Wireless portable small cell incubator

Abstract

The utility model particularly relates to a wireless portable small cell incubator which comprises an incubator body, a control module and a power supply, and a culture chamber for placing a cell culture dish and a control chamber for arranging the control module are arranged in the incubator body; the top and the bottom of the box body corresponding to the culture chamber are transparent; a detection module and an environment adjusting module which are connected with the control module are arranged in the control chamber, the detection module is used for detecting temperature, humidity and bacterium content information in the culture chamber and transmitting the information to the control module, and the control module controls the environment adjusting module according to the temperature and the bacterium content information in the culture chamber; the temperature and the bacterial content in the culture chamber are ensured to be at set values; according to the technical scheme, the cell culture device has the advantages that the cell culture device is small and exquisite, stable growth of cells is ensured, external environment interference is reduced, cross contamination is reduced, accurate and repeatable experiment results are obtained, and automatic operation is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of cell culture technology, and in particular relates to a wireless portable small cell culture box. Background Technology

[0002] Cell experiments are used to study and understand the physiological, biochemical, and genetic characteristics and functions of cells. It is one of the important research methods in the fields of biology and medicine, and it is widely used in disease research, biological research, immunology research, and cell engineering. For scientific research and medical development, a large number of cell culture experiments are required.

[0003] In current laboratories, cell culture is mainly conducted in collective culture, which involves placing cells in culture dishes to form monolayers or multilayers, or placing multiple culture dishes in an incubator for cultivation and research. In collective culture, the environment within the incubator is not uniform, making it impossible to ensure that the temperature, humidity, gas environment, and other conditions of each culture dish are completely consistent. This leads to increased heterogeneity in cell phenotypes and greatly affects the reproducibility of cell experiments.

[0004] Furthermore, during cell culture, it is necessary to frequently remove the culture dish for observation. By observing changes in cell morphology, size, color, and other characteristics, we can understand the state of cell growth and differentiation, and promptly detect potential mutations or variations to determine the appropriate intervention. However, each time the culture dish is removed for observation, the cells and culture are exposed to the external environment, increasing the risk of contamination by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, which may lead to cell culture failure or mutation. Removing the culture dish requires opening the incubator or hatchery, interrupting the cell's growth and replication under constant conditions. When cells are subjected to changes in the external environment and rapid changes in temperature and humidity, they may experience stress responses, potentially leading to cell damage, apoptosis, or functional abnormalities, ultimately resulting in experimental uncertainty. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the problems in related technologies, this application provides a wireless portable mini cell culture box, which solves the problems of environmental changes affecting normal cell growth and differentiation, and the impact of cells cultured under different growth environments on the accuracy of experimental results.

[0006] The technical solution is as follows:

[0007] A wireless portable mini cell culture chamber is characterized by comprising a chamber body, a control module, and a power supply. The chamber body includes a culture chamber for holding cell culture dishes and a control chamber for housing the control module. The top and bottom of the chamber body corresponding to the culture chamber are transparent. The control chamber contains a detection module and an environmental control module, respectively connected to the control module. The detection module detects the temperature, humidity, and bacterial content within the culture chamber and transmits this information to the control module. The control module controls the environmental control module based on the temperature and bacterial content information within the culture chamber to ensure that the temperature and bacterial content within the culture chamber are at set values.

[0008] The power source is a portable power source, which is electrically connected to the control module, detection module, and environmental control module to provide operating power to the control module, detection module, and environmental control module.

[0009] The above technical solution, with its transparent top and bottom, allows for observation of cultured cells without removing the culture dish. This ensures the cell culture environment remains constant, preventing environmental changes from affecting experimental data. Simultaneously, the control module acquires information on temperature, humidity, and bacterial count within the culture chamber and adjusts these parameters accordingly. This ensures all cells in the culture container are in the same growth environment, guaranteeing normal growth or differentiation and thus ensuring the reliability of cell data.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a base for charging the power bank. The top of the base is provided with a snap-fit ​​mechanism and an inflation mechanism. The culture chamber is provided with an inflation port at the bottom of the corresponding box. The snap-fit ​​mechanism is used to connect the box and the base, so that the inflation port and the inflation mechanism are connected.

