An active motion animal experiment platform

Abstract

The invention relates to an active motion animal experimental platform, comprising a base and a fixing piece for fixing a certain part of an animal, wherein the base comprises a supporting platform, a field placement platform and a driving system, wherein the field placement platform is horizontally slidably connected to the supporting platform, and further comprises a fixing arm, wherein an outer ring is arranged on the fixing arm, an inner ring is provided in a ball joint inside the outer ring, the fixing piece is arranged on the inner ring, pressure sensors are spaced apart on the outer ring, and a first trigger arm corresponding to and in contact with a detection end of the pressure sensor is arranged on the inner ring, wherein the animal activity triggers the pressure sensor so that the driving system drives the field placement platform to move in the opposite direction relative to the animal's movement; when the animal has the intention to move horizontally during the experiment, the corresponding pressure sensor transmits a signal to the driving system to drive the field placement platform to move in the opposite direction, thereby satisfying the animal's movement needs, during which the animal does not need to consume physical strength to drive the entire placement platform to move, the physical strength consumption of the animal is small, the application range is wide and the applicability is good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of animal experiments, and in particular to an active motion animal experiment platform. Background Art

[0002] There is a type of behavioral experiment in biological experiments, which is to put animals in a field environment to observe their behavior. Common ones include the three-box social experiment of mice and rats, the open field experiment of mice and rats, etc. Sometimes, in order to study some neuroscience-related issues, it is necessary to fix a certain part of the experimental animal for observation and operation of the experimental animal, such as using a large two-photon microscope to observe and record the mouse brain in vivo. However, after the experimental animal is fixed, the experimental animal cannot move freely in the field, which is the contradiction.

[0003] Most of the existing head fixation technologies and devices that ensure the relative freedom of movement of experimental animals are "passive movement". For example, the mouse head fixation cognitive behavior detection system (Mobile HomeCage) of BLACKROCK Technology Co., Ltd., its operating principle is to fix the mouse's head and place the mouse in a small circular field that is suspended by high-pressure airflow. Because the field is very small and the gas suspension reduces the friction between the field and the lower support platform, the mouse can drive the field through its own movement, so the mouse can be stationary while the field is moving, so that the mouse can move relatively freely in a two-dimensional plane. For example, the JetBall virtual reality system of PHENOSYS (https: / / www.phenosys.com / products / virtual-reality / ), its operating principle is to place the experimental mouse on a foam floating ball, and the floating ball is suspended by high-pressure airflow. The head of the experimental mouse is fixed, and the floating ball can rotate freely in all directions with low resistance and light weight, so the mouse can drive the floating ball to rotate by its own strength. The rotation of the floating ball is detected by the computer, and the virtual reality scene is displayed in real time in front of the experimental mouse through a display or projector, thereby simulating the "free movement" of the experimental mouse in a two-dimensional plane in a certain field.

[0004] However, all of the above experiments use the power of the mice themselves as the power source to drive the external experimental equipment, which consumes a lot of physical energy of the experimental animals. In addition, some objects of special shapes need to be added as part of the experiment, such as the three-box social experiment. It is difficult to add other real objects to the venue of the above experiments, resulting in a limited scope of use, which needs further improvement. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an active motion animal experiment platform, which can add other real objects during the experiment, has a wide range of uses, and consumes less physical energy of the animals during the experiment.

[0006] The above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] An active motion animal experiment platform comprises a base and a fixing part for fixing a certain part of an animal, wherein the base comprises a supporting platform and a field placement platform, wherein the field placement platform is horizontally slidably connected to the supporting platform, wherein a driving system for driving the field placement platform to move horizontally is arranged on the supporting platform, and further comprises a fixing arm located above the field platform, wherein an outer ring is arranged on the fixing arm, wherein an inner ring is provided with a ball joint inside the outer ring, wherein the fixing part is arranged on the inner ring, wherein pressure sensors are distributed at intervals on the outer ring, wherein a first trigger arm corresponding to and in contact with a detection end of the pressure sensor is arranged on the inner ring, wherein the animal activity triggers the pressure sensor so that the driving system drives the field placement platform to move in the opposite direction relative to the animal's movement.

