AMS batch milking installation

Abstract

The present invention relates to an AMS batch milking installation (1) configured to milk groups (2) of dairy animals (3) at fixed milking times. A holding area (4) is configured to receive the groups (2) of dairy animals (3), wherein a set of milking robots (5) is arranged in at least one row that adjoin the holding area (4). An entry gate (7) of each milking robot (5) provides access from the holding area (4) and an exit gate (9) of each milking robot (5) provides access to an exit alley (8) arranged on an opposite side of the milking robots. Each milking robot (5) is configured to detect an incomplete milking of a dairy animal (31), wherein a control unit (10) is configured to provide a notification (11) to an operator of the incomplete milking including an identification (ll1) of the relevant milking robot (5') that has detected the incomplete milking, while retaining the incompletely milked animal (3') in the relevant milking robot (5') for a predetermined time.

Description

[0001] AMS Batch Milking Installation

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to an AMS batch milking installation configured to milk one or more groups of dairy animals at fixed milking times.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] AMS designates an automatic milking system or milking robot, wherein dairy animals are milked automatically without human interaction. The AMS or milking robot is commonly arranged for so called voluntary visits. A voluntary visit means that a dairy animal can eat, drink, rest and visit the milking robot when it wants provided that the dairy animal has milking permission. This setup is well-known in dairy farming and the milking robot was initially developed and intended for voluntary visits. As the cost of labour rises and / or the availability of (milking) personnel becomes limited, dairy farms are increasingly exploring the benefits of robotic milking. In addition, the trend towards automation and digitalization (data driven production) continues to develop rapidly as it provides greater flexibility, cow welfare and efficient milking for dairy farmers.

[0006] EP1286585 discloses an example of an AMS (milking robot), which dairy animals (cows) can visit on a voluntary basis. The milking robot comprises an animal identification system and communicates with an animal database, wherein the milking robot is configured to notify an operator when a pre-selected animal has entered the milking robot. It relates to the problem of locating a specific animal in a group of animals that are allowed to move around freely on a farm. Dairy animals that require treatment, examination and / or to be calmed down during milking are hereby pre-selected by the operator. The system automatically notifies the operator when the pre-selected animal has entered the milking robot, so that the operator may treat, examine or assist in calming the dairy animal in that milking robot.

[0007] A global trend of farm consolidation entails that dairy farms around the world tend to get fewer and bigger, whereby the herds on the dairy farms also tend to grow. An AMS batch milking installation offers a new way to automatically and efficiently milk larger sized herds, especially medium to large herds (from say 300 dairy animals to over 1500 dairy animals). The AMS batch milking concept combines automatic milking with the workflow of conventional milking. The herd is divided into several groups, which are brought one after the other to the AMS batch milking installation like a traditional milking parlour or rotary milking parlour. Accordingly, dairy farmers accustomed to conventional milking systems can easily transition to milking robots in an AMS batch milking installation and retain many of their familiar routines and practices.

[0008] The AMS batch milking installation comprises a set of milking robots arranged in one or more rows that adjoin a holding area for a group of dairy animals waiting to be milked. The groups are manually fetched and driven one after the other by a person who may also supervise the milking session of the group. The dairy animals gathered in the holding area have access to each milking robot in the set of milking robots. Thus, dairy animals in the holding area may enter an available milking robot and, after milking, the milked dairy animals exit the milking robots and follow an exit alley. One or more sort or selection gate(s) is / are arranged in the exit alley(s) for guiding the milked animals to their intended destinations, such as back to their original pens (feeding / resting area of their respective group) or a separation area for treatment / inspection. The AMS batch milking installation is configured for automated group milking at fixed milking times (milking sessions), usually two or three times per day, as in conventional milking.

[0009] A dairy farm accustomed to conventional milking keeps its dairy animals in a number of different groups based on for instance milk yield, age, days in milk or other key performance indicators (KPI). Each group is kept together and handled as one entity during milking, feeding and resting. The dairy animals are typically cows, but may also be buffalos. The milking robots are configured to milk one dairy animal at a time. Each milking robot comprises a vacuum connection for supplying vacuum to the teat cups, and at least one milk line for conducting milk from the milking robot.

