WO2007142586A1

WO2007142586A1 - Automation of a rotary milking system

Info

Publication number: WO2007142586A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/000557
Authority: WO
Inventors: Uzi Birk
Original assignee: Delaval Holding Ab
Priority date: 2006-06-09
Filing date: 2007-06-08
Publication date: 2007-12-13
Also published as: EP2026646A1; EP2026646A4; SE530434C2; SE0601276L

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement 14 for attaching teat cups 12 to the teats of a milking animal in a milking stall of a rotary platform 11 or the like. The arrangement 14 comprises one or more attachment arms 151, 152,…, 15n with means 17 for attaching teat cups 12 of a milking stall 13 to the teats of a milking animal standing in the milking stall. The attachment arm 151, 152,…, 15n is movably arranged along a closed path and circulated from a starting point at which the attachment procedure begins, and continuing forward after release of the teat cups, back to said starting point. The attachment procedure is facilitated by means of the invention, and renders an automated milking system more efficient. The invention also relates to a rotary system comprising such arrangement.

Description

Automation of a rotary milking system

Field of the invention

The invention relates to an arrangement for attaching teat cups to the teats of a milking animal in a milking stall of a rotary platform or the like as defined in the preamble of claim 1 and to a rotary milking system as defined in the preamble of claim 15.

Background of the invention

Rotary milking parlours have been known for some time and they provide major advantages for the milking process.

This is especially true when the herds of milking animals to be milked are large. The total amount of time for performing all necessary milking operations is greatly reduced by means of such rotary milking parlours. A movable floor can be implemented in other ways too, for example designed as a conveyor belt onto which the milking animals enter. The milking animals enter the conveyor belt at one end, the milking operations are performed while they are standing on the conveyor belt and then they exit the conveyor belt at another end. A similar solution is to utilise carriages that are guided along rails.

Figure 1 illustrates a rotary system. Typically, such a rotary system 1 comprises a rotary platform 2 with a number of milking stalls 3 into which a milking animal, such as a cow, can enter (arrow A) . The cow is then being milked during a revolution of the platform 2 and exits the system 1 (arrow B) . Typically, each stall 3 within such rotary system 1 comprises means 4 for milking a milking animal, among other things a set of teat cups. Today, the attachment of teat cups within a rotary system is usually performed manually; a person is manually attaching the teat cups to the teats of a milking animal present in an empty stall. It takes some time to attach the teat cups, normally 8-20 seconds, but sometimes up to 60 seconds, and when the farmer has completed the attachment of teat cups to a current animal he has to hurry back to the next cow that has entered the neighbouring milking stall. Sometimes the farmer does not manage to attach the teat cups at the same rate as the platform is moving and the platform then has to be brought to a standstill. It is thus very time-consuming and also very stressful work for an operator to attach the teat cups to the teats of the cows .

Further, a platform is very heavy and even heavier with the weight of the milking animals included. A substantial amount of time and power is required to halt it. Also, powerful motors are required. To repeatedly start and stop such a rotary system causes excessive wear on certain parts of the system, such as the motors, which entail increased maintenance costs.

One way to alleviate the above-mentioned problems is to use an automated process for attaching the teat cups, for example a robot arm with gripping means for automatically attaching the teat cups. This is also shown in figure 1. A robot arm 6 is arranged to attach the teat cups 5 to the teats of a cow when she has entered a milking stall 3. However, costs for such a robot arm are high, and to include a separate robot arm for each milking stall of a rotary platform is therefore not feasible for most farmers. To have a single robot arm serving all stalls entails the same time related problems as the manually performed attachment procedure. That is, the robot arm requires a certain amount of time for atL-dunxny me ι_ccn_ cups during which it moves along with the milking stall. It then has to be moved back to the next milking stall and this movement also requires a certain period of time.

Alternatively, the operator could stop the rotary and wait for the attachment of teat cups to be finished. However, besides the above-mentioned wear on the motor, such approach requires a stop-start arrangement. Further, much time would be lost.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an arrangement for rotary system, by which teat cup attachment is made faster and more cost-efficient and which causes less wear on the mechanical parts of the rotary system.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for the attachment of teat cups, which is more efficient, and which makes the teat cup attachment operations more cost-efficient.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an arrangement, which renders the teat cup attachment less labour intense and which improves the working conditions for carrying through such attachment of teat cups .

