CN117660178A - Cell culture system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of cell culture, and discloses a cell culture system and a cell culture method, wherein the cell culture system comprises the following steps: an operation rack configured with a plurality of physically independent accommodation chambers; one or more cell culture devices which can be moved out of and loaded into the accommodating cavity of the operation frame, wherein a culture bin which constructs a cell culture environment and is provided with a culture dish is arranged in the one or more cell culture devices. The operation rack has a first system for supplying gas to each accommodation chamber and a second system for supplying electric power to each accommodation chamber; the cell culture device is provided with a maintenance system for keeping the expected culture environment inside the cell culture device according to the internal environment data of the cell culture device, and a built-in air source and a built-in power supply are used for respectively providing air and power supply; the cell culture device controls switching to providing a supply of gas to the cell culture device by the first system and charging of the power supply of the cell culture device by the second system when loaded into its corresponding receiving chamber.

Description

Cell culture system and method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of cell culture, in particular to a cell culture system and a cell culture method.

Background

Cell culture is a fundamental work in the life sciences and medical related fields, requiring that the cell culture dish be maintained under suitable conditions, such as a carbon dioxide gas at 37 degrees celsius and a concentration of 5% and a high humidity environment. The current cell culture device generally adopts a box-type structure, and is commonly used by a plurality of people, so that bacterial infection caused by mixed use or misuse is easily caused. The cell incubator is commonly used by a plurality of people in a laboratory, and due to different use habits, insufficient execution of laboratory or scientific research management and the like, the situation that the whole laboratory work is completely stopped due to the complete pollution of the incubator is frequently reported, and even abnormal termination of scientific research projects and plans which have been put into a lot of time, manpower and material resources can be caused.

In addition, since the conventional box-type cell culture apparatus is not portable, in the scientific research and test process, it is often required to transport the living cell sample between laboratories, which may cause the cells in the culture dish to deviate from the physiological state for a certain period of time, and the separation time may be as long as several tens minutes to several hours according to the transport distance, thereby causing the cells to deviate from the normal state, causing negative effects for scientific research or medical application, and also limiting the transport range of the living cells. Even if performed in the same laboratory, the cell culture apparatus and the measurement imaging apparatus are typically separated in different rooms, and the cell sample is separated from the optimal culture environment for a period of time before the measurement is started, which has a negative effect on scientific research or medical application.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the problems of the prior art, a first aspect of the present invention proposes a cell culture system comprising:

an operation rack configured with a plurality of physically independent accommodation chambers;

one or more cell culture devices which can be moved out of and put into the accommodating cavity of the operation frame, wherein a culture bin for constructing a cell culture environment and placing a culture dish is arranged in the one or more cell culture devices;

wherein the operation rack has a first system for supplying gas to each accommodation chamber and a second system for supplying electric power to each accommodation chamber;

the cell culture apparatus having a maintenance system for maintaining a desired culture environment inside the cell culture apparatus according to environmental data inside the cell culture apparatus, the maintenance system being configured to enable independent maintenance of gas content, temperature and humidity inside the cell culture apparatus after the cell culture apparatus is removed from the accommodating chamber of the operation frame, the maintenance system being provided with gas and electric power supplies by a gas source and an electric power source built in the cell culture apparatus, respectively; and is also provided with

The cell culture device also has a controller configured to control switching to providing a supply of gas to the cell culture device by the first system of the operating rack and to control switching to charging of the cell culture device by the second system of the operating rack when the cell culture device is loaded into its corresponding receiving chamber.

In some embodiments, the maintenance system comprises a gas supply controlled by the controller, the gas supply being configured to supply a gas, such as carbon dioxide gas, to the interior of the cell culture device in accordance with the internal environmental data.

In some embodiments, the maintenance system comprises a temperature maintenance device controlled by the controller, the temperature maintenance device being configured to maintain the temperature inside the incubator compartment within a predetermined range based on internal environmental data.

In some embodiments, the maintenance system comprises a humidity-maintaining device configured to maintain the humidity inside the incubator compartment within a predetermined range.

In some embodiments, the power supply built into the cell culture device comprises at least one rechargeable battery pack, particularly detachably mounted inside the cell culture device, as a built-in power supply.

In some embodiments, the internal environmental data includes at least one of carbon dioxide content, temperature, and humidity inside the cell culture device, e.g., real-time detection may be based on carbon dioxide gas sensors, temperature sensors, and humidity sensors.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is also provided a method of operating a cell culture device on an operating rack provided with a plurality of cell culture devices, the cell culture devices being housed in separate housing chambers of the operating rack, the method comprising:

when the cell culture device is taken out from the accommodating cavity of the operation frame and used independently, the cell culture device carries out systematic adjustment according to the internal environment data of the culture bin of the cell culture device, and maintains the expected culture environment; the system regulation comprises the regulation of gas content maintenance, temperature maintenance and humidity maintenance independently in the cell culture device, and gas and power supply are respectively provided by a gas source and a power supply built in the cell culture device;

when the cell culture apparatus is loaded into the receiving chamber of the handling frame, the cell culture apparatus establishes a communication connection with the handling frame and the control switches to the supply of gas to the cell culture apparatus by the first system of the handling frame for supplying gas to each receiving chamber and to the charging of the power supply of the cell culture apparatus by the second system of the handling frame for supplying power to each receiving chamber.

