A foldable metabolic cage for rats and mice with refrigeration function

Abstract

The present invention discloses a foldable rat metabolic cage with a refrigeration function, wherein the top surface of the cage is provided with a bending line, and the bottom edge of the cage is provided with a cage card outwardly; the cage bottom mesh plate is arranged at the bottom of the cage; the sample collection funnel is arranged below the cage bottom mesh plate, and the top edge of the sample collection funnel is provided with a funnel card outwardly, and the bottom of the sample collection funnel is provided with a funnel discharge port; the separator inlet of the separator is connected with the funnel discharge port, and the feces outlet and the urine outlet are connected with the collection box; the side wall of the cage frame is provided with a cage body and a mesh plate slot and a funnel slot, the cage body card and the cage bottom mesh plate are connected in the cage body and the mesh plate slot, and the funnel card is connected in the funnel slot. The cage body can be folded when stored, the cage frame can be retracted, and the separator can be detached, all of which can achieve the purpose of saving storage space. The arc mesh plate in the separator can effectively separate the collected feces and urine, and the collection box can achieve the refrigeration function and delay the deterioration of unstable metabolic substances.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of experimental equipment, in particular to a foldable metabolic cage for mice and rats with a refrigeration function. Background Art

[0002] The genetic and biological background of mice and rats (including the normal range of various data such as anatomy, physiology, and clinical pathology) is relatively clear, and their cost is relatively low. They are currently widely used in preclinical pharmacology and toxicology research. Therefore, in order to understand how the test substances (such as drugs and other chemicals) affect the body in vivo and how the body disposes of the test substances in the body, studying the metabolites of experimental animals is particularly important for understanding the metabolic processes in the test subjects. Collecting feces and urine from mice and rats is one of the important methods currently.

[0003] At present, metabolic cages for mice and rats are mainly composed of three parts, namely, cages, feces and urine separation devices, and collection containers from top to bottom. The cage is a fixed space for holding mice and rats; the feces and urine separation device is in the shape of a funnel, with an unfixed mesh plate placed horizontally at the wide mouth of the funnel to separate feces and urine. The feces are isolated on the mesh surface, and the urine flows into the collection container through the funnel mouth.

[0004] At present, metabolic equipment is not used daily. The mouse cages used in metabolic cages must meet GB14925-2010 and must have a certain cage space. At the same time, they must also be equipped with racks for placing metabolic cages, because they cannot be easily disassembled to reduce the volume. At the same time, the number of mice and rats used in an experiment is as many as 100, and each is collected at the same time. In addition, the experimental animal breeding area and supporting areas require high daily operation and maintenance. The storage of idle equipment occupies a large amount of experimental animal facility space to a certain extent, causing unnecessary economic losses. Secondly, although the feces and urine separation device can currently separate feces and urine, most of the isolation nets and collection funnels are not tight, and the deformation during use may still cause feces to be mixed in the urine collection device, which may cause abnormal urine routine tests to a certain extent. In terms of collection containers, most of the current sample collection containers use separate ordinary collection bottles, and there are basically no refrigeration and preservation measures. Feces and urine are exposed to room temperature. If collected overnight or for a long time, it may have a certain impact on metabolic active products with unstable properties.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a foldable rat metabolic cage with refrigeration function, which can realize foldable and retractable cage body and cage frame, compress storage volume, avoid urine mixed with feces, ensure metabolic samples are in a refrigerated state, and delay the deterioration of unstable metabolic substances. When idle, the supporting objects can be stacked up to save space. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a foldable metabolic cage for mice and rats with a refrigeration function, the cage body and the cage frame can be folded and scaled when stored, the sample collection funnel is connected to the separator, the curved mesh plate in the separator can realize the separation of feces and urine, and the collection box has a refrigeration function to delay the deterioration of unstable metabolic substances.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A foldable rat and mouse metabolic cage with a refrigeration function, comprising a cage body, a cage bottom mesh plate, a sample collection funnel, a separator, a collection box and a cage frame; the top surface of the cage body is provided with a bending line, the front and back of the cage body are respectively provided with Y-shaped folding lines corresponding to the bending line, and the bottom edge of the cage body is provided with a cage body card outwardly; the cage bottom mesh plate is arranged at the bottom of the cage body; the sample collection funnel is arranged below the cage bottom mesh plate, the top edge of the sample collection funnel is provided with a funnel card outwardly, and the bottom of the sample collection funnel is provided with a funnel discharge port; the separator comprises a separator inlet at the top and a feces outlet and a urine outlet at the bottom, the separator inlet is connected to the funnel discharge port, and the feces outlet and the urine outlet are connected to the collection box; the side wall of the cage frame is provided with a cage body and mesh plate card slot and a funnel card slot, the cage body card and the cage bottom mesh plate are clamped in the cage body and mesh plate card slot, and the funnel card is clamped in the funnel card slot.

