JP6753680B2 - Incubator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a culture apparatus.

In a culture apparatus for culturing cultures such as cells and microorganisms, it is known that heaters for heating the culture chamber are provided on the heat insulating box body and the heat insulating door so as to surround the culture room. It is known that the culture apparatus is configured to maintain the culture chamber at a predetermined temperature (for example, 37 degrees) and maintain the culture chamber at a predetermined humidity corresponding to the predetermined temperature by controlling the heater. (For example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-227942

By the way, in the culture apparatus, it is necessary to sterilize the culture chamber regularly or irregularly in order to maintain the cleanliness of the culture chamber. When the culture chamber is dry-heat sterilized with the above-mentioned heater, it is necessary to control the heater so as to have a high temperature of, for example, 160 ° C. or higher.

In addition, it is desirable that the temperature in the culture chamber is uniform regardless of the location. For that purpose, it is preferable to finely control the heater according to the installation location (installation surface, etc.). Then, the number of heater wires increases.

As the number of heater wires increases, it becomes appropriate to bundle the heater wires, insert them into one insertion hole, and connect them to a control device outside the culture chamber for convenience of handling. At this time, a gap is formed between the insertion hole and the bundle of heater wires inserted through the insertion hole, and outside air flows in through the gap. In addition, outside air also flows in from the gaps between the heater wires forming the bundle. When the outside air flows in in this way, the temperature uniformity in the culture chamber is disturbed. Since the culture chamber is humid during the culture operation, dew condensation may occur due to the inflow of gas lower than the temperature of the culture chamber, which may affect the culture.

One invention for solving the above-mentioned problems has an inner box surrounding the culture chamber for accommodating the culture and an outer box surrounding the inner box, and an opening facing the culture chamber is formed on the front surface thereof. A heat-insulating housing, a door having an inner wall and an outer wall and covering the front surface of the heat-insulating housing, a first heater wire provided on the outer surface of the inner box or the inner wall of the door, and an outer surface of the outer box. The outer box is provided with a control board connected to the first heater wire and a back cover covering the back surface of the outer box so that the first heater wire is connected to the control board. an insertion hole for inserting the first heater wire, have a, a cover for covering said insertion hole provided on the inside of the rear cover, the cover, the first in the interior of the cover is inserted into the insertion hole 1 The culture apparatus is characterized by having a connector connected to a heater wire and connected to the control board outside the cover .

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent outside air from flowing into the culture chamber through the insertion hole through which the heater wire is inserted.

It is external perspective view of the culture apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is external perspective view of the culture apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the culture apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the schematic for demonstrating the inner box of the culture apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the schematic for demonstrating the heater which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a partially enlarged perspective view of the back side of the culture apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.

The description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings will clarify at least the following matters.

The culture apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the culture device 1 is installed so that the opening 7 of the heat insulating box 2 is on the front side, the width direction of the culture device 1 is set to the X-axis direction, and the culture device 1 The depth direction of is the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction is the Z-axis direction.

The culture device 1 is a device for culturing a culture such as cells and microorganisms. For example, in the case of a CO2 incubator, the culture device 1 is configured to supply CO2 gas into the culture chamber 6 in order to set and maintain CO2 at a predetermined concentration. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the culture apparatus 1 can open and close the substantially box-shaped heat insulating box 2 in which the culture chamber 6 is formed inside and the opening 7 is formed in the front surface, and the opening 7 of the heat insulating box 2. It is configured to have a heat insulating door 3 that closes to the door 3.

(Insulation box)
The heat insulating box 2 includes a substantially box-shaped inner box 20 that forms the culture chamber 6 inside, and a substantially box-shaped outer box 10 that is formed so as to cover the inner box 20. The outer box 10 and the inner box 20 are boxes having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The inner box 20 is formed smaller than the outer box 10 so as to be housed inside the outer box 10. An opening 7 for communicating with the culture chamber 6 is formed on the front surface of the outer box 10 and the inner box 20. The outer box 10 and the inner box 20 are made of a metal such as stainless steel, which has resistance to hydrogen peroxide, ozone, ultraviolet rays, etc., and also has heat resistance and antibacterial properties.

