Method for determining the quality and/or composition of milk, in particular during a milking process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017191943-A1
Application number	US-201715467694-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 23, 2017
Priority date	Mar 16, 2012
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method is proposed for ascertaining the quality and/or the composition of milk, in particular during a milking operation, in which the fill level of the milk in a chamber is determined. After the fill level of the milk in the chamber has been determined, the milk is irradiated using at least one radiation of a predefined wavelength. The intensity of the reflected radiation is measured. The fill level and the intensity of the reflected radiation represent a value pair. Characteristic values are stored in a memory. A characteristic value is assigned to the ascertained value pair. A statement about the quality and/or the composition of the milk can be made from the characteristic value thus ascertained.

First claim

1 . A method for ascertaining the quality and/or the composition of milk during a milking operation, the method comprising the steps of:
determining a fill level of the milk in a milk hose flow-through chamber; irradiating the milk in the flow-through chamber using at least one radiation of a predefined wavelength to create a reflected radiation; measuring an intensity of the reflected radiation; generating a value pair of a fill level and the intensity of the reflected radiation; ascertaining a characteristic value associated with the value pair from stored characteristic values; and comparing the ascertained characteristic value to a reference value to determine a characteristic about the milk, wherein the characteristic is selected from the group consisting of:
a quality of the milk and the composition of the milk, or combinations thereof.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of irradiating the milk includes using red light to irradiate the milk and the step of determining the fill level of the milk is determined at least in part from the intensity of the reflected red light.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predefined wavelength corresponds to a wavelength of light selected from the group consisting of: green light, blue light, and a combination of both green light and blue light.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of irradiating the milk includes the steps of successively or simultaneously using a light from the group consisting of: red light, green light, blue light, and combinations thereof.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of irradiating the milk includes the step of applying pulsing radiation.

6 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
storing the characteristic values in the form of a table.

7 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
determining a characteristic value from the fill level and the intensity of the reflected radiation as parameters in a mathematical relationship.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the fill level comprises the step of:
detecting a milk stream.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiation is a monochromatic radiation.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fill level is determined capacitively.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fill level in the chamber is predefined.

12 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of:
providing at least one sensor having at least one light source and at least one receiver, wherein the sensor is calibrated to a herd-specific white of the milk.

13 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of:
providing a sensor that has a light source which emits red light and a receiver which receives red light, and calibrating the sensor with a predefined red liquid.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein milked milk flows through the chamber.

15 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
successively ascertaining multiple characteristic values during a milking operation.

16 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the step of:
conducting the milk into a tank for milk which can be used or milk which cannot be used in dependence on at least one characteristic value.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the fill level comprises the step of:
detecting a minimum milk stream.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fill level is determined inductively.

19 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of:
providing at least one sensor having at least one light source and at least one receiver, wherein the sensor is calibrated to an animal-individual white of the milk.

20 . A method for ascertaining the quality and/or the composition of milk during a milking operation, comprising the steps of:
measuring a height of a fill level of the milk in a chamber; irradiating the milk flowing through the chamber using at least one radiation of a predefined wavelength; measuring an intensity of the reflected radiation; ascertaining a characteristic value associated with the value pair height of the fill level and intensity of the reflected radiation from stored characteristic values; and comparing the ascertained characteristic value to a reference value to determine a characteristic about the milk.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the step of measuring the height of the fill level comprises the steps of:
irradiating the milk flowing through the chamber using red light; determining the height of the fill level from the intensity of the red light reflected from the milk in the chamber.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the predefined wavelength corresponds to a wavelength from the group consisting essentially of: green light, blue light, and combinations of green light and blue light.

23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the chamber is formed by a section of a milk hose, wherein during the milking operation the milk flows through said section of the milk hose forming said chamber.

24 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the chamber is formed by a section of a line system of a milking system, so that the quality and/or the composition of the milk is/are already ascertained during the milking operation.

25 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the height of the fill level and the intensity of the reflected radiation are measured at the same point in time so as to form a value pair.

26 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic about the milk is a characteristic about the composition of the milk.

27 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic about the milk is a characteristic about the quality of the milk.

28 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the characteristic about the milk is a characteristic about the composition of the milk.

29 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the characteristic about the milk is a characteristic about the quality of the milk.

Assignees

• Gea Farm Technologies Gmbh

Inventors

• SCHÖNROCK Karsten
• Krasutzki Marek
• Bieletzki Sascha
• Balkenhol Reinhard

Classifications

• G01N21/84 Primary

  Systems specially adapted for particular applications · CPC title

• A01J5/0135

  by using light, e.g. light absorption or light transmission · CPC title

• G01F23/292

  Light {, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet} · CPC title

• A01J5/01 Primary

  Milkmeters; Milk flow sensing devices {(air or gas separators in combination with liquid meters G01F15/08)} · CPC title

• G01N2201/0696

  Pulsed · CPC title