JP6754274B2 - Preservation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage device, and more particularly to a storage device for cryopreserving a storage object.

Conventionally, a storage device for cryopreserving biological specimens such as tissues, cells, sperms, and eggs using liquid nitrogen has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The storage device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a storage tank in which a sample and liquid nitrogen are stored, and a condensing chamber provided outside the storage tank. Then, the nitrogen evaporated in the storage tank was liquefied in the condensation chamber and returned to the storage tank, so that the liquid nitrogen was reused for cooling the sample. The storage tank and the condensing chamber were connected to each other in gas and liquid phases.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-28516

As a result of intensive research on the above-mentioned storage device, the present inventor has come to recognize that there is room for improving the utilization efficiency of liquid nitrogen in the conventional storage device.

The present application has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for improving the utilization efficiency of liquid nitrogen in a storage device.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present application is a storage device. The storage device has an internal storage chamber for storing the storage object and liquid nitrogen used for cooling the storage target, and a liquid phase of nitrogen is formed below the storage chamber and above the storage chamber. A storage container in which a gas phase of nitrogen is formed and an object to be stored is arranged in the gas phase, a refrigerator arranged in the gas phase and having a cooling unit for condensing gaseous nitrogen, and a refrigerator arranged vertically below the cooling unit. It is provided with a droplet receiving portion and a flow path portion connecting the droplet receiving portion and the liquid phase, and an guiding portion for guiding liquid nitrogen condensed by the cooling unit to the liquid phase.

Another aspect of the present application is also a storage device. The storage device has an internal storage chamber for storing the storage object and liquid nitrogen used for cooling the storage target, and a liquid phase of nitrogen is formed below the storage chamber and above the storage chamber. A gas phase of nitrogen is formed and the storage object is arranged in the gas phase, and the storage container is arranged so that the horizontal position is offset with respect to the storage space of the storage object in the storage chamber and is arranged in the gas phase. A refrigerator having a cooling unit that condenses gaseous nitrogen, and a refrigerating unit that is arranged below the cooling unit in the vertical direction and above the liquid surface of the liquid phase, has a surface inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and is condensed by the cooling unit. Covers the liquid nitrogen splash control unit that receives the falling liquid nitrogen on an inclined surface and controls the liquid nitrogen splash direction, the opening arranged vertically above the liquid splash control unit, and the periphery of the liquid splash control unit. It has a side wall and includes a scattering prevention unit that suppresses the scattering of droplets that hit the liquid splash control unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of liquid nitrogen in a storage device.

It is a front view which shows the internal structure of the storage apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the storage apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 (A) and 3 (B) are perspective views showing an enlarged view of the internal structure of the storage device according to the first embodiment in the vicinity of the refrigerator. 4 (A) and 4 (B) are perspective views showing an enlarged view of the internal structure of the storage device according to the first modification in the vicinity of the refrigerator. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the storage apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 (A) is an enlarged perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage device according to the second embodiment in the vicinity of the refrigerator, and FIG. 6 (B) is a view showing the refrigerator of the storage device according to the second embodiment in an enlarged manner. It is a front view which shows the internal structure of the neighborhood in an enlarged manner. 7 (A) and 7 (B) are schematic views showing how the cover portion is displaced in conjunction with the insertion / removal of the lid portion. 8 (A) and 8 (B) are schematic views showing how the cover portion is displaced in conjunction with the insertion / removal of the lid portion. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the droplet receiving portion is in the second posture in the storage device according to the second embodiment. 10 (A), 10 (B), and 10 (C) are perspective views showing the vicinity of the lid portion of the storage device according to the second embodiment in an enlarged manner. 11 (A) and 11 (B) are perspective views showing an enlarged internal structure in the vicinity of the opening of the storage device according to the second modification. 12 (A) and 12 (B) are perspective views showing an enlarged view of the internal structure of the storage device according to the third modification in the vicinity of the refrigerator. 13 (A) and 13 (B) are perspective views showing an enlarged internal structure of the storage device according to the third modification in the vicinity of the refrigerator. It is a front view which shows typically the internal structure of the storage apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings shall be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. Further, the embodiment is not limited to the invention but is an example, and all the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention. In addition, some of the members that are not important for explaining the embodiment in each drawing will be omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a front view showing the internal structure of the storage device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage device according to the first embodiment. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing an enlarged view of the internal structure of the storage device according to the first embodiment in the vicinity of the refrigerator. The storage device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a storage container 102, a refrigerator 104, and an induction unit 106.

The storage container 102 has a bottomed inner cylinder 108 and a bottomed outer cylinder 110. A storage chamber 112 is arranged inside the inner cylinder 108. The storage chamber 112 is a closed space for storing an object to be stored and liquid nitrogen. Examples of storage objects to be stored in the storage chamber 112 include biological specimens such as various tissues, cells, sperms, and eggs. The storage object of the storage device 100 is not limited to the biological sample, and includes all the objects to be cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen.

The storage container 102 has a tray 114 for storing an object to be stored. The tray 114 has a support shaft 116 that is horizontally arranged at substantially the center of the storage chamber 112 and extends in the vertical direction, and a partition wall 118 that is fixed to the support shaft 116 and partitions a storage space for storage objects. A plurality of storage spaces are formed in the storage chamber 112 by the partition wall 118.

The space between the inner cylinder 108 and the outer cylinder 110 is a vacuum. As a result, the inside of the storage chamber 112 is insulated from the outside of the storage device 100. An opening 120 that communicates the storage chamber 112 with the outside of the storage container 102 is provided on the upper surface of the storage container 102. The opening 120 is used when the storage object is stored in the storage chamber 112 or when it is taken out from the storage chamber 112. The connection portion between the inner cylinder 108 and the opening 120 and the connection portion between the outer cylinder 110 and the opening 120 are hermetically sealed. The opening 120 is provided with a lid 122 that closes the opening 120 so that it can be opened and closed. The lid portion 122 has a heat insulating structure.

The lid portion 122 is arranged so that the position in the horizontal direction is offset with respect to the center of the storage container 102. Further, the tray 114 can be rotated around the support shaft 116 as a rotation center. The user of the storage device 100 can move the desired storage space directly below the lid portion 122 in the vertical direction by rotating the tray 114. By adopting a rotating structure for the tray 114, the dimensions of the opening 120 and the lid 122 can be reduced without sacrificing the ease of taking in and out the storage object. By reducing the size of the opening 120 and the lid 122, the heat retention of the storage chamber 112 can be enhanced, and thus the evaporation of liquid nitrogen can be suppressed. In particular, when the lid portion 122 is made of a general heat insulating material, the miniaturization of the lid portion 122 is important for increasing the heat retention of the storage chamber 112. This is because the thermal conductivity of the heat insulating material is larger than that of the vacuum heat insulating material.

Liquid nitrogen is used to cool the object to be stored. The inside of the storage chamber 112 is maintained at a low temperature of about -196 ° C. or higher and about -150 ° C. or lower by liquid nitrogen. As a result, the object to be stored can be stored in a frozen state. A liquid phase of nitrogen 124 is formed below the containment chamber 112, and a gas phase 126 of nitrogen is formed (arranged) above the inside of the containment chamber 112. The liquid nitrogen in the liquid phase 124 evaporates to form (arrange) the gas phase 126. The storage object is arranged in the gas phase 126. By arranging the storage target in the gas phase 126, it is possible to prevent contamination and contamination caused by mycoplasma and the like caused by contact between the storage target and liquid nitrogen. In particular, when the object to be preserved is a biological sample, it is important to prevent mycoplasma contamination and contamination.

