WO2022091127A1

WO2022091127A1 - Apparatus and method for regulating temperature of animals

Info

Publication number: WO2022091127A1
Application number: PCT/IN2021/051022
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tejas BARVE
Original assignee: Barve Tejas
Priority date: 2020-10-28
Filing date: 2021-10-27
Publication date: 2022-05-05

Abstract

The present invention claims an apparatus for regulating temperature of animals, said apparatus comprising an enclosure (100) which contains a temperature control relay module (201), temperature probe (202), a probe holder (203), a containment chamber (204), a temperature control module (205), a hose holder (400) and a power source. The invention also discloses a method for regulating the core body temperature of warm blooded animals, said method comprising of regulating the temperature of recipient wherein the containment chamber (204) is filled with a conducting liquid, the desired temperature is entered into the temperature control relay module (201) and power is switched on, the tube (407) enters the containment chamber (204) through cut out (405), is wound around the stem protrusion (408), exits the containment chamber (204) through cut out (406) and is inserted into the recipient.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REGULATING TEMPERATURE OF ANIMALS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY

[001] The present application does claims priority from Indian application number 202021047103.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[002] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for regulating temperature of animals. Specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus and method designed for regulating the temperature of animals especially warm blooded animals such as cats, dogs, sheep, cows, buffaloes and similar animals by regulating the temperature of saline and similar fluids being intravenously administered to the animals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[003] Normal human body temperature is 37°C. The range of warm blooded animals’ body temperature is typically higher than that of the human temperature. The temperature of warm blooded animals is 38.3°C to 39.2°C. The fur or the skin of the animal is more resistant to fluctuations in temperature than the human skin and the techniques used on humans to regulate the body temperature in case the body temperature goes above/below normal body temperature is not effective or gives inferior or no results when employed on animals. [004] The situation in which the body temperature of animals goes below the normal are as follows

• The animal being exposed to very cold temperatures for a long time.

• The animal is infected with viral or bacterial disease resulting in a drop in the animal’s body temperature

• The animal has met with an accident and hemorrhaging occurs, resulting in a drop in the animal’s body temperature

• The animal is weak due to overworking or due to exhaustion resulting in a drop in the animal’s body temperature

• The animal has been wet for a long period of time resulting in a drop in the animal’s body temperature

[005] A higher than normal body temperature could cause the animal to collapse as well. Some of the situations in which the animal temperature goes higher than the normal body temp are

• The animal has viral or bacterial infections.

• The animal has a heat stroke

• The animal has been exhausted or over worked

• The animal was under the sun exposed to high temperatures for a long time.

[006] The method used currently by veterinary doctors to regulate animal body temperature is to administer the appropriate medicines to the animal along with saline or similar fluids. While this does regulate the body temperature of the animal depending on the size and severity of the condition the animal’s body still takes about 4 to 5 hours to reach normal temperature range depending on the severity of the animal’s condition. [007] Heating bags are used in some cases but with heating bags, the temperature of the animal’s body tends to spike rapidly. Consequently, instead of healing the animal, the heating bag causes burn marks if the temperature of the heating bag is not set correctly.

[008] Other temperature regulating systems require extreme temperatures so that the internal body temperature can be brought to the normal temperature range But if not monitored closely these systems sometimes burn the top fur/ skin of the animal or result in a thermal shock to the animal.

[009] There are human infusion heaters available but these cannot be used for animal body temperatures. The human infusion heaters are not suitable for animals and do not give the same efficiency as the temperatures for humans and animals are quite different.

[010] The system used for directly heating the fluids such as saline in a tube, as is done for use in humans cannot be used for animals as the control of the heating system in such cases becomes difficult resulting in burn injuries to the animal. Furthermore, heating the fluid to be administered directly to temperatures suitable to animal needs implies higher temperatures which can result in melting of the tubing.

[Oi l] Prior art therefore lacks an apparatus and method for regulating the body temperature of animals when it increases or drops below the normal threshold. [012] To reduce the existing drawbacks of the existing prior art the present invention discloses an apparatus and method for regulating the temperature of animals as disclosed below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[013] The present invention discloses an apparatus for regulating temperature of animals comprises of an enclosure (100). The enclosure (100) consists of a temperature controller relay module (201), a temperature probe (202) and a probe holder (203) , a containment chamber (204) , a temperature regulation module (205), a hose holder (400) and a power source.

[014] The present invention also discloses a method for regulating the core body temperature of warm blooded animals, said method comprising of regulating the temperature of recipient wherein

-the containment chamber (204) is filled with a conducting liquid

-the desired temperature is entered into the temperature control relay module (201) and power is switched on

-the tube (407) enters the containment chamber (204) through cut out (405), is wound around the stem protrusion (408), exits the containment chamber (204) through cut out (406) and is inserted into the recipient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[015] The foregoing detailed description of embodiments for an apparatus and method for regulating temperature of animals is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating of the present subject matter, an example of an apparatus and method for regulating temperature of animals is provided as figures; however, the invention is not limited to the specific system disclosed in the document and the figures.

