Incubator

Abstract

The invention provides a culture box, which relates to the technical field of microorganism culture equipment, and comprises a box body, and an upper layer platform, a middle layer platform and a lower layer platform which are arranged in the box body, the upper-layer platform comprises an upper-layer three-axis displacement mechanism, a pipette and a suction cup; the middle-layer platform comprises a fixed layer plate, a floating carrying table, at least one culture plate, at least one elastic piece and a plurality of linear driving mechanisms, and each linear driving mechanism is connected with the floating carrying table to drive the floating carrying table to move up and down so as to drive the culture plate to obliquely swing; the lower-layer platform comprises a lower-layer three-axis displacement mechanism and a microscope. The device has the beneficial effects that cell culture fluid can be automatically replaced, separated or recycled, the cell culture fluid in the culture dish on the culture plate can be uniformly shaken, the cell culture process can be accurately observed and recorded in real time, automatic culture of biological cells is realized, and the consistency and accuracy of biological cell culture are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of microorganism culture equipment, and in particular to a culture box. Background Art

[0002] Microbial incubators are routinely used for various cell cultures. By observing the cell morphology during the culture process, the cell's morphology, structure, function and other characteristics can be reflected, which is of great significance for evaluating the physiological and pathological state of cells and studying cell biological processes. Existing microbial incubators simply provide an external environment for biological cell culture. However, biological cell culture in microbial incubators require regular replacement of culture fluid, mixing, separation or recovery. Currently, all of these are done manually, requiring manual intervention in the culture process. This affects the consistency of the biological cell culture process on the one hand, and the accuracy of the biological cell culture results may be affected on the other hand due to the frequent opening of the microbial incubator. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the current microbial incubator for biological cell culture, an embodiment of the present invention provides an incubator.

[0004] An embodiment of the present invention provides an incubator, comprising a box body, and an upper platform, a middle platform and a lower platform sequentially arranged in the box body from top to bottom; The upper platform includes an upper three-axis displacement mechanism, and a liquid transfer gun and a suction cup installed on the upper three-axis displacement mechanism; The middle platform comprises a fixed layer, a floating platform, at least one culture plate, at least one elastic member and a plurality of linear drive mechanisms, wherein the fixed layer is fixedly connected to the box, the floating platform is placed on the fixed layer, the lower end of each elastic member is connected to the floating platform, and the upper end is fixedly arranged, the culture plate is detachably mounted on the floating platform, a plurality of culture dishes and a cover plate covering each of the culture dishes are arranged on the culture plate, the culture dishes pass through the fixed layer, and each of the linear drive mechanisms is respectively connected to the floating platform to drive the floating platform to move up and down, thereby driving the culture plate to tilt and swing; The lower platform includes a lower three-axis displacement mechanism and a microscope mounted on the lower three-axis displacement mechanism; The suction cup can suck the cover plate to open the culture dish, and the pipette can transfer the culture solution between the culture dishes.

[0005] Furthermore, the linear drive mechanism includes a motor and a screw mechanism, the screw mechanism is vertically arranged, the motor is connected to the screw mechanism, and the screw mechanism is hingedly connected to the floating platform.

[0006] Furthermore, the screw mechanism includes a screw and a slider, the screw is vertically arranged, the slider is sleeved on the screw, the motor is connected to the screw to drive the slider to move vertically, the slider is provided with a universal ball joint, the floating platform is provided with a connecting rod, and the connecting rod is hingedly connected to the universal ball joint.

[0007] Furthermore, the floating platform is rectangular, and the number of the linear drive mechanisms is four, and the four linear drive mechanisms are respectively connected to the four corners of the floating platform.

[0008] Furthermore, the pipette gun includes a pipette module with a built-in liquid level detector, and a suction head installed on the pipette module, the suction head can suck up and install a straw, and the middle platform includes a placement rack, and the placement rack is provided with a plurality of straw placement slots.

[0009] Furthermore, the fixed layer plate is located on both sides of the floating platform and is respectively fixedly provided with two side brackets, and the elastic member is vertically arranged and the upper end is fixedly suspended on the side brackets.

[0010] Furthermore, the elastic member is a spring.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper platform also includes an upper bottom plate, and the lower platform also includes a lower bottom plate. Empty grooves are provided in the middle of the upper bottom plate and the lower bottom plate. The upper three-axis displacement mechanism and the lower three-axis displacement mechanism are both three-axis electric slides. The pipette gun and the suction cup are both installed on the Z-axis slide of the upper three-axis displacement mechanism and can move in the empty groove of the upper bottom plate. The microscope is installed on the Z-axis slide of the lower three-axis displacement mechanism and can move in the empty groove of the lower bottom plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the upper platform also includes a light source, and the light source is fixedly mounted on the upper three-axis displacement mechanism.

