Intelligent management system and method for experimental animals

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent management system and method for experimental animals, and belongs to the technical field of experimental animal science and automation. The animal cage underframe is arranged at the lower end of the experimental animal cage; the excrement tray is movably arranged at the lower end of the animal cage chassis; the latent jacking transfer robot is used for carrying out translation and transposition of the experimental animal cage and picking and transferring of the excrement tray; an excrement dumping system; an automatic feeding and experiment auxiliary robot; and the central control unit is used as a command center, is in signal connection with the latent jacking transfer robot, the excrement dumping system and the automatic feeding and experiment auxiliary robot, and is responsible for task planning, resource allocation, data aggregation and intelligent analysis. According to the invention, real unmanned experimental animal disposal is realized, the whole process from feeding, cleaning to health monitoring is completed by a robot cluster, and a chain of human and livestock co-disease transmission is thoroughly cut off.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of laboratory animal science and automation technology, and more specifically relates to an intelligent management system and method for laboratory animals. Background Technology

[0002] In modern life science, pharmacology, and toxicology research, laboratory animals are considered "living precision instruments," and the accuracy and reliability of their welfare, health, and behavioral performance directly impact the quality of research data and ethical compliance. Currently, traditional laboratory animal husbandry and observation methods primarily rely on manual manipulation, which has the following significant drawbacks: 1. Significant human interference and stress: Frequent artificial feeding, water changes, cage cleaning, and handling for observation can cause continuous stress to experimental animals, leading to changes in their endocrine, immune, and behavioral states, introducing uncontrollable experimental variables, and seriously affecting the authenticity and accuracy of the data.

[0003] 2. The conflict between animal welfare and data quality: Manual handling, temperature measurement, and other operations are extremely stressors for animals. Although they ensure basic survival needs, they come at the cost of their mental health and the authenticity of the data.

[0004] 3. Highly subjective observation and poor data continuity: It relies on manual, timed observation and recording, is easily affected by subjective judgment, and cannot achieve long-term uninterrupted monitoring, making it difficult to capture the rhythmic behavior, occasional abnormalities, or subtle behavioral changes of animals.

[0005] 4. Low work efficiency and high human resource intensity: When a large number of animals are involved, the feeding and observation of experimental animals consume a lot of manpower, and the work is repetitive and tedious, making it difficult to ensure the consistency and accuracy of each operation.

[0006] 5. High biosafety risks: Direct contact between personnel and animals, their excrement, and bedding increases the risk of zoonotic disease transmission and allergen exposure, especially when handling high-risk pathogens, posing significant risks.

[0007] In recent years, although some automated feeding or video monitoring equipment has appeared sporadically, most of them are single-function and isolated devices, failing to fundamentally solve the aforementioned systemic problems. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: An intelligent management system for laboratory animals, comprising: Laboratory animal cages; An animal cage base frame is installed at the lower end of the experimental animal cage to provide fixed support for the experimental animal cage. A feces tray is movably mounted at the lower end of the animal cage base to collect feces produced by the experimental animals in the experimental animal cage. The lurking lifting and transporting robot is used to perform the translation and rotation of the experimental animal cages, as well as the picking up and transporting of the feces trays; The feces dumping system is used to receive the feces tray delivered by the lurking lifting and transporting robot, and automatically complete the flipping, dumping and resetting actions; An automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot is used to feed and monitor the experimental animals in the cages. The central control unit, which serves as the command center, is connected to the lurking lifting and transporting robot, the feces dumping system, the automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot, and is responsible for task planning, resource allocation, data aggregation and intelligent analysis.

[0009] Furthermore, the lurking lifting and transporting robot is a lurking lifting robot equipped with a 90-degree rotating lifting platform.

[0010] Furthermore, the fecal dumping system includes an automatic dumping frame, which includes a support for receiving the fecal tray transferred from the lurking lifting and handling robot, and a drive unit for driving the support to rotate more than 90 degrees. The drive unit is used to automatically complete the flipping, dumping and resetting actions.