[0010] WO2023 / 113687 discloses an AMS batch milking installation that includes a set of milking robots in several rows that adjoin an entrance / holding area. The handling of the animals in groups does not exclude that certain individuals within a group may require attention or special handling of their milk. The AMS batch milking installation provides for certain individuals within the group to pass the milking robots, without being milked therein, wherein the individuals exit the milking robot and follow an exit / return alley comprising a selection / sort gate that directs these individuals to another milking stall. This milking stall comprises further equipment for milk analysis and local collection of milk with the possibility to divert or drain abnormal milk if the analysis shows that the milk is not suitable for human consumption. Thus, the AMS batch milking installation is intended for animals within a group that require special handling and / or the milk of which requires special handling. Accordingly, solutions are known, which are aimed at utilising milking robots in an efficient manner. However, there is a desire to further improve the efficiency in AMS batch milking. More precisely, some dairy animals in the milking robots may experience incomplete milkings if the milking robot fails to attach at least one of the teat cups. Incomplete milkings may also arise due to teat cup kick-off or fall-off from the teats of the dairy animal being milked. A milking robot is configured to detect such issues, and the animal may be registered as incompletely milked in an animal database of a herd management system. Incomplete milkings reduces the efficiency of the milking session, since incompletely milked animals may have significant amounts of milk left in their udders. Additionally, the incomplete milking may have a negative effect on the animal’s milk production rate and udder health issues may arise due to incomplete milkings.

[0011] A known way of dealing with this issue is to let the incompletely milked animals exit the milking robots and follow the exit alley, wherein the incompletely milked animals are directed back by a selection / sort gate to the holding area for another attempt to milk out the udder. Another known way is to simply disregard incomplete milkings by letting the incompletely milked animals return to their original pens / barns.

[0012] SUMMARY

[0013] Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an AMS batch milking installation configured to milk a group of dairy animals as one group while ensuring that incomplete milkings are handled more efficiently during a milking session.

[0014] An AMS batch milking installation of claim 1 is provided to address this object. Thus, the object is achieved by an AMS batch milking installation configured to milk one or more groups of dairy animals at fixed milking times, wherein the AMS batch milking installation comprises a holding area configured to receive a group of dairy animals therein, a set of milking robots arranged in at least one row that adjoin the holding area, wherein an entry gate of each milking robot, in an open position, is arranged to provide access from the holding area, an exit alley arranged on an opposite side of the set of milking robots, wherein an exit gate of each milking robot, in an open position, is arranged to provide access to the exit alley, and each milking robot is configured to detect an incomplete milking of the dairy animal being milked therein, wherein a control unit is configured to provide a notification to an operator of an incomplete milking including an identification of the relevant milking robot that has detected the incomplete milking, while retaining the incompletely milked animal in the relevant milking robot for a predetermined time.

[0015] In this way, the operator (cow handler, herd manager, robot manager) supervising the milking session may intervene to resolve the issue, while the incompletely milked animal is retained in the relevant milking robot for the predetermined time. Thus, the operator, which is typically a robot manager, visits the relevant milking robot and resolves the issue by for instance manually attaching one or more non-attached teat cups within the predetermined time that the dairy animal is kept inside the milking robot.

[0016] A milking robot will typically make up to 3 attempts to attach a teat cup, but if the milking robot fails to attach any of the teat cups after these attempts, the control unit will notify the operator of an incomplete milking, while retaining the animal in the relevant milking robot for the predetermined time. There may be various reasons for failed attachment attempts, such as a difficult teat configuration (irregular and / or close together), restless behaviour of the dairy animal, entangled teat cups, or other technical issues. As previously mentioned, incomplete milkings may also arise due to teat cup kick-off or fall-off from the teats of the dairy animal being milked, wherein the milking robot may have problems to reattach the relevant teat cup. Such issues may be resolved by an operator who manually assists in resolving the attachment problems. As a result, the AMS batch milking installation enables more efficient and complete milkings of the animals in the group by ensuring that the incomplete milkings are handled immediately when the dairy animal is standing in the relevant milking robot.

[0017] The control unit configured to provide the notifications to the operator may be arranged locally on each milking robot and / or arranged as a system controller for the set of milking robots.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the notification and identification of the relevant milking robot is indicated by activating a notification light on the relevant milking robot, and / or displaying the relevant milking robot on a handheld electronic device carried by the operator, and / or displaying the relevant milking robot on an electronic display screen in the AMS batch milking installation. In this way, the operator (cow handler / herd manager / robot manager) is made aware of the incomplete milking in an expedient manner. The notification according to this embodiment is preferably indicated by a combination of activating the notification light on the relevant robot and displaying it on the handheld electronic device carried by the operator. Incomplete milkings are typically registered on a quarter level. Thus, the notification of incomplete milking may further include an identification of a relevant teat cup / teat or udder quarter comprising the incomplete milking. The notification typically also contains an identification of the incompletely milked animal (animal number). The electronic display screen should be arranged in a clearly visible location in the AMS batch milking installation and is of significantly larger size than a display on a handheld electronic device. It may thereby display a layout on the set of milking robots, whereby the relevant milking robot is displayed on a graphical user interface showing the layout, while indicating the relevant milking robot(s) retaining the incompletely milked animal(s).

