JP5624711B2 - Incubator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a culture apparatus.

  For example, there is a culture apparatus for culturing a culture such as cells and microorganisms in a culture chamber. The culture apparatus includes a fan that circulates air in the culture chamber and a duct that guides the air circulated in the culture chamber from the upper side to the lower side of the culture chamber.

  During culture, a fan circulates the air in the culture chamber to maintain a uniform concentration of gas such as carbon dioxide in the air in the culture chamber, or to maintain a uniform temperature higher than the outside air temperature in the culture chamber, for example. Or In addition, during culture, air discharged downward from the duct with a fan as a driving force, for example, by turning upward the direction of the airflow at the water surface of the humidifying tray placed on the bottom surface of the culture chamber, The humidity of the culture placed in this updraft is maintained.

By the way, after the culture of the previous culture is completed, it is necessary to clean the culture chamber before starting the culture of the next culture different from this. Specifically, hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) gas having a sterilizing effect is generated in order to sterilize the previous culture or bacteria caused by this, and the culture chamber is filled with hydrogen peroxide gas at a predetermined concentration. It may satisfy and maintain this state for a predetermined time. For this purpose, a gas generator that generates hydrogen peroxide gas is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  This gas generator has a tank in which hydrogen peroxide solution (aqueous solution in which hydrogen peroxide is dissolved) is stored and an ultrasonic vibrator that atomizes the hydrogen peroxide solution to generate gas. Hydrogen peroxide gas is generated by the vibration of the sonic transducer.

In addition, in the sterilization process disclosed in Patent Document 1, the humidifying tray used at the time of culturing was removed from the bottom surface of the culture chamber, and a gas generator filled with a hydrogen peroxide solution was placed on the bottom surface and sealed. The ultrasonic vibrator of the gas generator is operated for a predetermined time in the culture chamber.
Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-259715

  By the way, when the gas generator described above is used for sterilization in the culture chamber, hydrogen peroxide gas has a specific gravity greater than that of air. There is a tendency for gas to stagnate. Thus, when the hydrogen peroxide gas does not reach the culture chamber, the sterilization effect of the culture apparatus may be reduced.

  On the other hand, for example, when an air blowing means for releasing the hydrogen peroxide gas from the gas generator and spreading it into the culture chamber is provided inside the gas generator, such an air blowing means is corroded by the hydrogen peroxide solution. There is a problem that it is easy to break down. For this reason, there exists a possibility that stability of the bactericidal effect of a culture apparatus may fall.

The invention for solving the problems includes a culture chamber having a shelf for placing a culture, a fan for circulating air in the culture chamber in a certain direction in the culture chamber, and air circulating in the culture chamber A duct that guides the culture chamber from above to below along the wall of the culture chamber, a tank for storing the hydrogen peroxide solution, and a process for atomizing the hydrogen peroxide solution to sterilize the culture chamber. A gas generator having an ultrasonic vibrator for generating hydrogen oxide gas, an inlet for introducing air into the tank, and an outlet for releasing the hydrogen peroxide gas into the culture chamber together with the air introduced into the tank a culture device comprising bets, the inlet and upward to open the discharge port, by engaging the locking member with the locking portion, the discharge port of the gas generator the shelf side and position below the shelf Then before Symbol inlet co is positioned in the duct side, air discharged from the lower side of the flow said duct in the duct from top to bottom of the air flow of the air in the tank while being introduced into the tank The culture apparatus is characterized in that the direction changes upward and is discharged upward from the discharge port .

  According to the present invention, the stability of the sterilization effect in the culture chamber by the culture apparatus is improved.

  At least the following matters will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

=== Configuration of the culture apparatus ===
A configuration example of the culture device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the culture apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. Fig.2 (a) is a top view of an example of the gas generator 10 of this Embodiment. FIG.2 (b) is a fragmentary sectional view in AA 'of the gas generator 10 of Fig.2 (a). FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the gas generator 10 of FIG. 1 and the vicinity thereof.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the culture apparatus 1 includes a duct 43, a fan 5 a, and a gas generator 10. The culturing apparatus 1 cultivates cultures such as cells and microorganisms in the culture chamber 4 b of the inner box 4.

