Milking system

Abstract

A system (1) having a stall (2, 3) for a livestock animal for eating during a visit, and having a concentrate system for providing concentrate. The concentrate-provision system comprises a feed trough (6), a feed-dosing device (8-1, 8-2) and a residual-feed-measuring device for measuring concentrate left after the visit. The feed-dosing device is a volumetric dosing device with a memory (10) and with an input device (11) for a density value of the concentrate and provides an adjustable volume of concentrate on the basis of said density value. The residual-feed-measuring device comprises a 3D camera (12) for making, after the visit, a 3D image of the feed trough with the leftover concentrate, and for determining the quantity of leftover concentrate in the feed trough on the basis of the 3D image made and on the basis of said input density value in the memory. The measurement is relatively reliable owing to the thus contactless measurement of the residual feed. In addition, residual-feed-determination and feed-dosing configuration are based on determination of a volume. The system is already simple to operate due to the inputting of the density.

Description

[0001] Milking system

[0002] The present invention relates to a system having a stall for receiving a livestock animal for a visit for eating purposes, and having a concentrate system for providing the livestock animal with concentrate during the visit, wherein the concentrate system comprises a feed trough and a feed-dosing device for dosing concentrate into the feed trough, as well as a residual-feed-measuring device for measuring concentrate left in the feed trough after the visit, wherein the feed-dosing device comprises a volumetric dosing device which is configured for dispensing an adjustable volume of concentrate, and wherein the residual-feed-measuring device is configured for determining, after the visit, the quantity of leftover concentrate in the feed trough.

[0003] With today’s livestock farming, concentrate is an important part of the feed of livestock animals for being able to realize the desired production. Nevertheless, it is also desirabele not to provide too much concentrate, because that can lead to discomfort for the animals and, moreover, because that is economically unfavourable.

[0004] Animals are often provided with the concentrate separately, wherein instances of livestock animals eating each other’s concentrate are prevented as much as possible. It is thus possible to effectively monitor how much concentrate each livestock animal eats. In this case, it is therefore also important to determine how much residual feed is left in the feed trough by a livestock animal. After all, that quantity needs to be subtracted from the amount to be dosed to the next livestock animal, in order to avoid errors. In addition, it can be essential to know whether residual feed is left by a livestock animal because this can be indicative of an illness, such as a metabolic disorder.

[0005] Such feeding systems are known per se in the prior art.

[0006] A disadvantage of these known feeding systems is that they often measure residual feed inaccurately, or are prone to showing such deviations. Many feeding systems measure residual feed in the feed trough using a weight meter, such as strain gauges or load cells. Such weight meters are not or are barely capable of, on the one hand, accurately measuring quantities of residual feed and, on the other hand, for example withstanding the stepping into a feed trough by a livestock animal without showing deviations. Moreover, in nearly all cases, the weight, at least the mass, of the feed, and thus also the residual feed, is known. However, feed-dosing devices only rarely operate with a weight meter when dosing. Thus, discrepancies between what has been dosed according to the control unit and what has been left as residual feed according to the control unit can undesirably arise. The prevention of this by the control unit needlessly requires a somewhat complex control unit.

[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a feeding device of the indicated type that at least partially overcomes one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages.

[0008] The invention achieves this object by way of a system according to Claim 1 , in particular by way of a system having a stall for receiving a livestock animal for a visit for eating purposes, and having a concentrate system for providing the livestock animal with concentrate during the visit, wherein the concentrate system comprises a feed trough and a feed-dosing device for dosing concentrate into the feed trough, as well as a residual-feed-measuring device for measuring concentrate left in the feed trough after the visit, wherein the feed-dosing device comprises a volumetric dosing device which is provided with a memory and with an input device for inputting a density value of the concentrate into the memory and which is configured for dispensing an adjustable volume of concentrate on the basis of the input density value, and wherein the residual-feed- measuring device comprises a 3D camera, wherein the 3D camera is configured for making, after the visit, a 3D image of the feed trough with the leftover concentrate, and for determining the quantity of leftover concentrate in the feed trough on the basis of the 3D image made and on the basis of said input density value in the memory.

