Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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REMOTE ANIMAL CAGE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND
CONTROL SYSTEM
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of United States
Provisional Application Serial No. 60/815,229, entitled Further Features Of A
System
For Remote Environmental Monitoring And Control Of Animal Cages and Ambient
Conditions, filed on June 20, 2006 and United States Non-Provisional
Application
Serial No. 11/473,171, entitled Remote Animal Cage Environmental Monitoring
and
Control Systern, filed on June 21, 2006.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to animal cages and more particularly to
monitoring systems for ventilated racks of animal cages.
BACKGROUND OF THE 1NVENTION
Animal cages are typically used in groups which are often stacked on racks.
Air and water must be provided to the individual animal cages. Systems for
providing
air to and removing exhaust from racks of animal cages are known, such as
United
States Patent No. 5,307,757 entitled Ventilated Rack And Animal Cage System.
Systems for providing water to the animal cages include two major types:
automated
watering coupled to a continuous water supply; and, an individual water
bottle.
United States Patent No. 6,308,660 entitled Bio-Containment Animal Cage
System describes a self-sealing animal cage removably connected to an air
supply and
an exhaust. The self-sealing animal cage is supported by a rack. The self-
sealing
animal cage is sealed by an air inlet connection and an air outlet connection
to the air
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supply and the exhaust connection. After the cages are removed from the air
supply
and the exhaust, the air inlet connection and the exhaust connection seals the
cage to
prevent air from entering or exiting the cage. Accordingly, the animal caging
system
provides isolation of the self-sealing animal cage and provides containment of
airborne pathogens within the caging system. A bio-sensiiig cage is used in
the
animal cage system to measure pressure of animal cage connected to the air
supply
and exhaust which contains an animal. The measurement of pressure in the bio-
sensing cage is used by a controller to maintain pressure in the cages
independently of
environment and cage conditions.
The value of laboratory animals far exceeds their commercial cost. The
laboratory animals may be the result of a sequence of tests and breeding which
would
require extensive time to reproduce if even possible. Failure of the
environmental and
cage conditions caused by component failure, system failure or problems,
building
environmental problems as well as human error and/or deliberate acts needs to
be
continuously and carefully monitored. lndividual monitoring of racks is
costly, time
consuming and error prone.
Therefore there is a need for a reliable and efficient system to continuously
monitor laboratory animal cages and racks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a system for automatic remote monitoring and control
of the environment of ventilated racks of animal cages and corresponding
equipment
through wireless interfaces. The system comprises: query means for querying a
plurality of status parameters of a ventilated rack of animal cages;
evaluation means
for evaluating the plurality of status parameters automatically; alert means
for alerting
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a digital system of the plurality of status parameters; receiving means
receiving
control input fro-n the digital system; and wireless interface for
communicating the
plurality of status parameters wirelessly to an access point and for
cocnmunicating the
control input wirelessly from the acces.s point to the ventilated rack of
animal cages;
wherein the environment of the ventilated racks of animal cages and
corresponding
equipment is remotely nionitored.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained
from consideration of the following description in conjunction with the
drawings in
which:
FIG. I is a sentinel cage sampling system in use with the present invention
remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control system;
FIG. 2 is a bio-containment animal cage system in use with -the present
invention remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control system;
FIG. 3 is an illustration of an animal cage system for larger animals with the
remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control system;
FIG. 4 is a high level functional diagram of the remote animal cage
environmental monitoring and control system;
FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen display showing a visual basic interface to
display the data from one set of blowers; and.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of a high-level system diagram.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS ILLUSTRATIVE
EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the
invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the
drawings
and the description to refer to the saine or like parts.
Referring to FIG. I there is shown the present invention remote animal cage
environmental monitoring and control system 300 in use with Micro-VENT
environmental housing units having a sentinel cage sampling system for
airborne
pathogens. A sentient chamber 102 is mounted on top of a Micro-VENT rack 104
with Micro-VENT cages 106. The rack 104 is shown movably located on a floor
108.
