The present invention provides an apparatus for loading material comprising: a housing defining a loading conduit and a return conduit wherein the loading conduit and return conduit are operatively connected at a first location configured for material intake and a second location configured for material output; a loading mechanism operative within the housing, said loading mechanism including an endless belt having a plurality of loading devices anchored thereto, the loading mechanism configured to travel within the loading conduit from the first location to the second location and subsequently within the return conduit from the second location to the first location, said loading mechanism picking up material at the material intake and expelling material at the material output; and a drive system operatively connected with the loading mechanism, the drive system configured to provide power to the loading mechanism.

A self-propelled manure removal vehicle, including: at least two wheels, at least one motor device and a control device, for displacing the vehicle by driving at least one of the wheels; a floor-scraping device configured to clean a floor surface while being in contact with the floor surface, wherein at least a lower rim of the floor-scraping device is flexible to adapt its shape to the floor surface; and at least one skid element including a lower rim with a slide surface to slide over a floor surface to support the vehicle, and the lower rim of the floor scraping device projects further downwardly than the slide surface of the at least one skid element.

A system for removing manure from a floor in an animal shed includes an autonomous manure removal vehicle with a manure storage container, which is provided with an interior, and a manure discharge opening for discharging manure from the interior of the manure storage container. A manure introduction device is configured for introducing manure from the floor and moving the introduced manure to the interior of the manure storage container. A dump is provided with a dump opening in the floor for dumping manure from the manure discharge opening of the manure storage container through the dump opening into a manure reservoir which extends under the floor. A flushing device is provided for flushing the interior of the manure storage container with flushing liquid, such as water.

A system and method for control of the system, with a plurality of autonomous vehicles having intersecting routes, a control, an operational area, and a predefined place with positions provided with a vehicle presence detection device. The method includes detecting the presence of the vehicles in a detection device, and beginning to travel with a first vehicle according to a travel action. The travel action is chosen from travelling of a route through the operational area from a predefined place, and an advancing action within a predefined place from a first detection device to a second detection device which is not yet occupied. Beginning to travel is carried out only if each of the vehicles has been detected as present at one of the predefined places, or, at most one vehicle has the status not present at one of the predefined places if the travel action relates to an advancing action.

An unmanned wheeled vehicle is configured to clean a first floor surface at a first height level, while supported on a second floor surface at a second height level, wherein the first height level is higher than the second height level. The vehicle comprises a main body comprising a support side and a cleaning side, and a support device to support the main body on the second floor surface, wherein the main body comprises at the cleaning side a contact cleaning device configured to clean the first floor surface. A tilting device tilts the main body between a tilted position in which the cleaning side of the main body can be moved over the first floor surface without contact between the contact cleaning device and the first floor surface, and a cleaning position, in which the contact cleaning device is in contact with the first floor surface.

A system for collecting and processing animal waste includes a plurality of wheels, a scoop, an impeller, at least one motor, and a chute, each of which is coupled to a chassis. The scoop is configured to shovel animal waste that is received by the impeller, which is configured to fragmentize the animal waste with at least one spinning blade and deliver the fragmentized animal waste to the chute, which in turn facilitates delivery of the fragmentized animal waste to a receptacle.

A method, controller, computer program and arrangement for barn cleaning obtaining information from one or more cameras mounted to capture images of an area of operation of an automatic barn cleaning device and identifying at least one location in said area of operation being subjected to manure, based on the obtained information. The method further calculates a route for the automatic barn cleaning device based on the identified at least one location, and controls the automatic barn cleaning device based on the calculated route.

A method for adjusting a cleaning schedule for cleaning sessions of a scraper arrangement (1) arranged for removing manure in a livestock area. One cleaning session comprises one cleaning along a predefined path in the livestock area. The method comprises monitoring (S2), while performing cleaning sessions in accordance with the cleaning schedule, a load quantity representing an amount of material moved by the scraper arrangement (1). The method also comprises adjusting (S5) the cleaning schedule, based on a variation in the monitored load quantity among the monitored cleaning sessions. The disclosure also relates to a control arrangement (10).

A system for carrying out an animal-related operation, including an autonomous vehicle and a charging station for charging a battery system of the vehicle. The charging station includes a transmitting body with a primary coil. The vehicle includes a receiving body with a secondary coil. The vehicle is maneuverable relative to the transmitting body of the charging station in such a way that the primary coil of the transmitting body and the secondary coil of the receiving body are mutually aligned in a charging state to transfer electrical energy wirelessly from the primary coil to the secondary coil for wireless charging of the vehicle's battery system. The system includes a cleaning device for cleaning at least the receiving body of the vehicle before the primary coil of the transmitting body and the secondary coil of the receiving body are mutually aligned in the charging state.

Tile cleaning systems and associated methods are disclosed. The tile cleaning system can include a plurality of tiles and a plurality of movers. The movers can move the tiles along a floor in a circuit while the plurality of tiles directly contact the floor. The tile cleaning system can include a cleaner they can clean the tiles in the circuit.