A milking system includes an assembly, a controller, and a milking cluster configured to attach to one or more teats of a livestock. The assembly includes a clevis, a piston, a pulley system, and a sensor. The clevis includes a first member, a second member, a base member, and a cylinder. The cylinder is coupled to the base member. The piston is positioned at least partially within the cylinder, and is configured to move within the cylinder. The pulley system of the assembly includes a cord configured to be coupled to the milking cluster. The assembly includes a sensor configured to generate a displacement signal in response to detecting that a portion of the clevis is within a predefined distance of the sensor.

A system includes a robotic arm and a controller. The controller accesses a first image and a second image generated by a first camera. The controller determines a reference point based at least in part on the first image. The controller determines a position of a teat of the dairy livestock based at least in part on the second image. The controller instructs the robotic arm to grip a milking cup and move it towards the determined position of the teat between the hind legs of the dairy livestock from the rear. The controller then instructs the robotic arm to release the milking cup, to move in an upward direction towards an udder of the dairy livestock, and to move away from the teat.

A milking system with a milking device, a milking control, a milk line in fluid connection with the milking device, and a sampling and analysis device to take a sample of the milk from the milk line and to analyse milk from the sample are disclosed. The milking control is arranged to control the milking device on the basis of the analysis. The sampling and analysis device includes a control unit, a tape reel provided with a tape that is lengthwise provided with a series of consecutive reagent pads that provide a detectable response in the presence of a substance in the sample, a tape mover to move the tape, a dosing device to supply a part of the sample onto a reagent pad on the tape, and a camera to obtain an image of the reagent pad supplied with the droplet, and an analysis device to analyse the obtained images to provide to the milking control device an indication of a presence or concentration of said substance. The camera has a field of view that contains a plurality of reagent pads of the series of consecutive reagent pads. This allows to observe the reaction in the reagent pad for a much longer time. In turn, this allows to use much less reagent material, such as expensive enzymes, in the pads. It is particularly useful when observing double layer reagent types.

Milk meter (10) for milking plants comprising an upper collecting chamber (30) delimited at the top by a covering membrane (33), a first discharge opening (22) connectable to a milk passage manifold of a milking plant, said first discharge opening (22) being adapted to put in communication the milk passage manifold with the upper collecting chamber (30), a lower measuring chamber (40) connected to the upper collecting chamber (30) and communicating with it by means of a second discharge opening (32), a shutter (31) comprising a central portion (36), adapted to open and/or close the second discharge opening (32), and an upper portion (37) connected to the central portion (36) and associated with the covering membrane (33), wherein the central portion (36) of the shutter (31) comprises a chimney (51) to discharge upwards, that is towards the upper collecting chamber (30) and towards the first discharge opening (22), the air rising from the lower measuring chamber (40) when the latter chamber becomes filled with milk.

In order to avoid negative changes in the teat ends of a cow, in particular to avoid hyperkeratoses, the invention proposes a method for operating a milking system in which at least one of the parameters from total pressure per cycle, minimum total pressure per cycle or the ratio of total suction to total pressure is determined for at least one animal of a herd during at least one part of a milking process, and is compared with at least one reference value.

A method includes housing a dairy livestock in a stall portion of a milking box and retrieving, by a robotic attacher, a cup. For each of a plurality of teats of a dairy livestock, the method further uses the robotic arm to perform the steps of attaching the cup to the teat, detaching the cup from the teat, and maintaining the cup within the stall portion of the milking box from the time that the cup is attached to the first teat of the dairy livestock through the time that the cup is attached to a last teat of the dairy livestock. The method concludes by retracting the cup into an equipment area of the milking box after detaching the cup from the last teat of the dairy livestock.

A method includes housing a dairy livestock in a stall portion of a milking box and retrieving, by a robotic attacher, a cup. For each of a plurality of teats of a dairy livestock, the method further uses the robotic arm to perform the steps of attaching the cup to the teat, detaching the cup from the teat, and maintaining the cup within the stall portion of the milking box from the time that the cup is attached to the first teat of the dairy livestock through the time that the cup is attached to a last teat of the dairy livestock. The method concludes by retracting the cup into an equipment area of the milking box after detaching the cup from the last teat of the dairy livestock.

A milking device includes a support device (1) supporting a milking member (2) having a claw (3) and a number of teatcups (4) to be attached to a respective teat of an animal. The support device (1) includes a rear portion (6), an attachment part (9) attaching the support device to a structure, and an arm section (7) having a proximal end portion attached to the rear portion (6) and a distal end portion movable between an active position in the proximity of the animal to be milked and a rest position. A first cavity extends along the arm section and houses a retracting member for retracting the milking member from the teats of the animal. A second cavity for conveying a fluid flow extends along the arm section. The arm section includes an extruded part enclosing the first cavity and the second cavity.

A system includes a robotic arm positioned in an equipment area of a milking box that includes a stall portion housing a dairy livestock with four teats. The robotic arm retrieves a cup, and for a plurality of teats of the dairy livestock, the robotic arm attaches the cup to a teat, detaches the cup from the teat, and maintains the cup within the stall portion of the milking box from the time that the cup is attached to a first teat of the dairy livestock through the time that the cup is attached to a last teat of the dairy livestock. The cup is retracted into the equipment portion of the milking box after it is detached from the last teat of the dairy livestock.

A system includes a robotic arm positioned in an equipment area of a milking box that includes a stall portion housing a dairy livestock with four teats. The robotic arm retrieves a cup, and for a plurality of teats of the dairy livestock, the robotic arm attaches the cup to a teat, detaches the cup from the teat, and maintains the cup within the stall portion of the milking box from the time that the cup is attached to a first teat of the dairy livestock through the time that the cup is attached to a last teat of the dairy livestock. The cup is retracted into the equipment portion of the milking box after it is detached from the last teat of the dairy livestock.