JP2009213425A - Pulse controlling system for milking machine - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a pulsation control system for each breast pump of a milking machine capable of aligning the milking end time even if the lactation characteristics are different for each quarter.
A pulsation control system of a milking machine includes a pulsator capable of individually setting a pulsation ratio for each teat cup, milk flow measurement means capable of individually measuring a milk flow from each teat cup, and milking. A milking time recording unit 105 that holds data such as time, and a control unit that changes a pulsation ratio based on the measured value of the milk flow rate and the data held in the milking time recording unit, The quarter with the longest milking time is pulsated at a pulsation ratio of about 75:25, the quarter with the shortest milking time is about 60:40, and the pulsation ratio is proportionally distributed to the other quarters. To decide. The pulsation ratio is set to 20:80 to 25:75 for the quarters after lactation.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a pulsation control system for preventing over-milking that induces mastitis in automatic milking by a milking machine, and in particular, to control a pulsation ratio (milking time: pause time) for each quarter, It is related with the pulsation control system according to the quarter which performs control for aligning the milking time.

  FIG. 1 shows a part of a low-line vacuum pipe type milking machine mainly used in a parlor-type barn or the like. A milking unit usually has one milk claw and four teat cups corresponding to each quarter. By installing a cylindrical rubber liner in each teat cup, the inside of the cup is divided into a milk flow path inside the liner and an air chamber outside. A vacuum tube connected to the connection port on the side of the teat cup connects the air chamber to the pulsator. The rubber liner beats at a predetermined pulsation ratio (for example, 60:40) by alternately switching the connection destination of the vacuum tube connected to the air chamber of the teat cup between the vacuum pipe and the atmospheric pressure at a predetermined interval. It moves and stimulates the nipples like a calf's mouth to encourage lactation. Lactation ends spontaneously after lasting about 3 to 5 minutes, when lactogenic hormones are acting. In addition, one pulsator is usually provided for four teat cups. In this example, separate pulsators are connected to the front two quarters and the rear two quarters, and the pulsation ratio of the front quarters. Can be set larger than the beat ratio of the rear quarter. The milk flowing into the milk claw from the teat milk flow path is conveyed to a receiver jar (not shown) by a milk tube.

The milking machine of FIG. 2 further includes an automatic detaching device for collecting the milking unit. The automatic detaching device collects the detaching rope at the same time as shutting off the milking vacuum pressure, pulls up the milk claw, and prevents the milk claw and teat cup from falling to the floor and becoming dirty. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-317343 discloses a technique for collecting a milking unit in a milking management system of a stanchon cowshed by providing a flow rate detection unit in the milking unit, operating an automatic detachment device at the end of milking. Are listed. In addition, the milking unit is provided with an ID detection unit and a data storage unit, and milking data such as milk yield is recorded in the data storage unit in association with the cow bed ID, and then transferred to a remote computer to automatically collect milking data. Thus, a technique for enabling statistics and analysis is disclosed.
JP-A-5-317343

  In the conventional milking system, one pulsator is provided for one milk claw, and milking is performed by giving the pulsation of the same pulsation ratio (for example, 60:40) to the air chambers of all the quarters. At the end of lactation in all quarters, the teat cup was removed from the breast by an automatic withdrawal device. However, because the lactation time varies from quarter to quarter, even quarters that have finished lactation will continue to be milked without milk while other quarters continue to milk. Sometimes milking. In addition, the nipples that have finished lactation are exposed to milking vacuum pressure, resulting in a liner slip that shifts the position of the nipple and the rubber liner, and excess air flows into the milking line from the top of the teat cup, resulting in a lack of milking vacuum pressure. There was a case where the milk fluctuated due to changes in regulations. This milk regurgitation is undesirable because it can damage the teat and cause mastitis infection.

  Therefore, measures such as removing only the teat cup of the quarter that had finished lactation by hand were taken, but it took time and the weight balance of the milking unit collapsed, making it easier for other quarters to liner slip. There is a problem that it is not possible to cope with the change of the milker because it is necessary to memorize the quarter that ends early.

In Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2000-503524, a milking suction pressure control device is provided for each teat cup, and a pulsating suction pressure is measured by a pressure sensor provided in the air chamber of each teat cup during milking. Milking control method that reduces milk flow in each quarter and prevents milk backflow and liner slip by reducing the pulsating suction pressure of the teat cup when a decrease in milk flow rate is detected. And a device are described. It also describes that the pulsation ratio is controlled so that the closed state becomes longer instead of lowering the pulsation suction pressure. However, a specific method for individually controlling the beat ratio of each teat cup is not shown.
Special Table 2000-503524

  In the milking control method and apparatus described in JP 2000-503524 A, the strength of milking is changed according to the change in the milk flow rate during milking, and the nipple after lactation is prevented from being exposed to strong milking vacuum pressure. However, milking was performed with the same strength from the start of milking until the decrease in milk flow rate began. Therefore, it was not possible to prevent a specific quarter from finishing lactation early in the case where there are high-volume and low-volume quarters. In addition, it was inevitable that the milk yield of the combined milk combined with the milk yield from the 4 quarters fluctuated with time.

