Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
DESCRIPTION
Title of Invention
MILK METER AND MILKING DEVICE
Technical Field
0001
The present invention relates to a milk meter that meters an amount of milk by
being connected to the middle of a milk feeding line which feeds milk and a
milking
device provided with this milk meter.
Background Art
0002
Hitherto, milk meters that meter an amount of milk by being connected to the
middle of a milk feeding line have been known, and this type of milk meters
are
classified into a non-storing type that directly meters flowing milk and a
storing type
that temporarily stores the flowing milk in a metering container portion and
meters the
amount.
0003
The non-storing type has a drawback in metering accuracy though it has an
advantage that the size is small and configuration is simple, thus, the.
storing type is
needed in order to ensure high metering accuracy. The storing type is formed
of a
metering container portion that is usually connected to the middle of the milk
feeding
line and can temporarily store milk flowing through an inlet, a liquid-level
detection
portion disposed inside this metering container portion and having a low-
position
electrode portion that detects a liquid level of the stored milk at a low
position and a
high-position electrode portion that detects a liquid level of the stored milk
at a high
position, a valve mechanism portion that can open/close an outlet provided at
a lower
part of the metering container portion, and a control system that controls the
valve
mechanism portion so that the outlet is closed by detection of the low-
position electrode
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portion and opens the outlet by the detection of the high-position electrode
portion, and
as the milk meter of such a storing type, a milk meter as disclosed in Patent
Document 1
is known.
0004
On the other hand, since it is necessary to inspect the quality of sucked
milk, the
milk is sampled by a sampling device. However, since the application (purpose)
of
this type of milk meters is limited to metering of an amount of milk, the
sampling
device is usually connected to the middle of the milk feeding line. Therefore,
if the
milk meter and the sampling device are integrally configured, entire
versatility
(multi-functionality) can be improved, and the size reduction and cost
reduction of the
entirety can be realized and moreover, storage and handling performances can
be made
advantageous, which are merits. As a device in which such a milk meter and the
sampling device are configured integrally, a milk-sample extracting device
disclosed in
Patent Document 2 is known. This milk-sample extracting device is a milk
sampling
and extracting device having a milk-flow metering device arranged in a milking
duct
and has a processor unit which controls an analysis sample container and the
milk-sample extracting device connected to milk flow, in which the milk-sample
extracting device has an electromagnetic coil which can be electrically
controlled and is
configured by the coil such that the seal main body is movable to a first
position where
a seal main body blocks a flow penetrating opening for sample separation flow
and to a
second position where the opening is opened.
Citation List
Patent Literature
0005
Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent No. 4,391,222
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
7-167755
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Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
0006
However, the above-described conventional milk meter (Patent Document 1) and
the milk-sample extracting device (Patent Document 2) have the following
problems.
0007
First, the milk meter in Patent Document 1 is designed on the precondition of
use
by being horizontally mounted on a fixed object such as fixed equipment,
column or the
like in milking equipment as known from the fact that a layout structure of a
detection
electrode and the like in the meter container portion is not symmetrical.
Therefore, if
the milk meter is inclined, the detection electrode detects the inclined
liquid level,
which causes a metering error. Particularly, since inclination occurs more or
less in an
actual use environment (installation environment), a metering error in a use
stage cannot
be avoided.
0008
Also, since the inclined milk meter causes a larger metering error, its
general
versatility and convenience are poor such that the use environment
(installation
environment) is limited. For example, since a milking machine is used in
actual
milking equipment, if the meter can be attached particularly to a teat-cup
automatic
removing device into which sucked milk is taken in this milking machine,
routing of
pipelines such as a milk tube is reduced, and the mounting mode is made more
desirable.
However, the teat-cup automatic removing device suspended by a stay through a
hook
can often swing considerably during milking, and considering a metering error,
mounting is in fact difficult.
0009
Meanwhile, from the viewpoint of integration of the milk meter and the
sampling
device, the milk meter in Patent Document 1 needs to connect a separate
sampling
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device by connection or the like and the milk-sample extracting device in
Patent
Document 2 has the milk meter and the sampling device configured integrally
but it is
configured in the form in which a structural portion of the milk meter and a
structural
portion of the sampling device, which are originally separate, are connected,
thus, size
reduction and cost reduction cannot be sufficiently realized.
0010
Moreover, since the sampling device needs to sample average milk with respect
to
the total amount of the milk, sampling is made by a small amount with
predetermined
time intervals in a milking period from start to end of the milking.
Therefore, as in
Patent Document 2, the configuration of the sampling device itself becomes
extensive
as electromagnetic coils that can be electrically controlled and a processor
unit for
control become necessary, which incurs complication of the device, size
increase and
increase in cost, and also, it is disadvantageous in durability and energy
saving
properties.
0011
The present invention has an object to provide a milk meter and a milking
device
which solve the problems of the prior-art technologies.
Solution to Problem
0012
As for a milk meter 1 according to the present invention, in order to solve
the
above-described problems, in configuring a milk meter provided with a metering
container portion connected to the middle of a milk feeding line Lm and
capable of
temporarily storing milk M flowing in through an inlet 2i, a liquid-level
detection
portion that detects a liquid level Mu of the milk M stored inside this
metering container
portion, a valve mechanism portion capable of opening/closing the outlet of
the
metering container portion, and a control system that controls opening/closing
of the
valve mechanism portion when the liquid-level detection portion detects the
liquid level
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Mu, the milk meter 1 has a metering container portion 2 having a cylindrical
peripheral
face portion 2f, a narrowed portion 2su formed at least at one spot of a
vertically
intermediate portion so that the upper side of the one narrowed portion 2su is
defined as
a gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and the lower side as a metering chamber
Rm, an
upper face portion Rmu of the metering chamber Rm being formed into an
inclined face
with the peripheral face portion side being lowered, and a lower face portion
Rmd of the
metering chamber Rm being formed into an inclined face with the peripheral
face
portion side being raised, a valve mechanism portion 4 having a first valve 4u
capable
of opening/closing an intermediate opening 2m between the metering chamber Rm
and
the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and a second valve 4d capable of
opening/closing
an outlet 2e provided below the metering chamber Rm, and a control system 5
that
controls the valve mechanism portion 4 by means of detection of the liquid
level Mu by
the liquid-level detection portion 3.
0013
In this case, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the valve
mechanism portion 4 may include a pipe shaft 11 which vents air A in the gas-
liquid
separation chamber Rs by being inserted through the outlet 2e and the
intermediate
opening 2m and having an upper end opening 11 u faced with the upper end of
the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs, a valve driving portion 12 that supports the
upper end
of this pipe shaft 11 and elevates up/down the pipe shaft 11, and the first
valve 4u
provided on the upper side of an outer peripheral face 11 f of the pipe shaft
11 located in
the metering chamber Rm and the second valve 4d provided on the lower side of
the
outer peripheral face 11 If. At this time, the valve driving portion 12 may
include a
diaphragm portion 14 that supports the upper end of the pipe shaft 11 through
a
supporting member 13 and blocks the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs so as to
form an
upper face portion Rsu of the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and a switching
chamber portion Rc switched to a vacuum pressure or an atmospheric pressure by
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means of control of the control system 5 and faced with the diaphragm portion
14 on the
opposite side of the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs. Also, in the metering
container
portion 2, the inlet 2i may be provided so that the milk M flowing into the
gas-liquid
separation chamber Rs flows in a spiral state along an inner wall surface of
the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs. In addition, in the metering container
portion 2, an
air-supply cylinder portion 15 may be provided which stands upward from the
upper
face portion Rmu with which the first valve 4u in the metering chamber Rm is
not
brought into contact and allows the metering chamber Rm to communicate with
the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs by having an upper end opening 15u faced with
the
upper end of the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs. Moreover, in the liquid-
level
detection portion 3, at least two detection electrodes 3a, 3b, and 3c
separated from each
other are used for detecting the presence of the milk M by resistance of the
milk M and
at least a part of the detection electrodes 3a, 3b, and 3c may be faced with
the inside of
the air-supply cylinder portion 15. On the other hand, in the control system
5, a
detection cancellation function Fc that cancels detection of bubbles Mb by
determining
the magnitudes of liquid-level detection signals Sa and Sb obtained from the
liquid-level detection portion 3 may be provided. Also, below the outlet 2e, a
milk
receiving chamber Rr having the same diameter as that of the outlet 2e is
formed, and
for the diameter of this outlet 2e, a diameter with which the milk M in the
metering
chamber Rm is discharged within a predetermined time Te can be selected.
0014
On one hand, a second narrowed portion 2sd is formed below the one narrowed
portion 2su, an inner peripheral face of this second narrowed portion 2sd is
used as the
outlet 2e, a dividing opening 6i that samples a portion of the milk M flowing
out of the
outlet 2e is disposed on the downstream side of this outlet 2e, and sampling
means 6
that guides the milk M sampled from this dividing opening 6i to the outside of
the
metering container portion 2 may be provided. Also, on the downstream side of
the
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outlet 2e, a gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd may be provided having a
capacity
capable of storing a milk amount of at least one session flowing out of the
outlet 2e
caused by opening/closing of the valve mechanism portion 4 and a discharge
opening 2t
provided on a bottom face portion Rdd. Therefore, the sampling means 6 may use
a
dividing cylinder 7 that stands from the bottom face portion Rdd or the
peripheral face
portion of the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, becomes the dividing
opening 6i by
having an upper end opening 7u faced with the inside and becomes a connection
opening to the sample container 100 side by having a lower end opening 7d
faced with
the outside. In the dividing cylinder 7, a flow-collecting piece portion 7c
that guides a
portion of the milk M flowing out of the outlet 2e into the dividing opening
6i may be
provided by surrounding a part of the periphery of the dividing opening 6i.
Moreover,
in the dividing cylinder 7, an air outlet 7r can be provided that can
discharge the air A
inside the dividing cylinder 7 to the outside of the dividing cylinder 7 when
the milk M
is sampled by the dividing opening 6i. This air outlet 7r may be formed
continuously
to the dividing opening 6i or may be separately formed so as to be non-
continuous to
the dividing opening 6i. Also, in the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, a
milk
feeding-out portion 8 may be provided having a feeding-out opening 8f that
allows the
milk M to flow out at a flow rate not more than a predetermined flow rate Qf
and also
mixes it with the air A inside the metering container portion 2 and feeds it
out and
communicates with the discharge opening 2t. A lower end opening 11 d of the
pipe
shaft 11 may be faced with the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd and on the
lower
end of the pipe shaft 11, an umbrella-shaped cover 17 may be provided so that
the milk
M flowing out of the outlet 2e does not directly enter the milk feeding-out
portion 8.