[0019] According to an embodiment, the predetermined time for retaining the incompletely milked animal in the relevant milking robot is set by the operator. A suitable time depends on the size of the batch milking installation (number of milking robots), which is typically governed by the sizes of the groups, the number of operators supervising the milking session, and / or the time it typically takes for the operator to observe the notification, visit the relevant milking robot and resolve the incomplete milking. In this way, the operator is given enhanced flexibility of choosing a suitable predetermined time for retaining the incompletely milked animals in view of the specific circumstances at the farm. The predetermined time may also be set to dynamically change depending on the number of incomplete milkings at any given time (see further below). The predetermined time may also be set different for different groups in a herd, and / or set different for different fixed milking times during a day (different milking shifts), and / or set different on a dairy animal individual level if desired.

[0020] According to a further embodiment, the predetermined time is in a range of 1 - 15 minutes, and preferably in a range of 2 - 10 minutes. As mentioned above the predetermined time typically depends on the size of the batch milking installation (number of milking robots), wherein a higher number of milking robots with only one operator supervising the milking session will in general require more time to resolve the incomplete milkings. If no action is taken within that period, due to for instance non-observance by the operator or other tasks being performed by the operator, such as resting area maintenance or fetching of a new group of animals to the AMS batch milking installation, the relevant milking robot will automatically release the incompletely milked dairy animal, so that the dairy animal is not retained in the milking robot for too long time and prevents the other dairy animals in the holding area from entering the relevant milking robot. The incompletely milked animal is registered as incompletely milked in an animal database of a herd management system, including an identification of the relevant animal and the teat(s) or udder quarter(s) comprising the incomplete milking. In a further embodiment, the control unit is configured to provide the notification with a countdown timer informing the operator of a remaining time of the predetermined time that the incompletely milked animal is retained in the relevant milking robot. In this way, the operator is given real-time information on the remaining time he / she has available to fix the incomplete milking.

[0021] According to a further embodiment, the control unit is configured to receive a manual retainment command from the operator and, in response to the manual retainment command, activate a manual closed mode on the relevant milking robot, wherein the relevant milking robot will retain the incompletely milked animal inside the relevant milking robot for a longer time than the predetermined time. In this way, the operator is provided the option of manually overriding the automatic release after the predetermined time has lapsed, so that the incompletely milked animal is retained inside the relevant milking robot for a longer period than the predetermined time. The handheld electronic device is preferably configured to communicate with the control unit and enable a remote activation of the manual closed mode on the relevant milking robot. The operator is hereby able to (remotely) put the relevant milking robot in the manual closed mode in case the predetermined time is running out and the operator requires some additional time to fix the issue.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the notification including the identification of the relevant milking robot is automatically cancelled by the control unit when the incomplete milking is resolved in the relevant milking robot. In this way, the operator need not push any button or confirm that the incomplete milking is resolved. Instead, the control unit automatically turns off the notification / identification of the relevant milking robot once the operator has successfully attached the non-attached teat cup during the predetermined time.

[0023] According to a further embodiment, the notifications of the control unit can be deactivated by the operator during any one of the set milking times, wherein the control unit is configured to release the incompletely milked animal without retaining that animal in the relevant milking robot for the predetermined time. Or, in other words, the notifications of the control unit may be activated by choosing certain start and stop times for the activation of the notifications. In this way, the incompletely milked animals are released during a desired milking shift having the notifications deactivated. The groups of dairy animals are typically milked two or three times per day, yet one of these set milking times / milking shifts may not be fully staffed for various reasons, whereby the notifications and retaining of incompletely milked animals are unnecessary if there is insufficient staff at the milking shift to address the issue. In this way, the dairy animal throughput in the AMS batch milking installation will improve by deactivating the notifications and not retaining the incompletely milked animals during such desired set milking time (milking shift).

