System for biological transport

Abstract

To provide a biological transport system capable of preventing experimental animals from running away.SOLUTION: A biological transport system transporting living organisms includes: a housing chamber housing living organisms; an anesthetic jetting device jetting anesthetic into the housing chamber; an impact detection part detecting impact received by the housing chamber; and a control part which jets the anesthetic to the anesthetic jetting device when the impact detection part detects impact in a predetermined reference range or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a biological transportation system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are devices and vehicles for transporting experimental animals (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is a risk that the vehicle may have an accident during the transportation of experimental animals, and the experimental animals being transported may escape. If experimental animals after special treatment are released into the natural world, there is a risk that they may mate with wild animals. Therefore, a technology for preventing the escape of experimental animals is desired.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a biological transportation system for transporting organisms is provided. This biological transportation system includes a containment chamber for containing an organism, an anesthetic ejection device for ejecting an anesthetic into the containment chamber, a shock detection unit for detecting an impact received by the containment chamber, and a control unit for causing the anesthetic ejection device to eject the anesthetic when the shock detection unit detects an impact equal to or greater than a predetermined reference range. According to this embodiment, when an impact is applied to the containment chamber, the anesthetic is ejected from the anesthetic ejection device. Since the ejected anesthetic immobilizes the organism, the escape of the organism in the containment chamber is prevented. (2) In the biological transportation system of the above embodiment, a notification unit for notifying the ejection of the anesthetic by the anesthetic ejection device may be provided. According to this embodiment, the administrator of the biological transportation system can know that the anesthetic is ejected. (3) In the biological transportation system of the above embodiment, further, an imaging unit for imaging the containment chamber, a display unit for displaying an image captured by the imaging unit, and a cancellation reception unit for receiving cancellation of the ejection of the anesthetic by the anesthetic ejection device after the image captured by the imaging unit is displayed on the display unit and before the anesthetic ejection device ejects the anesthetic when the shock detection unit detects an impact equal to or greater than the reference range. According to this embodiment, the administrator of the biological transportation system can determine whether there is a risk that the contained organism will escape by looking at the image displayed on the display unit. And when the administrator determines that there is no risk that the contained organism will escape, the ejection of the anesthetic can be cancelled. Thereby, the ejection of unnecessary anesthetic can be cancelled. (4) In the biological transportation system of the above embodiment, the organism is an animal, and an anesthetic amount determination unit for determining the amount of the anesthetic using information on the animal contained in the containment chamber may be provided. According to this embodiment, an appropriate amount of the anesthetic can be determined using information on the animal. (5) In the biological transportation system of the above embodiment, the information on the animal may be the age of the animal in months and the number of the animals. According to this embodiment, the amount of the anesthetic can be determined using information on the age in months and the number of the animals. (6) In the biological transportation system of the above-described embodiment, further provided are a discharge unit that discharges the anesthetic from the storage chamber, and a prediction unit that predicts the arrival time when rescue arrives using the distance from the nearest rescue base to the current location. The control unit may control the discharge unit so that the concentration of the anesthetic in the storage chamber becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined reference concentration before the arrival time. According to this embodiment, if the reference concentration is set to a concentration at which the anesthetic effect is not exerted on the rescuer, the rescuer can enter the storage chamber immediately after arriving at the storage chamber and can rescue the living being immediately. The present disclosure can be realized in various forms, and in addition to the above-described biological transportation system, it can be realized in the form of, for example, an anesthetic ejection method.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] A. First Embodiment: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a biological transportation system 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a mobile experimental facility 10. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an in-facility system 30 and an information terminal 80 in the experimental facility. As shown in FIG. 1, the biological transportation system 1 includes a mobile experimental facility 10 and a vehicle 20. The mobile experimental facility 10 has tires 11 and can be moved by being towed by the vehicle 20. Note that the mobile experimental facility 10 is not limited to the form of being towed and moved, and the vehicle 20 may be a trailer and may be moved by being loaded on the loading platform of the trailer.

