Biological information measuring device for small animals and biological information measuring method

Abstract

To provide a biological information measuring device for small animals for measuring biological information of animals on the basis of various information without imposing burdens on the animals.SOLUTION: A biological information measuring device: includes a housing part for housing a small animal, an image information acquisition part disposed on the lower side of the housing part and photographing the small animal housed in the housing part to acquire image information of hands and / or feet of the small animal, and a sound information acquisition part for acquiring sound information generated by the small animal housed in the housing part; and measures the biological information of the small animal on the basis of the acquired image information and sound information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for measuring biological information of a small animal. [Background technology]

[0002] One device that has been devised to measure an animal's biometric information is one that attaches various sensors to an animal, photographs the animal with a camera, and measures the animal's biometric information from the information (data) obtained from the various sensors attached to the animal and the photographed image of the animal (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-34377 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the device described in Patent Document 1 requires attaching various sensors to the animal, which places a burden on the animal, and in recent years there has been a demand to measure the animal's biological information based on various information including images.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a small animal bioinformation measuring device that measures an animal's bioinformation based on various information without imposing a burden on the animal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention comprises a storage section for housing a small animal, an image information acquisition section that is positioned below the storage section and acquires image information of the hands and / or feet of the small animal by photographing the small animal housed in the storage section, and a sound information acquisition section that acquires sound information emitted by the small animal housed in the storage section, and measures the biometric information of the small animal based on the acquired image information and sound information.

[0007] In addition, the sound information acquisition unit acquires the sound information from vibrations of the accommodation unit.

[0008] Furthermore, the container has a platform on which the contained small animal rests, and the sound information acquisition unit acquires the sound information from vibrations of the platform.

[0009] The present invention comprises the steps of photographing a small animal from below where the small animal is located and acquiring image information of the hands and / or feet of the small animal, acquiring sound information emitted by the small animal, and measuring biometric information of the small animal based on the acquired image information and sound information. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to measure biological information of an animal based on various information without placing a burden on the animal. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view of a small animal biological information measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server device constituting the small animal bio-information measuring device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram of a control unit of a server device constituting the small animal bio-information measuring device according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of operations of the small animal bioinformation measuring device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of operations of the small animal bioinformation measuring device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing an image of a mouse's foot photographed by the small animal bioinformation measuring device of this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is an overall view of a small animal biological information measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram showing an image of a mouse's foot photographed by the small animal bioinformation measuring device of this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is an overall view of a small animal biological information measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A biological information measuring device 1 for a small animal according to the present embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Note that directions in the embodiment described below are based on the directions in the drawings unless otherwise specified.

[0013] (Configuration of a small animal bio-information measuring device) As shown in FIG. 1, the small animal bio-information measuring device (hereinafter simply referred to as the bio-information measuring device) 1 is configured with a storage section 10, an image information acquisition section 20, a sound information acquisition section 30, an illumination section 40 and an information processing section 50.

[0014] <Containment section> The storage unit 10 is for storing a small animal whose biological information is to be measured, and is composed of a cage 10. In this embodiment, a small animal such as a rat or a mouse M is placed in the cage 10. Hereinafter, a case where the biological information of a mouse M is measured will be described as an example.

[0015] The cage 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top surface 11, and the mouse M is put in and taken out of the cage 10 from the open top surface 11 side. The four side surfaces 12, 13, 14, 15 and bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 are each made of a transparent glass plate. This allows the mouse M in the cage 10 to be visually recognized from the outside of the side surface and the outside of the bottom surface of the cage 10. In this embodiment, the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 constitutes the placement portion of the present invention. In this embodiment, the storage portion 10 is made of the cage 10, but any other structure may be used as long as it can store a small animal such as a mouse M.

[0016] At each of the four corners of the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10, there are provided legs 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d for supporting the cage 10. The legs 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and extend in a direction opposite to the bottom surface 16 (toward the lower side of the cage 10). The presence of the legs 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d allows the cage 10 to be positioned at a predetermined height. This provides a predetermined gap between the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 and the mounting surface of a mounting stand (not shown) on which the cage 10 is placed.

[0017] <Image information acquisition section> The image information acquiring unit 20 acquires an image of the mouse M. In this embodiment, the image information acquiring unit 20 is configured with an RGB camera 20. Here, the RGB camera 20 is equipped with a plurality of detection elements having sensitivity to light intensity in wavelength regions corresponding to the colors R (red), G (green), and B (blue), and is capable of acquiring image information.

