JP2013118854A - Rearing apparatus and dust collecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact rearing apparatus facilitating removal of dust and having a long service life of a filter in an exhaust filter unit.SOLUTION: The rearing apparatus includes a duct 24 provided above a space for storing a rearing container, to exhaust air in the space. The duct 24 is laterally extended viewed from the front of the rearing apparatus, and a drawer 25 drawable to the side along the extended direction of the duct 24 is disposed in the duct 24. The bottom face 25a of the drawer 25 forms the bottom face of the duct 24, and the bottom face 25a is provided with exhaust holes 25e serving for communication between the space and the duct 24.

Description

  The present invention relates to a breeding apparatus that houses a breeding container for animal breeding, and a dust collecting method in the breeding apparatus, and in particular, a breeding apparatus capable of easily removing dust accumulated in the breeding apparatus accompanying animal breeding, and The present invention relates to a method for collecting dust.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a breeding device for breeding laboratory animals, a device that has a shelf for housing a breeding container for breeding animals and breeds animals while ventilating the breeding container is often used. Also, when raising laboratory animals, from the viewpoint of preventing unnecessary infection from laboratory animals and cross-contamination between laboratory animals being kept in different breeding containers, air inside and outside the breeding device is unnecessary. Propagation must be prevented. As such a breeding device, conventionally, for example, a breeding device shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

The structure of the breeding apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is shown in FIG. In the breeding apparatus 1, the breeding container 3 is accommodated in each space S partitioned vertically by a plurality of shelf boards 2. The front surface of the space S can be blocked from the outside air by an air curtain or the like, while the back surface of the space S is closed by the back plate 4.
Each shelf board 2 is provided with an air supply port 5 for releasing air downward. In addition, a duct 6 extending vertically is provided at the rear part of the back plate 4, and each space S and the duct 6 communicate with each other through an exhaust port 7 that opens to the back plate 4. The duct 6 is further connected to an exhaust filter unit 8 provided at the upper part of the apparatus. Reference numeral 9 denotes a water supply nozzle that protrudes from the back plate 4 into each space S and is connected to the breeding container 3 accommodated in the space S from behind.

  In this breeding device 1, each space S is blocked from outside air by an air curtain or the like. Also, clean air supplied from the air supply port 5 flows into the duct 6 through the space S and the exhaust port 7, and accordingly, the inside of the breeding container 3 accommodated in the space S is ventilated. The air flowing into the duct 6 is purified by the exhaust filter unit 8 and exhausted to the outside.

Utility Model Registration No. 3100284

By the way, with the breeding of animals, various kinds of garbage such as animal excrement and waste, food and litter residue are generated. Some of these garbage is exhausted with the ventilation in the breeding container 3. The air then flows into the duct 6 and stays inside the duct 6. It is necessary to periodically remove the accumulated dust, but in the case of the breeding apparatus 1 described above, since the duct 6 is located behind the back plate 4, it is difficult to clean the inside of the duct 6. Moreover, since the piping for the water supply nozzle 9 and the like are also provided behind the back plate 4, the cleaning operation is further difficult.
Moreover, since the duct 6 is located behind the back plate 4, the depth (D in FIG. 1) of the breeding apparatus 1 including the duct 6 increases, and there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

  On the other hand, fine dust (dust) that has not accumulated in the duct 6 is captured by the exhaust filter unit 8, but when the dust captured by the exhaust filter unit 8 is removed, the exhaust filter unit 8 is cleaned and the filter is removed. It is necessary to exchange. Therefore, depending on the amount of dust, there is a problem that the exhaust filter unit 8 must be frequently cleaned and the filter must be replaced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a compact breeding device that can easily remove dust generated by breeding animals, has a long filter life in an exhaust filter unit, and is compact.

  The breeding device of the present invention includes a duct for exhausting the air in the space above the space in which the breeding container is accommodated, and the duct extends from side to side as viewed from the front of the breeding device. Is provided with a drawer that can be pulled out sideways along the extending direction of the duct, and a bottom surface of the drawer forms a bottom surface of the duct, and the bottom surface includes the space and the duct. An exhaust hole for communication is provided.

  In this case, it is desirable that the second duct into which the exhaust from the duct flows is vertically extended on the side surface of the breeding device.

  Further, it is further preferable that a side end surface of the duct is connected to the second duct, and the drawer can be pulled out from the duct by opening a door formed on a side surface of the second duct. .

  In addition, a plate having an opening that overlaps at least a part of the exhaust hole when stacked on the bottom surface may be stacked on the bottom surface.

