Milking Stall Lift Rail With Self-Indexing Exit Gate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing milking parlor mechanisms are insufficiently effective, overly robust, or require operator input for animal positioning, leading to discomfort or harm, and are often costly and complicated.
Innovation Solution
A milking stall design featuring a lift rail with an actuator, dividers, and an exit gate system mounted on torsion springs, allowing self-indexing and safe animal positioning without operator intervention, using actuators like pneumatic systems for resilience and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If robust mechanisms are used to encourage animals to the rear of the stall, then effectiveness improves, but animal comfort and safety deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The exit gate is made dynamically adjustable through a linkage system connected to the lift rail. As the lift rail moves between raised and lowered positions, the linkage automatically adjusts the exit gate angle to provide appropriate guidance force. This dynamic adjustment ensures effective animal positioning without applying excessive or harmful forces to the animal.
2Manufacturing precision
If mechanisms requiring operator input are used, then positioning precision improves, but automation and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves self-indexing through the automatic indexing feature. When the lift rail transitions between raised and lowered positions, the linkage system automatically positions the exit gate at the correct angle without operator intervention. The shoulder bar on the exit gate naturally guides the animal to the desired rear position through its geometric configuration and movement pattern.
3Device complexity
If simple mechanisms are used, then cost and complexity reduce, but effectiveness in positioning animals deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The linkage system serves multiple functions: it connects the exit gate to the lift rail, automatically adjusts the exit gate angle during lift rail movement, and provides the mechanical advantage needed to effectively position animals. This multi-functionality achieves reliable positioning without requiring complex separate mechanisms for each function.
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
Effectively encourages animals to the rear of the milking stall, ensuring safety and comfort while reducing the likelihood of unruliness during milking operations, and is cost-effective and easy to install.
Implementation Method 1
The head rail is rotatably mounted on the lift rail through at least one torsion spring mounted on the lift rail. The at least one torsion spring biases rotation of the head rail independent of and relative to the lift rail.
Implementation Method 2
The torsion spring is pre-loaded on the lift rail to provide a rotational bias to the head rail so that the at least one shoulder bar is urged rearward by the rotational bias.
Data Source
AI summary
A milking stall has a lift rail; an actuator for rotating the lift rail between neutral and maximum positions; a divider mounted on and extending rearward of the lift rail; and, an exit gate mounted on and depending downwardly from the lift rail. The exit gate has a head rail rotatably mounted on the lift rail and a shoulder bar connected to and depending downwardly from the head rail. The exit gate pivots with the lift rail, and the shoulder bar points more rearward in the maximum position than in the neutral position. The head rail is rotatably mounted on the lift rail through a torsion spring. The torsion spring biases rotation of the head rail relative to the lift rail and is pre-loaded on the lift rail to provide a rotational bias to the head rail so that the shoulder bar is urged rearward by the rotational bias.