JPS63105700A - Controlling method for incubator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To keep a uniform gaseous carbon dioxide concentration and eliminate a bad influence of various germs, by controlling an incubator so as to stir the interior thereof when feeding the carbon dioxide into the incubator and not to stir the interior without feeding the carbon dioxide. CONSTITUTION:CO2 is fed from a gas cylinder 23 therefor through a pipe 25 into a cultivation tank 5 and concentration is detected by a sensor 29 for detecting the concentration. The sensor 19 is operated through a controlling device 35 by opening and closing of a solenoid valve 27 to provide a predetermined CO2 concentration and control the feed rate of the CO2 from the gas cylinder. The controlling device 35 is connected to a driving motor 17 for rotating a stirring fan 15. Thereby controlling is carried out to rotate the driving motor 17 in a state of turning on the solenoid valve 27 and stop the motor when the valve 27 is turned off.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a method for controlling an incubator, and more specifically, when CO2 is not supplied to the CO2 incubator, a method is provided to prevent the inside of the CO2 incubator from being agitated. This invention relates to an incubator control method that makes it possible.

(Technical Background of the Invention and Problems thereof) Conventionally, CO2 incubators are generally known as cell culture vessels for culturing cells of higher animals such as humans and mice.

The functions of the CO2 incubator itself include keeping the temperature inside the CO2 incubator at a constant temperature, for example, about 37°C, keeping the humidity high, and
It is necessary to maintain the concentration at a constant level, for example, about 5%.

Among these functions, in order to uniformly control the concentration of CO2 to a constant concentration, it is necessary to
CO constantly while the O2 concentration is maintained at a constant concentration.
2 The inside of the incubator was stirred using, for example, a stirring fan.

However, when culturing several dozen types of cells in a CO2 incubator, the door of the CO2 incubator must be opened and closed frequently to confirm cell culture. Therefore, when the door of the CO2 incubator is opened, bacteria floating in the atmosphere may enter the CO2 incubator and, in some cases, may enter the medium for growing cells and multiply. the result,
The influence of bacteria can cause cells to multiply or even die.

Even if germs enter the CO2 incubator, to some extent,
Cells need a protective covering. One possible way to do this is to stop the fan that stirs the inside of the CO2 incubator. However, if the stirring is stopped, the CO2 concentration distribution within the CO2 incubator cannot be made constant, so at present it is not possible to simply stop the stirring.

(Object of the invention) In view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention was proposed in order to improve the problem, and it is
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling an incubator that maintains a uniform temperature distribution and minimizes the influence on cells even if bacteria enter from the outside.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention supplies CO2 into a CO2 incubator, and
When controlling the O2 concentration to a constant and uniform concentration value while stirring, if CO2 is being supplied into the CO2 incubator, if the inside of the CO2 incubator is being stirred and CO2 is not being supplied to the CO2 incubator. , an incubator control method is configured to control the incubator so as not to stir it.

(Function) By adopting the control method of the present invention, the CCha degree distribution inside the CO2 incubator is maintained uniformly, and even if bacteria enter from the outside, they are prevented from spreading over a wide range, and from harmful effects during cell culture. I can suppress it as much as possible.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a door 3 equipped with a handle 3A is attached to the front of a box-shaped incubator 1 so that it can be opened and closed forward. The door 3 is opened and closed by the handle 3A.

A box-shaped culture tank 5 housed within the CO2 incubator 1
Hot water is stored in the surrounding double wall of an inner wall 7 and an outer wall 9, and the temperature of the hot water is adjusted by a temperature regulator (not shown). Warm water is circulated into the culture tank 5 from the lower part of the gap between the inner wall 7 and the shelf support 19 (details of which will be described later), for example, from the lower left side in FIG. For example, the temperature is adjusted to about 37°C.

An evaporation section 11 is provided on the lower surface of the inner wall 7 to store water in order to provide humidity to the culture tank 5. Water is evaporated from the evaporation section 11 and the humidity inside the culture tank 5 is adjusted to the humidity level. Ru.