[0011] Furthermore, the automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot includes a mobile chassis, a high-degree-of-freedom robotic arm mounted on the mobile chassis, and a 3D vision recognition system installed at the end of the robotic arm. The 3D vision recognition system uses binocular or structured light technology to achieve three-dimensional spatial positioning of the cage interface, food box, and water box. A multi-functional upper platform is provided on the mobile chassis, and an automatic weighing module is integrated on the multi-functional upper platform.

[0012] Furthermore, the end of the robotic arm is equipped with an infrared temperature probe and a high-definition camera unit. The infrared temperature probe is coaxially or adjacent to the 3D visual recognition system to achieve non-contact and accurate body temperature measurement of the experimental animals. The high-definition camera unit is used to take photos and videos of the animals to record their mental state and phenotypic characteristics.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes a cleaning robot, which is signal-connected to the central control unit and is used to perform floor cleaning.

[0014] An intelligent management method for laboratory animals, used in the intelligent management system for laboratory animals as described in any one of the above claims, the intelligent management method comprising: S1, Task Triggering and Scheduling The central platform of the central control unit generates a task queue based on a preset schedule, sensor feedback, or manual instructions; S2, Cage handling and location management When it is necessary to conduct experiments or isolate a specific cage, the central platform commands the lurking lifting and transporting robot to travel under the target cage, the lifting platform contacts the cage base, and after lifting, the cage direction can be adjusted by rotating the platform as needed, and then transported to the target workstation. S3, Automated Feeding and Health Monitoring When the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot receives the instruction to change the food and water in a cage, it navigates to the target cage. The 3D vision recognition system at the end of the robotic arm of the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot scans the interface on the cage and the surrounding environment to generate three-dimensional point cloud data, thereby accurately guiding the robotic arm to complete the grasping and changing of the food / water box. During the replacement process or when performing a special monitoring task, the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot uses 3D vision to locate the animal and uses an infrared temperature probe to measure the temperature. All data is automatically linked and uploaded to the database. S4. Automated waste disposal: When the feces tray needs to be replaced, the lurking lifting and transporting robot drives under the cage, reliably docks with the tray through the lifting and positioning mechanism, lifts it up and transports it out. After being transported to the automatic dumping mechanism, the lurking lifting and handling robot places the tray in, and the dumping mechanism automatically empties the feces. After being emptied, the pallet is taken over by another lurking lifting robot and transported to the cleaning area, while the cleaned spare pallet is transported to the standby area by a lurking lifting transport robot, forming a cycle.

[0015] Furthermore, it also includes: S5, Automated Environmental Cleaning After the animal cages have been removed or the feces have been disposed of, the cleaning robot enters the area to perform floor cleaning.

[0016] Furthermore, the central platform analyzes all operational data and animal physiological data, enabling it to optimize task scheduling strategies in reverse.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. It has achieved truly "unmanned" handling of laboratory animals: from feeding and cleaning to health monitoring, the entire process is completed by a cluster of robots, with personnel only conducting remote supervision in the monitoring room, completely cutting off the chain of zoonotic disease transmission.

[0018] 2. A complete "digital twin" system has been constructed: Every operation in the physical world (such as changing food) generates a digital record (such as food intake) in real time, which corresponds one-to-one with the animal's physiological data (body temperature, behavioral images), forming a high-quality scientific research big data asset that is tamper-proof and fully traceable.

[0019] 3. Maximize animal welfare and data fidelity: Contactless feeding, observation, and temperature measurement allow animals to be in a near-natural state, thereby increasing the authenticity and reliability of the scientific data obtained by orders of magnitude.

[0020] 4. System flexibility and scalability: The modular robot design allows for the addition or removal of functional units as needed without affecting the overall architecture.

[0021] 5. Significantly reduce costs and increase efficiency: Not only does it save a lot of labor costs, but more importantly, it improves the success rate and repeatability of experiments by eliminating human error. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an intelligent management system for laboratory animals provided by the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the operation of an automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot for weighing and a lurking lifting and transporting robot.

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot feeding operation.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a fecal dumping system.