[0009] Preferably, a cage door is provided on the front of the cage body, a cage door latch is provided at the opening of the cage door, and anti-return latches are provided on the bending line and the Y-shaped folding line of the cage body respectively. The cage body is used to hold mice and rats, and is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, has no bottom surface, is folded upward along the bending line of the top surface, and the front and back are folded along the Y-shaped folding line along with the top surface, so as to ensure that the entire cage body is tightly folded and reduce the cage body placement space. The anti-return latch is perpendicular to the bending line and the Y-shaped folding line to prevent the cage body from automatically folding back after being propped up.

[0010] Preferably, the cage door is provided with a water trough, and a water trough baffle is clamped on the water trough. If feeding is not required, the water trough baffle can be clamped on the water trough to prevent the rats and mice from escaping.

[0011] Preferably, the rat and mouse metabolic cage further comprises a water trough, which is L-shaped, and comprises a feeding port at the top and a feeding port opened at the bottom, the bottom of the feeding port is inclined toward the feeding port, a water trough mesh plate is provided at the transition from the feeding port to the feeding port, feeding port cards are provided outwardly on both side walls of the feeding port, a raised threshold is provided at the bottom of the feeding port, and the feeding port card is snapped onto the water trough port. When feeding is required, the feeding port card of the water trough is snapped onto the water trough port.

[0012] The feeding port is used to put feed or place drinking water bottles. The bottom of the feeding port is tilted toward the feeding port to facilitate the feed or water to slide down. The raised threshold can collect the leaked feed residue and water to prevent it from falling into the sample collection funnel. The residue and seepage water enter the waste collection container through the bottom hole. The food and water trough can be reversed with another food and water trough and buckled together to achieve neat placement and indirectly save space.

[0013] Preferably, the separator comprises two symmetrical half structures, and the separator inlet, feces outlet and urine outlet are respectively fixed with nuts. The design of the half-body structure of the separator is mainly to enable stacking during storage, the arc mesh plate can be deformed and replaced, and it is easy to clean.

[0014] Preferably, a curved mesh plate is provided on the inner wall of the separator. A curved mesh plate with a certain curvature is used inside the separator to separate urine and feces. The curved mesh plate is snapped onto the inner wall of the separator, which is convenient for regular disassembly, cleaning and replacement. The gravity of feces is used to jump into the feces outlet through the curvature. The fluid characteristics of urine, the slow flow rate, the curvature of the curved mesh plate and its mesh resistance flow or drip into the urine outlet to achieve separation, avoid mixing of feces and urine, and achieve separation according to the nature of the sample. The detachable design facilitates cleaning or replacement of the curved mesh plate.

[0015] Preferably, a collecting box cover is provided on the top of the collecting box, and two conical openings are provided on the collecting box cover, and the tops of the conical openings are connected to the feces outlet and the urine outlet respectively. The conical opening is a round inverted cone, and its top is connected to the feces outlet and the urine outlet, which is convenient for sample collection and also convenient for stacking each other when idle to save space.

[0016] Preferably, the collection box is made of heat-insulating material, a refrigeration element is provided on the inner wall of the collection box, and a collection container is provided at the bottom of the collection box corresponding to the conical opening. The outer periphery of the collection box is made of stainless steel, and a power access port is left on one side of the collection box to supply power to the refrigeration element, so as to keep the collection box in a refrigerated state, keep the temperature and refrigerate, and keep the sample in a refrigerated state to slow down degradation. A conventional collection container is arranged in the collection box. The collection box as a whole can be neatly stacked, and the disassembled separator is placed inside to save placement space.

[0017] Preferably, the horizontal bars around the edges of the cage are telescopic rods, and cross cards are provided between the support vertical rods at both ends of the telescopic rods. The cage is made of stainless steel, and the frame structure on the left and right sides is fixed. The horizontal bars around the edges of the cage are telescopic rods, and support vertical rods are placed on the telescopic rods on the same side, and the same is placed on the symmetrical sides. Cross cards are provided between the support vertical rods on the same side to cooperate with the extension and retraction of the horizontal telescopic rod.

[0018] The cage body, mesh plate slots and funnel slots are welded at the same height on both sides of the cage frame to hold the cage body, cage bottom mesh plate and sample collection funnel. The cage frame can be retracted to the minimum state.

