IVC cage box padding automatic filling device

Abstract

The invention discloses an IVC cage box padding automatic filling device which comprises a hopper and a base, a frame body is arranged on the base, an oscillating piece is arranged at the center of the base, a containing groove is formed in the end face of the base, a fixing piece is arranged in the containing groove, a discharging port for pouring out padding in the hopper is formed in the bottom of the hopper, and a containing pipe is communicated with the discharging port. One end of the indwelling pipe is an indwelling end, and the indwelling end of the indwelling pipe is provided with an auxiliary part used for enabling padding poured into the IVC cage box to be scattered and precipitated at the bottom of an inner cavity of the IVC cage box, an air spraying part used for spraying air flow to the inner cavity of the IVC cage box and a blocking part used for being in linkage with the air spraying part and enabling the air flow to intermittently enter the inner cavity of the IVC cage box; and a detection piece for calculating the specific volume of the filled padding is arranged in the placement groove. The problems that in the prior art, the padding in the inner cavity of the IVC cage box needs to be manually added, so that the volumes of the padding in all cages are different, and the animal quality is affected due to different feeding environments are solved; and the physical and psychological health of experimenters is influenced by manually adding the padding for a long time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of IVC cage filling tooling technology, specifically an automatic filling device for IVC cages. Background Technology

[0002] In existing technologies, bedding replenishment for IVC cages is typically done manually. However, manual bedding addition is subjective, leading to inconsistent amounts each time. Inconsistent bedding filling affects the living environment of laboratory animals, increases experimental error, and impacts experimental results. Furthermore, bedding is generally made from corn cobs, sawdust, paper towels, and other scraps, containing excessive dust. When adding bedding, laboratory personnel are likely to inhale the dust, which can irritate and damage their eyes and lungs, causing harm to their physical and mental well-being. Annual health checkup data from an animal center shows that staff who are frequently exposed to bedding have a higher incidence of dry eye, conjunctivitis, and pulmonary nodules than those who are not exposed.

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an automatic filling device for IVC cage bedding. This device solves the problems of existing technologies, such as the need for manual addition of bedding material in the IVC cage cavity, which leads to inconsistent amounts added each time, causing deviations in feeding data, and the physical and mental harm to researchers when manually adding bedding material for extended periods.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an automatic filling device for IVC cage padding, comprising a hopper and a base. The base is provided with a frame for placing the hopper, and a vibrating element for vibrating an external IVC cage is provided at the center of the base. The end face of the base is provided with a placement groove for placing the external IVC cage, and a fixing element for fixing the external IVC cage is provided in the placement groove. The top of the hopper has a filling hole for filling the external padding, and the bottom of the hopper has a discharge port for emptying the padding inside the hopper. The discharge port is connected to a placement tube for inserting into the external IVC cage. One end of the placement tube is the insertion end. The insertion end of the placement tube is provided with an auxiliary component for causing the padding poured into the IVC cage to scatter and settle at the bottom of the IVC cage cavity, an air jet component for spraying airflow into the IVC cage cavity, and a blocking component for intermittently entering the IVC cage cavity in conjunction with the air jet component. The placement groove is provided with a detection component for calculating the specific volume of the filled padding.

[0005] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are as follows: The tester places the cage to be added in the placement slot, where the fixing components secure the cage. At this time, the external intelligent control platform activates the hopper, causing the padding material in the hopper to be poured into the cage through the placement pipe. During the filling, auxiliary components cause the padding material to scatter and settle at the bottom of the cage. The spraying component is used to introduce airflow and promote even settling of the padding material at the bottom of the cage. The blocking component ensures that the airflow will not continuously pour into the cage, causing the padding material to scatter and fly out, thus preventing the padding material from being thrown out of the cage. While the padding material is continuously being poured, the detection component calculates the approximate volume of the poured padding material in real time and transmits the signal to the external intelligent control platform. The external intelligent control platform calculates and compares the calculated padding material volume with the specified volume, and stops the filling when the volume is within acceptable limits. The oscillating component ensures that the padding material is evenly spread in the cage. This technical solution automates the padding material filling process, simplifies operation, eliminates the need for manual filling, ensures consistent padding material volume in each cage, and avoids direct contact between the tester and the padding material. Touching the padding material can cause bodily injury. The intelligent control platform in the above technology can be a computer or other control hub, which is existing technology; therefore, its structure and technology will not be elaborated further. In the above technology, a robotic arm can be installed on one side of the equipment for automatically gripping the cage, automating the entire filling process and avoiding manual handling of the cage. This robotic arm is existing technology; therefore, its structure and function will not be elaborated further. In the above technology, a loading cylinder can be installed on the frame to drive the placement tube to slide along the height of the base. This ensures that the cage will not collide with the bottom of the placement tube when it is gripped by the robotic arm and placed in the placement slot. It also ensures that after the cage is placed, the loading cylinder can drive the placement tube downwards and place the placement tube's insertion end into the cage. The specific location of the loading cylinder and its connection can be installed according to equipment requirements. That is, the loading cylinder can be connected to the hopper to drive the movement of the placement tube, or the loading cylinder can be connected to the outer wall of the placement tube, which is made of a retractable gooseneck tube, allowing the placement tube to also extend and retract. The above technology further enables automated filling.

