Milking method and related apparatus

An automatic milking unit positioning device mounted on a base at the udder end of a dairy cow milking station, comprising:

• A. a gripper presented toward the udder of a cow to be milked,
• B. manipulator actuation means movably mounted on said base for moving the gripper between a milking position under a cow's udder and a retracted position,
• C. an attacher releasably held in the gripper beneath the udder of the cow to be milked having resilient support means,
• D. four teat cups adjustably mounted in a trapezoidal pattern in the resilient support means, each having a rigid shell enclosing a flexible internal teat-receiving inflation tube pulsingly expandable and contractable by external pressure or partial vacuum, surmounted by an upwardly open thin-walled flexible conical entrance portal facing a teat,
• E. a milk receiving claw manifold having an outlet port and four inlet nipples each connected by flexible conduit means to the lower end of the inflation tube of one of said teat cups,
• F. delivery conduit means connected to said outlet port for receiving and delivering milk from the outlet port of the claw manifold to a collection point,
• G. a controllable vacuum source for connection to the delivery conduit means, reducing pressure inside the claw manifold and the lower end of the inflation tube for delivering milk to the collection point, and for intermittent pulsing connection to the region inside the shell surrounding the inflation tube, producing pulsing milking expansion and contraction of the inflation tube,
• H. sensing means responsive to the positions of the teat cups and the cow's udder,
• I. and control circuitry means operatively connected to the sensing means, actuating the vacuum source for automatic engagement of the teat cups on the cow's udder, automatic pulsing milking action of the inflation tubes, and automatic collection of the milk delivered therefrom via the claw manifold, and automatic disengagement when the milking operation is completed.

An automatic milking unit positioning device for attaching milking machines to dairy cows in a plurality of adjacent milking stations, comprising:

• A. track means joining a plurality of milking stations each adjacent to one of a corresponding plurality of stalls accommodating cows to be milked,
• B. a travelling robotic manipulator movably mounted on said track means for movement between said milking stations, and having an attacher presented toward the udder of cow to be milked, and actuation means for moving the attacher between a milking position under a cow's udder and a retracted position,
• C. resilient support means incorporated in said attacher,
• D. four teat cups adjustably mounted in a trapezoidal pattern in the resilient support means, each having a rigid shell enclosing a flexible internal teat-receiving inflation tube pulsingly expandable and contractable by external pressure or partial vacuum, surmounted by an upwardly open thin-walled flexible conical entrance portal facing a teat,
• E. a milk receiving claw manifold having an outlet port and four inlet nipples each connected by flexible conduit means to the lower end of the inflation tube of one of said teat cups,
• F. delivery conduit means connected to said outlet port for receiving and delivering milk from the outlet port of the claw manifold to a collection point.
• G. a controllable vacuum source for connection to the delivery conduit means, reducing pressure inside the claw manifold and the lower end of the inflation tube for delivering milk to the collection point, and for intermittent pulsing connection to the region inside the shell surrounding the inflation tube, producing pulsing milking expansion and contraction of the inflation tube,
• H. sensing means responsive to the positions of the manipulator and the teat cup cluster and the cow's udder,
• I. and control circuitry means operatively connected to the sensing means and to the manipulator, actuating the manipulator and the vacuum source for automatic engagement of the teat cups on the cow's udder, automatic pulsing milking action of the inflation tubes, and automatic collection of the milk delivered therefrom via the claw manifold, and automatic disengagement when the milking operation is completed.

An automatic milking unit positioning device for attaching milking machines to dairy cows in a plurality of adjacent milking stations, comprising:

• A. track means joining a plurality of milking stations each adjacent to one of a corresponding plurality of stalls accommodating cows to be milked,
• B. a travelling robotic manipulator movably mounted on said track means for movement between said milking stations, and having a gripper presented toward the udder of a cow to be milked, and actuation means for moving the gripper between a milking position under a cow's udder and a retracted position,
• C. an attacher releasably held in the gripper beneath the udder of the cow to be milked having resilient support means,
• D. four teat cups adjustably mounted in a trapezoidal pattern in the resilient support means, each having a rigid shell enclosing a flexible internal teat-receiving inflation tube pulsingly expandable and contractable by external pressure or partial vacuum, surmounted by an upwardly open thin-walled flexible conical entrance portal facing a teat,
• E. a milk receiving claw manifold having an outlet port and four inlet nipples each connected by flexible conduit means to the lower end of the inflation tube of one of said teat cups,
• F. delivery conduit means connected to said outlet port for receiving and delivering milk from the outlet port of the claw manifold to a collection point,
• G. a controllable vacuum source for connection to the delivery conduit means, reducing pressure inside the claw manifold and the lower end of the inflation tube for delivering milk to the collection point, and for intermittent pulsing connection to the region inside the shell surrounding the inflation tube, producing pulsing milking expansion and contraction of the inflation tube,
• H. sensing means responsive to the positions of the manipulator and the teat cup cluster and the cow's udder,
• I. and control circuitry means operatively connected to the sensing means and to the manipulator, actuating the manipulator and the vacuum source for automatic engagement of the teat cups on the cow's udder, automatic pulsing milking action of the inflation tubes, and automatic collection of the milk delivered therefrom via the claw manifold, and automatic disengagement when the milking operation is completed.