The refrigerator 104 condenses the gaseous nitrogen in the storage chamber 112 to generate liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen produced is reused for cooling the storage object. The refrigerator 104 is not particularly limited as long as it can be cooled to a temperature at which nitrogen can be condensed, and for example, a Stirling refrigerator, a Gifford-McMahon type (GM) refrigerator, a pulse tube refrigerator and the like can be used. The refrigerator 104 is provided on the upper surface of the storage container 102 separately from the lid portion 122. The refrigerator 104 is installed so as to penetrate the storage container 102.

The refrigerator 104 has a cooling unit 128 and a heat radiating unit 130. The cooling unit 128 is arranged in the gas phase 126 to condense gaseous nitrogen. The "cooling unit" in the present specification also includes heat exchange members such as fins and tubes connected to the body of the heat absorbing unit of the refrigerator. The heat exchange member is made of, for example, copper or aluminum having high thermal conductivity. By providing the heat exchange member, the contact area between the refrigerator 104 and gaseous nitrogen can be increased. The refrigerator 104 of the present embodiment has a heat transfer tube as a cooling unit 128. The heat transfer tube extends from the lower end of the refrigerator body toward the inner wall 112a of the storage chamber 112 (in other words, the inner wall of the inner cylinder 108), orbits along the inner wall 112a in the horizontal direction, and then again the lower end of the refrigerator 104. It is laid to return to the department. As a result, gaseous nitrogen can be efficiently condensed. In addition, in FIGS. 1 to 3B, a part of the heat transfer tube is not shown.

The cooling unit 128 takes heat from the gaseous nitrogen in the gas phase 126 and condenses the gaseous nitrogen. As a result, liquid nitrogen droplets are generated on the surface of the cooling unit 128. The heat radiating unit 130 releases the heat taken from the gaseous nitrogen by the cooling unit 128. The heat radiating unit 130 is arranged outside the storage container 102. Therefore, the heat taken from the gaseous nitrogen is dissipated to the outside of the storage container 102 by the heat radiating unit 130. As a result, gaseous nitrogen can be condensed more efficiently.

The induction unit 106 has a function of inducing the liquid nitrogen condensed by the cooling unit 128 to the liquid phase 124. The guiding portion 106 has a droplet receiving portion 132 and a flow path portion 134. The droplet receiving portion 132 is arranged below the cooling portion 128 in the vertical direction. The droplet receiving portion 132 of the present embodiment is a portion of the heat transfer tube constituting the cooling portion 128 that extends from the lower end of the refrigerator 104 toward the inner wall 112a of the storage chamber 112, and from the inner wall 112a to the refrigerator 104. It is arranged vertically below the portion extending toward the lower end of the storage object, in other words, the portion extending vertically above the storage space of the storage object. The liquid nitrogen droplets generated on the surface of the cooling unit 128 fall onto the droplet receiving unit 132. As a result, it is possible to prevent the liquid nitrogen droplets from adhering to the storage object contained in the tray 114.

The droplet receiving portion 132 is a gutter-shaped member, one end (base end portion) is arranged near the center of the accommodating chamber 112, and the other end (tip end portion) is arranged near the inner wall 112a of the accommodating chamber 112. The droplet receiving portion 132 has a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section orthogonal to the extending direction thereof. Further, the droplet receiving portion 132 is inclined downward from the base end portion side toward the tip end portion side. Therefore, the liquid nitrogen dropped on the droplet receiving portion 132 moves toward the inner wall 112a while gathering at the center in the width direction of the droplet receiving portion 132.

The flow path portion 134 is a portion that connects the droplet receiving portion 132 and the liquid phase 124. The flow path portion 134 of the present embodiment includes the inner wall 112a of the accommodation chamber 112. The inner wall 112a includes a vertical wall surface 112a1 and an eaves portion 136 protruding from the vertical wall surface 112a1. Therefore, the flow path portion 134 is composed of the vertical wall surface 112a1 and the eaves portion 136. The eaves portion 136 is provided so as to project from the vertical wall surface 112a1 toward the center and upward of the accommodation chamber 112 and to circulate along the vertical wall surface 112a1. Therefore, the eaves portion 136 inclines downward from the central side of the accommodation chamber 112 toward the vertical wall surface 112a1 side.

The eaves 136 are fixed to the vertical wall surface 112a1 by welding or the like at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the region between the adjacent fixed portions 136a and the fixed portions 136a, the vertical wall surface 112a1 and the eaves portion 136 are not in contact with each other. That is, a through hole penetrating in the vertical direction is provided at the connection portion between the vertical wall surface 112a1 and the eaves portion 136.

The tip of the droplet receiving portion 132 abuts on the inner wall 112a of the accommodating chamber 112. The droplet receiving portion 132 of the present embodiment comes into contact with the eaves portion 136 of the inner wall 112a. When the liquid nitrogen moving on the droplet receiving portion 132 toward the inner wall 112a reaches the eaves portion 136, it moves on the eaves portion 136 toward the vertical wall surface 112a1. Then, the liquid nitrogen passes through the through hole located between the adjacent fixing portions 136a, descends along the vertical wall surface 112a1, and reaches the liquid phase 124. The eaves portion 136 of the present embodiment is arranged below the portion of the cooling portion 128 that orbits along the vertical wall surface 112a1 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the eaves portion 136 can receive droplets of liquid nitrogen generated in the peripheral portion of the cooling portion 128. Therefore, the eaves portion 136 also functions as the droplet receiving portion 132.

As described above, in the storage device 100 according to the present embodiment, the cooling unit 128 of the refrigerator 104 is arranged in the nitrogen gas phase 126 formed above the storage chamber 112. In the conventional storage device described above, gaseous nitrogen is transferred to a condensing chamber externally attached to the storage container, and liquid nitrogen generated in the condensing chamber is sent back into the storage container. Therefore, heat loss is likely to occur when liquid nitrogen is transferred from the condensing chamber to the storage container. On the other hand, in the storage device 100 of the present embodiment, since there is no transfer of liquid nitrogen between the inside and the outside of the storage container 102, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of heat loss due to the transfer of liquid nitrogen. Therefore, the utilization efficiency of liquid nitrogen can be improved.

When the cooling unit 128 of the refrigerator 104 is provided in the gas phase 126 formed above the storage chamber 112, droplets of liquid nitrogen generated in the cooling unit 128 may fall and adhere to the storage object. On the other hand, the storage device 100 includes an induction unit 106 that guides the liquid nitrogen generated in the cooling unit 128 to the liquid phase 124 below the storage chamber 112. The guiding portion 106 has a droplet receiving portion 132 arranged vertically below the cooling portion 128, and a flow path portion 134 connecting the droplet receiving portion 132 and the liquid phase 224. The liquid nitrogen generated by the cooling unit 128 reaches the liquid phase 124 via the droplet receiving unit 132 and the flow path unit 134. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the storage object is contaminated with liquid nitrogen. Further, the liquid nitrogen reaches the liquid phase 224 via the induction unit 106 due to its own weight. Therefore, when inducing liquid nitrogen to the liquid phase 224, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the liquid nitrogen is impacted and vaporized.

The flow path portion 134 of the present embodiment includes the inner wall 112a of the accommodation chamber 112. That is, the inner wall 112a of the storage chamber 112, which is a structure originally provided in the storage device, is used as a part of the flow path portion 134. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts constituting the storage device 100. Further, the inner wall 112a includes the eaves portion 136, and the droplet receiving portion 132 abuts on the eaves portion 136. As a result, the liquid nitrogen on the droplet receiving portion 132 can be more reliably transferred to the inner wall 112a. The end of the droplet receiving portion 132 may be in direct contact with the liquid phase 124. That is, the droplet receiving portion 132 may also have the function of the flow path portion 134. In other words, the droplet receiving portion 132 and the flow path portion 134 may be integrally configured.