On at least either of the outer peripheral face of the umbrella-shaped cover
17 and the
inner peripheral face of the metering chamber Rm, a plurality of rectification
piece
portions 18..., 19... may be disposed in the circumferential direction with
predetermined intervals, in the axial direction and projected in the radial
direction only
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by a predetermined width.
0015
On the other hand, a milking device 50 according to the prevent invention is,
in
order to solve the above-described problems, a milking device provided with a
metering
container portion connected to the middle of the milk feeding line Lm and
capable of
temporarily storing the milk M flowing in through the inlet 2i, a liquid-level
detection
portion that detects the liquid level Mu of the milk M stored inside this
metering
container portion, a valve mechanism portion capable of opening/closing the
outlet of
the metering container portion, and a milk meter having a control system that
controls
opening/closing of the valve mechanism portion when the liquid-level detection
portion
detects the liquid level Mu, characterized in that the milk meter 1 is
provided having the
metering container portion 2 having the cylindrical peripheral face portion
2f, the
narrowed portion 2su formed at least at one spot of a vertically intermediate
portion so
that the upper side of the one narrowed portion 2su is defined as the gas-
liquid
separation chamber Rs and the lower side as the metering chamber Rm, the upper
face
portion Rmu of the metering chamber Rm being formed into an inclined face with
the
peripheral face portion side located below, and the lower face portion Rmd of
the
metering chamber Rm being formed into an inclined face with the peripheral
face
portion side located above, the valve mechanism portion 4 having the first
valve 4u
capable of opening/closing the intermediate opening 2m between the metering
chamber
Rm and the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and the second valve 4d capable of
opening/closing the outlet 2e provided on the lower part of the metering
chamber Rm,
and the control system 5 that controls the valve mechanism portion 4 by means
of
detection of the liquid level Mu by the liquid-level detection portion 3. In
this case,
according to the preferred embodiments, the milk meter 1 can be mounted on a
milking
machine 51 that performs milking of a cow C.
Advantages of the Invention
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0016
The milk meter 1 and the milking device 50 according to the present invention
having the above configuration have the following marked advantages.
0017
(1) Since the milk meter 1 has the metering container portion 2 having the
upper
face portion Rmu formed into an inclined face with the peripheral face portion
2f side
being lowered, and the lower face portion Rmd of the metering chamber Rm
formed
into an inclined face with the peripheral face portion 2f side being raised,
the valve
mechanism portion 4 having the first valve 4u capable of opening/closing the
intermediate opening 2m between the metering chamber Rm and the gas-liquid
separation chamber Rs and the second valve 4d capable of opening/closing the
outlet 2e
provided on the lower part of the metering chamber Rm, and the control system
5 that
controls the valve mechanism portion 4 by means of detection of the liquid
level Mu by
the liquid-level detection portion 3, the inside of the metering chamber Rm
has a shape
vertically surrounded by tapered faces. Therefore, in the actual use
environment
(installation environment), even if the milk meter 1 is inclined, a metering
error caused
by inclination can be eliminated, and milk-amount metering with high accuracy
can be
made.
0018
(2) Since in the milk meter 1, no metering error caused by inclination of the
milk
meter 1 in the actual use environment (installation environment) occurs, the
range
(applications) of the use environment (installation environment) can be
dramatically
expanded such that the milk meter becomes capable of being attached to a teat-
cup
automatic removing device which is suspended by a stay through a hook and can
often
swing considerably during milking, whereby general versatility and convenience
can be
improved. Also, routing of pipelines such as a milk tube can be reduced, and
the milk
meter can be used as a portable (movable) type.
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0019
(3) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, if the valve
mechanism portion 4 is configured by including the pipe shaft 11 which vents
air A in
the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs by inserting the valve mechanism portion
4
through the outlet 2e and the intermediate opening 2m and having the upper end
opening l lu faced with the upper end of the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs,
the valve
driving portion 12 that supports the upper end of this pipe shaft 11 and
elevates
up/down the pipe shaft 11, and the first valve 4u provided on the upper side
of an outer
peripheral face 11 f of the pipe shaft 11 located in the metering chamber Rm
and the
second valve 4d provided on the lower side of the outer peripheral face 11 f,
the pipe
shaft 11 can be used for both as a valve driving shaft and an air-vent pipe,
and moreover,
it can be also used as the valve driving shaft for the first valve 4u and the
second valve
4d, which can contribute to simplification of the configuration, cost
reduction and size
reduction.
0020
(4) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, if the valve
driving portion 12 is configured by including the diaphragm portion 14 that
supports the
upper end of the pipe shaft 11 through a supporting member 13 and blocks the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs so as to form the upper face portion Rsu of
the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and the switching chamber portion Rc switched
to a
vacuum pressure or an atmospheric pressure by means of control of the control
system 5
and faced with the diaphragm portion 14 on the opposite side of the gas-liquid
separation chamber Rs, the valve driving portion 12 can be formed by using the
vacuum
pressure (vacuum line) used in the milking machine, which can contribute to
simplification of the configuration, cost reduction and size reduction.
0021
(5) According to a preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by providing the
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inlet 2i in the metering container portion 2 so that the milk M flowing into
the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs flows in a spiral state along the inner wall
surface of
the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs, the flow velocity of the milk M when the
milk M
flows down on the inner wall surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs
can be
decreased, and thus, occurrence of bubbles Mb which causes an error in milk-
amount
metering or waving on the liquid level Mu can be largely reduced, which can
result in
contribution to size reduction of the milk meter 1.
0022
(6) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by providing
the
air-supply cylinder portion 15 which stands upward from the upper face portion
Rmu
with which the first valve 4u in the metering chamber Rm is not brought into
contact
and allows the metering chamber Rm to communicate with the gas-liquid
separation
chamber Rs by having the upper end opening 15u faced with the upper end of the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs, air can be supplied from the gas-liquid
separation
chamber Rs to the metering chamber Rm, whereby the milk M in the metering
chamber
Rm can be discharged through the outlet 2e smoothly and quickly.
0023
(7) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by using at
least
two detection electrodes 3a, 3b, and 3c separated from each other and
detecting the
presence of the milk M by resistance of the milk M in the liquid-level
detection portion
3, a cost can be reduced by a relatively simple structure, and the presence of
the milk M
can be reliably detected, and by having at least a part of the detection
electrodes 3a, 3b,
and 3c faced with the inside of the air-supply cylinder portion 15, detection
can be
carried out while influences of useless waving, bubbling and the like are
avoided.
0024
(8) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by providing
the
detection cancellation function Fc that cancels detection of the bubble Mb by
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determining the magnitudes of the liquid-level detection signals Sa and Sb
obtained
from the liquid-level detection portion 3 in the control system 5, an error
factor caused
by the bubbles Mb can be eliminated, and more accurate and stable milk-amount
metering can be made.
0025
(9) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by forming the
milk receiving chamber Rr having the same diameter as that of the outlet 2e
below the
outlet 2e and by selecting a diameter with which the milk M in the metering
chamber
Rm is discharged within the predetermined time Te for the diameter of this
outlet 2e,
the milk M in the metering chamber Rm can be discharged quickly, the metering
time
can be reduced, and efficient metering can be carried out. Moreover,
contribution can
be made to capacity reduction of the metering chamber Rm.
0026
(10) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by forming
the
second narrowed portion 2sd below the one narrowed portion 2su, by using the
inner
peripheral face of this second narrowed portion 2sd as the outlet 2e, by
disposing the
dividing opening 6i that samples a portion of the milk M flowing out of the
outlet 2e on
the downstream side of this outlet 2e, and by providing the sampling means 6
that
guides the milk M sampled from this dividing opening 6i to the outside of the
metering
container portion 2, the sampling means 6 can be configured by using parts of
the
structure and the function of the milk meter 1 as they are and can be disposed
inside the
milk meter 1, and thus, even if the milk meter and the sampling means are
combined,
size increase of the milk meter 1 can be avoided, and a cost can be reduced.
0027
(11) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by providing
the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd having a capacity capable of storing a
milk
amount of at least one session having flowed out of the outlet. 2e caused by
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opening/closing of the valve mechanism portion 4 and the discharge opening 2t
provided on the bottom face portion Rdd in the downstream side of the outlet
2e, the
sampling means 6 can be integrated by using the bottom face portion Rdd or the
peripheral face portion of this gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, whereby
practice
can be facilitated and contribution can be made to further cost reduction.
Also, since
the milk M in the metering chamber Rm can be made to flow out quickly into the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, thus, contribution can be made to more
efficient
metering by means of reduction of the metering time and the invention can be
put into
practice in an optimal mode in which the metering chamber Rm and the gas-
liquid
mixing buffer chamber Rd are linked to each other, whereby effectiveness and
reliability of the functions of the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd can be
further
improved.
0028
(12) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by using the
dividing cylinder 7 that stands from the bottom face portion Rdd or the
peripheral face
portion of the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, becomes the dividing
opening 6i by
having the upper end opening 7u faced with the inside and becomes a connection
opening to the sample container 100 side by having the lower end opening 7d
faced
with the outside as the sampling means 6, that can be put into practice by
addition of a
single component having a relatively simple shape on the bottom face portion
Rdd or
the peripheral face portion of the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, the
invention
can be put into practice in an optimal mode from the viewpoint of size
reduction and
cost reduction of the sampling means 10, and contribution can be made to
durability and
energy saving.
0029
(13) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by providing
the
flow-collecting piece portion 7c that guides a portion of the milk M flowing
out of the
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outlet 2e into the dividing opening 6i on the dividing cylinder 7 by
surrounding a part of
the periphery of the dividing opening 6i, even if the milk meter 1 is in the
inclined state,
a certain amount or more of the milk M can be received by the flow-collecting
piece
portion 12 efficiently and stably from the milk M flowing out of the outlet
2e, whereby
nonconformity of insufficient sampling can be avoided.
0030
(14) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by providing
the
air outlet 7r that can discharge the air A inside the dividing cylinder 7 to
the outside of
the dividing cylinder 7 when the milk M is sampled by the dividing opening 6i,
the air
A inside the dividing cylinder 7 can be discharged to the outside through the
air outlet
7r, thus, even if the opening area of the divider opening 6i is small, the
milk M can be
sampled stably and reliably.
