Evaluation method, information processing device and evaluation system

Abstract

To directly and easily evaluate the preferences of an animal to prescribed disturbance.SOLUTION: An animal of an evaluation object is arranged in either of a first chamber or a second chamber in which the animal is bidirectionally movable, the animal is made to percept prescribed disturbance when the animal is positioned in the first chamber, or the animal is made to percept prescribed disturbance having different degrees when the animal is positioned in the first chamber and when the animal is positioned in the second chamber, and the preferences of the animal to the prescribed disturbance on the basis of a movement history of the animal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an evaluation method, an information processing apparatus, and an evaluation system for evaluating an animal's preference for disturbances.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various systems have been proposed for evaluating the behavior analysis and physical condition of animals that cannot communicate linguistically. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an animal behavior observation system including an animal container in which an animal can move, a weight measurement device having a load detection unit that acquires measurement data of the animal on the animal container, an analysis unit that can perform arithmetic processing on a measurement value based on the measurement data, a recording unit that records the measurement value moment by moment, and an output unit that outputs the measurement value along a time axis, and determines an excited state, death, hibernation, or suspended animation state of the animal based on fluctuations in the load.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a stimulus response measurement system that quantitatively evaluates the depression state of a measurement target animal by applying a stimulus to the measurement target animal with a stimulus rod, detecting a load (force) applied to the stimulus rod based on the behavior of the measurement target animal with respect to the stimulus rod with a load sensor, and measuring the response amount of the measurement target animal to the stimulus by the stimulus rod based on the load (force) detected by this load sensor with a measurement / command device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, the system of Patent Document 1 determines the excited state, death, hibernation, or suspended animation state of an animal, and the system of Patent Document 2 determines the depressive state of an animal, but it is not a method for evaluating whether an animal feels discomfort due to disturbances such as vibration and sound pressure (sound). For example, vibration has parameters such as amplitude displacement, frequency, and acceleration, but there is no known method for evaluating behaviorally whether an animal feels discomfort with a predetermined vibration. Conventionally, whether an animal feels discomfort has been evaluated based on blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormone concentration, but all of these methods are indirect evaluations, and since physiological analysis and biochemical analysis are required, it may take time and effort to obtain an evaluation result.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an evaluation method, an information processing apparatus, and an evaluation system that can directly and easily evaluate the preference of an animal for a predetermined disturbance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an evaluation method for evaluating the preference of an animal for a disturbance, including placing an animal to be evaluated in either a first chamber or a second chamber that can move in two directions; when the animal is located in the first chamber, causing the animal to perceive a predetermined disturbance, or causing the animal to perceive predetermined disturbances with different intensities when the animal is located in the first chamber and when the animal is located in the second chamber; and evaluating the preference of the animal for the predetermined disturbance based on the movement history of the animal.

[0008] Also, in order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing apparatus including one or more processors for evaluating an animal's preference for disturbances, wherein the one or more processors, when the animal is present in the first chamber of the first chamber and the second chamber that can move bidirectionally, cause the animal to perceive a predetermined disturbance, or cause the animal to perceive a predetermined disturbance with different degrees when the animal is present in the first chamber and when the animal is present in the second chamber, a process of detecting the position of the animal while generating the predetermined disturbance, and a process of calculating a ratio of the residence time during which the animal was present in the first chamber or the second chamber based on the position information of the animal. An information processing apparatus is provided that executes the above processes.

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an evaluation system for evaluating an animal's preference for disturbances, including a first chamber and a second chamber that can move bidirectionally, a disturbance generator that causes the animal to perceive a predetermined disturbance when the animal is present in the first chamber, or causes the animal to perceive a predetermined disturbance with different degrees when the animal is present in the first chamber and when the animal is present in the second chamber, and an information processing apparatus that detects the position of the animal in the first chamber and the second chamber and calculates a ratio of the residence time during which the animal was present in the first chamber or the second chamber based on the position information of the animal while generating the predetermined disturbance. An evaluation system is provided that includes the above components.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it becomes possible to directly and easily evaluate an animal's preference for a predetermined disturbance.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 4

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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the technology of the present disclosure, the relative sizes and shapes of the components shown in each figure are appropriately changed, and the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated configuration.

[0013] <<1. First Embodiment>> <1-1. Overall Configuration of Evaluation System> The evaluation system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is an evaluation system for evaluating the preference of an animal for a disturbance, and includes a first chamber and a second chamber that can move in two directions, a disturbance generator that causes a predetermined disturbance to be perceived by the animal when the animal is present in the first chamber, a detection device that detects the position of the animal in the first chamber and the second chamber, and an information processing device that calculates the residence time of the animal in each of the first chamber and the second chamber based on the position data of the animal while a predetermined disturbance is being generated.

