An IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system cage box environment detection device

Abstract

This application relates to a cage environment testing device for an independently ventilated cage system for IVC laboratory animals, belonging to the field of laboratory equipment in the biomedical field. The testing device includes a cage taken from an independently ventilated cage system for IVC laboratory animals; the cage consists of a body and a detachably connected lid; one or more ventilation openings are provided through one side of the body, with detachable sealing tape corresponding to each ventilation opening; two air guides are provided through the box wall on the other side of the body to connect the inside and outside of the body, each air guide including an air receiving section extending outwards from the body; detachable sealing sections are provided corresponding to the air receiving sections. This device has a simple structure, is easy to operate, and is low in cost. It can detect the cage environment of an independently ventilated cage system for IVC laboratory animals, such as the internal wind speed, cage pressure at different locations on the cage rack, cage airtightness, cage particle count, and temperature and humidity indices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of laboratory equipment in the biomedical field, and more particularly to an environmental monitoring device for an IVC laboratory animal independent ventilation cage system. Background Technology

[0002] Independently ventilated (ICV) cage systems for laboratory animals are key pieces of equipment in the field of laboratory animal research. They are primarily used for the independent, ventilated, and isolated rearing of small animals such as rats and mice to reduce the risk of cross-infection and ensure animal welfare. The system typically includes a main unit, cage racks, cage boxes, air supply ducts, and exhaust ducts. The cage boxes are arranged sequentially on the cage racks, with each cage box having an air inlet connected to the air supply duct and an air outlet connected to the exhaust duct.

[0003] According to the national standard for laboratory animal environment GB17925-2010, there are clear parameter requirements for the laboratory animal environment. Meanwhile, the RB / T 199-2015 Technical Specification for Biosafety Performance Evaluation of Laboratory Equipment requires that the evaluation of independently ventilated cages (IVCs) should be conducted in at least the following situations: 1. After installation but before use; 2. After replacing HEPA filters or repairing internal components; 3. Annual maintenance and inspection. On-site testing should include at least airflow velocity, pressure difference, air change rate, cage airtightness, leak testing of supply and exhaust HEPA filters.

[0004] While some existing technologies exist for monitoring the cage environment of individually ventilated cage systems for IVC (in vitro vegetated) animals, they suffer from drawbacks such as complex operation and high cost. Therefore, designing a device that is easy to operate, low-cost, and allows for rapid monitoring of the cage environment in individually ventilated cage systems for IVC animals has been a long-standing pursuit for those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address or partially address the problems existing in related technologies, this application provides a cage environment testing device for independently ventilated cage systems used in IVC (Indoor Valve) laboratories. This device is simple in structure, easy to operate, and low in cost. It allows for rapid testing of the cage environment within an IVC system, including parameters such as internal airflow velocity, cage pressure at different locations on the cage frame, cage airtightness, particle count, and temperature and humidity levels. The cage used for testing, being directly derived from the IVC system, has a structure essentially identical to other cages except for the ventilation holes and air guides. Testing with this cage provides a better reflection of the cage's environment, resulting in more representative test results.

[0006] This application discloses an environmental monitoring device for an IVC (Independent Ventilation) laboratory animal cage system, comprising a cage taken from the IVC laboratory animal cage system; the cage consists of a body and a detachably connected lid; one or more ventilation openings are provided through one side of the body, and detachable sealing tape is provided for opening or closing the ventilation openings; two air guides are provided through the box wall on the other side of the body, each air guide including an air receiving section extending outward from the body; a detachable sealing section is provided for the air receiving section.

[0007] Furthermore, the air guiding section includes a hollow air guiding tube and a sealing plate. The portion of the hollow air guiding tube extending outward from the box body constitutes an air receiving section. The hollow air guiding tube passes through the sealing plate and is sealed and fixedly connected to the sealing plate. The end face of the sealing plate facing the box body is sealed and fixedly connected to the outer side of the box body.

[0008] Furthermore, the box body is formed by four sides and a bottom surface.