[0008] In this way, the field placement platform can move freely horizontally on the support platform, and during the specific experimental process, it is fixed to a certain part of the animal, such as the head, with the help of fixing parts. When the animal has the intention to move horizontally, the force condition is reacted to the pressure sensor on the corresponding outer ring, and then the pressure sensor transmits a signal to the drive system to drive the field placement platform to move in the opposite direction, thereby meeting the animal's movement needs. During this period, the animal does not need to expend physical energy to drive the entire placement platform to move, and the physical energy consumption of the animal is small. In addition, for the needs of some experiments, other real objects can be placed on the field placement platform for use, thereby achieving the purpose of wide use range and good applicability. In addition, there is no obstruction above the fixed position of the experimental animal, which is convenient for observation and even observation using large instruments.

[0009] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: a static torque sensor is provided on the outer ring, a second trigger arm is provided on the inner ring, which contacts the detection end of the static torque sensor and is used for triggering, and the animal turns to trigger the static torque sensor so that the drive system drives the field placement platform to rotate in the opposite direction.

[0010] Since animal activities not only involve horizontal movement but also turning, the static torque sensor is further set up to trigger the static torque sensor when the animal turns left or right, thereby transmitting a signal to the drive system to drive the platform to rotate in the opposite direction to adapt to the animal's turning movement, thereby allowing the animal to move naturally while keeping a certain part of the body still, thereby better ensuring the accuracy of the experiment.

[0011] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: the drive system includes a Mecanum wheel power system, the Mecanum wheel power system includes a body and four symmetrical Mecanum wheels, the body is provided with a drive motor for driving each Mecanum wheel to rotate, and the top of the Mecanum wheel abuts against the bottom wall of the field placement platform.

[0012] With the help of independent drive motors to drive the Mecanum wheels to rotate, the Mecanum wheel power system can stably drive the upper field placement platform to move omnidirectionally on the horizontal plane, so as to better adapt to the various activities of animals during the experiment.

[0013] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: a plurality of bull's eye universal wheels are evenly distributed on the support platform, and the bull's eye universal wheels abut against the bottom wall of the site placement platform.

[0014] Furthermore, with the help of evenly distributed bull's eye universal wheels, the top of the support platform is in point contact with the bottom wall of the field placement platform, thereby effectively reducing friction resistance and making the movement of the field placement platform smoother and easier.

[0015] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: four pressure sensors are provided and are evenly distributed in four directions: front, rear, left, and right.

[0016] The pressure sensors arranged in this way are located in the four directions of front, back, left and right, so that they can correspond well to the movement direction of the animal, so that the animal's movement intention on the platform placed on the field can be well reflected through each pressure sensor, and at the same time it is convenient for the driving system to drive the field placement platform to move horizontally accurately.

[0017] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: the fixed arm includes a cantilever, the end of the cantilever is connected to an electric telescopic block, and the outer ring is arranged on the electric telescopic block.

[0018] By setting an electric telescopic block, the extension and retraction of the electric telescopic block can realize the height position adjustment of the fixing part, so that it can be effectively adjusted according to actual needs, ensuring that the fixing part can be well fixed on a certain part of the animal, and at the same time it can be better suitable for animal experiments of different sizes and types, and has better applicability.

[0019] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: the fixing member includes fixing strips evenly distributed on the inner ring around the circumference, the fixing strips are in an arc shape and a fixing hole for fixing is opened at the bottom end.

[0020] The arc-shaped fixing strips are evenly distributed, which, on the one hand, facilitates the fixation of their ends to a certain part of the animal, and on the other hand, ensures that there are fixing strips in all directions for fixation. When the animal moves, the force can be evenly transmitted to each fixing strip, so that the force can be well transmitted to the pressure sensor, and at the same time, the overall force of the fixing is more even and the durability is better.

[0021] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: the highest point of the Mecanum wheel is highly consistent with the highest point of the bull's eye universal wheel.

[0022] This can ensure that the site placement platform maintains a good level, and the site placement platform moves horizontally during the experiment, which is beneficial to the accuracy of the experimental data.

[0023] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: a V-groove is provided at the detection end of the static torque sensor, and a plug-in portion adapted to the V-groove is provided at the end of the second trigger arm.

[0024] The connection between the second trigger arm and the static torque sensor is achieved by means of the cooperation between the plug-in portion and the V-groove. The V-shaped structure facilitates the installation and insertion of the end of the second trigger arm during installation, and no matter whether the second trigger arm rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, the force can be well transmitted to the static torque sensor for reflection and triggering.

[0025] In a preferred example, the present invention can be further configured as follows: a concave installation groove for installing the drive system is provided in the middle of the support platform.

[0026] Firstly, the setting of the mounting groove facilitates the installation of the drive system, and the mounting groove is directly opened in the middle of the supporting platform, which can effectively save the occupied space and effectively reduce the overall volume.

