Animal husbandry – Milkers – With automatic control
Patent
1990-08-31
1992-02-25
Weiss, John G.
Animal husbandry
Milkers
With automatic control
119 1444, A01J 500
Patent
active
050903594
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
Background of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for milking animals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Each of U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,532 and G.B. 1,506,636 discloses a milking apparatus comprising at least on teat cup with a liner for receiving a teat, said liner has a milk conducting passage, a pulsation chamber being formed between the teat cup and the liner, and means for subjecting the milk conducting passage of the liner to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure and the pulsation chamber to a pulsating pressure varying between a low and a high pressure, said high pressure being higher than the pressure in the milk conducting passage of the liner. Further, the milking apparatus comprises means for controlling the respective pressures in the milk conducting passage of the liner and the pulsation chamber, and means for sensing the milk flow. During milking the milk flow increases to a main flow in an initial first phase of milking, amounts to said main flow in a second phase of milking, and diminishes from said main flow in a third phase of milking.
The known milking apparatus according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,532 is arranged to keep the low pressure in the pulsation chamber and the pressure in the interior of the liner, i.e. in the milk conducting passage of the liner, substantially higher when the milk flow is less than a predetermined relatively small value than when the milk flow exceeds this flow value. When milking with this apparatus, the tests are subjected to weaker suction forces more caring to the teats during the first milking phase before the milk has started flowing through the teats, and during the third milking phase when the milk flow has ceased, than when the milk flows through the teats in a flow exceeding said small value. This is an advantage, since a teat is considerably more sensitive to external influences when it is empty, than when milk is flowing through it. Consequently, the risk of injuring the teats is decreased.
The known milking apparatus according to G.B. 1,506,636 operates in a manner similar to the apparatus according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,532 but is arranged to keep only the low pressure in the pulsation chamber substantially higher when the milk flow during milking is below a predetermined relatively small value, than when the milk flow exceeds this value. Consequently, the liner does not open completely during the pulsating pressure in the pulsation chamber when the milk flow is below said small value, which results in that only the tip of the teat is subjected to suction forces while the rest of the teat is protected against these.
Thus, the above described known milking apparatuses aim at more careful treatment of the teats during so called dry milking of the latter, i.e. when there is no milk flowing through the teats. However, these known apparatuses do not solve the problem of preventing crawling of the teat cups on the teats during the third milking when the milk flow ceases.
During the second milking phase each teat is distended and is in a firm friction engagement with the liner, so that the teat cup is in its intended position on the teat. However, when the milk flow diminishes during the third milking phase the teat becomes slacker and slacker and its frictional engagement with the liner weaker and weaker, whereby the teat tends to be sucked deeper into the teat cup. Thus, each teat cup crawls on the teat towards the udder and thereby causes throttling of the milk conducting interior of the teat close to the udder, so that milking becomes more difficult and finally the milk flow completely ceases in spite of the fact that some milk still remains in the udder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a new milking apparatus by means of which crawling of each teat cup is counteracted when the milk flow diminishes during milking.
Thus, the invention hereof provides a milking apparatus, comprising at least one teat cup with a liner for receiving a teat, said liner having a milk
REFERENCES:
patent: 4011838 (1977-03-01), Nordegren et al.
patent: 4292926 (1981-10-01), Tilman
patent: 4313396 (1982-02-01), Olofsson
patent: 4574736 (1986-03-01), Tanaka et al.
Örnerfors Benny
Pettersson Torbjorn
Alfa-Laval Agriculture International AB
Weiss John G.
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