[0014] In the first embodiment described below, an example of evaluating the preference of an animal for vibration as a disturbance will be described.

[0015] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the evaluation system 1. The evaluation system 1 includes a first container 11, a second container 13, an acceleration pickup 17, a partition plate 19, a vibration generator 21, an imaging camera 23, and an information processing device 30. The vibration generator 21 corresponds to the disturbance generator in the present embodiment.

[0016] The first container 11 is a container whose internal space constitutes a first chamber R1. The first container 11 has a configuration in which the side surface on the second container 13 side is open and the inside of the first container 11 can be visually recognized at least from above. The second container 13 is a container whose internal space constitutes a second chamber R2. The second container 13 has a configuration in which the side surface on the first container 11 side is open and the inside of the second container 13 can be visually recognized at least from above.

[0017] The materials of the first container 11 and the second container 13 are not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the side surfaces other than the upper surface are opaque containers in order to eliminate the influence of disturbances other than the vibration perceived by the animal. Further, in order to prevent the feces and urine excreted by the animal M in the container from affecting the evaluation of the preference, it is preferable that a floor covering made of a material capable of absorbing feces and urine and having a color different from the body color of the animal M is disposed inside the bottom surfaces of the first container 11 and the second container 13.

[0018] The first container 11 is placed and fixed on a base 22 provided on the vibration generator 21. The first container 11 and the second container 13 are provided with their open sides facing each other. The relative positions of the first container 11 and the second container 13 are variable so that the vibration applied to the first container 11 is not transmitted to the second container 13.

[0019] The acceleration pickup 17 is installed on the 22 to which the first container 11 is fixed. The acceleration pickup 17 detects the acceleration of the vibration transmitted to the first container 11. The output signal of the acceleration pickup 17 is output to the information processing device 30.

[0020] The partition plate 19 is disposed between the first container 11 and the second container 13 and partitions between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2. The partition plate 19 is configured to be movable in an appropriate direction, and depending on the position of the partition plate 19, the possibility of movement of the animal between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 changes. The partition plate 19 is provided so as not to contact the first container 11 or the second container 13 or both so that the vibration applied to the first container 11 is not transmitted to the second container 13. The partition plate 19 may have a configuration in which it is driven and moved by an arbitrary actuator, or may have a configuration in which it is manually moved by an operator.

[0021] The vibration generator 21 is a disturbance generator that generates vibrations transmissible to the first container 11. In the illustrated evaluation system 1, the first container 11 is placed on the vibration generator 21, and the vibration generated by the vibration generator 21 is transmitted to the first container 11. The driving of the vibration generator 21 is controlled by the information processing device 30. The information processing device 30 transmits a command signal indicating the amplitude (displacement, velocity, acceleration), frequency, phase, and direction of the amplitude of the vibration to be generated (hereinafter, also referred to as "vibration parameters") to the vibration generator 21.

[0022] The imaging camera 23 is one or more cameras that generate image data. The imaging camera 23 includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charged-Coupled Devices) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor). The imaging camera 23 is installed, for example, above the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 so that at least the entire first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 are included in the shooting range. The driving of the imaging camera 23 is controlled by the information processing device 30, and the imaging camera 23 outputs the generated image data to the information processing device 30.

[0023] The information processing device 30 functions as a device that determines the preference of an animal for a predetermined disturbance by a processor such as one or more CPUs (Central Processing Unit) executing a computer program. The computer program is a computer program for causing the processor to execute the operations described below that the information processing device 30 should execute. The computer program executed by the processor may be recorded on a recording medium that functions as a storage unit (memory) 39 provided in the information processing device 30, or may be recorded on a recording medium built into the information processing device 30 or any recording medium that can be externally attached to the information processing device 30.

[0024] Examples of the recording medium for recording the computer program include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and Blu-ray (registered trademark), magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, storage elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memories such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) memories and SSD (Solid State Drive), and other media capable of storing programs.

[0025] The information processing apparatus 30 includes a vibration generation processing unit 31, an imaging camera control unit 33, a position detection processing unit 35, a stay time calculation unit 37, and a storage unit 39. Among these, the vibration generation processing unit 31, the imaging camera control unit 33, the position detection processing unit 35, and the stay time calculation unit 37 may be functions realized by the execution of a computer program by a processor such as a CPU. The information processing apparatus 30 is configured to include one or more processors such as a CPU, but part or all of them may be configured by something updatable such as firmware, or may be program modules executed according to instructions from a CPU or the like. Also, the information processing apparatus 30 may be configured to include an analog circuit.