[0027] In summary, the present invention includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0028] 1. Experimental animals are more relaxed, natural, and less nervous;

[0029] 2. Ability to conduct “free movement” experiments with fixed animals in more complex, larger, heavier, or other-object-filled venues;

[0030] 3. At the same time, it ensures that the experimental animals are tested in a real environment, and all the information collected by their senses is natural.

[0031] 4. No long adaptation training is required, only a simple adaptation process is needed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this embodiment.

[0033] Figure 2 It is an exploded view of the site placement platform and the support platform in this embodiment.

[0034] Figure 3 2 is a structural diagram of the fixed arm in this embodiment.

[0035] Figure 4 2 is a structural diagram of the fixing member in this embodiment.

[0036] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of the inner ring in this embodiment.

[0037] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the force on the inner ring when the experimental animal intends to move forward.

[0038] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the forces acting on the inner ring when the experimental animal intends to turn right.

[0039] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the force analysis of the inner ring when the experimental animal raises its head.

[0040] Figure numerals: 1. base; 11. support platform; 12. site placement platform; 2. fixed arm; 21. fixed part; 22. cantilever; 3. fixing piece; 31. outer ring; 32. inner ring; 33. fixing bar; 34. fixing hole; 35. mounting arm; 4. mounting slot; 5. Mecanum wheel system; 51. body; 52. Mecanum wheel; 6. bull's eye universal wheel; 71. pressure sensor; 72. static torque sensor; 73. first trigger arm; 74. second trigger arm; 75. V-groove; 76. plug-in part; 8. mounting part; 9. electric telescopic block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 , is an active motion animal experimental platform disclosed by the present invention, comprising a base 1 and a fixed arm 2, wherein the fixed arm 2 is L-shaped and comprises a vertical fixed portion 21 and a horizontal cantilever 22, the base 1 comprises a supporting platform 11 and a field placement platform 12, the field placement platform 12 is in the shape of a thin plate and is placed on the supporting platform 11, the field placement platform 12 is horizontally arranged and its top surface is a horizontal plane, and the field placement platform 12 can freely move horizontally on the supporting platform 11; wherein the cantilever 22 is located above the supporting platform 11 and is arranged in parallel, and a fixing part 3 for fixing a certain part of the experimental animal is arranged at the end of the cantilever 22, such as fixing the head of a mouse; in addition, a mounting groove 4 is formed downwardly inwardly at the center of the base 1, and a driving system for driving the field placement platform 12 to move horizontally is arranged in the mounting groove 4.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, the driving system includes a Mecanum wheel system 5, which includes a body 51 in the middle and four Mecanum wheels 52 symmetrically arranged on both sides. At the same time, a driving motor (not shown in the figure) is arranged on the body 51 to independently drive each Mecanum wheel 52 to rotate. The top of the Mecanum wheel 52 abuts against the bottom wall of the field placement platform 12, so that the Mecanum wheel system 5 can well and stably drive the upper field placement platform 12 to move in all directions (forward, backward, left, right) on the horizontal plane. , turn left, turn right); in order to effectively reduce the friction resistance during the movement of the venue placement platform 12, evenly distributed bull's eye universal wheels 6 are provided on the top surface of the venue placement platform 12, and the highest point of the bull's eye universal wheel 6 is highly consistent with the highest point of the Mecanum wheel 52 to ensure that the venue placement platform 12 is in the same plane when moving on them, so that the Mecanum wheel 52, the bull's eye universal wheel 6 and the bottom wall of the venue placement platform 12 are all in point contact, so that the venue placement platform 12 can be driven more easily and move more smoothly.

[0044] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the fixing member 3 includes an outer ring 31 and an inner ring 32. The outer surface of the inner ring 32 is an arc surface and the ball joint is in the outer ring 31, that is, the inner ring 32 can perform universal motion relative to the outer ring 31. The outer ring 31 and the inner ring 32 constitute an annular hollow ball joint structure, that is, a radial joint bearing structure. At the same time, fixing strips 33 extending downward are evenly arranged around the circumference at the bottom of the inner ring 32. The fixing strips 33 are provided with four and all are in the shape of arc strips and have fixing holes 34 for fixing at the ends. The fixing holes 34 are used to fix the head of the mouse (the figure takes the fixation of the mouse's head as an example. In practice, it can be applied to similar rodent experimental animals, reptiles, or to the fixation of the head, spine or other parts of larger primate experimental animals by appropriately changing the size of the head sensor module). In addition, a mounting arm 35 extends upward on the outer circumference of the outer ring 31. Four mounting arms 35 are evenly arranged around the circumference of the outer ring 31, and a pressure sensor 71 is fixedly arranged on each mounting arm 35. The pressure sensor 71 is a high-sensitivity static pressure sensor and is used to transmit a signal to the Mecanum wheel system 5 to drive the field placement platform 12 to move. In the experiment, the Mecanum wheel system 5 drives the field placement platform 12 to move in a direction opposite to the direction in which the experimental animal intends to move. The detection end of the pressure sensor 71 is set downward, and the four pressure sensors 71 are distributed in four directions corresponding to the front, back, left and right. At the same time, a first trigger arm 73 corresponding to each pressure sensor 71 is fixed on the top surface of the inner ring 32, and the top surface of the end of the first trigger arm 73 contacts the detection end of the pressure sensor 71.

