JPH0731312A - Milking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a milking apparatus capable of milking cows while dividing milk into milk having milk fat percentages in plural stages. CONSTITUTION:This milking apparatus is provided with (A) a milk fat percentage-measuring means S for measuring means S providing plural storage means 17A and 17B in a state corresponding to milk fat percentages in plural stages so as to make it possible to store milk milked by a milking means U while dividing milk into milk having milk fat percentages in plural stages and (B) a feed state-controlling means 23A and 23B for controlling to a state for feeding milk milked by milking means U to the corresponding storage means 17A and 17B based on measured data of milk fat percentage-measuring means S.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a milking apparatus provided with a milking means for milking milk from a udder of a dairy cow and a storing means for storing milk milked by the milking means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional milking apparatus is constructed so that the milk expressed by the milking means is stored in one storage means. Dairy farmers deliver the milk stored in the storage means to dairy makers and the like.

[0003]

By the way, recently, in order to match the tastes of consumers, dairy makers and the like separate milk delivered from dairy farmers into milk having a plurality of stages of milk fat ratio by a centrifuge or the like. For example, it is sold as high-fat milk with a high milk fat ratio, or low fat milk with a low milk fat ratio. On the other hand, if a dairy farmer can divide milk into multiple stages of milk fat ratio and deliver it to dairy makers, etc., the added value of the delivered milk will increase. There is a demand in terms of doing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a milking apparatus capable of expressing milk by dividing a milk into a plurality of stages of milk fat ratio.

[0005]

A characteristic structure of a milking apparatus according to the present invention is that the storing means divides the milk expressed by the milking means into a plurality of stages of milk fat ratio and stores the milk fat ratio of the plurality of stages. A plurality of milk provided by the respective milking means, the milking means measuring the milk fat rate of the milk milked by the milking means, and the measurement information of the milk fat rate measuring means, the milking means milked the milk. A supply state adjusting means for adjusting the supply state to the corresponding storage means is provided.

[0006]

The operation of the above-mentioned characteristic structure is as follows.
When milk is milked from one cow, as shown in FIG. 5, the milk fat ratio of the milk that has been milked changes so as to increase with the passage of milking time. This characteristic configuration is as follows.
This is based on the fact that the milk fat ratio of milk that has been milked changes as the milking time elapses. That is, the milk fat rate measuring means measures the milk fat rate of the milk expressed by the milking means, and based on the measurement information, the supply state adjusting means stores the milk expressed by the milking means in correspondence with the milk fat rate of the milk. It is adjusted to the state of supplying to the means. Therefore, the milk having the milk fat ratio corresponding to each milk fat ratio is stored in each of the plurality of storage means.

[0007]

As a result, it has become possible to provide a milking apparatus capable of milking by dividing milk into a plurality of stages of milk fat ratio.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the milking apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The milking apparatus includes a milking unit U as a milking means for milking milk from the udder of a dairy cow, and a milk receiving container 1 for temporarily storing the milk milked by the milking unit U.
1, a sanitary trap 12, a pressure regulator 13, a vacuum tank 14, a vacuum pump 15, and a milk tank 17 as a storage means for storing the milk expressed by the milking unit U.
A, 17B and a control device 18 for controlling various controls of the milking device
And a display unit 19 and the like. A plurality of milking units U and a plurality of milk receiving containers 11 are provided so that milk can be milked simultaneously from a plurality of cows. Also, in order to store the milk expressed by the milking unit U by dividing it into two stages of high milk fat ratio and low milk fat ratio, the milk tanks are made to correspond to the respective two stages of milk fat ratio, Rate milk tank 17
Two of A and a milk tank for low milk fat ratio 17B are provided.

Next, the milking unit U will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The milking unit U includes four teat cups 1, a milk short tube 2, and an air short tube 3.
The claw 4, the milk long tube 5, the air long tube 6, and the pulsator 7 interposed in the air long tube 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the teat cup 1 is attached to the udder B of a dairy cow to milk the milk,
Four teat cups 1 are provided so that milk can be separately milked from each of the four udders B of the dairy cow. As shown in FIG. 2, the teat cup 1 includes an outer tubular body 1A made of a hard material and an inner tubular body 1B made of a soft material having flexibility such as rubber. Furthermore, the one end side opening of the inner tubular body 1B and the one end side opening of the outer tubular body 1A are connected in an airtight state, and the inner tubular body 1B is connected.
The other end side is inserted into the one end side opening of the outer tubular body 1A, and the insertion part is made airtight. And the mounting opening 1 of the teat cup 1 formed by the opening of the inner tubular body 1B.
With C attached to the teat Ba of the breast B, the milk short tube 2 is connected in communication with the inner chamber 1a formed by the teat Ba and the inner tubular body 1B, and the outer tubular body 1A and the inner tubular body 1A are connected. Form 1
The short tube 3 for air is connected to the outer chamber 1b formed between B and B. Also, with the claw 4, four short tubes for milk 2
Each of them is connected to one milk long pipe 5 and each of the four air short pipes 3 is connected to one air long pipe 6.

