WO2019116436A1

WO2019116436A1 - Incubator

Info

Publication number: WO2019116436A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/044468
Authority: WO
Inventors: 理沙仁村; 洋臣後藤; 田窪　健二
Original assignee: 株式会社島津製作所
Priority date: 2017-12-12
Filing date: 2017-12-12
Publication date: 2019-06-20

Abstract

This incubator has: a main body 5 in which multiple storage chambers 51 are ranged along the vertical and transverse directions; and a first door 1, a second door 2, a third door 3, and a fourth door 4 which cover openings of each of the multiple storage chambers 51 of the main body 5. The first door 1 has an extensible structure in which the upper end thereof is disposed at the upper end section of the main body 5 and the lower end thereof is movable toward the lower end section of the main body 5. The second door 2 has an extensible structure in which the lower end thereof is disposed at the lower end section of the main body 5 and the upper end thereof is movable toward the upper end section of the main body. The third door 3 has an extensible structure in which the left end thereof is disposed at the left end section of the main body 5 and the right end thereof is movable toward the right end section of the main body 5. The fourth door 4 has an extensible structure in which the right end thereof is disposed at the right end section of the main body 5 and the left end thereof is movable toward the left end section of the main body.

Description

incubator

The present invention relates to an incubator used for culturing samples such as cells and microorganisms in the field of biochemistry and the like.

An incubator is an apparatus capable of culturing samples such as cells and microorganisms under an appropriate environment, and is a housing for collectively containing a plurality of sample containers such as microplates, petri dishes or culture dishes containing samples. It has a body and functions to maintain environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration in the case. A large opening with an open / close door is provided on the front of the housing. At this time, when the sample container containing the sample to be observed or analyzed is taken out when opening the opening / closing door of the case, the entire inside of the case is opened. There was a problem that environmental conditions changed greatly. On the other hand, there has also been proposed an incubator which can carry in and out a sample container by partially opening the space without opening the entire space in the housing.

Patent Document 1 discloses an incubator capable of performing a sterilization process in a culture chamber. The incubator described in the patent document 1 adopts a configuration in which the opening on the front surface of a housing provided with a plurality of culture chambers (storage chambers) is covered with a door having a triple structure, and the innermost of these doors The door has a configuration divided into a plurality corresponding to each culture chamber.

Patent Document 2 discloses a handling device for automatically transporting a microplate to an incubator. The incubator described in Patent Document 2 has a door provided on the front of each of a plurality of storage chambers arranged in a housing, and by jumping up each door to the back side by an external handling device, a micro The plate is transported into the storage chamber.

Patent Document 3 discloses an incubator provided with a small container insertion port provided with a shutter mechanism on the side surface of the chamber, in addition to a large opening formed on the front surface of the chamber. The incubator described in Patent Document 3 has a configuration in which the container carried in from the container insertion port is transported in the chamber by the container transport unit disposed in the chamber.

JP-A-6-153907 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-194831 JP, 2009-284810, A

However, as in the incubators described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, when the doors are individually provided to the respective storage chambers, the device configuration becomes complicated. In addition, in order to open and close the door, it is necessary to provide an opening / closing drive mechanism for the door in each storage chamber, or to provide a device for transporting sample containers and to arrange the door opening / closing mechanism on this transport mechanism. , The device configuration becomes more complicated. Furthermore, a space is required to move the door to the release position, increasing the footprint of the device.

Further, as described in Patent Document 3, the apparatus configuration becomes complicated also when adopting a configuration in which the sample container inserted from the container insertion port is transported by the transport mechanism inside the chamber. Further, it is necessary to adopt a mechanism capable of transporting the sample container without deteriorating the environment in the chamber, and further, it is necessary to consider the possibility of failure of the transport mechanism in the chamber.

This invention was made in order to solve the said subject, and although it is a very simple structure, only the area | region corresponding to each storage chamber is opened, without enlarging the exclusive area of an apparatus, and each storage chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide an incubator capable of carrying in and out a sample container.

The invention according to claim 1 is an incubator comprising: a main body in which a plurality of storage chambers are arranged in at least one of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction; and a door mechanism for covering an opening in each storage chamber of the main body. The door mechanism has an expandable structure in which one end is disposed at a first end of the main body, and the other end is movable toward a second end opposite to the first end of the main body. A first door having one end, and a second door having an expandable structure in which one end is disposed at the second end of the main body and the other end is movable toward the first end of the main body; It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the main body has a configuration in which a plurality of storage chambers are arranged in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, and the door mechanism has one end Fixed at a third end facing in a direction perpendicular to the first end of the body, and movable at the other end toward a fourth end opposite the third end of the body A fourth door having a telescopic structure, and a telescopic structure having one end fixed to the fourth end of the main body and the other end movable toward the third end of the main body And further comprising a door.

