GB1459399A - Rotary animal parlours - Google Patents

Abstract

1459399 Rotary parlour SIMPLEX OF CAMBRIDGE Ltd 28 March 1974 [28 March 1973] 14917/73 Heading AIM A rotary parlour comprises a platform carrying compartments, each of which is provided with two closable openings, in which an animal enters a compartment through one opening and leaves through the other opening in a forward direction at a loading and unloading station, or stations, on the outer periphery of the platform. In one embodiment, Fig. 1, for cow milking, a hexagonal platform 1 is intermittently rotated by a motor 16, gear box 17 and chain and sprocket drive 18 on a plurality of wheels 2 running on a circular track 3. Each facet of the platform 1 is provided with a compartment 5 containing four stalls. A compartment comprises a breast rail 6 supported by stanchions (not shown), which also support mangers 8, and a shaped rump rail 9 supported by stanchions 10. The shaped rump rail 9 allows an operator standing on the platform side access to the udders. Cows enter the compartments 5 through an up-and-over gate 11 mounted between the rails 6, 9, and leave through a swing-gate 12 mounted on a pivot 13. A gate 14 allows operator access to the central area 15. The platform 1 can be rotated through 60‹ in the direction of arrow "A" at predetermined time intervals to bring the entrance and exit gates 11, 12 of each compartment into register with the loading and unloading station 21. During each stationary period a drawbridge 22 communicating with an entrance race 23 and an exit race 24 is lowered onto the platform to allow unloading compartment 5 via the exit race 24 by opening gate 12 to position 12' and subsequently to load the preceding compartment via entrance race 23 after closing gate 12 and raising gate 10. In another embodiment, an annular intermittently rotatable platform 31 is provided with a plurality of radially extending stalls 32. A stall comprises a breast rail 33, carried by the platform, which supports mangers 34, radial partition rails 35 having openings closable by gates 36, and a recess 37 for operator access guarded by a rail 38 at the platform perimeter 31. A fixed rump rail 39 closes to cow access those stalls not in register with the loading station 41 and unloading station 42. Drawbridges 43, 44 communicate with entrance and exit races 45, 46 respectively. In operation the platform 31 is rotated in the direction "B" at predetermined time intervals to bring two adjacent vacant stalls into register with the entrance and exit races 45, 46. During each stationary period a gate 36 is opened to allow unloading of the stall adjacent to an empty stall by a cow walking forward to the right via the open gate 36 and the vacant stall, whilst the other vacant stall is loaded. Closure of the loaded stall by the rump rail 39 occurs when the platform is next rotated.