0031
(15) According the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by forming the
air
outlet 7r continuously to the dividing opening 6i, it is only necessary to
form only one
opening, thus, the invention can be put into practice easily and also, by
forming the air
outlet 7r separately so as to be non-continuous to the dividing opening 6i,
the location
where the air outlet 7r is formed can be arbitrarily selected, whereby design
freedom
can be improved, and inflow of the milk M and the like into the air outlet 7r
can be
avoided.
0032
(16) According the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by providing the
milk feeding-out portion 8 having the feeding-out opening 8f that allows the
milk M to
flow out at a flow rate not more than the predetermined flow rate Qf and mixes
it with
the air A inside the metering container portion 2 in the gas-liquid mixing
buffer
chamber Rd and feeds it out and communicates with the discharge opening 2t, a
temporary blocked state of a milk feeding path (milk tubes and the like)
caused by the
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milk M when the valve mechanism portion 4 is opened can be avoided, whereby
nonconformity that pressure fluctuation (pressure impact) in the milk feeding
line Lm is
applied to a nipple can be eliminated, a useless stress factor to the cow C
can be solved,
and moreover, occurrence of garget or the like caused by intrusion of bacteria
into the
nipple can be solved, useless occurrence of bubbles can be suppressed, and
furthermore,
stable and well-balanced milk feeding can be ensured.
0033
(17) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by having the
lower end opening 11 d of the pipe shaft 11 faced with the gas-liquid mixing
buffer
chamber Rd and by providing the umbrella-shaped cover 17 that prevents the
milk M
having flowed out of the outlet 2e from directly entering the milk feeding-out
portion 8
on the lower end of the pipe shaft 11, nonconformity that the milk M having
flowed out
of the outlet 2e directly enter the milk feeding-out portion 8 can be avoided,
and thus,
all the milk M having flowed out of the outlet 2e can be stored once in the
gas-liquid
mixing buffer chamber Rd, and a function of feeding out the milk from the milk
feeding-out portion 8 little by little can be executed reliably.
0034
(18) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milk meter 1, by providing
a
plurality of rectification piece portions 18..., 19...disposed in the
circumferential
direction with predetermined intervals, in the axial direction and projected
in the radial
direction only by a predetermined width on at least either of the outer
peripheral face of
the umbrella-shaped cover 17 and the inner peripheral face of the metering
chamber Rm,
even if the milk meter 1 is in the inclined state, the milk M flowing out of
the outlet 2e
is rectified (regulated) by the rectification piece portions 18..., 19..., and
thus, the flow
of the milk M is not biased easily and can be made to flow into the gas-liquid
mixing
buffer chamber Rd smoothly and guided to the dividing opening 6i efficiently
and
stably, and nonconformity of surplus/shortage of sampling of the milk M can be
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avoided.
0035
(19) Since the milking device 50 is configured by including the milk meter 1
according to the present invention, even if the device is attached to a teat-
cup automatic
removing device which is provided in the milking device 50 and often swings,
milk-amount metering with high accuracy can be made. Also, since the milk
meter 1
can be integral with the milking device 50, routing of pipelines such as a
milk tube can
be reduced.
0036
(20) According to the preferred embodiment, in the milking device 50, by
attaching the milk meter 1 to the milking machine 51 that performs milking
from the
cow C, complication of the entirety can be avoided by integrating the milk
meter 1 into
the milking machine 51, and compactness, transportability, and storage
performances
can be improved.
Brief Description of the Drawings
0037
Fig. 1 is a side sectional view illustrating a milk meter according to a best
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a dividing cylinder and a buffer cylinder
provided in
a gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber of the milk meter;
Fig. 3 is a plan sectional view taken transversely at the position of a
metering
chamber of the milk meter;
Fig. 4 is a side sectional view illustrating a state in which a first valve
and a second
valve in a valve mechanism portion, which is a portion of the milk meter, are
raised;
Fig. 5 is an appearance side view (including a system diagram (virtual lines)
when
the milk meter is washed and disinfected) illustrating a state in which the
milk meter is
attached to the back face of a teat-cup automatic removing device;
16
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
Fig. 6 is an entire configuration diagram of a control system in the milk
meter;
Fig. 7 is a explanatory diagram of use of the milk meter;
Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the milk meter;
Figs. 9 are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the milk meter;
Fig. 10 is a side sectional view illustrating a milk meter according to a
second
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 11 is a plan sectional view including a partially broken portion taken
transversely at an upper position of a gas-liquid separation chamber of the
milk meter;
Fig. 12 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of milk meter according
to a third
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 13 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a milk meter according
to a
fourth embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 14 is a plan sectional view including a partially broken portion taken
transversely at a position of a metering chamber of the milk meter;
Fig. 15 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a milk meter according
to a
fifth embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 16 is an appearance perspective view of a dividing cylinder used in the
milk
meter;
Fig. 17 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a milk meter according
to a
sixth embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 18 is an appearance plan view including a partially broken portion of a
dividing cylinder used in the milk meter; and
Fig. 19 is a side sectional view illustrating a part of a milk meter according
to a
seventh embodiment of the present invention.
Explanation of Reference Numerals
0038
1: milk meter, lm: milk-meter main body, 2: metering container portion,
17
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
2i: inlet, 2m: intermediate opening, 2e: outlet, 2t: discharge opening, 2f:
peripheral face portion, 2su: narrowed portion, 2sd: narrowed portion, 3:
liquid-level detection portion, 3a: detection electrode, 3b: detection
electrode,
3c: detection electrode, 4: valve mechanism portion, 4u: first valve, 4d:
second valve, 5: control system, 6: sampling means, 6i: dividing opening,
7: dividing cylinder, 7c: flow-collecting piece portion, 7r: air outlet, 7u:
upper end opening, 7d: lower end opening, 8: milk feeding-out portion, 8f-
feeding-out opening, 11: pipe shaft, 11u: upper end opening, 11d: lower end
opening, 11f. outer peripheral face, 12: valve driving portion, 13: supporting
member, 14: diaphragm portion, 15: air-supply cylinder portion, 15u: upper
end opening, 17: umbrella-shaped cover, 18...: rectification piece portion,
19...: rectification piece portion, 50: milking device, 51: milking machine,
100: sample container, Lm: milk feeding line, M: milk, Mu: liquid level of
milk, Mb: bubbles, Rs: gas-liquid separation chamber, Rsu: upper face
portion, Rm: metering chamber, Rmu: upper face portion, Rmd: lower face
portion, Rc: switching chamber portion, Rd: gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber,
Rdd: bottom face portion, Rr: milk receiving chamber, A: air, Sa, Sb:
liquid-level detection signal, Fc: detection cancellation function, C: cow
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
0039
Subsequently, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described
in
detail on the basis of the attached drawings.
0040
First, a configuration of a milk meter 1 according to this embodiment will be
specifically explained by referring to Figs. 1 to 7.
0041
Fig. 1 illustrates a milk-meter main body lm in the milk meter 1. Reference
18
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
numeral 2 denotes a metering container portion, which is formed cylindrically
in the
entirety of a transparent or translucent material such as plastic, glass or
the like, and
upper and lower two narrowed portions 2su and 2sd, that is, the lowermost
narrowed
portion 2sd and the narrowed portion 2su on the subsequent stage located above
this
narrowed portion 2sd are formed at predetermined positions in the vertically
intermediate portion in the peripheral face portion 2f. As a result, a portion
above the
narrowed portion 2su is a gas-liquid separation chamber Rs, a portion between
the
narrowed portion 2su and the narrowed portion 2sd is a metering chamber Rm,
and a
portion below the narrowed portion 2sd is a gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber
Rd, an
inner peripheral face of the narrowed portion 2su is an intermediate opening
2m which
makes the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs communicate with the metering
chamber
Rm, and an inner peripheral face of the narrowed portion 2sd is an outlet 2e
that makes
the metering chamber Rm communicate with the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber
Rd.
In this case, the capacity of the metering chamber Rm can be selected to
approximately
200 [milliliters], for example, and the capacity of the gas-liquid mixing
buffer chamber
Rd can be selected to the capacity that can store a milk amount of at least
one session
flowing out of the outlet 2e or approximately 1.5 to 2 times (300 to 400
[milliliters]) of
the capacity of the metering chamber Rm, for example. Additional one or two or
more
narrowed portions 2su may be formed as necessary on a peripheral face portion
2f in the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs. As a result, a substantial area of the inner
peripheral
face in the peripheral face portion 2f can be expanded, and thus, a flow
velocity of the
milk M can be decreased, and occurrence of bubbles Mb can be reduced. By
configuring the metering container portion 2 in a structure in which a
plurality of
divided bodies are combined, even if the narrowed portions 2su and 2sd are
provided,
manufacture of the metering container portion 2 can be facilitated, and
maintenance
(washing, replacement and the like) can be performed easily and reliably:
0042
19
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
The gas-liquid separation chamber Rs is provided with an inlet 2i which
protrudes
in the tangent direction from the outer face of the peripheral face portion 2f
in the
vicinity of the upper end and to which a milk tube 66 on the upstream side can
be
connected (See Fig. 11). As a result, since the milk M having flowed into the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs from the inlet 2i flows in a spiral state
along the inner
wall face of the peripheral face portion 2f in the gas-liquid separation
chamber Rs, when
the milk M flows down the inner wall face of the gas-liquid separation chamber
Rs, the
flow velocity decreases, and occurrence of bubbles or waving of a liquid level
Mu
which causes an error of milk-amount metering is largely reduced. Also,
contribution
can be made to size reduction of the milk meter 1 as a result.
0043
The metering chamber Rm has an upper face portion Rmu formed into an inclined
face with the peripheral face portion side being lowered and a lower face
portion Rmd
formed into an inclined face with the peripheral face portion side being
raised. As a
result, the inside of the metering chamber Rm has a shape vertically
surrounded by
tapered faces, and even if the metering container portion 2 (the milk-meter
main body
lm) is in an inclined state when the milk M is stored in the metering chamber
Rm, a
layer of air A is not generated and even if the metering container portion 2
(the
milk-meter main body lm) is in an inclined state when the milk M is discharged
from
the metering chamber Rm, the milk M does not remain therein. Therefore, the
inclination angle of this inclined face can be arbitrarily selected in
accordance with the
actual use environment. Since the inclination angle in the use environment of
the milk
meter 1 (the milk-meter main body lm) is usually approximately 15[ ] at the
largest, by
setting the angle of the inclined face with respect to the horizontal plane at
approximately 30[ ], it is sufficient in practical use.
