WO2023191686A1

WO2023191686A1 - Sequence gate for use in a milking arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2023191686A1
Application number: PCT/SE2023/050253
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rafal FEDORCZUK
Original assignee: Delaval Holding Ab
Priority date: 2022-03-29
Filing date: 2023-03-22
Publication date: 2023-10-05

Abstract

The invention relates to a sequence gate for use in a milking arrangement, which sequence gate comprises a plate shaped body (1) comprising an attachment interface (6) for attachment to a pivot arm (15) in the milking arrangement, said attachment interface (6) being arranged at the upper end of the plate shaped body (1) of the sequence gate, wherein the plate shaped body (1) is formed of a composite material having a core (7) comprised of a first material enclosed in an shell (8) comprised of a second material. The invention also relates to a milking arrangement comprising at least on sequence gate.

Description

SEQUENCE GATE FOR USE IN A MILKING ARRANGEMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a sequence gate for use in a milking arrangement. Specifically, the invention relates to such a sequence gate with improved qualities with respect to animal welfare and cost-efficiency.

BACKGROUND

Milking arrangements are in use, which comprise a drive device for moving an assembly of a plurality of sequence gates from a lower position in which the sequence gates are positioned to separate the animals standing in their milking places from each other, and an upper or elevated position in which the sequence gates are positioned above and behind the animals. A milking arrangement having such sequence gates is disclosed in WO2017/171624 and WO2019/203714.

Each sequence gate is advantageously arranged on an individual pivot arm configured to lower and raise the sequence gates. Further though, each sequence gate may be rotated about 90°, such that the sequence gates may be positioned alongside the animals and at a distance from each other when in the lower position, and such that the sequence gates may be positioned to form a continuous barrier of sequence gates.

Sequence gates of a known milking arrangement known as DeLaval parlor P500 have been produced by cutting a solid plastic plate of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in a CNC machine. The plate shaped sequence gate, which is thereby machined into its final shape, is robust to give the advantages of steel without the significant weight of steel. These sequence gates are configured to move from the upper/elevated position to the lower position and thereby push/urge remaining animals out of their milking places when the milking operation has been completed. However, it is not just important that the sequence gates are made robust enough to withstand forces during operation, but also made gentle enough (in view of animal welfare) to prevent that the sequence gate will hurt the animal when it contact/pushes the animal from the milking place. In addition, the CNC-machining of the solid plastic plate is both relatively expensive and produces some waste material.

It would be advantageous to achieve a sequence gate overcoming, or at least alleviating, at least one drawback of the prior art. In particular it would be advantageous to achieve a sequence gate that is robust, exhibits improved qualities with respect to animal welfare and that may be produced in a more cost-efficient manner and with as little waste is possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a sequence gate that is robust, exhibits improved qualities with respect to animal welfare and that may be produced in a more cost-efficient manner and with as little waste is possible.

According to a first aspect the invention relates to a sequence gate for use in a milking arrangement, which sequence gate comprises a plate shaped body with a length in an x- direction, a height in a z-direction, and a thickness in a y-direction that is smaller than both the height and the length, and which plate shaped body comprises: a first end, a second end, opposite to the first end in the x-direction, an upper end, a lower end, opposite to the upper end in the z-direction, an attachment interface for attachment to a pivot arm in the milking arrangement, said attachment interface being arranged at the upper end of the plate shaped body of the sequence gate, wherein the plate shaped body is formed by a composite material having a core comprised of a first material enclosed in a shell comprised of a second material.

The sequence gate according to the invention is still robust, yet gentler on the animals, because the plate shaped body is both lighter and more flexible, which improves the animal welfare. Further, since it is comparatively lighter than the known sequence gate, it will lead to lower energy consumption in the repeated moving up and down of the sequence gates. The plate shaped body may also be produced in a more cost-efficient manner by for instance moulding the outer shell from a plastic material and thereafter injecting a foam as the core material. In embodiments of the plate shaped body of the sequence gate the weight may be reduced from approximately 10 kg to approximately 3,5 kg.

In embodiments of the invention, the attachment interface comprises through holes for attachment to a bracket connected to the pivot arm which runs through both the core and the shell.