These objects, among others, are achieved by an arrangement as claimed in claim 1.

In accordance with the invention an arrangement is provided for attaching teat cups to the teats of a milking animal in a milking stall of a rotary platform. The arrangement comprises at least one attachment arm with means for attaching teat cups of a milking stall to the teats of a milking animal standing m une nuiMuy stall. The arrangement further comprises a closed path, on which the attachment arm is arranged. The attachment arm is circulated from a starting point at which the attachment procedure begins, circulating along with the milking stall during the attachment procedure and continues forward along the closed path after release of the teat cups, back to the starting point. By means of the invention the attachment of teat cups is made more efficient and renders it possible for an attachment procedure to continue in a non-stop fashion, i.e. without the need to stop the rotation of the rotary platform. The milking capacity of the rotary milking system can be increased substantially. Further, owing to this non-stop rotation, i.e. by overcoming the need to start and halt the rotary platform, less wear is caused on the mechanical parts of the rotary system.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention the closed path is arranged partway along and adjacent to the periphery of a rotary platform. In such a solution the design of the closed path preferably conforms to the shape of the circumference of the rotary platform. The closed path can thereby be arranged substantially parallel to the periphery of the rotary platform, whereby the attachment arm is conveniently close to the milking stall during the attachment procedure.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention the closed path is arranged around the whole periphery of the rotary platform. This embodiment provides a longer distance during which an attachment procedure can be carried through. In accordance with still another emboαxmenc or tπe invention the attachment arm is movably arranged on a loop arrangement and circulates along it. For example, the loop arrangement could be a guide rail on which the attachment arm is movably arranged by means of suitable connection means, such as roller bearings. This provides a solution that can easily be implemented, wherein the guide rail, for example, can be attached to the ceiling of a cowshed.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention the arrangement comprises a loop arrangement, which is arranged to be circulated along the closed path. The loop arrangement could for example be a circulating chain, providing a cost-efficient yet well-functioning implementation.

In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention the attachment arm has individual driving means for moving it along the closed path. There can be several attachment arms and to provide each attachment arm with a separate driving means renders the arrangement less sensitive to failures, i.e. a faulty attachment arm and its associated driving means can easily be removed, while the remaining attachment arms can still be used.

In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention the attachment arm is arranged to move at different speeds along different parts of the loop. For example, the speed of the attachment arm could be increased upon release of the teat cups. By means of this feature the time for the attachment arm to travel along a return path of the loop arrangement can be decreased, further yet increasing the efficiency of the system, and making the invention adaptable in accorαance witπ different requirements.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention a rotary milking system is provided, whereby advantages similar to the above are achieved.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 illustrates in a schematic top view a state of the art rotary system.

Figure 2 illustrates in a schematic top view an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 illustrates in a schematic top view another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 illustrates in a schematic top view yet another embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to figure 2. A rotary milking system 10 similar to the one described in the introductory part comprises a rotary platform 11, onto which milking animals, for example cows, enter in order to be milked and exit after a completed revolution of the rotary platform. The entrance direction is indicated by an arrow I, and the exit direction is indicated by an arrow II. A number of milking stalls 13 are arranged on the rotary platform 11. Each milking stall 13 comprises milking means 12, for example a set of teat cups and a receiver for receiving the milk. The milking means 12 (only one set indicated in the figure) are preferably located so as to enable an easy access from the outside of the rotary platform 11. Such arrangement leaves the space in the miααie or cne rotary platform free. A farm worker is thereby left with plenty of space, for example for supervising the milking animals should such need arise.

In accordance with the invention an arrangement 14 is provided for attaching the teat cups associated with a milking stall 13 to the teats of a milking animal that has entered the milking stall 13. The arrangement 14 is located adjacent to the rotary platform 11, preferably near the entrance part of it, where the milking animals walk onto the rotary platform 11. The arrangement 14 is preferably located parallel to the rotary platform 11 such that a part or side of the arrangement 14 is parallel to the periphery of the rotary platform 11. The side of the arrangement 14 being parallel to the periphery of the rotary platform has therefore advantageously a shape that is adapted to the shape of the rotary platform 11.