[0009] The invention is based on the insight that a 3D camera, as an optical device, can measure the residual feed in a contactless manner. This allows the feed trough to be suspended in a movement-free manner, so that the measuring device is furthermore not subjected to load from, for example, the feed trough being stood in. Also, disruption of strain gauges, load cells and the like by feed residues and other contamination is irrelevant in the case of optical determination. In addition, the measurement principle is based on determining the volume of the residual feed, while the feed-dosing configuration is also based on volume determination. Thus, simple inputting of a density of the feed to be dosed is sufficient for determining both the feed to be dosed and any residual feed. This makes the system as a whole not only more reliable, but also easier, to operate.

[0010] Particular embodiments are described in the dependent claims, as well as in the following part of the invention.

[0011] In embodiments, the residual-feed-measuring device is configured for determining the quantity of leftover concentrate by determining the volume of the leftover concentrate, by comparison of said 3D image with a reference image of an empty feed trough, and subsequently multiplying the determined volume by said density value. In this case, the volume is determined by determining the volume between the surface as measured using the 3D camera and the surface associated with the reference image of the empty trough. This is because this volume is occupied by the residual feed. The surface is determined in this case in particular in that, for a number of cells, such as according to a pre-determined grid, locally, the (average) height is measured and the reference height at the respective location is subtracted from this, resulting in a local feed height. The volume is then a summation of all the products of local feed height and respective area of local cell. In principle, the reference image of the empty feed trough could also be replaced by another standard factory value. Nevertheless, it is advantageous for a 3D image, made using the 3D camera, of the empty feed trough to be used as reference image. This is because, during mounting in the stall or other animal environment, deviations from the factory value can occur.

[0012] The reference image of the empty feed trough can be determined in many ways and at many moments. For example, such a reference image can be made directly at the time of start-up of operation. Such a reference image can also be made at a time of maintenance and the like. It is advantageous if such a reference image can be made without an operator needing to be present. In embodiments, the residual-feed-measuring device is, for this purpose, configured for determining the reference image from the 3D images of the preceding / V milking operations as the 3D image with the largest average distance from the 3D camera, where N is a pre-determined number greater than 2. This is based on the fact that by far the majority of livestock animals eat up the whole of their portion of concentrate, so that the feed trough is in principle constantly left empty. At any rate, the chance of residual feed being left by more than two livestock animals one after the other is very small. Nevertheless, the number N can be selected according to the eating behaviour of the livestock animals. The greater the number N is, the more certain it will be that, in the last N visits, a feed trough will have been left completely empty at least once. The smaller the number N is, the quicker the system can adapt to a change in circumstances, such as for example an inedible object in the feed trough, which will be left constantly.

[0013] In embodiments, the feed-dosing device is provided with a plurality of feed containers, each for an associated type of feed, and is configured for inputting into said memory an associated density value of each associated type of feed with the aid of said input device. It is thus possible for the quantity of residual feed to be determined, in for example grams, even in the case of different types. Here, it is necessary for the feed trough to be completely empty when switching from one type of feed to the other. As mentioned above, this occurs nearly all the time, however. If more than one type of feed is dosed to an animal, then, for a possible residual-feed measurement, it is important that these types are dosed simultaneously, so that they enter the feed trough in a mixed state. Assuming that these are then eaten by the livestock animal at the same time, that is to say with the same mixing ratio, too, it is also possible for the system to determine the quantity of residual feed from this mixture, by taking into consideration the weighted densities of the dosed types of feed as the density of the feed mixture. It will again be necessary for the feed trough to be completely empty for switching to another mixture or a single type.