This is advantageous as it makes the plate shaped body of the sequence gate compatible with milking arrangements already in use, such that known sequence gates may be exchanged for new sequence gates in accordance with the invention without the need of any costly adjustments.

In embodiments of the invention, the through holes are formed as integral parts of the shell. This presents an attractive alternative for the production of the shell and also provides an increased robustness to the plate shaped body of the sequence gate, because the through holes will bridge the walls of the plate shaped body to each other and keep them at a specified distance corresponding to the thickness of the plate shaped body.

In embodiments of the invention, the first material in the core is a lightweight material having a density below 1 g/cm³, or even below 0.5 g/cm³. The density of the material should preferably be as low as possible provided that the plate shaped body as a whole may withstand the required mechanical loads and be persistent to fatigue.

In embodiments of the invention, the first material in the core is a polymeric foam, which may be injected into the core of the shell and produced according to requisites with respect to cost-efficiency, rigidity and density.

In embodiments of the invention, the shell is formed in one piece with at least one injection opening, wherein the first material of the core is injected through said injection opening.

A one-piece shell may, in combination with a suitable first material of the core be produced according to requisites with respect to cost-efficiency, rigidity and density.

In embodiments of the invention, the at least one injection opening is provided at the attachment interface, wherein said injection opening is configured to be covered by a bracket when in use. Further, a cap may be arranged to cover the injection opening.

It is advantages to position the injection opening such that it will be covered by a bracket when in use in view of that the injection opening thereby will be kept closed and covered such that it will not be necessary to remove possible sharp edges from the production as they will anyway be protected from contact to the animals by the bracket.

In embodiments of the invention, the shell is formed of two separate parts, wherein the first material of the core is sandwiched between said separate parts. This is an advantages embodiment as it provides a greater flexibility in the choice of the first material that constitutes the core, in view of that the first material does not need to be injected. In embodiments of the invention, the first material is a honeycomb structured material. Honeycomb structured materials are advantageous as they provide a great rigidity in one direction, which in the case of the present sequence gate is the y-direction along the thickness of the plate shaped body of the sequence gate.

In embodiments of the invention, the shell is formed by rotational moulding.

A rotational moulded shell may, in combination with a suitable first material of the core, be produced according to requisites with respect to cost-efficiency, rigidity and density.

In embodiments of the invention, the shell consists of a polymer material from the group comprising polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, polycarbonate.

According to a second aspect the invention relates to a milking arrangement comprising a plurality of milking places, each milking place being configured to receive a respective animal to be milked, the milking arrangement comprising a sequence gate assembly for moving a plurality of sequence gates between a lower position and an upper position above the animals, wherein the sequence gate assembly comprises at least one sequence gate as described above. Preferably, all of the sequence gates on the sequence gate assembly comprises the sequence gate as described above.

For a milking arrangement including a plurality of such sequence gates on the sequence gate assembly, the saving in energy consumed for lifting and lowering the sequence gates may be significant in the long term. The lightweight material of the plate shaped body on the sequence gate also reduces the dynamic forces during the lifting and lowering of the sequence gates in the milking arrangement, whereby the dynamic loads on the milking arrangement are reduced in a corresponding manner.

Other embodiments and advantages will be apparent from the detailed description and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Below, specific embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the appended drawings, of which;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a sequence gate,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the geometry of a sequence gate, Fig. 4 shows a milking arrangement with a plurality of sequence gates,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a sequence gate with a bracket,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a bracket for a sequence gate,

Fig. 7A and 7B are sectional views of an area around a through hole in sequence gate,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view along the length of a sequence gate,

Fig. 9A is a sectional view along the line A-A in Fig. 8 of a first embodiment of a sequence gate, and

Fig. 9B is a sectional view along the line A-A in Fig. 8 of a second embodiment of a sequence gate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SHOWN EMBODIMENTS

In Fig. 1 a first embodiment of a sequence gate for use in a milking arrangement is shown in a perspective view. The sequence gate comprises a plate shaped body 1 that corresponds to the shape of a known sequence gate from WO2019/203714. As is illustrated in Fig. 3, the plate shaped body 1 of the sequence gate has a length I in an x- direction, a height h in a z-direction, and a thickness t in y-direction that is smaller than both the height h and the length I.

