JP3523459B2 - Milking method and milking equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a milking direction for animals such as dairy cows and a milking facility therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as such a milking facility,
For example, there is a structure shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-131001. That is, an automatic milking device capable of automatically milking a cow (an example of an animal as a milking target) that has entered a milking room (milking place) is provided, and all milking target cows are provided. The dairy cows are housed so that they can be freely moved in a resting place (feeding stall), a feeding place, etc., and all milking cows are collected in the resting place at a preset milking time (usually after every predetermined time). In this case, a milk cow that is configured to automatically milk by moving from the resting place to the feeding place through the automatic milking device, and the automatic milking device fails to automatically milk Instead of moving it to a separate area, it is temporarily held in the separation area and moved again through the automatic milking device so that it can be returned to the feeding area when automatic milking is performed properly. . Further, for a dairy cow in which automatic milking fails a plurality of times, an operator appropriately manually attaches a milking tool in an automatic milking device to perform milking.

[0003]

The automatic milking apparatus as described above is intended to reduce the work load of milking by a worker who operates a dairy farm manually, but milking an animal such as a dairy cow for a day. It is generally done several times. However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, at each such milking time, the operator has to move the cow to a resting place, or perform a manual milking operation for a cow in which automatic milking has failed a plurality of times. However, the work load is heavy and still
The work load has not been sufficiently reduced.

In the automatic milking apparatus as described above, the attachment of the milking tool to the nipple of the animal is also automatically performed, but not all animals conform to the shape of the milking tool, and the milking tool is There are quite a few animals that cannot be properly milked, such as animals that cannot be properly fitted, or animals that are uncomfortable and violent when entering such an automatic milking device. However, in the above conventional configuration, for animals that cannot be adapted to such automatic milking, when performing milking by hand, for example, it is necessary to consider the elapsed time from the time of the last milking for the corresponding animal. However, this had the disadvantage that management was rather annoying.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a point, and the object of claims 1 to 3 is to enable appropriate milking for all animals to be milked and to perform work. The point is to provide a milking method that can further reduce the work load on the person.

[0006]

[0007]

A milking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
According to the feature structure of the equipment, the animals coming to the milking place
An automatic milking device for dynamic milking is installed at the milking station and
An animal to be milked and by the automatic milking device
The first area where animals suitable for automatic milking live, and
Formed with a second area where animals not suitable for automatic milking live
And a milking place where the automatic milking device is installed,
Between the first area, the animals are free to access the dairy
A passage is formed so that it can be moved to another place.

[0008]

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

Animals suitable for automatic milking by the automatic milking device can freely come to the milking place from the first area in which they live by passing through the passage and performing automatic milking by the automatic milking device. Milking will be carried out properly without any manual work. Then, animals that are not suitable for automatic milking are managed separately from animals that are suitable for automatic milking in the second area. For example, when it is convenient for the operator, milking is performed while artificially managing it appropriately. It can be done.

Therefore, it is unnecessary to guide all the animals to the milking place at every set time, and the manual work by the operator is preset only for the animals not suitable for automatic milking. It suffices to perform this every hour, and at this time, for each target animal, there is no need for cumbersome work such as individually managing the elapsed time from the previous time, etc., and operation management can be performed so easily. It has come to be able to provide the milking equipment which becomes.

[0017] Also, with the first area, the compatible animal to the automatic milking an automatic milking device is provided elsewhere and the feeding area to the diet, the animal freely from the first area to said feeding area The automatic milking device is installed in the moving passage, and one-way passage means is provided which allows only one-way movement from the feeding place to the first area.

When the animal resident in the first area becomes hungry after a predetermined time has passed since the previous feeding, it cannot go to the feeding place as it is because of the regulation by the one-way passage means. Therefore, it is automatically milked for feeding. You will go to the feeding area after automatic milking through the passage where the device is installed.
Therefore, milking for an animal suitable for automatic milking is surely performed every time a predetermined time elapses.

[0019] Further, the milking place the automatic milking device is installed, between the second area, and a closed state for inhibiting the animal traffic between them, and an open state to allow animal traffic An opening / closing means that can be artificially switched over is provided.

That is, when milking an animal that is not suitable for automatic milking in the second area, the opening / closing means is switched to the open state to move the animal corresponding to the milking place where the automatic milking device is installed. It will be. Then, when milking is completed, the second area is moved to switch the opening / closing means to the closed state to prohibit free movement of animals.

Therefore, an animal that is not suitable for automatic milking does not freely go to the milking place, and the worker only has to perform artificial milking management work only at a predetermined time. Each time the number of times automatic milking fails reaches a set number, it is not necessary to perform a troublesome work such as performing an artificial management work each time.

According to the feature configuration of the milking equipment according to claim 2, in claim 1, wherein the automatic milking device comprises a milking member to be attached to the animal's teats, the milking device is automatically the teat A switching unit is provided that is capable of switching between an automatic mounting state in which the breast pump is mounted and a manual mounting state in which the breast pump is artificially mounted on the nipple, and a milking operation is automatically performed in a state in which the breast pump is mounted on the nipple. Is configured to run
While switching the opening / closing means to the open state, switching the switching means to the manually mounted state, moving the animal resident in the second area to the milking place and manually mounting the milking tool, Milking by the automatic milking device is feasible.

When milking an animal that is not suitable for automatic milking, the switching means is switched to the manually mounted state, the animal residing in the second area is moved to the milking site, and the milking tool is manually mounted. Therefore, it can be dealt with by performing milking with an automatic milking device. Also, when milking of an animal that is not suitable for automatic milking is not performed, by switching the switching means to the automatically mounted state, an animal that is suitable for automatic milking can come freely and perform milking by the automatic milking device. .

According to the feature configuration of the milking equipment according to claim 3, in claim 1 or 2, based on the individual identification information associated with each of a plurality of animals to be milked subject,
Management means for managing the operation of the automatic milking device is provided, and the management means is an animal that is suitable for automatic milking and that has come to the milking place, has a set time since the previous milking was executed. It is determined whether or not it has elapsed, and if the set time has elapsed, the automatic milking is executed, and if the set time has not elapsed, the animal is removed from the milking place without executing the automatic milking. It is configured to manage the operation of the automatic milking device to exit.

Therefore, even if an animal suitable for automatic milking comes to the milking place when the set time has not passed since the last milking without performing artificial management, the automatic milking is not performed. Since the animal is withdrawn from the milking place, milking can be performed at short time intervals, and disadvantages such as reduction in milking amount can be avoided.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a case where the milking method and the milking equipment therefor according to the present invention are applied to a cow as an animal to be milked will be described with reference to the drawings.
Figure 1 shows the overall layout of a barn. 1A is a cattle feeding area that is suitable for automatic milking, 1B is a cattle feeding area that is not suitable for automatic milking, 2A is a free stall for cattle that is suitable for automatic milking, and the first area is 2B. Second area 2 which is a free stall for cows that are not compatible with automatic milking
B and 3 are milking places as milking places, and a large number of stalls (beds) 2a and 2b partitioned by pipes are arranged in the first and second areas 2A and 2B. Feeding station 1A and 1st
The area 2A is partitioned by two unidirectional gates 4 and 5, and the unidirectional gates 4 and 5 are configured to allow only passage from the feeding area 1A to the first area 2A. That is, the one-way gates 4 and 5 correspond to one-way passage means. Then, the first area 2A and the second area 2
Between B and the milking plant 3, a passage L1 through which cows move and a waiting place 6 waiting for the order of milking are provided. A passage L2 is formed between the milking station 3 and the feeding station 1A. Therefore, the cows in the first area 2A go through the milking station 3 to the feeding station 1A, and after feeding, pass through the one-way gates 4 and 5 and return to the first area 2A along the one-way circulation path. It is designed to move. In addition, a passage L3 is formed between the second area 2B and the feeding area 2B so as to freely move back and forth.