The invention according to claim 3 relates to the invention according to claim 2, wherein the first door, the second door, the third door and the fourth door are connected to a tip member and the tip member, It is comprised from the expansion-contraction member which has the structure which piled up the elongate plate-like member mutually, and it has the structure expand-contracted by changing the overlapping area of the said plate-like member.

The invention according to claim 4 relates to the invention according to claim 2, wherein the first door, the second door, the third door and the fourth door are connected to a tip member and one end to the tip member And the other end of the expansion and contraction member having a configuration in which the take-up roller is wound up, and the expansion and contraction is performed by changing the amount of take-up relative to the take-up roller.

The invention according to claim 5 relates to the invention according to claim 2, wherein the first door, the second door, the third door, and the fourth door are connected to a tip member and the tip member. And a bellows-like stretchable member, wherein the stretchable member is configured to be stretchable by changing the amount of refraction of the bellows-like stretchable member.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by moving the first door and the second door, it is possible to open only the region corresponding to each storage chamber. At this time, since it is not necessary to provide a door for each storage chamber, the apparatus can be simplified and the exclusive area can be miniaturized.

According to the second aspect of the invention, by moving the first door, the second door, the third door and the fourth door, a region corresponding to a plurality of storage chambers arranged in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction. It becomes possible to open only.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first door, the second door, the third door, and the fourth door can be expanded and contracted by changing the overlapping area of the plate-like members.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the first door, the second door, the third door, and the fourth door can be expanded and contracted by changing the winding amount of the expansion and contraction member with respect to the winding roller. .

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first door, the second door, the third door and the fourth door can be expanded and contracted by changing the amount of refraction of the bellows-like expandable member.

It is a perspective view which disassembles and shows the incubator concerning this invention. It is a side view which disassembles and shows the incubator concerning this invention. It is a perspective view of the 1st door 1 and the 2nd door 2 concerning a 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the 3rd door 3 and the 4th door 4 concerning a 1st embodiment of this invention. A state in which the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4 according to the first embodiment are arranged to cover the opening of each storage chamber 51 of the main body 5 on the front surface of the main body 5 It is a side outline figure showing. It is a schematic diagram showing arrangement of the 1st door 1, the 2nd door 2, the 3rd door 3, and the 4th door 4. It is a schematic diagram showing arrangement of the 1st door 1, the 2nd door 2, the 3rd door 3, and the 4th door 4. It is a schematic diagram showing arrangement of the 1st door 1, the 2nd door 2, the 3rd door 3, and the 4th door 4. It is a schematic diagram showing arrangement of the 1st door 1, the 2nd door 2, the 3rd door 3, and the 4th door 4. It is a schematic diagram showing arrangement of the 1st door 1, the 2nd door 2, the 3rd door 3, and the 4th door 4. It is a front view of the 1st door 1 and the 2nd door 2 concerning a 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the 1st door 1 and the 2nd door 2 concerning a 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the 1st door 1 and the 2nd door 2 concerning a 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the 1st door 1 and the 2nd door 2 concerning a 3rd embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the incubator according to the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a side view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the incubator based on this invention. In these figures, the expandable member 12 in the first door 1, the expandable member 22 in the second door 2, the expandable member 32 in the third door 3, and the expandable member 42 in the fourth door 4 are expressed in a flat plate shape. ing. Moreover, in these figures, the 1st door 1 and the 2nd door 2, the 3rd door 3 and the 4th door 4, and the main body 5 are mutually spaced apart and shown in figure.

This incubator includes a main body 5 in which a plurality of storage chambers 51 are arrayed in the longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and a first door 1, a second door 2 and a third door which cover openings of the storage chambers 51 of the main body 5. 3 and a fourth door 4 are provided. In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, six storage chambers 51 are arranged in the vertical direction, and two storage chambers 51 are arranged in the horizontal direction. In addition, a large number of storage chambers 51 are disposed.

The first door 1 has an expandable structure in which the upper end is disposed at the upper end of the main body 5 and the lower end is movable toward the lower end of the main body 5. The second door 2 has an expandable structure in which the lower end is disposed at the lower end of the main body 5 and the upper end is movable toward the upper end of the main body 5. The third door 3 has a telescopic structure in which the left end is disposed at the left end of the main body 5 and the right end is movable toward the right end of the main body 5. The fourth door 4 has an expandable structure in which the right end is disposed at the right end of the main body 5 and the left end is movable toward the left end of the main body 5.