0044
As described above, by providing the metering chamber Rm having the upper face
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
portion Rmu formed into an inclined face with the peripheral face portion side
being
lowered and the lower face portion Rmd formed into an inclined face with the
peripheral face portion side being raised, even if the milk meter 1 is
inclined in the
actual use environment (installation environment), a metering error caused by
inclination can be eliminated, and milk-amount metering with high accuracy can
be
made. Also, the range (applications) of the use environment (installation
environment)
can be dramatically expanded such that the milk meter can be attached to a
teat-cup
automatic removing device which is suspended by a stay through a hook and can
often
swing considerably during milking, whereby general versatility and convenience
can be
improved. Also, routing of pipelines such as a milk tube can be reduced, and
the milk
meter can be used as a portable (movable) type.
0045
Moreover, on the inner face in the peripheral face portion of the metering
chamber
Rm, four rectification piece portions 19 ... disposed at 90[ ] intervals in
the
circumferential direction are integrally formed as illustrated in Fig. 3. In
this case,
each of the rectification piece portions 19... is made to follow the axial
direction of the
metering chamber Rm and projected inward in the radial direction only by a
predetermined width. By providing such rectification piece portions 19 ...,
even if the
milk meter 1 is in an inclined state, when the milk M flows out of the outlet
2e, the milk
is rectified (regulated) by the rectification piece portions 19 ..., and thus,
the flow of the
milk M is not biased easily and can be made to flow into the gas-liquid mixing
buffer
chamber Rd smoothly. Also, by means of the rectification piece portions 19
..., the
milk M flowing out of the outlet 2e can be guided to a dividing opening 6i,
which will
be described later, efficiently and stably. For the outlet 2e disposed on the
lower part
of the metering chamber Rm, that is, at the center of the lower face portion
Rmd, a
diameter with which the milk M in the metering chamber Rm is discharged within
a
predetermined time Te is selected, considering a flow rate per unit time of
the milk M
21
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
flowing in from the inlet 2i.
0046
On the other hand, a valve mechanism portion 4 is disposed inside the metering
container portion 2. The valve mechanism portion 4 is provided with a pipe
shaft 11
which makes the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs communicate with the gas-
liquid
mixing buffer chamber Rd by being inserted through the outlet 2e and the
intermediate
opening 2m and having an upper end opening 11u faced with the upper end of the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and a lower end opening 11 d faced with the
gas-liquid
mixing buffer chamber Rd, a valve driving portion 12 that supports the upper
end of this
pipe shaft 11 and elevates up/down the pipe shaft 11, and a first valve 4u
provided on
the upper side of an outer peripheral face 11 f of the pipe shaft 11 located
in the metering
chamber Rm and a second valve 4d provided on the lower side of the outer
peripheral
face 11 The first valve 4u and the second valve 4d are both formed of an
elastic
material such as rubber. Reference numeral 21 denotes a fixing member that
fixes the
first valve 4u and the second valve 4d to the outer peripheral face 11 f of
the pipe shaft
11. As a result, the first valve 4u is made capable of opening/closing the
intermediate
opening 2m between the metering chamber Rm and the gas-liquid separation
chamber
Rs, and the second valve 4d is made capable of opening/closing the outlet 2e
between
the metering chamber Rm and the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd. By
providing
the valve mechanism portion 4 with the above configuration, the pipe shaft 11
can be
used for the both purposes of a valve driving shaft and an air-vent pipe, and
moreover,
the pipe shaft 11 can be used also as a valve driving shaft for both the first
valve 4u and
the second valve 4d, whereby, contribution can be made to simplification of
the
configuration, cost reduction and size reduction, which is an advantage.
0047
Also, the valve driving portion 12 is provided with a diaphragm portion 14
that
supports the upper end of the pipe shaft 11 through a supporting member 13 and
blocks
22
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs, that is, forms the upper face portion
Rsu of the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs by blocking a circular opening portion 2uh
disposed
in the upper face portion 2u of the metering container portion 2, and a
switching
chamber portion Re faced with the diaphragm portion 14 on the side opposite to
the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs. This switching chamber portion Re is
switched to a
vacuum pressure or an atmospheric pressure by means of control of a control
system 5
(Fig. 6), which will be described later. Reference numeral 22 denotes a
connection
port projecting from the switching chamber portion Rc. Moreover, the diaphragm
portion 14 is formed of vertically separated first diaphragm 14u and second
diaphragm
14d so as to realize stable elevation displacement, and the supporting member
13 is
joined to the central lower face of the second diaphragm 14d by forming the
upper end
opening 11u of the pipe shaft 11 in a non-blocked state. By providing the
valve
driving portion 12 with the above configuration, the vacuum pressure (vacuum
line)
used in the milking machine 51 (Fig. 7) can be used, and thus, contribution
can be made
to cost reduction and size reduction through simplification of the
configuration, which is
an advantage.
0048
As described above, in the milk meter 1 according to this embodiment, by
forming
the narrowed portions 2su and 2sd at least at two locations in the vertically
intermediate
portion of the peripheral face portion 2f in the metering container portion 2,
the space
below the lower (second) narrowed portion 2sd is formed into the gas-liquid
mixing
buffer chamber Rd, the space between the lower-side narrowed portion 2sd and
the
narrowed portion 2su located on the upper side of this narrowed portion 2sd
into the
metering chamber Rm, and the space above the upper-side narrowed portion 2su
into
the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs, respectively, and the inner peripheral
face of the
lower-side narrowed portion 2sd is formed into the outlet 2e and the inner
peripheral
face of the upper-side narrowed portion 2su into the intermediate opening 2m.
And
23
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
also, since the valve mechanism portion 4 having the first valve 4u capable of
opening/closing the intermediate opening 2m and the second valve 4d capable of
opening/closing the outlet 2e is provided, the milk M in the metering chamber
Rm can
be made to flow out quickly into the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd,
contribution
can be made to more efficient metering by means of reduction of the metering
time, and
the invention can be put into practice in an optimal mode in which the
metering
chamber Rm and the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd are linked to each
other,
whereby effectiveness and reliability of the functions of the gas-liquid
mixing buffer
chamber Rd can be further improved, which is an advantage.
0049
On one hand, the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd has an upper face portion
Rdu formed into an inclined face with the peripheral face portion side being
lowered
and a bottom face portion Rdd formed into an inclined face with the peripheral
face
portion side being raised, and the basic form is the same as that of the
metering chamber
Rm. Therefore, the inside of the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd has the
shape
vertically surrounded by tapered faces, and even if the metering container
portion 2
(milk-meter main body lm) is in an inclined state when the milk M is fed out
from the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, the milk M does not remain therein.
0050
On the other hand, in the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, a milk feeding-
out
portion 8 is provided having a feeding-out opening (first feeding-out opening)
8f which
allows the milk M to flow out at a flow rate not more than a predetermined
flow rate
(first flow rate) Qf and mixes it with the air A in the gas-liquid separation
chamber Rs
flowing in from the pipe shaft 11 and feeds it out. In this case, it is more
preferable
that the first feeding-out opening 8f that feeds out the milk M at the flow
rate not more
than the first flow rate Qf when the milk amount stored in the gas-liquid
mixing buffer
chamber Rd is not more than the predetermined amount and a second feeding-out
24
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
opening 8s that feeds out the milk M at a flow rate not less than Qr when the
stored milk
amount exceeds a predetermined amount are provided in the milk feeding-out
portion 8
and set so that the condition of Qf < Qr is satisfied. Since the lower face
portion 2d of
the metering container portion 2 is the bottom face portion Rdd of the gas-
liquid mixing
buffer chamber Rd, the milk feeding-out portion 8 can be provided by a
cylindrical
buffer cylinder 23 standing from the center of this bottom face portion Rdd.
This
buffer cylinder 23 has an upper end opening 23u faced with the inside and a
lower end
opening 23d side projecting downward from the bottom face portion Rdd and
faced
with the outside.
0051
As a result, the upper end opening 23u of the buffer cylinder 23 can be made
to
function as the second feeding-out opening 8s of the milk feeding-out portion
8 and also
can be made to function as the first feeding-out opening 8f of the milk
feeding-out
portion 8 by forming one slit portion 23s extending from the upper end to the
position
of the bottom face portion Rdd in the axial direction on the peripheral face
portion of
the buffer cylinder 23. Therefore, the first feeding-out opening 8f allows the
milk M
flows out the liquid level Mu of the stored milk M is not more than the height
of the
upper end opening 23u of the buffer cylinder 23, that is, the milk M flows out
at a flow
rate not more than the first flow rate Qf when the stored milk amount is not
more than a
predetermined amount. At this time, the flow rate not more than the first flow
rate Qf
can be set by the opening area of the slit portion 23s, and the width of the
slit portion
23s is set to an opening area with which the full amount of the milk M at
arbitrary
inflow flowing in from the outlet 2e can be all fed out at least by the
subsequent inflow.
In the exemplified mode, the width of the slit portion 23s can be selected so
as to be 1/N
or less or more preferably 1/6 or less of the diameter (inner diameter) of the
buffer
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
cylinder 23. Also, the second feeding-out opening 8s allows the milk M flows
out the
liquid level Mu of the stored milk M exceeds the height of the upper end
opening 23u of
the buffer cylinder 23, that is, the milk M flows out at the flow rate not
less than the
flow rate Qr when the stored milk amount exceeds the predetermined amount. At
this
time, the flow rate not less than the flow rate Qr can be set by the opening
area of the
circular upper end opening 23u in the buffer cylinder 23.
0052
As described above, in providing the milk feeding-out portion 8, since it is
only
necessary to additionally provide the buffer cylinder 23 in the gas-liquid
mixing buffer
chamber Rd, the invention can be put into practice easily and with a low cost.
Such
buffer cylinder 23, that is, the milk feeding-out portion 8 can be put into
practice in
various forms. At this time, with regard to the first feeding-out opening 8f,
by using at
least one or more slit portions 23s ... and/or hole portions 23h ... formed in
the
peripheral face portion of the buffer cylinder 23, the milk feeding-out
portion 8 having
various feeding-out modes (feeding-out characteristics) can be provided
easily, and the
milk feeding-out portion 8 can be optimized easily by means of combining the
slit
portions 23s... and the hole portions 23h ... or moreover, by means of
combining the
quantities and the shapes thereof.
