Calf feeding machine with cleaning type milk feeder

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of cleaning formula milk material feeding machine for feeding calf, including feeding trolley and be set on milk material feeding mechanism and cleaning and disinfecting mechanism of feeding trolley, milk material feeding mechanism includes milk material storage tank, milk material delivery pump, mechanical arm, milk material basin and metering controller, the fixed end of mechanical arm is fixedly connected with feeding trolley, milk material basin is set in the free end of mechanical arm, the input of milk material delivery pump is communicated with milk material storage tank, its output is connected with milk material basin, and the control end of milk material delivery pump is connected with metering controller, cleaning and disinfecting mechanism is set in one side of mechanical arm, feeding trolley can be moved to the feeding window place of each calf island, mechanical arm can extend milk material basin to feeding window, metering controller controls milk material delivery pump according to preset dosage and milk material is delivered to milk material basin to feed, after each feeding is completed, milk material basin is retracted and turns into cleaning and disinfecting mechanism by mechanical arm, and milk material basin is cleaned and disinfected by cleaning and disinfecting mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of calf feeding technology, specifically to a washing-type milk feeder for calf feeding. Background Technology

[0002] Calf rearing is a crucial link in livestock production, as its healthy growth directly affects the milk production performance of adult dairy cows and the economic benefits of dairy farming. Milk feeding, as the core process of calf rearing, has strict requirements regarding feeding timing, dosage, hygiene, and efficiency.

[0003] Currently, the industry generally uses fixed milk troughs for calf milk feeding, which means that a milk trough is set up at the feeding window of each calf island, and the milk is fed by a milk delivery vehicle. For example, the authorized announcement number CN217117216U discloses a farm calf quantitative feeding device, which installs a milk tank on a tanker truck, has a milk outlet pipe at the rear of the milk tank, and connects the milk outlet pipe to a pump body, which is connected to a feeding pipe, and adds a quantitative amount of milk to each milk trough through the feeding pipe.

[0004] This feeding method requires manual feeding via a handheld feeding tube, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inconvenient. Furthermore, because milk is rich in nutrients such as protein and lactose, milk residue easily remains on the inner wall of the feed trough after calves consume it. If not thoroughly cleaned and disinfected within a short time, this residue will quickly breed bacteria, mold, and other pathogens, forming stubborn dirt. When feeding occurs again, these pathogens are easily ingested by the calves along with the milk, leading to the spread of digestive tract diseases such as diarrhea and gastroenteritis, and in severe cases, even causing group infections. To avoid these problems, existing technologies require manual cleaning and disinfection of the milk trough before feeding. This not only increases the workload but also suffers from problems such as omissions, incomplete cleaning, inconvenience, and delays. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a washing-type milk feeder for calves to solve the technical problems of inconvenient and untimely cleaning of milk troughs in the existing technology.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve its technical problem is:

[0007] A calf feeding machine with a cleaning function includes a feeding trolley and a milk feeding mechanism and a cleaning and disinfection mechanism mounted on the trolley. The milk feeding mechanism includes a milk storage tank, a milk delivery pump, a robotic arm, a milk basin, and a metering controller. The fixed end of the robotic arm is fixedly connected to the feeding trolley, and the milk basin is located at the free end of the robotic arm. The input end of the milk delivery pump is connected to the milk storage tank, and its output end faces into the milk basin. The control end of the milk delivery pump is connected to the metering controller. The cleaning and disinfection mechanism is located on one side of the robotic arm. The feeding trolley can move to the feeding window of each calf island. The robotic arm can extend the milk basin to the feeding window. The metering controller controls the milk delivery pump to deliver milk to the milk basin for feeding according to a preset dosage. After each feeding, the robotic arm retracts the milk basin and transfers it to the cleaning and disinfection mechanism for cleaning and disinfection.

[0008] Preferably, the cleaning and disinfection mechanism includes a clean water storage tank, a disinfectant storage tank, a waste liquid storage tank, and a cleaning tank with an open top, all mounted on a feeding trolley. The cleaning tank is located on one side of a robotic arm, which can transfer the milk basins after each feeding into the cleaning tank. Several nozzles are installed on the inner wall of the cleaning tank, evenly distributed around the cleaning tank, with each nozzle's spray nozzle facing the milk basin entering the cleaning tank. A first water pump is installed on the clean water storage tank, and a second water pump is installed on the disinfectant storage tank. The input ends of the first and second water pumps are respectively connected to the clean water storage tank and the disinfectant storage tank, and the output ends of the first and second water pumps are respectively connected to each nozzle. The first and second water pumps can respectively deliver clean water or disinfectant to each nozzle to clean and disinfect the milk basins entering the cleaning tank. The waste liquid storage tank is located below the cleaning tank and is connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank to collect and store the waste liquid after cleaning and disinfection.