The milk long tube 5 is communicatively connected to a milk receiving container 11, and each of the plurality of milk receiving containers 11 has an air branch pipe 20B for milking.
The milking air pipeline 20 is connected to the vacuum pump 15 via the sanitary trap 12, the pressure regulator 13, and the vacuum tank 14, respectively. Also, the long pipe for air 6
Each of them is connected to an air pipeline 21 for pulsator, and the air pipeline 21 for pulsator is also connected to the sanitary trap 12, the pressure regulator 13, and the vacuum tank 14.
A vacuum pump 15 is communicatively connected to each other. still,
The pulsator 7 interposed in the long air pipe 6 is provided with a control device 18
Thus, the long air pipe 6 communicates with the pulsator air pipeline 21 and communicates with the vacuum pump 15 (hereinafter, referred to as a communication state) and is open to the atmosphere (hereinafter, referred to as an open state). Therefore, the outer chamber 1b of the teat cup 1 is periodically switched between a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state.

Next, the operation of the milking unit U when milking the milk from the udder B of the dairy cow will be described with reference to FIG. Each of the inner chambers 1a of the four teat cups 1 has a short milk tube 2, a claw 4, a long milk tube 5, a milk receiving container 11, a milking air branch pipe 20B, a milking air pipeline 20, a sanitary trap 12, Each of the outer chambers 1b of the four teat cups 1 is connected to a vacuum pump 15 via a pressure regulator 13 and a vacuum tank 14, and each of the four teat cups 1 has an air short pipe 3,
The claw 4, the long pipe 6 for air, the pulsator 7, the air pipeline 21 for pulsator, the sanitary trap 12, the pressure regulator 13, and the vacuum tank 14 are connected to be connected to the vacuum pump 15 through the respective units.

Therefore, with the mounting opening 1C of the teat cup 1 mounted on the teat Ba of the breast B, the teat cup 1
A vacuum state is always introduced to the inner chamber 1a of the tea cup 1, while the outer chamber 1b of the teat cup 1 is pulsated by the pulsator 7.
The vacuum state and the atmospheric pressure state having substantially the same degree of vacuum as a are periodically switched. That is, when the outer chamber 1b is in a vacuum state, the inner chamber 1a and the outer chamber 1b have substantially the same pressure, and as shown in FIG. 2A, the inner cylindrical body 1B is held in a tubular shape. Therefore, the vacuum of the inner chamber 1a acts on the teat Ba to suck the milk, while the outer chamber 1a
When b is in the atmospheric pressure state, the pressure of the outer chamber 1b becomes higher than that of the inner chamber 1a, and the inner cylindrical body 1B is crushed as shown in FIG. Nipple Ba
The inner cylindrical body 1 which does not act on the milk and is not sucked out
The nipple Ba is pressed by B. Therefore, the milk is sucked from the breast B by periodically repeating the state where the milk is sucked out from the teat Ba and the state where the teat Ba is pressed. As described above, the milk expressed by each of the four teat cups 1 flows through each of the four milk short tubes 2 and merges in the claw 4, and then flows through the milk long tube 5 to receive the milk receiving container 11. Into the feeding container 1
It is stored at 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a milk branch pipe 28A for high milk fat ratio and a milk branch pipe 28B for low milk fat ratio are connected to the bottom of each milk receiving container 11 so that the milk branch pipe 28 for high milk fat ratio 28 is connected.
Each of A is connected to a milk pipeline for high milk fat 22A that is connected to a milk tank for high milk fat 17A, and each of the milk branch pipes for low milk fat 28B is connected to a milk tank for low milk fat 17B. It is connected to the milk pipeline 22B for low milk fat ratio. An electromagnetic open / close valve 23A is provided in each of the milk branch pipes 28A for high milk fat ratios, and an electromagnetic open / close valve 23B is provided in each of the milk branch pipes 28B for low milk fat ratios. Also, milk pipeline for high milk fat ratio 22A
Is provided with a milk pump 16A, and the low milk fat percentage milk pipeline 22B is provided with a milk pump 16B. That is, by opening the open / close valve 23A and closing the open / close valve 23B, the milk stored in the milk receiving container 11 is supplied to the milk tank 17A for high milk fat content, and the open / close valve 23A is closed. In addition, by opening the on-off valve 23B, the milk stored in the milk receiving container 11 can be supplied to the milk tank for low milk fat percentage 17B. In the following description, a state in which the open / close valve 23A is opened and the open / close valve 23B is closed is a high-fat milk supply state, and a state in which the open / close valve 23A is closed and the open / close valve 23B is opened is a low-fat milk. The supply state and the state in which both the on-off valve 23A and the on-off valve 23B are closed will be referred to as a supply stop state, respectively.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a load cell 2 for measuring the weight of milk stored in the milk receiving container 11.
4 is provided. Specifically, the load cell 24 is fixedly installed on the support portion 25, and the load cell 24 is fixed so that a downward load is applied to the load cell 24.
On the other hand, the feeding container 11 is supported in a suspended state.

