JP2012161253A - Adaptor for culture vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transport a culture vessel more stably.SOLUTION: An adaptor 11 is provided with wing parts 14-1 and 14-2 whose end surfaces are formed linearly so as to project outward near the center on both sides that are the long side of a plate-like member having a nearly rectangle shape that consists of long sides, having a length similar to the dimension of a well plate, and short sides. A marking 13 according to the shape of a dish 12 is shown in the center of a surface where the dish 12 is installed. This invention can be applied, for example, to an adaptor for a 100 mm dish.

Description

  The present invention relates to an adapter for a culture container that can transport the culture container more stably.

  In recent years, the importance of cell culture has further increased due to research for early realization of regenerative medicine and regulation of animal experiments. In order to perform cell culture, it is necessary to periodically perform medium exchange and passage, and if the number of containers to be handled is large, it becomes a heavy burden on the experimenter. Therefore, in order to reduce the burden on the experimenter, automation by laboratory automation has been introduced.

  By the way, there are various types of culture containers used for cell culture, such as dishes having various diameters and well plates each having a plurality of different numbers of holes. For example, the dish has a diameter of 100 mm, 60 mm, or 35 mm, and the well plate has a diameter of 6, 12, 24, 48, or 96 holes.

  In general, for well plates, the standardization of container size is performed assuming transfer by a transfer robot, but the standard for dishes is not clear, and dish sizes vary slightly depending on the manufacturer. Yes. Therefore, it is difficult for the dish to be transported by the transport robot, and at present, the containers that can be automated are limited to well plates.

  On the other hand, the experimenter can secure a wider culture area and often uses a low-cost 100 mm dish, and automation of the culture using the 100 mm dish is desired.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a culture apparatus including a container transport device that can transport a wide variety of culture containers. However, as described above, the shape of the dish is slightly different depending on the manufacturer, and there is a need for a means that can transport the dish more stably like a well plate whose shape is standardized.

JP 2009-095297 A

  As described above, in the automation of cell culture, it may be difficult to stably transport the culture vessel.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a condition, and enables it to convey a culture container more stably.

  The culture vessel adapter of the present invention is a culture vessel adapter to be attached to a culture vessel, and is a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape consisting of a long side and a short side having a predetermined length, and the plate-like member. It has a gripping part that protrudes outward in the vicinity of the center of both side surfaces that are long sides, and whose tip end surface is formed in a straight line.

  In the culture vessel adapter of the present invention, the tip protrudes outward in the vicinity of the center of both side surfaces which are the long sides of the plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape consisting of a long side and a short side of a predetermined length, and its tip A grip portion having a straight surface is provided.

  According to the culture container adapter of the present invention, the culture container can be transported more stably.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of one Embodiment of the adapter to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the state in which the side clamp type conveyance robot is holding the adapter. It is a figure which shows the state which the conveyance robot which employ | adopts the mechanism scooping up with a shovel-like arm is holding the adapter. It is a figure which shows the state in which the adapter is mounted in the microscope stage of an automatic observation system. It is a figure which shows the 1st modification of an adapter. It is a figure which shows the 2nd modification of an adapter. It is a figure which shows the 3rd modification of an adapter. It is a figure which shows the state in which the side clamp type conveyance robot is holding the adapter. It is a figure which shows the 4th modification of an adapter. It is a figure which shows the 5th modification of an adapter. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of the adapter of a 5th modification.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of an adapter to which the present invention is applied.

  1A shows a plan view of the adapter 11, FIG. 1B shows a side view of the adapter 11, and FIG. 1C shows a side view of the dish 12 mounted thereon. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the adapter 11 is a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the length of the long side and the short side is substantially the same as the dimensions of the well plate. Is formed.

  For example, the well plate is standardized in SBS (Society of Biomolecular Screening), and the length W of the long side of the adapter 11 and the length H1 of the short side of the adapter 11 are determined according to the standard. It has become. Specifically, the outer diameter of the adapter 11 is, for example, a long side length W of about 140 mm and a short side length H1 of about 950 mm. The adapter 11 has a thickness D of about 4 mm.

