Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AN IMPLEMENT FOR AUTOML~TICALLY MILKI~G ANIkL~LS
The present invention relates to an implement for
automatically milking ~n;m~ls, such as cows, comprising a
milking robot including a robot arm, which is adapted to
carry teat cups. Such an implement is usually provided with a
rinsing line system for the teat cups and possibly the milk
ho6es connected thereto. The rinsing line system comprises
cleaning elements constituted by rinsing heads which are
mounted in the implement and to which the teat cups can be
moved and be connected. Such a movement o~ the robotarm
carrying the teat cups may take some time. In order to limit
this drawback at least to a significant extent, the implement
as described in the preamble is characterized in that the
robot arm is provided with cleaning elements for the cleaning
of the teat cups. These cleaning elements are preferably
disposed in the robot arm itself and are constituted by
rinsing heads to which a teat cup can be connected. In a
first embodiment, in the position of non-working of the
mil~ing robot, the teat cups are connected to the cleaning
elements. This means that, as soon as a milking has taken
place and the teat cups have been disconnected from the teats
of the animal milked, the teat cups are immediately replaced
on the robot arm into a position in which they are connected
to the cleaning elements. In an other embodiment, it is
2~ possible to position the teat cups on the robot arm in such a
manner that they are capable of being connected to the
0 cleaning elements when they are moving from a non-working
position to a working position. In this situation, the teat
cups can be connected from the position of non-working either
directly to the teats of an ~nim~l to be milked or directly
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to the cleaning elements. When the teat cups are connected to
the cleaning elements, they constitute part of a rinsing line
system in which a rinsing fluid is introduced into the teat
cups via the cleaning elements, which rinsing fluid is
discharged via the milk hoses connected to the teat cups and
a valve which is further included in the milk line system.
The connection of the teat CUp8 to the rinsing heads and the
supply and discharge of rinsing fluid are computer-
controlled.
For connecting the teat cups to the teats of an
~n; r~ 1 to be milke~ the presence of a detector is of ad-
vantage, which detector is preferably disposed on the robot
arm for determining the position of the teats of an animal to
be milked. Said detector may be arranged on a supporting
element at the lower side of which the cleaning elements are
disposed. Although it is known to apply a laser detector as
detector, in which case there is performed a scanning
movement in a horizontal plane by means of the laser beam, it
is possible to dispose on the robot arm two cameras which are
fixedly arranged at different angles. Of course, instead of
the two latter cameras, it is also possible to mount on the
robot arm a pivotable camera or a fixedly arranged camera by
means of which a picture of a to be detected portion of an
animal to be milked can be observed from different optical
angles via two reflecting elements, such as mirrors, arranged
so as to form an angle relative to each other.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the
implement may be provided with a milkmeter which is rigidly
connected with the robot arm. In this manner it is possible
to design the four milk hoses extending from the teat cups to
the milkmeter as relatively short ones. Therefore, the
invention also relates to an implement for automatically
milking ~n;m~l S~ such as cows, comprising a milking robot
including a robot arm, which is adapted to carry teat cups,
and a milkmeter, which implement is characterized in that the
milkmeter is rigidly connected with the robot arm. ~he
implement may further comprise a milk buffer vessel which is
rigidly connected with the robot arm, while in the milk line
between a teat cup and the milk buffer vessel there is
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provided a flow milkmeter which is rigidly connected with the
robot arm.
For a better understanding of the invention,
reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
Figure 1 shows a milking robot including a robot
arm, in which the construction according to the invention is
applied;
Figure 2 6hows a side view of this milking robot;
Figure 3 show~ an other type of milking robot
having a robot arm, in which the construction according to
the invention is applied;
Figure 4 shows a cross-section in side view of the
construction according to the invention in the position of
non-working;
Figures 5 - 8 show the various positions taken by a
hou~ing and a teat cup during connection and milking, while
Figure 9 shows a diagram which illustrates the
function of a detector constituted by one or more cameras for
determin;ng the position of the teats.