In a further embodiment, the method further comprises:

when the cell culture device is moved out of the accommodating cavity of the operation frame, the operation frame receives user input information so as to verify the operation permission of the user on the cell culture device;

in response to the verification passing, operation of the cell culture device is permitted, otherwise operation of the cell culture device is prohibited.

It should be understood that all combinations of the foregoing concepts, as well as additional concepts described in more detail below, may be considered a part of the inventive subject matter of the present disclosure as long as such concepts are not mutually inconsistent. In addition, all combinations of claimed subject matter are considered part of the disclosed inventive subject matter.

The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments, and features of the present teachings will be more fully understood from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings. Other additional aspects of the invention, such as features and/or advantages of the exemplary embodiments, will be apparent from the description which follows, or may be learned by practice of the embodiments according to the teachings of the invention.

Drawings

The drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cell culture apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a cell culture apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of a rear panel of the cell culture apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the air path structure of a cell culture apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a housing of a cell culture apparatus having a buffer mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a cell culture system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an interface at the bottom of the insertion direction of the housing chamber of the cell culture system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the air path structure of a cell culture system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the electrical pathway structure of a cell culture system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

For a better understanding of the technical content of the present invention, specific examples are set forth below, along with the accompanying drawings.

Aspects of the invention are described in this disclosure with reference to the drawings, in which are shown a number of illustrative embodiments. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not necessarily intended to include all aspects of the invention. It should be understood that the various concepts and embodiments described above, as well as those described in more detail below, may be implemented in any of a number of ways, as the disclosed concepts and embodiments are not limited to any implementation. Additionally, some aspects of the disclosure may be used alone or in any suitable combination with other aspects of the disclosure.

Cell culture apparatus

In combination with the cell culture apparatus 100 of the example shown in fig. 1, the design of the built-in power supply and the air source is adopted, the environmental parameters of the culture cabin in the cell culture apparatus, including the temperature, the humidity and the carbon dioxide content, are continuously monitored by automation, and compared with the preset environmental control standard, the carbon dioxide gas is automatically supplemented by the built-in air source to control the automatic temperature rising treatment, so that the ideal physiological environment which is beneficial to the growth of cells is maintained in the culture cabin.

The cell culture apparatus 100 in connection with the illustrated exemplary embodiment includes a housing that provides a carrier and support for constructing a cell culture environment. Alternatively, the case includes an outer case 100A, an inner case 100B, and a buffer material 100C disposed in a sandwich space between the outer case 100A and the inner case 100B, as shown in fig. 5.

Alternatively, the outer case 100A and the inner case 100B may be made of plastic or metal, and may be manufactured in a certain shape, particularly in a regular shape, such as a square shape in the illustrated embodiment, so as to facilitate placement into a protection box during independent use and transfer, and facilitate temporary storage and protection in combination, stacking, or other manners.

As an alternative embodiment, at least one side or bottom surface of outer housing 100A may form a structure that facilitates stacking or side-by-side arrangement of multiple cell culture devices while maintaining a certain stability, including but not limited to, such as a rail, a snap-fit, or a snap-fit structure.

The cushioning material 100C may be, for example, a spring, a foam material, an air bag, or the like, and is disposed in an advantageous manner in the interlayer between the outer case 100A and the inner case 100B, respectively. In the drawings, taking a spring as an example, a plurality of springs are respectively disposed in an interlayer between the outer case 100A and the inner case 100B, and both ends of each spring are respectively fixed to the outer case 100A and the inner case 100B.

In other embodiments, the cushioning material 100C may be a plate made of a foam material, and each plate may be fixed into the interlayer by an adhesive layer, so that the outer case 100A, the inner case 100B, and the cushioning material 100C are integrally formed.

Therefore, through the design of the double-layer box body and the buffer material, the vibration influence on the cell culture device 100 in the moving process is reduced, the heat preservation effect is improved, the temperature compensation is reduced, and the cruising ability of the system is prolonged.

Fig. 1 and 2 schematically show the design of a cell culture apparatus.

The cell culture apparatus 100 of the embodiment of the invention has a maintenance system for maintaining a desired culture environment inside the cell culture apparatus 100 according to the internal environment data of the cell culture apparatus 100.

The maintenance system is configured to independently achieve gas content maintenance, temperature maintenance, and humidity maintenance within the cell culture device 100 after removal of the cell culture device 100 from the receiving chamber of the handling frame 1000, the maintenance system being provided with gas and power supplies by a gas source and a power source, respectively, built into the cell culture device 100.

As shown in fig. 2, which is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the cell culture apparatus of the example, at least one culture compartment 101 is provided in the housing and is located in the internal cavity defined by the internal housing 100B.

In an alternative embodiment, the internal cavity defined by the inner housing 100B is divided into an upper cavity and a lower cavity by a partition 100D, and the aforementioned culture compartment 101 is located in the upper cavity.

The inside of the culture bin 101 is constructed with a physiological environment which is favorable for cell growth, such as a certain temperature and humidity environment and a gas environment, and typical environments are 37 ℃ and carbon dioxide gas with concentration of 5% and relative saturated humidity of more than 95%. In some embodiments, the relative saturation humidity may be up to 100%.

Inside the culture compartment 101 is stored a culture dish 102 for cell culture, as shown in fig. 2.

