JPH0775552A - Culture system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To arrange the gas sensor for detecting the gas concentration in the culture chamber in the heating space whose temperature is a little higher than that of the culture chamber. CONSTITUTION:The culture box 1 comprises the outer box 2 lined with a thermal insulating material inside, the space 4 between the outer and inner boxes, the inner box 6 provided with the culture chamber 5 of high humidity inside, the heater 11 in the space 4 for heating the culture chamber 5 in the inner box 6 and the detector 19 for detecting the gas concentration in the culture chamber 5. The detector is composed of the path for allowing the gas in the culture chamber 5 to pass through, the gas sensors 23, 24, the air pump 21 and the filter 22 in the path. The detector is arranged in the space whose temperature is a little higher than that of the culture chamber 5 so that it is protected from the outer influences such as dropwise condensation and the outside air temperature.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a culture device for culturing cells and the like by controlling a gas environment in a culture chamber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to culture a cell tissue such as a cancer cell, this seed culture apparatus has not only the indoor temperature and humidity environment but also carbon dioxide, oxygen, etc. as disclosed in JP-A-60-141279. It is configured so that the gas concentration of can be controlled.

The control of the gas concentration is carried out by using infrared rays or a gas sensor which detects a predetermined gas concentration by utilizing a change in electric conductivity. These sensors are used in the atmosphere which the sensor intends to measure. The output changes due to the influence of gas temperature and humidity. Especially, since the gas in the culture chamber has high humidity, this influence is great.

Therefore, in the conventional apparatus, the ambient gas for detecting the concentration is cooled by a cooling device to a constant low temperature and dehumidified to a constant humidity of 100% and sent to the gas sensor. ing.

When an infrared type sensor is used as the sensor, the amount of light reaching the infrared detecting element changes over a long period of time due to dirt on the optical path or deterioration of the light source itself. , Zero point calibration was done.

In FIG. 4, 100 is a gas cell in which an atmosphere gas is flown, 101 is a comparison cell filled with a reference gas, and 102, 1
Reference numeral 03 is an infrared light source, 104 is a chopper, and 105 is a detector, which uses the output of infrared light transmitted through the comparison cell 101 to periodically perform zero point calibration.

[0007]

However, in the above-described conventional structure, a cooling device is required, so that the size of the entire device becomes large. Further, since the moisture in the atmosphere gas is removed and discharged, the moisture in the culture chamber is wasted even if the atmosphere gas is returned to the culture chamber.

Moreover, the sensor is also affected by its own temperature. In particular, in the infrared gas sensor, the amount of infrared rays generated from the light source changes, so there is a problem that the detection output changes when the outside air temperature changes.

Furthermore, the zero-point calibration method having the structure shown in FIG. 4 always requires two optical paths, which is expensive and
In practice, impurities adhere to the outer surface of the comparison cell 101, so that there is a problem that the zero point fluctuates.

The present invention solves the above problems, and provides a culture apparatus in which the sensor itself is disposed in a heating space having a temperature substantially the same as the ambient temperature of the culture chamber and is not affected by the outside air temperature. It is intended.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an outer box having a heat insulating material inside, an inner box having a high-humidity culture chamber inside, and a space between the heat insulating material and the inner box of the outer box. In a culture device comprising a heating device for heating the culture chamber of the inner box in a provided space and a detection device for detecting the gas concentration in the culture chamber, the detection device is arranged in the space.

According to the present invention, the detection device comprises a path for circulating the gas in the culture chamber, a gas sensor provided in this path, and an air pump for sucking the gas into the path.

[0013]

The present invention is constructed as described above,
A detection device for detecting the gas concentration of the culture chamber is arranged in a space heated by a heating device for heating the culture chamber, so that the detection device is not affected by the outside air temperature,
The gas in the culture room with high humidity is prevented from dew condensation due to the temperature difference.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a culture cabinet showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the culture cabinet of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the detection device of the present invention.

1 is a culture cabinet, and this culture cabinet 1 is an outer box 2,
A heat-insulating material 3 arranged inside the outer box, a corrosion-resistant stainless-steel inner box 6 having a culture chamber 5 inside the heat-insulating material via a predetermined space 4, and an opening of the inner box. And a door 7 for opening and closing the door. 8 is culture room 5
It is a supply device of carbon dioxide gas, nitrogen, etc. for maintaining a predetermined gas concentration inside.

The door 7 for closing the opening of the inner box 6 is a heat-insulating outer door 9
And the inner door 10 inside thereof. Further, the inner door 10 is formed of transparent glass, so that the inside of the culture chamber 5 can be observed only by opening the heat insulating outer door 9.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a heater arranged in the space 4, and this heater heats the inside of the culture chamber 5. A door heater 12 is provided on the outer door 9. The door heater and the heater in the space 4 keep the culture chamber 5 at a uniform temperature.

