专利汇可以提供Rotary parlour for milking of animals专利检索,专利查询,专利分析的服务。并且A rotary parlour for milking of animals includes a rotary platform unit and storing devices connected to the platform unit and adapted to hold a number of teat cups in predetermined parking positions. The storing devices are supported by a supporting mechanism comprising an elevating part adapted to move the storing device between an operating position in which the storing device holds at least a part of the parked teat cups at a higher level than the lowest level of the upper surface of the platform unit and a non-operative position in which both the storing device and the parked teat cups are located at a lower level than the lowest level of the upper surface of the platform unit.,下面是Rotary parlour for milking of animals专利的具体信息内容。
The invention claimed is:
The present invention relates to a rotary parlour for milking of animals, wherein the parlour comprises a rotary platform unit having an upper surface adapted to support animals to be milked on the platform unit and at least one storing device connected to the platform unit and adapted to hold a number of teat cups in predetermined parking positions.
In a conventional rotary milking parlour, the cows walk on to an annular rotating platform and enter a milking stall via a gate arranged at a relatively narrow opening to the milking stall. When a cow has been positioned in a milking position in the milking stall, an operator or a milking robot grips teat cups in a storing device and attaches them to the teats of the cow. The teat cup storing device is usually mounted radially outside the platform in vicinity of the opening to a milking stall. It is easy for an operator or a milking robot to fetch the teat cups from a storing device in this position and attach them to the teats of a cow. The platform rotates continuously with a constant low speed. The milking operation of the cows is finished when the cows have been rotated nearly 360 degrees on the platform. A removing device removes the teat cups from the cows as soon as the milking operation has been finished. Rotary parlours have a high milking capacity due to the continuous flow of cows to the milking stalls.
A problem with the teat cup storing devices is that they may be in the way of the cows especially when they enter the platform and when they leave the platform. A cow is heavy and there is a risk that the storing devices and the teat cups will be deformed by a cow walking into the storing device or the teat cups when it enters or leaves the milking stall. There is also a risk that the cow gets injured.
US 2004/0050331 shows a rotary parlour for milking of animals. The parlour comprises a rotary platform having a plurality of milking stalls. The parlour comprises an entrance area from which the cows enter the platform and an exit area which the cows enter when they leave the platform. A milking unit comprising a claw and four teat cups is, via a detacher chain, connected to a retracting mechanism in each milking stall. A pivoting arm is adapted to guide the detacher chain and the milking unit between a milking position and a storage position. The pivoting arm is pivotally attached to a post in each milking stall. In the storage position, the pivoting arm is turned to a position in which it and the detacher chain do not block the opening to the milking stall. Furthermore, in the storing position, the detacher chain is drawn out such that it holds the milking unit at a level below the platform.
However, the milking unit hangs in the detacher chain and the teat cups are attached to the claw by flexible milking conduits. Thus, the teat cups are not parked in well defined positions in a storing device such that they can be gripped by a robot arm. Therefore, this construction is only applicable when an operator manually attaches the teat cups to the teats of a cow. In the storing position, the milking unit hangs in the detacher chain in a level below the level of the platform. Consequently, when the milking unit moves past the entrance area and the exit area, the detacher chain has to extend through a gap between the platform and the entrance area and the exit area. It is not without risk to have a chain hanging in this relatively narrow gap due to the relative motion between the platform and the entrance area and the exit area.
The object of the present invention is to provide a rotary parlour with a storing device which is able to hold a number of teat cups in predetermined parking positions such that it is easy to grip and attach the teat cups to the teats of an animal to be milked on the platform unit at the same time as the storing device and the teat cups are not in the way of the animals when the teat cups not are used.