  Also, a lid that covers at least the exhaust hole forming portion of the drawer from above may be prepared, and the lid may be disposed in the duct together with the drawer.

  The present invention also relates to an animal breeding apparatus comprising a space in which a breeding container is accommodated, and a duct that is located above the space and exhausts air in the space through a vent hole provided in the bottom surface. A method for collecting dust is also provided. In this method, dust that has flowed into the duct along with the air flow from the space to the duct through the exhaust hole is collided with the portion facing the exhaust hole in the duct by the air flow, It is collected in a duct.

  In this case, it is desirable that a drawer that can be pulled out from the duct is disposed in the duct, and the dust that collides with a portion facing the exhaust hole in the duct is collected in the drawer.

  In addition, it is desirable that a lid that is detachably disposed in the duct is provided at least in a portion facing the exhaust hole in the duct.

  In the breeding apparatus of the present invention, since dust is collected on the bottom surface in the drawer that constitutes the bottom surface of the duct, the amount of dust reaching the exhaust filter unit is reduced, and the exhaust filter unit is hardly contaminated. Further, since the amount of dust trapped by the exhaust filter unit is reduced, the life of the filter in the exhaust filter unit can be extended.

  Further, the inside of the duct can be easily cleaned by a simple operation of pulling out the drawer to the side, removing the dust collected in the drawer, and then storing it in the duct.

  Furthermore, since there is no need to install an exhaust duct behind the apparatus, the apparatus can be shallow, and a compact breeding apparatus can be provided.

  In the dust collection method of the present invention, fine dust out of the dust collides with a portion facing the exhaust hole in the duct, and then collects in the duct to reach the exhaust filter unit. The amount of dust is reduced and the exhaust filter unit is less likely to get dirty. In addition, since the amount of dust captured by the exhaust filter unit is reduced, the life of the filter in the exhaust filter unit is extended.

  In addition, a drawer that can be pulled out from the duct is arranged in the duct, and dust that collides with the portion facing the exhaust hole in the duct is collected in the drawer. The collected dust can be easily removed.

  In addition, by providing a cover that is detachably arranged in the duct at the part facing the exhaust hole in the duct, even if the colliding dust adheres to this facing part, the cover is removed from the duct and attached It is possible to easily remove the dust.

It is a front view which shows the example of the breeding apparatus which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the breeding apparatus according to the present invention along an arrow II in FIG. 1. It is a top view along arrow III in Drawing 1 of the breeding device concerning the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the structure of the drawer of the breeding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the behavior of the garbage in the breeding apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the behavior of the garbage in the breeding apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the structure of the drawer of the breeding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a side view which shows the example of the structure of the conventional rearing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a breeding apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the breeding apparatus taken along an arrow II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an arrow III in FIG. FIG. In this specification, the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is defined as left and right, and the left-right direction in FIG.

      The breeding apparatus 11 includes a rectangular apparatus main body 11a that is released forward, and the inside of the apparatus main body 11a is divided vertically by a plurality of shelf boards 12 extending left and right at predetermined intervals. The breeding containers 13a and 13b are accommodated on the individual shelf plates 12 excluding the shelf plate 12 located at the uppermost level and the bottom plate 12a provided at the lowermost level so that the containers can be pulled out forward. Here, the breeding container indicated by reference numeral 13a is a container of a type in which a water supply nozzle, which will be described later, is connected to the rear end surface, and the breeding container indicated by reference numeral 13b is a container of a type in which water is supplied by the bottle 13c without using the water supply nozzle. It is.

  Rails 14a projecting toward the inside of the apparatus main body 11a extend in the front-rear direction on side surfaces located on the left and right sides of the apparatus main body 11a. Further, on the lower surface of the shelf board 12, a plurality of rails 14b having a cross shape when viewed from the end are disposed on the left and right sides at intervals according to the left and right widths of the breeding containers 13a and 13b. The rails 14b extend in the front-rear direction, and the lower ends of the rails 14b extend downward. As a result, the inside of the apparatus main body 11a is partitioned vertically by the shelf plate 12 and the bottom plate 12a, and is partitioned horizontally by the rail 14b. A space S for housing the breeding containers 13a and 13b is formed.

