Laboratory mouse cage capable of feeding feed regularly and quantitatively

Abstract

The experimental mouse cage comprises a mouse cage body, an opening is formed in the top of the mouse cage body, a feeding pipe is vertically arranged at the opening, a feeding trough is arranged under the feeding pipe, an installation support is further arranged at the top of the mouse cage body, and a storage tank and a weighing assembly are further arranged on the installation support. A control panel is also arranged on the outer side wall of the mouse cage main body; the mouse cage is improved on the basis of an existing mouse cage structure, the weighing structure is adopted to measure fed feed in advance, so that accurate control of timing and quantification is achieved, meanwhile, the weight of a mouse can be measured through the force sensor, and a worker can know the feeding condition of the mouse more clearly; and residual feed in the feeding trough can be quickly emptied before and after feeding, so that the situation that the mouse eats the deteriorated feed due to long-time exposure can be prevented, and the effect of regular and quantitative feeding can be enhanced, so that the accuracy of a test result is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of breeding cages, in particular to an experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities. Background Art

[0002] Mice are frequently used experimental subjects. Whether they can grow normally affects the accuracy of experimental data. Mice are generally fed artificially, and the quality of the feed they are fed is crucial.

[0003] The commonly used feeding device for mice has a simple structure and mostly adopts a timed feeding structure. The feed is not weighed, and the feed cannot be accurately controlled. At the same time, the uneaten feed of the mice is not processed. The feed is exposed to the air for a long time, causing the feed to be stale or deteriorate. During this period, the mice can eat whatever they want, which does not achieve the effect of true timed feeding. When the feed is fed again, the new feed is mixed with the original stale and deteriorated feed, causing the mice to be infected after eating, resulting in inaccurate experimental data. Utility Model Content

[0004] Based on the above description, the utility model provides an experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities, so as to solve the shortcomings of existing feed delivery equipment that cannot process uneaten feed, resulting in the new feed being mixed with the original stale and spoiled feed, which can easily cause infection in mice and thus affect the experimental data.

[0005] The utility model is realized through the following technical solutions:

[0006] An experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities, comprising a mouse cage main body, an opening provided at the top of the mouse cage main body, a feed pipe vertically provided at the opening, a food trough provided directly below the feed pipe, the outer wall of the food trough fixedly connected to the inner wall of the mouse cage main body, a mounting bracket further provided at the top of the mouse cage main body, a storage tank and a weighing assembly further provided on the mounting bracket, wherein the storage tank is provided at the top of the mounting bracket, and the bottom center of the storage tank extends vertically downward and is connected to the top of the weighing assembly, and the bottom of the weighing assembly is connected to the top of the feed pipe; a control panel is also provided on the outer side wall of the mouse cage main body, and the control panel is electrically connected to the weighing assembly via a wire.

[0007] On the basis of the above technical solution, the present invention can also be improved as follows.

[0008] Furthermore, two groups of slots are provided on the inner wall of the squirrel cage body and partitions and drawers are movably installed thereon, wherein the partitions are arranged horizontally at the top, and a plurality of through holes are provided through the top surface of the partitions and arranged in a rectangular array, and the drawers are located at the bottom of the partitions, and the top surface of the drawers is opened and a pull-out handle is provided at the center of the outward-facing side.

[0009] Furthermore, a solid plate is provided at one end of the partition close to the trough, the top surface of the solid plate is recessed downward and embedded with a first force sensor, and the first force sensor is electrically connected to the control panel.

[0010] Furthermore, the weighing assembly includes a fixed plate horizontally arranged on the mounting bracket, a through hole is provided at the center of the fixed plate, a second force sensor is arranged around the outer edge of the through hole, and a weighing hopper is provided above the through hole, and the lower half of the weighing hopper is vertically inserted into the through hole and the bottom surface is tightly fitted with the top surface of the weighing hopper.

[0011] Furthermore, an electric valve is provided on the bottom outlet of the storage tank and the weighing hopper, and the electric valve and the second force sensor are electrically connected to the control panel through a wire.

[0012] Furthermore, the center of the food trough is hollowed out and a pull-out plate is provided at the bottom, and a limiting groove is provided on the bottom surface of the food trough, and the pull-out plate is movably inserted into the limiting groove.

[0013] Furthermore, a tripod is provided under the trough, the top of the tripod is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the pull-out plate, a slider is provided on the side wall of the tripod, a slide is provided on the inner wall of the squirrel cage body and is movably assembled with the slider, an electric telescopic rod is fixedly installed at one end of the slide, the output end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly connected to the tripod, and the electric telescopic rod is electrically connected to the control panel.

[0014] Furthermore, a scraper is vertically provided on the outer side wall of the trough, and the bottom end of the scraper is arranged in contact with the top surface of the pull-out plate.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0016] 1. This application improves the existing mouse cage structure and adopts a weighing structure to measure the feed in advance, so as to achieve precise control of timing and quantity. At the same time, a force sensor can be used to measure the weight of the mice, so that the staff can have a clearer understanding of the feeding status of the mice.

