Safety arrangement for a rotary milking parlour and a rotary milking parlour comprising such a safety arrangement

(canceled)

4:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 2, wherein both the first lateral side and the second lateral side are inclined, as seen in the plane of the stepping surface, such that the front side is narrower than a mid-portion of the stepping surface.

5:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the stepping surface is mirror-symmetrical in relation to a vertical mid-plane of the stepping surface, and wherein the first lateral side and the second lateral side are inclined at the same angle, as seen in the plane of the stepping surface in relation to an imaginary extension of the front side.

6:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 2, further comprising a bridge compensator arranged to be positioned on a lateral side of the stationary bridge in a space formed between the stationary bridge and the first lateral side of the stepping surface, which bridge compensator comprises an auxiliary stepping surface to support the dairy animals if accidentally stepping in said space.

7:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the stepping surface of the safety switch device comprises openings arranged at a front portion of the stepping surface adjacent the front side thereof, to allow manure to pass by the stepping surface.

8:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the front portion of the stepping surface is formed of spaced apart horizontal bars.

9:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a back portion of the of the stepping surface, at a distance further away from the rotary platform than the front portion, comprises a perforated steel plate.

10:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a proximity sensor, which is arranged to detect a sensor target, of which one of the sensor and the sensor target is stationary and arranged at a base of the safety switch device and the other of the sensor and the sensor target is arranged on the support structure, wherein the support structure is pivotally connected to the base at a pivot joint forming the pivot axis.

11:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the pivot axis of the support structure is arranged to be at a horizontal distance from the rotary platform, and wherein at least a major portion of the stepping surface is arranged to be positioned closer to the rotary platform in a horizontal direction than the pivot axis, such that a weight acting on top of said at least major portion of the stepping surface will not provoke a pivotal motion of the support structure.

12:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the stepping surface is configured to extend substantially horizontally towards the rotary platform from an upper end of the support structure.

13:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the stepping surface extends at a substantially right angle with respect to the support structure, and wherein the support structure extends substantially vertically from a base of the safety switch device.

15:

• The milking parlour according to claim 14, wherein the stationary bridge comprises an entry side arranged to allow entry of the dairy animals to the rotary platform and an exit side for allowing exiting of the dairy animals from the rotary platform and wherein the safety switch device is arranged adjacent to the exit side of the stationary bridge.

16:

• The milking parlour according to claim 14, wherein a front side of the stepping surface that faces a circumferential edge of the rotary platform is arranged at a distance of less than 75 mm from the circumferential edge of the rotary platform.

19:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the safety switch device further comprises a stopper to block the pivotal movement of the support structure at a certain tilting angle.

20:

• The safety arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the sensor is arranged to send the signal when the pivotal movement of the support structure about the pivot axis at least 5 degrees from the vertical direction.