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US 6,279,507 B1Granted
Construction including an implement for automatically milking animals
OwnerCornelis van der Lely, Olaf van der Lelyinventors
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OwnerCornelis van der Lely, Olaf van der Lelyinventors
Estimating the term…
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, such as cows, which comprises teat cups for connection to the teats of the animal to be milked and separate cups for connection to the teats of the animal for the purpose of cleansing, disinfecting or foremilking the animal. The apparatus is further provided with a switching device for alternately connecting the teat cups and the separate cups to the animal's teats. Each set of cups has its own compartment for being cleaned by a fluid spray. The process is controlled and recorded for each animal or groups of animals in a computer in association with an animal identification system. Robot arms separately move each set of cups to and from the animal's teats and to and from their respective cleaning compartments, and a further robot arm has a detector such as a laser, ultrasonic sensor or camera mounted thereon for locating the animal's teats so that the two sets of cups can be connected and disconnected therefrom. While one set of cups is received by the animal's teats, the other cup set is being cleaned in their respective compartment.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises a plurality of teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and a separate plurality of cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, said plurality of teat cups being carried and movable together on an end of a robot arm.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, such as cows, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked, a first cleaning device and a second cleaning device respectively comprising spaces in which said teat cups and separate cups having a different function than said teat cups can be respectively cleansed.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises a robot arn, plurality of cups to be received by an animal to be milked that include teat cups which are carried and movable on as a group by said robot arm and are capable of being connected to the teats of said animal to be milked and separate cups for cleansing and disinfecting the teats and for foremilking of said animal to be milked, at least one of said cups being connected to flexible means for being moved to storage means after operation.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, such as cows, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked, separate cups for cleansing the teats of said animal to be milked and switch means with the aid of which during operation of said teat cups said separate cups can be cleaned.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, such as cows, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked, separate cups for cleansing the teats of said animal to be milked, and switch means with the aid of which during operation of said separate cups said teat cups can be cleaned.
An Apparatus for automatically milking animals which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and a separate plurality of cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milled and by means of which the animal's teats are cleaned, said plurality of cups being carried and movable as a group on an end of a robot arm.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, said separate cups including means for selectively disinfecting or foremilking or for accomplishing both functions.
An apparatus for milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, the apparatus further comprising switch means for switching said separate cups from a cleansing position into a foremilking position, the diameter of each of said separate cups being larger than the diameter of said teat cups.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teat's can be cleansed, said separate cups being provided in their upper aspects with enlarged contact faces which bear against the udder of the animal to be milked when said separate cups are connected to the teats of said animal to be milked.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, a conduit connected to said separate cups for selectively carrying a fluid selected from a group consisting of a cleaning fluid, a disinfecting fluid, foremilk, or hot water or a combination thereof, the apparatus further comprising pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure of fluid in said conduit.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked, separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can connected to the teats of an animal to be milked by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, a milking robot for said teat cups, a further robot for said separate cups and another robot having a detector mounted thereon for determining the position of the teats of animals to be milked, said detector comprising an ultrasonic sensor.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different that said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, the apparatus further comprising a milking robot for said teat cups, a further robot for said separate cups, and another robot having a detector mounted thereon for determining the position of teats of animals to be milked, said detector comprising a camera.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, the apparatus further comprising a cleaning device for cleaning said teat cups.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, the apparatus further comprising a cleaning device for cleaning said separate cups.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, the apparatus further comprising a first cleaning device for cleaning said teat cups and a second cleaning device for cleaning said separate cups.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals which comprises a plurality of cups to be received by an animal to be milked that include teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of said animal to be milked and separate cups for cleaning and disinfecting the teats and for foremilking of said animal to be milked, at least one of said cups being connected to flexible means for being moved to a storage means after operation, the apparatus further comprising cleaning means for said cups and switch means for activating said cleaning means for cleaning said teat cups when said separate cups are operative.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprise a plurality of cups to be received by an animal to be milked that include teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of the said animal to be milked and separate cups for cleaning and disinfecting the teats and for foremilking of said animal to be milked, at least one of said cups being connected to flexible means for being moved to storage means after operation, the apparatus further comprising cup cleaning means and switch means to activate cleaning said separate cups with said cups cleaning means when said teat cups are operative.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals, which comprises teat cups which are capable of being connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and separate cups having a function different than said teat cups and which can be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked and by means of which the animal's teats can be cleansed, the apparatus further comprising a computer and an animal identification system, said computer comprising a memory which is associated with said animal identification system and the action on each animal identified by said animal identification system by said teat cups and by said separate cups being recorded in said memory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.