A teat cup attaching means adapted for deployment under the udder of a cow to be milked, and capable of presenting four upright teat cups for engagement on the cow's udder, comprising:

• A. a central longitudinal support bar extending forward and rearward beyond both ends of the normal trapezoidal array of teats on the cow's udder,
• B. a pair of forward support members extending from the forward end of the support bar diagonally rearward and laterally outward, each terminating in a teat cup retaining means,
• C. a pair of rear support members extending from the rear end of the support bar diagonally forward and laterally outward, each terminating in a teat cup retaining means,
• D. the support members being relatively rigid vertically to resist downward deflection while simultaneously being relatively flexible laterally to permit lateral deflection,
• whereby the four teat cups are retained in a cluster at the apices of a generally horizontal trapezoid

A teat cup attaching means adapted for deployment under the udder of a cow to be milked, and capable of presenting four upright teat cups for engagement on the cow's udder, adapted to be supported by movable gripper means raising it into engagement with the cow's udder, and releasing it for milking, comprising:

• A. a pair of substantially parallel longitudinally elongated adjusting bars mounted for lateral movement toward and away from each other,
• B. a pair of forward U-shaped arms, concavely facing rearward, each having an inner end pivotally joined to the forward end of one adjusting bar and and an outer end spaced laterally outward therefrom provided with teat cup retaining means,
• C. a pair of rear U-shaped arms, concavely facing forward, each having an inner end pivotally joined to the rear end of one adjusting bar, and an outer end spaced laterally outward therefrom provided with teat cup retaining means,
• D. a forward link movably connecting the forward arms,
• E. a rear link movably connecting the rear arms,
• F. and adjusting means for changing the lateral spacing between the adjusting bars, thereby moving the U-shaped arms relative to the links to enlarge or reduce the spacing between the teat cups in the retaining means.

A claw manifold for incorporation in a milking machine for collecting milk received by four teat cups via hoses and delivering it through an outlet port via a delivery conduit to a collection point, comprising:

• A. a hollow claw housing enclosing a manifold chamber drained through said outlet port at one end of said chamber,
• B. a first pair of nipples, each connected by one said hose to a teat cup, opening into said chamber near said outlet port and oriented to deliver arriving milk streams along angularly converging streamlines toward said outlet port,
• C a second pair of nipples, each connected by one said hose to a teat cup, opening into said chamber at its opposite end and oriented to deliver arriving milk streams along streamlines angularly converging toward said opposite end,
• D. and milk stream deflecting surface means formed in said opposite chamber end receiving the converging milk streams and re-directing them toward said outlet port,
• whereby all four arriving milk streams converge at the outlet port in substantially streamline non-turbulent flow, minimizing foaming and turbulence in the milk collected by the claw manifold.

A method for simultaneously attaching a plurality of milking machine teat cups having upstanding conical entrance portals to the udder of a dairy cow restrained at a milking station, comprising the steps of:

• A. positioning the teat cups in a trapezoidal configuration free for lateral and longitudinal movement in a substantially horizontal plane while resisting displacement in vertical directions,
• B. connecting the teat cups to a vacuum source and to a milk collection point,
• C. raising the plurality of teat cups simultaneously to bring the teat cups into engagement with the cow's teats,
• D. while simultaneously actuating the vacuum source to draw the teat cups into engagement on respective teats, guided by the conical entrance portals slidingly co-acting with the teats and horizontally deflecting the teat cups,
• whereby individual manual attachment of each teat cup is avoided by simultaneous elevating self-guided movement of all teat cups into attached position ready for automatic milking to begin.

A method for simultaneously attaching a plurality of milking machine teat cups having upstanding conical entrance portals to the udder of a dairy cow restrained at a milking station, comprising the steps of:

• A. mounting the teat cups respectively at the free ends of flexible retainer arms which are relatively free for lateral and longitudinal movement in a substantially horizontal plane while being relatively rigid in resisting displacement in vertical directions,
• B. mounting the opposite ends of the retainer arms in an attacher deployable beneath the cow's udder,
• C. connecting the teat cups to a vacuum source and to a milk collection point,
• D. raising the attacher mounting the retainer arms to bring the teat cups into engagement with the cow's teats,
• E. while simultaneously actuating the vacuum source to draw the teat cups into engagement on respective teats, guided by the conical entrance portals slidingly co-acting with the teats and horizontally deflecting the teat cups by resiliently deflecting the flexible retainer arms horizontally,
• whereby individual manual attachment of each teat cup is avoided by simultaneous elevating self-guided movement of all teat cups into attached position ready for automatic milking to begin.