[0028] The components include: 1. Laboratory animal cages; 2. Animal cage base frames; 3. Feces trays; 4. Hidden lifting and transporting robot; 5. Feces dumping system; 6. Automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot; 7. Cleaning robot; and 8. Central control unit. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] refer to Figures 1-5 An intelligent management system for laboratory animals, comprising: Laboratory animal cage 1; Animal cage base frame 2 is set at the lower end of experimental animal cage 1 to provide fixed support for experimental animal cage 1; Feces tray 3 is movably installed at the lower end of the animal cage base 2 to collect feces produced by experimental animals in the experimental animal cage 1; The lurking lifting and transporting robot 4 is used to perform translation and rotation of the experimental animal cage 1, as well as the picking up and transporting of the feces tray 3. The feces dumping system 5 is used to receive the feces tray 3 brought by the lurking lifting and handling robot 4, and automatically complete the flipping, dumping and resetting actions; Automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot 6 is used to feed and monitor experimental animals in experimental animal cage 1; The central control unit 8 serves as the command center, connecting with the lurking lifting and transporting robot 4, the feces dumping system 5, and the automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot 6. It is responsible for task planning, resource allocation, data aggregation, and intelligent analysis.

[0032] In this embodiment, the lurking lifting and handling robot 4 is a lurking lifting robot equipped with a 90-degree rotating lifting platform.

[0033] Specifically, the lurking lifting and handling robot 4 is based on a conventional AGV chassis and integrates a platform that can be vertically lifted and precisely controlled to rotate 90 degrees. This design enables it to not only perform translation and rotation of the experimental animal cage 1, but also to perform the picking up and transfer of the feces tray 3.

[0034] The animal cage base 2 is equipped with a placement rack; a gap is provided between the placement rack and the bottom of the experimental animal cage 1, the gap being used for the passage of the feces tray 3 transported by the lurking lifting and transporting robot 4, and the placement rack is used to place the feces tray 3 for receiving feces.

[0035] In this embodiment, the fecal dumping system 5 includes an automatic dumping frame, which includes a support for receiving the fecal tray 3 transferred from the lurking lifting and handling robot 4, and a drive unit for rotating the support by more than 90 degrees. The drive unit is used to automatically complete the flipping, dumping and resetting actions.

[0036] The fecal dumping system 5 also includes a dumping support frame and a collection trough. The dumping support frame is used to provide fixed support, and the collection trough is used to collect fecal matter.

[0037] More specifically, the support frame includes a first pallet support plate, a second pallet support plate, a connecting rod, a guide plate, and a receiving trough; the first pallet support plate and the second pallet support plate are arranged opposite each other on the top of the tilting support frame; the fixed ends of the first pallet support plate and the second pallet support plate are respectively fixedly connected to the top of the tilting support frame via rotating shafts, and the free ends of the first pallet support plate and the second pallet support plate are connected to each other via a connecting rod; the fixed end of the drive unit is connected to the tilting support frame, and the drive end is connected to the rotating shaft to drive the rotating shaft to rotate; a stop is connected to the first pallet support plate and the second pallet support plate, and a gap is provided between the stop and the first pallet support plate and the second pallet support plate, the gap being used to accommodate the manure pallet; one end of the guide plate is fixedly connected to the fixed end of the first pallet support plate and the fixed end of the second pallet support plate respectively; the receiving trough is detachably connected to the tilting support frame and is correspondingly arranged with the guide plate to collect the manure in the guide plate.

[0038] In this embodiment, the drive unit can be an electric motor, a pneumatic motor, or a hydraulic motor, preferably an electric motor.

[0039] In this embodiment, the automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot 6 includes a mobile chassis, a high-degree-of-freedom robotic arm mounted on the mobile chassis, and a 3D vision recognition system installed at the end of the robotic arm. The 3D vision recognition system uses binocular or structured light technology to achieve three-dimensional spatial positioning of the cage interface, food box, and water box. A multi-functional upper platform is provided on the mobile chassis, and an automatic weighing module is integrated on the multi-functional upper platform.

[0040] Specifically, the automatic weighing module weighs the food and water containers before and after replacement, accurately calculating the amount of food and water consumed; the 3D vision recognition system is installed at the end of the robotic arm, using binocular or structured light technology to achieve three-dimensional spatial positioning of the cage interface, food container, and water container, greatly enhancing the tolerance and robustness of the operation to installation errors.

