Dairy cow feeding device adaptive to automatic milking

Abstract

A dairy cow feeding device adapted to automatic milking is used in cooperation with an automatic milking system and comprises a feed supply bin and a feeding trough, the feed supply bin contains feed, and the feeding trough receives the feed from the feed supply bin; the feed supply bin can supply feed to the feeding trough at a controllable feed supply speed V; the electronic metering milk barrel is used for collecting milk receiving amount data M1 in real time; the weighbridge system is used for bearing the dairy cows and the electronic metering milk barrels in the automatic milking process and collecting total bearing weight data M2 of the dairy cows and the electronic metering milk barrels in real time; and the control system receives the milk receiving amount data M1 and the total bearing weight data M2 in real time, and adjusts the feed supply speed V of the feed supply bin in real time in the automatic milking process based on the milk receiving amount data M1 and the total bearing weight data M2. When the milking robot is used for automatically milking dairy cows, the feeding process and the feeding amount of the dairy cows can be accurately controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of dairy cow breeding, and in particular to a dairy cow feeding device suitable for automatic milking. Background Art

[0002] With the development of modern animal husbandry, the feeding of dairy cows is also moving towards refinement and intelligence. Refinement is not only reflected in the scientific combination of feed nutrition, but also in the timing and quantification of daily feeding. Intelligence mainly refers to the application of intelligent feeding systems and automatic milking systems in industrialized dairy cow breeding, which provides high production capacity and efficiency for modern animal husbandry.

[0003] When milking cows automatically, they are usually fed with milk. The main purpose is to calm the cows and prevent them from moving around during the milking process. Therefore, compared with the scheduled and quantitative feeding plan, this kind of feeding during the automatic milking process is actually an unplanned feeding. The feeding process and amount of the cows should be precisely controlled, and the necessary data should be provided for the daily refined feeding of the cows. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention is to precisely control the feeding process and feeding amount of dairy cows during automatic milking, and at the same time provide necessary data for daily refined feeding of dairy cows, thereby providing a dairy cow feeding device suitable for automatic milking.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking, used in conjunction with an automatic milking system, comprises a feed supply bin and a feeding trough, wherein the feed supply bin contains feed and the feeding trough receives feed from the feed supply bin; the feed supply bin can supply feed to the feeding trough at a controllable feeding speed V;

[0007] Also includes:

[0008] An electronic milk metering bucket, which collects milk quantity data M1 in real time;

[0009] A weighbridge system, which is used to carry cows and electronically measured milk buckets during automatic milking, and collect total carrying weight data M2 of the cows and the electronically measured milk buckets in real time;

[0010] A control system, wherein the control system receives the milk receiving amount data M1 and the total carrying weight data M2 in real time, and adjusts the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin in real time during the automatic milking process based on the milk receiving amount data M1 and the total carrying weight data M2.

[0011] The cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as described above is further characterized in that the control system dynamically predicts the automatic milking time T according to the real-time changes of the milk receiving amount data M1.

[0012] The cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as described above is further characterized in that the control system adjusts the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin in real time according to the real-time change of the total load weight data M2 and the dynamically predicted automatic milking time T.

[0013] The cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as described above further comprises a cow identification component, wherein the cow identification component is used to automatically identify the cow's identity before automatic milking and transmit the identified cow's identity information to the control system.

[0014] The cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as described above is further characterized in that the control system matches the target milk extraction amount M of automatic milking according to the cow identity information.

[0015] The cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as described above is further characterized in that the cow identification component is an RFID tag identification component or an image recognition component.

[0016] The cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as described above is further characterized in that the feed supply bin supplies feed to the feeding trough through a feeding assembly.

[0017] The cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as described above is further characterized in that a chute is connected between the feed supply bin and the feeding trough, and the feeding assembly is arranged at the connection portion between the bottom of the feed supply bin and the chute.

[0018] The cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as described above is further characterized in that the electronic metering milk bucket is communicatively connected with the control system via a wireless transmission module or a data plug.

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention also includes a cow feeding method using the above-mentioned cow feeding device. The feeding method is based on the milk receiving volume data M1 collected in real time by the electronic metering milk bucket and the total carrying weight data M2 collected in real time by the floor scale system. During the automatic milking process, the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin is adjusted in real time so that the cows can eat evenly and quantitatively during the automatic milking process.

