Apparatus for automatically measuring the movement of an animal

• US 3,304,911 A
• Filed: 08/23/1965
• Issued: 02/21/1967
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1964
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hiroshi Hakata, Katsumi Higuchi, Keizo Maeda
• Original Assignee: Hiroshi Hakata, Katsumi Higuchi, Keizo Maeda
• Inventors: HIROSHI HAKATA, KEIZO MAEDA, KATSUMI HIGUCHI
• Application Number:
  US04/481,473
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• US Class Current: 119/421
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/42 for laboratory research
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/185 Optical shielding, e.g. baffles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1105 of laboratory animals, e.g. activity

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY MEASURING THE MOVEMENT OF AN ANIMAL COMPRISING:

TWO LINEAR LIGHT SOURCES SO DISPOSED AS TO FORM TWO COORDINATE AXES, TWO AUTOMATIC TRACKING MEANS FOR GENERATING ELECTRICAL SIGNALS REPRESENTING THE COORDINATES OF SAID ANIMAL DISPOSED IN SUCH A MANNER THAT EACH TRACKING MEANS MAY FACE ONE OF SAID LIGHT SOURCES AND HAVING LIGHT RECEIVERS ADAPTED TO TRAVEL IN PARALLEL WITH SAID LIGHT SOURCES TO WHICH THEY FACE, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LIGHT RECEIVERS IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID ANIMAL, SAID TWO LIGHT SOURCES AND SAID TWO AUTOMATIC TRACKING MEANS DEFINING A FIELD OF MOVEMENT FOR SAID ANIMAL, AND A RECORDER FOR RECORDING CONTINUOUSLY THE POSITIONS OF SAID ANIMAL IN RESPONSE TO SAID ELECTRICAL SIGNALS.