A milking device for milking a dairy animal is provided with milking mechanism, a control system, a milk pipeline for transporting the milk from the milking mechanism to a milk tank, a milk filter and a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes at least one cleaning fluid holder, a heating device for heating cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid holder, an additive storage holder for additive, an additive adding device for controlled addition of the additive to cleaning fluid, and a valve system for regulating flows of cleaning fluid and additive through the milking device. The cleaning device is configured for carrying out a cleaning cycle of the milking device with a prerinse with cold or tepid water, a hot rinse with heated water and an acidic or basic additive, a postrinse, and at least between the hot rinse and the postrinse, a counterflow cleaning step by passing cleaning fluid in counterflow through the milk filter. Thus, a milking device is provided that can be cleaned automatically as a whole including the milk filter. In particular, because the counterflow cleansing takes place after the hot rinse step, there is better removal of dirt and milk residues that are softened thereby, in particular from the milk filter.

A milking device for milking a dairy animal is provided with milking mechanism, a control system, a milk pipeline for transporting the milk from the milking mechanism to a milk tank, a milk filter and a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes at least one cleaning fluid holder, a heating device for heating cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid holder, an additive storage holder for additive, an additive adding device for controlled addition of the additive to cleaning fluid, and a valve system for regulating flows of cleaning fluid and additive through the milking device. The cleaning device is configured for carrying out a cleaning cycle of the milking device with a prerinse with cold or tepid water, a hot rinse with heated water and an acidic or basic additive, a postrinse, and at least between the hot rinse and the postrinse, a counterflow cleaning step by passing cleaning fluid in counterflow through the milk filter. Thus, a milking device is provided that can be cleaned automatically as a whole including the milk filter. In particular, because the counterflow cleansing takes place after the hot rinse step, there is better removal of dirt and milk residues that are softened thereby, in particular from the milk filter.

An automatically cleanable milk filter includes a cylindrical housing with a longitudinal direction and with a cylindrical outer wall, a first end with a first liquid connection, and a second end with a second liquid connection, wherein, during use of the filter, the second end is situated above the first end. A concentric cylindrical filter plate containing a plurality of filter holes with a smallest diameter of between 60 and 100 um and a cylindrical core which is placed concentrically within the filter plate are accommodated in the housing. The filter plate divides the filter volume into a first volume part which is directly connected to the first liquid connection, and a second volume part which is directly connected to the second liquid connection. The second volume part includes a cylindrical part, as well as a top part which narrows at a transition to the second liquid connection. The cylindrical part, viewed in a direction towards the second liquid connection, extends at least a predetermined distance beyond the plurality of holes in the filter plate, and the first volume part, viewed in a direction towards the second liquid connection, does not extend beyond the filter plate. In this way, the stream of cleaning liquid, supplied from above, can develop beyond the top part to form a more turbulent stream parallel to the cylindrical part, and thus a more thorough cleaning of, in particular, the upper filter holes. In addition, a milking device including this milk filter is provided.

An automatically cleanable milk filter includes a cylindrical housing with a longitudinal direction and with a cylindrical outer wall, a first end with a first liquid connection, and a second end with a second liquid connection, wherein, during use of the filter, the second end is situated above the first end. A concentric cylindrical filter plate containing a plurality of filter holes with a smallest diameter of between 60 and 100 um and a cylindrical core which is placed concentrically within the filter plate are accommodated in the housing. The filter plate divides the filter volume into a first volume part which is directly connected to the first liquid connection, and a second volume part which is directly connected to the second liquid connection. The second volume part includes a cylindrical part, as well as a top part which narrows at a transition to the second liquid connection. The cylindrical part, viewed in a direction towards the second liquid connection, extends at least a predetermined distance beyond the plurality of holes in the filter plate, and the first volume part, viewed in a direction towards the second liquid connection, does not extend beyond the filter plate. In this way, the stream of cleaning liquid, supplied from above, can develop beyond the top part to form a more turbulent stream parallel to the cylindrical part, and thus a more thorough cleaning of, in particular, the upper filter holes. In addition, a milking device including this milk filter is provided.

Milking clusters for a milking installation have four teat cups, each teat cup having a cup housing and a teat cup liner with a top region and a suction region. A connection for a milk tube is arranged at the cup bottom or at the end of the suction region of the teat cup liner. A mouth portion of a sterile air pressure line is arranged in the top region of the teat cup liner, through which pressure line sterile air is introduced at a volumetric flow rate greater than a fluid aspiration volumetric flow rate at the milk tube, such that a sterile air blanket is established in the top region of the teat cup liner. The milking clusters with the cup liner and sterile air blanket prevent milked milk from being contaminated by contaminants and microorganisms from the shed air, extending storage life for untreated raw milk.

Milking clusters for a milking installation have four teat cups, each teat cup having a cup housing and a teat cup liner with a top region and a suction region. A connection for a milk tube is arranged at the cup bottom or at the end of the suction region of the teat cup liner. A mouth portion of a sterile air pressure line is arranged in the top region of the teat cup liner, through which pressure line sterile air is introduced at a volumetric flow rate greater than a fluid aspiration volumetric flow rate at the milk tube, such that a sterile air blanket is established in the top region of the teat cup liner. The milking clusters with the cup liner and sterile air blanket prevent milked milk from being contaminated by contaminants and microorganisms from the shed air, extending storage life for untreated raw milk.

A quality sensor that predicts a degree of inhomogeneities in milk extracted from an animal, by receiving a set of input variables reflecting at least one characteristic each of the animal, the extracted milk, and at least process during which milk was extracted from the animal, and by feeding the input variables into a trained artificial neural network in the quality sensor, which generates an estimate of a predicted degree of inhomogeneities in the milk of the animal.

A quality sensor that predicts a degree of inhomogeneities in milk extracted from an animal, by receiving a set of input variables reflecting at least one characteristic each of the animal, the extracted milk, and at least process during which milk was extracted from the animal, and by feeding the input variables into a trained artificial neural network in the quality sensor, which generates an estimate of a predicted degree of inhomogeneities in the milk of the animal.

Milking clusters for a miling installation have four teat cups, each teat cup having a cup housing and a teat cup liner with a top region and a suction region. A connection for a milk tube is arranged at the cup bottom or at the end of the suction region of the teat cup liner. A mouth portion of a sterile air pressure line is arranged in the top region of the teat cup liner, through which pressure line sterile air is introduced at a volumetric flow rate greater than a fluid aspiration volumetric flow rate at the milk tube, such that a sterile air blanket is established in the top region of the teat cup liner. The milking clusters with the cup liner and sterile air blanket prevent milked milk from being contaminated by contaminants and microorganisms from the shed air, extending storage life for untreated raw milk.

Milking clusters for a miling installation have four teat cups, each teat cup having a cup housing and a teat cup liner with a top region and a suction region. A connection for a milk tube is arranged at the cup bottom or at the end of the suction region of the teat cup liner. A mouth portion of a sterile air pressure line is arranged in the top region of the teat cup liner, through which pressure line sterile air is introduced at a volumetric flow rate greater than a fluid aspiration volumetric flow rate at the milk tube, such that a sterile air blanket is established in the top region of the teat cup liner. The milking clusters with the cup liner and sterile air blanket prevent milked milk from being contaminated by contaminants and microorganisms from the shed air, extending storage life for untreated raw milk.