The aforementioned internal environmental data includes at least one of carbon dioxide content, temperature and humidity inside the culture compartment 101 of the cell culture apparatus 100, and can be detected in real time based on a carbon dioxide gas sensor, a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor.

For example, in the example shown in fig. 2, a sensor assembly for monitoring environmental data inside the culture compartment 101 is provided inside the cell culture apparatus 100, and includes a gas sensor 109A for monitoring the carbon dioxide content, a temperature sensor 109B for monitoring the temperature inside the culture compartment, and a humidity sensor 109C for monitoring the humidity inside the culture compartment, and environmental parameters inside the culture compartment 101 are monitored and fed back at a set period.

In an alternative embodiment, the maintenance system comprises a gas supply controlled by the controller 106, the gas supply being arranged to supply carbon dioxide gas to the interior of the cell culture apparatus 100 in accordance with the internal environment data.

Referring to fig. 2, the gas supply means comprises at least one gas cylinder 103 placed inside the cell culture apparatus 100, the at least one gas cylinder 103 being arranged to controllably supply gas to the culture compartment 101 via a gas conduit 104. The gas cylinder 103 stores carbon dioxide gas

Optionally, at least one gas cylinder 103 is removably mounted inside the cell culture apparatus 100.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the gas supply means comprises a control valve at the line position of the gas pipe 104 and/or the outlet position of the gas cylinder 103, and the controller 106 operates the opening and closing of the control valve when the cell culture apparatus 100 is removed from the operation frame 1000.

As shown in an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2, a gas cylinder 103 for storing carbon dioxide gas is arranged in the cell culture apparatus 100, a flow valve 103A is arranged at the position of a gas outlet of the gas cylinder, and the outlet of the flow valve 103A is communicated with the interior of the culture bin 101 through a gas pipeline 104, so that the carbon dioxide gas can be supplemented into the culture bin through the gas cylinder 103. In an alternative, a pressure relief valve is provided in the conduit line of the gas conduit 104.

Wherein a first end of the gas conduit 104 may be provided with a quick-change fitting, such as a quick-change check fitting, for example, for quick connection to an outlet end of the flow valve 103A. The second end of the gas pipe 104 is connected to and fitted into the side wall of the culture vessel 101, and communicates with the interior of the culture vessel 101.

In an alternative example, the cylinder 103 is of a replaceable design, and when it is desired to replace the cylinder, a quick change can be achieved through the quick change fitting and the first end of the gas conduit 104. For example, after the gas cylinder 103 is filled, the gas cylinder 103 is connected to the gas pipe 104 by opening the flow valve 103A.

In alternative embodiments, the flow valve 103A may be an electrically actuated flow valve, controlled by the controller 106 described above.

In an example of the present invention, the quick-change connector at the first end of the gas conduit 104 and the connector at the outlet end of the flow valve 103A are of a male-female, plug-in quick-change connector design.

In an alternative embodiment, the aforementioned maintenance system comprises temperature maintenance means controlled by the controller 106, the temperature maintenance means being arranged to maintain the temperature inside the incubator 101 within a predetermined range based on the internal environment data.

Wherein the temperature maintenance device comprises at least one electric heater 108 disposed inside the cell culture device 100 for heating the culture compartment.

For example, the electric heater 108 is provided in the form of a heating plate installed inside the culture vessel 101, for example, at the position of the inner bottom surface of the culture vessel 101, and can uniformly heat by the air flow inside the culture vessel.

In an alternative embodiment, the maintenance system comprises a humidity maintaining means arranged to maintain the humidity inside the incubator 101 within a predetermined range, for example at a humidity level of 100%.

Wherein the humidity maintaining means comprises a humidifying device 111 provided inside the culturing chamber 101.

For example, as shown in the example of FIG. 2, the humidifying device 111 provided inside the culture compartment 101 may be a horizontally placed open container containing water, and humidification is performed by natural evaporation to maintain the humidity level inside the culture compartment 101 at 100%.

In an alternative embodiment, when the humidity sensor 109C detects a decrease in humidity, indicating that the humidification device 111 is in a water shortage state, the humidity level cannot be maintained by evaporation, and then the water needs to be replenished. The controller 106 may control the alerting by the alerting device.

As shown in the example of FIG. 2, a fan assembly 107 is also provided inside the incubator 101, and its operation is controlled by a controller 106, thereby causing the gases, temperature and humidity in the incubator 101 to remain in a uniform state by the flow of air.

As shown in FIG. 2, at least one gas outlet 110 is also provided on the side wall of the culture compartment 101 for balancing the internal and external pressures of the culture compartment 101.

It should be appreciated that in the example shown in FIG. 2, the sensor assemblies configured on cell culture apparatus 100 for monitoring environmental data within culture compartment 101 are all configured to be positioned within culture compartment 101 to enable direct detection of carbon dioxide gas content, temperature and humidity. The electric heater 108 and the fan assembly 107 for realizing the gas circulation in the culture bin are arranged inside the culture bin 101.

