System and method for improved attachment of a cup to a dairy animal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9265227-B2
Application number	US-201213448873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2012
Priority date	Apr 28, 2011
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

In an exemplary embodiment, a system includes a milking cup, a pulsating device coupled to the milking cup, a robotic arm comprising a gripper, and a controller communicatively coupled to the robotic arm and the pulsating device. The controller is operable to instruct the gripper of the robotic arm to grip the milking cup, instruct the robotic arm to move the milking cup proximate to a teat of a dairy livestock, and instruct the robotic arm to move the milking cup towards the teat. The controller is further operable to instruct the pulsating device to apply pressure to the milking cup before attaching the milking cup to the teat and instruct the gripper of the robotic arm to release the milking cup.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a milking stall comprising an equipment portion located in the rear of the milking stall;
a pulsating device;
a robotic arm comprising a gripper and a wrist, wherein the robotic arm is positioned in the equipment portion of the milking stall;
a camera positioned on a surface of the robotic arm and that emits a laser signal at a non-zero angle to a longitudinal axis of the robotic arm; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the robotic arm and the pulsating device, wherein the controller:
instructs the gripper of the robotic arm to grip a milking cup;
determines a position of a teat of the dairy livestock based at least in part upon the non-zero angle of the laser signal emitted by the camera;
instructs the robotic arm to move the milking cup towards the determined position of the teat between the hind legs of the dairy livestock from the rear;
instructs the pulsating device to apply pressure to the milking cup in response to the milking cup being within a threshold distance of the teat, wherein the pressure is applied to the milking cup such that the teat is drawn into the milking cup;
instructs the gripper of the robotic arm to release the milking cup in response to the milking cup being attached to the teat;
instructs the robotic arm to move in an upward direction towards an udder of the dairy livestock in conjunction with the gripper releasing the milking cup; and
instructs the robotic arm to move away from the teat at an angle and in a horizontal direction towards the rear of the milking stall.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein instructing the robotic arm to move the milking cup towards the teat comprises instructing the robotic arm to move to a set of coordinates associated with the position of the teat.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the set of coordinates are offset relative to the position of the teat.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the non-zero angle is between approximately 5 degrees and approximately 35 degrees.

5. A system comprising:
a milking stall comprising an equipment portion located in the rear of the milking stall;
a pulsating device;
a robotic arm comprising a gripper and a wrist, wherein the robotic arm is positioned in the equipment portion of the milking stall;
a camera positioned on a surface of the robotic arm and that emits a laser signal at a non-zero angle to a longitudinal axis of the robotic arm; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the robotic arm and the pulsating device, wherein the controller:
instructs the gripper of the robotic arm to grip the milking cup;
determines a position of a teat of the dairy livestock based at least in part upon the non-zero angle of the laser signal emitted by the camera;
instructs the robotic arm to move the milking cup proximate to the determined position of the teat between the hind legs of the dairy livestock from the rear;
instructs the pulsating device to apply pressure to the milking cup before attaching the milking cup to the teat;
instructs the gripper of the robotic arm to release the milking cup; and
instructs the robotic arm to move in an upward direction towards an udder of the dairy livestock and in a horizontal direction towards the rear of the milking stall in conjunction with the gripper releasing the milking cup.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the controller further instructs the robotic arm to move at an angle away from the teat in response to releasing the milking cup.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein instructing the pulsating device to apply pressure to the milking cup is in response to the milking cup being within a threshold distance of the teat.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the pressure is applied to the milking cup such that the teat is drawn into the milking cup.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein instructing the robotic arm to move the milking cup proximate to the teat comprises instructing the robotic arm to move to a set of coordinates associated with the position of the teat.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the set of coordinates are offset relative to the position of the teat.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein the non-zero angle is between approximately 5 degrees and approximately 35 degrees.

12. A method comprising:
gripping a milking cup using a robotic arm;
emitting a laser signal from a camera at a non-zero angle to a longitudinal axis of the robotic arm;
determining a position of a teat of a dairy livestock based at least in part upon the non-zero angle of the emitted laser signal;
moving the milking cup proximate to the determined position of the teat between the hind legs of the dairy livestock from the rear using the robotic arm;
applying pressure to the milking cup using a pulsating device before attaching the milking cup to the teat, wherein applying pressure to the milking cup is in response to the milking cup being within a threshold distance of the teat and the pressure is applied to the milking cup such that the teat is drawn into the milking cup;
releasing the milking cup from the robotic arm; and
moving the robotic arm in an upward direction towards an udder of the dairy livestock and in a horizontal direction toward the rear of the dairy livestock in response to releasing the milking cup.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising moving the robotic arm at an angle away from the teat in response to releasing the milking cup.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein moving the milking cup proximate to the teat comprises moving the robotic arm to a set of coordinates associated with the position of the teat.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the set of coordinates are offset relative to the position of the teat.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the non-zero angle is between approximately 5 degrees and approximately 35 degrees.

Assignees

• Hofman Henk
• De Ruijter Cor
• Koekoek Menno
• Van Der Sluis Peter Willem
• Technologies Holdings Corp

Inventors

• Hofman Henk
• De Ruijter Cor
• Koekoek Menno
• Van Der Sluis Peter Willem

Classifications

• G06T1/0014

  Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera (robots B25J19/023) · CPC title

• A01J5/007

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

• A01J5/003 Primary

  Movable milking machines · CPC title

• G06T7/73

  using feature-based methods · CPC title

• A01J5/0175 Primary

  Attaching of clusters · CPC title