KR102182868B1 - Imaging apparatus for animal - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an animal imaging device. The imaging apparatus for animals of the present invention includes: a darkroom box having an opening so that a part of an object to be examined for applying stimulation protrudes to the outside or an external stimulator can enter and exit, and a part of the object to be inspected protrudes to the outside or provides external stimulation. An inspection object support for mounting an object to be easily applied, and an imaging device that photographs an object to be inspected before, after, or while an external stimulus is applied while external stimulation is applied to a part of the object to be inspected mounted on the object support. And an image processing system for processing an image captured by the image capturing apparatus.

Description

Animal imaging device{IMAGING APPARATUS FOR ANIMAL}

The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus for animals, and more particularly, to an imaging apparatus for animals capable of photographing changes while applying an external stimulus to an object to be examined.

In general, an animal imaging apparatus is an equipment used when conducting experiments on animals, organs, cells, etc. of animals or animals for drug development or protein function research. Experimental animals used in animal imaging devices are mainly performed on mice (rats). Fluorescence Conjugated Antibody, blood vessel contrast agent, or fluorescent substance (5-ALA) reacting to cancer tissues is injected into the experimental animal and photographed. The location of the protein to be studied in the body, the shape of blood vessels, and blood flow Various studies can be conducted on the degree, size of cancer tissues, or blood vessel function in cancer tissues.

Equipment for imaging experimental animals using X-rays, CT, and MRI has been developed. Images are taken while the experimental animal is placed in a darkroom box or a separate recording space.

The background technology of the present invention is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2011-0058496 (published on June 1, 2011, title of the invention: an X-ray inspection apparatus for photographing a small laboratory animal).

Conventionally, testing while performing external stimuli on a part of the animal body, tissues or cells removed from the body of an animal, or intracellular molecules such as molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins that are subject to molecular biology research There is a problem in that accurate measurement values cannot be obtained because the effects and changes on the object cannot be quickly photographed. Therefore, there is a need to improve this.

The present invention was created in order to improve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an animal imaging apparatus capable of photographing effects and changes affecting the inspection object while treating the inspection object as a photographing object.

The imaging apparatus for animals according to the present invention includes: a darkroom box having an opening so that a part of an object to be examined for applying stimulation protrudes to the outside or an external stimulator can enter and exit, and a part of the object to be examined is protruded to the outside or external stimulation. To facilitate the application of an object to be inspected, a support for the object to be inspected is mounted, and an image to photograph the object to be inspected before, after, or while the external stimulation is applied while external stimulation is applied to a part of the object to be inspected. It characterized in that it comprises a device and an image processing system for processing the image captured by the image capturing device.

The animal imaging apparatus according to the present invention can obtain an image that captures the effects and changes on the animal in real time while applying an external stimulus to the animal while protruding a part of the body of the animal to the outside of the darkroom box. Since, after the image can be obtained, changes due to external stimuli can be imaged, and since statistical analysis can be performed, the accuracy of image measurement can be improved.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of an animal imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram schematically showing a state in which an inspection object support according to an embodiment of the present invention protrudes to the outside of a darkroom box.
3 is a schematic perspective view of an animal imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing an enlarged darkroom box according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view schematically showing an inspection object support according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an installation state of a stopper according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a perspective view schematically showing an imaging device for animals according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a perspective view schematically showing an imaging device for animals according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an animal imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the convenience of explanation, the description will be made by taking an example that an animal is used as a test object. In this process, the thickness of the lines or the size of components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description.

In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or custom of users or operators. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout the present specification.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of an animal imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a state in which an inspection object support according to an embodiment of the present invention protrudes to the outside of a darkroom box. It is a schematic block diagram, Figure 3 is a perspective view schematically showing an image device for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an enlarged darkroom box according to an embodiment of the present invention 5 is a perspective view schematically showing an inspection object support according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the installation state of the stopper according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 A perspective view schematically showing an animal imaging device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing an animal imaging device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, in the imaging apparatus 1 for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention, a part of the test object 5 for applying stimulation may protrude to the outside or an external stimulator may enter and exit. A dark room box 20 having an opening 22 so that a part of the object 5 protrudes to the outside or an object support 50 for mounting the object 5 to facilitate external stimulation, An imaging device 80 for photographing the inspection object 5 before, after, or while the external stimulation acts while applying external stimulation to a part of the inspection object 5 mounted on the inspection object support 50, and It includes an image processing system 100 for processing an image photographed through the image capturing device 80.

