Teat-Specific Vacuum Control for Safe High-Flow Milking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing milking methods, such as the 'boost' method, can harm teats with low milk flow due to unequal milk distribution and varying teat sizes/shapes, leading to inefficient milk extraction and potential teat injury.
Innovation Solution
A milk extracting system with teat-specific vacuum pressure adjustment using flow meters, a processing node, and vacuum regulators to apply high flow vacuum pressure only when all teats exceed a threshold, then adjust based on individual teat flow to prevent harm and optimize milking efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If common high flow vacuum pressure is applied to all teats during boost, then milk extraction efficiency is improved, but teats with low milk flow are harmed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different vacuum pressure levels to different teats based on their individual milk flow characteristics. Each teat receives a customized vacuum pressure from the common vacuum source, allowing high flow teats to receive high vacuum pressure for efficient extraction while low flow teats receive lower vacuum pressure to prevent injury. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall efficiency and individual teat safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the vacuum pressure parameter for each teat based on real-time milk flow measurements. By continuously monitoring milk flow and adjusting vacuum pressure accordingly, the system optimizes extraction efficiency for high flow teats while protecting low flow teats from excessive pressure. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction between productivity and harm prevention.
2Loss of time
If boost method is applied to increase milk flow, then milking time is reduced, but unequal milk distribution causes some teats to be over-vacuumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system where milk flow meters continuously monitor the milk flow from each teat, and this information is used to adjust the vacuum pressure applied to each teat. The feedback loop ensures that boost is applied safely by preventing over-vacuuming of low flow teats while maintaining efficient extraction from high flow teats, thus resolving the contradiction between reduced milking time and safe vacuum application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the vacuum pressure dynamic rather than static, allowing each teat to receive a time-varying vacuum pressure that adapts to its milk flow characteristics during the milking process. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to achieve short milking times through boost while ensuring safety by reducing pressure when needed, resolving the contradiction between speed and reliability.
3Device complexity
If same teat cup size is used for all teats, then device complexity is reduced, but teat stimulation efficiency varies due to size and shape differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent compensates for the lack of teat cup size differentiation by dynamically changing the vacuum pressure parameter for each teat. Instead of using different physical teat cups, the system achieves customized stimulation by adjusting the vacuum pressure level for each teat based on its milk flow characteristics, maintaining device simplicity while improving stimulation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different vacuum pressure qualities to different teats to compensate for uniform teat cup sizing. Each teat receives a customized vacuum pressure level that accounts for its individual characteristics, creating local optimization in stimulation efficiency without requiring complex teat cup selection mechanisms, thus resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and productivity.
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
Ensures safe, efficient milk extraction by adapting vacuum pressure to individual teat flow, reducing milking time and preventing teat injury, allowing more animals to be milked per unit time.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump, configured to generate a vacuum pressure
Implementation Method 2
the milking vacuum is increased up to a high flow vacuum pressure level
Implementation Method 3
a pulsation vacuum. Hereby, the rhythmical suckling of a calf is imitated so that sucking by the milking vacuum is interrupted by rhythmical motions, opening and closing of the liner caused by the pulsation vacuum
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
A milk extracting system (100) and computer-implemented method (400) of adjusting a respective vacuum pressure at each teat cup (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) of a respective teat (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d) of an animal (110) during milk extraction. The vacuum pressure is set to an entry vacuum pressure level (E). The method (400) comprises determining (403) a teat specific milk flow value of each individual teat (210a, 210b, 210c, 210d), during milk extraction, based on a received respective measurement of milk flow meters (160a, 160b, 160c, 160d); comparing (404) each determined (403) teat specific milk flow value with a first threshold limit (301); detecting (405) that all of the teat specific milk flow values exceed the first threshold limit (301); and adjusting (406) the vacuum pressure at each teat cup (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d) to a high flow vacuum pressure level (H) when all of the teat specific milk flow values exceed the first threshold limit (301).