Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ACKGF~t)UND OF THE INVENTION
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The subject invention relates to an apparatus or
a clevice designQd to indicate oestrum periods and/or
illnesses in mammals, particularly in cows.
It is well l<nown that an increase of the body
temperature of cows might be a sign of illness but also
a sign of oestrum in the cow In both cases it is
essential that proper measures be taken without delay,
in the case of an incipisnt disease it is essential
that treatment is initia-ted to prevent aggravatlon
of the ~lsease, allowing it to be cure~ at an early
stage, and in the case of oestrum, it is essential
that the cow is inseminated (or covered) at the exact
time, since diseases as well as missed-out or untimely
insemination negatively af~ect the economic production
results
As an alternative to rectal determination of the
body tempera~ure of cows it is known since decades to
measure the temperature of the milk as it is being
milked from the cow, Scientific tests of a laboratory
nature have proved that the temperature of the milk
of the cow being milked may be used both to indicate
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the existance of illnesses and to indicate the oestrum
periods with extrsme accuracy. However, until now
these scientific ~indings have not yielded tangible
results in the forrn o~ appropriate equlpment that may be
used in the dairy production line to indicate
continuously the body tempsrature of the cows in a
stock of cattle in a manner that ensures that to-day's
routines in the caring and rising of cattle on dairy
farms with high-efficiency milk production need not
be altered or made more complicated, This is important,
since the narrow profitability margins do not allow
the introduction of further time-consuming routines
in the caring of the cattle. One condition that must
be met if continuous temperature determination for the
purpose of establishing the presence of illnesses
and/or oestrum is to be made practical use of therefore
is that it be possible to determine the temper,ature
in a manner that does not require separate working
routines and that does not either require careful and
precise readings of the measuring equipment with
consequential risks of erroneous readings,
For the purpose outlined above has been suggested
an instrument incorporating a couple of electrodes
disposed in the milk passage tube from the cow and
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inserted in an electric circuit. This instrument registers
rises in th~ milk temperature as a consequence of the
increased conductivity of milk when its temperature
increases. On~ disadvantage inherent in this instrument
is ~hat the electric current must pass through the
milk and that it must incorporate a balancing circuit
for automatic temperature compensation in the
determination of the conductivity of the milkO
The U.S. Patent Specification No. 3 022 766
1~ suggests the use of an instrument comprising a
thermometer which is inserted in the milk passage tubs
and which i5 connected to a source of electricity.
The thermometer registers electrically the temperature
of the milk leaving the cow. The thermometer is provided
with very thin contact pins which are soldered thereto
at different levels and which are connected to a source
of current. These contact pins have a comparatively
short servicable life as a consequence of eOg~ burning
damages caused by current passage.
S~MMARY OF THE _NVENTION
In view of the important effects that early detection
of illnesses and timely insemination of cows during
their oestrum periods have on the economics of modern
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milk production and in awareness of the fact that
every irnprovement of the possibilities of applying
the correct measures safely and swiftly in both cases
undoubtedly will lead to improvents of the economic
prnduction results~ there is a pronounced need for
practically useful squipment to be used for safet
rapid and easy detection and indication of the state
of health and/or oestrum csnditions in cows, ûne of
the purposes of the subject invention thersfors is
to satisfy this need by providing an apparatus which
is simple in structure and easy to run and manage
and which makes it easy to read and detect~ even from
a distance, the increase of the body temperature
of the cow that is being milked.
The apparatus in accordance with the invention
includes a temperature sensing element which is disposed
in the milk passage tube connected to the teats of the
cow udder.