The test object 5 includes the body of the animal 10 or tissues or cells removed from the body of the animal 10 and intracellular molecules. Cells and intracellular molecules may be placed in various well dishes, membranes, or biochips to facilitate observation and prepared in the state of an object to be observed.

The animal imaging apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used to capture an image with or without anesthesia of a living animal 10 for the purpose of photographing the shape, structure and function of the animal 10 It is an equipment to do.

Among the objects to be inspected (5) that are input to the image device for animals (1) to obtain images, animals (10) are mainly used for research, as well as mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, cats, pigs, etc. Includes mammals and amphibians.

When an external stimulus is directly or indirectly applied to a part of the body of the animal 10, an image device for animals according to an embodiment of the present invention (1 ) Is used.

The dark room box 20 may be formed in various shapes within the technical idea of having an opening 22 so that a part of the inspection object 5 can protrude to the outside while blocking external light. An inspection object support 50 is located inside the darkroom box 20 according to an embodiment and is formed in a box shape. Through the opening 22, the object to be inspected 5 can be moved to the inside and outside of the darkroom box 20, and the object support 50 on which the object to be inspected 5 is mounted can be moved to the inside and outside of the darkroom box 20. .

After the animal 10 is located inside the darkroom box 20, a blackout device 30 capable of manually or automatically adjusting the size of the opening 22 through which external light is introduced into the darkroom box 20 is provided. Installed.

The blackout device 30 is mounted on the darkroom box 20 before or after the movement of the test target support 50 on which the test target 5 is mounted into the darkroom box 20 is completed. The blackout device 30 is open to a size sufficient to apply external stimulation to a part of the body of the animal 10, which is the test target 5 mounted on the test target support 50, and the animal 10 that comes out of the darkroom box 20 You can adjust the open size according to your body size.

The blackout device 30 can be operated manually or automatically to adjust the size of the light flowing into the darkroom box 20, and the tail 12 of the animal 10 used as the inspection object 5 is a darkroom box ( When it comes out of 20), only the tail 12 of the animal 10 is left and the rest is shielded to prevent light from entering the darkroom box 20.

The blackout device 30 may be formed in a curtain shape and may be opened to the left or right of the opening 22 or closed toward the center of the opening 22 manually or automatically. When the blackout device 30 is automatically operated, the blackout device 30 may be moved left and right by receiving the power of the motor through a gear connection method. Alternatively, various modifications may be made to the movement of the blackout device 30, such as narrowing or widening the size of the opening 22 while the curtain-shaped blackout device 30 is moved up and down.

Alternatively, the blackout device 30 may be formed in a plate shape so that the operation of opening to the left or closing in the middle may be performed manually or automatically. When the blackout device 30 is automatically operated, the blackout device 30 may be moved left and right by receiving the power of the motor through the rack-pion gear connection method. Alternatively, as the plate-shaped blackout device 30 moves up and down, various modifications may be performed such as narrowing or widening the size of the opening 22.

As the driving force for automatically moving the blackout device 30, various types of driving sources such as a cylinder, a linear drive device, and a motor may be used, and the power of the driving source may move the blackout device 30 through a gear connection or the like.

In order to block light entering the darkroom box 20 through the opening 22, at least one of the blackout device 30 and the shutter 110 may be used as necessary. That is, the blackout device 30 may be installed in the opening 22 or the shutter 110 may be installed, and the blackout device 30 and the shutter 110 may be installed together.