Corresponding parts in the drawings are designated
by the same reference numerals.
The milk box 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is sur-
rounded in a customary manner by a fencing 2 and provided
with a (non-shown) entrance and exit door. In the milk box
and in the immediate vicinity thereof there is provided an
automatic milking machine which, besides the usual milking
equipment, includes a milking robot for automatically con-
necting teat cups to the teats of an ~n;m~l to be milked
which is present in the milk box, automatically milking this
animal and automatically disconnecting the teat cups from the
teats. The milking robot comprises a robot arm construction 3
movable in the longitudinal direction of the milk box 1. Said
robot arm construction is provided with a supporting unit 4,
which is movable along rails 5 and 6. In the embodiment
shown, the rail 5 is tubular and is disposed in the middle
above the milk box 1 in the longitudinal direction thereof by
means of supports 7 attached to the fencing 2. The rail 6 is
disposed approximately half-way the height of tAe milk box at
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the longitudinal side of the fencing 2, more in particular at
the side where the robot arm construction i8 located. The
rail 6 is constituted by an angle section whose abutment
face, over which the supporting unit 4 can be moved, is
located at an angle of approximately 45~ obliquely downwards
and outwards relative to the milk box 1. Both at its upper
side and its under side the supporting unit 4 is provided
with rollers 8 and 9. Said rollers 8 and ~ are attached to
the supporting unit 4 perpendicular to each other and at an
angle of approximately 45~ relative to a vertical plane in
the longitudinal direction of the milk box, in ~uch a manner
that the supporting unit 4 is supported on the rail 5 by
means of the rollers 8 and on the rail 6 by means of the
rollers 9. In order to prevent the supporting unit 4 from
being pushed from the rails 5 and 6, there are provided
locking means, e.g. constituted by an upright edge 10
provided on the rail 6 or additional (non-shown) rollers also
attached to the supporting unit 4 and arranged diametrically
opposite the rollers 8 relative to the rail 5, the rail 5
thus extending between the rollers. The supporting unit 4 is
capable of being moved along the rails ~ and 6 by means of a
motor 11.
The robot arm construction is furthermore provided
with a sidewardly pivotable portion 12 comprising a carrier
13 extending substantially downwardly and a robot arm 14
attached thereto. The sidewardly pivotable portion 12 and
consequently also the robot arm 14 are pivotable about a
substantially horizontal pivotal axis 15, which is located at
the upper side of the milk box or near thereto in the lon-
gitudinal direction thereof. The pivotal axis 15 and the
centre line of the rail 5 are located in a substantially
vertical plane.
The sideward pivotability of the portion 12 is
achieved by means of an operating cylinder 16 which is
disposed between said pivotable portion 12 and the supporting
unit 4. ~s already mentioned, the sidewardly pivotable
portion 12 comprises the carrier 13 and the robot arm 14. The
robot arm 14 is connected movably in height to the carrier 13
by means of an operating cylinder 17. Parallel to this
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operating cylinder 17 there are provided one or more guide
rods 18 for counteracting a rotating movement of the robot
arm 14 about an axis in the longitudinal direction of the
operating cylinder 17 relative to the carrier 13.
The robot arm 14 comprises a portion 19 e~tending
obliquely downwards in the direction of the milk box and a
portion 20 extending horizontally. The latter portion 20,
which is adapted to act as a carrier for the teat cups 21,
will be described in detail in what follows. On said portion
20 there i8 additionally arranged a detector 22 for deter-
mining the position of the teats.
