Milking System Dosing Nozzle with Overflow Cup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing milking system sampling and analysis devices face challenges in maintaining cleanliness, which affects the reliability and accuracy of milk measurements.
Innovation Solution
The milking system incorporates a dosing device with a displaceable nozzle and an overflow device to control excess liquid, utilizing gravity to counteract the flow and ensure accurate sample delivery, thereby maintaining cleanliness and improving measurement accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dosing device supplies milk sample to reagent pads without overflow control, then the sampling process is simple, but excess liquid causes soiling and measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The overflow device acts as an intermediary element between the dosing nozzle and the reagent pads. It captures excess liquid that is not absorbed by the reagent pads, preventing it from soiling the surrounding area and interfering with measurements. This mediator structure resolves the contradiction by adding a relatively simple overflow channel and collection area to the dosing device.
Solution Approach 2:
The overflow device discards excess liquid that has served its purpose of saturating the reagent pads. By providing a dedicated overflow channel and collection area, the system efficiently discards the harmful excess liquid while maintaining the integrity of the measurement process. This principle allows the system to tolerate some excess liquid delivery without compromising measurement accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If the nozzle supplies upward flow against gravity, then liquid control is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically balances the upward flow from the nozzle with the downward force of gravity. The overflow device is positioned to allow gravity to assist in returning excess liquid to the collection area. This dynamic approach uses gravity as an ally rather than working against it continuously, reducing the energy required for liquid control while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The overflow device creates a gravitational equipotential path for excess liquid to return to the collection area. By positioning the overflow channel and collection area at appropriate heights, the system allows excess liquid to flow back down under gravity without requiring additional energy input. This equipotential design reduces the net energy consumption of the dosing system.
3Reliability
If reagent pads are spaced far apart on the tape, then each pad has sufficient liquid absorption, but the tape length required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overflow device serves as an intermediary that decouples the spacing of reagent pads from the liquid supply characteristics. By capturing and containing excess liquid locally at each dosing position, the overflow device allows reagent pads to be spaced closer together without risk of liquid interference between adjacent pads. This mediator function enables more compact tape design while maintaining absorption efficiency.
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
This solution enhances the control over liquid flow, reduces soiling, and ensures reliable and accurate milk analysis by effectively managing excess liquid and maintaining a clean sampling environment.
Implementation Method 1
the overflow device is arranged to collect excess fluid supplied by the nozzle and that comprises a wall, in particular a cup, the wall at least partly surrounding the nozzle, an overflow space being provided between the wall and the nozzle
Data Source
AI summary
A milking system with a milking device, a milk line, and a sampling and analysis device to sample and analyse the milk are disclosed. The sampling and analysis device includes a control unit, a tape wound on a tape reel, and including a base material with a series of reagent pads arranged to provide a detectable response in the presence of a substance in the sample, a tape mover to move and unwind the tape, a dosing device to provide a part of the sample onto one of the reagent pads, and an optical sensor device to detect optical radiation from said reagent pad with said sample, and to analyse the detected optical radiation to provide an indication of a presence or concentration of said substance. The dosing device includes a displaceable nozzle with a supply line for supplying the sample to the nozzle. The nozzle is arranged for supplying the sample upwardly to the reagent pad. The dosing device further includes a nozzle mover to move the displaceable nozzle towards and away from the tape, and an overflow device, or cup, including a wall that surrounds the nozzle. An overflow space is provided between the wall and the nozzle, and further includes a discharge. The overflow device can collect excess fluid, both when sampling and certainly when flushing. Herein, gravity helps in collecting fluid, but importantly, also in supplying the sample, since the sample droplet cannot break off the nozzle unexpectedly.