JP7417042B2 - incubator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an incubator, and more particularly to an incubator that has a culture space formed inside and is provided with an incubator door that can be opened and closed toward the outside.

Conventionally, incubators have been used for culturing cells, etc., in which a culture space formed inside is maintained in an environment suitable for culturing the cells, etc., and such incubators have an external incubator for taking in and out cells, etc. It is equipped with an incubator door that can be opened and closed towards the incubator.
The culture space of such an incubator is set to be hotter and more humid than the outside environment, and due to the temperature difference between the culture space of the incubator and the outside, condensation occurs on the inner wall of the culture space, and the condensed moisture collects various bacteria. may occur.
Therefore, it is known that an incubator is constructed of a double container consisting of an inner container that forms a culture space and an outer container that covers the inner container, and that a heat insulating material is filled between the two to improve insulation. (Patent Document 1).
In Patent Document 1, the door is also a double door consisting of an inner door for opening and closing the inner container and an outer door for opening and closing the outer container, and furthermore, the outer door includes the outer door facing the inner door side. A heater is installed inside the chamber to heat the inner door, thereby preventing dew condensation on the inner wall of the culture space and the inner surface of the inner door.
On the other hand, as an incubator, in addition to a stationary type as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, an incubator can be installed movably and connected to an isolator that has a working space in a sterile environment inside, and a door facing the inside of the isolator. A device is known in which cultured products such as cells can be taken in and out by opening and closing the device (Patent Document 2).

Publication number 6-23279 JP2017-219281A

Here, since the isolator of Patent Document 2 mentioned above needs to maintain internal sterility, the operator must work from the outside through gloves, which has poor workability. Connecting a double-door incubator like the one to an isolator makes operation complicated. Therefore, conventionally, the incubator door of the incubator connected to the isolator has been configured with a single door.
However, since the temperature inside the isolator is the same as the outside, when the incubator door is opened toward the inside of the isolator, condensation may form on the inside of the incubator door, and the operator must wipe it off each time. There was a problem.
In view of these problems, the present invention provides an incubator that can prevent condensation on the inner surface of the incubator door as much as possible even if it has a single door.

That is, the incubator according to the invention of claim 1 is an incubator in which a culture space is formed inside and an incubator door provided so as to be openable to the outside as a single door ,
A first heater that heats the inner surface of the incubator door on the culture space side, a second heater that heats the outer surface of the incubator door on the outside side, and a temperature control means that controls these first and second heaters. Prepare,
The incubator is characterized in that the temperature control means independently controls the first heater and the second heater.

According to the above invention, by providing the second heater that heats the outside surface of the incubator door, the outside temperature of the incubator door does not affect the inside surface, and even if it is a single door, condensation does not occur on the inside surface. can be prevented.

A front view showing the configuration of a cell culture system 1 equipped with an incubator according to the present invention A plan sectional view showing a state in which the incubator and the isolator are connected by a connecting means. Vertical sectional view showing the internal structure of the incubator door Explanatory diagram explaining the wiring pattern of the first heater A cross-sectional plan view showing how the heat insulation cover is attached.

To explain the illustrated embodiment below, FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a cell culture system 1 for culturing cells, etc., and includes an isolator 2 for working on cells etc. in a work space S1 formed inside; It has a structure in which an incubator 3 for culturing the above-mentioned cells and the like is connected by a connecting means 4 in a culture space S2 formed in the culture space S2.
The working space S1 of the isolator 2 is maintained in a sterile state, and the upper part of the isolator 2 is provided with a sterile air supply means (not shown) for supplying sterile air to the working space S1, and for decontaminating the inside of the working space S1 after work. A decontamination means (not shown) is provided for supplying a decontamination medium such as hydrogen peroxide vapor.
In addition, a transparent window 2a is provided in front of the isolator 2 so that the work in the work space S1 can be visually confirmed. Gloves 2b for working are provided.
Furthermore, the isolator 2 is provided with a pass box 5 on the side opposite to the side to which the incubator 3 is connected, and is used to transport equipment necessary for culturing cells, etc., cells to be cultured, etc. to the isolator 2. used for.
The work space S1 of the isolator 2 and the accommodation space of the pass box 5 are separated by an opening/closing door (not shown), and when instruments etc. brought in from outside are stored in the pass box 5, decontamination media is supplied from a decontamination means (not shown). After decontaminating these instruments inside the pass box 5, the opening/closing door is opened, thereby making it possible to carry the decontaminated instruments, etc. into the isolator 2. ing.

