Fluid converging part and animal behavior training system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a fluid confluence piece. The fluid confluence piece comprises a plurality of odor channels and an air channel. Each odor channel comprises a first port and a second port, and the second ports of the odor channels are formed in different positions of the air channel wall; the air passage includes a third port and a fourth port. The second ports of the multiple odor channels are formed in different positions of the air channel wall, odor flows in from the first ports of the odor channels and enters the air channels through the second ports of the odor channels, and air flows in from the third ports of the air channels and flows out from the fourth ports of the air channels; according to the technical scheme, the multiple independent smell channels are directly converged to the air channel, the air channel is the public channel, the public channel is short, the time needed for flushing residual smell in the public channel during smell switching is short, and performance indexes such as smell crosstalk and rising time and falling time of smell concentration are considered.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of animal behavior training, and particularly to a fluid converging member and an animal behavior training system. Background Art

[0002] Behavior training related to animal olfaction has high requirements for performance indicators such as crosstalk between different odors, rise time and fall time of odor concentration, etc., which often determines the accuracy and effectiveness of behavior training data.

[0003] As Figure 1 shown, in the prior art, usually several odor channels are first converged to a common channel, and then the common channel and an air channel are combined into a solenoid valve. The opening and closing of each odor channel and air channel are controlled, and the switching of the solenoid valve ports is controlled to release the odor to the animal. In the case of an increase in the required odor channels, the common channel grows. When switching odors, either more time is required to flush the residual odor in the common channel before switching to avoid crosstalk, but it affects the rise time and fall time of the odor concentration; or it is switched at a fixed preset time to ensure the rise time and fall time of the odor concentration, but it is prone to crosstalk. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of the present invention provides a fluid converging member, aiming to balance the problems of crosstalk between odors and performance indicators such as rise time and fall time of odor concentration.

[0005] In a first aspect, a fluid converging member is provided, including: Multiple odor channels (10) and one air channel (20); Each odor channel (10) includes a first port (11) and a second port (12), and the second port (12) of each odor channel (10) is opened at different positions on the wall of the air channel (20); The air channel (20) includes a third port (21) and a fourth port (22); The odor flows into the air channel (20) through the second port (12) of the odor channel (10) after flowing into the first port (11) of the odor channel (10), and flows out from the fourth port (22) of the air channel (20); The air flows into the air channel (20) from the third port (21) of the air channel (20) and flows out from the fourth port (22) of the air channel (20).

[0006] In a second aspect, an animal behavior training system is provided, including an odor source, an air source, and the fluid converging member described above; the odor source is connected to the first port (11) of multiple odor channels (10), the air source is connected to the third port (21) of the air channel (20), and the fourth port (22) of the air channel (20) is connected to the target object.

[0007] The second ports of the multiple odor channels in the embodiments of the present invention are opened at different positions on the air channel wall. Odors flow in from the first ports of the odor channels and enter the air channel through the second ports of the odor channels. Air flows in from the third port of the air channel and flows out from the fourth port of the air channel, enabling the multiple independent odor channels to directly converge into the air channel. The air channel is the common channel, and the common channel is relatively short. The time required to flush the residual odors in the common channel during odor switching is relatively short, taking into account performance indicators such as odor crosstalk and the rise time and fall time of odor concentration. Description of the Drawings

[0008] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and be readily understood from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, where: Figure 1 is the gas circuit diagram provided by the prior art; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the fluid converging member provided by Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fluid converging member provided by Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 4 is another schematic diagram of the fluid converging member provided by Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 5 is the projection expansion diagram of the second port on the air channel wall provided by Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 6 is the structural block diagram of the animal behavior training system provided by Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Embodiments

[0009] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. The examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar modules or modules with the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. On the contrary, the embodiments of the present invention include all changes, modifications, and equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0010] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of components in a specific posture. If this specific posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly.

[0011] It should also be noted that when a component is referred to as "fixed to" or "provided on" another component, it may be directly located on the other component or there may be an intermediate component present simultaneously. When a component is referred to as "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to the other component or indirectly connected to the other component through an intermediate component.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present invention, the second ports of the multiple odor channels are opened at different positions on the air channel wall. The odor flows in from the first port of the odor channel and enters the air channel through the second port of the odor channel. The air flows in from the third port of the air channel and flows out from the fourth port of the air channel, enabling the multiple independent odor channels to directly converge into the air channel. The air channel is the common channel, and the common channel is relatively short. The time required to flush the residual odor in the common channel during odor switching is relatively short, taking into account performance indicators such as crosstalk between odors and the rise time and fall time of odor concentration.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the fluid converging member provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 It is a sectional view of the fluid converging member provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 It is another schematic diagram of the fluid converging member provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. Combining Figures 2 to 4 , the fluid converging member includes multiple odor channels 10 and one air channel 20.

