公开(公告)号：US10477828B2

公开(公告)日：2019-11-19

申请号：US15637247

申请日：2017-06-29

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Ype Groensma

IPC: A01J7/04 ,  A01K13/00 ,  B25J9/16 ,  A01K29/00 ,  A01J5/003 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12 ,  G06T1/00 ,  G06T7/73 ,  A01J7/00 ,  B25J11/00 ,  G06T7/00 ,  G06T7/13 ,  B25J9/00 ,  H04N7/18 ,  G05B19/042

Abstract: A method for applying disinfectant to the teats of a dairy livestock comprises moving a robotic arm along a track in relation to a rotary milking platform housing a dairy livestock and independent of any physical coupling between the robotic arm and the rotary milking platform. The rotary milking platform has a substantially circular perimeter. The track is positioned outside the perimeter of the rotary milking platform. At least a portion of the track is straight and offset in relation to the rotary milking platform. The robotic arm comprises an arm member operable to pivot about an axis that is parallel to the track, and a spray tool attached to one end of the arm member. The method further comprises extending the robotic arm between the hind legs of the dairy livestock while the rotary milking platform rotates such that the spray tool is located at a spray position from which it may discharge disinfectant to the teats of the dairy livestock.

公开(公告)号：US10477826B2

公开(公告)日：2019-11-19

申请号：US15596792

申请日：2017-05-16

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS CORP.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Ype Groensma

IPC: A01J5/00 ,  A01J5/003 ,  A01K1/00 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12 ,  A01J7/04 ,  A01J5/007 ,  B25J13/08 ,  B25J19/02 ,  A01J9/00 ,  A01J7/02 ,  A01K5/02 ,  A01J5/06 ,  A01J5/013 ,  A01K11/00 ,  G06K9/00 ,  G06T7/70 ,  A01J5/01 ,  G06T1/00 ,  A01J5/04

Abstract: A method includes positioning a robotic attacher under a dairy livestock located in a milking stall, wherein the robotic attacher comprises a nozzle. The method continues by rotating the robotic attacher such that the nozzle is positioned generally on the top of the robotic attacher and performing a spraying operation using the nozzle. The method concludes by retracting the robotic attacher from under the dairy livestock.

公开(公告)号：US10362760B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-30

申请号：US16150467

申请日：2018-10-03

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS CORP.

Inventor： Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Henk Hofman

IPC: A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12 ,  A01J5/04

Abstract: A milking robot includes a movable arm having a first end that couples to a frame and a free extremity at a second end that extends telescopically in a longitudinal direction. The milking robot further includes at least one gripper coupled to the free extremity of the movable arm at the second end, wherein the gripper is extendable away from the movable arm in the longitudinal direction based at least in part upon the telescopic extension of the free extremity.

公开(公告)号：US10362759B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-30

申请号：US15895473

申请日：2018-02-13

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS CORP.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Ype Groensma

IPC: A01J5/00 ,  A01J5/003 ,  A01K1/00 ,  H04N13/204 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01K1/12 ,  A01J7/04 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01J7/00 ,  B25J13/08 ,  B25J19/02 ,  A01J9/00 ,  A01J7/02 ,  A01K5/02 ,  H04N5/247 ,  A01J5/06 ,  A01J5/013 ,  A01K5/00 ,  A01K11/00 ,  G06K9/00 ,  G06T7/70 ,  A01J5/01 ,  G06T1/00 ,  A01J5/04

Abstract: A system comprises a milking box, a robotic attacher, a sensor, and a controller. The milking box has a stall to accommodate a dairy livestock. The stall comprises a first exit gate on a first side of the stall leading to a first sorting region and a second exit gate on a second side of the stall leading to a second sorting region. The robotic attacher extends from the rear between the hind legs of the dairy livestock. The sensor identifies the dairy livestock within the milking box stall. The controller selects and opens the first exit gate or the second exit gate based at least in part upon the identity of the dairy livestock.

公开(公告)号：US10349618B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-16

申请号：US16206839

申请日：2018-11-30

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS CORP.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Cor de Ruijter ,  Menno Koekoek ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis

IPC: A01J5/017 ,  A01J5/00 ,  A01K1/12 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01J7/04 ,  A01K13/00

Abstract: A method includes housing a dairy livestock in a stall portion of a milking box and retrieving, by a robotic attacher, a cup. For each of a plurality of teats of a dairy livestock, the method further uses the robotic arm to perform the steps of attaching the cup to the teat, detaching the cup from the teat, and maintaining the cup within the stall portion of the milking box from the time that the cup is attached to the first teat of the dairy livestock through the time that the cup is attached to a last teat of the dairy livestock. The method concludes by retracting the cup into an equipment area of the milking box after detaching the cup from the last teat of the dairy livestock.