[0013] Furthermore, the box body is provided with an openable door, the floating platform is provided with a slot into which the culture plate can be inserted, and the fixed layer plate is located on a side of the floating platform close to the door and is provided with a drawer groove, and the drawer groove is aligned with the slot so that the culture plate can be inserted into the slot along the drawer groove.

[0014] The beneficial effects brought about by the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present invention are as follows: an incubator of the present invention places a cell culture solution in a culture dish and places it in the box body, drives the suction cup to open the cover on the culture dish through the upper three-axis displacement mechanism, and then sucks the cell culture solution in the culture dish by sucking the straw with a pipette, and transfers the cell culture solution to other culture dishes, thereby realizing the replacement, separation or recovery of the cell culture solution; and the middle platform drives the floating carrier to move through the asynchronous movement of each linear drive mechanism, drives the culture plate to shake, thereby realizing the shaking of the cell culture solution in the culture dish on the culture plate; the lower platform drives the microscope to move to the bottom of the culture dish to be observed through the lower three-axis displacement mechanism, observes the cell culture solution in the culture dish, can accurately observe and record the cell culture process in real time, realizes the automated culture of biological cells, and improves the consistency and accuracy of biological cell culture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an incubator of the present invention; Figure 2 It is an internal structure diagram of an incubator of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the upper platform; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the installation of the pipette, suction cup and light source; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the middle platform; Figure 6 This is the internal structure diagram of the middle platform; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the linear drive mechanism and the floating stage; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the lower platform.

[0016] In the figure: 1, box body; 101, box door; 2, upper platform; 201, pipette gun; 202, suction cup; 203, light source; 204, upper bottom plate; 205, X-axis slide; 206, Y-axis slide; 207, Z-axis slide; 208, pipette module; 209, suction head; 210, upper mounting plate; 3, middle platform; 301, fixed layer plate; 302, floating stage; 303, culture plate; 304, Cover plate; 305, placement rack; 306, straw; 307, linear drive mechanism; 308, elastic member; 309, culture dish; 310, drawer slot; 311, side bracket; 312, motor; 313, screw rod; 314, slider; 315, universal ball joint; 316, connecting rod; 4, lower platform; 401, X-axis slide; 402, Y-axis slide; 403, Z-axis slide; 404, microscope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the following will further describe the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is intended to provide a basic understanding of the present invention, but is not intended to confirm the key or decisive elements of the present invention or to limit the scope of protection.

[0018] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0019] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered as part of the specification.

[0020] It should be noted that similar reference numerals 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 the subsequent drawings. At the same time, it should be understood that for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0021] It should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0022] Please refer to Figure 1 and 2 An embodiment of the present invention provides an incubator, comprising a box body 1, and an upper platform 2, a middle platform 3 and a lower platform 4 which are sequentially arranged in the box body 1 from top to bottom.

[0023] The box 1 is used to provide a cell culture environment. The shape of the box 1 can be flexibly set according to actual cell culture needs. For example, in this embodiment, it is set as a rectangular parallelepiped. In other embodiments, it can also be set to other shapes. The front side of the box 1 is generally provided with an openable box door 101. When the box door 101 is opened, the culture dish 309 can be taken out and put in.

[0024] like Figure 3 and 4As shown, the upper platform 2 includes an upper three-axis displacement mechanism, and a pipette gun 201 and a suction cup 202 installed on the upper three-axis displacement mechanism. Specifically, the upper platform 2 also includes an upper bottom plate 204, the upper bottom plate 204 is horizontally arranged, and the edge of the upper bottom plate 204 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the box body 1. The upper bottom plate 204 is provided with a rectangular empty slot, and the upper three-axis displacement mechanism is a three-axis electric slide, which has an X-axis slide 205, a Y-axis slide 206 and a Z-axis slide 207, wherein the X-axis slide 205 and the Y-axis slide 206 are respectively arranged on two sides perpendicular to the empty slot, and the Z-axis slide 207 is vertically arranged relative to the upper bottom plate 204, and the Z-axis slide 207 is located in the empty slot of the upper bottom plate 204.

