Robotic Technology....
The GM Liberty Zenith Automatic Milking System is modular. Depending on
the requirements of the customer, the robotic arm may be linked to one, two,
three or four milking boxes. The length of the box is adjustable for each cow by
means of the controlled feed manger. When the information of each cow is
programmed into the system, the length of the cow is needed to reduce the
forward movement of the cow, which enables the robot to know where to start
looking for the teats, and to prevent excess back and forward movement helping
the clusters to stay attached.
The attachment of the cups to the teats is controlled by a
system of double ultrasonic sound waves. A 'coarse' sensor detects the first
teat and follows the movement of the animal. Then, depending on the location of
the first teat, the 'fine' sensor locates the other teats and the attachment of
the cluster follows. The attachment technique based on sound waves gives a good
broad scanning range and is not sensitive to dust or dirt.
The GM Liberty Zenith Automatic Milking System uses a unique two stage
check system to ensure correct attachment of the cluster. Detection of the
position of the teat takes care of the successful attachment of the teat cup (by
means of a sensor which can 'see' the teat through the liner); and the milk flow
detector (one for each quarter) proves that the teat has been accurately
located.
The washing of each teat is done separately inside the teat cup.
The washing is based on a mixture of air and water. The risk of teat-to-teat
cross infection is reduced to a minimum. Twice a day the whole system shuts
down, and goes through an automatic washing cycle. The system can be programmed
to wash an individual stall only after milking an antibiotic treated cow.
The robotic arm takes care of optimal positioning, the milking
arm takes care of successful attachment and removal.
The robotic arm, after having attached the cluster may be used
for other tasks like positioning the teat cups in other boxes. The system allows
you to disable the robotic arm, and attach the teat cups manually. This could be
important for a fresh cow getting used to the system.
Please note that the
GM liberty AMS has now been withdrawn from the market
indefinitely.
