Abstract:
An isolator comprises a manipulation chamber isolated from the external atmosphere, a door for opening and closing a portal formed on the manipulation chamber, a linear guide mechanism for guiding a linear motion of a front-side edge of the door along the portal, and a rotation guide mechanism defining a rotation of the door about an axis coinciding with the front-side edge. The door is closed by positioning the front-side edge at the front side of the manipulation chamber, and the door is opened inward into the manipulation chamber by moving the front-side edge toward the back side while rotating the door about the front-side edge.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a barrier isolator having a portal for communicating with a pass box, an incubator, etc., connected to the isolator, and a door for opening-closing the portal. 
       2. Description of the Related Art 
       [0002]    An aseptic manipulation system is known for cultivating human cells and tissues, for example, inside an aseptic manipulation chamber, which is isolated from the external atmosphere and maintained in an aseptic condition. Such a system includes an isolator that can be connected to a pass box and an incubator. When the pass box and/or the incubator are connected, the aseptic manipulation chamber, which configures the interior space of the isolator, can communicate with the interior spaces of the pass box and the incubator through the portal provided in a wall so that items such as cells and implements can be inserted or removed via this portal. The aseptic manipulation chamber is provided with a door, which is normally closed, that can hermetically seal the opening to isolate the aseptic manipulation chamber from the pass box and the incubator. See Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-139492. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The aseptic manipulation chamber of the isolator is provided with gloves on the front side, into which an operator&#39;s hands can be inserted to manipulate objects inside the chamber. Further, the pass box and the incubator are connected to the sides of the isolator, respectively. In order to communicate with the pass box or incubator, an opening or portal is formed on one side of the aseptic manipulation chamber. The opening is provided with a door that opens inward into the aseptic manipulation chamber. For the ease of an operator transferring items through the portal, the door is hinged along the far side of the portal from the operator&#39;s position, which allows the door to pivot away from the portal and move toward the back-wall side from the operator&#39;s position when opening. This operation poses no problem when the degree of the door opening is small, however, when the degree of the door opening is large, the operator must release his grip on a door handle and push the door directly. Further, when the door is wide open the door handle faces the back wall of the aseptic manipulation chamber so that the operator must extend a hand to the opposite side of the door to grab the door handle, thus diminishing operability. Moreover, an area where the door passes through when it is operated should be kept unoccupied where no object can be placed. 
         [0004]    One aspect of the present invention is to provide a barrier isolator with improved door operability and space efficiency. 
         [0005]    According to a primary aspect of the present invention, an isolator is provided that comprises a manipulation chamber isolated from the external atmosphere, a door for opening and closing a portal formed on the manipulation chamber, a linear guide mechanism for guiding a linear motion of a front-side edge of the door along the portal and a rotation guide mechanism defining a rotation of the door about an axis coinciding with the front-side edge. The door is closed by positioning the front-side edge at the front side of the manipulation chamber, and the door is opened inward into the manipulation chamber by moving the front-side edge toward the backside while rotating the door about the front-side edge. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The objects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description with references to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a front view of an isolator system of an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a door of the isolator when the door is placed in the closed state; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3A  is a sectional view of the isolator along line B-B of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3B  is a sectional view of the isolator along line A-A of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a partial plan view of the isolator showing the structure of an open/close mechanism for the door; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a partial plan view of the isolator showing the behavior of the door when it is opened or closed. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0013]    The present invention is described below with references to the embodiments shown in the drawings.  FIG. 1  is a front view illustrating a general configuration of an isolator system of an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0014]    The isolator system  10  includes an isolator  12 , a pass box  14  connected to one side of the isolator  12 , and an incubator  16  connected to the other side of the isolator  12 . In the example of  FIG. 1 , the pass box  14  is connected to the right side of the isolator  12  and the incubator is connected to the left side of the isolator  12 . 
