JP2001328093A - Isolator, method of replacing its glove and method of replacing filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure of an isolator capable of replacing a glove in safety without destroying the isolating circumstance in a chamber, a method of replacing the glove and a method of replacing a filter. SOLUTION: A new glove 23 is placed on a basic part 24 of an old glove 23 in a state that the old glove 23 is mounted on a first fitting part 25 of a glove mounting part 6, and a basic part 24 of the new glove 23 is fixed to a second fitting part 26. Then the old glove 23 is drawn out into the chamber 2, and the new glove 23 is pressed into the chamber 2 while reversing front and back of the same. Further a used filter cartridge is demounted in a state that a ventilating opening of the chamber 2 is closed by a cover from the inside, and the closing of the ventilating opening by the cover is released after a new filter cartridge is mounted on the ventilating opening.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an isolator for providing an isolated space for performing various operations, and a glove changing method and a filter changing method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An apparatus called an isolator is used for work requiring a space isolated from the outside world, for example, for testing chemicals and conducting biological experiments. This creates a closed space called a chamber, in which articles and samples are taken in and out through a dedicated slot (lock), and articles and samples are handled in the chamber through gloves protruding into the chamber. It is. The lock provides an intermediate space in order to prevent direct communication between the chamber and the outside world. Opening and moving things to the chamber. When removing an object from the chamber, the procedure is reversed. If necessary, take measures such as cleaning and sterilizing the object in the lock. When it is necessary to supply air into the chamber and when it is necessary to exhaust air from the chamber, the air is filtered by a filter. This is because air supply filtration does not allow dust and contaminants to enter the chamber, and exhaust filtration does not discharge harmful substances from the chamber. Examples of such an isolator are disclosed in JP-A-1-123613 and JP-A-4-22725.
No. 4 can be seen.

[0003]

The gloves of the isolator described above naturally deteriorate or wear during use. If the gloves are perforated, the isolation environment of the isolator may be destroyed, and any material leaking from it may put the operator of the isolator and those around him at risk. Therefore, it is necessary to change gloves early before perforation occurs. Also, the filter becomes clogged with time and the amount of air passing decreases, so it is necessary to replace the filter with a new one before the function of the isolator is hindered.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes a structure of an isolator that allows gloves to be safely replaced without destroying an isolated environment in a chamber, and a glove replacement method and a filter replacement method.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for performing work in a chamber through at least one pair of gloves protruding into the chamber. The section includes the following components. (A) A cylindrical port that protrudes outward from the side wall of the chamber and has a glove insertion opening on the inside. (B) A first fitting portion provided on the outer peripheral portion near the tip of the port, and at the time of glove replacement, a base portion of an old glove is fitted and held in the base portion. (C) a second fitting portion provided at an outer peripheral portion near the base of the port, and at the time of glove replacement, a base portion of a new glove is fitted to and held by the new glove.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the isolator according to the first aspect, the glove is replaced by performing the following steps. (A)
Fitting and holding an old glove base to the first fitting portion of the port. (B) fitting and holding a base of a new glove to the second fitting portion of the port; (C) pulling the old glove inside the chamber through a glove attached elsewhere in the chamber. (D) Pushing a new glove inside the chamber while turning it upside down.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an isolator to which the glove changing method according to the second aspect is applied.
A lock was provided in the chamber for removing old gloves.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the isolator to which the glove changing method according to the second aspect is applied,
A new glove was held and fixed by a clamp ring.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, gloves are projected into a chamber provided with a ventilation port, and work in the chamber is performed through the gloves. (A) A removable filter cartridge which is connected to the ventilation port from the outside and exposes an air inlet / outlet into the chamber. (B) a lid which is provided in the chamber and closes the ventilation opening from inside when replacing the filter cartridge.

In the invention according to claim 6, in the isolator according to claim 5, a plug for closing the air inlet / outlet of the filter cartridge is provided in the chamber.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the isolator according to the seventh aspect, a lock for refilling a plug into the chamber is provided in the chamber.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the isolator according to the fifth aspect, the filter is replaced by performing the following steps. (A) closing the ventilation opening from the inside of the chamber with the lid; (B) removing the used filter cartridge from the ventilation port. (C) attaching a new filter cartridge to the vent. (D) releasing the closure of the ventilation port by the lid.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the isolator of the sixth aspect, the filter is replaced by executing the following steps. (A) closing the air inlet / outlet of the used fill cartridge from the inside of the chamber with the plug; (B) closing the vent from the inside of the chamber with the lid; (C) removing the used filter cartridge from the ventilation port. (D) attaching a new filter cartridge to said vent. (E) releasing the vent blockage by the lid;

In the above isolator, a new glove is put on the base of the old glove while the old glove is attached to the port, and then the old glove is pulled out into the chamber, and the new glove is pushed into the chamber while being turned upside down. Therefore, there is no period during which the port is opened, and the glove can be changed while maintaining the isolated environment in the chamber. When replacing the filter, the used filter cartridge is removed while the ventilation opening of the chamber is closed with the lid from the inside, and the new filter cartridge is attached to the ventilation opening, and then the ventilation opening is closed by the lid. Therefore, the replacement operation can be performed while maintaining the isolated environment in the chamber.

