Automatic incubator

Abstract

The utility model relates to biological culture equipment and discloses an automatic incubator which comprises an incubator body and a control unit, a feeding and discharging system is arranged in the incubator body, a small window is arranged on the side edge of the incubator body, a storage rack is arranged outside the small window, a carbon dioxide sensor is arranged in the incubator body, and the carbon dioxide sensor is connected with the control unit. The feeding and discharging system comprises a material stack and a material taking frame, the material stack comprises a rotating disc type star-shaped array material frame and a driving mechanism, a plurality of layers of material bins are arranged on each material frame, the material taking frame comprises a rotating seat and a lifting seat arranged on the rotating seat, and a telescopic material taking table is arranged on the lifting seat. According to the incubator disclosed by the utility model, the feeding and discharging system is arranged in the incubator and is communicated with the outside through the small window, so that automatic input, output and incubation of materials in the incubator are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of biological culture equipment technology, and in particular to an automated incubator. Background Technology

[0002] Biological culture equipment is becoming increasingly automated, but incubators, which are used for biological culture, are limited by the structure of the chamber and the conditions for culture. They require complex operations such as taking out and putting in culture samples and controlling temperature and pressure, so their automation level is not high.

[0003] With the increasing automation of biological culture, higher demands are being placed on incubators in automated biological culture production lines and unmanned culture rooms. Furthermore, the current manual operation method, involving manually opening and closing the door to add or remove culture reagents, significantly impacts parameters such as temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration inside the incubator each time the door is opened or closed. The incubator also requires a considerable amount of time to reach the set culture parameters after each opening and closing, thus affecting the efficiency and results of the culture process. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide an automated incubator. By setting up a feeding and discharging system inside the incubator and communicating with the outside world through a small window, the automated input, output and incubation of materials inside the incubator can be realized.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this utility model is:

[0006] An automated incubator is characterized by comprising a chamber and a control unit. The chamber contains a feeding / discharging system, a small window on the side of the chamber, and a shelf outside the window. A carbon dioxide sensor is installed inside the chamber and connected to the control unit. The feeding / discharging system includes a material stack and a picking rack. The material stack includes a rotary star-shaped array material rack and a drive mechanism. Each material rack has multiple material bins. The picking rack includes a rotating base and a lifting base mounted on the rotating base. A telescopic picking platform is mounted on the lifting base. The control unit controls the rotation of the material stack to position the material bins at the picking positions. The picking rack drives the picking platform to pick up or feed material from the material bins. The control unit controls the small window to open, and the picking rack drives the picking platform to pick up or feed material from the shelf. After completion, the small window is closed.

[0007] Furthermore, a circulating air duct is provided on the inner side of the box, and a high-temperature steam humidifier is provided at the bottom of the inner side of the box.

[0008] Furthermore, the enclosure is equipped with a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, which are connected to the control unit.

[0009] Furthermore, a touch screen is installed on the front door of the enclosure, and the touch screen is connected to the control unit. A glass observation door is also installed inside the front door of the enclosure.

[0010] Furthermore, the drive mechanism of the material stack is set on the turntable of the box, with a motor installed below the turntable, and the material racks are set on the turntable in a star-shaped array. The outer side of the material racks is the material inlet and outlet.

[0011] Furthermore, the material bin includes spacer support bars installed on the material rack, and the material retrieval platform includes double telescopic bars installed on the lifting seat. The distance between the double telescopic bars is smaller than the spacing between the spacer support bars. The material retrieval platform lowers from above the material bin to place materials and rises from below the material bin to retrieve materials.

[0012] Furthermore, the small window includes a rectangular window body with a track groove on the window body. A small sealing door is installed in the track groove. The small sealing door is driven to move in the track groove by a motor and a synchronous belt, thereby opening and closing the small window.

[0013] Furthermore, position sensors are respectively installed on both sides of the bottom of the window, and the position sensors are connected to the control unit. A shielding door is installed outside the sealing door.

[0014] Furthermore, the material is a 96-position perforated plate, and the shelf and perforated plate holder are also mentioned.

[0015] Furthermore, the star-shaped array material rack includes five material racks evenly distributed on the circumference.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0017] (1) No human intervention is required, making it suitable for unmanned laboratories;

[0018] (2) Materials are taken out and put in through a small window. The window is open for a short time, so it has little impact on the various parameters inside the incubator.

[0019] (3) The feeding and discharging system has high efficiency and high operating precision;

[0020] (4) It has a high degree of automation integration and can work in conjunction with other equipment to realize automated biological culture process. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Appendix Figure 1 This is a front view of the present invention;

[0022] Appendix Figure 2 It is attached Figure 1 CC section view;

[0023] Appendix Figure 3 It is attached Figure 2 AA section view;

[0024] Appendix Figure 4 This is a schematic internal cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0025] Appendix Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the material rack;

[0026] Appendix Figure 6 It is attached Figure 5 A magnified view of part B in the image;

[0027] Appendix Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the material handling rack;

[0028] Appendix Figure 8 It is attached Figure 7 A magnified view of part D in the image;

[0029] Appendix Figure 9 This is the back view of the small window;

[0030] Appendix Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when the small window is open;

[0031] Appendix Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when the small window is closed.