In a further embodiment, in order to maintain the relative independence of the culture compartment 101 and to facilitate cleaning, a second compartment is also formed inside the inner casing 100B of the cell culture apparatus 100, forming a separate space with respect to the culture compartment 101, such as a cavity of suitable shape and size on the outer side of the culture compartment 101, facilitating the installation therein of the aforementioned electric heater 108, the fan assembly 107 for achieving the circulation of the gas inside the culture compartment, and the sensor assembly, the second compartment being independent of the culture compartment 101 and maintained in communication with the culture compartment 101. For example, the cavity of the second chamber body is designed into a strip shape, two ends of the cavity body are respectively communicated with two ends of the culture chamber, the fan assembly 107 is arranged in the second chamber body, and the circulation of gas in the second chamber body and the culture chamber 101 is realized through the operation of the fan assembly 107. And when the electric heater 108 is operated to heat, uniform heating and temperature rising are realized through the circulation of hot air in the second chamber body and the culture chamber 101.

In alternative embodiments, the fan assembly 107, the electric heater 108, and the gas sensor 109A may be disposed within the second housing.

Referring to FIG. 2, the power supply built into cell culture apparatus 100 includes at least one rechargeable battery pack 105. The battery pack 105 supplies power to the respective electric devices through a power supply circuit, not shown in the drawings, for example, to the controller 106, the fan assembly 107, the electric heater 108, the gas sensor 109A, the temperature sensor 109B, the humidity sensor 109C, the humidifying device 111, and the like.

The power supply circuit may be designed using existing power supply circuitry, such as circuitry comprising one or more DC-DC modules, to enable different voltage outputs and thus power supply to different devices.

In the foregoing embodiment, the battery pack 106 is particularly preferably formed by using a plurality of rechargeable battery cells (cells) in series and/or in parallel, wherein a battery management unit (BMS) is configured to realize charge and discharge management of the battery and battery state detection. The rechargeable battery Cell (Cell) may be a lithium-based battery Cell or a nickel-metal hydride battery Cell.

Preferably, the battery pack 105 is detachably mounted inside the cell culture device 100, and the battery pack 106 is designed to be replaceable, so that when the electric quantity of the battery pack is insufficient, the battery pack can be quickly replaced in a power-exchanging manner, thereby facilitating the replacement of the battery pack when the cell culture device 100 is used alone, and realizing long-term independent use.

In other embodiments, cell culture apparatus 100 is configured with at least two battery packs 100, enabling a redundant design of power sources.

In an alternative embodiment, the cell culture apparatus 100 is further provided with a charging circuit, which is connected to the aforementioned controller 106, to charge the battery 106 by switching on an external power source, in particular a dc power source. For example, the battery pack is charged by a portable mobile power supply.

In an alternative embodiment, the charging circuit is correspondingly configured with an external charging interface 115, and the external charging interface 115 is configured to receive an external power input and charge the battery pack 105. The external charging interface 115 may be ase:Sub>A round port, square port, type-C interface, USB-ase:Sub>A interface, etc., to receive external power supply input. The external charging interface 115 is connected to a charging circuit provided in the incubator, and is used to receive an external power input and charge the battery pack 105. In the example shown in fig. 3, a round-mouth charging interface is taken as an example for illustration.

In connection with the example shown in FIG. 2, controller 106 may employ an embedded processor with low power consumption characteristics for implementing control of cell culture apparatus 100.

The fan assembly 107, the electric heater 108, and the gas sensor 109A, the temperature sensor 109B, and the humidity sensor 109C of the cell culture apparatus 100 are electrically connected to the controller 106, and are controlled to operate by the controller 106.

As an alternative embodiment, the aforementioned gas cylinder 103, flow valve 103A, battery pack 105, and controller 106 are all disposed within the lower cavity. In a preferred embodiment, the window is configured and closed with a cover plate, in particular the cover plate is snapped onto the window position, around the corresponding box portion at the periphery of the aforesaid lower cavity, thereby facilitating the external manipulation of the cover plate at the window position for quick replacement of the battery pack 105 or the gas cylinder 103.

In an alternative embodiment, a solenoid valve 117 is provided on a line extending from the outlet of the flow valve 103A to the gas pipe 104 of the incubator 101, and is connected to the controller 106, and the controller 106 controls the opening and/or closing of the solenoid valve 117. The electromagnetic valve 117 can adopt an electromagnetic flow valve or other electric control flow valves for controlling the supplement of carbon dioxide gas to the culture bin.

In some embodiments, controller 106 controls the operation of the gas supply, temperature maintenance device, and the status of the humidity maintenance device, respectively, based on the monitored temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide content within the growth chamber 101, and regulates the environment within the growth chamber to maintain a desired growth environment.

For example, as shown in connection with fig. 2 and 4, when the monitored carbon dioxide content is below a predetermined level, for example below 5%, the controller 106 controls the solenoid valve 117 to open, and the gas cylinder 103 supplements the carbon dioxide gas to the incubator chamber 101 via the gas path pipe 104 until the carbon dioxide concentration in the incubator chamber reaches the predetermined level, and controls the solenoid valve 117 to close.

When it is monitored that the ambient temperature in the incubator is below a predetermined temperature, the controller 106 controls the heater chip to operate until the temperature rises to a predetermined level, such as 37 degrees celsius, and controls the heater chip to be turned off.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned fan assembly 107 is configured to be controlled by the controller 106 to maintain continuous operation, through continuous gas circulation, to promote uniform conditions of gas, temperature and humidity in the incubator. In the alternative, a constant rotational speed or other suitable control strategy may be employed to control the operation of the fan assembly 107.

