Patent Publication Number: US-2011070631-A1

Title: Container transportation case and culture treating device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/JP2009/001185, filed on Mar. 17, 2009, designating the U.S., in which the International Application claims a priority date of Mar. 18, 2008, based on prior filed Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-069211, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present application relates to a container transportation case and a culture treating device. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, culture treating devices are known such as an incubator in which a living body sample is cultured in a chamber (temperature-controlled room or the like) maintained at a predetermined atmosphere and a clean bench to carry out a culture operation of a living body sample. Regarding such a culture treating device, as one example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-204546, a technique is also proposed that controls load and unload of the air in a culture treating device corresponding to opening and closing of a door in order to suppress flowing in/out of the air from a chamber when accessing from the outside. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a culture treating device system of a present embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the culture treating device system of the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the culture treating device system of the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a container transportation case. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the container transportation case in an attaching state. 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of the container transportation case. 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of the container transportation case in an attaching state. 
         FIG. 8  is a rear view of the container transportation case in an attaching state. 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart showing a behavioral example of carrying in/out of a culture container in the present embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     A description is given below of a configuration example of a culture treating device system in the present embodiment with reference to the drawings. The culture treating device system of the present embodiment has an incubator  11 , which is one example of the culture treating device, and a container transportation case  12 .  FIGS. 1 and 2  are a front view and a plan view of the culture treating device system of the present embodiment.  FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the culture treating device system of the present embodiment, respectively. 
     The incubator  11  of the present embodiment has an upper casing  13  and a lower casing  14 . In an assembled state of the incubator  11 , the upper casing  13  is placed on the lower casing  14 . In addition, an internal space between the upper casing  13  and the lower casing  14  is vertically sectioned by a base plate  15 . 
     Furthermore, inside the upper casing  13 , a temperature-controlled room  16  is formed which carries out culture of a living body sample (a cell or the like). In the temperature-controlled room  16 , a gas analyzing sensor  17  and a gas adjusting unit  18  are arranged. Meanwhile, in the temperature-controlled room  16 , a temperature controller, a humidity controller, and the like may also be arranged further (illustration of the temperature controller, the humidity controller, and the like is omitted). 
     Here, the gas analyzing sensor  17  detects composition of an atmosphere gas in the temperature-controlled room  16 . Further, the gas adjusting unit  18  is connected to a carbon dioxide tank, an oxygen tank, and a nitrogen tank (illustration of each tank is omitted). Then, the gas adjusting unit  18  introduces the gases from each tank into the temperature-controlled room  16  to adjust the composition of the atmosphere gas in the temperature-controlled room  16 . This enables the incubator  11  to maintain the state in the temperature-controlled room  16  at a low oxygen environment suitable for culturing a living body sample (illustration of both the gas analyzing sensor  17  and the gas adjusting unit  18  is omitted in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). Meanwhile, the gas adjusting unit  18  has piping (not shown) which supplies a gas outside the temperature-controlled room  16  and can also supply the above gases to the container transportation case  12 . 
     On a foreside (underside in  FIG. 2 ) of the temperature-controlled room  16 , an outer door  19  and an inner door  20  are arranged. The outer door  19  covers foresides of the upper casing  13  and the lower casing  14 . The inner door  20  covers the foreside of the upper casing  13  inside the outer door  19  and isolates the environment of the temperature-controlled room  16  from the outside when the outer door  19  is opened. Moreover, the outer door  19  and the inner door  20  each have airtight properties maintained by packings P 1  and P 2 . On the outer door  19 , a monitor  21  and an operation panel  22  are mounted. 
     In addition, on the right side (the right in  FIG. 2 ) of the temperature-controlled room  16 , a carrying in/out opening  23  is opened which connects the temperature-controlled room  16  with the outside. The carrying in/out opening  23  is used when carrying in/out a culture container  32 . Then, the carrying in/out opening  23  is sealed by an airtight door  24  that opens and closes by sliding. Meanwhile, the above airtight door  24  can be opened and closed automatically by a door driver  25 . 
