Teatcup Liner Inverted Collapse for Teat Massage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing teatcup liners do not adequately provide an efficient milking process with gentle teat treatment and sufficient teat massage, as they fail to securely collapse the barrel during the milking operation, potentially causing lymph congestion.

Innovation Solution

A teatcup liner with a polygonal cross-sectional barrel design, featuring a lower barrel with greater flexibility than the upper barrel, ensuring the lower barrel collapses first to create an upward wave movement that securely collapses the upper barrel onto the teat, enhancing teat massage and relieving congestion, while preventing downward pressure on lymphs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a triangular or polygonal cross-sectional barrel is used, then gentle teat treatment is achieved, but vacuum shut-off to the mouthpiece is insufficient resulting in slower milking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveteat treatment gentlenessVSAvoidmilking speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The barrel is divided into upper and lower portions with different cross-sectional geometries. The upper barrel has a triangular cross-section for gentle teat treatment, while the lower barrel has a round cross-section for effective vacuum shut-off and faster milking. This local differentiation allows each portion to optimize its function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The barrel is segmented into distinct upper and lower portions with different geometric characteristics. The segmentation allows the upper portion to provide gentle massage while the lower portion ensures efficient vacuum shut-off, resolving the contradiction between gentleness and speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If the barrel collapses uniformly during liner collapse phase, then milking efficiency is improved, but teat massage is insufficient and lymph congestion occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemilking efficiencyVSAvoidlymph congestion

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of the upper barrel collapsing first as in conventional designs, the lower barrel is designed to collapse first due to its greater flexibility. This inverted collapse sequence creates an upward wave movement that securely massages the teat and prevents lymph congestion while maintaining milking efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The flexibility parameter of the lower barrel is increased relative to the upper barrel through geometric design (round vs triangular cross-section). This parameter differentiation ensures the lower barrel collapses first, creating the beneficial upward wave movement for teat massage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

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 design ensures efficient milking with enhanced teat massage and congestion relief by securely collapsing the upper barrel onto the teat, maintaining a gentle treatment and preventing lymph compression during the milking operation.

Implementation Method 1

the lower barrel has a flexibility for closing during the liner collapse phase of the milking operation greater than a flexibility of the upper barrel

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

atmosphere, or a sub-pressure less than the milking vacuum, is allowed into the pulsation chamber such that the differential pressure across the barrel of the teatcup liner increases and causes the barrel to collapse onto the teat

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure differential: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentUS9992967B2Secure collapse teatcup liner

Publication Date: 2018.06.12 DELAVAL HLDG AB

AI summary

A teatcup liner includes a head defining a mouthpiece, a barrel with an upper barrel joined to a lower barrel, an outlet portion that extends downward from the lower barrel co-operates with the shell of the teat cup. In a relaxed state, the barrel has a polygonal cross-sectional shape, with the lower barrel having a flexibility for closing during the liner collapse phase of the milking operation greater than a flexibility of the upper barrel such that corner portions of the lower barrel are weaker than the corner portions of the upper barrel thereby assuring the lower barrel collapses first to create an upward wave movement of the lower barrel towards the upper barrel that securely collapses the upper barrel onto the teat to provide an enhanced teat massage and relieve congestion in the teat tissue.