The height h of the plate shaped body 1 in this embodiment is about 50 cm. This height may of course vary depending on the size of the milking arrangement and animals it is intended to milk, yet the height is hereby preferably more than 30 cm and preferably less than 60 cm. Furthermore, the length I of the plate shaped body 1 in this embodiment is about 90 cm. The length may also vary, but the length is preferably more than 60 cm and preferably less than 110 cm. The thickness t is about 4 cm, yet in a corresponding manner it is preferably more than 2 cm and preferably less than 6 cm. In this case the plate shaped body of the sequence gate is configured for a milking arrangement intended for cows.

The plate shaped body 1 of the sequence gate comprises a first (or front) end 2 and a second (or rear) end 3, opposite to the first (front) end 2 in the x-direction. Further, it comprises an upper end 4 and a lower end 5, opposite to the upper end 4 in the z- direction. An attachment interface 6 for attachment of the plate shaped body 1 of the sequence gate to a pivot arm 15 in a milking arrangement is located at the upper end 4 of the plate shaped body 1. As is illustrated in the sectional view of Fig. 2 the plate shaped body 1 of the sequence gate is formed by a composite material having a core 7 comprised of a first material enclosed in a shell 8 comprised of a second material. In this application the term composite material is used as a general term indicating that the plate shaped body 1 of the sequence gate includes at least two different materials comprising different chemical or physical properties, which are hereby combined to create the composite material with properties unlike the individual materials.

The shell 8 may be formed as a one-piece part with at least one injection opening 10, through which the first material of the core 7 may be injected. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the wall thickness of the shell is 0.6 cm and the thickness of the core is 2.8 cm. An injection opening 10 is provided at the attachment interface 6, such that it will be covered by a bracket 20 when the plate shaped body 1 is mounted to the pivot arm 15. Further, a cap 11 is preferably arranged to cover the injection opening 10 in the shell 8. The cap 11 may be provided in the same material as the shell 8 or in any other material. The cap 11 may for example be provided with a rim for snap locking or with threads to be attached by screwing.

In an alternative embodiment the shell 8 is formed of two separate parts, wherein the first material of the core 7 is sandwiched between said separate parts that constitutes the shell 8. In this embodiment the first material need not be injected into the core, which opens for the use of other types of lightweight materials. Preferably though, the material should have a certain rigidity, at least in the y-direction corresponding to the thickness t of the plate shaped body 1 to provide a certain rigidity to its structure.

As is illustrated in the perspective view of Fig. 1 , the plate shaped body 1 of each sequence gate has a bulge 16 at an intersection between the first end 2 and the lower end 5, which bulge 16 extends downwards to below the level of the rest of the lower end 5, and below the level of a neighbouring sequence gate when arranged in a sequence gate assembly in a milking arrangement.

The bulge 16 has the effect of preventing the animal that enters with its head down from finding a gap between neighbouring gates. Typically, if the animal finds the gap, it will try to enter the milking place by pushing the sequence gate into the milking place and open it, thereby causing a “short loading" to occur. The lower level to which the bulge extends should be at least 3 cm, preferably at least 5 cm below the level of a lower second end 3 of the sequence gate. The function of this shape on the sequence gate is also described in WO2019/203714. Further, the second (rear) end 3 of each sequence gate has a recess 17 and the first (front) end 2 of each sequence gate has a nose portion 18, configured to extend into the recess 17 of a neighbouring sequence gate when arranged in their closed and aligned positions. The nose portion 18 enables an animal to open the sequence gate by simply pushing it in a direction into a respective milking place of the milking arrangement.

The nose portion 18 and the recess 17 preferably have mutually complementary shapes such that the nose portion 18 is received in the recess 17 of the second (rear) end 3 of an adjacent sequence gate. Further, the nose portion 18 is preferably a central nose portion and the recess 17 is preferably a central recess, where the term central in this context indicates the middle between the lower end 5 and the upper end 4 of the sequence gate.

