# US 2014/0190414 A1 · Autonomous device for executing one or more operations on or near the teats of a dairy animal for the purpose of milking the dairy animal and method of milking a dairy animal > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0190414 A1 - Document ID: US20140190414A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/205,394 - Filed: 2014-03-12 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-09-12 - Assignees: Lely Patent N.V. - Applicants: Lely Patent N.V. - Inventors: Karel VAN DEN BERG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140190414A1 ## CPC - A01J 5/003: Movable milking machines - A01J 5/0175: {Attaching of clusters} - A01J 7/04: for treatment of udders or teats, e.g. for cleaning - A01K 1/126: {Carousels} - A01J: MANUFACTURE OF DAIRY PRODUCTS - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS ## Abstract An autonomous device for executing one or more operations on or near the teats of a dairy animal for the purpose of milking the dairy animal, including a self-propelled wheeled undercarriage which can travel freely across a floor surface in at least two independent directions, and a robot arm which is fitted to the undercarriage and configured to execute the one or more operations on or near the teats of the dairy animal, the device configured to execute the one or more operations in a milking device with a milking floor on which the dairy animals are situated during milking, and the device being supported on a stationary pit floor during the execution of the one or more operations, which pit floor is at a lower level than the milking floor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An autonomous device for executing one or more operations on or near teats of a dairy animal for the purpose of milking the dairy animal, comprising: a self-propelled wheeled undercarriage which can travel across a floor surface, and a robot arm fitted to the undercarriage and configured to execute the one or more operations on or near the teats of the dairy animal, wherein the device is configured to execute the one or more operations in a milking device with a rotatable milking floor on which the dairy animals are situated during milking, and wherein the device is supported on a stationary pit floor during the execution of the one or more operations, which pit floor is situated at least 50 centimeters lower than the milking floor such that an average milker can carry out the operations required for milking on the dairy animal while standing on the pit floor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to execute one or more of the following operations on or near the teats of the dairy animal: cleaning and/or disinfecting the teats of a dairy animal; attaching one or more milking cups to one or more teats of a dairy animal; reattaching the one or more milking cups to one or more teats of a dairy animal; detaching the one or more milking cups from one or more teats of a dairy animal; and after-treating the teats of a dairy animal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm has a gripper for gripping a milking cup in order to be able to attach the milking cup to a teat of a dairy animal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to execute the operations on a dairy animal which is situated on the rotatable milking floor of the milking device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the milking floor is situated at least half a meter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm can move in a single, substantially vertical plane with respect to the undercarriage. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein the vertical plane is substantially perpendicular to a main direction of travel of the device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm is provided with a sensor or camera for determining the position of the teats of a dairy animal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to move along with the rotatable milking floor in a substantially tangential direction during the execution of the one or more operations. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises a control device to control movements of the device and/or to control the robot arm, and/or to control other functions of the device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A milking device which comprises several milking stations which each have one or more milking cups, and wherein the milking device has a rotatable milking floor on which the dairy animals are situated during milking, wherein the milking device furthermore comprises at least one milking pit with a stationary pit floor which is lower than the milking floor by at least 50 centimeters such that the operations on the dairy animal in the milking device which are necessary for milking are executable for an average milker while standing on the pit floor, wherein the milking device further comprises at least one autonomous device according to claim 1. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1, 11) The milking device according to claim 11, wherein the milking device comprises a plurality of autonomous devices according to claim 1. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The milking device according to claim 12, wherein each one of the plurality of moving autonomous devices is configured to attach one milking cup of a milking station to a teat of a dairy animal which is situated in the milking station. ### Claim 14 A method of milking a dairy animal comprising providing a milking device which comprises a plurality of milking stations, each of which has one or more milking cups, and wherein the milking device has a rotatable milking floor on which the dairy animals are situated during milking, wherein the milking device furthermore comprises at least one milking pit with a stationary pit floor which is situated at a lower level than the milking floor, the method further comprising: providing an autonomous device for executing one or more operations on or near the teats of a dairy animal for the purpose of milking the dairy animal, wherein the autonomous device comprises a self-propelled wheeled undercarriage which can move on the pit floor, and a robot arm which is fitted to the undercarriage and configured to execute the one or more operations, wherein the autonomous device executes the one or more operations while the self-propelled wheeled undercarriage is supported on the pit floor, and milking the dairy animal.