Patent Application
20240141277
The present disclosure relates to a culture apparatus.
In a culture apparatus (incubator) for incubating a culture such as a cell or a microorganism, a culture space is sterilized. An UV lamp is exemplified as a device for sterilization (see, for example, Patent Literature (hereinafter, referred to as “PTL”) 1).
Some UV lamps contain mercury. Recently, the use of mercury has been restricted. In such a situation, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a culture apparatus capable of sterilizing a culture space without using a UV lamp.
One aspect of a culture apparatus includes: a box; and a light emitting diode (LED) module detachably attached to the box and configured to emit an ultraviolet ray inside the box.
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a culture apparatus capable of sterilizing a culture space without using a UV lamp.
Hereinafter, a culture apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and do not exclude the application of various modifications and technologies not explicitly described in the following embodiments. In addition, each configuration of the embodiment can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the spirit thereof. Further, each configuration of the embodiment can be selected as necessary, or can be combined as appropriate.
In the present specification, the front, rear, left, and right sides of the culture apparatus are defined as follows. That is, the side of the culture apparatus which the user faces during usage of the culture apparatus (the side with below-described outer door 3a and inner door 3b) is referred to as “front” and the side opposite to the front is referred to as “rear.” In addition, the left and right are defined with reference to the case of viewing from the front to the rear.
Note that, in all the figures for explaining the embodiments, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals in principle, and the description thereof may be omitted.
[1. Overall Configuration]
An entire culture apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
Culture apparatus 1 illustrated in
In culture space 20, the temperature, the humidity, O2 (oxygen) concentration, and CO2 (carbon dioxide) concentration are maintained in appropriate ranges such that an appropriate atmosphere for incubating the culture is achieved.
Box 2 includes substantially box-shaped inner box 2a having culture space 20 formed therein, and substantially box-shaped outer box 2b covering the outside of inner box 2a.
Inner box 2a and outer box 2b are formed of a metallic plate. Heat insulation material 2c is disposed between inner box 2a and outer box 2b. Heat insulation material 2c is formed, for example, by combining plate-shaped heat insulation materials. A space (so-called air jacket) may be formed between inner box 2a and heat insulation material 2c.
In culture space 20, vertically extending duct 5 is disposed on the rear surface of inner box 2a. Gas passage K is formed inside duct 5. Circulation fan 5c is disposed in gas passage K. By operating circulation fan 5c, air in culture space 20 is sucked through suction port 5a formed in an upper portion of duct 5, and this air is blown out to culture space 20 through blow-out port 5b formed in a lower portion of duct 5. Thus, forced circulation of the air as indicated by arrows A1, A2, A3, and A4 takes place.
Humidification tray 6 for storing water W for humidification (hereinafter referred to as “humidification water W”) is installed between the lower portion of duct 5 and bottom wall 2a1 of inner box 2a.
Light emitting diode (LED) module 7 and gas supply apparatuses 12a and 12b for supplying culture space 20 with an adjustment gas for adjusting O2 gas concentration and CO2 gas concentration in culture space 20 (O2 gas, N2 gas, and CO2 gas) are installed within duct 5. LED module 7 sterilizes water W in below-described humidification tray 6 and the air in culture space 20 by emitting ultraviolet rays. LED module 7 will be described in detail later.
In addition, heater 8 for temperature adjustment, that is, for controlling the temperature in culture space 20, is installed on each rear surface (surface on the side of outer box 2b) of the right side wall, the left side wall, rear wall 2a2, the top wall, and bottom wall 2a1 of inner box 2a. Note that heater 8 is being energized and generating heat, in principle, during the operation of culture apparatus 1.
The output (heating force) of heater 8 is controlled by control apparatus 100.
Circulation fan 5c, gas supply apparatuses 12a and 12b, and heater 8 constitute an atmosphere adjustment apparatus. The atmosphere adjustment apparatus is an apparatus that achieves an atmosphere suitable for incubating a culture inside box 2 (culture space 20). It is needless to say that the atmosphere adjustment apparatus may be constituted by other elements in addition to circulation fan 5c, gas supply apparatus 12a and 12b, and heater 8.
