AU604549B2 - Milking machine pulsator arrangement - Google Patents

Description

COMONEALH4549SZ Patents Act 1952 60 COMPLEHTE SPECIFICATION (OriginaJ.) FOR OIViCE USE lk:,plication Number: Chs aGIt. Class blod ged; Compouto Speif ication -Lodged: Accepted: Publihed:This documnent contains the Priority: ame-ndments madetunder: Section 49 and IS correct for Printing.

VTO BE COM'PLET'ED BY AP:CN Name of Applicant: V ALFA LAVALJ (NZ) LJ:MTTED Address of Applicant: 31 Bandon Street, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Actual Inventor: GRAHAM JOHN HARKER Addc-ss for Servico:- Wray Associates Primary Industry House 239 Adelaide Terrace Perth Western Australia 6000.

Comple te Specificatiion for the invention nild "M~ILKING MACHINE PUL.

1 SATOR. ARRANGEMENT 1 Thu following statement is H full description of thi-, inivention,, including the best ,.iethod of performing it known to me:- A milking machine pulsation arrangement Including a plurality of pulsator units I wherein there are- adjustments means for the rate and ratio timing means and Lhe Lime delay me-ians is also adjustable.

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MILKING MACHINE PULSATOR ARRANGEMENT Background To The Invention This invention relates to a pulsation arrangement for use in milking machines, such as used in the dairy industry.

This invention also relates to substantial modifications to a pulsation arrangement described in New Zealand patent application no. 217351.

Pulsator arrangements comprised of modular units are known which provide an Seven "ripple" pulse distribution pattern amongst the pulsator units and thus reducing fluctuations that the vacuum regulator has to cope with. These operate by a set rate and ratio timing means that controls the pattern for pulse distribution. It is common for the first one of the pulsator units to be supplied with a electrical signal which is then passed in succession after predetermined time delays to each of the other pulsator units.

S One problem associated with the above arrangements Is that the modular units Shave to be replaced if the rate and ratio timing of the pulse distribution are to be altered. Furthermore, the modules within the pulsator units that control the time delays between the reproduction of the electrical signal have to be replaced as well to alter the length of the time delay.

There are other problems associated with milking machine pulsator arrangements in general. One problem is the amount of electrical hoise caused by the switching on and off of electrical machinery (such as electric fences). Another disadvantage Is that it is known for power spikes to travel along the lines which stop the working of the pulsator units, It is an object of the present invention to provide a pulsation arrangement which addresses the above problems.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example, wl Summary of the Invention According to the broadest aspect of the present invention there is provided a milking machine pulsation arrangement including a plurality of pulsator units, and rate and ratio timing means operatively associated with at least one of said pulsator units wherein there is provided an electronic controller with adjustment means for the rate and ratio timing means, said electronic controller having memory means which stores the last rate and ratio timing settings used.

situated on the outside of a housing within which is the circuitry for the controller. The electronic controller 0 C can be operatively associated with the first one of the pulsator units which in turn controls the other pulsator units by propagation of the original electrical signal by way of time delay means within each pulsator unit.

It is envisaged that the controller may be operatively associated with more than one pulsator unit, perhaps operating two separate pulsator arrangements.

The user may select a different rate or ratio timing by using the touch controls. It is envisaged that there may I be a set of ratio timings from which the user has a selection or the selection may be analogue in nature within a possible range of rate and ratio timings. Said memory means stores the last rate and ratio timing settings for the next use of the invention, no matter how long the period of time since the previous use.

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i 2 One method of adjusting the time delay means could be by way of a potentiometer within each pulsator unit. Thus each unit may have a different time delay from each other.

Attentuation of the original electric signal down the line is a potential problem with pulsator arrangements that operate by the repeated propagation of an electrical signal. For this reason there may be included within at least one of pulsator units a booster such that attentuation of the electrical signal does not occur.

C C t a a t C C C C -0, 3a x Within the milking shed or within the near vicinity of same there is a considerable amount of electrical machinery switching on and off In such a manner as to cause electrical interference. The long electrical leads associated with the pulsator arrangement can pick up this interference and it is for this reason that each pulsator unit may include an electrical noise filter. This may be a standard low pass filter comprising a capacitive resistive combination, a mono-stable or any other similor device, It is known for power spikes to travel along the lines and to stop the working of the pulsator units. It is for this reason that there may be incorporated into the controller circuitry restart circuitry which starts the pulsator arrangement up in cose a power spike has put it out of action.

The controller box may have a locking mechanism to be either key operated or require a combination to be punched in tlo ensure that only selected persons can use the machinery.