[0011] Furthermore, the housing includes a cover plate rotatably mounted on top of the culture chamber, the cover plate including a support frame and a glass plate disposed within the support frame; the environmental control module includes a first heating plate and a second heating plate, the first heating plate being transparent and fixedly mounted within the support frame below the glass plate, and the second heating plate being transparent and fixedly mounted at the bottom of the housing corresponding to the culture chamber.

[0012] Furthermore, an air inlet communicating with the air filling port is provided on one side of the culture chamber, and an air outlet is provided on the other side of the culture chamber. A breathing valve is provided on the air inlet and the air outlet respectively.

[0013] Furthermore, the front and rear ends of the housing are provided with gripping openings to facilitate the gripping of the robotic arm.

[0014] Furthermore, a humidifying tank is provided along the bottom periphery of the culture chamber, and a culture vessel placement rack is provided on the inner wall periphery of the culture chamber above the humidifying tank.

[0015] Furthermore, the control module includes a touch screen mounted on the top of the corresponding enclosure in the control room, a communication interface chip U37 mounted inside the control room, and a main control chip; the communication interface chip U37 and the main control chip are adapted to each other, and the touch screen communicates with the main control chip through the communication interface chip U37; the environmental control module includes two UVC ultraviolet lamps mounted in the culture chamber, and both UVC ultraviolet lamps are connected to a communication isolation unit. The main control chip controls the opening and closing of the two UVC ultraviolet lamps by controlling the two communication isolation units.

[0016] Furthermore, the main control chip is adapted to be connected to 485 communication unit one and 485 communication unit two; the first heating plate and the second heating plate are respectively connected to temperature control unit one and temperature control unit two, temperature control unit one is connected to port P7 of the 485 communication unit one; temperature control unit two is connected to port P14 of the 485 communication unit two; the main control chip controls the operation of 485 communication unit one and 485 communication unit two to control the opening and closing of the first heating plate and the second heating plate.

[0017] Furthermore, a one-button switch and a sterilization switch are provided on the top of the housing on one side of the touch screen. The one-button switch is connected to the control module, the detection module, and the environmental control module, and the sterilization switch is connected to the UVC ultraviolet lamp.

[0018] Furthermore, the base is provided with an air passage for providing an air source to the inflation mechanism.

[0019] In summary, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By using a transparent top and bottom enclosure, the cell culture dish can be observed directly through the transparent top and bottom of the enclosure when it is necessary to observe the cultured cells midway through the process. This ensures that the growth environment of the cells remains unchanged, thus avoiding the impact of environmental changes on experimental data. Simultaneously, the control module acquires information on temperature, humidity, and bacterial content within the culture chamber and adjusts the temperature and bacterial content based on this information. This accurately ensures that all cells in the culture container are in the same growth environment, guaranteeing that all cells are in a normal growth or differentiation state, thereby ensuring the reliability of the cell data.

[0020] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and do not limit the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a top view of the box body in this utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the box in this utility model;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the base structure in this utility model;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the interior of the culture chamber in this utility model;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of the control module in this utility model;

[0029] Figure 8 This is the internal schematic diagram of the main control chip in this utility model;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the internal connection principle of 485 communication unit one and 485 communication unit two in this utility model;

[0031] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the internal connection principle of the touch screen in this utility model;

[0032] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the internal connection principle of the UVC ultraviolet lamp in this utility model;

