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AssigneeDairymaster
InventorsJohn Gerard DALY, Edmond Patrick HARTY, Shane Joseph BURNS
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus (3) for operating a rotary milking platform (1) to maximise the number of animals milked per unit time. The milking platform (1) is rotated about a central vertical axis (4) by a variable speed motor (6), and comprises a plurality of animal accommodating locations (5) for the animals being milked. An entry position (7) and an exit position (9) accommodate animals to and from the platform (1). A position sensor (10) monitors the angular position of the platform (1). An RFID sensor (12) reads the identity of animals entering the platform (1). Historical data relating to milking time per milking session and the milk yield per animal per session is stored in an electronic memory (17). A microprocessor (15) reads signals from flow meters (14) which monitor the milk flow from milking clusters of each animal accommodating location (5). The microprocessor (15) is configured as each animal enters the platform (1) to compute an optimum angular velocity for the platform (1) in order to maximise the number of animals milked per unit time. The optimum angular velocity is computed as a function of the historical data of each animal on the platform (1), and the current milk yield of each animal on the milking platform (1) determined from the flow meter (14).
1-112. (canceled)
A method for operating a rotary milking platform to maximise the number of animals milked per unit time on the platform, the platform comprising a plurality of animal accommodating locations circumferentially arranged around the platform, and each animal accommodating location is configured to pass through P positions between and including an entry position at which the respective animal accommodating locations are sequentially entered by the animals, and an exit position from which the respective animal accommodating locations are sequentially exited by the animals during each revolution of the platform, the method comprising computing the optimum angular velocity of the platform to maximise the number of animals milked per unit time as a function of historical data of each one of the animals currently on the platform, the historical data comprising at least one of the historical milking time per milking session to milk each one of the animals currently on the platform, and the historical milk yield per milking session of each one of the animals currently on the platform.
Apparatus for operating a rotary milking platform to maximise the number of animals milked per unit time, the apparatus comprising a signal processor configured to compute the optimum angular velocity of the platform to maximise the number of animals milked per unit time as a function of historical data of each one of the animals currently on the platform, the historical data comprising at least one of the historical milking time per milking session to milk each one of the animals currently on the platform, and the historical milk yield per milking session of each one of the animals currently on the platform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.