[0026] The storage unit 39 is composed of one or more semiconductor memories such as a RAM or a ROM, and a storage such as a hard disk or an SSD, and is communicably connected to one or more processors. However, the number and type of the storage unit 39 are not particularly limited. The storage unit 39 stores a computer program executed by one or more processors, and various parameters, detection data, calculation results, and other information used for arithmetic processing. Also, a part of the storage unit 39 is used as a work area of the processor.

[0027] The vibration generation processing unit 31 outputs a drive signal to the vibration generator 21 and controls the drive of the vibration generator 21. The vibration generation processing unit 31 drives the vibration generator 21 to cause an animal M to perceive a predetermined vibration when the animal M is present in the first chamber R1. In the present embodiment, the vibration generation processing unit 31 performs feedback control on the vibration transmitted to the first container 11 based on the output signal of the acceleration pickup 17. The parameters of the vibration to be generated are set by the user via an appropriate input unit (not shown). The input unit may be, for example, any one of a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, or a voice input unit (microphone), but is not limited thereto.

[0028] The imaging camera control unit 33 outputs a drive signal to the imaging camera 23 and controls the drive of the imaging camera 23. While tracking the position of the animal M, the imaging camera control unit 33 causes the imaging camera 23 to take pictures at a predetermined period and acquires the imaging information output from the imaging camera 23.

[0029] The position detection processing unit 35 detects the position of the animal M based on the imaging information output from the imaging camera 23. In the present embodiment, the position detection processing unit 35 specifies the outer shape of the animal M in the image data by imaging processing and specifies the position of the center of gravity of the outer diameter as the position of the animal M. The position detection processing unit 35 specifies the position of the animal M based on the imaging information acquired at a predetermined period and records it in the storage unit 39 as a movement history.

[0030] The residence time calculation unit 37 calculates the ratio of the time (hereinafter also referred to as "first residence time") that the animal M has stayed in the first chamber R1 where the vibration can be perceived based on the movement history which is the position information detected by the position detection processing unit 35. The calculated first residence time is used as information for evaluating the preference of the animal M for a predetermined disturbance generated by the vibration generating device 21. Specifically, the evaluation method according to the present disclosure utilizes the habit that if the object is preferable for the animal M, the animal M approaches the object, and if the object is disliked, the animal M moves away from the object.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the preference for vibration can be evaluated as comfort or discomfort with respect to vibration. For example, when the ratio of the first residence time to the total time recording the movement history of the animal M is within a predetermined range close to 50%, it is evaluated that the animal M does not feel the generated vibration as either comfortable or uncomfortable. Also, when the ratio of the first residence time to the total time is smaller than the above-mentioned predetermined range close to 50%, it is evaluated that the animal M feels the generated vibration as uncomfortable. Further, when the ratio of the first residence time to the total time is larger than the above-mentioned predetermined range close to 50%, it is evaluated that the animal M feels the generated vibration as comfortable. The predetermined range close to 50% may be set to any appropriate value.

[0032] In addition to evaluating comfort or discomfort, the level of comfort or discomfort may be evaluated according to the ratio of the first stay time. When the stay time calculation unit 37 calculates not only the first stay time but also the time during which the animal M stays in the second chamber R2 where no vibration is perceived (hereinafter also referred to as the "second stay time"), the preference may be evaluated based on the ratio of the first stay time to the second stay time. The user may evaluate the preference based on the first stay time, or the stay time calculation unit 37 may calculate an evaluation result based on the first stay time.

[0033] <1-2. Evaluation method> So far, the configuration of the evaluation system 1 according to the present embodiment has been described. Next, an example of a method for evaluating the preference of an animal for a predetermined vibration using the evaluation system 1 will be specifically described.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the evaluation method. First, the user places the animal M to be evaluated in the first chamber R1 of the evaluation system 1 in a state where the driving of the vibration generator 21 of the evaluation system 1 is stopped and the animal M cannot move between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 (step S1). FIG. 1 shows a state where the animal M is placed in the first chamber R1. At this time, it is preferable to make the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 have the same conditions except for disturbances for evaluating the preference, such as making the brightness (illuminance) conditions of the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 the same using an illuminometer before starting the application of vibration.

[0035] In the illustrated example, a mouse is shown as the animal M, but the animal to be evaluated is not particularly limited. However, the evaluation system 1 is particularly suitable for evaluating small animals that cannot communicate linguistically and for which it is difficult to infer emotions from their appearance.