[0033] In the diagram, 1. Box body; 2. Base; 3. Culture chamber; 4. Control chamber; 5. Cover plate; 501. Frame; 502. Glass 1; 6. Snap-fit ​​mechanism; 7. Air inlet; 8. Breathing valve; 9. Clamping port; 10. Culture vessel rack; 11. Touch screen; 12. One-button switch; 13. Sterilization button; 14. First heating plate; 15. Second heating plate; 16. Humidification tank. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0035] In one possible embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 1-11 As shown, a wireless portable small cell culture box includes a box body 1, a control module, and a power supply. The box body 1 is provided with a culture chamber 3 for placing cell culture dishes and a control chamber 4 for setting up the control module. The top and bottom of the box body 1 corresponding to the culture chamber 3 are transparent. The control chamber 4 is provided with a detection module and an environmental regulation module, which are respectively connected to the control module. The detection module is used to detect the temperature, humidity, and bacterial content information in the culture chamber 3 and transmit the temperature, humidity, and bacterial content information to the control module. The control module controls the environmental regulation module to work according to the temperature and bacterial content information in the culture chamber 3 to ensure that the temperature and bacterial content in the culture chamber 3 are at the set values.

[0036] The power supply is a portable power supply, which is electrically connected to the control module, detection module, and environmental control module. It is used to provide working power to the control module, detection module, and environmental control module. The portable power supply is a rechargeable power supply.

[0037] The front and rear ends of the box 1 are provided with gripping ports 9 to facilitate the gripping of the robotic arm. The gripping ports 9 facilitate the robotic arm to grasp and move the incubator.

[0038] A humidification tank 16 is provided along the bottom periphery of the culture chamber 3, and a culture vessel rack 10 is provided above the humidification tank 16 on the inner periphery of the culture chamber 3. The detection module includes a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a gas sensor. When the humidity value detected in the culture chamber 3 is lower than the threshold set by the control module, water is manually added to the humidification tank 16.

[0039] The housing 1 includes a cover plate 5 that is rotatably mounted on top of the culture chamber. The cover plate 5 includes a support frame 501 and a glass plate 502 disposed within the support frame 501. The environmental control module includes a first heating plate 14 and a second heating plate 15. The first heating plate 14 is transparent and fixedly mounted within the support frame 501 below the glass plate 502. The second heating plate 15 is transparent and fixedly mounted at the bottom of the housing 1 corresponding to the culture chamber 3.

[0040] An air inlet communicating with an air filling port 7 is provided on one side of the culture chamber 3, and an air outlet is provided on the other side of the culture chamber 3. A breathing valve 8 is provided on both the air inlet and the air outlet. The specific structure and installation method of the breathing valve 8 are existing technologies and will not be elaborated upon here; a model that allows only air to pass through but not liquids should be selected, which is common knowledge and will not be elaborated upon here. The breathing valve 8 includes a mounting frame, within which one or more first holes are formed. The first holes are fitted to the air inlet, and a breathable membrane is provided within the first hole, with a sealing ring provided along the periphery of the first hole. A handle is fixedly provided on one side of the first hole, and a second hole fitting the handle is provided at the top of both the air inlet and the air outlet.

[0041] The control module includes a touchscreen 11 mounted on the top of the corresponding enclosure 1 in the control room 4, a communication interface chip U37 and a main control chip located inside the control room 4; the communication interface chip U37 and the main control chip are connected and adapted, and the touchscreen 11 communicates and interacts with the main control chip through the communication interface chip U37; the internal structure and specific connections of the communication interface chip U37 and the main control chip are as follows. Figure 10 , 8 As shown, this is existing technology and will not be discussed in detail here.

[0042] The environmental control module includes two UVC ultraviolet lamps installed in the culture chamber 3. Each UVC lamp is connected to a communication isolation unit. The main control chip controls the on / off state of the two UVC lamps by controlling the two communication isolation units. The internal structure and specific connections of the two communication isolation units and the main control chip are as follows: Figure 9 , 8 As shown, this is existing technology and will not be discussed in detail here.

[0043] The main control chip is adapted to connect to 485 communication unit one and 485 communication unit two; the first heating plate 14 and the second heating plate 15 are respectively connected to temperature control unit one and temperature control unit two. Temperature control unit one is connected to port P7 of 485 communication unit one; temperature control unit two is connected to port P14 of 485 communication unit two; the specific internal schematic diagrams of 485 communication unit one and 485 communication unit two are shown below. Figure 11 As shown, the connection between the main control chip and the first heating plate 14 and the second heating plate 15 is all existing technology, and will not be described in detail here.