     In a surrounding area of the carrying in/out opening  23  outside the upper casing  13 , an annular guide piece  26  that shows a attaching position of the container transportation case  12 , and an electrical contact  27  to carry out communication with the container transportation case  12  are provided (the electrical contact  27  is shown only in  FIG. 3 ). 
     In the temperature-controlled room  16 , a stocker  28 , an observation unit  29 , a container transfer unit  30 , and a container carrying in/out unit  31  are arranged. 
     The stocker  28  is arranged on the left-hand side of the temperature-controlled room  16  as viewed from the foreside (underside in  FIG. 2 ) of the upper casing  13 . The stocker  28  has a plurality of shelves, and each shelf of the stocker  28  can house a plurality of culture containers  32 . Then, each culture container  32  accommodates a living body sample together with a culture medium. 
     The observation unit  29  is arranged on the right-hand side of the temperature-controlled room  16  viewed from the foreside of the upper casing  13 . In the observation unit  29 , time lapse observation of the living body sample in the culture container  32  can be performed. 
     The observation unit  29  is fitted into an opening part of the base plate  15  of the upper casing  13  for installation. The observation unit  29  has a sample table  33 , a stand arm  34  hanging over the sample table  33 , and a body portion  35  having a microscopic optical system and an imaging unit built in. Then, while the sample table  33  and the stand arm  34  are arranged in the temperature-controlled room  16 , the body portion  35  is housed in the lower casing  14 . 
     The sample table  33  is configured with a translucent material, and the culture container  32  can be placed thereon. The sample table  33  is configured movably horizontally and can adjust the position of the culture container  32  placed on the upper surface. The stand arm  34  has a built-in light source. Then, the imaging unit captures an image of the living body sample translucently illuminated from above the sample table  33  by the stand arm  34  via the microscopic optical system. Such configuration allows carrying out microscopic observation of a living body sample without changing environmental conditions. 
     The container transfer unit  30  is arranged at the center of the temperature-controlled room  16  as viewed from the foreside of the upper casing  13 . The container transfer unit  30  is configured by mounting an arm to sandwich the culture container  32  at a tip end of a vertical robot having an articulated arm. This enables the container transfer unit  30  to carry out delivery and reception of the culture container  32  among the stocker  28 , the sample table  33  of the observation unit  29 , and the container carrying in/out unit  31 . 
     The container carrying in/out unit  31  is arranged in the vicinity of the carrying in/out opening  23 . In the example of the present embodiment, the container carrying in/out unit  31  is arranged above the observation unit  29 . On the container carrying in/out unit  31 , a rack  36  can be mounted which is capable of housing three culture containers  32  vertically. Then, the container carrying in/out unit  31  carries in/out the culture containers  32  including the rack  36  from the carrying in/out opening  23  by sliding the above holder to the outside of the carrying in/out opening  23 . The putting in/out of the culture containers  32  to/from the rack  36  is carried out by the container transfer unit  30 . 
     Meanwhile, in the lower casing  14 , the body portion  35  of the observation unit  29  and a controller  37  are housed. Here, the controller  37  is a computer that carries out integrated control of the culture treating device system and is connected to the gas analyzing sensor  17 , the gas adjusting unit  18 , the door driver  25  of the airtight door  24 , the monitor  21  and the operation panel  22 , the observation unit  29 , the container transfer unit  30 , and the container carrying in/out unit  31 , respectively (refer to  FIG. 3 ). The controller  37  performs communication with a case microcomputer  48  on the side of the container transportation case  12  via the electrical contact  27 . Further, the controller  37  has a built-in memory unit  38 . In the memory unit  38 , registration information of the culture container  32  housed in the temperature-controlled room  16 , observation schedules of each culture container  32 , data of microscopic images captured by the observation unit  29 , and the like are memorized. 
     Next, with reference to  FIGS. 4 through 8 , a description will be given of a configuration of the container transportation case  12 . The container transportation case  12  is configured to allow attachment outside the carrying in/out opening  23  of the incubator  11 . Then, the container transportation case  12  is used when transporting the culture container  32  in a state of being isolated from an outside atmosphere or to carry in/out the culture container  32  in a state of being isolated from the outside atmosphere. 
