IMPLEMENT FOR AUTOMATICALLY MILKING A DAIRY ANIMAL
First Claim
1. An implement for automatically milking a dairy animal, comprising:
- a milking parlour;
a sensor for observing a teat of the dairy animal; and
a milking robot for automatically attaching a teat cup to the teat, the milking robot comprising a robot control unit operatively connected to the sensor,wherein the sensor comprises;
a radiation source for emitting electromagnetic radiation;
a receiver for receiving electromagnetic radiation reflected from the dairy animal;
a lens for imaging the reflected electromagnetic radiation onto the receiver;
a sensor control unit; and
a matrix with a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of receivers,wherein the sensor control unit is operatively connected to the radiation source to modulate the electromagnetic radiation, andwherein the sensor control unit determines for each of the receivers a phase difference between the emitted and the reflected electromagnetic radiation to calculate distances from the sensor to a plurality of points on the dairy animal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implement for automatically milking a dairy animal, such as a cow, comprises a milking parlour, a sensor for observing a teat, and a milking robot for automatically attaching a teat cup to the teat. The milking robot comprises a robot control that is connected to the sensor. The sensor comprises a radiation source for emitting light, a receiver for receiving electromagnetic radiation reflected from the dairy animal, a lens, and sensor control unit. The sensor comprises a matrix with a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of receivers. The sensor control unit is designed to determine for each of the receivers a phase difference between the emitted and the reflected electromagnetic radiation in order to calculate the distance from the sensor to a plurality of points on the part to be observed of the dairy animal.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An implement for automatically milking a dairy animal, comprising:
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a milking parlour; a sensor for observing a teat of the dairy animal; and a milking robot for automatically attaching a teat cup to the teat, the milking robot comprising a robot control unit operatively connected to the sensor, wherein the sensor comprises; a radiation source for emitting electromagnetic radiation; a receiver for receiving electromagnetic radiation reflected from the dairy animal; a lens for imaging the reflected electromagnetic radiation onto the receiver; a sensor control unit; and a matrix with a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of receivers, wherein the sensor control unit is operatively connected to the radiation source to modulate the electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the sensor control unit determines for each of the receivers a phase difference between the emitted and the reflected electromagnetic radiation to calculate distances from the sensor to a plurality of points on the dairy animal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification