Patent ID: 8815579
Filing Date: 2014-08-26
Classification: C12M,F25D,F28D

Abstract:
1. A culture apparatus comprising: a heat insulating box main body having an opening on a front side thereof; a heat insulating door openably attached to the heat insulating box main body; a transparent inner door that seals the opening in an openable-closable manner; a culture vessel for culturing cells or microorganisms, the culture vessel being surrounded by the inner door and the heat insulating box main body; a duct and a circulation blower that are used to cause forced convection of a gas such as air in the culture vessel; and a humidifying pan disposed on a bottom of the culture vessel and positioned inside the duct, the humidifying pan being configured to store humidifying water used to control humidity inside the culture vessel, wherein the heat insulating box main body includes an outer box made of a metal, an inner box made of a metal, a heat insulator disposed between the outer box and the inner box and on an inner side of the outer box, and an air layer disposed on an inner side of the heat insulator, and wherein the culture apparatus further comprises a heat pipe having a heat insulating section, a heat input section disposed at one end of the heat insulating section, and a heat dissipation section disposed at the other end of the heat insulating section, the heat pipe comprising a metal rod or a sealed vessel, the heat pipe being attached to the culture apparatus with the heat dissipation section being disposed outside the culture apparatus, the heat insulating section passing through a rear wall of the heat insulating box main body and the inner box and the heat input section being disposed in a gas passage in the duct, a distal end of said heat input section positioned below the heat insulating section, so that water condensed on the heat input section and the heat insulating section in proximity thereto flows downward and enters the humidifying pan and can be repeatedly used as the humidifying water.