Method and apparatus for determining metabolic characteristics of experimental animals
US10064392B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 30, 2016 |
| Grant date | Sep 4, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01J5/48
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method for electronically determining a metabolic characteristic of an experimental animal in a living space is disclosed. The method includes confirming that a temperature in a living space is within a predefined range that consists of temperatures near or within a metabolic thermoneutral zone of the experimental animal, capturing at least one infrared image of at least one experimental animal in a band of infrared radiation that is within the range of from about 3 μm to about 14 μm in wavelength, identifying at least one data set of the at least one infrared image that corresponds to a tail of the experimental animal, processing the at least one data set of the at least one infrared image to evaluate a temperature of the tail of the experimental animal, and determining the metabolic characteristic based at least in part on the evaluated tail temperature.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.