This object is obtained, according to the invention, by the feature that the rotary parlour comprises elevating means adapted to move the storing device between an operating position in which it holds at least a part of the parked teat cups at a higher level than the lowest level of the upper surface of the platform unit and a non-operative position in which the storing device and the parked teat cups are located at a lower level than the lowest level of the upper surface of the platform unit. Normally, an annular platform unit has a plane upper surface sloping about 3° in relation to a horizontal plane. This simplifies the cleaning of the platform unit because water and dirt rinse off easily. The lowest level of the upper surface of the platform unit is located at an outer edge portion or at an inner edge portion of the platform unit. The elevating means makes it possible to move the supporting device and the parked teat cups to an operative position and a non-operative position. In the operative position, it is easy to grip the teat cups and move them to the teats of an animal since the teat cup at least partly is held in a position above the upper surface of the platform unit. In the non-operative position, both the teat cups and the storing device are located at a lover level than the level of the upper surface of the platform unit. In this position, the teat cups and the storing device are not in the way of the animals on the platform unit. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotary parlour comprises an entry area arranged at an outer edge portion of the platform unit from which the animals enter the platform unit and an exit area arranged at the outer edge portion of the platform unit which the animals enter when they leave the platform unit. The entry area and the exit area are normally arranged in the vicinity of each other at the outer edge portion of the platform unit. Preferably, the entry area and/or the exit area are formed by an element provided with a lower surface located at a level above a ground surface. In this case, a space is formed between the lower surface of element and the ground surface. Advantageously, the storing device and the parked teat cups are, in the non operative position, located at a lower level than the level of the lower surface of the element forming the entry area or the exit area. In this case, it is possible for the storing device and the parked teat cup to be moved into the space under the element forming the exit area and/or the enter area. The storing device and the parked teat cup are in this space absolutely not in the way of the animals when they enter and leave the platform unit. The storing device and the parked teat cup may be moved to the non-operative position in good time before the storing device arrives to the exit area and the entry area.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotary parlour comprises a support element connected to the storing device by means of a movable connection. In this case, the storing device may perform a motion in relation to the fixed support element. Such a connection may be a pivot connection, a slidable connection or a suitable link connection. The support element may have a fixed connection to a lower surface of the platform unit. The support element may be fixedly connected to the underside of the platform unit by means of welding, bolts or the like. Preferably, the whole support element is mounted in a position below the lowest level of the upper surface of the platform unit. Thereby, there is no risk that the support element will be in the way of the animals on the platform unit. The support element may be fixedly connected to the underside of the platform unit at one end portion and movably connected to storing device at an opposite end portion. Such a support element may for example be U-shaped or L-shaped.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the elevating means may be adapted to move the storing device between the operative position and the non-operative position. The elevating means may be a suitable power member which moves the storing device to the operative position when the teat cups are to be used and to the non-operative position when the teat cups are not to be used. The power member may be an extensible cylinder such as a hydraulic, pneumatic electric cylinder or a rotary motor. Alternatively, the elevating means may comprise a ramp with a guiding surface arranged on the ground surface cooperating with guided members attached to the storing device such as one or several rolling members which follow the guiding surface. Preferably, the elevating means moves the storing device to the operative position just before the teat cups are to be attached to an animal and moves the storing device to the non-operative position as soon as the teat cups have been removed from the teats of an animal.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotary parlour comprises a milking robot adapted to grip and move the teats cups from their predetermined positions in the storing device and attach them to the teats of an animal standing in a milking position on the platform unit. Since the teat cups are held in predetermined parking positions in the storing device, it is easy for a milking robot to grip the teat cups. The milking robot may grip one or several teat cups at a time. However, it is also possible to grip and attach the teat cups manually.