[0018] 1, the RGB camera 20 is disposed between the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 and the support surface on which the cage 10 is placed. That is, it is disposed below the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10. Moreover, the RGB camera 20 is disposed with the lens portion 20a of the camera facing toward the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 in order to capture an image of the abdominal side of the mouse M in the cage 10.

[0019] <Sound information acquisition section> The sound information acquiring unit 30 acquires sounds (sound information) emitted by the mouse M in the cage 10. In this embodiment, the sound information acquiring unit 30 is configured with a microphone 30. Here, the microphone 30 converts sounds into electrical signals, and is adapted to detect (record) the cries of the mouse M in the cage 10, the footsteps of the mouse M that occur as it moves within the cage 10, and the like. The microphone 30 is disposed near the top surface 11 of the cage 10.

[0020] In addition, the microphone 30 according to the present embodiment is a highly sensitive microphone, and is capable of detecting frequencies that cannot be heard by the human ear, as well as extremely small sounds that cannot be heard by the human ear. Specifically, it is capable of detecting extremely small sounds such as the breathing sounds, heart sounds (movement of the heart valves), and blood flow sounds of the mouse M in the cage 10.

[0021] <Lighting Department> The illumination unit 40 is for illuminating the mouse M in the cage 10 and is composed of LED lights 40. The LED lights 40 are disposed between the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 and the placement surface on which the cage 10 is placed, on the left and right sides of the RGB camera 20. The LED lights 30 are configured to illuminate the mouse M in the cage 10 from the bottom surface 16 side of the cage 10.

[0022] In this embodiment, the illumination unit 40 is configured with an LED light 40, but is not limited thereto. For example, the illumination unit 40 may be configured with an infrared light (infrared lamp). Since the mouse M responds to visible light, it is preferable to illuminate the mouse M with an infrared light when it is desired to avoid the mouse M being affected by visible light. In this case, the camera constituting the image information acquisition unit 20 must be configured with an infrared camera capable of sensing infrared light (the mouse M must be photographed with an infrared camera). This is because a general RGB camera 20 cannot sense infrared light and therefore cannot photograph the mouse M illuminated with infrared light. However, when the image information acquisition unit 20 is configured with an RGB camera 20 capable of sensing infrared light, the mouse M illuminated with infrared light can also be photographed, so there is no need to photograph it with an infrared camera. In this way, when photographing mouse M with RGB camera 20, the lighting is LED light 40, and when photographing mouse M with an infrared camera, the lighting is infrared light, and when photographing mouse M with RGB camera 20 that can also detect infrared light, either LED light 40 or infrared light can be used.

[0023] <Information Processing Unit> The information processing unit 50 processes image information of the mouse M captured by the RGB camera 20 and sound information emitted by the mouse M detected by the microphone 30, and is composed of a personal computer (hereinafter, simply called a PC) 50. The PC 50 is composed of a server device 51 that processes and stores various information, and a display 52 as a display device that displays various images.

[0024] 2, the RGB camera 20, microphone 30, and display 52 are connected to the server device 51. Image information is input to the server device 51 from the RGB camera 20, and sound information is input to the server device 51 from the microphone 30. Although not shown, various devices such as a keyboard, a printer, and the like are connected to the server device 51 in addition to the RGB camera 20, microphone 30, and display 52.

[0025] The server device 51 includes a control unit 500, a storage unit 600, a communication unit 700, and a power supply unit 800 (see FIG. 2).

[0026] The control unit 500 controls the overall operation of the bio-information measuring device 1, such as the operation of the server device 51, the operation of the RGB camera 20 connected to the server device 51, the operation of the microphone 30, and the operation of the display 52.

[0027] The control unit 500 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0028] The storage unit 600 is configured, for example, with a semiconductor memory such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD), and stores information acquired by the control unit 500.

[0029] The communication unit 700 communicates with external devices, such as other server devices, via a network.

[0030] The power supply unit 800 supplies power to each component of the server device 51 in accordance with a power-on state, a power-off state, etc., in response to an instruction from the control unit 500. The control unit 500, the storage unit 600, and the communication unit 700 are connected to each other via an internal bus (not shown).

[0031] In addition, the server device 51 is also provided with a connection unit (not shown) for connecting an external information storage medium such as a USB memory.

