US 5,608,209 AGranted

Method and apparatus for measuring motion amount of a laboratory animal

AssigneeToyo Sangyo Co., Ltd.

InventorHideo Matsuda

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Abstract

An apparatus and method for measuring the motion amount of a laboratory animal. The apparatus includes a main body having a central processing unit therein, and a first and a second frame set to surround a laboratory animal in a bounded area. Each frame includes an optical sensor light-emitting element and an optical sensor light-receiving element. The optical sensor light-emitting element is disposed so as to oppose the optical sensor light-receiving element. The optical sensor light-emitting elements on the first and second frames sequentially emit optical beams such that the light-emitting elements do not emit optical beams at the same time. The light-receiving elements on the first and second frames receive those emitted optical beams which are not obstructed by the laboratory animal so as to detect the location and movements of the laboratory animal. According to the method, the movement amount, complete standing actions, and incomplete standing actions of the laboratory animal are measured via. the optical sensors arranged on the upper and lower frames.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A motion amount measuring method for laboratory animals comprising:

stacking a first frame and a second frame in a vertical direction, attaching to each of said first and second frames an optical sensor light-emitting element and an opposing optical sensor light-receiving element, said light-emitting elements emitting optical beams such that said light-emitting elements do not emit beams simultaneously, said light-receiving elements receiving those emitted optical beams which are not obstructed by the laboratory animal so as to detect the location and movements of the laboratory animal, setting the frames to surround a laboratory animal in a bounded area, counting complete standing actions of the animal by detecting a standing state of the animal using said optical sensor light-emitting elements and said optical sensor light-receiving elements arranged on the first frame and by detecting a return action from the standing state to a normal posture of the animal using said optical sensor light-emitting elements and said optical sensor light-receiving elements arranged on the second frame, and counting incomplete standing actions of the animal using said optical sensor light-emitting elements and said optical sensor light-receiving elements arranged on the second frame.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.