Mouse cage with muscle strength testing function

Abstract

The utility model discloses a mouse cage with a muscle strength testing function, which relates to the technical field of muscle strength testing and comprises a rat and mouse holding power instrument, a control panel is arranged on the outer surface of the rat and mouse holding power instrument, and a connecting rod is mounted at the connecting end of the rat and mouse holding power instrument. And an auxiliary mechanism connected with the connecting rod is arranged at the upper part of the rat and mouse holding power instrument. By means of mutual cooperation of the adjusting assembly, the luring assembly and the stimulating assembly, activity space of rats and mice can be conveniently adjusted according to requirements, food is stored in the luring assembly to luring the mice to move forwards, and if the mice run backwards without being attracted by the food, the mice can be attracted to move forwards. When the mouse is used for mouse muscle force testing, current stimulation is carried out on the buttocks of the mouse through the stimulation assembly under the condition that the life safety of the mouse is not harmed, meanwhile, strong light and sound stimulation is carried out on the mouse, the mouse is promoted to move forwards, an experimenter pulls the tail of the mouse, and the device is only used for mouse muscle force testing experiments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of muscle strength testing technology, specifically a mouse cage with muscle strength testing function. Background Technology

[0002] Mouse muscle strength testing is used to study neuromuscular function, motor disorders, and the effects of drugs on muscle strength. In experiments involving mouse grip strength testing, a grip dynamometer is typically used to measure the voluntary grip strength of rats and mice. After the mouse's forelimbs or four limbs grasp a metal rod or grid, the experimenter gently pulls the mouse's tail until it releases its grip. The grip dynamometer records the maximum grip strength, usually expressed in Newtons or grams, which is an important indicator for assessing mouse muscle function.

[0003] However, in traditional muscle strength tests on mice and rats, the mice run left and right on metal rods or grids, making it impossible to restrict their movement space. When the mouse's tail is pulled, if the mouse's body is tilted, it can easily affect the accuracy of the grip strength test data, especially since the data varies greatly in different muscle strength tests for mice and rats. Furthermore, due to the mouse's voluntary grip strength, the data can vary significantly without external stimulation. To ensure the accuracy of the test, multiple experiments are required, which is quite cumbersome. Therefore, we provide a mouse cage with muscle strength testing function to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology and provide a rat cage with a muscle strength testing function. This device can adjust the activity space of rats and mice according to their different body sizes. At the same time, it can use multiple external stimuli to make rats and mice firmly grasp the metal rod or grid, and then perform muscle strength testing by pulling the rat's tail.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a mouse cage with muscle strength testing function, including a mouse and rat gripping device, a control panel is provided on the outer surface of the mouse and rat gripping device, a connecting rod is installed at the connecting end of the mouse and rat gripping device, and an auxiliary mechanism connected to the connecting rod is provided on the upper part of the mouse and rat gripping device.

[0006] The auxiliary mechanism includes a hollow mesh fixed to the outer end of the connecting rod, and a mouse cage fixed to the surface of the hollow mesh. The auxiliary mechanism also includes an adjustment component, an attraction component, and a stimulation component located inside the mouse cage.

[0007] Furthermore, the adjustment assembly includes two opposing adjustment plates located inside the mouse cage, and a lead screw that is threaded into a pre-drilled hole in the inner wall of the mouse cage and rotatably connected to the adjustment plates. By setting the adjustment assembly, the adjustment plates and lead screw inside the assembly can be easily adjusted to adjust the size of the space inside the mouse cage, thereby adjusting the space for the mouse to move around according to the size of the mouse.

[0008] Furthermore, the adjustment assembly also includes a slide rod fixed to the outer surface of the adjustment plate and sliding through the inner wall of the cage on the same side, and a handle fixed to the outer end of the lead screw. By setting the adjustment assembly and the slide rod inside the adjustment assembly, the adjustment plate can be moved stably during the movement, and the situation of the adjustment plate rotating inside the cage can be avoided.

[0009] Furthermore, the auxiliary mechanism also includes holes formed on the outer surface of the cage and a cover plate hinged to the upper surface of the cage. The auxiliary mechanism also includes a level mounted on the upper surface of the cover plate and a clamping assembly fixed to the outer surface of the cage and located outside the holes. By providing holes, it is easy for the rat's tail to pass through the holes, so that the experimenter can pull the rat's tail through the subsequent components to conduct subsequent muscle strength tests.

