Method and apparatus for milking animals

摘要

Methods and apparatus for milking animals wherein a negative pressure is periodically built up in a teat cup gap in an evacuation phase (a), maintained over a predetermined suction phase (b), and relieved in a ventilation phase (c), and a ventilation is maintained over a predetermined rest phase (d). The ratio between the suction phase (b) and the rest phase (d) changes at least once during the milking operation.

主权项

1. A method for milking a dairy animal, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a pulsation cycle of a predetermined duration, comprising the steps of:
building up a negative pressure in a teat cup gap between a teat cup and a liner at a predetermined rate in an evacuation phase;retaining the negative pressure over a predetermined suction phase;relieving the negative pressure in the teat cup gap at a predetermined rate in a ventilation phase; andmaintaining ventilation in the teat cup gap over a predetermined rest phase; repeating the evacuation, suction, ventilation, and rest phases during a single milking operation; building up the negative pressure in the teat cup gap between the teat cup and a liner at substantially the same rate in each evacuation phase throughout the single milking operation; relieving the negative pressure in the teat cup gap in every ventilation phase at substantially the same rate in each ventilation phase throughout the single milking operation; monitoring a milk flow rate from the liner to determine whether the milk flow rate exceeds a predetermined milk flow threshold rate; and reducing the duration of the pulsation cycle by changing a ratio between the suction phase and a corresponding rest phase at least once during the single milking operation by extending a duration of the suction phase up to a predetermined maximum duration after a start of milking relative to a duration of a suction phase at the start of milking, thereby increasing the number of suction phases in the single milking operation if the predetermined milk flow threshold rate is exceeded.