Medical sample preparation device capable of working for long time in microgravity environment

Abstract

The invention discloses a medical sample preparation device capable of working for a long time in a microgravity environment. Comprising an incubator for providing a controlled environment, a microgravity culture module placed in the incubator, a gravity simulation device fixed in the incubator, a gravity contrast culture module connected with the gravity simulation device, and an electric cabinet, a temperature control system, a carbon dioxide gas concentration control system and a data monitoring system which are fixed with the incubator, the temperature control system, the carbon dioxide gas concentration control system and the data monitoring system are electrically connected with the electric cabinet respectively. According to the present invention, the test requirements under the microgravity environment are considered, the integration degree is high, the long-period / multi-generation automatic subculture of different types of biological cells and tissue samples can be simultaneously achieved, the on-line monitoring of various technical parameters of the cell culture can be performed, and the automatic microscopic observation and the remote control can be performed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of aerospace technology, and in particular relates to a medical sample preparation device that works for a long time in a microgravity environment. Background Art

[0002] With the gradual implementation of the manned space station project, it is of great significance to promote the frontier space science exploration and lead the development of future space application technology. Long-term cell culture experiments in microgravity environment are an important task during the operation of the space station.

[0003] The cell culture chamber that works for a long time in a microgravity environment is different from that on the ground in the following ways:

[0004] 1. Commonly used cell culture incubators on the ground are usually required to be installed in a well-ventilated room. The reason is: when CO2 is supplied, the working space of the incubator is slightly pressurized, and a small amount of carbon dioxide will be released into the operating room during the operation of the equipment. Therefore, the room ventilation must be able to safely bring the released gas to the outdoor open area. In addition, the heat dissipation of the equipment during long-term operation may cause the indoor temperature to rise. Therefore, the cell culture incubator is required to be installed in a well-ventilated room. However, for cell culture incubators operating in a microgravity environment, the environment is a closed system. Even if the air circulation around the incubator is smooth, it is not the same concept as "good ventilation" on the ground, and it is impossible to install it in an environment that meets the ground requirements.

[0005] 2. On the ground, the level of concern for the power consumption of the cell culture chamber is different from that in a microgravity environment. The energy price in the aircraft is very expensive, and compared with the ground, saving power consumption is much more important.

[0006] 3. For cell culture incubators operating on the ground, there is no need to over-consider the waste of CO2 gas caused by a small amount of leakage. Because CO2 gas is a cheap gas on the ground, when the gas in the gas bottle is exhausted, just replace it with a new one. However, for a microgravity environment, since it is very expensive to transport a bottle of gas from the ground to the aircraft, it is very important to save CO2 gas.

[0007] 4. On the ground, due to the influence of gravity, there is gas convection during the heating process of the gas in the box. The convective gas will make the temperature distribution between the upper and lower layers of the box relatively uniform, making it relatively easy to achieve uniform temperature distribution in the incubator. In a microgravity environment, due to the loss of convection, the gas becomes a good insulator, and more consideration must be given to the method of using gas flow to achieve uniform temperature distribution in the box.

[0008] 5. For cell culture incubators that need to be used in a microgravity environment, reducing their weight is very important because of the high cost of transporting them from the ground to the aircraft.

[0009] Currently, all existing medical sample preparation devices operate on the ground. Such devices can also provide different gravity environments, but due to the limitations of ground conditions, the gravity provided is ≥1g (that is, in the ground environment, 1g of gravity cannot be eliminated, and a certain centrifugal force is generated by the centrifuge. The centrifugal force can vary between 0 and ng. This centrifugal force is superimposed on the ground gravity, and the generated gravity ranges from 1g to (1+n)g).

