Jig, lid opening device, and container opening method

Abstract

To provide a jig and a method capable of carrying a container and opening / closing a lid even by an inexpensive general-purpose robot arm.SOLUTION: The jig includes a first arm having a plate-like shape in which a thickness in a vertical direction decreases toward a first direction along a horizontal direction and extending in the first direction, and a second arm having a plate-like shape in which a thickness in the vertical direction decreases toward the first direction along the horizontal direction, extending in the first direction in parallel with the first arm, and having a distance from the first arm wider than a width of a main body and narrower than a width of a lid in a container having the main body and the lid covering an upper portion of the main body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a jig, a lid opening device, and a method for opening a container. [Background technology]

[0002] In fields such as cell culture, a culture vessel called a well plate is used. A well plate has a main body with multiple wells in which liquid culture medium can be stored, and a lid that covers the entire main body. In recent years, automation has been desired in fields such as cell culture, and there is a demand for automatic cell culture, automatic culture medium exchange, automatic cell measurement, and the like.

[0003] Since culture vessels are stored in a location suitable for culturing and are removed from storage when needed for work, automation requires automatic transportation of the culture vessels. Also, to prevent contamination, well plate lids are usually placed on the main body and are only opened when needed for work, so automatic opening and closing of the culture vessel lids is also necessary.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology for opening and closing the lid of a petri dish using a complexly shaped robot hand attached to the end of an arm. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 proposes a dedicated device for opening and closing the lid of a petri dish. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 095743 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-320280 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 requires highly accurate driving by an arm with a dedicated robot hand, making it difficult to apply to inexpensive general-purpose robot arms. Also, the technology of Patent Document 2 requires a dedicated device for opening and closing the lid in addition to transporting the culture vessel. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a jig, device, and method that enable even an inexpensive, general-purpose robot arm to transport a container and open and close its lid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, one embodiment of the jig of the present invention comprises a first arm having a plate-like shape whose vertical thickness decreases as it moves toward a first direction along the horizontal direction and extending in the first direction, and a second arm having a plate-like shape whose vertical thickness decreases as it moves toward the first direction along the horizontal direction, extending in the first direction parallel to the first arm, and having a distance from the first arm that is wider than the width of a body of a container having a body and a lid that covers the top of the body and narrower than the width of the lid.

[0008] With this type of jig, the lid can be opened and closed by simply inserting the container between the first and second arms of the jig and lowering and raising it, which means that an inexpensive general-purpose arm can be used to transport the container and open and close the lid. In the jig, the first arm and the second arm preferably have inclined portions at their respective tip ends that increase in distance in the first direction. The inclined portions guide the container between the first arm and the second arm, making position control easier than when no inclined portions are provided.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that the jig further comprises a guide wall positioned below the first arm and the second arm and guiding the ascending main body to a predetermined position between the first arm and the second arm. Since the main body of the container is guided by the guide wall, position control when closing the lid is easier than when no guide wall is provided.

[0010] Furthermore, the jig preferably includes, as the guide walls, a first guide wall with an inclined surface that guides the main body in the first direction, and a second guide wall with an inclined surface that guides the main body in a second direction intersecting the first direction. Since the container main body is guided vertically and horizontally by the first guide wall and the second guide wall, position control when closing the lid becomes easier than when only one of the first guide wall and the second guide wall is provided.

[0011] The jig also preferably includes, as the guide walls, a second guide wall having a slope that guides the main body in a second direction intersecting with the first direction, and a third guide wall having a slope that is inclined in the opposite direction to the slope of the second guide wall and that guides the main body in the opposite direction to the second guide wall. Since the second guide wall and the third guide wall guide the main body of the container from both sides, position control in the second direction is easier than when only one of the second guide wall and the third guide wall is provided.

[0012] Furthermore, it is preferable that the jig further includes a contact portion that contacts the upper surface of the container or the upper surface of an accessory fixed to the container to position the container in the height direction relative to the first arm and the second arm. Since the container is positioned in the height direction by the contact portion, it is easier to control the position in the height direction when inserting the container than when there is no contact portion.

[0013] The contact portion may be located below the first arm and the second arm and come into contact with the upper surface of the accessory, or may be located above the first arm and the second arm and come into contact with the upper surface of the lid. In the above jig, the container is preferably a culture container. Because culture containers contain culture media, cultured cells, etc., it has traditionally been common practice to use high-precision robotic arms or dedicated robots to open and close the lids of these containers. In contrast, the above jig has a significant effect in that it enables the transport and opening and closing of culture containers with an inexpensive, general-purpose robotic arm.

