The cleaning of milk transporting conduit structure involves introducing fluid and an amount of gas into the milk transporting conduit structure, which causes a slug of fluid to be formed in and forwarded through the milk transporting conduit structure. A sensor arrangement measures at least one parameter related to the slug, and repeatedly forwards updatings of the at least one measured parameter to the data processor. Based thereon, the data processor produces an indicator of at least one quality of the cleaning process. The indicator reflects a cross-sectional profile of the slug at at least one position in the milk transporting conduit structure.

The present invention relates to preparing dairy animal teats for being milked, and more particularly to teat preparation, rinsing, and milking that all take place in a milking machine teat cup liner. Such a method includes: applying a teat sanitizer to the teat; injecting air into the liner to force the teat sanitizer toward a waste milk line connected to the liner; pulsating the liner at a first pulsation rate; drawing a rinsing milk from the teat; directing the teat sanitizer, the air, and the rinsing fluid to the waste milk line; pulsating the liner at a second pulsation rate to draw additional milk from the teat; and directing the additional milk to a good milk line.

A milking system for milking dairy animals includes a milking device, a milk line for transporting milk; a cleaning device for cleaning the milk line with a cleaning liquid; a first outlet for discharging the milk to a milk tank; a second outlet for discharging the cleaning liquid; a valve mechanism for controllably connecting the milk line to one of the first outlet and the second outlet; and a control unit for controlling the valve mechanism. The valve mechanism includes a first and a second valve, and a displacement device for displacing the first or the second valve housing between a cleaning position and a milking position.

A milking device is provided with milking device, a control unit, a milk line for transporting the milk from the milking device to a milk tank, a milk filter for filtering the milk passing through the milk line, and a cleaning device for the milk filter with cleaning liquid. The milk filter includes a housing surrounding a filter volume and has a milk inlet and a milk outlet, and a filter component in the filter volume. The filter component includes a circumferential plate part with filter holes, and divides the filter volume into a central inner filter volume and an outer filter volume surrounding the latter. The milk filter is configured to be flushed, in use, with the milk to be filtered from the milk inlet to the milk outlet. The cleaning device is configured to clean the milk filter by passing cleaning liquid through the milk filter in a countercurrent direction in consecutive pulses, in such a way that, in each pulse, during a first pulse stage more cleaning liquid is supplied than is discharged, and subsequently, during a second pulse stage, at least as much cleaning liquid flows from the filter volume as is supplied. As a result thereof, an amount of cleaning liquid always collects in the filter volume up to a liquid level, which surrounds at least some of the plurality of holes. The next pulse makes cleaning liquid collide with the liquid level, which improves the cleaning of the filter.

A milk tank system includes a first holder configured for intermediate storage of milk from several milkings of a milking device, and not being a milk glass; a second holder for storage of milk from the first holder; a transport device for transporting milk including a milk line from the first holder to the second holder, via which milk line the second holder may be brought into fluidic connection with the first holder, and a shut-off for shutting off the fluidic connection, in particular from the first holder to the milk line, wherein the transport device has a first operating state which is configured for collecting milk in the first holder, and a second operating state which is configured for transferring the milk from the first holder to the second holder, wherein the milk tank system further includes a control system for switching the transport device from the first to the second operating state when the milk in the first holder reaches a switching milk level which changes over time. Because the pumping of the milk from the intermediate milk storage vessel does not always begin at the same or comparable maximum milk level, but preferably at an ever increasing level, potentially caking milk residue is always rinsed away on a subsequent filling.

A milking system including: at least one milking device; a milk storage vessel storing milk obtained with the milking device; a milk line system with a milk line with a first end connected to the milking device and with a second end connected to the milk storage vessel; and a monitoring system including: a sensor configured to measure a fluid parameter value of a fluid in the milk line, and a control system actively connected to the sensor and configured to process the measured fluid parameter value and generate a transition signal on fulfilment of a predefined transition criterion. The milk line includes a substantially vertical line portion, and a proposed discharge direction of milk runs through the milk line from the milking device to the milk storage vessel and is raised through the line portion, wherein the sensor is placed in or on the substantially vertical line portion.

The present invention relates to preparing dairy animal teats for being milked, and more particularly to teat preparation, rinsing, and milking that all take place in a milking machine teat cup liner. Such a method includes: applying a teat sanitizer to the teat; injecting air into the liner to force the teat sanitizer toward a waste milk line connected to the liner; pulsating the liner at a first pulsation rate; drawing a rinsing milk from the teat; directing the teat sanitizer, the air, and the rinsing fluid to the waste milk line; pulsating the liner at a second pulsation rate to draw additional milk from the teat; and directing the additional milk to a good milk line.

A method and system for flushing an area of a robotic harvest dairy barn is presented. The method is based upon defining areas within the dairy barn that, by virtue of use of robots for cow-initiated milking will be maintained in a hygienically clean and dry condition with frequent flushings of short duration. The four areas of the barn felt to benefit from this frequent flushing including any of: an area immediately surrounding a robot; a holding area for staging cows for milking at the robot; a robot control room; and a milk collection room. In the relevant areas the flooring deck is configured to slope at its upper surface to define a drain area, the drain area including at least one grated drain positioned to collect any liquid deposited on the upper surface of the provided flooring deck. A collecting pipe network conducts liquid collected to a baffled tank.

A milking system includes several milking devices, each having a milk-carrying part, a temporary milk storage vessel, a milk pipe system, a milk storage tank, and a main milk pipe, which connects the temporary milk storage vessel to the milk storage tank. The milking system includes a first cleaning device having at least one first cleaning liquid supply and at least a pump, which cleaning device is configured to clean at least the milk-carrying part of at least one milking device and a part of the milk pipe system which connects the milk-carrying part to the temporary milk storage vessel, by transferring cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply through at least the milk-carrying part of the at least one milking device and through said part of the milk pipe system to the temporary milk storage vessel by pumping. The temporary milk storage vessel includes a main pump for transferring liquid from the temporary milk storage vessel through the main milk pipe in the direction of the milk storage tank. The milking system includes a second, additional cleaning device with at least one second, additional cleaning liquid supply, which second cleaning device is configured to supply additional cleaning liquid from the second cleaning liquid supply in a direction of flow from the temporary milk storage vessel towards the main milk pipe. The second cleaning liquid supply is situated downstream of at least each of the milking devices, viewed in said direction of flow.

A method and system for flushing an area of a robotic harvest dairy barn is presented. The method is based upon defining areas within the dairy barn that, by virtue of use of robots for cow-initiated milking will be maintained in a hygienically clean and dry condition with frequent flushings of short duration. The four areas of the barn felt to benefit from this frequent flushing including any of: an area immediately surrounding a robot; a holding area for staging cows for milking at the robot; a robot control room; and a milk collection room. In the relevant areas the flooring deck is configured to slope at its upper surface to define a drain area, the drain area including at least one grated drain positioned to collect any liquid deposited on the upper surface of the provided flooring deck. A collecting pipe network conducts liquid collected to a baffled tank.