[0032] The control unit 500 functions as various means for performing predetermined processing on image information and various means for performing predetermined processing on sound information by the CPU loading and executing an information processing program stored in memory.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 500 functions as each of the means for performing predetermined processing on image information, namely, image information reading means 501, image information identifying means 502, image signal information extraction means 503, image signal information smoothing means 504, image signal information filtering means 505, image signal information peak detection means 506, and bioinformation calculation means 507.

[0034] In addition, as each of the means for performing specified processing on sound information, the control unit 500 is configured to function as each of the means: sound information reading means 511, sound information preprocessing means 512, sound information feature extraction means 513, sound information analysis means 514, and sound analysis information output means 515.

[0035] The image information reading means 501 causes the RGB camera 20 connected to the server device 51 to take pictures, and also reads (acquires) the images (moving images) taken by the RGB camera 20 into the control unit 500.

[0036] The image information identifying means 502 performs processing to identify image information from among the image information read into the control unit 500, from which a predetermined signal (signal information) is extracted by the image signal information extracting means 503.

[0037] Specifically, the image information identifying means 502 is adapted to automatically identify, from among the moving images captured by the RGB camera 20, a moving image in which the mouse M is in a stationary state without moving for a certain period of time. Furthermore, the image information identifying means 502 is adapted to automatically identify an image of the hand or foot L of the mouse M, or an image of both, from an image of the abdominal side of the mouse M. However, in this embodiment, a case in which an image of the foot L is identified will be described as an example.

[0038] In this embodiment, the image information identifying means 502 automatically identifies images in a still state or images of the hand or foot L of the mouse M, but this is not limited to the above. Images may be identified based on operation signals from a keyboard or the like. In other words, these images may be identified manually.

[0039] The image signal information extraction means 503 performs processing to extract a G signal from the RGB signals in the image of the foot L of the mouse M identified by the image information identification means 502. Note that the G signal here refers to a green component image signal, the R signal refers to a red component image signal, and the B signal refers to a blue component image signal.

[0040] The image signal information smoothing means 504 performs processing to remove unnecessary signals, known as noise, contained in the signal information.

[0041] The image signal information filter means 505 performs a process of extracting a signal of a specific frequency. The image signal information filter means 505 performs the signal extraction process using a band pass filter program stored in the memory.

[0042] The image signal information peak detection means 506 performs processing to detect peaks of a signal that changes periodically.

[0043] The biological information calculation means 507 performs processing to calculate various biological information of the mouse M from the intervals between peaks of the signal detected by the image signal information peak detection means 506 .

[0044] The sound information reading means 511 causes the microphone 30 connected to the server device 51 to detect sound information, and also performs a process of reading (acquiring) the sound information acquired by detection by the microphone 30 into the control unit 500.

[0045] The sound information pre-processing means 512 performs, for example, a conversion process to convert the data format of the sound information acquired by the microphone 30 into a predetermined format, and a noise reduction process or removal process on the acquired sound information.

[0046] The sound information feature extraction means 513 performs processing to extract information useful for the analysis of the sound information acquired by the microphone 30 as features. In this embodiment, for example, the means is configured to perform processing to extract features useful for the analysis of the heart sounds and respiratory sounds of the mouse M.

[0047] The sound information analysis means 514 performs processes such as analysis and classification on the characteristics of the sound information extracted by the sound information extraction means 513 .

[0048] The sound analysis information output means 515 outputs various pieces of information (data) analyzed and classified by the sound information analysis means 514 .

[0049] (Measurement of mouse vital signs) Next, the measurement of the bioinformation of the mouse M using the bioinformation measuring device 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. The bioinformation measuring device 1 according to this embodiment is configured to measure the bioinformation of the mouse M based on a photographed image of the mouse M and a recorded sound emitted by the mouse M. Therefore, when the bioinformation measuring device 1 starts measuring the bioinformation of the mouse M in the cage 10, it simultaneously starts measuring the bioinformation based on the image information of the mouse M and the bioinformation based on the sound information of the mouse M (starting the photographing by the camera 20 and the recording by the microphone 30). First, the measurement of the bioinformation based on the image information of the mouse M will be described below.

[0050] <Image-based measurement of biological information of mouse M> To obtain an image of the mouse M, the mouse M in the cage 10 is photographed by the RGB camera 20 (STEP 10 in FIG. 4, hereinafter simply referred to as SXXX).

