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 short milk tube for extending between a milker teat cup and liner assembly and a milker unit and the short milk tube includes a vent seat having an outwardly extending protective vent plug lip, and a stiffener at least partially surrounding the vent seat to control bending of the short milk tube.

A milking robot for completely automatically performing a teat-related action on a dairy animal. The robot includes a frame with a movable arm structure and a robot arm and actuators, a teat cup, a flexible connecting means connected between the teat cup and the arm structure, a retracting device for pulling the teat cup back onto the arm structure by means of the connecting means, a vacuum device for applying a milking vacuum to the teat cup, and a control unit for controlling the milking robot. The robot further includes at least one of an arm structure position-determining device for determining a measured value relating to an arm structure position, and an arm structure acceleration-determining device for determining an arm structure acceleration. The control unit is configured to control the retracting device and/or the vacuum device, if the determined measured value satisfies a predetermined measured value criterion.

Improving milking system performance through the incorporation of a source of greater than atmospheric pressure air into a pulsator while limiting total pressure in the teat cup. The system is further improved by providing an improved supply of regulated vacuum to the milking cluster throughout the milking process. The system is further improved with a monitoring and detecting the functional failure of the pulsation assemblies. Additional system improvements are provided with the addition of a fresh air valve assembly, a wireless method of regulating vacuum levels and the remote location of a pulsator assembly in a basement style parlor.

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 milking system equipped with teat cups each connected to a respective milk evacuation tube, a vacuum pump, a milk tank, vacuum regulators configured to control a vacuum pressure level prevailing in the teat cup, vacuum pressure sensors each configured to measure vacuum pressure level prevailing under one of the teats, an animal identification sensor, a database, a processing device configured to: determine animal ID, extract data of each respective teat from the database, determine a teat specific vacuum pressure level at each teat, and generate a command to each vacuum regulator, to set the teat specific vacuum pressure level at each teat cup.

A system comprising a teat preparation cup coupled to a vacuum pump. A first pressure sensor measures the vacuum level of the vacuum pump. A second pressure sensor measures vacuum level inside the preparation cup. The system further comprises a controller comprising an interface, a memory, and a processor. The processor determines if the vacuum pump has sufficient vacuum level and communicates instructions to induce a partial vacuum in the teat preparation cup. The processor determines if the teat preparation cup has a vacuum level greater than a vacuum threshold value and when this condition is achieved, communicates instructions to initiate a teat preparation cycle comprising allowing fluid flowing from a fluid source container through the teat preparation cup into a fluid disposal container.

A method for operating a valve, comprises directing fluid flow through a housing of the valve, wherein the fluid flows into the housing through a housing inlet and flows out of the housing through a housing outlet. The method continues by directing a first electric current into a solenoid coupled to the housing to generate a first magnetic field, wherein the first magnetic field exerts a force upon a plunger positioned inside the housing and causes the plunger to magnetically connect to a magnet. The method continues by directing a second electrical current into the solenoid to generate a second magnetic field, wherein the second magnetic field exerts a force upon the plunger causing the plunger to disconnect from the magnet and engage with the housing outlet. Fluid flows into the inlet through a milking hose, and fluid flows out of the outlet into a milking pipeline.

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 milking device for milking a dairy animal includes a teat cup with a cup wall and a teat liner and a pulsation space situated in between, to which pulsation space a pulsation device is connected which is configured to apply a pressure that varies in pulsations to the pulsation space in order to open and close the teat liner. The pulsation device includes a supply line which is controllable by a first operable valve, in particular closable, for supplying a first pressure, a supply line which is controllable by a second operable valve, in particular closable, for supplying a second pressure, which is a lower pressure than the first pressure, and a control unit which is configured to generate control signals for operating the first valve and the second valve, wherein the first valve, and preferably also the second valve, is a controllable valve having a passage which is adjustable by means of the control signals, wherein the passage of the first valve, and preferably of the second valve, respectively, is adjustable during at least one pulsation phase by the control unit via the control signals.