Patent Grant
9381385
The invention concerns a protective suit for use for an operator in a cooling chamber (cold room), in particular in a cooling system for cryopreservation of biological samples. The invention also concerns a glove for use with the protective suit or in a cooling system for cryopreservation of biological samples. Applications of the invention are given in operation of cooling systems for a long-term storage of samples in the cooled state, in particular for cryopreservation of biological samples.
It is known to store biological samples for the purpose of preservation in the frozen state in a cooling system, e.g. in a cryobank (cryopreservation). Cryobanks are typically operated at temperatures below −80° C., in particular at a temperature below the recrystallization temperature of water ice (−138° C.). They contain a cooling agent reservoir with liquid nitrogen (temperature: about −195° C.) and a plurality of individual tanks (so-called cryotanks, mostly Dewar flasks made of double-walled steel). The cryotanks stand in rooms at normal temperature (room temperature) in which operators may stay without particular protective measures. Conventional cryobanks with individual cryotanks have disadvantages when large sample quantities, such as ten thousand up to a million or more samples are to be cryopreserved. Limitations occur as to the effectiveness of the cryotank operation, for the provision of constant cooling conditions and for the automation when operating the cryobank, in particular the sample handling. To overcome these limitations, there is the interest to replace the conventional cryotanks with larger storage units.
An extended cooling system, which is suitable for the cryopreservation of biological samples is described by the inventors of the present invention in a further patent application (not yet published at the priority date of the present invention). The cooling system comprises a cooling chamber and a cooling device, which are provided for cooling of the cooling chamber with liquid nitrogen. Although the cooling system runs fully automatically or semi-automatically in the normal operation mode, i.e. nobody is required to inspect it, operators must be able to inspect it in the cases of maintenance and damage. Without protective measures, humans can, however, not enter rooms with temperatures below −70° C., since frostbites of the skin, the eyes and the lung would be unavoidable and would lead to life-threatening conditions even after a short period of time. For example, it is known that, at the cold poles of the Earth, at temperatures below −60° C., physical activities of the human being with strong inhalation lead to frostbites at the pulmonary alveoli.
Protective measures for human beings in a life-hostile environment are generally known, such as space suits for use in the universe or diving suits. Space suits are, however, not suitable for cooling systems. Space suits require cooling of the astronaut, since overheating of the suit is probable in the free space due to the missing convection. U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,178 A describes a diving suit, which is equipped with a heater. This diving suit is, however, due to its poor thermal insulation capacity and a missing low-temperature resistance of the materials used, not suitable for use in a cooling system.
DE 20 2004 008 966 U1, U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,653 A and US 2006/0144557 A1 describe electric heatable garments, e.g. in the form of an overall, the application of which, however, is restricted to keeping warm the wearer during outdoor activities, such as when hunting, camping or staying in polar regions. These garments are not suitable for protection at temperatures below the low temperatures that occur in nature (approximately −50° C.).
The objective of the invention is to provide an improved protection of an operator in a cooling system for cryopreservation of biological samples, wherein disadvantages and limitations of conventional protective measures are overcome.
This objective is achieved by a protective suit having the features of the invention.
According to the invention, the above-mentioned objective is achieved by the general technical teaching to provide a protective suit, in particular for an operator in a cooling chamber with a temperature below −100° C., in particular below −150° C., e.g. −190° C. or less, which comprises a body suit for accommodating the operator and a heating device for heating the body suit. The protective suit is adapted for use in a cooling chamber, which is in particular cooled with liquid nitrogen or vapor of the liquid nitrogen. According to the invention, the body suit is made of a thermally insulating sheath material (envelope material). The sheath material forms a gas-tight sheath for the operator. The heating device is connected with the body suit and adapted to the thermal conductivity of the sheath material in such a manner that a physiologically acceptable temperature (temperature above −30° C., in particular above −10° C., e.g. 0° C. or more) is provided inside the body suit. The heating device or parts thereof are connected to the sheath material of the body suit in such a manner that it can directly be tempered by the heating device. The inventors have found that with the combination of a thermally insulating sheath material and a heating device connected to it, a protective suit can be provided which offers even at extremely low temperatures in a cooling chamber, which is cooled with liquid nitrogen, a reliable protection for a person wearing the protective suit. The protective suit provides a complete and safe thermal insulation of the whole body of the operator. Simultaneously, the heat loss by the operator to the cooling chamber is minimized. The operator may wear normal clothing, laboratory clothing or also warming (lined) textile clothing in the protective suit.