In order to make it possible for an animal to enter
the milk box 1 without damaging the milking robot, the
sidewardly pivotable portion 12 of the robot arm construction
is pivotable outwardly to such an extent that the robot arm
14 is locate~ almost entirely outside the milk box 1. When an
animal is present in the milk box and the teat cups 21 have
to be connected, the robot arm con~truction 3 has first to be
moved by means of the motor 11 in the longitudinal direction
of the milk box to such an extent, i.e. into a position in
which the robot arm 14 has pivoted entirely or almost en-
tirely outside the miik box, that, by means of the operating
cylinder 16, the robot arm 14 can be moved to underneath the
animal into a position in which the detector 22 is capable of
determining the position of the teats. By subsequently
operating the motor 11 and the operating cylinders 16 and 17,
it will be possible to connect the teat cups 21 to the teats.
When adjusting a teat cup into the correct position for
connecting same to a relevant teat, the pivotability of the
robot arm 14 about the pivotal axis 15 may be of ~reat
advantage when the teats of the animal are directed somewhat
outwardly; a situation which occurs in particular when
relatively much time has elapsed since the previous milking
run.
Figure 3 shows the milk box l including the fencing
2 and a type of robot arm construction 23 which differs from
the one shown in Figures 1 and 2. Also in this case, the
robot arm construction 23 is movable by means of a motor in
the longitudinal direction of the milk box along a rail 24
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whilst making use of rollers 25. The robot arm construction
23 is provided with a carrier, adjustable in height by means
of a parallelogram construction and an operating cylinder,
which carrier is movable along the aforementioned rail 24 by
means of a carrier frame. At the lower side of said carrier
there is attached a robot arm 26 including a portion 20 which
is pivotable in a horizontal plane. By means of operating
cylinders 27 and 28 said pivotable portion 20 is pivotable
from a position outside the fencing 2 to under the udder of
an animal to ~e milked. The robot arm construction of Figure
3 has already been described in detail in EP-A-0 519 544; the
description thereof is supposed to constitute part of the
present description of the drawings. The horizontally extend-
ing portion 20 of the robot arm i8 equal in Figures 1 to 3
and will now be described with reference to Figures 4 to 8.
The horizontally extending robot arm portion 20
comprises a supporting element 29. This supporting element
comprises at least an upper side 30 and a rear side 31. For
the purpose of being incorporated in the robot arm of Figures
1 and 2, the supporting element is further provided with a
side plate, said side plate being fixed to the downwardly
extending robot arm portion l9 by means of bolts 32 (Figure
1). For the purpose of being incorporated in the robot arm of
Figure 3, the supporting element i8 provide~ with two lugs
33, through which a vertical axis of rotation 34 (Figure 3)
can be inserted, by means of which axis of rotation the
horizontally extending robot arm portion 20, under control of
the operating cylinder 28, is movable in a horizontal plane
just under the udder of an animal to be milked.
When the teat cups 21 are in the position of non-
working, it is of advantage when they are connected to a
rinsing line system or are capable of being connected ~uick-
ly, from this position of non-working, to such a rinsing line
system. To that end, in the present embodiment, there are
provided cleaning elements 37 constituted by rinsing heads
underneath the upper side 30 of the supporting element 29. In
the position of non-working shown in Figure 4, the teat cups
21 are connected to these rinsing heads 37 and then
constitute part of a rinsing line system in which a rinsing
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fluid can be passed through the teat cups 21 via lines 38 and
the rinsing heads 37 and can be discharged via milk hoses 39
connected to the teat cups 21. Although not visible in the
drawings, the lines 38 extend partia~ly through the robot arm
and are connected to a common rinsing fluid supply line which
is in connection with a rinsing fluid reservoir.
F~r a teat cup 21 there is provided a housing 35.