[0041] The robotic arm is mounted on the front of the multi-functional upper platform or on the mobile chassis. The end of the robotic arm is connected to an end effector, which is equipped with an electric gripper for reliably grasping food and water containers. In practice, the electric gripper is equipped with a gripper head, which can reliably grasp food containers and water containers.

[0042] In this embodiment, the end of the robotic arm is also equipped with an infrared temperature probe and a high-definition camera unit. The infrared temperature probe is installed coaxially or adjacent to the 3D visual recognition system to achieve non-contact and accurate body temperature measurement of the experimental animals. The high-definition camera unit is used to take pictures and videos of the animals to record their mental state and phenotypic characteristics.

[0043] Each physical operation (such as changing food) generates a digital record (such as food intake) simultaneously, which corresponds one-to-one with the animal's physiological data (body temperature, behavioral images), forming a high-quality scientific research big data asset that is tamper-proof and fully traceable.

[0044] The intelligent management system for laboratory animals provided in this embodiment also includes a cleaning robot 7, which is connected to the central control unit 8 via a signal and is used to perform floor cleaning.

[0045] The intelligent management system for laboratory animals provided in this embodiment is completed by a cluster of robots throughout the entire process from feeding and cleaning to health monitoring. Personnel only need to conduct remote supervision in the monitoring room, which completely cuts off the chain of transmission of zoonotic diseases.

[0046] The intelligent management system for laboratory animals provided in this embodiment enables contactless feeding, observation, and temperature measurement, allowing the animals to be in a near-natural state, thereby improving the authenticity and reliability of the scientific research data obtained by orders of magnitude.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] An intelligent management method for laboratory animals, used in the intelligent management system for laboratory animals provided in Example 1, the intelligent management method comprising: S1, Task Triggering and Scheduling The central platform of the central control unit generates a task queue based on preset schedules (such as timed feeding), sensor feedback (such as tray overflow alarm) or manual instructions; S2, Cage handling and location management When it is necessary to conduct experiments or isolate a specific cage, the central platform instructs the lurking lifting and transporting robot to travel under the target cage, the lifting platform contacts the cage base, and after lifting, the cage direction can be adjusted by rotating the platform as needed, and then transported to the target workstation. S3, Automated Feeding and Health Monitoring When the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot receives the instruction to change the food and water in a cage, it navigates to the target cage. The 3D vision recognition system at the end of the robotic arm of the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot scans the interface on the cage and the surrounding environment to generate three-dimensional point cloud data, thereby accurately guiding the robotic arm to complete the grasping and changing of the food / water box. During the replacement process or when performing a special monitoring task, the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot uses 3D vision to locate the animal and uses an infrared temperature probe to measure the temperature. All data is automatically linked and uploaded to the database. S4. Automated waste disposal: When the feces tray needs to be replaced, the lurking lifting and transporting robot drives under the cage, reliably docks with the tray through the lifting and positioning mechanism, lifts it up and transports it out. After being transported to the automatic dumping mechanism, the lurking lifting and handling robot places the tray in, and the dumping mechanism automatically empties the feces. After being emptied, the pallet is taken over by another lurking lifting robot and transported to the cleaning area, while the cleaned spare pallet is transported to the standby area by a lurking lifting transport robot, forming a cycle.

[0049] The intelligent management method for laboratory animals provided in this embodiment also includes: S5, Automated Environmental Cleaning After the animal cages have been removed or the feces have been disposed of, the cleaning robot enters the area to perform floor cleaning.

[0050] In this embodiment, the central platform analyzes all operational data and animal physiological data, enabling it to optimize task scheduling strategies in reverse.

