A carbon dioxide incubator

Abstract

The present invention discloses a carbon dioxide incubator, comprising: a carbon dioxide incubator body; a box body arranged outside the carbon dioxide incubator body; a TC sensor and a controller arranged inside the box body for detecting the CO2 concentration of the carbon dioxide incubator body; a first air hole and a second air hole for the flow of gas inside the incubator body and gas inside the box body are arranged on the carbon dioxide incubator body; the first air hole is connected to an air pump; an exhaust plug is installed on the second air hole; a temperature sensor for detecting the internal temperature of the box body is arranged inside the box body; when the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator is opened and the internal temperature of the carbon dioxide incubator changes, the controller controls the air pump to work at a specific frequency according to a temperature signal in the detection box detected by the temperature sensor, so as to keep the TC sensor inside the box body working at a set temperature. In order to take into account both practicality and cost, the present invention specially designs a device capable of overcoming the influence of temperature on the characteristics of the TC sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of cell and tissue culture and relates to a carbon dioxide incubator. Background Art

[0002] When growing cell cultures, temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels need to be controlled in order to ensure proper growth. CO2 levels are important because they help control the pH of the culture medium. If there is too much CO2, it becomes too acidic. If there is not enough CO2, it becomes more alkaline. In a CO2 incubator, the CO2 gas level in the culture medium is regulated by the CO2 supply in the incubator. The question is, how does the incubator "know" how much CO2 to add? This is where CO2 sensor technology comes into play. There are two main types, each with pros and cons:

[0003] CO 2 Concentration thermal conductivity (TC) sensors are electrochemical sensors that work by measuring the change in resistance between two thermistors (one is exposed to the chamber environment and the other is enclosed). Changes in the CO2 concentration in the incubator will change the resistance between the two thermistors, causing the sensor to react to adjust the CO2 level. The thermal conductivity of air and carbon dioxide gas is different at different temperatures. This also leads to a greater defect of the TC system. Changes in the temperature inside the chamber will affect the accuracy of the sensor. When precise culture conditions are required and the incubator door is opened frequently, the accuracy of this control system is difficult to guarantee.

[0004] Infrared CO2 sensors use infrared light to detect the amount of CO2 in a room. This type of sensor is more expensive, but more accurate. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a technical solution adopted by the present invention: a carbon dioxide incubator, comprising: a carbon dioxide incubator body;

[0006] A box body placed outside the carbon dioxide incubator;

[0007] Placed inside the box body for detecting the CO2 in the carbon dioxide incubator 2 TC sensor and controller for concentration;

[0008] The carbon dioxide culture box is provided with a first air hole and a second air hole for the flow of gas inside the culture box and gas inside the box;

[0009] The first air hole is connected to an air pump;

[0010] An exhaust plug is installed on the second air hole;

[0011] A temperature sensor for detecting the internal temperature of the box body is arranged inside the box body;

[0012] When the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator is opened and the temperature inside the carbon dioxide incubator changes, the controller controls the air pump to operate at a specific frequency based on the temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor inside the detection box, so as to keep the TC sensor inside the box operating at a set temperature.

[0013] Furthermore: the box body is made of metal.

[0014] Furthermore: a heat insulating layer for maintaining the temperature inside the box body is arranged on the inner wall of the box body, a heating wire is arranged on the heat insulating layer, and the heating wire is PID controlled by the controller so that the temperature inside the box body reaches the set temperature.