[0032] The labels in the attached diagram are as follows:

[0033] 1. Box body; 2. Front door;

[0034] 3. Electrical control cabinet; 4. Touch screen;

[0035] 5. Observation door; 6. Feeding and discharging system;

[0036] 7. Material stack; 8. Picking rack;

[0037] 9. Material rack; 10. Turntable;

[0038] 11. Servo motor; 12. Material storage bin;

[0039] 13. Materials; 14. Supporting strips;

[0040] 15. Rotating seat; 16. Lifting seat;

[0041] 17. Material handling platform; 18. Double telescopic strips;

[0042] 19. Small window; 20. Shelf;

[0043] 21. Form; 22. Track;

[0044] 23. Sealed small door; 24. Position sensor;

[0045] 25. Obstruction of a small door; 26. Bushing;

[0046] 27. Carbon dioxide sensor; 28. Temperature sensor;

[0047] 29. Humidity sensor; 30. Circulating air duct;

[0048] 31. High-temperature steam humidifier. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The specific embodiments of the automated incubator of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] See appendix Figures 1 to 4 The automated incubator includes a housing 1 and a control unit. The housing 1 includes a front door 2 and an electrical control cabinet 3 on top. The control unit is controlled by the electrical control cabinet 3. A touch screen 4 is installed on the front door 2 of the housing 1. The touch screen 4 is connected to the control unit to display equipment parameters and enable interactive operation. A glass observation door 5 is also installed inside the front door 2 of the housing 1 for observation and inspection of the interior of the housing 1.

[0051] The container 1 is equipped with a feeding and discharging system 6, which includes a material stack 7 and a material picking rack 8.

[0052] See appendix Figure 5 The material stack 7 includes a rotary star array material rack 9 and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism is a servo motor 11 located below the rotary disk 10. The star array material rack 9 is arranged on the rotary disk 10. There are five material racks 9 in the figure, which are evenly distributed on the circumference of the rotary disk 10. Each material rack 9 is equipped with multiple layers of material bins 12. The number of layers on each material rack 9 exceeds 21. The total number of materials 13 on the entire material stack 7 exceeds 105, which meets the requirements for the number of cells cultured in large batches.

[0053] See appendix Figure 6 The material compartment 12 includes spacer support bars 14 set on the material rack 9. When no material 13 is placed, the material compartment 12 is open from top to bottom. The material 13 used in cell culture is a well plate. Taking the 96-well plate in the figure as an example, the well plate is placed on the support bars 14. After the well plate is arranged, there is operating space above and below the well plate.

[0054] See appendix Figure 7 The material handling rack 8 includes a rotating base 15 and a lifting base 16 mounted on the rotating base 15. A telescopic material handling platform 17 is mounted on the lifting base 16. The rotating base 15 is driven by a motor and has a vertical track. The lifting base 16 is moved up and down on the vertical track by a motor belt drive. The material handling platform 17 is mounted on the lifting base 16 and is telescopically driven by a motor.

[0055] See appendix Figure 8The material handling platform 17 has two telescopic bars 18. The distance between the two telescopic bars 18 is less than the spacing of the spacer support bars 14. The material handling platform 17 can drop down from above the material bin 12 to place the material 13 and rise up from below the material bin 12 to remove the material 13.

[0056] See appendix Figure 9-11 A small window 19 is provided on the side of the box 1, and a shelf 20 is provided outside the small window 19.

[0057] The material picker 8 is located between the material stack 7 and the small window 19. The rotating table of the material picker 8 rotates, causing the material picker 17 to switch positions between the material stack 9 and the small window 19, respectively, to operate the material bin 12 and the storage rack 20.

[0058] The small window 19 includes a rectangular window body 21 with a track groove 22. A small sealing door 23 is installed within the track groove 22. A motor and a synchronous belt drive the small sealing door 23 to move within the track groove 22, thus opening and closing the small window 19. Position sensors 24 are installed on both sides of the bottom of the window body 21, and the position sensors 24 are connected to the control unit. A small blocking door 25 is installed outside the small sealing door 23. The control unit drives the motor to rotate, and the synchronous belt drives the small sealing door 23 to move left and right within the track groove 22. The position sensors 24 determine whether the movement is in place, thus opening and closing the small sealing door 23.

[0059] The end of the track groove 22 is inclined inward. When the sealing door 23 is closed, the inclined section presses the sealing door 23 inward to ensure the sealing performance after the door is closed. There are two track grooves 22. A bushing 26 is set on each side of the sealing door 23. The sealing door 23 is opened and closed by the movement of the bushing 26 in the track groove 22.