  The inner box 4 is a substantially rectangular box made of, for example, stainless steel, and a culture chamber 4b is formed therein. The inner box 4 is provided with an inner door 4a that can be opened and closed through a predetermined hinge (not shown). The inner door 4a is made of, for example, tempered glass and has a flat plate shape. When the opening on the front side (+ Y side) of the inner box 4 is closed via a predetermined packing (not shown), the inner box 4 is exposed to the outside. Become airtight. The culture chamber 4b illustrated in FIG. 1 is partitioned in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a plurality of shelves 42 made of, for example, stainless for placing the culture. The shelf 42 has a plurality of holes (not shown) penetrating in the vertical direction and is supported by, for example, a stainless steel shelf holder 41 provided in pairs on the inner surface of the inner box 4 on the ± X side. .

  The duct 43 is composed of, for example, a wall on the rear side (−Y side) of the inner box 4 and a wall plate 5 made of stainless steel, and forms an air passage between them. The wall plate 5 illustrated in FIG. 1 is divided into an upper upper end portion 51, a central portion 52, and a lower lower end portion 53. The upper end 51 has a shape surrounding the blade of the fan 5a at a predetermined distance and has a suction port 51a. The central portion 52 has a portion in contact with the inner surface on the rear side of the inner box 4 on the ± X side, and a portion facing the inner surface with a certain distance, in the horizontal direction (X and Y axis directions). It has a U shape. The lower end 53 is a short piece that is bent at the lower end of the flat plate portion along the vertical direction and extends in the horizontal direction + Y side, and is separated from the bottom surface of the inner box 4 by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction. Note that, for example, an ultraviolet lamp 5 b that irradiates the air passing through the duct 43 with ultraviolet rays is attached to the inner surface of the duct 43 illustrated in FIG. 1 below (−Z side) and the rear side of the inner box 4.

  The fan 5a is, for example, a sirocco fan provided with the Y axis direction as a rotation axis with respect to the inner surface of the upper side of the duct 43 (+ Z side) and the rear side of the inner box 4. When the fan 5a is rotated in a certain direction by a predetermined power source (not shown) such as a motor, the air in the culture chamber flows into the duct 43 through the suction port 51a, and flows in the duct 43 from above to below. A circulation path that returns to the culture chamber through an opening below 43 is formed.

  The inner box 4 described above is accommodated in an outer box 2 having a substantially rectangular shape made of, for example, stainless steel. The outer box 2 is a box made of, for example, metal and substantially similar to the inner box 4, and a heat insulating material (not shown) for heat insulation is provided inside thereof. For example, an air jacket 6 as an air circulation path is formed between the outer box 2 and the inner box 4 for further heat insulation. The air jacket 6 is provided with the temperature in the culture chamber 4b. A heater (not shown) for adjustment is attached.

  The outer box 2 is provided with an outer door 3 that can be opened and closed through a predetermined hinge (not shown). The outer door 3 includes a metal door body 31 provided with a heat insulating material (not shown) for heat insulation, a heater (not shown) for adjusting the temperature in the culture chamber 4b, and the like, and the door. It has packing 33 attached to convex part 31a which counters the opening of outer box 2 in main part 31. The outer door 3 further has a control panel 32 on the front side of the door body 31. The control panel 32 includes, for example, a key for setting the temperature in the culture chamber 4b, the concentration of carbon dioxide, a display for displaying these current values, and the like. It has a control part (not shown) which controls a sensor etc. for detecting this.

  Further, on the outer surface on the rear side of the outer box 2, for example, a sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature in the culture chamber 4b, a sensor (not shown) for detecting the concentration of carbon dioxide, a heater (not shown) A sensor box 7 is provided. These sensors are attached from the outside of the outer box 2 through, for example, a hole (not shown) drilled from the outer surface on the rear side of the outer box 2 to the inner surface on the rear side of the inner box 2. In addition, these sensors are electrically connected to the control unit of the control panel 32 described above via predetermined wiring (not shown). This control unit controls the operation of the heater, the fan 5a, the ultrasonic vibrator 15 of the gas generator 10, and the like. The outer surface of the rear side of the outer box 2 and the sensor box 7 are covered with a cover 21 having a heat insulating material (not shown) on the inner side.