         [0015]    The isolator  12  has an internal aseptic manipulation chamber  13  with an observation window  18  on the front side of the aseptic manipulation chamber. A plurality of gloves  20 , into which an operator&#39;s hands are inserted for manipulating items inside the aseptic manipulation chamber  13 , is provided on the window  18 . On the right side of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  a door  22 R is provided for opening-closing a portal  25  connecting the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  to the pass box  14 . On the left side of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  a door  22 L is provided for opening-closing a portal  25  connecting the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  to the incubator  16 . Further, on the right and left sides of the front face of the isolator  12 , seal-activating switches  24 R and  24 L are provided for sealing clearance gaps between the portal  25  and respective doors  22 R and  22 L by expanding a looped tube (seal member)  34 , which will be explained later. Note that since the positive pressure inside of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  is regulated by adjusting an air supply/emission rate, an aseptic condition of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  can be maintained by decontaminating the interior space beforehand. 
         [0016]    As well as the isolator  12 , the pass box  14  is also provided with a window  26  on its front face and a pair of gloves  28 , for example, is provided on the window  26  for manipulating objects inside the pass box  14 . Further, on the side wall of the pass box  14  that faces the door  22 R, a door  30  for transferring objects is provided. When transferring objects inside the aseptic manipulation chamber  13 , which is maintained in an aseptic condition, the objects are temporarily housed inside the pass box  14  and decontaminated or sterilized before communication is allowed between the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  and the pass box  14  in order to transfer the object(s) inside the aseptic manipulation chamber  13 . Further, the incubator  16  is detachable from the isolator  12 , but the incubator  16  is in communication with the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  when it is attached to the isolator  12  so that cells can be placed inside the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  to cultivate for a predetermined period. 
         [0017]    With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the structure of the doors  22 R and  22 L of the present embodiment will be explained.  FIG. 2  is a front view of the closed door  22 R viewed from a position inside the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  of the isolator  12 .  FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view along line B-B of  FIG. 2 , and  FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A of  FIG. 2 . Incidentally, the structure of the door  22 L is the same as that of the door  22 R except for reversing the right and left; therefore, the explanation for the door  22 L is omitted. 
         [0018]    The aseptic manipulation chamber  13  of the isolator  12  is surrounded by inner faces of a front wall  15 , a ceiling  17 , a floor  21 , and right and left side walls  23 . The window  18  is provided on the front wall  15 . A portal  25  is formed on the side wall  23  at an area corresponding to the door  22 R. A frame member  32  is provided on the periphery surrounding the portal  25 . When the door  22 R is closed as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the door  22 R is positioned inside the frame member  32  and the door  22 R is fitted into the opening of the portal  25 . The expandable looped tube  34  is installed on the inner circumferential surface of the frame member  32 , to which the outer circumferential surface of the door  22 R faces. 
         [0019]    The looped tube  34  can be expanded by injecting air therein through a tube  34 T. When the door  22 R is closed, the looped tube  34  is expanded and pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the door  22 R to hermetically close the clearance between the frame member  32  and seal the portal  25 . On the other hand, when opening the door  22 R, air is released from the looped tube  34  until it reaches its original diameter to release the door  22 R secured to the frame member  32  by the expanded looped tube  34 . Note that the tube  34 T is connected to an intake path  34 A and an exhaust path  34 E via an electromagnetic valve  34 V so that a path communicated with the tube  34 T is alternatively switched between the intake path  34 A and the exhaust path  34 E via the electromagnetic valve  34 V. Namely, the intake path  34 A can be in communication with the tube  34 T by the electromagnetic valve  34 V to expand the looped tube  34  and the exhaust path  34 E can be in communication with the tube  34 T by the electromagnetic valve  34  to deflate the looped tube  34 . Note that the switching operation for the electromagnetic valve  34 V of the door  22 R is achieved by an operator manipulating a seal-actuating switch  24 R. Incidentally, the looped tube  34  can also be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the door  22 R. 