Exhaust ventilation from the rack 104 is vented from the room through an
exhaust
ducting 120 which exits through a ceiling 110. The remote animal cage
environmental monitoring and control system 300 is integral to an air source
112,
which typically is HEPA filtered, is attached to an inlet duct 114 (although
alternatively a suitable room air supply may also be used). The inlet duct 114
is
coupled to a distribution duct/piping system 122 which provides the supply air
to
individual cages 106. An exhaust duct/piping system 1] 6 is coupled to the
individual
cages 106, thus controlling air exiting from the cages 106 mounted on the rack
104.
The exhaust duct/piping system l 16 is coupled to the exhaust ducting 120
through a
flexible coupling 118.
While the present invention reinote animal cage environmental monitoring and
control system 300 is shown in use with Micro-VENT environmental housing units
and corresponding rack 100, it is also equally applicable to use with other
types of
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cages, including cages using a rooin air supply which is filtered at the cage
with a
micro-barrier, such as a Micro-BARERIER Top with a filter that snaps in. A
filter
such as the ReemayTM filter medium (2295) 18 mils protects the animals from
dust
particles which may carry a virus or other pathogen. Additionally the present
invention sentinel cage sampling system for airborne pathogens is well suited
for use
with a bio containment caging system.
The present invention remote animal cage environmental monitoring and
control system 300 is particularly well suited for use with a Bio-Containment
Animal
Cage System which is disclosed by Patent No. 6,308,660 and is incorporated
herein
by reference. The bio-containment animal cage system is a self-sealing animal
cage
removably connected to an air supply and an exhaust. The self-sealing animal
cage is
supported by a rack. The self-sealing animal cage is sealed by an air inlet
connection
and an air outlet connection to the air supply and the exhaust connection.
After the
cages are removed from the air supply and the exhaust, the air inlet
connection and
the exhaust connection seals the cage to prevent air from entering or exiting
the cage.
Accordingly, the animal caging system provides isolation of the self-sealing
animal
cage and provides containment of airborne pathogens within the caging system.
A
bio-sensing cage is used in the animal cage system to measure pressure of
animal cage
connected to the air supply and exhaust which contains an animal. The
measurement
of pressure in the bio-sensing cage is used by a controller to maintain
pressure in the
cages independently of environment and cage conditions.
Referring to FIG. 2 there is shown an illustration of a bio-containment animal
cage system 200 with the remote animal cage environmental monitoring and
control
system 300. Individual self-sealing animal cages 212 are supported on at least
one
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platform 213 of rack 214. Preferably, platform 213 is substantially
horizontal.
Individual self-sealing cages 212 are guided into rack 214 with cage guides
215.
Latch bracket 216 is attached to cage guides 215. After individual self-
sealing cages
212 are inserted into rack 214, latch bracket 216 automatically locks self-
sealing
animal cages 212 to rack 214. For example, latch bracket 216 can be a quick
disconnect locking mechanism which is engaged when self-sealing animal cage
212 is
inserted into rack 214. Individual self-sealing animal cages 212 are sealed to
prevent
air froin entering or exiting self-sealing animal cage 212 when self-sealing
aniinal
cage 212 is removed from rack 214.
The bio-containinent rack and animal cage system 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 has
seven platforms 213 located in rack 214. Each platform 213 includes eight cage
guides 215 for accommodatiing seven self-sealing animal cages 212 between
respective pairs of cage guides 215. Accordingly, bio-containment rack and
animal
system 210 can accommodate forty-nine self-sealing animal cages 212 on the
front
side and forty-nine cages on the rear side for a total of ninety-eight cages.
The
number of platforms 213 and cage guides 15 can be varied according to the
needs of
the user.
Air inlet connection 218 connects each self-sealing animal cage 212 to
horizontal air supply plenum 219. Exhaust outlet connection 220 connects each
self-
sealing animal cage 212 to horizontal exhaust plenum 221. Air inlet connection
218
and exhaust outlet connection 220 are sealed when self-sealing animal cage 212
is
removed from horizontal air supply plenum 219 and horizontal exhaust plenum
221.
