Installation for supplying liquid feed to an animal and an autonomously displaceable vehicle for use in such an installation

• US 8,316,799 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maasland N.V.
• Original Assignee: Maasland N.V.
• Inventors: Van Den Berg, Karel
• Primary Examiner(s): Swiatek, Rob
• Application Number:
  US13/072,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20110174227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 119/14.03, 119/14.18, 119/51.01, 119/51.02, 119/71, 119/72, 119/73, 239/29.3
• US Class Current: 119/51.02
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 5/0216 for the distribution of liquid fodder A01K9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 5/0266 with stable trolleys, e.g. suspended
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 9/00 Sucking apparatus for young stock ; Devices for mixing solid food with liquids

Abstract

An installation for supplying liquid feed to an animal, such as a calf. The installation comprises one or more feed loading places and one or more feed unloading places, and one or more vehicles that are autonomously displaceable, controlled by a microprocessor or the like, between one or more feed loading places and one or more feed unloading places, each vehicle comprising a drinking nozzle, such as a flexible teat, which is movably mounted relative to the remaining part of the displaceable vehicle, and a height adjusting device for adjusting a height of the drinking nozzle.

Claims

1. An installation for supplying liquid feed to an animal, the installation comprising one or more feed loading places and one or more feed unloading places, and further comprising one or more vehicles that are autonomously displaceable, controlled by a processor, between one or more of the feed loading places and one or more of the feed unloading places, each vehicle comprising a drinking nozzle, the drinking nozzle movably mounted onto the displaceable vehicle, and the vehicle further comprising a height adjusting device for adjusting a height of the drinking nozzle to a height of the animal at at least one feed unloading place.

2. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displaceable vehicle is provided with an animal identification unit for identifying an animal and for supplying an identification signal indicative of the identity of an animal.

3. The installation as claimed in claim 2, wherein the drinking nozzle is movable in response to the identification signal.

4. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drinking nozzle is movable in response to an identification signal indicative of the identity of an animal.

5. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the installation comprises one or more individual feeding places, each for containing only one animal, and one or more group feeding places, each for containing several animals.

6. The installation as claimed in claim 5, wherein the processor is configured for controlling one or more of the displaceable vehicles so that at least twice a day liquid feed is offered twice to animals in each individual feeding place and to animals in each group feeding place.

7. The installation as claimed in claim 6, wherein the displaceable vehicle is provided with an animal identification unit for identifying an animal and for supplying an identification signal indicative of the identity of an animal, and wherein the drinking nozzle is movable in response to the identification signal.

8. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein a feed loading place comprises a milking machine.

9. An autonomously displaceable vehicle for use in an installation for supplying liquid feed to an animal, wherein the vehicle comprises a drinking nozzle, the drinking nozzle movably mounted onto the displaceable vehicle, with a height adjusting device for adjusting the height of the drinking nozzle to a height of the animal at a feed unloading place;

wherein the vehicle is provided with an animal identification unit for identifying an animal and for supplying an identification signal indicative of the identity of an animal; and

wherein the drinking nozzle is moved in response to the identification signal.