JP2018064495A - Stress relaxation equipment of paws animal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide stress relaxation equipment of a paws animal capable of relaxing a stress condition detected by utilizing a pet, especially a pad of a paws animal.SOLUTION: Stress relaxation equipment 100 has a basket section 30 for storing a paws animal therein, a first sensor part 40 mounted on the basket section 30, for detecting a physiological response of the paws animal from a pad of the paws animal, an actuator 50 for changing an environment inside the basket section 30, and a control part 60 for controlling the actuator 50, when a stress condition of the paws animal is revealed to be over a reference value by detection information from the first sensor part 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a stress relieving apparatus for a paw ball animal that relieves a stress state of an animal having a paw ball on a sole (hereinafter referred to as a paw ball animal).

A familiar animal that has long lived with humans is called a companion animal. Hereinafter, companion animals shall be referred to as pets.
In recent years, pets have come to be recognized as family members, and the importance of pets has increased. Examples of pets include cats, dogs, and paw animals such as weasel (ferret).

In the pet industry, efforts to deal with the coexistence of humans and pets, and efforts to deal with the super-aging society of both humans and pets are being made in various fields.
For example, with regard to pet food, the provision of pet food that takes into account additives corresponding to the age group of pets has progressed, which has led to the aging of pets.
In addition, according to the national policy, the target for the health maintenance age (healthy life expectancy) of human elderly is +1 year old. For this purpose, it has been verified from medical data that symbiosis with pets is indispensable. In addition, it has been confirmed that symbiosis with pets affects human life.

In particular, cats have a problem of being vulnerable to external environmental stimuli and subject to stress due to the fact that they do not form a flock. Taking them outdoors is not recommended. “Tame” is becoming the basis.
However, even if the cat stays indoors, the cat is stressed by a “multi-headed caterer (not only a cat-multiple caterer, but also a co-existing cat and other pets)” or by strange visitors Is easily assumed.

When natural disasters such as earthquakes occur, pets may evacuate with their owners, depending on the scale of the natural disaster. According to recent disaster responses, owner-pet evacuation is becoming common for the purpose of coexistence with owners and maintaining the health of both owners and pets.
In such a case, the pet is exposed to an environment different from the conventional environment, and it is assumed that it is difficult to maintain the health of the pet.

For example, according to the stress measuring device described in Patent Document 1, in order to detect the stress state of a pet, an external sensor is directly attached to the pet's foot to detect a signal as a biopotential.
As for the cage, there is a pet cage as described in Patent Document 2.

  Furthermore, according to the posture evaluation system for pets described in Patent Document 3, a change in posture of the pet when lying is detected using a pressure sensor, and the psychological state and health state of the pet are evaluated. Patent Document 3 also describes that a temperature sensor may be used instead of or in addition to the pressure sensor.

JP 2007-252480 A Registered Utility Model Publication No. 3051451 JP 2009-050225 A

In the stress mitigation device described in Patent Document 1, some external sensor is directly attached somewhere on the pet's body in the same manner as a human being to directly detect the variation factor. However, the external sensor is directly attached to the pet's body. It becomes the stress of the pet itself. For this reason, it is difficult to say that the data detection for distinguishing from the normal time is performed, and the target stress detection cannot be performed.
In addition, the pet cage described in Patent Document 2 is a so-called escape prevention purpose only for putting a pet, and does not have a special device for reducing stress. It was. In addition, in the pet cage, it is also a reality that an insidious thing is common.

As a pet's stress response, for example, it is possible to detect a fluctuation factor of a physiological response such as body temperature, blood flow, and heart rate from a difference from a normal state where no stress is applied.
However, since pets are covered with body hair, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect fluctuations in physiological responses on the body surface.

  In the posture evaluation system for pets described in Patent Document 3, a posture change when lying on the pet is detected using at least one of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor. It was difficult to grasp the stress state, and temperature detection from the body surface was assumed, so the accuracy of pet body temperature detection was low.

On the other hand, the nose, the eyeball, and the meat ball are not covered with body hair, and are also biological parts that can detect temperature changes on the surface. Therefore, physiological reaction detection at any one of these three locations is suitable for knowing the health condition of the paw animal.
However, since the nose has a very small surface area, it is difficult to detect physiological responses in the nose. Further, the eyeball only needs to open its eyes, but since it is said that the cat sleeps an average of nearly 20 hours a day, it is difficult to detect physiological reactions in the eyeball.
In that respect, the meat ball is highly likely to be in contact with the ground or the like except in special circumstances, and physiological reaction detection from the meat ball is suitable.

