U.S. patent application number 12/311462 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-31 for arrangements and method in a milking system.
Invention is credited to Gary Aldgrda, Gosta Forsen, Christoffer Hagglund, Otto Hellekant, Stefan Irhsen, Robert Jonsson, Souren Kerikorian, Louise Kullgren, Raza Mehinovic, Helmut Obermuller, Johan Odeberg, Torbjorn Petterson, Magnus Storbjork.
Application Number | 20090320759 12/311462 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39324843 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090320759 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Odeberg; Johan ; et
al. |
December 31, 2009 |
Arrangements and method in a milking system
Abstract
An arrangement is provided in a milking system for simultaneous
milking of animals comprising milking positions (P1-P24), each of
which being provided with teat cups, which are attached to the
teats of an animal and are connected to a source of vacuum to milk
the animal. The arrangement comprises a processing device (10) for
gathering and processing information of the milking of the animals,
and terminal units (13) arranged at the milking positions and
connected to the processing device (10). The processing device is
provided for (i) receiving a user identity; (ii) retrieving a user
specific setting based on the received user identity, said user
specific setting defining user specific information of the milking
of the animals; and (iii) transmitting information of the milking
of the animals to the terminal units defined by the retrieved user
specific setting. The terminal units output automatically the
information received from the processing device.
Inventors: |
Odeberg; Johan; (Stockholm,
SE) ; Hellekant; Otto; (Ronninge, SE) ;
Mehinovic; Raza; (Tumba, SE) ; Storbjork; Magnus;
(Varsta, SE) ; Kullgren; Louise; (Flen, SE)
; Petterson; Torbjorn; (Gnesta, SE) ; Hagglund;
Christoffer; (Tumba, SE) ; Irhsen; Stefan;
(Strangnas, SE) ; Obermuller; Helmut; (Stockholm,
SE) ; Jonsson; Robert; (Stockholm, SE) ;
Kerikorian; Souren; (Hasselby, SE) ; Aldgrda;
Gary; (Segeltorp, SE) ; Forsen; Gosta;
(Tullinge, SE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C.
P.O. BOX 8910
RESTON
VA
20195
US
|
Family ID: |
39324843 |
Appl. No.: |
12/311462 |
Filed: |
September 17, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
September 17, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/SE2007/000810 |
371 Date: |
May 7, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
119/14.02 ;
119/14.08; 119/14.14; 119/14.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01J 5/007 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
119/14.02 ;
119/14.08; 119/14.14; 119/14.3 |
International
Class: |
A01J 5/007 20060101
A01J005/007; A01J 5/00 20060101 A01J005/00; A01J 5/04 20060101
A01J005/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 23, 2006 |
SE |
0602219-8 |
Claims
1. An arrangement in a milking system for simultaneous milking of a
plurality of milking animals, said milking system comprising a
plurality of milking positions, wherein each of the milking
positions is provided with teat cups, which are attached to the
teats of a milking animal and are connected to a source of vacuum
to milk the milking animal, wherein: a processing device for
gathering and processing information of the milking of said milking
animals; terminal units arranged at the milking positions and
connected to said processing device, wherein said processing device
comprises means provided for receiving a user identity; means
provided for retrieving a user specific setting based on the
received user identity, said user specific setting defining user
specific information regarding the milking of the milking animals;
and means provided for transmitting the user specific information
regarding the milking of the milking animals as defined by the
retrieved user specific setting to the terminal units; and the
terminal units are provided for automatically outputting the user
specific information regarding the milking of said milking animals
as received from said processing device.
2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the user specific information
comprises instructions.
3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the user specific setting
defines a user specific manner of communicating and/or displaying
information of the milking of the milking animals; the transmitting
means is provided for transmitting the user specific manner of
communicating and/or displaying information of the milking of the
milking animals as defined by the retrieved user specific setting
to the terminal units; and the terminal units are provided for
automatically communicating and/or displaying the user specific
information regarding the milking of the milking animals according
to the user specific manner as received from said processing
device.
4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the user specific setting
defines user specific alarms regarding the milking of the milking
animals. the transmitting means is provided for transmitting the
user specific alarms as defined by the user specific setting to the
terminal units; and the terminal units are provided for outputting
the user specific alarms according to the user specific manner as
received from said processing device.
5. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the user specific information
comprises user specific information, operations, or instructions
regarding the handling of the milking animals or regarding the
milking system.
6. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the user specific setting
defines a user specific vertical position of a vertically
adjustable floor, on which an operator of the milking system may
stand while attaching the teat cups to the teats of the milking
animals; and said processing device comprises means provided for
controlling the vertical position of the vertically adjustable
floor in response to the retrieved user specific setting.
7. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said terminal units arranged
at the milking positions are provided for displaying information of
a first kind of the milking positions; a portable terminal unit
wirelessly connected to said processing device and comprising a
position indicator device provided for indicating a position of
said portable terminal unit; and means provided for automatically
finding a group of several adjacent ones of the milking positions
that are in proximity of said portable terminal unit based on said
indicated position of said portable terminal unit, wherein said
portable terminal unit comprises means provided for automatically
displaying information of a second kind of the group of several
adjacent ones of the milking positions.
8. A method in a milking system for simultaneous milking of a
plurality of milking animals, said milking system comprising a
plurality of milking positions, wherein each of the milking
positions is provided with teat cups, which are attached to the
teats of a milking animal and are connected to a source of vacuum
to milk the milking animal, said method being characterized by the
steps of: gathering and processing information of the milking of
said milking animals? receiving a user identity; retrieving a user
specific setting based on the received user identity, said user
specific setting defining user specific information and/or
instructions regarding the milking of the milking animals; and
transmitting to terminal units the information and/or instructions
regarding the milking of the milking animals as defined by the
retrieved user specific setting; and automatically outputting, by
the terminal units, the information and/or instructions regarding
the milking of the milking animals as defined by the retrieved user
specific setting.
9. An arrangement in a milking system for simultaneous milking of a
plurality of milking animals, said milking system comprising (i) a
plurality of milking positions provided with teat cups; and (ii) a
vertically adjustable floor, on which an operator of the milking
system may stand while attaching the teat cups to the teats of the
milking animals, wherein: a processing device provided for
controlling the vertical position of said vertically adjustable
floor, said processing device comprising means provided for
receiving a user identity; means provided for retrieving a user
specific setting based on the received user identity, said user
specific setting defining a user specific vertical position of said
vertically adjustable floor; and means provided for controlling the
vertical position of said vertically adjustable floor in response
to said retrieved user specific setting.
10. An arrangement in a milking system for simultaneous milking of
a plurality of milking animals, said milking system comprising a
plurality of milking positions and an arrangement provided for
establishing identities of said milking animals, wherein each of
the milking positions is provided with teat cups, which are
attached to the teats of a milking animal and are connected to a
source of vacuum to milk the milking animal, wherein: a processing
device for gathering and processing information of the milking of
said milking animals; for each of the milking positions, a terminal
unit of a first kind arranged at the milking position and connected
to said processing device; and for each group of several adjacent
ones of the milking positions, a terminal unit of a second kind
arranged at the group of several adjacent ones of the milking
positions and connected to said processing device, wherein said
processing device comprises (i) means for automatically
establishing, for each of said milking animals, a phase of the
milking of the milking animal; (ii) means for automatically
selecting, for each of the terminal units of the first and/or
second kind, portions of said information of the milking of said
milking animals to be displayed by the terminal unit based on the
established phases of the milking of the milking animals; (iii)
means for automatically transmitting, for each of the terminal
units of the first and/or second kind, the selected portions of
said information of the milking of said milking animals to the
terminal unit; and each of said terminal units of the first and/or
second kind is provided for automatically outputting the selected
portions of said information of the milking of said milking animals
as received from said processing device.
11. The arrangement of claim 10 wherein said means for
automatically selecting is provided for selecting, for each of the
terminal units of the second kind, different portions of said
information of the milking of said milking animals to be displayed
by the terminal unit of the second kind during different phases of
the milking of the milking animals.
12. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein said different phases of
the milking of the milking animals comprise an identification
phase; and said means for automatically selecting is provided for
selecting, for each of the terminal units of the second kind,
information of verified, unverified, and missing identities of
milking animals present at milking positions of the respective
group of several adjacent ones of the milking positions to be
displayed by the terminal unit of the second kind during said
identification phase.
13. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein said different phases of
said simultaneous milking of a plurality of milking animals
comprise a stimulation phase; and said means for automatically
selecting is provided for selecting, for each of the terminal units
of the second kind, information of reminders supporting an operator
before milking of milking animals present at milking positions of
the respective group of several adjacent ones of the milking
positions to be displayed by the terminal unit of the second kind
during said stimulation phase.
14. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein said different phases of
said simultaneous milking of a plurality of milking animals
comprise a milking phase; and said means for automatically
selecting is provided for selecting, for each of the terminal units
of the second kind, information of (i) reminders supporting an
operator during milking, and (ii) milk flow and/or yield of milking
animals present at milking positions of the respective group of
several adjacent ones of the milking positions to be displayed by
the terminal unit of the second kind during said milking phase.
15. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein said different phases of
said simultaneous milking of a plurality of milking animals
comprise a post-milking phase; and said means for automatically
selecting is provided for selecting, for each of the terminal units
of the second kind, information of (i) reminders supporting an
operator after milking, (ii) termination of milking, and (iii) milk
yield of milking animals present at milking positions of the
respective group of several adjacent ones of the milking positions
to be displayed by the terminal unit of the second kind during said
post-milking phase.
16. The arrangement of claim 10 wherein each of the terminal units
of the second kind displays a respective field associated with a
respective one of the milking positions of the respective group of
several adjacent ones of the milking positions; and said means for
automatically selecting is provided for selecting, for each of the
fields, different information during different phases of the
milking at the milking position associated with the field to be
displayed by the terminal unit of the second kind.
17. The arrangement of claim 10 comprising means for storing user
specific settings and associated user identities, and each of the
terminal units of the second kind has means for using a stored user
specific setting for an operator having a user identity associated
with the stored user specific setting.
18. A method in a milking system for simultaneous milking of a
plurality of milking animals at a plurality of milking positions,
wherein identities of said milking animals are established; wherein
teat cups are attached to the teats of said milking animals and are
connected to a source of vacuum to milk said milking animals; and
wherein said method is characterized by the steps of: gathering and
processing information of the milking of said milking animals; for
each of the milking positions, providing a terminal unit of a first
kind at the milking position; and for each group of several
adjacent ones of the milking positions, providing a terminal unit
of a second kind at the group of several adjacent ones of the
milking positions; automatically establishing, for each of said
milking animals, a phase of the milking of the milking animal;
automatically selecting, for each of said terminal units of the
first and/or second kind, portions of said information of the
milking of said milking animals to be displayed by the terminal
unit based on the established phases of the milking of the milking
animals; automatically transmitting, for each of the terminal units
of the first and/or second kind, the selected portions of said
information of the milking of said milking animals to the terminal
unit; and by each of said terminal units of the first and/or second
kind automatically outputting the selected portions of said
information of the milking of said milking animals received from
said processing device.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein, for each of the terminal units
of the second kind, different portions of said information of the
milking of said milking animals are selected and displayed by the
terminal unit of the second kind during different phases of the
milking of the milking animals.
20. An arrangement in a milking system for simultaneous milking of
a plurality of milking animals, said milking system comprising a
plurality of milking positions and an arrangement provided for
establishing identities of said milking animals, wherein each of
the milking positions is provided with teat cups, which are
attached to the teats of a milking animal and are connected to a
source of vacuum to milk the milking animal, wherein: for each of
the milking positions, a terminal unit of a first kind arranged at
the milking position, connected to a processing device, and
provided for displaying information of a first kind of the milking
position; a portable terminal unit wirelessly connected to said
processing device and comprising a position indicator device
provided for indicating a position of said portable terminal unit;
and means provided for automatically finding a group of one or
several adjacent ones of the milking positions that are in
proximity of said portable terminal unit based on said indicated
position of said portable terminal unit, wherein said portable
terminal unit comprises means provided for automatically displaying
information of a second kind of the group of one or several
adjacent ones of the milking positions.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of
dairy farming and more specifically the invention relates to
arrangements and methods according to the preambles of the appended
independent claims.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
[0002] Milking systems for simultaneously milking a plurality of
milking animals are known in the art. Such milking systems comprise
a plurality of milking positions, wherein each of the milking
positions is provided with teat cups, which are attached to the
teats of a milking animal and connected to a source of vacuum to
milk the milking animal. Typically, an arrangement is provided for
establishing identities of, and expected milking times for, the
milking animals present at the milking positions. The milking
systems may e.g. be of Herringbone or parallel stall type.
[0003] In one such milking system the milking animals are allowed
to enter the milking positions in a group and are identified. Then,
a dairy farmer walks from milking position to milking position and
attaches teat cups manually to the teats of the milking animals
present at the milking positions in a consecutive order. Milking is
started at a milking position when the teat cups have been attached
to the milking animal present at the milking position. The milking
animals are allowed to leave the milking positions in a group when
all milking animals have been milked.
[0004] In such milking system there may be provided terminal units
connected to an information gathering and control device of the
milking system. The terminal units may display information of
different actions to be taken, they may provide monitoring and
status information of the progress of the milking, and they may
give alarms of different kinds. Further, the terminal units may be
used for initiating some actions and for correcting erroneous
information. In a modern milking system there are obviously a large
number of actions to be taken, tasks to be performed, and processes
to be monitored by the dairy farmer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A problem of the prior art milking system, wherein the
farmer is provided with information of different actions to be
performed, with monitoring and status information, and with alarms
of different kinds, a problem may arise as the farmer is easily
overwhelmed with information of different kinds. Sometimes it will
be so much information present that the farmer will not be capable
of giving priorities to actions that have to be performed and
processes that have to be monitored.