When the breeding container indicated by reference numeral 13a is accommodated in the breeding apparatus 11, the upper ends of the individual breeding containers 13a are supported from the left and right by the rails 14a and 14b. On the other hand, when accommodating the breeding container shown by the code | symbol 13b in the breeding apparatus 11, the breeding container 13b is directly mounted on the shelf board 12 and the baseplate 12a, without using rail 14a, 14b.
The breeding device 11 of the present embodiment is used for breeding small animals such as mice, and eight right and left breeding containers 13a and 13b can be accommodated in the upper and lower stages. Reference numeral 15 denotes an accommodating portion of a roll screen 15a (shown in the closed state in FIG. 2) covering the front surface of the apparatus main body 11a.

      An air supply filter unit 16 and an exhaust filter unit 17 each including a prefilter and a HEPA filter are placed on the apparatus main body 11a. The upstream side of the air supply filter unit 16 is connected to an air supply device 18 also mounted on the apparatus main body 11a, and the downstream side of the air supply filter unit 16 is connected to the front side of the upper end portion of the apparatus main body 11a. It is connected to the central part of the duct 19 extended from above from above. Further, both ends of the duct 19 are respectively connected to upper ends of a pair of left and right ducts 20 extending vertically along the side surface of the apparatus main body 11a at the front part of the apparatus main body 11a. Both ends of the duct 21 extending left and right at the front part are connected to each other.

  Further, the duct 21 communicates with the space S through a plurality of air supply ports 12 b and 12 c formed on the lower surface of the front portion of the shelf board 12. Among these, the air supply port shown by the code | symbol 12b is an air curtain air supply port mentioned later, and is opened in the forefront part of the shelf board 12 so that the row | line | column extended to right and left may be made. In addition, the air supply port indicated by reference numeral 12c is an air supply port for supplying air to the breeding containers 13a and 13b, and a plurality of rows (two rows in the front and rear in the example in the figure) are provided on the left and right sides behind the air supply port 12b. Openings form an extending row.

  The upstream side of the exhaust filter unit 17 is connected from above to the center of a duct 22 that extends left and right on the rear side of the upper end of the apparatus main body 11a. Further, both ends of the duct 22 are respectively connected to the upper ends of a pair of left and right ducts (second ducts) 23 extending vertically along the side surface of the apparatus main body 11a at the rear part of the apparatus main body 11a. The both ends of the duct 24 extended right and left at the rear part of the shelf board 12 are connected, respectively.

  Here, the bottom surface of each duct 24 is a drawer 25 that partitions the duct 24 and the space S below. The drawer 25 is a pair of left and right members inserted from the left and right side end faces of the shelf board 12 toward the central portion of the shelf board 12 and has a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. A functioning bottom plate 25a, wall portions 25b erected on the front and rear sides of the bottom plate 25a, and a flange portion 25c extending from the end face of the bottom plate 25a facing the duct 23 when the drawer 25 is accommodated in the duct 24 It has. Further, a handle 25d for taking the drawer 25 into and out of the duct 24 is provided at a portion extending downward in the collar portion 25c.

  Further, the duct 24 communicates with the space S through a plurality of exhaust holes 25e formed in the bottom plate 25a. These exhaust holes 25e are opened at the rear part of the bottom plate 25a so as to form a plurality of rows (three rows in the front and rear in the example in the figure) extending in the left and right directions. In the case of the breeding apparatus 11 shown in the present embodiment, the diameter of the exhaust hole 25e is set to about several millimeters in consideration of its operating conditions.

  Further, a pair of left and right ducts 23 formed on the side surface of the apparatus main body 11a are provided with doors 26 that open to the side. Then, by opening the door 26, opening the duct 23, and pulling the handle 25d exposed to the side, the drawer 25 can be pulled out from the duct 24 to the left and right as shown in FIG.

On the back side of the apparatus main body 11a, a water supply pipe 27 extending from a water inlet 27a that opens above the apparatus main body 11a extends horizontally behind the breeding containers 13a and 13b accommodated in the space S. A plurality of water supply nozzles 28 are arranged in a zigzag so that when the breeding container 13a is accommodated in the space S, a water supply port 13d that opens to the side surface of the breeding container 13a is fitted from the piping 27. , Projecting forward at a predetermined interval. Reference numeral 27b denotes a drain port of the pipe 27 and is provided at the lower end of the apparatus main body 11a. The pipe 27 and the water supply nozzle 28 constitute an automatic water supply device for the breeding container 13a.
Reference numeral 29 denotes a moving caster provided at each of the four corners of the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 11a, and reference numeral 30 denotes a supporting leg provided respectively in the left and right direction of the caster 29.