  Further, a circular marking 13 corresponding to the outer diameter of the dish 12 placed on the adapter 11 is marked at the center on the surface side of the adapter 11. The marking 13 is a mark that serves as an index when the user fixes the dish 12 to the adapter 11. For example, the user fixes the dish 12 to the center of the adapter 11 using a double-sided tape or the like so as to coincide with the marking 13 or to be concentric with the marking 13.

  Furthermore, wing portions 14-1 and 14-2 are formed on both side surfaces which are long sides of the adapter 11 so as to protrude outward near the center thereof. The wing parts 14-1 and 14-2 are gripping parts for gripping the adapter 11 when the adapter 11 is transported by, for example, a side clamp type transport robot.

  The wings 14-1 and 14-2 have a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the distance in the long side direction of the adapter 11 becomes narrower toward the outside from the adapter 11, and the protruding tip is formed in a straight line. Is formed. The distance H2 between the tips of the wing portions 14-1 and 14-2 is about 110 mm. That is, for example, when the dish 12 having a diameter of 100 mm is placed on the adapter 11, the wing parts 14-1 and 14-2 do not protrude from the outside of the adapter 11 when viewed in plan. It has a shape like this.

  By fixing the dish 12 to such an adapter 11, the dish 12 can be stably transported by the transport robot.

  For example, FIG. 2 shows a state where the side clamp type transfer robot is holding the adapter 11 to which the dish 12 is fixed. FIG. 2A shows a plan view, and FIG. 2B shows a side view.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the arm portions 21 and 22 of the transfer robot are linear portions of the tip portions of the wing portions 14-1 and 14-2 of the adapter 11 from both sides of the adapter 11 (upper side and lower side in FIG. 2). Grasp so as to pinch. Thus, by using the adapter 11 provided with the wing parts 14-1 and 14-2, the arm parts 21 and 22 directly grip and convey the disk-shaped dish 12. The dish 12 can be transported stably.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the transfer robot that employs a mechanism for scooping with a shovel-like arm is scooping up the adapter 11 to which the dish 12 is fixed. FIG. 3A shows a plan view, and FIG. 3B shows a side view.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the shovel portion 31 of the transfer robot is provided with an inclined portion that protrudes upward at the distal end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 3) and the proximal end portion, and the inclination thereof. The interval between the portions is substantially the same as the length W of the long side of the adapter 11. That is, the adapter 11 is placed between the inclined portions of the shovel portion 31. Thereby, when the shovel part 31 conveys the dish 12, it can convey more stably. For example, when the dish 12 is placed alone on the shovel portion 31, the dish 12 may be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the shovel portion 31 (left and right direction in FIG. 3), but the adapter 11 is inclined to the shovel portion 31. When placed between the two parts, the adapter 11 is prevented from being displaced in the longitudinal direction of the shovel part 31. Therefore, the dish 12 can be stably conveyed.

  FIG. 4 shows a state where the adapter 11 to which the dish 12 is fixed is placed on the microscope stage of the automatic observation system.

  The stage 41 shown in FIG. 4 is an example of a configuration in an automatic observation system that employs the transfer robot having the shovel portion 31 shown in FIG. 3, and is arranged so as to have an opening toward the left side of FIG. It is formed in a letter shape. That is, the stage 41 is formed so that the shovel portion 31 can be inserted into the lower side of the adapter 11 from the left side of FIG.

  On the upper surface of the stage 41, fixing pins 42-1 to 42-4 for positioning the adapter 11 are provided. The fixing pins 42-1 and 42-2 are in contact with the short side of the adapter 11 for positioning in the left-right direction with respect to the stage 41, and the fixing pins 42-3 and 42-4 are in contact with the long side of the adapter 11. The vertical positioning with respect to the stage 41 is performed. Thereby, it can position with sufficient reproducibility.

