Lely Patent N.v.

Dirk Kraaij

Gerard Mostert

Michiel Brevet

Dimitri Björn De Kort

A milking system for milking dairy animals includes a milking device, a milk line for transporting milk; a cleaning device for cleaning the milk line with a cleaning liquid; a first outlet for discharging the milk to a milk tank; a second outlet for discharging the cleaning liquid; a valve mechanism for controllably connecting the milk line to one of the first outlet and the second outlet; and a control unit for controlling the valve mechanism. The valve mechanism includes a first and a second valve, and a displacement device for displacing the first or the second valve housing between a cleaning position and a milking position.

Automatic milk valve

A milking robot for automated milking of milking animals, comprising a cylinder supporting movement of at least one movable component. The cylinder has a wall with a ventilation opening and a cylinder rod which can move in and out of the cylinder. The cylinder wall surrounds at least one variable volume part for movement of the cylinder rod. The opening configures the cylinder to remain in virtual pressure equilibrium with an environment. A gas capture device is connected which has a variable volume and which together with the variable volume part, forms an air-tight gas volume. Thus the variable volume part is kept at almost ambient pressure, so that no unnecessary counter-pressure occurs in the cylinder, during extension and retraction of the cylinder rod. Also less to no exchange of gas and dirt with the environment can take place for longer life and better reliability of the cylinder.

Milking robot with cylinder system

A milking robot for the fully automatic milking of dairy animals includes at least one moving component and a cylinder configured to support a movement of the component. The cylinder has a cylinder wall having an aeration opening, as well as a cylinder rod slidable into and out of the cylinder. The cylinder wall surrounds at least one variable volume part, which volume part is free from pressure fluid connections for displacement of the cylinder rod. The cylinder is configured to remain, via the opening, substantially in pressure equilibrium with an environment of the cylinder. To the cylinder wall around the aeration opening is connected a gas collecting device which has a changeable volume and which, together with the variable volume part, forms an airtight gas volume. In addition, the gas collecting device has a minimum volume greater than zero.

Milking robot device for automatically milking a dairy animal, comprising a milking box having milking cups and a robot arm having an end effector for applying the milking cups to the teats of the dairy animal, on which milking box the robot arm is suspended above the dairy animal to be milked. The robot arm comprises a first arm part connected to the milking box by a first joint, and a second arm part connected to the first arm part by a second joint and provided with an end effector. The first and second arm part, respectively, is pivotable in a vertical plane with respect to the milking box and the first arm part, respectively, by a first and second actuator, respectively. The end effector is movable within an operating range by the robot arm. The milking robot comprises a weight compensation device having a spring device between the milking box and the robot arm. This is configured to exert a first torque about the first joint and a second torque about the second joint, in such a way that, viewed over the operating range, the first torque compensates for the torque exerted by gravity on the arm about the first joint by at least half, in particular by at least 90%, and the second torque compensates for the torque exerted by gravity on the arm about the second joint by at least half, in particular by at least 90%. Consequently, a compact robot arm is provided, the joints which are suspended relatively high up can be protected from dirt in an efficient manner, and they can be operated using much lighter actuators, so that a great deal of energy can also be saved.

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Maassluis, Netherlands

Dirk Kraaij