WO2023068061A1

WO2023068061A1 - Cultivation device

Info

Publication number: WO2023068061A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/037371
Authority: WO
Inventors: 紘介本田; 泰貴押本; 憲一堀内; 信雄堀本; 弘樹平井; 清弘堀川
Original assignee: Ｐｈｃホールディングス株式会社
Priority date: 2021-10-22
Filing date: 2022-10-06
Publication date: 2023-04-27

Abstract

This cultivation device comprises: a housing having a cultivation chamber; a plurality of heaters for heating the cultivation chamber; a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the cultivation chamber; and a control unit for controlling the plurality of heaters on the basis of the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, wherein the control unit controls, in a dry-heat-sterilization operation, each of energized amounts of the plurality of heaters so that the ratios among the energized amounts of the plurality of heaters are predetermined ratios.

Description

Incubation device

The present invention relates to a culture device.

In a culture apparatus that cultures cultures such as cells and microorganisms, the culture space is sterilized. One method for sterilization is to use a heater to bring the temperature of the culture space to a sterilizable temperature (see Patent Document 1, for example).

Japanese Patent No. 4973946

The temperature that can be sterilized is relatively high. Therefore, the surface temperature of the heater during sterilization becomes relatively high. The heat of the heater may affect the properties of the members constituting the parts other than the culture chamber.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a culture apparatus capable of suppressing the influence of the heat of the heater on parts other than the culture chamber.

A culture apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a housing having a culture chamber, a plurality of heaters for heating the culture chamber, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the culture chamber, and a plurality of heaters based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor. a control unit for controlling, wherein the control unit controls the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters in the dry heat sterilization operation so that the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters becomes a predetermined ratio. do.

According to the present disclosure, in the culture apparatus, it is possible to suppress the influence of the heat of the heater on parts other than the culture chamber.

Schematic vertical cross section of the culture device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure viewed from the right side An exploded perspective view showing arrangement positions of a plurality of heaters. Diagram showing connections to multiple heater controllers Flowchart executed in dry heat sterilization operation mode Time chart in dry heat sterilization operation mode

A culture apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the side facing the user when in use is the front side (front side) of the culture device 1, and the opposite side is the back side (back side) of the culture device 1. Also, the left and right sides of the culture device 1 when the user views the culture device 1 from the front are defined as the left and right sides, respectively. The side away from the surface on which the culture device 1 is installed is the upper side (top side) of the culture device 1, and the opposite side is the lower side (bottom side) of the culture device 1.

The culture device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a device for culturing cultures such as cells or microorganisms in a culture chamber 20 formed inside a substantially box-shaped housing 10 . The temperature, humidity, O2 (oxygen) concentration, and CO2 (carbon dioxide) concentration of the culture chamber 20 are maintained within appropriate ranges so as to create an atmosphere suitable for culturing the culture. The housing 10 includes an inner box 11 , an outer box 12 , an outer door 13 , an inner door 14 and a plate member 15 .

The inner box 11 is substantially box-shaped, has the culture chamber 20 inside, and has an opening 21 of the culture chamber 20 on the front side. The outer box 12 is substantially box-shaped and covers the outer side of the inner box 11 except for the opening 21 . The inner box 11 and the outer box 12 are made of metal plates. A heat insulating material 16 is arranged between the inner box 11 and the outer box 12 . The heat insulating material 16 is formed by bonding a plurality of plate-shaped heat insulating members to each other with an adhesive, for example.

The outer door 13 and inner door 14 open and close the opening 21 . A packing P is arranged on the outer edge of the outer door 13 .

The plate member 15 connects the inner box 11 and the outer box 12 at the periphery of the opening 21 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the plate member 15 is a frame-shaped member having a substantially square outer periphery, and connects the front end of the inner case 11 and the front end of the outer case 12 over the entire circumference of the opening 21 .

In addition, a plurality of heaters 30 for heating the incubation chamber 20 are arranged in the housing 10 . Specifically, there are eight heaters 30, each of which is formed in a plate shape. Specifically, the plurality of heaters 30 are formed by arranging the cord heaters H on a metal plate.