Between the first and second areas 2A and 2B and the milking station 3, the cows in the first area 2A can freely go to the milking station 3 and are in the second area 2B. The first state in which cows are prohibited from going to the milking farm 3, and the cows in the first area 2A are prohibited from moving to the milking farm 3, and the cows in the second area 2B can freely go to the milking farm 3 There is provided an opening / closing gate G8 (an example of opening / closing means) which can be switched to the second state in which it can be turned on. The milking station 3 is provided with an automatic milking device A which automatically attaches a teat cup 50 as a milking tool to a nipple and milks a coming cow.

The milking system in this cowshed will be briefly described. A plurality of cows to be milked are divided into a cow suitable for automatic milking by the automatic milking apparatus A and a cow not suitable for automatic milking, and group management is performed. The cows suitable for automatic milking (hereinafter referred to as automatic cows) are managed so as to live in the first area 2A, and the cows not suitable for automatic milking (hereinafter referred to as manual cows). Are managed to live in the second area 2B. Cows that are not suitable for automatic milking are, for example, cows whose nipple shape does not match the shape of the teat cup 50 and are difficult to fit automatically, and when they enter three milking stations, they become restless and run wild. It refers to cows that cannot be automatically milked, or cows that are sick with diseases such as mastitis and that cannot be properly milked by the automatic milking device A.

In many hours of the day, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing gate G8 is switched to the first state, and the automatic cattle in the first area 2A are If you are hungry, you can freely go to the feeding area through the milking station 3 at any time. Although there is no food in the first area 2A, the place where the animal feeds when milking is performed by the automatic milking device A in the milking plant 3 is a delicious food that is tasting the cow, but is fed with a concentrated feed. However, dairy cows who know this (educated) will naturally go to the milking plant 3 when they are hungry. still,
The feed stations 1A and 1B, which are the places to feed when milking by the automatic milking device A is not performed, are fed with feed containing a large amount of rough feed such as grass. The automatic cow can freely go to the milking plant 3 at any time, but each cow can perform individual identification by detecting the individual identification information transmitted by the responder provided in each cow by the tag T, as described later. When the set time (about 4 hours) has not elapsed since the previous milking time, the milking facility 3 is exited without executing the automatic milking.

The above-mentioned manual cow is artificially managed and milked. In other words, the manual cow in the second area 2B can go to the feeding place at any time through the passage L3 to feed, but normally cannot move freely to the milking place 3 because the opening / closing gate G8 is closed. . Then, when the milking time reaches a predetermined time, the operator switches the opening / closing gate G8 to the second state and sequentially moves the manual cows in the second area 2B to the milking plant 3, as shown in FIG. Basically, the teat cup is attached to perform milking at the milking station 3 by manual operation. The manual cow, which has finished milking, passes through the return route L4 and returns to the second area 2B.

Next, the milking station 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, in the milking plant 3, an automatic milking device is installed in each of the two milking chambers 7, 7 arranged in series, and the moving passage 8 and automatic milking fail next to these milking chambers. A return passage L5 for returning the cattle to the entrance side is provided side by side. As shown in FIG. 5, the entrance side of the moving passage 8 (the waiting area 6
The side) is provided with a first gate G1 that can be opened and closed, and each milking chamber 7, 7 has a second (fourth) gate G2, which is the entrance of the cow.
It is equipped with G4 and the third (fifth) gate G3, G5 which is the exit. On the exit side of the moving passage 8, there are a sixth gate G6 for allocating the automatic cow to a passage L2 to the feeding ground 1A and a return passage L5, and a seventh gate G7 to distribute the manual cow to a return passage L4 and a return passage L5. It is provided. still,
A one-way gate G9 that allows only passage to the waiting place 6 side is provided on the waiting place 6 side of the return passage L5.

The first gate G1 is usually called a Texas gate, and is provided with a pair of left and right gate pieces 9 and 9 which can be swung around the vertical axis, and the pair of gate pieces 9 and 9 are simultaneously opened and closed by an air cylinder or the like. It is structured in a possible double door structure. The second gate G2 is configured as a door that can swing about the vertical axis, and is set so as to close the moving passage 8 almost at the open position so that cows can enter from the first milking chamber 7 first. I am doing it. The fourth gate G4 of the second milking chamber 7 has the same structure.

The third gate G3 is supported on the side wall of the milking chamber 7 so as to be swingable about the vertical axis and the first door 10 is swingably supported on the first door 10 about the vertical axis. It is configured as a folding door having a double folding structure with the second door 11.
The third gate G3 is configured to push the buttocks of the cow out of the milking chamber 7 to promote the forward movement by the movement of the second door associated with the closing operation thereof (see FIG. 7F). The fifth gate G5 of the second milking room 7 has the same structure.

The sixth gate G6 is constructed as a composite door comprising a distribution gate 12 which can be swung around a vertically oriented axis P6, and one-way gates 13 and 14 to both outlets. The distribution gate 12 is configured to be switchable between a position for connecting the moving passage 8 and the passage L2 and a position for connecting the moving passage 8 and the return passage L5.
The one-way gates 13 and 14 are configured to urge the return gates to positions along the respective switching positions of the distribution gate 12. The seventh gate G7 is provided so as to be swingable around a vertically oriented axis, and is switchable between a position for connecting the moving passage 8 and the return passage L5 and a position for connecting the moving passage 8 and the return passage L4. It is configured.

Further, in order to operate the gates in association with each other, a large number of sensors S1 to S8 for detecting the passage or presence of cattle are provided. All the sensors are configured as an optical sensor composed of a pair of a light emitter and a light receiver, and detect and operate by interrupting the optical axis or restarting the optical axis. In the drawing representation, assuming that S1 to S8 are marked on the optical axes of the respective sensors, the respective sensors are arranged as follows.

As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of upper and lower first and second
The sensors S1 and S2 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to the moving passage 8 at a point 60 cm away from the first gate G1, and the first sensor S1 detects the leg portion of the cow and the second sensor S2 detects the body portion, respectively. To do. Third sensor S3
Is obliquely arranged so as to extend over the start end side portion of the first milking chamber 7 and the end portion of the first milking chamber 7 opposite to the moving passage. The fourth sensor S4 is obliquely arranged so as to extend across a portion of the first milking chamber 7 opposite to the moving passage on the start end side and a portion of the first milking chamber 7 on the end side. The fifth sensor S5 is obliquely arranged so as to extend from the start end side portion of the second milking chamber 7 and the end portion of the second milking chamber 7 opposite to the moving passage. Sixth
The sensor S6 is obliquely arranged so as to extend across the portion of the second milking chamber 7 opposite to the moving passage on the starting end side and the end portion of the second milking chamber 7. A pair of upper and lower seventh and eighth sensors S7, S8
Are arranged in a state where the moving passages 8 near the terminal side of the second milking chamber 7 are orthogonal to each other, and the first and second sensors S1, S
Similar to 2, the 7th sensor S7 has a leg portion and the 8th sensor S8
Detects the body parts respectively.