[0051] As described above, the RGB camera 20 is disposed below the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10, and the lens portion 20a faces the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10. Therefore, the RGB camera 20 captures images from below the mouse M, ie, captures images of the abdominal side of the mouse M.

[0052] The image information of the mouse M captured by the RGB camera 20 is mainly an image (moving image) of the abdomen of the mouse M. The image of the abdomen of the mouse M also includes images of the hands and feet L of the mouse M, and the image for measurement is an image of the soles of the feet of the mouse M in contact with the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 (see FIG. 6).

[0053] Since humans and mouse M have different heart rates, the frame rate (fps) of the RGB camera 20 when photographing mouse M is set to, for example, about 250 fps, which is higher than the frame rate (about 60 fps) when photographing a person.

[0054] When an image of the mouse M is captured by the RGB camera 20, the image information is sent from the RGB camera 20 to the server device 51. The image information of the mouse M sent to the server device 51 is read (stored) in the memory of the control unit 500 by a reading process performed by the image information reading means 501 (S20).

[0055] When the image information of the mouse M is loaded into the server device 51, the image information identifying means 502 identifies a moving image in which the mouse M is stationary for a certain period of time from the loaded image. The image information identifying means 502 also identifies, for example, the sole of the foot L of the mouse M from the identified moving image. Furthermore, the image information identifying means 502 is also adapted to identify an image region R from which a signal is extracted from the identified image of the sole of the foot (S30), as shown in Fig. 6.

[0056] When the image region R for extracting signals is specified, the image signal information extraction unit 503 extracts the G signal from the image region (S40). Specifically, each signal component obtained from the image region R is confirmed by performing a Fast Fourier Transform process or a Wavelet Transform process.

[0057] When the G signal is extracted, the image signal information smoothing means 504 performs a smoothing process on the G signal by removing unnecessary signal information from the extracted (confirmed) G signal (S50).

[0058] When the G signal is smoothed, the image signal information filter means 505 performs band-pass filtering to extract signals of specific frequencies from the smoothed G signal (S60). Specifically, in this processing, the respiration signal and the heartbeat signal of the mouse M are each extracted.

[0059] When the respiration signal and heartbeat signal of the mouse M are extracted through band-pass filtering, the image signal information peak detection means 506 detects peaks of the periodically changing respiration signal and heartbeat signal (S70).

[0060] As described above, when peaks of the respiratory signal and the heart rate signal of the mouse M are detected, the biological information calculation means 507 calculates the respiratory rate and the heart rate of the mouse M from the number of peaks per unit time. Furthermore, the biological information calculation means 507 calculates various biological information such as respiratory fluctuations and heart rate fluctuations of the mouse M from the intervals between peaks (S80).

[0061] Various biological information of the mouse M, such as the calculated respiratory rate and heart rate, is stored in a memory and is displayed on the display 52 or the like.

[0062] <Measurement of biological information of mouse M based on sound> Next, a description will be given of measurement of biological information based on sound information emitted by the mouse M. The microphone 30 detects sounds within the cage 10, thereby acquiring sound information such as footsteps, breathing sounds, and heartbeat sounds of the mouse M within the cage 10 (S100 in FIG. 5).

[0063] When the microphone 30 acquires sound information emitted by the mouse M in the cage 10, the sound information is sent from the microphone 30 to the server device 51. The sound information of the mouse M sent to the server device 51 is read (stored) in the memory of the control unit 500 by a reading process performed by the sound information reading means 511 (S200).

[0064] When the sound information of the mouse M is read into the server device 51, the read sound information is subjected to data preprocessing by the sound information preprocessing means 512 (S300). Specifically, a process is performed to convert the data format of the read sound information into a data format suitable for analysis. Examples of the data format to be converted include WAV (Waveform Audio File Format), FLAC (Free Lossles Audio Codec), AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format), MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3), DSF (DSD Stream File), and DSDIFF (Direct Stream Digital Interchange File Format). In addition, the recording format at that time is either PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) or DSD (Direct Stream Digital) (registered trademark), and it is possible to acquire and process frequencies outside the audible range. Then, a noise reduction process is performed to reduce and remove only a certain level of noise components contained in the acquired sound information. When performing noise reduction, low-pass filtering, which blocks high frequencies, high-pass filtering, which blocks low frequencies, or band-pass filtering, which blocks high and low frequencies, is performed on the G signal described above.