[0044] A one-button switch 12 and a sterilization switch are provided on the top of the cabinet 1 on one side of the touch screen 11. The one-button switch 12 is connected to the control module, the detection module and the environmental control module, and the sterilization switch is connected to the UVC ultraviolet lamp.

[0045] The sterilization button 13 is used to turn the UVC ultraviolet lamp on and off with one click, and the one-button switch 12 is used to control the touch screen 11, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, gas sensor, UVC ultraviolet lamp, communication chip P7 and communication chip P14 to turn on and off with one click.

[0046] It also includes a base 2 for charging a power bank. The top of the base 2 is provided with a snap-fit ​​mechanism 6 and an inflation mechanism. The culture chamber 3 is provided with an inflation port 7 at the bottom of the box body 1. The snap-fit ​​mechanism is used to connect the box body 1 and the base 2, so that the inflation port 7 and the inflation mechanism are connected.

[0047] The snap-fit ​​mechanism 6 includes two symmetrically arranged limiting cones on the top of the base 2, and corresponding limiting holes on the bottom of the housing 1. The inflation mechanism includes a quick connector disposed between the two limiting cones and a rubber ring disposed around the periphery of the quick connector. The quick connector passes through the base 2 and has a circular groove along the periphery of the inflation port 7. The circular groove and the rubber ring are fitted together. A pipe for inflating the quick connector is disposed inside the base 2. The charging mechanism includes a fixing plate disposed on the top of the base 2, a spring pin disposed on the top of the fixing plate, and a charging port spaced between the spring pins. The fixing plate is disposed on one side of one of the limiting cones. One end of the charging port is connected to an external power source, and the other end is used to charge the power bank. A charging port is disposed on the housing 1 at the bottom of the power bank, corresponding to and fitting the position of the charging port. When charging is required, the limiting hole is placed on the limiting cone, at which time the quick connector and the inflation port are connected, and the spring pin and the charging port are connected.

[0048] The base 2 is equipped with an air pipe for providing air to the inflation mechanism.

[0049] Operating principle: Close the cover 5 to seal the culture chamber 3. Press the one-button switch 12 to start the chamber 1. While the culture chamber 3 is running, the detection module detects the temperature, humidity, and bacterial composition within the culture chamber 3 and transmits the detection data to the control module via a wireless module.

[0050] The data detected by the detection module is displayed to the user via the touch screen 11. After comparing the detection data with the set values ​​of temperature and bacterial information in the culture chamber 3, the control module slides the touch screen 11 to issue adjustment commands and issues control commands to the control module, thereby controlling the power supply and power-off of the first heating plate 14 and the second heating plate 15, and the opening and closing of the UVC ultraviolet lamp. Water is added to the humidification tank 16 manually based on the humidity information detected by the detection module.

[0051] During normal cell growth and differentiation, the entire device is placed under the observation equipment by using an external robotic arm to hold the clamping port 9. Furthermore, because the top and bottom glass of this device are transparent, when it is necessary to observe the cultured cells midway, there is no need to remove the cell culture dish; observation can be performed directly through the top of the transparent box 1. This ensures that the growth environment of subsequent cell culture remains unchanged, thereby avoiding the impact of environmental changes on experimental data.

[0052] The setup of a single-layer culture dish and an environmental control module allows the control module to acquire information on temperature, humidity, and gas composition within the culture chamber 3. Based on this information, the environmental control module can be controlled to ensure that all cells on the culture dish are in the same growth environment, thereby guaranteeing that all cells can grow and differentiate normally and ensuring the reliability of cell experiment data.

[0053] Other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention described herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention. Such variations, uses, or adaptations follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not invented by the invention. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are indicated by the appended claims.