[0010] Furthermore, the attractant component includes a storage frame fixed to the outer surface of the rat cage for storing food, and a through groove opened in the inner wall of the rat cage and connected to the storage frame. By setting the attractant component, it is easy to put food that can attract rats into the storage frame, thereby making it easier to attract rats to move around in the rat cage.

[0011] Furthermore, the stimulation component includes a conductive plate, a high-intensity light, and a sound player installed on the inner wall of the mouse cage. The stimulation component is located on the same side as the hole. By setting the stimulation component, it is easy to stimulate the mouse, so that the mouse can move in the mouse cage and avoid the mouse being distracted by food, thus affecting the experimental process of testing the mouse's muscle strength.

[0012] Furthermore, the rat cage is made of a transparent material, such as acrylic sheet, which has both transparency and rigidity, for visual observation of the rat. By making the rat cage transparent, it is easier for experimenters to observe the movement of the rat inside the cage and thus implement different stimuli.

[0013] Furthermore, the clamping assembly includes a servo motor mounted on the outer surface of the mouse cage. The output shaft of the servo motor is fixedly connected to a threaded rod. The clamping assembly also includes a threaded block threadedly connected to the outer surface of the threaded rod, and two elastic clamping pieces fixed to the bottom surface of the threaded block. The clamping assembly also includes a limiting rod fixed to the outer surface of the mouse cage and slidingly engaged with a pre-drilled hole on the outer surface of the threaded block, and a baffle fixed to the outer end of the limiting rod and rotatingly engaged with the outer end of the threaded rod. By setting up the clamping assembly, it is easy to elastically clamp the tails of mice and rats of different sizes as they pass through the hole, thereby ensuring that the tails of mice and rats are pulled at the same position. The pulling method is achieved by activating the servo motor, avoiding large errors in data caused by inconsistencies in the angle at which different experimenters pull the tails.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, this mouse cage with muscle strength testing function has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] 1. This utility model, through the coordinated arrangement of adjustment components, inducement components, and stimulation components, allows for easy adjustment of the activity space of rats and mice according to needs. By placing food in the inducement component to entice the rat to move forward, if the rat is not tempted by the food and runs backward, the stimulation component will apply an electric current to the rat's buttocks without endangering the rat's life. At the same time, the rat will be stimulated by bright light and sound to move forward. The experimenter can then pull the rat's tail. This device is only used for testing rat muscle strength.

[0016] 2. This utility model, by setting holes, allows the rat's tail to pass through the holes, so that the experimenter can pull the rat's tail to conduct subsequent muscle strength tests. The cover plate can protect the rat cage and prevent the rat from climbing out of the cage. The level can be set to make it easy to observe whether the rat cage is in a horizontal state, so as to avoid the data difference caused by tilting during the rat muscle strength test after installation. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional front view of the overall device of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a top view of the three-dimensional structure of the overall device of this utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a top view of the internal structure of the auxiliary mechanism of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the stimulation component of this utility model;

[0021] Figure 5 This utility model Figure 1A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Mouse gripping device; 2. Control panel; 3. Connecting rod; 4. Auxiliary mechanism; 401. Hollow mesh; 402. Mouse cage; 403. Adjusting plate; 404. Lead screw; 405. Slide rod; 406. Rotating handle; 407. Hole; 408. Storage frame; 409. Through groove; 4010. Conductive plate; 4011. High-intensity light; 4012. Sound player; 4013. Cover plate; 4014. Level; 4015. Servo motor; 4016. Threaded rod; 4017. Threaded block; 4018. Elastic clamp; 4019. Limiting rod; 4020. Baffle. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The principles and features of this utility model are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only for explaining this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model.

[0024] As described in the background art, it is impossible to limit the activity space of mice. When the mouse's tail is pulled, if the mouse's body is tilted, it can easily affect the accuracy of the mouse's grip strength test data. In particular, the data varies greatly in different muscle strength tests of mice and rats. Furthermore, due to the mouse's voluntary grip strength, the data in the muscle strength test can be very different when there is no external stimulation. In order to ensure the accuracy of the test, multiple experiments are required, which is quite troublesome. Therefore, this embodiment provides a mouse cage with a muscle strength testing function. This device can adjust the activity space of mice and rats according to their different body sizes. At the same time, it can use multiple external stimuli to make the mice and rats firmly grasp the metal rod or grid, and then conduct muscle strength tests by pulling the mouse's tail.

