A teatcup to be attached to the teat of an animal and a teatcup liner (1) for mounting in a shell (2) of the teatcup, where the teatcup liner includes a barrel (3) enclosing an inner space (7) for receiving the teat. The barrel includes a lower section (3′) and an upper section (3″) adjoining the lower section. The barrel has a polygonal cross-sectional shape, defining a plurality of side portions (18) and a plurality of corner portions (19), each connecting two of the side portions. Each side portion has a side wall thickness at a center line of the side portion. Each corner portion has a corner wall thickness at a center line of the corner portion. The corner wall thickness is thicker than the side wall thickness along the barrel. The corner wall thickness decreases along the upper section of the barrel towards the lower section.

A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line for carrying milk from the milking device, and a sampling unit that is arranged to take a sample from the milk line and to test the sample for the presence or concentration of at least one substance. The sampling unit is provided with a control unit and a housing. The housing includes therein a supply reel with a tape that carries reagent, and a sample supplier to supply, under control of the control unit, a part of the sample to the reagent on the tape. The sampling unit further includes a tape displacer displacing the tape under control of the control unit, a sample analyser, and a used tape collector device collecting tape with reagent to which a sample has been supplied. The supply reel at a surface thereof includes a desiccant, or is completely made of a desiccant material. This provides such a large volume of desiccant that the correspondingly high moisture absorption capacity ensures along uninterrupted useful life of the sampling unit, and thus of the milking system.

A leg (205) detection system comprising: a robotic arm (200) comprising a gripping portion (208) for holding a teat cup (203, 210) for attaching to a teat (1102, 1104, 1106, 1108, 203S, 203) of a dairy livestock (200, 202, 203); an imaging system coupled to the robotic arm (200) and configured to capture a first three-dimensional (3D) image (138, 2400, 2500) of a rearview of the dairy livestock (200, 202, 203) in a stall (402), the imaging system comprising a 3D camera (136, 138) or a laser (132), wherein each pixel of the first 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) is associated with a depth value; one or more memory (104) devices configured to store a reference (3D) 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) of the stall (402) without any dairy livestock (200, 202, 203); and a processor (102) communicatively coupled to the imaging system and the one or more memory (104) devices, the processor (102) configured to: access the first 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) and the reference (3D) 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); subtract the first 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) from the reference (3D) 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) to produce a second 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); perform morphological image (138, 2400, 2500) processing on the second 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) to produce a third 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); perform image (138, 2400, 2500) thresholding on the third 3D image (138, 2400, 2500) to produce a fourth 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); cluster (2616, 2618, 2626, 2628) data from the fourth 3D image (138, 2400, 2500); identify, using the clustered data from the fourth 3D image (138, 2400, 2500), one or more legs (205) of the dairy livestock (200, 202, 203); and provide instructions for movements of the robotic arm (200) to avoid the identified one or more legs (205) while attaching the teat cup (203, 210) to the teat (1102, 1104, 1106, 1108, 203S, 203) of the dairy livestock (200, 202, 203).

A milking cluster used for milking a dairy animal in a milking parlor, the milking cluster including a teat cup unit, a teat cup, a drive device, a hose arrangement joined to the teat cup, a hose guide engaging the hose arrangement, and the hose guide includes a plurality of hose-engaging rollers.

A milking cluster used for milking a dairy animal in a milking parlor, the milking cluster including a teat cup unit, a teat cup, a drive device, a hose arrangement joined to the teat cup, a hose guide engaging the hose arrangement, and the hose guide includes a plurality of hose-engaging rollers.

A teat treatment apparatus comprising a tubular outer housing containing a tubular inner shell. The tubular inner shell includes a side wall defining a teat treatment cavity, including a central side wall portion. An inlet port extends through a side wall of the tubular outer housing and is in fluid communication with an annular cavity formed by the inner side surface of the tubular housing and an upper annular ridge, recessed central side surface, and lower annular ridge of the side wall of the tubular inner shell. Orifices are provided in the central side wall portion of the tubular inner shell. Each of the orifices is in fluid communication with the annular cavity and the treatment cavity, and each of the orifices defines an orifice axis directed at an oblique angle with respect to the central axis of the treatment cavity and downwardly with respect to the treatment cavity plane.

A teat treatment apparatus comprising a tubular outer housing containing a tubular inner shell. The tubular inner shell includes a side wall defining a teat treatment cavity, including a central side wall portion. An inlet port extends through a side wall of the tubular outer housing and is in fluid communication with an annular cavity formed by the inner side surface of the tubular housing and an upper annular ridge, recessed central side surface, and lower annular ridge of the side wall of the tubular inner shell. Orifices are provided in the central side wall portion of the tubular inner shell. Each of the orifices is in fluid communication with the annular cavity and the treatment cavity, and each of the orifices defines an orifice axis directed at an oblique angle with respect to the central axis of the treatment cavity and downwardly with respect to the treatment cavity plane.

A monitoring system for monitoring a milking point includes an input configured to receive an electrical pulsation signal for controlling pulsation of a pulsator, and a processor configured to identify the occurrence of a milking session based on the electrical pulsation signal received at the input. A signal sensor measures a characteristic of the pulsation signal. The monitoring system may include a connector configured for electrical connection with a solenoid of a pulsator of the milking point. A power harvesting module is configured to harvest power from a flyback voltage generated by the solenoid upon interruption of a current supplied to the solenoid.

A milking claw for efficiently drawing milk is disclosed. The milking claw includes a claw top and a claw bottom. The claw top includes a pair of front inlets, a pair of rear inlets, and an outlet. The front inlets and the rear inlets extend upwardly from a top surface of the claw top and are spaced on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the claw top. The outlet includes an air channel along a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and a flow passage disposed below the air channel. The flow passage includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. The claw bottom is disposed below the claw top and includes a dividing wall, a sump, and a raised knob disposed within the sump.

A milking claw for efficiently drawing milk is disclosed. The milking claw includes a claw top and a claw bottom. The claw top includes a pair of front inlets, a pair of rear inlets, and an outlet. The front inlets and the rear inlets extend upwardly from a top surface of the claw top and are spaced on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the claw top. The outlet includes an air channel along a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and a flow passage disposed below the air channel. The flow passage includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. The claw bottom is disposed below the claw top and includes a dividing wall, a sump, and a raised knob disposed within the sump.