The incubator 3 is used to accommodate a culture container seeded with cells, etc. and to culture the cells, and the culture space S2 formed inside is maintained in an environment suitable for culturing the cells, etc. There is. Note that the incubator 3 is movable using a trolley 3A.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the incubator 3 is provided with a casing 3a for accommodating the culture container and an opening 3b formed in the casing 3a so as to be openable to the outside. The inside of the housing 3a is filled with a heat insulating material.
Further, as an environment maintenance means for maintaining the environment of the culture space S2, there is an internal heater 6 for maintaining the temperature of the culture space S2 at, for example, 37° C., and an internal heater 6 for maintaining the culture space S2 at a relative humidity of, for example, 95% or higher. A humidifier 7 is provided for this purpose.
Furthermore, a temperature sensor 8 is provided in the culture space S2 as a temperature detection means, and the temperature regulator 20 controls the internal heater 6 and a first heater 34 described below based on the detection result by the sensor 8, It is possible to maintain the environment of the culture space S2.
Note that the temperature and humidity of the culture space S2 can be changed depending on the cells to be cultured and the like.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the isolator 2 and the incubator 3 are connected via the connecting means 4, and in this state, the isolator door 12 of the isolator 2 and the incubator door 11 of the incubator 3 can be opened. This makes it possible to transfer culture containers between the isolator 2 and the incubator 3 while maintaining a sterile state.
A cylindrical member 13 constituting the connecting means 4 is attached to an opening formed on the side surface of the isolator 2 so as to protrude to the outside. is forming.
Further, a connecting means 18 for connecting the incubator 3 to the isolator 2 is provided, and clamps 18a are provided at opposing positions around the cylindrical member 13 of the isolator 2 with the cylindrical member 13 interposed therebetween.
On the other hand, the incubator 3 is provided with engaging members 18b around the incubator door 11 at positions corresponding to the clamps 18a.
With this configuration, with the incubator 3 and isolator 2 connected, the clamp 4a is rotated to engage the engaging member 4b, thereby attracting and connecting the incubator 3 to the isolator 2. , it is possible to maintain the connection state.

The isolator door 12 of the isolator 2 is provided on the work space S1 side of the isolator 2, and one end thereof is rotatably supported on a shaft support 14 provided on the cylindrical member 13. In the open state, it rotates toward the work space S1 using the pivot support 14 as a fulcrum.
The isolator door 12 is provided so as to fit inside the cylindrical member 13 when the isolator door 12 is in a closed state, and a seal member is provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical member 13 at a portion where the incubator door 11 is fitted. 15 are provided.
A handle 16 with a locking mechanism is provided on the isolator door 12, and by engaging with an engaging member 19 provided on the opposite side of the shaft support 14, the isolator door 12 can be maintained in a closed state. The operator can open and close the isolator 2 from inside using the glove 2b provided on the isolator 2.

Next, an annular member 21 having a C-shaped cross section and forming the connecting means 4 is provided around the opening 3b formed on the front surface of the incubator 3, and the incubator door 11 has one end shaped like the annular member. The member 21 is rotatably supported by a shaft support 22 provided on the member 21 .
Thereby, when the incubator door 11 is operated with the incubator 3 installed outside, it rotates toward the outside of the incubator 3 using the pivot support 22 as a fulcrum, and is opened.
On the other hand, when the incubator 3 is connected to the isolator 2 by the connecting means 4, the incubator door 11 is rotated toward the cylindrical member 13 outside the incubator 3 and into the work space S1, and is opened. It has become.
An annular outer flange portion 21a and an annular inner flange portion 21b constituting the annular member 21 each protrude toward the outside. It is provided to fit inside the.
On the other hand, a seal member 17 is provided on the inner surface of the distal end side of the cylindrical member 13, so that when the isolator 2 and the incubator 3 are connected, the outer periphery side flange portion 21a of the annular member 21 is connected to the cylindrical member 13. 13 and closely contacts the sealing member 17, and a connection space S3 is formed inside the cylindrical member 13, which is partitioned airtightly from the outside.