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotary parlour comprises positioning means adapted to arrange the animals in milking positions on the platform unit such that the rear legs of the animals are positioned in the vicinity of an outer edge portion of the platform unit. The positioning means may be fence arrangements dividing the platform unit into milking stalls for receiving individual cows. The positioning means may arrange the animals such that the longitudinal axes of the animals are inclined somewhat to a radial plane on the platform unit. In this case, the animals are arranged in a so called herringbone pattern. Alternatively, the positioning means may arrange the animals in milking positions such that the longitudinal axes of the animals extend in a radial plane on the platform unit. The storing device may be arranged in a substantially radially outwardly position of the rear legs of an animal standing in a milking position on the platform unit. In this case, the teat cups may be moved from the storing device to the teats of an animal via the space between the rear legs of the animal. It is here possible to arrange the storing device very close to an animal standing on the platform unit in a milking position. Consequently, the milk conduits and the pulsation conduits, which are connected to the teat cups, can be made short. The risk that the conduits get entangled with each other thereby becomes small. Furthermore, the distance that the teat cups are moved in contact with the ground, during the removing process of the teat cups, can be made very small. This decreases the risk that the teat cups will become dirty during the removing process. Furthermore, the risk that the teat cups will damage the legs of the animals is also reduced. The whole storing device may be arranged in a position radially outwardly of the outer edge portion of the platform unit both in the operative position and in the non-operative. In this case, the storing device may be moved between said positions in a relatively simple manner.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotary parlour comprises a removing device adapted to remove at least one teat cup from a teat of an animal when a milking operation of the animal has been finished and to move the teat cup to a predetermined parking position in the storing device. Preferably each teat cup is connected to a milk conduit and a pulsation conduit, wherein the removing device is adapted to provide a pulling force in the milk conduit and/or in the pulsation conduit when it removes a teat cup from a teat of an animal. Preferably, the removing device is arranged at a lower level than the level of the level of the upper surface of the platform unit. Thereby, the removing device will not be in the way of the animals on the platform unit. Since both the removing device and the teat cups in the non-operative position are arranged at a lower level than the upper surface of the platform unit, it is also possible to arrange the milking conduit and the pulsation conduit at such a low level. In this case, all components associated with the storing device and the parked teat cups will be located at such a low level that they not are in the way of the animals on the platform unit.
In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention are described by examples and with references to the attached drawings, in which:
The platform unit 3 has an upper surface 3a adapted to support the cows 1 in the milking stalls 6 and a lower surface 3b forming an underside of the platform unit 3. The platform unit 3 is rotatably arranged by a conventional drive mechanism at a level above a ground surface 16. The platform unit 3 has a plane upper surface 3a sloping about 3° in relation to a horizontal plane in order to simplify the cleaning of the platform unit. In this case, the lowest level of the upper surface 3a of the platform unit is located at the outer edge portion 3d of the platform unit. The upper surface of the platform unit 3a is at the outer edge portion 3d located at a level 3a′ above the ground surface 16. The storing device 11 is supported by a substantially U-shaped supporting member 17. One end of the supporting member 17 is fixedly connected to the lower surface 3b of the platform unit 3 by means of a suitable fixed connection 18. The fixed connection 18 may for example comprise a weld joint or a bolt connection. The opposite end of the supporting member 17 supports the storing device 11 by means of a pivot joint 19. The pivot joint 19 is arranged in a middle portion 11c of the storing device 11 located between the first end portion 11a and the second end portion 11b. In this case, the storing device 11 has the centre of mass 11d located at a distance from the pivot joint 19. The centre of mass 11d is here located between the pivot joint 19 and the second end portion 11b of the storing device 11. Due to this fact, the storing device 11 is adapted to turn around the pivot joint 19 to an inclined position which is shown in
A plate shaped element 21 forms the entry area 9 and the exit area 10. Alternatively, separate plate shaped elements may be used for forming the entry area 9 and the exit area 10. A ramp 22 is formed on the ground surface 16 radially outside of the platform unit 3. The ramp 22 is arranged at a radial distance from the platform unit 3 such that the rolling members 20 of the storing devices 11 come in contact with an upper guide surface of the ramp 22 during rotation of the platform unit 3. The ramp 22 comprises a first portion with an upwardly inclined guide surface 22a, a second portion with a plane guide surface 22b and a third portion with a downwardly inclined guide surface 22c.