[0036] Next, the user starts applying vibration to the first chamber R1 by the vibration generator 21 (step S3). Specifically, the user specifies the parameters of the vibration for evaluating the preference of the animal M and inputs the start of evaluation to the information processing apparatus 30. The vibration generation processing unit 31 of the information processing apparatus 30 controls the drive of the vibration generator 21 to generate a predetermined vibration. As a result, when the animal M is in the first chamber R1, the predetermined vibration becomes perceptible to the animal M. As shown in FIG. 3, immediately after starting the application of vibration to the first chamber R1, the animal M is held in a state where it perceives the predetermined vibration in a state where it cannot move from the first chamber R1 to the second chamber R2.

[0037] Note that when the information processing apparatus 30 detects that the animal M is placed in the first chamber R1 based on the imaging information of the imaging camera 23, the drive of the vibration generator 21 may be automatically started based on the preset vibration parameters.

[0038] Next, when one hour has elapsed after the user places the animal M in the first chamber R1, the partition plate 19 is moved to make the animal M movable between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 (step S5). The one hour is provided as a period for the animal M to experience vibration. That is, when the animal M starts the application of vibration in a state where it can move between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2, it is simply a surprise to the vibration regardless of the preference, preventing the animal M from moving to the second chamber R2 side, and causing the animal M to perceive a disturbance for evaluating the preference in the first chamber R1. The one hour may be arbitrarily set, for example, it may be 30 seconds to 90 seconds. As shown in FIG. 4, when the animal M is in a state where it can move between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2, the animal M can change its position depending on whether it feels comfortable or uncomfortable with the predetermined vibration.

[0039] Next, the user causes the information processing apparatus 30 to start tracking the position of the animal M (step S7). The imaging camera control unit 33 of the information processing apparatus 30 causes the imaging camera 23 to start imaging at a predetermined cycle and acquires the generated imaging information. Further, the position detection processing unit 35 detects the position of the animal M based on the imaging information output from the imaging camera 23. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the position detection processing unit 35 identifies, for example, a pixel region in which the color of each pixel in the image data is equivalent to the body color of the animal M as the range in which the animal M is imaged, and calculates the centroid position C of the imaging range of the animal M.

[0040] The position detection processing unit 35 specifies the centroid position C as the position of the animal M at each predetermined cycle and records it in the storage unit 39 as time-series data. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, information on the position (centroid position C) of the animal M is accumulated.

[0041] Next, when the second hour has elapsed since the user started tracking the position of the animal M, the user stops the tracking (step S9). The position detection processing unit 35 may count the elapsed time since the start of the tracking and automatically end the tracking when the second hour has elapsed. The second hour may be set to an arbitrary time in consideration of the reliability of the evaluation result, and may be, for example, 15 minutes to 45 minutes. Note that the user stops applying vibration at an arbitrary timing after the elapse of the second hour. The vibration generation processing unit 31 may automatically stop applying vibration at an arbitrary timing after the elapse of the second hour.

[0042] Next, the user causes the information processing apparatus 30 to analyze the time-series data (movement history data) of the position information of the animal M recorded in the storage unit 39, and calculates the ratio of the first stay time when the animal M was in the first room R1 (step S11). For example, in the pre-preparation stage before starting the evaluation, the user specifies the movement range of the animal M (the ranges of the first room R1 and the second room R2) and the position of the boundary between the first room R1 and the second room R2 in the image data generated by the imaging camera 23. The stay time calculation unit 37 can determine whether the animal M is in the first room R1 or the second room R2 based on the specified position (center of gravity position C) of the animal M.

[0043] The stay time calculation unit 37 calculates the first stay time when the animal M was in the first room R1 by multiplying the number of positions (center of gravity positions) of the animal M existing in the range of the first room R1 by the time of a unit cycle. Note that the remaining time obtained by subtracting the first stay time from the second time during which the position of the animal M was tracked corresponds to the second stay time. The stay time calculation unit 37 calculates the ratio of the first stay time in the second time.

[0044] However, the method for calculating the ratio of the first stay time is not limited to the above example. For example, after calculating the second stay time when the animal M was in the second room R2, the first stay time may be calculated by subtracting the second stay time from the second time. Also, the ratio of the number of positions (center of gravity positions) existing in the range of the first room R1 to the number of positions (center of gravity positions) existing in the range of the second room R2 among the position information of the animal M recorded during the second time may be obtained, and the ratio of the first stay time in the second time may be calculated.