The storage device 100 condenses the nitrogen in the gas phase 126 to generate liquid nitrogen, and returns the liquid nitrogen to the liquid phase 124 for reuse. As a result, the number of times of filling the storage device 100 with liquid nitrogen can be reduced, so that the time and effort for filling can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to reduce the risk that the storage state of the storage object deteriorates due to neglecting to replenish the storage device 100 with liquid nitrogen. Further, since the consumption of liquid nitrogen can be suppressed, the economic burden required for the preservation of the preservation object can be reduced.

In general, the temperature in the upper part tends to be higher than that in the lower part during the gas phase. Therefore, when the storage target is stored in the gas phase, the storage temperature of the storage target may vary. In order to keep the storage temperature of the storage object constant, it is necessary to limit the storage space of the storage target to a part of the storage room. In this case, the storage efficiency of the storage object in the storage device is lowered. On the other hand, the storage device 100 of the present embodiment has a cooling unit 128 in the upper part of the storage chamber 112. As a result, convection can be induced in the gas phase 126 to make the temperature distribution of the gas phase 126 uniform. Therefore, the storage space for the storage object can be expanded to a wide range of the storage room 112. Therefore, the storage efficiency of the storage object can be improved.

In addition, a conventional storage device that does not have a refrigerator is simply processed by forming a new opening for inserting the refrigerator 104 in the storage container and fixing the eaves 136 to the inner wall of the storage chamber. The storage device 100 according to the present embodiment can be manufactured from the above. For this reason, compared to the case where a coagulation chamber with a refrigerator is provided outside to reuse liquid nitrogen, liquid nitrogen is easier and suppresses the increase in heat leakage from the containment chamber due to modification. Can be reused.

(Modification example 1)
The storage device 100 according to the first embodiment described above may include a modification 1. The storage device 100 according to the first modification is carried out except that the tray 114 is used as the flow path portion 134 instead of the inner wall 112a and the shapes of the cooling portion 128 and the droplet receiving portion 132 are different. It has the same configuration as the storage device 100 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the storage device according to the first modification will be mainly described with a configuration different from that of the first embodiment, and the common configuration will be briefly described or omitted. 4 (A) and 4 (B) are perspective views showing an enlarged view of the internal structure of the storage device according to the first modification in the vicinity of the refrigerator.

The storage device 100 according to this modification has a plurality of fins protruding downward at the lower end of the refrigerator 104 as the cooling unit 128. Further, the droplet receiving portion 132 has a bottomed cylinder 138 and a connecting portion 140. The bottomed cylinder 138 is fixed to the refrigerator 104 so as to cover the cooling unit 128. A plurality of through holes are provided on the side surface of the bottomed cylinder 138, and the cooling unit 128 and the gas phase 126 are communicated with each other through the through holes. The connecting portion 140 is a gutter-shaped member or a tubular member, and extends from the lower end of the bottomed cylinder 138 toward the center of the accommodation chamber 112. The bottomed cylinder 138 has a through hole at the connection portion with the connecting portion 140. The bottom surface of the bottomed cylinder 138 is inclined downward toward the connecting portion with the connecting portion 140.

The flow path portion 134 includes a support shaft 116 of the tray 114. Further, the support shaft 116 includes a shaft main body 116a and an eaves portion 136 protruding from the surface of the shaft main body 116a. Therefore, the flow path portion 134 is composed of the shaft body 116a and the eaves portion 136. The shaft body 116a is a tubular member extending in the vertical direction, the upper end thereof is arranged in the gas phase 126, and the lower end portion is arranged in the liquid phase 124. The eaves 136 is provided at the upper end of the shaft body 116a. The eaves 136 extends upward from the surface of the upper end of the shaft body 116a and horizontally toward the outside of the accommodation chamber 112.

The connecting portion 140 of the droplet receiving portion 132 abuts on the support shaft 116. In this modification, the droplet receiving portion 132 abuts on the eaves portion 136 of the support shaft 116. In this state, the connecting portion 140 inclines downward from the bottomed cylinder 138 toward the eaves portion 136. The liquid nitrogen droplets generated on the surface of the cooling unit 128 fall to the bottom surface of the bottomed cylinder 138. The liquid nitrogen that has fallen to the bottom surface of the bottomed cylinder 138 reaches the eaves portion 136 via the connecting portion 140. After that, liquid nitrogen reaches the liquid phase 124 from the eaves 136 through the inner wall of the shaft body 116a.

The storage device 100 according to the present modification can also achieve the same effect as that of the first embodiment. The eaves 136 may be provided on the outer surface of the shaft body 116a instead of the upper end surface of the shaft body 116a. In this case, as an example, a through hole is provided on the outer surface of the shaft body 116a. The liquid nitrogen that has reached the shaft body 116a from the eaves 136 enters the inside of the shaft body 116a through this through hole, and reaches the liquid phase 124 through the inner wall of the shaft body 116a. Further, as another example, a through hole may be provided in the vicinity of the shaft body 116a in the eaves portion 136, and liquid nitrogen may reach the liquid phase 124 through the through hole through the outer surface of the shaft body 116a. .. Further, the flow path portion 134 may include a partition wall 118 instead of the support shaft 116. In this case, the connecting portion 140 of the droplet receiving portion 132 comes into contact with the partition wall 118. Further, the partition wall 118 preferably has an eaves portion 136, and the connecting portion 140 abuts on the eaves portion 136. Further, the cooling portion 128 may have a fin shape, the droplet receiving portion 132 may be composed of the bottomed cylinder 138 and the connecting portion 140, and the connecting portion 140 may be brought into contact with the inner wall 112a.

(Embodiment 2)
The storage device according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the storage device 100 according to the first embodiment, except that the refrigerator is provided on the lid. Hereinafter, the storage device according to the second embodiment will be mainly described with a configuration different from that of the first embodiment, and the common configuration will be briefly described or omitted. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 (A) is an enlarged perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage device according to the second embodiment in the vicinity of the refrigerator, and FIG. 6 (B) is a view showing the refrigerator of the storage device according to the second embodiment in an enlarged manner. It is a front view which shows the internal structure of the neighborhood in an enlarged manner.

The storage device 200 according to the present embodiment includes a storage container 202, a refrigerator 204, and an induction unit 206. The storage container 202 has a bottomed inner cylinder 208 and a bottomed outer cylinder 210. A storage chamber 212 is arranged inside the inner cylinder 208. Storage object and liquid nitrogen are stored in the storage chamber 212. The storage container 202 has a tray 214 for storing the storage object. The tray 214 has a support shaft 216 extending in the vertical direction and a partition wall 218 for partitioning a storage space for storage objects.

The space between the inner cylinder 208 and the outer cylinder 210 is a vacuum. An opening 220 that communicates the storage chamber 112 and the outside of the storage container 102 is provided on the upper surface of the storage container 202. The opening 220 is used when the storage object is stored in the storage chamber 212 or when it is taken out from the storage chamber 212. The opening 220 is provided with a lid 222. The liquid nitrogen contained in the storage chamber 212 is used for cooling the storage object. A liquid phase of nitrogen 224 is formed (arranged) below the inside of the containment chamber 212, and a gas phase 226 of nitrogen is formed (arranged) above the inside of the containment chamber 212. The storage object is placed in the gas phase 226.

The refrigerator 204 condenses the gaseous nitrogen in the storage chamber 212 to generate liquid nitrogen. The refrigerator 204 is provided on the lid 222. The refrigerator 204 is installed so as to penetrate the lid portion 222. The refrigerator 204 has a cooling unit 228 and a heat radiating unit 230. The cooling unit 228 is arranged in the gas phase 226 to take heat from gaseous nitrogen and condense it. The refrigerator 204 of the present embodiment has a plurality of fins protruding downward at the lower end of the refrigerator 204 as the cooling unit 228. The lower end surface of each fin has a shape with a sharp center. Therefore, the liquid nitrogen droplets generated on the surface of each fin collect at the tip of the fin. The heat radiating unit 230 releases the heat taken from the gaseous nitrogen by the cooling unit 228. The heat radiating unit 230 is arranged outside the storage container 202.

