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US 11,553,685 B2Granted
Control unit, method and computer program for a milking system
AssigneeDeLaval Holding AB
InventorCarl Oskar Paulrud
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic milking system controlled by receiving a parameter representing a measured flow of milk extracted from at least one teat of an udder of an animal being milked in a milking operation via at least one teatcup of the milking system, wherein the milking system is controlled to stop the milking operation based on a first criterion indicating that the flow has reached a decline phase, and a second criterion indicating that the flow decreases faster than a threshold slope, the milking operation being stopped in response to fulfillment of the second criterion on or after a point in time when the first criterion has been fulfilled. As a result, a particular amount of milk is left in the udder of the animal, irrespective of an overall milking time for the animal.
Claims19
An electronic control unit (150) for an automated milking system, the control unit (150) comprising:
- a processing circuitry, a data storage in communication with said processing circuitry, and interfaces configured to communicate with a flow meter, which registers a parameter representative of a measurement of flow f(t) of milk drawn from one or more teats of an udder (105) of an animal milked via one or more teatcups operated by the control unit in a milking operation, and also configured to communicate with and control the automated milking system, said data storage having a program code stored thereon that in operation causes the processing circuitry to:
- receive, during the milking operation, a series of values from the flow meter, each value representative of the measured flow of the milk being drawn from the animal at a point in time during the milking operation;
- determine, as a first criterion, whether said series of values received by the control unit from the flow meter during the milking operation indicates the milking operation has entered a decline phase, said decline phase defined as an interval of time where the measured flow of the milk during the milking operation as indicated by said series of values is decreasing with time;
- determine from said series of values, as a second criterion, whether a rate of decrease of the measured flow of the milk exceeds a decline threshold;
- determine from said series of values, as a third criterion, whether the measured flow of the milk is below a flow threshold;
- and
- generate and transmit a control signal (Ctrl) to the automated milking system that stops the automated milking system from extracting milk from the animal upon satisfaction of either of:
- i) both the first criterion, where said processing circuitry has determined that said series of values received by the control unit from the flow meter during the milking operation indicates the milking operation has entered the decline phase, and the second criterion, where said processing circuitry has determined that the rate of decrease of the measured flow of the milk exceeds the decline threshold, or
- ii) both the first criterion, where said processing circuitry has determined that said series of values received by the control unit from the flow meter during the milking operation indicates the milking operation has entered the decline phase, and the third criterion, where said processing circuitry has determined from said series of values that the measured flow of the milk is below the flow threshold.
6 more elements
An automatic milking method, comprising:
- receiving, at a control unit, a series of values from a flow meter, each value representative of a flow, measured by the flow meter, of milk being extracted from at least one teat of an udder (105) of an animal that is milked via one or more teatcups of an automated milking system during a milking operation;
- at the control unit, determining, as a first criterion, whether said series of values received by the control unit from the flow meter during the milking operation indicates the milking operation has entered a decline phase, said decline phase defined as an interval of time where the measured flow of the milk during the milking operation as indicated by said series of values is decreasing with time;
- when the first criterion is determined as satisfied when said series of values received by the control unit from the flow meter during the milking operation indicates the milking operation has entered the decline phase, determining, from said series of values at the control unit:
- as a second criterion, whether a rate of decrease of the measured flow of the milk exceeds a decline threshold, and
- as a third criterion, whether the measured flow of the milk is below a flow threshold;
- and controlling, by means of the control unit, the extraction of milk from the animal by way of the milking operation to be stopped upon satisfaction of either of:
- i) both the first criterion, where said control unit has determined that said series of values received by the control unit from the flow meter during the milking operation indicates the milking operation has entered the decline phase, and the second criterion, where said control unit has determined from said series of values that the rate of decrease of the measured flow exceeds the decline threshold, or
- ii) both the first criterion, where said control unit has determined that said series of values received by the control unit from the flow meter during the milking operation indicates the milking operation has entered the decline phase, and the third criterion, where said control unit has determined from said series of values that the measured flow of the milk is below the flow threshold.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.