Milking Carousel Control for Group Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In larger dairy farms where multiple animal groups are milked on the same milking carousel, the option for an animal to complete an additional round on the carousel can lead to animal group mixing, as an unmilked animal from one group may remain on the carousel and exit with animals from another group.
Innovation Solution
A method is implemented where the milking carousel determines whether an animal is likely to be milked dry and its affiliation to an animal group. If the animal has not been milked dry and the number of animals from another group on the carousel is within a predetermined limit, the animal is allowed to complete an additional round. If the number exceeds this limit, the option for an additional round is denied to prevent group mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If animals are allowed to complete additional rounds on the milking carousel to ensure complete milking, then milk yield increases, but animal groups may mix together
Solution Approach 1:
The control system determines in advance whether an animal is likely to be milked dry at the end of a completed round before allowing it to complete an additional round. This preliminary assessment prevents animals that would cause group mixing from completing extra rounds, while still allowing animals likely to be milked dry to do so, thus increasing milk yield without compromising group separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses milk yield measurements taken during automatic milking as feedback to decide whether an animal should complete a second or additional round. This feedback mechanism ensures that only animals that are likely to be milked dry are permitted to complete additional rounds, optimizing milk yield while preventing group mixing through the group affiliation check.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the option to complete another round is omitted to prevent animal group mixing, then group separation is maintained, but milk yield is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of round completion permission based on the detected conditions: animal group affiliation and likelihood of being milked dry. By dynamically adjusting this parameter, the system allows additional rounds when they increase milk yield without causing group mixing, while preventing them when group mixing would occur, thus optimizing both objectives.
3Reliability
If barriers are used to keep animals on milking stalls for additional rounds, then milking completeness improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the existing barrier infrastructure at milking stalls and automates its control through a control device that makes decisions based on milk yield measurements and group affiliation. This self-service approach maintains milking completeness while minimizing additional complexity by leveraging existing components rather than requiring entirely new mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for controlling a milking carousel (1) which has a plurality of milking stations (4) for milking dairy animals (10, 11) on a rotating platform (2), wherein the animals (10, 11) are milked in one of the milking stations (4) during a ride.The method comprises the following steps: - determining whether an animal (10, 11) located at one of the milking stations (4) is expected to be milked dry at the end of a completed round on the rotating platform (2); - determining an animal group to which the animals (10, 11) on the rotating platform (2) belong; - allowing one of the animals (10, 11) that have not been milked dry at the end of the completed round on the rotating platform (2) to complete a further round on the rotating platform (2) if a number of animals (10, 11) of a second animal group on the rotating platform (2) is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum number; and - preventing one of the animals (10, 11) that have not been milked at the end of the completed lap on the rotating platform (2) from passing through the further lap on the rotating platform (2) if the number of animals (10, 11) of the second group of animals on the rotating platform (2) is greater than the predetermined maximum number.The invention further relates to a milking carousel (1) with a control device for carrying out such a method.