The heating device has a double function, firstly to provide a sufficient temperature inside the body suit and secondly to be able to warm up the sheath material and/or further parts of the body suit, such as articulation regions, in such a way that sufficient flexibility is given at the low temperature in the cooling chamber in order to ensure the mobility of the operator in the cooling chamber.
The protective suit according to the invention offers protection for the whole body of the operator, in particular the legs, feet, arms and hands against undercooling, even in the case of direct contact of the external side of the protective suit with liquid nitrogen. The operator wearing the protective suit can move freely in the cooling chamber and use the protective autonomously. The use in the cooling chamber is possible for a duration of at least 10 minutes, in particular at least 30 minutes, for example 60 minutes or longer.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heating device comprises an electric resistance heater. The resistance heater can advantageously be easily embedded in the sheath material of the body suit or positioned on its inner surface. The resistance heater is furthermore advantageous with regard to the power supply via an electric cable connection with an internal and/or an external current source and a short reaction time in the case of change of the temperature in the body suit. Particularly preferably, the electric resistance heater comprises heating layers, which are positioned in a distributed manner in the body suit. Heating layers comprise layer-shaped resistance materials, such as metallic alloys, tungsten, plastic foils vapour-coated with heating resistors, or indium-tin oxide layers. Heating layers have the advantage of minimally impairing the comfort of wearing for the operator.
According to a modified embodiment of the invention, the heating device can comprise a heating medium circuit, which extends into the body suit. The heating medium circuit is embedded in the sheath material of the body suit or positioned on its inner surface and connected with an internal and/or external heating medium source for a gaseous or liquid heating medium, such as air or silicone oil. The use of the heating medium circuit may be advantageous with regard to the effectiveness of the heater and a uniform distribution of the heat in the body suit. Particularly preferably, the heating medium circuit comprises a plurality of lines, which are arranged in the body suit in a distributed manner and form one or more ring lines (partial circuits).
According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheath material has a multi-layer structure of at least two sheath layers (layers). The multi-layer structure is advantageous with regard to the adaptation of the sheath material to a mechanical protective and sealing function and to a thermal insulation function. Thus, an outer sheath layer can be formed from a material that is designed for sealing and mechanical protection, whereas a further, inner sheath layer forms an insulation layer. Particularly preferred is a structure for which the outermost sheath layer comprises a gas-tight outer skin, e.g. from polymeric, e.g. PTFE, metal vapor-depositions, silicone coating, ceramic or lacquers, under which a stabilization layer, e.g. made of textile fabrics, metal fabrics and metal nets, cellulose compounds, plastic nets, carbon fabrics, tear-resistant foils, rubber or combination of these materials, and the insulation layer, e.g. made of polymer foam, polystyrene, silicone foam, glass wool, vacuum insulation panels, wood, cork, mineral wool, powder, follow inwardly. A heating region may form a separate, innermost sheath layer, wherein at least parts of the heating device, such as the heating layers or the lines of the heating medium circuit, are arranged in the heating region. The insulation layer may optionally be fitted with a heat reflective foil, e.g. with a metal coated plastic foil. The sheath material may in particular bear further layers on its external side.
Typically, the insulation layer is made of a plastic material with a thermal conductivity below 0.1 or below 0.05 W/(m·K).
Advantages for a particularly effective thermal insulation of the interior of the body suit can result according to a further variant of the invention when, alternatively or additionally to the insulation layer, a further, gas-filled or evacuated intermediate layer is provided for. For this embodiment of the invention, the sheath material contains at least one inflatable or evacuated intermediate layer, which is preferably arranged inside or outside, adjacent to the heating region.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheath material of the body suit is bendable. The movability of the operator is thus advantageously made easier. The flexibility is realized at any temperature in the cooling chamber, in such a way that at least the outer layers of the sheath material are formed by a plastics material, which is pliable at −200° C. and/or are heated up by the heating device to a temperature above −200° C. at which the outer layers of the sheath material are pliable.