[0010] Moreover, existing medical sample preparation devices do not take into account the needs of experiments in a microgravity environment, have a low degree of integration, and cannot simultaneously achieve long-term / multi-generation automatic subculture of different types of biological cells and tissue samples, online monitoring of various technical parameters of cell culture, automatic microscopic observation, and remote control. Summary of the invention

[0011] In order to solve the problems that the existing medical sample preparation devices do not take into account the test needs in a microgravity environment, have a low degree of integration, cannot simultaneously realize long-term / multi-generation automatic subculture of different types of biological cells and tissue samples, cannot perform online monitoring of various technical parameters of cell culture, cannot perform automatic microscopic observation and remote control, the present invention provides a medical sample preparation device that works for a long time in a microgravity environment, including:

[0012] An incubator for providing a controlled environment, a microgravity culture module placed in the incubator, a gravity simulation device fixed inside the incubator, a gravity control culture module connected to the gravity simulation device, and an electric control box, a temperature control system, a carbon dioxide gas concentration control system, and a data monitoring system fixed to the incubator;

[0013] The temperature control system, carbon dioxide gas concentration control system, and data monitoring system are electrically connected to the electric control box respectively;

[0014] The microgravity culture module is used to culture cells in a microgravity environment;

[0015] The gravity simulation device is used to simulate gravity in a microgravity environment;

[0016] The gravity control culture module is used to perform control culture of cells in a simulated gravity environment;

[0017] The data monitoring system is used to receive, process, store, and display experimental data, collect images, and equipment engineering telemetry parameter information.

[0018] Optionally, the incubator is divided into at least two independent spaces by a heat-insulating partition;

[0019] Wherein, the microgravity culture module and the data monitoring system are in an independent space;

[0020] The gravity simulation device, gravity control culture module, electric control box, temperature control system, carbon dioxide gas concentration control system and data monitoring system are located in another independent space.

[0021] Optionally, the incubator comprises an outer shell, an inner liner, an insulation layer, and a door hinged to the outer shell;

[0022] One side of the heat-insulating layer is in close contact with the interior of the outer shell, and the other side of the heat-insulating layer is in close contact with the inner container.

[0023] Optionally, the outer shell and the inner liner are both made of high-strength lightweight aluminum alloy material;

[0024] The heat-insulating layer is a polyurethane foam layer.

[0025] Optionally, the gravity simulation device includes a centrifuge.

[0026] Optionally, the electric control box includes: a main control module, a power conversion module, a temperature control module, a relay control module, an Ethernet multiplexing module and a parameter acquisition module respectively connected to the main control module;

[0027] The main control module is used to adjust the experimental parameters or processes through data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0028] The power conversion module is used to perform power conversion based on a power input of a set voltage level;

[0029] The temperature control module is used to modulate the temperature control parameters based on the data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0030] The relay control module is used to control the cell culture liquid pumps, internal turbulence fans, carbon dioxide supply valves, etc. based on the data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0031] The Ethernet multiplexing module is used to receive data injection and forward it to the main control module, the power conversion module, the temperature control module, the relay control module and the parameter acquisition module, and send image data and scientific parameters at the same time;

[0032] The parameter acquisition module is used to acquire parameters based on a temperature sensor and a carbon dioxide sensor.

[0033] Optionally, the electric control box further includes: an image processing module and an optical communication module connected to the main control module;

[0034] The image processing module is used to process the image data sent by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0035] The optical communication module is used to forward the image data processed by the image processing module to the host computer.

[0036] Optionally, the temperature control system includes a heating plate and a fan;

[0037] The heating plates include a plurality of plates located on the sides and bottom of the incubator and used for heating the incubator;

[0038] The fan is fixed to one side of the top of the incubator and is used to drive the gas flow.

[0039] Optionally, the carbon oxide gas concentration control system comprises: a carbon dioxide gas cylinder with a pressure value display, a gas pipe and a solenoid valve;

[0040] One end of the air pipe is connected to the carbon dioxide cylinder, and the other end passes through the door of the incubator and enters the bottom of the incubator;

[0041] The solenoid valve is located on the air pipe and is used to control the delivery of carbon dioxide gas to the microgravity culture module.