[0045] Next, the user determines the preference of animal M for the generated predetermined vibration based on the ratio of the first stay time when animal M was in the first room R1 during the second hour when the position of animal M was being tracked (step S13). For example, if the ratio of the first stay time to the second hour is within a predetermined range close to 50%, the user determines that animal M does not feel either comfortable or uncomfortable with the predetermined vibration. Also, if the ratio of the first stay time to the second hour is less than the predetermined range close to 50% described above, the user determines that animal M feels uncomfortable with the predetermined vibration. Further, if the ratio of the first stay time to the second hour is greater than the predetermined range close to 50% described above, the user determines that animal M feels comfortable with the predetermined vibration. Alternatively, the user may determine the level of comfort (discomfort) in multiple stages according to the ratio of the first stay time to the second hour in advance. Instead of the user himself / herself performing the comfort determination, the stay time calculation unit 37 may execute it and output the determination result.

[0046] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the period of application of a predetermined vibration and the moving range of animal M when implementing the evaluation method according to the above-described procedure. The horizontal axis indicates the passage of time. In the example shown in FIG. 7, after animal M is placed in the first room R1 in a state where it cannot move from the first room R1 to the second room R2, the application of a predetermined vibration is started. Animal M is kept in the first room R1 until 1 minute (the first hour) has elapsed since the start of the vibration application. When 1 minute has elapsed since the start of the vibration application, the partition plate 19 is moved so that animal M can move between the first room R1 and the second room R2. The application of the vibration continues without being stopped.

[0047] Thereafter, the application of the vibration continues until 30 minutes (the second hour) has elapsed since animal M became able to move between the first room R1 and the second room R2. During this time, animal M can freely move back and forth between the first room R1 and the second room R2. Then, when 30 minutes have elapsed since animal M became able to move between the first room R1 and the second room R2, the application of the vibration and the tracking of the position of animal M are terminated.

[0048] Until the second time has elapsed, in accordance with the habit of animal M of approaching what it likes and moving away from what it dislikes, animal M can move to the first chamber R1 or the second chamber R2. If animal M feels discomfort with the applied vibration, even if it moves into the first chamber R1, it will return to the second chamber R2 in a short time. On the other hand, if animal M feels comfortable with the applied vibration, the time it stays in the first chamber R1 will become longer. Therefore, based on the movement history of animal M, the preference of animal M for the applied vibration can be evaluated.

[0049] <1-3. Variation> Subsequently, a variation of the method for evaluating the preference of an animal for the predetermined vibration described above will be described.

[0050] Even if the vibration that animal M feels discomfort with is continuously applied for a long time, there is a possibility that animal M will get used to the vibration and become less sensitive to discomfort. Also, for example, when generating a vibration with a large displacement in the vertical direction in the first chamber R1, a step may occur on the bottom surfaces of the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2, and there is a possibility that animal M cannot move beyond the step even though it is trying to move. In this case, the reliability of the evaluation result of the preference for the predetermined vibration decreases. For this reason, in the following variation, after starting the tracking of the position of animal M, a vibration stop time for stopping the application of the predetermined vibration is provided, and the predetermined vibration is applied intermittently.

[0051] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the vibration generation process by the vibration generation processing unit 31 when implementing the evaluation method of the variation. In step S3 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, the vibration generation processing unit 31 controls the drive of the vibration generation device 21 to start applying a predetermined vibration (step S21). At this time, the vibration generation processing unit 31 starts a timer count for determining the elapse of the first time (vibration application time) and the third time (test end time). The first time and the third time are set to arbitrary values in advance. For example, the first time is set to 30 to 90 seconds, and the third time is set to 1800 seconds (30 minutes).

[0052] Next, the vibration generation processing unit 31 determines whether or not the first hour (vibration application time) has elapsed since the start of applying a predetermined vibration (step S23). If the vibration generation processing unit 31 determines that the first hour has not elapsed (S23 / No), it continues to apply the vibration and repeats the determination in step S23. On the other hand, when the vibration generation processing unit 31 determines that the first hour has elapsed (S23 / Yes), it interrupts the application of the vibration (step S25). At this time, the vibration generation processing unit 31 starts a timer count for determining the elapse of the second hour (vibration interruption time).

[0053] At the timing when the first hour elapses for the first time after the start of applying the vibration and the application of the vibration is interrupted, the partition plate 19 is moved so that the animal M can move between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 (step S5 described above). Also, the tracking of the position of the animal M by the position detection processing unit 35 is started (step S7 described above).

[0054] Next, the vibration generation processing unit 31 determines whether or not the second hour has elapsed since the time when the first hour elapsed (step S27). In step S27, it is determined whether or not the time during which the application of the vibration is interrupted has reached the second hour. The second hour is set to, for example, the same length of time as the first hour. If the second hour is too long compared to the first hour, the period during which no vibration is applied becomes long, and the reliability of the evaluation result of the preference of the animal M for the predetermined vibration decreases. Therefore, the second hour is preferably 30 seconds to 90 seconds.

