FR2595907A1 - Animal milking machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The milking machine according to the invention comprises a rotating platform 1, platform driving means, means for securing animals 24 on the platform, and milking means 10 fixed to the platform. The machine is characterised in that it is of annular shape and possesses a series of cells having an entrance 19 and an exit 20 arranged around the outer perimeter of the platform and a milking opening 21 towards the interior of the platform, and in that the animal securing means 24 are arranged so that the teats of a secured animal are adjacent to the milking opening.

Description

 The present invention relates to a milking installation in particular, although not exclusively, for milking goats or sheep.

 We know that in farms oriented more specifically towards milk production, it is necessary to have a very high milking rate so that the operator can provide other tasks necessary for the operation.

 To achieve this high milking rate, the traditional milking of animals when they are in the barn has been abandoned and, on the contrary, they are scrolled through a milking installation equipped with stationary milking means. Two main types of milking installation are currently known. According to the first type, a straight quay is provided comprising a series of means for keeping the animals and milking means arranged along the quay. During use, the animals are brought in by batch, each batch comprising a number of animals equal to the number of holding means. Once all the animals in the lot are in place, the actual milking operation is carried out and the animals are evacuated. This type of installation therefore entails a significant loss of time when setting up and evacuating the animals. In addition, if certain animals in a batch give less milk than your others and are therefore milked more quickly , it is however necessary to leave them on the quay during the whole milking operation because of the impossibility of evacuating the animals separately. Finally, the operator who monitors the milking must continuously move along the quay either for setting up or removing the milking means or for a specific intervention with an animal in difficulty.

 In the second type of known milking installation, the installation comprises a rotary platform on which the animals are introduced one after the other and are kept in the vicinity of the center of the platform, the milking means being located outside the platform. This avoids the loss of time resulting from the establishment and the simultaneous evacuation of a batch of animals, but it is continuously necessary for the operator to turn around the quay to set up the milking means. on an animal which has just been introduced therein and to withdraw the means of milking from an animal which reaches the exit. In addition, the operator sees only part of the platform and is therefore continually forced to turn around the platform to monitor the progress of the milking.

 An object of the present invention is to propose a milking installation allowing an installation and an easy evacuation of the animals as well as an execution and a monitoring of the milking operation with a minimum of displacement on the part of the operator. .

 With a view to achieving this goal, a milking installation is provided according to the invention comprising a rotary platform, means for driving the platform, means for keeping animals on the platform and means milking machines attached to the platform, in which the platform has an annular shape and comprises a series of cells having an inlet and an outlet arranged on the outer periphery of the platform and a milking opening on the inner side of the platform, the animal holding means being arranged so that a maintained animal has its teats adjacent to the milking opening.

 Thus, an operator placed in the central opening of the platform has immediate access to all the animals simply by turning on Himself and it therefore suffices for him to take a step or two to immediately pass from an animal which comes to enter and which must therefore receive the means of milking to an animal which is going to leave and to which it is therefore necessary to withdraw the means of milking.

 According to an advantageous version of the invention, each cell has the shape of a V-shaped corridor whose branches coincide with the inlet and the outlet and whose milking opening is arranged at the tip of the V. Thus, by following simply The corridor, the animals naturally present their udders near the milking opening and the operator can therefore easily remove or set up the milking means.

 According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the holding means are arranged opposite a wall at a distance therefrom less than the length of an animal. Thus, when it is held in place, the evil end necessarily has the side held in abutment against the wall and the risk of animal movements during milking is minimized.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the V-shaped corridor has an external wall in
V and an internal wall in two parts and The holding means comprise a vertical slot in the external wall adjacent to the outlet, this slot being closed at its upper part by a bar pivotally mounted on an axis fixed on one side of the slot, the bar having a closing part extending across the slot and retained in a horizontal position by a stopper arranged to allow movement of the bar downwards and to prohibit movement of the bar upwards. animal has introduced the neck into the slit by passing its head over the bar and then lowering it, it is automatically held in place until released by the operator.
According to yet another preferred aspect of
The invention, the milking installation comprises an exit door for each cell and the exit door forms one side of the slot of the holding means. Thus, when the door is opened, the animal is no longer retained laterally and can therefore easily leave the milking installation.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge further on reading the description which follows in conjunction with the attached drawings among which - FIG. 1 is a top view of an installation for
treats according to the invention, - Figure 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view along
line 11-11 of Figure 1, - Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the mechanism
exit door control mechanism, - Figure 4 is a partial elevation view of the mechanis
control of the installation access door according to
the invention.