[0009] Preferably, the upper port of the cleaning tank is surrounded by an inwardly contracting flexible protective sleeve, allowing the emulsion basin to pass through the protective sleeve and enter the cleaning tank.

[0010] Preferably, the feeding trolley is also equipped with a milk recovery trough with an open top. The milk recovery trough is located on one side of the robotic arm and is adjacent to the cleaning trough. The robotic arm retracts the milk basin after feeding and transfers it into the milk recovery trough. It can also flip and invert the milk basin to pour the remaining milk in the milk basin into the milk recovery trough, and then transfer the milk basin into the cleaning trough for cleaning and disinfection.

[0011] Preferably, a milk recovery storage tank is provided below the milk recovery tank, and the bottom of the milk recovery tank is connected to the inlet of the milk recovery storage tank.

[0012] Preferably, the output end of the milk delivery pump is equipped with a flow meter, which is electrically connected to the metering controller. The flow meter detects the milk output flow rate and feeds back the output flow rate information to the metering controller. The metering controller controls the milk delivery pump to output a preset dose of milk based on the output flow rate information fed back by the flow meter.

[0013] Preferably, the milk feeding mechanism further includes an information collector, which is mounted on the robotic arm and close to its free end, and electrically connected to the metering controller. Each calf island has a corresponding information identification tag at its feeding window that matches the information of the calves raised there. When the robotic arm extends the milk basin towards the feeding window, the information collector can read the calf information from the information identification tag at the feeding window and transmit the read calf information to the metering controller. The metering controller receives the calf information transmitted by the information collector and, based on the received calf information, controls the milk delivery pump to deliver milk to the milk basin at a preset dosage for feeding.

[0014] Preferably, the information collector is an RFID reader or an ear tag reader.

[0015] Preferably, the robotic arm is a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, capable of moving the milk basin to a designated position according to a preset angle and preset path.

[0016] Preferably, the feeding trolley is equipped with a storage battery, which powers the milk feeding mechanism and the cleaning and disinfection mechanism.

[0017] As can be seen from the above technical solution, the calf feeding machine provided in this application, by setting a milk feeding mechanism and a cleaning and disinfection mechanism on the feeding trolley, includes a milk storage tank, a milk delivery pump, a robotic arm, a milk basin, and a metering controller. The feeding trolley can move to the feeding window of each calf island. The robotic arm can extend the milk basin to the feeding window, and the milk delivery pump can deliver milk to the milk basin according to a preset dosage. After each feeding, the robotic arm retracts the milk basin and transfers it to the cleaning and disinfection mechanism for cleaning. The benefits of disinfection are as follows: direct feeding via the feeding cart and milk feeding mechanism improves the convenience of feeding calves. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for traditional fixed milk troughs, allowing the troughs to move with the feeding cart and be cleaned and disinfected immediately after each feeding. This removes milk residue and sterilizes, achieving "one calf, one feed" isolation feeding. This solves the problems of inconvenience, untimely cleaning, and potential omissions associated with manual cleaning, and reduces the risk of digestive tract diseases and disease transmission in calves from the source of feeding, thus improving calf health and growth quality. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a side view of the structure of the utility model.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a front view structural diagram of the utility model.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the utility model.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the utility model from another angle.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure where the milk feed basin enters the milk feed recycling tank.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure where the emulsion basin enters the washing tank.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding state of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of the utility model.