[0015] Further: when the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator is opened and the temperature inside the carbon dioxide incubator changes, the controller controls the air pump to work at a specific frequency according to the temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor inside the detection box body, and the process of keeping the TC sensor inside the box body working at a set temperature is as follows:

[0016] When the temperature signal transmitted by the temperature sensor received by the controller is at the set temperature, the air pump is controlled to be turned on and in working state;

[0017] When the door of the carbon dioxide incubator is opened, the controller determines that the temperature in the carbon dioxide incubator begins to drop according to the temperature signal sent by the temperature sensor, and the controller controls the air pump to work at a fixed frequency I, so that the TC sensor is always at the set temperature for CO2 incubation. 2 Concentration measurement;

[0018] When the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator is closed, the controller controls the air pump to work at a fixed frequency II according to the temperature signal sent by the temperature sensor; when the controller receives a temperature lower than the set temperature, the CO 2 When the concentration differs from the set concentration by 0.5%, the air pump stops sucking gas;

[0019] When the controller receives a temperature equal to the set temperature, the air pump is turned on again, and the controller controls the air pump to work at a fixed frequency II; when the CO2 concentration is the same as the set concentration, the controller controls the air pump to be always on and maintain the working state.

[0020] Furthermore: the fixed frequency I is turned on for 1S every 30S.

[0021] Furthermore: the fixed frequency II is 1S of ventilation every 5S.

[0022] The present invention provides a carbon dioxide incubator that can meet the requirements of accurate carbon dioxide concentration measurement and low cost. In order to balance practicality and cost, the present invention is directed to the characteristics of a TC sensor and specially designs a device that can overcome the influence of temperature on the characteristics of a TC sensor, and is mainly used for cultivating carbon dioxide. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the metal box and the back of the carbon dioxide incubator;

[0026] Figure 3 This is the overall schematic diagram of the metal box and the carbon dioxide incubator;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a comparison chart of CO2 concentration data measured by the TC sensor and the IR sensor of the device when the CO2 concentration rises;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a comparison chart of CO2 concentration data measured by the TC sensor and IR sensor of this device when the CO2 concentration decreases.

[0029] Figure numerals: 1. box body, 2. temperature sensor, 3. air inlet, 4. air pipe, 5. air pump, 6. air pump exhaust pipe, 7. TC sensor, 8. exhaust hole, 9. heating wire, 10. carbon dioxide incubator back panel, 11. carbon dioxide incubator body, 12. solenoid valve, 13. controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0031] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is by no means intended to limit the present invention and its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0033] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps described in these embodiments, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​do not limit the scope of the present invention. At the same time, it should be clear that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The technology, methods and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, methods and equipment should be regarded as part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention: the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0035] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below their position devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0036] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. If not otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the device of the present invention;

[0038] A carbon dioxide incubator, comprising: a carbon dioxide incubator body 11;

[0039] A box body 1 placed outside the carbon dioxide culture box body 11;

[0040] The CO2 in the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is placed inside the box 1 and used to detect the CO2 2 TC sensor 7 and controller 13 for concentration;

[0041] The carbon dioxide culture box 11 is provided with a first air hole and a second air hole for the gas inside the culture box to flow with the gas inside the box 1;

[0042] The first air hole is connected to an air pump 5; the first air hole is an air inlet 3; the air pump 5 is arranged in the box body 1; the air pump 5 and the air inlet 3 are connected through an air pipe 4;

[0043] It also includes an air pump exhaust pipe 6, which is connected to the air pump 5;

[0044] The second air hole is provided with an exhaust plug; the second air hole is the exhaust hole 8; the exhaust plug automatically opens when the air pressure exceeds the set value;

[0045] The exhaust plug is a plastic part. During production, its characteristics are to be closed within the set pressure range, open when the pressure exceeds the set pressure, and closed when the pressure is less than the set pressure. Therefore, it is sufficient to select a plug with a positive pressure of about 100PA.

[0046] The box body 1 is provided with a temperature sensor 2 for detecting the temperature inside the box body 1;

[0047] When the temperature inside the carbon dioxide incubator 11 changes, the air pump 5 sucks in gas to change the temperature inside the detection box 1. The controller 13 receives the temperature signal transmitted by the temperature sensor 2 and the signal of opening the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator 11. The controller 13 keeps the temperature inside the detection box 1 stable at the set temperature through PID regulation, and controls the air pump 5 to work slowly, keeps the TC sensor 7 inside the box 1 working at the set temperature, and realizes the CO inside the incubator. 2 Accurate detection of concentration.

