Animal husbandry – Milkers – With automatic control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-30
2001-04-10
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Milkers
With automatic control
C119S014010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213051
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatically milking animals, such as cows, provided with a milking robot including a robot arm which is adapted to carry teat cups.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
While the teat cups are not connected to the teats of an animal to be milked, the teat cups are carried by the robot arm and are located on or against the end of the robot arm, with the opening for the teats being directed upwards. In this manner, impurities may easily get into the teat space of the teat cups. To obviate this drawback, at least to a considerable extent, in accordance with the invention, the apparatus is characterized in that, in the position of rest of the teat cups on the robot arm, at least the open upper sides of the teat cups are shielded by a robot arm portion. In order for the teat cups to be individually connected to the teats, the robot arm comprises a supporting element, which is pivotable or shiftable or both under the udder of an animal to be milked and in which the teat cups, each in its own housing, are movably disposed. The housing of a teat cup is preferably hinge-connected to the supporting element. Said supporting element is then capable of constituting at the same time the shield means for at least the open upper sides of the teat cups when the latter are in the position of rest.
In a first embodiment, the housing of a teat cup is provided with a carrying shoe for the teat cup, whic h ca rry ing shoe is hinge-connected to said housing. In this embodiment, an operating piston and cylinder unit may be disposed between the supporting element at one side and the housing of a teat cup and the carrying shoe for the teat cup at the other side. The housing may further b e provided with a stop for the ca rry ing shoe for the teat cup, which carrying shoe is disposed in this housing, while furthermore there is provided a coupling mechanism for adjusting the teat cup, by means of the operating piston and cylinder unit, from the inoperative position into the operative position, in which the upper side of the teat cup is no longer shielded, and subsequently moving the teat c up upwardly.
In a second embodiment, there is provided a carrier that is shiftable in a housing, which carrier is adapted to carry a teat cup. In this embodiment, an operating piston and cylinder element may be disposed between the supporting element and the carrier that is shiftable in a relevant housing. The housing may further be provided with a stop for the carrier that is shiftable therein, in order that, when the carrier has been shifted against said stop by means of a relevant operating piston and cylinder element, the relevan t teat cup is subsequently moved upwardly.
In both embodiments, by means of the relevant operating piston and cylinder components, when a teat cup is connected to the relevant teat, the teat cup is released from the robot arm. Nevertheless, the teat cup can remain connected to the robot arm by means of a flexible element, such as a cord or cable, while in the housing of a teat cup there may be provided a further operating piston and cylinder component for pulling the teat cup back against the robot arm by means of said flexible element.
Additionally, it is possible to pass the milk tube connected to a teat cup over the aforementioned further operating piston and cylinder component and there behind through the housing of the teat cup. Upon withdrawing a teat cup against the robot arm, the milk tube can be moved rearwardly in the relevant housing, so that the risk of kinking of the milk tube is avoided.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a detector for determining the position of the teats of an animal to be milked maybe provided on the robot arm, preferably on the supporting element. This detector may comprise two cameras, which are fixedly arranged, though at different angles, or a pivotable camera. In both cases it will be possible to determine accurately the position of the teats in a horizontal plane by means of picture analysis. Inasmuch as the apparatus according to the invention can be operative twenty-four hours a day, it is desirable to produce the detector so that it includes at least one infrared camera. The embodiments of the detector mentioned here, independently of the manner in which the milking robot, in particular as described hereinbefore, is produced, can be applied in any milking robot that is provided with a robot arm construction.
The invention further relates to a method of automatically milking animals, such as cows, by means of a milking robot including a robot arm which is adapted to carry teat cups, characterized in that a teat cup is adjusted from an inoperative position, in which at least the open upper side of the teat cup is shielded by a robot arm portion, into the operative position, in which the upper side of the teat cup is no longer shielded, and is subsequently moved upwards for the purpose of connecting the teat cup to a relevant teat of the animal to be milked. The upward movement of the teat cup can then be realized by moving the housing of this teat cup upwardly in the robot arm. As soon as a teat cup is connected to the relevant teat, the housing of this teat cup can be moved downwardly in the robot arm, while the teat cup remains connected to said housing only by a flexible element, such as a cord or cable. When the housing of the teat cup has been moved downwardly in the robot arm, it is possible, at least in the first embodiment, to adjust the carrying shoe of the teat cup into the position which it takes in the working condition. Subsequently, after the relevant udder quarter has almost been milked out, the teat cup is disconnected and pulled against the relevant carrying shoe by means of the flexible element. Thereafter the teat cup is adjusted into its inoperative position.
For a better understanding of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
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Albright Penrose Lucas
Maasland N.V.
Nelson Judith A.
Poon Peter M.
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