     A case body  40  of the container transportation case  12  is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a container housing room  41  that can accommodate the above rack  36  therein. One side (the right in  FIGS. 4 through 7 ) of the case body  40  is opened in its entire surface so as to be in communication with the above container housing room  41 . Further, a space from the container housing room  41  to the opening of the case body  40  is set to be in a size that allows the rack  36  to pass through. The case body  40  in the present embodiment is formed with a transparent material to allow visual recognition of a state in the container housing room  41 . 
     The container transportation case  12  is attached to the incubator  11  in such a manner that the opening portion faces the carrying in/out opening  23 . In the state of the container transportation case  12  being attached to the incubator  11 , the case body  40  covers the carrying in/out opening  23  of the incubator  11  and also the opening part of the case body  40  tightly adheres to a wall of the incubator  11 . At a front end of the case body  40 , to maintain the air tightness in an attaching state of the container transportation case  12 , an annular seal ring  42  is mounted. 
     Further, on both sides of the case body  40 , fixtures  43  are provided respectively which engage to the guide piece  26  provided on the side of the incubator  11 . Therefore, by engaging the fixtures  43  to the guide piece  26 , the container transportation case  12  can be securely fixed to the incubator  11 . 
     Further, inside the case body  40 , a break-front partition door  44  is provided. The partition door  44  can be opened and closed by an electrically driven door driver  45  that is built in the container transportation case  12 . In a state of opening the above partition door  44 , it becomes possible to carry in/out the rack  36  to/from the container housing room  41 . On the other hand, in a state of closing the above partition door  44 , an entrance of the container housing room  41  is sealed and is blocked from the outside atmosphere. 
     Furthermore, inside the container housing room  41 , a gas analyzing sensor  46  detecting the composition of the atmosphere gas in the container housing room  41  and a contact-type container detecting switch  47  detecting presence or absence of the rack  36  in the container housing room  41  are arranged. The door driver  45 , the gas analyzing sensor  46 , and the container detecting switch  47  are connected respectively to the case microcomputer  48  for control built in the container transportation case  12 . 
     Moreover, in the neighborhood of the opening of the case body  40 , an electrical contact  49  connected to the above case microcomputer  48  is provided. Then, in an attaching state of the container transportation case  12 , the electrical contact  49  on the side of the container transportation case  12  comes into contact with the electrical contact  27  on the side of the incubator  11 , and thereby an electrical connection between both is established (the electrical contact  49  is shown only in  FIG. 3 ). 
     Furthermore, on the upper surface of the case body  40 , a gas inlet  50  and a gas outlet  51  are provided to adjust the composition of the atmosphere gas of the container housing room  41 . The gas inlet  50  and the gas outlet  51  can be connected to the piping from the gas adjusting unit  18  in an attaching state of the container transportation case  12 . Therefore, the gas adjusting unit  18  of the incubator  11  can adjust the composition of the atmosphere gas in the container housing room  41  via the gas inlet  50  and the gas outlet  51 . 
     Further, on a rear side (an opposite side of the opening) of the case body  40 , an operation opening  53  is opened to which a flexible glove  52  is mounted. This enables a user to carry out various operations (for example, opening and closing of a lid of the culture container  32  and the like) while confirming a state of the container housing room  41  by inserting a hand into the glove  52  from the operation opening  53  while staying outside. 
     Next, with reference to  FIG. 9 , regarding the culture treating device system of the present embodiment, a description will be given of a behavioral example of carrying in/out of the culture container  32  by the container transportation case  12 . In an initial state of the processing in  FIG. 9 , the description is given of the premise that the container transportation case  12  is in a non-attaching state to the incubator  11 . 
     Step S 101 : The controller  37  determines whether or not the container transportation case  12  is attached to the carrying in/out opening  23 . As one example, the controller  37  transmits a connection signal to the case microcomputer  48  via the electrical contacts  27  and  49  and also determines that the container transportation case  12  is attached to the carrying in/out opening  23  when receiving a response signal from the case microcomputer  48 . When the requirements are satisfied (YES side), the procedure goes on to S 101 . Meanwhile, when the requirements are not satisfied (NO side), the procedure goes on to S 102 . 