[0026] In the diagram: 10 feeding trolley, 20 milk feeding mechanism, 21 milk storage tank, 22 milk transfer pump, 23 robotic arm, 24 milk basin, 25 metering controller, 26 conduit, 27 information collector, 28 flow meter, 30 cleaning and disinfection mechanism, 31 clean water storage tank, 32 disinfectant storage tank, 33 waste liquid storage tank, 34 cleaning tank, 35 nozzle, 36 first water pump, 37 second water pump, 38 protective sleeve, 39 connecting pipe, 391 solenoid valve, 392 start controller, 40 milk recovery tank, 41 milk recovery storage tank, 50 calf island, 51 feeding window, 52 information identification tag, 53 guide rail. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4This utility model provides a washing-type milk feeder for calf feeding, including a feeding trolley 10 and a milk feeding mechanism 20 and a cleaning and disinfection mechanism 30 mounted on the feeding trolley 10. The milk feeding mechanism 20 includes a milk storage tank 21, a milk delivery pump 22, a robotic arm 23, a milk basin 24, and a metering controller 25. The fixed end of the robotic arm 23 is fixedly connected to the feeding trolley 10, and the milk basin 24 is located at the free end of the robotic arm 23. The input end of the milk delivery pump 22 is connected to the milk storage tank 21, and its output end faces into the milk basin 24. The control of the milk delivery pump 22 is also described. The end is connected to the metering controller 25, and the cleaning and disinfection mechanism 30 is set on one side of the robotic arm 23. The feeding trolley 10 can move to the feeding window 51 of each calf island 50. The robotic arm 23 can extend the milk basin 24 to the corresponding feeding window 51. The metering controller 25 controls the milk delivery pump 22 to deliver the milk in the milk storage tank 21 to the milk basin 24 for feeding according to the preset dosage. After each feeding is completed, the robotic arm 23 can retract the milk basin 24 and transfer it to the cleaning and disinfection mechanism 30 for cleaning and disinfection.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 7Specifically, the feeding cart 10 is preferably a track-type electric cart with a built-in battery and a drive motor to move it. In use, guide rails 53 are laid parallel to one side of the feeding window 51 on each calf island 50. The wheels of the track-type cart are matched with the guide rails 53, and the cart is mounted on the guide rails 53. The feeding cart 10 is driven by its drive motor and can move along the guide rails 53 to the feeding window 51 of each calf island 50. The robotic arm 23 is an electric multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, a common type of industrial robot, capable of moving the milk basin 24 according to a preset angle and path. The machine moves to a designated position. The milk storage tank 21 is pre-stored with milk for feeding. A conduit 26, made of rubber or plastic, extends from the output end of the milk delivery pump 22 along the robotic arm 23. The output end of the conduit 26 is fixed to the free end of the robotic arm 23 and faces into the milk basin 24. The cleaning and disinfection mechanism 30 includes a clean water tank 31, a disinfectant tank 32, a waste liquid tank 33, and a cleaning tank 34 with an open top, all mounted on the feeding trolley 10. The cleaning tank 34 is located on one side of the robotic arm 23. The robotic arm 23 can transfer the milk basin 24 after each feeding into the cleaning tank. In the cleaning tank 34, several nozzles 35 are installed on the inner wall of the cleaning tank 34. Each nozzle 35 is a high-pressure spray head. The nozzles 35 are evenly distributed around the cleaning tank 34, with the nozzle opening facing the emulsion basin 24 entering the cleaning tank 34, thus surrounding the emulsion basin 24. Connecting pipes 39 are installed on the outside of the cleaning tank 34 to connect each nozzle 35. A first water pump 36 is installed on the purified water storage tank 31, and a second water pump 37 is installed on the disinfectant storage tank 32. The input ends of the first water pump 36 and the second water pump 37 are respectively connected to the purified water storage tank 31 and the disinfectant storage tank 32. The output ends of the first water pump 36 and the second water pump 37 are respectively connected to the connecting pipes 39 that connect to each nozzle 35. In addition, the cleaning and disinfection mechanism 30 also includes a start controller 392. The first water pump 36 and the second water pump 37 are electrically connected to the start controller 392. The start controller 392 controls the first water pump 36 and the second water pump 37 to work and deliver clean water or disinfectant to each nozzle 35 to clean and disinfect the milk basin 24 that enters the cleaning tank 34. The waste liquid storage tank 33 is located below the cleaning tank 34 and is connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank 34 to collect and store the waste liquid after cleaning and disinfection.

[0030] During feeding, the feeding trolley 10 can be manually started and moved along the laid guide rail 53 to the feeding window 51 of each calf island 50. Each time the trolley 10 reaches the feeding window 51 of a calf island 50, it pauses. At this time, the robotic arm 23 is manually started to extend the milk trough 24 towards the feeding window 51 and flip the milk trough 24 so that its opening faces upwards. When the milk trough 24 reaches the designated position, the robotic arm 23 remains stationary. Then, the metering controller 25 is activated to control the milk delivery pump 22 to pump the milk from the milk storage tank 21 according to the preset feeding dosage. The milk is transported to the milk trough 24 for feeding. After feeding is completed, the robotic arm is restarted and the milk trough 24 is retrieved and transferred to the cleaning tank 34 according to the preset path. After the milk trough 24 enters the cleaning tank 34, the controller 392 is started to control the first water pump 36 and the second water pump 37 to clean and disinfect the milk trough 24. After the milk trough 24 is cleaned and disinfected, the feeding trolley 10 is started and continues to move to the next calf island 50 feeding window 51. The milk feeding mechanism 20 performs the above feeding action again.

