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US 9,414,567 B2Granted
Rotary milking parlour and a method for such a rotary milking parlour
AssigneeDeLaval Holding AB
InventorHelmut Obermuller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A milking parlor and a method includes a rotary platform, plurality of milking stalls arranged on the rotary platform, a common milk line conducting milk from several milking stalls to a common milk tank, a local milk receiver for each milking stall and a valve member controlling the milk flow from the local milk receiver to the common milk line. The valve members are controlled such that all milk of acceptable quality from the local milk receiver is discharged, via the common milk line, to the common milk tank before milk of unacceptable quality is discharged from the local milk receivers to the common milk line during a milking period in the milking parlor between two following washing processes of the common milk line.
Claims20
A rotary milking parlour, comprising:
- a rotary platform (2);
- a plurality of milking stalls (3) arranged on the rotary platform (2);
- a common milk tank (32);
- at least one common milk line (27, 31) conducting milk from the milking stalls (3) to the common milk tank (32);
- a local milk line (22, 25a, 25b) connected to teat cups (10) at each milking stall (3) and that conducts milk from the teat cups (10) in each milking stall to the common milk line (27, 31);
- a detecting member (23a) at each milking stall that detects a quality of the milk at each respective milking stall;
- a local milk receiver (24) at each milking stall that collects the milk from the local milk line (22, 25a, 25b);
- a valve member (26) at each milking stall that controls milk flow from each local milk receiver (24) to the common milk line (27, 31);
- and
- a control unit (11) that
- i) controls each valve member (26) such that, for each respective milking stall with an animal being milked during a current milking process, the milk from that animal is retained in the respective local receiver (24) during a whole of the current milking process of that animal,
- ii) receives information about the quality of the milk from each respective detecting member (23a), and
- iii) during a milking period of the milking parlour extending between two following washing processes of the common milk line (27, 31), controls the valve member (26) of each respective milking stall to discharge milk of acceptable quality from each local milk receiver (24) via the common milk line (27, 31) to the common milk tank (32), before discharging any unacceptable quality milk from any local milk receiver (26) to the common milk line (27, 31).
10 more elements
A method for a rotary milking parlour, comprising:
- operating the rotary milking parlour for a milking period, the rotary milking parlour comprising a rotary platform (2);
- a plurality of milking stalls (3) arranged on the rotary platform (2);
- a common milk tank (32);
- at least one common milk line (27, 31) conducting milk from the milking stalls (3) to the common milk tank (32);
- a local milk line (22, 25a, 25b) connected to teat cups (10) at each milking stall (3) and that conducts milk from the teat cups (10) in the milking stall to the common milk line (27, 31);
- a detecting member (23a) at each milking stall that detects a quality of the milk at each respective milking stall;
- a local milk receiver (24) at each milking stall that collects the milk in the local milk line (22, 25a, 25b);
- a valve member (26) at each milking stall that controls milk flow from each local milk receiver (24) to the common milk line (27, 31);
- and a control unit (11), wherein the milking period extends between two following washing processes of the common milk line (27, 31);
- automatically, via the control unit, controlling each valve member (26) such that, for each respective milking stall with an animal being milked during a current milking process, the milk from that animal is retained in the respective local receiver (24) during a whole of the current milking process of that animal;
- automatically having the control unit receive information about the quality of the milk from each respective detecting member (23a);
- and
- automatically, via the control unit, controlling each valve member (26) during the milking period of the milking parlour extending between the two following washing processes of the common milk line (27, 31), by controlling the valve member (26) of each respective milking stall to discharge milk of acceptable quality from each local milk receiver (24) via the common milk line (27, 31) to the common milk tank (32), before discharging any unacceptable quality milk from any local milk receiver (24) to the common milk line (27, 31).
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.