[0042] Optionally, the data monitoring system includes: an imaging lighting, a white light camera and a display screen;

[0043] The display screen is installed on the door of the incubator and is used to display experimental data, collected images and equipment engineering telemetry parameter information;

[0044] The imaging lighting lamp and the white light camera are respectively fixed inside the incubator.

[0045] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0046] The present invention provides a medical sample preparation device that works for a long time in a microgravity environment, comprising: an incubator for providing a controlled environment, a microgravity culture module placed in the incubator, a gravity simulation device fixed inside the incubator, a gravity control culture module connected to the gravity simulation device, and an electric control box, a temperature control system, a carbon dioxide gas concentration control system, and a data monitoring system fixed to the incubator; the temperature control system, the carbon dioxide gas concentration control system, and the data monitoring system are electrically connected to the electric control box respectively; the microgravity culture module is used to culture cells in a microgravity environment; the gravity simulation device is used to simulate gravity in a microgravity environment; the gravity control culture module is used to control culture cells in a simulated gravity environment; the data monitoring system is used to receive, process, store, and display experimental data, collect images, and equipment engineering telemetry parameter information. The present invention takes into account the needs of experiments in a microgravity environment, has a high degree of integration, and adopts a data monitoring system to realize online monitoring and automatic microscopic observation, and adopts an electric control box to realize remote control, obtain experimental data, and other functions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 A schematic side cross-sectional view of a medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment according to the present invention;

[0048] Figure 2 It is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of the upper layer of the mechanical structure of the incubator of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 3 It is a simplified cross-sectional view of the lower layer of the mechanical structure of the incubator of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the sealing structure of the incubator of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a thin film heater and its location;

[0052] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the layout of the fan and its surrounding components;

[0053] Figure 7 This is an example diagram of the gas flow rate and flow direction distribution in the box calculated based on microgravity fluid mechanics;

[0054] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of the electronic components of the medical sample preparation device of the present invention;

[0055] Fig. 9 Cell images for cell culture verification experiments of the present invention;

[0056] Fig.10 The skeletal muscle satellite cell image of the present invention;

[0057] Fig.11 It is a front view of the medical sample preparation device of the present invention;

[0058] Among them: 1-incubator, 1.1-shell, 1.2-door, 1.3-insulation layer, 1.4-liner, 1.5-door handle, 2-microgravity culture module, 3-gravity simulation device, 4-gravity control culture module, 5-electric control box, 6-white light camera, 7-fan, 8-intake valve, 9-power switch, 10-heating plate, 11-display screen, 12-status indicator light. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] The technical solution is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments to help understand the content of the present invention.

[0060] The present invention relates to a cell culture experiment box for long-term operation in a microgravity environment. By adopting a specially structured heat preservation and sealing layer, the cell culture experiment box does not need to be installed in a well-ventilated room, and the problem of saving energy and saving CO2 gas consumption in a microgravity environment is solved; by adding a fan 7 based on the microgravity fluid mechanics theory, the problem that the common heating method on the ground is difficult to achieve uniform temperature distribution in the box in microgravity due to the lack of gas convection in the microgravity environment is solved, and the characteristics of no ventilation conditions, high costs of power supply and CO2 gas, no air convection, and very important weight reduction in the microgravity environment are fully considered, and the present invention is suitable for long-term operation in a microgravity environment, and has novelty and creativity. The present invention can be applied to biological cell and tissue sample culture experiments conducted in a space station, and has practicality. It can provide a basic platform for conducting long-term experimental research on aerospace cell culture.

[0061] Example 1

[0062] The present invention provides a medical sample preparation device that works for a long time in a microgravity environment, the device comprising: an incubator 1 for providing a controlled environment, a microgravity culture module 2 placed in the incubator 1, a gravity simulation device 3 fixed inside the incubator 1, a gravity control culture module 4 connected to the gravity simulation device 3, and an electric control box 5 fixed to the incubator 1, a temperature control system, a carbon dioxide gas concentration control system and a data monitoring system;

[0063] The temperature control system, carbon dioxide gas concentration control system, and data monitoring system are electrically connected to the electric control box 5 respectively;

[0064] The microgravity culture module 2 is used to culture cells in a microgravity environment;

[0065] The gravity simulation device 3 is used to simulate gravity in a microgravity environment;

[0066] The gravity control culture module 4 is used to perform control culture of cells in a simulated gravity environment;

[0067] The data monitoring system is used to receive, process, store, and display experimental data, collect images, and equipment engineering telemetry parameter information.