[0006] The invention further includes the following features: a through groove is provided at the center of the placement groove, and an oscillating plate is provided in the through groove. Small vibration motors are connected to the bottom walls at both ends of the oscillating plate. The output ends of the small vibration motors are connected to the bottom walls of the oscillating plate. A buffer pad is laid flat on the top wall of the oscillating plate. The buffer pad is made of elastic rubber material. The vibration frequencies of the two small vibration motors are not the same. The small vibration motors are the oscillating elements.

[0007] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are as follows: When the bedding material is poured into the IVC cage, the small vibration motor starts synchronously and vibrates the vibrating plate. At this time, the excitation force output by the vibration motor is transmitted to the IVC cage through the vibrating plate. The vibration of the IVC cage causes the bedding material poured inside to gradually change from a piled state to a flat state under the influence of the excitation force. This ensures that the living conditions of the experimental animals are not affected by the accumulation of bedding material, thereby avoiding the impact on experimental data and creating a good experimental environment. At the same time, it avoids excessive accumulation of bedding material during filling, which could prevent the insertion end of the tube from being filled with bedding material and thus avoid the presence of bedding material in the insertion end. The presence of unfilled bedding material results in an unqualified volume of bedding material in the cage box. This also prevents excessive bedding material buildup from remaining on the outer wall of the insertion tube and detaching it from the cage box during tube removal. The two small vibrating motors in this technology are set to different vibration frequencies, creating two excitation sources. This ensures that the bedding material can be quickly and evenly spread within the IVC cage box after filling, thus improving bedding material filling efficiency. Experimenters can modify the vibration frequency and amplitude of the vibrating motors according to site conditions and experimental needs, or make the two motors vibrate at the same frequency. The vibrating motors used in this technology are existing technology, therefore their structure and function will not be described in detail.

[0008] The present invention further provides that the outer peripheral wall of the oscillating plate and the inner peripheral wall of the through groove are fitted with a clearance.

[0009] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are: the outer peripheral wall of the oscillating plate and the inner peripheral wall of the through groove are set with a gap fit to ensure that the oscillating plate will not collide with the inner peripheral wall of the through groove during oscillation, thus preventing damage to the oscillating plate and also avoiding damage to the base, which would affect the flatness of the bedding material in the IVC cage.

[0010] The present invention further includes: a cap hinged at the opening of the insertion tube for sealing the opening of the insertion tube; a mating plate protruding on the outer peripheral wall of the cap; and a filling component including a small driving cylinder disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the insertion tube. A guide rod is connected between the output end of the small driving cylinder and the mating plate for driving the cap to swing when the output end of the small driving cylinder extends or retracts. The cap is an auxiliary component.

[0011] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are: when the bedding material is injected, the external intelligent control platform can activate a small drive cylinder. The small drive cylinder activates its output end to extend and retract, driving the guide rod to move. The guide rod is connected to the mating plate, which causes the cap to swing in a fan shape. When the cap swings in a fan shape, the bedding material is continuously sprayed from the insertion tube into the inner cavity of the IVC cage. However, the bedding material is affected by the swing of the cap, causing it to scatter in the IVC cage according to the angle between the cap and the opening of the insertion tube. This allows the bedding material to be scattered on the bottom surface of the inner cavity of the IVC cage, thus avoiding bedding material accumulation that could lead to incorrect instrument calculations. When the IV When the volume of bedding material in the IVC cage reaches a certain value and is detected by the detector, the detector transmits data to an external intelligent control platform. The external intelligent control platform can instantly activate a small driving cylinder, causing the output end of the small driving cylinder to extend and push the mating plate, thereby realizing the swinging of the cap and sealing the opening at the insertion end of the tube, ensuring that no more bedding material is poured into the IVC cage, thus realizing the automation and precision of bedding material filling, avoiding the impact of too much or too little bedding material on the life of experimental animals, and thus avoiding deviations in experimental data comparison; the small driving cylinder in the above technology is existing technology, so its function and structure will not be described in detail.

