Rotary Milking Platform Velocity Control for Full Milking Throughput
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary milking platforms struggle to determine the optimal angular velocity for maximizing the number of animals milked per unit time, leading to inefficiencies due to some animals not being fully milked in one revolution or requiring excessive time, reducing the utilization of animal accommodating locations.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that compute an optimum angular velocity for the milking platform based on historical data of each animal, including milking time and milk yield, to predict finishing positions and minimize non-productive periods, allowing for dynamic adjustment of the platform's speed to maximize animal throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the angular velocity of the milking platform is set too fast, then the number of animals milked per unit time increases, but some animals will not be fully milked out in one revolution and will require a second revolution, reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the angular velocity of the milking platform based on real-time monitoring of individual animal milking progress. The controller modifies the rotation speed during the milking process to ensure each animal is fully milked within one revolution, optimizing both productivity and time efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from sensors that monitor milk flow and milking progress to control the platform's angular velocity. The controller receives real-time data on whether animals are being fully milked and adjusts the rotation speed accordingly to prevent incomplete milking while maximizing throughput.
2Reliability
If the angular velocity of the milking platform is set too slow, then all animals can be fully milked in one revolution, but the overall milking time increases and utilization of animal accommodating locations decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically optimizes the angular velocity during each revolution based on the specific animals present and their individual milking requirements. This allows the platform to maintain high productivity while ensuring complete milking of all animals without requiring slower speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the angular velocity parameter dynamically during the milking process rather than using a fixed slow speed. The controller adjusts the rotation speed based on real-time milking progress, allowing faster completion while maintaining reliability of complete milking.
3Ease of operation
If a fixed angular velocity is used for the milking platform, then the operation is simple to control, but it is not possible to easily determine the optimal velocity that minimizes overall milking time for all animals in a herd
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-adjustment of the angular velocity based on automated monitoring of animal milking progress. The controller independently optimizes the rotation speed without requiring manual intervention or complex operator knowledge, maintaining ease of operation while minimizing overall milking time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses automated feedback from sensors monitoring milk flow and animal position to dynamically optimize the angular velocity. This eliminates the need for operators to manually determine optimal speeds, as the system self-regulates based on real-time data to minimize total milking time.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A method and apparatus (3) for operating a rotary milking platform (1) to maximise the number of animals milked per unit time. The milking platform (1) is rotated about a central vertical axis (4) by a variable speed motor (6), and comprises a plurality of animal accommodating locations (5) for the animals being milked. An entry position (7) and an exit position (9) accommodate animals to and from the platform (1). A position sensor (10) monitors the angular position of the platform (1). An RFID sensor (12) reads the identity of animals entering the platform (1). Historical data relating to milking time per milking session and the milk yield per animal per session is stored in an electronic memory (17). A microprocessor (15) reads signals from flow meters (14) which monitor the milk flow from milking clusters of each animal accommodating location (5). The microprocessor (15) is configured as each animal enters the platform (1) to compute an optimum angular velocity for the platform (1) in order to maximise the number of animals milked per unit time. The optimum angular velocity is computed as a function of the historical data of each animal on the platform (1), and the current milk yield of each animal on the milking platform (1) determined from the flow meter (14).