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the sheath material of the body suit is rigid, wherein parts of the body suit are connected via articulation regions. In this case, less demands are advantageously made on the materials of the outermost sheath layers and/or the respective heating thereof. However, if necessary, the articulation regions must be heated in order to remain flexible at a low temperature.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, in particular when using a bendable sheath material or in the material of the articulation regions, the position of the heating device in the layer compound and the thermal conductivity of the materials used are selected in such a manner that there is a heat flow from the heating device to the largest extent inwards and to a smaller extent outwardly. In other words, more than half, preferably more than 75% of the heat flow flows inwards, whereas the remaining heat flow flows outwardly and heats up the outer sheath region layers or articulation region layers. The heating device is operated with such power that in the interior of the protective suit the physiologically acceptable temperature is reached and the outer sheath region layers or articulation region layers are heated up to a temperature at which they are pliable at an ambient temperature below e.g. −90° C.
The position of the heating device may for example be selected in such a way that it is arranged on the inner surface of the sheath material. In this case, the interior of the protective suit can be heated up in particularly effective manner. To maintain the flexibility of the outer sheath layers, the sheath material would be selected with a lower thickness. For this variant, there is an increased energy consumption of the heating device, wherein, however, due to the low thickness of the sheath material, a low weight of the protective suit is achieved as well as greater ease as far as mobility is concerned.
Alternatively, the heating device may be embedded in the depth of the sheath material. In this case too, the portions of the heat flow from the heating device that flow inwardly or outwardly may be selected in such a way that the outer sheath layers and the interior of the protective suit are effectively warmed and, nevertheless, the thermal insulation of the operator with respect to the environment is still good.
Preferably, the body suit having the bendable sheath material is provided on a front side with an access opening where layers of the sheath material are arranged in an overlapping manner. In the case of a multi-layer structure of the sheath material, a stepped overlapping region is provided for. For a body suit with a rigid sheath material and articulation regions, the access opening is preferably provided for in a shoulder region or a trunk region of the body suit. In the connection regions, rigid or pliable connection elements may be provided for that lock and seal the interior of the protective suit during assembly.
Advantageously, the body suit of the protective suit according to the invention may be equipped with a helmet. The helmet is arranged on the upper part of the body suit and is configured for gas-tight inclusion of the operator in the head region. The helmet comprises a mechanically stable component part, which completely surrounds the head of the operator and is connected with the body suit in a gas-tight manner, having a transparent front window at least in the viewing direction of the operator. Particularly preferably, the helmet has a shape, which is adapted to the shape of the head, in particular the shape of a ball or a ball section. If at least the front window, preferably the whole helmet, is formed out of a double-walled, evacuated window material, this will prove advantageous for the thermal insulation of the interior of the helmet. Particularly preferably, a ball or a ball section made of a double-walled, evacuated material is provided for.
The helmet may advantageously take on at least one of the following additional functions of the protective suit. According to a variant, the helmet may be provided with a pressure relief valve via which, in the case of malfunction of the breathing air supply, any overpressure may be relieved in the protective suit. According to a further variant, the helmet may be equipped with a window heater in order to improve the visibility of the operator. The window heater consists e.g. of a transparent heating material, such as ITO (indium-tin oxide). According to a further variant, the helmet may be equipped with a rear-view mirror, whereby the backward visibility is improved for the operator and the requirements on the mobility of the protective suit are reduced. Furthermore, the helmet may be equipped with a coupling device via which the protective suit can be connected via a supply line with a further protective suit or an emergency supply device.
Further advantages of the invention can result if the body suit is subdivided into leg, trunk and arm parts, which are interconnected via the articulation regions. The leg and arm parts are elongated sections of the body suit, which may be equipped with further articulation regions in the area of the knee and the ankle joint or the elbow and the wrist. The provision of the articulation regions that the advantage that less requirements may be made on the flexibility of the sheath material without impairing the mobility of the operator in the cooling chamber.
According to a further variant of the invention, the body suit is equipped with a belt device, which preferably surrounds the trunk part and, optionally, parts of the leg parts. Advantageously, an external support apparatus such as a holding rope may be coupled with the belt device. In case of emergency, the operator wearing the protective suit can be pulled out of the cooling chamber in a reliable manner using the support apparatus. Furthermore, the belt device may be used during normal operation for strapping on loads on the protective suit.