[0015]

FIG. 1 shows an example of an isolator embodying the present invention. The isolator 1 has a structure in which a box-shaped structure constituting the chamber 2 is supported by a pedestal 3, and is movable by a caster 4 of the pedestal 3.

Although the side wall of the chamber 2 is basically made of a metal plate, a transparent plate 5 made of tempered glass or plastic is fitted on the front side so that the inside can be observed.
About half of the rear side wall is also a transparent plate.

A plurality (at least one pair) of glove attachment portions 6 are provided on the side wall of the chamber 2. In FIG. 1, the glove itself is not shown. The structure of the glove attachment 6 will be described later in detail. Reference numeral 7 denotes a lock provided on the rear side wall, and a hatch on the chamber side is shown in the figure. 8 is an air supply filter unit attached to the upper surface of the chamber 2;
An exhaust filter unit 10 attached to the side surface of the exhaust unit is an exhaust device connected to the exhaust filter unit 9 and exhausting air from the chamber 2 through the exhaust filter unit 9.

A cylindrical port 2 forming the main part of the glove attachment 6
0 is shown in FIG. The port 20 is fixed to the opening 21 in the side wall of the chamber 2 as shown in FIG. 4, and projects outward from the side wall. Glove insertion opening 2 inside port 20
2, from which rubber or plastic gloves 23 protrude into the chamber 2. The front shape of the port 20 is a circle in FIG. 2, but is not limited to this. The port 20 shown in FIG. 3 has a vertically long oval shape so that the arm can be easily moved up and down.

A fitting portion for fitting the base 24 of the glove 23 is provided on the outer periphery of the port 20 protruding from the side wall of the chamber 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the fitting portion is a groove carved in the outer peripheral portion of the port 20, the first fitting portion 25 is provided near the tip of the port 20, and the second fitting portion 25 is provided near the root of the port 20. A fitting portion 26 is provided. Note that the fitting portion may be formed in the shape of a ridge instead of a groove.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a clamp ring for fixing the base 24 of the glove 23 to the second fitting portion 26. FIG. 10 shows the structure of the clamp ring 30. This is one in which a toggle catch lever 32 and a catch fitting 33 are attached to both ends of a ring-shaped metal band 31 partially cut open, and a hook spring 34 extending from the toggle catch lever 32 is attached to the catch fitting 33. Hooking is performed by hooking one of the plurality of grooves 35 provided and rotating the toggle catch lever 32. The metal band 31 is obtained by welding a metal wire 37 to a metal plate 36 having a curved cross section (see FIG. 11). FIG.
In FIGS. 6 to 6, the clamp ring 30 is represented by a simple circle.

A method of replacing the glove 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows a state where the old glove 23 is attached to the port 20. Base 2 of old gloves 23
Reference numeral 4 is fitted in the second fitting portion 26, and the state is maintained by the clamp ring 30. Here, first, the clamp ring 30 is removed, and the base 24 of the old glove 23 is fitted to the first fitting portion 25 (see FIG. 5). Port 2
0, the portion between the second fitting portion 26 and the first fitting portion 25 was in spatial communication with the inside of the chamber 2. Therefore, if any undesired substances are adhered to this part or there is a danger of this, clean or disinfect this part.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6, a new glove 23 turned upside down is put on the port 20 so as to wrap the base 24 of the old glove 23, and the base 24 is fitted into the second fitting part 26. , And fixed with a clamp ring 30. In this way, as shown in FIG. 7, the base 24 of the old glove 23 is removed from the first fitting portion 25 by pinching, squeezing, or scraping the base of the old glove 23 from the outside of the new glove 23.

When the base 24 of the old glove 23 is substantially disengaged from the first fitting portion 25, the arm is inserted into the glove 23 attached to the other glove attachment portion 6, and the old glove 23 is put through the glove. As shown in FIG. 8, the inside of the chamber 2 is pulled out. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9, a new glove 23 is pushed into the inside of the chamber 2 while reversing the one that has been turned upside down to the normal front-back relationship, thereby completing the replacement. The old glove 23 pulled into the chamber 2 is taken out of the lock 7 and discarded.

The use of the new glove 23 is started with the glove 23 being attached to the second fitting portion 26. The reason why the second fitting portion 26 is set at the normal glove attachment position is that the glove is less likely to come off, but the first fitting portion 25 can be set at the normal glove attachment position.

Next, the replacement of the filter will be described. Each of the air supply filter section 8 and the exhaust filter section 9 has a built-in filter cartridge 40 as shown in FIG. The filter cartridge 40 has HEPA in a cylindrical case 41.
(High efficiency particulate air) filter 42 is inserted. Air outlets 43 and 44 project from the center of both ends of the case 41. The air ports 43 and 44 are also cylindrical, and the air ports 43
5. The female screw portion 46 is provided on the inner surface, and the air inlet / outlet 44 has the female screw portion 47 on the inner surface. Male thread 45 is replaced with female thread 47
If the filter cartridges 40 are screwed into each other, the filter cartridges 40 can be connected to each other. Filter cartridge 4 shown in FIG.
In the two-connected state of 0, air flows along the path indicated by the arrow or the reverse path.

An air supply filter section 8 is provided on the side wall of the chamber 2.
And a ventilation port 50 is provided at a location corresponding to the exhaust filter section 9 (see FIG. 13). The ventilation port 50 has a female screw portion, and the male screw portion 45 of the filter cartridge 40 is screwed into the female screw portion, whereby the filter cartridge is mounted.

Next, the procedure for replacing the filter will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 shows an exhaust filter section 9. The exhaust filter section 9 has a cylindrical fixed case 11 fixed to the side wall of the chamber 2 and a fixed ring 11 connected to the fixed case 11. And a separation case 12 having a bottom cylindrical shape, in which two connected filter cartridges 40 are inserted.
In the state shown in FIG. 13, the external thread portion 45 of one filter cartridge 40 is externally connected to the ventilation port 50,
The air inlet / outlet 43 is exposed toward the inside. 14
Is a pipe connection port to the exhaust device 10.

When the performance of the filter cartridge 40 decreases, the air inlet / outlet 43 is closed with a plug 51 as shown in FIG. This operation is performed from inside the chamber 2 through the glove 23. The plug 51 is previously arranged in the chamber 2 through the lock 7. The plug 51 is a male screw type screwed into the female screw part 46, but the male screw part is eliminated,
It may be of a type that is elastically sealed. in this case,
The air inlet / outlet port 43 can also eliminate the female screw portion 46.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, the ventilation port 50 is closed with a lid 52 from the inside of the chamber 2. The lid 52 is also provided in the chamber 2 in advance through the lock 7 like the plug. The connection method between the lid 52 and the ventilation port 50 may be any of elastic fitting, screw, and any other method. It is only necessary that the ventilation port 50 be closed without any gap.

After closing the path of the substance leakage from the ventilation port 50 in this way, the clamp by the clamp ring 13 is released, and the separation case 12 is removed as shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the air outlet 44 serving as the air outlet from the two filter cartridges 40 is closed with the plug 53. The plug 53 has a structure similar to that of the plug 51, but has a size corresponding to the size of the air port 44.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 18, the filter cartridge 40 is rotated, and the air outlet 43 is closed by the plug 51, and the air outlet 44 is closed by the plug 53, and the filter cartridge 40 is removed from the female screw portion of the ventilation port 50. Incidentally, the plug 51 has an external dimension that allows the plug 51 to easily pass through the ventilation opening 50. The presence of the plug 51 prevents the filtered substance from leaking through the air port 43. Further, since the air inlet / outlet 44 serving as the air outlet is also closed by the plug 53,
No filtration material leaks out of the EPA filter 42.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 19, a new filter cartridge 40 is screwed into the ventilation port 50 and attached.

Then, as shown in FIG. 20, the separating case 12 is covered.

Further, as shown in FIG.
At 3, the separation case 12 is connected to the fixed case 11. In this way, the lid 52 is removed and the blockage of the ventilation port 50 is released.

Thus, the filter can be restarted as shown in FIG. The removed lid 52 may be taken out of the lock 7 but may be left in the chamber 2 as long as it does not interfere.

The used filter cartridge 40 removed from the ventilation port 50 is discarded. So that they can be incinerated.
It is preferable that the filter cartridge 40 be made of a material that does not emit harmful substances even when it burns.