A shaft support 22 that pivotally supports the incubator door 11 is provided between the outer flange 21a and the inner flange 21b of the annular member 21, and the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 has the A handle 24 that engages with an engagement member 23 provided on the annular member 21 is provided at a position opposite to the shaft support 22 .
A groove is formed on the inner surface of the incubator door 11 along the outer periphery, and a resin sealing member 25 is provided in the groove, and when the incubator door 11 is closed, The sealing member 25 provided on the incubator door 11 is pressed against the tip of the inner flange portion 21b of the annular member 21, so that the culture space S2 of the incubator 3 is sealed from the outside in an airtight state. It has become.

Then, the isolator door 12 of the isolator 2 and the incubator door 11 of the incubator 3 are closed, and the outer periphery side flange portion 21a of the annular member 21 of the incubator 3 is fitted inside the cylindrical member 13 of the isolator 2. When combined, a connection space S3 partitioned by the incubator door 11, the isolator door 12, and the cylindrical member 13 is formed.
Here, of the members facing this connection space S3, for example, the outer surfaces of the isolator door 12 and the incubator door 11, and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 13, the parts that were previously exposed to the outside are removed from the isolator 2. It is necessary to decontaminate work space S1 and culture space S2 of incubator 3 before communicating with each other.
Therefore, in this embodiment, a decontamination medium is supplied from a decontamination means (not shown) inside the cylindrical member 13 to decontaminate the connection space S3.
After the connection space S3 is decontaminated by the decontamination means, when the isolator door 12 and the incubator door 11 are opened, the work space S1 of the isolator 2 and the culture space S2 of the incubator 3 are communicated with each other while maintaining a sterile state. It is now possible.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of the incubator door 11 in a closed state.
The incubator door 11 of this embodiment includes a main body 31 that is rotatable with respect to the incubator 3 about a pivot 22, and a lid that closes an internal space S4 formed inside the main body 31. 32, a plate-shaped heat insulating material 33 provided in the internal space S4, a first heater 34 provided in the internal space S4 that heats the inner surface 11a of the incubator door 11, and a first heater 34 that heats the outer surface 11b. 2 heaters 35.
The main body part 31 is made of aluminum and has a flat outer surface 11b, and the seal member 25 is provided in an annular shape on the outer circumference of the inner surface 11a, which is the back side. An annular side wall portion 36 that protrudes toward the culture space S2 is provided on the circumferential side.
At the tip of the annular side wall portion 36, a stepped portion 36a is formed with a lower inner half, and the lid portion 32 made of a thin stainless steel plate is fitted into the stepped portion 36a.
As a result, the internal space S4 is formed inside the main body 31, that is, by the side wall 36, the portion of the main body 31 surrounded by the side wall 36, and the lid 32.
In this way, the incubator door 11 of this embodiment is configured such that the internal space S4 is formed inside the portion sealed by the seal member 25. For example, the lid portion 32 has the annular shape. The sealing member 25 may be provided, and the lid portion 32 may be brought into contact with the tip of the inner peripheral flange portion 21b of the annular member 21.

A plate-shaped heat insulating material 33 is housed in the internal space S4 over almost the entire area, and is fixed to the main body 31 by means of adhesive or the like. As the heat insulating material 33, a known material having a heat insulating effect, such as plate-shaped foamed polyethylene or foamed polystyrene, can be used.
A first heater 34 is provided between the heat insulating material 33 and the lid portion 32, and a second heater 35 is provided between the heat insulating material 33 and the main body portion 31 including the side wall portion 36. There is.
The first and second heaters 34 and 35 are constructed of heating wires, and are controlled by a temperature regulator 20 as temperature control means.
The first heater 34 is wired in contact with the lid 32, and by heating the lid 32 with the first heater 34, the inner surface 11a of the incubator door 11 on the culture space S2 side is heated. The radiant heat heats the culture space S2.
The output of the first heater 34 is controlled by the temperature regulator 20 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 8 provided in the culture space S2 of the incubator 3, and the culture space S2 is adjusted to a preset temperature suitable for culture. It is designed to maintain a predetermined temperature.
That is, the first heater 34 of this embodiment also functions as an internal heater of the environment maintaining means for maintaining the environment of the culture space S2 of the incubator 3.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the wiring pattern of the first heater 34, and is a diagram of the heat insulating material 33 viewed from the culture space S2 side.
In the wiring pattern of the first heater 34, it is desirable to wire the wires so that the distance between adjacent heater wires becomes narrower at the position on the outer peripheral edge side of the heat insulating material 33, so that the outer peripheral portion where the temperature tends to drop can be heated more efficiently. It has become something to do. Note that the second heater 35 can also be wired in the same manner.