[0051] The technical solutions of the present invention have been fully described above. It should be noted that the specific embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above description. All technical solutions formed by those skilled in the art based on the spirit and essence of the present invention by adopting equivalent transformations or equivalent transformations in terms of structure, method or function fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent management system for laboratory animals, characterized in that, include: Laboratory animal cages (1); Animal cage base frame (2) is set at the lower end of the experimental animal cage (1) to provide fixed support for the experimental animal cage (1); Feces tray (3) is movably disposed at the lower end of the animal cage base (2) to collect feces produced by the experimental animals in the experimental animal cage (1); The lurking lifting and transporting robot (4) is used to perform translation and rotation of the experimental animal cage (1), as well as the picking up and transporting of the feces tray (3); The fecal dumping system (5) is used to receive the fecal tray (3) brought by the lurking lifting and transporting robot (4) and automatically complete the flipping, dumping and resetting actions; An automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot (6) is used to feed and monitor the experimental animals in the experimental animal cages (1); The central control unit (8) serves as the command center and is connected to the lurking lifting and transporting robot (4), the feces dumping system (5), and the automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot (6) via signal. It is responsible for task planning, resource allocation, data aggregation, and intelligent analysis.

2. The intelligent management system for laboratory animals according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lurking lifting and handling robot (4) is a lurking lifting robot with a 90-degree rotating lifting platform.

3. The intelligent management system for laboratory animals according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fecal dumping system (5) includes an automatic dumping frame, which includes a support for receiving the fecal tray (3) transferred from the lurking lifting and handling robot (4) and a drive unit for driving the support to rotate more than 90 degrees. The drive unit is used to automatically complete the flipping, dumping and resetting actions.

4. The intelligent management system for laboratory animals according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic feeding and experimental auxiliary robot (6) includes a mobile chassis, a high-degree-of-freedom robotic arm mounted on the mobile chassis, and a 3D vision recognition system installed at the end of the robotic arm. The 3D vision recognition system uses binocular or structured light technology to achieve three-dimensional spatial positioning of the cage interface, food box and water box. The mobile chassis is equipped with a multi-functional upper platform, and the multi-functional upper platform integrates an automatic weighing module.

5. The intelligent management system for laboratory animals according to claim 4, characterized in that, The robotic arm is also equipped with an infrared temperature probe and a high-definition camera unit at its end. The infrared temperature probe is installed coaxially or adjacent to the 3D visual recognition system to achieve non-contact and accurate body temperature measurement of experimental animals. The high-definition camera unit is used to take photos and videos of the animals to record their mental state and phenotypic characteristics.

6. The intelligent management system for laboratory animals according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a cleaning robot (7), which is signal-connected to the central control unit (8) and is used to perform floor cleaning.

7. An intelligent management method for laboratory animals, characterized in that, An intelligent management method for an intelligent management system for laboratory animals according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the intelligent management method comprising: S1, Task Triggering and Scheduling The central platform of the central control unit generates a task queue based on a preset schedule, sensor feedback, or manual instructions; S2, Cage handling and location management When it is necessary to conduct experiments or isolate a specific cage, the central platform commands the lurking lifting and transporting robot to travel under the target cage, the lifting platform contacts the cage base, and after lifting, the cage direction can be adjusted by rotating the platform as needed, and then transported to the target workstation. S3, Automated Feeding and Health Monitoring When the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot receives the instruction to change the food and water in a cage, it navigates to the target cage. The 3D vision recognition system at the end of the robotic arm of the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot scans the interface on the cage and the surrounding environment to generate three-dimensional point cloud data, thereby accurately guiding the robotic arm to complete the grasping and changing of the food / water box. During the replacement process or when performing a special monitoring task, the automatic feeding and experimental assistance robot uses 3D vision to locate the animal and uses an infrared temperature probe to measure the temperature. All data is automatically linked and uploaded to the database. S4. Automated waste disposal: When the feces tray needs to be replaced, the lurking lifting and transporting robot drives under the cage, reliably docks with the tray through the lifting and positioning mechanism, lifts it up and transports it out. After being transported to the automatic dumping mechanism, the lurking lifting and handling robot places the tray in, and the dumping mechanism automatically empties the feces. After being emptied, the pallet is taken over by another lurking lifting robot and transported to the cleaning area, while the cleaned spare pallet is transported to the standby area by a lurking lifting transport robot, forming a cycle.

8. The intelligent management method for laboratory animals according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: S5, Automated Environmental Cleaning After the animal cages have been removed or the feces have been disposed of, the cleaning robot enters the area to perform floor cleaning.

9. The intelligent management method for laboratory animals according to claim 7, characterized in that, The central platform analyzes all operational and animal physiological data, enabling it to optimize task scheduling strategies in reverse.

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