Next, referring to FIGS. 5 to 9, the linking operation between each sensor and each gate will be described. First, in the initial state, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the second gate G2 is opened, and the sixth gate G6 is operated to a position where it is distributed to the side of the passage to the feeding ground. G3, G4,
G5 is all closed. As shown in FIG. 5B, the first
Gate G1 opens and cows enter the moving passage 8
When the passage of the second sensors S1 and S2 is completed, the first gate G1 is closed. Then, the cow passes through the third sensor S3 and enters the first milking room 7, and the tag (reception device) T is solid (cow) by a responder (not shown) which is a transmitter mounted on the neck.
When the detection operation is performed, the second gate G2 is closed and the fourth gate G4 is opened (see FIG. 6C).

Then, the milking by the automatic milking device A is started in the first milking room 7, and the first gate G1 is opened again so that the next cow can enter the moving passage 8. The first gate G1 is connected to the first gate G1 by an existence sensor (not shown) arranged in front of the gate.
1 It is convenient that the cow is set to be openable only when the cow is coming to the standby position immediately before and one of the first and second milking rooms 7 and 7 is vacant (first Gate G
There is also a means to manually operate only the opening operation of 1.)

Next, when the cow enters the moving passage 8 and passes through the first and second sensors, the first gate G1 is closed and the fourth gate G4 which is the entrance of the second milking chamber 7 is opened (second The fourth gate G4 may be opened when the gate G2 is closed or when the first gate G1 is opened.)
Preparations for the milking room 7 are complete (see FIG. 6D). And the third, fourth and fifth sensors S3, S4, S
When 5 detects and the cow enters the second milking chamber 7 and the tag T is detected as a solid, the fourth gate G4 is closed and the milking states in the two milking chambers 7, 7 are set.

Next, after the milking in the first milking chamber 7 is completed,
When the automatic milking device A is reset, the third gate G3 which is the outlet of the first milking chamber 7 is opened in association with the reset, and the cow advances to the moving passage 8 (see FIG. 7 (e)). At this time, the fourth sensor S4 blocked by the passage of the cow returns to the initial state again (or the fifth and sixth sensors S5 and S6 both detect and operate), etc. The third gate G3, which is open at, is closed and the second door 11 is opened as shown in FIG.
As shown in (f), the function of promoting the forward movement by pushing the buttocks of the cow is exerted. When the cow leaving the first milking room 7 passes through the fifth and sixth sensors S5 and S6 and then approaches the seventh and eighth sensors S7 and S8, the third gate G3
And the first gate G1 is opened [Fig. 8
(See (G)), the first gate G1 can be opened by the passage detection of the seventh and eighth sensors S7, S8. When milking has ended, the cow is opened to the feeding ground 1 through the passage L2.

When the milking in the second milking chamber 7 is completed, the operation is almost the same as in the case of the first milking chamber 7 (see FIG. 8C). However, the difference is that the fifth gate G5 is closed. The operation and the openable state of the first gate G1 are achieved by the passage completion detection of the seventh and eighth sensors S7, S8 (see FIG. 9), and the fourth gate G4 is still maintained in the closed state. This is the point (when the fourth gate G4 is opened and operated at this time, there is a cow in the first milking room 7). Then, the cows in the second milking room 7 move through the passage 8
If there is no cow in the first milking room 7 when leaving, the gates G1 to G6 return to the initial state in which only the second gate is opened.

In this system, when both milking rooms 7 and 7 are empty, the first milking room 7 is set to preferentially receive cows. The advantages of the cross arrangement of the third to sixth sensors S3 to S6 in the moving passages 8 in front of the milking chambers 7 and 7 are as follows. That is, due to the structure in which the movement passage 8 to and from the milking chamber 7 arranged in series is performed on the lateral side wall portion of the milking chamber 7, it can be sensed at a position close to the entrance / exit of the milking chamber 7 due to the diagonal arrangement of the sensor. Function and, for example, if a cow exiting the second milking room 7 backs up while passing the seventh and eighth sensors S7, S8, the fifth and sixth sensors S5, S6 are activated to Since it is possible to exhibit both the function of detecting inconvenience and the function of arranging the sensor orthogonal to the moving passage 8 in front of and behind each gate, it is superior in terms of the detection points and the required number of sensors.

The above-mentioned opening / closing operation of each gate is controlled by the first controller 81 based on the detection information of each sensor. The above-mentioned operation is an example when the system is operating smoothly. Various operating situations are possible depending on the buy case. For example, when the milking in the second milking chamber 7 is completed earlier than in the first milking chamber 7, the cows in the second milking chamber 7 are The gate G1 becomes openable. At that time, if the next cow comes before the first gate G1, the first gate G1 will open, and the cow will pass the first milking room 7 and directly go to the second milking room.
It becomes like entering the milking room 7.

Each of the sensors S1 to S8 uses the same sensor. The structure of the first sensor S1 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 10, the first sensor S1 includes a light projector 15 and a light receiver. Optically composed of 16 pairs,
The light projector 15 has a light projecting path (S in FIG.
A cylindrical cover 18 is provided to prevent entry of other substances from the surroundings to the starting end portion (shown by 1), and a transparent wall 19 is provided in the cylindrical cover 18 in front of the light-emitting body 17 with a space. is there. More specifically, the light emitting body 17 includes a plurality of heat dissipation holes 2
First cover 20 with partition wall 20a formed with 0b
The transparent wall 19 made of transparent glass is fixedly attached to the front end of the first cover 20. The tube cover 18 is a round tube whose both ends are open, and is integrated by screwing the base end thereof to the outer periphery of the tip end of the first cover 20.

That is, it is known that the light-emitting body 17 emits heat as well as generates heat, and the flies approach in response to the heat, and the light-transmitting wall 19 and the tube cover 18 allow the light-emitting body 1 to move.
The heat is not dissipated around the optical axis side of 7.
As a result, the optical axis of the projector 15 is blocked by the flies,
It prevents the sensor S1 from malfunctioning. Further, as shown in the figure, the light receiver 16 is also equipped with a cylindrical cover 22 for preventing other objects from entering the light receiving path starting end portion of the light receiver 21 from the periphery. There is no inconvenience that the optical axis is blocked by the insects.

Next, the milking chamber 7 and the moving passage 8 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the second gate G
2 is a simple door structure that can be freely opened and closed by swinging about the vertical axis P2 at the tip of the gate.
It can be freely opened and closed by driving by a second cylinder C2 installed over a and 7b. The third gate G3 is constructed by supporting the base end of the first door 10 at the vertical axis P3 and erected and connecting the guide rod 29 across the tip of the second door 11 and the right side wall 7b of the milking chamber 7. It can be driven and opened / closed by a third cylinder C3 extending over the first door 10 and the right side wall 7b.

