A DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MILKING ANIMALS

Abstract: A device for milking animals comprising one or more milking stalls (1, 2, 3) which are provided with movable exit gates and/or spurring means to drive the animals out of the milking stall, and a passageway along the exit gates (8), wherein the passageway (10) is provided with spurring means for spurring on the animals in the passageway, whereby the milking stalls are quickly freely accessible again for the following animals and whereby the capacity of the device is increased.

Description: A DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MILKING ANIMALS The invention relates to a device for milking ani¬ mals comprising one or more milking stalls which are provided with movable exit gates and/or spurring means to drive the animals out of the milking stall, and a pas- sageway along the exit gates. Such devices are known and are to be found in many dairy farms where cows are milked with automatic milking installations wherein for instance the milking apparatus is automatically removed from the udders and the cows are driven out of the milking stall. The drawback to the known devices is that once the milk has been extracted and the udder is no longer under pressure the milked animals no longer have any urge to leave the area close to the milking stall quickly and tend to linger quietly in the passageway and thus block the passage. They hereby prevent access to the milking stall for as yet unmilked animals, which is disadvanta¬ geous since the capacity of the milking device is thereby reduced. The invention has for its object to make improvement herein and for this purpose the passageway is provided with spurring means for spurring on the animals in the passageway. Driving the animals out of the passageway with spurring means once they have left the milking stall results in the milking stalls quickly being freely acces¬ sible again to the following animals, so that the capaci¬ ty of the device is increased. According to a further improvement of the invention the movable spurring member is yieldable during the movement in the walking direction. Thus is achieved that the movable spurring member can pass without problem along gates such as exit gates possibly protruding into the passageway. The invention also relates to a method for milking animals in one or more milking stalls wherein after ending of the milking these animals are driven out of the milking stall and are driven via a passageway to an accommodation area. In the known method it is possible for animals to stand still in the passageway, whereby the capacity of the milking device is unnecessarily limited. According to the invention an improvement is achieved here in that following a time adjustable in a control after the animals have left the milking stall they are prompted to walk with automatically operating spurring means. By prompting the animals to walk at an adjustable time after leaving the milking stall they learn this rhythm and will have less of a tendency to remain waiting in the passageway. This prevents stationary animals obstructing the access to a milking stall. According to another method according to the inven¬ tion improvement can likewise be achieved here in that the presence of animals in the passageway is determined with detection means and if this presence lasts longer than a time adjustable in a control after the animals have left the milking stall they are prompted to walk with automatically operating spurring means. Determining the presence of the animals in the passageway with detection means results in an immediate response to an excessively long stay in the passageway, whereby the least possible time is lost. A further improvement of the method is achieved in that the animals are spurred on by moving a movable member provided with stimulating means in a walking direction in the passageway. The animals are hereby driven in simple manner to the accommodation area. The invention is elucidated hereinbelow with refer¬ ence to an embodiment using a drawing. The drawing con- sists of a number of figures, in which: figure 1 shows a top view of a milking device for cows with three milking stalls, figure 2 shows a side view of a spurring device mounted in the milking device of figure 1, figure 3 shows the section III-III of figure 2 and figure 4 the section IV-IV of figure 2. In the different figures corresponding components are designated as far as possible with the same reference numerals. In the milking device for cows shown in figure 1 a first milking stall 1, a second milking stall 2 and a third milking stall 3 are placed successively in the length. A milking robot 6 can move on a rail along one of the long sides. Milking robot 6 can travel along the three milking stalls and can arrange teat cups placed on a milking rack 5 onto the udder of a cow present in one of the milking stalls 1, 2 or 3, wherein the animal, which during milking can eat from a feed trough 4, can be milked in the known manner such as is shown for instance in figure 1 in the first milking stall 1. The cows present in a waiting area 9 walk in a walking direction A through an access gate 15 via a passageway 10 to one of the milking stalls and enter the milking stall, for instance as shown in figure 1 the second milking stall 2, through an entrance gate 7. After milking has ended and the teat cups released from the udder an exit gate 8 is opened, as shown at the third milking stall 3. Simultaneously with opening of exit gate 8 the cow is urged out of the milking stall with pushers (not shown) and will enter and walk out of passageway 10 and walk via a one-way gate 18 to an accommodation area 11. By adjusting a separation gate 16 the cow can also be guided to a segregation area 12 or it is guided back to waiting area 9 via a return path 13 and a one-way gate 18 by adjusting a return gate 17. The diverse