The shutter 110 shields the opening 22 to prevent external light from flowing into the darkroom box 20. As shown in Figures 4 and 8, the shutter 110 is rotatably installed in the darkroom box 20 or the expansion box 130 surrounding the darkroom box 20, and is rotated by the operator's operation to (22) The front surface can be shielded or the degree of opening can be minimized. The shutter 110 is manually opened or closed, but if necessary, the power of the motor is transmitted to the rotating shaft of the shutter 110 to automatically open and close the shutter 110. In addition, the shutter 110 may be moved in a rotational manner, and may be mounted to be slidably moved in a horizontal direction on the outside of the darkroom box 20.

As shown in FIG. 8, an expansion box 130 may be additionally installed in a shape surrounding the outside of the darkroom box 20, and the shutters 110 are respectively in the darkroom box 20 and the expansion box 130. Can be installed. Or, if necessary, various modifications such as the shutter door 110 may be installed only in one of the darkroom box 20 and the expansion box 130 may be implemented.

As shown in FIG. 7, in another embodiment of the present invention, a lighting device 40 may be installed outside the darkroom box 20. When the lighting device 40 applies an external stimulus to the body of the animal 10, which is the object to be inspected 5, protruding outside the darkroom box 20, it may supply lighting to facilitate work. In addition, in order to prevent light from entering the darkroom box 20 through the opening 22 during photographing, the photographing software of the image photographing device 80 or the image processing system 100, and the power control of the lighting device 40 are It is preferable to control so that the power of the lighting device 40 is turned off while the image capturing device 80 is photographed. On the other hand, when the lighting device 40 gives an external stimulus to the animal 10, it brightens the work environment so that the work can be easily checked with the eyes.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the object support 50 to be inspected is equipped with the animal 10 so that a part of the body of the animal 10, which is the object to be inspected 5, can protrude to the outside of the darkroom box 20. It can be formed in a variety of shapes within the idea of technology.

In the inspection object support 50 according to an embodiment, the animal 10 is mounted so as not to interfere with the movement of the animal 10 when the movement of the animal 10, which is the inspection object 5, is photographed. That is, when it is desired to see the movement of the object 5 due to external stimulation, a tissue that is expected to move may be mounted so as to move freely without being fixed to the fixing device 57. To this end, the object support 50 to be inspected fixes only the part that needs to be fixed among the body of the animal 10, and does not restrain the body of the animal 10, which is allowed to move for photographing.

The external stimulation includes at least one of physical stimulation, chemical stimulation, temperature change, injection of foreign substances into the body of the animal 10, and extraction of substances from the body of the animal. That is, the external stimulation may be a temperature change, a physical or chemical stimulation, or may be a stimulation for injecting a substance into the body or extracting a substance from the body of the animal 10.

In addition, since the object support 50 to be inspected is installed to be movable to the inside and outside of the dark room box 20, after moving the object support 50 to the outside of the dark room box 20, stimulation to a specific area of the animal 10 Various embodiments are possible, such as taking an image of the animal 10 by adding and then moving the object support 50 to be inspected to the inside of the darkroom box 20.

The animal 10 is mounted on the object support 50 to be inspected so that the part of the body of the animal 10 to be subjected to external stimulation can protrude to the outside of the darkroom box 20. The inspection object support 50 may or may not protrude to the outside of the darkroom box 20. In addition, the object support 50 to be inspected may move inside and outside the darkroom box 20 to mount the animal 10.

The object support 50 to be inspected can be moved in a slide manner and moved to the inside or outside of the dark room box 20, and the animal 10 is also mounted on the object support 50 to be inspected and is in the dark room together with the object support 50. It can be moved to the inside or outside of the box 20.

In addition, the animal 10 mounted on the object support 50 to be examined may be mounted in an anesthetized state, or may be mounted in a non-anesthetized state.

It is an embodiment of the animal imaging apparatus 1 invented to be advantageous for photographing while injecting a contrast agent into the vein of the tail 12 of a mouse or rat used as the subject animal 10.

The inspection object support 50 according to an embodiment includes a support member 52, a guide rail 53, a leg member 54, a moving member 55, and a fixing device 57.