Supply plenum connection 223 connects horizontal air supply plenum 219 to
vertical
air supply plenum 222. Exhaust plenum connection 225 connects horizontal
exhaust
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plenum 221 to vertical exhaust plenum 224. 11 will be appreciated that
horizontal air
supply plenum 219 and horizontal exhaust plenum 221 can be angled from the
horizontal and vertical air supply plenum 222 and vertical exhaust plenum 224
can be
angled from vertical. Air supply connection 226 connects vertical air supply
plenum
222 and exhaust connection 228 connects vertical air exhaust plenum 224 to air
delivery and exhaust apparatus 229 with integral remote animal cage
environmental
monitoring and control system 300.
Referring to FIG. 3 there is shown an illustration of an animal cage system
400 for larger animals with the remote animal cage environmental monitoring
and
control system 300. The animal cage system includes an automatic battery back
up
410. The blower/air supply system 420 uses dual HEPE Filter assemblies in
parallel
412 to provide the increased air volume for the larger cages. The blower/air
supply
system 420 incorporates an integral remote animal cage environmental
monitoring
and control system 300. While the remote animal cage environmental monitoring
and
control system 300 is particularly well suited for integration into the air
supply control
system and is so described herein it is equally well suited for adaptation and
retrofitting to existing air supply control systems having suitable interfaces
for
accessing the necessary data.
Referring to FIG. 4 there is shown a high level functional diagram of the
remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control system. The remote
animal cage environmental monitoring and control system 300 incorporates a
wireless
interface 302 such as IEEE 802.15 Bluetooth, but is equally well suited for
other
bidirectional wireless interfaces including but not limited to various WiFi
and other
wireless interfaces, including but not limited to IR (infrared radiation)
wireless,
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various RF wireless links, cellular & PCS links, wireless TCP/IP interfaces as
well as
other systems and protocols that are known to those skilled in the wireless
communication art. Senor, monitor signal and control links 304 interface
between the
remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control system 300 and the
micro
environment and ventilated rack equipment including the blower and other
systems.
A further embodiment employs a communication interface such as an Etliernet
link such as l0/l00/1000BASE-T, USB, IEEE 1394, as well as utilize an ASIC
(application specific integrated circuit) with a priority protocol.
Laboratory animal cages are designed to be moved such as for cleaning,
changing, and experimental work. One problem that occurs is that any wired
interface is prone to being left unplugged or may be loosely or poorly plugged
in and
later fail. The use of a the wireless interface and battery backup not only
eliminates
these points of failure in monitoring but also enables the automatic tracking
of the
cage status such as when it is being cleaned, etc. In one embodiment the
blower uses
DC motors and controls which can be driven by the battery backup in a mode of
operation of a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system.
Referring to FIG. 5 there is shown an exemplary screen display showing a
Visual Basic interface to display the data from one of the blowers at a given
time
provided by the remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control system
300. ACH (Air Change per Hour), CFM (Cubic Feet Per Minute), supply blower
RPM (Revolutions per Minute), cage temperature, air flow velocity, cage
pressure,
exhaust pressure, exhaust blower RPM (Revolutions per Minute) and other
parameters are displayed. The remote animal cage environmental monitoring and
control system 300 provides for the polling of multiple blowers as well as
other
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sensors and parameters. Although this embodiment is described as programmed in
Visual Basic it is equally well suited for implementation in many other
programming
languages such as C, C++, Java, various object oriented languages and systems,
as
well as numerous other languages known to those skilled in the programming
art.
Ambient conditions that can be monitored include temperature, humidity, light
levels, building power such as power to the system, communication system and
network status, building security, and various other relevant and meaningful
data.
Decisions can be set to be made by the system based upon the event that
occurs, the
external response that occurs, and follow up provided to escalate the response
and
communication alternatives. Automated responses can be manually activated
remotely including switching to a backup system in view of pending failure,
securing
an area because of a security breach, as well as activating emergency
environmental
controls.