[0025] The pipette gun 201 and the suction cup 202 are both mounted on the Z-axis slide 207 of the upper three-axis displacement mechanism. Specifically, the pipette gun 201 and the suction cup 202 are both fixedly mounted on the upper mounting plate 210, and the upper mounting plate 210 is mounted on the Z-axis slide 207 of the upper three-axis displacement mechanism. In this way, the upper three-axis displacement mechanism can drive the upper mounting plate 210 to move along the X-axis slide 205, the Y-axis slide 206 and the Z-axis slide 207, so that the pipette gun 201 and the suction cup 202 move in the empty groove of the upper bottom plate 204.

[0026] In some embodiments, the upper platform 2 further includes a light source 203, and the light source 203 is fixedly mounted on the upper three-axis displacement mechanism. Here, the light source 203 is also mounted on the upper mounting plate 210, and thus mounted on the Z-axis slide 207 of the upper three-axis displacement mechanism, so that the upper three-axis displacement mechanism can drive the light source 203 to move, so that the light source 203 provides the required illumination conditions for cell culture.

[0027] like Figure 5 , 6 As shown in Figure 7, the middle platform 3 includes a fixed layer plate 301, a floating platform 302, at least one culture plate 303, at least one elastic member 308 and a plurality of linear drive mechanisms 307. A rectangular empty slot is provided in the middle of the fixed layer plate 301, and the empty slot of the fixed layer plate 301 is aligned with the empty slot of the upper bottom plate 204. The fixed layer plate 301 is arranged horizontally and its edge is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the box body 1. The floating platform 302 is placed on the fixed layer plate 301, specifically in the empty slot.

[0028] The lower end of each elastic member 308 is connected to the floating platform 302, and the upper end is fixedly arranged. Here, the fixed layer plate 301 is located on both sides of the floating platform 302 and is fixedly provided with two side brackets 311, and the elastic member 308 is vertically arranged and the upper end is fixedly suspended on the side bracket 311. Preferably, the elastic member 308 is a spring, which is vertically arranged, and the upper end is fixedly connected to the side bracket 311 and the lower end is fixedly connected to the floating platform 302.

[0029] The culture plate 303 is detachably mounted on the floating platform 302. The culture plate 303 is provided with a plurality of culture dishes 309 and a cover plate 304 covering each of the culture dishes 309. The culture dishes 309 pass through the fixed layer so that the lower ends of the culture dishes 309 leak out. The culture dishes 309 are generally detachably mounted on the culture plate 303 so that the culture dishes 309 can be removed for cleaning and maintenance.

[0030] Each of the linear drive mechanisms 307 is connected to the floating platform 302 to drive the floating platform 302 to move up and down, thereby driving the culture plate 303 to tilt and swing. It should be noted that when the floating platform 302 is driven to move by each of the linear drive mechanisms 307, it is necessary to control each of the linear drive mechanisms 307 to move asynchronously, that is, to drive the floating platform 302 to move in a non-horizontal state, so that each corner of the floating platform 302 fluctuates up and down, ensuring that the cell culture fluid in the culture dish 309 on the culture plate 303 is tilted at a certain angle, so that the cell culture fluid is shaken evenly. For example, each of the linear drive mechanisms 307 can be controlled to drive the floating platform 302 to move upward in sequence, so that each corner of the floating platform 302 is tilted up in sequence, and only one linear drive mechanism 307 drives the floating platform 302 to move upward at the same time. After multiple cycles, it can be ensured that the cell culture fluid is fully shaken and mixed.

[0031] It should be noted that the number of the linear drive mechanisms 307 can be flexibly set according to the shape of the floating platform 302, so as to more stably and evenly drive the floating platform 302 to move upward to achieve swinging. For example, in this embodiment, the floating platform 302 is rectangular, and the number of the linear drive mechanisms 307 is four, and the four linear drive mechanisms 307 are respectively connected to the four corners of the floating platform 302. In this way, the four linear drive mechanisms 307 can be controlled to sequentially drive the four corners of the floating platform 302 to move upward in sequence, so that the corners of the floating platform 302 are tilted up in sequence, thereby achieving stable swinging and having a better shaking effect.

[0032] The linear drive mechanism 307 can be flexibly selected according to actual application needs. For example, in this embodiment, the linear drive mechanism 307 includes a motor 312 and a screw mechanism. The screw mechanism is vertically arranged, the motor 312 is connected to the screw mechanism, and the screw mechanism is hingedly connected to the floating platform 302.