components of the device are controlled by a control 14 placed in an auxiliary area 19. Arranged in passageway 10 in front of the milking stalls are about two detection beams 20 per milking stall which consist for instance of infrared beams which run from an infrared transmitter {not shown) to an infrared receiver and with which the presence of cows in passage- way 10 can be detected. The detection beams 20 are placed such that opening or closing of for instance an entrance gate 7 or an exit gate 8 does not result in a mistaken detection of for instance an animal . The infrared transmitters and receivers are connect- ed to the control 14 which controls the different compo¬ nents of the device and in which inter alia timers are incorporated which can monitor how long ago an animal was driven out of the milking stall or how long one or more of the detection beams 20 have been interrupted. As long as animals which have been milked are standing in pas¬ sageway 10 no new animal will be admitted via access gate 15 since it is for instance not permitted for the en¬ trance gate 7 of the third milking stall 3 to be opened if an already milked animal which has for instance just left the first milking stall 1 can thereby enter the third milking stall 3. It is therefore important to teach the animals to leave the passageway, for instance by spurring it to walk on at a set time after leaving the milking stall or by doing this when they have stood still for a set time in the passageway. Which method is pre¬ ferred will depend on the conditions and the herd. On the basis of the monitored time duration for which a detection beam 20 is interrupted and which detec¬ tion beam is interrupted it can be determined whether one or more animals are standing still and where they are standing. On the basis hereof is established whether the spurring means as shown for instance in figures 2-4 must be started up. This the case for instance when an animal thus interrupts a detection beam for longer than 15 seconds. In addition to the above described detection method with detection beams 20 the device can also be embodied with other detection means for establishing the presence of cows in passageway 10. It is for instance possible to embody the detection means by arranging sensors in the ceiling along the whole length of passageway 10 which can determine the presence of animals. This is possible for instance with ultrasonic distance sensors, with passive infrared detectors or with other known detection means with which the presence of living creatures in a space can be determined. The advantage of detectors arranged in a high position is that they are placed less vulnerably, will become fouled less quickly and the laying of cabling is simpler. The spurring means are arranged along one of the sides of passageway 10 and comprise, as shown in figures 2-4, an endless cord 21, for instance a woven cord, which is made conductive in known manner by interweaving stain¬ less steel wire of 0.1 mm diameter therein and which is stretched round two guide wheels 22. These latter can rotate in a direction C and are driven by a drive 24 which is connected to one of the guide wheels 22 by means of a drive belt 23. In respect of cleaning of the milking stalls and passageway 10 the drive 24 is placed in a high position so that it can remain dry during spray cleaning. Fixed round the endless cord 21 is a clamping block 25, the sides of which are placed between an upper guide 26 during movement in a spurring direction B and are thereby guided such that a probe 37 fixed to clamping block 25 protrudes into the passageway 10. After passing over guide wheel 22 the clamping block 25 is also guided by a lower guide 27 during the movement in a return direction D such that the probe 37 hangs downward. Guides 26 and 27 herein ensure that animals and humans moving in the passageway 10 cannot accidentally contact the endless cord. In order to achieve that the probe is carried in the desired manner between the guide 26 a guide cam 30 is placed round one of the guide wheels 22. During use the probe 37 lies at rest parallel to the wall at an end switch 28. At the moment cows must be prompted to move, the drive 24 is switched on by control 14 and guide wheel 22 begins to rotate in the direction C. Probe 37 will first move in direction D and, under the influence of guide cam 30, be carried between the guide 26 and move in the direction B. Probe 37 herein protrudes into the passageway and moves at a speed of about 17 m per minute, this speed being such that a cow can ensure that it is not touched by probe 37. At the end of passageway 10 the probe is moved round a guide wheel 22 and will therein hang downward at a distance of about 3 cm from the wall without touching the ground. Probe 37 moves in direction D until the drive is brought to a stop by end switch 28 when it detects probe 37. A high-voltage generator 36 will be switched on simultaneously with switch-on of drive 24, wherein the high voltage, for instance 10,000 V, is conducted via a high-voltage cable 35 and a wiper contact 29 to the endless cord 21. Fixed to the clamping block 25 of probe 37 which is clamped round cord 21 is a protective sheath 31 having therein a conductive core 32, which core pro¬ trudes out of protective sheath 31 on the side remote from clamping block 25 and can there thus be live with high voltage. This high voltage can contact the cows which are thereby strongly stimulated to walk away from the probe 37 and leave the passageway 10. Since the conductive core 32 can contact a moving gate 33 and this would cause undesired electrical cur¬ rents in the gates, gate 33 is provided with an insulat- ing sheath 34. Instead of spurring by means of high voltage, means can be arranged whereby the probe 37 will begin to flail mechanically during movement and thereby encourage the animals to move. This is possible for instance by mount- ing