JP6636806B2 - Animal behavior analyzer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an animal behavior analysis device used for analyzing the movement of an animal.

  In the field of medical research, animal experiments using animals are often performed. For example, in the development of a new drug, it is extremely important to analyze the behavior pattern of small animals after the administration and to measure the amount of exercise. In addition, when evaluating the effects of pharmaceuticals, gene therapy, and the like, the effectiveness is confirmed by animal experiments prior to clinical evaluation. In animal experiments, a technique in which a drug is administered to a small animal such as a mouse kept in a breeding cage or the like or after genetic manipulation is performed, and a behavior or physiological change of the small animal is observed for a predetermined period of time, for example, It is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.

  The behavior analysis technology of a specimen such as an animal disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a skinner box sized to allow a specimen such as an animal and a plurality of sets of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements attached to opposed wall surfaces around the skinner box. A sensor, a position detection device that determines the position of the animal sample in the skinner box from a detection signal of the sensor, and an operation process based on time-series output data of the position detection device to determine an action position of the sample such as an animal. Computer system that calculates and records the speed, direction, and direction of action, an automatic environment setting device that can set the environment such as brightness and temperature in the skinner box, and supplies water, food, etc., and eats and drinks animal samples And a facility control device for measuring the amount of food and drink.

Japanese Patent No. 2519893

  In the behavior analysis technique for a specimen such as an animal disclosed in Patent Document 1, the resolution of measurement is determined by the number of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements arranged in a skinner box, so that a plurality of small animals are measured simultaneously. There is a problem that it is difficult. In addition, there is a problem that the entire apparatus is large and measurement locations are limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a small-sized animal behavior analysis apparatus that can simultaneously measure a plurality of small animals and does not select a measurement place.

  In detail, the configuration of the animal behavior analysis device according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is an animal behavior analysis device that is attached to a target animal using fixing means or used by being embedded in the body of the target animal. The main body of the analysis device has an acceleration sensor, a temperature sensor, and a time-measuring means for outputting a time-measurement signal. The acceleration sensor senses the body motion of the target animal as a vibration phenomenon, and the frequency data and the vibration amount data thereof. And a data group consisting of the timed signals can be output to an external information terminal as exercise data, the body temperature of the target animal is measured by the temperature sensor, and a data group consisting of the temperature data of the body temperature and the exercise amount data Is an animal behavior analysis device configured to be able to output to an external information terminal as activity amount data.

  According to the animal behavior analysis device according to the present invention, since a plurality of pairs of a light emitting element and a light receiving element are not used as a conventional sensor attached to an opposing wall around a skinner box, a plurality of target animals are the same. It is possible to perform measurements in the cage at the same time, and the analysis cost can be reduced. Further, the apparatus itself is compact, and has the convenience that the measurement place is not selected.

It is a block diagram showing the composition of the animal behavior analysis device of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an animal behavior analysis device of the present invention. It is a sectional view showing the structure of the animal behavior analysis device of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing how to use the animal behavior analysis device of the present invention.

  The animal behavior analysis device according to the present invention is mounted on the body of the target animal or the like by an appropriate fixing means such as a fixing band, and the body motion of the target animal is vibrated by an acceleration sensor built in the main body of the analysis device. As a phenomenon, the frequency and amount of vibration are output to an external information terminal as momentum, and the body temperature of the animal is measured by a built-in temperature sensor, and the body temperature and the above-mentioned amount of exercise are output to an external information terminal as activity. By doing so, it is possible to analyze the behavioral form of the animal.

The embodiment described below shows an example of an animal behavior analysis device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following configuration.
In particular, the sizes, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in the embodiments are not merely intended to limit the scope of the present invention but are merely illustrative examples unless otherwise specified. Not something. In addition, the size, positional relationship, and the like of members illustrated in each drawing may be exaggerated in order to clarify the description. In the following description, the same parts and the same components will be denoted by the same names and symbols, and detailed description may be omitted as appropriate.

[Description of Configuration of Animal Behavior Analysis Device 1]
Hereinafter, the configuration of the animal behavior analysis device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the animal behavior analysis device 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the animal behavior analysis device 1 of the present invention.

The configuration of the animal behavior analysis device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 1, the functions of the animal behavior analysis device 1 include an acceleration sensor 10 including a three-dimensional acceleration sensor, a temperature sensor 20, an activity data calculation unit 30, a communication unit 40, a timer unit 50, and a storage unit 8. Consists of
The behavior data calculation means 30 includes a vibration analysis means 31, an exercise amount data output means 32, and an activity amount data output means 33. In FIG. 1, a communication magnetic field W for performing data communication between the animal behavior analysis device 1 and the external information device 100 is indicated by a broken line for explanation.