  The present invention has been made in the background of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a stress relieving apparatus for paw animals that can relieve the stress state detected by using the meat balls of pets, particularly paw animals. Yes.

  The apparatus for mitigating stress of a paw animal according to the present invention includes a cage part in which a paw animal is accommodated and a physiological reaction of the paw animal that is attached to the cage part and detects a physiological reaction of the paw animal from the meat ball of the paw animal. 1 sensor unit, an actuator that changes the environment inside the cage unit, and a control unit that controls the actuator when the stress state of the paw animal is greater than or equal to a reference value based on detection information from the first sensor unit , Has.

  According to the apparatus for mitigating stress of a paw animal according to the present invention, the internal environment of the cage is changed by utilizing the characteristics of the paw animals and the stress state of the paw animals detected by applying the characteristics of the paw animals. Therefore, it is not necessary to install a sensing means directly on the body of the paw animal, it can be imitated by the same environment as the usual surrounding environment, and the stress state of the paw animal can be easily relieved.

It is a mimetic diagram showing roughly an example of composition of a stress relieving device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a side view which shows roughly an example of the 1st sensor part of the stress relaxation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the time waveform example of the audio | voice which the cat utters at the time of relaxation. It is a graph which shows the frequency characteristic of the audio | voice which the cat has generate | occur | produced.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following drawings including FIG. 1, the relationship of the size of each component may be different from the actual one. Further, in the following drawings including FIG. 1, the same reference numerals denote the same or equivalent parts, and this is common throughout the entire specification. Furthermore, the forms of the constituent elements shown in the entire specification are merely examples, and are not limited to these descriptions.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of a stress relieving apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing an example of the first sensor unit 40 of the stress relieving apparatus 100. Hereinafter, based on FIG.1 and FIG.2, the stress relieving apparatus 100 which relieves the stress state of a paw animal is demonstrated. Note that a paw animal is an animal having a paw on the sole, for example, cats, dogs, weasels and the like.

  The stress relieving apparatus 100 is installed in, for example, a cage or a carry, and detects the stress state of the paw animal by using the paw of the paw animal, and relieves the detected stress state. Specifically, the stress relieving apparatus 100 first detects the physiological reaction of the paw animal using the paw of the paw animal, and secondly relieves the detected stress state, It creates a stress-free space. Thirdly, the stress relieving apparatus 100 is configured to be able to provide information on the stress state of the paw animal to the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the stress relieving apparatus 100 includes a cage 30 in which a paw animal is accommodated, a first sensor unit 40 that detects a physiological reaction of the paw animal, and an actuator 50 that reduces the stress state of the paw animal. The control unit 60 includes a control unit 60 that detects the stress state of the paw animal based on information from the first sensor unit 40 and controls the driving of the actuator 50 accordingly.

(Cage 30)
The cage portion 30 is configured by a cage or a carry in which a paw animal is accommodated. If the cage 30 is a cage, it is composed of a rod-shaped member made of metal or resin, and if it is a carry, it is composed of a wall member made of resin or the like. However, the specific configuration of the cage 30 is not limited, and any structure that can accommodate a paw animal is acceptable.

The bottom of the basket 30 is a place for eating and excretion, and FIG. 1 shows an example in which the toilet 20 is installed.
In addition, in FIG. 1, although the case where the toilet 20 is provided in the bottom part of the cage | basket part 30 is shown as an example, the toilet 20 is not an essential structure.

In addition, a shelf 31 is provided in the middle of the cage 30 to secure a place for movement of the paw animals. The shelf part 31 should just be provided in the predetermined | prescribed height of the cage | basket part 30, and does not specifically limit a height position. The shelf 31 may be configured to be detachable, and the shelf 31 may be removed when the paw animal no longer moves upward, such as when the paw animal becomes aged.
In addition, although the case where the shelf part 31 is provided in the middle stage of the cage | basket part 30 is shown as an example in FIG. 1, the shelf part 31 is not an essential structure. Moreover, you may make it install the shelf part 31 of two or more steps.

The basket unit 30 includes two first sensor units 40.
One first sensor unit 40 is installed at the bottom of the cage 30 (hereinafter referred to as the first sensor unit 40A).
One first sensor unit 40 is installed on the upper surface of the shelf 31 of the basket unit 30 (hereinafter referred to as the first sensor unit 40B).