[0006] It is an object of the invention to address and solve the
above identified problem.
[0007] Arrangements and methods as claimed in the appended patent
claims are provided to attain the above object.
[0008] According to aspects of the invention there are provided
three arrangements in a milking system for simultaneous milking of
a plurality of milking animals, wherein the milking system
comprises a plurality of milking positions. Each of the milking
positions is provided with teat cups, which are attached to the
teats of a milking animal and are connected to a source of vacuum
to milk the milking animal.
[0009] The first one of these three arrangements comprises a
processing device for gathering and processing information of the
milking of the milking animals, and terminal units arranged at the
milking positions and connected to the processing device.
[0010] The processing device comprises (i) means for receiving a
user identity; (ii) means for retrieving a user specific setting
based on the received user identity, wherein the user specific
setting defines user specific information and/or instructions
regarding the milking of the milking animals; and (iii) means for
transmitting the information and/or instructions regarding the
milking of the milking animals to the terminal units defined by the
retrieved user specific setting.
[0011] The terminal units are provided for automatically outputting
the information and/or instructions regarding the milking of the
milking animals as received from the processing device.
[0012] An automatic arrangement is thereby provided, by which user
specific settings for the terminal units can automatically be
loaded when the dairy farmer or other operator identifies
him/herself for the milking system. By automatically loading the
user specific settings the operator may easily find the information
or instructions he/she wants, needs, requires, or is requested to,
by a quick glimpse at the terminal devices. The operator could not
only obtain the information and/or instructions he/she needs by
looking at the terminals, but could also obtain the information
and/or instructions in the form, e.g. graphical or alphanumerical,
he/she wants to.
[0013] The second one of the above three arrangements is
implemented in a milking system comprising a vertically adjustable
floor, on which an operator of the milking system may stand while
attaching the teat cups to the teats of the milking animals. The
arrangement comprises a processing device for controlling the
vertical position of the vertically adjustable floor. The
processing device includes (i) means for receiving a user identity;
(ii) means for retrieving a user specific setting based on the
received user identity, wherein the user specific setting defines a
user specific vertical position of the vertically adjustable floor;
and (iii) means for controlling the vertical position of the
vertically adjustable floor in response to the retrieved user
specific setting. Thereby the operator is liberated from such a
simple operation as adjusting the floor, and can thus concentrate
on other issues of greater importance.
[0014] The third one of the above three arrangements comprises for
each of the milking positions, a terminal unit of a first kind
arranged at the milking position, connected to a processing device,
and provided for displaying information of a first kind of the
milking position. A portable terminal unit is wirelessly connected
to the processing device and comprises a position indicator device
for indicating a position of the portable terminal unit. Means are
provided for automatically finding a group of several adjacent ones
of the milking positions that are in proximity of the portable
terminal unit based on the indicated position of the portable
terminal unit. The portable terminal unit further comprises means
for automatically displaying information of a second kind of the
group of several adjacent ones of the milking positions.
[0015] The portable terminal unit should preferably be arranged in
a holder mountable at the chest of the operator so that the
operator can see the display more or less continuously while having
his/her hands free for performing various activities.
[0016] An automatic arrangement is thereby provided, by which the
terminal devices of the second kind are replaced by a portable
terminal device, which has a display that is automatically updated
so that, at each instant, information of the second kind of a group
of neighboring milking positions located in proximity to the
portable terminal device, is displayed.
[0017] The operator does not need to walk by each of a number of
fixedly located terminals of a second kind, but can just look at
the display of the portable terminal device to obtain information
of the second kind. The operator does not need to press any buttons
or the like in order to obtain this information, but can again
concentrate on more important issues.
[0018] According to further aspects of the invention there are
provided methods for using the arrangements as identified
above.
[0019] According to a yet further aspect of the invention there is
provided an arrangement in a milking system for simultaneous
milking of a plurality of milking animals, wherein the milking
system comprises a plurality of milking positions and an
arrangement for establishing identities of the milking animals.
Each of the milking positions is provided with teat cups, which are
attached to the teats of a milking animal and are connected to a
source of vacuum to milk the milking animal. The arrangement in the
milking system comprises a processing device for gathering and
processing information of the milking of the milking animals. For
each of the milking positions, a terminal unit of a first kind is
arranged at the milking position and connected to the processing
device; and for each group of several adjacent ones of the milking
positions, a terminal unit of a second kind is arranged at the
group of several adjacent ones of the milking positions and
connected to the processing device.