  The three-dimensional acceleration sensor 10 is integrally housed in a case constituting the animal behavior analysis device 1, detects the motion of an animal on which the animal behavior analysis device 1 is mounted, and outputs it as acceleration data Sa in xyz directions. Similarly, the temperature sensor 20 is integrally housed in a case constituting the animal behavior analysis device 1, detects the temperature of the body of the animal on which the animal behavior analysis device 1 is mounted, and outputs the temperature as St data.

  The behavior data calculation means 30 outputs behavior data Ss composed of exercise data Sd and activity data Sk from the acceleration data Sa and the temperature data St relating to the body temperature of the target animal. The timekeeping means 50 outputs a timekeeping signal Sc for controlling the operation of the animal behavior analysis device 1 and inputs the signal to the behavior data calculation means 30 and the communication means 40. The storage unit 8 is a non-volatile memory that stores various data calculated or output by the behavior data calculation unit 30, calendar information, usage conditions of the animal behavior analysis device 1, and the like.

Next, the configuration of the behavior data calculation means 30 will be described.
The behavior data calculation means 30 includes a vibration analysis means 31, an exercise amount data output means 32, and an activity amount data output means 33.

The vibration analyzing means 31 receives the acceleration data Sa output from the three-dimensional acceleration sensor 10 and outputs frequency data Sn and vibration amount data Sv.
First, the frequency data Sn output by the vibration analysis means 31 will be described.
The vibration analysis means 31 has two thresholds for evaluating a signal change of the acceleration data Sa. They are a low threshold th1 and a high threshold th2. When the acceleration data Sa changes to a state exceeding the high threshold value th2, the vibration analysis means 31 counts the change as one count and increments a change number memory (not shown) incorporated in the vibration analysis means 31 by one. When the acceleration data Sa falls below the low threshold th1, it is recognized that the change of the acceleration data Sa has ended. The vibration analysis means 31 evaluates the number of changes of the acceleration data Sa over a predetermined time within a range of 10 seconds to several minutes, and when a predetermined time has elapsed, the value of the change number memory at that time is stored in the frequency data Sn. Is output as Note that the acceleration data Sa is the absolute value thereof, and the same applies hereinafter.

  Next, the vibration amount data Sv output by the vibration analysis means 31 will be described. When the acceleration data Sa changes from the state below the low threshold value th1 to the state exceeding the high threshold value th2, the vibration analysis means 31 accumulates the change amount into a change amount memory (not shown) incorporated in the vibration analysis means 31. I do. The change amount of the acceleration data Sa is added by the vibration analysis means 31 over a predetermined time within a range of 10 seconds to several minutes, and when the predetermined time elapses, the value of the change amount memory up to that point is stored in the vibration amount data Sv. Is output as

Next, the exercise amount data output means 32 will be described.
The momentum data output unit 32 sequentially inputs the frequency data Sn and the vibration amount data Sv from the vibration analysis unit 31 and the time signal Sc from the time measurement unit 50, and collects these three types of data into one set. Is output as “momentum data Sd”. When the form of the momentum data Sd is expressed by an equation, Sd1⊆ (Sn1, Sv1, Sc1). Here, Sd1 is the momentum data Sn after the lapse of a predetermined time, “⊆” is a symbol representing a set, Sn1 is the frequency data Sn after the lapse of a predetermined time, and Sv1 and Sc1 are the data after the lapse of the predetermined time. These are the vibration amount data Sv and the clock signal Sc. The clock signal Sc1 includes calendar information.

Next, the activity amount data output means 33 will be described.
The activity data output means 33 receives the exercise data Sd from the exercise data output means 32 and the temperature data St from the temperature sensor 20, respectively. The data group obtained by putting these two kinds of data into one set is referred to as "activity data. Sk ”. When the format of the activity amount data Sk is represented by an equation, Sk1⊆ (St1, Sd1). Here, Sk1 is activity amount data Sk after a predetermined time has elapsed, St1 is temperature data St after a predetermined time has elapsed, and Sd1 is exercise amount data Sd after a predetermined time has elapsed. As described above, since the clock signal Sc1 of the exercise amount data Sd1 includes calendar information, the activity amount data Sk1 also has calendar information.

Next, the communication means 40 will be described.
The communication means 40 inputs the behavior data Ss composed of the exercise data Sd and the activity data Sk from the behavior data calculation means 30 and modulates the magnetic data into a magnetic signal by a method known as an NFC (Near Field Communication) communication method. To the external information device 100 through the communication magnetic field W. The communication unit 40 receives the control signal Cm from the information device 100 and inputs the control signal Cm to the behavior data calculation unit 30. Further, the communication unit 40 receives the clock signal Sc from the clock unit 50 and transmits the transmission / reception time with the information device 100 to the information device 100.