The arrangement 14 comprises one or more robot arms, hereinafter called attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n. The attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n are movably arranged along a closed path. The closed path can be considered to consist of two parts: a first part, called attachment path, during which certain milking operations are performed, and a second part, called return path, during which the attachment arms return to the starting point.

A control means is included for controlling the arrangement 14 and the rotary milking system 10, for example in order to control the speed at which the attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n move and for controlling the attachment procedure. Further, prior to attachment of the teat cups, the teats should be cleansed and means for this are therefore included. The attachment arms ±bi,..., 15_n may be utilised also for performing such teat cleansing operations.

In the following the term "loop" is used when describing a physical entity having the shape of a loop; however, the shape of the loop is not intended to be restricted to a round or oval shape, any shape is conceivable. The attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n are rotated in an opposite direction relative the rotary platform 11 and comprises means 17 to grip the teat cups 12 of a milking stall 13. The rotation direction of the rotary platform 11 is indicated by arrow III and the rotation direction of the attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n by arrows IV. The number of attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n can be chosen in dependence on the number of milking stalls 13 on the rotary platform 11, and it is easy to add one or more attachment arms to increase the capacity, should such need arise.

There is preferably always an attachment arm 15i,..., 15_n ready when a cow enters a milking stall 13 for performing the necessary milking operations, such as cleansing of the teats and attachment of teat cups to the teats . The attachment arm 15i,..., 15_n moves along the closed path in parallel with the rotary platform 11, or more specifically, follows the milking stall 13 in question, in a synchronized manner, during a certain period of time in order to cleanse the teats if this has not been done prior to the cow entering the rotary platform 11, and attach the teat cups 12 to the teats of a cow standing in that particular milking stall 13. This time period should be long enough for enabling a satisfactory cleansing and attachment of the teat cups and could for example be about 30 seconds to about 1 minute for teat cleansing and another 30-60 seconds for attachment. When the attachment procedure is completed the teat cups are reieaseα ana cne attachment arm continues along the closed path, returning to the starting point and then awaiting to attach the teat cups of a next milking stall.

The cleansing operations can be performed prior to the animal entering a milking stall or before the beginning of the attachment path. If teat cleansing in the system 10 is performed when the milking stall 13 with an animal reaches the starting point for an attachment arm on the closed path, then there should be enough time to perform both teat cleansing operations and attachment of the teat cups 12 associated with the milking stall 13. Consequently, the length of the closed path adjacent to the rotary platform 11 should be chosen accordingly. However, should the time required still not be long enough, the rotary platform 11 can be brought to a halt. This could possibly happen when handling a cow that is particularly difficult to milk, but the inventive arrangement at least reduces the number of required stops of the rotary system substantially compared to previous solutions .

A loop arrangement 16 can be provided along the closed path, and such loop arrangement 16 could for example be a rail fastened to the ceiling, onto which roller bearings or the like are arranged. The attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n are attached to the roller bearings or the like, thus being easily rotated or circulated on the loop arrangement 16. A convenient and cost-efficient suspension attachment is thereby provided. Alternatively, the loop arrangement 16 could be implemented as a moving chain or any other suitable guidance means for enabling the attachment arms IS_x,..., 15_n to move alongside of the rotary platform 11 for some distance. Figure 3 discloses another embodiment oi cne lnvenuiuu. In this embodiment the attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n are arranged to move around the rotary platform 11 all the way around. The return path can in this case be defined as the part of the loop that remains upon the release of the teat cups. At the entrance and/or exit part/parts of the rotary system 1 the attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n can be raised towards the roof so as to enable them to pass the entrance part of the rotary system. This is indicated by a dashed line. Alternative solutions are also conceivable, for example guiding the attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n below the entrance part.

In this embodiment, even fewer halts of the rotary platform 11 are needed, if any at all, since the attachment arms IB₁,..., 15_n follow the milking stalls 13 all the way around. The period of time during which the milking operations such as cleansing and attachment operations are performed is thus made very flexible. However, care should be taken so that no two consecutive attachment arms collide. It is realised that, in contrary to the previous embodiment, the rotation directions of the rotary platform 11 and the attachment arms 15i,..., 15_n are the same .