[0014] In embodiments, the feed trough is configured for bringing leftover concentrate outside the reach of the livestock animal, in particular at the end of the visit, and in this case the 3D camera is configured for subsequently making said 3D image. As a result of the concentrate being brought outside the reach of the livestock animal, the incentive for the livestock animal to remain in the stall disappears, so that it will make room for the next livestock animal. Moreover, this is the right moment for the 3D image of any residual feed to be made.

[0015] There are no particular restrictions on the manner in which the concentrate is brought out of reach. For example, the access of the livestock animal to the feed trough is closed off by for example a movable cover or grid or the like. In particular, the feed trough is configured for being pivoted away to an outside position outside the reach of the livestock animal, wherein the 3D camera is located so as to make said 3D image when the feed trough is in the outside position. The pivoting-away action is not just a clear physical signal to the livestock animal; it also creates extra space for allowing the stall to be exited more easily, such as if this opens to the front. Moreover, the 3D camera is then better protected against contact, impact, contamination, etc. by the livestock animal because, after all, this will also have been positioned outside the range of the livestock animal.

[0016] Advantageously, the system further or alternatively comprises a screening device for screening off the 3D camera from scattered light at least after the visit. The 3D camera, as an optical device, can be sensitive to reflections at reflective surfaces, such as of the feed trough or the stall. By making use of a screening device, such as a sun shade, advantageously sealing off the feed trough, reflections from the surroundings can be prevented and the system can operate more accurately and more reliably. It should be noted that the combination with a movable, such as pivotable, feed trough can deliver optimum results here. It is however also possible for precisely the screening device to be made movable, so that this, for example for the purpose of the 3D image being made, can be brought into a suitable position in relation to the 3D camera.

[0017] The feeding systems according to the invention described above are for example stand-alone systems. They may serve for feeding any livestock animal wherein it is important to be able to establish individually whether there is residual feed, and if so, how much. Beef cattle are an example of this. Due to the high feed requirement, dairy cattle are also given concentrate, for example in a separate stall. In embodiments, the livestock animal is a dairy animal, and the stall is in this case a milking stall which is configured for receiving the dairy animal and which comprises milking means for milking of the dairy animal during the visit. For the purpose of keeping the dairy animal calm and / or for stimulating the visiting of the dairy stall, the system according to the invention is incorporated in such a dairy stall. Alternatively, it may be said that the system comprises such a dairy stall.

[0018] The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of one or more exemplary embodiments, as well as on the basis of the drawing. In the drawing:

[0019] - Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a system according to the invention;

[0020] - Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the system according to Figure 1 ; and

[0021] - Figure 3 shows a schematic view of another system T according to the invention.

[0022] Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a system 1 according to the invention. The system comprises a stall with a fixed part 2 and a movable part 3 which is able to be pulled up by way of an actuator 4. The stall surrounds a feeding station 5 for a livestock animal 100.

[0023] The system 1 further comprises a feed trough 6 which, by way of a filling pipe 7, is fillable from a feed doser with a first feed container 8-1 and a second feed container 8-2, activatable by a control unit 9 with a memory 10 and connected to an input unit 11 . A 3D camera is denoted by 12, and a tag reader for an ear tag 101 is denoted by 13.

[0024] The system 1 is intended for providing a livestock animal 100, such as a dairy animal or a meat animal, with concentrate. With concentrate, it is important for the quantity provided individually to be regulated and monitored. For this purpose, provision is made of, for example, a closable feeding station 5 which is surrounded by a stall. Said stall is provided here as a feeding stall with a fixed part 2 and with a movable part 3. The fixed part bears for example the feed trough 6, the feed doser 8-1 , 8-2, the 3D camera 12 and the tag reader 13. The latter reads the ear tag 101 , or some other animal ID tag, in order thus to determine the identity of the livestock animal 100. The determined animal identity allows the control unit 9 to determine how much, and possibly what type of, feed the livestock animal 100 needs to be provided with, such as on the basis of criteria known per se that are stored in the memory 10.