[0055] When the vibration generation processing unit 31 determines that the second hour has elapsed (S27 / Yes), it drives the vibration generator 21 to resume the application of the vibration (step S29). At this time, the vibration generation processing unit 31 starts a timer count for determining the elapse of the first hour (vibration application time). After resuming the application of the vibration, the vibration generation processing unit 31 returns to step S23 and determines whether or not the first hour has elapsed since the resumption of the application of the vibration (step S23). Thereafter, the vibration generation processing unit 31 repeats the processing of each step described above.

[0056] Regarding the first hour in step S23, in order to allow the animal M to experience vibration after the start of vibration application, the first vibration application time and the vibration application times after the second time may be made different.

[0057] On the other hand, when the vibration generation processing unit 31 determines that the second hour has not elapsed since the time when the first hour has elapsed (S27 / No), it determines whether or not the third hour has elapsed since the start of vibration application (step S31). When the vibration generation processing unit 31 determines that the third hour has not elapsed (S31 / No), it returns to step S27. On the other hand, when the vibration generation processing unit 31 determines that the third hour has elapsed (S31 / Yes), it stops the vibration application (step S33).

[0058] When the vibration application is stopped, the tracking of the position of the animal M is stopped (step S9 described above), the first stay time when the animal M was in the first chamber R1 is calculated (step S11 described above), and the preference of the animal M for the predetermined vibration is evaluated (step S13 described above).

[0059] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the application period of a predetermined vibration and the moving range of the animal M when implementing the evaluation method of the modified example. The horizontal axis represents the passage of time. In the example shown in FIG. 9, after the animal M is placed in the first chamber R1 in a state where it cannot move from the first chamber R1 to the second chamber R2, the application of a predetermined vibration is started. The animal M is kept in the first chamber R1 until 1 minute (the first hour) has elapsed since the start of the vibration application. When 1 minute has elapsed since the start of the vibration application, the partition plate 19 is moved, and the animal M can move between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2. In the modified example, the vibration application is interrupted when the first hour has elapsed since the start of the vibration application.

[0060] Thereafter, when one minute (the second hour) has elapsed since the application of vibration was interrupted, the application of vibration is resumed. Thereafter, until 30 minutes (the third hour) have elapsed since the animal M became capable of moving between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2, the interruption and resumption of the application of vibration are repeated at one-minute intervals. During this period, the animal M can freely move back and forth between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2. Then, when 30 minutes have elapsed since the animal M became capable of moving between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2, the application of vibration and the tracking of the position of the animal M are terminated.

[0061] In accordance with the habit of the animal M of approaching what it likes and moving away from what it dislikes, the animal M can move to the first chamber R1 or the second chamber R2. In the modified example, since predetermined vibrations are intermittently applied, it is possible to reduce the risk that the sensitivity to discomfort decreases as the animal M gets used to the vibrations. Therefore, based on the movement history of the animal M, the preference of the animal M for the applied vibrations can be accurately evaluated. Also, in the modified example, only the movement history of the animal M during the second hour (vibration interruption time) may be used for the evaluation. Thereby, even when a step is formed on the bottom surfaces of the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 during the first hour (vibration application time) and the animal M cannot move beyond the step despite trying to move, the preference of the animal M for the applied vibrations can be evaluated.

[0062] Note that in the examples and modified examples of the first embodiment described above, while tracking the position of the animal M while continuously or intermittently applying vibration by the vibration generator 21, the process of tracking the position of the animal M may be performed after the stop of the application of vibration. By tracking the position of the animal M using the captured image data after the stop of the application of vibration, the preference of the animal M can be evaluated in the same manner as in the examples and modified examples of the first embodiment.

[0063] In the examples and modifications of the first embodiment described above, the ratio of the first stay time during which the animal M stayed in the first chamber R1 was calculated to evaluate the preference of the animal M for vibration. However, the ratio of the second stay time during which the animal M stayed in the second chamber R2 may be calculated to evaluate the preference of the animal M for vibration.

[0064] <1-4. Effects of the First Embodiment> As described above, the evaluation method according to the first embodiment includes arranging the animal M to be evaluated in the first chamber R1 of the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2 that can move in both directions, and when the animal M is located in the first chamber R1, causing the animal M to perceive a predetermined vibration, and evaluating the preference of the animal for the predetermined vibration based on the movement history of the animal. Thereby, the parameters of the vibration that the animal M feels uncomfortable can be analyzed ethologically. In addition, since the evaluation method according to the present embodiment can evaluate the preference of the animal M for a predetermined vibration based on the analysis by image processing, the time and labor required for the analysis can be reduced.