In addition, the cage unit 30 includes a circulator 50A, which is one of the actuators 50, a speaker 50B, which is one of the actuators 50, an odor generator 50C, which is one of the actuators 50, and a vibration controller that is one of the actuators 50. A vibrator 50D is provided.
One circulator 50A is installed above the first sensor unit 40A, and one is installed above the first sensor unit 40B.
One speaker 50B is installed above the first sensor unit 40A, and one speaker is installed above the first sensor unit 40B.
The odor generator 50 </ b> C is installed in the space above the basket unit 30.
The vibration exciter 50 </ b> D is installed on the lower surface of the shelf 31.

(First sensor unit 40)
The first sensor unit 40 is installed in at least one place inside the cage unit 30 and uses a paw of a paw animal on the upper surface to perform physiological reactions such as body temperature, blood flow, heartbeat, etc. It is something to detect. The first sensor unit 40 includes at least one of a piezoelectric element, a capacitance sensor, and a Doppler sensor.
In FIG. 1, the case where two first sensor units 40 are installed in the cage unit 30 is shown as an example, but it is sufficient that at least one first sensor unit 40 is installed in the cage unit 30. Moreover, when the shelf part 31 is removed, the 1st sensor part 40B is also removed together.

  A piezoelectric element is comprised by PZT (lead zirconate titanate), PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), etc., and converts the applied force into a voltage. When the piezoelectric element is applied as the first sensor unit 40, it is possible to detect the body temperature of the paw animal riding on the first sensor unit 40 by the pyroelectric effect. Further, by applying the piezoelectric element as the first sensor unit 40, it is possible to detect the weight of the paw animals (= detect the weight of the paw animals) by changing the electromotive force of the piezoelectric element.

  The electrostatic capacity sensor includes an electrode as a configuration and detects the electrostatic capacity of the detection target. If a capacitance sensor is applied as the first sensor unit 40, sweating or heat generation of the paw animal can be detected using a change in capacitance of the paw animal riding on the first sensor unit 40.

  The Doppler sensor includes a transmitter and a receiver as components, and detects a difference between the frequency of the transmitted microwave and the frequency of the received microwave. If the Doppler sensor is applied as the first sensor unit 40, the blood flow of the pawball animal can be detected by the Doppler effect using the reflection of the microwave.

Further, in order to reduce the discomfort of the paw animals, the surface of the first sensor unit 40 is kept flexible by a silicon or urethane material, and further is a brushed or cotton material by a cotton material as shown in FIG. A coating (surface layer 41 shown in FIG. 2) may be used to exclude unpleasant elements when contacting the bodily animal body part.
In addition, although a gel raw material etc. can be considered, the process of the surface of the 1st sensor part 40 should just be determined according to a paw animal in consideration of the biting of a nail | claw.

  The reason for exemplifying the case where the first sensor unit 40B is provided on the upper surface of the shelf 31 is based on the assumption that the paw animal accommodated in the cage 30 is a cat, and the cat is the bottom of the cage 30. This is because a change in the physiological reaction of the cat can be efficiently detected by providing the first sensor unit 40B on the shelf 31 in many cases.

  If such detection means are used as the first sensor unit 40, it is possible to detect a physiological reaction of a paw animal by a paw contact type, so that it is not necessary to install a detection means directly on the body of the paw animal. Stress detection can be realized without applying stress due to the attachment of the detection means to the body of the ball animal.

In addition, as a second sensor unit 45 that assists the first sensor unit 40, a microphone, a photographing device, a pH sensor, an odor sensor, and the like can be installed in the basket unit 30 to more effectively detect the physiological reaction of the paw animals. It may be.
The second sensor unit 45 includes one or any combination of a microphone, a photographing device, a pH sensor, and an odor sensor, or all of them.
In FIG. 1, the case where the one 2nd sensor part 45 is installed in the inside of the toilet 20 is shown as an example.

The microphone changes sound into an electric signal. If the microphone is applied as the second sensor unit 45, it is possible to collect sound (vibration sound or radiated sound of 500 Hz or less) emitted by the paw animal, and to detect the pleasure or discomfort of the paw animal.
When a microphone is used as the second sensor unit 45, the microphone may be installed at a position other than the toilet 20.
Note that the sounds produced by the paw animals will be described in detail later.