In addition, culture apparatus 1 receives instructions to start and stop culture apparatus 1, operation mode settings, and inputs of various setting values for culture space 20 from manipulation apparatus 50 disposed on outer door 3a. The various setting values for culture space 20 include a set temperature, set humidity, set concentration of O2 gas, set concentration of CO2 gas, and/or the like. Control apparatus 100 controls the components such as the atmosphere adjustment apparatus and LED module 7 based on the input from manipulation apparatus 50. Manipulation apparatus 50 includes a display section that displays the state of culture apparatus 1.
The operation modes of culture apparatus 1 includes at least a normal operation mode and a dry heat sterilization mode. The normal operation mode is a mode in which the atmosphere adjustment apparatus is operated so that an atmosphere suitable for incubating the culture (for example, 37° C.) is achieved in the inside of box 2 (culture space 20). Further, the dry heat sterilization mode is a mode in which the atmosphere adjustment apparatus is operated so as to dry heat sterilize the inside of box 2 (culture space 20). When dry heat sterilization is performed, humidification tray 6 is emptied, and the inside of box 2 (culture space 20) is maintained at, for example, 180° C.
The back surface and the bottom surface of outer box 2b of box 2 are covered with cover 10. The space between the back surface of outer box 2b and cover 10 forms mechanical room M for disposing various equipment therein. Electrical box 13 is disposed in mechanical room M. Control apparatus 100 and other electrical components (not illustrated) are housed in inside 13a of electrical box 13.
Further, the tip of dew condensation member 11a is inserted into culture space 20. Dew condensation member 11a is cooled by a Peltier element (not illustrated). Accordingly, condensation water is generated on the surface of dew condensation member 11a in culture space 20. Generation of the condensation water makes it possible to reduce the humidity in culture space 20 to control the humidity within an appropriate range. Note that, the condensation water generated on the surface of dew condensation member 11a drips from the tip of dew condensation member 11a into humidification tray 6.
[2. LED Module]
Cylindrical body 71 includes distal-end-side cylindrical body 72 and proximal-end-side cylindrical body 73. Groove 73a1 extending parallel to the central axis of the proximal-end-side cylindrical body is formed in the outer peripheral surface of proximal-end-side cylindrical body 73. Further, a through-hole which is a female screw is formed in the outer peripheral surface of proximal-end-side cylindrical body 73, and rotation restriction member 75 having a male screw shape is inserted into the through-hole. Groove 73a1 and rotation restriction member 75 will be described in detail later.
Coupling 74 is a ring-shaped member surrounding cylindrical body 71 and is relatively rotatable with respect to cylindrical body 71.
The connection between coupling 74 and engaged portion 14 can be realized by various known connection means, such as a bayonet or a quick joint, instead of a screw. The bayonet is, for example, a connection means used in an interchangeable lens attachment structure of a single-lens reflex camera. That is, when the bayonet is applied to the present embodiment, engaged portion 14 includes a plate-like portion in which a plurality of holes or grooves are formed, a plurality of engaging pieces are formed on coupling 74, and coupling 74 may be connected to engaged portion 14 after the engaging pieces are inserted into the holes or grooves and coupling 74 rotates about the central axis of coupling 74 to move to the back side of the plate-like portion.
The insertion opening in box 2 into which LED module 7 is inserted is formed by resin-made sleeve 16. Sleeve 16 is disposed between inner box 2a and outer box 2b. Sleeve 16 is disposed between inner box 2a and outer box 2b, and is disposed in cylindrical heat insulation material 2f defining the opening in box 2. Guide rail 16a protruding toward the inner surface side is formed on the inner surface of sleeve 16.
The insertion opening in box 2 into which LED module 7 is inserted is naturally a space free of heat insulation material 2c. Therefore, this portion has a lower heat insulation property, and is likely to serve as a heat passage between the outside of box 2 and the inside (culture space 20) of box 2. However, by making sleeve 16 from resin, it is possible to reduce the ease of heat transfer between the inside and the outside of box 2 (specifically, between inner box 2a and outer box 2b and between the inside and the outside of outer box 2b) in the vicinity of the insertion opening into which LED module 7 is inserted.
