JP6263115B2 - Cryogenic storage system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a low-temperature storage system for storing an object to be stored at a low temperature, and in particular, discovers or designs a drug in medicine, biotechnology and pharmacy under an ultra-low temperature such as −150 ° C. cooled with liquid nitrogen or the like. The present invention relates to a cryogenic storage system for storing a drug discovery sample used in a process.

  Conventionally, as a low-temperature storage system for storing a container containing a sample at a low temperature, a cartridge that stores a plurality of storage plates holding a plurality of containers in a vertical direction, and a low-temperature storage container of −80 ° C. or lower (low-temperature storage) Room), a work room that is cooler than the external environment provided adjacent to the cold storage room, an entry / exit room provided adjacent to the work room, and a storage plate provided in the work room for transport and storage A low-temperature storage system is known that includes a plate transport mechanism that puts in and out of a rack and a pickup mechanism that is provided in a work chamber and can individually take out containers from a storage plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the low temperature storage system of Patent Document 1, when a desired container is taken out from the low temperature storage, the storage rack containing a plurality of storage plates holding a plurality of containers is extracted from the low temperature storage and then stored in the work room. Remove the storage plate from the rack and take out the desired container from the storage plate.

JP 2012-56730 A

However, in the low-temperature storage system of Patent Document 1, when a desired container is taken out from the low-temperature storage, the storage rack needs to be extracted from the low-temperature storage. In the work chamber that is taken out to the work chamber and has a room temperature higher than that of the low temperature storage, the temperature of containers other than the desired container also rises.
In addition, because the storage rack is long and holds the storage plates in multiple stages, it takes time to take out and many undesired storage plates and containers are exposed to the outside of the low-temperature storage for a long time. It becomes.
As a result, the quality of the sample contained in the container may be deteriorated, and when the storage rack whose temperature has been raised is returned to the low temperature storage, the temperature of the low temperature storage rises, and outside air enters from the opening. As a result, there is a problem that a large amount of cost is required for the coolant for cooling the low-temperature storage.
For example, when the inside of the low-temperature storage is set to an ultra-low temperature such as −150 ° C. by a coolant such as liquid nitrogen, the above-described problem becomes more prominent because the temperature difference between the low-temperature storage and the working room is large. .

  The present invention solves these problems, and aims to provide a low-temperature storage system that has a simple structure, prevents quality deterioration of storage objects, and reduces the cost of coolant. It is.

The low-temperature storage system according to the present invention is a low-temperature storage system for storing an object to be stored at a low temperature, and is moved up and down in the low-temperature storage in a state where they can rotate independently of each other about a vertical axis. A plurality of rotating shelves arranged in the vertical direction, and a transfer slit penetrating in the vertical direction is provided in addition to the lowermost rotating shelf among the plurality of rotating shelves. shelves, have a rotation transmission means for transmitting rotation to each other, the rotation shelf bottom has a bearing portion which is rotatably supported in shaft compartment provided in the cold vault, the rotational center axis of the coaxial An upper rotating shaft, and the intermediate rotating shelf has a bearing portion rotatably supported by the upper shaft of the rotating shelf adjacent to the lower side, and an upper shaft that is coaxial with the rotation center axis. The shelf is a shaft that is rotatably supported by the upper shaft of the rotating shelf adjacent to the bottom. Parts and, by chromatic an upper axis extending to above the rotation center axis coaxial with cold vault, is intended to solve the above problems.

According to the low-temperature storage system according to claim 1, the low-temperature storage and the plurality of rotating shelves arranged vertically in the low-temperature storage in a state of being rotatable independently of each other about the vertical axis, In addition to the lowermost rotating shelf among the rotating shelves, a transfer slit penetrating in the vertical direction is provided, and the rotating shelves adjacent to the upper and lower sides of the plurality of rotating shelves have engaging portions that are rotationally engaged with each other. By adjusting the positional relationship between the rotation position of the rotating shelf and the transfer slit of the rotating shelf above it by the rotation transmitting means, it is held at an arbitrary position of an arbitrary rotating shelf through the transfer slit. The storage object can be transferred upward, and a desired storage object can be taken out from the low-temperature storage with a simple structure while ensuring a sufficient storage amount of the storage object.
As a result, storage objects other than the desired storage object can be prevented from being taken out of the low temperature storage and the temperature rises, quality deterioration of the storage target can be prevented, and storage objects whose temperature has increased can be stored in the low temperature storage. It is possible to prevent the temperature inside the low temperature storage from rising due to the return, and to reduce the cost of the coolant for cooling the inside of the low temperature storage.
Moreover, since it is possible to take out the storage object from the low-temperature storage by a simple operation of transferring the storage object upward through the transfer slit, the structure of the handling mechanism for handling the storage object can be simplified. .
In addition, when carrying in / out the storage object, the rotating shelf to be stored can be positioned at a predetermined rotation position, so the opening above the low temperature storage can be made small, and the temperature rise of the low temperature storage is suppressed. The cost for the coolant that cools the inside can be reduced.
The lowermost rotating shelf has a bearing portion rotatably supported by an inner shaft provided in the low temperature storage, and an upper shaft that is coaxial with the rotation center axis. It has a bearing part rotatably supported by the upper shaft of the rotating shelf adjacent to the lower side, and an upper shaft coaxial with the rotation center axis. The uppermost rotating shelf is connected to the upper shaft of the rotating shelf adjacent to the lower side. By having a bearing portion that is rotatably supported and an upper shaft that extends to the upper side of the low-temperature storage coaxial with the rotation center shaft, a simple structure is obtained.

