Automatic milking apparatus
AssigneeBritish Technology Group Limited
InventorTony K. Griffin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic milking system milks cows using a combination of hydraulic and conventional milking techniques. The system has at least one teat cup which is placed over a cow's teat. Pressure in the teat cup is controlled to induce milking of the teat. The system has a regulator which maintains the pressure in the uppermost region of the teat cup at approximately atmospheric pressure throughout the milking process. In this way, discomfort to the cow and other adverse effects of the milking process can be avoided.
Claims18
An automatic milking apparatus or performing a milking process, said apparatus comprising:
- a teat liner having an uppermost region and a body region below said uppermost region;
- and
- regulating means for altering a pressure of only said uppermost region to maintain said uppermost region pressure at a substantially atmospheric level during said milking process.
A method of automatic milking in an automatic milking apparatus comprising teat liners having a body portion, said method comprising the steps of:
- substantially eliminating air passages to said body portion, thereby providing a hydraulic milking process;
- and
- admitting air to said body portion, thereby providing a conventional milking process.
An automatic milking apparatus for performing a milking process, said apparatus comprising:
- a teat liner having an uppermost region and a body region below said uppermost region;
- and
- regulating means for maintaining a pressure differential in said teat liner by altering a pressure of said uppermost region to maintain only said uppermost region pressure at a substantially atmospheric level when said body region is at a pressure substantially lower than said atmospheric level.
An automatic milking apparatus for performing a milking process, said apparatus comprising:
- a cluster of teat cups, each of said teat cups comprising a rigid outer casing and a flexible inner liner, said liner having an uppermost region and a barrel region;
- a pulsation chamber between said liner and said rigid outer casing of said teat cup;
- supply means for supplying air at atmospheric pressure during said milking process;
- and
- normally-closed one-way valve regulating means connected to said supply means and said uppermost liner region for opening automatically throughout said milking process in response to a positive pressure differential across said valve means from said supply means to said uppermost region, wherein
- said regulating means automatically maintains only said uppermost region at substantially atmospheric pressure throughout said milking process irrespective of whether said flexible liner is gripping a teat at said uppermost region or at said barrel region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.