GB1569586A

GB1569586A - Rotary milking installation

Info

Publication number: GB1569586A
Application number: GB4605576A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1975-11-06
Filing date: 1976-11-05
Publication date: 1980-06-18
Also published as: LU76135A1; DE2650741A1; NL181546B; IE43876L; IE43876B1; FR2330314B1; NL7513014A; FR2330314A1; NL181546C; BE847953A

Description

(54) ROTARY MILKING lNSTALLATION (71) 1, ALBERT HARKEMA, of Dutch nationality, of Medenerweg 5, Aduard, Holland, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a method and aplparatus for milking cows in a rotary milking installation having circumferentiallyspaced compartments in which the cows are milked.

Rotary milking appliances are well-known and in one arrangement each compartment is substantially closed with a manger on its radially inner end. The cow entering the compartment walks up to the manger, whereafter the radially outward end of the compartment is closed, owing to the fact that the milking installation is rotated further, with a fixed rail extending without interruptions up to an exit path. In this prior arrangement, the milking devices are arranged on the outside of the rotating compartments. As a consequence, the possibility of supervision of the cows by an operator, for example, for keeping an eye on the progress of the milking process and for checking the health of ;the animals, is greatly limited. Indeed, in the past, proper and optimum operation of such a rotary milking installation has required at least two operators. A further drawback 'of the prior arrangement is that, after tenmination of the milking process, a cow necessarily has to leave the compartment backwards and must turn round after having left it.

It is an object d the present invention, while enabling the same number of cows to be milked per hour, to simplify operations to the extent that only one operator is required while also the path to be traversed by the cows is improved.

According to one aspect of the invention, in a method of milking cows in a rotary milking installation having a plurality of circumferentially-spaced radially-direoted compartments, each cow is guided forward and radially inwards along one compartment and is then induced to turn and pass into another compartment so that the cow faces radially outwards, the cow being milked in the radially outwards facing posi tion. The milliiing devices can now be arranged on the radially inner side of the rotating compartments, where the operator can be located The operator will accordingly be able to keep an eye on all the cows virtually at the same time, and hence maintain sufficient supervision. In addition, the path traversed by the cows as considerably simplified, as the animals only have to walk in a forward direction. In addition to a reduction in the cost of labour, a further cost saving factor is that, as a result of the disposition of the milking devices on the inner side of the compartments apparatus, such as milk collecting and discharging apparatus, can be made of compact and simple construction.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, after passing radially inwards along one compartment a cow passes into the next adjacent compartment in the direction of rotation of the compartments.

The installation can then roe filled to capacity, thereby making for maximum efficiency.

According to a further aspect of the invention apparatus for milking cows comprises a rotary installation having a plur amity of circumferentially-spaced radiallydirected compartments, guide means defining a radially inwardly Idirected entrance path for the cows through a compartment, and a passage for enabling the cows to pass from said path into an adjacent compartment so that the cows face radially outwards in said adjacent compartment and adopt a position for milking. By virtue of this arrangement, it is simply achieved that a cow adopts a milking position facing in the reverse direction relative to her original direction of entry.

Preferably each compartment includes closure means for preventing the cows from leaving the compartments when in said radially outwards facing position during milking.

Conveniently the closure means is a vertically movable gate on which is mounted a manger. This creates the possibility of cows leaving the compartments at any desired position and at any desired time, while, m addition, the upward movement of the gate can be used for filling or replenishing the manger.

In one arrangement the passage includes a platform located radially inwards of the compartments, a part of which platform is momentarily aligned with the entrance path. The passage may 'be bounded by an arcuate guide rail whose ends are situated adjacent the radially outer edge of the plat- form and are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to twice the width of a compartment.

One embodiment uf the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a rotary milking installation, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on Bne 1141 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a rotary milking instaltation comprising a rotary, annular platform 1 divided up into a plurality of circumferentially-spaced, radially-directed compartments 2 bounds by rails 2a, six compartments being shown in Fig. 1. Mounted radially inwards of the rotary, annular platform 1 is a stationary, circular platform 3, which can accommodate an operator, and on which the requisite apparatus, such as milking devices fnot shown) can ;be arranged. To provide for a convenient working position ob the operator, platform 3 is lower than platform I. At the same level as platform 1, there is provided a second stationary platform 4, referred to herein as a throughfare platform. Platform 4 has an outer arcuate edge aligned with the inner edge of platform 1 and an inner arcuate edge, whose ends are spaced apart a distance approximately equal to twice the width of a compartment 2.

