A construction for milking animals

Abstract: The invention relates to an construction including at least one implement for milking animals, such as cows. A milk checking member (10) for determining a grade of a milk component, such as the fat grade, is provided at or near the implement. The contents of the milk components can be read from a display screen (12) which is part of the construction.

Description: The invention relates to a construction according to the preamble of claim 1. Document US-A-3,841,756 relates to a device for sensing the leukocyte content of the milk, the butterfat content and the weight of the milk. This information is subsequently made available by a single master unit for each individual cow. Although the system is highly automated, it relies on milk stations for the cows to be milked at. This involves extensive manual labour during milking. Also, for the device to operate accurately, it needs to be calibrated periodically. US-A-5,230,863 describes a method of calibrating an automatic chemical analyser. This analyser is, however, not suited for measuring the fat content or albumen content of milk. FR-A-2 691 259 relates to a calibrating fluid with properties that are similar to the properties of milk, but neither a calibrating means nor a measuring device is described. In "Landbouwmechanisatie, Vol. 44, No. 9 September 1993, Wageningen, NL, pages 10-11" a robot milking machine is described, but no means for measuring the contents of the milk are disclosed. In the operation of robotic milking machines there is usually no operator present for assessing the quality of the milk. On the basis of the quality of the milk it is determined whether the milk is suitable for consumption, whilst payment of the milk may also be effected on this quality basis. As regards checking of the milk, more particularly as regards checking of e.g. the fat grade and/or the albumen grade of the milk, laboratories must be called upon, whereby such laboratories may be at a large distance from the location where the milk is obtained. It takes quite some time before a farmer has these data available, and only then he can take measures if deviations in the said grades occur. It is undesirable that time will be lost or may be lost between the moment the farmer can act and the knowledge that a given animal does not produce optimally, as such a delay has a negative effect on the quality and ultimately on the price the farmer receives for his milk. The invention has for its object to automatically and accurately measure the milk quality of milk which is obtained by automated milking and to make such quality data available to the operator. According to the invention, this is achieved by the measurements in the characterizing part of claim 1. In this way the farmer can fully concentrate on the performances of his animals, related to the percentages of the milk components displayed on the display screen. When an animal enters the milking box, the milking robot checks whether a given animal is to be milked. In accordance with the invention, teat cups are connected to the teats of the relevant animal with the aid of the milking robot, whereafter milking can be started. During the milking procedure, in accordance with a feature of the invention, the grade of fat and/or albumen can directly be read from a display screen which is part of the milk checking member. A checking member can be a member for checking the percentage of the milk fat and/or albumen in the milk. The construction includes a milk checking member, with the aid of which gauging of the milk can take place, whereby the construction is comprising means for measuring data which can be dispatched by the telephone or such medium to a person being at a distance from the construction. The person, who may be employed by the Herd Registry Office, can on the basis of the aforesaid data determine the characteristics as regards the fat and/or the albumen percentages of the animal's milk and/or the milk yield. These data can be recorded via a telephone line in the Herd Registry Office, so that the relevant pedigree, which may optionally have been stored in the computer, is updated with the latest up-to-date data of the animal and is immediately available. The farmer can also check his cattle from a distance, which is advantageous when he lives at a distance from his cattle. In accordance with another feature of the invention, the construction includes a milking box to which the milk checking member is attached. This gives the farmer the opportunity to check the performances of his animals in the milking parlour. In an implementation in accordance with the invention, the display screen of the milk checking member may be in a location remote from the arrangement, e.g. in a house or in a farm building. So as to determine the quantity of milk supplied by each animal, the construction includes, in accordance with a further feature of the invention, a milk quantity meter. In accordance with a still further feature of the invention, the fat grade and/or the albumen grade and the quantity of milk obtained during a milking turn can be read from the display screen. In accordance with another feature of the invention, the data collected during sampling of the milk are automatically processed in a management computer which is part of the construction. With the aid of the management computer it is possible to store, combine and/or to interrelate the above data, so that certain conclusions can be drawn therefrom. Thus, in accordance with a further feature of the invention, the data collected during sampling of the milk can, for example, be transmitted via a modem forming part of the construction to the Herd Registry Office and/or to the Milk Sanitation Office. In accordance with a feature of the invention, the milk checking member includes a sealable control box. Thus, the milk checking member is only accessible to a limited number of persons. As already mentioned, the milk checking member is provided with gauging means for gauging the milk checking member. In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the gauging means include an inlet and an outlet, via