a toothed belt on the upper guide 26, which belt co- acts with mechanical means (not shown) arranged in the probe which consist for instance of a pinion in engage¬ ment with the toothed belt and a rotating flexible shaft to which flailing wires are fastened. In order to prevent unnecessary agitation of cows provisions are arranged which ensure that cows do not begin to jostle each other unnecessary. It is for in¬ stance undesirable that in the case two cows are standing in passageway 10 the rear cow is spurred on by a probe 37 under high voltage moving along its body while it cannot walk on because another cow is blocking the way. The provisions can entail that the spurring means are not switched on when two cows are standing in passageway 10. Switch means (not shown) can also be arranged in probe 37 which break the connection between the high voltage and the extremity of probe 37 when the probe moves along an obstacle such as the body of a cow. Provisions can also be arranged in the control which ensure that, if one of the entrance gates 7 or exit gates 8 opens and thereby obstructs the passage in passageway 10, the probe 37 then comes temporarily to a stop until the gate is closed again, the passageway 10 is again clear and the cows can again walk further. In another embodiment of the milking device the detection means are arranged on the spurring means. This device operates as follows: on probe 37 of figures 2-4 is arranged a sensor which gives a signal to the control 14 when probe 37 arrives close to or against a cow. The probe 37 periodically moving rapidly in walking direction B then acquires a lower speed so that the cow can contin¬ ue to walk ahead of probe 37. Probe 37 can thus move at two speeds, wherein the high speed is switched on period¬ ically in order to detect whether animals are standing in passageway 10 and, under the influence of the presence of animals, this high speed slows to below the walking speed of the cows . The invention is not limited to the embodiments discussed here. The detection means and spurring means can thus be arranged at a plurality of locations, i.e. everywhere animals can obstruct each other's passage. This is possible in the case of the known tandem stalls where the operator is mainly occupied with arrang¬ ing milking sets and the cows leave the milking device individually and independently. Particularly in situations where an operator is no longer present, such as in an automatic milking device wherein the teat cups are connected automatically to the teats of the udders, avoidance of stationary animals in the passageways is found to give an increase in capacity, not only in the passageway along the front of the milking stalls but also in other passageways where congestion can occur.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Device for milking animals comprising one or more milking stalls (1, 2, 3) which are provided with movable exit gates (8) and/or spurring means to drive the animals out of the milking stall, and a passageway (10) along the exit gates, characterized in that the passageway (10) is provided with spurring means (37) for spurring on the animals in the passageway (10) . 2. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the spurring means (37) comprise a movable spurring member which protrudes into the passageway (10) during the movement in a walking direction (B) . 3. Device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the movable spurring member is arranged on an end¬ less element such as a cord or a chain. 4. Device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the spurring means (37) are provided with guide means (25, 26, 27) for guiding the movable spurring member. 5. Device as claimed in claims 2-4, characterized in that the movable spurring member is yieldable during the movement in the walking direction (B) . 6. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that a high voltage is applied to the spurring means (37) and that gates situated in the area of the spurring means (37) are provided with insulation (34) . 7. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the passageway (10) is provided with detection means (20) . 8. Device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the detection means (20) are connected to a control (14) . 9. Device as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the movable spurring member is drivable at two speeds, wherein the detection means are arranged on the movable spurring member. 10. Method for milking animals in one or more milk¬ ing stalls (1, 2, 3) wherein after ending of the milking these animals are driven out of the milking stall and are driven via a passageway (10) to an accommodation area (11) , characterized in that following a time adjustable in a control (14) after the animals have left the milking stall they are prompted to walk with automatically oper¬ ating spurring means (37) . 11. Method for milking animals in one or more milk- ing stalls (1, 2, 3) wherein after ending of the milking these animals are driven out of the milking stall and are driven via a passageway (10) to an accommodation area (11) , characterized in that the presence of animals in the passageway (10) is determined with detection means (20) and if this presence lasts longer than a time ad¬ justable in a control (14) after the animals have left the milking stall they are prompted to walk with automat¬ ically operating spurring means (37) . 12. Method as claimed in claim 10 or 11, character- ized in that the animals are spurred on by moving a movable spurring member (37) provided with stimulating means (32) in the walking direction (B) in the passageway (10) .

Inventors: OOSTERLING PIETER ADRIAAN, OOSTERLING, PIETER, ADRIAAN
Applicants: OOSTERLING PIETER ADRIAAN, PROLION BV, OOSTERLING, PIETER, ADRIAAN, PROLION B.V.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A01K15
IPC codes: A01J7, A01K1, A01K15