Milking system and a method of controlling a milking system
AssigneeDeLaval Holding AB
InventorLukasz Bosek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A milking system configured to milk animals includes a milking station, a first milk tank, and a second milk tank, a controllable valve arrangement configured to open or close a first branch and to open or close a second branch of a milk transport conduit, to control to which tank that milk is transported, and a control device configured to control the controllable valve arrangement. The milking system includes a sensor configured to sense a property of milk present in the first milk tank or of milk flowing towards the first milk tank, or a sensor configured to sense a property of a cooling arrangement for controlling the temperature of the milk in the first milk tank. The control device is configured to control the controllable valve arrangement based on information from the sensor.
Claims20
A milking system configured to milk animals, said system comprising:
- at least one milking station;
- a first milk tank;
- a first cooling arrangement configured to cool the temperature of the milk in the first milk tank;
- a second milk tank;
- a milk transport conduit extending from the at least one milking station towards the first and second milk tanks and having a first branch extending to the first tank and a second branch extending to the second tank;
- a controllable valve arrangement configured to open or close the first branch and to open or close the second branch to control to which of the first milk tank and the second milk tank a milk flow is transported through one of said first and second branches;
- a controller configured to control the controllable valve arrangement;
- and
- at least one sensor located within the first milk tank or the first cooling arrangement and configured to sense a milk property of milk present in the first milk tank, or configured to sense a property of the first cooling arrangement, said at least one sensor being connected to the controller, the controller being configured to control the controllable valve arrangement in response to information from said at least one sensor to redirect the milk flow, ending the transport of the milk via the first branch to the first milk tank and redirecting the transport of the milk via second branch to the second milk tank, by the controller being configured to close the first branch and open the second branch as a response to the information from said at least one sensor indicating a deviation of the sensed property from a predetermined range.
A method of controlling a milking system configured to milk animals, said milking system including at least one milking station, a first milk tank, a second milk tank, a milk transport conduit extending from the at least one milking station towards the first and second milk tanks and having a first branch extending to the first tank and a second branch extending to the second tank, a controllable valve arrangement configured to open or close the first branch and to open or close the second branch to control to which of the first milk tank and the second milk tank milk is transported through one of said first and second branch, a controller device configured to control the controllable valve arrangement, and at least one sensor located within the first milk tank or a cooling arrangement configured to cool the temperature of the milk in the first milk tank, said method comprising:
- sensing one or more of:
- (i) a milk property of milk present in the first milk tank, and (ii) a property of the cooling arrangement configured to cool the temperature of the milk in the first milk tank;
- and
- controlling the controllable valve arrangement in response to information from said at least one sensor.
A milking system configured to milk animals, said system comprising:
- at least one milking station;
- a first milk tank;
- a second milk tank;
- a milk transport conduit extending from the at least one milking station towards the first and second milk tanks and having a first branch extending to the first tank and a second branch extending to the second tank;
- a controllable valve arrangement configured to open or close the first branch and to open or close the second branch to control to which of the first milk tank and the second milk tank a milk flow is transported through one of said first and second branches;
- a controller configured to control the controllable valve arrangement;
- and
- at least one sensor located within the first milk tank and configured to sense a milk property of milk present in the first milk tank, said at least one sensor comprising a sensor that senses a property that is indicative of the temperature of the milk in the first milk tank, and said at least one sensor being connected to the controller, the controller being configured to control the controllable valve arrangement in response to information from said at least one sensor to redirect the milk flow, ending the transport of the milk via the first branch to the first milk tank and redirecting the transport of the milk via the second branch to the second tank, by the controller being configured to close the first branch and open the second branch as a response to the information from said at least one sensor indicating a deviation of the sensed property from a predetermined range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.