[0024] According to an embodiment, the notifications of the control unit can be activated by the operator for a selection of animal individuals, wherein the control unit is configured to only provide the notification and only retain the incompletely milked animal in the relevant milking robot for the predetermined time on the selection of animal individuals. In this way, the operator (herd / robot manager or cow handler) may select certain animal individuals within one or more groups for which it is considered beneficial to handle the incomplete milkings in accordance with the invention. The selection is typically made in a herd management system on animal individuals exhibiting for instance a higher milk yield, and / or particularly sensitive animal individuals, and / or animal individuals recovering from sickness / exhibiting relatively higher somatic cell count compared to the other animals in the herd. Although the present invention is beneficially utilized on the entire herd of animals being milked, some dairy farmers may prefer to only utilize the retainment function on selected animal individuals for higher throughput in their AMS batch milking installations.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the set of milking robots includes at least 8 milking robots. This is a suitable minimum number of milking robots needed for cost-efficient operation of an AMS batch milking installation. Moreover, as the number of milking robots increases, it becomes harder for the operator (robot manager) to monitor them all. Therefore, the notifications about incomplete milkings become particularly beneficial to guide the operator to the right milking robot. Preferably the set of milking robots includes at least 12 milking robots. The number of milking robots required depends on the herd / group sizes, and the length of each milking shift. One milking robot can milk approximately 8 - 9 dairy animals (cows) per hour, and a milking shift usually lasts from 4 to 9 hours. This means that herds suitable for AMS batch milking start at around 300 dairy animals (cows), but the herd sizes are typically at least 600 cows. Thus, the number of milking robots may be much higher than 8, such as 12, 16, 20, 24, or more depending on the herd / group sizes and the length of each milking shift. One person / operator is typically able to manage up to 24 milking robots in the AMS batch milking installation.

[0026] According to an embodiment, the control unit is configured to provide a plurality of notifications in a priority indicating the priority on the relevant milking robots in descending order if there are two or more incomplete milkings at any given moment in time. In this way, the operator is given an enhanced guidance by identifying the most relevant milking robot to visit first. In a typical case, the most prioritized relevant milking robot is the first one in time that exhibits an incomplete milking. At other times, a specific dairy animal in one of the relevant milking robots may be given higher priority.

[0027] In a further embodiment, the predetermined time sequentially increases on a subsequent relevant milking robot if the number of relevant milking robots increases to two or more relevant milking robots at any given moment in time. In this way, the operator is given more time to fix the incomplete milkings in subsequent relevant milking robots. Thus, it adapts the predetermined time to the workload of the operator, which is typically a single person monitoring the milking session.

[0028] According to a further embodiment, each milking robot is provided with animal identification means, and each milking robot is configured to communicate with an animal database containing animal individual milking data, wherein the priority is based on an expected milk yield of the incompletely milked animals and / or one or more previously stored incomplete milkings of the incompletely milked animals stored in the animal database. In this way, an incompletely milked dairy animal can be given higher priority if she has a higher expected milk yield, i.e. more milk left in one or more udder quarter(s), and / or recently experienced one or more incomplete milking(s). Higher priority is preferably given to an incompletely milked animal that has more milk left in her udder and / or that has experienced one or more incomplete milking(s) during the previous milking shift(s).

[0029] According to an embodiment, the notification includes a service alarm on the relevant milking robot if the number of incomplete milkings on the relevant milking robot reaches a threshold value per unit time. In this way, the service alarm identifies if there are recurring or more serious technical problems with one of the relevant milking robots. The service alarm will identify the relevant milking robots that may require more extensive service actions to resolve the problem causing the failed attachments or early take- / falloffs of one or more teat cups. It may furthermore be more convenient to close-off the malfunctioning milking robot for a milking shift or the remaining time of the milking shift, until a service technician has attended the milking robot. The threshold value may be any non-acceptable number of failed attachments / incomplete milkings per unit time, such as per hour, per day (24 h), or per week. For instance, the notification including the service alarm can be provided on a relevant milking robot, which has failed to attach one or more teat cup(s) more than 2 or 3 times / day.

[0030] The AMS batch milking installation is arranged in a farm building in connection with one or more separate barns for housing the animals of the herd. A larger sized farm typically has several separate barns for housing the different groups of dairy animals. The AMS batch milking installation is sometimes referred to as a milking centre, whereby the barns are distributed around the milking centre. Such a layout reduces the walking distance and time it takes to fetch the various groups during the fixed milking time (milking shift). One group after the other is fetched by the staff (herd manager or cow handler) and transferred into the holding area, which comprises an entrance side provided with one or more one-way gates, so that during the transfer of the group of dairy animals into the holding area, several dairy animals may enter the holding area simultaneously. The one-way gate(s) at the entrance are preferably several finger gates provided along one side of the holding area to prevent the dairy animals from leaving the holding area. Thus, the only way for the dairy animals to leave the holding area is via the milking robots.