[0060] The chamber 1 is equipped with monitoring components such as a carbon dioxide sensor 27, a temperature sensor 28, and a humidity sensor 29, which are connected to the control unit. The control unit provides feedback to the user based on the information detected by these sensors, which is displayed on a device such as a touchscreen 4. The input parameters of the equipment can also be adjusted to meet experimental requirements.

[0061] A circulating air duct 30 is provided on the inner side of the chamber 1, and a high-temperature steam humidifier 31 is provided at the bottom of the inner side of the chamber 1 to provide the necessary cultivation conditions for the chamber 1, and the parameters can be adjusted according to the information fed back by the system.

[0062] When preparing to load material 13 for biological culture, the input of material 13 is achieved through the above steps:

[0063] (1) Place material 13 on shelf 20 using auxiliary equipment;

[0064] (2) The material handling platform 17 is lifted and moved to the position of the small window 19;

[0065] (3) Control the small window 19 to open the sealed small door 23;

[0066] (4) The material pick-up platform 17 extends to the bottom of the shelf 20, rises and retracts, and the material 13 is picked up;

[0067] (5) Control the small window 19 to close the sealed small door 23;

[0068] (6) The material rack 9 is moved to the side of the material storage 12 to be arranged, located on the material picking platform 17;

[0069] (7) The material picker 8 rotates the material picker platform 17 to one side of the material rack 9;

[0070] (8) Lift the material handling platform 17 to the predetermined material bin 12 position;

[0071] (9) The material handling platform 17 extends above the material bin 12, descends and retracts, and places the material 13;

[0072] (10) Repeat steps (1)-(9) to complete the feeding of material 13.

[0073] After feeding is complete, start the incubator's cultivation functions to begin cultivation.

[0074] After cultivation is complete, the cultivated material 13 will be output. The specific steps are as follows:

[0075] (1) The material rack 9 is moved to the side of the material storage bin 12 to be picked up, located on the picking platform 17;

[0076] (2) The material handling platform 17 is rotated to one side of the material rack 9;

[0077] (3) Lift the material handling platform 17 to the predetermined material bin 12 position;

[0078] (4) The material handling platform 17 extends below the material bin 12, rises and retracts to remove the material 13;

[0079] (5) The material rack 9 is lifted and moved to the position of the small window 19;

[0080] (6) Control window 19 to open the sealed door 23;

[0081] (7) The material handling platform 17 extends onto the shelf 20, descends and retracts, and places the material 13;

[0082] (8) Control the small window 19 to close the sealed small door 23;

[0083] (9) Remove the material 13 from the shelf 20 using auxiliary equipment;

[0084] (10) Repeat steps (1)-(9) to complete the discharge of material 13.

[0085] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. An automated incubator, characterized in that: The device includes a housing and a control unit. The housing contains an infeed / outfeed system, a small window on the side of the housing, and a shelf outside the window. A carbon dioxide sensor is installed inside the housing and connected to the control unit. The infeed / outfeed system includes a material stack and a picking rack. The material stack includes a rotary star array material rack and a drive mechanism. Each material rack has multiple material bins. The picking rack includes a rotating base and a lifting base mounted on the rotating base. A telescopic picking platform is mounted on the lifting base. The control unit controls the rotation of the material stack to position the material bins at the picking position. The picking rack drives the picking platform to pick up or feed material from the material bins. The control unit controls the small window to open, and the picking rack drives the picking platform to pick up or feed material from the shelf. After completion, the small window is closed.

2. The automated incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner side of the box is provided with a circulating air duct, and a high-temperature steam humidifier is provided at the bottom of the inner side of the box.

3. The automated incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The enclosure contains a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, which are connected to the control unit.

4. The automated incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: A touch screen is installed on the front door of the enclosure, and the touch screen is connected to the control unit. A glass observation door is also installed inside the front door of the enclosure.

5. The automated incubator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The drive mechanism of the material stack is a turntable located on the box body. A motor is located below the turntable, and the material racks are located on the turntable in a star-shaped array. The outer side of the material racks is the material inlet and outlet.

6. The automated incubator according to claim 5, characterized in that: The material bin includes spacer support bars installed on the material rack, and the material retrieval platform includes double telescopic bars installed on the lifting seat. The distance between the double telescopic bars is smaller than the spacing between the spacer support bars. The material retrieval platform lowers from above the material bin to place materials and rises from below the material bin to retrieve materials.

7. The automated incubator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The small window includes a rectangular window body with a track groove. A small sealing door is installed in the track groove. The small sealing door is driven by a motor and a synchronous belt to move in the track groove, thereby opening and closing the small window.

8. The automated incubator according to claim 7, characterized in that: Position sensors are installed on both sides of the bottom of the window, and the position sensors are connected to the control unit. A shielding door is installed outside the sealing door.

9. The automated incubator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The material is a 96-position perforated plate, and the shelf and perforated plate holder are also mentioned.

10. The automated incubator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The star-shaped array material rack includes five material racks, which are evenly distributed on the circumference.

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