Referring to FIG. 6 there is shown the remote animal cage environmental
monitoring and control system 300 with wireless interface 302 that
communicates
with an access point 320. Access point 320 is connected (wirelessly or wired)
to a
Local Area Network 330 and/or directly to a computer device 340.
The remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control system 300
provides information about the animal cage system including but not limited
to:
identifier information such as a model number, serial number and/or other
identifier;
pressure set points; pressure readings; fan rpm for a plurality of fans; power
status;
power use; voltage; blower status; filter status; ambient temperature; air
inlet
temperature; air exhaust temperature; ambient humidity; air inlet humidity;
air
exhaust humidity; ambient sound; animal cage still images; animal cage video
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images; floor water/moisture; and other parameters such as water flow rate,
etc. The
remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control system 300 can be used
to
change parameters and set points, switch to a backup fan/blower etc.
The access point 320 is connected to the facility network 330 through hub 340
or other suitable connection. Local browsers 380 and a local computer system
350
can securely access the remote animal cage environmental monitoring and
control
system 300. The facility network 330 is securely connected through a fire wall
and
with encryption to the internet 360. Remote browsers 370 can securely connect
the
facility network 330 to access the remote animal cage environinental
monitoring and
] 0 control system 300. Remote connections can include PDAs (personal digital
assistants) with wireless interfaces, pagers, e-mail devices including
BlackBerry
type devices, digital cell phones with text messaging and other devices known
to
those skilled in the art.
The access point 320 enables a plurality of remote animal cage environmental
monitoring and control system 300 to be interfaced through their corresponding
wireless interface 302. Tlius enabling a dynamic reconfiguration and
positioning of
animal cage systems as necessary for cleaning, security, and as the work
environment
may so dictate.
The computer device 340 can be programmed to monitor the data provided by
a plurality of remote animal cage environmental monitoring and control systems
300.
Suitable automated responses can be initiated when an alarm/failure is
observed with
appropriate automatic elevation of responses until they are resolved remotely
or on
site. Furthermore, by monitoring pressure changes, tetrperature changes and
fan
RPM changes pending failures can be anticipated allowing controlled
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be made at a suitable tiine, such as cleaning, etc. rather than waiting for a
failure to
occur which then requires an emergency response.
The network may also be a secured intranet, as well as other types of digital
networks employing suitable technology.
The present invention when used with a bio-containment animal cage systern,
in addition to monitoring the environmental conditions of the cages, the
associated
ventilation and filtering elcments and water supply, the status of the cage
security can
also be monitored. This may be done by a variety of proximity and access
security
systems, including RFID, user security badges as GPS systems, and other
location
systems. lndividuals may be monitored to determine if they have the proper
clearance
and/or authority to open the animal cages. After hour and other abnonnal
events can
be used to trigger a remove alert which may then be used to selectively secure
and
contain an unauthorized or unexpected event with a suitable response being
initiated
by the system
The present invention when used with a micro-environment animal cage
transport unit, in addition to monitoring the environmental conditions of the
cages, the
associated ventilation and filtering elements and water supply, the physical
position
and status of the cage security can be monitored. This may be done by a
variety of
proximity systems, including RFID, GPS systems, and other location systemg.
Individuals may be monitored to determine if they have the proper clearance
and/or
authority to move and/or open the animal cages. After hour and other abnormal
events can be used to trigger a remove alert which may then be used to
selectively
secure and contain an unauthorized or unexpected event with a suitable
response
being initiated by the system.
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Although the present invention is suited for impleinentation as an independent
software systems, the present invention is equally well suited for
implementation as a
functional/library module, an applet, a plug in software application, as a
device plug
in, in a microchip implementation; programmable device, etc. The system can be
implemented as an embedded device, such as an application specific integrated
circuit
(AS1C), an integrated circuit chip set, ePROM, ROM, application board, or
within a
larger integrated circuit.
Numerous modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description.
Accordingly,
this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the
purpose of
teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention.
Details
of the structure may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit
of the
invention and the exclusive use of all modifications, which come within the
scope of
the appended claims, is reserved.
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