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, the lid opening device of the present invention includes the jig and a moving machine that moves the container relative to the jig. With this lid opening device, an inexpensive general-purpose robot arm can be used as the moving machine. In the above-mentioned lid opening device, the container is preferably a culture container, and significant effects can be obtained by applying the device to a culture container. In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the method for opening a container according to the present invention includes the steps of inserting the container between the first arm and the second arm of the jig in a direction opposite to the first direction, and lowering the container. According to the above-described method for opening a container, the lid of the container can be opened by simply controlling the movement of insertion and lowering.

[0015] Preferably, the container opening method further comprises the step of raising the container and bringing the upper surface of the container or the upper surface of the accessory into contact with the contact portion of the jig. By bringing the upper surface into contact with the contact portion, the container can be easily positioned in the height direction. In the method for opening a container, the container is preferably a culture container, and significant effects can be obtained by applying the method to a culture container. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, even an inexpensive general-purpose robot arm can transport a container and open and close the lid. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing a cell culture system incorporating one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a robot arm. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a switching device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 shows the well plate with the lid closed. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 shows the well plate with the lid open. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first step in the method of opening a well plate. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first step in the method of opening a well plate. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a top view showing the first step of the well plate opening method. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a second step in the method of opening the well plate. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a third step in the method for opening a well plate. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a third step in the method for opening a well plate. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a fourth step in the method for opening a well plate. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a front view showing a fourth step in the method for opening the well plate. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first step in the method of closing a well plate. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first step in a method for closing a well plate. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a second step in the method of closing the well plate. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the opening and closing jig of the first modified example. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a front view showing an opening / closing jig of a first modified example. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a side view showing an opening and closing jig of a second modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed description of already well-known matters or redundant description of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. Furthermore, elements shown in earlier-described figures may be appropriately referenced in the description of later figures.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a cell culture system incorporating one embodiment of the present invention. The cell culture system 10 includes a storage cabinet 20, a draft 30, an inspection device 40, and a transfer device 50.

[0020] The repository 20 stores a plurality of well plates 70 shown in FIG. 3 as an example of culture vessels, and maintains an environment suitable for cell culture. The draft 30 keeps the inside clean so that the well plate 70 can be opened and closed, and liquid culture medium can be poured inside. In this embodiment, as an example, an exchanger 60 that automatically exchanges culture medium is provided inside the draft 30. As will be described later, one embodiment of the present invention is applied to the exchanger 60.

[0021] The inspection device 40 has a well plate 70 placed thereon to check the state of the cultured cells. The transfer device 50 moves the well plate 70 among the storage cabinet 20, the draft 30, and the testing device 40, and moves the well plate 70 within the draft 30 for treatment of the cultured cells or medium.

[0022] The transfer device 50 includes a fixed rail 51, a base 52 that moves linearly on the fixed rail 51, and a robot arm 53 mounted on the base 52. The robot arm 53 can grasp and move the well plate 70.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the robot arm 53. As shown in FIG. The robot arm 53 is an inexpensive, general-purpose device and includes a base 54, a first link 55, a second link 56, and a hand 57. The robot arm 53 also includes a plurality of joints 58 that rotatably connect these elements, with the rotation axis of each joint 58 extending horizontally. The first link 55 is rotatable relative to the base 54 by the joints 58, and is also rotatable horizontally relative to the base 54.

[0024] The robot arm 53 can grasp the well plate 70 with the hand unit 57, and can move the well plate 70 while keeping it horizontal through cooperation of the joints 58. That is, the robot arm 53 can move the well plate 70 up and down in the vertical direction, rotate it in a horizontal plane around the base unit 54, and further move it horizontally in a straight line in a direction approaching or moving away from the center of the rotational movement.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the switching device 60. As shown in FIG. The exchange device 60 is a device that opens and closes the lid 71 and exchanges the culture medium by moving the well plate 70 held by the robot arm 53 of the transfer device 50 in a predetermined procedure. Note that the robot arm 53 is not shown in Figure 3. The well plate 70 has a lid 71 and a body 72, and a holding jig 73 for holding the well plate 70 by the robot arm 53 is fixed to the body 72.