Next, the configurations of the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first door 1 and the second door 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the third door 3 and the fourth door 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, FIG. 5 covers the opening of each accommodation chamber 51 of the main body 5 on the front surface of the main body 5 with respect to the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4 according to the first embodiment. It is a side outline figure showing the state where it arranged.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first door 1 has an end member 11 disposed at the lower end, and an expandable member 12 connected to the end member 11 and having a structure in which long plate members are superimposed on each other. And consists of The first door 1 is configured to expand and contract in the vertical direction by changing the overlapping area of the plate-like members constituting the expandable member 12. Further, the second door 2 is composed of a tip end member 21 disposed at the upper end portion, and an expansion and contraction member 22 connected to the tip end member 21 and having a structure in which long plate members are superimposed on each other. . The second door 2 is configured to expand and contract in the vertical direction by changing the overlapping area of the plate-like members that constitute the expandable member 22.

As shown in FIG. 4, the third door 3 has an end member 31 disposed at the right end, and an expandable member 32 connected to the end member 31 and having a structure in which long plate members are superimposed on each other. And consists of The third door 3 is configured to expand and contract in the left-right direction by changing the overlapping area of the plate-like members constituting the expandable member 32. Further, the fourth door 4 is composed of a tip end member 41 disposed at the upper end portion, and an expansion and contraction member 42 connected to the tip end member 41 and having a structure in which long plate members are superimposed on each other. . The fourth door 4 is configured to expand and contract in the left-right direction by changing the overlapping area of the plate-like members constituting the expandable member 42.

In the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4, the

telescopic members

12, 22, 32, 42 guide a plurality of long plate-like members by a guide member or the like whose illustration is omitted. And can slide relative to each other in a step-like manner. These

telescopic members

12, 22, 32, 42 are made of highly heat insulating metal or resin. Moreover, the

tip members

11, 21, 31, 41 of the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3, and the fourth door 4 are made of, for example, resin. The tip end member 11 and the tip end member 21, and the tip end member 31 and the tip end member 41 have a configuration in which they are attracted and fixed to each other at the time of contact by magnets and the like (not shown). Further, the tip end member 11 and the tip end member 21, and the tip end member 31 and the tip end member 41 are slidable in contact with each other.

The first door 1 and the second door 2 can move their tips in the vertical direction by the operator holding and operating the

tip members

11 and 21. Similarly, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4 can move their tips in the left-right direction when the operator grips and operates the

tip members

31 and 41. Instead of manually moving the tips of the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4, they may be moved using a drive unit such as a motor.

Next, in the incubator having the above configuration, a sample container such as a microplate, petri dish or culture dish containing a sample is carried into a specific storage chamber 51 of the plurality of storage chambers 51, or The operation of carrying out will be described. 6 to 10 show an operation of opening the opening of the front surface of the storage chamber 51 in order to carry the sample container into or out of a specific one of the plurality of storage chambers 51. It is a schematic diagram showing arrangement of the 1st door 1, the 2nd door 2, the 3rd door 3, and the 4th door 4 when it runs.

In the state where the openings of all the storage chambers 51 in the main body 5 are closed, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip end member 11 of the first door 1 and the tip end member 21 of the second door 2 are in contact with each other. . Similarly, the tip end member 31 and the tip end member 41 are in contact with each other.

From this state, when opening the opening of the storage chamber 51 disposed on the upper right of the main body 5, first, as shown in FIG. 7, the tip members of the first door 1 and the tip members of the second door 2 And move 21 upward. At this time, the overlapping area of the plate-like members constituting the expandable member 12 in the first door 1 increases, and the overlapping area of each plate-like member constituting the expandable member 22 in the second door 2 decreases. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the tip end member 11 of the first door 1 and the tip end member 21 of the second door 2 are separated from each other. In this state, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4 can be visually recognized from between the tip end member 11 of the first door 1 and the tip end member 21 of the second door 2.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the tip end member 31 of the third door 3 and the tip end member 41 of the fourth door 4 are moved to the right. At this time, the overlapping area of the plate-like members constituting the expandable member 32 in the third door 3 is reduced, and the overlapping area of each plate-shaped member constituting the expandable member 42 in the fourth door 4 is reduced. After that, as shown in FIG. 10, the tip end member 31 of the third door 3 and the tip end member 41 of the fourth door 4 are separated from each other. In this state, an opening surrounded by the tip member 11 of the first door 1, the tip member 21 of the second door 2, the tip member 31 of the third door 3 and the tip member 41 of the fourth door 4 is formed. It is possible to open the opening of the single storage chamber 51 in the main body 5 through the opening.