  Further, the fixing pins 42-1 to 42-4 are arranged so as to abut near the corners of the adapter 11. That is, the fixing pins 42-3 and 42-4 are arranged so as to abut on places other than the wing part 14-2 provided near the center of the long side of the adapter 11. As described above, since the length of the long side and the short side of the adapter 11 is formed to be substantially the same as the dimensions of the well plate, the automatic observation system specialized for the well plate is similar to the well plate. In addition, the dish 12 fixed to the adapter 11 can be operated. That is, by using the adapter 11, the well plate and the dish 12 can be shared even in an automatic observation system specialized for the well plate.

  Note that an opening (not shown) is formed in the center portion of the adapter 11 so as to enable observation with a microscope, and observation with a microscope can be performed with the dish 12 fixed to the adapter 11.

  Further, the index for fixing the dish 12 to the adapter 11 is not limited to the marking 13 as shown in FIG. 5 and 6 show first and second modifications of the adapter.

  FIG. 5 shows an adapter 11A that is a first modification. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the adapter 11A, and FIG. 5B is a side view of the adapter 11A.

  In the adapter 11 </ b> A shown in FIG. 5, a circular convex region 51 processed so as to protrude by islanding processing is provided as an index when fixing the dish 12.

  FIG. 6 shows an adapter 11B that is a second modification. 6A is a plan view of the adapter 11B, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the adapter 11B as seen from the arrow AA.

  In the adapter 11 </ b> B shown in FIG. 6, a circular recessed area 52 processed so as to be recessed by digging is provided as an index when the dish 12 is fixed.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a circular convex region 51 and a concave region 52 corresponding to the outer diameter of the dish 12 may be provided as an index when the user fixes the dish 12 to the adapter 11.

  FIG. 7 shows an adapter 11C as a third modification.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the adapter 11 </ b> C can be attached with additional wing portions 61-1 to 61-4.

  The additional wing portions 61-1 and 61-2 are attached to both sides of the wing portion 14-1, and expand the straight portion at the tip of the wing portion 14-1 along the long side direction of the adapter 11. Further, the additional wing portions 61-3 and 61-4 are attached to both sides of the wing portion 14-2, and the straight portion at the tip of the wing portion 14-2 is enlarged along the long side direction of the adapter 11. That is, the additional wings 61-1 to 61-4 enlarge the portion that is held by the side clamp type transfer robot.

  FIG. 8 shows a state where the side clamp type transfer robot is holding the adapter 11C to which the dish 12 is fixed.

  The arm portions 21 ′ and 22 ′ of the transfer robot shown in FIG. 8 are configured larger than the arm portions 21 and 22 of FIG. 2. Then, the arm portion 21 ′ abuts on the additional wing portions 61-1 and 61-2 attached to both sides of the wing portion 14-1, and the additional wing portion 61-3 attached to both sides of the wing portion 14-2 and When the arm portion 22 'comes into contact with 61-4, the adapter 11C is sandwiched and gripped.

  In this way, by making it possible to attach the additional wing units 61-1 to 61-4, the additional wing units 61-1 to 61-4 can be replaced in accordance with the size and shape of the arm of the transfer robot. Thus, the adapter 11C can be gripped more stably.

  By the way, as a method of fixing the dish 12 to the adapter 11, in addition to using the double-sided tape as described above, for example, a holding component for holding the dish 12 may be provided in the adapter 11.

  FIG. 9 shows an adapter 11D that is a fourth modification.

  In the adapter 11D, an urging portion 81, a movable arm 82, and two fixed pins 83-1 and 83-2 are provided on the surface on which the dish 12 is placed.

  In the adapter 11D, the urging portion 81 urges the movable arm 82 toward the fixed pins 83-1 and 83-2 (the left direction in FIG. 9) by a built-in spring or the like. When the dish 12 (circular two-dot chain line in FIG. 9) is placed between the movable arm 82 and the fixed pins 83-1 and 83-2, the movable arm 82 is moved by the biasing force of the biasing portion 81. By pressing the side surface of the dish 12, the movable arm 82 and the fixed pins 83-1 and 83-2 are pressed against the dish 12 by points, and the dish 12 is held.

