Apparatus and method for automatically milking animals

Abstract

Apparatus and method for automatically milking animals such cows confined within a milking compartment. The milking apparatus includes four robotic arms for individually emplacing and removing teat cups from the animal's teats and a separate robot arm for scanning the animal's teats to effect a computer-controlled emplacement of the teat cups on the animals' teats. The detector includes a laser which beams through a window on the detector carried by an omnidirecting member having a four-bar parallelogram member whereby beams are both horizontally and vertically movable. A cleaning member for spraying cleaning fluid on the detector window is mounted on the milking compartment so that the fluid is sprayed on the window. The longitudinal sides of the milking compartment have spray members for cleaning the teat cups which, when not used for milking, are under the spraying members. The robotic arms for emplacing and removing the teat cups each contain cords attached to the teat cups by which they are drawn tautly against the robotic arms for emplacement and removal and played out so that the animal can move within limits after the teat cups are emplaced. Tubes for milk and operating vacuum that connect to the teat cups are mounted on each longitudinal side of a milking compartment so as to be outboard thereof, the tubes being curved in roughly "U" configurations to permit the animal to move within limits without dislodging the teat cups from the animal's teats.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.