A cell culture device

Abstract

The utility model provides a cell culture device, cell culture device includes culture bag and culture tank cover plate. Culture bag includes cylindrical bag body and conical bag bottom, the upper bottom surface of cylindrical bag body sets up a plurality of buckles, culture tank cover plate lower bottom surface sets up a plurality of notches, and each notch is connected with buckle slot. Culture bag and culture tank cover plate are fixed, and the notch of culture tank cover plate is aligned with the buckle of culture bag, then through rotating culture tank cover plate, and the buckle enters buckle slot and forms mechanical occlusion structure. In the utility model, the connection stability of culture bag and culture tank cover plate is high, simple operation and good sealing, and adapts to frequently changing bag tank scene.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of bioreactor equipment technology, specifically, it relates to a cell culture device. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of cell culture technology, the connection structure between the cover of cell culture bags and cell culture flasks is a crucial link in achieving large-scale aseptic cell culture and ensuring process continuity. With the increasing demands for cell culture efficiency and asepticity in cell therapy, biopharmaceuticals, and other fields, the limitations of existing connection technologies are becoming increasingly apparent, including the use of threaded connections and simple snap-fit ​​joints.

[0003] While threaded connections offer a degree of sealing, the process is cumbersome, requiring repeated tightening of the threads. This is not only time-consuming but also prone to introducing contaminants due to thread contamination. For large-scale cell culture lines (e.g., operating dozens of culture bags simultaneously), the connection process alone consumes a significant amount of manual time, severely hindering production efficiency. When using simple snap-fit ​​connections... When using simple snap-fit ​​connections, reliable mechanical locking is lacking, resulting in loose connections and poor sealing and stability. During cell culture, the culture bag needs to undergo eccentric movement, making it extremely prone to loosening, leading to leakage of the culture system or invasion of external microorganisms, severely affecting the quality of cell culture.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a way to connect the cover of the cell culture bag and the cell culture jar to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] This invention provides a cell culture device, comprising a culture bag and a culture tank cover. The culture bag includes a cylindrical body and a conical bottom. Multiple snaps are provided on the upper surface of the cylindrical body. Multiple notches are provided on the lower surface of the culture tank cover, each notch connecting to a slot. When the culture bag is fixed to the culture tank cover, the notches of the cover align with the snaps of the culture bag. Rotating the cover causes the snaps to engage with the slots, forming a mechanical interlocking structure. This invention offers high stability in the connection between the culture bag and the culture tank cover, simple operation, and good sealing, making it suitable for scenarios requiring frequent bag / tank replacement.

[0006] A cell culture apparatus includes a culture bag and a culture tank cover; the culture bag includes a cylindrical bag body and a conical bag bottom, and the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag body is provided with at least two buckles; the lower bottom surface of the culture tank cover is provided with at least two notches, each notch connecting to a slot; the buckles first enter the notches, and by rotating the culture tank cover, the notches enter the slots to fix the culture bag and the culture tank cover.

[0007] The cell culture apparatus provided by this utility model includes a culture bag and a culture jar, the culture jar comprising a jar body and a culture jar lid. The upper bottom surface of the culture bag is fixed to the lower bottom surface of the culture jar lid, thereby fixing the culture bag inside the culture jar. When fixing the culture bag to the culture jar lid, first align the notch of the culture jar lid with the snap fastener of the culture bag, and the snap fastener enters the lower part of the culture jar lid; then rotate the culture jar lid, and the snap fastener enters the slot connected to the notch, forming a mechanical lock with the slot. Therefore, cell culture can be carried out in the sealed space of the culture jar.

[0008] This invention employs a "notch alignment - rotation locking" operation logic, requiring no tools or complex twisting, enabling rapid connection and disassembly, significantly saving operation time, and is particularly suitable for frequent bag-and-vessel connection scenarios in cell culture. The mechanical interlocking structure of the buckle and slot has strong anti-loosening ability, ensuring a stable connection even when the culture bag undergoes eccentric movement.

[0009] Furthermore, the shape and number of the buckles match the shape and number of the notches and slots.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag is provided with a protruding surface to form an annular convex edge; an annular magnet is provided on the side wall of the cylindrical bag.

[0011] The inner wall of the culture tank is provided with a boss, and an annular convex edge is placed on the boss, which provides a support platform for the culture bag.

[0012] The annular magnet is positioned around the lower side wall of the cylindrical bag. An electromagnet ring is installed on the inner wall of the culture tank, which can be attracted and fixed to the annular magnet when energized.

[0013] In existing technologies, cell culture bags and culture jars are mostly fixed only at the top or bottom, with the side walls usually left unfixed. This invention achieves longitudinal flattening of the bag's side walls by using a cylindrical bag body with an annular convex edge and an annular magnet. In this way, during cell culture, the cylindrical side walls of the culture bag are unfolded, making it less prone to wrinkling when the culture bag undergoes eccentric movement within the culture jar.

[0014] Furthermore, the cylindrical bag body has a first locking protrusion on its side wall, and the conical bag bottom has a second locking protrusion on its outer bottom surface, the second locking protrusion being able to fix a concave magnet.

[0015] The cylindrical bag body also has multiple first locking protrusions evenly distributed on its sidewall, which can be magnetically attracted to electromagnet points set on the inner wall of the culture tank after being energized. The first locking protrusions flatten the sidewall of the bag body laterally, further preventing wrinkles when the sidewall of the culture bag moves eccentrically, and ensuring a uniform culture environment when culturing cells.

[0016] The magnetic attraction of the first protrusion and the magnetic attraction of the ring magnet form a double sidewall constraint, which is far more effective than a single fixing method in preventing wrinkles on the sidewall of the bag and enhancing the stability of the bag.