[0054] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wireless portable miniature cell culture box, characterized in that: The device includes a housing and a control module, a detection module, an environmental control module, and a power supply housed within the housing. The power supply is electrically connected to the control module, the detection module, and the environmental control module, respectively, and is used to provide working power to the control module, the detection module, and the environmental control module. The chamber contains a culture chamber and a control chamber. The culture chamber is used to hold cell culture dishes, and the control module is located in the control chamber. The detection module is connected to the control module and is used to detect the temperature, humidity, and bacterial content information in the culture chamber, and transmit the temperature, humidity, and bacterial content information to the control module. The control module is connected to the environmental regulation module and is used to control the operation of the environmental regulation module based on the temperature and bacterial content information in the culture chamber to ensure that the temperature and bacterial content in the culture chamber are at the set values. The culture chamber is equipped with a cover plate on top. The environment control module includes a first heating plate and a second heating plate. The first heating plate is disposed on the cover plate, and the second heating plate is disposed on the bottom of the corresponding box of the culture chamber. Both the first heating plate and the second heating plate are made of transparent material. When the cover plate is closed, the culture chamber is in a sealed state, and the cell culture dishes placed in the culture chamber can be observed through the first heating plate and the second heating plate. The culture chamber is equipped with a humidification tank and a culture dish rack. The humidification tank is disposed along the periphery of the bottom of the culture chamber, and the culture dish rack is disposed on the periphery of the inner wall of the culture chamber and located above the humidification tank.

2. The wireless portable miniature cell culture chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a base, the top of which is provided with a charging mechanism, a snap-fit ​​mechanism and an inflation mechanism; the charging mechanism includes a quick connector, and the snap-fit ​​mechanism includes two limiting cones symmetrically arranged on the top of the base; the bottom of the box is provided with a charging port and a limiting hole, and the culture chamber is provided with an inflation port corresponding to the bottom of the box; when the box and the base are connected, the limiting hole is placed on the limiting cones, the quick connector is connected to the charging port, and the inflation port is connected to the inflation mechanism.

3. The wireless portable miniature cell culture chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cover plate is rotatably mounted on the top of the culture chamber. The cover plate includes a support frame and a glass plate disposed within the support frame. The first heating plate is fixedly installed in the support frame below the glass plate.

4. A wireless portable miniature cell culture chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that, An air inlet communicating with the air filling port is provided on one side of the culture chamber, and an air outlet is provided on the other side of the culture chamber. A breathing valve is provided on the air inlet and the air outlet respectively.

5. A wireless portable miniature cell culture box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The front and rear ends of the housing are provided with gripping openings to facilitate the gripping of the robotic arm.

6. A wireless portable miniature cell culture chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control module includes a touch screen, a communication interface chip, and a main control chip. The touch screen is located on the top of the corresponding enclosure in the control room, and the communication interface chip and the main control chip are located inside the control room. The communication interface chip and the main control chip are connected and adapted to each other, and the touch screen communicates and interacts with the main control chip through the communication interface chip. The environmental control module includes two UVC ultraviolet lamps installed in the culture chamber. Both UVC ultraviolet lamps are connected to a communication isolation unit. The main control chip controls the two UVC ultraviolet lamps to turn on and off by controlling the two communication isolation units.

7. A wireless portable miniature cell culture chamber according to claim 6, characterized in that, The main control chip is connected to the first heating plate through a 485 communication unit one, and the main control chip controls the first heating plate to work or stop through the 485 communication unit one; the main control chip is connected to the second heating plate through a 485 communication unit two, and the main control chip controls the second heating plate to work or stop through the 485 communication unit two.

8. A wireless portable miniature cell culture chamber according to claim 6, characterized in that, The top of the enclosure is equipped with a one-button switch and a sterilization switch, which are located on one side of the touch screen. The one-button switch is connected to the control module, the detection module, and the environmental control module, while the sterilization switch is connected to the UVC ultraviolet lamp.

9. A wireless portable miniature cell culture chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that, The base is provided with an air passage for providing an air source to the inflation mechanism.

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