which a liquid suitable for gauging, e.g. milk of a known grade, can be fed to and discharged from the milk checking member. In accordance with a feature of the invention, the gauging means further include a reset circuit which can be activated when on the display screen there appears a value which differs from the actual, pre-known value of the grade of said gauging liquid. The reset switch has a plurality of correction buttons which are accessible after the said seal has been broken. Since the gauging means can be used at any moment, it is possible to always perform a very accurate determination of a grade by means of the milk checking member. There is known a variety of apparatuses and systems for measuring the fat and albumen grades, such as a butyrometer. To determine the fat grade, the Gerber, Babcock and Rose-Gottlieb systems are generally known. Measuring albumen-protein can be effected on a more chemical basis in accordance with Kjeldahl. Furthermore, the measurements can be performed by means of sensors. According to the invention, the milk checking member can employ the Gerber, the Babcock or the Rose-Gottlieb systems to determine the fat grade. In accordance with another feature of the invention, the milk checking member can employ the Kjeldahl system to determine the albumen grade. It will be obvious that the invention is not limited to the above systems, but that any other system suitable for determining the grade of fat and/or albumen can be used. For the purpose of storing the data collected therefrom and, optionally, reading these data of each animal at a later instant, the construction includes, in accordance with a feature of the invention, a cow identification system. For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a construction for milking animals, which construction includes a milk checking member for determining the fat and/or albumen grade, and Figure 2 shows the milk checking member as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows a construction for milking animals, which construction comprises a milking box 1 having a railing 2, to which a feed trough 3 is attached. The contours of a cow 4 are shown in the milking box 1. A transponder 5, which is part of a (non-shown) cow identification system, is disposed around the neck of the cow 4. By means of the cow identification system, by reading the transponder 5, the identity of the animal 4 present in the milking box 1 can be determined. The construction for milking animals comprises a (non-shown) milking robot, with the aid of which teat cups 6 can automatically be connected to the teats of an animal 4 and the milking process can be performed. As is shown in Figure 1, the construction for milking animals includes a pump 7, which the aid of which the milk obtained can be pumped through a milk line 8 to a (non-shown) milk tank. In the milk line 8 there is incorporated a milk quantity meter 9, which determines the quantity of milk supplied by an animal during each milking turn. The milk quantity meter 9 may be in the form of a flow meter, a milk collecting glass, a weight measuring device, etc. In addition, the milk line 8 further includes a milk checking member 10 for the determination of the fat grade and/or the albumen grade. The milk checking member 10 comprises a control box 11 with a display screen 12. The control box 11 is disposed aside of the milking box 1 on a cross-beam 13 of the railing 2. As is shown in Figure 2, at one side of the control box 11 there is arranged a first connecting nipple 14, to which the milk supply line 8 is connected. At the other side of the control box 11 there is arranged a second connecting nipple 15, to which the milk discharge line 8 is connected, through which line the milk, after having flown through the milk checking member, is discharged to the milk tank. A first terminal for the electric line 17 of a sensor 18 of the milk quantity meter 9 is arranged at the bottom side of the control box 11. Via the electric line 17, the sensor 18 applies to the milk checking member 10 a signal, which represents the rate of flow in the milk line 8. At the bottom side of the control box 11 there is a further, second terminal 19, to which can be connected an electric line 20 which provides the milk checking member 10 with current. As is shown in Figure 1, an emergency energy source 21 is incorporated in the electric line 20, which is switched-on in the event of a power cut. The milk checking member 10 further includes gauging means, with the aid of which the grade determined by the milk checking member 10 can be gauged and displayed on the display screen 12. The gauging means have a third connecting nipple 22, via which the types of milk or other substances composed specifically for gauging purposes can be supplied to the milk checking member 10. The substances supplied for gauging via the third connecting nipple 22 are automatically discharged through a connecting nipple 23, which is disposed on the control box 11 and to which a (non-shown) reservoir can be connected. In addition, the gauging means have a plurality of correction buttons 24, which are accommodated in the control box 11 and with the aid of which the digits displayed on the display screen 12 can be adjusted, when there is displayed a grade different from the previously known grade of the liquid suitable for gauging. So as to prevent an unauthorized person from getting access to the interior of the control box 11, this control box is provided with a seal 25, which must be broken to allow access thereto. For example, an inspector can perform one or several times per annum a gauging of the milk checking member, using three types of milk having known fat and/or albumen grade (e.g. 4%, 5% and 6%). In the case of deviating values, the inspector can adjust the milk checking member by opening the sealed wall and setting the correct values by means of the correction buttons 24. In addition, a modem 27 is connected to the control box 11 via an electric line 26. By means of the modem 27, data collected by the milk checking member 10 can be transmitted via a telephone line 28 to a remote computer and/or display