[0019] The lower edge of the funnel discharge port of the sample collecting funnel adopts an inverted cone design, which is convenient for stacking and placing the sample collecting funnels.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0021] The present invention adopts the above technical solutions. The cage body can be folded when stored, the cage frame can be retracted, and the separator is a detachable two-half structure, which can achieve the purpose of saving storage space. The water trough of the cage body can be connected to the water trough for feeding or watering, and the water trough baffle can be used to block when feeding or watering is not needed. The curved mesh plate in the separator can effectively separate the collected feces and urine, and can realize the refrigeration function when entering the collection box, delaying the deterioration of unstable metabolic substances.

[0022] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention and implement it according to the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other purposes, technical features and advantages of the present invention easier to understand, one or more preferred embodiments are listed below and described in detail with the accompanying drawings as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by pictures in the corresponding drawings, and these exemplified descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements, and unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a foldable metabolic cage for mice and rats with a refrigeration function according to the present invention is shown.

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a food and water trough of a foldable metabolic cage for mice and rats with a refrigeration function according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a separator of a foldable metabolic cage for mice and rats with a refrigeration function according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the cage structure of a foldable metabolic cage for mice and rats with a refrigeration function according to the present invention.

[0028] Description of main reference numerals:

[0029] 10-cage body, 11-cage door 12-cage door latch, 13-water trough, 14-cage body card, 15-anti-folding latch, 20-cage bottom mesh plate, 30-water trough baffle, 40-water trough, 41-feeding port, 42-water trough mesh plate, 43-feeding port, 44-feeding port card, 45-raised threshold, 50-sample collection funnel, 51-funnel card, 52-funnel discharge port, 60-separator, 61-separator inlet, 62-feces outlet, 63-urine outlet, 64-arc mesh plate, 70-collection box cover, 71-conical mouth, 80-collection box, 90-cage frame, 91-cage body and mesh plate slot, 92-funnel slot, 93-telescopic pull rod, 94-cross card. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The specific implementation modes of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but it should be understood that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited by the specific implementation modes.

[0031] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term “comprise” or variations such as “include” or “comprising”, etc., will be understood to include the stated elements or components but not to exclude other elements or components.

[0032] In this document, for the convenience of description, spatial relative terms such as "below", "below", "down", "above", "above", "upper", etc. may be used to describe the relationship between one element or feature and another element or feature in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the object in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figure. For example, if the object in the figure is turned over, the element described as being "below" or "below" other elements or features will be oriented "above" the element or feature. Therefore, the exemplary term "below" can include both below and above. Objects may also have other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations) and the spatial relative terms used in this document should be interpreted accordingly.

[0033] like Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, a foldable metabolic cage for mice and rats with a refrigeration function includes a cage body 10, a cage bottom mesh plate 20, a sample collection funnel 50, a separator 60, a collection box 80 and a cage frame 90.

[0034] The top surface of the cage body 10 is provided with a bending line, the front and back of the cage body 10 are respectively provided with Y-shaped folding lines corresponding to the bending line, and the bottom edge of the cage body 10 is provided with a cage body card 14 outwardly; the cage bottom mesh plate 20 is arranged at the bottom of the cage body 10.

[0035] The front of the cage body 10 is provided with a cage door 11, and the opening of the cage door 11 is provided with a cage door latch 12. The bending line and the Y-shaped folding line of the cage body 10 are respectively provided with anti-return latches 15. The cage body 10 is used to hold mice and rats. The overall shape is a rectangular parallelepiped, without a bottom surface. It is folded upward along the bending line of the top surface. The front and back are folded along the Y-shaped folding line with the top surface to ensure that the entire cage body 10 is tightly folded and the cage placement space is reduced. The anti-return latch 15 is perpendicular to the bending line and the Y-shaped folding line to prevent the cage body 10 from automatically folding back after being propped up.

[0036] The cage door 11 is provided with a water trough 13, and a water trough baffle 30 is clamped on the water trough 13. If feeding is not needed, the water trough baffle 30 can be clamped on the water trough 13 to prevent the rats and mice from escaping.

[0037] The rat and mouse metabolic cage also includes a water trough 40. When feeding is required, a feeding port card 44 of the water trough 40 is snapped onto the water trough port 13. The water trough 40 is L-shaped, and includes a feeding port 41 at the top and a feeding port 43 opened at the bottom. The bottom of the feeding port 41 is inclined toward the feeding port 43. A water trough mesh plate 42 is provided at the transition from the feeding port 41 to the feeding port 43. Feeding port cards 44 are provided on the two side walls of the feeding port 43. A raised threshold 45 is provided at the bottom of the feeding port 43. The feeding port card 44 is snapped onto the water trough port 13.