Such a housing is hingeably connected, rotatably about a
hinge pin 36, to the supporting element 29 and consists of
two plates between which a teat cup 21 i8 movably di6posed. A
housing 35 is provided with a first operating cylinder 40
which, at one side, rotatably about a hinge pin 41, is
connected with one or both plates of the housing 35 and, at
the other side, rotatably about a hinge pin 42, is connected
with a carrying shoe 43 for a teat cup 21. The carrying shoe
43 is further connected, rotatably about a hinge pin 44, to
the housing 35. In the housing 35 there is provided a second
operating cylinder 45 which, at one end, rotatably about a
hinge pin 46, is connected with the supporting element 29,
and, at the other end, rotatably about a hinge pin 47, i6
con~ected with one or both plates of the housing 3~. In
Figure 4, the operating cylinder 45 is partially pulled in,
so that the housing 35 has taken its lowest position and the
carrying shoe 43 has taken such a position that the teat cup
carried thereby is supported by the carrying shoe 43 in an
obli~uely rearward direction. In this position, the condition
of non-working, the open upper side of the teat cup 21 is
connected to a re~evant rinsing head 37. When the operating
cylinder 45 is withdrawn further, the relevant housing 35,
rotating about the axis 36, is moved downwards, while the
teat cups 21 are disconnected from the relevant rinsing head
37. The position of the housing and the teat cup then reached
is shown in Figure 5. Subsequently the operating cylinder 40
is activated, while the carrying shoe 43, together with the
3~ teat cup 21, is rotated about the axis 44 until it gets
locked agai~st a stop 48 on the housing 35. The teat cup 21
carried by the carrying shoe 43 i8 thus ad3usted into the
operative position, i.e. the position in which the open upper
side of the teat cup is no longer guarded. From this
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position, which is represented in Figure 6, the teat cup 21
can be moved upwards. Such an upward movement is achieved ~y
pulling out the operating cylinder 45 further than shown in
Figure 4, so that the housing 35, rotating about the hinge
pin 26, i8 pushed upwards. This situation is represented in
Figure 7. When, after this upward movement, the teat cup 21
is connected to a relevant teat, the housing 35 can be moved
downwards, which is achieved by activating the operating
cylinder 45 in the other direction and consequently
withdrawing same, in particular into the position shown in
Figure 8. Although the teat cup 21, which remains connected
to the teat because of the vacuum in the teat cup, is thus
released from the carrying shoe 43, there remains a connec-
tion between the teat cup 21 and the housing by means o~ a
flexible element, such as a cord, cable or string 49. Said
flexible element 49 extends from the bottom side of a teat
cup 21, through a carrying shoe 43 and under a roller 50, in
the lower part of the housing 35 between the two side plates
thereof, to a third operating cylinder 51. During the
downward pivoting movement of the housing, said operating
cylinder 51 must have been released, so that the flexible
element, by means o~ which the teat cup 21 was previously
pulled against the carrying shoe 43, does not hamper the
release of the teat cup from the rinsing head and subse-
quently from the carrying shoe. In order to avoid that the
operating cylinder 51 is unnecessarily long, the flexible
element 49 is passed over a guide element 52 at the end of
the cylinder rod 53 and is subsequently fixed to the cylinder
housing 54. Figure 8 shows the position of the operating
cylinder 51 after the housing 35 has been moved downwards
relative to the supporting element 29 and the teat cup 21 has
been released from the robot arm 14. After the milk flow from
the relevant udder quarter has finished or almost finished,
the teat cup has to be disconnected from the relevant teat.
When the vacuum in the teat cup is removed and the operating
cylinder 51 is energized, the falling teat cup is immediately
pulled against the carrying shoe 43 and the position shown in
Figure 6 is reached. By subsequently energizing again the
operating cylinder 40, the teat cup can again be adjusted
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from the operative position into the position in which the
open upper side of the teat cup has been brought under the
relevant rinsing head 37. By subsequently partially pulling
out the operating cylinder 45, it will be possible to connect
the teat cup 21 again to the relevant rinsing head 37 and the
position of non-working shown in Figure 4 is reached again.
Figure 4 ~urther shows how the milk hose 39 connected to a
teat cup 21 extends through the housing 35. From the connec-
tion point on the teat cup 21 this milk hose extends above
the operating cylinder 51 and then passes therebehind
downwards to a connection point on the connecting block 55.
