Handling of teat cups

An arrangement for attaching teat cups (C1, C2, C3, C4) to the teats (T1, T2, T3, T4) of a milking animal (A), each teat cup having a teat-receiving end configured to receive one teat of the animal (A), the arrangement comprising:

• a teat cup magazine (120) configured to store teat cups (C1, C2, C3, C4);
• a gripper (140) configured to grip and remove the teat cups (C1, C2, C3, C4) from the teat cup magazine (120) and hold at least one removed teat cup (C1, C2) during transport thereof towards an udder (U) where the teats (T1, T2, T3, T4) are located;
• a robotic arm (150) carrying the gripper and configured to transport the gripper, gripping the at least one teat cup, between the teat cup magazine and the teats;
• a positioning element (130) configured to determine position estimates representing at least one spatial characteristic of the udder;
• and
• a control element (110) arranged to
• a) receive the determined position estimates, and
• b) after receiving the position estimates, control the robotic arm and the gripper element to i) grip the at least one teat cup in the teat cup magazine, and ii) attach the gripped at least one teat cup to one of the teats,
• wherein the control element is further configured to
• i) based on the at least one spatial characteristic of the udder represented by the received position estimates, determine a horizontal level (zC1, zC2) to grip the at least one teat cup, the horizontal level being determined relative to the at least one teat cup's teat-receiving end, and
• ii) control the robotic arm and the gripper element to grip the at least one teat cup in the teat cup magazine at the determined horizontal level, and remove the at least one teat cup from the teat cup magazine with the at least one teat cup gripped in the gripper element at the determined horizontal level relative to the a least one teat cup's teat-receiving end.

A method of attaching cups (C1, C2, C3, C4) to the teats (T1, T2, T3, T4) of a milking animal (A), each teat cup having a teat-receiving end configured to receive one teat of the animal (A), the method comprising:

• using a control element (120), receiving position estimates representing at least one spatial characteristic of the udder (U);
• with the control element, controlling a gripper element (140) to grip and remove teat cups from a teat cup magazine (120) in which the teat cups (C1, C2, C3, C4) are stored;
• with the control element, controlling the gripper element (140) to hold at least one teat cup (C1, C2) during transport thereof towards an udder (U) where the teats (T1, T2, T3, T4) are located;
• and
• with the control element, controlling a robotic arm (150) carrying the gripper element (140) to transport the gripper element (140), gripping the at least one teat cup (C1, C2), between the teat cup magazine (120) and the teats (T1, T2, T3, T4),
• wherein in said step of controlling the gripper element to grip and remove teat cups from a teat cup magazine, the robotic arm and the gripper element are controlled, based on the position estimates, to have the gripper element grip the at least one teat cup, located in the teat cup magazine, at a determined level of the at least one teat cup, in such a manner that the teat-receiving end of the at least one teat cup attains a horizontal level (zC1, zC2) in the gripper element, which horizontal level (zC1, zC2) is adapted to the at least one spatial characteristic of the udder (U) represented by the position estimates.

A non-transitory computer readable medium (M) with a computer-executable program recorded thereon, when executed on a control computer, the program causing the control computer to control a method of attaching cups (C1, C2, C3, C4) to the teats (T1, T2, T3, T4) of a milking animal (A), each teat cup having a teat-receiving end configured to receive one teat of the animal (A), by the control computer executing the steps of:

• receiving position estimates representing at least one spatial characteristic of the udder (U);
• controlling a gripper element (140) to grip and remove teat cups from a teat cup magazine (120) in which the teat cups (C1, C2, C3, C4) are stored;
• controlling the gripper element (140) to hold at least one teat cup (C1, C2) during transport thereof towards an udder (U) where the teats (T1, T2, T3, T4) are located;
• and
• controlling a robotic arm (150) carrying the gripper element (140) to transport the gripper element (140), gripping the at least one teat cup (C1, C2), between the teat cup magazine (120) and the teats (T1, T2, T3, T4),
• wherein in said step of controlling the gripper element to grip and remove teat cups from a teat cup magazine, the robotic arm and the gripper element are controlled, based on the position estimates, to have the gripper element grip the at least one teat cup, located in the teat cup magazine, at a determined level of the at least one teat cup, in such a manner that the teat-receiving end of the at least one teat cup attains a horizontal level (zC1, zC2) in the gripper element, which horizontal level (zC1, zC2) is adapted to the at least one spatial characteristic of the udder (U) represented by the position estimates.