robot. Such a robot may be part of an automatic milking apparatus. The examination may be applied when an animal presents for milking. The examination ma
REFERENCES:
patent: 3022766 (1962-02-01), McKinley
patent: 5042501 (1991-08-01), Kenny et al.
patent: 5047214 (1991-09-01), Fukui et al.
Mottram Toby Trevor Fury
Wilkin Arthur Leonard
Abbott Yvonne R.
British Technology Group Limited
Swiatek Robert P.
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