Apparatus-side connector 2e is attached to outer box 2b. Apparatus-side connector 2e is disposed in the insertion opening into which LED module 7 is inserted, in particular in sleeve 16. Apparatus-side connector 2e is disposed at a position closer to outer box 2b than inner box 2a, specifically, at a position between the inner end face and the outer end face of outer box 2b and closer to the outer end face. In other words, apparatus-side connector 2e is disposed at a position that is not easily affected by the temperature in culture space 20.
Cylindrical body 71 constituting LED module 7 includes metallic distal-end-side cylindrical body 72, and metallic proximal-end-side cylindrical body 73 disposed on the proximal end side of distal-end-side cylindrical body 72. Proximal-end-side cylindrical body 73 includes socket joint 73a and end cap 73b, which will be described in detail below. Specifically, the through-hole into which above-described rotation restriction member 75 (see
Distal-end-side cylindrical body 72 is coaxial with socket joint 73a and includes connection portion 72a connected to socket joint 73a, LED accommodation portion 72b inclined with respect to connection portion 72a and accommodating LED 76a, and an elbow portion connecting between connection portion 72a and LED accommodation portion 72b. In the present embodiment, connection portion 72a and elbow portion 72c are formed of one piece, but connection portion 72a and elbow portion 72c may be formed of respective separate components.
LED accommodation portion 72b includes LED mounting body 72b1 and front cap 72b2. LED mounting body 72b1 includes a relatively thick solid portion, and distal-end-side board 76 to which LED 76a is attached is disposed on a distal end side of the solid portion. Thermally conductive sheet 76b is disposed between LED mounting body 72b1 and distal-end-side board 76. Therefore, the heat generated by LED 76a is efficiently transmitted to the relatively thick solid portion via thermally conductive sheet 76b. The relatively thick solid portion serves as a kind of heat sink.
A male screw portion is formed on a distal end side of LED mounting body 72b1, and a female screw portion is formed on an inner surface side of front cap 72b2. By connecting these screw portions to each other, LED mounting body 72b1 and front cap 72b2 are connected to each other. At this time, window 72b3 and O-ring R is sandwiched between the distal end of LED mounting body 72b1 and the distal-end-side inner surface of front cap 72b2, and O-ring R is sandwiched between the proximal-end-side inner surface of front cap 72b2 and LED mounting body 72b1.
A male screw portion is formed on the proximal-end-side outer peripheral surface of LED mounting body 72b1, and a female screw portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of elbow portion 72c. By connecting these screw portions to each other, elbow portion 72c is connected to LED mounting body 72b1 and thus to LED accommodation portion 72b.
A male screw portion is formed on an outer peripheral surface of connection portion 72a integrally formed with elbow portion 72c, and a female screw portion is formed on a distal-end-side inner peripheral surface of socket joint 73a. By connecting the male screw portion and the female screw portion to each other, distal-end-side cylindrical body 72 and socket joint 73a are connected to each other. At this time, O-ring R is sandwiched between the distal-end-side inner peripheral surface of socket joint 73a and the outer peripheral surface of connection portion 72a.
Rotation restriction member 75 is inserted into socket joint 73a. In addition, a flat surface portion is formed on a part of the outer peripheral surface of connection portion 72a. When the inner side of a tip end of rotation restriction member 75 makes contact with the flat surface portion, distal-end-side cylindrical body 72 and socket joint 73a are prevented from relatively rotating with respect to each other. That is, the attitude of distal-end-side cylindrical body 72 with respect to proximal-end-side cylindrical body 73 (circumferential angle, and thus, the direction in which LED accommodation portion 72b faces) can be set to a particular attitude (the direction in which LED accommodation portion 72b faces humidification tray 6). When the frictional force acting between rotation restriction member 75 and connection portion 72a can be sufficiently increased, the flat surface portion is not formed on the outer peripheral surface of connection portion 72a, and the entire outer peripheral surface of connection portion 72a may be a cylindrical surface.
