US 2024/0298602 A1Published application

Milking system

AssigneeDeLaval Holding AB

InventorMats GUDMUNDSSON

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Abstract

A milking system includes teat cups connected to a respective milk evacuation tube; a vacuum pump; a milk tank; vacuum adjustment arrangements, configured to adjust an inlet vacuum pressure level, provided to the respectively associated teat cup; vacuum pressure sensors each configured to measure vacuum pressure under each teat; a processing device configured to: set an inlet vacuum pressure level; obtain measurements of a resulting vacuum pressure level of the associated teat cup; compare it with a desired milking vacuum pressure level; calculate an adjusted inlet vacuum pressure level to achieve the desired milking vacuum pressure level; and cause adjustment according to the respectively calculated adjustment, independently of an animal identity.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A milking system (100), comprising:

a plurality of teat cups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), each teat cup configured to fit on a respective teat (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) of an animal (200) during milk extraction in a milking session (400);
a plurality of milk evacuation tubes (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d), wherein each milk evacuation tube (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) is connected to a respective teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d);
a vacuum pump (140);
configured to generate a system vacuum pressure (Ps);
a milk tank (130), the milk tank (130) connected to each of the teat cups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) via the respective connected milk evacuation tube (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d), and also connected to the vacuum pump (140);
a plurality of vacuum adjustment arrangements (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d), each vacuum adjustment arrangement located along a respective one of the milk evacuation tubes (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) and associated with a respective one of the teat cups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), and each vacuum adjustment arrangement (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) being configured to adjust an inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) provided by the respective one of the milk evacuation tubes (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) to the respective teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d);
a plurality of vacuum pressure sensors (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d), each vacuum pressure sensor associated with one of the teat cups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) and configured to measure a vacuum pressure level (P2a, P2b, P2c, P2d) prevailing in the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) under one of the teats (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) during the milking session (400);
a processing device (170) communicatively connected to the vacuum adjustment arrangements (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d), and the vacuum pressure sensors (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d), wherein the processing device (170) is configured to:
generate a respective command to each vacuum adjustment arrangement (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d), to set the inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) provided by the respective one of the milk evacuation tubes (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) to an inlet milking vacuum pressure level (Pim) and provide the inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) to the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d);
obtain, repeatedly during the milking session (400), a measurement of the vacuum pressure level (P2a, P2b, P2c, P2d) prevailing in the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) under one of the teats (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) from the vacuum pressure sensor (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d) of the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d);
compare, repeatedly during the milking session (400), the obtained respective measurement of the vacuum pressure level (P2a, P2b, P2c, P2d) with a desired milking vacuum pressure level (Pm);
calculate, repeatedly during the milking session (400), an adjustment (ΔP) of the inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) to be provided by each respective vacuum adjustment arrangements (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d) to the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) in order to achieve the desired milking vacuum pressure level (Pm) in the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), based on the made comparison;
and
generate, repeatedly during the milking session (400), a respective command to each vacuum adjustment arrangement (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d), to adjust the inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) according to the respectively calculated adjustment (ΔP), thereby achieving the desired milking vacuum pressure level (Pm) at each respective associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), as measured by the respective vacuum pressure sensor (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d) under each of the teats (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) of the milking session (400), independently of an identity of the animal (200).

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A milking system (100), comprising:

a plurality of teat cups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), each teat cup configured to fit on a respective teat (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) of an animal (200) during milk extraction in a milking session (400);
a plurality of milk evacuation tubes (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d), wherein each milk evacuation tube (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) is connected to a respective teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d);
a vacuum pump (140);
configured to generate a system vacuum pressure (Ps);
a milk tank (130), the milk tank (130) connected to each of the teat cups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) via the respective connected milk evacuation tube (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d), and also connected to the vacuum pump (140);
a plurality of vacuum adjustment arrangements (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d), each vacuum adjustment arrangement located along a respective one of the milk evacuation tubes (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) and associated with a respective one of the teat cups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), and each vacuum adjustment arrangement (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) being configured to adjust an inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) provided by the respective one of the milk evacuation tubes (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) to the respective teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d);
a plurality of vacuum pressure sensors (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d), each vacuum pressure sensor associated with one of the teat cups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) and configured to measure a vacuum pressure level (P2a, P2b, P2c, P2d) prevailing in the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) under one of the teats (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) during the milking session (400);
a processing device (170) communicatively connected to the vacuum adjustment arrangements (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d), and the vacuum pressure sensors (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d), wherein the processing device (170) is configured to:
generate a respective command to each vacuum adjustment arrangement (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d), to set the inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) provided by the respective one of the milk evacuation tubes (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) to an inlet milking vacuum pressure level (Pim) and provide the inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) to the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d);
obtain, repeatedly during the milking session (400), a measurement of the vacuum pressure level (P2a, P2b, P2c, P2d) prevailing in the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) under one of the teats (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) from the vacuum pressure sensor (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d) of the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d);
compare, repeatedly during the milking session (400), the obtained respective measurement of the vacuum pressure level (P2a, P2b, P2c, P2d) with a desired milking vacuum pressure level (Pm);
calculate, repeatedly during the milking session (400), an adjustment (ΔP) of the inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) to be provided by each respective vacuum adjustment arrangements (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d) to the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) in order to achieve the desired milking vacuum pressure level (Pm) in the associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), based on the made comparison;
and
generate, repeatedly during the milking session (400), a respective command to each vacuum adjustment arrangement (150a, 150b, 150c, 150d), to adjust the inlet vacuum pressure level (P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d) according to the respectively calculated adjustment (ΔP), thereby achieving the desired milking vacuum pressure level (Pm) at each respective associated teat cup (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), as measured by the respective vacuum pressure sensor (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d) under each of the teats (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) of the milking session (400), independently of an identity of the animal (200).

11 more elements