[0068] The present invention is described in detail below:

[0069] The incubator 1 comprises: an outer shell 1.1, an inner container 1.4, an insulation layer 1.3 and a door 1.2. Figure 4 As shown, the incubator 1 is made of lightweight materials as much as possible on the basis of being able to meet the strength requirements. The outer shell 1.1 and the inner liner 1.4 in the incubator 1 are made of high-strength lightweight aluminum alloy materials (such as 7075 aviation aluminum). The insulation layer 1.3 between the inner and outer liner of the incubator 1 is made of a polyurethane foam layer and is produced by an integral polyurethane foaming process. One side of the insulation layer 1.3 is close to the inside of the outer shell 1.1, and the other side is close to the inner liner 1.4. The present invention achieves reduced power consumption and economical use of CO2 through good insulation and sealing measures. Specifically: good insulation can maintain the temperature in the box with lower power consumption. Good sealing can reduce the leakage of CO2, so that it does not need to consider discharging the leaked CO2 gas to the outdoor open area, and also reduces the amount of CO2 gas. In order to facilitate opening the door 1.2, a door handle 1.5 is provided on the door 1.2. In order to better control the state of the incubator 1, a power switch 9 is provided on the door 1.2.

[0070] The incubator 1 is divided into at least two independent spaces by an insulation partition. This embodiment is introduced by taking the example of dividing the space of the incubator 1 into two, specifically into a cell culture area and a control area, and the two areas are separated from each other by the middle insulation partition. The gravity simulation device 3, the gravity control culture module 4, the electric control box 5, the temperature control system and the carbon dioxide gas concentration control system and other electronic devices are located in the control area. The microgravity culture module 2 and the data monitoring system are located in the cell culture area, and the inner wall of the incubator 1 in the cell culture area includes an insulation layer 1.3 to facilitate maintaining a constant temperature.

[0071] The microgravity culture module 2 provides the technical conditions for cell culture in a microgravity environment and automatically completes the cell culture experiment according to the set culture process.

[0072] The gravity simulation device 3 includes a centrifuge, which realizes the gravity simulation function in a microgravity environment, and realizes the on-orbit synchronous gravity control function of cell culture through the gravity control culture module 4.

[0073] The optimal direction and speed of the fan 7 required to achieve uniform distribution of the airflow in the box under different centrifuge speeds can be calculated in advance based on microgravity fluid mechanics, such as Figure 6As shown. Figure 7 As shown, the gas flow velocity and flow direction distribution diagram of the fan 7 under certain direction and speed conditions calculated based on microgravity fluid mechanics.

[0074] By using embedded software, the speed data of the centrifuge at a certain moment can be obtained. According to the pre-calculated optimal direction and speed parameters of the fan 7 at that moment, the embedded software controls the operating parameters of the fan 7 and adjusts them to be consistent with the calculated optimal values.

[0075] The electric control box 5 includes: a main control module, a power conversion module, a temperature control module, a relay control module, an Ethernet multiplexing module and a parameter acquisition module respectively connected to the main control module;

[0076] The main control module is used to adjust the experimental parameters or processes through data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0077] The power conversion module is used to perform power conversion based on a power input of a set voltage level;

[0078] The temperature control module is used to modulate the temperature control parameters based on the data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0079] The relay control module is used to control the cell culture liquid pumps, the internal turbulence fan 7, the carbon dioxide supply valve, etc. based on the data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0080] The Ethernet multiplexing module receives data injection via Ethernet and forwards it to the main control module, the power conversion module, the temperature control module, the relay control module and the parameter acquisition module, and sends image data and scientific parameters at the same time;

[0081] The parameter acquisition module is used to acquire parameters based on a temperature sensor and a carbon dioxide sensor.