  In this manner, the dish 12 can be easily replaced by holding the dish 12 using the urging force of the urging unit 81 and the movable arm 82.

  FIG. 10 shows an adapter 11E that is a fifth modification.

  In the adapter 11E, an urging portion 81, a movable arm 82, and two pieces 84-1 and 84-2 are provided on the surface on which the dish 12 is placed.

  Concave surfaces with different curvatures are formed on the four side surfaces of the pieces 84-1 and 84-2, and the pieces 84-1 and 84-2 are rotatable about their respective centers. That is, by rotating the pieces 84-1 and 84-2, the concave curved surface having a curvature corresponding to the diameter of the dish 12 placed on the adapter 11E is adjusted to face the side on which the dish 12 is placed. The

  Further, the pieces 84-1 and 84-2 can be offset with respect to the center of the adapter 11E. That is, by offsetting the pieces 84-1 and 84-2, the dish 12 placed on the adapter 11E can be adjusted to coincide with the center of the adapter 11E.

  By using such pieces 84-1 and 84-2, for example, even if the dish 12 has a diameter of 100 mm, the shape of each dish 12 is different when the shape is slightly different for each manufacturer. By adjusting according to this, the dish 12 can be reliably held at the center of the adapter 11E.

  In addition to the configuration in which the curved surface is changed by rotating like the pieces 84-1 and 84-2, the pieces with different curved surfaces may be exchangeable. In addition, the curved surfaces of the pieces 84-1 and 84-2 are subjected to a surface treatment (for example, knurling) to increase the holding force with respect to the dish 12, so that the dish 12 is transported or cultured. The deviation can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, for example, a bar code seal (identification information) for identifying the dish 12 can be attached to the side surface facing the outside of the urging portion 81.

  FIG. 11 shows another configuration example of the adapter 11E.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the adapter 11 </ b> E ′, a barcode seal 85 is affixed to the side surface facing the outside of the urging portion 81. With such a bar code seal 85, the dish 12 can be managed by a bar code generally employed in an automatic observation system.

  The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  11 Adapter, 12 Dish, 13 Marking, 14-1 and 14-2 Wing, 21 and 22 Arm, 31 Shovel, 41 Stage, 42-1 to 42-4 Fixing Pin, 51 Convex Area, 52 Concave Area, 61-1 to 61-4 additional wing part, 81 biasing part, 82 movable arm, 83-1 and 83-2 fixing pin, 84-1 and 84-2 piece, 85 bar code seal

Claims (7)

A culture vessel adapter attached to a culture vessel,
A plate-like member having a substantially rectangular shape consisting of a long side and a short side of a predetermined length;
A culture vessel adapter comprising: a gripping portion that protrudes outward in the vicinity of the center of both side surfaces that are long sides of the plate-like member, and that has a tip end surface that is linearly formed. A mark marked according to the shape of the culture vessel or a convex region or a concave region formed according to the shape of the culture vessel is provided at the center of the surface to which the culture vessel is attached. The culture container adapter according to claim 1. The adapter for culture vessels according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an additional member that expands the length along the direction of the long side of the distal end surface of the grip portion is detachable. The culture vessel adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising holding means for holding the culture vessel on a surface to which the culture vessel is attached. The culture container adapter according to claim 4, wherein the holding means includes fixing pins provided at at least two locations, and biasing means for biasing the culture container toward the fixing pins. The holding means includes a rotatable piece provided in at least two places, and a biasing means for biasing the culture vessel toward the piece, and a concave curved surface is formed on a side surface of the piece. The culture vessel adapter according to claim 4, wherein The identification information for identifying the said culture container is affixed. The adapter for culture containers in any one of the Claims 1 thru | or 6 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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