Animal husbandry – Milkers – With automatic control
Patent
1994-05-06
1996-01-02
Swiatek, Robert P.
Animal husbandry
Milkers
With automatic control
119 141, A01J 5017
Patent
active
054798760
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to the automatic application of milking apparatus to a milk animal such as a cow or a goat but is not restricted to these.
Techniques for the automatic application of milking apparatus are known, for example published patent Applications GB 2226941 (NRDC), EP 0213660 (Multinorm), EP 0300115 (DUVELSDORF), FR 2595197 (CEMAGREF) and the documents mentioned therein. In these techniques an automatic device, which includes or can acquire a milking apparatus such as one or more teat cups, follows the general movement in a stall of the animal to be milked to guide the milking apparatus to the general area of the udder of the animal and then uses a localised sensing apparatus to guide the milking apparatus on to an appropriate teat. It is well-known that cleanliness is vital for milking techniques but so far little attention has been given to the cleanliness problems that may arise in automatic milking.
It is an object of the present invention to provide automatic milking techniques in which cleanliness is easier to maintain.
According to the invention there is provided an arrangement for the automatic application of milking apparatus to an animal characterised by a milking ;apparatus store, a milking apparatus handling device including a milking apparatus carrier movable on the device and a teat sensor on the handling device together with at least one animal position sensor and a control unit responsive to the animal and teat sensors to operate the handling device, the arrangement being such that when an animal is sensed to be in milking position the control unit operates the handling device to take milking apparatus for a teat of the animal from the store in the carrier to a specific teat with the carrier moved to a sideways offset at a selected angle to the device and the teat sensor in range of the teat.
The carrier may be movable to turn a milking apparatus taken inverted to be upright. The teat sensor may be an open-jaw sensor effective to sense the teat by a sideways approach. The handling device may include a pivot and said carrier may be movable about said pivot between an inverted and an upright position and operable to acquire inverted milking apparatus from said store and said carrier may be effective by a single pivot action both to turn the acquired inverted apparatus upright and to position the upright apparatus offset from the handling device.
The handling device may include a guided elongate support member having pivoted at an outward end said carrier in the form of a teat-cup gripper, the axis of the pivot for the gripper being inclined at an angle to the elongate member but generally in the horizontal plane of the member. The angle may be approximately 45.degree.. The support member may have at an inboard end a drive for said carrier and a drive shaft within the member to transmit drive to said carrier.
Conveniently the milking apparatus is individual teat cups hung inverted in a store by the milk hose alone and after release retractable into said store by pulling with the milk hose. The milk hose may be siamesed or otherwise combined with the pulsator hose. The milking apparatus may be individual teat cups each on a respective milk hose and held in a store to be above the level of the floor of a rear part of a stall at the milking position and beneath a raised front part of the stall. The individual teat cups may be taken from the store through a step in the floor of the stall to a raised front part of the stall floor.
The milking apparatus store may be at any convenient place adjacent or, if protected, within the stall. The store may be outside the stall adjacent the position of the fore or hind legs of an animal correctly In the stall. The movement and offset of the carrier may be chosen to suit the position of the store and the handling device.
The handling device may include a teat sensor of an open-jaw sensing arrangement having optical sensing beams directed to cross obliquely. The carrier may include an open-jaw sensing arrangement arranged above the gripper, with r
REFERENCES:
patent: 4867103 (1989-09-01), Montalescot et al.
patent: 4941433 (1990-07-01), Hanauer
patent: 5069160 (1991-12-01), Street et al.
PCT, 9 206 588, Apr. 30, 1992.
Hall Robert C.
Mottram Toby T. F.
Street Michael J.
Wilkin Arthur L.
British Technology Group Ltd.
Swiatek Robert P.
LandOfFree
Automatic milking does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Automatic milking, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Automatic milking will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-229213