Patent ID: 7131398

Claim:
A system for monitoring the environment in a rack having a plurality of cages for housing a plurality of laboratory animals, the rack receiving an input air flow from an external air supply unit through an input conduit, and exhausting an air flow output from an output conduit, said system comprising: a supply air system coupled to the input conduit for monitoring the input air flow to the rack in an input air flow direction, said supply air system comprising: a flow tube, through which the air flows; an air flow sensor located within said flow tube for determining the air flow rate taken at a location along the input air flow direction, and for providing an indication of said flow rate; an air flow stabilizer located within said flow tube at a location upstream from said flow sensor, for providing a substantially laminar flow of air flowing to the air flow sensor; and a microcontroller for receiving said indication of said determined air flow rate from said air flow sensor and for monitoring said air flow to the rack.