 With reference to the figures, the milking installation comprises a rotary platform generally designated at 1 having an annular shape and comprising a central opening 2. Shoulder rollers 3 are fixed under the platform 1 and rest on a circular rail 4 fixed to the ground in a conventional manner. the platform is driven in rotation by drive means comprising a circular profile 5 fixed under the platform 1 and pinched between a drive roller 6 driven by a gear motor 7 fixed to a frame 8 under the platform -form, and a reaction roller 9, with free rotation, also mounted on the chassis 8. Thus, the platform 1 is driven in rotation without being subjected to a lateral force and therefore without applying lateral stress to the rolling rollers 3.

The platform supports milking means, for example separation vessels 10 connected on the one hand to milking organs to be fixed to the animal by conduits 11 and on the other hand to a stationary installation (not shown) via a line 12 connected to a vacuum pump to ensure the operation of the milking devices and a line 13 for the evacuation of the
Pumped milk, the lines 12 and 13 being themselves connected to a ball joint 14 disposed at the upper part of a gantry 15 extending diametrically to the central opening 2.

For clarity of the drawing, the pipes connecting the separation vessels 10 to the ball 14 have not been shown.

According to the preferred embodiment illustrated,
The rotary platform according to the invention comprises a series of cells each having the shape of a V-shaped corridor, each cell comprising an external V-shaped wall 16 and an internal wall in two parts, respectively 17 and 18. The external wall in V 16 delimits an entry corridor 19 with the first part of the internal wall 17 and an exit corridor 20 with the second part of the internal wall 18. The entry and the exit are thus arranged on the outer periphery of the platform shape and the branches of the V-shaped corridor coincide with the entrance and exit. At their end opposite the inlet and the outlet, the first part of the internal wall 17 and the second part of the internal wall 18 are spaced from one another and thus form a milking opening arranged at the tip of the V on the inside of the platform.

 On the side of the outlet, the external wall 16 has a slot 22 delimited on the one hand by the end of the wall 16 and on the other hand by a pivoting outlet door 23. This slot has a width less than the width of the head of an animal to maintain but slightly greater than the width of the animal's neck. The vertical slot 22 is closed at its upper part by a bar 24 pivotally mounted on a pin 25 fixed to an upright of the external wall 16 on one side of the slot 22. The bar 24 extends on either side of the joint 25, the right part of the bar 24, as shown in FIG. 2, being heavier than the left part and being inclined downward relative to the latter. A stop 26 is fixed to the outer wall 16 under the heaviest part of the bar 24 so that the latter tends to come to bear on the stop 26. In the rest position where the bar 24 rests on the stop 26, the left-hand part of the bar 24 is retained in a horizontal position and it can be seen that the position of the stop 26 allows a downward movement of the bar part 24 which is arranged across the slot 22 and prohibits movement of this same part upwards. At its lower part, the slot 22 comprises an arch 27.

The exit door 23 is a pivoting door mounted on a hinge 28 adjacent to the end of the second internal wall 18. The door 23 is usually kept closed by a cleat 29 mounted articulated on one side of the hoop 27. The cleat 29 is returned to the blocking position by a counterweight 31 and is controlled in the unlocking direction by a plate fixed to the end of the rod of a single-acting cylinder 32 mounted on a bracket 30 fixed to a frame 37 adjacent to the platform. The jack 32 is connected to the vacuum source by remote control means not shown. The exit door 23 of each cell is also equipped with a vertical handle 33 with which a control mechanism cooperates (see FIG. 3) comprising a first arm 34 at one end of which is fixed a hook 35 facing the door handle 33 .The first arm 34 is pivotally mounted on a second arm 36 itself pivotally mounted on a fixed frame 37 adjacent to the platform. Return means, for example a spring 38, are arranged between the first arm 34 and the second arm 36 to bring the hook 35 towards the door handle. A limit stop 39
The action of the return spring 38. The stop 39 is preferably adjustable and comprises, for example, a screw engaged in a nut welded to the upper face of the second arm 36. The second arm 36 is fixed on an axis of rotation 40 carried by the frame 37. The axis of rotation 40 also carries a third arm 41 also fixed to the axis of rotation 40 so that the second arm 36 and the third arm 41 have integral movements. The third arm 41 is connected a part to a single-acting cylinder 42 carried by the frame 37 and arranged relative to the arm 41 to pull the latter towards the door. The third arm 41 is also connected to a counterweight 43 by means of a flexible link 44 passing over a pulley 45 whose axis (not shown) is integral with the frame 37. The counterweight 43 constitutes second return means for bring the second arm 36, integral with the third arm 41, to a position away from the door. A stop 46 fixed to the frame 37 limits the movements of the third arm 41, and therefore of the second arm 36, in the direction of the separation of the door. Outside the platform, the installation includes an evacuation ramp 47 allowing the animals to return to the stable.