     Step S 102 : In this case, the controller  37  sets the airtight door  24  to be in an open-forbidden state and locks a behavior of the door driver  25  in a state of the airtight door  24  being closed. When opening the airtight door  24  in this setting state, a necessity arises for a user to carry out a particular operation from the operation panel  22  to the controller  37 . This reduces a possibility that a user carelessly opens the carrying in/out opening  23 . After that, the controller  37  goes back to S 101  and repeats the above behaviors. 
     Step S 103 : The controller  37  obtains composition information of the atmosphere gas in the temperature-controlled room  16  from the gas analyzing sensor  17 . The controller  37  obtains composition information of the atmosphere gas in the container housing room  41  via the electrical contacts  27  and  49  and the case microcomputer  48  from the gas analyzing sensor  46  on the side of the container transportation case  12 . 
     Step S 104 : The controller  37  determines whether or not the composition of the atmosphere gases in the rooms is different between the temperature-controlled room  16  and the container housing room  41 . When both atmosphere gases have the different composition (YES side), the procedure goes on to S 105 . On the other hand, when the compositions of both atmosphere gases are in the same condition (YES side), the procedure goes on to S 110 . 
     Step S 105 : The controller  37  outputs a warning on the monitor  21  showing that the atmosphere gases of the temperature-controlled room  16  and the container housing room  41  have different compositions. Then, the controller  37  sets the airtight door  24  to be in an open-forbidden state and locks the behavior of the door driver  25  in a state of the airtight door  24  being closed (since the open-forbidden state of the airtight door  24  is similar to S 101 , a repetitive description is omitted). 
     Step S 106 : The controller  37  determines whether or not the rack  36  exists that houses the culture containers  32  in the container housing room  41  of the container transportation case  12  based on output information of the container detecting switch  47  obtained via the electrical contacts  27  and  49  and the case microcomputer  48 . When the requirements are satisfied (YES side), the procedure goes on to S 107 . On the other hand, when the requirements are not satisfied (NO side), the procedure goes on to S 109 . 
     Step S 107 : The controller  37  determines whether or not the culture container  32  exists in the temperature-controlled room  16  of the incubator  11  with reference to the registration information of the culture container  32  memorized in the memory unit  38 . 
     When the requirements are satisfied (YES side), that falls under a condition that respective living body samples exist in the temperature-controlled room  16  and the container housing room  41  and the culture environments of both differ. In this case, when modifying the culture environment to either one of them, there is a high possibility of affecting the other. Accordingly, the controller  37  on the YES side in S 107  does not adjust the composition of the atmosphere gases of the temperature-controlled room  16  and the container housing room  41  and terminates a series of processing. On the other hand, when the requirements are not satisfied (NO side), the procedure goes on to S 108 . 
     Step S 108 : This case falls under a condition that a living body sample does not exist in the temperature-controlled room  16 , while a living body sample exists which is cultured in a predetermined atmosphere gas-environment in the temperature-controlled room  41 . That is, the case of S 108  corresponds to a case when a living body sample is first carried in the temperature-controlled room  16  of the incubator  11  using, for example, the container transportation case  12 , or the like. In this case, it is preferable that the culture environment on the side of the temperature-controlled room  16  is made closer to the environment of the container housing room  41 . 
     Therefore, the controller  37  in S 108  causes the gas adjusting unit  18  to work to thereby carry out control of modifying the composition of the atmosphere gas on the side of the temperature-controlled room  16  to the condition of the container housing room  41 . Then, after the compositions of both atmosphere gases become in the same condition, the controller  37  lets the process go on to S 110 . 
     Step S 109 : This case falls under a condition that a living body sample does not exist in the container housing room  41 , while a living body sample exists which is cultured in a predetermined atmosphere gas-environment in the temperature-controlled room  16 . That is, the case of S 109  corresponds to a case when transporting a living body sample cultured in, for example, the temperature-controlled room  16  by putting it in the vacant container transportation case  12 , or the like. In this case, it is preferable that the culture environment on the side of the container housing room  41  is made closer to the environment of the temperature-controlled room  16 . 
