Milking System and Method for Generating and Communicating Error Messages in Such a Milking System

• US 20090145363A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delavan Limited (Enpro Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delavan Limited (Enpro Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Caldenius, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,191,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/14.20
• CPC Class Codes: A01J 5/007 Monitoring milking processes; Control or regulation of milking machines

Abstract

A milking system comprises a plurality of apparatuses (11a-g), wherein each of the apparatuses comprises a device (12a-g) for performing an action related to the operation of the milking system; a microprocessor (13a-g); an error message generating system (14a-g) for generating error messages (21) about errors that have occurred in the apparatus; and means (15a-g) for communicating said error messages to all other ones of the apparatuses. Each of the error messages comprises information, preferably categorized information, regarding the nature (22) and severity (23) and optionally physical location of the error and is interpretable by all other ones of the apparatuses.

Claims

1. A milking system comprising a plurality of apparatuses, characterized in that each of the apparatuses comprises:

a device for performing an action related to the operation of said milking system;

a microprocessor;

an error message generating system for generating error messages about errors that have occurred in the apparatus, each of said error messages comprising information regarding the nature and severity of the error and being interpretable by all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses; and

means for communicating said error messages to all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses.

2. The milking system of claim 1, wherein, for each of the error messages generated and communicated, at least one of said plurality of apparatuses, depending on the nature and severity of the error, is provided for pulling the error message and for informing a user of the milking system of the error, and/or for performing an action related to the operation of said milking system.

3. The milking system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of apparatuses is provided for pulling one of the error messages and for informing a user of the milking system of the error and/or for performing an action related to the operation of said milking system depending on the physical location of the apparatus.

4. The milking system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of apparatuses is provided for pulling one of the error messages and for informing a user of the milking system of the error and/or for performing an action related to the operation of said milking system depending on the capability of the apparatus for outputting information.

5. The milking system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of apparatuses is provided for generating and communicating said error messages in a standardized or unified manner.

6. The milking system of claim 1, wherein the means for communication of each of said plurality of apparatuses is provided for broadcasting said error messages on a bus, to which all of said plurality of apparatuses are connected.

7. The milking system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of apparatuses comprises means for determining whether that apparatus is still capable of operating properly in case an error message is received.

8. The milking system of claim 7, wherein each of said plurality of apparatuses is turned down, partly or completely, in case that apparatus has determined that it is not capable of operating properly as a result of the reception of an error message from another apparatus.

9. The milking system of claim 8, wherein each of the apparatuses that is turned down is provided for generating an error message regarding its turn-down, and for communicating that error message to all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses.

10. The milking system of claim 1, wherein each of said error messages comprises categorized information regarding the nature of the error and categorized information regarding the severity of the error.

11. The milking system of claim 1, wherein each of said error messages it comprises information, preferably categorized information, regarding the physical location of the error.

12. The milking system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of apparatuses comprises a herd management system.

13. The milking system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of apparatuses comprises a vacuum source, at least one milk extraction device, a washing machine, and a cooling tank.

14. The milking system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of apparatuses comprises any of a communication apparatus for remote communication, a gate system, a feeding system, and a milking robot.

15. The milking system of claim 1, wherein—

said milking system is provided for simultaneous milking of a plurality of milking animals and comprises a plurality of milking positions, each being provided with teat cups that are attached to the teats of a milking animal and are connected to a source of vacuum to milk the milking animal, and a milk line for transporting the milk; and

—

said plurality of apparatuses comprises, for each of the milking positions, a terminal unit of a first kind arranged at the milking position and provided for displaying information of a first kind; and

, for each group of several adjacent ones of the milking positions, a terminal unit of a second kind arranged at the group of several adjacent ones of the milking positions and provided for displaying information of a second kind.

16. A method for generating and communicating error messages in a milking system, which comprises a plurality of apparatuses, wherein each of said plurality of apparatuses comprises a device for performing an action related to the operation of said milking system;

a microprocessor; and

an error message generating system, characterized by the steps of;

in each of said plurality of apparatuses generating, by means of the error message generating system in the apparatus, error messages about errors that have occurred in the apparatus, each of said error messages comprising information regarding the nature and severity of the error and being interpretable by all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses; and

communicating said error messages to all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, for each of the error messages generated and communicated, the error message is pulled by at least one of said plurality of apparatuses depending on the nature and severity of the error;

and a user is informed of the error and/or an action related to the operation of said milking system is performed by each of the apparatuses that pulls the error message.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein one of the error messages is pulled by at least one of said plurality of apparatuses depending on the physical location of the apparatus;

and a user is informed of the error and/or an action related to the operation of said milking system is performed by the apparatus that pulls said one of the error messages.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein one of the error messages is pulled by at least one of said plurality of apparatuses depending on the capability of the apparatus for outputting information;

and a user is informed of the error and/or an action related to the operation of said milking system is performed by the apparatus that pulls said one of the error messages.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said error messages are generated and communicated in a standardized or unified manner.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein each of said error messages comprises categorized information regarding the nature of the error and categorized information regarding the severity of the error.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein each of said error messages comprises information, preferably categorized information, regarding the physical location of the error.

23. A milking system comprising a plurality of apparatuses, wherein each of the apparatuses comprises a device for performing an action related to the operation of said milking system;

a microprocessor;

a message generating system for generating messages about the operation of the apparatus, each of said messages comprising information about errors that have occurred in, and/or actions that have been performed by, the apparatus and being interpretable by all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses; and

means for communicating said messages to all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses.

24. A method for generating and communicating messages in a milking system, which comprises a plurality of apparatuses, wherein each of said plurality of apparatuses comprises a device for performing an action related to the operation of said milking system;

a microprocessor; and

a message generating system, characterized by the steps of;

in each of said plurality of apparatuses generating, by means of the message generating system in the apparatus, messages about the operation of the apparatus, each of said messages comprising information about errors that have occurred in, and/or actions that have been performed by, the apparatus and being interpretable by all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses; and

communicating said messages to all other ones of said plurality of apparatuses.