[0048] The signal of opening the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator is collected by a proximity switch and transmitted to the controller;

[0049] Furthermore: the box body is made of metal.

[0050] Furthermore: a heat insulation layer for maintaining the temperature inside the box body is arranged on the inner wall of the box body, and a heating wire is arranged on the heat insulation layer.

[0051] The carbon dioxide culture box is also provided with a shell;

[0052] The device also includes a solenoid valve 12, which is connected to a carbon dioxide gas cylinder;

[0053] The controller 13 receives the temperature signal transmitted by the temperature sensor 2 , maintains the set temperature inside the box body 1 through PID regulation, and controls the air pump 5 to exchange gas with the gas inside the carbon dioxide incubator 11 .

[0054] When the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is opened and the temperature inside the carbon dioxide incubator 11 changes, the controller 13 controls the air pump 5 to work at a specific frequency based on the received signal of the outer door opening of the carbon dioxide incubator 11 and the temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor 2 inside the detection box body 1, and keeps the TC sensor 7 inside the box body 1 working at the set temperature. The process is as follows:

[0055] When the temperature signal transmitted by the temperature sensor 2 received by the controller 13 is at the set temperature, the air pump 5 is controlled to be turned on and in working state;

[0056] When the door of the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is opened, the controller 13 determines that the temperature in the carbon dioxide incubator 11 begins to drop according to the temperature signal sent by the temperature sensor 2, and the controller 13 controls the air pump 5 to work at a fixed frequency I, so that the TC sensor 7 is always at the set temperature for CO2 incubation. 2 Measurement of concentration;

[0057] When the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is closed, the controller 13 controls the air pump 5 to work at a fixed frequency II according to the temperature signal sent by the temperature sensor 2; when the controller 13 receives a temperature lower than the set temperature, the CO 2 When the concentration differs from the set concentration by 0.5%, the air pump 5 stops sucking gas;

[0058] When the controller 13 receives that the temperature is equal to the set temperature, the air pump 5 is turned on again, and the controller 13 controls the air pump 5 to work at a fixed frequency II; the controller 13 controls the air pump 5 to work at a fixed frequency I.

[0059] When the CO2 concentration is the same as the set concentration, the controller controls the air pump to be always on to maintain the working state.

[0060] The fixed frequency I is turned on for 1S every 30S.

[0061] The fixed frequency II is 1S of ventilation every 5S.

[0062] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a box body and a back plate of a carbon dioxide incubator; the box body is arranged on the upper side or the lower side of the back plate 10 of the carbon dioxide incubator;

[0063] Figure 3 This is the overall schematic diagram of the metal box and the carbon dioxide incubator;

[0064] The connection process of the CO2 incubator is as follows:

[0065] The first step is to connect the metal box 1 to the carbon dioxide incubator 11, which is designed to have corresponding air inlet holes 3 and air outlet holes 8;

[0066] In the second step, the heating wire 9 works, and the temperature signal fed back by the temperature sensor 2 is used to perform PID adjustment on the heating wire 9, so that the temperature in the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is stabilized at a set temperature, which may be 35°C, 37°C or 38°C, and the set temperature is determined according to actual work;

[0067] In the third step, the air inside the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is sucked in by the air pump 5, and the CO is measured by the TC sensor 7. 2Gas concentration, the controller 13 controls the on and off of the solenoid valve 12 of the carbon dioxide incubator 11 to supply carbon dioxide to the carbon dioxide incubator 11;

[0068] When the temperature inside the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is stabilized at 37° C., the air pump 5 is kept in working state to ensure air circulation between the box body 1 and the carbon dioxide incubator 11 .

[0069] When the door of the CO2 culture chamber 11 is opened, the temperature and CO 2 When the concentration drops, the air pump 5 is controlled to be turned on for 1 second every 30 seconds to ensure that the TC sensor is always at a temperature of 37°C for CO 2 Concentration measurement.