[0065] As described above, when noise reduction processing is performed, the sound information pre-processing means 512 performs Fourier transform processing or wavelet transform processing on the sound information to convert the sound information from the time domain to the frequency domain, and generates, for example, a spectrogram of the sound information.

[0066] When the sound information preprocessing means 512 preprocesses the sound information, the sound information feature extraction means 513 performs processing to extract data features, which are information necessary for analysis, from the preprocessed sound information (S400). Here, the data features are variables that represent patterns in a data set, etc.

[0067] In this embodiment, the extracted features include, for example, spectral characteristics, time domain characteristics, and Mel-Frequency Cepstrum Coefficients (MFCC).

[0068] For example, when extracting features of heart sounds to identify them, one of the heart sounds (the sound of the mitral valve closing) has a low frequency and a short duration, and the second of the heart sounds (the sound of the aortic valve closing) has a high frequency and a long duration, and these characteristics are extracted. Also, when extracting features of respiratory sounds, for example, the characteristics of frequency, periodicity, sound intensity, and duration are extracted.

[0069] When the sound information feature extraction means 513 extracts features, the sound information analysis means 514 performs analysis and classification processing on the extracted features (S500). The analysis and classification processing by the sound information analysis means 514 is configured to learn features by using machine learning using an algorithm such as random forest, or deep learning using an algorithm such as CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) or RNN (Recurrent Neural Network), and perform analysis, analysis, and classification processing on the acquired sound information. Then, by analyzing the sound information, for example, it is possible to determine whether the acquired sound is the footsteps of the mouse M, the heart sound of the mouse M, the breathing sound of the mouse M, or the sound of the blood flow of the mouse M from the frequency, and to identify whether the determined heart sound, breathing sound, etc. of the mouse M are normal or abnormal.

[0070] When the sound information analysis means 514 performs processing such as analysis and classification on the sound information, the results (analysis data) are output by the sound analysis information output means 515 (S600). Specifically, the analysis data is displayed on the display 52 together with various biological information such as respiratory rate and heart rate calculated based on the above-mentioned image information, or separately, or is stored in the memory of the server device 51.

[0071] As described above, the bioinformation of mouse M such as the respiratory rate and heart rate is measured from the image of the foot L of mouse M, and also from the sound emitted by mouse M, so that the bioinformation of mouse M such as the respiratory rate and heart rate can be measured based on image information and sound information, and the bioinformation of mouse M can be measured based on a plurality of different pieces of information. This makes it possible to measure the bioinformation of mouse M with high accuracy based on various pieces of information.

[0072] In addition, the RGB camera 20 is disposed below the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 made of a transparent glass plate, and the mouse M is photographed from below the position of the mouse M in the cage 10, so that the hand (palm) and foot (sole) L of the mouse M in contact with the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 can be photographed by the RGB camera 20, and the respiration rate and heart rate of the mouse M can be calculated from the image. As a result, it is not necessary to attach a sensor to the mouse M, for example, in order to measure the respiration rate and heart rate, and it is also possible to measure the respiration rate and heart rate without restricting the movement of the mouse M by fixing the mouse M to photograph the hand and foot L, so that it is possible to measure the biological information of the mouse M in a natural state without imposing a burden (stress).

[0073] Furthermore, in the cage 10, the foot L of the mouse M is always in contact with the bottom surface 16. Therefore, even if the mouse M stands up, for example, the respiratory rate, heart rate, and the like of the mouse M can be measured from an image of the foot L in contact with the bottom surface 16. This makes it possible to measure biological information of the mouse M without being affected by the movement of the mouse M in the cage 10.

[0074] In this embodiment, when measurement of the biometric information of the mouse M in the cage 10 is started, measurement of the biometric information based on the image information of the mouse M and measurement of the biometric information based on the sound information of the mouse M are started simultaneously (shooting with the RGB camera 20 and recording with the microphone 30) but this is not limited to this. For example, recording of the sound emitted by the mouse M by the microphone 30 may be started (measurement of the biometric information based on the sound information is started) in conjunction with the start of measurement of the biometric information of the mouse M, while shooting with the RGB camera 30 may not be started while the footsteps of the mouse M are being recorded by the microphone 30. In other words, when the mouse M is moving in the cage 10, measurement of the biometric information based on the image information of the mouse M may not be started.

[0075] In this way, the RGB camera 20 photographs the mouse M only when there is no sound of footsteps from the mouse M, so that the hands and feet L of the mouse M can be photographed when the mouse M is not moving within the cage 10. This makes it easier to obtain images of the hands and feet L of the mouse M, and allows the biological information of the mouse M to be measured efficiently.

