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US 12,733,620 B2Granted
Milk system for allowing attachment of teat cups
AssigneeDeLaval Holding AB
InventorsCharlotte Hallén Sandgren, Carl Oskar Paulrud
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A milk system, including a milk extracting arrangement; an animal identifier device; a milk flow meter; a time measurement device; and a database storing milk flow data. The milk flow data includes milk flow rates of a milk session; and a measured time period between milk sessions; and a control unit, configured to: obtain the milk flow data from the database; determine a criterion of the milk flow rates at a moment of the milk session; set the time period of a milk interval; and allow the milk extracting arrangement to attach the teat cups to the animal when the set time period has passed.
Claims13
A milk system (100), comprising:
- a milk extracting arrangement (110) configured to extract milk from an animal (101) during a milk session (220a, 220b, 220c) via teat cups (111), attached to teats of the animal (101) by a robotic arm (117);
- an animal identifier device (116) configured to determine identity of the animal (101);
- a milk flow meter (112) configured to measure a milk flow rate of the extracted milk of the animal (101) during the milk session (220a, 220b, 220c);
- a time measurement device (119) configured to measure time;
- a database (130), in which milk flow data (300, 400, 500) of the animal (101) is stored, the milk flow data (300, 400, 500) comprising:
- the milk flow rates (310a, 310b, 410a, 410b, 510a, 510b, 510c, 510d) of at least one of the teats during at least a commencing section (340a, 340b, 440a, 440b) of at least one said milk session (220a, 220b, 220c);
- and
- a measured time period (240a) between two consecutive said milk sessions (220a, 220b, 220c), associated with the respective milk flow rates (310a, 310b, 410a, 410b, 510a, 510b, 510c, 510d) of a later (220a, 220b, 220c) of the two consecutive milk sessions (220a, 220b, 220c) and an identity reference of the animal (101);
- and
- a control unit (120) communicatively connected to the milk extracting arrangement (110), the database (130), the animal identifier device (116), the time measurement device (119), and the milk flow meter (112), wherein the control unit (120) is configured to:
- obtain the milk flow rates (310a, 310b, 410a, 410b, 510a, 510b, 510c,510d) of at least one of the teats during at least the commencing section (340a, 340b, 440a, 440b) of at least one said milk session (220a, 220b, 220c) of the animal (101) from the database (130);
- determine a criterion (360a, 360b, 460a, 460b, 560a, 560b, 560c, 560d) based on the milk flow rates (310a, 310b, 410a, 410b, 510a, 510b, 510c, 510d) of at least one of the teats during at least the commencing section (340a, 340b, 440a, 440b) of at least one said milk session (220a, 220b, 220c) at a point in time (350a, 350b, 450a, 450b, 550a, 550b, 550c, 550d) of the commencing section (340a, 340b, 440a, 440b) of at least one said milk session (220b) of the animal (101);
- wherein the determined criterion (360a, 360b, 460a, 460b, 560a, 560b, 560c, 560d) comprises a gradient of the milk flow rates (310a, 310b, 410a, 410b, 510a, 510b, 510c, 510d) at the point in time (350a, 350b, 450a, 450b, 550a, 550b, 550c, 550d) of the commencing section (340a, 340b, 440a, 440b) of at least one said milk session (220b) of the animal (101);
- set a point in time of a subsequent milk permission (210c) between the a most recent said milk session (220b) and a subsequent milk session (220c) of the animal (101), based on the determined criterion (360a, 360b, 460a, 460b, 560a, 560b, 560c, 560d);
- and
- allow the robotic arm (117) of the milk extracting arrangement (110) to attach the teat cups (111) to the teats of the animal (101) when the set point in time of the subsequent milk permission (210c) has passed.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.