Further, the second gate G2 has an eviction mechanism E.
Is installed. That is, the ejecting member 30, which is swingable around the vertical fulcrum Y, the four links 31, and the ejecting cylinder Co are attached to the second gate G2 to form the ejecting mechanism E, and when the third gate G3 is opened. The expelling cylinder Co extends, and the expelling member 30 acts just around the buttocks of the cow to rotate about 180 degrees and push out. The above structure is similarly configured in the second milking chamber 7.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the first gate G1 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism F including a first cylinder C1 and a link mechanism 32, and left and right gate pieces 9 and 9 having a vertical axis P1. Can be opened and closed at the same time.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the swinging viewpoints X1 and X2 of the one-way gates 13 and 14 in the sixth gate G ₆ are shown.
Is set on the side opposite to the axis P6 of the distribution gate 12 and inclined, and has a structure in which it is biased to return to the closed posture by the weight of the gate.

As shown in FIGS. 15, 33 and 34, the front kick preventive device I for preventing the forward movement of the rear leg so that the cow in the milking room 7 does not step on the automatic milking device A with the rear leg.
Is provided. That is, the front kick prevention device I has an action posture capable of restricting the forward movement of the rear leg by projecting to the position immediately before the rear leg of the cow (corresponding to a milking animal) in a predetermined milking posture,
A restraining member 33 whose posture is freely changeable is provided in a retracted posture that allows the milking animal in a predetermined milking posture to move forward, and the restraint member 33 is moved from the retracted posture to the working posture based on the detection operation of the posture detection unit 35. The movement operation means 34 and the attitude detection means 3 are capable of switching the attitude of the restraint member 33 so as to be switched.
5 and 5 are linked together.

More specifically, the milking room 7 is made to feed delicious food in order to keep the cow calm during milking, and the food box 36 is provided at the front end of the milking room 7 with an electric motor. When the tag T is detected, the bait box 36 located at the front position is moved backward by moving the bait box 36 after the tag T is detected, as shown in FIG. 31, which shows the state of FIG. 6C in detail. Then, the cow is set back in a predetermined milking posture by retracting the cow. That is, bait box 3
6 is provided as a posture detecting means 35 provided with a detection switch 35 which is operated when the detection switch 35 is moved backward, and when the tag T detects and the detection switch 35 subsequently operates, the restraint cylinder Ck moves in the longitudinal direction of the milking chamber 7. The detection switch 35 and the control valve 3 of the restraint cylinder Ck are configured to rotate the restraint member 33 in the retracted posture along 90 degrees to switch the posture to the working posture.
8 and 8 are linked by the second control device 39. A check member 33 made of a pipe around which a cushion material is wound is supported by the vertical axis Q on the right side wall on the right side and on the second gate G2 on the left side, and a check cylinder Ck.
It is configured such that a shortening motion of the device causes the working position, and an extension motion causes the retracting position.

When the feeding box 36 is moved forward and the detection switch 35 is deactivated after the milking is completed, the check cylinder Ck is extended to switch the check member 33 to the retracted posture, thereby restricting the forward movement of the rear legs. It is released to allow the cow to move out of the milking room 7. This series of operations is shown in FIG.
This is executed between (C) and FIG. 7 (E). By the way, as shown in FIG. 24, the automatic milking apparatus A is normally in a position retracted to the lateral side of the milking chamber 7, and the detection switch 3
When 5 is activated, the milking position is projected and moved to the lower abdomen of the cow. It should be noted that a means for switching the posture of the restraint member 33 based on only the detection operation of the detection switch 35 may be used, but as an operation restraint at the time of abnormality when the bait box 36 moves backward while there is no cow, the tag T It is preferable to use a means for setting the operating conditions for detection.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, in the moving passage 8 in the portion that has exited from the first milking chamber 7 through the third gate G3, advancement promotion for advancing the cow without stopping on the spot is made. Means H are provided. On the side wall portion of the moving passage 8 on the bait field 1 side, a striking mechanism a provided with a pusher 40 that can be swingably switched between a storage posture along the passage side wall 8a and a pushing posture protruding into the passage, and the pusher 4 are provided.
There is provided a slide mechanism b for driving and sliding 0 along the longitudinal direction of the passage. That is, a moving body 44 having a substantially H-shaped side view is slidably fitted in a pair of upper and lower guide rails 42 and 43 provided on the side wall 8a, and the moving body 44 is substantially vertically centered at X3. While supporting the U-shaped pipe pusher 40 which is laid down sideways,
A retreat cylinder Ct, which is the movement operation means 34, is provided between 0 and the moving body 44. Also, the moving body 44 and the side wall 8
a a rodless cylinder C extending over the fixing member 41
The r is installed to support the moving body 44 so as to be slidable in parallel along the side wall 8a, thereby forming a forward movement promoting means H.

To explain the operation, when a cow comes out from the first milking chamber 7 into the moving passage 8, first, the withdrawal cylinder Ct extends and switches the pusher 40 to the evacuating posture, and blocks so that the cow does not move back any further. To do. Then, by continuing the shortening and extension movements of the exit cylinder Ct, the pusher 40 strikes the buttocks two or three times to promote the forward movement, and then the rodless cylinder Cr is shortened to force the cow through the moving body 44. It moves forward, drives the exit cylinder Ct again at that position, hits the buttocks with the pusher 40 a few times, and finally returns to the initial position. The above series of operations is detected by the fifth or sixth sensor S5, S6 from the state detected by the fourth sensor S4 shown in FIG. 7 (F) (that is, movement between the first and second milking chambers). It is convenient to perform control such that when the time during which cows are present in the passage 8) exceeds a predetermined time, it is determined that the cows have stopped moving and the advancement promotion means H is activated. In addition, cow is milking room 7
It is also possible to operate the forward movement promotion means H without fail.

The structure of the automatic milking device A will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 19 to 22, a breast pump (cluster) Aa configured by including a waist bending arm 51 having four teat cups 50 that can be attached to the teat at the tip on the right side of the milking chamber 7, and The teat cup 50 is sensed by sensing the teats at four positions of the cow in a predetermined milking posture in the milking room 7.
An automatic milking device A is constituted by a sensor robot Ab for aligning each of the robots with each other immediately below the corresponding teat.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the breast pump Aa
Is a tip arm 51a having a teat cup 50,
The waist breaking link 51 is composed of the tip arm 51a and a base end arm 51b which is provided on a support 54 fixed to the right side of the milking chamber 7, and two return cylinders 52 and 53. The outside of the teat cup 50 is covered with a rubber material, and the upper link 6 is attached to the protruding portions above and below the rubber material.
3a and a lower link 63b having a length shorter than that of the lower arm 63 are supported by the tip arm 51a via an isosceles side link mechanism 63, and an elevating cylinder 64 is installed between the tip arm 51a and the bottom link 63b. Base arm 51b
Is a lifting mechanism (rodless cylinder, electric cylinder, etc.)
It is supported by a support body 54 so as to be capable of moving up and down in parallel via 66, so that the base end cylinder 53 can also be moved up and down in conjunction therewith.
A bar 67 provided upright on the support 54 is fitted so as to be vertically slidable.