According to the structure of Claim 2, a low temperature storage has a drive mechanism which rotationally drives the uppermost rotation shelf among several rotation shelves, and installs a complicated drive mechanism in a low temperature storage. Therefore, the rotating shelf other than the uppermost stage can be rotated by the rotation transmitting means, and the configuration can be simplified.
According to the configuration of the third aspect, the rotation transmitting means includes a pair of engaging projections provided to face the upper shaft and the bearing portion of the rotating shelf adjacent vertically, thereby providing the movable portion. In addition, with an extremely simple structure, it is possible to perform an operation of adjusting the rotational position of any adjacent upper and lower rotating shelves relatively and an operation of rotating in synchronization with the same direction.
This makes it possible to rotate and position any part of the rotating shelf at any stage by simply rotating the uppermost rotating shelf and align it with the transfer slit on the rotating shelf above the rotating shelf. The configuration can be simplified.
According to the configuration described in claim 4, the sequential transfer slits from the upper rotating shelf can be made to overlap with each other only by rotating the uppermost rotating shelf a plurality of times in a predetermined direction.
With this, after the rotation position of the rotation shelf of the desired stage is set so that the storage object is directly below the upper opening, the transfer slit of the rotation shelf above it can be easily aligned above the storage object, A storage object held at a predetermined position can be directly accessed from above.
Moreover, also when automating, desired positioning can be performed by controlling only a rotation angle, without providing a sensor etc. in a low-temperature storage.

According to the configuration of claim 5, the plurality of rotating shelves are provided with a plurality of storage areas for storing storage racks that can hold the storage plates in multiple stages in the vertical direction, so that the vertical direction of the rotating shelves Many storage racks matching the height can be accommodated in the low-temperature storage, and the storage rack can be made smaller by reducing the vertical height of the rotating shelf.
This makes it possible to reduce the number of undesired storage plates that are taken out to the outside at the same time when taking out any storage plate from the low-temperature storage, and to reduce the time taken out to the outside. The opening time of the storage can be shortened, and the temperature rise of the storage plate and the low temperature storage can be prevented.
By reducing the time taken out to the outside, it is possible to suppress frost formation, to prevent the handling of the storage target from being hindered, and to improve the reading accuracy when a code for identification is given. Decline can be prevented.
According to the configuration of claim 6, the plurality of rotating shelves can prevent the rotation position of the rotating shelf from changing due to vibrations of the entire system, etc., by having the rotation restricting mechanism that maintains the rotation stop, respectively. It is also possible to prevent the rotating shelves adjacent in the vertical direction from being unintentionally rotated.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a cryogenic storage system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view inside the low-temperature storage of the low-temperature storage system shown in FIG. The cross-sectional perspective view of the cryogenic storage system shown in FIG. The perspective view from the upper part of the rotation shelf in the middle of the low-temperature storage system shown in FIG. The perspective view from the downward direction of the rotation shelf in the middle of the low-temperature storage system shown in FIG. The side surface sectional enlarged view of the some rotation shelf of the low-temperature storage system shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing of the rotation transmission mechanism of the low-temperature storage system shown in FIG. The perspective view from the upper part of the intermediate | middle rotation shelf of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view from the lower part of the intermediate | middle rotation shelf of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The side surface cross-section enlarged view of the some rotation shelf of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view from the upper part of the intermediate | middle rotation shelf of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view from the lower part of the intermediate | middle rotation shelf of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The side surface cross-section enlarged view of the some rotation shelf of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Side surface sectional drawing of the some rotation shelf of a reference example .