         [0020]    A front support member  36  including a guide arm is provided on a lower portion of the door  22 R, close to the front wall  15  (front side) and on the surface exposed to the aseptic manipulation chamber  13 . The front support member  36  is provided with a driven member  46  that slidingly engages with a guide rail  32 G provided along the lower-side edge of the frame member  32 , such that the driven member  46  is guided along a guide rail  32 G. The guide rail  32 G is formed as a narrow plate and the driven member  46  is formed to have a slit-like groove  46 A into which an edge of the driven member  46  is inserted. The driven member  46  is rotatably pivoted about a vertical axis with respect to the front support member  36 . Namely, the driven member  46  restricts the movement of the front-side edge  22 RF to a back-and-forth movement in parallel with the portal  25  while allowing a rotation about the axis corresponding to the front-side edge  22 RF of the closed door  22 R. Accordingly, a linear guide mechanism for defining the linear movement of the door  22 R is configured by the guide rail  32 G, which guides the reciprocal movement of the front-side edge  22 RF of the door  22 R in the back-and-forth direction. 
         [0021]    On the other hand, the rear side of the door  22 R, which is close to the back wall  19  of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13 , is supported by an upper support member  38 U and a lower support member  38 D. The upper support member  38 U and the lower support member  38 D are attached to the door  22 R at the same position in the horizontal back-and-forth direction of  FIG. 2 . The tip of an upper rotation lever  40 U is rotatably supported by the upper support member  38 U via a connecting shaft  41 U, and the tip of a lower rotation lever  40 D, which has the same length as the upper rotation lever  40 U, is rotatably supported by the lower support member  38 D via a connecting shaft  41 D. Further, the base ends of the upper rotation lever  40 U and the lower rotation lever  40 D are connected by a rotational shaft  42 . The rotational shaft  42  is rotationally supported by a pair of journal members  44  provided on an upper position and a lower position of the side wall  23 , in the rear of the frame member  32  between the back wall  19  and the frame member  32 . Namely, the upper rotation lever  40 U, the rotational shaft  42 , and the lower rotation lever  40 D are integrally rotated about the journal members  44 . Further, the rotation of the door  22 R about an axis that coincides with the front-side edge  22 RF is guided by the rotation of the upper rotation lever  40 U and the lower rotation lever  40 D. As described, a rotation guide mechanism that defines the rotation of the door  25  is configured. 
         [0022]    A magnet  38 M is provided on the side of the lower support member  38 D that faces the side wall  23 . A magnetic substance  48  is provided at the position where the magnet  38 M abuts when the door  25  is closed. In the example of  FIG. 3 , the magnetic substance  48  is provided on the guide rail  32 G (or on the frame member  32 ). When the door  22 R is closed, the magnet  38 M is attracted to the magnetic substance  48  and fixed thereto. Namely, the magnet  38 M and the magnetic substance  48  retain the position of the door  22 R when the seal is released by deflation of the looped tube  38  and the door  22 R is not fixed to the frame member  32 . In other words, the magnetic force configures a locking mechanism that prevents the door  22 R from opening. 
         [0023]    Further, a dog  50 D is provided on the side of the lower rotation lever  40 D facing the side wall  23 , and a proximity switch  50 S is provided on the frame member  32  at a position where the dog  50 D will be located adjacent to the proximity switch  50 S when the door  22 R is closed. The proximity switch  50 S is connected to a controller, which is not shown, via cables  50 C. When the seal-activating switch  24 R is turned on while the dog  50 D is detected by the proximity switch  50 S, the controller switches the electromagnetic valve  34 V to allow communication between the intake path  34 A and the tube  34 T so that air is pumped into the looped tube  34 . As the looped tube  34  expands as air is pumped in, the clearance between the door  22 R and the frame member  32  is filled and in turn sealed. On the other hand, when the seal-activating switch  24 R is turned off while the dog  50 D is detected by the proximity switch  50 S, the controller switches the electromagnetic valve  34 V to allow communication between the exhaust path  34 E and the tube  34 T so that air is evacuated from the looped tube  34 . As the looped tube  34  deflates as the air evacuates, the seal between the door  22 R and the frame member  32  is released. 
