Patent ID: 12201079

FIG.1shows a diagrammatic representation of a milking system1according to the present invention for milking teats101of an udder100of a dairy animal. The milking system1comprises teat cups2, connected to short milk lines3, debouching in a milk jar4, that in turn is connected to a main milk line5. A milk pump is denoted6, and a three-way valve with7connects to a bulk tank line8connected to a bulk milk tank9, and to a sewer line10.

A milking robot11has a robot arm12and a robot control unit13. A sampling unit is generally denoted14, and a sampling line15with an optional sample valve16.

In use of the milking system1, the robot control unit13controls the milking robot11with the robot arm12to attach the teat cups2to the teats101of the udder100of a dairy animal such as a cow. The milk that is subsequently milked leaves the teat cups2under the influence of a vacuum, that is applied by a pump not depicted here, via the short milk lines3, and is collected in a milk jar4.

In order to comply with legal requirements, the first milk from each teat must be tested for physical changes, and if desired for other deviant properties. This can be done by means of a separate foremilk test device, or it can be done with the help of the sampling unit14as supplied according to the invention. Then use will be made of the alternative sample lines15′. In case of a negative assessment, the milked milk collected in the milk jar4will then be pumped to the sewer line10by means of the milk pump6, via the main milk line5and the three way valve7. All these devices are under the control of the robot control unit13. Contrarily, if the milk is assessed to be OK, it will be pumped to the bulk milk tank9via the bulk line8.

It is also possible that the sampling unit14takes a sample from the milk jar4, in particular a mixed sample from milk that was milked from all teats and during all of the milking. This helps to get a good assessment of the milk that (if not rejected based on the foremilk assessment or otherwise, such as being antibiotics milk) will be sent to the bulk tank9, or possible to one of several bulk milk tanks. For example, the milk from different cows could be sent to different bulk tanks, based on their fat content, their protein content or otherwise, as determined by the sampling unit14. In such embodiments, as the one shown inFIG.1, the sample line15runs from the milk jar4to the sampling unit14, and optionally has a sample valve15. Note that the latter could also be a part internal to the sampling unit14.

Most often, however, the sampling unit14is used to determine a property of the milk from a cow, either per teat quarter101or for the whole udder100/animal, which property is subsequently used in animal management but not for immediate control of the milk destiny. Examples are the measurement of hormones such as progesterone, that play a role in the reproductive cycle of the animal, or of substances that relate to feeding or metabolic health of the animal. Based on the assessment by the sampling unit14, the farmer or the control unit13may then adapt feeding, call a veterinary for a health check or for insemination, and so on.

FIG.2shows a diagrammatic representation of a sampling unit14as in the milking system according to the present invention. The sampling unit14has a box20with a lid21that hinges around a hinge22and is locked with a lock23, and with an in-box space24. In the box20there are provided a sampler control unit25, a light source26emitting light27, a camera28, a drive29and a cassette30.

The cassette30has a window31, that can be covered with a shutter32, and through which a tape33with reagent pads34may be observed. The tape33is wound from a supply reel35, rotatable around an axle36in a subhousing37, that has an exit opening38closed by means of a seal39and that surrounds an internal subhousing space40. A nozzle is denoted by41, is partly surrounded by an overflow cup42with a housing drain line43, and is itself connected to a housing supply line44, which is controlled by a sample pump45.

The drive29comprises a nozzle mover arm46, which is hingeably driveable around a hinge47by a first cam wheel48, which in turn is rotatably driven around an axle49by non-shown cam wheel drive and which has a first cam50. The drive29also comprises a pump drive arm45′, which drives a moveable pump element45″. The drive29also comprises an rinsing cup mover arm51that is driveable around a hinge52by a second cam50′, and that at its end carries a rinsing cup53.

The used tape is collected around a collecting reel54that is driveable around an axle55by means of a tape drive56. The inner housing space is denoted by57. Liquid connectors58supply connections for an external drain line59and an external supply line60, the latter being connectible, via valve device61, to a milk sampling line62, such as the sampling line15ofFIG.1, as well as a cleaning fluid supply line63, that supplies cleaning fluid via a supply pump64from a reservoir65.

The sampling unit14as shown here comprises a substantially light- and airtight box20, with a number of fixed parts and a replaceable cassette, or housing,30with a number of parts that are replaced each time the cassette30is replaced. As explained above, and according to the invention, this ensures that parts that are susceptible to wear and contamination, such as milk carrying parts, are exchanged regularly.