[0025] See Figure 1 - Figure 5 This embodiment proposes a mouse cage with muscle strength testing function, including a mouse and rat gripping device 1. The outer surface of the mouse and rat gripping device 1 is provided with a control panel 2. A connecting rod 3 is installed at the connecting end of the mouse and rat gripping device 1. An auxiliary mechanism 4 connected to the connecting rod 3 is provided on the upper part of the mouse and rat gripping device 1.

[0026] refer to Figures 1 to 5 The rat and mouse gripping force meter 1 is a well-known device in the prior art, such as the rat and mouse gripping force meter of model KW-ZL, which is used for accurate testing of rat gripping force. It has the ability to accurately record and display gripping force data, and can also record the instantaneous speed of the rat after being stimulated in the rat cage 402. The internal settings of the rat and mouse gripping force meter 1 can be operated according to the instruction manual accompanying the rat and mouse gripping force meter 1, so it will not be described in detail.

[0027] Mouse cage 402 is made of transparent materials, such as acrylic sheets, which have both transparency and rigidity, for visual observation of mice.

[0028] By making the mouse cage 402 a transparent, friction-sensitive material with insulation properties, it is possible to prevent current from being transmitted to the mouse cage 402 when the mouse is stimulated. This allows researchers to more easily observe the movement of the mouse inside the cage 402, enabling them to implement different stimulation measures. At the same time, it allows researchers to observe the firmness of the mouse's limb muscles in gripping, thereby improving the convenience of experiments for testing mouse muscle strength.

[0029] The auxiliary mechanism 4 includes a hollow mesh 401 fixed to the outer end of the connecting rod 3, and a mouse cage 402 fixed to the upper surface of the hollow mesh 401. The auxiliary mechanism 4 also includes an adjustment component, an attraction component, and a stimulation component located inside the mouse cage 402.

[0030] refer to Figures 1 to 5 The setting of this adjustment component can facilitate the limitation and adjustment of the activity space of rats and mice in the cage 402. Under the multiple stimulation of the inducing component and the stimulating component, the rats are prompted to run forward. Thus, the experimenter only needs to pull the tail of the rat so that the rat can grasp the metal rod in the hollow net 401. The rat muscle strength is tested by rat and mouse gripping force meter 1.

[0031] The adjustment assembly includes two opposing adjustment plates 403 located inside the mouse cage 402, and a lead screw 404 that is threaded into a pre-drilled hole in the inner wall of the mouse cage 402 and rotatably connected to the adjustment plates 403.

[0032] By setting up the adjustment component, including the adjustment plate 403 and the lead screw 404, the size of the space inside the mouse cage 402 can be easily adjusted, thereby allowing the space for the mouse to move around to be adjusted according to the size of the mouse.

[0033] As a supplement, ensure that the mouse remains flat at all times to avoid the mouse's body tilting when grasping the hollow mesh 401 during the test, which could affect the accuracy of the test data.

[0034] The adjustment assembly also includes a slide bar 405 fixed to the outer surface of the adjustment plate 403 and sliding through the inner wall of the cage 402 on the same side, and a handle 406 fixed to the outer end of the lead screw 404.

[0035] By setting the adjustment component and the slider 405 inside the adjustment component, the adjustment plate 403 can be moved stably during the movement, and the adjustment plate 403 can be prevented from rotating inside the cage 402.

[0036] As a supplement, the handle 406 makes it easier for the experimenter to rotate the slide bar 405, and the handle 406 can limit and block the slide bar 405 to prevent it from sliding into the mouse cage 402.

[0037] The auxiliary mechanism 4 also includes a hole 407 formed on the outer surface of the mouse cage 402, and a cover plate 4013 hinged to the upper surface of the mouse cage 402. The auxiliary mechanism also includes a level 4014 mounted on the upper surface of the cover plate 4013, and a clamping assembly fixed to the outer surface of the mouse cage 402 and located outside the hole 407.

[0038] By setting a hole 407, it is possible to allow the mouse's tail to pass through the hole 407, so that the experimenter can pull the mouse's tail to conduct subsequent muscle strength tests.