The characterising ~eature of the invention i5
that the temperature sensing element consists o~ a~
means the electrical conductivity of which depends on
the temperature of the milk and which means is arranged
to control an electronic amplifier circuit as well as
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a number of electronic circuits connected in parallel
therewith~ each such parallel circuit comprising an
optical indication member, which members are arrangsd
to be actiuated selectively at different tsmperature
levels in response to ths temperature that is
sensed by the temperature sensing element, these
temperature levels spaced predetermined intervals
apart
BRIEF DESCRIPTIûN OF THE DRAWINGS
The inuention will be described in the following
in closer detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings, wherein
Fig. l is a perspective view showing one
embodiment of the invention used in combination with a
tube milking machine,
Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the electronic
part of the machine, and
Fig. 3 lllus-trates in more details the upper part
of said block diagram.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
.
The tube milking machine illustrated in Fig, 1
comprises a milk-passage tube 10 and a vacuum tube 11
extending in parallel therewith, both tubes being
installed permanently in a barn along the cribs
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therein. A handle 12 is arranged to be suspended
on the vacuum tube 11 with the aid of a bow 13 at
various connection points thereon, one of which is
shown at 14, the corresponding connection point being
arranged on the milk-passage tube at 15. On the bow 13
is arranged a flow indicating slement 16 and the
~ handls 12 supports a pulsator 17. The flow indlcating
- element is arranged to be connected to the connection
point 15 by means of a hose 18 and the pulsator to
lû be connected to the connection point 1~ by means of a
hose 19. From the flow indicating element a tube 20
extends to a teat cup unit 21 comprising four teat
cups 22, the latter bsing also connected to the
pulsator 17 by means of a hose 23. This arrangement
agrees entirely with conventional apparatuses.
On the hose 20 is disposed a control panel 24
in accordance with the invention. A wire 25 connects
the control panel to a temperature sensing element 26
disposed in the hose 20, either immediately adjacent
the point of connection of the hose to the teat cup
unit or else in the teat cup unit itself. The
temperature sensing element 26 consists of a means
the electrical resistence of which changes in dependence
on its temperature, in the present case in dependence
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on changes in the temperature of the milk, The wire 25
may be secured on the external face of the tube 20
by means of suitable clamps 27, as illustrated, but
it could also be uulcanized or cast into the vsry
hose wall, In the present case it consists of a screened
double conductor, Five indicating lamps 28, 29, 30, 31,
and 32 are provided on the control panel, these lamps
being of different colour and intended to light up
in response to the temperature level sensed by the
temperature sensing element, More precisely, the lamp
28 is intended to light up, when the body temperature
of the cow is normal and said lamp as well as lamp 29 are
to be lit up, when the body temperature is slightly
raised, a raised temperature being the normal one
in some cows, The lamps 28 - 30 incl, are lit up
upon further increases of the body temperature of the
cow,
The control panel 24 contains electronic ~ircuits
to regulate and control the energization of the lamps
at the pre-determined temperature levels, These circuits
are supplied with current from a battery in the control
panel but it is likewise possible to arrange for
connection of -the çircuits in ~the control panel to
a permanent low ourrent wire drawn along the vacuum
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and milk-passage tubes 10 and 11, either by effectiving
such connection via an outlet on the low-current
wirr- when the bow 13 is suspended on the vacuunnline 11,
or by effecting the connection manually by means of
a plug in a sockst on the low--current wire,
The block diagram of Fig. 2 illustrates
one possibility of arranging the electronic ~omponents
in the control panel 24, The wire 25 which is in the
form of a screened double conductor connects the
temperature sensing element 26, which might be a
thermistor, to a first arnplifier unit 33 in the control
panel, which amplifier in turn is connected to ~ive
amplifier units 34, 35, 36, 3;7 and 3a coupled in parallel
therewith, All arnplifier units may be composed of
: 15 semiconductor components and therefore rsquire very
little space, with the result that the control panel
rnay be rnade very light and small, A current passed
through the thrrmistor 26 from the source of current
will vary in size in dependence on the.actual temperature
of the thermistor. A voltage which varies with the
temperature oF the rnilk is derived via a resistor in
the thermistor circuit, this voltage serving as the
input signal of the amplifier unit 33. Since the
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temperature sensing element 26 may be positionad in
dif~erent places in the path of milk flow from the
cow being milked, the thermistor circuit should
include a variable resistor, allowing the input signal
to the amplifier unit 33 to be adjusted to the various
possible positions of the temperature sensing element.