In the embodiment ofFIG.2, the cassette or housing30may be exchanged by unlocking the lock23, such as by turning a key, shifting a bolt or the like, subsequently opening the lid21around the hinge22, taking out the used cassette30and replacing it with a new and unused cassette. The fluid connections58between housing drain line43and the external drain line59, and between the housing supply line44and the external supply line60, respectively are made, either manually or automatically by placing the cassette30. The various arms45′,46,51driveable by the drive29are in an idle position in which they come to rest against respective cams, two of which are shown here as the first and second cams50,50′, respectively. Thereafter the sampling unit14is closed again. It is noted that other means of moving the nozzle and/or the rinsing cup, instead of the mover arms45′,46and51may be used, such as pneumatic means, that can be connected via gas tubes and fluid connectors, connectible like the drain and supply lines, and controllable via gas pumps, or any other suitable means.

In use, a sample of milk is supplied through the milk sampling line62, such as from the milk jar4inFIG.1, and via the valve device61and the external supply line60, a fluid connector58, the housing supply line44the sample pump45and the nozzle41. Thereto, the sample pump is put in an open position by means of the moveable pump element45″, driven by the pump drive arm45′ under the control of the drive29, in turn controlled by the sampler control unit25. It is noted that the sampler control unit is a part inside the box20, and separate from the robot control unit13inFIG.1. It is also possible that the sampler control unit is provided outside the box20, still as a separate part, or even as an integral part of the robot control unit13. It is furthermore noted that use may be made of a flat wall part, as provided in the rinsing cup53, to control sample drop formation. The cup53is open towards the bottom, for receiving the nozzle41, if desired together with the overflow cup42surrounding it. By inserting the nozzle in the rinsing cup, the nozzle may be rinsed by ejecting (cleaning or other) liquid through the nozzle, which liquid is shielded by the rinsing cup, and subsequently collected in the overflow cup, and then drained via drain line43/59.

The sample pump45may be any suitable pump such as a peristaltic pump. The latter has an advantage in that it is easily closable, such as by pressing the moveable pump element against an abutment surface, and is accurately controllable for dosing small amounts, such as a droplet of sample onto a reagent pad. Nevertheless, other types of pumps that can provide good dosing control are not excluded.

A droplet of the sample is thus provided by the nozzle41on a reagent pad34. These reagent pads34are provided as a series of consecutive pads on a tape33, and provide a detectable response in the presence of a (detectable) amount of to-be-detected substance in the milk sample. For example, the reagent pad34may show a colouring in the presence of progesterone in the milk sample, the intensity of speed of the colouring depending on the concentration of the progesterone. of course, other substances may also be used. The response, or absence thereof, is detected by means of a camera28that images, through a window31in the box, radiation coming from the reagent pads34. This radiation is either radiation27that was emitted by the light source26, and then reflected or scattered by the reagent pad34, or may be radiation of a different type, generated by a reaction in the reagent to the radiation27from the light source26, such as a fluorescence reaction. The light source26may emit optical radiation, such as visible light, UV(A) radiation or (near) infrared light, and is selected suitable, such as from corresponding LEDs or other. The window may optionally be covered by means of a shutter32that is movable in the direction of the double arrow, in order to protect the contents of the cassette30, and in particular the tape33with the reagent pads34, against any negative influences of the radiation.

After the nozzle41supplies a droplet of the milk sample to a reagent pad34, the camera28observes the pad, and detects any response. Thereto, the pad34is first moved by means of the tape mover56that advances the tape33a bit. This not only frees up a subsequent pad34, but also moves the pad to the field of view of the camera28. Note that it is also possible, and in fact preferred, that that field of view is where the sample droplet is provided by the nozzle41. That allows to observe the response in the reagent pad immediately. Also, the new unused pad can stay in a protected environment for as long as possible. Preferably, the field of view of the camera28contains more than one reagent pad34. This allows a reagent pad to stay in view for more than the average milking/sampling time. For dairy cows and sampling every cow, this time may be as short as a few minutes. Such a short time requires a relatively high dose of reagent in the reagent pads. This is not necessary if the reagent pad stays in view for a longer time, such as double or triple the time, which can be achieved by having two or three reagent pads in view of the camera28. Of course, other numbers are possible as well, although very high numbers reduce the amount of visual information that the camera28may extract from each individual reagent pad34.