The support member 52 is installed under the darkroom box 20 and is installed in a plate shape. Inside the support member 52, an inner space for slide-moving the moving member 55 is provided, and guide rails 53 are installed on both sides of the support member 52 in the width direction (left and right directions based on FIG. 5). Two guide rails 53 form a pair and are installed in parallel, and guide protrusions 56 protruding to both sides of the moving member 55 are inserted between the guide rail 53 and the support member 52 to slide do.

Also, depending on the size of the moving member 55, the installation location and number of the support member 52 and the guide rail 53 may be changed. For example, when the size of the moving member 55 is increased, the support member 52 and the guide rail 53 are composed of two or more and may be installed below the moving member 55.

The leg member 54 installed on the lower side of the support member 52 is adjustable in length. The leg member 54 may be mounted on the lower part of the dark room box 20 or may be mounted at the lower part of the support member 52. Since the protruding length of the leg member 54 is adjusted, the height of the dark room box 20 and the object support 50 to be inspected is adjusted.

When applying an external stimulus to the tail 12 of the animal 10 protruding to the outside of the darkroom box 20, the tail 12 and the floor or tail 12 and the darkroom box 20 are The length of the leg member 54 is adjusted to give a sufficient space between the desk on which the is placed.

Since the space between the desk and the darkroom box 20 is adjusted by adjusting the length of the leg member 54, a space suitable for stimulating from the outside is provided according to the size of the animal 10 protruding to the outside of the darkroom box 20. Can be secured. The leg member 54 may be installed inside or outside the darkroom box 20 or on the support member 52 of the object support 50 to be inspected, and is installed outside the darkroom box 20 or under the support member 52 It is advantageous for free height adjustment.

The moving member 55 is formed in a plate shape on which the animal 10 is placed, and guide protrusions 56 through which horizontal movement is guided by a guide rail 53 are provided on both sides of the moving member 55. The moving member 55 of the object support 50 to be inspected is mounted in a sliding manner so as to move freely in and out of the darkroom box 20, and when an animal 10 such as a mouse is mounted on the moving member 55 The moving member 55 of the object support 50 to be inspected is pushed out of the darkroom box 20 and taken out.

The fixing device 57 may be formed in various shapes within the technical idea of fixing or supporting a part of the body of the animal 10 to prevent the movement of the animal 10 which is not expected. In addition, the fixing device 57 can be attached by moving its position and can be detached.

The fixing device 57 constrains only a part of the animal's body to constrain the motion of the part photographed by the imaging apparatus 80. In addition, it can be attached by moving a position within the object support 50 to be inspected, and since it is installed to be detachable, the installation position can be adjusted to fit the animals 10 of various sizes.

The failure device 57 according to an embodiment holds the animal 10 by moving up and down along the fixed body 58 and the fixed body 58 fixed to the moving member 55 of the object support 50 to be inspected. It includes a pressing member (59). The fixed body 58 is fitted to the moving member 55 by fitting or bolted, and the installation position can be changed as necessary. The fixed body 58 is installed on the upper side of the moving member 55 in a vertical direction.

The pressing member 59 may be operated manually or automatically along the fixed body 58 and restrain the movement of the animal 10 by pressing the animal 10 with a set force. The pressing member 59 is moved up and down along the fixed body 58, and when the pressing member 59 is manually moved, a fastening bolt (not shown) penetrating the fixed body 58 in the vertical direction is a pressing member Press the upper side of (58). Therefore, the pressing member 59 for pressing the animal is restrained from moving upward. The operator moves the pressing member 59 by hand to pressurize the animal 10 and then rotates the fastening bolt to press the upper side of the pressing member 59, so that the upward movement of the pressing member 59 can be restrained.

