Patent ID: 11889813
Assignee: DELAVAL HOLDING AB
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  G | IPC A  G

Claim 0:
1. A cassette (130) configured to enable measurement of at least one biomarker value of a milk sample of milk extracted by a milking equipment (110) from an animal (100), the milking equipment (110) providing extracted milk to a service module (120) having a camera (210);
the cassette (130) being disposable and comprising:
a housing providing the cassette with an interior volume, the housing being insertable into the service module (12),
wherein the housing comprises a top lid (380) having an opening (135), a rear part (410), and a frontal part (420),
the top lid (380) forming a side of the housing extending between the rear part (410) and the frontal part (420),
the rear part (410), the frontal part (420), the top lid (380) each being made of plastic;
wherein, the opening (135) of the housing is a camera alignment opening;
a tape distributing spool (131) located within the housing;
a tape (170) rolled up on the tape distributing spool (131), the tape (170) comprising a plurality of dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c), configured to indicate the biomarker value of the milk sample, and a top film (310) arranged to protect the dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c) while rolled up on the tape distributing spool (131), the tape (170) comprising advancement apertures (175) and being advanceable within the housing so that each of the dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c) are individually aligned with the opening (135) to respectively receive the milk sample when in alignment with the opening (135) onto each of the dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c) and so that each of the dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c) are subsequently individually aligned with the opening (135);
a tape collecting spool (132) located within the housing, the tape collecting spool (132) configured to collect the tape (170) with used dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c);
a top film reel (330) located within the housing, the top film reel arranged to peel off and collect the top film (310) of the tape (170); and
a capstan reel (370) comprising teeth (375), for engaging with the advancement apertures (175) on the tape (170),
wherein the tape (170) extends in a trajectory between the tape distributing spool (131) and the capstan reel (370),
wherein the opening (135) is located above the tape (170) and vertically aligned with one of the dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c) with the one of the dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c) being visible through the opening (135),
wherein the tape (170) is located above the tape distributing spool (131) and the tape collecting spool (132) such that the tape (170) is positioned with respect to the opening (135) to i) enable a needle (350) of a dosing module (137) to be inserted through the opening (135) for applying the milk sample of the animal (100) to the one of the dry sticks (180a, 180b, 180c), to which the top film (310) has been peeled off, such that the opening (135) in the lid of the housing is the same opening via which the milk sample is supplied, and ii) enable an image of the one dry stick to be taken by the camera through the opening (135) for processing to determine the biomarker in the milk sample,
wherein the rear part (410) comprises:
an aperture (460) extending through the rear part (410), the rear part (410) being configured to receive a liquid evacuator (195) through the aperture (460);
a rear tape distributing spool holding member (510a), arranged to hold the tape distributing spool (131);
a rear tape collecting holding member (520a), arranged to hold the tape collecting spool (132);
a rear capstan reel holding member (530a), arranged to hold the capstan reel (370); and
a rear top film reel holding member (540a), arranged to hold the top film reel (330); and

wherein the frontal part (420) comprises:
a frontal tape distributing spool holding member (520b), arranged to hold the tape distributing spool (131) such that the rear tape distributing spool holding member (510a) and the frontal tape distributing spool holding member (520b) together hold the tape distributing spool (131);
a frontal tape collecting holding member (510b), arranged to hold the tape collecting spool (132) such that rear tape collecting holding member (520a) and the frontal tape collecting holding member (510b) together hold the tape collecting spool (132);
a frontal capstan reel holding member (540b), arranged to hold the capstan reel (370) such that the rear tape collecting holding member (520a) and the frontal capstan reel holding member (540b) together hold the capstan reel (370); and
a frontal top film reel holding member (530b), arranged to hold the top film reel (330) such that the rear top film reel holding member (540a) and the frontal top film reel holding member (530b) together hold the top film reel (330).