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US 6,553,934 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for monitoring milking facility pulsation
AssigneeSenseability, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey W. Gentner, Martin Chandler Cooper
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSenseability, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey W. Gentner, Martin Chandler Cooper
Estimating the term…
A pulsator provides alternating vacuum pressure and atmospheric pressure to an elastomeric liner in a sleeve of a milking claw in a dairy barn. The purpose of pulsation is to alternate the cow teat between a milking phase and a rest phase. The invention monitors the operation of the pulsator to determine if the pulsator is operating satisfactorily. The invention records data during a calibration mode from the pulsator in normal operation. The data that is recorded is the duration of the milking phase and the rest phase and the associated pressures. During pulsator operation, the invention measures the pulsation between atmospheric and vacuum pressures provided to the milking claw and compares this measured data to the recorded calibration data. If the pulsator is not found to be operating within predetermined tolerances, then an indication of a pulsator malfunction is provided, typically in the form of a light located in the milking pen. This indicates to the milking crew that the pulsator requires attention and should not be used until properly fixed.
A method of monitoring the operation of a pulsator in a dairy barn milking system, the milking system having a milking claw with a milk line vacuum and a pulsation vacuum applied to the milking claw, the pulsator producing pressure changes in the pulsation vacuum applied to the milking claw, comprising the steps of:
An apparatus for monitoring the pulsation of a milking system in a dairy facility, the milking system comprising a milk vacuum line connected to a milking claw and a pulsation vacuum line connected to the milking claw and a pulsator for alternating the pressure in the pulsation vacuum line, comprising:
A pulsation system for use in a dairy barn, comprising:
A dairy barn milking facility, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.