[0031] To improve the accuracy of milk feeding, a flow meter 28 is installed at the output end of the conduit 26. The flow meter 28 is electrically connected to the metering controller 25. The flow meter 28 is used to detect the milk output flow rate and feed back the output flow rate information to the metering controller 25. The metering controller 25 controls the milk delivery pump 22 to output a preset dose of milk based on the output flow rate information fed back by the flow meter 28.

[0032] In this embodiment, the calf can be fed by timed feeding, that is, by setting a timer to time the feeding time of each feeding, and when the feeding time is up, the robotic arm 23 can be controlled to retract the milk trough 24.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 6 Furthermore, the upper port of the cleaning tank 34 is surrounded by an inwardly contracting flexible protective sleeve 38. The milk basin 24 can pass through the protective sleeve 38 and enter the cleaning tank 34. During the cleaning and disinfection of the milk basin 24, the protective sleeve 38 can act as a shield to prevent water or disinfectant from splashing out.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6Furthermore, during the feeding process, if individual calves exhibit abnormal feeding behavior, resulting in uneaten milk in the milk trough 24, a milk recovery trough 40 with an open top is provided on the feeding cart 10 to facilitate the recovery of the remaining milk. The milk recovery trough 40 is located on one side of the robotic arm 23 and adjacent to the cleaning tank 34. After the robotic arm 23 retracts the milk trough 24, it first transfers the milk trough 24 into the milk recovery trough 40 and then flips and inverts the milk trough 24 to pour the remaining milk into the milk recovery trough 40. Finally, the milk trough 24 is controlled to enter the cleaning tank 34 for cleaning and disinfection.

[0035] Furthermore, a milk recovery storage tank 41 is provided below the milk recovery tank 40. The bottom of the milk recovery tank 40 is connected to the inlet of the milk recovery storage tank 41, and the milk poured into the milk recovery tank 40 can flow into the milk recovery storage tank 41.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 1 In the above embodiment, the disinfectant storage tank 32 is divided into an alkali tank and an acid tank. The second water pump 37 consists of two sets of pump bodies, which are respectively installed on the alkali tank and the acid tank. Solenoid valves 391 are respectively installed at the output ends of the two sets of pump bodies of the first water pump 36 and the second water pump 37. The first water pump 36, the second water pump 37 and each solenoid valve 391 are controlled by the start controller 392. The process of cleaning and disinfecting the milk basin 24 is as follows: first, rinse the milk residue remaining in the milk basin 24 with clean water; then rinse with alkali solution to remove fat and protein residues by alkali washing reaction; then rinse with acid solution to remove calcium salts and protein residues by acid washing reaction and neutralize pH value; finally, rinse with clean water again to ensure no acid or alkali residues. During the rinsing and disinfection process, the robotic arm 23 flips the milk basin 24 to a tilted state so that water and acid / alkali solutions can be effectively discharged.

[0037] For ease of operation and management, the outside of the feeding trolley 10 is equipped with milk filling ports for milk storage tank 21, clean water filling ports for clean water storage tank 31, alkali filling ports for alkali tank, and acid filling ports for acid tank. It is also equipped with drain ports for waste liquid storage tank 33 and milk recovery storage tank 41. Valves are installed on each filling port and drain port for management.

[0038] Please continue reading. Figure 3Furthermore, the milk feeding mechanism 20 also includes an information collector 27, which is mounted on the robotic arm 23 and located near the free end of the robotic arm 23. The information collector 27 is electrically connected to the metering controller 25. The information collector 27 is an RFID reader or an ear tag reader. At each feeding window 51 of each calf island 50, there is an information identification tag 52 that matches the information of the calves raised in that calf island 50. The information identification tag 52 is a QR code or an RFID electronic tag. When the robotic arm 23 extends the milk basin 24 toward the feeding window 51, the information collector 27 can read the calf information in the information identification tag 52 at the feeding window 51 and transmit the read calf information to the metering controller 25. The calf information includes the calf's number, date of birth, etc. The metering controller 25 receives the calf information transmitted by the information collector 27 and controls the milk delivery pump 22 to deliver milk to the milk basin 24 according to a preset dosage for feeding.