The protective suit according to the invention may advantageously be equipped with an emergency supply device, which comprises a breathing air reservoir in the protective suit and/or a coupling device for connection with an external supply apparatus. The breathing air reservoir comprises e.g. a compressed air bottle, a heating cartridge and a valve-controlled connection line between the compressed air bottle and the interior of the protective suit. The breathing air reservoir may e.g. be integrated in the helmet of the body suit.
Further components of the protective suit, which are preferably arranged in the helmet, comprise a lighting equipment for lighting the environment of the protective suit, a sensor device for detection of the oxygen content, the temperature and/or of physiological properties of the operator, an alarm device for warning the operator against undesirable operating states and/or a communication device for wireless or wired communication by the operator with further helpers within or outside of the cooling chamber.
The protective suit according to the invention has shoes for accommodating the feet of the operator. Particular requirements are made with regard to the mechanical and thermal protection of the operator on the shoes for use in cooling chambers, which are typically cooled from the floor up using liquid nitrogen. In this regard, the shoes have at least one the following features. Plateau soles with a thickness of at least 4 cm, in particular at least 6 cm are provided for. The plateau soles offer the option of an effective thermal insulation and increase the distance from the shoes to a cooling device with liquid nitrogen provided in the floor of the cooling chamber. Optionally, the plateau sole may be equipped with sole profiles, which allow a reduction of the contact surface between the shoe and the floor. Furthermore, the shoe may be equipped with sole hollow spaces. They comprise gas-filled or evacuated regions in the sole. This advantageously improves the thermal insulation of the shoes. Furthermore, the shoes may be provided with protective layers against mechanical injuries, e.g. using ceramic.
Typically, the interior of the shoes is dimensioned in such a way that sufficient space is given for movement of the foot in the shoe, even if the operator wears thermal protection clothing. In order to nevertheless guarantee a reliable load transmission from the leg or the foot to the leg part and the shoe of the protective suit, pliable adaptation elements are preferably provided in the leg part or in the shoe, which elements are configured for accommodating a part of the leg or of the foot of the operator and for providing support in the protective suit.
The protective suit according to the invention can be connected via a supply line, in particular a heated hose pipe, with an external breathing air supply system. Preferred is, however, an embodiment the invention for which a breathing air source is provided in the protective suit. The breathing air source is adapted for supplying breathable air into the interior of the protective suit. Typically, the breathing air source is accommodated in a back part of the protective suit. In order to provide physiologically breathable air, part of the heating device is configured for heating the air provided by the breathing air source.
The breathing air source that the additional advantage that the protective suit can be impinged with an overpressure compared with the environment in the cooling chamber. The overpressure may be selected in such a way that physiological breathing conditions are given in the protective suit and the interior of the body suit or parts of the latter under the action of the inner pressure are unfolded (inflated). This advantageously achieves additional thermal insulation. Alternatively, the protective suit may be equipped with a compressed air source, which is independent from the breathing air source for generating the overpressure.
Preferably, the protective suit according to the invention is equipped with at least one glove for accommodating a hand of the operator. The glove is made of a thermally insulating glove material and is provided with an electric glove heater and/or a glove heater supplied with heating medium. The glove may be firmly connected with the body suit or detachable from the latter. The glove material preferably is structured like the sheath material.
The glove may be used independently from the body suit in cooling systems for handling cooled objects. The glove as such therefore represents an independent subject-matter of the present invention.
The at least one glove comprises at least two, preferably at least three, particularly preferably five finger chambers, which are individually movable. Advantageously, the at least one glove allows grasping of objects such as sample containers in the cooling chamber.
Preferably, the interior of the at least one glove is dimensioned in such a way that at least the fingers, preferably the whole hand, of the operator can freely move in the glove. In order to nevertheless guarantee load transmission from the hand to an object to be grasped, the glove is equipped with holding elements, which are configured for accommodating or supporting part of the hand, the wrist or the forearm of the operator in the glove. Advantageously, the hand can be moved in the glove so that the fingers are in different positions relative to the glove. In a first position, the fingers can be arranged in the vicinity of the glove heater, preferably on the rear side of the glove. In a second position, the fingers can lie on the grasp sides of the finger part in order to grasp an object.