[0076] In addition, in this embodiment, the foot L of the mouse M is photographed with the RGB camera 20, but this is not limited to the above. Any camera can be used as long as it can capture an image from which a signal that can detect the pulse wave of the mouse M can be extracted. For example, the foot L of the mouse M can be photographed with an infrared camera, and the respiratory rate and heart rate of the mouse M can be calculated from the infrared light. In particular, since the mouse M responds to visible light, this is effective when it is desired to suppress the effects of light on the mouse M.

[0077] In the present embodiment, the biological information of the mouse M is calculated and measured based on the G signal extracted from the image information, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the biological information of the mouse M may be measured based on the R signal or the B signal, or the biological information of the mouse M may be measured by combining the R signal, the G signal, and the B signal.

[0078] In the present embodiment, the respiration rate, heart rate, respiration variation, and heart rate variation of the mouse M are calculated from the G signal, but are not limited thereto. For example, various biological information of the mouse M, such as blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, and bilirubin value, can be calculated and measured from the RGB signal or infrared rays.

[0079] In addition, in this embodiment, the foot L of the mouse M is identified from the image captured by the RGB camera 20, and the respiration rate, heart rate, etc. of the mouse M are measured from the image of the foot L, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the hand (palm) of the mouse M may be identified from the image, and biological information such as the respiration rate and heart rate of the mouse M may be measured from the hand or the foot L, or both. In other words, an image of either the hand or the foot L of the mouse M may be used.

[0080] In the present embodiment, the foot L of the mouse M is photographed by the RGB camera 20 connected to the server device 51, and the respiratory rate and heart rate of the mouse M are calculated from the image acquired by photographing, and the biological information of the mouse M is measured from the sound recorded by the microphone 30, but this is not limited to the above. For example, image information of the mouse's foot L photographed by a camera other than the biological information measuring device 1 and sound information recorded by the microphone may be imported into the server device 51 via the Internet or a USB memory, and the biological information of the mouse M may be measured from the imported image information and sound information.

[0081] In addition, in this embodiment, the camera 20 is disposed under the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 so as to photograph the abdominal side of the mouse M from below the mouse M in the cage 10, but this is not limited to the above. Anything can be used as long as it can photograph the abdominal side of the mouse M including the hands and feet L. For example, a reflector such as a mirror is disposed under the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10. Then, the RGB camera 20 may be used to photograph the abdominal side of the mouse M including the hands and feet L reflected in the mirror from above the cage 10 (from above the mouse M).

[0082] Further, in this embodiment, the sound information acquisition unit 30 is configured with one microphone 30, but is not limited to this and may be configured with a plurality of microphones 30, and the microphones 30 may be arranged in a plurality of different locations.

[0083] In addition, in this embodiment, the image information acquisition unit 20 is configured with one RGB camera 20, but is not limited to this and may be configured with multiple RGB cameras 20. For example, it may be configured with five RGB cameras 20, and they may be arranged near the four corners and near the center of the bottom surface portion 16 so that the entire bottom surface portion 16 of the cage 10 can be photographed. Furthermore, the position of the mouse M in the cage 10 may be identified by photographing the mouse M with the multiple RGB cameras 20, and the behavior of the mouse M in the cage 10 may be observed.

[0084] In addition, in this embodiment, the image information acquisition unit 20 is configured with one RGB camera 20 arranged on the lower side of the cage 10, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of RGB cameras 20 may be arranged on the lower side of the cage 10, and an RGB camera 20 may also be arranged on the upper side of the cage 10. That is, the mouse M in the cage 10 may be photographed from above and below by the RGB camera 20. In this way, bioinformation such as the respiration rate of the mouse M may be measured from the image of the mouse's hand and foot L photographed by the RGB camera 20 arranged on the lower side of the mouse M, and the trajectory of the behavior of the mouse M in the cage 10 may be specified from the image of the mouse M photographed by the RGB camera 20 arranged on the upper side of the cage 10, and the amount of movement of the mouse M in the cage 10 may be calculated from the trajectory. This makes it possible to simultaneously measure bioinformation such as the respiration rate and heart rate of the mouse M and bioinformation such as the amount of movement of the mouse M. As a result, the respiration rate and heart rate of the mouse M can be measured in combination with the amount of movement, so that the mouse M can be observed based on various bioinformation.