[0082] The electric control box 5 also includes: an image processing module and an optical communication module connected to the main control module;

[0083] The image processing module is used to process the image data sent by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0084] The optical communication module is used to forward the image data processed by the image processing module to the host computer.

[0085] The optical communication module realizes the uplink and downlink data receiving and storage functions with the host computer; the experimental parameters can be set by the astronauts on orbit, or injected by reading the data file. Each experimental unit can carry out different cell culture processes according to the received instructions; after the parameters are set, the cell culture experiment is automatically completed according to the culture process; the parameters include culture temperature, carbon dioxide gas concentration, culture cycle, liquid replacement cycle, gravity G value, etc.

[0086] The temperature control module adjusts the temperature control parameters by receiving the data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module;

[0087] The main control module adjusts the experimental parameters or processes by receiving the data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module. The main control module sends the injection parameters to the image board, centrifuge controller and optical communication unit through the 3-way 422 interface to adjust the parameters of the functional unit. The main control module also realizes the collection of 16 analog quantities and 64 switch quantities, and 64 output control interfaces. After the image board acquires the image of the white light camera 6, it sends the image to the compression storage board through LVDS. After compression, the compression storage board sends the image to the medical sample preparation device through the Ethernet multiplexing module.

[0088] A status indicator light 12 is provided on the incubator 1 of the medical sample preparation device. Fig.11 As shown, it is used to display the working status of 64 channels.

[0089] Temperature control system such as Figure 5 As shown, it includes a heating plate 10 and a fan 7, wherein the heating plate 10 includes a plurality of heating plates, which are located on the side and bottom of the incubator 1 and are used to heat the incubator 1;

[0090] The fan 7 is fixed to one side of the top of the incubator 1 to drive the gas flow. The size and direction of the fan 7 are designed according to the structural layout and microgravity fluid mechanics in the incubator 1. According to the layout of the components in the incubator 1 and the speed of the centrifuge (the centrifuge is a necessary device for creating different simulated gravity in the incubator 1, and its rotation also causes the flow of surrounding gas, affecting the airflow in the incubator 1), the optimal direction and speed of the fan 7 are calculated in advance. During operation, the direction and speed of the fan 7 are automatically adjusted. It can achieve uniform distribution of heat in the incubator 1 through the flowing gas created by the fan 7 under different circumstances.

[0091] The temperature control system automatically adjusts the internal culture environment temperature according to the set temperature control requirements to ensure uniform temperature inside the box; when the temperature control function fails, it has an over-temperature protection function; three hours after starting the culture program, if the temperature does not reach the set temperature, the device has a prompt function;

[0092] The heating plate 10 is a thin film heating plate 10 , and the fan 7 drives the gas flow to achieve uniform temperature distribution in the box.

[0093] The carbon dioxide gas concentration control system includes: a carbon dioxide gas cylinder with a pressure value display, a gas pipe and a solenoid valve;

[0094] like Fig.11 As shown, one end of the air pipe is connected to the carbon dioxide cylinder, and the other end passes through the air inlet valve 8 provided on the door 1.2 of the incubator 1 and enters the bottom of the incubator 1;

[0095] The solenoid valve is located on the air pipe and is used to control the delivery of carbon dioxide gas to the microgravity culture module 2 .

[0096] The carbon dioxide gas concentration control system automatically adjusts the carbon dioxide gas concentration and maintains a uniform concentration in the chamber according to the set gas concentration control requirements; it has an over-limit warning function when the CO2 concentration exceeds the limit; the device has a prompt function when the carbon dioxide gas concentration does not reach the set concentration half an hour after the culture program is started;

[0097] The carbon dioxide cylinder has a pressure value display. The medical sample preparation device and the host computer software monitor the carbon dioxide concentration inside the device in real time, and an alarm will be issued when the carbon dioxide concentration is lower than the threshold.