[0017] 2. In the present application, the residual feed inside the trough can be quickly emptied before and after feeding, which can not only prevent the mice from eating spoiled feed due to long-term exposure, but also enhance the effect of timed and quantitative feeding, so as to improve the accuracy of the test results. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the squirrel cage body in this embodiment;

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the control panel in this embodiment;

[0020] Figure 3 2 is a front view of the interior of the squirrel cage body in this embodiment;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the feeding trough in this embodiment;

[0022] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the storage tank and weighing assembly in this embodiment;

[0023] Among them: 1. Squirrel cage body; 11. Slot; 12. Partition; 13. Drawer; 14. First force sensor; 2. Feed trough; 21. Pull-out plate; 22. Tripod; 23. Electric telescopic rod; 24. Scraper; 3. Storage tank; 31. Electric valve; 4. Weighing assembly; 41. Fixed plate; 42. Weighing hopper; 43. Second force sensor; 5. Control panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] To facilitate understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings provide embodiments of the present application. However, the present application may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive.

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0026] Combine Figure 1-5 As shown, a cage for feeding experimental mice with feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities comprises:

[0027] The main body of the cage 1 is a rectangular plastic shell structure with a large number of ventilation holes on the top and side walls. At the same time, one side is also provided with a door that can be opened and closed and locked by a snap-fit ​​structure. There is an opening on the top, which is arranged close to the side wall and a feeding pipe for feeding feed is vertically arranged inside.

[0028] The feeding trough 2 is provided inside the mouse cage body 1 and is used to hold a fixed amount of feed for the mice to eat;

[0029] Storage tank 3, a container for storing feed;

[0030] The weighing component 4 is provided between the storage tank 3 and the cage body 1 and is used to weigh the feed to achieve a timed and quantitative feeding effect;

[0031] The control panel 5 is a Siemens SIMAT IC controller with multiple electronic components such as a single-chip microcomputer and a timer built in. There is also a display on the surface. The controller is electrically connected to the weighing component 4 through a wire to adjust the timing and quantitative delivery function.

[0032] Specifically; in this embodiment, two groups of slots 11 are provided on the inner wall of the squirrel cage body 1 and are arranged at intervals up and down, and the two groups of slots 11 are respectively movably mounted with partitions 12 and drawers 13, wherein the partition 12 is located above and is arranged horizontally, and the partition 12 is a mesh plate structure, and a solid plate is also provided at one end close to the trough 2.

[0033] The drawer 13 is located at the bottom of the partition 12. The top surface of the drawer 13 is opened and a pull-out handle is provided in the center of the outward side. Therefore, when the feces or feed of the mice are spilled onto the partition 12, they will fall into the drawer 13 at the bottom through the mesh structure so that they can be cleaned regularly later, effectively protecting the breeding environment of the mice and reducing the chance of the mice getting sick.

[0034] The surface of the solid plate is concave downward, and a first force sensor 14 (a 266AS disc-type weighing sensor can be used) is embedded in the concave part. The surface of the first force sensor 14 is arranged flush with the surface of the solid plate. It is used to weigh the mouse when it eats, so as to record the growth status of the mouse in real time. Therefore, the first force sensor 14 should be electrically connected to the control panel 5 through a wire.

[0035] The weighing assembly 4 includes a water fixing plate 41, a weighing hopper 42 and a second force sensor 43, wherein mounting brackets are respectively provided on both sides of the storage tank 3, and the bottom of the mounting bracket is fixedly connected to the top surface of the squirrel cage main body 1, and the fixing plate 41 is arranged between the storage tank 3 and the top surface of the squirrel cage main body 1. A through hole is provided at the center of the fixing plate 41, and the second force sensor 43 (the force sensor is arranged in a ring shape, such as the pressure sensor of models F6212, F6804, etc.) is arranged correspondingly at the edge of the through hole, and the weighing hopper 42 is arranged directly above the through hole, and the lower half is vertically inserted into the through hole, so that its bottom part is tightly fitted with the top surface of the weighing hopper 42. Therefore, when the feed inside the storage tank 3 enters the weighing hopper 42, the second force sensor 43 can be used to weigh the internal feed, and finally achieve the effect of quantitative delivery.

[0036] At the same time, in this embodiment, an electric valve 31 (a CWX micro electric ball valve can be used) should be respectively provided at the bottom of the storage tank 3 and the bottom of the weighing hopper 42 to control the release of feed, and a hose is provided at the bottom of the storage tank 3 and connected to the top of the weighing hopper 42, and a hose is also provided at the bottom of the weighing hopper 42 and connected to the feeding pipe, so as to automatically transport the feed by gravity. The above two electric valves 31 are electrically connected to the control panel 5 through wires.

[0037] During the actual feeding process, the actual amount of food consumed by the mice must also be taken into consideration, because uneaten feed will depreciate if exposed to the air for a long time, which may cause the mice to become sick and affect the test results. Therefore, the residual feed inside the trough 2 needs to be cleaned every time the feed is fed.