At their radially outer ends, the compartments 2 are closed ;by a vertically movable gate 5 (see Fig. 2) on which a manger 6 is mounted. At their radially inner ends, the compartments 2, except for those aligned with the thoroughfare platform 4, are bounded by a fixed rail 7 suspended from the ceiling iby means of supports 8. Adjacent the thorughfare platform 4, there is provided an arcuate rail 9 shaped to match the arcuate inner wedge of the platform 4, and linking up with the rail 7 to define a thoroughfare or passage for the cows. The rail 9 is likewise suspended from the ceiling by means of supports 8.

A radially-reoted entrance path 11 for the cows is defined by guide rails 11 a laterally spaced apart a distance equal to that between the rails 2a of a compartment 2. In the arrangement as shown, there is no specific exit path for the cows since the animals can leave platform 1 at any suitable place by virtue of the fact that each compartment 2 is separately closed with a vertically movable gate 5.

The annular platform 1 is mounted for rotation on a plurality of pairs of travelling rollers 12 (see Fig. 2), mounted on the underside thereof. In order to prevent the platform -1 from chafing against structure on its outer edge or against the platform 4, there is provided on the underside of the platform a guide plate 13 which Co- operates with a U-shaped guide rail 14 fixed to the floor.

The rotary milking installation makes possible the following method of milking: A cow to be milked is guided between the rails Fla radially inwards along the access path 11 towards the rotary, annular plat- form 1, where further passage is barred by a gate 5 or a rail (not shown) co-extensive with a gate 5 and connected at both ends to a gate 2a of two adjacent compartments 2. As soon as an empty compartment is in line with the access path 11 and the next adjacent compartment 2, in the direction of rotation of the compartment, is also empty, the gate 5 is pulled up, and the cow will step onto platform 1 and walk on through one compartment to the through- fare platform 4. The cow then ;turns into the next adjacent compartment 2 up to the lowered gate 5 and to a manger 6, asso ciated therewith which may have been filled or replenished dn the preceding, raised position. The cow has then reached a milking position in which the cow faces radially outwards. As soon as the cow has left the thoroughfare platform 4, platform 1 is rotated further, and the next cow can step onto the platform. As the platform 1 rotates further the compartment 2 housing the first cow 10 is closed at the rear by the rail 7, whereafter the operator will apply the milking device, and milking will start. After termination of the milking, the milking device is removed either auto- matically or by the operator. When the place has been reached where the cow is to be removed, the gate 5 is ;raised and the cow walks off the platform 1 in the radially outwards direction.

It will be understood that a great many variants and modifications in the rotary milking installation as described and shown herein are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Thoroughfare platform 4 may be extended in the direction of rotation of platform 1, so that the latter platform may be rotated continuously. The capacity of the milking stand may be increased by increasing the number of compartments, in which case there may be more than one access path.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A method of milking cows in a rotary milking installation having a plurality of circumferentially - spaced radially - directed compartments, in ,which each cow is guided forward and radially inwards along one compartment and is then induced to turn and pass into another compartment so that the cow faces radially outwards, the cow being milked in the radially outwards facing position.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the cow is guided by guide means from the radially inwards facing position to the radially outwards facing position.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein each cow passes radially inwards along one compartment and then into the next adjacent compartment in the direction of rotation of the compartments to adopt the radially outwards facing position.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each cow passes radially outwards from the radially outward facing position after milking.

5. Apparatus for milking cows comprising a rotary installation having a plurality of circumferentially-spaced radially directed compartments, guide means defining a radially inwardly-directed entrance path for the cows through a compartment, and a passage for enabling the cows to pass from said path into an adjacent compart ment so that the cows face radially outwards in said adjacent compartment and adopt a position for milking.

6. Apparatus according to claim S wherein each compartment includes closure means for preventing the cows from leaving the compartments when in said radially outwards facing position during milking.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the closure means is a vertically movable gate on which is mounted a manger.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5, 6 or 7 wherein the passage includes a platform located radially inwards of the compartments, a part of which platform is momentarily aligned with the entrance path.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the passage is bounded by an arcuate guide rail whose ends are situated adjacent the radially outer edge of the platform and are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to twice the width of a compartment.

10. Apparatus for miking cows substan- tially as described with reference to the drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. continuously. The capacity of the milking stand may be increased by increasing the number of compartments, in which case there may be more than one access path. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A method of milking cows in a rotary milking installation having a plurality of circumferentially - spaced radially - directed compartments, in ,which each cow is guided forward and radially inwards along one compartment and is then induced to turn and pass into another compartment so that the cow faces radially outwards, the cow being milked in the radially outwards facing position.