[0065] Therefore, by repeating the analysis while changing the parameters of the applied vibration, it is possible to clarify which vibration the animal M feels uncomfortable with, and it is possible to suppress the animal M from feeling the stress of the uncomfortable vibration. For example, when transporting small animals by vehicle, it can be applied to a technique for controlling vibration so as not to give the small animals the stress of uncomfortable vibration. In addition, according to the evaluation method according to the present embodiment, even for a stimulus that is not a strong stimulus that causes the animal M to show aversion, the preference of the animal for the stimulus can be easily evaluated.

[0066] In addition, the evaluation method according to the above embodiment makes it impossible for the animal M to move from the first chamber R1 to the second chamber R2 for a predetermined first time after starting to apply a predetermined vibration in a state where the animal M is arranged in the first chamber R1. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the animal M from simply moving to the second chamber R2 due to surprise at the vibration regardless of discomfort, and to experience the vibration. Therefore, the reliability of the evaluation result of the preference of the animal M for the predetermined vibration can be improved.

[0067] Also, in the evaluation method according to the above embodiment, when the application of a predetermined vibration is intermittently applied, it is possible to suppress the animal M from getting used to the vibration. Therefore, the reliability of the evaluation result of the comfort of the animal M with respect to the predetermined vibration can be enhanced.

[0068] <<2. Second Embodiment>> Next, an evaluation system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the first embodiment, vibration was generated as a disturbance to be perceived by an animal, but in the second embodiment, it has a configuration that outputs sound as a disturbance. In the present embodiment, the preference for sound can be evaluated as the comfort or discomfort with respect to the sound.

[0069] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an evaluation system 50 according to the present embodiment. The evaluation system 50 includes a first container 11, a second container 13, a soundproof chamber 15, an imaging camera 23, a speaker 25, and an information processing device 30. The first container 11 and the second container 13 may be configured in the same manner as the first container 11 and the second container 13 of the evaluation system 1 according to the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, it is sufficient that the sound (sound wave) output from the speaker 25 reaches at least inside the first container 11.

[0070] The soundproof chamber 15 has a function of blocking external sounds and preventing sounds other than the sound as a disturbance output from the speaker 25 from being heard by the animal M.

[0071] The imaging camera 23 may be configured in the same manner as the imaging camera 23 of the evaluation system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0072] The speaker 25 is a disturbance generating device that outputs sound (sound waves) according to a signal transmitted from the information processing device 30. The information processing device 30 transmits a drive signal indicating the amplitude, frequency, and phase of the sound (sound waves) to be output (hereinafter also referred to as "sound parameters") to the speaker 25. The speaker 25 corresponds to the disturbance generating device in the present embodiment.

[0073] The basic configuration of the information processing device 30 may be the same as that of the information processing device 30 of the evaluation system 1 according to the first embodiment, but instead of the vibration generation processing unit 31, it has the following sound generation processing unit 32.

[0074] When the position of the animal M specified by the position detection processing unit 35 is within the range of the first chamber R1, the sound generation processing unit 32 causes the speaker 25 to output a sound to be heard by the animal M. That is, in the evaluation system 1 according to the first embodiment, a predetermined vibration is applied to the first chamber R1, and when the animal M moves into the first chamber R1, the animal M perceives the vibration by touching the vibration. However, in the evaluation system 1 according to the second embodiment, when the animal M moves into the first chamber R1, it has a configuration that outputs a sound with arbitrary sound parameters set. As a means for detecting the presence of the animal M in the first chamber R1, a method using an infrared sensor or a load sensor may be used in addition to the method using the imaging camera 23.

[0075] The functions of the imaging camera control unit 33, the position detection processing unit 35, and the stay time calculation unit 37 other than the sound generation processing unit 32 may be configured in the same manner as the information processing device 30 of the evaluation system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0076] In the evaluation system 50 according to the present embodiment, after placing the animal M in the first chamber R1, until the first hour elapses, a sound is output while restricting the movement range to let the animal M experience the sound. Also, after the first hour has elapsed, the sound is continuously or intermittently output while the animal M is in the first chamber R1, and the output of the sound is stopped while the animal M is in the second chamber R2. Then, similar to the evaluation method according to the first embodiment, the position of the animal M is tracked, and the preference of the animal M for the sound is evaluated based on the ratio of the first residence time when the animal M was in the first chamber R1.