Reference numeral 13 is a duct mounted inside the inner box 6, and this duct forms a passage 14 therein. The duct 13 is provided with a hole 15 for sucking gas in the culture chamber 5 on the upper side and a discharge hole 16 for discharging gas to the culture chamber 5 on the lower side.

A blower 17 is arranged in the passage 14 and circulates the gas in the culture chamber 5. A temperature sensor 18 for detecting the temperature in the culture chamber 5 is arranged on the leeward side near the blower. There is.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a detection device arranged in the space 4 located above the culture chamber 5 for detecting the gas concentration. This detection device is provided in the culture chamber 5 and a path 20 communicating with the path 20. And an air pump 21, a filter 22 for removing dust in the gas, a gas sensor 23 for detecting the gas concentration of carbon dioxide, a gas sensor 24 for detecting the gas concentration of oxygen, and these air pumps, filters, and gas sensors. And a case 25 for accommodating each of them.
The gas sensor 23 for detecting carbon dioxide is an infrared gas sensor and detects the gas concentration by utilizing the property that carbon dioxide absorbs infrared rays. The gas sensor 24 that detects oxygen is a gas sensor that detects electric conductivity.

In the culturing apparatus thus constructed,
The culture chamber 1 is maintained at a predetermined temperature while heating the inside of the culture chamber 5 with a heater 11 in the space 4, and a gas such as carbon dioxide gas or nitrogen is supplied by a supply device 8 so that the inside of the culture chamber 5 has a predetermined concentration. Has been maintained. The inside of the culture chamber 5 is set to the optimum conditions for culturing cells and the like.

The blower 17 has a suction hole 15 in the duct 13.
The gas in the culture chamber 5 is sucked in and is blown from the lower side through the passage 14 to circulate the gas in the culture chamber 5 so that the temperature and the gas concentration in the culture chamber 5 become uniform.

An air pump 21 is installed in the path 20 to cultivate the culture chamber 5.
The gas inside is supplied, and the concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen contained in the gas from which dust has been removed by the filter 22 are detected by the gas sensors 23 and 24.

The gas sensor 23, which is an infrared gas sensor, is housed in the case 25 and placed in the space 4 having a temperature slightly higher than that of the culture chamber 5. When the concentration is detected, it is possible to suppress dew condensation on the path 20 and the filter 22 with a high-temperature and constant-temperature gas, and to suppress the temperature change of the sensor itself.

The passage 20 for circulating the gas in the culture chamber 5 is arranged in the space 4 in which the heater 11 for heating the culture chamber is provided. It is not removed, so that it is possible to suppress water supply and waste of carbon dioxide gas and nitrogen gas.

According to the present invention, various gas sensors 23 and 24 for detecting the gas concentration in the culture chamber 5 are arranged in the space 4 in which the heater 11 for heating the culture chamber 5 is provided, so that the output can be made especially when the temperature changes. It enables stable operation of the fluctuating infrared gas sensor.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, the outer box provided with the heat insulating material on the inner side, the inner box having the culture chamber of high humidity inside, the heat insulating material of the outer box and the inner box are provided. In a culture device consisting of a heating device for heating the culture chamber of this inner box to a space provided between the culture chamber and a detection device for detecting the gas concentration of the culture chamber, since the detection device is arranged in the space, The detection device for detecting the gas concentration in the room can be maintained at a temperature slightly higher than the temperature of this culture room, and is not affected by the outside air temperature,
This enables stable gas concentration detection. Further, since the water content of the atmosphere gas in the culture chamber is not removed, waste of gas and water can be prevented by returning the gas whose gas concentration has been detected to the culture chamber.

Further, according to the present invention, since the detecting device is constituted by a path for sucking gas in the culture chamber, a gas sensor provided in this path, and an air pump for sucking gas in the path, Since water does not condense, various bacteria do not grow, and this water droplet does not adhere to the gas sensor and the concentration cannot be detected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a culture cabinet showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the culture cabinet of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the detection device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a conventional detection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Incubator 2 Outer Box 3 Insulating Material 4 Space 5 Culture Room 6 Inner Box 19 Detector 20 Path 21 Air Pump 22 Filter 23, 24 Gas Sensor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Nojima 2-18 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An outer box having a heat-insulating material inside, an inner box having a high-humidity culture chamber therein, and a space provided between the heat-insulating material of the outer box and the inner box. A culture device comprising a heating device for heating the culture chamber of the box and a detection device for detecting gas concentration in the culture chamber, wherein the detection device is arranged in a space. 2. The detection device comprises a path for circulating the gas in the culture chamber, a gas sensor provided in the path, and an air pump for sucking the gas into the path. The culture device described in 1.