Particularly preferably, the finger chambers of the at least one glove are provided with grasp areas in which the glove material has a reduced thickness compared with the rest of the glove. The grasp areas are arranged and dimensioned in such a way that contact surfaces can be formed between adjacent fingers, just as given when grasping an object with a hand without a glove. The thermally insulating glove material has a particular thin design in the grasp area in order to achieve finger pressure sensing for the operator. The grasp areas allow for that the operator has a feel for grasping an object. Advantageously, the grasp areas on the external side of the glove may have a profiled surface. This allows secure grasping even of small objects such as sample tubes or the like.
Furthermore, the at least one glove is particularly preferably configured to be subjected to an inner pressure so that sufficient space is formed in the interior of the glove for a movement of fingers from a grasping position with a contact of the fingers with the glove material, in particular the grasp areas, into a heating position without a contact of the fingers with the glove material. In connection with the remaining body suit or a cooling system, the glove can be inflated, e.g. with dry or warming air, in order to establish the inner pressure.
The at least one glove may be equipped according to a further variant of the invention with receptacles for sample carriers. The receptacles for sample carriers are e.g. arranged on an external side of the glove and serve for intermediate storage of a sample carrier removed from a shelf device prior to its transfer to another shelf device or a transport container.
The protective suit according to the invention has following further advantages. Due to the internal breathing air source with tempering, the protective suit can be used in the cooling chamber in air or also in a pure nitrogen atmosphere. Good mobility of the extremities of the operator is given even at low temperatures, e.g. up to −190° C. or lower. A physiological temperature of the operator can be maintained in the protective suit. The temperature can be controlled by the operator or automatically adjusted by a control unit. The protective suit allows rapid placement or deposition by the operator, which is advantageous for normal operation of the cooling system and also in case of damage. The at least one glove provides good graspability for the hands and secure physiological tempering.
Further details and advantages of the invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The figures show as follows:
The embodiments in
According to
The body suit 10 and the helmet 40 form together a gas-tight sheath for the operator 1. For the embodiment according to
According to
The heating devices 30 schematically shown in
The helmet 40 is fixed and locked gas-tight at a coupling ring 18 on an upper end of the body suit 10. On the rear side of the coupling ring 18, a hinge can be provided on which the helmet 40 can be folded backwards in an unlocked state in order to facilitate the operator 1 getting out of the protective suit 100.
The back part 60 is located on the back side of the trunk part 12. The back part 60 may be firmly connected with the sheath material 20 connected or with the body suit 10 by means of belts like a rucksack. In the back part 60 is located the breathing air source, a part of the heating device for heating the breathing air, a current source, in particular a battery, a control unit, and if necessary an additional compressed air source. The back part 60 is formed of a thermally insulating material, e.g. coated carbon fabric, resin foam composite, glass wool composite material, expanded polystyrene, in order to protect said components against undercooling.
The shoes 50 and the gloves 70 can be permanently connected with the body suit 10. Alternatively, separation of the shoes 50 and/or the gloves 70 from the body suit 10 is provided for. In this case, the shoes 50 and the gloves 70 are provided with coupling elements (see
The use of the protective suit 100 according to
The cooling chamber comprises e.g. a floor area, side walls and a ceiling area, wherein a cooling device is arranged at least in the floor area for cooling the cooling chamber using liquid nitrogen. The side walls are typically formed closed (without a door opening). The access to the cooling chamber is done through an opening in the ceiling area. In the floor area is arranged a working platform on which the operator wearing the protective suit 100 can move in order to e.g. carry out maintenance work or take or deposit sample containers.