[0039] In the above embodiments, the milk feeding mechanism 20, the cleaning and disinfection mechanism 30, and the information collector 27 are all powered by the storage battery installed on the feeding trolley 10.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 8 In another preferred embodiment, an MCU controller is provided on the feeding trolley 10. The MCU controller is electrically connected to the control terminal of the milk feeding mechanism 20, the cleaning and disinfection mechanism 30 and the feeding trolley 10. The MCU controller can control the milk feeding mechanism 20, the cleaning and disinfection mechanism 30 and the feeding trolley 10 to perform automated operations, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0041] In addition, during the initial feeding phase, the calves need to be trained to adapt to the feeding method of the milk feeder.

[0042] The above-disclosed embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present utility model. Those skilled in the art can understand that implementing all or part of the above-described embodiments and making equivalent changes in accordance with the claims of the present utility model are still within the scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. A washing-type milk feeder for calf feeding, characterized in that: The system includes a feeding trolley and a milk feeding mechanism and a cleaning and disinfection mechanism mounted on the trolley. The milk feeding mechanism includes a milk storage tank, a milk delivery pump, a robotic arm, a milk basin, and a metering controller. The fixed end of the robotic arm is fixedly connected to the feeding trolley, and the milk basin is located at the free end of the robotic arm. The input end of the milk delivery pump is connected to the milk storage tank, and its output end faces into the milk basin. The control end of the milk delivery pump is connected to the metering controller. The cleaning and disinfection mechanism is located on one side of the robotic arm. The feeding trolley can move to the feeding window of each calf island. The robotic arm can extend the milk basin to the feeding window. The metering controller controls the milk delivery pump to deliver milk to the milk basin for feeding according to a preset dosage. After each feeding, the robotic arm retracts the milk basin and transfers it to the cleaning and disinfection mechanism for cleaning and disinfection.

2. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning and disinfection mechanism includes a clean water storage tank, a disinfectant storage tank, a waste liquid storage tank, and a cleaning tank with an open top, all mounted on a feeding trolley. The cleaning tank is located on one side of a robotic arm, which can transfer the milk basins after each feeding into the cleaning tank. Several nozzles are installed on the inner wall of the cleaning tank, evenly distributed around the trolley, with each nozzle's spray nozzle facing the milk basin entering the cleaning tank. A first water pump is installed on the clean water storage tank, and a second water pump is installed on the disinfectant storage tank. The input ends of the first and second water pumps are connected to the clean water storage tank and the disinfectant storage tank, respectively, and the output ends of the first and second water pumps are connected to each nozzle. The first and second water pumps can respectively deliver clean water or disinfectant to each nozzle to clean and disinfect the milk basins entering the cleaning tank. The waste liquid storage tank is located below the cleaning tank and is connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank to collect and store the waste liquid after cleaning and disinfection.

3. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The upper port of the cleaning tank is surrounded by an inwardly contracting flexible protective sleeve, through which the emulsion basin can pass into the cleaning tank.

4. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The feeding trolley is also equipped with a milk recovery tank with an opening at the top. The milk recovery tank is located on one side of the robotic arm and is adjacent to the cleaning tank. The robotic arm retracts the milk basin after feeding and transfers it into the milk recovery tank. It can also flip and invert the milk basin to pour the remaining milk in the milk basin into the milk recovery tank. Then, the milk basin is transferred into the cleaning tank for cleaning and disinfection.

5. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 4, characterized in that: Below the milk recovery tank is a milk recovery storage tank, and the bottom of the milk recovery tank is connected to the inlet of the milk recovery storage tank.

6. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The output end of the milk delivery pump is equipped with a flow meter, which is electrically connected to the metering controller. The flow meter detects the milk output flow rate and feeds back the output flow rate information to the metering controller. The metering controller controls the milk delivery pump to output a preset dose of milk based on the output flow rate information fed back by the flow meter.

7. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The milk feeding mechanism also includes an information collector, which is mounted on the robotic arm and close to its free end. The information collector is electrically connected to a metering controller. Each calf island has a corresponding information identification tag at its feeding window that matches the information of the calves raised there. When the robotic arm extends the milk basin towards the feeding window, the information collector reads the calf information from the identification tag at the feeding window and transmits the read calf information to the metering controller. The metering controller receives the calf information transmitted by the information collector and, based on the received calf information, controls the milk delivery pump to deliver milk to the milk basin at a preset dosage for feeding.

8. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 7, characterized in that: The information collector is an RFID reader or an ear tag reader.

9. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The robotic arm is a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm that can move the milk basin to a designated position according to a preset angle and preset path.

10. The calf-feeding washing-type milk feeder as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The feeding trolley is equipped with a storage battery, which powers the milk feeding mechanism and the cleaning and disinfection mechanism.

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