Reference numeral 26 in FIG. 1 denotes a milking end detection device for detecting the end of milking. The milking end detection device 26 is
Specifically, it is composed of a light emitting portion arranged to emit light while traversing the milk long tube 5, and a light receiving portion arranged to receive transmitted light. Since the amount of transmitted light changes according to the change in the flow rate of milk flowing through the long milk tube 5,
The end of milking is detected based on the change in the amount of transmitted light.

Reference numeral 30 in FIG. 1 is a detector for measuring the milk fat ratio. Hereinafter, based on FIG. 3, the detection unit 30
Will be added. As shown in FIG. 3, the milk branch tube 2
In the middle part of 2B, a rectangular tube-shaped permeation flow path part 27 having a pair of permeation glasses 27a and 27b arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval is connected and connected, and milk is permeated into a rectangular tube-shaped permeation flow. It is designed to flow through the inside of the road portion 27. Also, the detection unit 3
0 is a light emitting unit 31, a light receiving unit 32, and these light emitting units 31
And a casing 33 and the like in which the light receiving section 32 is installed. The light emitting section 31 is arranged so as to irradiate the light beam bundle L in the optical path that crosses the pair of transmission glasses 27a and 27b, and the light receiving section 32 is arranged so as to receive the transmitted light. That is, the milk fat ratio is measured based on the change of the amount of transmitted light according to the change of the milk fat ratio of the milk flowing through the transmission flow path part 27. Specifically, the milk fat ratio α is measured as follows. When the intensity of the irradiation light with which the optical path is irradiated is I ₀ and the intensity of the transmitted light is I, the absorbance β can be calculated by the following equation. β = log ₁₀ (I ₀ / I) Further, between the milk fat ratio α and the absorbance β, as shown in FIG.
Since the milk fat ratio α increases as the absorbance β increases, the light absorbency β is calculated based on the output signal of the light receiving unit 32, and the calculation result and the light absorbency β and the milk fat ratio as shown in FIG. 6 are obtained. The milk fat ratio α may be calculated based on the relative relationship with α. The relative relationship between the absorbance β and the milk fat percentage α may be obtained in advance by experiments or the like.

The display unit 19 will be described with reference to FIG. The display unit 19 includes, for each milking unit U, a weight display unit 19a that digitally displays the total weight of the milk for one milked milk, a milk fat ratio display unit 19b that digitally displays the milk fat ratio of the milk that has been milked, and an end lamp 19c. Correspondingly provided and configured.

Next, the control configuration of the milking apparatus will be described. The control device 18 is configured by using a microcomputer. Below, regarding the control operation of the control device 18,
A description will be given based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

When a milking start command is given, the vacuum pump 15, the milk pumps 16A, 16B, etc. are operated to start the apparatus, and the following control is executed. In step # 1, control for periodically switching the pulsator 7 between the communication state and the open state is started.
In 2, it is determined whether or not the milking is completed based on the output signal from the light receiving unit of the milking completion detecting device 26. If the milking is not completed, the process proceeds to step # 3, and when the milking is completed, Go to step # 13. It should be noted that it is determined that the milking has been completed based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit being equal to or less than the set value over the set time.

In steps # 3 to # 9,
When the detected weight V of the load cell 24 reaches the upper limit value Wu,
Until the detected weight V reaches the lower limit value Wd, the absorbance β is calculated based on the output signal from the light receiving unit 32, and the calculation result and the absorbance β and the milk fat rate α as shown in FIG. 6 are obtained.
The milk fat ratio α is calculated based on the relative relationship with, and when the calculated milk fat ratio α is a set value (for example, 3.5%) or more,
When the open / close valves 23A and 23B are switched to the high milk fat percentage milk supply state and the calculated milk fat percentage α is smaller than the set value,
The control for switching the on-off valves 23A and 23B to the low-fat milk supply state is continued.