Further, rotation restriction member 75 is in close contact with socket joint 73a and connection portion 72a. Therefore, although LED 76a generates heat as described later, rotation restriction member 75 can transmit the heat transmitted from LED 76a to distal-end-side cylindrical body 72 to proximal-end-side cylindrical body 73. That is, by attaching rotation restriction member 75, it is possible to increase a path through which the heat generated by LED 76a is released, and to dissipate the heat more efficiently.
A male screw portion is formed on a proximal end side of socket joint 73a, and a female screw portion is formed on an inner surface side of end cap 73b. By connecting these screw portions to each other, socket joint 73a and end cap 73b are connected to each other. At this time, proximal-end-side board 77 and seal 78 are sandwiched between a proximal-end-side step portion of socket joint 73a and a step portion of end cap 73b, and O-ring R is sandwiched between the distal-end-side inner surface of end cap 73b and socket joint 73a.
Module-side connector 77d is attached to the proximal-end-side surface of proximal-end-side board 77, that is, a surface facing the outer side of cylindrical body 71. When LED module 7 is inserted into sleeve 16 in a state where guide rail 16a formed on the inner surface of sleeve 16 is positioned in groove 73a1 formed in the outer surface of socket joint 73a, the position and orientation of module-side connector 77d are set so that module-side connector 77d is fitted to apparatus-side connector 2e.
Various components electrically connected to module-side connector 77d are attached to the distal-end-side surface of proximal-end-side board 77, that is, to the surface facing the inside of cylindrical body 71. One of the components is cable C that connects proximal-end-side board 77 to distal-end-side board 76 and supplies power to LED 76a. Heater 77a may be attached to proximal-end-side board 77. In addition, metallic foil pattern 77b may be formed on the surface of proximal-end-side board 77. Further, information holding apparatus 77c may be attached to proximal-end-side board 77. Information holding apparatus 77c may be any apparatus capable of holding and outputting predetermined information, and is, for example, a semiconductor memory or a DIP switch.
Coupling 74 includes a flange-shaped portion and a cylindrical portion connected to an outer peripheral end portion of the flange-shaped portion. The flange-shaped portion is located between proximal-end-side end face 72c1 of elbow portion 72c and flange portion 73a2 formed on the distal end side of socket joint 73a. Further, a female screw portion is formed on an inner surface of the cylindrical portion. The female screw portion is connected to a male screw portion formed so as to protrude toward the distal end side of engaged portion 14.
When the female screw portion of coupling 74 is not connected to the male screw portion of engaged portion 14, there is a gap between, on one hand, the flange-shaped portion of coupling 74 and, on the other hand, elbow portion 72c and flange portion 73a2. Thus, coupling 74 can freely rotate with respect to cylindrical body 71.
When coupling 74 is rotated after cylindrical body 71 is inserted into sleeve 16, the female screw portion of coupling 74 and the male screw portion of engaged portion 14 can be connected to each other. At this time, O-ring R is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of socket joint 73a and the inner peripheral surface of engaged portion 14. At this time, flange portion 73a2 makes contact with coupling 74 and engaged portion 14, and is relatively strongly sandwiched between coupling 74 and engaged portion 14. That is, cylindrical body 71 is in close contact with coupling 74 and engaged portion 14. Therefore, as will be described later, the heat transmitted to cylindrical body 71 is rapidly transmitted to inner box 2a via engaged portion 14.
When the female screw portion of coupling 74 and the male screw portion of engaged portion 14 are connected to each other, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of engaged portion 14 and the outer peripheral surface of socket joint 73a are close to each other. Further, the distal end surface of socket joint 73a and the proximal-end-side end face 72c1 of elbow portion 72c are close to each other. Therefore, as will be described later, the heat generated by LED 76a is rapidly transmitted to inner box 2a via cylindrical body 71 and engaged portion 14.
When such an LED module 7 is attached to box 2, control apparatus 100 acquires predetermined information from information holding apparatus 77c via apparatus-side connector 2e and module-side connector 77d. Examples of the predetermined information include information indicating that an apparatus attached to box 2 is LED module 7, a model identification number, an individual identification number, and the like of LED module 7. By acquiring the predetermined information, control apparatus 100 can recognize that LED module 7 is attached. Thus, control apparatus 100 can cause the culture apparatus to incubate the culture while sterilizing the culture by emitting ultraviolet rays from LED 76a into culture space 20, that is, to operate in the normal operation mode.
