Delaval Holding Ab

Anders Hallstrom

Thomas Axelsson

Jan-Erik Andersson

A milking system includes a milking robot with a robot arm for applying teat cups to the teats of an animal, an optical detector () for detecting radiation emitted and/or reflected from the animal and a controller. The detector has a housing () with a window () and a detecting element () enclosed in the housing that is sensitive to the emitted or reflected radiation passing through the window. In order to prevent contamination from impacting on the detector window, an airflow arrangement is provided that can be connected to a source of pressurized air and has at least one aperture () disposed adjacent the detector window () for generating a curtain of air that flows parallel with the surface of the window. The controller controls the generation of the air curtain to coincide with the start of at least one further operation controlled by the controller.

Method and apparatus for protecting an optical detection device from contamination

Teat cups are fetched from a teat cup magazine by a gripper carried on a robotic arm. The gripper grips and removes teat cups from the teat cup magazine. The gripper also holds at least one teat cup during transport thereof towards an udder where an animal's teats are located. A positioning element determines position estimates representing at least one spatial characteristic of the udder. Based on the position estimates, the robotic arm and the gripper are controlled to attach the teat cups to the teats where the position estimates constitutes a basis for controlling the robotic arm and the gripper to remove teat cups from the teat cup magazine in such a manner that a teat-receiving end of the teat cup attains a horizontal level in the gripper, which horizontal level is adapted to the at least one spatial characteristic of the udder.

Handling of teat cups

An apparatus () for recognizing and determining the position of at least one teat cup () of at least one teat cup magazine (). The apparatus () emits waves () into a region (A) which is expected to contain a teat cup or teat cups (). The apparatus () also includes a detector () for detecting reflections of the waves (). The apparatus () also includes a unit () for evaluating the reflections in order to determine if the reflections originate from the teat cup or cups (40). Furthermore, the apparatus () also includes a unit () for determining the position of the teat cup or cups () if it is established that the reflections originate from the teat cup ().

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Vendelso, Sweden

Anders Hallstrom