[0009] The biological transportation system 1 is used to transport experimental animals EA, for example, between the place where the experimental animals EA are bred and the residence of the experimenter who conducts animal experiments. The experimenter performs operations such as surgery and medication on the transported experimental animals EA. That is, using the biological transportation system 1, the experimental animals EA before the experiment or after operations such as surgery and medication are transported.

[0010] When the biological transportation system 1 moves, a driver as the administrator of the biological transportation system 1 rides in the vehicle 20, the inside of the mobile experimental facility 10 is unmanned, and the experimental animals EA are housed. The experimental animals EA are, for example, miniature pigs, pigs, monkeys, dogs, mice, etc. The mobile experimental facility 10 is equipped with an in-facility system 30. The vehicle 20 is equipped with an information terminal 80 that can communicate with the in-facility system 30.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile experimental facility 10 is partitioned into a housing chamber 12 and a laboratory 14 by a partition wall 15. A first door 16 is provided on the partition wall 15. A second door 18 is provided in the laboratory 14. The second door 18 is a door that separates the inside and outside of the mobile experimental facility 10. Through the opened second door 18, people get on and off and the cage 13 in which the experimental animals EA are housed is taken in and out. When the first door 16 is closed, the housing chamber 12 is in a sealed state. Also, during movement, when the first door 16 and the second door 18 are closed, the laboratory 14 is in a sealed state. The cage 13 has a box shape and is formed, for example, by arranging metal bars. Therefore, the outside and the inside of the cage 13 communicate with each other.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3, the in-laboratory system 30 includes a control unit 31, a memory 32, a communication unit 33, an anesthetic gas ejection device 34, an acceleration sensor 35 as an impact detection unit, and a camera 36 as an imaging unit. The control unit 31 is implemented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 31 is communicably connected to the memory 32, the communication unit 33, the anesthetic gas ejection device 34, the acceleration sensor 35, and the camera 36. The control unit 31 has an anesthetic amount determination unit 31a that determines the amount of anesthetic gas ejected by the anesthetic gas ejection device 34. The anesthetic amount determination unit 31a is realized by the control unit 31 executing a program for determining the amount of anesthetic gas. The memory 32 is realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 32 stores animal information 50 and an execution program for anesthetic ejection processing described later. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 33 performs wireless communication with the information terminal 80. As the wireless communication, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used. The communication unit 33 has an antenna and transmits and receives data to and from the terminal communication unit 83 of the information terminal 80.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the anesthetic gas ejection device 34 is attached to the upper part inside the storage chamber 12. The anesthetic gas ejection device 34 ejects the amount of anesthetic gas determined by the anesthetic amount determination unit 31a into the storage chamber 12. Specifically, the anesthetic gas ejection device 34 vaporizes the anesthetic gas and ejects anesthetic gas in which nitrous oxide or the like is mixed with the vaporized anesthetic gas. As the nitrous oxide, nitrous oxide can be used. As the anesthetic gas, ether, chloroform, ethyl chloride, cyclopropane, fluroxene, halothane, methoxyflurane, enflurane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane, etc. can be used.

[0014] The acceleration sensor 35 detects the impact received by the accommodation chamber 12. Specifically, the acceleration sensor 35 detects the accelerations of three axes, namely the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, which are perpendicular to each other as shown in FIG. 1. The directions in which the arrows of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis point respectively indicate the positive directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The positive directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are respectively referred to as the +X direction, +Y direction, and +Z direction. The directions opposite to the directions in which the arrows of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis point are respectively the negative directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The negative directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are respectively referred to as the -X direction, -Y direction, and -Z direction. Those regardless of positive or negative in the directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are respectively referred to as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction. The same applies to the figures and explanations shown hereinafter. The +X direction is the reverse direction of the forward direction of the moving experiment facility 10. The +Z direction is the reverse direction of the gravitational direction. In some cases, the +X direction is called the back, the -X direction is called the front, the +Z direction is called the up, the -Z direction is called the down, the +Y direction is called the right, and the -Y direction is called the left. The acceleration sensor 35 transmits a signal indicating the magnitude of the detected acceleration to the control unit 31. The camera 36 images the inside of the accommodation chamber 12 and transmits a moving image as the captured image to the communication unit 33.