[0012] The present invention further comprises: an air outlet pipe provided on the outer wall of the placement tube, one end of the air outlet pipe being an air inlet for connecting to the output end of an external air pump, and the other end being an air outlet for being placed into the inner cavity of an external IVC cage. The horizontal plane of the opening at the air outlet end of the air outlet pipe is flush with the horizontal plane of the opening at the placement end of the placement tube. The air outlet pipe is hollow and has a vent hole. Both the air inlet end and the air outlet end are connected to the vent hole. The air outlet pipe is a jetting component.

[0013] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are: when the bedding is poured in, the external control platform simultaneously turns on the air pump, so that the external air pump sprays airflow into the air outlet pipe. This airflow will enter the inner cavity of the IVC cage through the air outlet pipe, thereby blowing the poured bedding, so that the bedding does not accumulate in one place and affect the life of the experimental animals. Moreover, the bedding can be blown during the pouring process, thus ensuring that the bedding is scattered in the inner cavity of the IVC cage.

[0014] The present invention further includes: an electromagnetic valve is provided on the air outlet pipe, and the output end of the electromagnetic valve is an opening and closing end for inserting into the air vent and closing or unblocking the air vent; the electromagnetic valve is a blocking component.

[0015] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are: the solenoid valve in the above technology can close or open the vent hole, and it can communicate with the external intelligent control platform. It can also be programmed to control the solenoid valve to open and close at certain intervals, so as to realize the intermittent airflow from the vent pipe and avoid the padding material in the IVC cage from flying around or even flying out of the IVC cage due to long-term air blowing; the solenoid valve in the above technology is existing technology, so its structure and function will not be described in detail. It can be replaced with a ball valve or other barrier valve according to actual needs or pipeline requirements.

[0016] The invention further comprises: a horizontally arranged frame plate on the frame body, a vertically arranged upright on the frame plate, a retaining ring on the upright for inserting the tube, the retaining ring being positioned in the middle of the tube insertion section, a servo cylinder on the frame plate for changing the tilt angle of the tube insertion end relative to the inner cavity of the external IVC cage, a connecting rod connected to the output end of the servo cylinder, one end of the connecting rod being connected to the outer peripheral wall of the tube insertion end, and the radial cross-section of the upright, connecting rod, and frame plate being arranged in a triangular shape.

[0017] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are as follows: When it is necessary to adjust the angle of the insertion end of the tube in the IVC cage, the operator can start the servo cylinder through the external intelligent control platform. The servo cylinder starts and drives the connecting rod to retract. At this time, the connecting rod pulls the insertion end of the tube to make it swing in a fan shape towards the inner wall of the IVC cage, so that the bedding material can be scattered on the bottom surface of the inner cavity of the IVC cage, thereby avoiding excessive accumulation of bedding material in one place, which would affect the life of the experimental animals. In the above technology, the radial cross section of the combination of the upright rod, connecting rod and frame plate is set in a triangular shape, which ensures that when the connecting rod pulls or pushes the tube, the insertion end of the tube can swing in the inner cavity of the IVC cage, thereby ensuring the scattering of the bedding material and adjusting the angle at which the bedding material is sprayed out of the tube.

[0018] The present invention further includes a setting where the length of the upright is less than the length of the tube.

[0019] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are: the length of the upright is less than the length of the tube, which allows the tube to be pushed when the connecting rod extends, so that the tube placement is not restricted by the position of the upright. When the connecting rod extends, the connection point between the connecting rod and the tube will move obliquely towards the upright, thereby enabling the tube insertion end to swing in a fan shape towards the top wall of the IVC cage cavity. This allows the bedding material to be scattered on the bottom surface of the IVC cage cavity, thus avoiding the accumulation of bedding material that would affect the living conditions of the experimental animals.

[0020] The present invention further includes: volume sensors are provided at the four corners and the off-center of the bottom wall of the placement tank, and the volume sensors are detection components.