In Fig. 4 a milking arrangement 14 comprising a plurality of milking places for animals and a sequence gate assembly with two sequence gates is shown. In the milking arrangement, the two sequence gates are shown in their closed position and lined up next to each such that the plate shaped bodies 1 of adjacent sequence gates form a continuous barrier that is used to make the animal move forward toward its intended milking place. Each sequence gate may hereby be rotated 90° to an open position (as indicated by the arrows on the sequence gates) when the animal reaches its intended milking place. Also, the sequence gate assembly is hereby shown in a lower position, which is intended to separate the animals when milking is performed.

Hence, each sequence gate is thereby arranged to pivot around a pivoting point of the pivot arm 15. The pivoting point is a point along the longitudinal direction of the sequence gate where the sequence gate is hinged to the pivot arm 15 via a bracket 20.

The pivot arm 15 is a part of the sequence gate assembly, which is configured to move the sequence gates between the lower position, in which the sequence gates are at the level of the animals, and an upper (or elevated) position, in which the sequence gates are above and behind the animals standing in their intended milking positions in their milking places. In the lower position of the sequence gate, the sequence gate is configured to pivot around a vertical axis corresponding to the extension of the pivot arm 15.

In Fig. 4, the sequence gates are shown in the closed position where they form said barrier to the milking places 19 in a direction towards the front side of the milking arrangement. The sequence gates are positioned at the same height from the floor. In this specific case, the lower ends 5 are approximately 1 meter above ground. The height h of the plate shaped body 1 of each sequence gate is approximately 0.5 meter from the lower end 5 to the upper end 4. As explained above, the second end 3 of each sequence gate has a central recess 17 and the first end 2 of each sequence gate has a central nose portion 18, wherein said nose portion 18 of a sequence gate extends into the central recess 17 of a neighbouring sequence gate 10 in their closed position.

There is a gap between a second end 3 of one sequence gate and a first end 2 that comprises the recess 17 and the nose portion 18, respectively, of each pair of neighbouring sequence gates when in the closed position, wherein said has a width of less than 10 cm, preferably less than 5 cm, along at least 80%, preferably along at least 90% of the total length of the gap.

The milking arrangement 14 further comprises a drive device (not shown) for rotating the sequence gate assembly and thereby move the sequence gates 1 from the shown lower position in which they are at the level of animals standing in the milking places 19 into an upper position, which is an elevated position in which the sequence gates 10 are located at a level above and behind animals standing in the respective milking places.

The sequence gate assembly is further configured to move the sequence gates from the upper or elevated position back to the lower position with the sequence gates being arranged in their closed position such that the sequence gates jointly urge animals standing in their respective milking places 19 to move towards a front (or exit) side to leave the milking places of the milking arrangement through the front side when a milking session is finished. This function on the moveable sequence gate assembly is also described in WO2017/171624.

The drive device is not represented in Fig. 4 but may include an electric motor or a pneumatic or hydraulic device for achieving said rotation/motion between the lower and the upper (elevated) positions of the sequence gates. Preferably, the motion from the lower position to the upper position is performed with the sequence gates in their open position, as animals have entered the milking places 19 and are being milked, wherein they are subsequently pivoted back to their closed position while lifted toward the upper/elevated position, either by means of a drive device or preferable by a conventional return spring device.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 5-7 a bracket 20 is attached to the attachment interface 6 comprising through holes 9 for attachment of the bracket 20, which in turn is connected to the pivot arm 15. The through holes 9 run through both the core 7 and the shell 8. The bracket 20 comprises openings 21 for alignment with the through holes 9 at the attachment interface 6 of the sequence gate, wherein an attachment device 22, advantageously in the form of bolts, pins or rivets, are arranged through the aligned through holes 9 and openings 21 to clamp the bracket 20 to the plate shaped body 1 of the sequence gate. Further, the bracket 20 comprises an attachment point 23 for attachment to the pivot arm 15 as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In the shown embodiment the through holes 9 are formed as integral parts of the shell 8, as is illustrated in the sectional view of Figs. 7A and 7B, wherein the embodiment shown in Fig. 7A is an outer shell 8 produced in one piece, and wherein the embodiment shown in Fig. 7B is an outer shell 8 comprised of at least two pieces that are to be assembled to each other, preferably after the provision of a first material to from the core between the pieces of the outer shell 8 so as to clamp said first material between the said pieces.