As described above, the animal behavior analysis device 1 according to the present invention captures the motion of the body of the target animal as a vibration phenomenon by the behavior data calculation means 30 and calculates the physical data of the animal from the frequency data and the vibration amount data of the animal body. It is possible to qualitatively and quantitatively recognize a target movement and evaluate it as exercise data.
Further, since it is known that the temperature of the body of the target animal is an index of the basal metabolic rate of the animal, the body temperature data of the target animal and the above-mentioned exercise amount data are the activity amount data reflecting the energy metabolism of the animal. Can be evaluated as
Furthermore, since the exercise data and the activity data of the animal described above include calendar information, what kind of behavior data (composed of the activity data and the activity data) the animal showed over time Can be analyzed.

[Description of Circuit Configuration of Animal Behavior Analysis Device 1]
Next, the circuit configuration of the animal behavior analysis device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 2, the animal behavior analysis device 1 includes an acceleration sensor 10, a temperature sensor 20, a microprocessor 7, a storage unit 8, a communication unit 40, and a battery 70. The microprocessor 7 has the function of the behavior data calculation means 30 shown in FIG. 1 as a built-in program, and has the function of the clock means 50 as a built-in clock circuit. Various data calculated or output by the microprocessor 7 is stored in the nonvolatile storage means 8 as storage data Dm. The battery 70 is a thin lithium battery for reducing the size of the animal behavior analysis device 1.

[Description of the structure of the animal behavior analysis device 1]
Next, the structure of the animal behavior analysis device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure near the center of the animal behavior analysis device 1. In FIG. 3, the animal behavior analysis device 1 has a waterproof structure in which an upper case 60 and a lower case 61 are bonded with an adhesive J. In addition, it is also possible to make either the upper case 60 or the lower case 61 larger and to make either the lower case 61 or the upper case 60 into a lid type.

In the case of the illustrated embodiment, the antenna coil 42, the circuit board 62, and the battery 70 are mounted on the upper case 60, and the antenna coil 42 is attached to the inner surface of the upper case 60 and connected to the circuit board 62 by the lead wire 41. Have been. Of course, the antenna coil 42 may be manufactured on a printed circuit board.
The circuit board 62 has an NFC communication chip as the communication means 40, a microprocessor 7, a non-volatile memory as the storage means 8, a temperature sensor 20, and an acceleration sensor 10 mounted thereon. It is fixed to the upper case 60 by a tool. The battery 70 is electrically and mechanically connected to the circuit board 62 by a connection spring 71.

[Description of usage state of animal behavior analysis device 1]
Next, a use state of the animal behavior analysis device 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 shows an example in which the animal behavior analysis device 1 is mounted on a mouse A using a fixed band B. However, in practice, the animal behavior analysis device 1 is often embedded in the mouse A. The information device 100 has a short-range communication function according to a standard known as NFCIP-2, and can capture the dynamics of the mouse A by communicating with the animal behavior analysis device 1.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an animal behavior analysis device that can simultaneously measure the behavior of a plurality of small animals, has a small size, and is convenient regardless of the measurement location.

1: Animal behavior analysis device 7: Microprocessor 8: Storage means 10: Acceleration sensor 20: Temperature sensor 30: Behavior data calculation means 31: Vibration analysis means 32: Exercise data output means 33: Activity data output means 40: Communication means 41: Lead wire 42: Antenna coil 50: Clocking means 60: Upper case 61: Lower case 62: Circuit board 70: Battery 71: Connection spring 100: Information device Sa: Acceleration data Sc: Clock signal St: Temperature data Sn: Vibration Number data Sv: Vibration amount data Sd: Exercise amount data Sk: Activity amount data Ss: Action data Cm: Control signal Dm: Storage data W: Communication magnetic field th1: Low threshold th2: High threshold A: Mouse B: Fixed band

Claims (1)

  An animal behavior analysis device that is attached to a target animal using a fixing means or is embedded in the body of the target animal for use, and the main body of the analysis device includes an acceleration sensor, a temperature sensor, and a timing device that outputs a timing signal. The acceleration sensor captures the body motion of the target animal as a vibration phenomenon, and a data group including the frequency data, the vibration amount data, and the timing signal can be output as momentum data to an external information terminal. Animal behavior characterized by measuring the body temperature of the target animal by the temperature sensor, and outputting a data group consisting of the temperature data of the body temperature and the exercise amount data to an external information terminal as activity amount data. Analysis device.

Images