[0020] The processing device comprises (i) means for automatically
establishing, for each of the milking animals, a phase of the
milking of the milking animal; (ii) means for automatically
selecting, for each of the terminal units of the first and/or
second kind, portions of the information of the milking of the
milking animals to be displayed by the terminal unit based on the
established phases of the milking of the milking animals; and (iii)
means for automatically transmitting, for each of the terminal
units of the first and/or second kind, the selected portions of the
information of the milking of the milking animals to the terminal
unit.
[0021] Finally, each of the terminal units of the first and/or
second kind is provided for automatically outputting the selected
portions of the information of the milking of the milking animals
as received from the processing device.
[0022] In one embodiment the means for automatically selecting is
provided for selecting, for each of the terminal units of the
second kind, different portions of the information of the milking
of the milking animals to be displayed by the terminal unit of the
second kind during different phases of the milking of the milking
animals.
[0023] Such milking phases may include an identification phase, a
teat cup attachment phase, a stimulation phase, a milking phase,
and a post-milking phase.
[0024] The different portions of the information may include
information of verified, unverified, and missing identities of
milking animals, information of reminders supporting an operator
before milking of milking animals, information of milk flow and/or
yield of milking animals, and information of termination of
milking.
[0025] Hereby an automatic arrangement is provided, by which an
automatic selection of information can be made, and only a selected
portion of the information is communicated to the operator, via the
terminal devices of the second kind, during each phase of the
milking. By communicating the selected portion only, the operator
may easily find the information he/she wants by a quick glimpse at
the terminal devices of the second kind.
[0026] According to a still further aspect of the invention there
is provided a method for using the arrangement as identified
above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a parallel stall milking
system including an arrangement according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of part of the
milking system of FIG. 1.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a terminal unit of a first
kind as being included in the inventive arrangement of FIG. 1.
[0030] FIGS. 4-7 are schematic views of a terminal unit of a second
kind in different modes as being included in the inventive
arrangement of FIG. 1.
[0031] In the detailed description the milk producing animals are
referred to as cows. However, the invention is not limited to cows,
but is applicable to any animals having the capability to produce
large quantities of milk, such as sheep, goats, buffaloes, horses,
etc.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0032] FIG. 1 shows a schematic top view of a parallel stall
milking system including an arrangement according to an embodiment
of the present invention. The parallel milking stall system may be
exchanged for any other kind of milking system wherein a plurality
of cows are milked simultaneously such as for example a Herringbone
type of milking system. The parallel milking stall system comprises
a plurality of milking positions, in the illustrated case 24
milking positions P1-P24. In such a milking system cows enter into,
are milked in, and leave, the respective milking positions in
groups.
[0033] The milking system comprises an arrangement for establishing
identities of the cows (not explicitly illustrated), which forward
the established identities to a computer-based processing and
control device 10, which is responsible for processing and
controlling of the milking system. The processing and control
device 10 comprises typically a microcomputer, suitable software,
and a database including information of each of the cows milked by
the milking robot, such as e.g. when the respective cow was milked
last time, when the cow was fed last time, the milk production of
the cow, the health of the cow, the expected milking time of the
cow, etc.
[0034] Each of the milking positions P1-P24 comprises teat cups
that are attached to the teats of a cow and are connected to a
source of vacuum to milk the cow (none of which being explicitly
illustrated) as being common in the field.
[0035] Further, the milking system comprises, for each of the
milking positions P1-P24, a terminal unit 11 of a first kind
arranged at the milking position P1-P24, connected to the
processing and control device 10, and provided for displaying
information of a first kind of the milking position to a dairy
farmer or other operator 15. For each group P1-P4; P5-P8, . . . of
adjacent milking positions P1-P24, a terminal unit 13 of a second
kind is arranged at the group of adjacent milking positions,
connected to the information processing and control device 10, and
provided for displaying information of a second, preferably more
detailed, kind of the group of adjacent milking positions P1-P24 to
the operator 15. The group may consist of other number of milking
positions than four, such as e.g. 3-7 milking positions.
[0036] The information of the first kind may i.a. comprise
information of (i) when further information is obtainable from the
terminal units 13 of the second kind, (ii) when the milking
position is closed for milking, (iii) when the milk milked at the
milking position is diverted, (iv) when the milking position is
being cleaned, (v) when vacuum is applied, and (vi) when a milk
flow is present. The information of the second kind may i.a.
comprise information of (i) verified, unverified, and missing
identities of cows present at milking positions, (ii) various
reminders supporting the operator during different phases of the
milking, (iii) milk flows and/or yields during milking, (iv)
expected remaining milking times, (v) termination of milking of the
cows, and (vi) milk yields obtained for the cows.
[0037] The terminal units 11, 13 may also be used as input devices
for altering information and/or for controlling different processes
with respect to the milking. For instance, the terminal units 11 of
the first kind may be used for turning on and off vacuum to the
teat cups of the respective milking positions, whereas the terminal
units 13 of the second kind may be used for controlling the feeding
of the cows present at the respective milking positions, for
controlling automatic gates of the milking system, for controlling
a robot arm, for switching the respective milking positions between
milking and cleaning modes, and for controlling the cleaning of the
milking equipment.