[0038] The feeding port 41 is used to feed or place a water bottle. The bottom of the feeding port 41 is inclined toward the feeding port 43 to facilitate the feed or water to slide down. The raised threshold 45 can collect the leaked feed residue and water to prevent it from falling into the sample collection funnel 50. The residue and seepage water enter the waste collection container through the bottom hole. The food and water trough 40 can be reversed with another food and water trough 40 and then interlocked to achieve neat placement and indirectly save space.

[0039] The sample collection funnel 50 is arranged below the cage bottom mesh plate 20, and collects feces and urine samples dropped from the upper part just below the cage bottom mesh plate 20. A funnel card 51 is arranged outwardly at the top edge of the sample collection funnel 50, and a funnel discharge port 52 is arranged at the bottom of the sample collection funnel 50. The lower edge of the funnel discharge port 52 of the sample collection funnel 50 adopts an inverted cone design, which facilitates the stacking and placement of the sample collection funnels 50.

[0040] The separator 60 includes a separator inlet 61 at the top and a feces outlet 62 and a urine outlet 63 at the bottom. The separator inlet 61 is connected to the funnel discharge port 52 , and the feces outlet 62 and the urine outlet 63 are connected to the collection box 80 .

[0041] The separator 60 comprises two symmetrical half structures, and the separator inlet 61, the feces outlet 62 and the urine outlet 63 are respectively fixed with nuts. The design of the half-body structure of the separator 60 is mainly for stacking when storing, the arc mesh plate 64 can be deformed and replaced, and it is convenient to clean.

[0042] The inner wall of the separator 60 is provided with a curved mesh plate 64. The separator 60 uses a curved mesh plate 64 with a certain curvature to separate urine and feces. The curved mesh plate 64 is snapped on the inner wall of the separator 60, which is convenient for regular disassembly, cleaning and replacement. The gravity of feces jumps into the feces outlet 62 through the curvature, and the fluid characteristics of urine, the slow flow rate, the curvature of the curved mesh plate 64 and its mesh resistance flow or drips into the urine outlet 63 to achieve separation, avoiding the mixing of feces and urine, and achieving separation according to the properties of the sample. The detachable design facilitates cleaning or replacement of the curved mesh plate 64.

[0043] The top of the collection box 80 is provided with a collection box cover 70, and the collection box cover 70 is provided with two tapered openings 71, and the tops of the tapered openings 71 are respectively connected to the feces outlet 62 and the urine outlet 63. The tapered openings 71 are in the form of an inverted cone, and the tops thereof are connected to the feces outlet 62 and the urine outlet 63, which is convenient for sample collection and also convenient for stacking each other when idle to save space.

[0044] The collection box 80 is made of heat-insulating material, and a refrigeration element is provided on the inner wall of the collection box 80. A collection container is provided at the bottom of the collection box 80 corresponding to the conical opening 71. The outer periphery of the collection box 80 is made of stainless steel, and a power supply inlet is left on one side of the collection box 80 to supply power to the refrigeration element, so as to keep the collection box 80 in a refrigerated state, keep the temperature and refrigerate, and keep the sample in a refrigerated state to slow down degradation. A conventional collection container is arranged in the collection box 80. The collection box 80 as a whole can be neatly stacked, and the disassembled separator 60 is placed inside to save placement space.

[0045] The side wall of the cage frame 90 is provided with a cage body and mesh plate slot 91 and a funnel slot 92. The cage body card 14 and the cage bottom mesh plate 20 are snapped into the cage body and mesh plate slot 91, and the funnel card 51 is snapped into the funnel slot 92. The cage bottom mesh plate 20 is tightly combined with the cage body 10 through the cage body and mesh plate slot 91 on the cage frame 90. When installing, the cage bottom mesh plate 20 is placed first, then the supported cage body 10 is placed, and then the sample collection funnel 50 is placed and snapped into the funnel slot 92. The funnel discharge port 52 of the sample collection funnel 50 is connected to the separator inlet 61 of the separator 60, and the feces outlet 62 and urine outlet 63 of the separator 60 are connected to the top of the tapered port 71 on the collection box cover 70. A collection container is provided at the bottom of the collection box 80 corresponding to the tapered port 71. The collection box 80 is placed on the partition of the cage frame 90.