When the pressing member 59 is automatically moved, the pressing member 59 is installed so as to slide up and down along the fixed body 58. The protrusions protrude to both sides in the horizontal direction of the pressing member 59, and the protrusions protruding from the pressing member 59 are inserted into the inside of the fixing body 58, so that the pressing member 59 moves up and down along the fixing body 58. It can be moved sliding. A pressing device such as a cylinder is installed between the upper side of the pressing member 59 and the fixed body 58 to move the pressing member 59 downward. A rack gear is additionally installed on the pressing member 59, a pinion gear is installed on the rotating shaft of the motor, and the rack gear and the pinion gear are engaged to move the pressing member 59 by a set length. In addition to this, the pressing member 59 can be automatically moved using various driving devices.

Therefore, when the animal 10 is mounted on the object support 50 to be examined, it may be mounted so as not to move with the aid of a device that fixes a part of the body of the animal 10, such as the fixing device 57.

When an animal 10 such as a mouse is mounted on the object support 50 to be inspected, the tail 12 of the animal 10 is mounted so that it protrudes more than 1/3 out of the moving member 55 of the object support 50 . At this time, in order to facilitate the mounting of the animal 10, the animal 10 is fixed to the inspection object support 50. For example, a part of the body of the animal 10 such as the head 14, teeth, legs, or trunk of the animal 10 may be fixed to the moving member 55 of the object support 50 to be inspected. The fixing device 57 may be mounted on the moving member 55 of the inspection target support 50 to facilitate moving or removing the position. When the mounting of the animal 10 by the fixing device 57 is completed, the moving member 55 of the inspection object support 50 is moved to the inside of the darkroom box 20.

Animal imaging device (1), when the inspection object support 50 moves inside and outside the darkroom box 20, the inspection object support 50 selects and maintains a constant position in the darkroom box 20 It includes a stopper (60) so as to.

Select the position of the moving member 55 of the object support 50 to be inspected so that the imaging device 80 can best capture a part or the whole of the body to be photographed of the animal 10, and the object support to be inspected at the selected position. Various types of stopper devices may be used within the technical idea of restricting the movement of the moving member 55 of 50.

The stopper 60 performs a function of allowing the moving member 55 to be pushed into the darkroom box 20 and stop at a desired position or a selected position. The stopper 60 is automatically or manually operated to restrict the movement of the moving member 55, so that an image of the animal 10 can be quickly taken after external stimulation.

The stopper 60 according to an embodiment includes a stopper body 62, an adjustment knob 64, and a base member 66. The base member 66 is installed while being fixed to the guide rail 53, and the stopper body 62 slides along the base member 66 and stops at a position where the moving member 55 is stopped. Therefore, the moving member 55 moves along the guide rail 53 and is caught by the stopper body 62, so that the movement of the moving member 55 is restricted.

The adjustment knob 64 is rotatably installed on the stopper body 62, and since the adjustment knob 64 is rotated to contact the guide rail 56, the movement of the stopper body 62 is restricted. Therefore, the movement of the moving member 55 moving along the guide rail 56 is restricted.

The base member 66 is fixed to the upper side of the guide rail 53, and locking grooves are formed on both sides of the base member 66. The stopper body 62 has protrusions inserted into locking grooves provided on both sides of the base member 66 and is moved along the rod-shaped base member 66. Since the protrusion extending downward from the stopper body 62 is located on the side of the guide rail 53, the movement of the moving member 55 moving along the guide rail 53 can be restricted.

A device for breathing anesthesia of animals may be installed in the darkroom box 20 or the test object support 50. An apparatus for respiratory anesthesia of an animal according to an embodiment includes a tube 70 and a tube support member 72.

A tube 70 supplied with an anesthetic gas for breathing anesthesia of the animal 10 is installed on the object support 50 to be examined, and the tube 70 is restricted from movement by the tube support member 72. The tube 70 according to an embodiment is located on the moving member 55 of the test object support 50, and the tube support member 72 surrounding the outside of the tube 70 is fixed to the moving member 55.

The imaging device 80 applies an external stimulus to a part of the body of the animal 10 mounted on the object support 50 to be inspected, and shoots the animal 10 immediately before, immediately after, or simultaneously with the external stimulus. Types of photographing devices can be used. In addition, the image capturing apparatus 80 may easily acquire an image even when external light enters through the opening 22.

