WO1987000396A1

WO1987000396A1 - Apparatus for cleaning milking units

Info

Publication number: WO1987000396A1
Application number: PCT/SE1986/000332
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joop Groenouwe
Original assignee: Alfa Laval Agri International AB
Current assignee: Alfa Laval Agri International AB
Priority date: 1985-07-15
Filing date: 1986-07-11
Publication date: 1987-01-29
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-15
Also published as: SE8503474D0; AU6148786A

Abstract

An apparatus for cleaning of milking units comprising teat cups provided with liners and connected to a vacuum source which apparatus preferably comprises four cleaning cups intended to receive the teat cups during cleaning. According to the invention the apparatus has a bracket-like design with a tube (5) at least one end of which is closed and which is rotatably fastened onto a holder (10; 22) and has connection with the conduit for cleaning liquid and that the cleaning cups are firmly connected with the tube, the cleaning cups (3) having a permanently open connection with the inner part of the tube (5)

Description

Apparatus for cleaning milking units

This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning milking units comprising teat cups provided with liners and connected to a vacuum source which apparatus preferably comprises four cleaning cups intended to receive the teat cups during cleaning, the cleaning cups having connection with a conduit for a cleaning liquid.

In modern milking plants a milking unit is arranged at each stall where a cow shall be milked. In this connection each milking unit comprises a milk claw which via milk tubes is connected to four teat cups provided with liners. During milking the milk is sucked under influence of a vacuum source through the teat cups to the milk claw and from that one via a collecting receptacle to a milk transport line leading to a cooling and storage tank.

After finished milking the milking plant including the milking units has to be cleaned. In this connection the cleaning liquid is supplied by means of a cleaning apparatus at each milking place. As a rule the same vacuum source is utilized as during the milking for sucking the cleaning liquid through the milking units and further through the remaining parts of the milking plant which have come into contact with the milk. In order to work safely each cleaning apparatus ought to be provided with a drainage means and a valve means for shutting off the supply of cleaning liquid to the cleaning apparatus during milking.

Furthermore, as a rule the cleaning apparatus is provided with four cleaning cups onto which the teat cups shall be applied during cleaning. These cleaning cups have to be protected from being made dirty. By DE-GM 80 01 234 a cleaning apparatus is previously known which is provided with four cleaning cups onto which the teat cups are intended to be applied during cleaning. This cleaning apparatus, however, has the drawback that it is stationary, which makes it space-requiring. Furthermore, it has a lid over the cleaning cups to prevent dirt from coming into contact with the cleaning cups during milking and is provided with particular drainage and valve means, whereby the cleaning apparatus becomes expensive to manufacture.

By US patent 4,516,592 another cleaning apparatus is previously known. Also this one has four cleaning cups which shall cooperate with the teat cups during cleaning. During milking the cleaning cups are intended to be fastened to particular holders positioned in the stall where the cow Is milked. Due to that fact also this cleaning apparatus becomes both expensive and space-requiring.

This invention intends to eliminate the problems with known techniques. The principle purpose with the invention is accordingly to make a cleaning apparatus which Is not spacerequiring, which is cheap to manufacture and simple to use. This purpose is achieved according to the invention by means of an apparatus of the kind mentioned by way of introduction which is characterized in that the apparatus has a bracket-like design with a tube, at least one end of which is closed and which is rotatably fastened to a holder and has connection with a conduit for cleaning liquid and that the cleaning cups are firmly connected with the tube, the cleaning cups having a permanently open connection with the inner part of the tube.

The invention shall be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows a cleaning apparatus comprising a bracket and cleaning cups according to the invention in position for receiving the teat cups,

Figure 2 shows the cleaning apparatus in closed position for drainage,

Figure 3 shows a cross-section through the bracket without cleaning cups,

Figure 4 shows the cleaning apparatus fastened to a holding tube for the milking apparatus in position for cleaning of the milking units, and

Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the cleaning apparatus fastened to a holder at the milking apparatus .in position for receiving the milking means for cleaning.

Referring to Fig. 1 there is shown a vertical tube 1 functioning like a holding tube for the cleaning apparatus 2. This comprises a bracket with four cleaning cups 3 fastened to it. In this connection two cleaning cups are sitting on each holder 4, which holders are fastened to a circular-cylindrical tube 5.

Each holder 4 comprises an arm 6 having such a length that a part of the arm projects out of each side of the tube 5. At the two ends of each arm 6 a cleaning cup 3 is placed. The arm 6 is kept firmly on the tube 5 by means of a holder 7 which is screwed onto the arm 6 and rests against the opposite side of the tube.

Each arm 6 has a channel in its inner part debouching into an opening 8 in each cleaning cup. In this connection the channel in the arm 6 in each holder 4 has a permanently open connection with an opening 9a, b in the tube 5. This opening 9a, b comprises a hole in the jacket surface of the cylindrical tube 5 as is shown in figure 3. This Fig. 3 shows the bracket in section. The bracket, as has been mentioned previously, comprises a circular-cylindrical tube 5 preferably made of stainless steel. The tube is rotatably fastened to a holder 10, which in its turn is intended to be fastened to the tube 1. For this purpose the holder 10 is provided with a circular recess 11, where the tube 1 can be applied. The holder 10 is kept on the tube 1 by means of for instance a screw, which is applied into a recess 12 in the holder 10. This screw is not set more firmly than that the holder 10 can be rotated relative to the tube 1.

A drilled hole 13 is further made in the holder 10 intended to function as a channel for cleaning liquid and which extends down to the cylindrical tube 5. This hole has connection with an opening 14 in the tube 5 when this tube has the position shown in figure 3. In this connection the opening 14 comprises a hole in the jacket surface of the cylindrical tube 5. The hole 13 is in Its upper part surrounded by a tubular wall part 15 onto which a hose 16 for cleaning liquid is intended to be applied.