[0031] According to an embodiment, the milking robots in the set of milking robots are arranged in at least one straight row, and preferably two straight rows, that adjoin the holding area having a rectangular shape, wherein the milking robots are arranged along at least one, and preferably along both, of the longer sides of the rectangular holding area. An entrance to the rectangular holding area may hereby be provided along one of its short sides, wherein the opposite short side is either closed off or provided with a further row of milking robots. This setup allows dairy animals to enter and exit the milking robots easily and efficiently, while also making it easier for the operator to monitor and manage incomplete milkings. It provides a compact setup of the AMS batch milking installation, which maximizes the use of available space, allowing more dairy animals to be accommodated comfortably and monitored efficiently. A width of the rectangular holding area is preferably in a range of 5 to 7 meters. This width promotes efficient entry into the milking robots, because the dairy animals - typically cows - that are waiting in the holding area are hereby located close to the milking robots. A length of the holding area is several times longer than the width and depends on the number of milking robots and / or the group sizes intended for the holding area. Typical group sizes may range from 60 - 200 cows depending on the size of the herd. It is advisable to not let cows in the holding area wait for longer than 1 hour to be milked. Accordingly, 8 milking robots will manage to milk group sizes of 60 cows in less than 1 hour, whereas 24 milking robots will manage to milk group sizes of 200 cows in approximately one hour depending on the milk yield and milk flow of the dairy animals in the group.

[0032] Further features of, and advantages with, the invention will become apparent when studying the appended claims and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Various aspects and / or embodiments of the invention, including its features and advantages, will be readily understood from an embodiment discussed in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0034] Fig. 1 shows an AMS batch milking installation according to the invention,

[0035] Fig. 2a shows a handheld electronic device displaying notifications of incomplete milkings, Fig. 2b shows a milking robot with a notification light to identify incomplete milkings,

[0036] Fig. 2c shows a fixed screen to display the notifications in the AMS batch milking installation, Fig. 3 shows an AMS batch milking installation connected to several different barns.

[0037] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Aspects and / or embodiments of the invention will now be described more fully. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Well-known functions or constructions will not necessarily be described in detail for brevity and / or clarity.

[0039] Fig. 1 illustrates an AMS batch milking installation 1 according to the invention. The AMS batch milking installation 1 is configured to milk a group 2 of dairy animals 3, which are typically cows 3. This may also be referred to as AMS batchwise milking of the group 2. A group 2 of dairy animals 3 is manually fetched and directed to the holding area 4 by an operator. As will be explained below with reference to Fig. 3, the different groups 2 of dairy animals 3 to be milked are housed in separate barns between the fixed milking times in the AMS batch milking installation 1.

[0040] The AMS batch milking installation 1 comprises a holding area 4, a set of milking robots 5 surrounding the holding area 4, and an exit alley 8 for the milked dairy animals. The holding area 4 is configured to receive and house the group 2 of dairy animals 3, while individual dairy animals 3 of the group 2 enter the milking robots 5 as they become available. The holding area 4 comprises an entrance provided with one-way finger gates 4’ and is further surrounded by the milking robots 5. From the holding area 4, the dairy animals 3 have access to the set of milking robots 5, so that one dairy animal 3, when leaving the holding area 4, will access one of the milking robots 5, if it is unoccupied. An entry gate 7 of each milking robot 5 is hereby arranged, in an open state, to provide said access from the holding area 4. The individual dairy animal 3 in the group 2 that have entered one of the milking robots 5 cannot return from the milking robot 5 into the holding area 4. Instead, the dairy animal 3 within one of the milking robots 5 must leave the milking robot 5 via an exit gate 9 of the milking robot 5, wherein an exit alley 8 is accessible from the exit gate 9 of each milking robot 5. Thus, the exit alley 8 is arranged on an opposite side of the set of milking robots 5, wherein the exit gate 9 of each milking robot 5, in an open position, is arranged to provide access to the exit alley 8. One-way gates (not shown) may also be arranged after each exit gate 9 to guide the milked animals 3 in the exit alley 8 towards a sort gate 15. The sort gate 15 is configured to direct an animal individual 3 from the group 2, which may require treatment or inspection, into a separation area 16.

[0041] In the shown embodiment the number of milking robots 5 in the set of milking robots is 14. The number of milking robots 5 depend on the sizes of the groups, herd size, desired throughput of dairy animals, and / or the available space at the farm. The higher the number of milking robots, the higher the capacity of the AMS batch milking installation. The number of dairy animals 3 in a group 2 is typically much higher than the number of milking robots 5.