The first to fifth heaters 31 to 35 are arranged outside the inner box 11 on the top surface of the inner box 11, the bottom surface of the inner box 11, the back surface of the inner box 11, and the right side surface of the inner box 11. , and the left side of the inner box 11 . The sixth heater 36 is arranged on the surface of the outer door 13 on the opening 21 side. Also, the amount of heat emitted from the opening 21 in the culture chamber 20 is larger than the amount of heat emitted from other parts. Therefore, the seventh and

eighth heaters

37 and 38 are respectively arranged on the rear plate surface of the plate member 15 and the inner surface of the plate member 15 so that the amount of heating in the vicinity of the opening 21 in the culture chamber 20 is larger than the amount of heating in the other portions. It is arranged on the periphery of the opening 21 of the box 11 .

The eighth heater 38 is specifically belt-shaped and arranged outside the front end portion of the inner box 11 so as to surround the opening 21 . The eighth heater 38 is divided into two. The eighth heater 38 may be divided into three or more parts, or may be formed in an annular shape without being divided.

In addition, among the plurality of heaters 30, the cord heaters H are arranged so that the temperature distribution in the incubation chamber 20 is uniform. Note that the rated outputs of the plurality of heaters 30 may be different from each other, or may be the same as each other.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of heaters 30 are classified into six systems and electrically connected to the controller 40 . The first to third systems G1 to G3 are composed of first to third heaters 31 to 33, respectively. A fourth system G4 is composed of fourth and

fifth heaters

34 and 35 . The fifth system G5 is composed of the eighth heater 38 . The sixth system G6 is composed of the sixth and

seventh heaters

36 and 37 .

Needless to say, the number of heaters arranged in the housing 10, the number of systems, and the combination of heaters constituting each system are not limited as described above. For example, the plurality of heaters 30 may not include the seventh and

eighth heaters

37,38. In this case, the plurality of heaters 30 are classified into five systems, and the fifth system G5 is composed of the sixth heater 36 . As will be described later, the control unit 40 controls the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 for each system.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, a duct 22 extending vertically is arranged on the inner rear surface of the inner box 11 in the culture chamber 20 . A gas passage K is formed inside the duct 22 . A circulation blower 23 is arranged in the gas passage K. As shown in FIG. By operating the circulation blower 23, the air in the culture chamber 20 is sucked from the suction port 22a formed in the upper part of the duct 22, and the air flows into the culture chamber 20 from the outlet 22b provided in the lower part of the duct 22. blown out. This provides forced air circulation as indicated by the thick arrows. A temperature sensor 24 and

gas supply devices

25 a and 25 b are arranged in the duct 22 .

The temperature sensor 24 detects the temperature of the incubation chamber 20. Specifically, the temperature sensor 24 is arranged near the suction port 22a and detects the temperature of the air sucked from the suction port 22a.

The

gas supply devices

25 a and 25 b supply adjustment gases (O 2 gas, N 2 (nitrogen) gas and CO 2 gas) for adjusting the O 2 gas concentration and the CO 2 gas concentration of the incubation chamber 20 to the incubation chamber 20 .

Between the bottom of the duct 22 and the bottom surface of the inner box 11, a humidifying tray D for storing water for humidification is installed.

In addition, the rear surface and bottom surface of the outer case 12 of the housing 10 are covered with a cover 17. A space between the back surface of the outer casing 12 and the cover 17 forms a machine room M for arranging various devices. The machine room M is provided with an electric equipment box 17a. The control unit 40 and other electrical components (not shown) are housed inside the electrical equipment box 17a.

The culture device 1 receives commands to start and stop the culture device 1, settings of the operation mode, and input of various setting values for the culture room 20 from the operation unit 50 provided on the outer door 13. Various setting values for the incubation chamber 20 include a set temperature, a set humidity, a set concentration of O2 gas, a set concentration of CO2 gas, and the like. The control unit 40 controls components such as the plurality of heaters 30 based on an input from the operation unit 50 . The operation unit 50 has a display unit that displays the state of the culture device 1 .

The operation modes of the culture apparatus 1 include at least a normal operation mode and a dry heat sterilization operation mode. In the normal operation mode, a circulation fan 23,

gas supply devices

25a and 25b, and a plurality of heaters are provided so that the inside of the housing 10 (incubation chamber 20) has an atmosphere (for example, 37° C.) suitable for culturing the culture. 30 or the like is operated.

The dry heat sterilization operation mode is a mode in which the circulation fan 23 and the plurality of heaters 30 are operated so as to dry heat sterilize the inside of the housing 10 (incubation chamber 20). During the dry heat sterilization, the humidifying tray D is emptied and the temperature of the culture chamber 20 is maintained at the set temperature (for example, 180° C.) of the dry heat sterilization operation mode.