0053
By providing the milk feeding-out portion 8 having the feeding-out opening 8f
that
allows the milk M to flow out at a flow rate not more than the predetermined
flow rate
Qf and mixes it with the air A in the metering container portion 2 and feeds
it out in the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, a temporary blocked state of the milk
feeding
path (such as a milk tube) by the milk M generated when the valve mechanism
portion 4
is opened can be avoided, whereby nonconformity that pressure fluctuation
(pressure
impact) in the milk feeding line Lm is applied to a nipple can be eliminated,
a useless
26
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
stress factor to the cow C can be solved, and moreover, occurrence of garget
or the like
caused by intrusion of bacteria into the nipple can be solved, useless
occurrence of
bubbles can be suppressed, and furthermore, stable and well-balanced milk
feeding can
be ensured. Particularly, by providing the first feeding-out opening 8f that
feeds out
the milk M at the flow rate not more than the first flow rate Qf when the milk
amount
stored in the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd is not more than the
predetermined
amount and the second feeding-out opening 8s that feeds out the milk M at the
flow rate
not less than the second flow rate Qr when the stored milk amount exceeds the
predetermined amount in the milk feeding-out portion 6, even if the liquid
level Mu of
the milk M having flowed into the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd exceeds
a
so-called limit level due to the remaining milk M in the gas-liquid mixing
buffer
chamber Rd or the like, temporary overflow can be quickly solved by the second
feeding-out opening 8s.
0054
Also, the lower end opening 11 d of the pipe shaft 11 faced with the inside of
the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd is located immediately above the upper end
opening 23u of the buffer cylinder 23, and on the lower end of the pipe shaft
11, the
umbrella-shaped cover 17 is provided so that the milk M flowing out of the
outlet 2e
does not directly enter the milk feeding-out portion 8, that is, both the
first feeding-out
opening 8f and the second feeding-out opening 8s. The umbrella-shaped cover 17
is
formed having the tapered shape expanded on the lower side. As a result, the
upper
part of the upper end opening 23u of the buffer cylinder 23 is covered by the
umbrella-shaped cover 17, and nonconformity that the milk M having flowed out
of the
outlet 2e directly enters the milk feeding-out portion 8 can be avoided, and
the function
of once storing all the milk M having flowed out of the outlet 2e in the gas-
liquid
mixing buffer chamber Rd and of feeding it out from the milk feeding-out
portion 8
little by little can be reliably executed.
27
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
0055
Moreover, on the outer peripheral face of the umbrella-shaped cover 17, as
illustrated in Fig. 3, the four rectification piece portions 18 ... disposed
at 90[ ] intervals
are integrally formed. Each of the rectification piece portions 18 is made to
follow the
axial direction and projected outward in the radial direction only by a
predetermined
width. The position in the circumferential direction of each of the
rectification piece
portions 18 ... can be matched with the position of each of the above-
described
rectification piece portions 19 .... By providing such rectification piece
portions 18 ...,
even if the milk meter 1 is in an inclined state, when the milk M flows out of
the outlet
2e, the milk is rectified by the rectification piece portions 18 ..., and
thus, the flow of
the milk M is not biased easily and can be made to flow into the gas-liquid
mixing
buffer chamber Rd smoothly. Also, by means of the rectification piece portions
18 ...,
the milk M flowing out of the outlet 2e can be guided to the dividing opening
6i, which
will be described later, efficiently and stably. Both the rectification piece
portions 18
... and 19 ... may be provided as in the illustration or either of them may be
provided.
0056
Below an inner peripheral edge portion 2ep (Fig. 3) which forms the outlet 2e,
the
dividing opening 6i that samples a portion of the milk M flowing out of the
outlet 2e is
disposed, and the sampling means 6 that guides the milk M sampled by this
dividing
opening 6i to the outside of the metering container portion 2 is provided. As
a specific
form of the sampling means 6, as illustrated in Fig. 2, a dividing cylinder 7
that samples
a sample (milk M) by being integrally provided on the bottom face portion Rdd
of the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd which becomes the lower face portion 2d of
the
metering container portion 2 can be used. This dividing cylinder 7 stands from
the
bottom face portion Rdd, has a lower end opening 7d faced with the outside,
and an
upper end opening 7u faced with the inside. The upper end opening 7u is, as
illustrated in Fig. 1, located in the vicinity of the outlet 2e and also, as
illustrated in Fig.
28
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
3, located immediately below the inner peripheral edge portion 2ep which forms
the
outlet 2e and located in the vicinity of the center between the above-
described two
rectification piece portions 18 and 19. Moreover, the upper end opening 7u is,
as
illustrated in Fig. 1, inclined along the inclined face of the upper face
portion Rdu of the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, and in the upper end opening 7u, the slit-
shaped
dividing opening 6i is formed in the radial direction of the gas-liquid mixing
buffer
chamber Rd as illustrated in Fig. 3. As described above, in providing the
sampling
means 6, it can be integrated into the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd
located at the
lowermost part of the metering container portion 2, and thus, practice can be
facilitated
and contribution can be made to cost reduction.
0057
Also, the lower end opening 7d of the dividing cylinder 7 is projected
downward
from the lower face portion 2d and formed as a connection port to which a
sampling
tube 101 is connected. As a result, as illustrated in Fig. 1, to the lower end
opening 7d,
one end of the sampling tube 101 can be connected, and the other end of the
sampling
tube 101 can be connected to a container port 100i of a sample container 100
through a
connection pipe 102.
0058
As described above, if the dividing cylinder 7 which stands from the bottom
face
portion Rdd or the peripheral face portion of the gas-liquid mixing buffer
chamber Rd
and becomes the dividing opening 6i by having the upper end opening 7u faced
with the
inside and becomes the connection port to the sample container 100 side by
having the
lower end opening 7d faced with the outside is used as the sampling means 6,
the
sampling means can be put into practice by addition of a single component
having a
relatively simple shape to the bottom face portion Rdd or the peripheral face
portion of
the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, it can be practiced in an optimal
form from
the viewpoint of size reduction and cost reduction of the sampling means 6,
and
29
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
contribution can be made to durability and energy saving.
0059
On one hand, in the metering container portion 2, an air-supply cylinder
portion 15
is provided which stands upward from the upper face portion Rmu of the
metering
chamber Rm so as to allow the metering chamber Rm to communicate with the
gas-liquid separation chamber Rs by having the upper end opening 15u faced
with the
upper end of the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs. By providing such air-
supply
cylinder portion 15, the milk M in the metering chamber Rm can be made to flow
out of
the outlet 2e smoothly and quickly. Moreover, in the metering container
portion 2, a
liquid-level detection portion 3 faced with the inside of the air-supply
cylinder portion
15 is attached. For the liquid-level detection portion 3, three detection
electrodes 3a,
3b, and 3c (3c is a common electrode) disposed vertically separately and
detecting the
presence of the milk M by means of resistance of the milk M are used. The
detection
electrodes 3a and 3b are selected so that the liquid level Mu of the milk M or
particularly a predetermined position where the liquid level Mu excluding the
bubbles
Mb of the milk M is located above the metering chamber Rm can be selected or
preferably, as illustrated in Fig. 1, a position of storage from the lower
face portion of
the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs to a predetermined height can be detected
when
the milk M is stored in the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs from the metering
chamber
Rm. As described above, by having the liquid-level detection portion 3
(detection
electrodes 3a and 3b) faced with the inside of the air-supply cylinder portion
15,
detection can be made while an influence of useless waving, bubbling or the
like is
avoided. Also, by using the detection electrodes 3a .. for the liquid-level
detection
portion 3, the invention can be put into practice with a relatively simple
structure and a
low cost, and presence of the milk M can be reliably detected.
0060
On the other hand, Fig. 6 illustrates the control system 5 connected to the
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
milk-meter main body lm. The control system 5 is provided with a system
controller
31 having a computing function that executes various types of control
processing,
calculation processing and the like. Therefore, in system memory built in the
system
controller 31, a control program 31p that executes a series of sequence
control relating
to milk-amount metering is stored, and various setting data 31 d including a
set time Ts
and the like, which will be described later, is set. On the other hand, a
detection
processing portion 32 is connected to an input port of the system controller
31, while
electromagnetic three-way valve 33 is connected to a control output port of
the system
controller 31. Also, to an input portion of the detection processing portion
32, the
detection electrodes 3a, 3b, and 3c are connected through a predetermined
connection
cable 34. This detection processing portion 32 has a function of detecting the
liquid
level Mu of the stored milk M by applying a predetermined voltage to each of
the
detection electrodes 3a and 3b and detecting a change in a resistance value.
0061
The system controller 31 is provided with a detection cancellation function Fc
of
cancelling detection of the bubbles Mb by determining the magnitudes of liquid-
level
detection signals Sa and Sb. That is, the detection processing portion 32
outputs the
liquid-level detection signal Sa corresponding to a resistance value between
the
detection electrodes 3a and 3c and the liquid-level detection signal Sb
corresponding to
the resistance value between the detection electrodes 3b and 3c, and they are
given to
the system controller 31. In this case, if a liquid portion of the milk M is
present
between the detection electrodes 3a and 3b, the detection electrode 3a detects
a
resistance value including the bubbles Mb, and the detection electrode 3b
detects a
resistance value only of the liquid portion of the milk M. However, since the
resistance value including the bubbles Mb and the resistance value only of the
liquid
portion of the milk M are different from each other, the system controller 31
compares
the resistance values, and if a difference between the resistance values is
not less than a
31
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
predetermined magnitude, it is determined that the liquid level Mu is present
between
the detection electrodes 3a and 3b, and the detection is invalidated by the
detection
cancellation function Fc.
0062
The control system 5 configured as above is provided with a function of
controlling the valve mechanism portion 4, that is, of closing the first valve
4u, opening
the second valve 4d, opening the first valve 4u according to a predetermined
return
condition, and closing the second valve 4d at least if the above-described
detection
electrode 3a of the liquid-level detection portion 3 detects the liquid level
Mu.
0063
Also, the connection port 22 projecting from the switching chamber portion Rc
is
connected to a common port 33o of the electromagnetic three-way valve 33
through a
vacuum tube 35, and moreover, one branch port 33a of the electromagnetic three-
way
valve 33 is connected to a vacuum tube (vacuum pump) 71, while the other
branch port
33b of the electromagnetic three-way valve 33 is opened to the atmospheric
air. As a
result, by means of switching control of the electromagnetic three-way valve
33, the
above-described switching chamber portion Rc can be switched to a vacuum state
or an
atmospheric air state.