A fan attachment port 13 is provided on the top surface of the culture tank 15, and a fan attachment port 13 is provided through the inner wall 7 and the outer wall 9. A stirring fan 15 for stirring the inside of the culture tank 3 is installed in the fan attachment port 13. It is a provision. This stirring fan 15 is rotated by a drive motor 17 attached to the outer wall 9, and the temperature, humidity, and CO2 inside the culture tank 5 are adjusted uniformly.

Two shelf supports 19 are vertically attached to the culture tank 5 on the left and right sides of the inner wall 7, respectively. On this shelf support 19', removable shelves 21 are mounted in multiple stages at regular intervals. Cells of higher animals, such as humans and mice, are placed on the removable shelf 21 via trays and cultured in the culture tank 5 for a certain period of time. Moreover, the degree of culture of the cells is checked by the operator by taking them out from the culture tank 5 at any time.

In order to supply and maintain the CO2 in the culture tank 5 at a constant concentration of 5%, for example, a CO2 cylinder 23 in which CO2 is stored is provided outside the CO2 incubator 1. One end of a pipe 25 is connected to the CO2 cylinder 23, and the other end of the pipe 25 is connected to the CO2 incubator 1.
It penetrates part of the inner outer wall 9 and inner wall 7 and is connected to the upper surface of the J8 support tPJ5. A solenoid valve 27 is connected in the middle of the pipe 25 to adjust the amount of CO2 supplied.

With the above configuration, CO2 is supplied into the strawberry tank 5 from the CO2 cylinder 23 via the pipe 25.

In order to detect CO2 mlα in the culture tank 5, an infrared sensor or the like is provided on the right side outside the CO2 ink-1 beta 1 in FIG. Each of the concentration detection lenses 29 is connected to a supply pipe 31. to the culture tank 5. A delivery pipe 33 is connected, and a concentration detection sensor 29 is connected from the nurturing tank 5 through the supply pipe 31.
The concentration detection sensor 29 detects the CO2E degree, and the CO2 is sent to the culture WJ5 via the delivery piping 33 and circulated.

The concentration detection sensor 29 is connected to the electromagnetic valve 27 and the drive motor 17 via a control device 35. The CO2Q level applied to the control device 35 is controlled as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the CO2 cylinder 23
CO2 is supplied into the culture tank 5 via piping 25 from
C02WJ in the culture tank 5 is continuously supplied in a straight line until the concentration detection sensor 29 reaches, for example, 4%.

When the CO2 concentration in the culture tank 5 is detected by the concentration detection sensor 29 to be, for example, 4%, a signal is sent from the concentration detection sensor 29 to the control device 35. Internally processed within the control device 35, for example, 5 seconds of ON for 3 seconds and OFF for 2 seconds.
ON and OFF signals are sent to the solenoid valve 27 at intervals of 8ec, and the solenoid valve 27 is controlled to turn ON and OFF so that the curve C
The O2 concentration is intermittently supplied into the culture tank 5.
The concentration detection sensor 29 reaches 5%.
Detected in

When the concentration detection sensor 29 detects 5%, the culture tank 5
The CO2 concentration inside is the leakage amount.

Also, as shown in Figure 2, CO2
When the door 3 of the incubator 1 is opened and closed by the handle 3A to take cells in and out, the CO2 in the culture tank 5 is released to the outside, and the CO2 in the j8 culture tank 5 almost disappears. Therefore, CO2 is transferred to the CO2 cylinder 23 in the same way as the previous 1ffl.
The process is repeated so that the water is supplied from the pipe 25 to the culture tank 5.