According to
Providing a current source in the back part 60 is not mandatory. As a substitute, connection with an external energy source may be provided via a supply line 220, which is shown schematically in
The outer skin 21 comprises a gas-tight composite material, which contains a fabric, e.g. coated plastic nets, glass wool, carbon fabric, laminated foil, and/or coated foam. The thickness of the outer skin 21 is e.g. 0.5 mm to 3 mm. The stabilization layer 22 is likewise a composite material in which a mechanical stable grating material, e.g. from a plastic material, is embedded. The thickness of the stabilization layer 22 is e.g. 0.1 mm to 2 mm. The insulation layer 23, e.g. with a thickness of 3 mm to 10 mm is e.g. formed out of polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, cork, glass foam granulate, aerogel, vacuum insulation panels, mineral wool, wherein the heat reflective foil 24, comprising a plastic foil coated with aluminium, is arranged on the inner side the insulation layer 23. The heating region 25 comprises heating layers, which are arranged uniformly distributed and stratiform in the sheath material 20. The heating layers are supplied via electric cables (not represented), which are connected with the current source in the back part 60 (see
According to
If the body suit 10 consists of several parts (see
The sheath material 20 has a multi-layer structure with a gas-tight outer skin 21, a stabilization layer 22, an insulation layer 23, which carries a heat reflective foil 24, a heating region 25 in which the lines 34, 35 are arranged, an inner skin 27 and a textile layer 28, as was described above with reference to
According to
The use of cable connections and valves may be avoided if the access opening of the protective suit 100 is arranged above the trunk and arm parts 12, 13 according to
Modified variants of the sheath material 20, which are advantageous with regard to the thermal insulation and the reduction of the required heating power, are illustrated in
Between the first and the second insulation layers 23.1, 23.2 is located a gas-filled (
Both variants of
Warmed-up breathing air from the breathing air source in the back part 60 is supplied via a thermally insulated supply line 45 into the helmet 40. If a breathing circuit is provided for, breathing may also take place via a mouth piece with valves (not represented), so that fogging of the inner surface of the helmet 40 is advantageously avoided.
On the upper pole of the helmet 40 is arranged a collision protection device 40.3, which serves for protection against mechanical collisions and for accommodating functional components such as a lighting apparatus 40.4, e.g. a white light LED, an antenna 40.5 for wireless communication and/or of a pressure relief valve 42. If the breathing air pressure unintentionally increases in the helmet 40, relief can be achieved with a pressure relief valve 42. Furthermore, the pressure relief valve 42 is provided with an emergency opening element 42.1. The latter can be controlled from the outside in a situation of damage, e.g. in order to admit air into the helmet 40. A window (not represented), which can be opened from the outside, may be provided as a further emergency opening in the helmet 40.
The helmet 40 is furthermore equipped with an emergency supply device 44. The emergency supply device 44 is arranged on the rear side (back of the head) of the helmet 40. It contains a compressed air bottle 44.1, a heating cartridge 44.2 and a valve-controlled connection line 44.3. In case of failure of the breathing air source in the back part 60 (see
Further functional elements of the helmet 40 comprise a microphone 40.6, ear speakers 40.7, an emergency button 40.8, which can be actuated by a movement of the head of the operator 1, and a rear-view mirror 40.9.
The nitrogen lake of a cooling device of the cooling chamber in the thermally insulated trough typically has a depth, which is not greater than 5 cm. The shoe 50 is therefore equipped with a plateau sole 51 and designed in such a manner that the foot sole 5 of the operator 1 is at a distance h above the floor, which is greater than the depth of the nitrogen lake of the cooling device. The distance h is e.g. greater than 5 cm, in particular greater than 6 cm.
Furthermore, the underside of the shoe 50 is formed in such a way that the shoe 50 is impermeable for liquid nitrogen. The plateau sole 51 and the upper region of the shoe 52 are therefore formed of a low-temperature resistant plastic material, e.g. PTFE, ceramic, glass composite, carbon laminate. On the surface of the shoe 50 is arranged a protective layer 53 against mechanical injury, which consists e.g. of a ceramic, a metal mesh or a plastic mesh.
The plateau sole 51 has a sole profile 51.1 (see
Inside the shoe 50 are arranged a heat reflective layer 54, e.g. a plastic foil coated with aluminium, and an insulation layer 55, e.g. made of polymer foam. An electric heating layer 37 (shown dotted), which extends on the underside of the foot 4 and optionally also on the sides or the top side of the foot 4, is embedded in the insulation layer 55 or arranged on the surface of the heat reflective layer 54.
The insulation layer 55 includes a gas-filled interior 56 of the shoe 5 for accommodating the foot 4. The interior 56 is formed clearly larger than would be required for a human foot space. In this way, the operator can wear additionally lined textiles and the shoe 50 can be used by persons with different foot sizes. In order to nevertheless achieve good adaptation with only lower mobility of the foot 4 in the shoe 50, flexible adaptation elements 58 are arranged in the upper 57 of the shoe 50. The adaptation elements 58 give the upper portion of the foot 4 and/or the lower leg 6 sufficient holding in order to allow transmission of the required force to the shoe 50 in the case of movement. Below the foot 4, the insulation layer 55 turns into a shoe insert 55.1, which consists of an elastic and heat-reflective material, e.g. metal-coated plastic foils, PTFE foils, felt layers, foam layers, glass laminates. The shoe insert 55.1 serves for thermal insulation of the foot 4 and enhancement of the adaptability of the shoe 50.