The second heater 35 is wired in contact with the main body part 31 and the side wall part 36, so that the second heater 35 heats the main body part 31 and the side wall part 36, and the incubator door 11 and the sealing member 25 are heated.
The output of the second heater 35 is set so that the temperature of the inner surface 11a of the incubator door 11 does not fall below the dew point temperature of the culture space S2.

Here, the water vapor filling the culture space S2 changes to water droplets when it falls below the dew point temperature determined from the temperature and relative humidity of the culture space S2, and when the temperature of the inner surface 11a of the incubator door 11 falls below the dew point temperature. Second, condensation occurs when water vapor comes into contact with the inner surface 11a.
Therefore, in order to prevent the dew condensation, the temperature of the inner surface 11a must be maintained above the dew point temperature of the culture space S2, and therefore the first heater 34 is used to maintain the temperature of the culture space S2 at a predetermined temperature. Heating and stopping are repeated according to the detection result of the temperature sensor 8.
However, when heating is stopped, the temperature of the inner surface 11a decreases due to the influence of external temperature, and the temperature of the first heater 34 may fall below the dew point temperature of the culture space S2.
On the other hand, since the internal heater 6 is embedded in the casing part 3a and controlled in the same way, and the casing part 3a is filled with a sufficient amount of heat insulating material, when the internal heater 6 stops, is not affected by external temperature.

On the other hand, the incubator door 11 according to the present invention must be opened and closed in the working space S1 inside the isolator 2, especially inside the cylindrical member 13, and cannot be formed as thickly as the case 3a. Therefore, the incubator door 11 cannot be sufficiently filled with a heat insulating material.
Therefore, the second heater 35 heats the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 instead of a heat insulating material so as not to be affected by external temperature.
Further, regarding the second heater 35, no condensation occurs on the inner surface 11a of the incubator door 11 in the culture state with respect to the temperature of the installation environment of the cell culture system 1 and the working environment S1 in the isolator 2, and The temperature of the outer surface 11b required to maintain the temperature such that the temperature does not fall below the dew point temperature of the culture space S2 is determined in advance, and the output is adjusted by the temperature controller 20 to maintain the temperature. It is set.
By heating the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 with the second heater 35 in this manner, it is possible to reduce the amount of heat insulating material and to make the incubator door 11 thin.
In this embodiment, the output of the second heater 35 is maintained constant when connected to the isolator 2, but a temperature detection means similar to the temperature sensor 8 provided in the culture space S2 is provided in the work space S1. It is also possible to vary the output of the second heater 35 according to changes in the temperature of the work space S1, that is, the outside.

The second heater 35 brought into contact with the side wall 36 heats the annular seal member 25 disposed around the outer periphery of the side wall 36 .
The sealing member 25 is made of resin and has low thermal conductivity and does not easily rise in temperature. Therefore, by heating the sealing member 25 through the side wall portion 36, the incubator door 11 is closed. At the same time, this prevents dew condensation from occurring in the portion exposed to the culture space S2.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a state in which the incubator 3 is separated from the isolator 2, and shows a state in which the incubator door 11 is covered with a heat retaining cover 37.
The heat retaining cover 37 is made by filling a heat insulating material in the same way as the case 3a of the incubator 3, for example, and is fitted with the outer flange 21a of the annular member 21 provided at the opening of the incubator 3. It looks like this.
A sealing member 38 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the heat retaining cover 37 and is in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the outer peripheral side flange portion 21a, and by attaching the heat retaining cover 37 to the incubator 3, the inside of the heat retaining cover 37 is divided from the outside. It has become so.
When the heat insulating cover 37 is attached to the incubator 3 in this way, the temperature drop due to the influence of external temperature on the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 is suppressed, and the heating temperature by the second heater 35 can be kept low. It is possible to save power.

