Adjustable Milking Stable Wall for Variable Animal Size Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current milking stables designed for automatic milking struggle to accommodate animals of varying sizes, leading to incorrect positioning and potential interference between animals, resulting in inefficient milking operations due to fixed dimensions that do not account for differences in width and length among breeds and individual animals.
Innovation Solution
The milking stable features a displaceable second long side wall element connected by an adjustable bridge element, which can be lengthened or shortened using a locking mechanism and driving mechanisms, allowing for individual adjustment based on animal size identification through cameras or readers, ensuring precise positioning and stable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the stable is designed with fixed dimensions to accommodate large animals, then large animals can be housed, but small animals will have excessive space and may not be positioned correctly for milking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the second long side wall element displaceable relative to the first long side wall element. This allows the stable width to be dynamically adjusted between a first position for small animals and a second position for large animals, transforming a static structure into an adaptable one that can accommodate different animal sizes appropriately
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the stable structure into movable and fixed components. The second long side wall element is divided into a movable portion that can be displaced and a fixed portion, allowing the stable to be configured in different width states without redesigning the entire structure
2Manufacturing precision
If the stable width is reduced for small animals, then positioning precision improves, but the stable cannot accommodate large animals
Solution Approach 1:
The displaceable second long side wall element enables the stable width to be dynamically changed between a first reduced width for small animals and a second increased width for large animals, allowing positioning precision to be optimized for each animal size category
3Ease of operation
If V-formation doors are used to force animals toward the opposite wall, then lateral positioning is improved, but large animals may force two small animals to enter simultaneously causing interference
Solution Approach 1:
By making the stable width adjustable, the system can dynamically adapt to the size of the animal entering. When configured for small animals, the narrower width prevents two small animals from entering simultaneously, eliminating interference issues while maintaining the positioning effect of the V-formation doors
Data Source
AI summary
A milking stable configured to house one animal at a time for milking the animal, with a first long side wall, a second long side wall located opposite to the first long side wall, a first short end wall and an opposite second short end wall, an entrance door hingedly connected to the second long side, and an exit door hingedly connected to the second long side wall, wherein the second long side wall is displaceable in a direction towards and away from the first long side wall so as to change the size of the milking stable to accommodate animals of different size.