[0098] The data monitoring system has the ability to observe two cell culture modules using white light microscopy; it has the functions of autofocus and image / video acquisition; it has the function of receiving and executing the ground autofocus instruction table;

[0099] The data monitoring system has data storage function; it can record cell growth environment parameters and device performance parameters, collected cell images and videos in real time; it has data transmission function;

[0100] The data monitoring system includes: an imaging lighting, a white light camera 6 and a display screen 11;

[0101] The display screen 11 is installed on the door 1.2 of the incubator 1, and is used to display experimental data, collected images and equipment engineering telemetry parameter information; it has the function of collecting and transmitting telemetry parameters, and the telemetry parameters include device working status, power supply status parameters, etc.

[0102] The imaging lighting lamp and the white light camera 6 are respectively fixed inside the incubator 1 .

[0103] After the culture cycle is over, the display screen 11 prompts the operator to take out the corresponding experimental unit in time.

[0104] The photo taking modes of the White Light Camera 6 are divided into manual mode and automatic mode, which can capture images and video images. Figure 2 As shown; the shooting mode can be selected and determined, and can be switched between each other; in the automatic mode, the shooting process is controllable (the power-on cycle and shooting duration of the white light camera 6 can be set), and the shooting period can be paused; in the manual mode, the shooting time can be selected arbitrarily; the collected white light image data can be displayed on the computer screen connected to the device, and stored in the medical sample preparation device and the computer;

[0105] The cell growth environment parameters and device performance parameters can be monitored in real time on-orbit through the white light camera 6 and the display screen 11, including sample number, process stage, temperature, carbon dioxide concentration, gravity G value, cell image and other parameters, and the parameters can be saved as files for downloading.

[0106] The present invention provides a medical sample preparation device that works for a long time in a microgravity environment. The medical sample preparation device that works in a microgravity environment is used for long-term, multi-generation automatic subculture of different types of biological cells and tissue samples, and can realize online monitoring, microscopic observation and remote control. The device mainly realizes cell sample cultivation, microscopic observation, gravity control, experimental environment and process control and parameter collection. Different types of biological cell and tissue samples include but are not limited to: fungi and bacterial microorganisms.

[0107] The present invention highly integrates the cultivation, monitoring, observation and control of biological cells and tissue samples. Ground personnel can remotely control the medical sample preparation device in flight by sending instructions. At the same time, the range of simulated gravity supplements the gravity range of 0 to 1g that is difficult to achieve on the ground, which is novel and creative. The present invention can be applied to biological cell and tissue sample cultivation experiments conducted in space stations and is practical.

[0108] Example 2

[0109] The present invention provides a medical sample preparation device structure that works for a long time in a microgravity environment, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, it includes an incubator 1, a temperature control system, a carbon dioxide gas concentration control system, a microgravity culture module 2, a gravity simulation device 3, a gravity control culture module 4, and a data monitoring system.

[0110] a. The incubator 1 is divided into at least two independent spaces by a heat-insulating partition. This embodiment is described by taking the space of the incubator 1 divided into two as an example, specifically divided into a cell culture area and a control area. The cell culture area is a microgravity culture area, which includes 7 microgravity culture modules 2 and two white light cameras 6, wherein the white light camera 6 is used to realize microscopic observation of cells. Here, the microgravity culture module 2 is also called an experimental unit;

[0111] b. The control area has a gravity control culture area, such as Figure 3As shown, it includes 6 gravity control culture modules 4, also called gravity control experimental units, and there is space for installing the gravity control experimental units;

[0112] c. The rear part of the incubator 1 is an electronic control system, which includes: a gravity simulation device 3, a gravity control culture module 4, an electric control box 5, a temperature control system and a carbon dioxide gas concentration control system;

[0113] d. The carbon dioxide gas cylinder is located in another box, and the gas pipe passes through the box door 1.2 and enters the bottom of the box. The carbon dioxide gas is transported to the cell culture area of ​​the box through the control of the solenoid valve.