As shown in FIG. 3, a heat insulating material 11 is arranged on the inner surface of the outer box 10, and an air layer (so-called air jacket) 12 is formed between the heat insulating material 11 and the outer surface of the inner box 20. Further, an insertion hole 16 for inserting the heater wire 28 is provided on the wall surface on the back side of the outer box 10, and this point will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, a heater wire 28 for heating the culture chamber 6 is arranged on the outer surface of the inner box 20. The heater wire 28 may be provided on the right side plate 22, the left side plate 23, the back plate 24, the bottom plate 25, and the top plate 26 of the inner box 20, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inner box 20 has a right side plate 22, a left side plate 23, a back plate 24, a bottom plate 25, and a top plate 26. A plurality of shelf supports 27 are formed on the right side plate 22 and the left side plate 23 by press working, respectively. A shelf board 4 is placed on the shelf support 27. The pair of shelf supports 27 provided on the right side plate 22 and the left side plate 23 support the shelf plate 4 substantially horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 3, the culture chamber 6 formed in the inner box 20 is provided with ducts 30 that form gas passages K for air containing CO2 and the like along the back surface and the bottom surface thereof, respectively. The culture device 1 sucks gas containing CO2 and the like in the culture chamber 6 from the suction port 35 formed in the upper part of the duct 30, and blows air into the culture chamber 6 from the air outlet 36 provided in the lower part of the duct 30. In this way, forced circulation of air is performed. A circulation blower 31 is arranged in the duct 30 for forced circulation of the gas containing CO2 and the like.

Further, a humidifying dish 5 for storing humidifying water (that is, humidifying water) 5A is arranged between the lower part of the duct 30 and the bottom plate 25 of the inner box 20. The humidifying dish 5 is heated by the heater wire 28 provided on the bottom plate 25 of the inner box 20 to evaporate the water 5A.

In the culture apparatus 1, an ultraviolet lamp 34 is arranged in the gas passage K in order to sterilize the gas flowing in the culture chamber 6 and the humidified water 5A in the humidifying dish 5.

The culture device 1 is instructed to start and stop the culture device 1 from the operation device 42 provided on the outer door 40, the target temperature (for example, 37 ° C.), and the target humidity (for example, 93% RH) of the culture chamber 6. Accepts instructions such as the target concentration of CO2 gas (for example, 5%). Then, the control device 62 controls the temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration of the culture chamber 6 so as to reach the above target values.

As shown in FIG. 3, the back surface of the outer box 10 of the heat insulating box 2 is covered with a back cover 14, and the space between the back surface of the outer box 10 and the back cover 14 arranges various devices. A machine room 60 for the purpose is formed. In the machine room 60, a drive unit of a circulation blower 31, a gas supply means 32 for supplying CO2 gas to the culture chamber 6, and an internal temperature sensor 33 for measuring the temperature (internal temperature) of the culture chamber 6 are provided. An electrical box 61 for accommodating electrical components such as the control device 62 is provided.

(Insulated door)
As shown in FIG. 2, the heat insulating door 3 includes an outer door 40 and an inner door 50. The outer door 40 and the inner door 50 are doors that open and close the opening 7.

The outer door 40 is a box body made of a metal material such as stainless steel and having a substantially rectangular shape having a larger outer shape than the inner door 50. As shown in FIG. 3, a heat insulating material 11 is provided inside the outer door 40.

As shown in FIG. 5, the outer door 40 has a door panel 45 on which the heater wire 28 is arranged on a part of the surface (inner wall) on the opening 7 side. Further, a packing 41 for ensuring the airtightness of the culture chamber 6 is provided on the surface of the outer door 40 facing the opening 7. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation device 42 for operating the culture device 1 is provided on the outer wall of the outer door 40.

The inner door 50 is made of a transparent resin, glass, or other material that has resistance to hydrogen peroxide, ozone, ultraviolet rays, etc., and has heat resistance and antibacterial properties. As shown in FIG. 2, a packing 13 for ensuring the airtightness of the culture chamber 6 is provided on the peripheral edge of the opening 7 on the front surface of the heat insulating box 2 so as to face the inner door 50. There is.

(Heater wire, insertion hole, and cover)
As described above, in the present embodiment, the heater wire 28 is provided on each surface forming the inner box 20 and the outer door 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of heater wires 28 are connected to the control device 62 in the machine room 60 via the insertion holes 16 formed on the back side of the outer box 10.

The insertion hole 16 is covered with a heat insulating cover 15 provided in the machine room 60. A heater connector 29A is provided on the cover 15, one terminal of the heater connector 29A is connected to a heater wire 28 arranged in the inner box 20, and the other terminal of the heater connector 29A is a heater cable 29. It is connected to the control device 62 via. In this way, the control device 62 and the heater wire 28 are electrically connected.

Then, the control device 62 controls the energization of the heater wire 28 so that the temperature and humidity of the culture chamber 6 become target values based on the temperature inside the chamber measured by the temperature sensor 33 inside the chamber.