In order to prevent the cylindrical tube 5 from being rotated too easily relative to the holder 10 there is a ring or a ball 17 engaging a groove 18 in the tube 5. This ring or ball 17 can be loaded by a spring 19 so that the rotation of the tube shall require a larger force.

In order to prevent leakage between the hole 13 and the tube 5 a rubber seal 20 can be applied in the apparatus. The two ends of the tube 5 are further closed.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a milking apparatus where the teat cups have been applied into the cleaning cups of the cleaning apparatus for cleaning. In this connection the tube 5 has that position in relation to the holder 10 which has been shown in Fig. 3. The vacuum in the teat cups sucks cleaning liquid via the hose 16 and the hole 13 in through the opening 14 of the tube 5 and then via the openings 9a, b in the tube out through the opening 8 in each cleaning cup. After that the cleaning liquid is sucked into the teat cups and via the hoses of these ones into the milk lines and other means which shall be cleaned.

When the cleaning operation shall cease, the teat cups are loosened from the cleaning cups of the cleaning apparatus, whereafter the cleaning cups being fastened onto the cylindrical tube 5 are turned 180° around the centre line of the cylindrical tube. Due to that fact the connection between the hole 13 and the opening 14 in the tube 5 is shut off. Furthermore, the cleaning cups are directed downwards, whereby the cleaning liquid in the tube 5, the arm 6 and the cleaning cups 3 are drained in an effective way. Possible cleaning liquid in the inner part of the tube 5 is drained via the opening 14 in the tube 5 and the drilled hole 21 in the holder 10. By this invention it is accordingly possible to shut off the supply of cleaning liquid and drain the cleaning apparatus by a simple hand grasp. Furthermore, the cleaning cups are protected from coming into contact with dirt by their downwards-directed position.

As has been shown in Fig. 4 after that the teat cups have been loosened from the cleaning cups, the cleaning cups 3 and the tube 5 can partly be rotated round the holder 10, partly be turned away sideways since the holder 10 is rotatably fastened onto the holding tube 1. Due to that fact this apparatus requires a minimum of space.

According to Fig. 4 the cleaning apparatus is turned away by rotation in the horizontal plane. It is, however, also possible as has been shown in Fig. 5 to turn away the cleaning apparatus in the vertical plane. In this case the cleaning apparatus is fastened in another way compared with the cleaning apparatus in Fig. 4. Thus, the cylindrical tube 5 is rotatably connected with an inner part 22 which in its turn is pivotably fastened to essentially horizontal arms 23 which are fastened to a frame part 24 of the milking plant. The inner part 22 has connection with the conduit for cleaning liquid.

During cleaning the cleaning apparatus is kept in a horizontal position in a suitable way while it is pivoted upwards to a position about straight above its suspension point during milking. Due to that fact space is saved.

To sum up what has been previously stated the following advantages are achieved by this new cleaning apparatus:

- The apparatus can easily be turned away and thus requires a minimum of space.

- No requirements of a particular protection for preventing dust and other dirty particles to penetrate the cleaning apparatus.

- Automatic shut off of the supply of cleaning liquid by rotating the cylindrical tube with cleaning cups fastened to it in relation to the holder.

- Automatic drainage of cleaning liquid out of the cleaning apparatus after that the cleaning apparatus has taken the position shown in Fig. 2. - Simple handling of the cleaning apparatus both when applying the teat cups onto the cleaning cups and when adjusting the cleaning cups to milking position and cleaning position.

Claims

1. Apparatus for cleaning milking units comprising teat cups provided with liners and connected to a vacuum source, which apparatus preferably comprises four cleaning cups intended to receive the teat cups during cleaning, the cleaning cups having connection with a conduit for a cleaning liquid, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the apparatus (2) has a bracket-like design with a tube (5), at least one end of which is closed, and which is rotatably fastened to a holder (10; 22) and has connection with the conduit for cleaning liquid, and that the cleaning cups (3) are firmly connected with the tube, the cleaning cups (3) having a permanently open connection with the inner part of the tube (5).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that each pair of cleaning cups is fastened to an arm (6) having such a length that a portion of the arm projects out of each side of the tube (5), and having a channel in its inner part which debouches into an opening (8) in each cleaning cup.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the channel in the arm (6) has a permanently open connection with an opening (9a, b) in the tube (5) which comprises a hole in the tube wall.

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, the tube (5) being circular-cylindrical and having both of Its ends closed, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the holder (10) has a drilled hole (13) constituting a channel for the cleaning liquid and having connection with an opening (14) in the jacket surface of the tube (5) when the apparatus is in position for cleaning.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the holder (10) Is provided with a circular recess (11) round the hole (13) for application onto a holding tube (1), the holder (10) being rotatably fastened onto this tube.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d I n that the hole (13) in its upper part is surrounded by a tubular wall part (15) onto which a hose (16) for cleaning liquid is intended to be applied.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the claims 4-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the tube (5) is provided with a groove (18) cooperating with a spring-loaded ball (17) whereby the rotation of the tube (5) relative to the holder (10) shall require a larger force.

8. Apparatus according to any one of the claims 1-3, the tube (5) being circular-cylindrical, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the tube (5) is rotatably connected with an inner part (22) having connection with the conduit for the cleaning liquid.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the inner part (2) of the tube (5) is pivotably fastened onto arms (23) which are fastened to a frame part (24) of the milking plant.

10. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the tube (5) is made of stainless steel.