Automatic milk separation
AssigneeDeLaval Holding AB
InventorEpke Bosma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention, relates to separating a first quantity of milk drawn from a milking animal in an automatic milking machine from a second quantity of milk drawn from a milking animal in said milking machine. Comprising the steps of milking an animal using said automatic milking machine, collecting a small representative amount of said milk during said milking, analysing at least a part of said small representative amount of milk using an on-line cell counter for counting the number of cells in said milk, and operating a valve depending on the counted number of cells so that if the counted number of cells are below a threshold said milk is collected in a first container and if said counted number of cells are equal to or above said threshold said milk are directed to either a drain or a second container.
Claims7
A method for separating a first quantity of milk drawn from a milking animal in an automatic milking machine and a second quantity of milk drawn from the milking animal in said milking machine, comprising:
- milking an animal using said automatic milking machine,
- measuring a first indicator of mastitis during said milking, and only if said first indicator of mastitis indicates mastitis, measuring a second indicator of mastitis, said second indicator of mastitis not based on a milk quality measured by the first indicator, said measuring a second indicator of mastitis includes:
- analyzing at least a part of said first quantity of milk using an on-line cell counter for counting the number of cells in said first quantity of milk, and
- operating a valve in dependence on the counted number of cells so that if the counted number of cells is below a first threshold, said first quantity of milk is collected in a first container, and if said counted number of cells is equal to or above said first threshold, said first quantity of milk is directed to a drain or a second container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.