[0026] The exchange device 60 includes an opening / closing unit 61 for opening and closing the lid 71 of the well plate 70, and an exchange unit 62 for exchanging the culture medium. The opening / closing unit 61 is provided with an opening / closing jig 100 for opening and closing the lid 71 of the well plate 70. The opening / closing jig 100 corresponds to one embodiment of the jig of the present invention. The combination of the opening / closing jig 100 and the robot arm 53 corresponds to one embodiment of the lid opening device of the present invention, and the robot arm 53 corresponds to one example of the moving machine referred to in the present invention.

[0027] The exchange section 62 is provided with a jig 63 having a shape similar to that of the opening / closing jig 100, and a medium exchanger 64 having a shape similar to that of the lid 71 of the well plate 70 is fixed to the top of the jig 63. By providing the opening / closing jig 100 for the opening / closing section 61 and the jig 63 for the replacement section 62, the lid 71 of the well plate 70 can be opened and closed, and the main body 72 of the well plate 70 can be easily attached and detached to the culture medium exchanger 64 simply by moving the well plate 70 with the robot arm 53.

[0028] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing the structure of the well plate 70. Fig. 4 shows the state in which the lid is closed, and Fig. 5 shows the state in which the lid is open. The well plate 70 corresponds to an example of a culture vessel, and also corresponds to an example of a vessel having a lid 71 and a body 72. A plurality of wells 74 for holding liquid culture media are provided in the main body 72 of the well plate 70. While six wells 74 are shown here as an example, the well plate 70 may have, for example, 12, 24, or 48 wells 74. The main body 72 has an upper portion 72a and a lower portion 72b.

[0029] The lid 71 of the well plate 70 fits over the upper part 72a of the main body 72, thereby covering the upper parts of the recesses 74 and preventing foreign matter from getting into the culture medium (contamination). The inner dimensions of the lid 71 are sufficiently larger than the outer dimensions of the upper part (peripheral frame) 72a of the main body 72, so when the lid 71 is lifted, it can be separated from the main body 72 without affecting the culture medium or the like. Furthermore, when the lid 71 is closed (FIG. 4), the edge 71a of the lid 71 does not come into contact with the lower part 72b of the main body 72, and the edge 71a is separated from the lower part 72b.

[0030] 3 is fixed to the lower part 72b of the main body 72, and the height of the upper surface of the holding jig 73 is, for example, the same as the height of the lower part 72b of the main body 72. The holding jig 73 corresponds to an example of an accessory referred to in the present invention. Here, the accessory is an object that is fixed to the container and is handled integrally with the container at least when the lid 72 is opened or closed. 6 to 8 are views showing the opening and closing jig 100, with FIG. 6 being a perspective view, FIG. 7 being a side view, and FIG. 8 being a front view.

[0031] The opening / closing jig 100 includes a fixed portion 101, two arms 102 and 103, two horizontal guide portions 104 and 105, and one vertical guide portion 106. The two arms 102 and 103 correspond to examples of the first arm and the second arm of the present invention. The horizontal guide portions 104 and 105 and the vertical guide portion 106 correspond to examples of the guide walls of the present invention, the vertical guide portion 106 corresponds to an example of the first guide wall, and the horizontal guide portions 104 and 105 correspond to examples of the second guide wall and the third guide wall. The fixing portion 101 is a portion that supports the entire opening / closing jig 100 , and the opening / closing jig 100 is fixed to the opening / closing portion 61 via the fixing portion 101 .

[0032] The two arms 102, 103 extend parallel to each other and in the horizontal direction from the fixed part 101. In the following description, the direction in which the two arms 102, 103 extend is referred to as the "vertical direction," and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction is referred to as the "horizontal direction." Furthermore, the side of the arms 102, 103 in the "vertical direction" is referred to as the "front," and the side of the fixed part 101 is referred to as the "rear."

[0033] The two arms 102, 103 have a plate-like shape that extends horizontally, and the thickness in the vertical direction decreases toward the front. While Figures 6 to 8 show, as an example, arms 102, 103 with their upper surfaces slightly inclined relative to the horizontal, arms 102, 103 may have inclined lower surfaces, or both upper and lower surfaces may have inclined shapes.

[0034] The horizontal distance between the two arms 102, 103 is larger than the outer dimensions of the upper portion 72a of the body 72 of the well plate 70 and smaller than the outer diameter of the lid 71 of the well plate 70. The distance between the two arms 102, 103 widens at their tips. That is, the tips have inclined portions 102a, 103a that widen toward the front. The inclined portions 102a, 103a are examples of the inclined portions defined in the present invention.