[0045] Taking the fixing member 3 fixing the head of the experimental animal as an example, when the animal has the intention to move forward, the animal grabs the ground and exerts force forward, thereby applying a forward force F1 ( Figure 6 As shown), due to the lever principle and torque balance:

[0046] F1*r=F2*L

[0047] and:

[0048] F3=F2*sin(θ)

[0049] Therefore, the pressure sensor 71 will detect the force F3, and by detecting the size of F3, it is possible to sense whether the experimental animal has the intention to run forward and the degree of its intention. Similarly, it is possible to detect whether the experimental animal has the intention to move left, right, or backward. When the pressure sensor 71 detects that the animal has the intention to move forward, a feedback signal is given to the Mecanum wheel system 5 to drive the field placement platform 12 to move backward to meet the animal's forward movement. The same is true for other movement intention directions. In this way, the movement of the field placement platform 12 does not rely on the animal's physical strength to drive it, which consumes less physical energy for the experimental animal, and other real objects required for the experiment can be placed on the field placement platform 12 according to different experimental requirements.

[0050] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a static torque sensor 72 is fixed at the rear of the outer ring 31. The static torque sensor 72 also has high sensitivity. The detection end of the static torque sensor 72 faces the center of the outer ring 31. At the same time, a second trigger arm 74 is fixed on the top surface of the inner ring 32. A V-groove 75 is provided at the detection end of the static torque sensor 72, and a plug-in portion 76 adapted to the V-groove 75 is provided at the end of the second trigger arm 74.

[0051] When the animal intends to rotate to the right, the animal twists its body to exert a rightward tangential force F4 ( Figure 7 ), according to the lever principle and moment balance:

[0052] F4*r1=F5*r2

[0053] Therefore, the torsion sensor detects the size of F5, thereby sensing whether the experimental animal has the intention to turn right and the degree of its intention. Similarly, it can detect whether the experimental animal has the intention to turn left. When it is detected that the experimental animal has the intention to turn left, the corresponding signal is transmitted to the Mecanum wheel 52 system 5 to drive the field placement platform 12 to turn right.

[0054] In this way, no matter the animal moves or turns, the pressure sensor 71 and the static torque sensor 72 can timely drive the field placement platform 12 to move accordingly to meet its activity needs, thereby ensuring that the experimental animals are more relaxed, natural and less nervous. At the same time, it ensures that the experimental animals are tested in a real environment and all the senses collect natural information.

[0055] In addition, if the experimental animal moves its body up and down, or tilts its body forward, backward, left or right, will it cause misidentification by the sensor?

[0056] If the experimental animal only moves its body up and down in parallel (for example, when the experimental animal is a mouse, the fixed part is the back spine, and the mouse hunches or lies down), it will not cause misidentification of the static torque sensor 72. Due to the special structure of the ball joint, the inner ring 32 will only rotate in all directions, and all forces directed to the center of the ball joint will not cause any rotation of the ball joint. When the animal moves its body up and down in parallel, the force on the inner ring 32 of the ball joint is just directed to the center of the ball joint, so this force will not cause the inner ring 32 to rotate, and the static torque sensor 72 will only detect the stress of the rotation of the inner ring 32, so it will not cause misidentification of the static torque sensor 72.

