PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for automatically measuring the amount of feeding capable of easily measuring the body weight of an experimental small animal and capable of controlling or measuring the daily amount of feeding.SOLUTION: The apparatus has a cage 44 to house a small animal therein, and a feed box 40 furnished adjacently to the cage 44 and having a feeding port 42 communicating with the cage 44 and serving as an opening through which the small animals head is insertable. This apparatus is also equipped with a feed weight sensor 30 placed with the feed box 40 and functioning to sense the total weight of the feed box 40 and feed 84 therein. Further, this apparatus is equipped with a shutter 46 capable of opening/closing the feeding port 42, a shutter-driving unit 50 for opening/closing the shutter 46, and a microcomputer 68 as a control unit functioning to process signals from the sensor 30 and control the shutter 46s opening/closing by the shutter-driving unit 50.COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT【課題】実験用小動物の体重を容易に計測でき、毎日の摂餌量を制御または計測可能な自動摂餌量測定装置を提供することを目的とする。【解決手段】小動物を収容するケージ44と、ケージ44に隣接して設けられケージ44と連通し小動物が頭部を挿入可能な開口である給餌窓42を有した餌箱40とを有する。餌箱40が載せられ餌箱40及び内部の餌84とともに重量を検知する餌用重量センサ30を備える。餌箱40の給餌窓42を開閉可能なシャッタ46と、シャッタ46を開閉駆動するシャッタ駆動部50と、餌用重量センサ30からの信号を処理するとともに、シャッタ駆動部50によりシャッタ46の開閉を制御する制御装置であるマイコン68とを備える。【選択図】図1