As an alternative embodiment, cell culture apparatus 100 may be further configured with a communication module, such as a wireless network transceiver module, for establishing a communication link with a user device. The communication module may be a Wifi module based on IEEE protocol, a wireless communication module based on cellular network, or a bluetooth module based on bluetooth protocol, etc. and is connected to the controller 106, and the cell culture apparatus 100 is connected to a wireless lan or the internet through a wireless transmission protocol, so that a user may establish a communication connection with the cell culture apparatus 100 through a device (e.g., a handheld mobile communication device, a mobile tablet computer, etc.) thereof, thereby receiving detection data sent by the cell culture apparatus 100, or send a control command to the cell culture apparatus 100, for example, send a control command based on a monitored temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide content in a culture bin, and the control command is executed by the controller to control operations of the gas supply apparatus, the temperature holding apparatus, and the humidity holding apparatus.

In some embodiments, the wireless network transceiver module includes at least two of the above-described IEEE protocol-based Wifi module, cellular network-based wireless communication module, and bluetooth protocol-based bluetooth module, which are advantageously integrated on one module.

In some embodiments, cell culture apparatus 100 is further configured with an acceleration sensor coupled to controller 106 described above. The tilting or reverse-placing state of the cell culture apparatus 100 is sensed by the acceleration sensor, and irreversible consequences caused to the cell culture in the culture dish are avoided.

In some embodiments, as shown in connection with fig. 1, a display 120 is provided on the front panel of the cell culture apparatus 100, the display 120 may be an LCD display, an LED display, or the like, connected to the controller 106, and may be powered by the battery pack 105, and status information of the cell culture apparatus 100, including but not limited to temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, battery power, gas cylinder residual capacity, etc. of the culture compartment is displayed through the display 120.

As an alternative embodiment, the display 120 may be a touch-sensitive display.

In some embodiments, at least one input device, such as an operation panel type input device, may also be provided on the front panel of cell culture device 100 for providing an input interface for operating cell culture device 100. It is particularly preferred that the aforementioned touch-sensitive display forms the input device.

In an alternative example, as in the example shown in fig. 1, at least one control button 150 may also be provided around the display 120, connected to the controller 106, as a control switch for controlling the lighting of the display 120. For example, in some embodiments, in response to an external trigger control button, display 120 is illuminated and information is displayed.

In some embodiments, the lighting mode of the display 120 is set to delay the extinction, for example, in response to an external trigger control button, the display 120 is lit and information is displayed, and after a predetermined time delay, the display 120 is automatically extinguished, thereby saving power.

In some embodiments, as shown in connection with FIG. 1, a pull tab 130 is also provided on the front panel of the cell culture device 100 for user operation.

In an alternative embodiment, cell culture apparatus 100 is provided with a door that is operable to open and in the closed state of the door, cell culture apparatus 100 remains closed. When the door is opened, the culture dish 102 stored in the cell culture apparatus 100 can be handled, taken, and placed.

In some embodiments, as shown in connection with FIG. 1, a user identity authentication module 140 is also provided on the front panel of the cell culture device 100 for providing an interface or portal for confirming user identity information, such as a password authentication module, a biometric authentication module, etc., coupled to the controller 106 for confirming user identity information, thereby allowing a user to operate the cell culture device 100, including but not limited to, allowing a user to open the cell culture device 100 to operate a culture dish located within the culture compartment 101, to regulate environmental parameters within the culture compartment 101, etc., in response to the passage of the identity authentication.

In other embodiments, user identity authentication module 140 includes a recognizable indicia, such as a two-dimensional code or bar code, that a user can verify identity by scanning, and in response to the verification being passed, permit operation of cell culture device 100, and otherwise inhibit operation of cell culture device 100.

In connection with the schematic illustration of the rear panel of the example cell culture apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 3, a second air passage interface 112 and electrical contacts 113 are provided on the rear panel, wherein the second air passage interface 112 preferably employs a quick-connect check for quick-connect. The electrical contacts 113 preferably employ electrical contacts that mate with the POGO-PIN.

In an alternative embodiment, the back panel of cell culture apparatus 100 is further provided with a power switch 114 for controlling the internal power supply to cell culture apparatus 100 to be turned on or off when cell culture apparatus 100 is used or transferred independently as a mobile cell culture apparatus, so that the controller, various sensors and executing components are normally operated after power is applied.

In an alternative embodiment, the back panel of cell culture apparatus 100 is further provided with a communication programming interface 116 for establishing a communication connection of cell culture apparatus 100 to a control device and programming cell culture apparatus 100 during independent use of cell culture apparatus 100 and during movement.

Cell culture system

Referring to FIG. 1, a cell culture system according to an embodiment of the invention includes an operator frame 1000 and a control system 2000. The control system 2000 may be implemented using a locally deployed computer system, a server, or a server deployed at the cloud for monitoring and controlling the operation of the operation panel 1000.

In an alternative embodiment, control system 2000 is configured to support remote access and control, such as interacting with a remote computer system, a smart terminal, etc. control devices based on a certain protocol, sending on-site monitoring data to the remote control devices, and receiving operation instructions from the remote control devices, to implement operation control of operation rack 1000.