0064
On the one hand, for a predetermined return condition for opening the first
valve
4u and closing the second valve 4d after the first valve 4u is closed and the
second valve
4d is opened, elapse of the set time Ts set in advance or detection of end of
discharge of
the milk M from the outlet 2e can be used. In this embodiment, the elapse of
the set
time Ts set in advance is set as the return condition. In this case, the set
time Ts is set
so as to be longer than the above-described predetermined time Te. As
described
above, by employing the control so that the first valve 4u is opened and the
second
valve 4d is closed when the set time Ts set in advance has elapsed as the
predetermined
32
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
return condition, the number of components is decreased and control can be
facilitated,
and thus, the invention can be put into practice with a low cost. On the other
hand, as
the predetermined return condition, control can be executed so that the first
valve 4u is
opened and the second valve 4d is closed upon detection of end of discharge of
the milk
M from the outlet 2e. In this case, it is only necessary that a detection.
portion similar
to the above-described liquid-level detection portion 3 formed of the
detection
electrodes 3a ... is attached to the outlet 2e, for example. By using the
control that the
first valve 4u is opened and the second valve 4d is closed upon detection of
the end of
discharge of the milk M form the outlet 2e as the predetermined return
condition, return
can be realized quickly, metering time is reduced, and efficient metering can
be
performed.
0065
Subsequently, a use method and an operation (function) of the milk meter 1
according to this embodiment will be described by referring to Figs. 1 to 9.
0066
The milk-meter main body lm in the milk meter 1 can, as illustrated in Fig. 5,
be
attached to the back face (outer face) of a teat-cup automatic removing device
52
provided in the milking machine 51. Therefore, this milking machine 51
includes the
teat-cup automatic removing device 52 and a conveying machine 63, which will
be
described later. The milk meter 1 (the milk-meter main body lm) according to
this
embodiment can be attached even to the teat-cup automatic removing device 52
which
often swings considerably during milking and has been considered that
attachment
thereto is difficult. In this case, the teat-cup automatic removing device 52
incorporates the system controller 31, the detection processing portion 32,
and the
electromagnetic three-way valve 33 in the control system 5 provided in the
milk meter 1.
As described above, by attaching the milk-meter main body I m to the back face
of the
teat-cup automatic removing device 52 and by incorporating a part of or the
whole of
33
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
the control system 5 in the teat-cup automatic removing device 52, routing of
pipelines
or wiring can be reduced, and thus, contribution can be made to size reduction
of the
entirety. The teat-cup automatic removing device 52 has a device main body 53
having an external casing, a hook 54 projecting upward from the upper face of
this
device main body 53, and a wire guide pipe 55 projecting from the lower face
of the
device main body 53, and a removal wire 56 (Fig. 7) is fed out from the lower
end of
this wire guide pipe 55. The distal end of this removal wire 56 is connected
to a milk
claw 61 having four teat-cups 61c .... Therefore, inside the device main body
53, a
hoisting mechanism that hoists the removal wire 56 is provided.
0067
On the other hand, Fig. 7 illustrates an example of the milking device 50 that
uses
the milk meter 1. This milking device 50 is provided with the conveying
machine 63
that moves along a rail 62, and the milking machine 51 is mounted on this
conveying
machine 63. Also, by hooking a hook 54 to an arm stay 65 provided in the
conveying
machine 63, the teat-cup automatic removing device 52 is suspended. Fig. 7
illustrates
a state in which the cow C is milked by the milking machine 51, and four teat
cups 61c
... are attached to the cow C. In the milking device 50, raw milk (the milk M)
milked
by the teat cups 61c ... is supplied to the inlet 2i of the milk-meter main
body lm
through the milk tube 66 from the milk claw 61. Then, the milk M having passed
through the milk-meter main body lm is fed to a milk pipe 68 through a milk
tube 67
from a discharge opening 2t. Therefore, the milk tubes 66 and 67 form the milk
feeding line Lm which connects to the milk meter 1. Reference numeral 70
denotes a
vacuum pipe, reference numeral 71 denotes a vacuum tube that connects the
vacuum
pipe 70 side to the teat-cup automatic removing device 52 (Fig. 6), reference
numeral 72
denotes a vacuum tube that connects the teat-cup automatic removing device 52
and the
teat cups 61c ..., respectively. Also, as described above, each of the
detection
electrodes 3a ... is connected to the teat-cup automatic removing device 52
(detection
34
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
processing portion 32) side through the connection cable 34, and the switching
chamber
portion Rc (connection port 22) is connected to the teat-cup automatic
removing device
52 (the branch port 33a of the electromagnetic three-way valve 33) side
through the
vacuum tube 35 (Fig. 6).
0068
An operation of the milk meter 1 during milking will be described below in
accordance with the flowchart illustrated in Fig. 8 by referring to Fig. 9.
0069
During milking (metering), since the milked milk M is intermittently fed into
the
milk tube 66 in the milk feeding line Lm, the milk M flows into the metering
container
portion 2 from the inlet 2i (Step S l). In the beginning of inflow, the first
valve 4u and
the second valve 4d are located at lowered positions, the intermediate opening
2m is
open, and the outlet 2e is closed. The milk M having flowed in flows in the
spiral state
along the inner wall face of the peripheral face portion 2f in the gas-liquid
separation
chamber Rs as indicated by a solid-line arrow in Fig. 9(a). As a result,
favorable
gas-liquid separation (centrifugal separation) is performed, and when the milk
M falls
down the inner wall face of the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs, the flow
velocity is
reduced, and occurrence of the bubbles Mb or waving of the liquid level Mu
which
causes an error in milk-amount metering is largely reduced. At this time, the
separated
air A flows into the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd through the inside of
the pipe
shaft 11, and the milk M from which the air A has been separated flows into
the
metering chamber Rm through the intermediate opening 2m and is stored in the
metering chamber Rm (Step S2). Fig. 9(a) shows this state.
0070
As the inflow of the milk M progresses, the liquid level Mu of the stored milk
M
rises. If it rises to the position of the detection electrode 3b, a space
between the
detection electrodes 3b and 3c is brought into the ON state. Since bubbles Mb
are
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
usually present more or less on the liquid level Mu, if the liquid level Mu is
located
between the detection electrodes 3a and 3b as illustrated in Fig. 9(b), a
state in which
the detection electrode 3a is immersed in the bubbles Mb can occur. In this
case, the
liquid-level detection signal Sa indicating the resistance value between the
detection
electrodes 3a and 3c becomes larger than the liquid-level detection signal Sb
indicating
the resistance value between the detection electrodes 3a and 3c, and thus, the
space
between the detection electrodes 3b and 3c is not considered to be in the ON
state, and
the detection is cancelled by the detection cancellation function Fc. As a
result, the
error factor caused by the bubbles Mb is eliminated, and more accurate and
stable
milk-amount metering can be performed.
0071
On the contrary, if the liquid level Mu further rises and the liquid level Mu
rises to
a position where the detection electrode 3a is immersed in the milk M as
illustrated in
Fig. 9(c), the detection electrodes 3a and 3b are both immersed in the milk M
and thus,
the deviation between the liquid-level detection signals Sa and Sb falls under
a certain
allowable range. Therefore, the system controller 31 determines that the
liquid level
Mu has formally risen to the height of the detection electrode 3a and gives a
valve
switching signal Sc to the electromagnetic three-way valve 33. Accordingly,
the
electromagnetic three-way valve 33 is switched, and a vacuum pressure
(negative
pressure) is given to the switching chamber portion Rc (Steps S3 and S4). As a
result,
as illustrated in Fig. 9(c), the diaphragm portion 14 is displaced upward, and
moreover
the first valve 4u and the second valve 4d are also displaced at raised
positions, whereby,
the intermediate opening 2m is closed, and the outlet 2e is opened (Step S5).
0072
As a result, the milk M in the metering chamber Rm flows into the gas-liquid
mixing buffer chamber Rd through the outlet 2e (Step S6). At this time, since
the
diameter of the outlet 2e is selected so that the milk M in the metering
chamber Rm
36
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
flows out within the predetermined time Te, the milk M in the metering chamber
Rm
quickly flows out. Also, at this time, even if the milk meter 1 is in the
inclined state,
since the milk M is rectified by the rectification piece portions 19 ... and
18 ... when
the milk M flows out of the outlet 2e, the flow of the milk M is not easily
biased and
can be made to flow into the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd smoothly. The
milk
M having flowed out of the outlet 2e falls down on the peripheral face side of
the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd by means of the function of the umbrella-
shaped
cover 17, nonconformity that the milk M directly enters the milk feeding-out
portion 8,
that is, the first feeding-out opening 8f and the second feeding-out opening
8s is avoided,
and since it is set such that the liquid level Mu of the milk M stored in the
gas-liquid
mixing buffer chamber Rd does not exceed the upper end opening 23u (second
feeding-out opening 8s) of the buffer cylinder 23 in usual milking, all the
milk M
having flowed out of the outlet 2e is once stored in the gas-liquid mixing
buffer
chamber Rd and fed out of the first feeding-out opening 8f. Then, the milk M
in the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd flows out into the buffer cylinder 23
through the
slit 23s as illustrated in Fig. 9(c) and is mixed with the air A from the
upper end opening
23u so as to be fed out to the milk tube 67 on the downstream side through the
lower
end opening 23d (discharge opening 2t) of the buffer cylinder 23. In this
case, since
the opening area of the slit 23s is set so that the milk M flows out at a flow
rate not
more than the first flow rate Qf, the milk is fed out little by little at a
relaxed small flow
rate.
0073
Therefore, a temporary blocked state of the milk feeding path (milk tube and
the
like) by the milk M caused when the outlet 2e is opened is avoided. As a
result, since
nonconformity that pressure fluctuation (pressure impact) in the milk feeding
line Lm is
applied to a nipple can be eliminated, a useless stress factor to the cow C
can be solved,
and moreover, occurrence of garget or the like caused by intrusion of bacteria
into the
37
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
nipple can be solved and as the milk M can be fed out little by little to the
air A having
flowed out of the metering container portion 2, useless occurrence of bubbles
can be
suppressed, and furthermore, stable and well-balanced milk feeding can be
ensured.