Preferably, the first material in the core 7 is a porous lightweight polymer, such as a polymeric foam 12, also called cellular polymers or expanded plastic. Such foam should preferably have a closed cell structure, in view of that a closed cell structure is more rigid than an open cell structure. The foam may be a medium-density foam with a density of between 0.1 g/cm³ and 0.5 g/cm³, or a high-density foam with a density of between 0.5 g/cm³ and 1 g/cm³. A low-density foam with a density of between 0.1 g/cm³ may also be suitable if a sufficiently high rigidity may be achieved.

Generally, a medium-density foam presents a good strength to weight ratio, and the polymeric foams may suitably be based on polyurethane (PUR), polystyrene (PS), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), or an elastomer such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 9A the first material in the core 7 is a porous lightweight polymer, such as a polymeric foam 12. The porous lightweight polymer is preferably injected into the shell 8, and preferably into a shell of the type illustrated in Fig 7A.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 9B the first material in the core 7 is a honeycomb structured material 13. The honeycomb structured material 13 may be produced of a metal, such as aluminium, plastics, fibreglass, cardboard, or any other material of a certain stiffness. The honeycomb structured material 13 is preferably clamped between a multi-piece shell 8, of the type illustrated in Fig 7B.

Regardless of its number of pieces, the shell 8 of the plate shaped body 1 may be a moulded and may for example be formed by injection moulding, blow moulding or rotational moulding. It may consist of a polymer material from the group comprising polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, polycarbonate. Above, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. The invention is however not limited to these embodiments. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A sequence gate for use in a milking arrangement (14), which sequence gate comprises a plate shaped body (1) with a length (I) in an x-direction, a height (h) in a z-direction, and a thickness (t) in a y-direction that is smaller than both the height (h) and the length (I), and which plate shaped body (1) comprises: a first end (2), a second end (3), opposite to the first end (2) in the x-direction, an upper end (4), a lower end (5), opposite to the upper end (4) in the z-direction, an attachment interface (6) for attachment to a pivot arm (15) in the milking arrangement (14), said attachment interface (6) being arranged at the upper end of the plate shaped body (1) of the sequence gate, characterised in that the plate shaped body (1) is formed by a composite material having a core (7) comprised of a first material enclosed in an shell (8) comprised of a second material.

2. The sequence gate according to claim 1, wherein the attachment interface (6) comprises through holes (9) for attachment to a bracket (20) connected to the pivot arm (15), which through holes (9) runs through both the core (7) and the shell (8) of the plate shaped body (1).

3. The sequence gate according to claim 2, wherein the through holes (9) are formed as integral parts of the shell (8).

4. The sequence gate according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the first material in the core (7) is a lightweight material having a density below 1 g/cm³.

5. The sequence gate according to anyone of the claims 1-3, wherein the first material in the core (7) is a lightweight material having a density below 0.5 g/cm³.

6. The sequence gate according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the first material in the core (7) is a polymeric foam (12).

7. The sequence gate according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the shell (8) is formed in one piece with at least one injection opening (10), and wherein the first material of the core (7) is injected through said injection opening (10).

8. The sequence gate according to claim 7, wherein the at least one injection opening (10) is provided at the attachment interface (6), and wherein said injection opening (10) is configured to be covered by a bracket (20) when in use. The sequence gate according to anyone of the claims, wherein the shell (8) is formed of two separate parts, and wherein the first material of the core (7) is sandwiched between said separate parts. The sequence gate according to claim 9, wherein the first material is a honeycomb structured material (13). The sequence gate according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the shell (8) is formed by rotational moulding or injection moulding. The sequence gate according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the shell (8) consists of a polymer material from the group comprising polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, polycarbonate. A milking arrangement (14) comprising a plurality of milking places (19), each milking place being configured to receive a respective animal to be milked, the milking arrangement (14) comprising a sequence gate assembly (1 , 15, 20) for moving a plurality of sequence gates between a lower position and an upper position above the animals, characterised in that the sequence gate assembly comprises at least one sequence gate (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.