[0033] More specifically, the screw mechanism includes a screw rod 313 and a slider 314. The screw rod 313 is vertically arranged. The slider 314 is sleeved on the screw rod 313. The motor 312 is mounted on the side bracket 311 and connected to the screw rod 313 to drive the slider 314 to move vertically. The slider 314 is provided with a universal ball joint 315. The floating platform 302 is provided with a connecting rod 316. The connecting rod 316 is vertically arranged, with the upper end connected to the floating platform 302 and the lower end connected to the universal ball joint 315. The connecting rod 316 is hingedly connected to the universal ball joint 315. The motor 312 drives the screw rod 313 to drive the slider 314 to move vertically, thereby driving the floating platform 302 to move vertically. The universal ball joint 315 allows the connecting rod 316 to rotate flexibly, so that the floating platform 302 can swing more flexibly.

[0034] In some embodiments, the floating platform 302 is provided with a slot into which the culture plate 303 can be inserted, and the fixed layer plate 301 is provided with a drawer slot 310 on one side of the floating platform 302 close to the box door 101. The shapes of the slot and the drawer slot 310 are both adapted to the shape of the culture plate 303. For example, in this embodiment, the culture plate 303 is approximately rectangular, and the slot and the drawer slot 310 are both rectangular slots. The drawer slot 310 is aligned with the slot, so that the culture plate 303 can be inserted into the slot along the drawer slot 310. In this way, the culture plate 303 can be easily taken out and put in.

[0035] like Figure 8As shown, the lower platform 4 includes a lower three-axis displacement mechanism and a microscope 404 installed on the lower three-axis displacement mechanism. Specifically, the lower platform 4 also includes a lower bottom plate, which is horizontally arranged, and the edge of the lower bottom plate is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the box body 1. The lower bottom plate is provided with a rectangular empty slot, and the empty slot of the lower bottom plate is aligned with the empty slot of the fixed layer plate 301 up and down. The lower three-axis displacement mechanism is a three-axis electric slide, which has an X-axis slide 401, a Y-axis slide 402 and a Z-axis slide 403, wherein the X-axis slide 401 and the Y-axis slide 402 are respectively arranged on two sides perpendicular to the empty slot, and the Z-axis slide 403 is vertically arranged relative to the lower bottom plate, and the Z-axis slide 403 is located in the empty slot of the lower bottom plate. The microscope 404 is vertically arranged and installed on the Z-axis slide 207, and the lens of the microscope 404 is arranged upward. The lower three-axis displacement mechanism can drive the microscope 404 to move, so that the microscope 404 is aligned with the lower end of any one of the culture dishes 309 , thereby observing and recording the cell culture fluid in the culture dish 309 .

[0036] The pipette gun 201 can be loaded with a pipette 306 to absorb and transfer the cell culture fluid in each of the culture dishes 309. The pipette gun 201 generally includes a pipette module 208 with a built-in liquid level detector, and a pipette head 209 installed on the pipette module 208. The pipette head 209 can absorb and install the pipette 306. The middle platform 3 includes a placement rack 305, and the placement rack 305 is provided with a plurality of placement slots for the pipette 306. As described in this embodiment, the pipette module 208 selects the SDD28 pipette module 2, and the pipette head 209 selects the CO-RE pipette head. A pipette 306 can be placed in each of the placement slots for the pipette 306, so that the upper three-axis displacement mechanism can drive the pipette gun 201 to move to the placement rack 305, and the pipette gun 201 automatically loads the pipette 306 placed on the placement rack 305.

[0037] The pipette 306 on the pipette 306 placement slot is automatically loaded by the pipette head 209; then the pipette gun 201 is driven to move to the culture dish 309 where liquid needs to be taken, and the cell culture solution in the culture dish 309 is sucked by the pipette 306; then the pipette gun 201 is driven to move to other culture dishes 309 by the upper three-axis displacement mechanism, and the cell culture solution in the pipette 306 is injected by the pipette gun 201, and the volume of the cell culture solution in the pipette 306 can be accurately detected by the liquid level detector, so as to prepare to control the volume of the cell culture solution sucked and injected; finally, the pipette gun 201 is driven to move to the placement rack 305 by the upper three-axis displacement mechanism to put the pipette 306 back. By repeating the above process, the cell culture solution in multiple culture dishes 309 can be transferred.

