US 8,944,008 B2Granted

Force measurement

AssigneeTopcat Metrology Limited

InventorsMichael John Dixon, Polly Margaret Taylor, Benjamin Dixon

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A rodent enclosure dimensioned in length, width and height so as to allow a rodent to run freely along the length of the enclosure, but not turn around without standing on its hind legs. The enclosure has a floor with bars extending transversely to allow access for a force sensor's probe from below. A force measurement device for use with the rodent enclosure to measure the tactile response of a rodent comprising a measurement probe connected to a device body. The probe has a tip which can be engaged with a rodent's paw through the floor of the enclosure. The device body has a fixed body part and a rotatable body part arranged to allow relative rotation between them. A rotation sensor detects the relative rotation and outputs a measurement parameter having values that are calibrated against force values associated with forces applied to the probe's tip.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A force measurement device, comprising:

a fixed body part and a rotatable body part mutually arranged to allow relative rotation between them about a common rotational axis;
a resilient biasing member mounted at one end to the fixed body part and at the other end to a rotatable transducer part which is rotatable independently of, and relative to, the rotatable body part;
a probe having a tip portion extending generally tangentially to the rotational axis and terminating at one end in a tip and at the other end in a junction with an end of an arm portion, the arm portion extending generally radially to the rotational axis and connecting at another end to the rotatable transducer part so that angular displacement of the fixed part relative to the arm portion stores or releases energy in the resilient biasing member and also causes rotation of the transducer part relative to the fixed body part;
and
a rotation sensor operable to detect the amount of angular displacement between the transducer part and the fixed body part, and to output a measurement parameter having values that are calibrated against force values associated with forces applied to the probe's tip.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/440,310Filed 5 Apr 2012
Priority: GB 1105990.48 Apr 2011
Published: US 2012/0255500 A111 Oct 2012
Granted: 3 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

A01K 1/031
Housing for domestic or laboratory animals: cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals
A01K 1/0317
Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals: monitoring or measuring animal properties or behaviour
A61B 5/4827
Touch or pain perception evaluation: assessing touch sensitivity, e.g. for evaluation of pain threshold
G01L 1/142
By measuring variations in capacitance or inductance of electrical elements, e.g. by measuring variations of frequency of electrical oscillators:…