In connection with the example of fig. 1 and 2, the handling frame 1000 is configured with a plurality of physically separate receiving cavities, each for providing a separate receiving space for the cell culture device 100. One or more cell culture apparatus 100 may be removed from and loaded into a receiving cavity of a handling frame 1000.

Each cell culture apparatus 100 has a maintenance system for maintaining a desired culture environment within the cell culture apparatus 100 based on environmental data within the cell culture apparatus 100.

The maintenance system is configured to independently achieve gas content maintenance, temperature maintenance, and humidity maintenance within the cell culture device 100 after removal of the cell culture device 100 from the receiving chamber of the handling frame 1000, the maintenance system being provided with gas and power supplies by a gas source and a power source, respectively, built into the cell culture device 100.

The aforementioned internal environmental data includes at least one of carbon dioxide content, temperature and humidity inside the culture compartment 101 of the cell culture apparatus 100, and can be detected in real time based on a carbon dioxide gas sensor, a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the operation rack 1000 is provided to intensively supply air and power to the cell culture apparatus 100 loaded into the accommodating chamber. In some embodiments, the operator rack 1000 has a first system for supplying gas to each of the receiving chambers and a second system for supplying power to each of the receiving chambers.

For example, in each housing chamber, when one cell culture apparatus 100 is loaded therein and loaded in place, gas circuit connection and electric circuit connection with the loaded cell culture apparatus 100 are established in the housing chamber of the operation frame 1000, and take over of internal environmental control of the loaded cell culture apparatus 100 is achieved, comprising:

1) The gas supply is concentrated by the operation frame 1000, and the gas passage is switched to the cell culture apparatus 100 to be incorporated therein; and

2) The cell culture apparatus 100 is charged with a built-in power supply through the operation rack 1000.

Thus, when the cell culture apparatus 100 is loaded into its corresponding receiving chamber, the switching is made to the supply of gas to the cell culture apparatus 100 by the first system of the operation rack 1000 and the charging of the power supply of the cell culture apparatus 100 by the second system of the operation rack 1000, so that the switching from the internal gas supply to the centralized gas supply of the operation rack 1000 is achieved.

Referring to fig. 1 and 8, a gas source 3000 for central gas supply, such as a gas supply steel tank loaded with compressed carbon dioxide gas, is connected to the operation frame 1000 via a pressure reducing valve 3001 and a pipe.

In an alternative embodiment, the operator's station 1000 includes an assembly for detecting the remaining capacity of the air supply 3000.

In connection with the illustration, a first system of the operator 1000 includes at least one operator gas inlet 1100 for receiving an external gas and a gas channel 1200 in communication with the operator gas inlet 1100 for applying a gas to each of the receiving chambers.

In connection with the illustration, the gas channel 1200 comprises a main conduit extending from the handling frame gas inlet 1100 and a branch conduit 1201 extending from the main conduit towards each receiving cavity, the end of each branch conduit 1201 being provided with a first gas conduit interface 1202 for forming a gas circuit connection with the cell culture apparatus 100.

The aforementioned gas source 3000 for central gas supply is connected to the operation rack gas inlet 1100 via the pressure reducing valve 3001 and a pipe, and is connected to the main pipe.

Wherein first air port 1202 is configured to form a pair of male-female mating interface structures with second air port 112 of cell culture device 100 loaded into the receiving cavity.

In combination with the illustrated example, in each accommodating cavity, the second air passage interface 112 arranged on the rear panel of the cell culture device 100 installed therein forms a pair of male-female matching structures with the first air passage interface 1202, wherein the second air passage interface 112 and the first air passage interface 1202 are designed by adopting check quick connectors, quick connection and disconnection can be realized, after connection and disconnection, connectors at two ends are automatically closed, gas leakage cannot occur, and the pollution resistance is strong, and the cleaning is easy.

In conjunction with the illustration, the second system of the operator 1000 includes at least one operator electrical inlet 1300 for receiving an external electrical power input, and an electrical pathway electrically connected to the operator electrical inlet 1300 for applying electrical power to each of the receiving chambers. The external power input is particularly 220VAC, 110VAC, or other commercial power input, and may be specifically configured according to the region in which the device is used.

The electrical path includes a power management module 1301 electrically connected to the operation rack electrical inlet 1300 and a wire 1302 led from an output end of the power management module 1301 to each of the accommodation chambers, the end of the wire 1302 being provided with an electrical connector 1303, the electrical connector 1303 being arranged to contact the electrical contacts 112 of the cell culture apparatus 100 loaded into the accommodation chamber, and to establish electrical communication between the accommodation chamber and the cell culture apparatus 100 loaded into the accommodation chamber.

The electrical connector 1303 employs, among other things, a spring-loaded probe (POGO PIN) that is disposed toward the entrance of the receiving cavity.

Thus, each culture device 100, when the receiving chamber is assembled in place, provides electrical and pneumatic communication between the cell culture device 100 and the receiving chamber into which it is fitted.

In an alternative embodiment, the operator's shelf 1000 is provided with a user identity authentication module that provides an interface or portal for confirming user identity information for authorizing the operation of the cell culture apparatus 100.

