An animal hoof cleaning system and a method of cleaning an animals hoofs

Abstract

An animal hoof cleaning system that includes an automatic milking station, an automatic spraying device configured to clean at least one hoof of an animal housed in the automatic milking station by spraying a fluid towards the at least one hoof, a control unit that controls the operation of the automatic spraying device, and detecting means that detects a milking state wherein all the teats of the animal are enclosed in respective teat cups, where the control unit is configured to control the operation of the automatic spraying device on basis of information from the detecting means such that the automatic spraying device sprays on the hoof of the animal only when the detecting means detects the milking state.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to an animal hoof cleaning system comprising: an automatic milking station configured to automatically milk an animal therein, said automatic milking station comprising a set of teat cups that are configured to be attached to the teats of said animal during milking thereof, an automatic spraying device configured to clean at least one hoof of an animal housed in said automatic milking station by spraying a fluid towards said at least one hoof of said animal, a control unit configured to control the operation of the automatic spraying device, and detecting means configured to detect a milking state in which each teat of an animal housed in the milking station is attached to a respective teat cup.[0002]The present invention also refers to a method of cleaning at least one hoof of an animal in an automatic milking station, in which a fluid is sprayed onto the at least one hoof of an animal that is housed in the milking station and is b...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes an automatic milking system for cows that reduces the risk of exposing the cow's teat to harmful sprays from the system. The system detects when the cow is ready to milk and activates the spraying device with a delay to give the cow time to kick off the teat cups. The system also includes a vacuum meter to detect the detachment of the teat cups, which helps to prevent remaining sprays in the area around the cow's udder. The use of a vacuum meter as the detection means provides a reliable and redundant system in case of failure. Overall, this system improves safety and efficiency for the cow's milking process.

Problems solved by technology

The delay is due to the fact that the animal, typically a cow, is more likely to kick off the teat cups within the first 10 seconds after attachment.

Images