Figure 4 illustrates yet another embodiment of the invention. This embodiment is a combination of the embodiments disclosed in figures 2 and 3. The loop arrangement comprises a closed path corresponding to the one described with reference to figure 2. In addition to this, the loop arrangement comprises a closed path corresponding to the one described with reference to figure 3. The two loop arrangements are joined together at two junctions J₁ and J₂. If the attachment procedure is not finished when an attachment arm reaches the junction J₂ then the attachment arm follows the circular loop around the rotary platform 11. However, should the attachment procedure be finished at this junction, the attachment arm takes the shorter route back to the starting position (junction Ji) . If the attachment arm follows the shorter path, it can be arranged to pass the junctions Ji and/or J₂ and then change direction as soon as possible.

In all the above described embodiments, the speed at which the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n move can be made to differ between the attachment path of the closed path and the return path of the closed path. The speed of the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n on the attachment path, i.e. the part of the closed path where the attaching of the teat cups 12 is made, can be adjusted in dependence on the time required to attach the teat cups 12. However, the speed of the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n should be essentially synchronised with the speed of the rotary platform 11. The invention advantageously thus renders the speed of the attachment arms adaptable, for example in dependence on the particular circumstances.

On the return path, i.e. the part of the closed path where the attachment arms IB₁, 15₂,..., 15_n travel back to the starting point near the entrance of the rotary platform 11, the speed can advantageously be increased. Alternatively, the speed could be increased immediately upon the release of the teat cups. By means of this increased speed there is in most cases always an attachment arm 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n ready for performing the attachment procedure immediately when needed. However, as mentioned earlier, care should be taken so that the attachment arms do not collide. If the speed of the attachment arms is increased upon release of the teat cups then the attachment arms may increase tneir speeα at different points along the closed path. That is, a particular attachment arm may have completed its attachment procedure before the attachment arm immediately ahead of it . It may thus happen that the speed of an attachment arm cannot be increased immediately upon release of the teat cups. A security measure should be included, for preventing collisions of the attachment arms .

Each attachment arm 15χ, 15₂,..., 15_n may have its own, separate drive means, such as a step motor or the like, or they could be driven by a single, common drive means. In another alternative, if the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n are arranged to have different speeds along different parts of the closed path, there may be provided a drive means for each respective part of the closed path, driving the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n of a respective part of the closed path at a desired speed.

The alignment or positioning of the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n with a milking stall 13 may be accomplished in any suitable manner, for example by means of optical arrangements. Further, the positioning of the teat cups

12 of a milking stall 13 onto the teats of an animal is performed in a known manner, for example including detecting the position of the cow to be milked and then the position of her udder and teats.

In the above-described embodiments, and throughout the description, the arrangement 14 is shown and described as being placed outside and adjacent to the rotary platform 11. However, in an alternative embodiment (not shown), the arrangement 14 is placed inside the rotary platform 11. That is, the milking is not performed from the outer periphery of the rotary platform, but from tne miαα±e or it. In yet another embodiment, the arrangement 14 is placed on the rotary platform 11 itself. In such embodiments, it is realised that the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n of the arrangement 14 are circulating in the same direction as the rotary platform 11.

Further to be mentioned, the attachment arms 15χ, 15₂,..., 15_n can be movably arranged along the closed path in different ways. For example, the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n can move while the loop arrangement 16 arranged along the closed path is fixed. Alternatively, the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n are fixedly attached to the loop arrangement 16 and the loop arrangement 16 itself moves, whereby the attachment arms 15i, 15₂,..., 15_n also moves.

By means of the invention the milking capacity of a rotary system can be increased substantially. For example, if the rotary platform 11 is rotating at a speed that allows 15 seconds for a cow to enter a milking stall 13, then a set of four attachment^ arms 15i, 15_2/ 15₃ and 15₄ have the capacity to attach teat cups 12 to the teats of a cow continuously, i.e. in a non-stop fashion. The milking capacity would in this example be four cows per minute, or 240 cows an hour.

Since the speed of the attachment arms in the arrangement described above can be made to vary along different parts of the closed path, the speed on the return path after the release of the teat cups is preferably increased and the use of the attachment arms can thereby be optimised.

The loop arrangement in accordance with the invention can also be implemented with other types of moving floor solutions. For example, the invention can be utilised with an arrangement comprising conveyor oeics or cracKs with carriages .