[0014] Each odor channel 10 includes a first port 11 and a second port 12. The first port 11 of each odor channel 10 is connected to the odor source through a pipeline or directly. The odor source includes various different odors, such as octane, butanol, ethyl acetate, etc. According to experimental needs, one odor can be connected to the first port 11 of one odor channel 10, or one odor can be connected to the first ports 11 of multiple odor channels 10, which is not limited herein. The second ports 12 of each odor channel 10 are opened at different positions on the wall of the air channel 20, enabling the odor channel 10 and the air channel 20 to communicate, and the projections of the second ports 12 of each odor channel 10 on the air channel 20 do not overlap. The air channel 20 includes a third port 21 and a fourth port 22, and its cross-section is circular, square, etc. The third port 21 of the air channel 20 is connected to the air source through a pipeline or directly, and the fourth port 22 of the air channel 20 is connected to the target object through a pipeline or directly. The target object includes, but is not limited to, animals such as mice and rats.

[0015] For the convenience of layout and manufacturing, preferably, the multiple odor channels 10 are perpendicular to the air channel 20. The first port 11 of each odor channel 10 is connected to a quick connector through a threaded hole, and both the third port 21 and the fourth port 22 of the air channel 20 are connected to quick connectors through threaded holes to facilitate the replacement of the pipeline. The materials of the quick connectors and the fluid converging parts are both corrosion-resistant to resist the corrosive effect of the corrosive odor.

[0016] In the embodiment of the present invention, the odor flows into the first port 11 of the odor channel 10 and enters the air channel 20 through the second port 12 of the odor channel 10; the air flows into the third port 21 of the air channel 20 and flows out from the fourth port 22 of the air channel 20, and at the same time, it also drives the odor to flow out from the fourth port 22 of the air channel 20. As Figure 3 shown, the direction indicated by the arrow is the air flow direction. By adjusting the odor source, the odor flow rate in the odor channel 10, the air source, and the air flow rate in the air channel 20, the odor concentration reaching the target object can reach a preset value. When switching odors, the odor source is closed or all the odor channels 10 are closed, and air is continuously introduced to flush the residual odor in the air channel 20 to prepare for introducing other odors subsequently.

[0017] In the embodiment of the present invention, the first ports 11 of the multiple odor channels 10 are arrayed on the cylindrical surface or a part of the cylindrical surface centered on the air channel 20. As Figure 2 shown, in the view perpendicular to the cross-section of the air channel 20, the first ports 11 of the multiple odor channels 10 are arranged around the air channel 20, and the surrounding trajectory is a semi-circle or approximately a semi-circle. As Figure 4 shown, in the view perpendicular to the axis of the air channel 20, the first ports 11 of the multiple odor channels 10 are arrayed on the semi-circular surface or approximately semi-circular surface surrounding the air channel 20. The plane opposite to the semi-circular surface serves as the bottom of the fluid converging part and is fixed to other components. In some embodiments, the surface on which the first ports 11 of the multiple odor channels 10 are distributed can be a cylindrical surface, a quarter-cylindrical surface, a three-quarter-cylindrical surface, or other arc surfaces, folded surfaces, etc. Preferably, in order to better insert the quick connector and ensure airtightness, the surface on which the first ports 11 of the multiple odor channels 10 are distributed is a prismatic surface or a part of the prismatic surface, and a specific-sized area around each first port 11 is a plane, so that the quick connector and the fluid converging part can be closely attached.

[0018] In the embodiment of the present invention, the second ports 12 of the multiple odor channels 10 are arrayed on the wall of the air channel 20. Figure 5 is the projection expansion diagram of the second port on the air channel wall provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 5As shown, the horizontal direction is the direction parallel to the axis of the air channel 20, and the dots represent the second ports 12. To reduce the crosstalk generated during the odor switching process, preferably, the second ports 12 of the multi-channel odor channels 10 are staggered in adjacent rows and adjacent columns on the wall of the air channel 20, that is, the horizontal projections of each second port 12 and the second ports 12 at its adjacent four corners are different, and the vertical projections are also different. Refer to Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 . Taking the two-channel odor channels 10 indicated by A as the axis, the other odor channels 10 are symmetrically distributed on both sides of it. A total of 16-channel odor channels 10 are arranged, and the integration degree of the entire system is high. If more odor channels 10 are needed, increasing them according to the above layout principle will not cause a sharp increase in the system scale.

[0019] Furthermore, to reduce the performance differences between the odor channels 10, the inner diameters d1 of the multi-channel odor channels 10 are the same and the lengths are the same. The diameters of the threaded holes of the first ports 11 are larger than the inner diameter d1. During the odor switching process, in order to flush the residual odor with a large flow of air, the inner diameter d2 of the air channel 20 is larger than the inner diameter d1 of each odor channel 10.