         [0024]    Further, a stopper  52  (a locking mechanism) for keeping the door  22 R open is provided on the frame member  32  on the side closest to the back wall  19  of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13 . The stopper  52  includes an engaging member  52 P that is biased by a spring (not shown). The engaging member  52 P is arranged to protrude toward the guide rail  32 G. As described later, the door  22 R is opened by sliding the front-side edge  22 RF and the driven member  46  along the guide rail  32 G toward the back side of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13 , and just before the door is completely opened the driven member  46  makes contact with the engaging member  52 P of the stopper  52 . 
         [0025]    When the driven member  46  is pressed upon the engaging member  52 P, the engaging member  52 P is pressed into the stopper  52  resisting against the biasing force. The driven member  46  runs over the stopper  52  and is stopped at the back end of the guide rail  32 G. At this moment, the engaging member  52 P once again projects outwardly via the biasing force so that the door  22 R is maintained in the open position. The projecting engaging member  52 P prevents the driven member  46  from being unintentionally returned to the front side (the side closest to the front wall  15 ) along the guide rail  32 G, and thus the door is maintained open. Incidentally, in the reverse operation of the door  22 R from the opened state to the closed state, the driven member  46  runs over the stopper  52  in a reversed manner from that mentioned above. 
         [0026]    Further, at about the center of the door  22 R, on the surface facing the aseptic manipulation chamber  13 , a handle (an operating element)  54  for operating the door  22 R is provided. The handle  54  has a rod-like grip portion  54 G extending along the face of the door  22 R. The grip portion  54 G is inclined so that as the front side (the side closest to the front wall  15 ) of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  is lowered, it is inclined to descend to about 45 degrees from the back side (the side closest to the back wall  19 ) to the front side (the side closest to the front wall  15 ). Incidentally, the handle  54  is positioned within the operational range of the gloves  20  (see  FIG. 1 ) at about the same level as the gloves  20  or slightly lower; therefore, the position of the handle is easily operable by an operator inserting one&#39;s hands into the gloves  20 . 
         [0027]    With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the opening and closing operation of the door  22 R of the present embodiment will be explained. Both of  FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate the structure of the door  22 R viewed from the top side.  FIG. 4  illustrates the mechanical structure of the opening/closing mechanism and the door  22 R is shown as the open state.  FIG. 5  illustrates the opening/closing behavior of the door  22 R and a plurality of different positions of the door  22 R, which may take place in the operation from the closed state to the open state or in the reversed operation. 
         [0028]    An operator first grabs the grip  54 G of the handle  54  via the glove  20  (see  FIG. 1 ) after releasing the seal of the portal  25  by operating the seal-activating switch  24 R and deflating the looped tube  34 , then rotates the door  22 R about the front-side edge  22 RF toward the inside of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  while pushing the handle  54  toward the back wall  19  from the front wall  15  side, thereby the magnet  38 M and the magnetic substance  48  are separated despite the magnetic force of the magnet  38 M that configures the locking mechanism; consequently, the driven member  46  slides along the guide rail  32 G and the upper rotational lever  40 U and the lower rotational lever  40 D are rotated about the rotational shaft  42 , as illustrated. In this operation, the front-side edge  22 RF of the door  22 R is guided by the guide rail  32 G and moved in parallel with the portal  25 , and the rear-side edge  22 RR opposite to the front-side edge  22 RF is moved in a direction separate from the portal  25  and side wall  23 , or more specifically the downward direction in  FIG. 5 , as the upper rotational lever  40 U and the lower rotational lever  40 D are rotated. 
         [0029]    Namely, the upper rotational lever  40 U and the lower rotational lever  40 D are rotated about the rotational shaft  42  and in turn the connecting shafts  41 U and  41 D, which are positioned at the end of the levers  40 U and  40 D, and are moved along an arcuate locus Tu, so that the door  22 R is rotated about the connecting shafts  41 U and  41 D at the position sustained by the upper support member  38 U and the lower support member  38 D, and the rear-side edge  22 RR is moved along a locus Tt. When the door  22 R is moved toward the backside (toward the back wall  19 ), as described above, the driven member  46  runs over the engaging member  52 P of the stopper  52 , which composes the locking mechanism, and reaches the back end of the guide rail  32 G so that the engaging member  52 P once again projects out and the door  22 R is locked in the open state. 