Brief Description Of The Drawinn Aspects of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1: is a schematic diagram of a pulsation arrangement according to one possible embodiment of the present invention, and S2 Figure 2: i a circuit diagram of adjustment means in accordance with one possible embodiment of the present invention.

With respect to the drawings there is provided a pulsator arrangemet generally indicated by arrow 1 including a plurality of pulsator units 2 and rate and ratio timing means generally indicated by arrow 3 operatively associated with the first one 4 of said pulsator units wherein there is provided. adjustment means generally indicated by arrow 5 for the rate and ratio timing means 3.

In the present invention, the timing means 3 effectively act as a control unit which controls the rate and ratio of the pulsation arrangement. This is done by acting through coils and pulsator units 2 connected to the timing means 3.

Each pulsator unit 2 is connected to a vacuum pipe or line 6. As will he appreciated from the accompanying drawing the pulsator unit 2 can be connected by vacuum tubes 7 to conventional slave pulsator types 8. The slave units do not contain within them the time delay means and are vacuum operated, the vacuum being controlled by the pulsator units 2.

We refer particularly now to Figure 2 which is a circuit diagram of one possible electronic controller that provides adjustment means for the rate and ratio timings.

It is envisaged that the electronic controller may run off a main power supply possibly with a battery back up with a 12 volt battery connected to terminals 11 and 12. Once the mains power is restored, the battery is recharged by the battery charging circuit 13.

The main controlling operation is by IC1 which is an eight bit micro-processor EPROM which may have various programmes programmed Into it. The values of the ratio timing Is determined by the resistors in box 14. In a preferred embodiment these ratios may be 50/50, 65/35 and 60/40. The pulsation rates are determined by the resistors In box 15 and these may have rates of 50, 55 and pulses per minute. It should be appreciated that these ratios may be different, for instance in pulsator arrangements designed for stock other than cattle.

The preferred settings of the electronic controller are stored in IC6 which is an EEPROM and can store these settings for at least ten years without a power supply.

IC1 is connected to a watch-dog timer circuit 17 which is run by a monostable IC2.

The timer circuit 17 constantly receives pulses from the microprocessor ICI that .i i keep it disabled. If no pulses are received from ICl the microprocessor has been disabled in some way) the watch-dog timer 17 brings the reset line low on the microprocessor IC1 to restart the operation. Thus if there are any power spikes or cuts disabling the electronic controller, the process is automatically reset.

The touch controls of the controller are switches $1 and S2 illustrated in box 10, A simple key switch may be built into the controller to disable the switchos 51 and S 2 this preventing unauthorised persons from changing the settings.

The circuitry within the electronic controller is arranged such that it switches at a frequency above most of electrical noise it receives. Furthermore the pulsator ]O 3. units have within them a high frequency filters to remove any schrp power spikes, Each puldtnr unit also has transistor drivers within them to boost the signal which passes from unit to unit after a predetermined time delay and potentiometers that may be easily adjusted to alter the length of the time delay.

Aspects of the present Invention have been discussed by way of exampli only nnd it should be appreciated that modifications and additions thereto may be mode S without departing from the spirit or scope thereof,

Claims (8)

1. A milking machine pulsation arrangement including a plurality of pulsator units, and rate and ratio timing means operatively associated with at least one of said pulsator units wherein there is provided an electronic controller with adjustment means for the rate and ratio timing means, said electronic controller having memory means which stores the last rate and ratio timing settings used.

2. A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rate and ratio timing means is operatively associated with more than one pulsator unit.

3. A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the cortrols of the controller are readily accessible to the user.

4. A milking machine pulsation arrangment as claimed in claim 3 wherein the controls are touch controls, buttons, knobs or the like situated on external housing of the controller, A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims wherein the controller includes a locking mechanism. 6, A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims wherein there is incorporated into the controller, restart circuitry for restarting the pulsation arrangement.

7. A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims wherein the pulsation arrangement includes time delay means operatively associated with each of the other of said pulsator units, wherein an electrical signal to at least one of the pulsator units from the rate and ratio timing means is provided after a period of time to the time delay means of each of the other said pulsator units in succession after a respective predetermined time delay. A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in claim. 7 wherein the time delay of said time delay means is adjustable.

9. A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in claim 8 wherein the time. delay of the time delay means of a pulsator unit is adjustable by a potentiometcr associated with said pulsator unit. A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims wherein there is a signal booster associated with at least one of the pulsator U nits.

11. A milking machine pulsation arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims wherein there is an electrical noise filter associated with at least one of the pulsator units.

12. A milking machine pulsation arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. I DATED this twenty-eighth day of November, 1089. ALFA LAVAL (NZ) LIMITED Applicant WRAY ASSOCIATES Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for Applicant i8 i .8