The four teat cups 50 are arranged in a trapezoidal shape whose front side is wide laterally in accordance with the arrangement state of cow's teats, and this arrangement state is basically fixed. However, the upper and lower links 63a, 63b and the tip arm 51a
Due to the elasticity of the rubber bush (not shown) interposed in the connection portion with and the rubber member covering the teat cup 50,
Since the position and posture of the teat cup 50 are flexible and the opening at the upper end of the teat cup 50 has an upwardly widening shape (see FIG. 19), the relative positions of the four teats are different from the standard state. The teat cup 50 can be fitted even if it is slightly displaced. This structure is possible because the relative positions of the teats are basically not very different from cow to cow.

When the teat cup 50 is attached to the teat, it serves as a support reference body for the next attachment of the teat cup 50, and the attached teat cup 50 should not move much before the next cup attachment. It is convenient because it can improve the success rate. Therefore, when the teat cup 50 is attached to the teat, a mechanism for reducing the flexibility of the rubber bush (for example, an electromagnetic magnet is embedded in the connecting portion and the upper and lower links 63a and 63b and the front end arm are energized when energized). 51a and the like are provided in a rigid state, etc.) to enhance the certainty of cup mounting. This milking machine A
a is a milking position (lower abdomen of the milk cow) protruding from the retracted position retracted to the right of the milking chamber 7 to the left and right center of the milking chamber 7 by the expansion and contraction drive of the tip cylinder 52 and the base cylinder 53.
The position of the teat cup 50 can be moved without changing the posture. Reference numeral 65 is a mounted portion for sensor robot Ab combination.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the sensor robot Ab has a front end parallel quadruple link 57 including two rough sensors 55, 55 and one scanner (corresponding to a fine sensor) 56, and this. And a base end parallel quadruple link 58 extending over the upper and lower protruding plates 69a and 69b at the bottom of the frame cylinder 69, and first and second cylinders 60 and 61.
The frame cylinder 69 is fitted to the support column 59 so as to be able to move up and down by the vertical movement mechanism 70 composed of the motor 70a and the screw shaft 70b, and the support column 59 has two support chambers 7 and 7 for milking.
A pair of left and right moving rails 6 laid across the right side of the
It is supported by a dolly 68 which can roll on the upper part. still,
The extension of the lower projecting plate 69b is slidably fitted on a support bar 68a provided upright on the carriage 68 to prevent the frame cylinder 69 from rotating.

The base end parallel quadruple link 58 can be moved left and right with respect to the frame cylinder 69 by the expansion and contraction of the first cylinder 60, and the tip parallel quadruple link 57 can be connected by the base end parallel to the frame cylinder 69. It is movable left and right with respect to the quadruple link 58, and as shown in FIG.
It is possible to move laterally from the retracted position retracted to the right side of the milking chamber 7 to the milking position (the lower abdomen of the cow) projecting to the left and right center of the milking chamber 7 without changing the posture of the 56 with respect to the carriage 68. Although the rough sensors 55, 55 are fixed in position, the scanner 56 has a quadruple link consisting of an upper arm 56a and a lower arm 56b, and a motor mechanism 71 acting on the lower arm 56b so that the scanner 56 can move up and down in parallel. Link 57
Is supported by the pedestal 56 by an electric motor or the like.
It is configured to be rotatable about the vertical axis with respect to c.
In addition, 72 is a mounting part for a breast pump Aa combination.

Here, the breast pump Aa and the sensor robot Ab
23, the mounted portion 65 is configured to include a pair of hook portions 65a and 65a and a pair of protrusion guides 65b and 65b, and the mounting portion 7 will be described.
2, a pair of engaging pieces 72a, 72a, which are relatively connected to each other by a hip breaking link 73, are vertically provided so as to be pivotally supported, and a lower end of a rod 75 which can be operated by a solenoid 74 is attached to a central link piece 73a of the hip breaking link 73. It is configured by connecting to. To release the engagement, the solenoid 74 may be extended. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 23A, when the entire sensor robot Ab is moved downward while the mounting portion 72 and the mounted portion 65 are laterally aligned, the engaging piece 72a moves to the protrusion guide 65b. As shown in FIG. 23B, the tip of the engaging piece 72a and the hooking portion 65a are engaged with each other, and the breast pump Aa and the sensor robot Ab are guided.
And are united.

As shown in FIG. 35, there is provided an overall cleaning device J for cleaning the entire breast pump Aa with water and a cup cleaning device K for cleaning the inside of the teat cup 50. The overall cleaning device J is composed of a nozzle 76 attached to a side wall portion outside the milking chamber 7 and a lid means 77 capable of closing the teat mounting holes 50a (see FIG. 20) of the four teat cups 50. Has been done. The lid means 77 includes a lid frame 79 having four lids 78 and a lid lifting mechanism 80 capable of driving and lifting the lid frame 79. The lid frame 79 is located at the retracted position above the breast pump Aa and is lowered from there. And is moved up and down over the working position that serves as the lid of each teat cup 50. That is, the first control device 81 (FIG. 4) that controls the operation of the automatic milking device A (FIG.
3), the tag T, the lid raising / lowering mechanism 80, and the pump device (not shown) are linked to each other, thereby periodically (for example, 1
Every 0 milking machines) With the lid 78 set on the breast pump Aa in the retracted position, water is discharged from the nozzle 76, and the breast pump Aa is discharged.
It is designed to remove the deposits such as mud, dung and straw debris on the.

The cup cleaning device K is composed of the lid means 77 and a hose 82 connected to the lid frame 79. That is, an injection nozzle (not shown) is formed at the tip of the drooping protrusion 83 in the center of the lid 78, and a hose is provided via a water conduit (not shown) formed inside the lid frame 79 and the drooping protrusion 83, respectively. 82 and the spray nozzle of the drooping protrusion 83 are in communication with each other. In other words, teat cup 5
With the lid 78 set to 0, the inside of the cup can be washed by discharging high-pressure water from the pump (not shown) from the tip of the drooping protrusion 83, and the lid lifting mechanism 80 is moved every time the breast pump Aa returns to the retracted position. By operating, the inside of the cup is washed for each milking. In addition to high-pressure water, first pre-rinse with warm water of 40 degrees Celsius, then wash with hot water of 90 degrees Celsius (may be mixed with detergent), finally rinse with water and send compressed air. It is convenient to set a washing step of drying.

Next, the operation of the automatic milking device A will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. First, at the right lateral position of the first milking chamber 7, the breast pump Aa and the sensor robot Ab at a position higher than this are waiting in a side-by-side state (FIG. 2).
4). Then, the bait box 36 is moved backward by an amount suitable for the cow to operate in a predetermined milking posture, and the left and right restraining members 33, 33 are switched to the working posture (FIG. 25). At this time,
With the completion of the backward movement of the bait box 36, the sensor robot Ab
Moves to the left and moves downward (FIG. 28), so that the sensor robot Ab is united with the breast pump Aa.

