Abstract: A method and automated machine for milking dairy animals and manufacturing cheese from the milk obtained, including the steps of: milking a well-defined, measured amount of base milk which satisfies certain quality standards and which is not mixed with other milk; and manufacturing cheese directly from the base milk obtained, by means of a fully automatic production line, where the production line contains a number of separate processing locations where intermediate products from the base milk are generated and/or treated, and transportation between the processing location and the handling of the base milk is done by a fully automatic robot vehicle (robotised automatic guided vehicle).

Abstract: A milking robot for automated milking of milking animals, comprising a cylinder supporting movement of at least one movable component. The cylinder has a wall with a ventilation opening and a cylinder rod which can move in and out of the cylinder. The cylinder wall surrounds at least one variable volume part for movement of the cylinder rod. The opening configures the cylinder to remain in virtual pressure equilibrium with an environment. A gas capture device is connected which has a variable volume and which together with the variable volume part, forms an air-tight gas volume. Thus the variable volume part is kept at almost ambient pressure, so that no unnecessary counter-pressure occurs in the cylinder, during extension and retraction of the cylinder rod. Also less to no exchange of gas and dirt with the environment can take place for longer life and better reliability of the cylinder.

Abstract: A milking system with a milking device, a milking control, a milk line in fluid connection with the milking device, and a sampling and analysis device to take a sample of the milk from the milk line and to analyse milk from the sample are disclosed. The milking control is arranged to control the milking device on the basis of the analysis. The sampling and analysis device includes a control unit, a tape reel provided with a tape that is lengthwise provided with a series of consecutive reagent pads that provide a detectable response in the presence of a substance in the sample, a tape mover to move the tape, a dosing device to supply a part of the sample onto a reagent pad on the tape, and a camera to obtain an image of the reagent pad supplied with the droplet, and an analysis device to analyse the obtained images to provide to the milking control device an indication of a presence or concentration of said substance.

Abstract: A position-determining device, and a milking device, that determines a relative position of an object and includes a 3D time-of-flight camera with a 2D arrangement of pixels configured to repeatedly record an image of a space. A control unit is connected and includes an image-processing device. The 3D time-of-flight camera has a controllable light source and is configured to record a 2D image by means of reflected emitted light and collect distance information. The image-processing device is configured to recognize an object in the 2D image using image-processing criteria and determine distance information and relative position by analysing the 2D image and the distance information. Due to the fact that distance information, which is often much more noisy than 2D brightness information, can be determined with far fewer image points, the position is determined more quickly and reliably.

Abstract: A milking system includes an automatic robotic milking device having a control unit, and is configured to milk a dairy animal fully automatically to form a milking. The system also includes a milk treatment device connected to the milking device for receiving and treating the milked milk of the milking. The milking device includes an animal identification device which is operatively connected to the control unit for identifying the dairy animal and comprises an animal database with information about at least the composition of the milk from the dairy animal, and/or a milk sensor device which is operatively connected to the control unit for collecting information about the composition of the milked milk. The milk treatment device is connected to the control unit and includes a standardization device which is configured to standardize a fat content and/or a protein content of the milk of the milking.

Abstract: A feed control system, a feeding system and a method for feeding animals comprises an autonomous feed displacer which displaces animal feed and subsequently measures the height of the displaced animal feed using a feed level meter. Since the displaced, pushed back animal feed results in heaps of surprisingly constant shape, it is possible to obtain a reliable indication of the quantity using only the feed level.

Abstract: A milking robot system for milking of a dairy animal with teats includes milking cups, a robot arm for attaching the milking cups to the teats, a teat detector configured to detect the position of the teats, and a compressed air system for providing dry compressed air to at least part of the milking robot system. The teat detector comprises a housing containing an optical sensor. The compressed air system is operatively connectable with the inside of the housing via an air line in order to at least partly replace air which is present in the housing by an amount of dry air from the compressed air system. This replacement operation may be performed directly, under pressure, or by first extracting air by means of an additional system and then replenishing it with dry air from the compressed air system.