[0042] The set of milking robots 5 are hereby arranged along several (straight) rows 6a, 6b, 6c that adjoin a rectangular holding area 4. A first straight row 6a of milking robots 5 is arranged along a first relatively longer side 4” and a second straight row 6b of milking robots is arranged along an opposite second relatively longer side 4” of the rectangular holding area 4. In addition, a third straight row 6c of milking robots 5 is arranged along a relatively shorter side 4”’ of the rectangular holding area 4 opposite to the entrance 4’.

[0043] The AMS batch milking installation 1 comprises a control unit 10 (schematically indicated), which is configured to control each milking robot 5 in the AMS batch milking installation 1. Each milking robot 5 is configured to detect an incomplete milking of a dairy animal 3’ being milked therein, wherein the control unit 10 is configured to provide a notification 11 to an operator. The notification 11 includes an identification 1 T of the relevant milking robot 5’, while retaining the incompletely milked animal 3’ in the relevant milking robot 5’ for a predetermined time. The predetermined time may be set by the operator and is preferably in a range of 2 - 10 minutes. The notifications 11 including the identifications 1 T of the relevant milking robots 5’ may be made by audio, visual or audiovisual means for communicating the notifications to the operator.

[0044] Fig. 2a is showing a handheld electronic device 13 carried by the operator. The notifications 11 and identifications 1 T of the relevant milking robots 5’ are hereby displayed on the handheld electronic device 13. As can be seen, the control unit 10 is further configured to provide the notification 11 with a countdown timer T informing the operator of a remaining time AT of the predetermined time that the incompletely milked animal 3’ is retained in the relevant milking robot 5’.

[0045] Moreover, in the shown embodiment, there are two incomplete milkings displayed simultaneously on two relevant milking robots 5’ (nr. 11 and nr. 2) at the shown moment in time. The two notifications 11 are displayed in a priority P indicating the priority on the relevant milking robots 5’ in descending order. The operator is instructed to first visit relevant milking robot nr. 11 and thereafter relevant milking robot nr. 2 in the AMS batch milking installation 1. The predetermined time may hereby be sequentially increased automatically (by for instance 1 - 2 minutes) on a subsequent relevant milking robot - in this case milking robot nr. 2 - as the number of relevant milking robots 5’ increases at a given moment in time.

[0046] The operator can (remotely) put any of the relevant milking robots 5’ in a manual closed mode CM’ in case the predetermined time T is running out and the operator requires some additional time to fix the issue. The handheld electronic device 13 is hereby configured to communicate with the control unit 10 and enable a remote activation of the manual closed mode CM’ on any or both of relevant milking robots 5’. Thus, the control unit 10 is configured to receive a manual retainment command MC from the operator and, in response to the manual retainment command MC, activate a manual closed mode CM’ on the relevant milking robot 5’, wherein the relevant milking robot 5’ will retain the incompletely milked animal 3’ inside the relevant milking robot 5’ for a longer time than the predetermined time T.

[0047] The handheld electronic device 13 according to the embodiment is further configured to provide the identifications 1 T and the priority P of the relevant milking robots 5’ by audio to the operator. The handheld electronic device 13 may further comprise haptic means that make it vibrate in response to each new notification.

[0048] Fig. 2b is showing one of the relevant milking robots 5’ (nr. 11) provided with a notification light 12, which is activated for the identification 1 T of the relevant milking robot 5’. Thus, the control unit 10 provides the notification 11 to the operator by activating the notification light 12 for said identification 1 T of the relevant milking robot 5’. The activated notification light 12 may be flashing or stable and / or of a certain colour. The notifications 11 are preferably indicated by a combination of activating the notification light(s) 12 on the relevant milking robot(s) 5’ and by displaying it / them on the handheld electronic device 13 carried by the operator. In this way, the operator, such as the robot manager, is made aware of the incomplete milkings in an expedient manner. Fig. 2c illustrates an electronic display screen 14 arranged at a visible location inside the AMS batch milking installation 1. Thus, the control unit 10, according to the shown embodiment, is also displaying the notifications 11 including the identifications 1 T of the relevant milking robots 5’ on the fixed electronic display screen 14. The relevant milking robots nr. 11 and nr. 2 are hereby displayed on a graphical user interface (highly schematic) depicting the layout on the set of the milking robots 5, while indicating the relevant milking robots 5’ (nr. 11 and nr. 2) retaining the incompletely milked animals 3’. The notifications are further displayed in priority P indicating the most relevant milking robots 5’ in descending order. More precisely, as can also be seen, the operator is instructed (in for instance colour codes) to first visit milking robot nr. 11 (depicted by a darker shade of grey) and thereafter milking robot nr. 2 (depicted by a lighter shade of grey). It is also possible to indicate the priority P by audio or text messages on the electronic display screen 14 in a similar manner as on the handheld electronic device 13.

