| 摘要 |
An apparatus for milking animals is proposed which enables the presence of discontinuous or transitory elements in the milk, such as flocculent masses, or streaks of blood or slime indicating mastitis or other udder disorders to be detected. This is achieved with a monitoring arrangement (3) including two optical sensors disposed in spaced relation along a conduit and each including an optical emitter (33) and detector (34) facing one another across the conduit (2). The arrangement further includes a monitoring unit (32) coupled to the detectors of the sensors with means (35) for determining the difference between the detector signals. By determining the difference signal, the monitoring arrangement (3) is effectively self-calibrating. Any variation in the state of the conduit, for example due to the gradual build-up of deposits or roughening or discolouring of the surface, will be cancelled out by the difference function. |