Subsequently, when the detected weight V reaches the lower limit value Wd in step # 9, the open / close valves 23A and 23A and 2 are processed in step # 10.
3B is switched to the supply stopped state, and step # 11
Then, the milk fat ratio α calculated during that time is averaged, and the average milk fat ratio (partial milk fat ratio α _K ) of the milk discharged during that time is calculated, and in step # 12, the milk fat weight of the milk discharged during that time. (Partial milk milk fat weight M _K ) is calculated by the calculation formula M _K = Ws × α _K , and the calculation result is stored. The above-described control from step # 3 to step # 12 is repeatedly executed until it is determined in step # 2 that the milking is completed, and the number N thereof is counted. However, Ws = Wu−Wd, K = 1,
2, ..., N.

When it is judged in step # 2 that the milking is completed, in steps # 13 to # 18, the load cell 2
After measuring the weight of the residual milk (residual milk weight _WH ) remaining in the milk receiving container 11 according to 4, until the detected weight V becomes 0, the absorbance β is determined based on the output signal from the light receiving unit 32.
And the calculation result and the relative relationship between the absorbance β and the milk fat ratio α as shown in FIG. 6, the milk fat ratio α is calculated, and when the calculated milk fat ratio α is equal to or more than the set value,
When the open / close valves 23A and 23B are switched to the high milk fat percentage milk supply state and the calculated milk fat percentage α is smaller than the set value,
The control for switching the on-off valves 23A and 23B to the low-fat milk supply state is continued. Then, when the detected weight V becomes 0 in step # 18, the open / close valve 23 is opened in step # 19.
A and 23B are switched to the above-mentioned supply stop state, and step #
At 20, the pulsator 7 is stopped in the open state.
Therefore, the outer chamber 1b of the teat cup 1 is always in the atmospheric pressure state, and milking is stopped.

Milk fat calculated during step # 21
Rate α is averaged, and the average of the residual milk discharged during that period
Milk fat ratio (remaining milk milk fat ratio) α_HIs calculated, and step # 22
And the weight of the milk fat in the residual milk discharged during that period (the residual milk milk fat
Weight M_H) To M_H= W_H× α _HWith the following formula,
The calculation result is stored. Milk is stored in the feeding container 11.
The load cell with the feeding container 11 etc. in a state where it is not retained
The load applied to 24 has been canceled,
In a state where milk is not stored in the feeding container 11,
So that the detected weight V of the load cell 24 becomes 0
is there.

Then, in step # 23, the total milk fat percentage α _T
Α _T = (M ₁ + M ₂ + ... + M _N + M _H ) ÷ (N × W
s + _WH ), the total weight W _{T is} calculated in step # 24.
(= N × Ws + _WH ) is displayed on the weight display portion 19a, the total milk fat ratio α _T is displayed on the milk fat ratio display portion 19b, and step #
At 25, the end lamp 19c is turned on.

Therefore, the light emitting unit 31, the light receiving unit 32 and the control device 18 function as a milk fat ratio measuring means S for measuring the milk fat ratio of the milk expressed by the milking unit U, and the on-off valve 23.
A and 23B are supply state adjusting means for switching to a state in which the milk expressed by the milking unit U is supplied to the milk tank for high milk fat ratio 17A or the milk tank for low milk fat ratio 17B based on the measurement information of the milk fat ratio measuring means S. Function as.

[Other Example] In the above example, the case where the milking unit U is configured to be able to store the milk that has been milked by dividing it into two stages of milk fat ratio of high milk fat ratio and low milk fat ratio is shown. The milk extracted by the unit U may be divided and stored in three or more stages of milk fat ratio.

It should be noted that reference numerals are added to the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a milking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a milking means in a milking device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of a milk fat percentage measuring means in a milking device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart of control operation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing changes in the milk fat percentage of milk expressed with the passage of milking time.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relative relationship between absorbance and milk fat percentage.

[Explanation of symbols]

 17A, 17B Storage means 23A, 23B Supply state adjusting means U Milking means S Milk fat rate measuring means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A milking device provided with a milking means (U) for milking milk from the udder of a dairy cow and storage means (17A), (17B) for storing milk milked by the milking means (U). Therefore, the storing means (17A), so that the milk expressed by the milking means (U) can be divided into a plurality of stages of milk fat ratio and stored.
A plurality of (17B) are provided in a state corresponding to each of the above-mentioned milk fat ratios of a plurality of stages, and the milk fat ratio measuring unit (S) for measuring the milk fat ratio of the milk expressed by the milking unit (U), and the milk fat ratio measurement. Based on the measurement information of the means (S), the storage means (17) corresponding to the milk expressed by the milking means (U).
A), a milking device provided with supply state adjusting means (23A), (23B) for adjusting the state of supplying to (17B).