[0015] In this embodiment, the information terminal 80 is an information terminal capable of performing the same wireless communication as the communication unit 33, for example, a smartphone. Note that the information terminal 80 is not limited to a smartphone, and may be, for example, a tablet PC or a car navigation device. As shown in FIG. 3, the information terminal 80 includes a terminal control unit 81, a terminal memory 82, a terminal communication unit 83, and an operation display unit 84. The terminal control unit 81 is implemented by a CPU. The terminal memory 82 is implemented by a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The terminal communication unit 83 includes an antenna and transmits and receives data to and from the communication unit 33. The operation display unit 84 has a touch panel 84a. The operation display unit 84 displays information on the touch panel 84a and receives the touch position on the touch panel 84a as input information. An application for anesthetic ejection processing that is executed in cooperation with the anesthetic ejection processing executed by the in-experiment facility system 30 is installed in the information terminal 80.

[0016] Note that the communication form between the communication unit 33 and the terminal communication unit 83 is not limited to the above. The communication unit 33 and the terminal communication unit 83 can perform mobile communication and may communicate via mobile communication such as 4G (4th Generation). Also, instead of wireless communication, wired communication may be used.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the anesthesia ejection process. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the output signal of the acceleration sensor 35 in the first case where the mobile experiment facility 10 is impacted from the Y direction. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the output signal of the acceleration sensor 35 in the second case where the mobile experiment facility 10 has overturned. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the animal information 50. The biological transport system 1 may cause an accident during movement. In this case, the cage 13 may be damaged and become in an openable state, and there is a risk that the experimental animal EA may escape from the cage 13. If the experimental animal EA is out of the cage 13, for example, if the first door 16 and the second door are opened by a third party who does not know that the experimental animal EA is housed, there is a risk that the experimental animal EA may escape outside the mobile experiment facility 10. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the anesthesia ejection process is executed. Thereby, the escape of the experimental animal EA is blocked. In the present embodiment, the case where the first door 16 is robust and damage to the first door 16 due to an accident is not assumed will be described.

[0018] The anesthesia ejection process is repeatedly executed during the movement of the biological transport system 1. Also, before the movement of the mobile experiment facility 10, an application for the anesthesia ejection process is started on the information terminal 80 by the driver. The control unit 31 determines whether the acceleration sensor 35 has detected an impact equal to or greater than the reference range (step S10). The method of detecting the impact will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The horizontal axis in FIG. 5 is time. The vertical axis in FIG. 5 indicates the magnitude of the output signal of the acceleration sensor 35, and the unit is acceleration [G]. The upper part of FIG. 5 shows the output for the X-axis, the middle part shows the output for the Y-axis, and the lower part shows the output for the Z-axis. The same applies to FIG. 6.