[0114] e. A liquid crystal display control screen is installed on the box door 1.2 to display the parameter information of the box.

[0115] The medical sample preparation device provided by the present invention is as follows Figure 8 As shown, status display and control, control of the gravity control culture module 4, temperature acquisition and control, CO2 concentration acquisition and control, control of unit experiment implementation, visible light microscopic imaging acquisition and transmission, power management, information transmission and communication are realized.

[0116] The software control includes: an electric control box 5, a temperature control system and a data monitoring system.

[0117] The temperature control system includes a temperature control power supply, a temperature control heating unit, a temperature control cooling unit and a temperature control board;

[0118] The temperature control board controls the temperature control heating unit or the temperature control cooling unit according to the received data, and heats or cools the incubator 1;

[0119] The temperature-controlled power supply is used to supply power to the temperature-controlled heating unit and the temperature-controlled cooling unit.

[0120] The power switch 9 is connected to the power board and is used to control the power board to supply power to the electric control box 5, the temperature control system and the data monitoring system in the incubator.

[0121] The main function of the electronic control box 5 of the medical sample preparation device is to receive the control instructions sent by the host computer to control the relay switch operation to manage the experimental process, and obtain the internal simulation parameters and state parameter values ​​of the system, package them in a specified format, and send them to the host computer through the communication interface. The specific functions include the following:

[0122] a. Time management function: It has system time calibration and timekeeping functions.

[0123] b. Event table function: According to the experimental requirements, a series of experimental operation events are encoded and listed into an event table.

[0124] c. Experimental process control: If there is no data injection instruction, the software will control the relay switch operation according to the pre-set process to manage the experimental process. If valid data injection is received, the corresponding relay will be switched according to the data injection instruction.

[0125] d. Data reception and analysis: Receive broadcast time codes, data injection, engineering data collection instructions, etc. from the host computer, and return scientific engineering data;

[0126] e. Data collection and packaging: Collect 16 analog signals such as voltage and temperature and 64 working status signals, and package them into engineering science data packets together with broadcast time codes, injection instructions, and digital telemetry.

[0127] f. Data transmission: Send the packaged engineering science data packet to the host computer.

[0128] g. System reset: The system is reset after the system is powered on and the watchdog barks. After the watchdog is reset, the system initialization function is run first to initialize the variables and restore the system to its initial state.

[0129] The temperature control system has the following functions:

[0130] a. Realize the collection and control of temperature signals, and be able to receive instructions to realize functions such as temperature setting. The collected data can be sent according to the protocol.

[0131] b. Data receiving and analyzing function: can receive temperature setting parameters and control instructions from the host computer.

[0132] c. Data collection and sending function: After receiving the command to collect engineering parameters, the packaged engineering data packet will be sent to the host computer.

[0133] d. Temperature control function: After receiving the temperature setting parameters and control instructions, the collected temperature is compared with the set temperature to drive the heating or cooling unit.

[0134] The data monitoring system is installed on the host computer and has the following functions:

[0135] The data monitoring system is mainly used to receive, process, store and display the experimental data, collected images and equipment engineering telemetry parameters sent by the medical sample preparation device, and transmit them to the ground through the host; receive the uplink data through the host, analyze and display the uplink data and forward it to the device; the main function is to control and communicate with the medical sample preparation device, and communicate with the medical experimental information comprehensive management software, and display the data. The internal functional modules of the software can be composed of display module, image processing module, instruction processing module, engineering parameter processing module and data management module.

[0136] Example 3

[0137] Using MG63 cells as the subject, a cell culture experiment with a cycle of 120 hours was carried out using the device. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, the experimental results show that the cell morphology in the device is normal and the cells proliferate and grow normally.

[0138] A multifunctional automatic cell culture device was installed on the cabinet in the core module of my country's space station. It completed in-orbit deployment and testing during the Shenzhou XII mission. The telemetry data transmitted downlink showed that the device was working normally and various operating indicators met the requirements for conducting space medicine experiments.