[0039] As a supplement, the cover plate 4013 is designed to protect the mouse cage 402 and prevent mice from climbing out of the cage. The cover plate 4013 is made of a transparent material, such as acrylic sheet, which has both transparency and hardness. The level 4014 is designed to make it easy to observe whether the mouse cage 402 is in a horizontal state, thereby ensuring that the experiment is conducted in a horizontal state.

[0040] The lure assembly includes a storage frame 408 fixed to the outer surface of the cage 402 for storing food, and a through groove 409 formed in the inner wall of the cage 402 and connected to the storage frame 408.

[0041] By setting up an enticing component, it is easy to place food that can attract mice into the storage box 408, thereby making it easier to attract mice to move around in the mouse cage 402.

[0042] As a supplement, before conducting muscle strength tests on mice, mice may be given medications or other drugs specifically designed for muscle strength testing, such as stimulants for mouse testing experiments, as needed.

[0043] The stimulation components include a conductive plate 4010, a high-intensity light 4011, and a sound player 4012 installed on the inner wall of the mouse cage 402. The stimulation components are located on the same side as the hole 407.

[0044] By setting up stimulation components, it is easy to stimulate the mice, allowing them to move within the cage 402, thus preventing the mice from being distracted by food and affecting the experimental progress of the muscle strength test.

[0045] As a supplement, the conductive plate 4010, the strong light 4011, and the sound player 4012 in the stimulation component can stimulate the rear of the mouse with a small current, strong light, and sound, so that the mouse is stimulated to move away from the stimulation source, thus ensuring that the mouse moves within the cage 402. The stimulation components are harmless stimuli, and all experiments are conducted in a manner that ensures that the mouse is not harmed.

[0046] The clamping assembly includes a servo motor 4015 mounted on the outer surface of the mouse cage 402. The output shaft of the servo motor 4015 is fixedly connected to a threaded rod 4016. The clamping assembly also includes a threaded block 4017 threadedly connected to the outer surface of the threaded rod 4016, and two elastic clamping pieces 4018 fixed to the bottom surface of the threaded block 4017. The clamping assembly also includes a limiting rod 4019 fixed to the outer surface of the mouse cage 402 and slidingly engaged with a pre-drilled hole on the outer surface of the threaded block 4017, and a baffle 4020 fixed to the outer end of the limiting rod 4019 and rotatably engaged with the outer end of the threaded rod 4016.

[0047] By setting up a clamping component, it is possible to elastically clamp the tails of mice and rats of different sizes as they pass through the hole 407, thereby ensuring that the tails of mice and rats are pulled in the same position. The pulling method is achieved by activating the servo motor 4015, avoiding large errors in the data caused by different experimenters pulling the tails at different angles and inconsistencies.

[0048] As a supplement, when clamping and pulling the mouse's tail, the experimenter holds the mouse's tail that passes through the hole 407, straightens the mouse's tail, and lifts it upward from the bottom of the elastic clip 4018. The elastic clip 4018 moves to both sides and elastically clamps the mouse's tail. The elastic clip 4018 has a reserved hole in the center, and the inside of the reserved hole has anti-slip texture, which can be used to clamp and pull the mouse's tail.

[0049] As a supplement, the large and small rat gripping device 1, conductive plate 4010, high-intensity lamp 4011 and sound player 4012 in this utility model are all conventional devices known to those skilled in the art and can be selected or customized according to actual needs. Their setting method, installation method and electrical connection method can be debugged and operated in accordance with the requirements of their instruction manuals by those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0050] Working principle: During the rat muscle strength test, the rat gripping device 1 is activated, and the cover 4013 is opened. The rat is placed in the rat cage 402, positioned on the hollow mesh 401, with its tail protruding through the hole 407. The gripping assembly elastically clamps the rat's tail. Rotating the handle 406 causes the lead screw 404 to rotate, engaging with the rat cage 402 and pushing the adjusting plate 403 to limit the space according to the rat's body shape. After adjustment, the cover 4013 is closed, and the gripping assembly firmly holds the rat's tail outside the cage 402. The rat, attracted by the smell of food in the storage box 408, becomes more active. As the mouse moves forward, the experimenter can activate the servo motor 4015. The servo motor 4015 drives the threaded rod 4016 to rotate, causing the threaded rod 4016 to drive the threaded block 4017 to move laterally under the limiting action of the limiting rod 4019. The threaded block 4017 then drives the two elastic clips 4018 to clamp the mouse's tail, pulling the mouse outward. The mouse, pulled outward, will grip the metal rod on the hollow mesh 401. As the servo motor 4015 continues to pull the mouse's tail until the mouse releases its grip, the gripping force of the mouse can be recorded by the large and small mouse gripping force meter 1, thus completing the test of the mouse's muscle strength. Multiple tests improve the accuracy of the test data.