[0019] For each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, a reference range for determining that an impact has been received is predetermined. The reference range of the X-axis is a range greater than the X-axis lower limit threshold - Ath(X) and less than the X-axis upper limit threshold + Ath(X). The reference range of the Y-axis is a range greater than the Y-axis lower limit threshold - Ath(Y) and less than the Y-axis upper limit threshold + Ath(Y). The reference range of the Z-axis is a range greater than the Z-axis lower limit threshold - Ath(Z) and less than the Z-axis upper limit threshold + Ath(Z). In the present embodiment, the X-axis lower limit threshold - Ath(X) is -2.5 [G], and the X-axis upper limit threshold + Ath(X) is 2.5 [G]. Also, the Y-axis lower limit threshold - Ath(Y) is -0.9 [G], and the Y-axis upper limit threshold + Ath(Y) is 0.9 [G]. Also, the Z-axis lower limit threshold - Ath(Z) is 0.1 [G], and the Z-axis upper limit threshold + Ath(Z) is 1.9 [G]. Since the X direction is the forward and backward directions of the mobile experiment facility 10, the respective thresholds on the X-axis are set to have larger values than the respective thresholds on the Y-axis and Z-axis. Since the Z direction is the direction of gravity, the respective thresholds on the Z-axis are set with 1.0 [G] as a reference.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 5, when the mobile experiment facility 10 is collided from the Y direction, that is, the lateral direction, at time t1, the output of the acceleration sensor 35 for the Y-axis becomes equal to or greater than the reference range. As shown in FIG. 6, when the left side surface of the mobile experiment facility 10 is overturned so as to face upward at time t2, the outputs of the acceleration sensor 35 in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions become equal to or greater than the reference range. Thus, when the mobile experiment facility 10 receives a large impact, any of the outputs of the acceleration sensor 35 for the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis becomes equal to or greater than the corresponding reference range. Note that being equal to or greater than the reference range specifically refers to a range that is less than or equal to the lower limit threshold of the corresponding axis, or greater than or equal to the upper limit threshold. Therefore, when the output of the acceleration sensor 35 becomes equal to or greater than the reference range, it can be determined that the mobile experiment facility 10 has received a large impact such that the cage 13 is damaged.

[0021] In step S10 shown in FIG. 4, when at least any one of the outputs of the acceleration sensor 35 for the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis is equal to or greater than the reference range, the control unit 31 determines that the acceleration sensor 35 has detected an impact (step S10: YES). On the other hand, when all of the outputs of the acceleration sensor 35 for the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are not equal to or greater than the reference range, the control unit 31 determines that the acceleration sensor 35 has not detected an impact (step S10: NO).

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, when the control unit 31 determines that an impact equal to or greater than the reference range has not been detected (step S10: NO), since there is no need to eject the anesthetic, this processing routine ends. On the other hand, when the control unit 31 determines that an impact equal to or greater than the reference range has been detected (step S10: YES), it notifies of the upcoming anesthetic ejection (step S20). Specifically, the control unit 31 transmits a signal for notifying the information terminal 80 of the upcoming anesthetic ejection via the communication unit 33. When the information terminal 80 receives a signal for notifying of the upcoming anesthetic ejection via the terminal communication unit 83, in the anesthetic ejection processing application, it displays a message for notifying of the upcoming anesthetic ejection on the touch panel 84a as the notification unit. Thereby, the driver can know that the anesthetic will be ejected into the storage chamber 12. In step S20, in addition to displaying the message on the touch panel 84a, a warning sound may be output from a speaker (not shown) provided in the information terminal 80, or either one of the display of the message and the output of the warning sound may be performed. The time from when the control unit 31 determines that an impact equal to or greater than the reference range has been detected (step S10: YES) until it notifies of the upcoming anesthetic ejection (step S20) is, for example, about 10 seconds. The control unit 31 determines whether or not an instruction to cancel the ejection has been received (step S30).

[0023] Step S30 is a processing step for stopping the ejection of anesthetic when the driver determines that there is no need to eject the anesthetic. When an impact equal to or greater than the reference range is detected, the control unit 31 causes the communication unit 33 to transmit the moving image captured by the camera 36 to the information terminal 80. In the anesthetic ejection processing application activated on the information terminal 80, the transmitted moving image is displayed on the touch panel 84a as a display unit. Also, in the anesthetic ejection processing application, a stop button is displayed on the touch panel 84a as a stop reception unit for receiving the stop of anesthetic ejection. When the driver views the displayed moving image and there is no risk of the experimental animal EA escaping, for example, when the cage 13 is not damaged, the driver touches the displayed stop button. When the operation display unit 84 transmits a signal indicating that the stop button has been touched to the terminal control unit 81, the terminal control unit 81 transmits a signal instructing the stop to the in-facility system 30 via the terminal communication unit 83. When the control unit 31 receives a signal instructing the stop from the communication unit 33, it determines that an instruction to stop the ejection of anesthetic has been received (Step S30: YES). On the other hand, when the control unit 31 does not receive a signal instructing the stop from the communication unit 33, it determines that an instruction to stop the ejection of anesthetic has not been received (Step S30: NO).