[0139] During the Shenzhou 13 to 15 missions, space experiments on different types of samples, including skin stem cells, cardiomyocytes, preosteoblasts, myoblasts, skeletal muscle satellite cells, neural stem cells and vascular chips, have been completed in orbit. All space experimental samples have grown normally and the recovered samples meet the requirements of subsequent analysis.

[0140] The above are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A medical sample preparation device that works long term in a microgravity environment, It is characterized in that The device comprises: an incubator for providing a controlled environment, a microgravity culture module placed in the incubator, a gravity simulation device fixed inside the incubator, a gravity control culture module connected to the gravity simulation device, and an electric control box, a temperature control system, a carbon dioxide gas concentration control system and a data monitoring system fixed to the incubator; The temperature control system, carbon dioxide gas concentration control system, and data monitoring system are electrically connected to the electric control box respectively; The microgravity culture module is used to culture cells in a microgravity environment; The gravity simulation device is used to simulate gravity in a microgravity environment; The gravity control culture module is used to perform control culture of cells in a simulated gravity environment; The data monitoring system is used to receive, process, store, and display experimental data, collect images, and equipment engineering telemetry parameter information.

2. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The incubator is divided into at least two independent spaces by a heat-insulating partition; Wherein, the microgravity culture module and the data monitoring system are in an independent space; The gravity simulation device, gravity control culture module, electric control box, temperature control system, carbon dioxide gas concentration control system and data monitoring system are located in another independent space.

3. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The incubator comprises an outer shell, an inner liner, a heat-insulating layer and a door hinged to the outer shell; One side of the heat-insulating layer is in close contact with the interior of the outer shell, and the other side of the heat-insulating layer is in close contact with the inner container.

4. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 3, It is characterized in that The outer shell and the inner liner are both made of high-strength lightweight aluminum alloy material; The heat-insulating layer is a polyurethane foam layer.

5. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The gravity simulation device includes a centrifuge.

6. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The electric control box comprises: a main control module, a power conversion module, a temperature control module, a relay control module, an Ethernet multiplexing module and a parameter acquisition module respectively connected to the main control module; The main control module is used to adjust the experimental parameters or processes through data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module; The power conversion module is used to perform power conversion based on a power input of a set voltage level; The temperature control module is used to modulate the temperature control parameters based on the data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module; The relay control module is used to control the cell culture liquid pumps, internal turbulence fans, carbon dioxide supply valves, etc. based on the data injection forwarded by the Ethernet multiplexing module; The Ethernet multiplexing module is used to receive data injection and forward it to the main control module, the power conversion module, the temperature control module, the relay control module and the parameter acquisition module, and send image data and scientific parameters at the same time; The parameter acquisition module is used to acquire parameters based on a temperature sensor and a carbon dioxide sensor.

7. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 6, It is characterized in that The electric control box further comprises: an image processing module and an optical communication module connected to the main control module; The image processing module is used to process the image data sent by the Ethernet multiplexing module; The optical communication module is used to forward the image data processed by the image processing module to the host computer.

8. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The temperature control system includes a heating plate and a fan; The heating plates include a plurality of plates located on the sides and bottom of the incubator and used for heating the incubator; The fan is fixed to one side of the top of the incubator and is used to drive the gas flow.

9. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 3, It is characterized in that The carbon oxide gas concentration control system comprises: a carbon dioxide gas cylinder with a pressure numerical display, a gas pipe and a solenoid valve; One end of the air pipe is connected to the carbon dioxide cylinder, and the other end passes through the door of the incubator and enters the bottom of the incubator; The solenoid valve is located on the air pipe and is used to control the delivery of carbon dioxide gas to the microgravity culture module.

10. A medical sample preparation device for long-term operation in a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The data monitoring system includes: an imaging lighting lamp, a white light camera and a display screen; The display screen is installed on the door of the incubator and is used to display experimental data, collected images and equipment engineering telemetry parameter information; The imaging lighting lamp and the white light camera are respectively fixed inside the incubator.

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