LED 76a generates heat simultaneously with emission of ultraviolet rays. Since LED 76a is relatively vulnerable to heat, the heat emitted from LED 76a must be rapidly dissipated to prevent LED 76a from becoming hot.
LED module 7 according to the present disclosure includes metallic cylindrical body 71 as described above. Therefore, the heat generated by LED 76a is easily transmitted to cylindrical body 71. Further, cylindrical body 71 is in contact with metallic engaged portion 14, and engaged portion 14 is in contact with metallic inner box 2a. Therefore, cylindrical body 71 and coupling 74 dissipate the heat generated by LED 76a to engaged portion 14. The heat transferred to engaged portion 14 is rapidly transferred to the metallic inner box. That is, the heat transferred from LED 76a to cylindrical body 71 is transferred to inner box 2a via engaged portion 14. Therefore, the heat generated by LED 76a can be efficiently dissipated through a heat transfer route formed by the metallic members, and a temperature rise in LED 76a can thus be prevented. Further, since resin-made sleeve 16 that is unlikely to transmit heat is disposed between inner box 2a and outer box 2b, it is possible to prevent the heat generated by LED 76a from being transmitted to apparatus-side connector 2e.
Due to formation of the heat transfer route as described above, it is possible to prevent LED 76a from failing or deteriorating due to the heat generated by itself under the temperature environment (for example, 37° C.) in culture space 20 during operation in the normal operation mode. However, exposure to the temperature (e.g., 180° C.) in culture space 20 during when the dry heat sterilization mode is performed may cause failure or deterioration. Therefore, when culture apparatus 1 is operated in the dry heat sterilization mode, it is preferable that LED module 7 be removed from box 2.
In this case, it is preferable that dummy module 9 illustrated in
Dummy board 93 may be fixed to the proximal end side of dummy module 9. Dummy connector 93b may be attached to the proximal end side surface of dummy board 93, and information holding apparatus 93a electrically connected to dummy connector 93b may be attached to the front end side surface of dummy board 93. When dummy module 9 includes dummy board 93, dummy connector 93b, and information holding apparatus 93a, dummy connector 93b is connected to apparatus-side connector 2e and, accordingly, control apparatus 100 acquires predetermined information from information holding apparatus 93a via apparatus-side connector 2e and dummy connector 93b. The predetermined information is, for example, information indicating that the apparatus attached to box 2 is dummy module 9. By acquiring the predetermined information, control apparatus 100 can recognize that dummy module 9 is attached. When attachment of dummy module 9 is used as the condition for the operation in the dry heat sterilization mode, control apparatus 100 can cause the culture apparatus to operate in the dry heat sterilization mode while dummy module 9 is protecting apparatus-side connector 2e from heat.
That is, by attaching dummy module 9 to box 2, it is possible to prevent apparatus-side connector 2e from being directly exposed to high-temperature culture space 20 in the dry heat sterilization mode, and it is possible to prevent failure of apparatus-side connector 2e.
Further, apparatus-side connector 2e is disposed at a position closer to outer box 2b than to inner box 2a. Therefore, apparatus-side connector 2e is less likely to be affected by the temperature in culture space 20, in particular, the high temperature during when dry heat sterilization is performed. Moreover, the space in which dummy main body 91 is inserted can be enlarged, in other words, the volume of dummy main body 91 inserted into the insertion opening can be increased. Therefore, the heat insulation performance of dummy module 9, that is, the effect of protecting apparatus-side connector 2e from heat can be increased.
When manipulation apparatus 50 is manipulated, control apparatus 100 receives an operation instruction (S1). Upon receiving the operation instruction, control apparatus 100 confirms the content of the instruction (S2). When the content of the instruction is an instruction for the culture operation (“Culture” in S2), control apparatus 100 checks whether or not LED module 7 is attached to box 2 (S3). When LED module 7 is attached (YES in S3), control apparatus 100 operates culture apparatus 1 in the normal operation mode by operating the atmosphere adjustment apparatus (circulation fan 5c, gas supply apparatuses 12a and 12b, heater 8, and the like) (S4).