 On the entry side, the milking installation includes an access ramp 48 adjacent to the platform and closed by a sliding door 49 comprising rollers 50 rolling on a rail 51 secured to a frame 52. At its upper part, the door 49 comprises a tab 53 connected on the one hand to a single-acting cylinder 54 by a flexible link 55, for example a string, and on the other hand to a counterweight 56 by a flexible link 57 passing over a return pulley 58 secured to the frame 52.

The frame 52 preferably comprises a tubular upright 59 and the string 57 passes through this tubular upright. Thus, the string is protected. Similarly, the string 55 connecting the tab 53 to the jack 54 is preferably protected by a plate 60 on the side of the access ramp.

 The operation of the milking installation according to the invention is as follows: The animals are brought onto the access ramp 48 or they wait their turn to climb onto the platform. The platform 1 is driven step by step so that the entry corridors 19 come successively before the door 49. The door 49 is then opened to let an animal pass. In this regard, it will be noted that the jack 54 is preferably connected in a manner known per se to a remote control mechanism, the control member of which is disposed in the central part of the platform 1. Des that an animal has entered an entrance corridor 19, the door 49 is closed either by the remote action of the operator or automatically by a presence detector adjacent to the entrance corridor 19. The animal having entered in a corridor is attracted to the holding position by food previously placed in a tray 61 disposed outside the cell opposite the slot 22. Food can be automatically placed in the tray 61 by means of an automatic distributor. It can also be controlled remotely by the operator. The animal which is presented in front of the slot 22 cannot pass the head through it; it therefore first passes the head above the closing bar 24 and then lowers the head to access the food contained in the tray 61. In this movement, the bar 24 disappears to let the animal's neck pass then rises automatically under the effect of the cantilevered weight of the bent part of the bar 24.

In this position, the animal is immobilized at the top by
The bar 24, at the bottom by the arch 27, to the right by the end of the partition 16 and to the left by the door 23. Since the width of the exit corridor is less than
The length of the animal, it is arched as shown in Figure 1 and it therefore naturally rests against the wall 18. The milking members at the end of the conduits 11 can then be easily placed on the nipples of the animal and are not likely to be shaken by it since it is immobilized against the wall 18.

As soon as an animal is in place, the operator advances the platform by one step and a new animal enters the next cell. In this regard, it will be noted that it is not necessary to provide a door on the entrance corridor of the platform since the animal is already maintained when the entrance corridor is no longer in front of the ramp access 48.

When the milking of an animal is finished, the operator waits until the corresponding cell is back again in front of the access and evacuation ramps then activates the opening of door 23. This operation can be again remotely controlled by connecting the supply line to cylinder 32 to the vacuum pump of the milking system. In this action, the cleat 29 disappears and the actual opening of the door is controlled by supplying the jack 42. When the jack 42 is actuated, the second arm 36, integral with the third arm 41, is pulled towards the door according to a pivoting movement and the hook 35 (which at rest is kept apart from the door handle 33 as shown in Figure 1) engages with the door handle 33 and pulls it as and when pivoting of the second arm 36. When the door is opened, the first arm 34 pivots relative to the second arm 36 so that the hook 35 remains constantly engaged with the door handle 33. When the door is open, it is noted that the animal is no longer kept on the left side and it can therefore escape and return to the stable by the evacuation ramp 47. As soon as the animal is out, the door 23 is closed either by
The operator's action is automatically by a passage detector in the evacuation ramp 47. For this, the power supply to the jack 42 is simply cut off and the counterweight 43 then pulls the third arm 41 in the opposite direction from the 'opening. In this movement, the end of the first arm 34 adjacent to the hook 35 comes to bear on the handle 33 of the door 23 and pushes it until it is again engaged on the cleat 29. During rotation The platform 35, The hook 35 returns to its rest position away from the handle 33 under the effect of the counterweight 43. As soon as the animal which has just been milked has been evacuated, a new animal can be admitted in the cell.