[016] In the detailed description, an embodiment of an apparatus and method for regulating temperature of animals is described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer various features of the present subject matter.

[017] Figure la illustrates the enclosure (100)

[018] Figure lb illustrates the front end of the enclosure (100)

[019] Figure 1c illustrates the back end of the enclosure (100)

[020] Figure 2 illustrates the circuit diagram for apparatus for raising the temperature of animals (200)

[021] Figure 3 illustrates the circuit diagram for apparatus for lowering the temperature of animals (300)

[022] Figure 4a illustrates the hose holder (400)

[023] Figure 4b illustrates the hose holder showing the wrapping of the tube (407)

[024] Figure 5 illustrates the probe holder (203)

[025] Figure 6 illustrates the block diagram for use of the apparatus

[026] It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Further, the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[027] Some embodiments of this disclosure, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[028] Various modifications to the embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments of an apparatus and method for regulating temperature of animals. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the disclosure for the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.

[029] The main embodiment of the an apparatus and method for regulating temperature of animals comprises of an enclosure (100). The enclosure

(100) consists of a temperature controller relay module (201), a temperature probe (202) and a probe holder (203) , a containment chamber (204) , a temperature regulation module (205) and a hose holder (400).

[030] Figure la shows the enclosure (100), Figure lb shows the front end

(101) and Figure 1c the back end (102). The enclosure holds the heating/cooling circuit, containment chamber (204) and the fan in place. [031] The display is on the front end (101) of the enclosure (100) and the temperature control relay module (201) is on the inside of the enclosure (100) on the side containing the display of the temperature control relay module (201). Adjacent to the temperature control relay module (201) is the rectangular containment chamber (204). The temperature sensor (202) is affixed to the inner wall of the containment chamber (204) by means of the temperature probe holder (203) distal from the front end (101) of the enclosure (100). On the outer wall of the distal side of the containment chamber (204) is a temperature regulating module (205) which is enclosed by the back end (102) of the enclosure (100).

[032] The hose holder (400) consists of a handle (401) and a lower body

(402). The lower body (402) consists of a retaining notch ( 403) on one side, a protrusion lid (404) on the upper end of the lower body (402) and a stem protrusion (408) on the lower end of the lower body (402). The retaining notch

(403) ensures that the hose holder (400) can only fit over the containment chamber (204) in one direction. The protrusion lid (404) has two cut outs (405, 406) on the front protruding side, The cut outs (405, 406) are meant for the inlet and outlet of the tube (407) into the containment chamber (204). The protrusion lid (404) functions as a lid for the containment chamber (204) and the stem protrusion (408) holds the tube (407) in place as it is wound around the base.

[033] In another embodiment the length of the tube from exit point at enclosure to point of insertion into the animal’s body is at least 10 cm.

[034] In another embodiment the total length of the tube wound around the stem protrusion (408) for non viscous fluids is between 30 cm and 50 cm. [035] In another embodiment the total length of the tube wound around the stem protrusion (408) for delivery of semi-solid or viscous substance is between 50 cm and 80 cm.

[036] In one embodiment the temperature regulating module (205) is a

Peltier module having a heating and cooling side.

[037] In one embodiment, to raise the temperature of the recipient animal, the heating side of the Peltier Module is affixed to the containment chamber (204) by means of a thermal paste.

[038] In another embodiment, for lowering the temperature of the recipient animal, the cooling side of the Peltier Module is affixed to the containment chamber (204) by means of a thermal paste.

[039] In one embodiment for lowering the temperature of the recipient animal (Figure 3), the heating side of the Peltier Module (205) is affixed to a heat sink (301) by means of a thermal paste. The distal side of the heat sink (301) is affixed with a fan which forms the back end (102) of the enclosure (100)

[040] In one embodiment the thermal paste is silver compound.

[041] In another embodiment for raising the temperature of the recipient animal, the temperature regulating module (205) is a heating cartridge. In this embodiment the cartridge is inserted inside the containment chamber eliminating the requirement for a fan and thermal paste. [042] The display side of the enclosure is fitted with a power input of 12

V. In one embodiment a battery backup is added to make the system portable and to be used where there is no electricity.

[043] In another embodiment the containment chamber (204) is made of copper or aluminum for better efficiency and thermal conductivity.

[044] In a preferred embodiment, the containment chamber (204) houses the temperature probe (202) on the distal wall. The temperature of the containment chamber (204) can be controlled to the desired temperature by controlling/switching the temperature regulating module (205) with the help of the temperature controlled relay module/ circuit (201).

[045] In one embodiment the hose holder (400) holds a certain length of the tube (407) which is held in position such that the tube does not kink thereby restricting the flow of the fluid.