The incubator 3 is provided with a detection means consisting of a proximity sensor 39 that detects whether the heat insulating cover 37 is attached. When this is recognized, a detection signal is input to the temperature controller 20, thereby controlling the output of the second heater 35.
Specifically, when the heat-retaining cover 37 is attached to the incubator 3, the temperature decrease of the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 is suppressed as described above. Switch the output to a preset low output.
On the other hand, when the heat insulation cover 37 is removed from the incubator 3, the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 is lowered due to the influence of external temperature, so the temperature regulator 20 switches the second heater 35 to high output. It looks like this.
Note that the reaction block 39a may be arranged in the cylindrical member 13 of the isolator 2, etc., so that it can be recognized that the incubator 3 has been separated from the isolator 2.
In that case, by inputting the disconnected detection signal to the temperature controller 20, the second heater 35 is switched to low output when the heat insulation cover 37 is attached, and conversely, the incubator 3 is connected to the isolator 2. If this detection signal is recognized, the second heater 35 can be controlled to be switched to high output after the heat retaining cover 37 is removed by inputting the detection signal to the temperature controller 20.

Hereinafter, how to use the incubator 3 having the above configuration will be explained. First, in the incubator 3, the temperature regulator 20 controls the operation and output of the first and second heaters 34 and 35, and controls the incubator door 11. The entire area is heated.
Specifically, regarding the first heater 34, the temperature controller 20 controls the incubator door 11 to maintain a predetermined temperature suitable for culture based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 8 provided in the culture space S2. The inner surface 11a of the chamber is heated, and the culture space S2 is heated together with the internal heater 6.
On the other hand, regarding the second heater 35, when the heat insulation cover 37 is not attached, the temperature regulator 20 heats the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 by setting the high output. The temperature of the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 is maintained so that the temperature of the inner surface 11a does not fall below the dew point temperature of the culture space S2.

Next, the operator moves the incubator 3 to the isolator 2 and connects the incubator 3 and the isolator 2 using the connecting means 4. Specifically, the outer peripheral flange portion 21a of the annular member 21 of the incubator 3 is fitted into the cylindrical member 13 provided on the isolator 2, and then the clamp 18a of the isolator 2 is operated to move the incubator 3 to the isolator 2. Connect to.
As a result, a sealed connection space S3 is formed between the isolator 2 and the incubator 3 inside the cylindrical member 13, and a decontamination medium is supplied to the connection space S3 from a decontamination means (not shown). Decontamination is performed to bring the connection space S3 into a sterile state.

When the decontamination of the connection space S3 is completed, the operator puts on the gloves 2b of the isolator 2 and opens the isolator door 12. As a result, the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 in the closed state faces the work space S1 of the isolator 2.
Even while the incubator door 11 is in the closed state, the isolator 2 maintains the working space S1 at a positive pressure by the sterile air supply means to keep it sterile, and also keeps the working space S1 at a positive pressure from the top to the bottom. A flow is formed to prevent dust from dispersing.
This laminar flow removes heat from the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 which is in the closed state, but in consideration of this, the outer surface 11b is heated by the second heater 35. Heat is not removed from the inner surface 11a of the inner surface 11a, and dew condensation is prevented from occurring.

Subsequently, when the required work is completed in the work space S1 of the isolator 2, the operator operates the handle 24 to open the incubator door 11, and transfers the cells contained in the culture container from the work space S1 of the isolator 2 to the incubator. Transfer to culture space S2 of No. 3.
It is necessary to transfer the culture container as quickly as possible to prevent a drop in the temperature of the culture space S2, and therefore the incubator door 11 is opened and closed quickly. Since it is configured as a single door, it is easy to operate and does not impair speed. Even so, while the culture space S2 and the work space S1 are communicating with each other, the temperature of the culture space S2 ends up decreasing.
Furthermore, since the incubator door 11 is left open, it is located in the working space S1 whose temperature is lower than the culture temperature, so the entire incubator door 11 is affected by the temperature of the working space S1. becomes.
However, since the incubator door 11 is heated by the first and second heaters 34 and 35, and in particular is continuously heated by the second heater 35, the temperature of the incubator door 11 is significantly reduced. Never.
Therefore, even if the incubator door 11 is subsequently closed, the temperature of the inner surface 11a will not fall below the dew point temperature of the culture space, and the formation of condensation on the inner surface 11a due to the opening/closing operation is also prevented. .
At this time, the seal member 25 provided on the outer peripheral edge of the incubator door 11 also prevents dew condensation on the seal member 25 because the second heater 35 heats the seal member 25 via the side wall portion 36. I can do it.