The imaging apparatus 80 according to an embodiment includes a combination of at least one or more of an optical imaging device, X-RAY, CT, and MRI.

The image capturing apparatus 80 may acquire a temporal sequence image or an image other than a temporal sequence image in real time together with an external stimulus. The temporal sequence image is an image that photographs images in chronological order, and is also called a video. Non-temporal images are photographic images in various formats including snapshots.

In addition, the image capturing apparatus 80 may photograph before, after, or simultaneously with the external stimulation to the animal 10. That is, the image capturing apparatus 80 may capture an image other than a time sequence arrangement or a time sequence arrangement at a desired time from before applying the external stimulus to after the external stimulus is given.

In addition, the imaging device 80 improves the accuracy of measurement by providing an image for confirming the position of the inspection object support 50 before the main photographing so that the inspection object support 50 is placed in a suitable position for photographing. I can make it.

Various types of input devices may be used as the input unit 82 that receives a manipulation signal for operating the image capturing device 80. The input unit 82 according to an embodiment uses a foot switch 85 that can be operated with a foot. The foot switch 85 includes a function of operating the image capturing apparatus 80 by being operated with the feet of the performer. The image capturing device 80 can be operated by manipulation by the hands of the executor, and when the two hands of the executor apply an external stimulus to the animal 10, the foot switch 85 is operated by the executor's feet. The image capturing device 80 is operated.

As the excitation energy generating device 90, various types of devices may be used within the technical idea of emitting energy for the image capturing device 80 to acquire an image.

The excitation energy generating device 90 is preferably installed in at least one of the interior or exterior of the darkroom box 20. In addition, the excitation energy generating device 90 may generate sufficient energy so that even if external light is introduced into a part of the darkroom box 20, the image capture device 80 does not interfere with the image acquisition.

The excitation energy generating device 90 generates various types of light rays or energy such as light energy, visible light, X-ray light, generator, etc. within the technical idea that the image capturing device 80 emits energy that can acquire an image. It is a device to let you know.

As an example of using the animal imaging device (1), when a contrast agent is used as an external stimulus, a near-infrared contrast agent is injected into the tail vein of the animal (10) out of the darkroom box (20), and the excitation installed inside the darkroom box (20) The near-infrared LED of the energy generating device 90 is operated to react with the near-infrared contrast medium injected into the body of the animal 10.

A time sequence image may be captured by the near-infrared imaging device 80 of the imaging device 80 of the fluorescent image of the contrast medium. An advantage of the animal imaging apparatus 1 is that imaging can be started immediately before, immediately after, or at the same time while the contrast agent is injected, and by taking a time-sequence image, the pattern in which the contrast agent flows into the body and spreads can be accurately identified.

In the image processing system 100, various types of image processing devices may be used within the technical idea of processing an image captured by the image capturing device 80. The image processing system 100 performs at least one of image processing, display, storage, and analysis of an image acquired by the image capturing apparatus 80. The analysis of the image is to convert the image into a variable, quantify it, and analyze it as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional map. In addition, the functions of the image processing system 100 may be performed in a single device or a plurality of devices.

In addition, image processing, display, storage and analysis of the image processing system 100 are preferably performed in a single or multiple devices, and the image captured by the image capturing device 80 is imaged in the image processing system 100. It is saved after being displayed. The image processing system 100 may perform a function of analyzing an image to transform, quantify, quantify, or create a map.

The animal imaging apparatus 1 includes a sensor member 120 for inducing the execution of the imaging apparatus 80 by recognizing an external stimulus applied to the animal 10 or a specific behavior pattern for imaging an operator's image. The sensor member 120 is installed in at least one of the inside and outside of the darkroom box, and a plurality of different types of sensors may be installed as needed.

Hereinafter, an operating state of the animal imaging apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The moving member 55 of the object support 50 to be inspected is taken out from the darkroom box 20. The mouse, which is the target animal 10, is anesthetized in advance before being mounted on the test target support 50 and is placed on the test target support 50. Alternatively, a tube 70 for respiratory anesthesia is connected inside the darkroom box 20 so that the animal 10 may be anesthetized with respiratory anesthesia in the darkroom box 20.