[0038] Further, a portable device 17 including outputting means,
such as e.g. loudspeaker, earphone, or earpiece device, to be held
or worn by the operator 15 of the milking system is provided. The
portable device comprises a receiver for receiving information
wirelessly from the processing and control device 10, and for
communicating such information verbally to the operator 15. To this
end, the processing and control device 10 comprises a transmitter
for transmitting information wirelessly.
[0039] The portable device 17 may alternatively or additionally
include outputting means for visual output.
[0040] In FIG. 2, a schematic perspective view of part of the
milking system of FIG. 1 is shown. A vertically adjustable floor 19
is provided, on which the operator 15 of the milking system may
stand while performing various actions including the attachment of
the teat cups to the teats of the cows present at the milking
positions P1-P24.
[0041] The processing and control device 10 may be provided for
determining a milking position, at which the cow having the longest
expected milking time is present, based on established identities
and expected milking times for the cows present at the milking
positions P1-P24.
[0042] The terminal devices 11 of the first kind are provided for
outputting to the operator 15 prior to the teat cups are attached
to the teats of the cows present at the milking positions P1-P24
indications of the milking position at which the cow having the
longest expected milking time is present, to thereby allow for the
operator 15 to have the teat cups attached to, and to start
milking, the cow having the longest expected milking time
first.
[0043] The processing and control device 10 may be provided for
determining several milking positions, at which the cows having the
longest expected milking times are present, based on established
identities and expected milking times for the cows.
[0044] The number of milking positions may be dependent on the
distribution of expected milking times among the cows present at
the milking positions P1-P24. For instance, if there are a large
number of cows present at the milking positions P1-P24 having very
long expected milking time, the number of milking positions may be
set to this large number. If there is a single cow having much
longer expected milking time than the other cows, the number of
milking positions may be set to one.
[0045] The number may also be dependent on the locations of the
milking positions, at which the cows having the longest expected
milking times are present. If a cow having a rather long expected
milking time stands in a milking position adjacent a milking
position housing a cow with very long expected milking time, both
milking positions may be considered by the processing and control
device 10 as belonging to the several milking positions.
[0046] If the milking system is provided with a robot 20a movable
along e.g. a rail 20b and provided for automatically attaching teat
cups to the teats of the cows present at the milking positions
P1-P24, the above outputting may be exchanged for an automatic teat
cup attachment procedure, wherein the robot 20a is provided for
automatically attaching teat cups to the teats of the cow having
longest expected milking time first.
[0047] In a generalized version, means are provided for performing
an action with respect to the milking system in response to the
determination of the milking position, at which the cow having the
longest expected milking time is present.
[0048] In an alternative embodiment the processing and control
device 10 is provided for calculating an order, in which the cows
present at the milking positions should have teat cups attached to
their teats, based on the established identities and expected
milking times. Such calculated order is communicated to the
operator 15 or the robot 20a is provided for attaching teat cups to
the teats of the cows in such calculated order.
[0049] In FIG. 3, a schematic view of a terminal unit of a first
kind is shown. Various status symbols are shown at 31, whereas an
illuminated button is shown at 32.
[0050] Preferably, each of the terminal devices 11 of the first
kind comprises means for indicating visually, such as e.g. by means
of a fixed or blinking light, whether the cow present at the
milking position, at which the output device is located, belongs to
the cow(s) having the longest expected milking time(s).
[0051] Alternatively, instead of having the terminal units 11 of
the first kind to indicate at which milking positions cows should
have teat cups attached to their teats first, the portable device
17 may be provided to communicate this information verbally to the
operator.
[0052] In order to further reduce the time the cows stay at the
milking positions, various activities may be performed
automatically and very early in the milking process, i.e. before
the operator 15 enters the milking system. Examples of such
activities include to start the vacuum pump used as a vacuum
source, to perform pre-rinsing of the milking system, to perform
various activities with respect to cleaning, to have the cows
entered into the milking positions or at least into a gathering
area, to switch valve(s) to obtain milking vacuum, and to move the
teat cups into a position close to where the teats of the cows are
or will be located.
[0053] If cows kick off teat cups or teat cups are not
appropriately attached during the attachment of the teat cups,
there may arise a situation where cows, which have not been milked
out or have not been milked at all, are allowed to leave the
milking system. To remedy such problem, the terminal units 11 of
the first kind may have visual alarms, e.g. a red blinking light,
or sound alarms to draw the attention of the operator in cases
where a cow has not been milked correctly. Such circumstance may be
discovered by comparing the actual milk yield with an expected milk
yield. Alternatively, or additionally, the gates of the milking
system may be controlled so that cows that are not milked (or all
cows in the milking system) are not allowed to leave the milking
system until these unmilked cows have been milked or until at least
the operator is notified and has taken some action.