The storage device 200 includes a cover unit 242 that covers the cooling unit 228 and shields it from the outside air. The cover portion 242 has a first posture in which the cooling portion 228 is exposed in a state where the lid portion 222 closes the opening 220, that is, a state in which the lid portion 222 is inserted into the opening 220, and the lid portion 222 has an opening. It is possible to switch between the second posture covering the cooling unit 228 in the state where the 220 is open, that is, the lid portion 222 is removed from the opening 220. By providing the cover portion 242, it is possible to prevent the cooling portion 228 from being exposed to the outside air when the lid portion 222 is removed from the opening 220.

The cover portion 242 can switch between the first posture and the second posture in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the lid portion 222. The opening / closing operation of the cover portion 242 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 (A), 7 (B), 8 (A), and 8 (B). 7 (A), 7 (B), 8 (A), and 8 (B) are schematic views showing how the cover portion is displaced in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the lid portion. The storage device 200 includes a movable member 244 as an opening / closing mechanism for the cover portion 242. The movable member 244 of the present embodiment has a sleeve shape into which the lid portion 222 is inserted, and approximately the lower half of the lid portion 222 is inserted into the movable member 244. The movable member 244 has a locking portion 244a protruding in the outer peripheral direction at the upper end portion. The locking portion 244a projects horizontally to the outside of the opening 220. An opening 244b is provided on the lower surface of the movable member 244, and the cooling portion 228 projects from the opening 244b.

Further, on the lower surface of the movable member 244, a cover portion 242 is provided so as to cover the cooling portion 228 protruding from the opening 244b. The cover portion 242 is rotatably connected to the movable member 244 via a hinge mechanism 248. The hinge mechanism 248 has a rotating shaft extending in the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the cover portion 242 is divided into two members, and is connected to the movable member 244 so that the double doors can be opened downward. Further, the cover portion 242 is urged by an urging member such as a spring provided in the hinge mechanism 248 in a direction in which the cover portion 242 is closed, that is, in a direction in which the cover portion 242 is covered with the cooling portion 228.

The movable member 244 is provided so as to be displaceable with respect to the lid portion 222. Specifically, the movable member 244 can be displaced with respect to the lid portion 222 in the insertion / removal direction of the lid portion 222 into the opening 220, in other words, in the inside-out direction of the storage container 202. Further, the movable member 244 is arranged between the outer peripheral surface of the lid portion 222 and the inner peripheral surface of the opening portion 220 in a state where the lid portion 222 is inserted into the opening portion 220.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the movable member 244 is located at the lower end of the movable range, that is, in the storage container innermost direction (closer to the center of the storage container 212) with the lid portion 222 removed from the opening 220. To do. The movable member 244 is urged by an urging member 246 such as a spring with respect to the lid portion 222 in the storage container inward direction, that is, in a direction away from the lid portion 222. In this state, the cover portion 242 takes the second posture, and the cooling portion 228 is covered with the cover portion 242.

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the lid portion 222 is inserted into the opening portion 220, the lid portion 222 enters the opening portion 220 mainly due to its own weight. Then, the locking portion 244a of the movable member 244 abuts on the upper edge portion of the opening 220. The engagement of the locking portion 244a with the upper edge of the opening 220 restricts the movable member 244 from being further displaced inward of the storage container.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, only the lid portion 222 is displaced inward in the storage container. The movable member 244 is pressed by the edge of the opening 220 in the direction opposite to the urging direction of the urging member 246 as the lid 222 is inserted into the opening 220. As a result, the movable member 244 is displaced with respect to the lid portion 222 in the outward direction of the storage container. On the other hand, the lid portion 222 is displaced toward the inside of the storage container with respect to the movable member 244. Then, the lower end of the lid 222 projects from the opening 244b and presses the cover 242 in the direction opposite to the urging direction of the urging member of the hinge mechanism 248. As a result, the cover portion 242 begins to open.

As shown in FIG. 8B, when the lid portion 222 further enters the opening 220, the cover portion 242 is further pressed by the lid portion 222 and expanded. As a result, the cover portion 242 is switched from the second posture to the first posture, and the cooling portion 228 is exposed to the gas phase 226.

That is, the movable member 244 is outside the storage container with respect to the lid portion 222 due to the engagement with the edge portion of the opening portion 220 accompanying the insertion and removal of the lid portion 222 into the opening portion 220 and the urging force of the urging member 246. Displace in the direction or inward of the storage container. The cover portion 242 connected to the movable member 244 is in the first posture when the movable member 244 is displaced with respect to the lid portion 222 in the outward direction of the storage container (FIG. 8B), and the movable member 244 is in the first posture with respect to the lid portion 222. When it is displaced inward in the storage container, it takes the second posture (FIG. 7 (A)).

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 (A) and 6 (B), the induction unit 206 has a function of inducing liquid nitrogen condensed by the cooling unit 228 to the liquid phase 224. The guiding portion 206 has a droplet receiving portion 232 and a flow path portion 234. The droplet receiving portion 232 is arranged below the cooling portion 228 in the vertical direction. The liquid nitrogen droplets generated on the surface of the cooling unit 228 fall onto the droplet receiving unit 232.

The droplet receiving portion 232 is a gutter-shaped member, one end (base end portion) is arranged near the center of the accommodating chamber 212, and the other end (tip end portion) is arranged near the inner wall 212a of the accommodating chamber 212. The droplet receiving portion 232 has a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section orthogonal to the extending direction thereof. Further, the droplet receiving portion 232 is inclined downward from the proximal end side toward the distal end portion side. Therefore, the liquid nitrogen dropped on the droplet receiving portion 232 moves toward the inner wall 212a while gathering at the center in the width direction of the droplet receiving portion 232.

The flow path portion 234 is a portion that connects the droplet receiving portion 232 and the liquid phase 224. The flow path portion 234 of the present embodiment includes the inner wall 212a of the accommodation chamber 212. The inner wall 212a includes a vertical wall surface 212a1 and an eaves portion 236 protruding from the vertical wall surface 212a1. The eaves portion 236 is provided so as to project from the vertical wall surface 212a1 toward the center and upward of the accommodation chamber 212. The eaves portion 236 is fixed to the vertical wall surface 212a1 by welding or the like. A through hole penetrating in the vertical direction is provided at the connection portion between the eaves portion 236 and the vertical wall surface 212a1.

The tip of the droplet receiving portion 232 abuts on the inner wall 212a of the accommodating chamber 212. The droplet receiving portion 232 of the present embodiment comes into contact with the eaves portion 236 of the inner wall 212a. When the liquid nitrogen moving on the droplet receiving portion 232 toward the inner wall 212a reaches the eaves portion 236, it moves on the eaves portion 236 toward the vertical wall surface 212a1. Then, the liquid nitrogen passes through the through hole, descends along the vertical wall surface 212a1, and reaches the liquid phase 224.

The droplet receiving portion 232 is rotatably connected to the storage container 202 via a hinge mechanism 250. The hinge mechanism 250 has a rotating shaft extending in the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the base end portion of the droplet receiving portion 232 is rotatably connected to the lower end portion of the opening 220 via the hinge mechanism 250. The droplet receiving portion 232 has a first posture in which the lid portion 222 is located vertically below the opening 220 in a state where the lid portion 222 is closed with the base end portion as a fulcrum, and the lid portion 222 opens the opening 220. It is possible to switch between the second posture and the second posture in which the opening 220 is retracted from below in the vertical direction in this state.

