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AssigneeLely Research Holding AG
InventorsAlexander van der Lely, Karel van den Berg, Renatus Ignatius Josephus Fransen
Estimating the term…
An apparatus for the automated milking of animals, such as cows, which comprises a milking compartment and a milking robot associated with the milking compartment. The milking robot is provided with a controllable robot arm that connects and disconnects teat cups to and from the teats of an animal being milked. In one embodiment, the robot arm is suspended from a ball joint so that control of the robot arm is relatively simple, reliable and accurate. In another embodiment the robot arm is suspended from a rail disposed near the top of the milking compartment wherein the rail is pivotably connected to a further rail on top of the milking compartment so that it can be pivoted upwardly and downwardly by a piston and cylinder arrangement. In a third embodiment, the robot arm is suspended from a bearing having a vertical axis in the upper aspect of the milking compartment whereby the robot arm includes two tubes which may be telescoping to provide both horizontal and vertical movements which are used for positioning teat cups under the teats of the animal being milked so that they can be connected or disconnected therefrom and in the latter event moved outside of the milking compartment.
A construction for automatically milking animals, said construction comprising a milk box (1) with a milking robot (2), which is provided with a controllable robot arm (3) for connecting teat cups (4) to the teats of an animal (5) to be milked, characterized in that the robot arm (3) is suspended from a ball joint (7).
An apparatus for automatically milking animals which comprises a milking compartment, a milking robot including a controllable robot arm, teat cups for being automatically connected to the teats of an animal to be milked by said controllable robot arm, pivotable means comprising two parallel pivotable rail constructions, one said rail construction being in part pivotably connected with said milking compartment, said robot arm being suspended from a suspension element which is movable along and pivotably relative to said other rail construction.
An apparatus for automatically milking animals which comprises a milking compartment, a milking robot which is provided with a controllable robot arm, teat cups carried by said robot arm to be connected to the teats of an animal to be milked in said milking compartment, said robot arm being rotatably suspended to rotate about a substantially vertical axis which is located at least substantially as high as the adjacent height of an animal being milked in said milking compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.