[0077] Thereby, the parameters of the sound that the animal M feels uncomfortable with can be analyzed ethologically. Also, since the evaluation method according to the present embodiment can evaluate the preference of the animal M for a predetermined sound based on the analysis by image processing, the time and effort required for the analysis can be reduced. Therefore, by repeating the analysis while changing the parameters of the sound to be output, it is possible to clarify which sound the animal M feels uncomfortable with and suppress making the animal M feel the stress of an uncomfortable sound. Also, according to the evaluation method according to the present embodiment, even for a stimulus that is not a strong stimulus such that the animal M shows an aversion, the preference of the animal for the stimulus can be easily evaluated.

[0078] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains can come up with various modification examples or correction examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0079] For example, in the above-described first embodiment, the animal M was placed in the first chamber R1 that generates vibrations in a state where it cannot move from the first chamber R1 to the second chamber R2. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. For example, the animal M may be placed in the second chamber R2 in a state where the animal M can move between the first chamber R1 and the second chamber R2. In this case, when the animal M moves to the first chamber R1, the partition plate 19 is moved to make it impossible to move from the first chamber R1 to the second chamber R2, and the application of a predetermined vibration to the first chamber R1 is started. Even in such a case, after the animal M has experienced the vibration, it is possible to evaluate the preference for disturbances using the habits of the animal M.

[0080] Also, in each of the above embodiments, when the animal M is located in the first chamber R1, the disturbance is made perceptible to the animal M. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. A predetermined disturbance with different intensities may be made perceptible to the animal when the animal M is located in the first chamber R1 and when the animal is located in the second chamber R2. For example, vibrations with different vibration parameters may be made perceptible to the animal when the animal M is located in the first chamber R1 and when the animal is located in the second chamber R2. In such a case, it is possible to relatively evaluate the comfort (discomfort) with respect to different vibrations.

[0081] Also, in each of the above embodiments, vibrations and sounds are generated as disturbances. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. The disturbance may be an element other than vibrations and sounds, and may be, for example, an evaluation system capable of generating any disturbance such as light, humidity, or temperature.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0082] 1: Evaluation system 11: First container 13: Second container 15: Soundproof room 17: Accelerometer 19: Partition plate 21: Vibration generator 23: Imaging camera 25: Speaker 30: Information processing device 31: Vibration generation processing unit 32: Sound generation processing unit 33: Imaging camera control unit 35: Position detection processing unit 37: Residence time calculation unit 39: Memory unit 50: Evaluation system C: Center of gravity position M: Animal R1: First chamber R2: Second chamber

Claims

1. In an evaluation method for evaluating an animal's preference for external disturbances, placing an animal to be evaluated in either a first chamber or a second chamber that can move in two directions, when the animal is located in the first chamber, causing the animal to perceive a predetermined external disturbance, or when the animal is located in the first chamber and when the animal is located in the second chamber, causing the animal to perceive predetermined external disturbances with different intensities from each other, evaluating the animal's preference for the predetermined external disturbance based on the movement history of the animal, An evaluation method comprising:

2. After starting to make the animal perceive the predetermined external disturbance in the state where the animal is located in the first chamber, the movement of the animal from the first chamber to the second chamber is made impossible for a predetermined time, and after the elapse of the predetermined time, the movement of the animal between the first chamber and the second chamber is made possible, The evaluation method according to claim 1.

3. The predetermined external disturbance is generated continuously or intermittently for a predetermined time or more, while the predetermined external disturbance is being generated, evaluating the preference based on the staying time of the animal in the first chamber and the second chamber respectively, The evaluation method according to claim 1.

4. The external disturbance is vibration, providing a vibration stop time for stopping the predetermined vibration, and generating the predetermined vibration intermittently, The evaluation method according to claim 1.

5. An information processing apparatus for evaluating an animal's preference for external disturbances, comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors when the animal is present in the first chamber of a first chamber and a second chamber that can move in two directions, causing the animal to perceive a predetermined external disturbance, or when the animal is present in the first chamber and when the animal is present in the second chamber, causing the animal to perceive predetermined external disturbances with different intensities from each other; detecting the position of the animal while the predetermined external disturbance is being generated; calculating a ratio of the staying time that the animal has been present in the first chamber or the second chamber based on the position information of the animal; An information processing apparatus that executes:

6. In an evaluation system for evaluating an animal's preference for external disturbances, a first chamber and a second chamber that can move in two directions, an external disturbance generator that, when the animal is present in the first chamber, causes the animal to perceive a predetermined external disturbance, or when the animal is present in the first chamber and when the animal is present in the second chamber, causes the animal to perceive predetermined external disturbances with different intensities from each other; An information processing device that detects the position of an animal in the first chamber and the second chamber and calculates the ratio of the residence time during which the animal was present in the first chamber or the second chamber based on the position information of the animal while generating the predetermined disturbance, An evaluation system comprising the same.

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