When LED module 7 is not attached (NO in S3), control apparatus 100 performs an indication prompting attachment of LED module 7 on the display section of manipulation apparatus 50 (S5). Therefore, it is possible to prevent an operation of incubating the culture from being performed in a state in which LED module 7 is not attached, that is, in a state in which sterilization by ultraviolet radiation cannot be performed.
When the received operation instruction is an instruction for the dry-heat operation (“Dry-heat” in S2), control apparatus 100 checks whether or not dummy module 9 is attached to box 2 (S6). When dummy module 9 is attached (YES in S6), control apparatus 100 causes culture apparatus 1 to operate in the dry-heat operation mode by operating the atmosphere adjustment apparatus (S7).
When dummy module 9 is not attached (NO in S6), control apparatus 100 performs an indication prompting attachment of dummy module 9 on the display section of manipulation apparatus 50 (S8). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the dry-heat operation from being performed in a state in which dummy module 9 is not attached, that is, in a state in which there is nothing to block between apparatus-side connector 2e and culture space 20.
LED module 7 according to the present disclosure includes metallic cylindrical body 71, and thus easily transmits heat. In addition, the insertion opening in box 2 into which LED module 7 is inserted is less thermally insulated. Therefore, when the outside air temperature is low, the temperature at the distal end side of LED module 7 may decrease, and thus the temperature in culture space 20 may be lowered. In order to prevent such a temperature drop, LED module 7 according to the present embodiment may include heater 77a on the surface of proximal-end-side board 77. When control apparatus 100 operates heater 77a, it is possible to prevent the temperature in culture space 20 from decreasing when the temperature around culture apparatus 1, that is, the outside air temperature, is low. In addition, LED module 7 according to the present embodiment may include metallic foil pattern 77b on the surface of proximal-end-side board 77. By providing metallic foil pattern 77b, heat generated by heater 77a can be efficiently transmitted to cylindrical body 71. Further, metallic foil pattern 77b may be in contact with cylindrical body 71, specifically, with proximal-end-side cylindrical body 73, more specifically, with the inner peripheral surface of socket joint 73a. Such contact allows heat to be transmitted more efficiently. Heater 77a may be attached to a location other than the surface of proximal-end-side board 77, for example, to the inner surface of socket joint 73a.
Further, culture apparatus 1 according to the present disclosure includes resin-made sleeve 16 disposed between inner box 2a and outer box 2b. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the heat transfer between the inside and outside the box, that is, to suppress the extent of decrease in the temperature in culture space 20 in the case where the outside air temperature is low.
As mentioned above, LED 76a generates heat. Therefore, when LED 76a is off, the temperature in culture space 20 decreases. Therefore, by operating heater 77a when LED 76a is off, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the temperature in culture space 20. Also, in this instance, the electric power supplied to heater 77a may be controlled such that the amount of heat given by LED 76a to inner box 2a during operation of LED 76a is substantially equal to the amount of heat given by heater 77a to inner box 2a during operation of heater 77a. By controlling the electric power in this way, it is possible to prevent a change in the temperature in culture space 20 due to the operation of LED 76a and heater 77a.
As described above, when the outside air temperature is low, the temperature at the distal end side of LED module 7 may decrease, and thus the temperature in culture space 20 may be lowered. By taking advantage of this property, when the outside air temperature is lower than the dew point of the inside of box 2, that is, culture space 20, dew condensation water may be generated on the distal-end-side surface of LED module 7. That is, LED module 7 may function as a member for adjusting the humidity in culture space 20 instead of dew condensation member 11a. In this case, the positions of LED module 7 and humidification tray 6 are set such that the dew condensation water generated on the distal-end-side surface of LED module 7 falls into humidification tray 6.
The present disclosure is suitably utilized as a culture apparatus.
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-117006, filed on Jul. 15, 2021, including the specification, claims, drawings and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-117006 | Jul 2021 | JP | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2022/021416 | May 2022 | US |
| Child | 18408995 | US |