The combined automatic milking device A moves the teat cup 50 to the lower abdomen of the cow by the approximate lateral movement of the sensor robot Ab by driving the first and second cylinders 60 and 61 (FIG. 26). , Then, the fourth teat (reference teat) is detected by using the rough sensors 55, 55, and the first and second cylinders 60, 61 are driven and controlled so that each teat cup 50 is located below the corresponding teat. (Two cylinders 52 and 53 of the breast pump Aa follow and move)
Rough alignment is performed (see FIGS. 29 and 30). next,
The motor mechanism 71 is driven to lift the scanner 56, position it between the teats in the vertical direction, and perform teat position sensing at four locations while driving and rotating (FIGS. 29 and 3).
0).

When the precise sensing (nipple position measurement) by the scanner is completed and the teat cups 50 are positioned right under each teat, first, the teat cup of the first teat Te1 (see FIG. 28 for the positional relationship of the teats). A mounting trial of 50 is started (FIG. 31), and then mounting of the second, third and fourth teats Te2, Te3, Te4 is carried out. When the mounting of the four teat cups 50 on the teat is completed, the mounting portion 72 is disengaged from the mounted portion 65, the sensor robot Ab is lifted up slightly, and then moved to the right side to return to the retracted position. (FIG. 27). After that, the sensor robot Ab uses the rail 62 to move to the adjacent second milking room 7.

When the sensor robot Ab returns to the retracted position,
The elevating mechanism 66 is driven upward, and the elevating cylinder (corresponding to the mounting mechanism) 64 is driven to be shortened, and the breast pump Aa is lifted up around the teat cup 50, and the posture of the teat cup 50 is corrected to a state suitable for a teat. Yes (Fig. 3
2). Then milking begins.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 31, the teat cup 50 is in a substantially vertical standing posture in the lower position, giving priority to the ease of fitting to the teat, but in the unequal side link mechanism 63. Since the ascending movement is in a state similar to the swinging ascending movement, the posture becomes slightly backward and the teat is slightly twisted. Therefore, the teat cup 5 is lifted by lifting the main body of the breast pump Aa.
A posture correction mechanism M that returns 0 from the backward tilted posture to a substantially vertical standing posture is configured. Further, the posture at the lower position of the teat cup 50 is set in accordance with the backward tilted posture of the teat whose tip is slightly forward, and the remarkable backward tilted posture due to the ascent is set back to the original slight backward tilted posture. It is more convenient. Lifting and moving the breast pump Aa body afterward is also meaningful in that it secures an upper and lower space necessary for allowing the combined sensor robot Ab to move sideways with the completion of the attachment of the teat cup 50. is there.

Sensing (nipple position measurement) by the scanner 56 will be described. The scanner 56 has both transmitting and receiving functions, and measures the presence, size and position of an object by receiving the reflected waves of the transmitted ultrasonic waves. As shown in FIG. Four
By rotating the teat at approximately the center position, 4
The position of each teat is measured. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 40, the rear leg Le of the cow, the straw scrap St, the teat Te, and the breast U
It is assumed that d exists in the measurement target area. And FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the distance Di between the scanner 56 and the object due to the reception of the reflected wave and the angle An from the reference position are sequentially recorded, but when the reflected wave does not come (when there is no data). Is supposed to detect 0 (zero).

As shown in FIG. 42, the rotation of the scanner 56 starts, and the existence of the rear leg Le and its distance l _{L1 to} l _{L1 are first} detected.
_Ln and the angles θ _{L1 to} θ _Ln are detected. Next, the presence of straw debris and its distance l _{S1 to} l _Sn and the angles θ _{S1 to} θ _Sn are detected, and then the presence of teat Te and its distance l _{T1 to} l _Tn are detected.
And the angles θ _{T1 to} θ _Tn , the presence of the breast Ud and the distance l _U1 to
l _Un and the angles θ _{U1 to} θ _Un are sequentially detected. In addition, a quadrangle window Wi surrounded by x0, x1, y0, y1 which is an approximate teat existence area is determined from the teat position data measured for each cow in advance, and an object exists in this window Wi. Whether or not the thickness of the teat and the distance from the scanner are appropriate is a comprehensive judgment.

That is, as in the algorithm shown in FIG. 41, the arithmetic mean is calculated for each object by the following [Equation 1] of the detected distance and angle data (step #a),

[0071]

[Mathematical formula-see original _document ] Arithmetic mean: l _Av = l ₁ + ... l _n / n, θ _AV = θ
₁ + ... θ _n / n

Then, is the calculated value within a predetermined range? , And whether the object is within a given window Wi? Are compared (step #b), and if both conditions are satisfied, the teat Te is considered, and if either of them is not satisfied, it is controlled to be a teat other than Te. As shown in FIG. 30, the one on the rear right in the plan view is the first teat Te1, and from there, the second to fourth teats Te2 to Te are sequentially turned clockwise.
It is set to 4. The rough sensor 55 detects the fourth teat Te4 at the front right.

Next, the algorithm of the entire operation of the automatic milking device A from the time the cow enters the milking room 7 to the time it exits, that is,
The control procedure of the first controller 81 will be described with reference to FIGS. 36 to 39. That is, the first control device 81 corresponds to the management means. First, the entrance gate G2 or G4 is opened (step # 1), and it is detected whether or not the cow has entered the milking room 7 depending on whether or not the cow has passed through the third or fifth sensor S3 or S5 (step # 1). 2) If it passes, the entrance gate G2 or G4 is closed (step # 3). When the tag T is detected in the milking room 7 (step # 4), it is judged whether or not the cow has passed the set time (4 hours) or more from the previous milking time, and if the set time has not passed, Without milking, the process proceeds to step # 28, the sixth gate is switched, and the cow is returned to the waiting area 6 (first area 2A) (step # 4).
8). When the set time or more has elapsed, the physique data etc. of the information of the cow that has been input in advance are output (step # 5), and the bait box 36 is moved backward at a distance suitable for the cow ( Step # 6). In this case, if a large ring is used as a collar-shaped responder (not shown) that is wound around the cow's neck and the heavy transmitter unit is always located below, the situation in which the tag T cannot detect You can avoid it.

When the feeding box 36 is retracted and the cow is in the milking posture, the sensor robot Ab is moved to combine with the breast pump Aa (step # 7), and when the combination is completed (step # 8), a pre-input is made. The teat position data of the information of the cow being output is output (step # 9), and the automatic milking device A combined based on the preliminary data is moved to the lower abdomen of the cow (step # 10). Then, the mounting operation of the teat cup 50 starts, where R: the number of trials of a series of mounting operations (up to 5 times) N: the number of the teat (1 to 4) Sc: the number of sensing trials of the scanner (up to 5 times) Two
Tc: Tc: Defined as the number of tries (up to 2 times) to move up the catch cup (catch up).

First, R = 0 and N = 1 are set (step # 11), and Sc = 0 is set at the initial measurement position of the scanner 56 (step # 1).
In 2), the rough sensor 55 detects the fourth teat (reference teat) (step # 13).
When the fourth teat is detected (step # 14), if there is data on the teat position at the time of previous successful mounting (step # 1).
5) Based on only that data, the precise adjustment movement of the teat cup 50 is performed (step # 16), then the catch-up operation is performed (step # 17), and the sensor accompanying the teat mounting of the teat cup 50 (Fig. Based on the nipple detection operation of the sensor 85) shown at 43, it is judged whether or not the mounting is successful (step # 18).