The present invention is a low-temperature storage system for storing an object to be stored at a low temperature, and a plurality of the low-temperature storage and a plurality of vertically arranged in the low-temperature storage in a state of being rotatable independently of each other about a vertical axis. Among the plurality of rotating shelves, a rotating stage other than the lowest rotating shelf is provided with a transfer slit penetrating in the vertical direction, and the rotating shelves adjacent to the top and bottom of the plurality of rotating shelves , have a rotation transmission means for transmitting rotation to each other, the rotation shelf bottom has a bearing portion which is rotatably supported in shaft compartment provided in the cold vault, the rotation center axis coaxial with the upper shaft The intermediate rotating shelf has a bearing portion rotatably supported on the upper shaft of the rotating shelf adjacent to the lower side, and an upper shaft that is coaxial with the rotation center axis, and the uppermost rotating shelf is A bearing portion rotatably supported on an upper shaft of a rotating shelf adjacent to the lower side; Rolling possess an upper shaft which extends to above the central axis coaxial with cold vault, a simple structure, thereby preventing deterioration of the quality of storage target, as long as it reduces the cost of the coolant, the specific Any specific embodiment may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the low temperature storage system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a low temperature storage 110 and an inside of the low temperature storage 110 that can rotate independently of each other about a vertical axis. Are provided with a plurality of rotating shelves 120 arranged vertically.
The low-temperature storage 110 is a heat insulating container having a cylindrical cross section, and in this embodiment, liquid nitrogen is injected into the interior, and the interior is set to an ultra-low temperature of about −150 ° C.
In the upper part of the low-temperature storage 110, an opening 111 through which the storage object R can be carried in and out is provided.
The opening 111 may be of a size that allows the storage object R held on the rotating shelf 120 to be carried in and out by the vertical movement, and the rotating shelf 120 can rotate. What is necessary is just the size for width.

Of the plurality of rotating shelves 120, the uppermost rotating shelf 120t and the intermediate rotating shelf 120m other than the lowermost rotating shelf 120b are provided with transfer slits 121 penetrating in the vertical direction.
The lowermost rotating shelf 120b does not have a transfer slit, is rotatably supported by an inner shaft 113 provided in the low temperature storage 110, and has an upper shaft 131b coaxially with the rotation center axis. Yes.
The middle rotating shelf 120m is rotatably supported by upper shafts 131b and 131m of the rotating shelves 120b and 120m adjacent to the lower side, and has an upper shaft 131b coaxially with the rotation center axis.
The uppermost rotating shelf 120t is rotatably supported by the upper shaft 131m of the rotating shelf 120m adjacent below, and has an upper shaft 131t coaxially with the rotation center axis.

An upper shaft 131t of the uppermost rotating shelf 120t is provided so as to extend to above the low temperature storage 110, and a rotary handle 130 as a drive mechanism is provided on the outside portion of the low temperature storage 110 of the upper shaft 131t. .
The rotating shelf 120 below a pair of adjacent rotating shelves 120 is provided with one engagement protrusion 122u projecting from the upper shaft 131 to the outer peripheral side as a rotation transmitting means on the circumference. One engagement protrusion 122d that protrudes toward the inner periphery is provided on the circumference.
As shown in FIG. 7, the engagement protrusions 122u and 122d have an area in which rotation is not transmitted and can be rotated independently (about 1 turn (precisely, less than the circumferential angle of the engagement protrusion in the circumferential direction)). Yes, both forward and reverse are configured to rotate synchronously after the engagement protrusions 122u, 122d abut.
Then, when the engagement protrusions 122u and 122d are brought into contact with each other by rotating in any one direction (hereinafter referred to as “positive direction”), the upper and lower rotary shelves 120 having the engagement protrusions 122u and 122d are transferred. The slits 121 are configured to overlap in the vertical direction.

In the low-temperature storage system 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above, for example, a procedure for taking out a storage object held at a predetermined position on the lowermost rotating shelf 120b will be described.
First, the rotary handle 130 is rotated in the opposite direction, and a predetermined position of the lowermost rotary shelf 120b is positioned below the opening 111 in a state where all the rotary shelves 120 are rotated in synchronization.
Next, when the rotating handle 130 is rotated in the forward direction and the rotating shelf 120m immediately above the lowermost rotating shelf 120b starts to rotate, the transfer slit 121 is positioned below the opening 111 by the first rotation. Let
As a result, the storage object held at a predetermined position on the lowermost rotating shelf 120b can be directly accessed from above through the opening 111 through the transfer slit 121.
Moreover, also when automating, desired positioning can be performed by controlling only a rotation angle, without providing a sensor etc. in the low temperature storage 110. FIG.