The outlet of the amplifier unit 33 is connected to
the inlets of the amplifier units 34 - 38 coupled in
parallel therewith, and these five amplifier units
have their outlets connected to their respective one
of the five indicating lamps 28 - 32 The parallel
amplifier units 34 - 38 preferably are of the type
in which the input signal must reach abovs a predetermined
threshold value in order to render the respective
amplifier unit conductive and emit an output signal
which turns on the associated indicating lamp. In
other words, the amplifier units are equivalent to
switches with on and off positinns, In the case of
a certain design of the device, with the temperature
sensing element positioned in a certain one of its
alternative positions, the variable resistor in the
therrnistor circuit therefore should be set on purely
empirical grounds with the guidance of the cow body
temperature determined in rectum in such a mann=r as
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to ensure that the lamp 28 is turned on at a body
temperature that is somewhat below the normal body
temperature T of cows, that is 38.3C. Sinc;e the
tempsrature of the milk does not exactly coincide
with the body temparature of the cow but follows
its variations, and since the temperature of the
milk registered by the tsmperature sensing element 26
will be dependent on where in the path of milk flow
that the registration takes place, the setting of the
variable resistor must be adjusted, depending on the
position of the temperature sensing element. I~ the
tsmperature sensing element is positioned at the bow
13, which is possible per se, one must take into
consideration that the temperature sensed by the
temperature sensing element will be lower than the
actual body temperature of the cow, because the milk is
cooled on its ~ay through the tube 22 from the udder.
The threshold value of the amplifier unit 35
should be of such a magnitude that an input signal
corresponding to a body temperature T1 of the cow must
be T ~ t1 in order to turn on the indicating lamp 29,
The threshold value of the input signal of the amplifier
unit 36 should correspond to a body temperature T2 f
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the cow that is T ~ t2 and for the amplifier unit 37
the threshold value should correspond to a temperature
T3 _ T ~ t3 and for the amplifier unit 38 the threshold
value should correspond to a tempsrature T4 = T + t4,
wherein t4 ~ t3 ~ t2 ~ t1. This means that the lamp
2~ is lit up, when the body temperature of the cow is
at a normal value and that in addition one or several
o~ lamps 29 - 32 are lit up, when the body temperature
of the cow exceeds the normal value, The incremental
intervals between temperatures T, T1, T2 and T3 may
be e,g, 0,3C and the interval between T3 and T4
e,g, 0,8C, The temperatures T1, T2 and T3 thus
correspond to respectively 3a,6C, 38,9C and 39,2C,
i,e, they are o~ the magnitudes occurring during the
oestrum periods of cows, In case all the lamps 2~ - 32
are lit up during milking, which indicates temperatur
T4, that is 40C, there is cause to examine the
- ~ condition and behaviour of the cow more closely to
establish whether the increased temperature _ 40C
or more - might not be caused ~y a disease, The ~i~th
lamp 3Z pre~erably is positioned to the side of the
rest which are arranged in a row, in order to maka the
indication of a possible condition of illness parti-
cuarly obvious~ as is illustriated in Fig. 1,
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As mentioned above, the normal temperature may vary
from cow to cow, a slightly raised temperature being
the normal one in some individual cows, and on ths
information data chart of each cow thersfore should be
indicated whether one or two lamps, that is whether
the on-condition of lamp 28 alons or the on-condition
of lamps 28 and 29 simultaneously is indicative of
the normal condition of the re$pective cow.