      In this breeding device 11, after the air supplied from the air supply device 18 is purified by the air supply filter unit 16, the air reaches the duct 21 through the ducts 19 and 20 and enters the space S from the air supply ports 12 b and 12 c. Supplied. Among these, the air supplied from the air supply port 12b acts as an air curtain that blocks the front of the space S from the outside air. Moreover, the air supplied from the air supply port 12c is supplied into the breeding containers 13a and 13b from the upper front through a vent (not shown) provided in the lid of the breeding containers 13a and 13b.

  The air supplied into the breeding containers 13a and 13b is discharged to the upper and rear sides of the space S through the vents, flows into the duct 24 through the exhaust holes 25e, and further passes through the ducts 24, 23, and 22. The exhaust filter unit 17 is reached, and after being purified by the exhaust filter unit 17, it is discharged out of the apparatus. That is, in this breeding device 11, the inside of the breeding containers 13a and 13b is ventilated by the air that is supplied into the breeding containers 13a and 13b from the air supply port 12c and passes through the breeding containers 13a and 13b and flows into the exhaust holes 25e. Is done.

  Further, along with the ventilation in the breeding containers 13a and 13b, a part of the garbage generated by breeding the animals flows into the duct 24 from the space S through the exhaust hole 25e. In the breeding apparatus 11 of the present invention, As the inside of the breeding containers 13a and 13b is ventilated, an upward airflow flowing from the space S to the duct 24 through the exhaust hole 25e is generated around the exhaust hole 25e as shown by a symbol F in FIG. Then, by adjusting the number and diameter of the exhaust holes 25 e and the amount of air supplied from the air supply device 18, as shown by the symbol W in FIG. 5, the exhaust gas is exhausted on the bottom plate 25 a constituting the bottom surface of the duct 24. Debris is collected concentrically around the hole 25e. The reason for this is that when the air flows into the duct 24 from the exhaust hole 25e, the flow velocity of the air flow F is rapidly decelerated, and the dust that has lost buoyancy accordingly falls around the exhaust hole 25e according to its mass. It is estimated that.

  As a result, the amount of dust collected in the duct 24 is relatively increased, and the amount of dust reaching the exhaust filter unit 17 via the ducts 24, 23, and 22 is relatively decreased. Therefore, the exhaust filter unit 17 is less likely to get dirty, and the frequency of cleaning the exhaust filter unit 17 can be reduced. Further, since the amount of dust captured by the exhaust filter unit 17 is reduced, the life of the filter in the exhaust filter unit 17 can be extended.

  On the other hand, also when the inside of the duct 24 is cleaned, the door 26 is opened, the drawer 25 is pulled out to the side, the dust collected on the bottom plate 25a is removed, and then the drawer 25 is accommodated in the duct 24. Just a simple operation of closing. Therefore, the inside of the duct 24 can be easily cleaned. Further, when the inside of the duct 23 is cleaned, since the door 26 is opened and the internal dust is removed and then the door 26 is closed, the inside of the duct 23 can be easily cleaned. Since dust is collected at the lower end of the duct 23, a dust collection tray (not shown) is installed at the lower end of the duct 23, and the inside of the duct 23 is cleaned by replacing this tray. You may go.

Further, the upward air flow F flowing into the duct 24 from the space S through the exhaust hole 25e is made relatively high speed, and the member constituting the upper surface of the duct 24 in the shelf 12 (opposite the exhaust hole 25e in the duct 24). The amount of dust reaching the exhaust filter unit 17 may be reduced by colliding dust (inertial collision) together with the airflow F on the part) and dropping the collected dust onto the bottom plate 25a and collecting it. In this case, it is possible to efficiently collect fine dust (dust) that could not be collected by the falling of the floating dust due to its own weight in the duct 24. This is presumed to be due to the fact that dust particles are combined due to collision with the duct 24, and its mass increases and falls easily.
Also in this example, the door 26 is opened, the drawer 25 is pulled out to the side, the dust collected on the bottom plate 25a is removed, the drawer 25 is accommodated in the duct 24, and the door 26 is closed. Thus, the inside of the duct 24 can be easily cleaned.