The use of the hands is of particular significance for the operator, who wears the protective suit in the cooling chamber, e.g. during maintenance work or when taking sample containers from a shelf. The operator comes with the gloves 70 (see
In general, the glove according to the invention is adapted for use in conjunction with the protective suit or alternatively with a cooling system (e.g. cooling box or chest freezer) under normal pressure at temperatures up to −200° C. In this regard, the glove can be connected with supply and control systems, which, depending on the design of the glove heater (in particular electric resistance heating or heating medium circuit), the design of the glove material (in particular with or without option of unfolding under the action of compressed air) and the use with a protective suit or a cooling system, comprise a current source or a heating medium source, a compressed air source and a sensor device. The compressed air source is connected with a portion of the heating device for warming up the air and drying the air as well as with a flow control device for setting the exhaust air flowing out of the glove. The sensor device preferably comprises temperature sensors in each finger chamber and in the back-of-the-hand and the palm-of-the-hand regions of the glove. Furthermore, sensors may be provided for detection of the air pressure and the air flow in the glove. The sensor device is connected with an alarm device in order to allow signalling of undesirable operating states in the glove. The heating device is designed as was described above with reference to the heating device in the body suit and is explained in the following with further details. Said features are achieved by gloves 70 according to the invention, which are shown in preferred embodiments in
According to
Compared with the sheath material of the body suit, the thermally insulating glove material 71 can have a simplified structure and a reduced insulation capacity. This is, however, non-critical for the practical use of the protective suit according to the invention, since the glove 70 only forms a small source of heat compared with the rest of the surface of the protective suit.
On the inner surface of the thermal insulating glove material 71 are arranged heating layers (heating foils) 77 for electric resistance heating. The heating layers 77 are arranged in such a way that heat is conducted in particular to the environment of the forearm, the palms of the hands and the fingers. It may be provided for that heating is effected in the front part of the grasping fingers (thumb, index finger, middle finger) only for the top side of the gloves 70 (side pointing to the back of the hand).
On the grasp surfaces of the finger chambers 73 for the grasping fingers are provided grasp areas 74 in which the thermally insulating glove material 71 has a reduced thickness below 1 cm, in particular below 0.5 cm, compared with the rest of the glove 70. The grasp areas 74 advantageously allow for that, despite the low temperature, a finger pressure sensing can be used and the operator get a feel for grasping. The outer surfaces of the grasp areas 74 are covered with a profiled, flexible material, which is advantageous for grasping the sample containers. Due to the profiling of the grasp areas 74, the risk of slipping-out of sample containers is reduced.
As for the body suit 10 (see
The embodiments of the glove 70 in
The gloves 70 can be separated from the body suit 10. Gloves can thus be advantageously replaced depending on the concrete requirements for application in the cooling chamber and the hand size of the operator. Receptacles 75 for sample containers such as sample tubes are provided on the coupling elements 76. The receptacles 75 are adapted to the shape of the sample containers. For example, tubulars are provided for accommodating sample tubes (so-called “straws”), whereas a box or an attachment device is provided for bag-shaped sample containers as the receptacle 75. The receptacles 75 have the advantage that sample containers can be temporarily stored, wherein they must not be held between the fingers and thus remain cool. Deviating from the illustration in
A particular advantage of the glove 70 according to
The line for the gas flowing in (76.1) may, deviating from the illustration, preferably be formed in such a way that the gas flows at the outermost end of the glove 70 between the fingertip and the end of the finger chambers 73 into the glove 70 and then along the fingers over the hand in the direction of the wrist in order to achieve rapid heating of the fingers and the hand and an appropriate distance filled with flowing gas between the finger and the glove. It is advantageous if, in this case, in addition to the pressure, the gas flux is kept constant in particular in its direction of flow.