[0049] The control unit 10 is configured to automatically cancel the notification(s) 11 including the identification(s) 1 T of the relevant milking robots 5’ - such as milking robot nr 11 - when the issue is resolved by the operator. Thus, the control unit 10 turns off the notification 11 on the relevant milking robot 5’ automatically as soon as the operator has successfully managed to attach the non-attached teat cup(s) at the relevant milking robot.

[0050] The notification 11 may include a service alarm on the relevant milking robot 5’ if a number of incomplete milkings reaches a threshold value per unit time. The service alarm indicates that one of the relevant milking robots requires more extensive service to resolve the problem causing the failed attachments of one or more teat cups. The threshold value may be adjustable and comprise any non-acceptable number of incomplete milkings per unit time. The service alarm can for instance be provided on a relevant milking robot, which has failed to attach one or more teat cup(s) more than 2 or 3 times / day.

[0051] The notifications 11 of the control unit 10 can be deactivated by the operator during any one of the set milking times, wherein the control unit 10 is configured to release the incompletely milked animals 3’ without retaining them in the relevant milking robots 5’ for a predetermined time. As mentioned above, one of the set milking times (milking shifts) may not be fully staffed for various reasons, whereby the notifications 11 becomes merely a disturbance if there is insufficient staff at the milking shift to address the incomplete milkings. The animal throughput in the AMS batch milking installation 1 improves by deactivating the notifications 11 and not retaining the incompletely milked animals 3’ during such desired milking shifts. Each milking robot 5 is furthermore provided with animal identification means 17. Such animal identification means 17 are known and typically comprises RFID readers arranged in the milking robots 5 together with RFID tags carried by the dairy animals 3. Each milking robot 5 is configured to communicate with an animal database containing animal individual milking data, group belonging and / or sorting instructions for treatment and / or inspection of the individual dairy animal 3. The AMS batch milking installation 1 also comprises animal identification means 17’ arranged at the sort gate 15, whereby individual dairy animals 3 that require treatment / inspection can be sorted into the separation space 16.

[0052] Thus, the control unit 10 has access to a herd management system on the dairy animals 3 at the farm. The herd management system comprises the animal database that contains animal related data, in particular individual milking data related to historic milk yield and / or previous incomplete milkings of a respective dairy animal. The priority P, mentioned above, is preferably based on an expected milk yield and / or previous incomplete milking(s) of the incompletely milked animal 3’ stored in the animal database. An incompletely milked animal 3’ with higher expected milk yield in her incompletely milked udder quarter(s) and / or a higher number and / or more recent incomplete milking(s) may be given higher priority P.

[0053] The notifications 11 of the control unit 10 may also be activated by the operator for a selection of animal individuals. Thus, the operator (herd / robot manager or cow handler) is given the option of selecting certain animal individuals - in a herd management system - within one or more of the groups in the herd for which it is considered beneficial to handle the incomplete milkings. The control unit 10 is hereby configured to only provide the notification 11 and only retain the incompletely milked animal 3’ in the relevant milking robot 5’ for the predetermined time T on the selected animal individuals. The selection may for instance include animal individuals exhibiting high milk yield, and / or sensitive animal individuals having for instance an irregular / difficult teat configuration or a restless / behavioural avoidance during teat cup attachment / milking that tend to result in incomplete milkings, and / or animal individuals recovering from sickness / exhibiting relatively higher somatic cell count that benefit from being milked our completely in their recovery process. As previously mentioned, some dairy farmers may prefer to only utilize the retainment function on the selected animal individuals for higher throughput in their AMS batch milking installations

[0054] Fig. 3 is showing a passageway 44 that connects the AMS batch milking installation 1 to several barns providing resting and feeding areas 40, 41 , 42, 43 such that each group 2 of dairy animals 3 may walk from each of their respective feeding and resting areas 40, 41 , 42, 43 to the holding area 4 of the AMS batch milking installation 1. The feeding and resting areas 40, 41, 42, 43 comprises gates arranged to provide access to the passageway 44, wherein a person (cow handler) fetches and directs one group 2 of dairy animals 3 at a time towards the holding area 4. The exit alley 8 of the AMS batch milking installation 1 is also connected to the feeding and resting areas 40, 41, 42, 43, such that after completed milking, the individual dairy animal 3 of the group 2 can walk back to her dedicated feeding and resting area 40, 41, 42, 43. Specifically, the milked animal 3 is guided back by automatic sort gates 46, 45, wherein the returning dairy animal 3 is identified by animal identification means 17’ (RFID readers) at the automatic sort gates 46, 45 and directed back to her dedicated feeding and resting area 40, 41, 42 or 43.