When the transfer of the culture container from the isolator 2 is completed and the incubator door 11 is closed, the temperature of the culture space S2 is suitable for culture since the incubator door 11 was open until then. The temperature will be lower than the predetermined temperature.
Then, the temperature regulator 20 increases the output of the first heater 34 based on a detection signal from the temperature sensor 8 provided in the culture space S2, thereby heating the inner surface 11a of the incubator door 11.
Then, the culture space S2 is heated by the radiant heat of the inner surface 11a, and then the temperature regulator 20 monitors the temperature of the culture space S2 with the temperature sensor 8 so that the temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature suitable for the culture. The inner surface 11a is heated.

On the other hand, when the incubator door 11 is closed and the isolator door 12 is closed, the operator removes the incubator 3 from the isolator 2 and moves it to a required culture position separated from the isolator 2.
In the meantime, the operator attaches the heat insulating cover 37 shown in FIG. 5 to the incubator door 11, so that the outer surface 11b of the incubator door 11 covered by the heat insulating cover 37 is less susceptible to temperature changes.
Then, the temperature regulator 20, which recognizes that the heat insulating cover 37 is attached by the proximity sensor 39, activates a timer and switches the second heater 35 to a low output after a predetermined period of time for the inside of the heat insulating cover 37 to warm up, thereby adjusting the temperature of the outer surface 11b. to the specified temperature.
Thereafter, the incubator 3 is left undisturbed until the cells contained therein are cultured with the heat insulating cover 37 attached, and after the cells are cultured, the incubator 3 is connected to the isolator 2 again and the cells in the incubator 3 are It can be taken out.

As described above, according to the incubator 3 in this embodiment, even if the incubator door 11 is a single door, it is possible to prevent dew condensation on the inner surface 11a facing the culture space S2.
First, by heating the inner surface 11a of the incubator door 11 using the first heater 34 so that the culture space S2 reaches a predetermined temperature, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring when the incubator door 11 is closed.
In addition, since the outer surface 11b is heated by the second heater 35, the temperature of the inner surface 11a is not taken away from the outer surface 11b of the incubator 3, and the temperature of the inner surface 11a does not fall below the dew point temperature of the culture space S2. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation.
Similarly, even when the incubator door 11 is left open and the overall temperature of the incubator door 11 is lowered by the outside atmosphere (inside the work space S1), the first and second heaters 34 and 35 Since the entire incubator door 11 is maintained in a heated state, even if the incubator door 11 is subsequently closed, dew condensation on the inner surface 11a can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the cell culture system 1 in which the incubator 3 is connected to the isolator 2 has been described, but even when the incubator 3 is used as a stationary type, by using the incubator door 11 having the above-mentioned configuration, It is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring on the inner surface 11a of the incubator door 11, thereby making it possible to convert a double door into a single door and to reduce the thickness of the door.

1 Cell culture system 2 Isolator 3 Incubator 4 Connection means 11 Incubator door 12 Isolator door 20 Temperature regulator (temperature control means) 33 Heat insulating material 34 First heater 35 Second heater 37 Heat insulation cover S1 Work space S2 Culture space S3 Connection Space S4 Internal space

Claims (5)

In an incubator that has a culture space formed inside and has an incubator door that can be opened to the outside as a single door ,
A first heater that heats the inner surface of the incubator door on the culture space side, a second heater that heats the outer surface of the incubator door on the outside side, and a temperature control means that controls these first and second heaters. Prepare,
The incubator is characterized in that the temperature control means independently controls the first heater and the second heater. The temperature control means controls the culture space to be maintained at a predetermined temperature by the first heater,
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the inner surface of the incubator door does not fall below the dew point temperature of the culture space by heating the outer surface of the incubator door with the second heater. incubator. Claim 1 or Claim 2, further comprising temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the culture space, and wherein the temperature control means controls the first heater based on the detection result of the temperature detection means. incubator. The incubator is connectable to an isolator having a working space formed therein, and the incubator door is provided so as to be openable toward the working space. 3. The incubator according to any one of 3. Equipped with a thermal cover that covers the incubator door from the outside,
The temperature control means is characterized in that the second heater heats the outer surface of the incubator door to a lower temperature when the heat retaining cover is attached than when the heat retaining cover is not attached. The incubator according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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