By fixing the head 14 of the animal 10 to the fixing device 57, the animal 10 is comfortably mounted so that it does not move. At this time, a tube 70 for breathing anesthesia may be positioned at the fixing device 57.

The mouse, which is the animal to be imaged 10, may have undergone surgery in advance for imaging, and is mounted so that more than 1/3 of the tail 12 protrudes out of the object support 50 for tail vein injection.

Then, the moving member 55 of the object support 50 to be inspected is put into the darkroom box 20. At this time, the position at which the animal 10 is moved is selected as a position in which the image capturing device 80 is in a straight line with the portion of the body of the animal 10 that is most interested in the image. The position of the stopper body 62 is adjusted so that the moving member 55 is stopped at the selected position. The reason why the stopper 60 sets the position where the animal 10 will be placed at the time of photographing is, when intravenous injection into the tail 12 of the animal 10, it is injected from the outside of the darkroom box 20 and immediately inspected. It is intended to be able to start photographing while pushing the moving member 55 of the object support 50 into the dark room box 20. When photographing using the stopper 60, since the position to be photographed has been selected in advance, the animal is quickly moved to the desired position, so that photographing can be performed quickly and accurately.

On the other hand, depending on the preference of the photographer, the object support 50, in which the animal 10 is mounted, may be placed inside the darkroom box 20 at a part where photographing is to be performed, and external stimulation may be applied. Alternatively, the inspection object support 50 in which the animal 10 is mounted is partially taken out of the darkroom box 20 and immediately after external stimulation is applied or the required time is taken to be photographed. By pushing in the moving member 55 of 50), you can start shooting.

The image capturing apparatus 80 can be adjusted with a foot switch 85 so that the two hands of the implementer can easily apply external stimuli when photographing. Shooting can be taken in real time as a time sequence image or in a single sheet. When photographing is performed, the image processing system 100 displays and presents or stores an image during or after photographing. The apparatus for analyzing an image in the image processing system 100 may be installed in the same or different equipment as the equipment for presenting or storing the image. Accordingly, the image captured through the image processing system 100 can be checked or analyzed after shooting.

The animal imaging apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can facilitate photographing immediately after the injection of the contrast agent when imaging the dynamics of a contrast agent or a drug, particularly when taking a real-time temporal image.

Existing photographing equipment uses a darkroom box 20 that puts and seals the animal 10 in the darkroom, so if you want to shoot immediately after injection of the contrast agent, install the animal 10 and close the opening 22 of the darkroom box 20. It inevitably takes time, such as performing a startup operation with a computer, and in this case, the image immediately after the contrast agent injection cannot be obtained. In particular, when the pharmacokinetics of the contrast agent is very dynamic or flows rapidly, a lot of images immediately after drug injection are lost. The animal imaging apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention allows real-time images of dynamic external stimuli to be photographed without loss, and changes in real time due to physical stimuli, touching, cold, or chemical stimuli among external stimuli. It is also a useful invention when an image of a living body is required.

As described above, according to the present invention, effects and changes affecting the animal 10 can be realized in real time while applying an external stimulus to the animal 10 while protruding a part of the body of the animal 10 to the outside of the darkroom box 20. It is possible to obtain an image to be photographed with an image, or to obtain an image before and after an external stimulus, so that changes caused by an external stimulus can be imaged, and statistical analysis can be performed to improve the accuracy of image measurement.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but these are only exemplary, and those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. will be. In addition, although it has been described that an animal is used as an object to be tested, this is only exemplary, and tissues, cells, and intracellular molecules removed from the body of the animal may also be used as the object to be tested of the present invention. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims.

