Analysing a cleaning fluid in a milking machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12329121-B2
Application number	US-202218281078-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2022
Priority date	Mar 9, 2021
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

The invention relates to a device ( 1 ) for analysing a cleaning fluid, comprising: •a line portion ( 2 ) for the cleaning fluid, •a light-source unit ( 4 ), which emits light into the line portion ( 2 ), •a detection unit ( 5 ) for spectrally resolved capturing of light exiting the line portion ( 2 ), and •an analysis unit ( 6 ) which is designed to analyse the cleaning fluid with regard to the constituents on the basis of signals from the detection unit ( 5 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for analyzing a cleaning fluid, comprising:
a line portion for the cleaning fluid;
a light source unit, which emits light with a continuous spectrum into the line portion;
a detection unit for the spectrally resolved capture of light emerging from the line portion, wherein the detection unit comprises a means for spectrally decomposing the light;
and
an evaluation unit configured to analyze the cleaning fluid with regard to constituents on the basis of signals from the detection unit.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , furthermore having a main line, wherein the line portion branches off from the main line and leads into the main line.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the line portion leads into the main line via a first opening and a second opening, and wherein the first opening and the second opening are arranged at a distance from one another in a height direction.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light source unit comprises a thermionic emission source.

5. A milking machine, comprising:
a milking device;
a cleaning fluid source connected to the milking device;
an apparatus for analyzing a cleaning fluid originating from the cleaning source, the apparatus including:
a line portion for the cleaning fluid;
a light source unit, which emits light with a continuous spectrum into the line portion;
a detection unit for the spectrally resolved capture of light emerging from the line portion, wherein the detection unit comprises a means for spectrally decomposing the light;
and
an evaluation unit configured to analyze the cleaning fluid with regard to constituents on the basis of signals from the detection unit.

6. The milking machine as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the apparatus furthermore has a main line, wherein the line portion branches off from the main line and leads into the main line.

7. A method for operating a milking machine, comprising:
a) guiding light with a continuous spectrum into a line portion of the milking machine, through which line portion a cleaning fluid flows;
b) spectrally resolved detecting of light emerging from the line portion, wherein the light is spectrally decomposed in order to determine a plurality of individual spectral values within the continuous wavelength spectrum of the light; and
c) analyzing the cleaning fluid with regard to constituents on the basis of the light detected in accordance with step b).

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein an evaluation algorithm is created by machine learning before step c), and wherein the cleaning fluid is analyzed using the evaluation algorithm in step c).

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a filling level of the line portion is determined in step c).

10. The method as claimed in claim 7 , furthermore comprising:
d) changing a chemical composition of the cleaning fluid on the basis of the results determined in step c).

11. An apparatus for analyzing a cleaning fluid, comprising:
a main line for the cleaning fluid;
a line portion for the cleaning fluid, wherein the line portion branches off from the main line and leads into the main line;
a light source unit, which emits light into the line portion;
a detection unit for the spectrally resolved capture of light emerging from the line portion;
and
an evaluation unit configured to analyze the cleaning fluid with regard to constituents on the basis of signals from the detection unit.

12. A milking machine, comprising:
a milking device;
a cleaning fluid source connected to the milking device;
an apparatus for analyzing a cleaning fluid originating from the cleaning source, the apparatus including:
a main line for the cleaning fluid;
a line portion wherein the line portion branches off from the main line and leads into the main line;
a light source unit, which emits light into the line portion;
a detection unit for the spectrally resolved capture of light emerging from the line portion;
and
an evaluation unit configured to analyze the cleaning fluid with regard to constituents on the basis of signals from the detection unit.

Assignees

• Gea Farm Technologies Gmbh

Inventors

• Peters Peter
• Zenz Christoph
• Wortmann Martin
• Böttner Henrik

Classifications

• A01J5/00

  Milking machines or devices (A01J1/00, A01J3/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• A01J7/022 Primary

  Clean-in-Place Systems, i.e. CIP, for cleaning the complete milking installation in place · CPC title