[0020] Beneficial effects:

[0021] The present invention provides a controllable cow feeding device and a corresponding feeding method technical solution for unplanned feeding (comfort feeding) during automatic milking of cows using a milking robot. The technical solution adjusts the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin in real time during the automatic milking process based on the milk receiving volume data M1 collected in real time by the electronic metering milk bucket and the total carrying weight data M2 collected in real time by the floor scale system so that the cows can eat evenly and quantitatively during the automatic milking process. The cows can be comforted throughout the entire automatic milking process to prevent the cows from moving around in a large range during the milking process, and the eating process and food intake of the cows can be accurately controlled. The collected and recorded food intake also provides necessary data for the daily refined feeding of the cows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of a cow feeding device suitable for automatic milking according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0024] The components represented by the reference numerals in the figure are:

[0025] Automatic milking system 1; feed supply bin 2; feeding trough 3; weighbridge system 4; electronic metering milk bucket 5; feeding assembly 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the present embodiment provides a cow feeding device suitable for automatic milking, which is used in conjunction with an automatic milking system 1. Similar to the prior art, the feeding device also includes a feed supply bin 2 and a feeding trough 3, wherein the feed supply bin 2 contains feed, and the feeding trough 3 receives feed from the feed supply bin 2.

[0029] Further integration Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, a slide groove is connected between the feed supply bin 2 and the feeding trough 3, and a feeding assembly 6 is provided at the connection portion between the bottom of the feed supply bin 2 and the slide groove, and the feed supply bin 2 supplies feed to the feeding trough 3 through the feeding assembly 6.

[0030] In order to comfort the cows during the whole milking process and prevent them from moving around in a large area during the milking process, and to control the cows' feeding process and food intake, in the preliminary modification scheme of this embodiment, the feed supply bin 2 can supply feed to the feeding trough 3 at a controllable feeding speed V, which can be controlled by adjusting the working parameters of the feeding component 6 in real time. Figure 2 The feeding assembly 6 used in the embodiment shown is a spiral feeding assembly. For the spiral feeding assembly, the feeding speed V can be controlled and adjusted by the rotation speed parameter of the spiral feeding assembly.

[0031] Some automatic feeding systems used in industrial production can calculate the cumulative weight of materials by calculating the material flow rate or flow rate, but the feed used in feeding cows does not have a stable state and a certain density like industrial materials. Cow feed can be solid feed or semi-liquid feed, and has variable formula ingredients. There is also uncertainty in the intake and picking of feed in the feeding trough 3 by cows. Therefore, the feeding situation of cows cannot be automatically identified or calculated well through the feed supply link.

[0032] Based on the above reasons, in order to accurately control the feeding process and feeding amount of dairy cows, the present invention innovatively adopts a floor scale system 4 and an electronic metering milk bucket 5. First, the electronic metering milk bucket 5 is used to collect the milk receiving amount data M1 in real time, and the floor scale system 4 is used to carry the dairy cow and the electronic metering milk bucket 5 during the automatic milking process and collect the total carrying weight data M2 of the dairy cow and the electronic metering milk bucket 5 in real time. In this way, the control system receives the milk receiving amount data M1 and the total carrying weight data M2 in real time, and adjusts the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin 2 in real time during the automatic milking process based on the milk receiving amount data M1 and the total carrying weight data M2.

[0033] Specifically, the control system can dynamically predict the automatic milking time T according to the real-time changes of the milk receiving amount data M1, and then adjust the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin 2 in real time according to the real-time changes of the total carrying weight data M2 and the dynamically predicted automatic milking time T, so that the cows can eat evenly and quantitatively during the automatic milking process.

[0034] Among them, the real-time change data of the total load weight data M2 can more truly and accurately feedback the real-time feeding and weight gain of the cows compared with the change data of the feed amount. At different times during the automatic milking process, the control system calculates the feeding speed V in real time according to the real-time change data of the total load weight data M2 combined with time. In addition, the target feeding amount of the entire automatic milking process will have an upper threshold value Y1 and a lower threshold value Y2. The main basis for setting the upper threshold value Y1 is to prevent the cows from overeating, and the lower threshold value Y2 is mainly to prevent the too low feeding amount from failing to meet the comfort requirements of the cows. When the control system calculates the remaining feeding amount calculated by the feeding speed V and the remaining milking time in real time at different times during the automatic milking process, the target feeding amount of the entire automatic milking process will exceed the upper threshold value Y1, and the feeding speed V will be lowered by adjusting the working parameters of the conveying component (in the attached figure, the speed of the spiral feeding component is lowered). On the contrary, when the control system calculates the remaining feeding amount based on the feeding speed V calculated in real time at different times during the automatic milking process and the remaining milking time, which will make the target feeding amount of the entire automatic milking process lower than the lower threshold value Y2, the feeding speed V can also be increased by adjusting the working parameters of the conveying component (in the attached figure, the speed of the spiral feeding component is increased). Under the requirements of refined feeding, the target feeding amount of the entire automatic milking process is also allowed to be set to a fixed value. In this case, it can be understood that the upper threshold value Y1 and the lower threshold value Y2 are infinitely close, and the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin 2 will be in a continuous dynamic change adjustment state.