 It is noted that it is the same cell which is released and which is again occupied by an animal to be milked. The operator can therefore remain permanently on the side of the access and evacuation ramps and, if he wishes to monitor the progress of milking on the other cells, he just has to turn around and possibly take a step or two to cross the central part of the platform and access any of the cells for a specific intervention.

 Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment which has just been described and is susceptible of variants which will appear to a person skilled in the art.

In particular, it has been demonstrated above that V-shaped cells have a great advantage from the point of view of animal movements, but other forms of cells can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, a polygonal platform can be provided in
Which cells are formed by boxes parallel to the sides of the polygon. In this case, the means for holding an animal will not necessarily be adjacent to the outlet but will simply be arranged so that a maintained animal always has the udders adjacent to a milking opening provided on the interior side of the platform.

 Similarly, although a platform has been shown equipped with six milking cells, this number is not limiting. In particular for goats, it has been found that a platform comprising eight cells could easily be produced while maintaining reasonable dimensions.

Claims (10)

 1. Milking installation comprising a rotary platform (1), drive means (6) for  The platform, means for keeping animals (24) on The platform and milking means (10) fixed to the platform, characterized in that the platform has an annular shape and comprises a series of cells having an inlet (19) and an outlet (20) arranged on the outer periphery of the platform and a milking opening (21) on the inner side of the platform, and in that the animal holding means (24) are arranged so that an animal kept has its udders adjacent to the milking opening (21).  2. Milking installation according to claim 1, characterized in that each cell has the shape of a V-shaped corridor whose branches coincide with the inlet (19) and the outlet (20) and in that the opening of milking (21) is arranged at the tip of the V.  3. Milking installation according to your claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the holding means (24) are arranged opposite a wall at a distance therefrom less than the length of an animal.  4. Milking installation according to claim 3 taken in its attachment to claim 2, characterized in that the V-shaped corridor has an external V-shaped wall (16) and an internal wall in two parts (17, 18), and in that the holding means comprise a vertical slot (22) in the external wall (16) adjacent to the outlet, this slot (22) being closed at its upper part by a bar (24) pivotally mounted on an axis (25) attached to one side of the slot (22), the bar (24) having a closure portion extending across the slot and retained in a horizontal position by a stopper (26) arranged to allow movement of the closure portion downwards and prohibit movement of the closing part upwards.  5. Instatlation of milking according to ia claim 4, characterized in that and you have an exit door (23) for each cell and in that the exit door (23) forms one side of the slot (22) of the means holding.  6. Milking installation according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that the pivoting bar (24) is bent at the axis (25). The gap of the door.  7. Milking installation according to claim 5 or the claim cn 6, characterized in that the exit door (23) has a vertical handle (33) and in that the installation comprises door control means comprising means door locking mechanism (29) carried by the platform, a first arm (34) carrying a hook (35) turned towards the door handle and pivotally mounted on a second arm (36) itself pivotally mounted on a fixed frame (37) adjacent to the platform, first return means (38) disposed between the first and the second arm and tending to bring the hook (35) towards the door handle, a stop (39) limiting The action of the first return means (38), a single-acting cylinder (42) arranged to pull the second arm (36) towards the door, second return means (43) to bring the second arm back to a position separated from the door, and a stop (46) limiting the movements of the second arm in the direction of  8. Milking installation according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises an access ramp (48) adjacent to the platform and in that this access ramp is closed by a sliding door (49) whose opening is controlled by a single-acting cylinder (54) and whose closing is ensured by a counterweight (56) connected to the door by a flexible link engaged on a pulley (58) mounted on a fixed frame (52) adjacent to the door.  9. Milking installation according to claim 8, characterized in that the fixed frame (52) comprises a tubular upright (59) and in that the flexible link (57) passes through the tubular upright (59).  10. Milking installation according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the drive means of the platform comprise a circular profile (5) fixed on the platform and clamped between a drive roller (6) driven by a motor and a freely rotating reaction roller (9).