[0054] The processing and control device 10 connected to the
milking system may be provided or supplied with instructions on
actions to be taken with regard to the milking of the cows by the
milking system, wherein the processing and control comprises
processing means for automatically processing the instructions and
for automatically selecting a subset of the instructions, and
transmitting means for automatically transmitting the subset of the
instructions wirelessly. The receiver of the portable device 17 is
in turn provided for receiving the transmitted subset of the
instructions wirelessly and the outputting means the portable
device 17 is provided for outputting the subset of the
instructions, preferably verbally, to the operator. Hence, the
operator may receive selected instructions only, e.g. instructions
of greater importance.
[0055] Preferably, each of the actions to be taken by the operator
has a priority, and the processing and control device 10 is
provided for automatically processing the instructions and for
automatically selecting the subset of the instructions based on the
priorities of the actions.
[0056] Alternatively or additionally, each of the actions to be
taken by the operator has a degree of complexity, and the
processing means is provided for automatically processing the
instructions and for automatically selecting the subset of the
instructions based on the degrees of complexity of the actions.
[0057] Further, the instructions may comprise identifications of
the milking positions, at which the corresponding actions are to be
taken.
[0058] The instructions may e.g. include:
[0059] (i) instructions on attachment and/or detachment of teat
cups at identified milking positions;
[0060] (ii) instructions on connection of teat cups to vacuum
and/or disconnection of teat cups from vacuum; and
[0061] (iii) instructions on checking of cows due to abnormal
progress of the milking.
[0062] The processing and control device 10 may be responsible for
gathering and processing information of the milking of the cows.
Further, a module 10a of the processing and control device 10 is
provided for automatically establishing, for each of the cows, a
phase of the milking of the cow. Another module 10b is provided for
automatically selecting, for each of the terminal units of the
first 11 and/or second 13 kind, portions of the information of the
milking of the cows to be displayed by the terminal unit 11, 13
based on the established phases of the milking of the cows. A yet
another module 10c is provided for automatically transmitting, for
each of the terminal units of the first 11 and/or second 13 kind,
the selected portions of the information of the milking of the cows
to the terminal unit 11, 13.
[0063] Finally, each of the terminal units of the first 11 and/or
second 13 kind is provided for automatically outputting the
selected portions of the information of the milking of the cows as
received from the transmitting module 10c of the processing and
control device 10.
[0064] Advantageously, the selection module 10b is provided for
selecting, for each of the terminal units 13 of the second kind,
different portions of the information of the milking of the cows to
be displayed by the terminal unit 13 of the second kind during
different phases of the milking of the cows.
[0065] The different phases may comprise an identification phase, a
teat cup attachment phase, a stimulation phase, a milking phase,
and a post-milking phase.
[0066] Alternatively or additionally, the different portions of the
information of the milking of the cows to be displayed by the
terminal unit 13 of the second kind during different phases of the
milking of the cows may be communicated to the operator 15 via the
portable terminal unit 17. To this end, the portable terminal unit
comprises a position indicator device for indicating a position of
the portable terminal unit 17, and means for automatically finding
a group P1-P4, P5-P8, . . . of several adjacent ones of the milking
positions that are in immediate proximity of the portable terminal
unit 17 based on the indicated position of the portable terminal
unit 17. Further, the portable terminal unit 17 comprises means for
automatically displaying the different portions of the information
of the milking of cows present at the group P1-P4, P5-P8, . . . of
several adjacent ones of the milking positions that are in
immediate proximity of the portable terminal unit 17.
[0067] FIGS. 4-7 are schematic views of the terminal unit 13 of the
second kind during the above different phases of the milking. The
display of the terminal unit 13 of the second kind has in the
identification and stimulation phases four different fields: a
general information field 41, a cow number field 42, a reminder
field 43, and a soft key field 44. In the milking and post-milking
phases the display has a fifth field: milking data field 60. Each
of the fields except the general information field 41 has separate
sub-fields for each of the milking positions P1, P2, P3, P4 of the
group of milking positions P1-P4.
[0068] The general field 41 may provide information such as date
and time in all phases.
[0069] The cow number field 42 identifies the cow present at the
milking position. In the identification phase information of
verified, unverified, and missing identities of cows are found.
Verified cows are shown by fixedly indicated number (i.e. 181920
and 21670), unverified cows are shown by blinking number (i.e. 2560
and 234), and missing identities are shown by blinking dashed lines
(i.e. - - - ). If not all identities have been verified, the
operator 15 verifies the missing identities manually before next
phase is entered. In all other phases this field shows cow
identities.
