Technologies Holdings Corporation

Rotec Engineering B.v.

Menno Koekoek

Peter Willem Van Der Sluis

Henk Hofman

Cor De Ruijter

Ype Groensma

Michael A Mills

Gary C Steingraber

Gary Steingraber

Hendrik Hofman

Tino Walter Van Der Zee

Peter William Van Der Sluis

A robotic arm that extends in a longitudinal direction includes a pivot assembly that pivots a gripping portion around an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the robotic arm, in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the robotic arm, and between at least a maximum-left position, a maximum-right position, and a centered position. The pivot assembly includes a first actuator that extends and retracts a first cable coupled to a left side of the gripping portion in order to pivot the gripping portion. The pivot assembly further includes a second actuator that extends and retracts a second cable coupled to a right side of the gripping portion in order to pivot the gripping portion.

Milking box with robotic attacher comprising an arm that pivots, rotates, and grips

An apparatus comprises a cup holder bracket and a cup holder. The cup holder bracket comprises a hinge that allows the cup holder bracket to pivot between a substantially horizontal position when closed to a substantially vertical position when opened. The cup holder is coupled to the cup holder bracket and comprises a rimmed structure configured to hold an attachment end of a cup when the cup holder bracket is closed.

Milking box with storage area for teat cups

A system for processing an image includes a three-dimensional camera that captures an image of a dairy livestock, wherein the image comprises a plurality of adjacent pixels, each pixel associated with a depth location. The system further includes a processor communicatively coupled to the three-dimensional camera. The processor determines that the depth locations of a first portion of the adjacent pixels fluctuate beyond a predetermined threshold over time, and discards the first portion of the adjacent pixels from the image based at least in part upon the determination.

System and method for filtering data captured by a 3D camera

A method includes housing a dairy livestock in a stall portion of a milking box and retrieving, by a robotic attacher, a cup. For each of a plurality of teats of a dairy livestock, the method further uses the robotic arm to perform the steps of attaching the cup to the teat, detaching the cup from the teat, and maintaining the cup within the stall portion of the milking box from the time that the cup is attached to the first teat of the dairy livestock through the time that the cup is attached to a last teat of the dairy livestock. The method concludes by retracting the cup into an equipment area of the milking box after detaching the cup from the last teat of the dairy livestock.

System and method of attaching a cup to a dairy animal according to a sequence

A system for controlling the position of a robot carriage includes a linear carriage track positioned adjacent to a rotary milking platform, a robot carriage positioned on the carriage track such that the robot carriage may move along the carriage track, and a controller. The controller determines a rotational movement of a milking stall of the rotary milking platform, and determines a linear movement of the robot carriage on the carriage track corresponding to the rotational movement of the milking stall of the rotary milking platform. The controller further communicates a signal to a carriage actuator coupled to the robot carriage and the carriage track. The signal causes the carriage actuator to move the robot carriage along the carriage track according to the determined linear movement as the rotary milking platform rotates.

System and method for controlling the position of a robot carriage based on the position of a milking stall of an adjacent rotary milking platform

A system includes a robotic arm and a controller. The controller accesses a first image and a second image generated by a first camera. The controller determines a reference point based at least in part on the first image. The controller determines a position of a teat of the dairy livestock based at least in part on the second image. The controller instructs the robotic arm to grip a milking cup and move it towards the determined position of the teat between the hind legs of the dairy livestock from the rear. The controller then instructs the robotic arm to release the milking cup, to move in an upward direction towards an udder of the dairy livestock, and to move away from the teat.

System and method for improved attachment of a cup to a dairy animal

A system comprises a memory operable to store first light intensity information for a first pixel of an image that includes a dairy livestock, and second light intensity information for a second pixel of the image. The system further comprises a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and operable to determine that a difference between the first light intensity information and the second light intensity information exceeds a threshold, and discard one of the first pixel or the second pixel from the image. The system further includes a robotic attacher configured to position milking equipment relative to the dairy livestock based at least in part upon the light intensity image, excluding the discarded pixel

System and method for filtering data captured by a 2D camera

A system includes a robotic arm positioned in an equipment area of a milking box that includes a stall portion housing a dairy livestock with four teats. The robotic arm retrieves a cup, and for a plurality of teats of the dairy livestock, the robotic arm attaches the cup to a teat, detaches the cup from the teat, and maintains the cup within the stall portion of the milking box from the time that the cup is attached to a first teat of the dairy livestock through the time that the cup is attached to a last teat of the dairy livestock. The cup is retracted into the equipment portion of the milking box after it is detached from the last teat of the dairy livestock.