[0070] When the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is closed, the air pump 5 ventilates for 1 second every 5 seconds, during which the solenoid valve 12 is always open to fill the CO 2 Gas, at this time the temperature inside the metal box 1 will be lower than 37°C. Due to the characteristics of the TC sensor 7, when the temperature is lower than 37°C, the measured CO 2 The concentration is higher than the actual CO 2 Concentration, when CO 2 When the concentration differs from the set concentration by 0.5%, the CO 2 The solenoid valve supplies air, and the air pump 5 stops sucking gas; when the temperature in the metal box body 1 returns to 37°C, the air pump 5 is turned on again, and the frequency of ventilation is 1S every 5S, and CO 2 The solenoid valve 12 also operates synchronously with the air pump 5 at the same frequency until CO 2 concentration reaches the set concentration; at this time, if the internal temperature of the carbon dioxide incubator 11 is lower than 37°C, the air pump 5 is controlled at a frequency of 1S ventilation every 30S, and the solenoid valve 12 returns to normal PID control until the interior of the carbon dioxide incubator 11 returns to 37°C.

[0071] The internal temperature of the metal box 1 and the carbon dioxide incubator 11 of 37°C is only a common test temperature. The above description is only based on the condition of 37°C, which does not mean that the device can only work at 37°C. As long as the set temperature of the metal box is consistent with the set temperature of the carbon dioxide incubator, the above steps can be met.

[0072] Figure 4 This is a comparison chart of CO2 concentration data measured by the TC sensor and the IR sensor of this device when the CO2 concentration rises;

[0073] Figure 5 This is a comparison chart of CO2 concentration data measured by the TC sensor and IR sensor of this device when the CO2 concentration decreases.

[0074] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A carbon dioxide incubator, characterized in that: include: Carbon dioxide incubator; A box body placed outside the carbon dioxide incubator; A TC sensor and a controller placed inside the box body for detecting the CO2 concentration of the carbon dioxide incubator; The carbon dioxide culture box is provided with a first air hole and a second air hole for the flow of gas inside the culture box and gas inside the box; The first air hole is connected to an air pump; An exhaust plug is installed on the second air hole; A temperature sensor for detecting the internal temperature of the box body is arranged inside the box body; When the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator is opened and the temperature inside the carbon dioxide incubator changes, the controller controls the air pump to work at a specific frequency according to the temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor inside the detection box, so as to keep the TC sensor inside the box working at a set temperature; When the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator is opened and the temperature inside the carbon dioxide incubator changes, the controller controls the air pump to work at a specific frequency according to the temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor inside the detection box body, and the process of keeping the TC sensor inside the box body working at the set temperature is as follows: When the temperature signal transmitted by the temperature sensor received by the controller is at the set temperature, the air pump is controlled to be turned on and in working state; When the door of the carbon dioxide incubator is opened, the controller determines that the temperature in the carbon dioxide incubator begins to drop according to the temperature signal sent by the temperature sensor, and the controller controls the air pump to work at a fixed frequency I, so that the TC sensor is always at the set temperature to measure the CO2 concentration; When the outer door of the carbon dioxide incubator is closed, the controller controls the air pump to work at a fixed frequency II according to the temperature signal sent by the temperature sensor; when the temperature received by the controller is lower than the set temperature, when the CO2 concentration differs from the set concentration by 0.5%, the air pump stops inhaling gas; when the temperature received by the controller is equal to the set temperature, the air pump is turned on again, and the controller controls the air pump to work at a fixed frequency II; when the CO2 concentration is the same as the set concentration, the controller controls the air pump to be always on and maintain the working state.

2. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body is made of metal.

3. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the box body is provided with a heat insulation layer for maintaining the temperature inside the box body, and the heat insulation layer is provided with a heating wire, which is PID-controlled by the controller so that the temperature inside the box body reaches the set temperature.

4. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed frequency I is turned on for 1S every 30S.

5. A carbon dioxide incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed frequency II is 1S of ventilation every 5S.

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