After assessment by the camera28, the tape33with the now used reagent pads is pulled further forward by the tape mover56, and is eventually rolled onto the collecting reel54. The tape mover56may in principle be any kind of motor for turning the collecting reel54, such as a motor from a cassette deck, or a stepper motor. However, it is also possible to move the collecting reel54by means of a non-shown mover arm that is coupled to another of the cam wheels (also not shown here). The system follows more or less the implementation of the moving of the arms46and51. This further allows the tape mover56, a moving part, and thus a wear-part, to be exchangeable by exchanging the cassette. However, this is not necessary according to the present invention. It is stressed here that the combination of on the one hand providing a relatively large number of parts in the cassette, which is replaceable, thereby replacing all those parts, and on the other hand some external drive means for those moveable parts that are each time exchanged provides for advantages according to the invention. In the embodiment shown, not only the tape reels with the tape are exchangeable, which is of course necessary, but also the nozzle41with the final part of the connected sample line, the greater part of a pump means45-45″, as well as optional parts such as the rinsing cup53.

A tape33may comprise more than one type of reagent pad34. The reagents for such reactions are often enzymes or other biologically active substances. Very often, these are quite sensitive to moisture, that can affect their properties. For example, moisture alone may lead to a colour reaction, which is of course undesirable because it is meaningless. It may also lead to a different sensitivity of the reagent, which deteriorates the accuracy of the measurement. For these and other reasons, it is advantageous that the presence of moisture is prevented and suppressed as much as possible.

Moisture is suppressed by a number of possible measures. First of all, and obviously, the box20is made as airtight as possible, so that moisture may in principle only be provided by air in the in-box space24, the volume of which can be kept small. It is furthermore possible to provide moisture absorption inside the box20, such as by means of an absorptive lining or by means of packages of absorbers such as silica gel or the like. However, because the box20is in principle a permanent part of the sampling unit of the milking system, such liners will inevitable become moisture saturated and thus ineffective, while the same holds for the absorber packages, that in the end will need replacement, which represents an undesirable human intervention if it can be prevented.

The cassette30in which the tape is provided need never have a higher (relative) humidity than the in-box space24. Nevertheless, some moisture may seep through the box wall, because there will always be connections, either permanent or temporary. But more importantly, sampling inherently brings moisture into the cassette30. Thus, measures to suppress moisture inside the cassette30are desirable as well. Thereto, for example, the supply reel35with the part of the tape33with unused reagent pads34is provided in a subhousing37. The tape32exits the subhousing via an exit opening38that is sealed by means of e.g. a duckbill seal39or other suitable seal. This ensures that moisture from the inner housing space57will only very slowly enter the internal subhousing space40. Since the tape33with the reagent pads34can, and will, be produced in a very dry environment, the air in the subhousing37can have an extremely low (relative) humidity of, say, only a few %. Depending on the quality of the duckbill, the low humidity need rise only very slowly.

In order to further suppress moisture, the supply reel35itself may be provided with a desiccant. For example, the supply reel35is substantially made of a material with desiccant properties, which means that it is able to actively remove water from the surrounding air. This further ensures that the humidity inside the subhousing37, thus at the unused reagent pads34, remains at a suitable level, such as a few %, for an even longer time. And since the supply reel35may take up a substantial volume within the subhousing37, depending on the ratio between the fully wound tape and the diameter of the supply reel35, the total moisture absorption capacity may be very high. The moisture absorption properties depend on the material used. Preferably, the material is a compound material, comprising at least a true desiccant/moisture absorber/adsorber, and a matrix to provide sufficient strength to the supply reel35. A useful example is marketed by the company Capitol Specialty Plastics, Inc., for example for its Active-Vial™ M3003 series. Yet, it is also possible to have the (true) desiccant material mainly at the surface of the supply reel35. For example, in cases where the supply reel35is used for a relatively short time only, it may be better to have a high speed of absorption, with less total absorption capacity.

Yet a further optional measure is to have the collecting reel54also comprise desiccant material at least at its surface. Optionally, the collecting reel54is also substantially made of desiccant material, in much the same way as described above for the supply reel35. Note that providing a subhousing37is not necessary, although advantageous, especially if the collecting reel54is also provided with, or from, desiccant material, since then there is a very large moisture absorption capacity and/or speed from both reels35and54.

The above described embodiments only serve to help explain the invention without limiting this in any way. The scope of the invention is rather determined by the appended claims.