The imaging device captures a detection target as an image. If the imaging device is applied as the second sensor unit 45, a state such as “beard”, “tail”, or the like in which movement of a peculiar sense amount of the pawball animal appears can be recognized as an image, and compared with the normal state, The stress state of the ball animal can be detected.
When using an imaging device as the 2nd sensor part 45, it is good to install an imaging device in positions other than the toilet 20. FIG.

The pH sensor measures pH from a potential difference generated in an object to be detected using an electrode. If the pH sensor is applied as the second sensor unit 45, it is possible to recognize the urinary PH state of the paw animal and to detect the stress state from the urine state of the paw animal.
When using a pH sensor as the second sensor unit 45, the pH sensor may be installed at the bottom of the toilet 20.

The odor sensor includes, for example, a metal oxide semiconductor as a component, and detects an odor by using an oxidation-reduction reaction of a molecule that causes an odor. If the odor sensor is applied as the second sensor unit 45, the odor around the installation location can be detected, and the stress state of the paw animal can be detected.
When an odor sensor is used as the second sensor unit 45, the odor sensor may be installed around the toilet 20.

  If such detection means are used as the second sensor unit 45, it is possible to detect physiological reactions of the paw animals in a non-contact manner, so that it is not necessary to install the detection means directly on the body of the paw animals. Stress detection can be more effectively realized without applying stress due to attachment of the detection means to the animal body.

(Control unit 60)
The control unit 60 detects the stress state of the paw animal based on the information sent from the first sensor unit 40A, and controls the driving of the actuator 50 according to the detected stress state.
The control unit 60 is configured by, for example, hardware such as a circuit device or software executed on an arithmetic device such as a microcomputer or a CPU.

  The control unit 60 may be provided with a communication function and a memory function. If the communication function is provided, the stress relieving apparatus 100 can provide the detection information of the stress state of the paw animals to the owner or the veterinarian by communication. That is, the stress relieving apparatus 100 can provide necessary information to the outside through the Internet environment or the like by the communication function. Note that communication by the communication function may be wired or wireless.

  In addition, if the memory function is provided, the stress relieving apparatus 100 can store the detection information of the stress state of the paw animal in the memory function, and the detection information of the stress state of the paw animal is transmitted to the owner or veterinarian through the memory function. Can be provided to. The memory function may be configured by an auxiliary storage device that can be attached to and detached from the control unit 60.

  In addition, the partner with which the stress relieving apparatus 100 communicates by the communication function or the memory function includes not only the owner or the veterinarian but also the animal hospital or the facility management side in the event of a disaster.

  Furthermore, the control unit 60 may be provided with artificial intelligence (AI). If equipped with artificial intelligence, the stress mitigation device 100 can have a function of learning about physiological responses such as the sound, heartbeat, and body temperature of the paw animals, and can detect, process, and mitigate the stress state of the paw animals in real time. It becomes possible to do.

  Moreover, you may make it record the body temperature of the paw animal sent from the 1st sensor part 40 temporally. By doing this, it is possible to know the temporal transition of the body temperature of the paw animal, and as a result, it is possible to detect a change in the health condition. For example, the stress level of the paw animal increases as the body temperature of the paw animal increases, so the stress level may be estimated from both body temperature and posture.

(Actuator 50)
Corresponding to the stress state of the paw animal detected by the control unit 60, the drive is controlled by the control unit 60 to relieve the stress state of the paw animal by changing the internal environment of the cage unit 30. It is.
Examples of the actuator 50 include a circulator 50A, a speaker 50B, an odor generator 50C, and a vibration exciter 50D.

The circulator 50 </ b> A is configured by a blower or the like, and circulates the air inside the basket unit 30.
Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which two circulators 50A are installed, the number of circulators 50A is not particularly limited. Further, the circulator 50A is composed of a blower or the like and may have a function of circulating air, and the type is not particularly limited.

The speaker 50 </ b> B reproduces sound emitted by the paw animal when it is comfortable. As a voice uttered by a paw animal when it is comfortable, for example, there is a throat sound of a cat which is a paw animal.
Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which two speakers 50B are installed, the number of speakers 50B is not particularly limited. Moreover, the speaker 50B should just have the function to reproduce | regenerate the audio | voice which a paws animal utters comfortably, and does not specifically limit a kind etc.