[0085] Furthermore, as described above, when photographing the mouse M with the RGB camera 20 from above the cage 10 and calculating the amount of movement of the mouse M in the cage 10, the RGB camera 20 may photograph the mouse M only while the microphone 30 is recording the footsteps of the mouse M (while the mouse M is moving in the cage 10). In other words, when the mouse M is not moving in the cage 10, photographing of the mouse M may not be started. In this way, the mouse M can be photographed only when it is moving in the cage 10, so that the amount of movement of the mouse M can be measured efficiently.

[0086] In addition, in this embodiment, the mouse M is described as an example of a small animal from which biological information is acquired, but this is not limited thereto. For example, animals such as dogs and cats may be used. In other words, any animal may be used as long as the skin of the palm or sole of the foot comes into contact with the bottom surface portion 16 when placed in the cage 10.

[0087] Furthermore, a system for acquiring biological information of the mouse M may be constructed by connecting a plurality of biological information measuring devices 1 in different regions or locations via the Internet.

[0088] (Variation 1) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes modifications within the scope of the present invention that can achieve the object of the present invention. Modifications of the present embodiment will be described below. However, in the modifications described below, only the differences from the present embodiment that has already been described will be described, and the same components will be given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0089] (Configuration of bioinformation measuring device) In the biological information measuring device 1A according to the present modified example 1, the bottom surface portion (bottom plate of the cage 10) 16 of the cage 10 is made of an acrylic plate. Also, an LED lamp 41 is provided on one end side of the side surface portion of the bottom surface portion 16 made of the acrylic plate, as shown in FIG.

[0090] Although not shown, the LED lamp 41 is provided so that its light-emitting portion faces (contacts) the side surface of the bottom surface portion 16, and the LED lamp 41 illuminates the inside of the bottom surface portion 16 from the side surface of the bottom surface portion 16. This allows the light of the LED lamp 41 to enter only inside the acrylic plate that is the bottom surface portion 16.

[0091] In this first modified example, an LED lamp 41 is provided to let light in only inside the acrylic plate. By letting the light from the LED lamp 41 in only inside the acrylic plate in this way, only the contact portion that is in contact with the surface portion of the bottom portion 16 emits light, and the other non-contact portions do not emit light.

[0092] In this first modification, a mouse M is placed in the cage 10 with light entering the bottom portion (acrylic plate) 16 from the LED lamps 41. The surface of the bottom portion 16 then emits light at the portion where the mouse M comes into contact, while other portions do not emit light. For example, the foot L of the mouse M in the cage 10 comes into contact with the surface of the bottom portion 16. As shown in FIG. 8, the contact portion of the foot L (for example, the sole of the foot) is configured so that only the portion in contact with the bottom portion 16 emits light by the light from the LED lamps 41 (is illuminated by the LED lamps 41).

[0093] As described above, by illuminating the LED lamps 41 and allowing the light from the LED lamps 41 to enter only inside the acrylic plate that constitutes the bottom surface portion 16, when the mouse M is placed in the cage 10, it is possible to illuminate (illuminate) the parts of the mouse M that come into contact with the bottom surface portion 16, such as the soles of the feet. This allows the light to shine on the parts of the mouse M's skin that come into contact with the bottom surface portion 16, making it easy to measure biological information such as the pulse wave of the mouse M.

[0094] Furthermore, the light only hits the mouse M in the cage 10 at the portion in contact with the bottom surface portion 16, and does not hit other portions, so that, for example, the light does not hit the eyes of the mouse M. This makes it possible to suppress the effect of light from the LED lamps 41 on the mouse M. As a result, the effect of light can be suppressed, and the biological information of the mouse M can be measured with higher accuracy.

[0095] Furthermore, since only the feet L and hands in contact with the bottom surface 16 emit light, it becomes easy to track the emitting feet L and hands, and by tracking the emitting feet L and hands, it becomes easier to obtain the behavioral history of the mouse M.

[0096] In this first modification, the LED lamp 41 is provided at one end of the side surface of the bottom surface portion 16, but this is not limited to this. The LED lamps 160 may be provided at both ends of the side surface of the bottom surface portion 16 or on the entire side surface of the bottom surface portion 16. In other words, any type may be used as long as it can introduce light only into the acrylic plate that is the bottom surface portion 16.

