KR-20260067076-A - Animal chambers capable of monitoring weight changes

KR20260067076AKR 20260067076 AKR20260067076 AKR 20260067076AKR-20260067076-A

Abstract

The present invention can provide an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, wherein the tray is formed to be slideable, and when the tray is fully inserted into a main body, the tray comes into contact with a measuring device, thereby allowing the weight of an animal placed on the tray to be continuously observed. In addition, the present invention may include a main body for controlling an internal environment including internal temperature and illumination, a tray located inside the main body on which an animal is placed, a plurality of measuring devices coupled to the main body to measure the weight of the tray, and a control unit for continuously monitoring changes in the weight of the animal placed on the tray.

Inventors

배종윤

Assignees

(주)오토일렉스

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241105

Claims (18)

A main body that controls the internal environment, including internal temperature and illumination; A tray located on the inner side of the main body above, on which an animal rests; A plurality of measuring devices coupled to the main body and measuring the weight of the tray; and An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by including a control unit that continuously monitors weight changes of the animal seated on the tray.
In paragraph 1, The above measuring device is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized in that one end contacting the tray is positioned to protrude from the inner surface of the main body.
In paragraph 1, The above measuring device further includes a load cell, and The above load cell is, A plate-shaped deformation portion that contacts the above tray to receive a load and An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by including a sensor unit coupled to the upper surface of the deformation part and measuring a load according to the amount of deformation of the deformation part.
In paragraph 3, The above deformation part is, It is formed in a plate shape, and a transmission hole is formed through the middle so that one end is elastically deformable and a pressure portion is formed, and A fixing part is formed in the center for the fixed installation of the above-mentioned deformation part, and a partition hole is formed through the perimeter of the fixing part. An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized in that the sensor part is installed along the perimeter of the partition hole on the upper surface of the deformation part.
In paragraph 4, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized in that the sensor part is formed in a U-shape and both ends are located around the perimeter of the fixed part.
In paragraph 4, The above measuring device further includes a bracket formed in a cylindrical shape, with its upper end coupled to the fixed part of the load cell and its side end fixed to the main body to secure the load cell to the main body. On the surface of the bracket facing the main body, an insertion part is formed protrudingly to be inserted into and fixed to the main body, and An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized in that a connecting plate for fixing the bracket is formed protrudingly in a portion of the bracket that is orthogonal to the portion where the insertion part is installed.
In paragraph 6, When the above measuring device is installed on the main body, a space is formed between the main body and the lower surface of the pressure portion formed on the measuring device so that the pressure portion can be elastically deformed. An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized in that the above space is formed with a height equal to the amount of deformation of the pressure portion according to the maximum weight that the load cell can measure.
In paragraph 1, The above tray is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by having a pair of guide jaws formed protruding from both ends, said guide jaws inserted into the main body so that the tray slides.
In paragraph 8, The above guide jaw is formed with a plurality of pointers protruding downward, and An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized in that the pointer comes into contact with the measuring device when the tray is fully inserted into the inner side of the main body.
In Paragraph 9, The above pointer is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by having an equal number of guide jaws formed on one side and the other side, respectively.
In Paragraph 9, The above main body is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by having a guide groove formed with a width corresponding to the thickness of the guide jaw, and a plurality of measuring holes formed along the guide groove with a width wider than that of the guide groove.
In Paragraph 11, The above guide jaw is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by being formed with a thickness smaller than the width of the guide groove, such that when the pointer contacts the top of the measuring instrument, the lower surface of the guide jaw is spaced apart from the guide groove.
In paragraph 1, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized in that the control unit receives load information measured by the measuring instrument and calculates the animal's weight by summing the respective loads applied to a plurality of the measuring instruments.
In Paragraph 13, The above control unit is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by recording the weight of the animal at preset time intervals and analyzing the pattern of change in the recorded weight of the animal to determine the degree of recovery of the animal.
In Paragraph 13, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized in that the control unit determines that the animal is in a moving state when a change in the load applied to each of the measuring devices is detected, and determines that the animal is in a sleeping state when a change in the load applied to each of the measuring devices is not detected.
In paragraph 15, The above control unit is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by recording the time the animal moves to determine the degree of recovery of the animal.
In paragraph 15, The above control unit is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring changes in body weight, characterized by determining the amount of movement of the animal according to the rate at which the load applied to each of the above-mentioned measuring devices changes.
In paragraph 15, The above control unit is, An animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes, characterized by recording the time the animal remains in a sleep state to determine the degree of recovery of the animal.

Description

Animal chambers capable of monitoring weight changes The present invention relates to an animal chamber capable of monitoring changes in body weight, and more specifically, to an animal chamber used in an animal hospital, wherein the chamber is equipped with a plurality of measuring devices for measuring changes in the weight of a tray located within the chamber, thereby enabling the monitoring of changes in the body weight of an animal located within the chamber and the determination of the degree of recovery of the animal treated at the hospital. In general, a resting chamber (inpatient room or cage) for hospitalized animals is essential in veterinary hospitals for various reasons. In particular, it plays a crucial role in ensuring the health, safety, and comfort of the animals. Animals hospitalized at an animal hospital require rest and relaxation for recovery after surgery or treatment of serious illnesses. The chamber blocks external stimuli (noise, human movement, etc.), allowing the animal to minimize stress. In addition, when animals suffering from various diseases are hospitalized, the chamber prevents infection by blocking contact with other animals, and if an air circulation system is present, it also plays a role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. In addition, animal chambers used in hospitals must allow medical staff to monitor the recovery of hospitalized animals. Medical staff must be able to easily observe the animal's condition so that they can respond quickly to the progress of treatment. Monitoring the body weight of animals that have undergone surgery or treatment plays a crucial role in verifying their recovery status and evaluating the course of treatment. Changes in body weight can be used as an important indicator that intuitively shows the animal's health condition. Changes in an animal's body weight reflect its nutritional status and appetite during recovery. Animals recovering from surgery may experience a decrease in appetite due to stress or pain; if they lose weight, it can lead to nutritional imbalances and slow down the recovery process. Weight loss can indicate dehydration or fluid loss. In particular, since dehydration can cause significant problems for animals with kidney or gastrointestinal diseases, it is essential to monitor fluid balance through changes in body weight. Body weight can be used as an important indicator to assess an animal's recovery status. If body weight remains stable or increases over time following treatment, it indicates that the animal is recovering; conversely, persistent weight loss may suggest delayed recovery or that the treatment is ineffective. For this reason, changes in animal weight must be consistently monitored; however, conventional methods require placing the animal on a scale each time to measure weight, which makes it difficult to accurately verify changes and poses a problem of requiring significant labor. To solve this problem, Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2344722 and Korean Published Patent No. 10-2024-0063374 disclose a technology for measuring the weight of animals. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an animal chamber capable of monitoring changes in body weight according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the positions of the tray and measuring device of an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the combination of the main body of an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes and a measuring device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a main body to which a measuring device for an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes according to one embodiment of the present invention is coupled. FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a combined measuring device for an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the load cell and bracket of a measuring device for an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a combined measuring device for an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a detailed view of a tray of an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a guide jaw formed in a tray of an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a detailed view of a guide groove formed in the main body of an animal chamber capable of monitoring weight changes according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the control unit, the main body, and the measuring