[0025] In the example shown, the system comprises a feed doser with a first feed container 8-1 and a second feed container 8-2, each having its own type of feed. On the basis of the established animal identity, the control unit 9 activates one or more of the feed containers 8-1 , 8-2 in order to dose a determined quantity of the respective feed to the animal. This dosed feed is deposited in the feed trough 6 via the feed pipe 7.

[0026] The quantity of feed to be dosed is determined by a determined volume of the type(s) of feed to be dosed. For this purpose, the feed doser 8-1 , 8-2 is a volumetric feed doser, as known per se in the prior art. Such a volumetric feed doser provides for example successive portions of 10 cm3each, or of course some other volume. From the number of portions, the control unit 9 subsequently determines the total volume provided. Furthermore, in the memory 10, for the or each type of feed, the density is entered, such as with the aid of the input unit 11 , for example a computer keyboard. By dividing the total quantity of feed to be dosed of the or each type of feed by the (respective) density, the control unit 9 determines the (respective) volume to be dosed.

[0027] The livestock animal 100 subsequently eats up the deposited feed, unless there is residual feed left in the feed trough. Determining whether there is residual feed left is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, this feed, which is available for the next livestock animal that visits the feeding station, needs to be added to the quantity of feed that is dosed for that next livestock animal. Also, feed being left, residual feed, is an indication that the eating behaviour, and thus the health, of the respective livestock animal 100 may be sub-optimal. Therefore, the system 1 according to the invention measures the quantity of residual feed. Also, measured “residual feed” may be an indication that there is a problem with the feed trough itself, in particular if residual feed is measured for successive livestock animals. In that case, for example, dirt or a foreign object may have ended up in the feed trough. Although the measured residual feed is then not really residual feed, so that possibly determined eating quantities have to be corrected, the problem is able to be identified by the system according to the invention.

[0028] The system 1 measures this quantity of residual feed with the aid of the 3D camera 12. An exemplary way in which this is done is explained in more detail on the basis of Figure 2. The result of the measurement is a volume. Furthermore, since it is known which type(s) of feed is / are situated in the feed trough 6, the control unit 9 can determine the quantity (mass) of the residual feed by multiplying the volume by the density, or an average density, of the residual feed. These data relating to the density are again acquired by the control unit 9 from the memory 10.

[0029] It is important to note here that the density of the type(s) of feed is therefore used both for dosing and for determining the quantity of residual feed, which ensures a simpler, more accurate and more reliable measurement. Moreover, there is no need for use to be made of load cells, strain gauges or other weighing sensors connected to the feed trough, either for dosing or for residual-feed measurement. These could be subjected to excessive loading in that the livestock animal puts its snout or even a leg in the feed trough, and thus produces a load that may be more than a thousand-fold load in comparison with the feed, which easily leads to disruption of the weighing sensor. Neither the volumetric dosing of the feed nor the contactless measurement of the residual feed using the 3D camera is affected by this.

[0030] Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the system according to Figure 1 . It again shows the 3D camera 12, which is surrounded by a screen 14. Reflections at the residual feed 15 are shown as bundles 16-1 , ..., 16-n, which are picked up by an equal number of image points, here nine image points, in the camera 12. In practice, there will be more, such as for example 100 by 100 image points or even more.

[0031] The camera 12, for being able to determine the quantity of concentrate in the feed trough, is a 3D camera here. In this example, it is a time-of-flight camera (ToF camera). This emits frequency-modulated light at a modulation wavelength and determines the phase difference Acp between the reflected light and the emitted light. From this phase difference, the camera then calculates the distance cf from d = Acp * A I 4TT. This is performed for each image point of the camera with the aid of integrated electronics. From the distance d and the direction in the image field known for each image point and known from the optical properties of the optics of the camera, such as in particular the focal length, the position of the reflective object (part), in this case the residual feed 15, or the feed trough 6 if there is no residual feed present, can be determined. In this way, the surface of the residual feed is scanned and reconstructed, from which the quantity, or at least the volume, is deduced by the 3D camera 12, or at least the control unit 9.

