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Abstract

An electrical conductivity testing device for detecting mastitis in dairy cows includes an inlet for receiving a sample of milk to be tested, a conductivity cell having a milk flow-through testing passage in flow communication with the inlet, and a milk discharge outlet in flow communication with the conductivity cell, so that a milk sample enters the inlet, flows through the conductivity cell, and flows out through the discharge outlet. The flow described may be continuous or may be discontinuous so that the sample is held in the conductivity cell at least during taking of the conductivity measurement. The conductivity cell is arranged so that it is completely filled with milk during the taking of conductivity measurements. Electrical circuitry is provided to produce an electrical signal proportional to the conductivity of the milk in the conductivity cell. A preferred embodiment of the device takes conductivity measurements, individually and sequentially, of samples of milk from the four quarters of a cow's udder and produces electrical signals representing respective individual conductivity measurements on a scale of from 0 to 9 by electrical comparison of such conductivity measurements with a reference value, preferably by means of a bridge amplifier circuit, and exhibits respective digits representative of such measurements, preferably side-by-side, on a readout screen provided as a part of the instrument.

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First Claim