The odor generator 50C emits an odor that a paw animal feels secure. The smell of a paw animal is reassuring, such as the smell of a living space where paw animals live.
FIG. 1 shows an example in which one odor generator 50C is installed, but the number of odor generators 50C is not particularly limited. Further, the odor generator 50C is not particularly limited as long as it has a function of releasing a scent that a paw animal has a sense of security.

  The vibration exciter 50D vibrates a member installed by generating vibration. If the vibration exciter 50D is used, for example, the bed of a paw animal can be vibrated with a predetermined signal and a periodic signal that coincides with the period of the throat sound.

<Detection of stress in paw animals>
FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of a time waveform of a voice uttered by the cat when relaxing. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the frequency characteristics of voice generated by a cat.
Based on FIGS. 1-4, the stress detection of the paw animal which the stress relieving apparatus 100 performs is demonstrated.

The stress state can detect the fluctuation factors of physiological responses such as body temperature, blood flow, and heart rate of the pawball animal from the difference between the stressed state and the normal state where the stress is not applied.
Therefore, in the stress alleviating apparatus 100, the first sensor unit 40 is used to detect the stress state from the physiological reaction obtained from the paw of the paw animal. Specifically, in the stress alleviating apparatus 100, the difference between the stressed state and the normal state where the stress is not applied is compared with the reference value, and when the difference is greater than or equal to the reference value, Detect that there is.
Further, in the stress alleviating apparatus 100, the stress state is detected from a physiological reaction obtained from other than the meat ball of the paw animal using the second sensor unit 45 as an auxiliary to the first sensor unit 40.

  The stress state of the paw animal is detected by the difference in the physiological response of the paw animal measured by the first sensor unit 40. Specifically, the physiological response in a normal state where no stress is applied is stored in advance as data, and then compared with the physiological response of the pawball animal measured by the first sensor unit 40A. Detect if the state is high or low.

Here, the stress state detection using the second sensor unit 45 will be described.
First, a case where a microphone is used as the second sensor unit 45 will be described.
Cats, which are paw animals, emit low-frequency sounds (sounds of throat) that are generally called “gorolog noises” under conditions of low stress. From FIG. 3, the voice at this time has a magnitude of amplitude (as a level, the amplitude difference is within 3 dB), utterance time (range of 0.45 seconds to 0.65 seconds), interruption time (0.02 seconds to It can be seen that the range of 0.8 seconds) is repeated.

In addition, as shown by the broken line (a) in FIG. 4, the tingling sound that the cat emits when relaxing, such as “when I am happy”, has a peak level based on more than 3 chords with a maximum frequency band of 50 Hz to 100 Hz. And is composed of audio in a frequency band from 20 Hz to 3 kHz.
On the other hand, as shown by the solid line (A) in FIG. 4, the tingling sound generated by the cat other than when it is relaxed is more than three chords from about 60 Hz to about 3 kHz, but the peak that is the maximum sound pressure level of the voice. Since the frequency appears in a band of 200 Hz to 500 Hz, the frequency characteristic is different from that of the throat sound produced by the cat when relaxing.

Actually, the cat utters voice with such a difference, and it can be seen that the frequency of giving relaxation, that is, relaxing the stress state, requires the band indicated by the broken line (a) shown in FIG.
“Tingling sound” that sounds the same way, the difference in the psychological and physiological state of the cat is confirmed as a clearly different phenomenon by the frequency characteristics analyzed by the control unit 60 based on the sound measured by the microphone. Can do.
That is, by detecting the “squealing sound” of the cat, it becomes possible to grasp the cat's stress state and the cat's desire content to some extent.

Next, a case where the imaging device is used as the second sensor unit 45 will be described.
Cats that are paw animals show movements that show a characteristic amount of sensation in the “beard” and “tail” depending on the level of stress.
The movement of the “beard” and “tail” due to the difference in the psychological and physiological states of the cat can be clearly confirmed by the control unit 60 analyzing the video measured by the photographing apparatus.

Next, a case where a pH sensor is used as the second sensor unit 45 will be described.
Cats, which are paw animals, also change the pH state of “urine” as in humans, depending on the level of stress.
The pH of the “urine” due to the difference in the psychological and physiological states of the cat can also be clearly confirmed by the control unit 60 analyzing the pH measured by the pH sensor.

Next, a case where an odor sensor is used as the second sensor unit 45 will be described.
Cats that are paws are animals that react to dirt and may not excrete in dirty toilets. Cats often have a small amount of hydration and tend to endure excretion, and thus have a characteristic of being susceptible to kidney disease. Therefore, “odor” can also be used as an indication of differences in the psychological and physiological states of cats. By using “smell”, it is possible to notify humans of a reminder to maintain cleanliness, taking into account the prevention of paw animal disease.