[0035] The two lateral guide portions 104, 105 have a plate-like shape that extends in the vertical and up-down directions, and as an example, extend downward from the two arms 102, 103. The two lateral guide portions 104, 105 have inclined surfaces 104a, 105a, respectively, and the distance between the inclined surfaces 104a, 105a is wider on the downward side.

[0036] The vertical guide portion 106 has a plate-like shape that extends in the horizontal and vertical directions, and extends downward from the fixed portion 101. The vertical guide portion 106 has an inclined surface 106a whose lower side is positioned rearward relative to its upper side. 6 to 8 show an example in which the horizontal guide portions 104, 105 and the vertical guide portion 106 are separate, but the horizontal guide portions 104, 105 and the vertical guide portion 106 may be connected. Alternatively, the lateral guide portions 104 and 105 may be connected to the vertical guide portion 106 and the fixed portion 101 at the rear side, separated from the arm portions 102 and 103, and protrude from the rear to the front to the positions shown in FIGS. A method for opening the well plate 70 using the opening / closing jig 100 having such a shape will be described below.

[0037] 9 to 11 are views showing the first stage of the method for opening well plate 70, with Fig. 9 being a perspective view, Fig. 10 being a side view, and Fig. 11 being a top view. For ease of explanation, the holding jig 73 is omitted from the side views below. The top view of Fig. 11 also serves as a top view of the second stage.

[0038] In the first stage of the opening method, the well plate 70 is held by the robot arm 53 of the transfer device 50 at the holding portion 73a of the holding jig 73, and the robot arm 53 moves the well plate 70 toward the opening / closing jig 100 from the front as indicated by the white arrow in the figure. The well plate 70 is moved toward the opening / closing jig 100 at a position lower than the arms 102, 103 of the opening / closing jig 100. Then, as shown in FIG. 10 , the well plate 70 is moved toward the opening / closing jig 100 until the tip of the holding jig 73 and the arms 102, 103 overlap in the vertical direction, and the lid 71 and the arms 102, 103 do not overlap in the vertical direction. In the first stage, position control may be rough control in all directions, vertically, horizontally, and vertically.

[0039] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second step in the method of opening the well plate 70. As shown in FIG. In the second stage, the well plate 70 is lifted upward by the robot arm 53, as indicated by the white arrow in the figure. Then, the upper surface of the holding jig 73 contacts the lower surfaces of the arms 102 and 103, positioning the well plate 70 in the height direction. The lower surfaces of the arms 102 and 103 correspond to an example of the contact portion referred to in the present invention. This positioning ensures that the gap between the lid 71 and the body 72 of the well plate 70 is positioned at the height of the arms 102 and 103.

[0040] Furthermore, because the arms 102 and 103 are thin at their tips, even when positioning is not performed by contact with the holding jig 73, it is easy to control the position of the arms 102 and 103 so that their tips are aligned with the gap between the lid 71 and the main body 72. Positioning in which the upper surface of the holding jig 73 contacts the lower surfaces of the arms 102 and 103 makes it even easier to control the height position of the well plate 70.

[0041] 13 and 14 are diagrams showing a third stage of the method for opening the well plate 70, with FIG. 13 being a side view and FIG. 14 being a top view. In the third stage, the well plate 70 is moved horizontally by the robot arm 53 toward the rear side of the opening / closing jig 100 as indicated by the white arrow in the figure, and the well plate 70 is inserted between the two arms 102, 103. As described above, the distance between the two arms 102, 103 is larger than the dimension of the upper portion 72a of the body 72 of the well plate 70 and smaller than the dimension of the lid 71 of the well plate 70. Therefore, by inserting the well plate 70 between the two arms 102, 103, the two arms 102, 103 enter the gap between the lid 71 and body 72 of the well plate 70.

[0042] The well plate 70 is guided by the inclined portions 102a, 103a of the arms 102, 103 coming into contact with the upper portion 72a of the main body 72, and is reliably guided between the two arms 102, 103. Therefore, lateral position control by the robot arm 53 is easier than when the inclined portions 102a, 103 are not provided.

[0043] 15 and 16 are views showing a fourth step in the method of opening the well plate 70, with FIG. 15 being a side view and FIG. 16 being a front view. In the fourth stage, the robot arm 53 moves the well plate 70 downward as indicated by the white arrow in the figure. As a result, the main body 72 to which the holding jig 73 is fixed moves downward, but the lid 71 remains on the opening / closing jig 100 while resting on the arms 102 and 103. Therefore, the lid 71 of the well plate 70 is in an open state.