When cows 1 are to be milked, they walk to the entry area 9. The entry area 9 has a width such that only one cow 1 at a time can be located in a first position of the entry area 9. When a vacant milking stall 6 arrives to a position in front of the entry area 9, the cow 1 enters the milking stall 6 and places herself in a milking position on the platform unit 3. In the milking position, the rear legs of the cow 1 will be located in the vicinity of the outer edge portion 3d of the platform unit 3. The milking robot 8 is placed in the vicinity of the entry area 9. The milking robot 8 is activated as soon as the milking stall 6 with the cow 1 has been rotated a small angle from the entry position to a teat cup attaching position located substantially in front of the milking robot 8. Since there is no ramp 22 here, the storing device 11 is in the operative position. In this position, the storing device 11 holds the teat cups 2 above the level 3a′ of the upper surface 3a at the outer edge portion 3d of the platform unit 3. It is easy for the milking robot 8 to grip the teat cups 2 and move them to the teats of the cow 1 standing in the milking stall 6. In this case, the milking robot 8 moves the teat cups 2 to the teats via the passage between the rear legs of the cow 1.
As soon as the milking robot 8 has attached the teat cups 2 to the teats of the cow 1, the milking operation of the cow 1 starts. The milking operation of the cow 1 continues during nearly one revolution of rotation of the platform unit 3. As soon as the milk flow from the cow 1 drops below a predetermined value, the removing cylinders 15 are activated and the teat cups 2 are individually removed from the teats of the cowl. The rolling members 20 of the storing device 11 reach the first portion of the ramp 22 just when the teat cups 2 have been removed from the cow 1. The contact between the rolling members 20 and the upwardly inclined guide surface 22a of the first portion of the ramp 22 turns the storing device 11 around the pivot joint 19. When the rolling members 20 reach the second portion of the ramp 22, the first end portion 11a of the storing device 11 has been turned down to substantially the same level as the second end portion 11b. The storing device is now in the non-operative position.
The rolling members 20 of the storing device 11 reach the second portion of the ramp 22 in good time before milking stall 6 reaches the exit area 10. In the non-operative position, the whole storing device 11 and the parked teat cups 2 are located at a lower level than the level 21b′ of the lower surface 21b of the plate-shaped element 21 forming the entry area 9 and the exit area 10. Thereby, the storing device 11 and the parked teat cups 2 are able to pass through the space located under the exit area 10 and the entry area 9 during the continuous rotation of the platform unit 3. Consequently, when the milking stall 6 reaches the exit area 10, the cow 1 can leave the milking stall 6 and enter the exit area 10 without risk to come in contact with the storing device 11, the teat cups 2 and their associated conduits 14a, 14b. In a similar manner, a new cow 1 does not risk to come in contact with the storing device 11, the teat cups 2 and their connected conduits 14a, 14b during its motion from the entry area 9 to a milking stall 6. Also the retracting cylinders 15 and the support element 17 are arranged in positions such that they are able to pass under the plate-shaped element 21. In this case, the storing device 11 is moved to the non-operative position by means of the gravity force. Alternatively, a suitable spring member may be used for this purpose.
When the teat cup 2 is to be used, the power cylinder 30 is contracted. Thereby, the cylinder 30 turns the plate member 25 with the connected rollers 24 and teat cups 2 in relation to the L-shaped support element 27 around the pivot 26 to the position shown in
When the teat cup 2 is to be used, the additional power cylinder 33 is activated such that it moves the hatch 31 from the closed position to the open position such that the opening in the platform unit 3 is uncovered. Thereafter, the power cylinder 30 turns the plate member 25 with the connected rollers 24 and teat cups 2 in relation to the L-shaped support element 27 around the pivot 26 to the position shown in
The invention is not limited to the described embodiments but may be varied and modified freely within the scope of the claims.
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