5 to 6 (B) show a state in which the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the first posture. In the state of the first posture, the droplet receiving portion 232 extends in the substantially horizontal direction and is arranged below the cooling portion 228 in the vertical direction. On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows a state in which the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the second posture. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the second posture in the storage device 200 according to the second embodiment. In the second posture, the droplet receiving portion 232 is arranged in the opening 220 and extends substantially in the vertical direction. The tip of the droplet receiving portion 232 projects from the opening 220 to the outside of the storage container 202. When the droplet receiving portion 232 is displaced to the second posture, it retracts from at least below the center of the opening 220 in the vertical direction. That is, when viewed from above in the vertical direction, the droplet receiving portion 232 in the first posture overlaps the center of the opening 220, and the droplet receiving portion 232 in the second posture deviates from the center of the opening 220.

The droplet receiving portion 232 is urged to take the first posture by an urging member such as a spring provided in the hinge mechanism 250. The eaves portion 236 functions as a stopper for the droplet receiving portion 232, and the first posture is maintained when the tip portion of the droplet receiving portion 232 comes into contact with the eaves portion 236. After pulling out the lid portion 222 from the opening 220, the user of the storage device 200 raises the droplet receiving portion 232 against the urging force of the urging member of the hinge mechanism 250 to raise the droplet receiving portion 232. You can switch to two postures.

A locking hook (not shown) is provided near the tip of the droplet receiving portion 232. After switching the droplet receiving portion 232 to the second posture, the user can maintain the second posture of the droplet receiving portion 232 by hooking the locking hook on the upper edge portion of the opening 220. Further, a droplet pocket 252 is provided in the vicinity of the base end portion of the droplet receiving portion 232. The droplet pocket 252 collects droplets of liquid nitrogen that move to the proximal end side when the droplet receiving portion 232 is switched to the second posture. As a result, it is possible to prevent the liquid nitrogen droplets from adhering to the storage object while the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the second posture.

The droplet receiving portion 232 in the second posture extends in the opening 220. Therefore, the lid portion 222 cannot be inserted into the opening 220 while the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the second posture. As a result, when the lid portion 222 is inserted into the opening portion 220, the user can be alerted to return the droplet receiving portion 232 to the first posture.

The opening / closing mechanism of the lid portion 222 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 (A), 10 (B), and 10 (C). 10 (A), 10 (B), and 10 (C) are perspective views showing the vicinity of the lid portion of the storage device according to the second embodiment in an enlarged manner. The storage device 200 includes an opening / closing mechanism 254 for the lid portion 222. The opening / closing mechanism 254 has a handle 256 operated by the user of the storage device 200, and a link mechanism 258 connected to the handle 256 and the lid portion 222. The handle 256 can be displaced up and down in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the lid 222 is inserted into the opening 220 with the handle 256 at the upper end of the movable range. As shown in FIG. 10B, when the handle 256 is displaced downward, the force applied to the handle 256 is converted into a force that displaces the lid 222 upward by the link mechanism 258 and transmitted to the lid 222. As a result, the lid portion 222 approaches upward in the vertical direction. When the handle 256 is lowered to a predetermined position, the entire lid 222 is pulled out from the opening 220. As shown in FIG. 10C, when the handle 256 is further displaced downward, the force applied to the handle 256 is converted by the link mechanism 258 into a force that displaces the lid 222 in a substantially horizontal direction and transmitted to the lid 222. Ru. As a result, the lid portion 222 retracts from above the opening 220 in the vertical direction.

In the storage device 200 of the present embodiment, the refrigerator 204 is provided on the lid 222. Therefore, the mass of the lid portion 222 is relatively large, and labor is required to open and close the lid portion 222. On the other hand, by providing the opening / closing mechanism 254, the lid portion 222 can be opened / closed easily and safely. The link mechanism 258 includes a damper 259. As a result, the sudden displacement of the lid portion 222 can be suppressed, and the safety of the storage device 200 can be enhanced. The handle 256 is designed to be located on the side of the storage container 202, that is, below the upper surface of the storage container 202 while being at the lower end position of the movable range. As a result, it is possible to prevent the handle 256 from interfering with the work of putting in and taking out the storage object.

The storage device 200 according to the present embodiment described above can also achieve the same effect as the storage device 100 according to the first embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, the refrigerator 204 is provided on the lid portion 222. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide an opening for installing the refrigerator in the storage container. Therefore, compared to the case where a coagulation chamber with a refrigerator is provided outside to reuse liquid nitrogen, liquid nitrogen is easier and suppresses the increase in heat leakage from the containment chamber due to modification. Can be reused.

Further, the storage device 200 includes a cover portion 242. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cooling unit 228 from being exposed to the outside air when the lid portion 222 is removed. As a result, frosting and dew condensation on the cooling unit 228 can be suppressed, and heat loss of the cooling unit 228 can be suppressed. Further, the cover portion 242 is configured to automatically open and close in conjunction with the opening and closing of the lid portion 222. Therefore, the amount of work of the user of the storage device 200 does not increase, and the cooling unit 228 can be more reliably prevented from being exposed to the outside air.

Further, the droplet receiving portion 232 is retracted from the first posture located vertically below the opening 220 with the lid 222 closed and from below the opening 220 vertically with the lid 222 open. It is possible to switch between the second posture and the second posture. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in workability when taking in and out the storage object.

(Modification 2)
The storage device 200 according to the second embodiment described above may include a modification 2. The storage device 200 according to the second modification has the same configuration as the storage device 200 according to the second embodiment, except that the droplet receiving portion 232 is rotated in the horizontal direction to switch between the first posture and the second posture. To be equipped. Hereinafter, the storage device according to the second modification will be mainly described with a configuration different from that of the second embodiment, and the common configuration will be briefly described or the description will be omitted. 11 (A) and 11 (B) are perspective views showing an enlarged internal structure in the vicinity of the opening of the storage device according to the second modification.

In the storage device 200 according to this modification, the base end portion of the droplet receiving portion 232 is connected to the lower end of the opening 220 via the hinge mechanism 260. The hinge mechanism 260 has a rotation shaft extending in the vertical direction. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the first posture. In the state of the first posture, the droplet receiving portion 232 is arranged vertically below the cooling portion 228. FIG. 11B shows a state in which the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the second posture. The droplet receiving portion 232 retracts from below the opening 220 in the vertical direction by rotating the tip portion in the horizontal direction with the base end portion as a fulcrum.

A rotation stopper 262 that projects upward at a predetermined position is provided on the upper surface of the droplet receiving portion 232. The position of the rotation stopper 262 is determined so as to abut the lower end portion of the opening 220 when the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the second posture. The droplet receiving portion 232 is in the second posture by rotating until the rotation stopper 262 comes into contact with the lower end portion of the opening 220. The eaves portion 236 may extend along the vertical wall surface 212a1 to a position where the tip portion of the droplet receiving portion 232 reaches the position where the droplet receiving portion 232 is in the second posture. In this case, the eaves portion 236 can be used as a guide rail when the droplet receiving portion 232 rotates. Further, the eaves portion 236 may be used as a positioning mechanism for determining the first posture of the droplet receiving portion 232.

The storage device 200 according to this modification can also achieve the same effect as that of the second embodiment.

