WO2002071835A1

WO2002071835A1 - A device for separating colostrum from subsequent wash water in an automated milking system

Info

Publication number: WO2002071835A1
Application number: PCT/SE2002/000325
Authority: WO
Inventors: Desiree Arvidsson
Original assignee: Delaval Holding Ab
Priority date: 2001-03-14
Filing date: 2002-02-25
Publication date: 2002-09-19
Also published as: DE20280405U1; SE0100878D0; SE0100878L; SE520918C2

Abstract

A device for separating colostrum from subsequent wash water in an automated milking system including a colostrum discharge conduit (15) positioned so as to direct colostrum into a colostrum receptacle (16). The colostrum discharge conduit is provided with a mouth (17) that is movable between a first position enabling discharge of colostrum into said colostrum receptacle (16) and a second position enabling discharge of wash water into a wash water outlet (18).

Description

A DEVICE FOR SEPARATING COLOSTRUM FROM SUBSEQUENT WASH WATER IN AN AUTOMATED MILKING SYSTEM

The present invention concerns a device for separating colostrum from subsequent wash water in an automated milking system.

Demands for greater automation, higher milk quality and more natural and human conditions for both cattle and farmers during recent years have resulted in the development of various robotic milking systems. One such system relies on the instinct of cows to be milked, and is a system voluntarily entered by the cow as soon as she wants to be milked. This system, The Voluntary Milking System, VMS™, automatically cleans the teats, carries out the milking, feeds the cows and keeps records of the milk yield.

In modern dairy farming, cows are calving all year around, and, consequently, in a herd of cows, there are cows at different stages of the milking cycle, a great majority (99% or more) of which are producing consumption milk, and a small minority (1% or less) has just calved and produces colostrum that has to be collected separately. In order to keep the costs for an automated milking system within reasonable limits, full automation cannot be afforded for every possible situation, particularly not for non-frequent situations, such as colostrum milking. Even if the system is capable of identifying a colostrum cow and to direct the colostrum yield to a particular receptacle, there are still steps that require manual intervening by the farmer, viz. placing and removing the particular receptacle. Generally, the placing of the receptacle is not critical, since an empty receptacle does no harm, but, as soon as the colostrum milking is completed, the teat cups etc. must be washed and the milk conduit be flushed before a ^lnormal' cow enters the milking box. Before starting the washing procedure, the particular colostrum receptacle must be removed in order not to dilute and contaminate the colostrum contained in the receptacle. This has hitherto been made manually by the farmer, who may not always be at hand to carry out this task in due time.

The present invention has as its object to provide a cheap and simple solution to the aforementioned problem. This is accomplished by providing the colostrum discharge conduit with a mouth that is movable between a position enabling discharge of colostrum into said particular receptacle and a position enabling discharge of wash water into a wash water outlet .

An embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein

- Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing parts of a VMS™ completed with a device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

- Fig. 2 is a corresponding view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 11 designates one of a plurality of teat cups of a non-shown milking machine, all teat cups communicating with a conduit 12 leading to a two-way valve 13. In one position of valve 13, conduit 12 communicates with a discharge conduit 14 for consumption milk, i.e., normal milk to be brought to a dairy for further processing. In a second position of valve 13 , conduit 12 communicates with a discharge conduit 15 for colostrum.

The valve 13 is controlled by a computer of the automated milking system to direct consumption milk through conduit 14 when a cow identified by the system as a cow not having recently calved enters the milking box associated with the system, and to direct milk from a cow identified as having very recently calved (i.e. colostrum) through a colostrum discharge conduit 15.

In a state-of-the art system, conduit 15 discharged its colostrum straight down into a receptacle 16. In order not to contaminate and dilute the colostrum with water when washing the teat cups and the conduit 15, the person responsible for the milking operation had to be alert, or, the washing operation had to be automatically delayed until that person was available for removal of the receptacle before initiating the washing operation.

To overcome this evident drawback, the present invention suggests providing the conduit 15 with a mouth that is movable between a position enabling discharge of colostrum into the particular colostrum receptacle 16 and a position enabling discharge of wash water into a wash water outlet 18.

In the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the mouth 17' is constituted by the open end of a rigid tubular extension 19 of the conduit 15 joined to the latter by means of a coupling 20 enabling at least limited rotation (double arrow) of the extension 19 relative to the conduit 15. In Fig. 1, the extension 19 is shown in full lines in its position for colostrum discharge into the receptacle 16, and in broken lines in its position discharging wash water into the wash water outlet 18.

In the second embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the mouth 17" is constituted by the free end of a flexible hose 21 connected to the conduit 15 by means of a coupling 22, and it is shown solely in its position discharging wash water into the wash water outlet 18.

According to the present invention, it is preferred to control the movement of the mouth 17 by means of a computer associated to the automated milking system and to use some kind of conventional power means, such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 23 with an associated piston 24, to effect the respective movements, the piston being shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to be connected to the tubular extension 19 and the flexible hose 21, respectively, close to the respective mouth 17' , 17" thereof .

Claims

1. A device for separating colostrum from subsequent wash water in an automated milking system including a colostrum discharge conduit (15) positioned so as to direct colostrum into a colostrum receptacle (16), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the colostrum discharge conduit (15) is provided with a mouth (17'; 17") that is movable between a first position enabling discharge of colostrum into said colostrum receptacle (16) and a second position enabling discharge of wash water into a wash water outlet (18) .

2. The device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by a cylinder/piston device (23/24) for controlling movement of said mouth (17) between said first and second positions.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d i that said mouth (17') is provided at a free end of a rigid tubular extension (19) of said colostrum discharge conduit (15) , said extension being rotatably connected to said colostrum discharge conduit.

4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said mouth (17") is provided at a free end of a flexible hose (21) connected to said colostrum discharge conduit (15) .