Animal husbandry – Milkers – Combined
Patent
1996-03-14
1998-06-02
Weiss, John G.
Animal husbandry
Milkers
Combined
475331, 119 1408, A01J 300, F16H 5708
Patent
active
057585954
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for automatic removal of a milking means from an animal's udder, comprising a motor, a drive shaft operably connected to the motor, a rotatable removal means, an elongated pulling means connected to the removal means at its one end and arranged to be connected to the milking means at its other end, wherein the removal means is adapted to pull the milking means off the udder by means of the pulling means, when the removal means is rotated in a given rotational direction, a gear change device positioned between and coupled with the drive shaft and the removal means, and a housing, which houses the gear change device, the gear change device having a first gear change means connected to the motor via the drive shaft and a second gear change means connected to the removal means.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a removal device, which is known from WO 93/00002, has great advantages, since it may be designed in very small dimensions and with a low weight. In the known removal device, the removal means comprises a cord drum with a cord adapted to be connected to the milking means. However, the known removal means has a drawback, since it has appeared that a mechanical resistance must be overcome each time the cord is to be pulled out from the cord drum in connection with attachment of the milking means onto the teats of an animal. The reason for this resistance is partly the motor, which is connected to the cord drum during the operation thereof, partly the gear change device which increases the torsional resistance of the cord drum. When pulling out the cord from the cord drum it may certainly be considered that the resistance of the removal device is not particularly strong, but in connection with repeated pull outs it has, after all, appeared that the resistance may be strenuous for the milker to overcome.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to achieve an automatic removal device of the above described kind, which removes the above described disadvantage of said known removal device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is achieved by means of a device of the initially described kind, which is characterized in that the gear change device has a third gear change means movable between a first position, in which it is held substantially immovable relative to the housing of the gear change device, and a second position, in which it is movable relative to the housing of the gear change device, and in that the third gear change means is adapted to operably connect the drive shaft of the motor to the removal means via said first and second gear change means, when the third gear change means is in said first position and to achieve disengagement of the removal means from the drive shaft of the motor, when the third gear change means is in said second position. Thus, the pulling means, for example a cord, may be easily pulled out from the removal means for attachment of the milking means onto the animal's udder without resistance from the motor and the gear change device, when the motor is not in operation.
Preferably the first, the second and the third gear change means have a common axis, wherein the third gear change means is axially movable along said axis between said first position, in which it engages the housing of the gear change device, and said second position, in which it is disengaged from the housing and is rotatable about said axis.
It is furthermore advantageous that the third gear change means forms a movable wall in a chamber in the housing of the gear change device, that the housing of the gear change device has at least one connecting channel for connection of said chamber to a pneumatic source adapted to generate a pressure different from the atmospheric pressure and wherein the third gear change means is adapted to be moved along said axis to engagement with the housing of the gear change device when said chamber is exposed to said pressure.
Suitably, the third gear change means has an axially dir
REFERENCES:
patent: 3603292 (1971-09-01), Finch
patent: 3789798 (1974-02-01), Reisgies et al.
patent: 4238967 (1980-12-01), Volkov et al.
Alfa Laval Agri AB
Cho David J.
Weiss John G.
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