(Modification 3)
Further, as the storage device 200 according to the second embodiment described above, a modification 3 can be mentioned. In the storage device 200 according to the third modification, the droplet receiving portion 232 is provided on the lid portion 222, the tray 214 is used as the flow path portion 234 instead of the inner wall 212a, and the droplet receiving portion 232 is provided. It has the same configuration as the storage device 200 according to the second embodiment, except that it includes a double cylinder portion having both a function and a function of the cover portion 242. Hereinafter, the storage device according to the third modification will be mainly described with a configuration different from that of the second embodiment, and the common configuration will be briefly described or the description will be omitted. 12 (A), 12 (B), 13 (A), and 13 (B) are perspective views showing an enlarged internal structure of the storage device according to the third modification in the vicinity of the refrigerator. It is shown that the lid portion 222 gradually enters the opening 220 in the order of FIGS. 12 (A), 12 (B), 13 (A), and 13 (B).

The storage device 200 according to this modification has a plurality of fins protruding downward at the lower end portion of the lid portion 222 as the cooling portion 228. Further, the storage device 200 includes a double cylinder portion 264. The double cylinder portion 264 has a first cylinder portion 266 and a second cylinder portion 268. The first tubular portion 266 is a bottomed tubular member, which is fixed to the lid portion 222 and covers the cooling portion 228. The second tubular portion 268 is a bottomed tubular member, which is fixed to the movable member 244 and covers the first tubular portion 266.

The first cylinder portion 266 and the second cylinder portion 268 are slidably contacted with the outer surface of the first cylinder portion 266 and the inner surface of the second cylinder portion 268. Further, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the movable member 244 is located at the lower end of the movable range, the bottom surface of the first cylinder portion 266 and the bottom surface of the second cylinder portion 268 are separated from each other.

The first tubular portion 266 and the second tubular portion 268 have through holes 266a and 268a on their respective side surfaces. The through hole 266a of the first cylinder portion 266 and the through hole 268a of the second cylinder portion 268 overlap each other when the movable member 244 is displaced with respect to the lid portion 222 toward the outside of the storage container, and overlap with the inside of the double cylinder portion 264. When the movable member 244 is displaced with respect to the lid portion 222 toward the inside of the storage container, the movable member 244 communicates with the outside (see FIG. 13B), and the movable member 244 shifts from each other to block the communication between the inside and the outside of the double cylinder portion 264. As shown in (see FIG. 12 (A)), the positional relationship with each other is defined. Therefore, when the movable member 244 is located at the lower end of the movable range, the through hole 266a and the through hole 268a are displaced from each other, and the communication between the cooling unit 228 and the gas phase 226 is cut off.

A connecting portion 240 is rotatably connected to the lower end portion of the second tubular portion 268 via a hinge mechanism 270. The hinge mechanism 270 has a rotating shaft extending in the horizontal direction. The connecting portion 240 is a gutter-shaped member or a tubular member, and the vicinity of one end (base end portion) is connected to the second tubular portion 268 via a hinge mechanism 270. The connecting portion 240 is urged so that the other end (tip portion) is displaced upward in the vertical direction by an urging member such as a screw provided in the hinge mechanism 270. With the movable member 244 located at the lower end of the movable range, the connecting portion 240 is located inside the extending range of the opening 220 when viewed in the vertical direction. As a result, it is possible to prevent the connecting portion 240 from hindering the removal of the lid portion 222.

At the lower end of the first tubular portion 266, a protrusion 272 that protrudes toward the connecting portion 240 is provided. Further, the first tubular portion 266 has a through hole 266b at a connecting portion with the protruding portion 272. The bottom surface of the first tubular portion 266 is inclined downward toward the through hole 266b.

As shown in FIG. 12B, when the lid portion 222 enters the opening portion 220, the locking portion 244a of the movable member 244 becomes the edge portion of the opening portion 220 as described in the second embodiment. At the end (FIG. 7B), the displacement of the movable member 244 is regulated. Therefore, the displacement of the second cylinder portion 268 fixed to the movable member 244 is stopped. When the lid portion 222 further enters the opening 220, the lid portion 222 is displaced toward the inside of the storage container. Therefore, the first cylinder portion 266 fixed to the lid portion 222 is displaced in the storage container inward with respect to the second cylinder portion 268. Then, the bottom surface of the first cylinder portion 266 approaches the bottom surface of the second cylinder portion 268. Due to the displacement of the first tubular portion 266, the protruding portion 272 presses the connecting portion 240 in the direction opposite to the urging direction of the urging member of the hinge mechanism 270. As a result, the connecting portion 240 begins to fall. Further, the through hole 266a and the through hole 268a begin to overlap.

As shown in FIG. 13A, when the lid portion 222 further enters the opening 220, the bottom surface of the first cylinder portion 266 further approaches the bottom surface of the second cylinder portion 268. Then, the protrusion 272 further presses the connecting portion 240, and the connecting portion 240 further collapses. In addition, the area of the region where the through hole 266a and the through hole 268a overlap increases.

As shown in FIG. 13B, when the lid portion 222 further enters the opening 220 and the movable member 244 reaches the upper end of the movable range, the bottom surface of the first cylinder portion 266 and the bottom surface of the second cylinder portion 268 are reached. Abut with. The tip of the connecting portion 240 comes into contact with the flow path portion 234. In this state, the connecting portion 240 is inclined downward from the base end portion toward the tip end portion. Further, the through hole 266a and the through hole 268a completely overlap each other, and the cooling unit 228 and the gas phase 226 communicate with each other. That is, the double cylinder portion 264 can switch between exposing the cooling portion 228 to the gas phase 226 and shielding it from the gas phase 226 as the lid portion 222 is inserted and removed from the opening 220.

When the cooling unit 228 is exposed to the gas phase 226, liquid nitrogen droplets are generated on the surface of the cooling unit 228. The droplet falls on the first cylinder portion 266. The droplets that have fallen into the first tubular portion 266 reach the flow path portion 234 via the bottom surface of the first tubular portion 266, the through hole 266b, and the connecting portion 240. Therefore, the first cylinder portion 266 functions as a droplet receiving portion 232. Further, when the lid portion 222 is not inserted into the opening 220, the through hole 266a and the through hole 268a are displaced from each other, so that the cooling portion 228 is blocked from the outside air. Therefore, the first cylinder portion 266 and the second cylinder portion 268 function as the cover portion 242. From the above, the double cylinder portion 264 constitutes the droplet receiving portion 232 and the cover portion 242. It can also be seen that the first cylinder portion 266 constitutes the droplet receiving portion 232 and the second cylinder portion 268 constitutes the cover portion 242. In this case, the droplet receiving portion 232 is covered with the cover portion 242 together with the cooling portion 228. As a result, it is possible to prevent the droplet receiving portion 232 from being exposed to the outside air.

The flow path portion 234 includes a support shaft 216 of the tray 214. The support shaft 216 includes a shaft body 216a and an eaves portion 236 projecting from the surface of the shaft body 216a. Therefore, the flow path portion 234 is composed of the shaft body 216a and the eaves portion 236. The shaft body 216a is a tubular member extending in the vertical direction, and the upper end portion is arranged in the gas phase 226 and the lower end portion is arranged in the liquid phase 224. The eaves portion 236 is provided at the upper end portion of the shaft body 216a. The eaves portion 236 extends upward from the surface of the upper end portion of the shaft body 216a and horizontally toward the outside of the accommodation chamber 212.

The connecting portion 240 comes into contact with the support shaft 216. In this modification, the connecting portion 240 comes into contact with the eaves portion 236 of the support shaft 216. The liquid nitrogen that has reached the eaves 236 from the connecting portion 240 reaches the liquid phase 224 from the eaves 236 along the inner wall of the shaft body 216a.

A droplet pocket 274 is provided at the base end of the connecting portion 240. The droplet pocket 274 collects droplets of liquid nitrogen that move toward the proximal end in a state where the tip of the connecting portion 240 is displaced upward in the vertical direction. As a result, it is possible to prevent droplets of liquid nitrogen from adhering to the storage object.