Next, the control of the plurality of heaters 30 executed by the controller 40 in the dry heat sterilization operation mode will be described in detail using the flowchart of FIG. 4 and the time chart of FIG. In FIG. 5, the lower diagram is a time chart of the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 24 (hereinafter referred to as "detected temperature"), and the upper diagram is a time chart of the duty ratio of each system, which will be described later.

Based on the detected temperature, the control unit 40 controls the plurality of heaters 30 so that the temperature of the incubation chamber 20 reaches the set temperature for the dry heat sterilization operation mode. Specifically, the control unit 40 controls each of the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 so that the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 becomes a predetermined ratio. The ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 is determined in advance based on experiments and the like so that the temperature distribution in the culture chamber 20 is uniform in the dry heat sterilization operation mode.

The control unit 40 controls the energization amount of the plurality of heaters 30 by adjusting the voltage applied to the plurality of heaters 30 by pulse width modulation (PWM). That is, the energization amount of the plurality of heaters 30 is adjusted by the duty ratio of the pulse width modulation. As the duty ratio increases (that is, approaches 100%), the amount of energization increases. The control unit 40 controls the plurality of heaters 30 according to the system. That is, the control unit 40 calculates the duty ratio for each system.

When the dry heat sterilization operation mode is started, the controller 40 operates as shown in FIG. First temperature increase control (S1), second temperature increase control (S2), and temperature retention control (S3) are executed in this order.

The first temperature increase control (S1) is control for increasing the temperature of the incubation chamber 20 to a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature is a temperature lower than the temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible.

The control unit 40 determines the duty ratio of each system so that the energization amount of the plurality of heaters 30 is maximized when the first temperature increase control is executed in the dry heat sterilization operation mode. Specifically, the control unit 40 keeps the duty ratio of each system constant at 100% in the first temperature increase control. Needless to say, in the first temperature increase control, the duty ratio of each system is not limited to 100%. At this time, the ratio of the energization amounts among the plurality of heaters 30 is determined by the rated output of each of the plurality of heaters 30 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the dry heat sterilization operation mode is started (time tm0), and when the detected temperature rises and reaches a predetermined temperature (time tm1), the controller 40 ends the first temperature increase control. . Since the duty ratio of each system is determined so that the energization amount of the plurality of heaters 30 becomes maximum when the first temperature increase control is executed in the dry heat sterilization operation mode, the dry heat sterilization is performed. After the start of the operation mode, the temperature of the incubation chamber 20 can reach a predetermined temperature early.

Also, the predetermined temperature is determined so that the amount of electricity supplied to the plurality of heaters 30 in the first temperature increase control is maximized throughout the dry heat sterilization operation mode. As a result, in the second temperature increase control (S2) and the temperature retention control (S3), which will be described later, the duty ratio of each system becomes lower than the duty ratio of each system in the first temperature increase control. Therefore, by appropriately setting the predetermined temperature, it is possible to suppress the surface temperature of the plurality of heaters 30 from becoming relatively high. can be suppressed. Specifically, the heat from the plurality of heaters 30 deforms the heat insulating material 16 to reduce the heat insulating performance, and changes the properties of the adhesive used in the heat insulating material 16 to generate an offensive odor. etc. can be suppressed.

The second temperature increase control (S2) is control to increase the temperature of the culture chamber 20 to a temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible. In the second temperature increase control, the control unit 40 controls the energization amount of the plurality of heaters 30 based on the detected temperature.

The control unit 40 first calculates the energization amount of the sixth system G6 (the sixth and seventh heaters 36 and 37). Specifically, the control unit 40 sets the set temperature of the dry heat sterilization operation mode (the temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible) as the target temperature, and calculates a proportional PI (PI) based on the difference between the target temperature and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 24. Integral) control is used to calculate the energization amount of the sixth system G6 and thus the duty ratio.

Subsequently, the control unit 40 adjusts the calculated duty ratio of the sixth system G6 so that the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 becomes a predetermined ratio. Calculate the duty ratio of each of the systems G1 to G5.

In the second temperature increase control, the control unit 40 controls the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 so as to approach a predetermined value based on the detected temperature. The predetermined value is determined so that the temperature distribution in the incubation chamber 20 is uniform in the dry heat sterilization operation mode.