[0021] The advantages of adopting the above technical solution are as follows: The volume sensor is used to calculate the initial volume of the internal chamber of the IVC cage. Then, as bedding is continuously added, the remaining volume of the cage is calculated. When the remaining volume reaches a certain value, the volume sensor transmits data to an external intelligent control platform. The platform instantly activates a small drive cylinder, extending its output end and pushing a mating plate. This achieves the cap swinging action and seals the opening at the insertion end of the tube, ensuring no more bedding is added to the IVC cage. This automates and precisely fills the cage, preventing excessive or insufficient bedding from affecting the animals' lives and avoiding deviations in experimental data comparison. The volume sensor used in this technology is existing technology and can be a photoelectric sensor or a laser sensor. The detection sensors include proximity sensors and weighing sensors, with laser sensors being a commonly used type. Laser sensors detect the total volume of the injected bedding material, directly measuring and calculating the total volume after injection. This total volume data is then transmitted to an external intelligent control platform, which compares the detected data with standard total volume data to verify the volume of the injected bedding material. Therefore, its structure and function will not be elaborated further. In the aforementioned technology, volume sensors are installed at the four corners and off-center of the bottom wall of the placement tank. Multiple sets of volume sensors improve data accuracy by detecting the IVC cage. Depending on production and installation requirements, the volume sensors can be installed at the opening of the placement tank or at any location on the inner wall of the tank, thus enhancing the detection accuracy of the volume sensors. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional view of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional view of the tube and its linkage structure in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] This invention provides an automatic filling device for IVC cage padding material, including a hopper 2 and a base 1. The base 1 has a frame 11 for placing the hopper 2. A vibrating element for vibrating an external IVC cage is located at the center of the base 1. The end face of the base 1 has a placement groove 12 for placing the external IVC cage, and a fixing element for securing the external IVC cage is located in the placement groove 12. The top of the hopper 2 has a filling hole 111 for filling with external padding material, and the bottom of the hopper 2 has a discharge port 112 for emptying the padding material inside the hopper 2. A placement tube 3 for inserting into the external IVC cage is connected to the discharge port 112. One end of the placement tube 3 is an insertion end 31, and the insertion end 31 of the placement tube 3 is provided with… The container includes auxiliary components for dispersing and settling the filling material into the IVC cage at the bottom of the cage's inner cavity, an air jet for spraying airflow into the cage's inner cavity, and a blocking component that works in conjunction with the air jet to intermittently allow airflow into the cage's inner cavity. A detection component for calculating the specific volume of the filling material is installed in the placement groove 12. A through groove 13 is formed at the center of the placement groove 12, and an oscillating plate 4 is installed in the through groove 13. Small vibration motors 41 are connected to the bottom walls at both ends of the oscillating plate 4, and the output ends of the small vibration motors 41 are connected to the bottom walls of the oscillating plate 4. A buffer pad 42, made of elastic rubber, is laid flat on the top wall of the oscillating plate 4. The two small vibration motors 41 vibrate... The vibration frequency is not set inconsistently. The small vibration motor 41 is the oscillating element. The outer peripheral wall of the oscillating plate 4 is fitted with the inner peripheral wall of the through groove 13 with a clearance fit. A cover 32 for sealing the opening of the insertion end 31 of the insertion tube 3 is hinged. A mating plate 33 protrudes on the outer peripheral wall of the cover 32. The leveling element includes a small driving cylinder 34 set on the outer peripheral wall of the insertion tube 3. A guide rod 35 is connected between the output end of the small driving cylinder 34 and the mating plate 33 to drive the cover 32 to swing when the output end of the small driving cylinder 34 extends or retracts. The cover 32 is the auxiliary element. An air outlet pipe 5 is provided on the outer wall of the insertion tube 3. One end of the air outlet pipe 5 is an air inlet 51 for connecting to the output end of an external air pump, and the other end is an air outlet 52. The air outlet 52 is used for insertion into the inner cavity of the external IVC cage. The horizontal plane of the opening of the air outlet 52 is flush with the horizontal plane of the opening of the insertion end 31 of the placement tube 3. The air outlet 5 is hollow and has a vent hole. Both the air inlet 51 and the air outlet 52 are connected to the vent hole. The air outlet 5 is the air jet component. A solenoid valve 53 is installed on the air outlet 5. The output end of the solenoid valve 53 is the opening and closing end used to insert into the vent hole and close or unblock the vent hole. The solenoid valve 53 is the blocking component. The frame 11 has a horizontally arranged frame plate 14. A vertical upright 6 is installed on the frame plate 14. A retaining ring 61 for the placement tube 3 to pass through is installed on the upright 6. The retaining ring 61 is located in the middle section of the placement tube 3.The frame plate 14 is equipped with a servo cylinder 15 for changing the tilt angle of the insertion end 31 of the placement tube 3 relative to the inner cavity of the external IVC cage. The output end of the servo cylinder 15 is connected to a connecting rod 62, one end of which is connected to the outer peripheral wall of the insertion end 31 of the placement tube 3. The radial cross-section of the combination of the upright 6, the connecting rod 62, and the frame plate 14 is triangular. The length of the upright 6 is less than the length of the placement tube 3. Volume sensors 7 are installed at the four corners and off-center of the bottom wall of the placement groove 12; these volume sensors 7 serve as detection elements.