[0097] In addition, in the present modified example 1, the bottom surface portion 16 is made of an acrylic plate, but this is not limited to this. For example, it may be made of polycarbonate, urethane, glass, etc. In other words, any material may be used as long as it allows light from the LED lamp 160 to enter the bottom surface portion 16 and causes the contact portion, such as the foot L, to emit light when the foot L or hand of the mouse M comes into contact with the bottom surface portion 16.

[0098] (Variation 2) The sound information acquisition unit 31 of the bioinformation measuring device 1B according to the second modification is different from the microphone 30 of the present embodiment described above, and is configured with a sound detection device 31 configured with a structure similar to that of an electronic stethoscope that detects sound by contacting the surface of an object and detecting the vibration of the object, for example. As shown in Fig. 9, the sound detection device 31 is made of a glass plate, and is placed on the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 in which the housed mouse M is placed, and is configured to detect sound information within the cage 10 by detecting the vibration of the cage 10 from the bottom surface 16.

[0099] Specifically, when the mouse M moves within the cage 10 or makes a sound, the cage 10 (particularly the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 that is close to the mouse M) vibrates accordingly. The sound detection device 31 detects the vibrations (sounds) of the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10, thereby detecting the sound of the mouse M in the cage 10 and the sound of its footsteps.

[0100] Furthermore, the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10 etc. vibrates slightly due to the breathing of the mouse M in the cage 10, the heartbeat of the mouse M, the blood flow of the mouse M, etc. The sound detection device 31 is also capable of detecting minute vibrations (sounds) of the cage 10 that vibrate due to the influence of the breathing of the mouse M in the cage 10 etc. In other words, the sound detection device 31 is capable of detecting extremely small sounds such as the breathing sounds, heart sounds, and blood flow sounds of the mouse M in the cage 10 by detecting the minute vibrations of the cage 10 from the bottom surface 16.

[0101] As described above, the sound detection device 31 is adapted to detect the footsteps, cries, breathing sounds, heart sounds, blood flow sounds, and the like of the mouse M in the cage 10 by detecting the vibrations of the bottom surface portion 16 of the cage 10, and can therefore detect sounds emitted by the mouse M, such as breathing sounds and heart sounds, with high accuracy while suppressing the influence of other noises. This allows for highly accurate measurement of the biological information of the mouse M based on the sound information.

[0102] In this modification, the sound detection device 31 that detects vibrations is placed on the bottom surface 16 of the cage 10, but this is not limited thereto. The sound detection device 31 may be placed anywhere as long as it can detect the sound (vibration of the cage 10) emitted by the mouse M. For example, the sound detection device 31 may be placed on the side surfaces 12, 13, 14, and 15 of the cage 10, or on the bottom surface 16 made of an acrylic plate through which light from the LED lamp 41 enters in the above-mentioned modification 1.

[0103] In addition, in this modification, the sound information acquisition unit 31 is configured with one sound detection device 31, but this is not limited thereto, and may be configured with a plurality of sound detection devices 31. And, for example, the sound detection device 31 may be disposed at each of the four corners of the bottom surface portion 16 of the cage 10.

[0104] Although the present invention has been described in the above embodiment, it is not limited to this embodiment. Modifications, changes, and changes in the combination of each component are possible within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1,1A,1B Biological information measuring device 10 Cage (container) 16 Bottom surface (mounting portion) 20 RGB camera (image information acquisition section) 30 Microphone, sound detection device (sound information acquisition unit) M Mouse (small animal)

Claims

1. A housing section for housing small animals; an image information acquisition unit that is disposed below the storage unit and acquires image information of the hands and / or feet of the small animal by photographing the small animal stored in the storage unit; a sound information acquisition unit that acquires sound information emitted by the small animal accommodated in the accommodation unit, measuring biological information of the small animal based on the acquired image information and sound information; A small animal bioinformation measuring device.

2. The sound information acquisition unit acquires the sound information from vibration of the storage unit.

2. The small animal bioinformation measuring device according to claim 1.

3. The container has a placement portion on which the contained small animal rests, the sound information acquisition unit acquires the sound information from vibration of the placement unit.

3. The small animal biological information measuring device according to claim 2.

4. taking an image of the small animal from below a position where the small animal is located and acquiring image information of the hands and / or feet of the small animal; acquiring sound information emitted by the small animal; measuring biological information of the small animal based on the acquired image information and sound information; Equipped with A method for measuring biological information of a small animal.

Images