[0024] Note that the start timing at which the display of the transmitted moving image is started on the touch panel 84a is not limited to after the control unit 31 determines that an impact equal to or greater than the reference range has been detected. For example, the display of the moving image may be started after the anesthetic ejection processing application is activated. Also, the moving image may be always displayed.

[0025] When the control unit 31 determines that an instruction to stop the ejection of the drug has been received (step S30: YES), it ends this processing routine. On the other hand, when the control unit 31 determines that an instruction to stop the ejection of the drug has not been received (step S30: NO), it determines whether or not a preset set time has elapsed since a shock equal to or greater than the reference range was detected (step S40). The set time is, for example, about several minutes. When it is determined that the set time has not elapsed (step S40: NO), the control unit 31 repeatedly executes step S30 at predetermined time intervals until it is determined that the set time has elapsed (step S40: YES). When it is determined that the set time has elapsed (step S40: YES), the control unit 31 designates the amount of anesthetic, which is the amount of anesthetic to be ejected by the anesthetic ejection device 34, instructs the ejection of the anesthetic (S50), and ends this processing routine.

[0026] In step S50, the amount of anesthetic specified by the control unit 31 is calculated by the anesthetic amount determination unit 31a using the animal information 50. In the present embodiment, the animal information 50 is information received by the ejection anesthesia ejection processing application activated by the information terminal 80 before movement and transmitted to the in-facility system 30 and stored in the memory 32. The animal information 50 is information on the experimental animal EA for determining the amount of anesthetic. As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the animal information 50 is a database in a format in which items of "type", "age in months", "body weight", and "number of animals" of the experimental animal EA are grouped together. With respect to the concentration of an appropriate anesthetic for immobilizing the experimental animal EA, the amount of anesthetic to be ejected can be determined using the volume of the space to be ejected and the amount of exhaled air of the experimental animal EA. Here, the amount of anesthetic is the amount of anesthetic required to make the concentration of the anesthetic in the ejected space the target concentration. In the present embodiment, the ejected space is the internal space of the storage chamber 12. The amount of exhaled air can be estimated using the type, age in months, and body weight of the experimental animal EA. For example, when the body weight is heavy, the amount of breathing increases, so the concentration decreases faster compared to when the body weight is light. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the anesthetic amount determination unit 31a calculates an appropriate amount of anesthetic to achieve the target concentration from the amount of exhaled air using the type, age in months, and body weight of the experimental animal EA and the number of animals, and determines the amount of anesthetic to be ejected. For example, when isoflurane is used as the anesthetic for pigs, an amount of anesthetic that makes the target concentration 4% or more and 5% or less is ejected. In the present embodiment, isoflurane is used as the anesthetic, and the target anesthetic concentration is 4% or more and 5% or less regardless of the age in months, body weight, and number of animals. For example, when the body weight of the experimental animal EA is heavy, a larger amount of anesthetic is calculated than when the body weight is light. Also, when the number of experimental animals EA is large, a larger amount of anesthetic is calculated than when the number of experimental animals EA is small. Further, when the concentration of the anesthetic decreases over time using the concentration sensor 41 described later, the anesthetic may be continuously ejected. Note that the anesthetic amount calculation information indicating the relationship between the type, age in months, body weight of the experimental animal EA, and the amount of anesthetic is obtained through experiments and the like and stored in advance in the memory 32. The anesthetic amount calculation information may be stored as a relational expression or as a corresponding table.The calculation of the anesthetic dose is executed after the animal information 50 is stored.

[0027] When the anesthetic ejecting device 34 is instructed to eject the anesthetic from the control unit 31, it ejects the anesthetic gas in the amount specified by the anesthetic dose determination unit 31a. As a result, the concentration of the anesthetic in the accommodation chamber 12 becomes the target value. In step S50, when the anesthetic is ejected, the experimental animal EA sucks the anesthetic and becomes unable to move. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the experimental animal EA from escaping from the transportation facility 10.