One e;xample of a suitable block diagram pertaining
to a control panel in accordance with the invention is
illustrated in Fig. 3 In this case, the element designed
to sense ths temperature of the milk in the tube is a
thermistor Rt the electrical resistance of which
increases proportionate to the rise of the tempsrature
of the milk. The thermistor is inserted in a Wheatstone
bridge 39 comprising a potentiometer P1. To the
bridge 39 is connectsd an amplifier unit IC1 in which
voltage variations caused by the changes in the
f~ s t~3 r : -
f~i resistance of the k~s~r are amplified, An RC
circuit 40 which is a Feed-back coup.ling to the bridge
39, is coupled in parallel with the amplifier unit.To
the first amplifier 33 in accordance with the block
diagram of Fig 2 thus described are connected the
amplifiers 34 - 38 of which only the two upper ones,
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i.e. amplifiers 34 and 35, are illustrated, since
amplifiers 36 - 38 have a design agreeing with that
of amplifier 35.
In the amplifier 34 is included a means IC2 which
is connected to the outlet of the amplifier 33 and which
compares the amplified voltage over the outlet of ths
amplifier 33 with a constant reference voltage over
two resistOrs R11' R12 coupled in series. The
reference voltage in the amplifier 35 may be varied
by means of a potentiometer P20. Diodss D10 and D20 are
connected in parallel with the comparative means IC2
and IC3, respectively, said diodes serving as feed-back
couplings. The base b of a transistor Tr is connected
to the oulet of the amplifiers 34, 35 ... via a resistor
R14 and a Zener ~iode Z17 a light emitting diode LED
being inserted in the collector circuit of said
transistor. The higher output voltage from IC2, IC3 ....
is via R14 and Z1 connected to the transistor Tr~ which
begins to be conductive when the output voltage
2û exceeds the voltage of the Zener diodr Z1-
Whsn the voltage at the outlet of the amplifier 33excesds the referential voltage over R11, R12, the light
emitting diode LED is switched off. On the other hand,
when the output voltage from the amplifier 33 falls
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below the referential voltage, that is, when the output
voltage IC2, IC3 rises from a low value to a high
value~ the associated light emitting diode LED
lights up. ~ia diodes D10, D20 . the higher
output voltage is now connected back to the inlet of
the associated amplifier In this manner, the
referential voltage will always be larger than and
independent of the voltage at the outlet of the
ampli~ier 339 which in turn means that the light
emitting diodes LED will be lit up, independent of
the temperature of the thermistor Rt. This is an
advantage, since the personnel supervising the milking
machinery can establish which indicating member or members
are li-t up, also after the milking of the respective
cow has finished and milk to longer passes through the
tube 20. Only after disconnection o~ the apparatus from
the power supply to move it to the subsequent rib do
the lights of all light emitting diades LED go out~
Resistor R2 and Zener diode Z2 ensure that the
voltage at the outlat of the amplifier 33 doss not
exceed the voltage fed back by diodes D10, D20 . . .
It should be understood without further that by
indicating the body temperature of the cow, which takes
place a-t each mill<ing instance, considerably improved
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possibilities o~ easy and rapid determination of
thr;~ oestrum periods in the animals are obtained,
if ~he milking machine is equipped with a devics
in accordance with the invention.
The ~evice in accordance with the invention can
of course be combined with milking machines of a
structure different from the one described, e.g.
with bucket milking machines, in which case the control
panel of the device preferably is arranged on the
bucket. It is likewise possible to provide for more
than five amplifiers with indica~ing lamps associated
therewith, although five indicating lamps should suffice
for the majority of the practical needs that are likely
to occur.
As mentioned above, the amplifier units rnay be
in the form of semiconductor circuits, which is the
most practical, and at the present stage of development
of electronics the expert in the field should have no
difficulty in designing semiconductor circuits having
the function described These circuits could be made
as simplr-~ amplifirJr units which norrnally are cut off
bu-t become Gonductive at the occurrence of an input
signal of a predetermined magnitude and are again cut
~ off7 when the input signal falls below the predetermined
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magnitude. The r,ircuits may also be made as transistor
5Wi tches anri it is evell possible to combine together
bhe five units 34 - 38 or several such units into
one logic unit. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the indicating
lamps may be light ramitting diodes,
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