Patent Abstract:
A milking stall includes a base structure supporting a pen within which an animal undergoing milking may be enclosed, the pen including at least one entrance gate and first and second exit gates, each gate being movable between an open position in which an animal may pass through the gate and a closed position in which an animal is unable to do so.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an automated milking stall for animals such as cattle, goats and the like. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Such milking stalls or parlours are known per se and comprise an entry gate via which the animal will enter the parlour and which is closed during milking to retain the animal in the parlour; an exit gate which opens automatically when milking has ended and a robot arm which carries, at its distal end, teat cups. The robot arm is automatically movable into (and, when milking is finished, out of) a position in which the teat cups may engage with the teats of the animal. 
         [0005]    Automated milking parlours are also known to comprise or be linked to various analysis equipment whose purpose is to record and analyse parameters associated with both the milking process and the milk yielded by that process. The purposes of such analyses include the obtaining of data on the individual animal&#39;s milk yield as well as to establish whether the animal is, at the time of milking, displaying indications of illness requiring intervention and/or withhold of its milk from human consumption. The process of automation in animal milking is known to use data obtained during milking which indicates illness then to segregate the unwell animal. Typically, this will involve herding the animal, once it has exited the milking parlour, into a separate compound using an automated gate. Alternatively, the animal may be segregated for routine attention on the instruction of the operator. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides a milking stall comprising a base structure to which an enclosing frame is mounted; the enclosing frame including at least one entrance gate and first and second exit gates each of the gates being movable between an open position in which an animal may pass though the gate and a closed position in which an animal is unable to do so. In a preferred embodiment, the stall comprises a control system which is operable to actuate the first exit gate when a signal is received indicating that the animal is unwell or otherwise required for individual attention and to actuate the second exit gate when a signal is received indicating there is no requirement to segregate. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of milking stall according to the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a detail of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0011]      FIGS. 4 to 7  are plan views of different modes of operation of the embodiment of milking stall according to the present invention; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is a schematic illustration of control of the exits to the embodiment of milking stall in  FIGS. 1 to 7 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0013]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , an automated milking stall for comprises a planar base  10  and, mounted upon the base, a pen  12 . In the present embodiment the stall is designed for milking cattle, though this is not essential. The pen  12  is rectangular in plan view and comprises a wall  14  which forms one of the longer sides of the enclosure. The wall  14  extends from the upper level of the enclosure to about halfway down, thereby leaving a substantial gap at the bottom. The gap enables a robotically-controlled arm  40  to swing under the wall  14  and engage with a cow&#39;s udder for automated milking as will be described subsequently. 
         [0014]    The remaining sides of the pen  12  are provided by a series of gate sections  16 A, B, C D (shown most readily in  FIG. 3 ). Each gate section  16  is mounted to a rectangular frame  15 A,B,C situated at the ends and the middle of the pen  12 . Each gate section  16  comprises a substantially rectangular frame  18  made of tubular spars, typically of galvanised steel though any suitable material may be used. A series transverse struts  20 , also made of tubular galvanised steel extend across each frame  18 , with the lowermost strut  18  of each gate section  16  and the adjacent parts of the frame  18  each supporting a panel  22 . The panels  22  extend transversely around the lowermost part of the three sides of the pen  12  enclosed by the gate sections  16  and serve to avoid or minimise damage to an animal&#39;s lower leg in the event that it starts to kick while in the enclosure. 
         [0015]    The size of the pen is chosen so that, when an animal is enclosed within the pen  12  its movement is significantly restricted and, as a consequence of which, its udder will be known to be located within a very small area. Once enclosed, this enables a robotic arm, mounted to the remote side of the wall  14  ( FIG. 1 ) to articulate under the wall  14  and to engage with the teats of the cow&#39;s udder. Once engaged, milk is extracted from the teats via milk cups (not shown) on the robotic arm into a milk receptacle (not shown) and mounted to the far side of the wall  14 . Typically, milk either within the receptacle or which is being transmitted to it will be analysed physically and/or chemically for one or more ‘marker’ measurements which indicate animal illness. In the event that illness is indicated, it will be desirable to segregate the animal from the remainder of the herd both to prevent any possible spread of illness and to ensure the animal may receive appropriate treatment. 
         [0016]    Referring now additionally to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , in a preferred embodiment two entry gates,  16 A, B are pivotally mounted to a end frame  15 A for a hinged motion relative to the base  10  thereby providing two alternative entry locations into the milking stall. Thus, gate section  16 A is pivotally mounted to a vertical strut  22  forming part of frame  15 A in a manner permitting hinged opening of the gate section  16 A to allow a cow ‘straight entry’ into the stall, as shown in  FIG. 4 . Similarly, gate section  16 B is pivotally mounted to the centre frame  15 B for hinged opening which therefore permits entry into the stall of cattle from a different direction. The stall likewise comprises two exit gates. Thus, gate section  16 C is pivotally mounted for hinged opening from middle frame  15 B, while gate section  16 D is pivotally mounted for hinged opening from end frame  15 C. Thus, by means of two differing entry gates, it is possible to select cattle for milking from one of two different animal compounds, for example, and to direct them to one of two different exit compounds. Thus,  FIG. 4  illustrates entry via gate  16 A which may open onto a first compound; while  FIG. 5 , illustrating entry via gate  16 B, may open onto a second, distinct compound. 
         [0017]    Referring additionally to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , equally, exit may be via gate  16 C as illustrated in  FIG. 6 ; or via gate  16 D as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . If, therefore, it transpires that a cow is diagnosed from the analysis of its milk as showing indications of illness and/or is required for routine operator attention, it can be forced to exit the stall by (say) the gate  16 C which opens onto a compound that is entirely separate to the compound onto which ordinary exit gate  16 D opens and therefore provides instant and complete segregation of the animal from the moment at which the first indication of the animal&#39;s potentially poor health has been detected. Notably, and as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 to 7 , a feed container  30  is preferably located on an exit gate  16 D (though the container may equally be located elsewhere in a location accessible by the animal when located inside the pen) 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIG. 8 , control of the gates may, in one preferred embodiment, be based upon the health of the animal. Thus, according to one embodiment, an infra red camera  100  is located on a frame  15 A, B, C and scans the animal whilst it is milking. An IR scan analyser  110  establishes whether the temperature of the animal is within a range which would indicate normal health, or whether the animal&#39;s temperature indicates ill-health. The output signal of the scan analyser  110  is sent to the control system  120 . If the scan analyser output signals normal health, the control system operates the hydraulic actuator  60  associated with gate  16 D and the animal exits the pen of the stall to join the other animals. If, however, the scan analyser output signals ill health, the control system operates the motor on gate  16 C and the animal exits to an entirely separate compound without ever, at any subsequent point, coming into contact with any of the other animals. For ease of illustration only a single sensor, here an IR sensor to indicate body temperature, has been shown. It is equally possible to employ a plurality of such sensors; further it is possible to employ sensors of other parameters which indicate animal wellbeing, such as animal contours for body condition scoring and the like. Further, where ill health is to be used as a basis upon which to control the gate operation, it is not essential to use IR-generated animal heat data; alternative data may be used, such as analysis of the milk temperature and/or composition, for example. 
         [0019]    Further, the control system may equally operate upon bases other than animal health. Thus, the control system could be pre-programmed with the identities of specific animals which it is desire to segregate for other reasons and, when he RFID of the or each such animal is detected when milking and transmitted to the control system, the control system may operate to divert the animal out of the appropriate exit gate. 
         [0020]    In this way the milking stall can be used additionally as an instant filtering mechanism for animal traffic.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7