Conditional Expulsion in Automatic Milking Stations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Milking stations with milking robots are expensive and inefficient due to delays between milkings, leading to manual collection of cows that do not voluntarily leave the station, which negatively affects their willingness to visit the station.
Innovation Solution
A system with multiple stationary milking stations connected by a walkable space, where an expulsion stimulus is given only when all stations are occupied, allowing cows to remain until voluntarily leaving, reducing unnecessary expulsion and promoting herd behavior for frequent visits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an expulsion device is activated to motivate cows to leave the milking station, then the utilization capacity of the milking station is improved, but the cows experience unpleasant stimulation which reduces their willingness to voluntarily visit the station
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of expulsion stimulus application from frequent/mandatory to conditional/rare. By implementing conditions (i) and (ii) that must both be satisfied before activation, the expulsion device is triggered only in exceptional circumstances, fundamentally altering the frequency and context of its operation to preserve cow willingness while maintaining station productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The control system continuously monitors the occupancy status of all milking stations and the behavior of individual cows, using this feedback to determine whether expulsion stimulus should be applied. The system learns from cow behavior patterns and adjusts expulsion activation accordingly, creating a closed-loop control that balances productivity with animal welfare
2Ease of operation
If cows are allowed to remain in the milking station until they voluntarily leave, then their natural behavior is maintained, but delays occur between milkings reducing station efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the time parameter from unbounded (cows remain until voluntarily leaving) to conditionally bounded (cows are expelled only when specific conditions are met). By changing the state space from continuous time to discrete conditional events, the system maintains natural behavior in most cases while providing a mechanism to prevent excessive delays
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares expulsion stimulus as a pre-planned counter-measure to be activated only when necessary. By having the expulsion device ready but conditioned on specific criteria, the system prevents potential delays before they occur, rather than reacting to them after the fact
3Productivity
If the expulsion device is frequently activated to ensure station turnover, then productivity is improved, but manual collection becomes necessary more often due to reduced voluntary visits
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the activation parameter of the expulsion device from frequent to rare by implementing dual conditions. This parameter change ensures that automatic expulsion is used only as a last resort, thereby maintaining high productivity while minimizing the need for manual collection operations that would increase operational complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A system for milking a group of milking animals, in particular cows, comprises an accommodation space where the animals roam freely, and a plurality of fixed milking stations. The milking stations are each connected to the accommodation space by a walkable connection. Automatic milking systems, in the milking stations, automate milking of animals. The milking systems comprise connection systems for automatic connection of milking cups to the teats of the animal. The connection systems comprise a movable robot device that connects milking cups to the teats of the animal in said milking station. Expulsion means can be activated by a control system in each of the milking stations to give an expulsion stimulus for the animal to leave said milking station. The conditions for expulsion of the animal include the animal fulfilling a predefined expulsion criterion, and all other milking stations are occupied by other animals.