[0057] If the experimental animal is tilted (for example, when the experimental animal is a mouse, the fixed part is the head, and the mouse raises or lowers its head), Figure 8 The force on the inner ring 32 when the head is fixed and tilted back is analyzed. Since the animal's head can only rotate around the rotation center of the fixed part (O'), according to the lever principle and moment balance:

[0058] F7*r=F2*L

[0059] and:

[0060] F7=sin(α)*F6

[0061] F3=F2*sin(θ)

[0062] Therefore:

[0063] F3=F6*sin(α)*sin(θ)*r / L

[0064] Because sin(α) is very small, F3 is also very small. At this time, by reasonably setting the effective action detection threshold of the pressure sensor 71 during detection at the control end (that is, if the force detected by the pressure sensor 71 is less than this threshold, the detected force is regarded as 0), this smaller force can be ignored, thereby achieving no false detection.

[0065] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, a mounting portion 8 extends from one side of the outer ring 31, and an electric telescopic block 9 is provided at the end of the cantilever 22, and the mounting portion 8 is fixed on one side of the electric telescopic block 9; thereby, the height of the fixing member 3 can be adjusted with the help of the electric telescopic block 9, which can meet the experimental needs of more animals of different heights and has better applicability, wherein the electric telescopic block 9 can adopt an existing electric telescopic rod.

[0066] The implementation principle of this embodiment is: first, the experimental animal is placed on the field placement platform 12, and then fixed to a certain part of the animal with the help of the fixing strip 33 on the inner ring 32. When the animal has the intention to move forward, the force is transmitted to the pressure sensor 71 located in the front, and the pressure sensor 71 transmits a signal to the drive system to drive the field placement platform 12 to move backward, so as to meet the needs of the animal's activities; when the animal has the intention to turn right, the force is transmitted to the static torque sensor 72, and the static torque sensor 72 transmits a signal to the drive system to drive the field placement platform 12 to turn left; ensure that the experimental animal can still move freely after being fixed in a certain part, and use other detection equipment or observation equipment for detection and observation during this period, so that the accuracy of the experimental data obtained is better.

[0067] The embodiments of this specific implementation method are all preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent changes made based on the structure, shape, and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An active motion animal experiment platform, comprising a base (1) and a fixing member (3) for fixing a certain part of an animal, characterized in that: The base (1) comprises a support platform (11) and a field placement platform (12), the field placement platform (12) being horizontally slidably connected to the support platform (11), the support platform (11) being provided with a drive system for driving the field placement platform (12) to move in a horizontal direction, and further comprising a fixed arm (2) located above the field platform, the fixed arm (2) being provided with an outer ring (31), the outer ring (31) having an inner ball joint with an inner ring (32), the fixing member (3) being provided on the inner ring (32), pressure sensors (71) being distributed at intervals on the outer ring (31), the inner ring (32) being provided with a first trigger arm (73) corresponding to and in contact with a detection end of the pressure sensor (71), the animal activity triggering the pressure sensor (71) causes the drive system to drive the field placement platform (12) to move in a direction opposite to the animal's movement; The outer ring (31) is provided with a static torque sensor (72), and the inner ring (32) is provided with a second trigger arm (74) that contacts the detection end of the static torque sensor (72) and is used for triggering. The animal turns to trigger the static torque sensor (72), so that the drive system drives the field placement platform (12) to rotate in the opposite direction; The drive system comprises a Mecanum wheel power system (5), the Mecanum wheel power system (5) comprising a body (51) and four symmetrical Mecanum wheels (52), the body (51) being provided with a drive motor for driving each Mecanum wheel (52) to rotate, the top of each Mecanum wheel (52) abutting against the bottom wall of the field placement platform (12); A plurality of bull's eye universal wheels (6) are evenly distributed on the support platform (11), and the bull's eye universal wheels (6) abut against the bottom wall of the site placement platform (12).

2. The active motion animal experimental platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure sensors (71) are provided in four numbers and are evenly distributed in the four directions of front, rear, left and right.

3. The active motion animal experimental platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed arm (2) comprises a cantilever (22), the end of the cantilever (22) is connected to an electric telescopic block (9), and the outer ring (31) is arranged on the electric telescopic block (9).

4. The active motion animal experimental platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing member (3) comprises fixing strips (33) evenly distributed around the circumference on the inner ring (32); the fixing strips (33) are in the shape of arc strips and have fixing holes (34) for fixing at their bottom ends.

5. The active motion animal experimental platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The highest point of the Mecanum wheel (52) is in the same height as the highest point of the bull's eye universal wheel (6).

6. The active motion animal experimental platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection end of the static torque sensor (72) is provided with a V-groove (75), and the end of the second trigger arm (74) is provided with a plug-in portion (76) adapted to the V-groove (75).

7. The active motion animal experimental platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support platform (11) is provided with a concave installation groove (4) in the middle for installing the drive system.

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