[0035] In the above control process, for the automatic milking time, the control system first matches the target milk collection volume M of automatic milking, and then dynamically predicts the automatic milking time T according to the real-time changes of the milk collection volume data M1 described above, and then can dynamically calculate the remaining milking time at different times.

[0036] In daily automatic milking control, the target milking amount M of automatic milking can be set as a fixed value without distinguishing individual cows, or it can be adjusted according to the milking conditions of different cows or the daily collection needs. In the present invention, the automatic milking system 1 itself is equipped with a cow identity recognition component to automatically identify the identity of the cow before automatic milking and transmit the identified cow identity information to the control system, which can not only automatically match the target milking amount M of automatic milking according to different cows, but also automatically match and call automatic milking parameters according to different cows, and control the milking action of the milking manipulator. Specifically, the automatic milking system 1 used in the present invention performs the milking action based on the opening and closing action of the milking manipulator (belonging to the general action mode in this field, not shown in the figure). In this embodiment, due to the use of an electronic metering milk bucket 5, the control system can also dynamically adjust the opening and closing action (opening and closing frequency and / or opening and closing amplitude) of the milking manipulator according to the real-time change of the milk receiving amount data M1 fed back by the electronic metering milk bucket 5, so as to stabilize the milking speed, control the milking process, and also avoid harming or interfering with the cows.

[0037] In addition, the cow identification component in this embodiment uses RFID tag identification technology, which can of course be replaced by other technologies such as image recognition.

[0038] The electronic milk metering bucket 5 in this embodiment is connected to the control system through a wireless transmission module, and can also be connected to the control system through a data plug.

[0039] In summary, by adopting the above-mentioned cow feeding device and cooperating with the control program, the present invention can adjust the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin 2 in real time during the automatic milking process based on the milk receiving amount data M1 collected in real time by the electronic metering milk bucket 5 and the total carrying weight data M2 collected in real time by the floor scale system 4 so that the cows can eat evenly and quantitatively during the automatic milking process. The collected and recorded food intake also provides necessary data for the daily refined feeding of the cows.

[0040] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking, used in conjunction with an automatic milking system (1), comprising a feed supply bin (2) and a feeding trough (3), wherein the feed supply bin (2) contains feed, and the feeding trough (3) receives feed from the feed supply bin (2); characterized in that: The feed supply bin (2) is capable of supplying feed to the feeding trough (3) at a controllable feeding speed V; Also includes: An electronic milk metering bucket (5), wherein the electronic milk metering bucket (5) collects milk quantity data M1 in real time; A weighbridge system (4), the weighbridge system (4) being used to carry the cow and the electronic measuring milk bucket (5) during the automatic milking process, and to collect total carrying weight data M2 of the cow and the electronic measuring milk bucket (5) in real time; A control system, wherein the control system receives the milk receiving amount data M1 and the total carrying weight data M2 in real time, and adjusts the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin (2) in real time during the automatic milking process based on the milk receiving amount data M1 and the total carrying weight data M2.

2. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The control system dynamically predicts the automatic milking time T according to the real-time changes of the milk receiving amount data M1.

3. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The control system adjusts the feeding speed V of the feed supply bin (2) in real time according to the real-time change of the total load weight data M2 and the dynamically predicted automatic milking time T.

4. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a cow identification component, which is used to automatically identify the cow's identity before automatic milking and transmit the identified cow's identity information to the control system.

5. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The control system matches the target milk yield M of automatic milking according to the cow identity information.

6. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The cow identification component is an RFID tag identification component or an image recognition component.

7. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The feed supply bin (2) supplies feed to the feeding trough (3) via a feeding assembly (6).

8. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: A chute is connected between the feed supply bin (2) and the feeding trough (3), and the feeding assembly (6) is arranged at the connection portion between the bottom of the feed supply bin (2) and the chute.

9. A cow feeding device adapted for automatic milking as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic milk metering bucket (5) is communicatively connected to the control system via a wireless transmission module or a data plug.

10. A method for feeding dairy cows using the dairy cow feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: Based on the milk volume data M1 collected in real time by the electronic measuring milk bucket (5) and the total load weight data M2 collected in real time by the floor scale system (4), the feed speed V of the feed supply bin (2) is adjusted in real time during the automatic milking process so that the cows can eat evenly and quantitatively during the automatic milking process.

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