More specifically, the heater 28 includes a culture heater 28A (first heater wire) and a sterilization heater 28B (second heater wire). The culture heater 28A is energized when the culture apparatus 1 is operated in the "culture mode" described later and in the "sterilization mode". Further, the sterilization heater 28B is energized when the culture device 1 is operated in the "sterilization mode".

Here, the culture mode is a control mode in which the temperature in the culture chamber 6 is controlled so as to be maintained at a temperature suitable for culturing the culture (first temperature). The first temperature is a temperature in the range of about room temperature to about 50 ° C., for example, 37 ° C. The control device 62 controls the heater wire 28 so that the temperature in the culture chamber 6 is maintained at the first temperature during the culture mode.

On the other hand, the sterilization mode is a control mode in which the temperature in the culture chamber 6 is controlled so as to be maintained at a temperature suitable for sterilization (second temperature) in the culture chamber 6. The second temperature is approximately 100 ° C. or higher, for example 180 ° C. The control device 62 controls the heater wire 28 so that the temperature in the culture chamber 6 is maintained at the second temperature during the sterilization mode.

In the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the culture heater 28A is provided on the right side plate 22, the left side plate 23, the back plate 24, the bottom surface 25, the top plate 26, and the outer door 40 of the inner box 20. Further, the sterilization heater 28B is provided on the back plate 24, the bottom surface 25, the top plate 26, and the outer door 40 of the inner box 20. The sterilization heater 28B may be arranged on the right side plate 22 and the left side plate 23 of the inner box 20.

In order to finely control the heater wires 28 provided on each surface of the inner box 20 and the outer door 40 according to the temperature distribution in the culture chamber 6, a part of the heater wires 28 is independently controlled. It is necessary to. Therefore, in the present embodiment, at least four (for example, 18) heater wires 28 corresponding to the culture heater 28A and the sterilization heater 28B are provided.

When the number of heater wires 28 increases in this way, it is more convenient to connect them to the control device 62 collectively than to connect them individually to the control device 62. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the inner box 20 is provided with an insertion hole 16 for inserting the heater wire 28.

At the same time, as described above, the heat insulating cover 15 that covers the insertion hole 16 from the outside of the outer box 10 so that the outside air does not flow into the culture chamber 6 through the gap between the insertion hole 16 and the heater wire 28. Is provided (see FIG. 3). The heat insulating property of the cover 15 is ensured by covering the cover 15 with the heat insulating material 15A, as shown in FIG. Since the cover 15 has heat insulating properties, for example, cold air outside the cover 15 is less likely to be transmitted to the inside of the cover 15, so that a temperature difference occurs between the temperature inside the culture chamber 6 and the temperature inside the cover 15. It becomes difficult. As a result, the temperature uniformity in the culture chamber 6 can be ensured, and the occurrence of dew condensation in the vicinity of the insertion hole 16 in the culture chamber 6 can be suppressed.

The cover 15 has a heater connector 29A, as shown in FIG. The heater connector 29A is connected to the heater wires 28 (28A, 28B) inserted into the insertion holes 16 inside the cover 15, and is connected to the control device 62 via the heater cable 29 outside the cover 15. The cover.

The heater wire 28 (28A, 28B) and the heater connector 29A may be relayed inside the cover 15 via the harness 29B. By using the harness 29B, a plurality of heater wires 28 can be easily connected to the heater connector 29A.

(Effect of this embodiment)
As described above, in the present embodiment, since the insertion hole 16 is covered with the cover 15, it is possible to prevent the inflow of outside air from the insertion hole 16 into the inside of the culture chamber 6. Therefore, the temperature and humidity in the culture chamber 6 can be kept uniform, and dew condensation can be prevented in the vicinity of the insertion hole 16 of the culture chamber 6.

Further, by connecting the heater wire 28 to the control device 62 via the heater connector 29A, the air flow between the inside and the outside of the cover 15 is blocked, and the uniformity of the gas in the culture chamber 6 is improved. Secured. Further, since the inside and the outside of the cover 15 are insulated by the heat insulating material 15A, for example, it is suppressed that the gas inside the cover 15 is cooled by the cold air outside.

Further, by using the harness 29B, it becomes possible to easily connect a plurality of heater wires 28 to the heater connector 29A, and workability is improved.

