Method and apparatus for detecting liner slips

An apparatus for detecting liner slips in a milking machine having at least one milking unit, each at least one milking unit having a clawpiece and a cluster of teat cups connected to the clawpiece, wherein each teat cup has a shell body and an internal flexible liner, said liner comprising a mouthpiece and a body part, whereby the liner extends through the bottom of the shell body as a short milk tube and is connected to the clawpiece and further, by way of a long milk tube, to a source of steady vacuum, an annular space located between the teat cup shell body and the teat cup liner being connected to the clawpiece by a pulse tube and further to a source of pulsating vacuum, said apparatus comprising:

• a pressure sensor located downstream of said long milk tube for continuously or discontinuously sensing the pressure of the milk-air mixture in the system downstream of said long milk tube, and
• a detecting means connected to said sensor arranged for detecting a liner slip in dependence of a predetermined change in said sensed pressure.

A method for detecting liner slips in a milking machine system having at least one milking unit, each of said at least one milking unit including a plurality of teat cups, each of said teat cups having a shell body and an internal flexible liner, said internal flexible liner comprising a mouthpiece and a body part, wherein each liner extends through the bottom of the respective shell body and is connected, by way of a respective long milk tube, to a source of steady vacuum, and a respective annular space, located between the shell body and the liner being connected to a source of pulsating vacuum, said method comprising the steps of:

• sensing the pressure in the system downstream of each of said long milk tubes,
• detecting a liner slip in dependence of a predetermined change in one of each sensed pressure, and further
• identifying a slipping liner by way of identifying said one of each sensed pressures.

An apparatus for detecting liner slips in a milking machine system having at least one milking unit, each at least one milking unit having a plurality of teat cups, each teat cup having a shell body and an internal flexible liner, said internal flexible liner comprising a mouthpiece and a body part, wherein each liner extends through the bottom of the respective shell body and is connected, by way of a respective long milk tube, to a source of steady vacuum, while the respective annular space, between the teat cup shell body and the liner, is connected to a source of pulsating vacuum, said apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of pressure sensors located downstream of each of said long milk tubes for continuously or discontinuously sensing the pressure in the system downstream of each of said long milk tubes, and
• a detecting means connected to said sensor arranged for detecting a liner slip in dependence of a predetermined change in one of each said sensed pressure and for identifying a slipping liner by way of identifying said one of each sensed pressures.

A method for detecting liner slips in a milking machine system having at least one milking unit, each of said at least one milking unit including a clawpiece and a cluster of teat cups connected to the clawpiece, wherein each teat cup has a shell body and an internal flexible liner, said liner comprising a mouthpiece and a body part, whereby the liner extends through the bottom of the shell body as a short milk tube and is connected to the clawpiece and further, by way of a long milk tube, to a source of steady vacuum, an annular space located between the teat cup shell body and the teat cup liner being connected to the clawpiece by a pulse tube and further to a source of pulsating vacuum, said method including the steps of:

• sensing the pressure in the system at the downstream end of said long milk tube, and
• detecting a liner slip in dependence of a predetermined change in said sensed pressure.

An apparatus for detecting liner slips in a milking machine having at least one milking unit, each at least one milking unit having a clawpiece and a cluster of teat cups connected to the clawpiece, wherein each teat cup has a shell body and an internal flexible liner, said liner comprising a mouthpiece and a body part, whereby the liner extends through the Bottom of the shell body as a short milk tube and is connected to the clawpiece and further, by way of a long milk tube, to a source of steady vacuum, an annular space located between the teat cup shell body and the teat cup liner being connected to the clawpiece by a pulse tube and further to a source of pulsating vacuum, said apparatus comprising:

• a pressure sensor located at the downstream end of said long milk tube for continuously or discontinuously sensing the pressure in the system at the downstream end of said long milk tube, and
• a detecting means connected to said sensor arranged for detecting a liner slip in dependence of a predetermined change in said sensed pressure.