0074
Moreover, as illustrated in Fig. 9(c), a portion of the milk M having flowed
out of
the outlet 2e is sampled from the dividing opening 6i in the dividing'
cylinder 7 and
supplied to the sample container 100 through the dividing cylinder 7, the
sampling tube
101, and the connection pipe 102. At this time, even if the milk meter 1 is in
the
inclined state, the milk M is rectified (regulated) by the rectification piece
portions 19
... and 18 ... when the milk M flows out of the outlet 2e, and thus, the flow
of the milk
M is not biased easily, and the milk M not less than a certain amount in the
milk M
flowing out of the outlet 2e can be guided to the dividing opening 6i.
efficiently and
stably, and surplus/shortage of sampling of the milk M can be avoided.
0075
As described above, by forming the narrowed portion 2sd at least at one spot
in the
vertically intermediate portion in the peripheral face portion 2f formed
cylindrically, by
disposing the dividing opening 6i that samples a portion of the milk M flowing
out of
the outlet 2e below the inner peripheral face of the narrowed portion 2sd, and
by
providing the sampling means 6 that guides the milk M sampled from this
dividing
opening 6i to the outside of the metering container portion 2, this sampling
means 6 can
be configured by using a part of the structure and the functions of the milk
meter 1 as
they are. Therefore, the sampling means 6 can be disposed inside the milk
meter 1,
size increase of the milk meter 1 can be avoided, and the invention can be put
into
practice with a low cost. Particularly, a part of the functions of the milk
meter 1 can be
used as they are. That is, since the sampling is made at the timing when the
valve
mechanism portion 4 is opened, the valve mechanism for the sampling is no
longer
necessary, and only by adding the above-described dividing cylinder 7 to the
main body
38
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
of the milk meter 1, sampling can be made by a small amount with predetermined
time
intervals in the milking period from start to end of the milking, and the
average milk M
can be sampled from the total amount of the milk M.
0076
On the other hand, when the milk M in the metering chamber Rm flows into the
gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, if the liquid level Mu of the milk M
having
flowed into the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd temporarily exceeds the
height of
the upper end opening 23u of the buffer cylinder 23 due to remaining of the
milk M in
the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd or the like, the milk M flows into the
buffer
cylinder 23 from the second feeding-out opening 8s at a flow rate not less
than Qr. In
this case, since the second feeding-out opening 8s becomes the upper end
opening 23u
of the buffer cylinder 23, the milk is made to flow out quickly at a large
flow rate, and
the temporary overflow is solved. When the liquid level Mu of the milk M falls
below
the height of the upper end opening 23u of the buffer cylinder 23, the outflow
from the
second feeding-out opening 23s stops, and the state returns to normal in which
the milk
flows out only of the first feeding-out opening 23f.
0077
Also, after the valve switching signal Sc is outputted, when the set time Ts
set in
advance has elapsed, the system controller 31 gives a valve return signal Sr
to the
electromagnetic three-way valve 33. Accordingly, the electromagnetic three-way
valve 33 is switched, and the vacuum pressure given to the switching chamber
portion
Rc is cancelled, and the switching chamber portion Rc returns to the
atmospheric
pressure (Steps S8 and S9). As a result, the diaphragm portion 14 is displaced
downward, and as illustrated in Fig. 9(d), the first valve 4u and the second
valve 4d
return to the lowered positions. The intermediate opening 2m is opened, and
the outlet
2e is closed, and thus, the milk M in the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs
flows into the
metering chamber Rm through the intermediate opening 2m (Step S 10). After
that, the
39
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
above operation (processing) is repeated until the milking is finished (Steps
S 11, S 1... ).
In the system controller 31, the total milk amount or moreover, the flow rate
(velocity)
and the like is acquired by calculation processing by counting the number of
metering
times by the metering chamber Rm.
0078
On one hand, the milk meter 1 according to this embodiment can be washed and
disinfected as follows. A system diagram of when the milk meter 1 is washed
and
disinfected is indicated by virtual lines in Fig. 5. When the milk meter 1 is
to be
washed and disinfected, the milking machine 51 is moved to a predetermined
washing
area, where the discharge opening 2t (milk tube 67) side of the milk meter 1
is
connected to the to the milk pipe 68, and the teat cups 61c ... are immersed
in a
washing liquid tank 200 which contains a washing liquid (disinfecting liquid).
Then,
by operating the milking machine 51, an automatic washing mode is executed,
and
automatic washing is performed in accordance with a washing program set in
advance.
During the automatic washing, the washing liquid (disinfecting liquid) in the
washing
liquid tank 200 is sucked from the teat cups 61c ... and flows into the gas-
liquid
separation chamber Rs from the inlet 2i of the milk meter 1 through the milk
claw 61,
the milk tube 66 and the like. At this time, by switching to an operation mode
of
closing the intermediate opening 2m by the valve mechanism portion 4, the gas-
liquid
separation chamber Rs is washed by the washing liquid, and the washing liquid
is stored
in the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and then, discharged from the upper
end
opening 15u of the air-supply cylinder portion 15. Also, the metering chamber
Rm,
the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, the dividing cylinder 7 and the like
are
washed by the washing liquid discharged from the upper end opening 15u, and
after that,
the washing liquid is discharged from the discharge opening 2t and the
discharged
washing liquid is returned to the washing liquid tank 200 through the milk
tube 67, the
milk pipe 68 and the like. On the other hand, by switching to an operation
mode of
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
opening the intermediate opening 2m by the valve mechanism portion 4, a state
in
which the washing liquid is filled in the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and
the
metering chamber Rm can be maintained. During the operation mode of closing
the
intermediate opening 2m by the valve mechanism portion 4, a liquid quality
(washing
state) can be measured. Therefore, in the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs, in
addition
to the detection electrodes 3a, 3b, and 3c, a temperature sensor, a pH sensor
and the like
are attached in advance. The washing (disinfection) includes a rinsing
process, an
alkali washing process, and an acid rinsing process, and a washing pattern in
which
processing time of each process and operation mode and the like are combined
is
executed.
0079
Thus, according to the milk meter 1 as above according to this embodiment,
since
the metering container portion 2 having the upper face portion Rmu formed into
the
inclined face with the peripheral face portion 2f side being lowered and the
lower face
portion Rind of the metering chamber Rm formed into the inclined face with the
peripheral face portion 2f side being raised, the valve mechanism portion 4
having the
first valve 4u capable of opening/closing the intermediate opening 2m between
the
metering chamber Rm and the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and the second
valve
4d capable of opening/closing the outlet 2e provided on the lower part of the
metering
chamber Rm, and the control system 5 that controls the valve mechanism portion
4 by
detection of the liquid level Mu by the liquid-level detection portion 3 are
provided,
even if the milk meter 1 is inclined in the actual use environment
(installation
environment), metering errors caused by inclination can be eliminated. As a
result,
milk-amount metering with high accuracy can be made, and in the exemplified
mode
(Fig. 1), the metering accuracy can be kept within approximately 5 [%]. Also,
since
no metering error caused by inclination of the milk meter 1 in the actual use
environment (installation environment) occurs, the milk meter can be attached
to the
41
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
teat-cup automatic removing device 52 or the like which is suspended by a stay
65
through a hook 53 and can often swing considerably during milking, the range
(applications) of the use environment (installation environment) can be
dramatically
expanded, whereby general versatility and convenience can be improved. Also,
routing of pipelines such as a milk tube 67... can be reduced, and the milk
meter can be
used as a portable (movable) type.
0080
Subsequently, the milk meter 1 according to a variation (second embodiment to
seventh embodiment) of the present invention will be described by referring to
Figs. 10
to 19.
0081
The milk meter 1 according to the second embodiment illustrated in Figs. 10
and
11 illustrates a mode provided with the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs and
the
metering chamber Rm similar to those in the milk meter 1 illustrated in Fig. 1
but not
provided with the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd and the sampling means
6.
Therefore, a milk receiving chamber Rr having the same diameter as that of the
outlet
2e is formed below the outlet 2e, and for the diameter of the outlet 2e, a
diameter with
which the milk M in the metering chamber Rm is discharged within the
predetermined
time Te is selected. In this case, the milk receiving chamber Rr has a simple
cylindrical shape, and the discharge opening 2t is provided in the lower end
of this milk
receiving chamber Rr. In Figs. 10 and 11, reference numeral 300 denotes a
cover
portion suspended and formed over a predetermined length downward from the
upper
face portion 2u of the metering container portion 2 (gas-liquid separation
chamber Rs)
and prevents the milk M from intruding into the upper end openings 1 lu and
15u by
covering the peripheries of the upper end opening 11 u of the pipe shaft 11
and the upper
end opening 15u of the air-supply cylinder portion 15. In Figs. 10 and 11, the
same
reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in Fig. 1 so as to
make the
42
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
configuration clear, and detailed description will be omitted.
0082
Even in such second embodiment, the inside of the metering chamber Rm has a
shape vertically surrounded by tapered faces, and in the actual use
environment, even if
the milk meter 1 is inclined, a metering error caused by inclination can be
eliminated,
and milk-amount metering with high accuracy can be made and also, since a
metering
error caused by inclination of the milk meter 1 in the actual use environment
does not
occur, the range (application) of the use environment can be dramatically
expanded, and
general-versatility and convenience can be improved. Also, the basic working
effects
that routing of pipelines such as a milk tube can be reduced, and the milk
meter can be
used as a portable type similar to the embodiment in Fig. 1 can be enjoyed.
Particularly, since the milk receiving chamber Rr having the same diameter as
that of
the outlet 2e is formed downward from the outlet 2e, and for the diameter of
this outlet
2e, a diameter with which the milk M in the metering chamber Rm is discharged
in the
predetermined time Te is set, the milk M in the metering chamber Rm can be
discharged
quickly, and as a result, the metering time is reduced, efficient metering can
be made,
and contribution can be also made to reduction in the capacity of the metering
chamber
Rm.