At this time, depending on the nature of the dust, the collided dust may adhere to the members of the shelf 12 that constitute the upper surface of the duct 24 without falling. In such a case, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, a lid 32 is provided in the drawer 25 so as to be detachably fitted from above to cover the drawer 25 from above, and the lid 32 and the drawer 25 are placed in the duct 24. May be accommodated. By covering the drawer 25 with the lid 32, dust flowing out from the exhaust hole 25 e together with the air flow F collides with the lower surface of the lid 32. As a result, for example, as indicated by the symbol W in FIG. 6, even if the collided dust adheres to the lower surface of the lid 32, the attached dust can be easily removed by pulling out the drawer 25 and the lid 32 together for cleaning. can do.
In this case, the lid 32 does not necessarily need to cover the entire surface of the drawer 25 from above, and it is sufficient to cover at least a portion facing the exhaust hole 25e in the duct 24 from above.

  Moreover, in this breeding apparatus 11, it is not necessary to install the exhaust duct 6 at the rear of the apparatus unlike the breeding apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Therefore, the depth D of the apparatus is shallow, and the breeding apparatus 11 that is particularly compact in the front-rear direction can be provided.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In other words, the present invention is not limited by the above description, and is limited only by the appended claims.
For example, by appropriately adjusting the number and diameter of the exhaust holes 25e and the amount of air supplied from the air supply device 18, the kind and amount of dust collected by the duct 24 can be selected to some extent. Further, the diameters of the exhaust holes 25e may all be the same or different from each other.

Furthermore, when the number and diameter of the exhaust holes 25e are changed for such a purpose, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a plate 31 having substantially the same size as the bottom plate 25a is prepared, and this plate 31 is overlaid on the bottom plate 25a. In this case, the opening 31a may be provided so as to at least partially overlap the exhaust hole 25e in the bottom plate 25a. In the example of FIG. 7, the diameter of the exhaust hole 25e is narrowed by providing an opening 31a having a smaller diameter than the exhaust hole 25e at a position of the plate 31 that overlaps the exhaust hole 25e.
In this case, by stacking the plate 31 on the bottom plate 25a, the position, number, diameter, etc. of the exhaust holes 25e can be reduced according to the position, number, diameter, etc. of the opening 31a. The plate 31 may be a film that can be attached to the bottom plate 25a.

Further, in this breeding device 11, the roll screen 15a that covers the front surface of the device main body 11a is provided, but the roll screen 15a is not provided, and only the air curtain by the air supplied from the air supply port 12b is used in front of the space S. It may be blocked from outside air. Alternatively, a door that covers the front surface of the apparatus main body 11a may be provided instead of the roll screen 15a.
Moreover, in this breeding apparatus 11, although the automatic water feeder was provided in the back side of the apparatus main body 11a, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is applicable also to the breeding apparatus without an automatic water feeder.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Breeding apparatus, 13a, 13b ... Breeding container, 23 ... Duct (second duct), 24 ... Duct, 25 ... Drawer, 25a ... Bottom plate (bottom of duct), 25e ... Exhaust hole, 26 ... Door, 31 ... Plate, 31a ... opening, 32 ... lid

Claims (8)

Above the space where the breeding container is accommodated, a duct for exhausting the air in the space,
This duct extends from side to side when viewed from the front of the breeding device,
In the duct, a drawer that can be pulled out sideways along the extending direction of the duct is disposed,
The bottom of this drawer forms the bottom of the duct,
The rearing apparatus is characterized in that an exhaust hole for communicating the space and the duct is provided on the bottom surface.   2. The breeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second duct into which exhaust from the duct flows is vertically extended on a side surface of the breeding apparatus.   The side end surface of the duct is connected to the second duct, and the drawer can be pulled out from the duct by opening a door formed on a side surface of the second duct. The breeding apparatus according to Item 2.   4. The plate according to claim 1, wherein a plate having an opening that overlaps at least a part of the exhaust hole when stacked on the bottom surface can be stacked on the bottom surface. Rearing equipment.   5. The lid according to claim 1, further comprising a lid that covers at least a portion of the drawer where the exhaust hole is formed from above, and the lid can be disposed in the duct together with the drawer. The breeding device described. A method for collecting dust in an animal breeding apparatus,
The breeding device includes a space in which a breeding container is accommodated, and a duct that is located above the space and exhausts air in the space through a vent hole provided in the bottom surface.
After the dust flowing into the duct along with the air flow from the space to the duct through the exhaust hole collides with the portion facing the exhaust hole in the duct by the air flow, A method for collecting dust, characterized by collecting.   A drawer that can be pulled out from the duct is disposed in the duct, and the dust that collides with a portion facing the exhaust hole in the duct is collected in the drawer. The dust collection method described in 1.   The dust according to any one of claims 6 and 7, wherein a lid detachably disposed in the duct is provided at a portion facing the exhaust hole in the duct. Collection method.

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