1: animal imaging device 5: inspection object
10: animal 12: tail
14: head 20: darkroom box
22: opening 30: blackout device
40: lighting device 50: inspection object support
52: support member 53: guide rail
54: leg member 55: moving member
56: guide protrusion 57: fixing device
58: fixed body 59: pressing member
60: stopper 62: stopper body
64: adjustment knob 66: base member
70: tube 72: tube support member
80: image recording device 82: input unit
85: foot switch 90: excitation energy generator
100: image processing system 110: shutter
120: sensor member 130: expansion box

Claims (22)

A dark room box having an opening so that another part of the test object protrudes to the outside while a part of the test object for applying stimulation is located inside;
An inspection object support for mounting the inspection object so that a part of the inspection object protrudes to the outside;
An imaging device for photographing the inspection object located inside the darkroom box while an external stimulus is applied to a part of the inspection object mounted on the inspection object support; And
An image processing system that processes an image captured through the image capturing device
Including,
The inspection object support is installed to be movable to the inside or outside of the darkroom box, mounts the inspection object from the outside of the darkroom box, and moves the inspection object into the darkroom box through the opening. .
The method of claim 1,
The test object includes a body of an animal or a tissue or cell removed from the body of an animal, and intracellular molecules,
The external stimulation comprises at least one of physical stimulation, chemical stimulation, temperature change, injection of foreign substances into the body of the animal, and extraction of substances from the body of the animal.
delete The method of claim 1,
The animal imaging apparatus, characterized in that the test object support can be moved inside or outside the darkroom box in a slide manner.
The method of claim 4,
The animal imaging apparatus, characterized in that the test object support includes a fixing device capable of preventing movement of the animal by fixing or supporting a part of the body of the animal.
The method of claim 5,
The fixing device can be attached by moving a position on the inspection object support, characterized in that the animal imaging device is detachable.
The method of claim 1,
The imaging device is an animal imaging device, characterized in that it comprises at least one or more of an optical imaging device, an X-ray imaging device, a computed tomography device, and a magnetic resonance imaging device.
The method of claim 1,
And an excitation energy generating device installed in at least one of the interior or exterior of the darkroom box to emit energy that enables the imaging device to acquire an image.
The method of claim 1,
And a blackout device capable of adjusting the size of the opening manually or automatically to control the inflow of external light into the darkroom box.
The method of claim 1,
And a shutter that shields the opening to prevent external light from flowing into the darkroom box.
The method of claim 1,
And an input unit for receiving a manipulation signal for operating the imaging device.
The method of claim 1,
An animal, characterized in that it comprises a sensor member installed in at least one of the inside and outside of the darkroom box to induce the execution of the imaging device by recognizing an external stimulus applied to the animal or a specific behavior pattern for imaging an operator Video device.
The method of claim 1,
The imaging apparatus is an animal imaging apparatus, characterized in that it provides an image for confirming the position of the inspection object support before photographing so that the inspection object support is placed in a suitable position for photographing.
The method of claim 1,
And a stopper whose position can be adjusted so as to guide the test object support to be fixed at a selected position when moving inside and outside the darkroom box in a sliding manner.
The method of claim 14,
When the object support to be inspected is pushed into the darkroom box, the image device for animals is stopped at a position where the photographing is to be performed by the stopper.
The method of claim 1,
And a lighting device that supplies illumination when an external stimulus is applied to the object to be inspected.
The method of claim 1,
The image processing system performs at least one of image processing, display, storage, and analysis of the captured image, and the analysis includes parameterizing the image, digitizing and analyzing a two-dimensional or three-dimensional map. Video device.
The method of claim 1,
The external stimulation is an animal imaging apparatus, characterized in that it comprises at least one of touching, cold, hot, chemical stimulation, or injection.
The method of claim 1,
An imaging apparatus for animals, characterized in that before, after and/or at the same time as the injection of the contrast agent into the object to be inspected starts to take an image to generate a time sequence image.
The method of claim 1,
The imaging device for animals, characterized in that the operation can be adjusted by a foot switch. The method of claim 14,
When the test object support is put into the darkroom box, a part of the test object is stopped at a position protruding out of the darkroom box by the stopper.
The method of claim 1,
And a fixing member capable of fixing the inspection object to the inspection object support.

Images