[0046] The horizontal bars around the edges of the cage frame 90 are telescopic rods 93, and cross cards 94 are arranged between the supporting vertical rods at both ends of the telescopic rods 93. The cage frame 90 is made of stainless steel, and the frame structure on the left and right sides is fixed. The horizontal bars around the edges of the cage frame are telescopic rods 93. The supporting vertical rods are placed on the telescopic rods 93 on the same side, and the same is placed on the symmetrical side. Cross cards 94 are arranged between the supporting vertical rods on the same side to cooperate with the telescopic extension of the horizontal telescopic rod 93. The cage body and mesh plate slots 91 and funnel slots 92 are welded at the same height position on the supporting vertical rods on both sides and the cage frame 90 on both sides, which are used to clamp the cage body 10, the cage bottom mesh plate 20 and the sample collection funnel 50. The cage frame 90 can be retracted to the minimum state as a whole.

[0047] The foregoing description of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention is for the purpose of illustration and demonstration. These descriptions are not intended to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed, and it is clear that many changes and variations can be made based on the above teachings. The purpose of selecting and describing the exemplary embodiments is to explain the specific principles of the present invention and its practical application, so that those skilled in the art can realize and utilize various different exemplary embodiments of the present invention and various different selections and changes. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above exemplary embodiments should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A foldable metabolic cage for rats and mice with refrigeration function, characterized in that: It comprises a cage body (10), a cage bottom mesh plate (20), a sample collection funnel (50), a separator (60), a collection box (80) and a cage frame (90); The top surface of the cage body (10) is provided with a bending line, the front and rear surfaces of the cage body (10) are respectively provided with Y-shaped folding lines corresponding to the bending line, and the bottom edge of the cage body (10) is provided with a cage body card (14) facing outward; The cage bottom mesh plate (20) is arranged at the bottom of the cage body (10); The sample collection funnel (50) is arranged below the cage bottom mesh plate (20), a funnel card (51) is arranged outwardly at the top edge of the sample collection funnel (50), and a funnel discharge port (52) is arranged at the bottom of the sample collection funnel (50); The separator (60) comprises a separator inlet (61) at the top and a feces outlet (62) and a urine outlet (63) at the bottom, the separator inlet (61) is connected to the funnel discharge port (52), the feces outlet (62) and the urine outlet (63) are connected to the collection box (80), a curved mesh plate (64) is provided on the inner wall of the separator (60), the curved mesh plate (64) has a certain curvature and is snapped on the inner wall of the separator (60) to separate urine and feces, the separator (60) comprises two symmetrical half structures, and nuts are respectively provided at the separator inlet (61), the feces outlet (62) and the urine outlet (63) for fixing; The collection box (80) is made of heat-insulating material, a refrigeration element is provided on the inner wall of the collection box (80), and a collection container is provided at the bottom of the collection box (80) corresponding to the conical opening (71); The side wall of the cage frame (90) is provided with a cage body and mesh plate slot (91) and a funnel slot (92); the cage body card (14) and the cage bottom mesh plate (20) are snapped into the cage body and mesh plate slot (91); and the funnel card (51) is snapped into the funnel slot (92).

2. A foldable rat metabolic cage with refrigeration function according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cage door (11) is provided on the front of the cage body (10), a cage door latch (12) is provided at the opening of the cage door (11), and anti-return latches (15) are respectively provided on the bending line and the Y-shaped folding line of the cage body (10).

3. The foldable rat metabolic cage with refrigeration function according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cage door (11) is provided with a water trough opening (13), and a water trough opening baffle (30) is clamped on the water trough opening (13).

4. The foldable rat metabolic cage with refrigeration function according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rat and mouse metabolic cage further comprises a food and water trough (40), wherein the food and water trough (40) is L-shaped and comprises a feeding port (41) at the top and a feeding port (43) opened at the bottom. The bottom of the feeding port (41) is inclined toward the feeding port (43). A food and water trough mesh plate (42) is provided at the transition point from the feeding port (41) to the feeding port (43). Feeding port cards (44) are provided outwardly on both side walls of the feeding port (43). A raised threshold (45) is provided at the bottom of the feeding port (43). The feeding port card (44) is snapped onto the food and water trough port (13).

5. The foldable metabolic cage for rats and mice with refrigeration function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the collecting box (80) is provided with a collecting box cover (70), and the collecting box cover (70) is provided with two conical openings (71), and the tops of the conical openings (71) are respectively connected to the feces outlet (62) and the urine outlet (63).

6. The foldable rat metabolic cage with refrigeration function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The horizontal bars around the edges of the cage frame (90) are telescopic pull rods (93), and cross cards (94) are arranged between the supporting vertical bars at both ends of the telescopic pull rod (93).

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