[0044] In this way, the lid 71 of the well plate 70 can be opened simply by the movement of the robot arm 53 holding the well plate 70, and there is no need to provide an actuator or the like for opening the lid 71 inside the draft 30, which has limited space. Furthermore, the movement of the well plate 70 by the robot arm 53 is simple, such as vertical movement or up-down movement, and is therefore easy to control. Therefore, the well plate 70 can be opened using an inexpensive, general-purpose robot arm 53.

[0045] With the lid 71 open, the well plate 70 can be used for treatment of the cultured cells, replacement of the culture medium, etc. When the culture medium is replaced, the main body 72 of the well plate 70 is moved to the replacement section 62 of the replacement device 60, and the culture medium is replaced by the culture medium exchanger 64. When the medium exchange and the like are completed, the main body 72 of the well plate 70 is returned to the opening and closing part 61, and the lid 71 of the well plate 70 is closed.

[0046] 17 and 18 are views showing the first stage of the method for closing the well plate 70, with FIG. 17 being a side view and FIG. 18 being a front view. In the first stage of the closing method, the main body 72 of the well plate 70 is raised by the robot arm 53 from below the arms 102, 103 of the opening / closing jig 100, as indicated by the white arrow in the figure. As the main body 72 is raised, the lateral guides 104, 105 contact the holding jig 73 fixed to the main body 72 at their inclined surfaces 104a, 105a, thereby guiding the main body 72 laterally.

[0047] The lateral guides 104, 105 guide the body 72 of the well plate 70 laterally to the position of the lid 71 placed on the arms 102, 103. Although the lateral guides 104, 105 may be provided on only one side, in this embodiment, the lateral guides 104, 105 are provided on both the left and right sides, so the body 72 is guided from both the left and right sides and reliably guided to the position of the lid 71. Therefore, when the body 72 of the well plate 70 is returned to the opening / closing unit 61, the lateral position control only needs to be such that it fits between the lateral guides 104, 105, which makes position control easier than when the lateral guides 104, 105 are provided on only one side.

[0048] Furthermore, when the main body 72 is raised, the vertical guide 106 contacts the main body 72 at the inclined surface 106a, thereby guiding the main body 72 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the vertical guide 106 is provided rearward of the lid 71, and the vertical guide 106 guides the main body 72 forward. Therefore, the main body 72 of the well plate 70 should be raised after being brought close to the vertical guide 106.

[0049] In this embodiment, since the lateral guides 104 and 105 and the vertical guide 106 are provided, position control of the main body 72 of the well plate 70 when it is returned to the opening / closing unit 61 can be easily performed in both the vertical and horizontal directions. However, the opening / closing jig 100 may be provided with only the lateral guides 104 and 105 or only the vertical guide 106. Also, only one of the lateral guides 104 and 105 may be provided.

[0050] FIG. 19 shows a second step in the method of closing the well plate 70. As shown in FIG. When the body 72 of the well plate 70 rises to a position where it contacts the arms 102, 103 of the opening / closing jig 100, the well plate 70 is moved by the robot arm 53 to the front side of the opening / closing jig 100 as shown by the white arrow in the figure. As a result, the well plate 70 is removed from the opening / closing jig 100 with the lid 71 hanging on the body 72, and the lid 71 of the well plate 70 is closed.

[0051] In this way, the process of closing the lid 71 of the well plate 70 can be achieved simply by moving the robot arm 53, and the movement of the well plate 70 by the robot arm 53 is easy to control because it is a simple movement such as vertical movement and lifting. As described above, the replacement unit 62 has a jig 63 with a structure similar to that of the opening / closing jig 100, and a culture medium exchanger 64 with a shape similar to that of the lid 71 of the well plate 70. Therefore, the main body 72 of the well plate 70 is lifted from below the culture medium exchanger 64 by the robot arm 53, whereby the main body 72 can be easily set on the culture medium exchanger 64.

[0052] Next, a description will be given of a modified example of the opening and closing jig 100. The following description will focus on differences from the opening and closing jig 100, and redundant description of elements that are the same as those in the opening and closing jig 100 will be omitted.

[0053] 20 and 21 are diagrams showing an opening and closing jig of a first modified example, with FIG. 20 being a side view and FIG. 21 being a front view. The opening / closing jig 200 of the first modified example is equipped with contact roofs 201 at the tips of the arms 102 and 103. The contact roofs 201 extend horizontally above the arms 102 and 103 and position the well plate 70 in the height direction by contacting the upper surface of the lid 71 of the well plate 70. Positioning by the contact roofs 201 positions the tips of the arms 102 and 103 between the body 72 and the lid 71 of the well plate 70.