[0028] As described above, according to the embodiment, the biological transportation system 1 includes an accommodation chamber 12, an anesthetic ejecting device 34, an acceleration sensor 35, and a control unit 31. In the anesthetic ejection process, when the acceleration sensor 35 detects an impact equal to or greater than the reference range (step S10: YES), the control unit 31 causes the anesthetic ejecting device 34 to eject the anesthetic in step S50. Since the experimental animal EA becomes unable to move due to the anesthetic ejected thereby, it is possible to prevent the experimental animal EA in the accommodation chamber 12 from escaping.

[0029] Further, the biological transportation system 1 includes a touch panel 84a for notifying the ejection of the anesthetic by the anesthetic ejecting device 34. Thereby, the driver can know that the anesthetic is ejected into the accommodation chamber 12.

[0030] Furthermore, the biological transportation system 1 includes a camera 36, a touch panel 84a for displaying the moving image captured by the camera 36, and a stop button for receiving the stop of the ejection of the anesthetic by the anesthetic ejecting device 34. Thereby, the driver can determine whether there is a risk that the accommodated experimental animal EA may escape by looking at the image displayed on the touch panel 84a. When the driver determines that there is no risk that the accommodated experimental animal EA may escape, the driver can touch the stop button displayed on the touch panel 84a to stop the ejection of the anesthetic. Thereby, it is possible to stop the unnecessary anesthetic ejection.

[0031] In addition, the biological transportation system 1 includes an anesthetic dosage determination unit 31a that determines the amount of anesthetic using the animal information 50, which is information on the experimental animals EA housed in the housing chamber 12. Thereby, an appropriate amount of anesthetic can be determined using the information on the experimental animals EA.

[0032] In addition, the animal information 50 includes information on the age and number of the experimental animals EA. Thereby, the anesthetic dosage determination unit 31a can determine the amount of anesthetic using the information on the age and number of the experimental animals EA.

[0033] B. Second Embodiment: FIG. 8 is a plan view of the mobile experimental facility 110 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the in-facility system 130 and the information terminal 80 according to the second embodiment. The mobile experimental facility 110 according to the second embodiment differs from the mobile experimental facility 10 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a removal negative pressure device 40 as a discharge unit and a pressure sensor 38, and the control unit 31 includes a prediction unit 31b. The same components as those of the mobile experimental facility 10 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0034] The prediction unit 31b shown in FIG. 9 predicts the arrival time of rescue from the nearest rescue base using the distance between the preset rescue base and the current location.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 8, the pressure sensor 38 is installed in the housing chamber 12, detects the differential pressure between the external air pressure and the pressure in the housing chamber 12, and transmits a signal indicating the magnitude of the differential pressure to the control unit 31.

[0036] The negative pressure removal device 40 is communicably connected to the control unit 31. The negative pressure removal device 40 has a concentration sensor 41. The concentration sensor 41 detects the concentration of the anesthetic in the storage chamber 12. The negative pressure removal device 40 removes the anesthetic contained in the storage chamber 12 by means of a built-in filter and discharges the air in the storage chamber 12 to the outside. Further, the negative pressure removal device 40 takes in outside air and adjusts it so that the carbon dioxide concentration in the storage chamber 12 becomes equal to or lower than a set value. The negative pressure removal device 40 discharges the air in the storage chamber 12 to the outside so that the pressure in the storage chamber 12 becomes lower than the outside air pressure to a preset differential pressure. As a result, a negative pressure is created in the storage chamber 12.

[0037] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the anesthetic ejection process according to the present embodiment. The same processing steps as those of the anesthetic ejection process according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted as appropriate. In the present embodiment, a case where the first door 16 is assumed to be opened due to damage caused by an accident will be described.