[0055] It is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of various example embodiments and that the invention is defined by the appended claims. A person skilled in the art will realize that the embodiments may be modified, and that different features of the embodiments may be combined to create embodiments other than those explicitly described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An AMS batch milking installation (1) configured to milk one or more groups (2) of dairy animals (3) at fixed milking times, the AMS batch milking installation (1) comprising a holding area (4) configured to receive a group (2) of dairy animals (3) therein, a set of milking robots (5) arranged in at least one row (6a, 6b, 6c) that adjoin the holding area (4), wherein an entry gate (7) of each milking robot (5), in an open position, is arranged to provide access from the holding area (4), an exit alley (8) arranged on an opposite side of the set of milking robots (5), wherein an exit gate (9) of each milking robot (5), in an open position, is arranged to provide access to the exit alley (8), and wherein each milking robot (5) is configured to detect an incomplete milking of the dairy animal (3’) being milked therein, characterised in that a control unit (10) is configured to provide a notification (11) to an operator of an incomplete milking including an identification (1 T) of the relevant milking robot (5’) that has detected the incomplete milking, while retaining the incompletely milked animal (3’) in the relevant milking robot (5’) for a predetermined time (T).

2. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to claim 1, wherein the notification and identification (1 T) of the relevant milking robot (5’) is indicated by activating a notification light (12) on the relevant milking robot (5’), and / or displaying the relevant milking robot (5’) on a handheld electronic device (13) carried by the operator, and / or displaying the relevant milking robot (5’) on an electronic display screen (14) in the AMS batch milking installation.

3. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined time (T) for retaining the incompletely milked animal (3’) in the relevant milking robot (5’) is set by the operator.

4. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined time (T) is in a range of 1 - 15 minutes, and preferably in a range of 2 - 10 minutes.

5. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (10) is configured to provide the notification (11) with a countdown timer informing the operator of a remaining time (AT) of the predeterminedtime (T) that the incompletely milked animal (3’) is retained in the relevant milking robot (5’).

6. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (10) is configured to receive a manual retainment command (MC) from the operator and, in response to the manual retainment command (MC), activate a manual closed mode (CM’) on the relevant milking robot (5’), wherein the relevant milking robot (5’) will retain the incompletely milked animal (3’) inside the relevant milking robot (5’) for a longer time than the predetermined time (T).

7. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the notification (11) including the identification (1 T) of the relevant milking robot (5’) is automatically cancelled by the control unit (10) when the incomplete milking is resolved in the relevant milking robot (5’).

8. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the notifications (11) of the control unit (10) can be deactivated by the operator during any one of the set milking times, wherein the control unit (10) is configured release the incompletely milked animal (3’) without retaining the incompletely milked animal in the relevant milking robot (5’) for the predetermined time (T).

9. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the notifications (11) of the control unit (10) can be activated by the operator for a selection of animal individuals, wherein the control unit (10) is configured to only provide the notification (11) and only retain the incompletely milked animal (3’) in the relevant milking robot (5’) for the predetermined time (T) on the selection of animal individuals.

10. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the set of milking robots (5) includes at least 8 milking robots (5), and more preferably at least 12 milking robots (5).

11. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (9) is configured to provide a plurality of notifications (11) in a priority (P) indicating the priority on the relevant milking robots (5’, 5”) in descending order if there are two or more incomplete milkings at any given moment in time.

12. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined time (T) sequentially increases on a subsequent relevant milking robot (5’) if the number of relevant milking robots (5’) increases to two or more relevant milking robots (5’) at any given moment in time.

13. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein each milking robot (5) is provided with animal identification means (17), and each milking robot (5) is configured to communicate with an animal database containing animal individual milking data, wherein the priority (P) is based on an expected milk yield and / or previously stored incomplete milkings of the incompletely milked animals (3’) stored in the animal database.

14. The AMS batch milking installation according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the notification (11) includes a service alarm on the relevant milking robot (5’) if a number of incomplete milkings on the relevant milking robot (5’) reaches a threshold value per unit time.

15. The AMS batch milking installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the holding area (4) is a rectangular holding area (4), and the set of milking robots (5) is arranged in at least one straight row (6a), and preferably two straight rows (6a, 6b), that adjoin the rectangular holding area (4), wherein the set of milking robots (5) is arranged along at least a first relatively longer side (4”), and preferably also along a second relatively longer side (4”) of the rectangular holding area (4).

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