<<< Gas generator >>>
As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the gas generator 10 according to the present embodiment includes a tank 14 in which hydrogen peroxide water is stored and a gas obtained by atomizing the hydrogen peroxide water. The ultrasonic vibrator 15 for generating (hydrogen peroxide) and an opening 121 of the tank 14 are provided. The opening 121 has an inlet 121 a for introducing air into the tank 14, and hydrogen peroxide from the tank 14. It is divided into a discharge port 121b through which air with gas is discharged into the culture chamber. 2B and 3, the suppression plate 13, the locking pin 13 a, and the ultrasonic transducer 15 are not the cross-section at AA ′ but the X-axis for convenience of the following description. It represents the side as seen in the direction.

  In the example shown in the figure, a substantially rectangular opening top plate 12 made of metal, for example, has a tank 14 with an ultrasonic transducer 15 attached downward (-Z side) and an opening 121 upward (+ Z side). For example, it is attached to the substantially rectangular opening housing 11 made of metal while being supported in the oriented posture. A wiring connector 19 for supplying power from a power source (not shown) is attached to the side surface of the open housing 11 on the + X side.

  Note that a space defined by the opening top plate 12 to which the tank 14 is attached and the opening housing 11 is airtight to the outside. In this airtight space, an ultrasonic transducer 15, a control board 16 that controls the operation of the ultrasonic transducer 15, a wiring 17 that electrically connects the ultrasonic transducer 15 and the control board 16, and a control The wiring 16 which electrically connects the board | substrate 16 and the wiring connector 19 is accommodated.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2 </ b> B, and 3, a suppression plate 13 is erected at a substantially central portion in the Y-axis direction around the opening 121 of the opening top plate 12. As a result, the opening 121 is divided into an inlet 121a and an outlet 121b. The suppression plate 13 has a function of suppressing the air discharged from the duct 43 from flowing into the discharge port 121b, and the gas generator 10 is connected to the wall plate in order to effectively flow the air into the introduction port 121a. 5 has a function of fixing to a suitable position.

Specifically, the suppression plate 13 includes, for example, a substantially rectangular horizontal portion 131, a vertical portion 132 orthogonal to the horizontal portion 131 along the X-axis direction, both ends of the vertical portion 132, and the X-axis direction. It is a metal plate member integrally having a pair of horizontal pieces 133 that are orthogonal to each other and parallel to the horizontal portion 131. The pair of horizontal pieces 133 are fixed around the opening 121 so that the vertical portion 132 is positioned at a substantially central portion of the opening 121 in the Y-axis direction. Further, the ± X side through-hole 13b of the horizontal portion 131 is provided with a pair of locking pins 13a (locking members) made of, for example, a substantially conical shape downward (−Z side). Yes.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the lower end portion 53 of the wall plate 5 has a pair of locking holes 53a (locking portions) along the X-axis direction. Note that the pair of locking holes 53a are located on both sides along the X-axis direction in the lower end portion 53 of the wall plate 5, for example. The distance between the centers of the two locking holes 53a is set equal to the distance between the centers of the two locking pins 13a illustrated in FIG. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the maximum diameter of the conical portion of the locking pin 13a is set slightly smaller than the diameter of the locking hole 53a.

  From the above configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 3, gas is generated by inserting the pair of locking pins 13 a of the suppression plate 13 into the pair of locking holes 53 a of the lower end portion 53 of the wall plate 5. When the vessel 10 is attached to the duct 43, the lower end portion 53 of the wall plate 5 and the horizontal portion 131 of the restraining plate 13 overlap each other in the Y-axis direction, and the horizontal portion approximately at the center of the lower end portion 53 in the X-axis direction. The arrangement relationship where 131 is located is taken. That is, with respect to the tank 14 of the gas generator 10, the introduction port 121a is located on the duct 43 side, and the discharge port 121b is located on the shelf 42 side. On the other hand, the gas generator 10 can be removed from the duct 43 by lifting the suppression plate 13 slightly and removing the pair of locking pins 13a from the pair of locking holes 53a.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, four legs 11 a having a substantially conical shape, for example, downward are provided at the four corners of the substantially rectangular outer surface on the lower side of the opening housing 11. Each is in point contact with the bottom surface of the culture chamber 4b.