Further, in the figures, the milking stalls are shown to be arranged in a way such that the animals stand in a head to tail fashion along the circumference of the rotary platform. It is realized that any other arrangement is possible; the milking stalls could for example be arranged in a herringbone pattern or in parallel .

Further yet, the means for attaching teat cups could comprise any suitable grippers . For example, grippers could be provided that grip each teat cup separately, i.e. one by one, or means could be provided for gripping a cluster of teat cups simultaneously. The fetching of the teat cups from a magazine in which they reside and moving them to the udder of a cow can be performed all teat cups at once, a few at a time or one by one.

Yet another modification of the invention is to provide a separate loop for certain milking procedures; for example, a separate loop comprising arms for performing cleansing of the teats could be provided. Such arrangement could be placed prior to the milking animals entering the rotary platform or as a separate loop along the circumference of the rotary platform.

In summary, the apparatus in accordance with the invention renders the attachment of the teat cups more cost-efficient, eliminating or at least reducing the need for personnel. The working conditions for the farm workers are also improved, since the stressful manual attachment procedure is eliminated. Further, the solution in accordance with the invention causes less wear on the mechanical parts of the rotary system, since the need for bringing the carousel into a standstill ±rom time co cime is overcome. The ability of the attachment arms to be moved back to a starting point after completed attachment procedure and therefore always be ready for servicing a milking stall, renders the rotary system very flexible and time-efficient, and therefore optimizes the capacity. The innovative arrangement allows the several attachment operations to be performed simultaneously, which also contributes to making the rotary system more efficient.

Claims

1. An arrangement (14) for attaching teat cups (12) to the teats of a milking animal in a milking stall (13) of a rotary platform (11) or the like, characterised in an attachment arm (15i, 15₂,..., 15_n) comprising means (17) for attaching teat cups (12) of a milking stall (13) to the teats of a milking animal in said milking stall (13) , said attachment arm (15i, 15₂,..., 15_n) being movable along a closed path and circulated from a starting point at which the attachment procedure begins, circulating along with the milking stall (13) for a distance and continuing forward along said closed path after release of the teat cups (12), back to said starting point.

2. The arrangement (14) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said closed path is arranged partway along and adjacent to the periphery of the rotary platform (11) .

3. The arrangement (14) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said circulation is performed in opposite direction to the rotation direction of said rotary platform (11) .

4. The arrangement (14) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said closed path is arranged around the whole periphery of the rotary platform (11) .

5. The arrangement (14) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said circulation is performed in the same direction as the rotation direction of said rotary platform (11) .

6. The arrangement (14) as claimed in any of claims 2-5, wherein the design of said closed path conforms to the shape of the circumference of the rotary platform (11) enabling said closed path to be placed substantially parallel to the periphery of a rotary platform (11) .

7. The arrangement as claimed in any or tne preceding claims, wherein said attachment arm (15i, 15₂,..., 15_n) is movably arranged on a loop arrangement (16) .

8. The arrangement (14) as claimed in claim 6, wherein said loop arrangement (16) is a guide rail and said attachment arm (15i, 15₂,..., 15_n) is movably arranged along the guide rail by means of roller bearings.

9. The arrangement (14) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment arm (15i, 15₂,..., 15_n) has a driving means for moving the attachment arm (15χ, 15₂,..., 15_n) along the closed path.

10. The arrangement (14) as claimed in any of claims 1-6, comprising a loop arrangement (16) , which is arranged to be circulated along said closed path.

11. The arrangement (14) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the loop arrangement (16) is a circulating chain.

12. The arrangement (14) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment arm (15i, 15₂,..., 15_n) is arranged to move at different speeds along different parts of said closed path.

13. The arrangement (14) as claimed in claim 12, wherein the attachment arm (15i, 15₂,..., 15_n) is arranged to increase its speed after having released said teat cups (12) .

14. The arrangement (14) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment arm (15i, 15₂,..., 15_n) is arranged to move at a speed that is synchronised with the speed of the rotary platform (11) during an attachment procedure .

15. A rotary milking system (10) comprising a rocary platform (11) including at least one milking stall (13) , characterised in that the system (10) further comprises an arrangement as claimed in any of the preceding claims.