The further milk lines connected to this connecting block are
not shown in the figures. The relatively large loop in the
milk hose enables to move the robot arm sufficiently far from
a connected teat cup.
When upon withdrawing a teat cup to the robot arm
the operating cylinder 51 is pulled out, the milk hose 39 is
moved at the same time upwards and rearwards by means of the
guide element 52, so that the milk hose is always in a
controlled position and there is no risk of the milk hose
being damaged.
When the position shown in Figure 5 is considered
as the position of non-working, in the same manner as in-
dicated in Figures 6 - 8 and as described in the foregoing, a
teat cup can be connected to a teat, be disconnected
therefrom after milking and be replaced into the position
shown in Figure 5. From this position of non-working, if
required, the teat cup can be connected to the relevant
rinsing head 37 by means of the operating cylinder 45, as
shown in Figure 4, and can be replaced into the position of
non-working shown in ~igure ~ after cleaning of the teat cup
and the milk line connected thereto.
For the purpose of connecting a teat cup via an
upward pivoting movement to a relevant teat, the position of
the teat relative to the robot arm must be known. To that
end, the detector 22 is provided. At its front upper side the
detector 22 is provided with a projecting plate for the
purpose of preventing the teat of an animal to be milked from
touching the detector proper and contaminating the latter.
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Although a rotating or pivotable laser detector may be used
as detector, preference is given to a pivotable camera or two
cameras which are fixedly arranged at different angles, or to
one fixedly arranged camera in which, via two reflecting
elements, such as mirrors, arranged at a small angle relative
to each other, there are obtained two pictures shifted
relative to each other. In order to be able to use the
detector during 24 hours, consequently also when it is dark
in the milk box, these cameras are favourably designed as
infrared cameras. Upon using such cameras, by means of
picture analysis the contours of a teat are established
relative to a specific reference point R, e.g. the middle of
the image covered by a camera. For example, when a teat i6
located at a distance a on the right of the vertical diameter
through said reference point R and, after a pivoting movement
of the camera through an angle ~ at a distance b on the left
of this vertical diameter, then for the distance r of the
teat relative to the camera it applies that r=~a + b)/~
(Figure 9). The angular position ~ of the teat relative to
the position of the camera in a horizontal plane can e.g. be
determined according to the relation a=B.r by substituting
therein the above-mentioned value for r: ~=a~/(a+b). As a
result of the fact that the height h at which the robot arm
is located upon determining the position of the teat may be
known from the position of the operating cylinder 17, the
position of a teat, expressed in cylinder coordinates
(rl ~, h), can permanently be kept up to date. The two
pictures shifted relative to each other can also be obtained,
as mentioned in the foregoing, by means of two cameras
arranged at a small angle relative to each other or by means
of one fixedly arranged camera via two mirrors arranged at a
small angle relative to each other.
In Figure 1 there is furthermore shown a milk glass
56. In the commonly used milking implements such a milk
3S buffer vessel functioning as a milkmeter, such as a milk
glass, is fixedly arranged. However, it may be favourable to
connect the milk buffer vessel rigidly with the robot arm 14,
so as to obtain the advantage that four relatively short milk
hoses extending from the teat cups to the milk buffer vessel
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are required. From the milk buffer vessel one further milk
line extends to the milk tank. Instead of having a milk
buffer vessel function as milkmeter, it is possible to
provide so-called flow milkmeters in the milk lines between
the teat cups and the milk buffer vessel. Said flow
milkmeters may be of the type as described in NL-A-1002600,
the text of which is supposed to have been incorporated
herein. The milk buffer vessel 56 then only functions as a
collecting element. One of these flow milkmeters 57 is
indicated in Figure l by interrupted lines. Via the connect-
ing block 55, each of these flow milkmeters is in connection
with a relevant milk line 39.
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