For example, the user identity authentication module determines the user's operation authority for the cell culture apparatus 100 from the operation rack 1000 based on the result of verification, for example, by setting the user identity authentication two-dimensional code 140 on the front panel of the cell culture apparatus 100, as an interface or portal for confirming user identity information, and allows the cell culture apparatus 100 to be drawn out from the operation rack 1000, or else, prohibits the cell culture apparatus 100 from being drawn out from the operation rack 1000, thereby realizing the operation authority for the cell culture apparatus 100. In further embodiments, the user identity authentication module may also be configured to perform identity authentication in other ways, including but not limited to password verification, biometric verification of fingerprints, and the like.

In an alternative embodiment, at least one guide mechanism, such as a rail or guide slot, is provided within each receiving cavity of the handling frame 1000 for providing a loading/removal guide for the cell culture device 100.

In alternative embodiments, the cell culture apparatus 100 may be further provided with a disengagement prevention mechanism at the location of engagement with the handling frame 1000, including but not limited to an electronic-based, electromagnetic-based, mechanical-based design, or a combination thereof, to prevent accidental pull-out, sliding-out, or disengagement of the cell culture apparatus 100.

Based on the electrical communication between the electrical connector 1303 and the electrical contacts 112, the control system 2000, which is configured to correspond to the operation rack 1000, communicates with the cell culture apparatus 100 and controls the battery pack 105 of the cell culture apparatus 100 to charge and supplement the electric power.

Thus, when the cell culture apparatus 100 is loaded into the operation rack 1000 and reaches a desired position, and electrical and air path communication is established, control of the cell culture apparatus 100, including control based on monitoring of carbon dioxide concentration, temperature, and humidity, is performed by the control system 2000 correspondingly configured to the operation rack 1000.

For example, based on the electrical connection between the electrical connector 1303 and the electrical contacts 112, the control system 2000 controls to close the flow valves 103A disposed in correspondence with the cell culture apparatus 100, and to shut off the gas supply passage from the gas cylinder 103 to the culture container 101.

Each cell culture apparatus 100 is configured to feedback its status information to the control system 2000, including but not limited to one or more of temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, battery level, and cylinder residual capacity, in real time or at preset cycles.

The control system 2000 controls the corresponding executing device in the cell culture apparatus 100, for example, the heating sheet works, to remind to replace or supplement the humidifying device until the temperature and humidity in the culture chamber 101 reach the preset level, based on that the temperature and humidity in the culture chamber 101 of the cell culture apparatus 100 is lower than the preset level.

The control system 2000 is further arranged to control the opening of the solenoid valve 117 based on the carbon dioxide content in the culture compartment 101 of a certain cell culture device 100 being below a preset level, for example below 5%, the carbon dioxide gas provided by the gas source 3000 via the gas channel 1200 into the branch line 1201 of the receiving chamber in which the cell culture device 100 is located, thereby replenishing the culture compartment 101 of the cell culture device 100 until the carbon dioxide content in the culture compartment 101 reaches the preset level.

In some embodiments of the invention, when the off state and/or the gas-out state of the first system, and the off state of the second system occur, the controller 106 of the cell culture apparatus 100 may control the supply of gas and power from the gas source and power source built into the cell culture apparatus 100, respectively, and shut off the gas supply channel of the first system to the cell culture apparatus 100, and shut off the power charging channel of the second system to the cell culture apparatus 100.

Thus, when an unexpected condition or lack of air or electricity occurs in the operation rack, the air source and power supply may be provided by the cell culture apparatus 100 itself.

For example, when the cell culture apparatus 100 is installed in the corresponding accommodating chamber on the operation rack, due to the lack of air (for example, the residual air amount is lower than a preset threshold value, such as 5%), the open state of the first system (for example, the open fault of the main pipeline or the branch pipeline, which results in the failure to smoothly deliver the carbon dioxide gas), the open state of the second system (for example, the open circuit caused by no external AC input or the line fault, which results in the failure to smoothly charge the battery pack), the switching to the air supply by the air bottle inside the cell culture apparatus 100 and the power supply by the battery pack inside is controlled by the controller 106, so that the cell culture apparatus 100 can still independently and normally operate when the operation rack cannot intensively supply the air and the power when the cell culture apparatus 100 is installed in the operation rack 100.

Therefore, on one hand, each accommodating cavity is used as an independent bin space, and can accommodate an independent cell culture device 100, each cell culture device 100 can be pulled out from the operation frame 1000, and on the premise of passing the identity verification, the cell culture device 100 can be connected and taken away at any time on the basis of a rapid plug-and-pull combined structure, so that the cell culture device 100 can be freely operated and moved, has mobility, and meets the moving requirement of the cell culture device 100 under multiple scenes; on the other hand, after the cell culture apparatus 100 is removed from the operation frame 1000, the cell culture apparatus can be used as an independent culture apparatus, gas and power supply are provided through a gas bottle and a battery pack which are arranged in the cell culture apparatus, so that each sensor and an executing device can normally operate, the culture environment in the cell culture apparatus 100 is maintained, the maintenance of an ideal physiological environment required by cell growth is realized, the negative influence on the cell growth during the movement is reduced, meanwhile, centralized gas supply and power supply can be performed when the cell culture apparatus is arranged in the operation frame, unified management and operation are realized, and the state information and the growth process of each cell culture apparatus 100 can be extracted, analyzed and stored, so that the purpose of scientific research is realized.

