Methods of and/or apparatus for milking animals
AssigneeAHI Operations Limited
InventorEvan M. Phillips
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Milking method and apparatus in which a diaphragm (8,29,39) interposed between a chamber (12,30,34) through which pulsation vacuum is applied to the outer cavity of a set of teat cups through a valve (11,6a, 7a, 33) and a further chamber (9) which is connected to the inner milking cavity of the teat cups so that the vacuum in the outer chamber is controlled by the valve (11,6a, 7a, 33) so as not to exceed and preferably to be equal to the vacuum in the milking cavity of the teat cup. The apparatus is provided in the milking machine claw and may be associated with one or two pulsators in that claw. Further valves (8,10a) prevent back flow from the claw to the teat cups.
Claims17
A method of milking animals comprising the steps of applying a milking vacuum to the interior of each of at least one set of teat cups, applying a pulsating pressure to the pulsation cavity of each said teat cup, maintaining said milking vacuum and said pulsating pressure separate from each other and controlling said pulsating pressure so that the minimum pulsating pressure is no less than the milking vacuum by causing a pressure sensitive member to be exposed on one surface thereof to said pulsating pressure and on an opposite surface thereof to said milking vacuum and controlling the positional variations of the pressure sensitive member relative to a valve seat engaging the pulsating pressure surface of the pressure sensitive member to control the minimum pulsating pressure to be not less than the pressure of said milking vacuum.
In an apparatus for milking animals including at least one set of teat cups to which in use a milking vacuum is applied to the interior milking cavities of each said teat cup and a pulsating pressure is applied to the pulsation cavity of each said teat cup;
- a hollow housing member, a pressure sensitive member supported within the said housing member and dividing the hollow interior thereof into at least one milking chamber and at least one separate pulsation chamber, means connecting said milking chamber to the milking cavities of said teat cups, means connecting said pulsation chamber to the pulsation cavities of said teat cups, means connecting said milking chamber to a milking vacuum line of the milking apparatus, means to connect said pulsation chamber to a source of pulsating pressure, said pressure sensitive member being exposed in use on one surface thereof to said milking vacuum and on the opposite surface to said pulsating pressure, said pulsating pressure being maintained separate from said milking vacuum;
- a valve member integral with said pressure sensitive member and a valve seat supported within said pulsation chamber in engagement with said valve member so that said pressure sensitive member controls said valve member in relation to said valve seat in use to provide that the minimum pulsating pressure is not less than the pressure of said milking vacuum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.