     Therefore, the controller  37  in S 109  causes the gas adjusting unit  18  to work to thereby carry out control of modifying the composition of the atmosphere gas on the side of the container housing room  41  to the condition of the temperature-controlled room  16 . Nonetheless, for S 109 , a necessity arises for a user to connect the piping from the gas adjusting unit  18  in advance to the gas inlet  50  and the gas outlet  51  of the container transportation case  12 . Then, after the compositions of both atmosphere gases become in the same condition, the controller  37  lets the process go on to S 110 . 
     Step S 110 : The controller  37  carries in/out the culture container  32  between the container transportation case  12  and the incubator  11 . 
     Specifically, the controller  37  opens the carrying in/out opening  23  by releasing the open-forbidden setting of the airtight door  24  and also causing the door driver  25  to work to thereby slide the airtight door  24 . Furthermore, the controller  37  opens the partition door  44  of the container housing room  41  by driving the door driver  45  on the side of the container transportation case  12  via the electrical contacts  27  and  49  and the case microcomputer  48 . This allows carrying in/out the culture container  32  between the container housing room  41  and the carrying in/out opening  23 , in which the compositions of the atmosphere gases are in the same condition as each other. 
     In addition, in a state of attaching the container transportation case  12  to the incubator  11 , the entire carrying in/out opening  23  is covered with the container transportation case  12 , and also a joint portion of the container transportation case  12  and the incubator  11  is under airtight conditions by the seal ring  42  (refer to  FIG. 8 ). Therefore, in S 110 , the culture container  32  can be carried in/out in an environment that is blocked from the outside atmosphere. 
     Here, when the culture container  32  is housed in the container transportation case  12  together with the rack  36 , the controller  37  causes the container carrying in/out unit  31  to work to thereby carry the culture container  32  into the temperature-controlled room  16  from the container housing room  41 . Subsequently, the controller  37  closes the airtight door  24  and the partition door  44 , and then terminates a series of behaviors. 
     On the other hand, when the culture container  32  is in the container carrying in/out unit  31  of the temperature-controlled room  16  together with the rack  36 , the controller  37  causes the container carrying in/out unit  31  to work to thereby carry the culture container  32  out to the container housing room  41  from the temperature-controlled room  16 . After that, the controller  37  closes the airtight door  24  and the partition door  44 , and then terminates a series of behaviors. In addition, in this case, the composition of the atmosphere gas of the container housing room  41  is in the same condition as that of the temperature-controlled room  16 , and also the entrance side of the container housing room  41  is blocked from an ambient air by the partition door  44 . Therefore, a user can transport the living body sample while maintaining the preferred environmental conditions by using the container transportation case  12 . This is the end of the description of the flowchart in  FIG. 9 . 
     Supplementary Notes to Embodiment 
     (1) In the culture treating device system of the above embodiment, a description is given of a combination of the incubator  11  having the temperature-controlled room  16  and the container transportation case  12 . However, the culture treating device of the present invention may also be, for example, a clean bench to carry out a culture operation of a living body sample or the like. 
     (2) Regarding the container transportation case  12  of the above embodiment, although an example of arranging the operation opening  53  with the glove  52  in the back of the container housing room  41  is described, operation openings  53  with gloves  52  may also be formed, for example, on both sides of the container housing room  41 , respectively (illustration of this case is omitted). 
     (3) Although the description is given of an example of electrically opening and closing both the airtight door  24  of the incubator  11  and the partition door  44  of the container transportation case  12  in the above embodiment, the doors may also be those that may be opened and closed manually by a user as long as the controller  37  can lock them. 
     The many features and advantages of the embodiments are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claimed to cover all such features and advantages of the embodiments that fall within the true spirit and scope thereof. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the inventive embodiments to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope thereof. 
     The many features and advantages of the embodiment are apparent from the detailed specification and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the embodiment that fall within the true spirit and scope thereof. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the inventive embodiment to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope thereof.