         [0030]    Accordingly, the door  22 R is rotated about 45 degrees about the front-side edge  22 RF (or the driven member  46 ) and is moved toward the inside of the aseptic manipulation chamber  13  while sliding the front-side edge  22 RF toward the back side (toward the back wall  19 ). Thereby, the door  22 R uncovers the portal  25  as the door  22 R, which is positioned in parallel with the side wall  23 , is transferred by its rear-side edge  22 RR moving away from the side wall  23 , and in turn, the door  22 R is inclined about 45 degrees from the side wall  23  and the surface of the door  22 R, on which the handle  54  is provided, faces to the front. 
         [0031]    On the other hand, when closing the door  22 R from the above-mentioned open state, the operator draws the handle  54 , which is faced forward, toward the front side so that the driven member  46  runs over the engaging member  52 P of the stopper  52 , and when the driven member  46  reaches the front end of the guide rail  32 G, the door  22 R is fitted in the frame member  32 , which forms the portal  25 , via the magnetic force from the magnet  38 M. In this situation, the seal-activating switch  24 R is operated to expand the looped tube  34  until the clearance between the door  22 R and the frame member  22 R is filled in and the opening is sealed off and converted to the closed state. 
         [0032]    As described above, according to the present embodiment, the door can be opened by an operator pushing the handle toward the back side (toward the back wall  19 ). Further, in the open state, the handle of the door is positioned on the side facing the front of the aseptic manipulation chamber so that an operator can easily access the handle and can close the door just by pulling the handle. Therefore, the operability of the door open/close operation is improved. 
         [0033]    Further, since the inventive door is moved along both of the side wall formed with the opening or portal and the back wall intersecting the side wall, it can reduce the dead space in the door passing area compared with an isolator adopting a hinge-type door, and the space inside the aseptic manipulation chamber can be used efficiently. 
         [0034]    Moreover, since the handle is inclined so that the front side is positioned lower, and the handle is provided at a level accommodating the height of the gloves, when the door is being closed the handle of the door can easily be gripped by an operator&#39;s hand naturally extended forward. 
         [0035]    Further, the door can easily be transferred to the open state by simply holding the handle, pushing the door toward the back side (toward the back wall  19 ) and rotating the door about the front-side edge. The door in the open state is also easily transferred to the closed state by just pulling the handle. 
         [0036]    Note that in the present embodiment, the hermetic performance of the aseptic manipulation chamber is further secured by sealing the periphery of the door with the looped tube. In the present embodiment, the door will not be moved unintentionally even in the unsealed condition, in which the door is not secured by the expanded looped tube, because the position of the door is retained by the magnet at the closed position and by the stopper at the open position. 
         [0037]    In the present embodiment, the door is opened and closed by manually operating the handle. However, the door may also be operated automatically by providing and actuating an actuator that rotates the rotational shaft  42  connected to the base-end side of the upper rotational lever  40 U and the lower rotational lever  40 D. In such case, a button for actuating the actuator, instead of the handle, may be provided on the surface of the door, as an operating portion such that the door can be opened or closed automatically by an operator manipulating the button through the gloves. 
         [0038]    The location where the portal is formed on the aseptic manipulation chamber is not restricted to the side wall of the aseptic manipulation chamber and it may also be formed on any inner surface of the aseptic manipulation chamber, including the floor and ceiling, if the portal can be opened by moving the front-side edge of the door toward the back side (toward the back wall  19 ) and rotating the door about the front-side edge. 
         [0039]    Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, obviously many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in this art without departing from the scope of the invention. 
         [0040]    The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-130852 (filed on Jun. 30, 2016), which is expressly incorporated herein, by reference, in its entirety.