In the present embodiment, a rotation regulating mechanism 112 that presses and fixes the outer peripheral portion of each rotating shelf 120 by an operation from the outside of the low temperature storage 110 is provided.
The rotation restricting mechanism 112 is for restricting / releasing the rotation of the whole at the same time. However, the rotation restricting mechanism 112 may be configured to restrict / release the rotation of each rotating shelf 120 individually.
In addition, the rotation is actively restricted / released, but a mechanism that always applies a braking force by friction or the like, or a mechanism that automatically and automatically engages / releases at a certain angular position. Good.
In the present embodiment, the rotation handle 130 as a drive mechanism is manually turned by the operator, the rotation restricting mechanism 112 is manually operated, and the storage object R is manually carried in and out by the take-out jig G. However, it may be automated by providing a drive source.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the rotating shelf 220 of the low temperature storage system according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the engagement protrusion 222 formed vertically on the upper shaft 231 to increase the rotation transmission force. The other parts are the same as in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the rotating shelf 320 of the low temperature storage system according to the third embodiment of the present invention is provided with the engaging protrusions 322 protruding in the vertical direction. This is the same as in the first embodiment.

Reference example

As shown in FIG. 14, the rotating shelf 420 of the cryogenic storage system as a reference example includes a lower shaft 434 that extends downward and is supported by the in-compartment bearing portion 414. The rotating shelves 420m and 420b have a bearing portion 432 through which the lower shaft 434 passes, and the other portions are the same as in the third embodiment.

In each of the above embodiments, four rotating shelves are shown, but any number of shelves may be used depending on the height of the storage target in the vertical direction.
In the drawing, the transfer slit has a fan shape of about 90 °. However, any storage object held at any position on the lower rotating shelf can be passed vertically by changing the rotation position. Any shape is possible.
Further, a positioning member that defines the holding position and posture of the storage target may be provided on the rotating shelf. In particular, a large number of containers such as microtubes are aligned and held on the storage plate, and the storage plate is multi-staged vertically in the storage rack. When the storage rack is stored as a unit for loading and unloading, a lattice-shaped partition member may be provided on the rotating shelf to form a plurality of storage areas.
In addition, by providing a memory or the like that displays the rotation angle of the rotating handle, it is possible to position the desired position of the desired rotating shelf below the opening without checking the inside, shortening the opening time of the opening, It is possible to prevent the temperature inside the low temperature storage from rising, and to reduce the cost for the coolant that cools the inside of the low temperature storage.
The low-temperature storage system according to the present invention is suitable as an ultra-low temperature low-temperature storage system such as −150 ° C., but may be applied to a low-temperature storage system such as −80 ° C. or −20 ° C. It may be applied to a high temperature storage system.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Low temperature storage system 110 410 ... Low temperature storage 111 411 ... Opening 112 412 ... Rotation restriction mechanism 113, 313 ... Inner shaft
414 ... Bearing parts 120, 220, 320, 420 ... Rotary shelves 121, 221, 321, 421 ... Transfer slits 122, 222, 322, 422 ... Engagement protrusions (rotation transmission means) )
130 ・ ・ ・ Rotating handle (drive mechanism)
131, 231, 331, 431... Upper shaft 132, 232, 332, 432...
434: Lower shaft R: Storage rack (storage object)
G ... Extraction jig

Claims (6)

A low-temperature storage system for storing storage objects at low temperatures,
A plurality of rotating shelves arranged vertically in the low temperature storage and in a state that can rotate independently of each other around a vertical axis,
Other than the lowermost rotating shelf among the plurality of rotating shelves, a transfer slit penetrating in the vertical direction is provided,
Carousel adjacent to and below the plurality of rotary shelves, have a rotation transmission means for transmitting rotation to each other,
The lowermost rotating shelf has a bearing portion that is rotatably supported by an inner shaft provided in the low-temperature storage, and an upper shaft that is coaxial with the rotation center axis.
The intermediate rotating shelf has a bearing portion rotatably supported by the upper shaft of the rotating shelf adjacent to the lower side, and an upper shaft coaxial with the rotation center axis.
The uppermost rotating shelf includes a bearing portion rotatably supported by an upper shaft of a rotating shelf adjacent to the lower side, and an upper shaft extending to the upper side of the cold storage unit coaxial with the rotation center axis. Low temperature storage system.   The low-temperature storage system according to claim 1, wherein the low-temperature storage has a drive mechanism that rotationally drives an uppermost rotary shelf among the plurality of rotary shelves. The low-temperature storage system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation transmitting means includes a pair of engaging protrusions provided to face an upper shaft and a bearing portion of a rotating shelf adjacent vertically. . A pair of engaging projections provided opposite to the upper shaft and the bearing portion of the rotating shelf adjacent to the upper and lower sides are used for transferring the rotating shelf adjacent to the upper and lower sides when they contact each other by rotating in a predetermined direction. The low-temperature storage system according to claim 3, wherein the slits are disposed so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction.   The plurality of rotating shelves are provided with a plurality of storage areas for storing storage racks capable of holding the storage plates in multiple stages in the vertical direction. Low temperature storage system.   The low-temperature storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of the plurality of rotating shelves has a rotation restricting mechanism that maintains rotation stoppage.

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