A robotic attacher comprises a main arm, a supplemental arm coupled to the main arm, and a gripping portion coupled to the supplemental arm. The supplemental arm moves in an x-direction and a y-direction. The gripping portion moves in a first z-direction in relation to the supplemental arm. The gripping portion also moves in a second z-direction opposite the first z-direction in relation to the supplemental arm.

Milking box with a robotic attacher having a three-dimensional range of motion

A system comprises a memory operable to store first light intensity information for a first pixel of an image that includes a dairy livestock, and second light intensity information for a second pixel of the image, wherein the second pixel is adjacent to the first pixel. The system further comprises a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and operable to determine that a difference between the first light intensity information and the second light intensity information exceeds a threshold, and discard one of the first pixel or the second pixel from the image.

In certain embodiments, a system includes a three-dimensional camera and a processor communicatively coupled to the three-dimensional camera. The processor is operable to determine a first hind location of a first hind leg of a dairy livestock based at least in part on visual data captured by the three-dimensional camera and determine a second hind location of a second hind leg of the dairy livestock based at least in part on the visual data. The processor is further operable to determine a measurement, wherein the measurement is the distance between the first hind location and the second hind location. Additionally, the processor is operable to determine whether the measurement exceeds a minimum threshold.

System and method for determining whether to operate a robot in conjunction with a rotary parlor

A robotic attacher includes a main arm that is suspended vertically from a rail, and a supplemental arm that is coupled to and extends horizontally from the main arm along a longitudinal axis. The supplemental arm includes a pivot assembly that pivots a gripping portion around a vertical axis that is substantially parallel to the main arm of the robotic attacher, in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the supplemental arm, and between at least a maximum-left position, a maximum-right position, and a centered position. The pivot assembly includes a first actuator that extends and retracts a first cable coupled to a left side of the gripping portion in order to pivot the gripping portion. The pivot assembly further includes a second actuator that extends and retracts a second cable coupled to a right side of the gripping portion in order to pivot the gripping portion.

A system includes a linear carriage track positioned adjacent to a rotary milking platform, a robot carriage positioned on the carriage track such that the robot carriage may move along the carriage track from a first linear position to a second linear position, and a controller. The controller determines a movement of a milking stall of the rotary milking platform from a first rotational position to a second rotational position. The controller further determines the second linear position of the robot carriage on the carriage track corresponding to the movement of the milking stall of the rotary milking platform. The controller also communicates a position signal to a carriage actuator coupled to the robot carriage and the carriage track. The position signal causes the carriage actuator to move the robot carriage along the carriage track from the first linear position to the second linear position in conjunction with the movement of the rotary milking platform.

A system comprises a robotic arm, camera, and a controller. The camera is positioned on a surface of the robotic arm and emits a laser signal at an upward, non-zero angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the robotic arm. The controller instructs the robotic arm to grip a milking cup, and determines a position of a teat of the dairy livestock based at least in part upon the non-zero angle of the laser signal emitted by the camera. The controller instructs the robotic arm to move the milking cup towards the determined position of the teat between the hind legs of the dairy livestock from the rear, release the milking cup in response to the milking cup being attached to the teat. move in an upward direction towards an udder of the dairy livestock in conjunction with the robotic arm releasing the milking cup, and to move away from the teat.

A system includes a first milking box stall of a size sufficient to accommodate a first dairy livestock and a second milking box stall of a size sufficient to accommodate a second dairy livestock. The first and second milking box stalls face opposite directions. An equipment portion is located between the first milking box stall and the second milking box stall. A robotic attacher is housed in the equipment portion and configured to service both stalls at different times. The robotic attacher comprises a gripping portion having a spray nozzle. The gripping portion is operable to rotate around a longitudinal axis such that during a milking operation the spray nozzle is positioned on the bottom of the gripping portion, and after the milking operation the spray nozzle is positioned on the top of the gripping portion.

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Dronten, Netherlands

Menno Koekoek