[0038] The embodiment of the present invention provides a culture box for biological cells: Install multiple culture dishes 309 filled with cell culture fluid on the culture plate 303, and then install the culture plate 303 on the floating stage 302 to culture biological cells; During the biological cell culture process, the floating stage 302 can be driven to move by the asynchronous movement of each linear drive mechanism 307, so as to drive the culture plate 303 to shake, thereby achieving the shaking of the cell culture solution in the culture dish 309 on the culture plate 303; The upper three-axis displacement mechanism can also be used to drive the suction cup 202 to open the cover plate 304 on the culture dish 309, and then the pipette 306 is sucked by the pipette gun 201 to suck the cell culture fluid in the culture dish 309, and the cell culture fluid is transferred to other culture dishes 309 to achieve cell culture fluid replacement, separation or recovery; Furthermore, the microscope 404 can be driven by the lower three-axis displacement mechanism to move to the bottom of the culture dish 309 to be observed, and the cell culture fluid in the culture dish 309 can be observed and recorded, so that the cell culture process can be accurately observed in real time.

[0039] In this article, the directional words such as front, back, top, and bottom involved are defined by the positions of the parts in the drawings and the positions of the parts relative to each other, just for the sake of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that they are relative concepts and can change accordingly according to different ways of use and placement, and the use of the directional words should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0040] In the absence of conflict, the above embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An incubator, characterized in that: It comprises a box body, and an upper platform, a middle platform and a lower platform which are sequentially arranged in the box body from top to bottom; The upper platform includes an upper three-axis displacement mechanism, and a liquid transfer gun and a suction cup installed on the upper three-axis displacement mechanism; The middle platform comprises a fixed layer, a floating platform, at least one culture plate, at least one elastic member and a plurality of linear drive mechanisms, wherein the fixed layer is fixedly connected to the box, the floating platform is placed on the fixed layer, the lower end of each elastic member is connected to the floating platform, and the upper end is fixedly arranged, the culture plate is detachably mounted on the floating platform, a plurality of culture dishes and a cover plate covering each of the culture dishes are arranged on the culture plate, the culture dishes pass through the fixed layer, and each of the linear drive mechanisms is respectively connected to the floating platform to drive the floating platform to move up and down, thereby driving the culture plate to tilt and swing; The lower platform includes a lower three-axis displacement mechanism and a microscope mounted on the lower three-axis displacement mechanism; The suction cup can suck the cover plate to open the culture dish, and the pipette can transfer the culture solution between the culture dishes.

2. An incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The linear drive mechanism comprises a motor and a lead screw mechanism, the lead screw mechanism is vertically arranged, the motor is connected to the lead screw mechanism, and the lead screw mechanism is hingedly connected to the floating platform.

3. An incubator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The screw mechanism includes a screw and a slider, the screw is vertically arranged, the slider is sleeved on the screw, the motor is connected to the screw to drive the slider to move vertically, the slider is provided with a universal ball joint, the floating platform is provided with a connecting rod, and the connecting rod is hingedly connected to the universal ball joint.

4. An incubator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The floating platform is rectangular, and there are four linear drive mechanisms, which are respectively connected to four corners of the floating platform.

5. An incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipette gun comprises a pipette module with a built-in liquid level detector, and a suction head installed on the pipette module, wherein the suction head can suck up and install a straw, and the middle platform comprises a placement rack, on which a plurality of straw placement slots are arranged.

6. An incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed layer plate is located on both sides of the floating platform and is respectively fixed with two side brackets. The elastic member is vertically arranged and the upper end is fixedly suspended on the side brackets.

7. An incubator according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that: The elastic member is a spring.

8. An incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper platform also includes an upper bottom plate, and the lower platform also includes a lower bottom plate. Empty grooves are provided in the middle of the upper bottom plate and the lower bottom plate. The upper three-axis displacement mechanism and the lower three-axis displacement mechanism are both three-axis electric slides. The pipette gun and the suction cup are both installed on the Z-axis slide of the upper three-axis displacement mechanism and can move in the empty groove of the upper bottom plate. The microscope is installed on the Z-axis slide of the lower three-axis displacement mechanism and can move in the empty groove of the lower bottom plate.

9. An incubator according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that: The upper platform also includes a light source, and the light source is fixedly mounted on the upper three-axis displacement mechanism.

10. An incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body is provided with an openable door, the floating platform is provided with a slot into which the culture plate can be inserted, and the fixed layer plate is located on the side of the floating platform close to the door and is provided with a drawer groove, the drawer groove is aligned with the slot, so that the culture plate can be inserted into the slot along the drawer groove.

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