IE87482B1

IE87482B1 - A milking parlour

Info

Publication number: IE87482B1
Application number: IE20180073A
Authority: IE
Inventors: Cashman William
Original assignee: Cashman William
Priority date: 2017-04-12
Filing date: 2018-04-12
Publication date: 2024-02-14
Also published as: IE20180073A1; IES20180072A2; GB201806048D0; IES86919B2; GB2563481B; GB2563481A

Abstract

A milking parlour comprises a plurality of milking stations with a manger (6) mounted at each milking station. A feeder device (7) is mounted above the manger (6). The feeder device (7) has a feed hopper (10) for reception and storage of animal feed. An outlet (11) of the feed hopper (10) discharges animal feed from the feed hopper (10) to the manger (6). Dispensing means (14) is provided to control dispensing of animal feed from the feed hopper (10) through the outlet (11) to the manger (6). A remote controller (15) for the dispensing means (14) has a transmitter (16) for transmitting a radio control signal to an associated receiver (17) connected to the feeder device dispensing means (14) to control operation of the feeder device dispensing means (14).

Description

Introduction This invention relates to a milking parlour. y of the Invention According to the invention there is provided a milking parlour comprising a plurality of milking stations arranged in a row at a side of an aisle or pit, a manger mounted at each milking n, a feeder device mounted above the manger at each g station, the feeder device having a feed hopper for reception and storage of animal feed, the feed hopper having an outlet for discharge of animal feed from the feed /2023 hopper to the manger, sing means to control dispensing of animal feed from the feed hopper through the outlet to the manger, a remote controller for each dispensing means, each remote controller mounted in the pit for operation by an operator moving through the pit, each remote controller having a transmitter for /1 transmitting a radio control signal to an associated er connected to the feeder device dispensing means to control operation of the feeder device dispensing means, each remote controller and the associated receiver connected to the dispensing means at each milking station are paired such that the controller only actuates the associated receiver, wherein the dispensing means comprises a dispensing chute at the outlet of the feed hopper which directs animal feed from the feed hopper to the manger and a discharge valve operable to close the outlet, said discharge valve being connected to the receiver for operation by the remote controller.

Brief ption of the Drawings The invention will be more clearly understood by the following ption of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view illustration of a g parlour according to the invenﬁon;and Fig. 2 is a schematic elevational view ration of a feeder device incorporated in the milking parlour.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a milking parlour according to the invention indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The milking parlour 1 has a plurality of g stations or stalls 2 which in this case are arranged in two rows 3, on either side of a central aisle or pit 5. At an inner end of each stall 2 milking machines are ed (not shown) in the usual way for connection to each cow for milking cows in the stalls 2 in conventional fashion. A manger 6 is provided at an outer end of each stall 2 to allow a cow to feed while in the stall 2. At each stall 2 a feeder device 7 is mounted above the manger 6 to deliver a required feed to the /2023 manger 6 for ption by the cow in the associated stall 2.

Each feeder device 7 has a feed hopper 10 for reception and storage of animal feed.

At a lower end of the hopper 10 an outlet 11 icates with a discharge chute /1 12 for dispensing animal feed from the feed hopper 10 to the manger 6. Dispensing means 14 is provided at the outlet 11 for controlling the sing of animal feed to the manger 6. The dispensing means 14 may comprise either a discharge valve or a discharge auger or any other suitable means to control the discharge of animal feed from the feed hopper 10 to the manger 6.

A remote controller 15, which can iently be mounted in the pit 5, is operably connected to the dispensing means 14 to control the discharge of animal feed from the feed hopper 10 to the manger 6. The controller 15 has a transmitter 16 for transmitting a radio signal to an associated receiver 17 which is operably connected to the dispensing means 14 on the feeder device 7 to control operation of the dispensing means 14.

O It will be noted that each transmitter 16 and the associated receiver 17 connected to the feed hopper dispensing means 14 are paired such that each controller 15 only es the associated receiver 17 and dispensing means 14 in the stall 2 on which they are mounted.

In operation, cows are herded into each stall 2 and ted to the milking machine for milking the cows. An operator moving h the pit 5 can then e each feeder device 7 by means of the associated controller 15 to deliver the required feed material from the feed hopper 10 to the manger 6 for the cow in the stall 2.

It will be noted that each transmitter 16 and receiver 17 are paired to each other, that is each specific transmitter 16 will only work with a specific paired receiver 17. The transmitter 16 can be fitted to any controller used to control the feeders 7. The receiver 16 can be fitted to the feeders 7 to control valves or motors of the dispensing means 14 which regulates the dispensing of feed from the associated feed hopper to the manger 6.

It is envisaged that in another embodiment of the invention each transmitter 16, or at least one of the transmitters /2023 16, could include an ing mode in which the transmitter 16 is capable of communicating with all of the receivers 17 for discharging animal feed from all of the feed hoppers 10 simultaneously. /1 In r variation a single transmitter 16 may be provided for communication with all of the receivers 17 for operation of all the feed dispensers 14.

In the specification the terms "comprise, comprises, comprised and sing" or any variation f and the terms "include, includes, included and including" or any variation thereof are considered to be totally interchangeable and they should all be afforded the widest possible interpretation and vice versa.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the amended claims. _ 4_ 4 --

Claims

1.1. AA milkingmilking parlour singparlour comprising aa pluralityplurality ofof milkingmilking stationsstations arrangedarranged inin aa rowrow atat aa sideside ofof anan aisleaisle oror pit,pit, aa mangermanger mountedmounted atat eacheach milkingmilking station,station, aa feederfeeder 55 devicedevice mountedmounted aboveabove thethe mangermanger atat eacheach milkingmilking station,station, thethe feederfeeder devicedevice havinghaving a feeda feed hopper for receptionhopper for reception and storageand storage of animal feed, the feedof animal feed, the feed hopper havinghaving anan outletlforoutletlfor dischargedischarge ofof animalanimal ed fromfrom thethe feedfeed hopperhopper toto thethe manger,manger, dispensingdispensing meansmeans toto controlcontrol dispensingdispensing ofof animalanimal feedfeed fromfrom thethe feedfeed hopperhopper throughthrough thethe outletoutlet toto thethe manger,manger, aa remoteremote llercontroller forfor eacheach 1010 singdispensing means,means, eacheach remoteremote controllercontroller mountedmounted inin thethe pitpit forfor operationoperation byby anan operator moving through theoperator moving through the t, eacheach remote controller havingremote controller having a transmittera transmitter forfor transmittingtransmitting aa radioradio controlcontrol signalsignal toto anan associatedassociated receiverreceiver tedconnected toto thethe feederfeeder devicedevice dispensingdispensing meansmeans toto controlcontrol operationoperation of theof the feederfeeder devicedevice dispensing means, each remote controller and the ated receiver connecteddispensing means, each remote controller and the associated receiver connected 1515 to the dispensing means at eachto the dispensing means at each milking station aremilking station are paired such that the llerpaired such that the controller only actuatesonly actuates thethe associatedassociated er,receiver, whereinwherein the dispensingthe dispensing eans comprisescomprises a dispensinga dispensing chutechute at the outlet ofthe feedat the outlet ofthe feed hopperwhich s animal feedhopperwhich directs animal feed fromfrom the feedthe feed hopper to the manger and a rge valve le to close the outlet,hopper to the manger and a discharge valve operable to close the outlet, saidsaid dischargedischarge valvevalve beingbeing connectedconnected to theto the receiver for operationreceiver for operation by theby the remoteremote 2020 controller.controller. ;; 2525 3030 3535 mNON; mNON;