Abstract: A vehicle for performing an animal-related operation, in particular for use with cows, is delimited by an outer side. The vehicle includes an electrical shock device for emitting an electrical shock to an animal. The shock device includes at least one pair of elongate, electrically conductive strips which run substantially parallel to each other so as to leave clear an electrically insulating intermediate space in between and which extend at least along a portion of the outer side of the vehicle. The strips of the or each pair of mutually parallel strips each have a shape including first parts which extend in a first direction which corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the elongate, mutually parallel strips, and including second parts which extend transversely, preferably substantially perpendicularly, with respect to the first direction.

Abstract: A milking system for milking a dairy animal includes a milking cup to be attached to a teat of the dairy animal and milking the milk, and an electronic component. The electronic component includes a sensor which is arranged in or on the milking cup for measuring a value of a variable related to the milking, a transmitter for transmitting the measured values, and a power supply for supplying the sensor and/or the transmitter with electrical energy. The power supply may include an inductive power supply with a first coil component and a second coil component, where the first coil component and the electronic component are electrically connected to each other, and where the second coil component is electrically directly connectable to an external source of electrical energy. The milking system also includes a fastening means which holds the first coil component and the second coil component together.

Abstract: A milking system for milking a dairy animal comprises teat cups, a robot arm with actuators, for connecting the teat cups to teats of the dairy animal, and a control device in order to reach and/or maintain a desired position of the robot arm, by adjustment of a respective adjusting force parameter exerted by the actuators. The control device is configured to adjust a selectable compliance of the robot arm, wherein the compliance is a reaction of the robot arm to an external force which is exerted on the robot arm, such as a kick. This compliance is a function of the external force or of an animal identity. Thus, the behaviour of the robot arm can be adapted, such as, under otherwise unchanged circumstances, more or earlier yielding in the case of sensitive animals, and, conversely, less in the case of playful animals.

Abstract: A feeding system for feeding animals, in particular cows, includes a feed supply system with feed for the animals. The feed includes one or more feed types. An autonomous feeding device is configured to automatically feed the animals with feed from the feed supply system. A feed supply observation system measures the quantity of feed of each feed type in the feed supply system, while a feed consumption observation system observes the consumption of feed of each feed type from the feed supply system. A control system is connected to the feed supply observation system in order to receive values of the observed quantity of feed of each feed type in the feed supply system. The control system is further connected to the feed consumption observation system in order to receive values of the observed consumption of feed of each feed type from the feed supply system. The received values of the observed consumption of feed are stored as historical data in a memory of the control system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system to carry out a floor related action. The system comprises an animal enclosure for detaining at least one animal and provided with an enclosure floor surface, a first autonomous vehicle configured to navigate over the floor surface to carry out the floor related action, and a feed providing device to provide feed to the animal. The system comprises a communication signal configured to transmit a communication signal representative for an actual or planned feeding action of the feed providing device to the first vehicle, which action influences the position of animals with the animal enclosure. In order to move the first vehicle more efficiently over the stable floor, in particular to avoid interference with animals on the stable floor, the first vehicle is capable to adapt its navigation based on the communication signal representative for the actual or planned feeding action.

Abstract: An automatic feeding system includes an autonomously moveable feeding device for feeding animals. The feeding device includes a feed container for accommodating feed, a feed dispensing device for dispensing feed from the teed container, and a safety device suitable for halting the autonomously moveable feeding device in case of collision with an obstacle. The safety device includes a bumper for establishing a first contact with such an obstacle. The bumper defines an outer safety contour of the autonomously moveable feeding device. The safety device further includes a partition opener configured to open a partition provided in a door opening for enabling the autonomously moveable feeding device to pass through the door opening. The door opening provided with partition may be provided in a barn for housing animals. The opening device is provided separately and independently from and is not directly, connected to the safety device.

Abstract: A milking system includes a device to sample and analyse a milk sample, including a control unit, a sample supply line connected to the milk line, a pump to control the sample flow, an optical radiation source, and an optical sensor device to detect and analyse optical radiation coming from the reagent pad with said sample, to provide an indication of a substance in the sample, a tape mover to move and unwind the tape from the tape reel, and a pump drive, external to the cassette, and releasably operably connected to the pump device for driving the pump device. The sampling and analysis device also includes a cassette with a sample receiving line, releasably connected to the sample supply line by a liquid connector, and arranged to receive the sample from the sample supply line, a tape reel with a tape that includes a base tape layer and a series of separate reagent pads, and a dosing device to provide a droplet of the sample onto a reagent pad.

