A robotic milking system and a method of attaching milking cups

摘要

A robotic milking system suitable for use with conventional milking clusters. Clusters (7) are withdrawn to a generally known position upon release from a cow with the cups hanging down below the bowl. The cups are then located in a confined region from where they are picked up by a robotic arm (6) and attached to teats of a cow. The cups may be located into recesses or slots or be drawn through a guide. The arrangement allows a single robotic arm to service multiple bales of a rotary milking parlour. The application of a vacuum to milking cups may be controlled by applying sufficient pressure to the pulsation line of a cup to collapse the cup liner when that cup is not attached to a teat or by bending a feed line to a cup to close the flow path.