Milking device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10244732-B2
Application number	US-201314427514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2013
Priority date	Sep 14, 2012
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A milking device, including: a platform that is rotatable in a direction of rotation and includes an edge and a plurality of milking stations, and a milking mechanism for milking a dairy animal; a plurality of feeding troughs which are distributed along the edge, outside next to the platform on a fixed world frame and within reach of the dairy animals on the milking stations. The feeding troughs do not have to be made unnecessarily complicated and movable or foldable, so that reliability of in particular the feed portion of such a milking device can be improved.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A milking device, comprising:
a platform which is rotatable in a direction of rotation and includes an edge and a plurality of milking stations, and milking means for milking a dairy animal;
a plurality of feeding troughs which are distributed along the edge outside of the platform, and fixed on a fixed world frame and configured to be within reach of dairy animals on the milking stations; wherein the plurality of feeding troughs are not rotatable with the platform when the platform rotates.

2. A milking device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of milking stations includes the milking means for milking of a dairy animal.

3. A milking device according to claim 1 , wherein the platform is formed in a shape of a ring with an inner edge, the platform edge is the inner edge of the ring, and the platform has an adjoining access portion to allow the dairy animals to access and leave the platform.

4. A milking device according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of feeding troughs are substantially evenly distributed over the inner edge.

5. A milking device according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of feeding troughs are substantially evenly distributed along the outside of the platform, with the exception of the access portion.

6. A milking device according to claim 1 , wherein a number of the feeding troughs is substantially equal to a number of the milking stations.

7. A milking device according to claim 1 , wherein the platform is configured to continue to rotate a milking station stepwise.

8. A milking device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one, or each, of the feeding troughs comprises a trough-blocking means that blocks access to the feeding trough for at least part of a time during which the feeding trough is situated between two milking stations.

9. A milking device according to claim 1 , further comprising a fixedly arranged feed storage container and fixedly arranged and non-moving connections between the feed storage container and the feeding troughs.

10. A milking device according to claim 1 , further comprising a feed-supply device configured to supply feed to the plurality of feeding stations, comprising at least one feed storage container, at least one metering device, and a control unit for controlling the at least one metering device.

11. A milking device according to claim 10 , wherein the control unit is configured to supply to each dairy animal a predetermined amount of feed by providing a plurality of partial amounts using the at least one metering device, each partial amount in a different one of the plurality of feeding troughs and equal to the predetermined amount of feed when taken together.

12. A milking device according to claim 11 , further comprising an animal recognition device, configured to provide an animal identity signal to the control unit, wherein the control unit and/or the at least one metering device are configured to dispense an amount of feed on the basis of the animal identity signal.

13. A milking device according to claim 11 , wherein the control unit and/or the at least one metering device are configured to dispense substantially equal partial amounts, on the basis of the animal identity signal.

14. A milking device according to claim 11 , further comprising a residual feed-measuring device in at least one or each of the feeding troughs, which is configured to measure an amount of residual feed in the associated feeding trough and to emit a residual feed signal to the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to adjust the partial amount in at least one of the feeding troughs on the basis of at least one or each of the residual feed signals.

15. A milking device, comprising:
a platform rotatable in a direction of rotation, the platform including a plurality of milking stations; and
a plurality of feeding troughs fixed in place and distributed outside the platform and configured to be within reach of dairy animals on the milking stations,
wherein the plurality of feeding troughs are not rotatable with the platform when the platform rotates.

16. A milking device according to claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of milking stations includes milking cups for milking a dairy animal.

17. A milking device according to claim 15 , wherein the platform is formed in a shape of a ring with an inner edge and an outer edge, the platform edge is the inner edge of the ring, and the platform has an adjoining access portion to allow the dairy animals to access and leave the platform.

18. A milking device according to claim 17 , wherein the plurality of feeding troughs are substantially evenly distributed over the inner edge.

19. A milking device according to claim 15 , wherein the platform is configured to continue to rotate a milking station stepwise.

20. A milking device, comprising:
a platform rotatable in a direction of rotation, the platform including a plurality of milking stations;
a plurality of feeding troughs distributed outside the platform and configured to be within reach of dairy animals on the milking stations, the feeding troughs configured so as not to co-rotate with the platform.

21. A milking device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is configured so that each dairy animal may eat a partial amount of feed from a plurality of feeding troughs, and a sum of partial amounts of feed is a predetermined amount of feed.

Assignees

• Lely Patent Nv

Inventors

• Brummel Mark

Classifications

• A01K5/01

  Feed troughs; Feed pails · CPC title

• A01K5/0275

  with mechanisms for delivery of measured doses · CPC title

• A01K1/126 Primary

  Carousels · CPC title