  The present invention relates to a control method for changing the pulsation ratio for each quarter, and a pulsation control system for each quarter of a milking machine capable of aligning the milking end time as much as possible even if the lactation characteristics are different for each quarter. The purpose is to provide. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pulsation control system for each of the milking machines capable of averaging the amount of milk outflow as combined milk.

  The present invention holds a pulsator that can individually set a pulsation ratio for each teat cup, a milk flow measuring means that can individually measure the milk flow from each teat cup, and data such as milking time even after the end of milking. A pulsation control system for a milking machine comprising: a milking time recording unit; and a control unit that changes a pulsation ratio based on the measured value of the milk flow rate and the data held in the milking time recording unit. Solve the problem.

  That is, a pulsator and a milk flow rate measuring means are provided for each teat cup corresponding to each quarter, and the end of milk outflow is detected so that the pulsation ratio can be individually controlled. An electrical conductivity sensor can be used as the milk flow rate measuring means. In addition, after the end of milking, a storage unit that can store the milking time for each quarter or the average value thereof is provided, and the milking time for each quarter is stored, and the milking time from the start of milking is positive according to the previous milking time. By controlling the pulsation ratio, the milking end times of the respective quarters are aligned, and the milk outflow amount as the combined milk is averaged. When the end of milk outflow is detected for all the quarters, the end is displayed, and when an automatic detachment device is provided, this is operated to collect the milking unit.

  At the start of milking, it is possible to reduce the variation of the milking time for each quarter in the quarter that has the longest milking time, and to shorten the over-milking time of the quarter where milking ends early. Thereby, the total milking time and the over-milking time are shortened, the risk of mastitis and the stress of the cow are reduced, and the running time of the milking machine is shortened, so that the running cost is also reduced. It also has the effect of reducing fluctuations in the combined milk flow rate throughout the milking process and further reducing the risk of milk retention and backflow. Furthermore, even when a milker changes, the optimal milking according to the characteristic of a cow body is attained. Preferably, if the ID is read from the identification part provided on the cow bed, the tag attached to the cow body, etc., and stored in the storage unit together with the milking time for each quarter, the specific cow even if the milking order changes The data for can be read.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the pulsation control system classified by quarters of the milking machine according to claim 1, wherein the control means sets the pulsation having the longest milking time at the previous milking to a high pulsation ratio (75:25). ), The quarters with the shortest milking time are milked with the standard pulsation ratio (60:40), and the other quarters are proportionally distributed. Here, the pulsation ratio of 75:25 means that if one pulsation cycle is 1 second, the atmospheric pressure is supplied for 0.25 seconds after supplying the vacuum pressure for 0.75 seconds. In this invention, since a pulsation ratio is determined only based on the milking time for every quarter, a control means and a milking time recording part can be made into a simple structure. The pulsation ratio is set to a low pulsation ratio of 20:80 to 25:75, preferably about 25:75, for the quarter in which the end of lactation is detected by the milk flow measuring means. It is necessary to supply pulsatile vacuum pressure so that the teat cup does not fall even when lactation of the quarter is finished, but for the quarter where the end of milk outflow is detected during milking, the pulsation ratio is low. By setting the pulsation ratio, the empty squeezing load can be reduced, and harmful over-milking can be prevented. Since the weight balance of the milking unit applied to the breast is not lost by not removing the teat cup for each quarter, there is an effect of preventing liner slip.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the pulsation control system classified by quarter of the milking machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pulsation ratio (75: The milking is performed in 25), and the entire milking time is set within 5 minutes. Oxytocin, a hormone that promotes lactation, is released approximately 1 minute after stimulation of the nipple, and its effect decreases after approximately 5 minutes. By controlling the pulsation ratio so as to squeeze milk during that time, Has the effect of preventing over-milking and residual milk due to the difference in milking and milking time.

  In addition, in said control, it can replace with the milking time at the time of previous milking, can use average milking time, or can record the setting of a pulsation ratio with milking time, and can also be set as the control according to it.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall view when the pulsation control system according to the present invention is applied to a low-line vacuum pipe type milking machine equipped with an automatic detachment device. The milk line M and the vacuum line V are equipment installed in the barn.

  The milking unit 1 includes a milk claw 10 and four teat cups 11 as in FIG. Milk milked by the teat cup 11 and flowing into the milk claw 10 is conveyed to the milk line M by the milk tube 12. A milk meter 13 provided in the middle of the milk tube 12 measures and displays the total amount of milk that has passed. In the milk claw 10, four electrical conductivity sensors 14 are provided at positions where milk flowing in from each teat cup 11 passes. By measuring the electrical conductivity between two points a little apart in the milk passage with the electrical conductivity sensor 14, the amount of milk currently flowing is measured and output to the control device 100.

  The vacuum tube 20 connected to the connection port on the side surface of the teat cup 11 is connected to the vacuum line V via the four pulsators 21 for each quarter. Each pulsator 21 is controlled by the control device 100, and the pulsation ratio is individually set for each teat cup 11 by alternately switching the connection destination of the vacuum tube 20 to the vacuum line V and the atmosphere. Can do.

