Automated system for applying disinfectant to the teats of dairy livestock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9888664-B2
Application number	US-201715397939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2017
Priority date	Aug 31, 2010
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a system for applying disinfectant to the teats of a dairy livestock includes a carriage mounted on a track, the carriage operable to translate laterally along the track. The system further includes a robotic arm including a first member pivotally attached to the carriage such that the first member may rotate about a point of attachment to the carriage, a second member pivotally attached to the first member such that the second member may rotate about a point of attachment to the first member, and a spray tool member pivotally attached to the second member such that the spray tool member may rotate about a point of attachment to the second member. The robotic arm further includes a spray tool attached to the spray tool member. The system further includes a controller operable to cause at least a portion of the robotic arm to extend between the hind legs of a dairy livestock such that the spray tool is located at a spray position from which the spray tool may discharge an amount of disinfectant to the teats of the dairy livestock.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for applying disinfectant to the teats of a dairy livestock, comprising:
receiving a trigger signal indicating that a stall of a rotary milking platform housing a dairy livestock is located adjacent to a track, the track having a carriage carrying a robotic arm mounted thereto;
communicating a first signal to a first actuator coupled to the track and the carriage, the first signal causing operation of the first actuator such that the carriage moves along the track in relation to the rotary milking platform and independent of any physical coupling between the carriage and the rotary milking platform and in a direction corresponding to a direction of rotation of the rotary milking platform;
communicating one or more additional signals to one or more actuators of the robotic arm, the one or more additional signals causing operation of the one or more actuators of the robotic arm such that at least a portion of the robotic arm extends between the hind legs of a dairy livestock.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising accessing, in response to the trigger signal, a rotary encoder signal generated by a rotary encoder of the rotary milking platform, the rotary encoder signal based at least in part upon the rotational speed of the rotary milking platform.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first signal causes operation of the first actuator such that the carriage moves along the track at a speed based at least in part upon the rotational speed of the rotary milking platform.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the robotic arm comprises:
a first member pivotally attached to the carriage such that the first member may rotate about a point of attachment to the carriage;
a second member pivotally attached to the first member such that the second member may rotate about a point of attachment to the first member; and
a spray tool member pivotally attached to the second member such that the spray tool member may rotate about a point of attachment to the second member.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein communicating one or more additional signals to one or more actuators of the robotic arm comprises:
communicating a second signal to a second actuator coupled to the carriage and the first member, the second signal causing operation of the second actuator such that the first member rotates about the point of attachment to the carriage;
communicating a third signal to a third actuator coupled to the first member and the second member, the third signal causing operation of the third actuator such that the second member rotates about the point of attachment to the first member; and
communicating a fourth signal to a fourth actuator coupled to the second member and the spray tool member, the fourth signal causing operation of the fourth actuator such that the spray tool member rotates about the point of attachment to the second member.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of the robotic arm extends between the hind legs of a dairy livestock such that a spray tool of the spray tool member is located at a spay position from which the spray tool may discharge an amount of disinfectant to the teats of the dairy livestock.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating a signal to a spray tool of the robotic arm, the signal causing the spray tool to apply disinfectant to the teats of the dairy livestock.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, prior to communicating the one or more additional signals to one or more actuators of the robotic arm, whether a milking cluster is attached to the teats of the dairy livestock.

Assignees

• Technologies Holdings Corp

Inventors

• Hofman Henk
• Van Der Sluis Peter Willem
• Groensma Ype

Classifications

• Y10S901/07

  Conveyor · CPC title

• B25J9/1684

  Tracking a line or surface by means of sensors · CPC title

• Y10S901/43

  Spray painting or coating · CPC title

• G06T2207/10021

  Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence · CPC title

• A01K1/126

  Carousels · CPC title