The storage device 200 according to this modification can also achieve the same effect as that of the second embodiment. Further, in this modification, a double cylinder portion 264 that functions as a droplet receiving portion 232 is provided on the lid portion 222. Therefore, the mechanism for retracting the droplet receiving portion 232 from below the opening 220 in the vertical direction can be omitted. The eaves 236 may be provided on the outer surface of the shaft body 216a instead of the upper end surface of the shaft body 216a. In this case, a through hole is provided on the outer surface of the shaft body 216a. The liquid nitrogen that has reached the shaft body 216a from the eaves portion 236 enters the inside of the shaft body 216a through this through hole, and reaches the liquid phase 224 through the inner wall of the shaft body 216a. Further, the flow path portion 234 may include a partition wall 218 instead of the support shaft 216. In this case, the connecting portion 240 comes into contact with the partition wall 218. Further, the partition wall 218 preferably has an eaves portion 236, and the connecting portion 240 abuts on the eaves portion 236. Further, the structure may be such that the double cylinder portion 264 is used and the connecting portion 240 is brought into contact with the inner wall 212a.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 14 is a front view schematically showing the internal structure of the storage device according to the third embodiment. The storage device 300 according to the present embodiment includes a storage container 302, a refrigerator 304, a liquid splash control unit 376, and a scattering prevention unit 378. The storage device 300 is a smaller storage device than the storage devices 100 and 200 according to the first and second embodiments.

The storage container 302 has a bottomed inner cylinder 308 and a bottomed outer cylinder 310. A storage chamber 312 is arranged inside the inner cylinder 308. The storage chamber 312 is a closed space for storing the storage object and liquid nitrogen. The space between the inner cylinder 308 and the outer cylinder 310 is a vacuum. An opening 320 for communicating the storage chamber 312 and the outside of the storage container 302 is provided on the upper surface of the storage container 302. The opening 320 is used when the storage object is stored in the storage chamber 312 or when it is taken out from the storage chamber 312. The opening 320 is arranged substantially in the center of the storage container 302. The opening 320 is provided with a lid 322 that closes the opening 320 so as to be openable and closable.

The storage container 302 has a plurality of racks 380 for accommodating storage objects. The rack 380 has a hook 380a that extends upward. The rack 380 is fixed to the storage container 202 by hooking the hook 380a on the upper edge of the opening 320. The rack 380 is arranged so that the horizontal position is offset with respect to the center of the storage container 302. Therefore, the opening 320 and the rack 380 are displaced in the horizontal direction.

The liquid nitrogen contained in the storage chamber 312 is used for cooling the storage object. A liquid phase 324 of nitrogen is formed (arranged) below the inside of the containment chamber 312, and a gas phase 326 of nitrogen is formed (arranged) above the inside of the containment chamber 312. The storage object is placed in the gas phase 326.

The refrigerator 304 condenses the gaseous nitrogen in the storage chamber 312 to generate liquid nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen produced is reused for cooling the storage object. The refrigerator 304 is not particularly limited as long as it can be cooled to a temperature at which nitrogen can be condensed. The refrigerator 304 is provided on the lid portion 322. The refrigerator 304 is installed so as to penetrate the lid portion 322.

The refrigerator 304 has a cooling unit 328 and a heat radiating unit 330. The cooling unit 328 is arranged in the gas phase 326 to take heat from the gaseous nitrogen in the gas phase 326 and condense the gaseous nitrogen. As a result, liquid nitrogen droplets are generated on the surface of the cooling unit 328. The heat radiating unit 330 releases the heat taken from the gaseous nitrogen by the cooling unit 328. The heat radiating unit 330 is arranged outside the storage container 302. Therefore, the heat taken from the gaseous nitrogen is dissipated to the outside of the storage container 302 by the heat radiating unit 330.

The refrigerator 304 is provided on the lid portion 322. Therefore, the position of the refrigerator 304 is offset in the horizontal direction with respect to the storage space of the storage object in the storage chamber 312, that is, the existing position of the rack 380. In this case, the liquid nitrogen droplets generated on the surface of the cooling unit 328 can reach the liquid phase 324 without adhering to the storage object even if they fall. However, although the droplets do not directly adhere to the storage object, the dropped droplets may collide with the liquid surface of the liquid phase 324 to generate liquid nitrogen droplets, which may adhere to the storage object. There is.

On the other hand, the storage device 300 includes a liquid splash control unit 376 and a splash prevention unit 378 as a liquid splash prevention mechanism. The liquid splash control unit 376 is arranged below the cooling unit 328 in the vertical direction and above the liquid level of the liquid phase 324. The liquid splash control unit 376 has an inclined surface 376a inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and receives the liquid nitrogen condensed and dropped by the cooling unit 328 on the inclined surface 376a to control the direction in which the droplets bounce. The liquid splash control unit 376 of the present embodiment is an umbrella-shaped member having an apex protruding upward and an inclined surface 376a extending from the apex over the entire circumference and inclined downward.

The scattering prevention unit 378 is a member that suppresses the scattering of droplets that hit the liquid splash control unit 376, and has an opening 378a arranged vertically above the liquid splash control unit 376 and the periphery of the liquid splash control unit 376. It has a side wall 378b to cover. The shatterproof portion 378 of the present embodiment is a tubular member, and the lower end of the cylinder is installed on the bottom surface of the storage chamber 312. For example, the inner cylinder 308 has a recess on the bottom surface where the shatterproof portion 378 is provided, and the lower end of the cylinder is fitted into the recess to position the shatterproof portion 378. Alternatively, the shatterproof portion 378 is positioned by making the lower end of the cylinder the same diameter as the bottom surface of the inner cylinder 308. The upper end of the cylinder is located at the gas phase 326, and the liquid splash control unit 376 is arranged inside the cylinder and above the liquid phase 324. A through hole is provided in the side wall 378b, and the inside and the outside of the cylinder are communicated by the through hole.

The liquid nitrogen droplets that have fallen from the cooling unit 328 enter the inside of the scattering prevention unit 378 through the opening 378a. Then, it collides with the inclined surface 376a of the liquid splash control unit 376. The droplets that collide with the inclined surface 376a are scattered laterally and hit the side wall 378b of the scattering prevention unit 378 that surrounds the liquid splash control unit 376. The droplet that hits the side wall 378b moves downward along the inner side surface of the side wall 378b and reaches the liquid phase 324. The lower end of the cooling unit 328 is sharp so that the droplet can more reliably pass through the opening 378a.

The storage device 300 may include the cover portion 242 described in the second embodiment, the second modification and the third modification, and the opening / closing mechanism of the cover portion 242.

As described above, in the storage device 300 according to the present embodiment, the cooling unit 328 of the refrigerator 304 is arranged in the gas phase 326 in the storage chamber 312. Therefore, the utilization efficiency of liquid nitrogen can be improved. Further, since the liquid splash control unit 376 and the scattering prevention unit 378 are provided, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the storage object is contaminated by liquid nitrogen.

The storage device 300 condenses the nitrogen in the gas phase 326 to generate liquid nitrogen, and returns the liquid nitrogen to the liquid phase 324 for reuse. As a result, it is possible to reduce the trouble of filling the storage device 300 with liquid nitrogen. In addition, it is possible to reduce the risk that the storage state of the storage object deteriorates due to neglecting to replenish the storage device 300 with liquid nitrogen. Further, since the consumption of liquid nitrogen can be suppressed, the economic burden required for the preservation of the preservation object can be reduced.

In addition, the storage device 300 has a cooling unit 328 above the storage chamber 312. As a result, convection can be induced in the gas phase 326 to make the temperature distribution of the gas phase 326 uniform. Therefore, the storage space for the storage object can be expanded to a wide range in the storage room 312. Therefore, the storage efficiency of the storage object can be improved.