The glove according to the invention 70 may e.g. be provided as a three-finger-glove or as a five-finger-glove, as is shown schematically in
The grasp areas 74 represent, in conjunction with the impingement of the glove with an inner pressure, a particularly important feature of the gloves according to the invention. The finger chambers are formed on the finger inner side with the thinner, profiled material for sensitive grasping, even of small objects. The grasp areas 74 lead in the event of contact with an external solid body, which is very cold, to cooling-down of the fingers of the operator in the contact area. The layer are formed in such a way that the contact can also be kept for minutes at a temperature of the solid body of −200° C. without problems. After the release of an object that was held, the cooled-down finger areas of the operator are warmed up. This heating is achieved according to the invention in such a way that, after releasing the handle, due to the inner pressure in the glove, the fingertips are no longer in contact with the glove material, so that they are surrounded warm by the inner medium in the glove and rapidly warm up. The inner pressure in the glove is selected in such a manner that, when grasping, no big mechanical resistance have to be overcome in order to bring the finger surface into contact with the sheath material. This glove finger principle is advantageous in particular for repeated grasping and deposition of objects such as the ones used in cryobanks.
Further details of the articulation regions 14 (see
If the protective suit according to the invention is connected via supply lines (electric cables, heating medium lines) with external devices, the supply lines must be conducted through the cooling chamber and protected against destruction at the low temperatures. This is schematically illustrated in
Inside the supply line 220 are located electric cables 221, which are embedded in an electric insulation layer 222. On the surface of the electric insulation layer 222 is arranged a heating layer 223 with a heat reflective foil (not shown). On the external side of the heating layer 223 is located a thermal insulation layer 224, which is surrounded by a flexible sheath layer 225, which is resistant against liquid nitrogen. The heating layer 223 is impinged with electric current in such a manner that the temperature of the supply line 220 is increased up to its surface.
Heating of the supply line 220 is preferably performed with a current source in the back part 60 (see
The supply and control systems preferably provided for operation of the protective suit 100 comprise a power supply 61 (battery), the heating device 30 and the breathing air source 62. The power supply 61 is provided with thermal insulation in the back part 60 (see
The breathing air source 62 is likewise arranged with thermal insulation in the back part 60 (see
If the protective suit 100 is designed as a pressure suit (
The helmet 40 is connected to a radio system with an antenna 40.5 for communication with the external space and others in the cooling chamber, just as a lighting apparatus 40.4, a camera apparatus 40.10 and a microphone 40.6 for radiotelephony communication.
Furthermore, the suit has a sensor device 90 with external sensors 91 (temperature, oxygen content) and internal sensors 92 (temperature, pressure, oxygen content, remaining time, alarm signals, acoustic announcements) at the most various places (extremities, body area, head). In particular the shoes and, there, the shoe soles are equipped with temperature sensors.
When an impermissible deviation of a normal state is recorded with the sensor device 90, an alarm device 64 emits an alarm (alarm signals or messages) to the operator and outwardly. The alarm may e.g. be displayed in the front window 41 of the helmet 40 or reflected into it and/or transmitted acoustically to the operator. Thus, the operator can automatically receive instructions on how to behave, e.g. immediately leaving the cooling chamber, actuation of the emergency supply device or coupling to an external energy source or supply of pressure gas.
Failures of system components would rapidly lead to life-threatening situations under the extreme conditions that prevail in the cooling chamber. The operator is, in the case of nitrogen-cooled chambers, in a non-breathable external atmosphere. Any failure of the breathing air supply would therefore immediately have dramatic consequences. The mere failure of the tempering system for the breathing air is life-threatening. The failure of the suit heating system would also have similar consequences. The materials thus become rigid at temperatures below −100° C. to such an extent that the movability is strongly restricted or a mechanical destruction could be caused by the movement. To avoid these dangers, an emergency supply device 44 is provided for, which is illustrated schematically in
Generally, at least two persons would be at the same time in the cooling chamber. There are coupling elements in the suits that allow the supply of a failed suit supply system by the second suit. With the emergency supply device 44, the person under damage can try to rescue himself within the remaining time, which is announced or displayed, or persons in the cooling chamber and from the outside can approach or rescue systems can be activated.
The features of the invention which are disclosed in the above description, the claims and the drawings may be important both individually and in combination for implementing the invention in its various designs.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2011 010 119 | Feb 2011 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2012/000452 | 2/1/2012 | WO | 00 | 8/1/2013 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2012/104081 | 8/9/2012 | WO | A |
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