  In the tank 14, a sensor 14a is provided for detecting the level of the hydrogen peroxide solution. The sensor 14a has, for example, a pair of metal pins, and the pair of metal pins are provided so as to protrude inward from the inner surface of the tank 14 at a predetermined interval in the Z-axis direction. For example, when the control unit measures the resistance value between the pair of metal pins and determines that the level of the hydrogen peroxide solution in the tank 14 has not reached the predetermined value based on the measurement result, The operation of the acoustic transducer 15 is prohibited. Thereby, for example, when the inside of the tank 14 is empty, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic transducer 15 from being erroneously operated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic vibrator 15 from being deteriorated or broken due to the heat that would be overheated if operated without the hydrogen peroxide solution.

  Further, when the gas generator 10 is arranged in the culture chamber 4b, the connection (for example, male connector) (not shown) of the wiring (not shown) from the wiring connector 19 of the gas generator 10 is connected to the above-described power source and the culture chamber. The wiring (not shown) in 4b is connected to, for example, a female connector (not shown) to be electrically connected. This pair of connectors has water resistance and corrosion resistance. On the other hand, when the gas generator 10 is removed from the culture chamber 4b, the connected male connector and female connector may be removed.

=== Operation of the culture device ===
An example of the operation of the culture apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the air path in the culture chamber 4b during the culture of the culture apparatus 1 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an air path in the culture chamber 4b in the sterilization operation of the culture apparatus 1 of FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, at the time of culturing, a humidifying tray 44 made of, for example, stainless steel containing humidified water is disposed on the bottom surface in the culture chamber 4 b so that a part of the tray is located directly below the duct 43. The entire humidifying tray 44 is covered with, for example, a stainless steel cover 45 having a hole 45a in the front.

  As illustrated by the white arrow in the figure, the air on the shelf 42 side above the culture chamber 4b flows into the duct 43 through the suction port 51a by the rotation of the fan 5a, and the inside of the duct 43 moves downward from above. Then, the humidified air flows forward on the surface of the humidified water and passes through the holes 45a of the cover 45 to form a rising airflow surrounding the plurality of shelves 42. Then, the air that has risen above the culture chamber 4b flows again into the duct 43 through the suction port 51a. By such air circulation, the inside of the culture chamber 4b is maintained at, for example, a substantially uniform temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration.

  As exemplified in FIG. 5, in the sterilization operation, the gas generator 10 storing the hydrogen peroxide solution in the tank 14 is placed in the culture chamber 4 b so as to take the relative position shown in FIG. Place on the bottom.

  As illustrated by the white arrow in the figure, the air on the shelf 42 side above the culture chamber 4b flows into the duct 43 through the suction port 51a by the rotation of the fan 5a, and the inside of the duct 43 moves downward from above. At least a portion thereof enters the tank 14 through the inlet 121a of the gas generator 10 and turns the direction of the air flow upward on the surface of the hydrogen peroxide solution. Along with the atomized hydrogen peroxide, it is discharged from the discharge port 121b of the gas generator 10 to form an updraft surrounding the plurality of shelves 42. Then, the air that has risen above the culture chamber 4b flows again into the duct 43 through the suction port 51a.

  According to the culture apparatus 1 described above, in the sterilization operation, the uniformity of the hydrogen peroxide gas in the culture chamber 4b can be improved by using the fan 5a and the duct 43 (see FIG. 4) used during the culture. it can. That is, since the hydrogen peroxide gas is released above the culture chamber 4b by the circulating airflow formed by the fan 5a and the duct 43 (see FIG. 5), the specific gravity is larger than that of the air and stagnates below the culture chamber 4b. The uniformity of the hydrogen peroxide gas in the culture chamber 4b is improved. This leads to an improvement in the sterilizing effect of the culture apparatus 1. In addition, since the gas generator 10 itself does not need to have an electric power means such as a fan for the purpose of homogenization, such a means is corroded by hydrogen peroxide gas or leaks due to humidity. Failure to occur can not occur. Thereby, stability of the bactericidal effect of the culture apparatus 1 is improved.