[0032] Alternatively, the camera 12 may be a different type of 3D camera, such as a “structured light” camera, which emits a specific pattern of light and dark parts, and, from the deformation of this pattern at objects in the image field, determines how far away the objects are from the camera. Stereo cameras are not excluded, but are frequently less suitable due to the lack of structure of the residual feed, so that the correspondence problem is difficult to solve.

[0033] The 3D camera emits light, and the camera 11 , for this purpose, comprises for example an in-built light source, such as LEDs. Examples are infra-red LEDs, but also laser diodes or the like. The emitted light is reflected in bundles by objects, such as residual feed 15 and the feed trough 6. Each of these bundles 16-1 to 16-n is reflected at a part of the residual feed 15 or at the feed trough 6 itself, but only the main direction towards the camera 12 is shown.

[0034] From the reconstructed surface of the residual feed 15 and the known reference surface of the empty feed trough 6 that is stored in the 3D camera 12 or the memory 10 of the control unit 9, the volume of the residual feed is determined in that, for each bundle 16-1 , ... 16-n, the height hi between this reconstructed surface and the reference surface is examined and the height is multiplied by the area of that part of the image seen through the respective image point, and, after summation of this result over all the image points, the volume of the residual feed 15 is determined. In the example shown, there is not very much residual feed, so that there is a height h of zero for the bundles 16-1 and 16-n.

[0035] In practice, it is important to determine the reference surface accurately. For this purpose, the camera 12 may, for example, determine and store an image of the entirely empty feed trough 6. This may, for example, be realized at the factory, during assembly, and after each time the feed trough 6 is cleaned. After all, the feed trough is certainly entirely empty in these cases. However, this manual work is not necessary, and the camera 12, optionally in combination with the control unit 9, may be configured to determine the reference surface automatically. Here, it is noted that the control unit 9 may serve to process the images from the camera 12 to form surfaces and the like. This functionality may also be incorporated in the camera 12. Consequently, in the following text, the control unit 9 will, for this purpose, no longer be mentioned separately. For the purpose of determining the reference surface, the camera 12 determines, obviously after the livestock animal has left the system 1 in each case, that image from the last N visits, which exhibits the smallest average height h. Without knowledge of the reference surface, this cannot be determined exactly, but this corresponds approximately to the image with the largest average distance to the camera 12. The number N is in this case a reasonable number, such as for example 3, 4 or 10. In this case, it is assumed that most livestock animals eat until the feed trough 6 is virtually empty, so that the chance is virtually 100% that, over the last / V measurements, there will be at least one entirely empty feed trough 6, the image of which will provide the reference image. Thus, the camera 12 can already adapt the reference image, if necessary, after every visit. Thus, the camera 12 can directly take into account for example a bending or other deformation of the feed trough 6. After all, cases in which a livestock animal steps into the feed trough 6 will occur, and so deformation thereof is not inconceivable. Such a deformation can however then be corrected very quickly, slower correction commonly being the case with a disrupted feed sensor.

[0036] The measurement of the residual feed using the camera 12 is performed optically, and for this reason it is advantageous to keep out undesired ambient light as much as possible. For this purpose, a screen 14 is provided around the camera 12 here. Said screen 14 may be a simple cover which is connected to a suspension means of the camera 12. Such a cover may for example screen off the side from where the most light comes, for example a window. Of course, it is possible to provide the screen 14 around the camera 12 to the greatest possible extent, so that as much ambient light as possible can be blocked out. The screen 14 may be provided as a completely independent component of the system 1 .

[0037] Figure 3 schematically shows a view of another system T according to the invention. Similar components have the same reference numeral, provided with an accent.

[0038] Here, the system T is a milking system with feeding functionality. It comprises a milking robot 17 with a robot cabinet 18, a robot arm 19 and milking cups 20. The stall surrounds a milking station 5' and is a milking stall with a fixed part 2', an entrance gate 21 and an exit gate 22, which are rotatable around respective pins 23 and 24 according to the double arrows A and B, respectively.