[0026] The IVC cage described in the above technology is identified as 8 in the accompanying drawings.

[0027] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles and main features of the present invention, as well as its advantages. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from its spirit and scope. All such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automatic filling device for IVC cage bedding material, characterized in that: The device includes a hopper and a base. The base has a frame for placing the hopper. A vibrating element for vibrating an external IVC cage is located at the center of the base. The end face of the base has a placement groove for placing the external IVC cage. A fixing element for fixing the external IVC cage is located in the placement groove. The top of the hopper has a filling hole for filling external padding material. The bottom of the hopper has a discharge port for emptying the padding material inside the hopper. The discharge port is connected to a placement tube for inserting into the external IVC cage. One end of the placement tube is the insertion end. The insertion end of the placement tube has an auxiliary component for scattering and settling the padding material into the bottom of the IVC cage cavity, an air jet component for spraying airflow into the IVC cage cavity, and a blocking component for intermittently entering the IVC cage cavity in conjunction with the air jet component. A detection component for calculating the specific volume of the filled padding material is located in the placement groove.

2. The automatic filling device for IVC cage padding material according to claim 1, characterized in that: A through slot is provided at the center of the placement slot, and an oscillating plate is provided in the through slot. Small vibration motors are connected to the bottom walls at both ends of the oscillating plate. The output end of the small vibration motor is connected to the bottom wall of the oscillating plate. A buffer pad is laid flat on the top wall of the oscillating plate. The buffer pad is made of elastic rubber material. The vibration frequencies of the two small vibration motors are not set. The small vibration motors are the oscillating components.

3. The automatic filling device for IVC cage padding material according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer peripheral wall of the oscillating plate is fitted with the inner peripheral wall of the through groove with a clearance fit.

4. The automatic filling device for IVC cage padding material according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tube insertion end opening is hinged with a cap for sealing the tube opening. A mating plate protrudes from the outer peripheral wall of the cap. The leveling component includes a small driving cylinder disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the tube. A guide rod is connected between the output end of the small driving cylinder and the mating plate for driving the cap to swing when the output end of the small driving cylinder extends or retracts. The cap is an auxiliary component.

5. The automatic filling device for IVC cage padding material according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air outlet pipe is provided on the outer wall of the insertion tube. One end of the air outlet pipe is an air inlet for connecting to the output end of an external air pump, and the other end is an air outlet for being inserted into the inner cavity of an external IVC cage. The horizontal plane of the opening at the air outlet end of the air outlet pipe is flush with the horizontal plane of the opening at the insertion end of the insertion tube. The air outlet pipe is hollow and has a vent hole. Both the air inlet end and the air outlet end are connected to the vent hole. The air outlet pipe is the jetting component.

6. An automatic filling device for IVC cage padding material according to claim 5, characterized in that: The vent pipe is equipped with a solenoid valve. The output end of the solenoid valve is the opening and closing end for inserting into the vent hole and closing or unblocking the vent hole. The solenoid valve is the blocking component.

7. The automatic filling device for IVC cage bedding material according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frame is horizontally equipped with a frame plate, and the frame plate is vertically equipped with a vertical pole. The vertical pole is equipped with a retaining ring for inserting the tube. The retaining ring is located in the middle of the tube insertion section. The frame plate is equipped with a servo cylinder for changing the tilt angle of the tube insertion end relative to the inner cavity of the external IVC cage. The output end of the servo cylinder is connected to a connecting rod. One end of the connecting rod is connected to the outer peripheral wall of the tube insertion end. The radial cross-section of the combination of the vertical pole, connecting rod, and frame plate is triangular.

8. An automatic filling device for IVC cage bedding material according to claim 7, characterized in that: The length of the upright is less than the length of the tube.

9. An automatic filling device for IVC cage padding material according to claim 1, characterized in that: Volume sensors are installed at the four corners and off-center of the bottom wall of the placement tank, and the volume sensors are the detection components.

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