[0020] In the embodiment of the present invention, the second ports of the multi-channel odor channels are opened at different positions on the wall of the air channel. The odor flows in from the first port of the odor channel and enters the air channel through the second port of the odor channel. The air flows in from the third port of the air channel and flows out from the fourth port of the air channel, so that the multi-channel independent odor channels directly converge to the air channel. The air channel is the common channel. The common channel is short, and the time required to flush the residual odor in the common channel during odor switching is short, taking into account performance indicators such as crosstalk between odors and the rise time and fall time of odor concentration.

[0021] The structure of the fluid converging member directly affects performance indicators such as crosstalk generated during the odor switching process, the rise time and fall time of odor concentration. At the same time, in the case of a large number of required odor channels, it also affects the integration degree of the entire system. The fluid converging member in the embodiment of the present invention takes into account performance indicators such as crosstalk between odors and the rise time and fall time of odor concentration; and it has good scalability. When the number of required odor channels increases, the system scale will not increase sharply.

[0022] Figure 6 is the structural block diagram of the animal behavior training system provided by the second embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 6 shown, the animal behavior training system includes an odor source, an air source, and the fluid converging member described in the first embodiment. In the embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the fluid converging member is the same as that in the first embodiment, including all the features in the first embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present invention, an odor source is connected to a first port 11 of a plurality of odor channels 10. The odor source includes various different odors, such as octane, butanol, ethyl acetate, etc. According to the experimental requirements, one odor can be connected to the first port 11 of one odor channel 10, or one odor can be connected to the first ports 11 of a plurality of odor channels 10. An air source is connected to a third port 21 of an air channel 20, and a fourth port 22 of the air channel 20 is connected to a target object. By adjusting the odor flow rate in the odor source and the odor channels 10 and the air flow rate in the air source and the air channel 20, the odor concentration reaching the target object can be made to reach a preset value. Closing the odor source or closing all the odor channels 10 and continuing to introduce air can flush the residual odor in the air channel 20. Controlling the opening and closing of the odor source, the odor channels 10, the air source, and the air channel 20 to switch odors, adjusting the odor concentration, the rise time and the fall time of the odor concentration, etc., and releasing odors to the target object to perform olfactory-related behavior training.

[0024] In the embodiment of the present invention, the second ports of the plurality of odor channels are opened at different positions on the air channel wall. The odor flows in from the first port of the odor channel and enters the air channel through the second port of the odor channel. The air flows in from the third port of the air channel and flows out from the fourth port of the air channel, so that the plurality of independent odor channels directly converge into the air channel. The air channel is the common channel, and the common channel is relatively short. The time required to flush the residual odor in the common channel during odor switching is relatively short, taking into account performance indicators such as odor crosstalk and the rise time and fall time of the odor concentration.

[0025] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fluid confluence member, characterized in that, it includes: multiple odor channels (10) and one air channel (20); Each odor channel (10) includes a first port (11) and a second port (12), and the second port (12) of each odor channel (10) is opened at different positions on the wall of the air channel (20); The air channel (20) includes a third port (21) and a fourth port (22); The odor flows in from the first port (11) of the odor channel (10), enters the air channel (20) through the second port (12) of the odor channel (10), and flows out from the fourth port (22) of the air channel (20); The air flows in from the third port (21) of the air channel (20) and flows out from the fourth port (22) of the air channel (20).

2. The fluid confluence member according to claim 1, characterized in that, the multiple odor channels (10) are perpendicular to the air channel (20).

3. The fluid confluence member according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first ports (11) of the multiple odor channels (10) are arrayed on the cylindrical surface or a partial cylindrical surface centered on the air channel (20).

4. The fluid confluence member according to claim 1, characterized in that, the second ports (12) of the multiple odor channels (10) are arrayed on the wall of the air channel (20).

5. The fluid confluence member according to claim 4, characterized in that, the second ports (12) of the multiple odor channels (10) are staggered in adjacent rows and adjacent columns on the wall of the air channel (20).

6. The fluid confluence member according to claim 1, characterized in that, the multiple odor channels (10) have the same inner diameter.

7. The fluid confluence member according to claim 6, characterized in that, the inner diameter of the air channel (20) is greater than the inner diameter of each odor channel (10).

8. The fluid confluence member according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, the first port (11) of each odor channel (10) is connected to a quick connector, and the third port (21) and the fourth port (22) of the air channel (20) are connected to quick connectors.

9. The fluid confluence member according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, its material has corrosion resistance.

10. An animal behavior training system, characterized in that, it includes an odor source, an air source and a fluid confluence member according to any one of claims 1-9; the odor source is connected to the first port (11) of the multiple odor channels (10), the air source is connected to the third port (21) of the air channel (20), and the fourth port (22) of the air channel (20) is connected to a target object.

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