0083
The milk meter 1 according to a third embodiment illustrated in Fig. 12 is a
device
in which a second liquid-level detection portion 3a is added to the peripheral
face
portion 2f of the gas-liquid separation chamber Rs. The configuration of the
liquid-level detection portion 3s is also the same as that of the above-
described
liquid-level detection portion 3 and is formed of a pair of detection
electrodes 3bs and
3cs vertically separated and detecting the presence of the milk M by the
resistance of
the milk M. Therefore, a difference is only a mounting position which is above
the
liquid-level detection portion 3 and is separated only by a predetermined
height. In the
43
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
above-described milk meter 1 in Fig. 1, in the beginning of inflow of the milk
M into
the milk meter 1, the first valve 4u and the second valve 4d have been
displaced to the
lowered positions, but in the case of the third embodiment, the first valve 4u
and the
second valve 4d have been displaced to raised positions. As a result, before
the milk
M is made to flow into the metering chamber Rm, by having the milk stored to
the
position (Mus) of the second-liquid-level detection portion 3s in the gas-
liquid
separation chamber Rs, the milk M without any bubbles M can be supplied to the
metering chamber Rm. That is, in this case, if the second liquid-level
detection portion
3s detects the milk M, the first valve 4u and the second valve 4d are
displaced to the
lowered positions. As a result, the milk M begins to flow into the metering
chamber
Rm and also, in the inflow, the fact that the milk M is filled in the metering
chamber
Rm can be detected by the liquid-level detection portion 3 disposed on the
lower side,
and thus, if the milk M is detected by the liquid-level detection portion 3,
the first valve
4u and the second valve 4d are displaced to the raised positions so that the
milk M in
the metering chamber Rm is made to flow out of the outlet 2e. After that, the
operation in which this state is maintained until the liquid-level detection
portion 3s
disposed on the upper side detects the milk M, and if the liquid-level
detection portion
3s detects the milk M, the first valve 4u and the second valve 4d are
displaced to the
lowered positions is repeated. At this time, by setting an interval between
the
liquid-level detection portions 3 and 3s as appropriate, the above-described
control by
elapse of the set time Ts is no longer necessary.
0084
In such third embodiment, metering performances can be further improved such
that the milk M without any bubbles Mb can be stored in the metering chamber
Rm.
In the third embodiment, the control similar to that using only the liquid-
level detection
portion 3 (detection electrodes 3b and 3c) described above may be executed
using only
the liquid-level detection portion 3s (detection electrodes 3bs and 3cs).
Therefore, in
44
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
this case, the liquid-level detection portion 3 (detection electrodes 3b and
3c) in Fig. 12
is no longer necessary. Also, either of the liquid-level detection portion 3
or 3s is
selected and used in accordance with the amount of the bubbles Mb and the like
as
necessary and the control similar to that using only the above-described
liquid-level
detection portion 3 (detection electrodes 3b and 3c) may be executed.
Moreover, it is
possible to provide position (height) adjusting means of the liquid-level
detection
portion 3 and 3s as necessary. In Fig. 12, the same reference numerals are
given to the
same portions as those in Fig. 10 so as to make the configuration clear, and
detailed
description will be omitted.
0085
The milk teeter 1 according to a fourth embodiment illustrated in Figs. 13 and
14
has a flow-collecting piece portion 7c which guides a portion of the milk M
flowing out
of the outlet 2e to the dividing opening 6i provided on the dividing cylinder
7 by
surrounding a part of the periphery of the dividing opening 6i. In this case,
the
flow-collecting piece portion 7c is formed into a semi-cylindrical shape and
disposed on
the center side of the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd, and the upper end
is made
to stand up to the height close to inner peripheral edge portion 2ep which
forms the
outlet 2e. At this time, a portion in the flow-collecting piece portion 7c
interfering
with the inner peripheral face of the outlet 2e is notched. As a result, even
if the milk
meter 1 is in the inclined state, a constant amount or more of the milk M
flowing out of
the outlet 2e can be received by the flow-collecting piece portion 7c
efficiently and
stably, and nonconformity of insufficient sampling can be avoided.
0086
Since this flow-collecting piece portion 7c is provided as a measure against
the
inclined state of the milk meter 1, if such flow-collecting piece portion 7c
is to be
provided, the above-described rectification piece portions 19 ... and 18 ...
can be
omitted. Therefore, Figs. 13 and 14 illustrate the case in which the
rectification piece
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
portions 19 ... and 18 ... are omitted. In addition to the provision of the
flow-collecting piece portion 7c, the rectification piece portions 19 ...
and/or 18 ... may
be provided together. As a result, even if the milk meter 1 is in the inclined
state, the
advantage that the milk M flowing out of the outlet 2e is reliably guided to
the dividing
opening 6i can be further improved and the advantage that nonconformity of
surplus/shortage of sampling of the milk M can be avoided can be further
improved.
In Figs. 13 and 14, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions
as those
in Figs. 1 and 3 so as to make the configuration clear, and detailed
description will be
omitted.
0087
The milk meter 1 according to a fifth embodiment illustrated in Figs. 15 and
16 has
the air outlet 7r capable of discharging the air A inside the dividing
cylinder 7 to the
outside of the dividing cylinder 7 when the milk M is sampled by the dividing
opening
6i provided on the dividing cylinder 7. In this case, the air outlet 7r is
formed, as
illustrated in Fig. 16, by extending the lower end of the slit-shaped dividing
opening 6i
formed in the inclined face further downward and forming the air outlet
continuously
over the peripheral face portion of the dividing cylinder 7. By providing such
air
outlet 7r, the air A in the dividing cylinder 7 can be discharged to the
outside through
this air outlet 7r, and thus, even if the opening area of the dividing opening
6i is small,
the milk M can be sampled stably and reliably. Particularly, by forming the
air outlet
7r continuously to the dividing opening 6i, it is only necessary to form only
one opening,
which can be put into practice easily. In Fig. 15, the path of the air A is
indicated by
dotted arrows and the path of the milk M by solid arrows. In Figs. 15 and 16,
the same
reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in Figs. 1 and 2 so
as to
make the configuration clear, and detailed description will be omitted.
0088
The milk meter 1 according to a sixth embodiment illustrated in Figs. 17 and
18
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CA 02753412 2011-08-23
also has the air outlet 7r capable of discharging the air A inside the
dividing cylinder 7
to the outside of the dividing cylinder 7 when the milk M is sampled by the
dividing
opening 6i provided on the dividing cylinder 7, but the sixth embodiment is
different
from the fifth embodiment in a point that the air outlet 7r is separately
formed so as to
be non-continuous to the dividing opening 6i. With the sixth embodiment, too,
the
basic working effects similar to the fifth embodiment can be enjoyed, and
particularly,
since the position (location) where the air outlet 7r is to be provided can be
arbitrarily
selected, design freedom can be improved, and at the same time, it has an
advantage that
interference with the dividing opening 6i, that is, inflow of the milk M from
the air
outlet 7r into the inside can be avoided. In Figs. 17 and 18, reference
character 7c
denotes a flow-collecting piece portion having the same function as that of
the
flow-collecting piece portion 7c illustrated in Fig. 13. In Figs. 17 and 18,
the same
reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in Figs. 1 and 2 so
as to
make the configuration clear, and detailed description will be omitted.
0089
The milk meter 1 according to a seventh embodiment illustrated in Fig. 19
illustrates a variation of the narrowed portions 2sd and 2su. With regard to
the milk
meter 1 illustrated in Fig. 1, the metering container portion 2 with a wall
portion having
a certain thickness is assumed, and if it is manufactured by a glass material
or the like,
the example of formation of the narrowed portions 2sd and 2su by drawing is
shown,
but if it is integrally molded by a plastic material or the like as in the
seventh
embodiment, the narrowed portions 2sd and 2su may be provided by forming
projecting
portions on the flat inner wall face of the metering container portion 2. Such
embodiment is also included in the concept of the narrowed portions 2sd and
2su.
Even in this case, the inclined upper face portion Rmu and the lower face
portion Rind
are provided above and below the metering chamber Rm so as to form metering
chamber Rm having the shape surrounded by upper and lower tapered faces. The
47
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working effects similar to those in the milk meter 1 illustrated in Fig. 1 can
be enjoyed.
In Fig. 19, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as
those in Fig. 1
so as to make the configuration clear, and detailed description will be
omitted.
0090
The preferred embodiments and variations (second to seventh embodiments) have
been described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to those
embodiments,
but arbitrary changes, addition or deletion in the configuration of the
details, shapes,
materials, quantities, methods and the like can be made within a range not
departing
from the gist of the present invention.
0091
For example, with regard to the inclined face having the peripheral face
portion 2f
side being lowered in the upper face portion Rmu of the metering chamber Rm
and the
inclined face having the peripheral face portion 2f side being raised in the
lower face
portion Rmd of the metering chamber Rm, the example of tapered formation is
shown
but it may be a curved face. Therefore, it may be so formed that the front
section is a
flat oval shape, and the mode of the inclined face is not limited to the
exemplified
illustration. Also, with regard to the valve mechanism portion 4, the example
in which
the pipe shaft 11 is used both as the valve driving shaft and the air-vent
pipe is shown,
but the valve driving shaft may be formed of a rod material and the air-vent
pipe may be
separately provided at another position. Moreover, the example in which the
valve
driving portion 12 is formed of the diaphragm portion 14 and the switching
chamber
portion Rc switched to the vacuum pressure or the atmospheric pressure is
exemplified,
but the diaphragm portion 14 may be directly displaced by an actuator such as
an
electromagnetic solenoid, an air cylinder or the like. On the one hand, the
example in
which the pair of detection electrodes 3a, 3b, and 3c are used as the liquid-
level
detection portion 3 (3s) is exemplified, but any liquid-level detection
portion on the
basis of other various principles such as mechanical type using a float or the
like, an
48
CA 02753412 2011-08-23
optical type using an optical sensor or the like, an electrostatic type which
detects
electrostatic change, an electromagnetic type which detects electromagnetic
change and
the like can be used as long as the position of the liquid level Mu can be
detected.
Also, the control system 5 may be attached to the milk-meter main body lm or
the like
by being separately formed of a control box or the like. On the other hand, as
the
sampling means 6, the example is shown in which the dividing cylinder 7 which
stands
from the bottom face portion Rdd of the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd
and
becomes the dividing opening 6i by having the upper end opening 7u faced with
the
inside and having the lower end opening 7d faced with the outside is used, but
the
dividing cylinder 7 may be bent in the middle part and made to stand from the
peripheral face portion of the gas-liquid mixing buffer chamber Rd or the milk
M may
be made to flow out to the outside using a semi-cylindrical channel extended
diagonally
so that a portion of the milk M flowing out of the outlet 2e can be received.
Industrial Applicability
0092
As described above, the milk meter 1 according to the present invention can be
used not only for the exemplified milking device 50 but also can be used by
being
installed for applications other than milking or in various locations for
installation
relating to milk-amount metering or the like of various animals.
49
