Patent ID: 8281746

Claim:
An arrangement for fetching at least one teat cup ( 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ) located in a teat cup magazine ( 120 ), each said at least one teat cup having a respective fixed position in the teat cup magazine ( 120 ), the arrangement comprising: a remote detecting means ( 130 ) configured i) to register wireless energy ( 135 ) reflected against objects in space, and ii) based on the registered wireless energy, determine a position of said objects in terms of direction and distance relative to the remote detecting means ( 130 ); a gripper means ( 140 ) configured to hold said at least one teat cup ( 111 ) during removal of said at least one teat cup ( 111 ) from the teat cup magazine ( 120 ); a robotic arm ( 150 ) carrying the gripper means ( 140 ), there being a primary reference system (X 1 , Y 1 , Z 1 ) for the robotic arm ( 150 ); a control means ( 110 ) configured to i) control the robotic arm ( 150 ) to move the gripper means ( 140 ) towards said at least one teat cup ( 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ) so as to enable the gripper means ( 140 ) to reach said at least one teat cup ( 111 ) in the teat cup magazine ( 120 ), and ii) control the gripper means ( 140 ) to remove said at least one teat cup ( 111 ) from the teat cup magazine ( 120 ); and a reference entity ( 160 ) having a fixed spatial relationship to each of said at least one teat cup ( 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ) and the teat cup magazine ( 120 ), the reference entity ( 160 ) establishing a secondary reference system (X 2 , Y 2 , Z 2 ) for said at least one teat cup ( 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ), the reference entity ( 160 ) being configured to allow the remote detecting means ( 130 ) to receive wireless energy ( 135 ) reflected against the reference entity ( 160 ) while moving the robotic arm ( 150 ) towards said at least one teat cup ( 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ) for removing said at least one teat cup ( 111 ) from the teat cup magazine ( 120 ), wherein a positional relationship between the primary reference system (X 1 , Y 1 , Z 1 ) for the robotic arm ( 150 ) and the secondary reference system (X 2 , Y 2 , Z 2 ) for said at least one teat cup ( 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ), and is variable, wherein the reference entity ( 160 ) is physically separated from each said at least one teat cup ( 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ), wherein the reference entity ( 160 ) comprises a first rod member ( 161 ) and a second rod member ( 162 ) spaced apart from said first rod member ( 161 ).