[046] In one embodiment the method comprises filling the containment chamber (204) with a suitable liquid. The hose holder (400) is wound with a suitable length of tube and inserted in the containment chamber (204) such that the point of exit of the tube from the chamber is in close proximity to the back wall of the containment chamber (204) where the temperature regulation module (205) rests.

[047] Once the power is switched on for raising the animal’s body temperature the temperature controlled relay module (201) set to the desired temperature controls the temperature regulation module (205), the liquid in the containment chamber (204) gets heated to the desired temperature. The fluid is passed through the tube (407) and the length of the tube from the exit point from enclosure to the point of insertion into the animal’s body is such that the temperature at the point of insertion at the entrance of the animal body (or the exit of the tube) is in between 38°C to 42°C.

[048] In one embodiment the liquid in the containment chamber is any conducting liquid, preferably water.

[049] In another embodiment the temperature inside the containment chamber (204) for raising the animals’ body temperature is in the range of 40°C to 65°C

[050] In one embodiment, the temperature at the exit of the fluid from the tube and at the point where the fluid enters the animal’s body for raising the animals body temperature is in the range of 38°C to 42°C and the length of the tubing and the temperature inside the containment chamber (204) needs to be adjusted such that the fluid outlet temperature be maintained in between 38°C to 42°C)

[051] Example 1: Figure 6 shows the fluid (in this example: saline) and a tube (407) entering the enclosure (100), exiting the enclosure (100) and being administered to the recipient.

[052] Example 2: In one embodiment, the non viscous fluid in the tube is saline.

[053] In one embodiment, for lowering the temperature of the animal once the power is switched on the temperature controlled relay module (201) is set to the desired temperature which in turn controls the temperature regulation module (205).The liquid in the containment chamber (204) gets cooled to the desired temperature. This liquid is passed through the tube (407) and the length of the tube from the exit point from enclosure to the point of insertion into the animal’s body is such that the temperature at the point of insertion at the entrance of the animal body (or the exit of the tube) is in between 33 °C to 38 °C.

[054] In another embodiment the temperature inside the containment chamber (204) for lowering the animal’s body temperature is in the range of 20 °C to 30 °C.

[055] In one embodiment, the temperature at the exit of the fluid/liquid from the tube and the point where the fluid enters the animal body for lowering the animal’s body temperature is in the range of 33 °C to 38 °C and the length of the tubing and the temperature inside the containment chamber (204) needs to be adjusted such that the fluid outlet temperature is maintained in the range of 33 °C to 38 °C )

Claims

I/We claim:

1. An apparatus for regulating temperature of animals, said apparatus comprising an enclosure (100) which contains

- a temperature control relay module (201)

- temperature probe (202)

- a probe holder (203)

- a containment chamber (204)

- a temperature regulating module (205)

- a hose holder (400) and

- a power source.

2. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein display is on the front end (101) of the enclosure (100) and the temperature control relay module (201) is on the inside of the enclosure (100) on the side containing the display of the temperature control relay module (201); where adjacent to the temperature control relay module (201) is the rectangular containment chamber (204); where the temperature probe (202) is affixed to the inner wall of the containment chamber (204) by means of the temperature probe holder (203) distal from the front end (101) of the enclosure (100); where on the outer wall of the distal side of the containment chamber (204) is a temperature regulating module (205) which is enclosed by the back end (102) of the enclosure (100).

3. The hose holder (400) in claim 1 wherein the hose holder (400) comprises of a handle (401) and a lower body (402)

4. The hose holder (400) in claim 1, where the lower body (402) has a retaining notch (403) on one side, a lid protrusion (404) in the front and a stem protrusion (408) on the lower end.

5. The hose holder (400) in claim 1 where the lid protrusion (404) has two cutouts (405, 406) in the front.

6. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the temperature regulation module (205) is a Peltier Module having a heating side and a cooling side.

7. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein to raise the temperature of the recipient animal, the heating side of the Peltier Module is affixed to the containment chamber (204) by means of a thermal paste.

8. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein for lowering the temperature of the recipient animal, the cooling side of the Peltier Module is affixed to the containment chamber (204) by means of a thermal paste.

9. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein for lowering the temperature of the recipient animal (Figure 3), the heating side of the Peltier Module (205) is affixed to a heat sink (301) by means of a thermal paste and the distal side of the heat sink (301) is affixed with a fan which forms the back end (102) of the enclosure (100).

10. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the thermal past is silver compound.

11. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the power source is a battery.

12. A method for regulating the core body temperature of warm blooded animals, said method comprising of regulating the temperature of recipient wherein

- the containment chamber (204) is filled with a conducting liquid

13. The method of claim 12 where to raise the core body temperature, the temperature range of saline at the point of insertion is in the range 38°C to 42°C.

14. The method of claim 12 where to lower the core body temperature the temperature range of saline at the point of insertion is in the range 33°C to 38°C.

14