[0038] When it is determined that the set time has elapsed (step S40: YES), the control unit 31 determines whether the first door 16 is open (step S42). Since the inside of the storage chamber 12 is maintained at a negative pressure, when the first door 16 is in an open state, the storage chamber 12 communicates with the laboratory 14, and thus the pressure inside the storage chamber 12 rapidly increases. Therefore, when the value indicating the differential pressure of the pressure sensor 38 is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 31 determines that the first door 16 is open. On the contrary, when the value of the pressure sensor 38 is not smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the control unit 31 determines that the first door 16 is not open. When it is determined that the first door 16 is open (step S42: YES), the control unit 31 instructs the anesthetic ejection device 34 to eject the first anesthetic amount calculated by the anesthetic amount determination unit 31a (step S52). Here, the first anesthetic amount is the amount of anesthetic necessary to make the concentration of the anesthetic in the internal spaces of the laboratory 14 and the storage chamber 12 the target concentration. Thereby, the anesthetic ejection device 34 ejects the anesthetic of the first anesthetic amount. On the other hand, when it is determined that the first door 16 is not open (step S42: NO), the control unit 31 instructs the anesthetic ejection device 34 to eject the second anesthetic amount calculated by the anesthetic amount determination unit 31a (step S54). Here, the second anesthetic amount is the amount of anesthetic necessary to make the concentration of the anesthetic in the internal space of the storage chamber 12 the target concentration. Thereby, the anesthetic ejection device 34 ejects the anesthetic of the second anesthetic amount. By step S52 or step S54, an appropriate amount of anesthetic corresponding to the space where the anesthetic is ejected is ejected. Therefore, an appropriate amount of anesthetic can be sucked by the experimental animal EA.

[0039] After the execution of step S52 or step S54, the prediction unit 31b predicts the arrival time of the rescue (step S60). The control unit 31 instructs the negative pressure removal device 40 to discharge the anesthetic (step S70). Step S70 is a process for making the concentration of the anesthetic in the mobile experimental facility 10 fall below the reference concentration before the arrival time. Thereby, when the rescue arrives, the corresponding measure for removing the anesthetic in the mobile experimental facility 10 can be omitted, and the experimental animal EA can be rescued immediately. Here, the reference concentration is a concentration at which the anesthetic effect of the anesthetic is not exerted on a person entering the accommodation chamber 12, and when the anesthetic is isoflurane, it is a concentration of 0.5% or less. Specifically, the control unit 31 transmits the arrival time to the negative pressure removal device 40. The negative pressure removal device 40 calculates the time required for anesthetic removal. Then, starting from the arrival time, the negative pressure removal device 40 increases the air discharge amount from the time before the time required for anesthetic removal. Thereby, the anesthetic is removed from the air in the accommodation chamber 12. Note that the processing content of step S70 is not limited to the above, and the control unit 31 may calculate the discharge start time and instruct the negative pressure removal device 40 of the discharge processing start time and the air discharge amount. After the execution of step S70, the control unit 31 ends this processing routine.

[0040] According to the embodiment described above, the biological transport system 100 includes the negative pressure removal device 40 and the prediction unit 31b. The control unit 31 controls the negative pressure removal device 40 so that the concentration of the anesthetic in the accommodation chamber 12 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined reference concentration before the arrival time predicted by the prediction unit 31b. Therefore, after the rescue arrives at the accommodation chamber 12, the experimental animal EA can be rescued immediately.

[0041] C. Other Embodiments: (C1) In the anesthesia ejection process according to the first embodiment, when there is no risk of the experimental animal EA escaping, the driver touches the displayed stop button at step S30. Even when there is no risk of the experimental animal EA escaping, it is not necessary to stop the ejection of anesthesia. Regardless of whether the cage 13 is damaged, if the experimental animal EA is acting violently, the anesthetic can be ejected without touching the stop button. Due to the impact of an accident, the experimental animal EA may become excited, run wild, and collide and get injured. Therefore, when the experimental animal EA is acting violently, it is advisable to eject anesthesia to the anesthetic ejection device 34 by not touching the stop button. This can contribute to animal welfare.

