Teat Cup Injector with Gravity-Biased Diverter for Fluid Direction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional teat cups for animal milking equipment face challenges in ensuring effective application of treatment fluids to the animal's teats and efficient flushing of the teat cups, particularly due to the orientation of the teat cups during the milking and cleansing cycles, which can lead to incomplete coverage and inefficient fluid distribution.
Innovation Solution
A teat cup design featuring a gravity-biased diverter injector that adjusts the direction of fluid injection based on the teat cup's orientation, using a valve element to switch between horizontal and vertical nozzles to maximize fluid coverage and cleanliness, ensuring effective treatment and flushing of the teat and liner respectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If downwardly directed nozzles are used to supply treatment fluid to the teats, then flushing of the teat cup is improved, but treatment fluid may not reach the tops of the animal's teats
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle assembly is made movable relative to the liner head, allowing the nozzle orientation to be dynamically adjusted between a first orientation for flushing and a second orientation for treatment fluid application. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to optimize nozzle direction based on the operational phase, resolving the contradiction between flushing effectiveness and treatment fluid coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle system is divided into separate functional components: a fixed nozzle for treatment fluid application and a movable nozzle for flushing. This segmentation allows each nozzle to be optimized for its specific function while enabling the movable nozzle to be repositioned as needed, thereby achieving both effective flushing and adequate treatment fluid coverage.
2Reliability
If treatment fluid is supplied to coat the animal's teats, then teat infection prevention is improved, but fluid distribution efficiency may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the orientation parameter of the nozzle by moving it between different positions and angles. This parameter change allows the nozzle to direct treatment fluid optimally onto the teat surface, improving both the reliability of infection prevention and the efficiency of fluid distribution by ensuring complete coverage without waste.
3Ease of operation
If the teat cup is inverted during cleansing cycle, then liquid can escape through the head portions, but treatment fluid injection direction becomes suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The movable nozzle assembly can be repositioned independently of the teat cup orientation. When the teat cup is inverted for flushing, the movable nozzle can be positioned to direct fluid appropriately. When the cup is in normal orientation for treatment fluid application, the nozzle can be repositioned to optimize injection direction, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of flushing operation and effectiveness of treatment fluid application.
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 teat cup design enhances the distribution of treatment fluids to the animal's teats by directing them horizontally for better coverage and economizes fluid use, while efficiently flushing the liner by directing fluids towards the milk discharge passageway during the cleansing cycle, improving overall milking and hygiene processes.
Implementation Method 1
The injector comprises a gravity biased diverter that controls, based on an orientation of the teat cup, an injection direction in which the fluid is injected into the head portion
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a teat cup (1) comprising a flexible liner (3) for engaging about a teat of an animal to be milked. The liner has a head portion (7) at one end of the liner and a milk discharge passageway (12) at another end of the liner. The head portion is provided with a mouth (9) through which the teat is engageable with the liner, and an injector (18) for injecting fluid into the head portion of the liner. The injector comprises a gravity biased diverter that controls, based on an orientation of the teat cup, an injection direction (FLT, FLF) in which the fluid is injected into the head portion. There is further provided a method for milking an animal using the teat cup.