Further, when the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 is a predetermined value, the duty ratio of each system is the sixth system G6, the fourth system G4, the fifth system G5, and the second system G2. , the third system G3, and the first system G1. Furthermore, when the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 is a predetermined value, the ratio of the duty ratios among the systems is, for example, the sixth system G6, the fourth system G4, and the fifth system G5. , second system G2, third system G3, and first system G1 are approximately 100, 90, 75, 60, 55, and 30 in this order. In other words, when the duty ratio of the sixth system G6 is X, the duty ratio of the fourth system G4 is 0.9 times X, and the duty ratio of the fifth system G5 is 0 of X. 75 times, the duty ratio of the second system G2 is 0.6 times X, the duty ratio of the third system G3 is 0.55 times X, and the duty ratio of the first system G1 is The duty ratio is 0.3 times X. Hereinafter, the ratio of the duty ratios between the systems when the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 is a predetermined value will be referred to as a predetermined ratio. Needless to say, the predetermined ratio corresponding to the predetermined value is not limited to the above examples.

Also, in the second temperature increase control, the control unit 40 controls the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 so that the difference between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 gradually increases. That is, the control unit 40 performs control so that the difference in duty ratio between the systems gradually increases.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, at the start of the second temperature increase control, the duty ratio of each system is 100%, the same as at the end of the first temperature increase control. Then, the difference in duty ratio between the systems gradually increases as the detected temperature rises, and at the end of the second temperature increase control, the ratio between the duty ratios of the systems is equal to the predetermined ratio. Become.

When the detected temperature rises and reaches a temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible (time tm2), the control unit 40 ends the second temperature increase control. By controlling the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 in this way, it is possible to suppress the overshoot of the temperature of the culture chamber 20 when the detected temperature reaches the temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible. Moreover, the temperature of the culture chamber 20 can be reliably increased to a temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible, and the temperature distribution of the culture chamber 20 can be made uniform.

The temperature maintenance control (S3) is a control that maintains the temperature of the incubation chamber 20 at a temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible. In the temperature retention control, the control unit 40 controls the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 to be constant at the predetermined value. Specifically, the control unit 40 sets the duty ratio of the sixth system G6 to the set temperature of the dry heat sterilization operation mode as the target temperature in the same manner as the above-described second temperature increase control, and the target temperature and the temperature sensor 24 is calculated using PI control based on the difference from the detected temperature.

Subsequently, the control unit 40 adjusts the calculated duty ratio of the sixth system G6 so that the ratio of the duty ratios between the systems becomes the predetermined ratio, similarly to the above-described second temperature increase control. Based on this, the duty ratios of the first to fifth systems G1 to G5 are calculated. Then, the control unit 40 controls the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 to remain constant at a predetermined value, that is, the ratio of the duty ratios between the systems to remain at a predetermined ratio. The duty ratios of the systems G1 to G5 of 1 to 5 are calculated.

The control unit 40 stops energizing the plurality of heaters 30 (that is, sets the duty ratio to 0%) at a point in time (tm3) when a predetermined time has elapsed from the point at which the temperature retention control is started. This terminates the temperature holding control. This completes the dry heat sterilization operation mode. By controlling the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 in this manner, the temperature distribution of the culture chamber 20 can be made uniform while maintaining the temperature of the culture chamber 20 at a temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible. Furthermore, the control unit 40 performs PI control with the set temperature in the dry heat sterilization operation mode as the target temperature. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the incubation chamber 20, and thus the temperature of the portion other than the incubation chamber 20, from locally greatly exceeding the set temperature of the dry heat sterilization operation mode. Therefore, when the temperature of the adhesive used for the heat insulating material 16 becomes equal to or higher than the temperature at which the properties of the adhesive are changed, it is possible to suppress the generation of odor from the adhesive.

In addition, in the normal operation mode, the control unit 40 controls the plurality of heaters 30 so as to maintain the temperature of the incubation chamber 20 at a temperature suitable for culturing the culture. Specifically, the control unit 40 controls the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 in the same manner as the above-described temperature retention control, with a temperature suitable for culturing the culture as the target temperature. Thereby, the temperature distribution of the culture chamber 20 can be made uniform while maintaining the temperature of the culture chamber 20 at a temperature suitable for culturing the culture.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described so far. Various modifications to the present embodiment are also included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they do not depart from the gist of the present disclosure.

For example, the control unit 40 may correct the energization amount of the plurality of heaters 30 according to the voltage value of the power supply connected to the culture device 1. In this case, the culture device 1 further includes a voltage detector that detects the voltage value of the power supply. The control unit 40 calculates the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 and thus the duty ratio of each system so as to correspond to a reference voltage value (for example, 100 V), and calculates the calculated duty ratio based on the detected voltage value of the voltage detector. to correct.

