Dual Central Milk Conduits for Continuous Milking and Flushing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional milking systems face challenges such as high investment costs, reduced uptime due to cleaning processes, difficulty in expanding capacity, and inefficiencies in maintaining and cleaning individual milking devices, leading to potential downtime and animal welfare issues.
Innovation Solution
A milking system with two central milk conduits, a central liquid supply conduit, and controllers for switching and flushing, allowing simultaneous milk transport and conduit cleaning, reducing the need for individual device components and enabling modular expansion and efficient maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional milking systems use individual milk conduits for each milking device, then each device can operate independently, but the system requires many valves, pumps, and filters increasing complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual milk conduits into a single shared central milk conduit that serves multiple milking devices. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate valves, pumps, and filters for each device, significantly reducing component count and system complexity while maintaining operational functionality through the shared conduit infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The central milk conduit is designed as a universal infrastructure that can serve multiple milking devices simultaneously. The conduit system incorporates universal components like a single pump and filter assembly that can handle milk flow from any connected device, reducing the need for device-specific components and simplifying maintenance operations.
2Reliability
If milking devices are cleaned by flushing process, then hygiene is maintained, but the milking devices are temporarily out of operation reducing capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the flushing operation from the milk transport function by providing separate access points. The central milk conduit can be flushed through dedicated flushing ports or bypass lines without requiring shutdown of the entire system. This allows cleaning operations to be performed on conduit sections while other portions remain operational for milk transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous milk transport through the central conduit system while flushing operations are performed. By designing the conduit with bypass capabilities or multiple flow paths, the system maintains uninterrupted milk flow during cleaning cycles, ensuring both hygiene requirements are met and productivity is preserved.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the milking system is expanded with more animals, then capacity increases, but drastic modifications to the system are required
Solution Approach 1:
The central milk conduit system is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate additional milking devices without requiring fundamental system redesign. New devices can be connected to the existing conduit infrastructure through standardized connection points, allowing capacity expansion while avoiding drastic modifications to the core system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates preliminary design features in the central conduit system that anticipate future expansion needs. The conduit routing, connection points, and component capacity are initially designed with excess capacity and modular attachment points, enabling straightforward addition of new milking devices later without requiring costly system reconfiguration.
4Ease of repair
If individual milking devices have their own milk conduits, then each device can be maintained separately, but the number of valves, pumps, and filters increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines maintenance functions into centralized locations along the central milk conduit. Instead of having separate maintenance components at each device, the system uses a single pump, filter assembly, and valve system that serves all devices. This consolidation reduces the total number of parts while maintaining ease of repair through centralized access points and modular design that allows isolated maintenance of conduit sections.
Data Source
AI summary
A milking system, a milking parlour with a milking system, and method therefor are provided. The milking system may include: two or more milking devices; a first central milk conduit connected operatively to the two or more milking devices; a second central milk conduit connected operatively to the two or more milking devices; a central liquid supply conduit; at least one milk tank connected to the first and second central milk conduit; a milk flow controller configured to switch between the first and the second central milk conduit as an active milk conduit for discharging milk to the at least one milk tank, wherein the other of the first and second central milk conduit is designated as an inactive milk conduit; and a flushing controller configured to control the flushing of one of the first and/or second central milk conduit which is designated as an inactive milk conduit.