[0070] The reminder field 43 shows by symbols various reminders
supporting the operator 15 during the different phases. An example
of different reminders with reference to the indicated reference
numerals in FIGS. 4-7 are listed below. [0071] 45 the group to
which the cow belongs [0072] 47 the cow should not be milked [0073]
48 the milk from the cow is to be diverted [0074] 49 only some of
the udder quarters should be milked [0075] 50 the cow should be
treated [0076] 51 cow specific information, e.g. information
regarding the teat cup kick-off tendency of the cow [0077] 52 the
cow should be screened out [0078] 74 the cow has low milk yield
[0079] The milking data field 60 may in the milking phase give
updated information on the milk yield during milking, both
graphically compared to an expected milk yield, and by FIG. 62. In
the post-milking phase, the field may additionally indicate that
the milking of the cow present at the milking position in question
has been terminated by an underscored 73 milk yield figure.
[0080] During milking, instead of indicating the milk yield and
expected milk yield, the milk flow and expected maximum milk flow
may be indicated. Still alternatively, the milking time and
expected milking time may be indicated. Yet alternatively, any
combination of the above may be indicated.
[0081] The soft key field 44 provides an identification of the
milking position in question. By touching this identification, the
display is shifted to another mode showing detailed information
regarding the milking and other activities at this milking position
only.
[0082] The processing and control device 10 may be provided for
gathering and processing information of the milking of the cows.
Further, a module 10d of the processing and control device 10 is
provided for receiving a user identity from the operator 15.
[0083] Another module 10e of the processing and control device 10
is provided for retrieving a user specific setting based on the
received user identity. The user specific setting defines user
specific information, instructions, operations and/or alarms
regarding the milking of the cows, regarding the handling of the
milking animals, or regarding the milking system. Additionally, the
user specific setting may define a user specific manner of
communicating and/or displaying information of the milking of the
cows.
[0084] The transmitting module 10c of the processing and control
device 10 is provided for transmitting the information,
instructions, operations and/or alarms regarding the milking of the
cows, regarding the handling of the milking animals, or regarding
the milking system to the terminal units of the first 11 and/or
second 13 kind as defined by the retrieved user specific setting.
Finally, the terminal units of the first 11 and/or second 13 kind
are provided for automatically outputting the information,
instructions, operations and/or alarms regarding the milking of the
cows, regarding the handling of the milking animals, or regarding
the milking system as received from the transmitting module 10c of
the processing and control device 10.
[0085] An automatic arrangement is thereby provided, by which user
specific settings for the terminal devices can automatically be
loaded when the operator, identifies him/herself for the milking
system. By automatically loading the user specific settings the
operator may easily receive the information and/or instructions
he/she wants, needs, requires, or is requested to, by a quick
glimpse at the terminal devices. The operator should not only
obtain the information he/she needs by looking at the terminals,
but should also obtain the information in the form, e.g. graphical
or alphanumerical, he/she wants to. The visual communication could
be accompanied by oral or other messages.
[0086] The arrangement may be used to display information or
instructions based on the operator's personal preferences or based
on the operator's knowledge and skills. The operation of the
milking system may be logged together with the identity of the
operator and these data could be correlated to automatically
determine the experience and knowledge of each of the operators of
the milking system. As a final point, the information and/or
instructions given to the operator during milking can be
automatically determined based on the determination of the
experience and knowledge of the operator identified prior to the
milking.
[0087] Further, information and/or instructions can be manually
determined by a dairy farmer, manager, supervisor, or the like,
depending on the user identity. The manager may send user specific
information and/or instructions at particular points of time
depending on the experience and knowledge of the operator
identified prior to the milking.
[0088] A variation of the concept of user settings comprises the
module 10d of the processing and control device 10 for receiving a
user identity from the operator 15. The module 10e of the
processing and control device 10 retrieves a user specific setting
based on the received user identity. Here, the user specific
setting defines a user specific vertical position of the vertically
adjustable floor 19. A control module 10f is provided for
controlling the vertical position of the vertically adjustable
floor 19 in response to the retrieved user specific setting.
Thereby the operator is liberated from such a simple operation as
adjusting the floor, and can thus concentrate on other issues of
greater importance.
[0089] Other parameters regarding the milking system and/or the
environment in which the operator is present, such as for instance
lighting parameters, can be automatically altered or adjusted
depending on a received user identity and a specific setting for
that operator.
[0090] While the invention has been described with reference to
particular embodiments thereof it shall not be restricted to such
embodiments. The scope of the invention is set by the appended
patent claims.
* * * * *