Specifically, the control unit 40 multiplies the calculated duty ratio with a correction value obtained by dividing the square of the reference voltage value by the square of the detected voltage value. For example, when the reference voltage value is 100 V and the detected voltage value is 130 V, the correction value is 0.59 (=100 ² /130 ² ). Thereby, the control unit 40 can appropriately control the energization amount of the plurality of heaters 30 according to the voltage value of the power supply.

In addition, the control unit 40 may correct the integral gain of the PI control according to the temperature outside the culture device 1 in the second temperature increase control. Specifically, the control unit 40 calculates the rate of increase of the detected temperature (hereinafter referred to as temperature rate of increase) in the first temperature increase control. The temperature rise rate is the rise value of the detected temperature per unit time. As the temperature outside the culture apparatus 1 increases, the amount of heat released from the culture chamber 20 to the outside decreases and the rate of temperature rise increases. When the first temperature increase control ends, the control unit 40 stores the maximum value of the temperature increase rate in the first temperature increase control.

When the temperature outside the culture apparatus 1 is relatively high and the maximum value of the temperature rise rate is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature rise rate, the integral gain is decreased based on the maximum value of the temperature rise rate. Correct to Thereby, the overshoot of the temperature of the incubation chamber 20 can be suppressed.

On the other hand, when the maximum value of the temperature rise rate is less than the predetermined temperature rise rate due to the relatively low temperature outside the culture apparatus 1, the integral gain is increased based on the maximum value of the temperature rise rate. to correct. As a result, the temperature of the culture chamber 20 can reach a temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible at an early stage.

Further, in the second temperature increase control and the temperature maintenance control, the control unit 40 controls one of the plurality of heaters 30 other than the sixth and

seventh heaters

36 and 37 constituting the sixth system G6 based on the detected temperature. , the energization amount of the heater and hence the duty ratio may be calculated. Then, based on the calculated duty ratio of one heater, the duty ratios of the other heaters may be calculated.

In addition, in the second temperature increase control, the control unit 40 may control the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 so that the difference between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters 30 increases in stages. good.

The disclosure contents of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in the Japanese application of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-173372 filed on October 22, 2021 are all incorporated herein.

The present disclosure is suitably used as a culture device.

1 culture device 10 housing 11 inner box 12 outer box 15 plate member 20 culture chamber 21 opening 31 first heater 32 second heater 33 third heater 34 fourth heater 35 fifth heater 36 sixth heater 37 7th heater 38 8th heater 40 control unit

Claims

a housing having a culture chamber;
a plurality of heaters for heating the incubation chamber;
a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the culture chamber;
a control unit that controls the plurality of heaters based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor;
In the dry heat sterilization operation, the control unit controls the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters so that the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters becomes a predetermined ratio.
culture equipment.
The control unit controls an amount of power supplied to at least one of the plurality of heaters based on the detected temperature, and an amount of power supplied to the other heaters is predetermined with respect to the amount of power supplied to the at least one heater. control so that the ratio is
The culture device according to claim 1.
When the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the temperature at which dry heat sterilization is possible in the culture chamber, the control unit keeps the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters constant at a predetermined value. control to
The culture device according to claim 1 or 2.
When the detected temperature is lower than the dry heat sterilizable temperature, the control unit controls a ratio between energization amounts of the plurality of heaters so as to approach the predetermined value based on the detected temperature. ,
The culture device according to claim 3.
The control unit controls the ratio between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters so that the difference between the energization amounts of the plurality of heaters gradually increases.
The culture device according to claim 4.
The control unit corrects the energization amount of the plurality of heaters based on the voltage value of the power supply connected to the culture device.
The culture device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The housing includes an inner box having the culture chamber inside and an opening of the culture chamber on the front side, an outer box covering a portion of the inner box other than the opening, and the A plate member that connects the inner box and the outer box, and a door that opens and closes the opening,
Each of the plurality of heaters includes a top surface of the inner box, a bottom surface of the inner box, a back surface of the inner box, both side surfaces of the inner box, a peripheral edge portion of the opening of the inner box, and the arranged on the plate surface of the plate member and the surface of the door on the opening side,
The culture device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The control unit controls an energization amount of a heater arranged on a surface of the door on the opening side based on the detected temperature.
The culture device according to claim 7.