[0042] (C2) In the first embodiment, the biological transportation system 1 includes an information terminal 80. Then, the information terminal 80 gives a notice of the ejection of anesthetic, displays an image in the storage chamber 12, and accepts the stop of ejection. The device for performing these processes is not limited to the information terminal 80 and may be performed by a dedicated device. Also, in the first embodiment, the information terminal 80 is installed inside the vehicle 20. The installation location of the information terminal 80 is not limited to inside the vehicle 20 and may be installed, for example, at a rescue base.

[0043] (C3) In the first embodiment, the mobile experimental facility 10 includes a laboratory 14. The mobile experimental facility 10 may be configured to include only the storage chamber 12 without including the laboratory 14.

[0044] (C4) In the first embodiment, the animal information 50 is transmitted from the information received by the application for the ejection anesthesia ejection process started on the information terminal 80 to the in-laboratory system 30 and stored in the memory 32. The animal information 50 may be directly stored in the memory 32 without passing through the information terminal 80. Also, the form in which the animal information 50 is stored is not limited to being stored in the memory 32 and may be stored, for example, in a server communicable with the memory 32. The same applies to other information such as the anesthesia amount calculation information.

[0045] (C5) The negative pressure removal device 40 according to the second embodiment takes in outside air from outside the accommodation chamber 12. The configuration of the negative pressure removal device 40 is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to remove carbon dioxide from the air in the accommodation chamber 12 and supply oxygen or air to the accommodation chamber 12 from an oxygen cylinder or an air cylinder. That is, the air in the accommodation chamber 12 may be circulated to remove the anesthetic.

[0046] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0047] 1,100... Biological transport system, 10,110... Mobile experimental facility, 11... Tire, 12... Accommodation chamber, 13... Cage, 14... Laboratory, 15... Partition wall, 16... First door, 18... Second door, 20... Vehicle, 30,130... In-facility experiment system, 31... Control unit, 31a... Anesthetic amount determination unit, 31b... Prediction unit, 32... Memory, 33... Communication unit, 34... Anesthetic ejection device, 35... Acceleration sensor, 36... Camera, 38... Pressure sensor, 40... Negative pressure removal device, 41... Concentration sensor, 50... Animal information, 80... Information terminal, 81... Terminal control unit, 82... Terminal memory, 83... Terminal communication unit, 84... Operation display unit, 84a... Touch panel, EA... Laboratory animal

Claims

1. A biological transportation system for transporting organisms, comprising: A containment chamber for containing organisms; An anesthetic spraying device for spraying anesthetic into the containment chamber; An impact detection unit for detecting an impact received by the containment chamber; A control unit for causing the anesthetic spraying device to spray the anesthetic when the impact detection unit detects an impact equal to or greater than a predetermined reference range. A biological transportation system.

2. The biological transportation system according to claim 1, further comprising: A notification unit for notifying the spraying of the anesthetic by the anesthetic spraying device. A biological transportation system.

3. The biological transportation system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: An imaging unit for imaging the containment chamber; A display unit for displaying an image captured by the imaging unit; A cancellation reception unit for receiving cancellation of the spraying of the anesthetic by the anesthetic spraying device after the display unit displays the image after the impact detection unit detects an impact equal to or greater than the reference range and before the anesthetic spraying device sprays the anesthetic. A biological transportation system.

4. The biological transportation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The organism is an animal, and An anesthetic amount determination unit for determining the amount of the anesthetic using information on the animal contained in the containment chamber is provided. A biological transportation system.

5. The biological transportation system according to claim 4, wherein: The information on the animal is the age of the animal in months and the number of the animals. A biological transportation system.

6. The biological transportation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: A discharge unit for discharging the anesthetic from the containment chamber. A prediction unit that predicts the arrival time when rescue arrives using the distance from the nearest rescue base to the current location, and The control unit, A biological transportation system that controls the discharge unit so that the concentration of the anesthetic in the storage chamber becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined reference concentration before the arrival time.

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