While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limiting. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and adaptations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. A cell culture system, comprising:

an operation rack (1000) configured with a plurality of physically independent accommodation chambers;

one or more cell culture devices (100) which can be moved out of and put into the accommodating cavity of the operation frame (1000), wherein a culture bin (101) for constructing a cell culture environment and placing a culture dish (102) is arranged in the one or more cell culture devices (100);

wherein the operating rack (1000) has a first system for supplying gas to each containing cavity and a second system for supplying electric power to each containing cavity;

the cell culture apparatus (100) has a maintenance system for maintaining a desired culture environment inside the cell culture apparatus (100) according to data of an internal environment of the cell culture apparatus (100), the maintenance system being configured to enable independent maintenance of gas content, temperature and humidity inside the cell culture apparatus (100) after the cell culture apparatus (100) is removed from a housing chamber of the operation rack (1000), the maintenance system being provided with gas and electric power supplies by a gas source and an electric power source built in the cell culture apparatus (100), respectively; and is also provided with

The cell culture device (100) further has a controller (106), the controller (106) being arranged to control switching to supply of gas to the cell culture device (100) by the first system of the handling frame (1000) and to control switching to charging of the power supply of the cell culture device (100) by the second system of the handling frame (1000) when the cell culture device (100) is loaded into its corresponding receiving chamber.

2. The cell culture system according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance system comprises a gas supply device controlled by the controller (106), the gas supply device being arranged to supply carbon dioxide gas to the interior of the cell culture device (100) based on the internal environmental data of the culture compartment (101).

3. Cell culture system according to claim 2, characterized in that the gas supply means comprise at least one gas cylinder (103) placed inside the cell culture device (100), the at least one gas cylinder (103) being arranged to supply gas to the culture compartment (101) in a controlled manner via a gas conduit (104).

4. Cell culture system according to claim 1, characterized in that the maintenance system comprises temperature maintenance means controlled by the controller (106), which are arranged to maintain the temperature inside the culture compartment (101) within a predetermined range depending on the internal environment data.

5. Cell culture system according to claim 1, characterized in that the maintenance system comprises a humidity-maintaining device arranged to maintain the humidity inside the culture compartment (101) within a predetermined range.

6. The cell culture system according to claim 1, wherein the power supply built-in to the cell culture device (100) comprises at least one rechargeable battery (105).

7. The cell culture system according to claim 1, wherein the first system of the operation rack (1000) comprises at least one operation rack gas inlet (1100) for receiving an external gas and a gas channel (1200) communicating with the operation rack gas inlet (1100) for applying a gas to each receiving chamber.

8. The cell culture system according to claim 7, wherein the gas channel (1200) comprises a main conduit extending from the operation rack gas inlet (1100) and a branch conduit (1201) extending from the main conduit towards each receiving cavity, the end of each branch conduit (1201) being provided with a first gas channel interface (1202) for forming a gas channel connection with the cell culture device (100).

9. The cell culture system according to claim 7, further provided with a gas source (3000) for central gas supply, the central gas source (3000) being connected to the operation rack gas inlet (1100) through a pressure reducing valve (3001) and a pipe, in communication with the main pipe.

10. The cell culture system according to claim 1, wherein the second system of the operation rack (1000) comprises at least one operation rack electrical inlet (1300) for receiving an external electrical power input, and an electrical channel electrically connected to the operation rack electrical inlet (1300) for applying electrical power to each receiving chamber.

11. The cell culture system according to claim 10, wherein the electrical channel comprises a power management module (1301) electrically connected to the console electrical inlet (1300) and a line (1302) leading from an output of the power management module (1301) to each receiving chamber, the end of the line (1302) being provided with an electrical connector (1303), the electrical connector (1303) being arranged for contacting electrical contacts (112) of the cell culture device (100) loaded into the receiving chamber, establishing electrical communication between the receiving chamber and the cell culture device (100) loaded into the receiving chamber.

12. The cell culture system according to claim 1, wherein the cell culture device (100) comprises an acceleration sensor connected to the controller (106).

13. A method of operating a cell culture device on an operating rack configured with a plurality of cell culture devices, the cell culture device (100) being housed in a separate housing chamber of the operating rack (1000), the method comprising:

When the cell culture device (100) is taken out from the accommodating cavity of the operation frame (1000) and used independently, the cell culture device (100) carries out system adjustment according to the internal environment data of the culture bin (101) so as to maintain the expected culture environment; the system regulation comprises regulation of gas content maintenance, temperature maintenance and humidity maintenance independently within the cell culture device (100), and gas and power supplies are provided by a gas source and a power source built-in to the cell culture device (100), respectively;

when the cell culture apparatus (100) is loaded into the accommodating chambers of the operation frame (1000), the cell culture apparatus establishes a communication connection with the operation frame (1000), and controls switching to supply gas to the cell culture apparatus (100) by a first system of the operation frame (1000) for supplying gas to each accommodating chamber, and controls switching to charge a power supply of the cell culture apparatus (100) by a second system of the operation frame (1000) for supplying power to each accommodating chamber.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

when the cell culture device (100) is moved out of the accommodating cavity of the operation frame (1000), the operation frame (1000) receives user input information to verify the operation permission of the cell culture device (100) by a user;

In response to the verification passing, operation of the cell culture device (100) is permitted, otherwise operation of the cell culture device (100) is prohibited.