[0038]

According to the isolator of the present invention and the glove changing method and the filter changing method thereof, the following effects can be obtained. With the old gloves attached to the glove attachment part, the new gloves are put on the base of the old gloves, and then the old gloves are pulled out into the chamber. it can. Old gloves that have been pulled into the chamber can be removed after safeguarding in the chamber or lock, and can be safely disposed of. Regarding the replacement of the filter, the used filter cartridge is removed while the ventilation opening of the chamber is closed from the inside with the lid, and the new filter cartridge is attached to the ventilation opening, and then the ventilation opening is closed by the lid. The replacement operation can be performed while maintaining the isolated environment in the chamber. By closing the air inlet / outlet of the used filter cartridge with the plug and then removing the used filter cartridge, the used filter cartridge can be disposed without leaking the filtered substance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an isolator.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the first embodiment of the glove attachment port.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a second embodiment of the glove attachment port.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a glove attachment portion.

FIG. 5 is a first explanatory view of glove changing work.

FIG. 6 is a second explanatory view of a glove changing operation.

FIG. 7 is a third explanatory view of a glove changing operation.

FIG. 8 is a fourth explanatory view of a glove changing operation.

FIG. 9 is a fifth explanatory view of a glove changing operation.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a clamp ring for fixing gloves.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the same clamp ring.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a filter cartridge.

FIG. 13 is a first explanatory view of a filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 14 is a second explanatory view of the filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 15 is a third explanatory view of the filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 16 is a fourth explanatory view of the filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 17 is a fifth explanatory view of the filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 18 is a sixth explanatory view of the filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 19 is a seventh explanatory view of the filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 20 is an eighth explanatory view of the filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 21 is a ninth explanatory view of the filter cartridge replacement operation.

FIG. 22 is a tenth explanatory view of a filter cartridge replacement operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Isolator 2 Chamber 6 Glove attachment part 7 Lock 8 Air supply filter part 9 Exhaust filter part 20 Port 22 Glove insertion opening 23 Glove 24 Root part 25 First fitting part 26 Second fitting part 30 Clamp ring 40 Filter cartridge 43 air inlet / outlet 50 ventilation port 51 plug 52 lid 53 plug

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3B033 AA11 AA19 AA20 AB06 AB08 AB09 AB10 AB18 AB20 AC01 AC03 3F060 BA10 4D058 JA02 KB12 KB15 KC01 KC14 KC19 KC24 KC81 LA07 QA11 QA27 SA04 SA13 SA20 TA11 UA08 UA25

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An isolator for performing work in a chamber through at least one pair of gloves protruding into the chamber, wherein the glove mount includes the following components: A cylindrical port that protrudes outward from the side wall and has a glove insertion opening on the inside. (B) A first fitting portion provided on the outer peripheral portion near the tip of the port, and at the time of glove replacement, a base portion of an old glove is fitted and held in the base portion. (C) a second fitting portion provided at an outer peripheral portion near the base of the port, and at the time of glove replacement, a base portion of a new glove is fitted to and held by the new glove. 2. The method for replacing gloves according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: (a) fitting a base of an old glove to the first fitting portion of the port; And holding step. (B) fitting and holding a base of a new glove to the second fitting portion of the port; (C) pulling the old glove inside the chamber through a glove attached elsewhere in the chamber. (D) Pushing a new glove inside the chamber while turning it upside down. 3. An isolator to which the glove changing method according to claim 2 is applied, wherein a lock for taking out old gloves is provided in the chamber. 4. An isolator to which the glove changing method according to claim 2 is applied, wherein a new glove is held and fixed by a clamp ring. 5. An isolator which protrudes gloves into a chamber provided with a vent and performs work in the chamber through the gloves, comprising the following components: (a) the ventilation; A detachable filter cartridge that is externally connected to the mouth and exposes the air inlet and outlet toward the inside of the chamber. (B) a lid which is provided in the chamber and closes the ventilation opening from inside when replacing the filter cartridge. 6. The isolator according to claim 5, wherein a plug for closing an air inlet / outlet of the filter cartridge is provided in the chamber. 7. A lock provided in the chamber for refilling the plug into the chamber.
14. The isolator according to claim 1. 8. The isolator according to claim 5, comprising the following steps: (a) closing the ventilation port from the inside of the chamber with the lid. (B) removing the used filter cartridge from the ventilation port. (C) attaching a new filter cartridge to the vent. (D) releasing the closure of the ventilation port by the lid. 9. The filter replacement method according to claim 6, comprising the following steps: (a) closing the air inlet / outlet of a used filter cartridge with the plug from the inside of the chamber. . (B) closing the vent from the inside of the chamber with the lid; (C) removing the used filter cartridge from the ventilation port. (D) attaching a new filter cartridge to said vent. (E) releasing the vent blockage by the lid;