If the mounting is successful (sensor operation), a catch-up try of the next teat (second to fourth teats) (step #
19), and when the mounting is unsuccessful, the process proceeds to the teat detection operation by the scanner 56 (step # 20). When the teat mounting of the four teat cups 50 is completed (step # 21), the union of the sensor robot Ab and the breast pump Aa is released (step # 22), and the breast pump A is released.
Milking by a is started (step # 23).

As the milking progresses, the milking amount per minute (
When the amount of tar is less than 0.2 l / min (step # 24),
The attachment of the teat cup 50 is released, and the breast pump Aa is retracted and moved (step # 25), at which point the total milk yield of the cow is predicted (preliminarily predicted based on past data, etc.). If it is 80% or more, the sixth gate G6 is judged.
Is maintained (step # 27), the cow is moved to the feeding ground 1, and if it is not satisfied, the sixth gate G6 is switched (step # 28), and the cow is returned to the inlet side for milking again.

On the other hand, the teat detecting operation of the scanner 56 following the failure of the teat mounting in step # 18 (step # 2
0), the positions of the four teat cups 50 are measured (step # 29), and when the measurement is completed, the rough sensor 55 is set in the state where Tc = 0 is set (step # 30).
Then, the position of the fourth teat is continuously detected to detect whether or not the cow is moving (step # 31). In other words, if the position of the fourth teat changes, it can be determined that the cow is moving, and if it does not change, the cow is stationary (step # 32),
If it is moving, wait until it stops. At this time, the movement of the cow may be cut (assuming it is not moving) after a predetermined time has elapsed.

If it is stationary, the front-rear distance L1 between the second teat Te2 and the third teat Te3, and the first teat Te
The diagonal distance L2 between 1 and the third papilla Te3 was calculated (Fig. 3
(See 0), and compare these values with the preset (minimum value in the standard range) front-rear spacing L10 and diagonal spacing L20 (step # 33). If step # 34) is large, a different mounting order [start from the third teat Te3 having a high degree of freedom in mounting the teat cup 50 corresponding to the third teat Te3] (step # 34)
35) are performed respectively.

Then, the teat cup 50 performs the catch-up operation based on the selected order (step # 3).
6) Then, it is judged whether or not the mounting is successful (step # 37), and if successful, the process proceeds to a catch-up try (step # 38) for the next teat (second to fourth teats). It is determined whether or not all four places have been attached (step # 39), and if the attachment is successful, the sensor robot Ab and the breast pump Aa are joined to step # 22.

If the answer is NO in step # 37, the catch-up try is again performed (step # 40), and the number of tries is judged (step # 41). If the cow is still not attached, the rough sensor 55 determines whether or not the cow is moving at that time (step # 42). As a result, if the cow is moving, it is detected whether or not one minute or more is spent for catch-up operation twice or less in that state (step # 43), and when it reaches 1 minute, the cow moves too much and it is impossible as it is. Then, the number of sensing times by the scanner 56 is increased by one (step # 44),
It is determined whether the number of times is two or less (step # 4
5) If it is two times or less, the process returns to step # 20 and the sensing of the scanner 56 is performed again.

If the number of times of sensing is the third time, the number of trials of the whole sensing starting from the detection of the fourth teat Te4 by the rough sensor 55 is increased by one (step # 4).
6), it is judged whether or not the number of times is 5 times or less (step # 47), and if it is 5 times or less, the process returns to step # 13 to restart from the sensing operation of the rough sensor 55, and if it is the sixth time, it is considered that the mounting has failed, The process proceeds to step # 28, where the sixth gate G6 is switched, and the cow is placed in the waiting area 6 (first area 2A).
To return to.

The milking for the automatic cow is appropriately executed by the operation of the automatic milking apparatus A as described above, but for the cow which fails to be attached and returns to the entrance side, the first control device 81 is used. The number of failures has been identified as individual identification information, and if this number of failures to attach exceeds the set number of times, such cows are not suitable for automatic milking by the automatic milking device. As
It is re-registered as the manual cow and moved to the second area 2B thereafter.

As shown in FIG. 43, an automatic mounting mode in which a series of mounting operations of the teat cup 50 by the automatic milking device A are automatically performed and an artificial operation mode in which the series of mounting operations are performed manually are switched. A changeover switch 84 as a possible changing means is connected to the first control device 81. When the changeover switch 84 is switched to the artificial operation mode,
Movement of breast pump Aa and teat Te of teat cup 50
All lifting movements to 1 to 4 will be done manually. However, since the lifting of the breast pump Aa main body (see FIG. 32) accompanying the end of mounting the teat cups 50 is heavy, when the four teat cups 50 are mounted, only the lifting of the breast pump Aa main body is driven.

That is, the waist bending arm (milking frame)
The posture correction mechanism M that relatively lowers the unequal side link mechanism (arm) 63 in conjunction with the lifting movement of the 51, and a teat detection sensor (mounting detection means) 85 equipped inside the teat cup 50 are provided, and the fourth The first control device 81 links the four teat detection sensors 85 and the posture correcting mechanism M so that the posture correcting mechanism M operates when the teat cup 50 is mounted.

The posture correcting mechanism M comprises an elevating mechanism 66 and an elevating cylinder 64. A state in which the height position of the teat cup 50 is maintained by raising and lowering the elevating mechanism 66 and shortening the elevating cylinder 64. Then, it acts so that the inclination is corrected. Further, reference numeral V shown in FIG. 43 is a moving operation means for lifting and moving the teat cup 50 so as to fit it into the teat. Specifically, the teat cup 50 is constituted by a lifting cylinder 64, and drives and lifts the entire breast pump Aa. It can be said that the elevating mechanism 66 is also a part of the moving operation means V.

In FIG. 43, the first control device 81 includes
A teat position update storage means 86 for storing while updating the teat position measurement information by the scanner 56 is provided as a control program, and the “previous success data” in step # 16 in FIG. 37 is stored in the teat position update storage means 86. It has been incorporated. That is, step # 15 is performed based on the presence / absence of success data in the teat position update storage means 86.
Therefore, every time the teat position is measured by the scanner 56 when the teat cup 50 is successfully attached, only the latest success data is stored. Even if the changeover switch 84 is in the “manual mode” and the teat cup 50 is fitted into the teat by an artificial operation, it is considered that the fitting is successful, and the success data is taken into the teat position update storage means 86. It is convenient.

The milking for the manual cow is basically performed manually (manually). That is, when the preset milking time is reached, as shown in FIG. 4, the operator switches the opening / closing gate G8 to the second state to sequentially move the cows in the second area 2B to the milking chamber 7
To the "manual mode".
Then, the teat cup 50 is manually attached to the nipple of the manual cow and the milking by the breast pump Aa is executed. At this time, based on the individual identification information of the cow detected by the tag T, it is determined that the cow that was previously registered as an automatic cow is a cow that has been re-registered as a manual cow due to multiple failed fittings. If
This is notified by, for example, voice or image display, and for such a cow, the changeover switch 84 is switched to the “automatic mode” so that the teat cup 50 is automatically mounted, and the automatic mounting is appropriate. If executed in
It is re-registered as an automatic cow and returned to the first area 2A.

