Animal experiment apparatus

• US 5,081,955 A
• Filed: 11/29/1990
• Issued: 01/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Zoki Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nippon Zoki Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohara, Hiroyuki, Yoneda, Ryozo, Ohtsuka, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): WEISS, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US07/619,676
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 119/15, 119/17, 119/19, 119/37, 119/39, 119/35, 119/174
• US Class Current: 119/417
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals

Abstract

An animal experiment apparatus is disclosed. Heated air or cooled air introduced into an air fan chamber provided in a housing is circulated in the housing by an air fan. The housing is vertically divided into a plurality of chambers by reticulate partition shelves and a cage containing a small animal is put into and out of each chamber. The housing is provided with a commutator plate for controlling the circulating air and/or a temperature detector, a humidity detector, a control unit for controlling the housing in accordance with signals from the detectors, and a brightness-controlling device.

Claims

1. An animal experiment apparatus comprising:

a housing;

partition shelves for vertically dividing said housing into a plurality of chambers;

means for changing temperature provided in said housing;

at least one air fan provided in an air fan chamber located in said housing;

a blowoff through which air treated by said means for changing temperature introduced into said air fan chamber is blown by said air fan;

a commutator plate extending along the inside wall of the housing to control the direction of the blown air for preventing the blown air from being blown on the shelves directly; and

means for manually setting predetermined temperature condition timing patterns, by which at least upper and lower temperature limits and temperature condition timing patterns can be manually set.

2. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 1, wherein said commutator plate is a duct provided along the side wall of the housing and being provided with a perforation on the wall of the duct adjacent to each chamber such that the blown-in air is in a homogeneous condition.

3. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for changing temperature is comprised of at least one of a heater and a cooler.

4. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 1, further comprising moistening means for moistening the interior of said housing.

5. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 4, further comprising at least one humidity sensor for detecting the humidity in said housing.

6. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 5, further comprising means for manually controlling humidity, by which at least one of an upper humidity limit, a lower humidity limit and humidity condition timing patterns can be manually set.

7. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a lighting fixture in said housing.

8. An animal experiment apparatus comprising:

a housing;

partition shelves for vertically dividing said housing into a plurality of chambers;

means for changing temperature provided in said housing;

at least one air fan provided in an air fan chamber located in said housing;

a blowoff through which air treated by said means for changing temperature introduced into said air fan chamber is blown by said air fan;

a commutator plate extending along the inside wall of the housing to control the direction of the blown air for preventing the blown air from being blown on the shelf directly;

at least one temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in said housing;

means for automatically setting temperature condition timing patterns, which means compares detected signals from said at least one temperature sensor with predetermined upper and lower temperature values, and controls said means for changing temperature so that said detected values are alternately maintained at substantially said upper and lower predetermined values; and

recorder means for recording said detected signals output from said temperature sensor.

9. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a moistening device for moistening the interior of said housing.

10. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 9, further comprising at least one humidity sensor for detecting the humidity in said housing.

11. The animal experiment apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for automatically controlling humidity, by which at least one of an upper humidity limit, a lower humidity limit and humidity condition timing patterns are automatically controlled, which means compares detected signals from said at least one humidity sensor with at least one predetermined humidity value.