Rear-Mounted Robotic Attacher for Dairy Milking Cup Sequencing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dairy milking systems are inefficient and lack scalability, with inadequate methods for attaching and detaching milking cups from dairy animals, leading to potential collisions and accidental detachment of equipment.
Innovation Solution
A robotic attacher positioned to the rear of the milking box that follows a specific sequence (e.g., right front, left front, left rear, right rear teat) to attach and detach cups, minimizing collisions and efficiently locating teats, while allowing for cow sorting and cost-effective installation of multiple milking boxes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a robotic attacher is positioned to the side of the milking box, then it can attach cups to dairy animals, but it cannot efficiently serve multiple milking boxes and has limited cow sorting capability
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic attacher is repositioned from a side-mounted configuration to a rear-mounted configuration on the milking box. This spatial repositioning allows the robotic attacher to serve multiple milking boxes positioned side-by-side while maintaining efficient cup attachment capability, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and adaptability
2Productivity
If the robotic attacher follows a non-sequential attachment method, then it may attach cups faster, but it increases the likelihood of colliding with previously attached equipment and causing accidental detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a predetermined sequential attachment method where cups are attached in a specific order (right front, left front, left rear, right rear teat). This preliminary planning of the attachment sequence prevents collisions with previously attached equipment, ensuring both efficiency and reliability in the cup attachment process
3Ease of operation
If the robotic attacher does not use a predetermined sequence, then it has more flexibility in movement, but it increases the risk of colliding into attached milking equipment
Solution Approach 1:
A predetermined attachment sequence is established before the robotic attacher begins operation. This preliminary sequence planning guides the robotic attacher's movements through the attachment process, providing both flexibility in design and protection against collisions that would cause equipment detachment
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes housing a dairy livestock in a stall portion of a milking box and retrieving, by a robotic attacher, a cup. For each of a plurality of teats of a dairy livestock, the method further uses the robotic arm to perform the steps of attaching the cup to the teat, detaching the cup from the teat, and maintaining the cup within the stall portion of the milking box from the time that the cup is attached to the first teat of the dairy livestock through the time that the cup is attached to a last teat of the dairy livestock. The method concludes by retracting the cup into an equipment area of the milking box after detaching the cup from the last teat of the dairy livestock.