As described above, the culture apparatus 1 has an inner box 20 surrounding the culture chamber 6 for accommodating the culture and an outer box 10 surrounding the inner box 20, and an opening 7 facing the culture chamber 6 is formed on the front surface thereof. A heat insulating box 2 having an inner wall and an outer wall and covering the front surface of the heat insulating box 2 and a third provided on the outer surface of the inner box 20 or the inner wall of the heat insulating door 3 (outer door 40). It includes one heater wire 28 (28A) and a control device 62 provided on the outer surface of the outer box 10 and connected to the first heater wire 28 (28A). Then, the outer box 10 has an insertion hole 16 through which the first heater wire 28 (28A) is inserted so that the first heater wire 28 (28A) is connected to the control device 62, and a cover 15 that covers the insertion hole 16. Have. According to such an embodiment, the insertion hole 16 is covered with the cover 15, and it is possible to prevent the inflow of outside air from the insertion hole 16 into the inside of the culture chamber 6. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring in the vicinity of the insertion hole 16 of the culture chamber 6.

Further, the culture device 1 is provided on the outer surface of the inner box 20 or the inner wall of the heat insulating door 3 (outer door 40), and further includes a second heater wire 28B which is inserted into the insertion hole 16 and connected to the control device 62. Be prepared. The first heater wire 28A sets the temperature in the culture chamber 6 to the first temperature for culturing the culture and the temperature in the culture chamber 6 to the second temperature for sterilizing the culture chamber. The second heater wire 28B may be energized when the temperature in the culture chamber 6 is set to the second temperature. According to such an embodiment, even if the diameter of the insertion hole 16 is increased due to the insertion of the plurality of heater wires 28A and 28B, the inflow of outside air from the insertion hole 16 into the inside of the culture chamber 6 is surely prevented. Can be done.

Further, the cover 15 has a heater connector 29 which is connected to the first heater wire 28A and the second heater wire 28B inserted into the insertion hole 16 inside the cover 15 and is connected to the control device 62 outside the cover 15. You may. According to such an embodiment, the first and second heater wires 28A and 28B are connected to the control device 62 via the heater connector 29A. Therefore, the flow of air between the inside and the outside of the cover 15 is blocked, and the uniformity of the gas in the culture chamber 6 is ensured.

Further, the first heater wire 28A, the second heater wire 28B, and the heater connector 29A may be relayed inside the cover 15 via the harness 29B. According to this embodiment, a plurality of heater wires 28 (28A, 28B) can be easily connected to the heater connector 29A.

Further, the cover 15 may be covered with the heat insulating material 15A. According to such an embodiment, since the inside and the outside of the cover 15 are insulated, for example, the gas inside the cover 15 is suppressed from being cooled by the outside cold air. Therefore, the uniformity of the temperature in the culture chamber 6 can be ensured, and it is possible to surely prevent dew condensation in the vicinity of the insertion hole 16 in the culture chamber 6.

The above-described embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not for limiting the interpretation of the present invention. The present invention can be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention also includes an equivalent thereof.

1 Culture device 2 Insulation box 3 Insulation door 6 Culture room 7 Opening 10 Outer box 15 Cover 16 Insertion hole 20 Inner box 28 Heater wire 28A Culture heater 28B Sterilization heater 29 Heater cable 29A Heater connector 29B Harness 40 Outer door 50 Inner door 62 Control apparatus

Claims (5)

A heat insulating housing having an inner box surrounding the culture chamber for accommodating the culture and an outer box surrounding the inner box, and having an opening facing the culture chamber on the front surface.
A door having an inner wall and an outer wall and covering the front surface of the heat insulating housing,
A first heater wire provided on the outer surface of the inner box or the inner wall of the door, and
A control board provided on the outer surface of the outer box and connected to the first heater wire,
A back cover that covers the back of the outer box is provided.
The outer box has an insertion hole through which the first heater wire is inserted so that the first heater wire is connected to the control board, and a cover provided inside the back cover to cover the insertion hole. Yes, and
A culture apparatus characterized in that the cover has a connector connected to the first heater wire inserted into the insertion hole inside the cover and connected to the control board outside the cover . The culture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connector is one. A second heater wire, which is provided on the outer surface of the inner box or the inner wall of the door, is inserted into the insertion hole and is connected to the control board, is further provided.
The connector is connected to the first heater wire and the second heater wire inserted into the insertion hole inside the cover.
The first heater wire is set when the temperature in the culture chamber is set to the first temperature for culturing the culture, and the temperature in the culture chamber is set to the second temperature for sterilizing the culture chamber. Energized when
The culture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second heater wire is energized when the temperature in the culture chamber is set to the second temperature. The culture apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first heater wire, the second heater wire, and the connector are relayed inside the cover via a harness. The culture apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cover is covered with a heat insulating material.