Abstract: A method and device for milking using a milking system with a control unit and an adjustable stimulator, including stimulating for a stimulus time and subsequently milking a dairy animal, measuring and evaluating the milk flow profile in order to determine if the milk flow profile is bimodal. If it is, then the control unit automatically adjusts the stimulating operation by extending the stimulating operation by an extension value. If it is not, then the control unit may, optionally automatically, shorten the stimulating operation. As a result, the milking system is able to reduce the strain on the teats caused by unnecessary stimulation or by milking in an efficient way during a bimodal part of the milking operation and also to adjust this during the entire lactation, if necessary. In this way, changes in the dairy animal itself are also compensated for.

Abstract: A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line for carrying milk from the milking device, and a sampling unit that is arranged to take a sample from the milk line and to test the sample for the presence or concentration of at least one substance. The sampling unit is provided with a control unit and a housing. The housing includes therein a supply reel with a tape that carries reagent, and a sample supplier to supply, under control of the control unit, a part of the sample to the reagent on the tape. The sampling unit further includes a tape displacer displacing the tape under control of the control unit, a sample analyser, and a used tape collector device collecting tape with reagent to which a sample has been supplied. The supply reel at a surface thereof includes a desiccant, or is completely made of a desiccant material.

Abstract: A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line, and a sampling and analysis device for milk from the milk line, that includes a control unit, a carrier with reagent pads to detect a substance in the sample, a dosing device to dose a sample onto a reagent pad, an sensor device to detect radiation from that reagent pad, and to analyse the detected radiation to indicate a presence or concentration of said substance. The dosing device includes a nozzle with a supply line, a pump for pumping liquid to the nozzle, a flat wall part, and a mover to press the flat wall part and the nozzle against each other to close the nozzle. In this way, the nozzle can be filled completely to a known level and without bubbles. Thereafter, the sample pump can provide a sample droplet with known volume, which enables better control over the sample supply process.

Abstract: A robotic milking system includes a milking control, a milk line, and a sampling and analysis device for the milk, wherein the milking control controls the robotic milking device based on the analysis of the milk sample. The sampling and analysis device includes a control unit, a tape reel with a tape with reagent pads that detect the presence of a substance in the sample, a tape mover, a dosing device to provide a sample onto a reagent pad, a camera to image of the reagent pad with said sample, and to analyse the images to indicate a presence or concentration of said substance. The lengthwise consecutive substantially rectangular reagent pads are separated by a hydrophobic line, and the control unit recognises said line in the image and determines a position thereof. The control unit controls the tape mover on the basis of the obtained image and line position.

Abstract: A method of producing a reagent tape, that includes a base tape layer and a series of consecutive and separate reagent pads of a reagent, is provided for use in a milk sampling device. The milk sampling device is arranged to supply a droplet of a milk sample onto one of the reagent pads on the tape in order to produce a response in the reagent to detect a presence or concentration of a substance in the milk sample. The method includes providing the base tape layer of the reagent tape, applying onto the base tape layer a continuous layer of the reagent, dividing the supplied continuous reagent layer into separate reagent pads by providing a hydrophobic barrier line between said pads. This may be done by laser ablating thin lines of reagent material, or by providing additional hydrophobic material into the layer. Thus, a simple and fast way of providing a tape with pads is obtained, in which a narrow spacing between pads is possible.

Abstract: The invention provides a feed-mixing wagon (1) for animal feed, comprising a frame with a drive, a container (4) with a continuous wall (5) with a feed-unload opening, a feed auger which is arranged in the container for mixing and cutting animal feed and comprising an auger shaft (8) and an auger body (10) which is arranged around it in a spiral which has several blades, wherein the blades comprise at least one blade (11) of a first, long type and at least one blade (12) of a second, short type, and wherein at least one blade of the short type is situated closer to the bottom (6) than at least one blade of the long type. As a result of the various blades in the described configuration, the cutting and mixing behaviour can be adjusted in an optimum way.