Patent Application
20190350164
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of agriculture of existing art and more specifically relates to milking machines.
Innovations in the milking industry are often focused on increasing the productivity of milking cows in large scale milking farms. Machines such as the Rotolactor implemented in 1930, and the robotic milking machines used in more recent history, have drastically improved the output of modern milking farms. However, a primary inefficiency in modern milking farms that utilize these technologies is the need to corral and direct cows into the machines that perform the milking. Other inefficiencies may be found as well. In general, modern milking techniques not are entirely automated. In addition, forced milking in this manner may not always maximize milking output, as a cow may be ready for milking earlier than a scheduled milking time. A suitable solution is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,286,584 to Krister Lindstrom relates to an arrangement and method for improving throughput in a rotary milking system. The described arrangement and method for improving throughput in a rotary milking system includes a method for improving the throughput of milking animals in a rotary milking system including a rotary platform, which milking animals enter and leave in a sequential order in order to be milked provides that a plurality of milking animals to be milked by the rotary milking system are identified; a measure indicative of the expected time required for performing at least one action on the rotary platform with respect to each of the milking animals is retrieved; and the milking animals are allowed to enter the rotary platform of the rotary milking system in an order, which is based on the measures indicative of the expected times required for performing the at least one action on the rotary platform with respect to the milking animals.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known milking machine art, the present disclosure provides a novel autonomous voluntary rotary milking-machine and method. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide an autonomous voluntary rotary milking-machine and method.
A system for milking multiple bovines simultaneously is disclosed herein. The system includes a rotary-platform, a platform-drive, a plurality of enclosures, and a plurality of automatic milking-machines. The rotary-platform is round, having a platform-center and a platform-edge. The platform-drive is able to rotate the rotary platform about the platform-center. The plurality of enclosures is affixed to and rests upon the rotary-platform and are arrayed radially around the platform-center near the platform-edge. Each of the plurality of enclosures has an entry on the side of the enclosure nearest to the platform-edge. Each of the plurality of enclosures are structured to contain a cow and may be accessed by a cow voluntarily at any time when the system is incorporated into a milking barn. The plurality of automatic milking-machines corresponds to the enclosures, such that one milking-machine is next to each enclosure for the purpose of milking a cow residing in the enclosure.
According to another embodiment, a method of voluntary rotary milking is also disclosed herein. The method of voluntary rotary milking includes providing the above-described invention, activating the platform-drive to rotate the rotary-platform about the platform-center, allowing one or more cows to enter the plurality of enclosures voluntarily, attaching the automatic milking-machines to the udders of the cows, milking the cows, and enabling the cows to exit the enclosures voluntarily.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, an autonomous voluntary rotary milking-machine and method, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a milking machine and more particularly to an autonomous voluntary rotary milking-machine and method as used to improve the automation of milking several cows simultaneously.
Generally, the autonomous voluntary rotary milking-machine is an automated milking system which enables an efficient milking process by eliminating human labor. Primarily, this is done by combining a rotary milking platform with multiple robotic milking machines while also structuring the system to enable voluntary milking of cows. In this system cows do not need to be manually corralled or directed, as the are simply allowed or incentivized to enter an automatic milking station when they are ready to be milked. The stations are constructed in such a way that cows may enter and leave the station at will. When a cow enters a milking station, a robotic milking machines associated with the station may automatically sense the cow, attach to the teats of the cow, milk the cow, and accumulate milk. Not only is this system extremely efficient, but it may eliminate potential error causes by human labor and may decrease stress on the milking cows due to the voluntary nature of the system.
In a preferred embodiment, the stations include a modular enclosed stall unto which the cow many enter for milking. The stall may include three fixed sides, an enclosure gate, and optionally, a top barrier. Due to this structure, each cow must enter the stall forwardly, and must back out of the stall when ready to exit. Each stall may be serviced by a milking machine having a robotic arm to engage the teats of the cow. Preferably, the robotic arm operates by passing under the cow to perform operations. The rotary platform is preferably level with the floor of the barn so that cows do not have to be elevated onto the platform in any way. To accomplish this, the barn may include a recess in the floor to house the rotary platform. Furthermore, the platform preferably includes additional barriers between the stalls, so that cows may not walk freely over the top of the platform outside of an enclosure.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as user preferences, design preference, structural requirements, marketing preferences, cost, available materials, technological advances, etc., other structural arrangements such as, for example, the styles of enclosures used, the method of entry into the enclosures, the mechanism of the rotary drive, etc., may be sufficient.
System may yet further include floor plan 170 for milking barn 30. Floor plan 170 may be configured to house bovine 10, and to effect efficient milking of bovine 10. Rotary-platform 110 may be placed within milking barn 30, such that bovine 10 is allowed unrestricted access to plurality of enclosures 130 and may enter and exit entry 132 of plurality of enclosures 130 voluntarily. Preferably, bovine 10 may be able to access rotary-platform 110 from three-hundred and sixty degrees around rotary-platform 110. However, various embodiments may allow anywhere between sixty and three-hundred and sixty degrees of access around rotary-platform 110. In one embodiment, floor plan 170 is a forced cow traffic plan, such that floor plan 170 requires bovine 10 to pass through entry 132 in order to access feed 35. In another embodiment, floor plan 170 is a free cow traffic plan, such that floor plan 170 allows bovine 10 to access feed 35 at any time without entering plurality of enclosures 130. System 100 may yet further include plurality of feed receptacles 180 corresponding to plurality of enclosures 130. Each of plurality of feed receptacles 180 may be placed distal to entry 132, such that bovine 10 might feed from plurality of feed receptacles 180 after passing through entry 132. Plurality of feed receptacles 180 may be proximal to platform-center 112. In some embodiments, system 100 may further include management system 190. Management system 190 may be able to identify bovine 10 and prevent milking if bovine 10 has been overmilked. Management system 190 may further include at least one radio frequency identification tag 192. Radio frequency identification tag 192 may be attached to bovine 10 and may be able to transmit identification signal 196 to management system 190.
It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of “step of” should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). It should also be noted that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of voluntary rotary milking, are taught herein.
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