  The presence or absence of “smell” due to differences in the psychological and physiological states of the cat can also be clearly confirmed by the control unit 60 analyzing the odor measured by the odor sensor.

<Relieving stress in paws>
Next, the stress relaxation of the paw animals performed by the stress relaxation apparatus 100 will be described.
When the control unit 60 detects from the measurement value of the first sensor unit 40 that a stress state is occurring in the paw animal, the control unit 60 drives the actuator 50 to relieve the stress state of the paw animal. The stress relieving apparatus 100 relieves the stress state when the difference between the stressed state and the normal state where the stress is not applied is equal to or greater than a reference value.

(Relieving stress by odor)
The environment in which cats kept at home usually live is the cat's own personal space, which is also the most reassuring space for the cat. In such a space, it is thought that there is an “odor” that causes the cat to feel secure. Cats have an odor capability several thousand times that of humans, and when another odor enters a familiar space, a stress reaction occurs. Sometimes, a marking process (urine spray) having a strong odor to indicate that the area is one's own area is performed.

  In order to prevent such a situation from occurring, the indoor odor where the cat lives is sampled in advance, and when an environmental change occurs due to a situation such as movement, the surrounding environment where you are placed is safe. Releases the “scent” of your home to make you think. That is, when the stress state is detected, the control unit 60 drives the odor generator 50 </ b> C to release the “smell” sampled in advance into the car unit 30.

As a result, it is possible to always present a means for creating a space that is reassuring to the paw animals, even in the case of emergency movement during an emergency or irregular movement such as travel.
If the odor generator 50C is provided with portability, it can be brought into a moving body such as an automobile, an airplane, or a ship that involves movement.
In addition, the “smell” that the paw animal feels secure is an odor intensity that is unknown to humans, and even if it is installed on a moving body on which an unspecified number of people get on, no human discomfort occurs.

(Relieving stress by voice)
As described above, the cat generates a “throat squealing sound” at the time of relaxation with a frequency characteristic different from the “sounding throat sound” generated at a time other than the time of relaxation.
Therefore, a speaker 50B that reproduces the “squealing sound” generated when the cat is relaxed is installed, for example, in the vicinity of a portion (first sensor unit 40A shown in FIG. 1) that becomes the bed of the cat.
In particular, the cat may take a rest at a high place (shelf 31 shown in FIG. 1) from the bottom of the cage 30. The speaker 50B is installed at the place where this rest is taken. Note that the shelf unit 31 is also provided with a first sensor unit 40B.

  And the control part 60 radiates | emits sound to the cat of the cage | basket part 30 via the speaker 50B, when a stress state is detected. The “squealing sound” produced by the cat when relaxing is as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and this time state is reproduced and presented to the cat. Thereby, since the cat can hear the periodic sound synchronized with the sound of the throat audibly, it becomes possible to relieve the stress state.

(Relief of stress by vibration)
A vibration exciter 50 </ b> D that generates vibration is fixedly installed on the lower surface of the shelf 31. Specifically, the vibration exciter 50D is fixedly installed on a plate or the like constituting the shelf 31. When detecting the stress state, the control unit 60 vibrates the installation portion of the vibration exciter 50D via the vibration exciter 50D. That is, by installing the vibration exciter 50D, the shelf 31 can be vibrated with a periodic signal that has a predetermined strength and coincides with the period of the tingling sound. You can hear periodic sounds synchronized with the sound. Therefore, it becomes possible to relieve the stress state.

(Relief of stress caused by wind)
Cats have the property of sensing the flow of wind with the nose, whiskers, and forelimb beards, and selecting the wind of their choice.
In general, cats prefer the natural “wind = fluid” that flows indoors from the outside, and tend not to be exposed to artificial and air-conditioning winds. In particular, among natural wind speeds, there is a tendency to prefer a flow velocity of 0.8 to 1 m / s or less at the maximum. By letting the wind below the wind speed flow through the cage portion 30, an environment preferred by the cat can be created. Specifically, when the stress state is detected, the control unit 60 provides a favorite “wind” to the cat of the cage unit 30 via the circulator 50A. Therefore, a refreshing wind can be circulated in the basket part 30, and a stress state can be relieved.

