Milking arrangement and a method of milking animals therein

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11304402-B2
Application number	US-201816638256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2018
Priority date	Oct 3, 2017
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

A milking arrangement includes a milking module having at least two milking places, a front gate assembly, a sequence gate assembly, an entrance gate, an independent first drive device for moving the front gate assembly between lower and upper positions, and a second drive device for moving the entrance gate between open and closed positions. An independent third drive device moves the sequence gate assembly from a first position to a second elevated position in which the sequence gates are located at a level above and behind animals standing in respective milking places. The sequence gate assembly being configured to move from the second position to the first position such that the sequence gates urge animals standing in their respective milking places to leave the milking places. A control arrangement controls opening of the entrance gate on basis of the position of the sequence gate assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A milking arrangement comprising:
at least one milking module comprising
at least two milking places arranged side by side after each other along a longitudinal axis, each milking place being configured to receive a respective animal to be milked,
a primary end and a secondary end opposite to the primary end, wherein the milking arrangement extends along the longitudinal axis from the primary end to the secondary end,
a front side and a rear side, the front side and the rear side both extending in parallel with the longitudinal axis,
a front gate assembly located at the front side and movable between i) a lower position in which the front gate assembly closes the front side to prevent the animals from leaving the respective milking place through the front side, and ii) an upper position, configured to permit the animals to leave the respective milking place through the front side,
a sequence gate assembly comprising at least two sequence gates provided between said front side and said rear side, wherein each of said at least two sequence gates, in a first positon of the sequence gate assembly, is pivotable between a closed position, in which each sequence gate defines a barrier against entrance into one of the at least two milking places, and an open position in which each sequence gate forms a side wall of the one milking place, and
an entrance gate provided in the primary end of the milking module, said entrance gate being movable between a closed position in which the entrance gate prevents animals from entering said at least one milking module and an open position in which the entrance gate allows animals to enter the milking module through the primary end;
an independent first drive device for moving the front gate assembly between the lower and upper positions;
a second drive device for moving the entrance gate between the open and closed positions;
an independent third drive device for moving the sequence gate assembly from said first position to a second position, which second position is an elevated position in which the at least two sequence gates are located at a level above and behind the animals standing in the respective milking places, wherein the sequence gate assembly is configured to move from said second position to the first position with the at least two sequence gates in their closed position such that the at least two sequence gates urge the animals standing in their respective milking places to move towards the front side and to leave the milking places through the front side; and
a control arrangement which is configured to control the opening of the entrance gate on basis of the position of the sequence gate assembly.

2. The milking arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein said control arrangement comprises a control unit which is configured to control operation of the entrance gate, the front gate assembly and the sequence gate assembly by controlling the operation of the first, second and third drive devices.

3. The milking arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a user interface by means of which a user controls operation of at least one of the first, second and third drive devices.

4. The milking arrangement according to claim 2 , further comprising a detector configured to provide the control unit with information indicative that the animals have reached their respective milking place and wherein the control unit is configured to control the third drive device to move the sequence gate assembly from the first position to the second position after receiving said information from said detector.

5. The milking arrangement according to claim 2 , further comprising a detector configured to provide the control unit with information indicative that the milking of the animals has been finished, wherein the control unit is configured to control the first drive device to move the front gate assembly from the lower position to the upper position and to control the third drive device to move the sequence gate assembly from the second position to the first position after receiving said information from said detector.

6. The milking arrangement according to claim 2 , further comprising a detector configured to provide the control unit with information indicative that the animals have entered said module, wherein the control unit is configured to control the second drive device to move the entrance gate from the open position to the closed position after receiving said information from said detector.

7. The milking arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the second drive device to move the entrance gate from the closed position to the open position as a response to the sequence gate assembly having been moved from the second position to the first position.

8. A double row milking parlour, comprising two milking arrangements according to claim 1 , the two milking arrangements being separated by an operator pit and positioned with their rear sides towards said pit.

9. A method of milking a group of at least two animals in a milking arrangement that comprises
at least one milking module comprising:
at least two milking places arranged side by side after each other along a longitudinal axis, each milking place being configured to receive a respective animal to be milked,
a primary end and a secondary end opposite to the primary end, wherein the milking arrangement extends along the longitudinal axis from the primary end to the secondary end,
a front side and a rear side, the front side and the rear side both extending in parallel with the longitudinal axis,
a front gate assembly located at the front side and movable between i) a lower position in which the front gate assembly closes the front side to prevent the animals from leaving the respective milking place through the front side, and ii) an upper position, configured to permit the animals to leave the respective milking place through the front side,
a sequence gate assembly comprising at least two sequence gates provided between said front side and said rear side, wherein each of said at least two sequence gates, in a first positon of the sequence gate assembly, is pivotable between a closed position, in which each sequence gate defines a barrier against entrance into one of the at least two milking places, and an open position in which each sequence gate forms a side wall of the one milking place, and
an entrance gate provided in the primary end of the milking module, said entrance gate being movable between a closed position in which the entrance gate prevents animals from entering said at least one milking module and an open position in which the entrance gate allows animals to enter the milking module through the primary end;
an independent first drive device for moving the front gate assembly between the lower and upper positions;
a second drive device for moving the entrance gate between the open and closed positions;
an independent third drive device for moving the sequence gate assembly from said first position to a second position, which second position is an elevated position in which the at least two sequence gates are located at a level above and behind the animals standing in the respective milking places, wherein the sequence gate assembly is configured to move from said second position to the first position with the at least two sequence gates in their closed position such that the at least two sequence gates urge the animals standing in their respective milking places to move towards the front side and to leave the milking places through the front side; and
a control arrangement which is configured to control the opening of the entrance gate on basis of the

Assignees

• Delaval Holding Ab

Inventors

• Cowling Tony
• Eubank Doug
• Gallagher Jeffery
• Mårtensson Bengt-Göran
• Pawlowicz Scott
• Wiltzius Patrick
• Wipperfurth Stuart

Classifications

• A01J5/007

  Monitoring milking processes; Control or regulation of milking machines · CPC title

• A01K1/0029

  Crowding gates or barriers · CPC title

• A01K1/12 Primary

  Milking stations · CPC title

• E05F15/70

  with automatic actuation · CPC title

• E05F17/00

  Special devices for shifting a plurality of wings operated simultaneously (for simultaneously moving a plurality of interconnected ventilating lamellae E06B7/086) · CPC title