公开(公告)号：US10127446B2

公开(公告)日：2018-11-13

申请号：US14843219

申请日：2015-09-02

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Cor de Ruijter ,  Menno Koekoek ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis

IPC: G06K9/00 ,  A01K29/00 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01J5/007 ,  G06T5/00 ,  G06T7/73 ,  G06T7/136

Abstract: A system comprises a memory operable to store first light intensity information for a first pixel of an image that includes a dairy livestock, and second light intensity information for a second pixel of the image, wherein the second pixel is adjacent to the first pixel. The system further comprises a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and operable to determine that a difference between the first light intensity information and the second light intensity information exceeds a threshold, and discard one of the first pixel or the second pixel from the image.

公开(公告)号：US09980458B2

公开(公告)日：2018-05-29

申请号：US15240289

申请日：2016-08-18

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS CORP.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Cor de Ruijter ,  Menno Koekoek ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis

IPC: A01J5/007 ,  A01J7/04 ,  A01K1/12 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01J5/003

CPC classification number: A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/003 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01J5/0175 ,  A01J7/04 ,  A01K1/126

Abstract: A system includes a linear carriage track positioned adjacent to a rotary milking platform, a robot carriage positioned on the carriage track such that the robot carriage may move along the carriage track from a first linear position to a second linear position, and a controller. The controller determines a movement of a milking stall of the rotary milking platform from a first rotational position to a second rotational position. The controller further determines the second linear position of the robot carriage on the carriage track corresponding to the movement of the milking stall of the rotary milking platform. The controller also communicates a position signal to a carriage actuator coupled to the robot carriage and the carriage track. The position signal causes the carriage actuator to move the robot carriage along the carriage track from the first linear position to the second linear position in conjunction with the movement of the rotary milking platform.

公开(公告)号：US20180103605A1

公开(公告)日：2018-04-19

申请号：US15841467

申请日：2017-12-14

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis ,  Ype Groensma

IPC: A01J7/04 ,  G05B19/042 ,  B25J9/00 ,  B25J9/16 ,  H04N7/18 ,  G06T7/13

Abstract: A method for applying disinfectant to the teats of a dairy livestock includes determining that a stall of a rotary milking platform housing a dairy livestock is located adjacent to a track that has a carriage carrying a robotic arm. The method continues by communicating a first signal that causes operation of a first actuator such that the carriage moves along the track in relation to the rotary milking platform and independent of any physical coupling between the carriage and the rotary milking platform and in a direction corresponding to a direction of rotation of the rotary milking platform. The method concludes by communicating one or more additional signals that causes operation of one or more actuators of the robotic arm such that at least a portion of the robotic arm extends between the hind legs of a dairy livestock.

公开(公告)号：US20180064062A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-08

申请号：US15810774

申请日：2017-11-13

Applicant: TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS CORP.

Inventor： Henk Hofman ,  Cor de Ruijter ,  Menno Koekoek ,  Michael A. Mills ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis

IPC: A01K1/12 ,  A01J5/017 ,  A01J5/00 ,  A01J5/007

CPC classification number: A01K1/12 ,  A01J5/00 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01J5/0175

Abstract: A system includes an equipment portion and a plurality of milking box stalls arranged adjacent to the equipment portion. Each of the milking box stalls is of a size sufficient to accommodate a dairy livestock. The system further includes a robotic attacher housed in the equipment portion and configured to service each of the plurality of milking box stalls at different times. The robotic attacher has a gripping portion with a spray nozzle. The gripping portion is operable to rotate around a longitudinal axis such that during a milking operation the spray nozzle is positioned on the bottom of the gripping portion, and after the milking operation the spray nozzle is positioned on the top of the gripping portion.

公开(公告)号：US20180049397A1

公开(公告)日：2018-02-22

申请号：US15448821

申请日：2017-03-03

Applicant: Technologies Holdings Corp.

Inventor： Mark A. Foresman ,  Marijn Van Anart ,  Peter Willem van der Sluis

IPC: A01J5/017 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J11/00 ,  B25J19/02 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01K1/12

CPC classification number: A01J5/0175 ,  A01J5/007 ,  A01K1/12 ,  B25J9/1697 ,  B25J19/022

Abstract: A system includes a robotic arm, a laser, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine whether a first teat of a diary livestock is found in a first scan of the dairy livestock by the laser, and if so, command the robotic arm to move to a location corresponding to the location of the first teat. The processor is further configured to increment a counter associated with the first teat and then determine whether the counter equals a predetermined number. If the counter equals the predetermined number, the processor commands the robotic arm to attach a teat cup to the first teat. If the counter does not equal the predetermined number, the processor determines whether the first teat is found in a second scan by the laser. If the first teat is found in the second scan, the processor commands the robotic arm to attach the teat cup to the first teat.