| 摘要 |
Apparatus and method for cleaning the teats of milk-producing animals, such as cows, wherein a computer controls a rotatable apparatus which has mounted thereon four cleaning brushes for receiving the teats of the farm animal, cleaning them with a liquid cleansing agent applied to the brushes, and drying same in one part of the operation, and for installing the teat cups on the teats of the animal by rotation of the apparatus in another part of the operation so that the teats are first cleaned, then dried and next the teat cups are applied thereto for milking. The four brushes rotate about parallel horizontal axis and the two outboard brushes have about twice the diameter as the two inboard brushes which are received between pairs of teats. The cleansing agent is discharged generally perpendicular to and above the axis of rotation of the brushes so that it is received approximately tangentially by the brushes. The cleansing liquid drains in a bowl which is received by the animal's udder wherein the liquid is sensed for contamination by a sensor in the drain and the cleaning operation continues until the contamination in the cleaning fluid decreases below a predetermined amount. Thereafter, air is received through the tubes surrounding the axes of the outboard brushes which fling off the cleansing fluid by centrifugal action and proceed to dry the teats and adjacent udder. The brushes (as a unit) are rotatable about a vertical axis about 90 DEG so that they contact all sides of the animal's teats. By lowering and rotating the apparatus which is on a robot arm under the animal, about a horizontal axis, the brushes are moved away from and the teat cups are moved to a position under the teats from where, being guided by sensors, they are raised to be received by the animal's teats and the milking operation commences.
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