As described above, according to the incubator according to the present invention, by moving the tips of the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4, the vertical door and the horizontal door are arranged in a row. It is possible to open only the region corresponding to the plurality of storage chambers 51.

Next, other embodiments of the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3, and the fourth door 4 in the incubator according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a front view of the first door 1 and the second door 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a side view thereof. The third door 3 and the fourth door 4 according to the second embodiment also have the same structure as the first door 1 and the second door 2.

The first door 1 according to the second embodiment includes a distal end member 11 and an expansion / contraction member 13 having a configuration in which one end is connected to the distal end member 11 and the other end is wound by a winding roller 14. The configuration is such that expansion and contraction are performed by changing the winding amount of the expansion and contraction member 13 with respect to the roller 14. Similarly, the second door 2 is composed of a tip member 21 and a stretchable member 23 having a configuration in which one end is connected to the tip member 21 and the other end is taken up by the take-up roller 24. By changing the amount of winding of the member 23, it has the structure expanded and contracted.

Even when the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3, and the fourth door 4 according to the second embodiment are used, the first door 1 and the second door are similar to the first embodiment described above. By moving the tips of the second and third doors 3 and the fourth door 4, it is possible to open only the regions corresponding to the plurality of storage chambers 51 arranged in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction.

Next, still another embodiment of the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3, and the fourth door 4 in the incubator according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a front view of the first door 1 and the second door 2 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a side view thereof. The third door 3 and the fourth door 4 according to the third embodiment also have the same structure as the first door 1 and the second door 2.

The first door 1 according to the third embodiment includes the distal end member 11 and the bellows-like expandable member 15 connected to the distal end member 11, and changes the amount of refraction of the bellows-like expandable member 15. It has an expanding and contracting structure.

Even when the first door 1, the second door 2, the third door 3, and the fourth door 4 according to the third embodiment are used, the first door 1, as in the first and second embodiments described above. By moving the tips of the second door 2, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4, it becomes possible to open only the regions corresponding to the plurality of storage chambers 51 arranged in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction. .

In the embodiment described above, the main body 5 in which the plurality of storage chambers 51 are arranged in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is used, but the plurality of storage chambers 51 are arranged in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction only. The main body 5 may be used. In the case of using the main body 5 in which the plurality of storage chambers 51 are arranged in the vertical direction only, the first door 1 and the second door 2 can be omitted. Further, in the case where the main body 5 in which the plurality of storage chambers 51 are arranged in the lateral direction is used, the third door 3 and the fourth door 4 can be omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st door 2 2nd door 3 3rd door 4 4th door 5 main body 11 tip member 12 telescopic member 13 telescopic member 14 take-up roller 15 telescopic member 21 tip member 22 telescopic member 31 tip member 32 telescopic member 41 tip member 42 Telescopic member 51 storage chamber

Claims

A main body in which a plurality of storage chambers are arranged in at least one of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction;
A door mechanism for covering an opening in each storage chamber of the main body;
In an incubator equipped with
The door mechanism is
A first door having a telescopic structure having one end disposed at a first end of the main body and the other end movable toward a second end opposite the first end of the main body;
A second door having a telescopic structure, one end being disposed at the second end of the body and the other end being movable toward the first end of the body;
An incubator characterized by comprising:
In the incubator according to claim 1,
The main body has a configuration in which a plurality of storage chambers are arranged in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction,
The door mechanism is
One end is fixed to a third end facing in a direction orthogonal to the first end of the main body, and the other end is moved toward a fourth end facing the third end of the main body A third door with a telescopic structure that enables
A fourth door having a telescopic structure in which one end is fixed to the fourth end of the main body and the other end is movable toward the third end of the main body;
Incubator further comprising.
In the incubator according to claim 2,
The first door, the second door, the third door, and the fourth door are connected to a tip end member and the tip end member, and an expansion and contraction member having a structure in which long plate members are overlapped with each other An incubator having a configuration configured to expand and contract by changing the overlapping area of the plate-like members.
In the incubator according to claim 2,
The first door, the second door, the third door, and the fourth door have a tip member, and an extendable member having a configuration in which one end is connected to the tip member and the other end is wound on a winding roller An incubator configured and configured to expand and contract by changing a winding amount with respect to the winding roller.
In the incubator according to claim 2,
The first door, the second door, the third door, and the fourth door each include a tip member and a bellows-like stretchable member connected to the tip member, and the refraction amount of the bellows-like stretchable member An incubator with a configuration that stretches by changing.