screen. The milk checking member may also be connected to the Herd Registry Office and/or to the Milk Sanitation Office. A person working at the Herd Registry Office can look into the data collected for a given animal and consequently determine the quality of her milk, without paying a visit to the farmer. The computer installed in the house or in the farm building is preferably provided with a management program which can combine the data collected by the milk checking member 10, so that thereafter the farmer can read useful information on e.g. the health of the animal, the quality of the milk, how the lactation period proceeds, etc. Since at the end of the lactation period the albumen grade, the quantity of milk supplied in each milking turn and the fat grade may vary significantly, the data of approximately one thousand samples of the aforesaid components per animal are stored in the said computer, so that on the basis of these data the reliability of the conclusions related thereto is increased. The arrangement described in the foregoing operates as follows: When an animal enters the milking box 1, the identity of the animal is determined by means of the cow identification system. Based on the period of time elapsed since the last time the relevant animal was milked, it is determined whether the animal is to be milked. In the case the construction includes a milking robot, the teat cups are connected automatically to the teats of the animal to be milked. The pump 7 is thereafter activated and the milk obtained is then pumped to the milk tank through the milk line 8. The milk then first passes the milk quantity meter 9 with the sensor 18, which applies a signal to the milk checking member 10 via the electric line 17. The display screen 12 of the milk checking member then permanently displays the quantity of milk supplied during the milking turn. Of the milk supplied via the milk line 8 to the milk checking member, the grade of a plurality of components is analyzed in the analyzing members 29, 30 which are accommodated in the control box and which make use of known per se techniques, such as the Gerber, the Babcock and the Röse-Gottlieb systems for determining the fat grade and the Kjeldahl system for determining albumen and protein. The determination of the grade of a milk component is also possible by means of sensors. During and/or after the milking turn, the farmer can read the fat grade, the albumen grade and the milk yield from the display screen 12. These data are optionally also transferred via the modem 27 to the (management) computer, where they are stored and processed. On the basis of aforesaid data, the farmer can accurately check the performances of his animals and, if necessary, can make changes in e.g. the feeding pattern of the animal and in the composition of the fodder.

Claims: A construction including at least one implement for milking animals, such as cows, said implement being provided with a milk checking member (10) for the determination of the fat grade and/or albumen grade in the milk, obtained from the individual animals during milking, characterized in that the implement is constituted by a milking robot for automatically milking animals, and in that the checking member (10) is provided with a display screen (12) on which the fat grade and/or the albumen grade of milk obtained from an individual animal during milking can be read, and with gauging means in which a liquid suitable for gauging the fat and/or albumen grade measurements, such as milk of a known grade, can be fed and discharged. A construction as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that milk samples required for the milk checking member (10) can be discharged separately from the milk intended for consumption purposes. A construction as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the construction includes a milking box (1), to which the milk checking member (10) is attached. A construction as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the display screen (12) is accommodated remotely from the construction, e.g. in a house or in a farm building. A construction as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fat grade and/or the albumen grade and the quantity of milk established by a milk quantity meter (9) can be read from the display screen (12) during milking. A construction as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data collected during the milk sampling operation are automatically processed in a management computer which is part of the construction. A construction as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data collected during the milk sampling operation are transmitted via a modem (27) which is part of the construction to the Herd Registry Office. A construction as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the milk checking member includes a sealable control box (11). A construction as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gauging means include a reset circuit which can be activated when the display screen (12) displays a value which differs from the actual, pre-known value of the grade of said gauged liquid. A construction as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the milk checking member (10) employs the fat grade determination in accordance with the Gerber system. A construction as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the milk checking member (10) employs the fat grade determination in accordance with the Babcock system. A construction as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the milk checking member (10) employs the fat grade determination in accordance with the Röse-Gottlieb system. A construction as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the milk checking member (10) employs the albumen grade determination in accordance with the Kjeldahl system. A construction as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the arrangement includes a cow identification system.

Inventors: VAN DER LELY CORNELIS, VAN DER LELY, CORNELIS
Applicants: MAASLAND NV, MAASLAND N.V.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: G01N33
IPC codes: A01J5, G01N33