  The automatic removal device 24 is a device that is controlled by the control device 100 and automatically recovers the milking unit by pulling up the removal rope bound to the milk claw 10. The control device 100 includes a pulsator control unit 101 for each quarter, an automatic withdrawal control unit 102, a milk amount measurement unit 103, a milking time calculation unit 104, a milking time recording unit 105, a touch panel operation unit 106, and a display unit 107. It is a device for controlling the pulsator 21 for each quarter and the automatic detachment device 24 in accordance with inputs from the conductivity sensor 14 and the touch panel.

  The procedure in the case of milking using the milking machine of a present Example and the effect | action of each part are demonstrated. First, the operator wipes the cow body, moves the milking unit 1 to the milking position, and attaches the teat cup 11 to the teat. And if the cow number of the cow which is going to milk is input from the touch panel operation part 106 and a milking start instruction | indication is performed, the pulsator control part 101 classified by quarter of the control apparatus 100 will be the time of the last milking about the cow number from the milking time recording part 105. The data of the milking time of each quarter is sequentially called, and the beat ratio (high beat ratio) of 75:25 is set to the pulsator classified by the quarter of the teat cup having the largest value data, and the data having the smallest value A pulsation ratio (standard pulsation ratio) of 60:40 is set for the pulsator according to the quarter of the teat cup. Moreover, the value which proportionally distributed between the high pulsation ratio to the standard pulsation ratio according to the last milking time is set to the pulsator classified by quarter of two other teat cups. After setting the pulsation ratio, the operation instruction according to the set pulsation ratio is given to the solenoid valve of each pulsator to start milking.

  The milk flow rate measuring unit 103 of the control device 100 converts the output of each electrical conductivity sensor 14 into milk flow rate data, and determines the end of lactation. When the end of lactation of the electrical conductivity sensor 14 with the milk flow rate measuring unit 103 is determined, the pulsator control unit 101 for each quarter sets a low pulsation ratio of 25:75 to the corresponding pulsator for each quarter to prevent overmilking Process. The milking time calculation unit 104 resets the built-in counter at the start of milking, counts the elapsed time from the start of milking, and records the value at the end of lactation in each quarter in the milking time recording unit 105 together with the cow number. When lactation of all the quarters is completed, the pulsator control unit 101 for each quarter stops pulsation of the pulsator 21 for each quarter, and the automatic detachment control unit 102 operates the automatic detachment device 24 to collect the milking unit 1. . In addition, the display unit 107 displays that milking has been completed and notifies the operator.

  As another embodiment, the control device 100 is further provided with an ID detection unit similar to JP-A-5-317343 and other reading means, and it is automatically detected from the identification unit provided on the cow bed and the tag attached to the cow body. In addition, the ID for each cow can be read out and recorded together with the milking time for each quarter. In this embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a low-line vacuum piping milking machine equipped with an automatic detaching device is described. However, by appropriately changing each part, other types of vacuum piping milking It can also be applied to machines.

  The pulsation control system according to the present invention prevents over-milking that would induce mastitis in mechanical milking, eliminates the need for the operator to finish milking manually according to the characteristics of the quarter, Since cost reduction can be expected, it has great potential in dairy farming.

Explanatory drawing which shows the example of the vacuum piping type milking machine which applied the milking control system classified by quarter of this invention Explanatory drawing which shows the example of the vacuum piping type milking machine of the conventional low line

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Milking unit 10 Milk claw 11 Teat cup 12 Milk tube 13 Milk volume meter 14 Electric conductivity sensor 20 Vacuum tube 21 Pulsator according to quarter 24 Automatic separation device 100 Control device 101 Pulsator control part according to quarter 102 Automatic separation control part 103 Milk Quantity measuring unit 104 Milking time calculation unit 105 Milking time recording unit 106 Touch panel operation unit 107 Liquid crystal display unit M Milk pipe V Vacuum pipe

Claims (3)

  A pulsator that can set the pulsation ratio for each teat cup individually, a milk flow rate measuring means that can measure the milk flow rate from each teat cup individually, and a milking time record that retains data such as milking time even after the end of milking A pulsation control system for a milking machine, comprising: a control unit capable of determining a pulsation ratio based on a measured value of the milk flow rate and data held in the milking time recording unit.   The control means sets the quarter with the longest milking time at the previous milking as a high pulsation ratio of about 75:25, the quarter with the shortest milking time as the standard pulsation ratio of about 60:40, and other minutes. The pulsation ratio is determined by proportional distribution for the tufts, and the pulsation ratio is changed to a low pulsation ratio of 20:80 to 25:75 for the quarters in which the end of lactation is detected by the milk flow measuring means. The pulsation control system for a milking machine according to claim 1.   The control means is characterized in that the pulsation ratio is adjusted so that milking is performed at a high pulsation ratio of about 75:25 regardless of the calculation result for a quarter whose milking time at the previous milking time exceeds 5 minutes. The pulsation control system for a milking machine according to claim 1 or 2.

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