In this way, the CO2 is transferred from the CO2 cylinder 23 through the piping 25.
O2 is supplied at a faster flow rate than the conventional method, and before reaching a certain concentration value, for example 5%, a concentration detection sensor 29 detects a preset temperature of 11 degrees lower than a certain temperature value, for example 4%. After detection, the solenoid valve 2 is controlled via the control device 35.
7 to ON/OFF control. As a result, the CO2 concentration within the culture 15 can reach a constant concentration value in a faster rise time than conventionally. The ON/OFF control for the amount of leakage from the inside of the culture tank 5 after reaching a certain concentration value is also controlled more uniformly with less CO2 supplied than in the past.

As mentioned above! The a'II device 35 is also connected to the drive motor 17, and CO2 is supplied from the CO2 cylinder 23 to the culture tank 5 through the piping 25, and the CO2 in the culture tank 5 is
When the concentration reaches 4%, it is detected by the sensor 29, and the detection signal is sent to the control device 35, where it is internally processed, and as described above, for example, the solenoid valve 27 is turned ON for 3 seconds.
Like 2sec OFF<ON.

It is controlled to be OFF. At this time, the control device 35 is also connected to a drive motor 17 that rotates the stirring fan 15, and rotates the drive motor 17 when the solenoid valve 27 is in an ON state, and rotates the drive motor when the solenoid valve 27 is in an OFF state. 17
The controller 35 sends a signal to the drive motor 17 to stop the motor.

As a result, in Fig. 2, in the straight state, the solenoid valve 2
7 is ON, drive the drive motor 17,
The stirring fan 15 rotates. In the state of curve C, the electromagnetic valve 27 is kept in a rotating state in order to prevent the temperature of the drive motor 17 from rising even when ON/OFFfli control is frequently performed.

Similarly, CO211 degrees is ON at a certain concentration value, for example 5%.
, Even when OFF control is being performed, the drive motor 17 of the stirring fan 15 is similarly controlled so that the stirring fan 15 is stopped in the 01 state, and the stirring fan 15 is rotated in the C2 state. There is.

Therefore, the C in the culture tank 5 of the CO2 ink
○By maintaining a uniform temperature of 2'm and closing the door 3 at the same time when taking cells in and out, it is possible to prevent bacteria from entering the culture tank 5 from the outside and multiplying in one cell culture vessel, for example. Since the stirring fan 17 does not rotate unless CO2 is supplied into the culture tank 5, germs are not scattered. As a result, bacteria are less likely to attach to other cells and reproduce than in the past, so the negative impact of bacteria on cells is minimized.

(Effects of the Invention) As can be understood from the description of the embodiments above, according to the present invention, when CO2 is supplied into the CO2 ink ovator, the inside of the CO2 ink ovator is stirred, and the CO2 ink ovator is stirred.
2 is not supplied in CO2 ink] beta,
Since we controlled it so that there was no stirring, GO2
Maintain uniform 00211 degree distribution in the incubator E'l
In addition, even if bacteria from the outside enter the CO2, it has the effect of suppressing the negative impact on cells as much as possible compared to conventional methods.

By the way, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be implemented in other embodiments by making appropriate changes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a CO2 incubator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a relationship diagram with CO2 concentration showing CO2 concentration control in the present invention. (Explanation of symbols representing main parts of drawings) 1...CO
2 Incubator 3... Door 5... Culture tank 15... Stirring fan 17... Drive motor 23... CO2 cylinder 2
5... Piping 27... Solenoid valve 29... Concentration detection sensor 31... Supply piping 33... Delivery piping 35
・・・Control device f℃Patent attorney Yasuo Miyoshi〆Ln-,7 01- 〇-1

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Supplying CO_2 into the CO_2 incubator,
When controlling the CO_2 concentration in the CO_2 incubator to a constant and uniform concentration value while stirring,
If O_2 is supplied in the CO_2 incubator, stir the inside of the CO_2 incubator so that the CO_2 becomes C
1. A method for controlling an incubator, characterized in that when O_2 is not supplied into the incubator, stirring is not performed. (2) The supply of CO_2 in the CO_2 incubator is
2. The method of controlling an incubator according to claim 1, wherein when the incubator is stopped, the inside of the CO_2 incubator is not stirred after a certain period of time has elapsed.