[0054] The dimensions of the contact roof 201 of the opening / closing jig 200 in the vertical direction are large enough to withstand the error of positional movement by the robot arm 53, so vertical position control in the first stage of the opening method is easier than if there were no contact roof 201. Furthermore, because the contact roof 201 contacts and positions the lid 71 of the well plate 70, there are fewer restrictions on the shape of the holding jig 73, and depending on the performance of the robot arm 53, the holding jig 73 may not be necessary.

[0055] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an opening / closing jig of a second modified example. In the opening / closing jig 210 of the second modified example, the contact roof 211 extends toward the rear side of the opening / closing jig 210 along the arms 102 and 103. Therefore, the contact roof 211 is firmly connected to the arms 102 and 103 and is strong. In the opening / closing jig 210 of the second modified example, the well plate 70 is inserted horizontally along the contact roof 211, so the upper surfaces of the arms 102 and 103 are horizontal.

[0056] Although the above description shows examples of application to a cell culture system and a culture medium exchange device, the jig and opening method of the present invention may also be applied to a specimen processing system, a bacteriological testing system, etc. Furthermore, the jig and opening method of the present invention may also be applied to filling food into a container with a lid, or removing semiconductor wafers stored in a container with a lid, and may be applied to a wide variety of fields. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10...Cell culture system, 20...Storage room, 30...Draft, 40...Testing equipment, 50...transfer device, 51...fixed rail, 52...base, 53...robot arm, 60...exchange device, 61...opening / closing part, 62...exchange part, 63...jig, 64...culture medium exchanger, 70...well plate, 71...lid, 72...main body, 73...holding jig, 100, 200, 210...opening and closing jig, 101...fixed part, 102, 103...arm part, 104, 105... horizontal guide portions, 104a, 105a... inclined surfaces, 106... vertical guide portions, 106a...inclined surface, 201, 211...contact roof

Claims

1. a first arm having a plate-like shape whose thickness in a vertical direction decreases toward a first direction along a horizontal direction and extending in the first direction; a second arm having a plate-like shape whose thickness in the vertical direction decreases as it extends in a first direction along the horizontal direction, extending in parallel with the first arm in the first direction, the second arm being spaced apart from the first arm by a distance wider than the width of the body of a container having a body and a lid that covers the top of the body and narrower than the width of the lid; A jig comprising:

2. The jig according to claim 1 , wherein the first arm and the second arm have, at their respective tip portions, inclined portions whose spacing increases as they extend in the first direction.

3. The jig according to claim 1 , further comprising a guide wall located below the first arm and the second arm and guiding the rising main body to a predetermined position between the first arm and the second arm.

4. The guide wall may be: a first guide wall having an inclined surface that guides the main body in the first direction; a second guide wall having an inclined surface that guides the main body in a second direction intersecting with the first direction; The jig of claim 3 , comprising:

5. The guide wall may be: a second guide wall having an inclined surface that guides the main body in a second direction intersecting with the first direction; a third guide wall having a slope inclined in a direction opposite to that of the second guide wall, and guiding the main body in a direction opposite to that of the second guide wall; The jig of claim 3 .

6. The jig according to claim 1 , further comprising a contact portion that contacts the top surface of the container or the top surface of an accessory fixed to the container to position the container in the vertical direction relative to the first arm and the second arm.

7. The jig according to claim 6 , wherein the contact portion is located below the first arm and the second arm, and is in contact with an upper surface of the attachment.

8. The jig according to claim 6 , wherein the contact portion is located above the first arm and the second arm and is in contact with an upper surface of the lid.

9. The jig according to claim 1 , wherein the vessel is a culture vessel.

10. The jig according to claim 1; a moving machine that moves the container relative to the jig; A lid opening device comprising:

11. The lid opening device according to claim 10, wherein the container is a culture container.

12. a step of inserting the container between the first arm and the second arm of the jig according to claim 1 in a direction opposite to the first direction; lowering the container; A method for opening a container having the above structure.

13. a step of raising the container and bringing an upper surface of the container or an upper surface of the accessory into contact with the contact portion of the jig according to claim 6; inserting the container between the first arm and the second arm in a direction opposite to the first direction; lowering the container; A method for opening a container having the above structure.

14. The method for opening a container according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the container is a culture container.

Images