[0009] Furthermore, the vent and the air guide are respectively located on different sides.

[0010] Furthermore, three vents are provided, all of which are located on the same side of the box body and arranged at a certain distance apart.

[0011] Furthermore, the sealing part is an adhesive tape or a rubber plug.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this application are:

[0013] 1. The detection device in this application directly selects a cage from the IVC (Independent Ventilation and Ventilation) laboratory animal cage system. After targeted modification, it can conveniently detect the cage environment, such as the internal wind speed, cage pressure at different locations on the cage frame, cage airtightness, cage particle count, and temperature and humidity indices. The cage used for detection, being directly derived from the IVC system, has a structure essentially identical to other cages except for the ventilation holes and air guides. Using this cage for detection can better reflect the environment in which the cage is located, and the test results are more representative.

[0014] 2. Testing the airtightness of cages in IVC (Independent Ventilation) animal cage systems is inherently challenging. Through extensive data analysis, the inventors discovered that the main components affecting cage airtightness are the rubber sealing ring on the lid and the one-way valves at the air supply and exhaust vents (both located on the cage lid). Existing technologies lack effective methods for testing the sealing of these components. Using the testing cage described in this application, the airtightness test can be performed simply by removing the lid of the cage to be tested from the IVC animal cage system and replacing it with the testing cage. This testing method effectively solves the problem of airtightness testing of cages in existing technologies. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this application will become more apparent from the more detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same components in the exemplary embodiments thereof.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the left-side structure of the detection device in this application;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the detection device in this application;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the gas guide section in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the examples. While embodiments of this application are shown in the examples, it should be understood that this application can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make this application more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of this application to those skilled in the art. Example

[0020] This application discloses an IVC laboratory animal independent ventilation cage system cage environment monitoring device, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, it includes a cage taken from the IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system; specifically, the IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system in this embodiment is manufactured by TECNIPLAST SPA, model TYPE 21SO72, serial number SN 1210408.

[0021] The cage consists of a body 1 and a detachable lid 2. The body 1 is formed by four sides and a bottom. A vent 3 is provided through one side of the body 1, and a detachable sealing tape is provided to open or close the vent 3. In order to make the measured data more representative, the vent 3 is preferably designed to be three, and the three vents are all located on the same side of the body and arranged at a certain distance. The measurements are taken through the three vents and the average value is taken.

[0022] On the other side of the box body 1, there are two air guides 4 that connect the inner and outer sides of the box body. The air guides 4 include an air receiving section 400 that extends outward from the box body.

[0023] Specifically, the air guiding section 4 includes a hollow air guiding tube 40 and a sealing plate 41. The portion of the hollow air guiding tube 40 extending outward from the box body forms an air receiving section 400. The hollow air guiding tube 40 passes through the sealing plate 41, and the hollow air guiding tube 40 and the sealing plate 41 are sealed and fixedly connected. The end face of the sealing plate 41 facing the box body is sealed and fixedly connected to the outer side of the box body. The function of the air guiding section 4 is to connect the environment inside the box body with the environment outside the box body. When detecting the environmental pressure inside the cage, the air receiving section 400 located on the outside of the box body is used to connect to a calibrated and qualified portable pressure detector.

[0024] Specifically, a removable sealing part is provided corresponding to the air receiving section 400. The sealing part can be a rubber plug or sealing tape. When it is necessary to seal the air receiving section, that is, when the cage is used for wind speed detection and particle count detection, the removable rubber plug or removable sealing tape can be used to seal it.

[0025] Specifically, in this embodiment, the air guide part 4 is selected from the existing pressure guide nozzle / air guide nozzle, for example, the pressure guide nozzle / air guide nozzle produced by Shijiazhuang Mingle Electromechanical Equipment Sales Co., Ltd.

[0026] The specific usage method of the detection device in this embodiment is as follows: the IVC system must be powered on normally and the detection should be performed 30 minutes later. Specifically:

[0027] 1. Cage wind speed detection

[0028] When testing the wind speed of the cage, the testing device is installed on the cage frame, and the anemometer is inserted into the three vents on the side of the testing device in sequence. When testing the wind speed of one vent, the other two vents and the two air guides, i.e. the pressure testing ports, are blocked.