[0051] If the mouse is not attracted by the food in the lure component, the conductive plate 4010, the bright light 4011, and the sound player 4012 in the stimulation component can be activated simultaneously. The conductive plate 4010 can provide a small current stimulation to the mouse's buttocks, and the bright light 4011 and the sound stimulation from the cover plate 4013 can make the mouse move away from the stimulation source. At this time, the mouse's tail can be pulled by the clamping component. When the mouse can no longer grasp the metal bar on the hollow mesh 401, the mouse's muscle fatigue value can be measured by the large and small mouse gripping force meter 1. After the mouse rests, multiple tests are conducted to improve the accuracy of the test. All stimulation components in the whole device are tested in a way that ensures that the mouse is not harmed.

Claims

1. A rat cage with muscle strength testing function, comprising a rat and mouse grip strength tester (1), characterized in that: The outer surface of the mouse and rat gripping device (1) is provided with a control panel (2), the connecting end of the mouse and rat gripping device (1) is provided with a connecting rod (3), and the upper part of the mouse and rat gripping device (1) is provided with an auxiliary mechanism (4) connected to the connecting rod (3). The auxiliary mechanism (4) includes a hollow mesh (401) fixed to the outer end of the connecting rod (3) and a mouse cage (402) fixed to the upper surface of the hollow mesh (401). The auxiliary mechanism (4) also includes an adjustment component, an attraction component and a stimulation component located inside the mouse cage (402).

2. The mouse cage with muscle strength testing function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment assembly includes two opposing adjustment plates (403) located inside the mouse cage (402), and a lead screw (404) that is threaded into a pre-drilled hole in the inner wall of the mouse cage (402) and rotatably connected to the adjustment plates (403).

3. A mouse cage with muscle strength testing function according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adjustment assembly also includes a slide rod (405) fixed to the outer surface of the adjustment plate (403) and sliding through the inner wall of the same side of the mouse cage (402), and a handle (406) fixed to the outer end of the lead screw (404).

4. A mouse cage with muscle strength testing function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary mechanism (4) also includes a hole (407) opened on the outer surface of the mouse cage (402) and a cover plate (4013) hinged to the upper surface of the mouse cage (402). The auxiliary mechanism also includes a level (4014) installed on the upper surface of the cover plate (4013) and a clamping assembly fixed to the outer surface of the mouse cage (402) and located outside the hole (407).

5. A mouse cage with muscle strength testing function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The attractant assembly includes a storage frame (408) fixed to the outer surface of the rat cage (402) for storing food, and a through groove (409) opened in the inner wall of the rat cage (402) and connected to the storage frame (408).

6. A mouse cage with muscle strength testing function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stimulation component includes a conductive plate (4010), a high-intensity lamp (4011), and a sound player (4012) installed on the inner wall of the mouse cage (402), and the stimulation component is arranged on the same side as the hole (407).

7. A mouse cage with muscle strength testing function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rat cage (402) is made of transparent material and is used for visual observation of rats.

8. A mouse cage with muscle strength testing function according to claim 4, characterized in that: The clamping assembly includes a servo motor (4015) mounted on the outer surface of the mouse cage (402), the output shaft of the servo motor (4015) is fixedly connected to a threaded rod (4016), the clamping assembly also includes a threaded block (4017) threadedly connected to the outer surface of the threaded rod (4016), and two elastic clips (4018) fixed to the bottom surface of the threaded block (4017). The clamping assembly also includes a limiting rod (4019) fixed to the outer surface of the mouse cage (402) and slidingly engaged with a pre-drilled hole on the outer surface of the threaded block (4017), and a baffle (4020) fixed to the outer end of the limiting rod (4019) and rotatingly engaged with the outer end of the threaded rod (4016).

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