<External provision of stress conditions in paw animals>
As described above, when the stress relieving apparatus 100 includes the communication function and the memory function in the control unit 60, it is possible to provide the detection information of the stress state of the paw animals to the owner or the veterinarian by communication. Good.

  Thus, by providing the control unit 60 with a function capable of communicating with the outside, the stress relieving apparatus 100 provides the detected stress state of the paw animal and the health state of the paw animal to the outside based on communication when necessary. be able to. Therefore, the other party who received the information can not only quickly check the status of the paw animals, but can easily notice the daily changes of the paw animals.

As described above, according to the stress relieving apparatus 100, the stress state of the paw animals detected by applying the characteristics of the paw animals can be relieved using the characteristics of the paw animals. There is no need to install direct sensing means, it can mimic the same environment as the normal surrounding environment, and the stress state of the paw animals can be easily relieved.
Therefore, it can contribute as a means for providing a stress free space for paw animals.
In addition, it is possible to create a state that mimics the environment in which daily life is spent, and to provide an environment that can relieve stress even in the event of movement, to a pawball animal.

The stress relieving apparatus 100 can be applied not only to general households, but also to installation of evacuation sites in a temporary facility at the time of disaster, animal hospitals, nursing homes, pet hotels, and the like.
Moreover, although it demonstrated suitably for the example of the cat, it is sufficient to execute the stress state detection and the stress state relaxation according to the characteristics of the paw animals other than the cat.

  20 toilets, 30 baskets, 31 shelves, 40 first sensor, 40A first sensor, 40B first sensor, 41 surface layer, 45 second sensor, 50 actuator, 50A circulator, 50B speaker, 50C Odor generator, 50D vibration exciter, 60 control unit, 100 stress relieving device.

Claims (12)

A basket part in which a paw animal is housed,
A first sensor part attached to the basket part for detecting a physiological reaction of the paw animal from the paw of the paw animal;
An actuator for changing the internal environment of the basket,
A control unit that controls the actuator when a stress state of the paw animal is greater than or equal to a reference value based on detection information from the first sensor unit. A second sensor unit for detecting a physiological reaction of the paw animal in a non-contact manner with the paw animal in the basket unit;
The controller is
The apparatus for relieving stress in a psoriasis according to claim 1, wherein the stress state of the paw animal is detected based on detection information from the second sensor unit in addition to detection information from the first sensor unit. The controller is
Has an external communication function,
The apparatus for mitigating stress of a paw animal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detected stress state of the paw animal is communicated to the outside. A shelf is provided in the basket,
The first sensor unit includes:
The apparatus for relieving stress of a paw animal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is attached to a bottom portion of the basket portion and an upper surface of the shelf portion. The first sensor unit includes:
The apparatus for relieving stress in paw animals according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising at least one of a piezoelectric element, a capacitance sensor, and a Doppler sensor. The second sensor unit is
The paw animal stress relieving device according to claim 2, comprising at least one of a microphone, a photographing device, a pH sensor, and an odor sensor. A toilet is provided at the bottom of the basket,
When the second sensor unit is a pH sensor,
The second sensor unit is
The paw animal stress relieving device according to claim 6, which is attached to the inside of the toilet. The actuator is
A circulator that changes the internal environment of the basket by circulating air;
A speaker that changes the internal environment of the basket by emitting sound;
An odor generator that changes the internal environment of the basket by generating an odor,
as well as,
It is comprised by at least 1 of the vibration exciter which changes the environment inside the said cage | basket part by vibrating an installation part, The stress relaxation of the paw animal according to any one of Claims 1-7. apparatus. The sound radiated from the speaker is
The apparatus for relieving stress in psoriasis according to claim 8, comprising a frequency band of 50 Hz to 100 Hz as a maximum sound pressure level and having a peak level of 3 chords or more and having a frequency band of 20 Hz to 3 kHz. . The odor generated from the odor generator is
The apparatus for relieving stress in a paw animal according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is sampled in advance in the personal space of the paw animal. The vibration generated by the vibration exciter is
9. The vibration of a periodic signal having a peak level of 3 chords or more with a frequency band of 50 Hz to 100 Hz as a maximum sound pressure level, and matching a period of sound in a frequency band of 20 Hz to 3 kHz. A paw animal stress relieving device. The air from the circulator is
The apparatus for relieving stress in a paw animal according to claim 8 circulated at a flow rate of 0.8 to 1 m / s or less.

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