[0029] 2. Pressure testing

[0030] Perform pressure tests on the cage boxes at different cage positions on the cage rack. Install the cage box to be tested at the required cage position for testing. Connect one of the two air guiding parts to a portable pressure detector that has passed calibration and metrology. Seal the other air guiding part and the ventilation openings on the cage box. Read the pressure value on the pressure detector to achieve pressure detection.

[0031] 3. Air tightness detection

[0032] When detecting the air tightness of the cage box, since the vulnerable parts of the IVC cage box are the rubber sealing ring on the box cover and the one-way valve at the air supply and exhaust openings, during the air tightness detection of the cage box, install the lid of the cage box to be tested on the detection device. For the two air guiding parts, connect one air guiding part to a portable pressure detector that has passed calibration and metrology, and connect the other air guiding part to a negative pressure pumping air source. Pump negative pressure to -100 Pa. At this time, the ventilation openings are in a sealed state. If the time for the pressure inside the cage box to be detected to decay from -100 Pa to 0 Pa is not less than 5 minutes, it indicates that the air tightness is qualified; otherwise, the air tightness is unqualified.

[0033] For the cage boxes with unqualified air tightness after detection, place the cage boxes in a water tank and replace the negative pressure pumping device connected to the air receiving section with a positive pressure blowing device. Blow positive pressure to 150 - 200 Pa into the new cage boxes to be tested through the positive pressure device, and then observe where bubbles occur in the water tank of the cage boxes to determine the leakage point position of the cage boxes; it is found in practice that the main components affecting the air tightness of the cage boxes are the rubber sealing ring on the cage box lid and the one-way valve at the air supply and exhaust openings. Therefore, according to the air tightness detection results, the corresponding parts can be replaced针对性地.

[0034] 4. Particle number detection

[0035] When detecting the particle number of the cage box, insert the sampling tube of the particle counter into one of the ventilation openings, and seal the other ventilation openings. Then, the particle number can be detected through the particle counter.

[0036] 5. Temperature and humidity detection

[0037] When detecting the temperature and humidity of the cage box, insert the probe of the temperature and humidity detector into one of the ventilation openings, and seal the other ventilation openings. Then, the temperature and humidity inside the cage box can be read and compared with the temperature and humidity digital display of the IVC main unit.

[0038] The various embodiments of this application have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A cage environment monitoring device for an IVC (Indoor Ventilation) experimental animal independent ventilation cage system, characterized in that: The cage includes a cage derived from an IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system; the cage consists of a body (1) and a detachable lid (2); one or more ventilation ports (3) are provided through one side of the body (1), and a detachable sealing tape is provided to open or close the ventilation ports (3); two air guides (4) for connecting the inner and outer sides of the body are provided through the box wall on the other side of the body (1), and the air guides (4) include an air receiving section (400) extending to the outer side of the body; a detachable sealing section is provided corresponding to the air receiving section (400).

2. The cage environment monitoring device for an IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air guide section (4) includes a hollow air guide tube (40) and a sealing plate (41). The portion of the hollow air guide tube (40) extending outward from the box body constitutes an air receiving section (400). The hollow air guide tube (40) passes through the sealing plate (41) and is sealed and fixedly connected to the sealing plate (41). The end face of the sealing plate (41) facing the box body is sealed and fixedly connected to the outer side of the box body.

3. The cage environment monitoring device for an IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body (1) is formed by four sides and a bottom.

4. The cage environment monitoring device for an IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The vent (3) and the air guide (4) are respectively located on different sides.

5. The cage environment monitoring device for an IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are three vents (3), and all three vents (3) are located on the same side of the box and are arranged at a certain distance apart.

6. The cage environment monitoring device for an IVC experimental animal independent ventilation cage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing part is a detachable tape or a detachable rubber plug.

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