[0039] The milking robot 17 is illustrated merely in a highly schematic manner and may be any type of milking robot known in the prior art. The details are known to a person skilled in the art, but are of no further importance to the invention, and so they are not needlessly repeated here.

[0040] When the system T is in use, a dairy animal enters via the entrance gate 21 and, after being identified, receives a quantity of feed in the feed trough 6' via the feed pipe 7'. For this purpose, the control unit 9' allows the volumetric feed doser 25 to dose a quantity, that is to say a volume, of concentrate from the feed container 8' on the basis of the animal identity and the data stored in the memory 10'. After the dairy animal’s visit, the control unit 9 allows the exit gate 22 to rotate around the pin 24 to the opened state, as illustrated by the dashed line 22'. The feed trough 6' is fastened to the exit gate and accordingly rotates along with the latter until it is outside the reach of the dairy animal. In the position 22', the 3D camera 12' determines the volume of the quantity of residual feed, if still present, and transmits the data to the control unit 9'. The latter calculates, on the basis of this volume and of the density associated with the residual feed, the quantity, in this case mass, of the residual feed.

[0041] Generally, it is the case that the control unit 9 / 9' can, on the basis of the quantity of residual feed, generate an alert for the respective animal according to a predetermined criterion. For example, if the quantity of residual feed exceeds a first threshold value, or if, in the last x visits of the livestock animal / dairy animal to the system 1 / 1 ', a quantity of residual feed exceeds a second threshold value y times, then a health warning for that animal is generated by the control unit 9 / 9'. The livestock farmer can, on the basis of this, decide to take further action.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . System having a stall for receiving a livestock animal for a visit, and having a concentrate system for providing the livestock animal with concentrate during the visit, wherein the concentrate system comprises a feed trough and a feed-dosing device for dosing concentrate into the feed trough, as well as a residual-feed-measuring device for measuring concentrate left in the feed trough after the visit, wherein the feed-dosing device comprises a volumetric dosing device which is provided with a memory and with an input device for inputting a density value of the concentrate into the memory, and which is configured for dispensing an adjustable volume of concentrate on the basis of the input density value, and wherein the residual-feed-measuring device comprises a 3D camera, wherein the 3D camera is configured for making, after the visit, a 3D image of the feed trough with the leftover concentrate, and for determining the quantity of leftover concentrate in the feed trough on the basis of the 3D image made and on the basis of said input density value in the memory.

2. System according to Claim 1 , wherein the residual-feed-measuring device is configured for determining the quantity of leftover concentrate by determining the volume of the leftover concentrate, by comparison of said 3D image with a reference image of an empty feed trough, and subsequently multiplying the determined volume by said density value.

3. System according to Claim 2, wherein the residual-feed-measuring device is configured for determining the reference image from the 3D images of the preceding / V milking operations as the 3D image with the largest average distance from the 3D camera, where / V is a pre-determined number greater than 2.

4. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the feed-dosing device is provided with a plurality of feed containers, each for an associated type of feed, and is configured for inputting into said memory an associated density value of each associated type of feed with the aid of said input device.

5. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the feed trough is configured for bringing the leftover concentrate outside the reach of the livestock animal, in particular at the end of the visit, and wherein the 3D camera is configured for subsequently making said 3D image.

6. System according to Claim 5, wherein the feed trough is configured for being pivoted away to an outside position outside the reach of the livestock animal,wherein the 3D camera is located so as to make said 3D image when the feed trough is in the outside position.

7. System according to Claim 6, further comprising a screening device for screening off the 3D camera from scattered light at least after the visit.

8. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the livestock animal is a dairy animal, and wherein the stall is a milking stall which is configured for receiving the dairy animal and which comprises milking means for milking of the dairy animal during the visit.