Milking Cluster Valve System for Vacuum Stress Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing milking equipment faces challenges in preventing contamination of extracted milk by treatment fluid and causing unnecessary stress on the animal's teat due to high vacuum levels during the milking process.
Innovation Solution
A milking cluster with pressure-actuated valves in each teat cup that regulate vacuum levels, decoupling pressure fluctuations between the teat and the clawbowl, and a valve system that prevents treatment fluid from reaching the milk flow passageway during the rest phase, reducing vacuum stress on the teat and minimizing contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high vacuum is applied in the clawbowl to transport milk during milking phase, then milk flow is improved, but excessive vacuum stress is applied to the teat during rest phase causing over compression and poor blood circulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a dynamic vacuum regulation system that adjusts vacuum levels in real-time based on the milking cycle phase. During the milking phase, high vacuum is maintained for optimal milk flow, while during the rest phase, vacuum is reduced to prevent teat over-compression. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the vacuum level adaptive rather than static.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms through pressure sensors and control systems that monitor the vacuum levels and teat conditions. The controller receives feedback about the current phase (milking or rest) and adjusts vacuum accordingly, ensuring high vacuum during milking for productivity while reducing vacuum during rest to eliminate harmful stress on the teat.
2Reliability
If treatment fluid is injected into the liner head to disinfect the teat, then teat hygiene is improved, but treatment fluid may flow downward into the discharge passageway contaminating the extracted milk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts or removes the harmful element (treatment fluid) from the milk flow path by providing separate discharge pathways. The treatment fluid discharge passageway is separated from the milk discharge passageway, ensuring that treatment fluid cannot contaminate the milk. This spatial separation resolves the contradiction by eliminating the pathway for contamination while maintaining disinfection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure - a separate discharge passageway system - that mediates between the treatment fluid injection and the milk flow. This intermediary pathway allows treatment fluid to be discharged safely without interfering with or contaminating the milk, thus resolving the contradiction between disinfection and contamination prevention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces vacuum stress on the animal's teat during the rest phase, promoting better blood circulation and prevents milk contamination by ensuring treatment fluid does not enter the milk flow passageway, thus enhancing the milking process's efficiency and hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
a first pressure actuated valve which opens in response to a sufficient pressure difference across it, to allow milk to flow through the first pressure actuated valve and along the milk flow passageway
Implementation Method 2
vacuum is transmitted from the clawbowl of the clawpiece to the discharge passageways of the liners, via short milk tubes. The vacuum draws milk along the short milk tubes from the discharge passageways to the clawbowl
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
There is provided a milking cluster (102) for milking an animal, the milking cluster comprising a plurality of teat cups (1) connected to a clawpiece (106). The clawpiece comprises a plurality of milk inlets that are connected to the plurality of teat cups via respective short milk tubes (11). A milk flow passageway begins at the barrel of the teat cup and ends at the clawbowl of the clawpiece, and a valve system is present within each milk flow passageway. The valve system comprises a first pressure-actuated valve through which milk flowing along the milk flow passageway must pass.