[0038] That is, in this embodiment, the trough 2 is set to a rectangular structure, and a rectangular hollow is arranged at the center thereof. At the same time, a limiting groove is set on its bottom surface, and a pull-out plate 21 is slidably inserted in the limiting groove. The pull-out plate 21 extends toward the inside of the limiting groove and closes the bottom surface of the trough 2. The quantitative feed will be accumulated inside the trough 2, and when the pull-out plate 21 is displaced in the horizontal direction, the feed inside will fall downward into the inside of the drawer 13.

[0039] In order to enable the above structure to operate automatically, a tripod 22 should be provided below the trough 2. The top surface of the tripod 22 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the pull-out plate 21. The side wall of the tripod 22 is provided with a slider, and the inner wall of the squirrel cage body 1 is provided with a slide groove. The slider and the slide groove are movably assembled, and an electric telescopic rod 23 is arranged at one end of the slide groove. The output end of the electric telescopic rod 23 is fixedly connected to the tripod 22, and the entire tripod 22 is pushed to reciprocate by reciprocating telescopic means, thereby driving the pull-out plate 21 to be inserted into the limit groove or pulled out to the outside of the trough 2. The electric telescopic rod 23 is also electrically connected to the control panel 5 by a wire.

[0040] In addition, since the pull-out plate 21 is in contact with the feed for a long time, it is inevitable that some powdered feed will adhere to the surface of the pull-out plate 21, so it needs to be cleaned, that is, a scraper 24 is provided on the side wall of the trough 2, and the scraper 24 is vertically downward and its bottom end is in contact with the top surface of the pull-out plate 21. Whenever the pull-out plate 21 moves outward, the surface of the pull-out plate 21 is in contact with the bottom of the scraper 24 in turn, thereby removing the feed residue and powder attached to its surface, thereby improving the cleaning effect.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cage for feeding experimental mice with regular and quantitative feed, characterized in that: The invention comprises a squirrel cage main body (1), wherein the top of the squirrel cage main body (1) is provided with an opening, a feeding pipe is vertically provided at the opening, a food trough (2) is provided directly below the feeding pipe, the outer wall of the food trough (2) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the squirrel cage main body (1), the top of the squirrel cage main body (1) is also provided with a mounting bracket, a storage tank (3) and a weighing assembly (4) are also provided on the mounting bracket, wherein the storage tank (3) is provided on the top of the mounting bracket, and the bottom center of the storage tank (3) extends vertically downward and is connected to the top of the weighing assembly (4), and the bottom of the weighing assembly (4) is connected to the top of the feeding pipe; a control panel (5) is also provided on the outer side wall of the squirrel cage main body (1), and the control panel (5) is electrically connected to the weighing assembly (4) through a wire.

2. The experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities according to claim 1, wherein: Two groups of slots (11) are provided on the inner wall of the squirrel cage body (1) and are movably mounted with a partition (12) and a drawer (13), respectively, wherein the partition (12) is located at the upper side and arranged horizontally, and a plurality of through holes are provided through the top surface of the partition (12) and arranged in a rectangular array, and the drawer (13) is located at the bottom of the partition (12), and the top surface of the drawer (13) is opened and a pull handle is provided at the center of the outward side.

3. The experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities according to claim 2, characterized in that: A solid plate is further provided at one end of the partition (12) close to the trough (2); the top surface of the solid plate is recessed downward and embedded with a first force sensor (14); the first force sensor (14) is electrically connected to the control panel (5).

4. The experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities according to claim 1, wherein: The weighing assembly (4) includes a fixing plate (41) horizontally arranged on a mounting bracket, a through hole is provided at the center of the fixing plate (41), a second force sensor (43) is arranged around the outer edge of the through hole, and a weighing hopper (42) is provided above the through hole, and the lower half of the weighing hopper (42) is vertically inserted into the through hole so that the bottom surface is tightly fitted with the top surface of the weighing hopper (42).

5. The experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities according to claim 4, characterized in that: An electric valve (31) is also provided at the bottom outlet of the storage tank (3) and the weighing hopper (42), and the electric valve (31) and the second force sensor (43) are both electrically connected to the control panel (5) via a wire.

6. The experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center of the food trough (2) is hollowed out and a pull-out plate (21) is provided at the bottom. A limiting groove is provided on the bottom surface of the food trough (2), and the pull-out plate (21) is movably inserted into the limiting groove.

7. The experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities according to claim 6, characterized in that: A tripod (22) is further provided below the trough (2), the top of the tripod (22) being fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the pull-out plate (21), a slider being provided on the side wall of the tripod (22), a slide being provided on the inner wall of the squirrel cage body (1) and movably assembled with the slider, an electric telescopic rod (23) being fixedly installed at one end of the slide, an output end of the electric telescopic rod (23) being fixedly connected to the tripod (22), and the electric telescopic rod (23) being electrically connected to the control panel (5).

8. The experimental mouse cage for feeding feed at regular intervals and in fixed quantities according to claim 7, characterized in that: A scraper (24) is also vertically provided on the outer side wall of the trough (2), and the bottom end of the scraper (24) is arranged to fit in with the top surface of the pull-out plate (21).

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