Construction for automatically milking animals, such as cows

An apparatus for automatically milking animals, such as cows, in combination with and installed in a milking parlor, the apparatus comprising:

• teat cups and a robotic mechanism for automatically connecting and disconnecting said teat cups to and from the teats of the animal being milked, said robotic mechanism being powered by electricity from a power main;
• said milking parlor including at least one emergency device, said emergency device comprising an electrical energy source of electricity which automatically substitutes electricity therefrom for electricity from said power main in the event of failure of the latter, said emergency device having a capacity to operate said robotic mechanism for automatically milking animals received in said milking parlor for at least about twenty-four hours.

An apparatus for automatically milking cows comprising a plurality of components including components which are vital to the milking operations and components which are not vital to the milking operations, an emergency energy source for operating said components, a computer controlling the operations of said components, said computer including switching means for switching the energy sources for said components from a non-emergency energy source to said emergency energy source, said computer including means selectively rendering said components not vital to the milking operation inoperative when it switches the power source for operating said components from said non-emergency energy source to said emergency energy source.

An apparatus for automatically milking animals, such as cows, in combination with and installed in a milking parlor, the apparatus comprising:

• teat cups and a robotic mechanism for automatically connecting and disconnecting said teat cups to and from the teats of the animal being milked, said robotic mechanism being powered by electricity from a power main;
• a computer for controlling the apparatus, including controlling said robotic mechanism, said apparatus comprising a plurality of components including components which are not vital to the milking operations, said computer including means for selectively rendering said components which are not vital to the milking operation inoperative;
• said milking parlor including at least one emergency device, said emergency device comprising an electrical energy source of electricity which substitutes electricity therefrom for electricity from said power main in the event of failure of the latter.

An apparatus for automatically milking animals, such as cows, in combination with and installed in a milking parlor, the apparatus comprising:

• teat cups and a robotic mechanism for automatically connecting and disconnecting said teat cups to and from the teats of the animal being milked, said robotic mechanism being powered by electricity from a power main;
• said milking parlor including at least one emergency device comprising at least one battery for providing an electrical power supply to the apparatus in the event that electricity from the power main fails, said emergency device upon the occurence of said failure automatically causing said battery to provide electrical power to operate vital components of the apparatus and also causing components of the apparatus which are not vital to the milking apparatus to become inoperative.