[Other Embodiments] (1) In the above-described embodiment, the portion (the bait box 36) to be fed when milking is performed by the automatic milking device is fed with the concentrated feed preferred by cows. Alternatively, roughage such as grass may be supplied, or a mixture of roughage such as grass and concentrated feed may be used.

(2) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the milking implement is basically attached to the manual cow in the second area by manual operation. The procedure may be such that the automatic milking by the milking device is first executed, and only the cows that have not been properly processed are manually attached with the milking tool and milked.

(3) In the above embodiment, a cow not suitable for automatic milking by the automatic milking device is manually attached with a milking tool (tea cup) and milked by using the automatic milking device. Alternatively, the milking work may be performed manually.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the cow adapted to the automatic milking is allowed to move only in one direction from the first area through the milking place to the feeding area. To be free to come and go to the place and milking place,
Only the roughage may be fed to the feeding place and the concentrated feed may be fed to the milking place.

(5) In the above embodiment, a cow whose milking tool in the automatic milking device cannot be properly attached to the nipple is managed as a cow that is not suitable for automatic milking. Even cows that can be mounted may be managed as cows that are not suitable for automatic milking, such as cows that cannot be milked due to illness such as mastitis or cows that are restless and easily rampant.

Incidentally, although reference numerals are given in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structures of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Fig. 1] Overall plan view showing the layout of a barn

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a milking plant and a layout of gates and sensors.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a milking station and a layout of gates and sensors.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a milking station and a layout of gates and sensors.

FIG. 5 is an operation diagram showing a linked operation state of the sensor and the gate.

FIG. 6 is an operation diagram showing a linked operation state of a sensor and a gate.

FIG. 7 is an operation diagram showing a linked operation state of the sensor and the gate.

FIG. 8 is an operation diagram showing a linked operation state of the sensor and the gate.

FIG. 9 is an operation diagram showing a linked operation state of the sensor and the gate.

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view showing the structure of the sensor.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the first gate.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing an opening / closing drive structure for a first gate.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the sixth gate.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the structure of a sixth gate.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the first milking chamber showing the second and third gates.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the first milking room showing the opening / closing structure of the second and third gates.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing the structure of the ejection device.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing the structure of the ejection device.

FIG. 19 is a side view showing the breast pump.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing a breast pump.

FIG. 21 is a side view showing the sensor robot.

FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a sensor robot.

FIG. 23 is a side view of a partially cutout showing a structure of a mounting portion and a non-mounting portion.

FIG. 24 is a plan view showing a side-by-side arrangement of the breast pump and the sensor robot at the retracted position.

FIG. 25 is a plan view showing a combined state of the breast pump and the sensor robot at the retracted position.

FIG. 26 is a plan view showing the automatic milking device in a projecting position and acting posture.

FIG. 27 is a plan view showing a milking state by a breast pump.

FIG. 28 is a side view of a main part showing a uniting operation by lowering the sensor robot.

FIG. 29 is a side view of the main part showing the sensing state of the scanner.

FIG. 30 is a plan view of an essential part showing a sensing state by a rough sensor and a scanner.

FIG. 31 is a side view showing a catch-up try of the teat cup.

FIG. 32 is a side view showing a state where the breast pump is lifted after the teat cup is attached.

FIG. 33 is a plan view of the milking room showing the front kick prevention device.

FIG. 34 is a side view showing the position of the restraint member.

FIG. 35 is a side view showing the cleaning means.

FIG. 36 is a view showing an algorithm 1 of the operation sequence of the automatic milking device.

FIG. 37 is a view showing an algorithm 2 of the operation sequence of the automatic milking device.

FIG. 38 is a view showing an algorithm 3 of the operation sequence of the automatic milking device.

FIG. 39 is a view showing an algorithm 4 of the operation sequence of the automatic milking device.

FIG. 40 is a plan view showing the principle of measurement by a scanner.

FIG. 41 is a diagram showing an algorithm for nipple detection by a scanner.

FIG. 42 is a diagram showing the principle of analysis of nipple detection data by a scanner.

FIG. 43 is a control system diagram for mounting the teat cup.

[Explanation of symbols]

1A Feeding ground 2A first area 2B second area 3 milking place 50 milking equipment 81 Management means 84 switching means A automatic milking device G8 opening and closing means L1 passage

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-8-131002 (JP, A) JP-A-8-131001 (JP, A) JP-A-11-75596 (JP, A) Special table flat 9- 502361 (JP, A) International Publication 97/014297 (WO, A1) International Publication 96/003031 (WO, A1) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A01J 1/00-27/04 A23C 1/00-23/00

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An automatic milking device for automatically milking an animal that has come to a milking place is installed at a milking place, and an animal to be milked is an animal suitable for automatic milking by the automatic milking device. A first area to live in and a second area to live in an animal that is not suitable for automatic milking are formed, and the animal is located between the milking place where the automatic milking device is installed and the first area. A passage is formed so that it can be freely moved to the milking place, and the first area and a feeding place for feeding an animal suitable for automatic milking by the automatic milking device are provided at different locations, and the first area is provided. The automatic milking device is installed in the passage where the animal freely moves from the feeding area to the feeding area, and one-way passage means is provided that allows only one-way movement from the feeding area to the first area. , Said automatic Between the milking place where the milking device is installed and the second area, it is possible to artificially switch between a closed state in which the movement of animals between them is prohibited and an open state in which the movement of animals is allowed. An opening / closing means is provided, and a passage is formed between the second area and a feeding ground for feeding an animal that is not suitable for automatic milking by the automatic milking device, and an animal in the second area is allowed to move through the passage. is movable in the through the feeding area, the bait box animal feed when the milking by an automatic milking apparatus is performed, is configured to feed a concentrated thickness feed, the automatic milking by the automatic milking device A milking facility configured to feed roughage to a feeding ground to which compatible animals feed and a feeding ground to which animals that are not suitable for automatic milking by the automatic milking device feed. 2. The automatic milking device is attached to an animal's nipple.
And the milking tool that is automatically attached to the nipple.
To automatically attach the breast pump to the nipple artificially.
With switching means that can be switched between manual mounting and mounting
Is provided, and the milking tool is automatically attached to the nipple.
Configured to perform a milking operation, switching the opening / closing means to the open state, and
By switching the switching means to the manually mounted state, the second air
Move the animals residing in the rear to the milking area and
With the milking equipment attached manually, by the automatic milking device
The milking facility according to claim 1, wherein milking is feasible.
Be prepared . 3. Corresponding to each of a plurality of animals to be milked
Based on the individual identification information of the
Management means are provided for managing the movement, said management means being an animal adapted for automatic milking and coming to said milking site.
The set time has passed since the last milking
Whether the set time has elapsed
If the automatic milking is executed and the set time has not elapsed,
If not, the animal is milked without performing the automatic milking.
Operation of the automatic milking device to exit the milking area
3. The method according to claim 1, which is configured to manage
Milking equipment.