Patent ID: 8485047

Claim:
An apparatus for measuring a quantity of milk yielded by an animal during a milking process, comprising a container; a supply unit configured to supply milk to the container and connectable to a milking unit of a milking machine; a discharge unit configured to discharge milk from the container and connectable to a milking line of the milking machine which is adapted to have applied thereto a milking vacuum, wherein the discharge unit comprises means for changing the size of a discharge opening through which the milk flows when it is being discharged from the container and the discharge opening has at least two sizes which allow the milk to flow through the discharge opening and can be adjusted; a filling level measuring device configured to measure a filling level of the milk in the container; a control unit configured to control the means for changing the size of the discharge opening in dependence on the milk level in the container determined by the filling level measuring device, in order to adjust the size of the discharge opening such that the filling level remains within a predetermined range; and an evaluation unit configured to calculate a milk flow into the container on the basis of the set size of the discharge opening and the filling level measured by the filling level measuring device.