  Furthermore, according to this culture apparatus 1, since the inlet 121a and the outlet 121b of the gas generator 10 are separated by the suppression plate 13, the air discharged from the outlet 121b flows downward through the duct 43, for example. It is effectively discharged above the culture chamber 4b without being disturbed by air. Moreover, the gas generator 10 can be disposed at a suitable position with respect to the duct 43 in order to effectively introduce the air from the duct 43 into the tank 14 by the above-described engagement between the suppression plate 13 and the lower end portion 53. As described above, the uniformity of the hydrogen peroxide gas in the culture chamber 4b is further improved, so that the sterilizing effect of the culture apparatus 1 is further improved.

  In addition, according to the culture apparatus 1, the plurality of legs 11a of the gas generator 10 are in point contact with the bottom surface of the culture chamber 4b, so that almost the entire bottom surface can be exposed to hydrogen peroxide gas. . This leads to an improvement in the sterilizing effect of the culture apparatus 1.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above-described embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

  In the embodiment described above, the fan 5a is provided on the inner surface on the rear side of the inner box 4, but is not limited thereto. The fan 5a may be provided on the inner surface (see FIG. 1) on the ± X side of the inner box 4, for example, or may be provided on the top surface of the inner box 4, for example.

  In the above-described embodiment, the duct 43 is configured by the wall on the rear side of the inner box 4 and the wall plate 5, but is not limited thereto. For example, the duct 43 does not occupy the culture chamber 4b, does not interfere with the culture of the culture, and guides the air from the fan 5a downward from above the culture chamber 4b, so that it can be easily sterilized. Any configuration may be used, and any location in the culture chamber 4b may be provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the engagement between the duct 43 and the suppression plate 13 of the gas generator 10 is performed via the pair of locking holes 53a and the pair of locking pins 13a in the lower end portion 53 of the wall plate 5. Although it was a thing, it is not limited to this. The attachment / detachment means between the duct 43 and the suppression plate 13 may have any configuration as long as it has a simple shape that is easy to sterilize, for example.

It is side surface sectional drawing of an example of the culture apparatus of this Embodiment. (A) is a top view of an example of the gas generator of this Embodiment, (b) is a fragmentary sectional view in A-A 'of the gas generator of (a). It is an enlarged view of the gas generator of FIG. 1 and its vicinity. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the air path in a culture chamber at the time of culture | cultivation of the culture apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the air path in a culture chamber at the time of sterilization of the culture apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Culture apparatus 2 Outer box 3 Outer door 4 Inner box 4a Inner door 4b Culture chamber 5 Wall plate 5a Fan 5b Ultraviolet lamp 6 Air jacket 7 Sensor box 10 Gas generator 11 Open housing 11a Leg 12 Open top plate 13 Suppression plate 13a Locking pin 13b Through hole 14 Tank 14a Sensor 15 Ultrasonic vibrator 16 Control board 17, 18 Wiring 19 Wiring connector 21 Cover 31 Door body 31a Protruding portion 32 Control panel 33 Packing 41 Shelf receiving 42 Shelf 43 Duct 44 Humidifying tray 45 Cover 45a Hole 51 Upper end 51a Suction port 52 Central part 53 Lower end 53a Locking hole 121 Opening 121a Inlet 121b Discharge port 131 Horizontal part 132 Vertical part 133 Horizontal piece

Claims (2)

A culture chamber having a shelf for placing the culture;
A fan for circulating air in the culture chamber in a certain direction in the culture chamber;
A duct for guiding the air circulating in the culture chamber from above to below the culture chamber along the wall surface of the culture chamber;
A tank for storing hydrogen peroxide solution, an ultrasonic vibrator for atomizing the hydrogen peroxide solution and generating hydrogen peroxide gas for sterilizing the culture chamber, and an inlet for introducing air into the tank; A gas generator having an outlet for releasing the hydrogen peroxide gas into the culture chamber together with the air introduced into the tank;
A culture apparatus comprising:
Opening the inlet and the outlet upward;
The gas generator is provided with a locking member, and the duct is provided with a positioning locking portion that is detachably engaged with the locking member,
The engagement of the locking member that engages with the locking portion, wherein the outlet is the shelf side and front Symbol inlet co When positioned below the shelf of the gas generator is positioned in the duct side, emission direction of the air flow of the air in the tank together with air discharged from the lower side of the flow said duct in the duct from top to bottom is introduced into the tank toward the said outlet in turn upward upward A culture apparatus characterized by that . The gas generator
The culture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of legs that make point contact with the bottom surface of the culture chamber.

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