Further, the present embodiment can be changed from a conventional storage device not provided with a refrigerator by a simple process of providing a refrigerator 304 on a lid and installing a liquid splash control unit 376 and a scattering prevention unit 378 in a storage chamber. The storage device 300 according to the above can be manufactured. For this reason, compared to the case where a coagulation chamber with a refrigerator is provided outside to reuse liquid nitrogen, liquid nitrogen is easier and suppresses the increase in heat leakage from the containment chamber due to modification. Can be reused.

As a method of preventing liquid nitrogen from splashing, it is conceivable to extend the cooling unit 328 to the vicinity of the liquid surface of the liquid phase 324. However, in this case, the cooling unit 328 may interfere with the insertion / removal of the lid portion 322. Alternatively, it is conceivable to project the flow path portion of the droplet from the bottom surface of the storage chamber 312 to the cooling portion 328, but in this case, the flow path portion may hinder the loading and unloading of the storage object.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and further modifications such as combining these embodiments and modifications and making various design changes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be made. It is also possible to add, and new embodiments resulting from the combination or further modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention. The combination of each embodiment and each modification, and the new embodiment resulting from the addition of further modifications to each embodiment and each modification, combine the effects of the combined embodiments, modifications and modifications. Have.

In each embodiment and each modification except the third embodiment, the eaves 136, 236 are omitted, and the droplet receiving portions 132, 232 and the connecting portions 140, 240 are directly connected to the inner walls 112a, 212a and the support shaft 116, It may come into contact with 216, partition walls 118 and 218. Further, the flow path portions 134 and 234 may have a structure that does not include the inner walls 112a and 212a by connecting the droplet receiving portions 132 and 232 and the liquid phases 124 and 224 with a connecting member such as a pipe. For example, a connecting member such as a pipe is substantially near the liquid phase 124,224 from the droplet receiving portions 132,232 via the vicinity of the inner walls 112a, 212a, or the inner or outer surface of the support shafts 116, 216. An example is a configuration that extends to.

100, 200, 300 storage device, 102, 202, 302 storage container, 104, 204, 304 refrigerator, 106, 206 induction part, 112, 212, 312 storage chamber, 112a, 212a inner wall, 114,214 tray, 116, 216 Support shaft, 118,218 partition, 120,220,320 opening, 122,222,322 lid, 124,224,324 liquid phase, 126,226,326 gas phase, 128,228,328 cooling part, 130 , 230,330 Heat dissipation part, 132,232 Droplet receiving part, 134,234 Channel part, 136,236 Eaves part, 242 cover part, 244 movable member, 246 urging member, 264 double cylinder part, 266 first Cylinder, 266a, 268a through hole, 268 second cylinder, 376 liquid splash control, 378 shatterproof, 378a opening.

Claims (14)

It has a storage chamber inside that houses the storage object and the liquid nitrogen used to cool the storage target, a liquid nitrogen phase is formed below the storage chamber, and a nitrogen gas phase is above the storage chamber. A storage container formed and the storage object is placed in the gas phase,
A refrigerator having a cooling unit arranged in the gas phase and condensing gaseous nitrogen,
It has a droplet receiving portion arranged vertically below the cooling portion and a flow path portion connecting the droplet receiving portion and the liquid phase, and liquid nitrogen condensed by the cooling portion is used as the liquid phase. The guidance part to guide and
A storage device characterized by comprising. The refrigerator has a heat radiating unit that releases heat taken from gaseous nitrogen by the cooling unit.
The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiating unit is arranged outside the storage container. The flow path portion includes the inner wall of the storage chamber.
The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the droplet receiving portion abuts on the inner wall. The inner wall includes an eaves protruding from the wall surface.
The storage device according to claim 3, wherein the droplet receiving portion abuts on the eaves portion. The storage container has a tray for storing an object to be stored.
The tray has a support shaft extending in the vertical direction and a partition wall fixed to the support shaft and partitioning a storage space for storage objects.
The flow path portion includes the support shaft or the partition wall.
The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the droplet receiving portion abuts on the support shaft or the partition wall. The support shaft or the partition wall includes an eaves protruding from the surface.
The storage device according to claim 5, wherein the droplet receiving portion abuts on the eaves portion. An opening that communicates the storage chamber with the outside of the storage container and is used when the storage object is stored in the storage chamber or taken out of the storage chamber.
A lid that opens and closes the opening and
With more
The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the refrigerator is provided on the lid. The droplet receiving portion has a first posture in which the lid portion closes the opening and is located vertically below the opening, and the droplet receiving portion has the opening in a state where the lid opens the opening. The storage device according to claim 7, which can be switched between the second posture and the second posture of retracting from the lower side in the vertical direction. The storage device according to claim 7, wherein the droplet receiving portion is provided on the lid portion. A cover portion for covering the cooling portion is further provided.
The cover portion has a first posture in which the cooling portion is exposed with the lid portion closing the opening, and a second posture in which the cooling portion is covered with the lid portion opening the opening. The storage device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, which can be switched between. Further provided with a movable member displaceable with respect to the lid portion,
The movable member is displaced with respect to the lid portion in the storage container outer direction or the storage container inner direction by engaging with the edge portion of the opening portion as the lid portion is inserted and removed into the opening portion.
The cover portion is connected to the movable member, and when the movable member is displaced toward the outside of the storage container with respect to the lid portion, the cover portion takes the first posture, and the movable member moves toward the inside of the storage container with respect to the lid portion. The storage device according to claim 10, wherein the storage device takes the second posture when displaced. Further provided with an urging member for urging the movable member toward the inside of the storage container with respect to the lid portion.
The movable member is pressed by the edge of the opening in a direction opposite to the urging direction of the urging member as the lid is inserted into the opening, and the storage container is pressed against the lid. Displace outward,
The lid portion is displaced toward the inside of the storage container with respect to the movable member to press the cover portion, and the cover portion is pressed by the lid portion to switch from the second posture to the first posture. Item 11. The storage device according to item 11. A double cylinder portion having a first cylinder portion fixed to the lid portion and covering the cooling portion and a second cylinder portion fixed to the movable member and covering the first cylinder portion is further provided.
The first cylinder portion and the second cylinder portion slidably contact the outer surface of the first cylinder portion and the inner surface surface of the second cylinder portion, and each side surface has a through hole. ,
The through hole of the first cylinder portion and the through hole of the second cylinder portion overlap with each other when the movable member is displaced toward the outside of the storage container with respect to the lid portion, and the inside of the double cylinder portion. When the movable member communicates with the outside and the movable member is displaced toward the inside of the storage container with respect to the lid portion, the mutual positional relationship is determined so that the movable member is displaced from each other and the communication between the inside and the outside of the double cylinder portion is cut off. Be,
The storage device according to claim 11, wherein the double cylinder portion constitutes the droplet receiving portion and the cover portion. It has a storage chamber inside that houses the storage object and the liquid nitrogen used to cool the storage target, a liquid nitrogen phase is formed below the storage chamber, and a nitrogen gas phase is above the storage chamber. A storage container formed and the storage object is placed in the gas phase,
A refrigerator having a cooling unit arranged so as to be offset in the horizontal direction with respect to the storage space of the storage object in the storage chamber and arranged in the gas phase to condense gaseous nitrogen.
The liquid nitrogen is arranged below the cooling unit in the vertical direction and above the liquid surface of the liquid phase, has a surface inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and liquid nitrogen condensed and dropped by the cooling unit is deposited on the inclined surface. A liquid splash control unit that receives and controls the liquid nitrogen splash direction,
An opening arranged vertically above the liquid splash control unit, a side wall covering the periphery of the liquid splash control unit, and a scattering prevention unit that suppresses the scattering of droplets that hit the liquid splash control unit.
A storage device characterized by comprising.

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