[0017] The concave magnet is provided with a slot. Through the second protrusion and the slot, the concave magnet is fixed to the bottom of the culture bag, and the concave magnet is then magnetically attracted to the bottom of the culture tank.

[0018] The connection between the second protrusion at the bottom of the culture bag and the concave magnet is detachable, so the concave magnet can be reused.

[0019] In existing technologies, cell culture bags and culture jars are typically fixed at a single point or on one side of the top, leaving the bottom of the bag hanging freely without any fixed constraint. This invention uses a second convex and concave magnet to fix the bottom of the culture bag to the culture jar. This makes the bag more stable during culture, preventing displacement or wobbling of the bottom when the bag is shaken, aerated, stirred, or when liquid flows within the culture jar, thus avoiding disruption of the stable environment for cell growth. Furthermore, the culture bag is typically made of a flexible polymer, preventing friction and collision between its bottom and the inner wall of the culture jar or the edge of the tray after fixation, thus avoiding the risk of mechanical scratches, bag breakage, and contamination. Finally, once the bottom of the culture bag is fixed to the culture jar, it will not randomly shift, preventing inconsistencies in culture conditions between different batches and meeting the standardization requirements of large-scale culture.

[0020] Furthermore, the culture bag also includes a chuck, which is fixed to the culture bag by a multi-stage spiral and is detachable.

[0021] In existing technologies, cell culture bags and chucks are mostly integrally molded and disposable. As a high-cost component containing medical-grade materials (such as polycarbonate), the chuck must be discarded along with the disposable culture bag, resulting in a significant waste of chuck value. This design, however, achieves a detachable connection between the chuck and culture bag through a multi-level spiral fixation. The chuck can be reused while ensuring sterility and sealing; simply replacing it with a low-cost culture bag allows for continued use in the next round of cell culture. The culture bags of this invention come in various sizes (e.g., 1L, 5L, 20L), but the opening specifications for fixing different sizes of culture bags to the chuck are uniform, meaning the same chuck can be used to fix culture bags of different sizes, improving flexibility. Therefore, compared to the existing technology of integrally molded culture bags and chucks for single disposal, this invention, through its multi-level spiral fixation and detachable structure, achieves breakthroughs in cost control, resource utilization, usage flexibility, and connection reliability.

[0022] Furthermore, a first fixing ring and a first washer are provided on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the chuck, a first external thread is provided on the outer side of the first fixing ring, and the first washer is located below the first fixing ring.

[0023] The first external thread on the outer side of the first fixing ring in the chuck engages with the first internal thread of the first stepped opening in the culture bag to form a first sealing structure. The first gasket enhances the sealing performance of the sealing structure and prevents gas and liquid leakage.

[0024] Furthermore, a second fixing ring and a second washer are provided on the lower surface of the chuck, and a second external thread is provided on the outer side of the second fixing ring.

[0025] The second external thread on the outer side of the second fixing ring in the chuck engages with the second internal thread of the second stepped opening in the culture bag to form a second sealing structure. The second gasket enhances the sealing performance of the sealing structure and prevents gas and liquid leakage.

[0026] Furthermore, the inner ring of the second gasket is fixed to the second retaining ring by a sealing ring.

[0027] The sealing ring further enhances the sealing performance of the second sealing structure.

[0028] Furthermore, the culture bag is provided with an opening, which includes a first stepped opening and a second stepped opening. The diameter of the second stepped opening is smaller than that of the first stepped opening, and the first stepped opening and the second stepped opening form a stepped circular opening.

[0029] Furthermore, a first internal thread is provided on the inner side of the first stepped opening, and a second internal thread is provided on the inner side of the second stepped opening; when the chuck and the culture bag are fixed, the first external thread engages with the first internal thread, and the second external thread engages with the second internal thread.

[0030] The pitch of the second internal thread is smaller than that of the first internal thread, and the pitch of the second external thread is smaller than that of the first external thread. Therefore, the second sealing structure formed by the second internal thread and the second external thread has better sealing performance than the first sealing structure formed by the first internal thread and the first external thread, further reducing the risk of leakage and fully meeting the requirements of the sterile environment for cell culture.

[0031] The stepped circular opening of the culture bag, once fixed to the chuck, forms a double-sealing structure as described above, ensuring sterility and preventing leakage. Even if one of the two sealing structures is damaged, the other can still maintain the overall airtightness of the cell culture bag.

[0032] This utility model has the following beneficial effects: 1. This utility model provides a new connection structure between a culture bag and a culture tank cover. The culture bag's buckle and the culture tank cover's notch and groove form a mechanical interlocking structure. This connection structure has high stability, simple operation, and good sealing performance, and is suitable for scenarios where bags and tanks are frequently replaced. 2. The outer wall of the culture bag of this utility model is provided with a variety of structures, including an annular protrusion on the bottom surface of the cylindrical bag body, an annular magnet and a first locking protrusion on the side wall of the cylindrical bag body, and a second locking protrusion on the bottom outer wall of the conical bag bottom. These structures can be fixed to the inside of the culture tank, which not only enhances the stability of the culture bag, but also allows the side wall of the culture bag to be fully unfolded when working in the culture tank, preventing wrinkles when it makes eccentric movements, and making the culture medium more uniformly mixed. 3. This utility model achieves a detachable connection through the multi-level spiral fixation of the chuck and culture bag. The chuck can be reused while ensuring sterility and sealing. It can be used for the next round of cell culture simply by replacing the culture bag with a low-cost one. The same chuck can be fixed with culture bags of different sizes. Due to the detachable structure of the multi-level spiral fixation of the chuck and culture bag, this utility model has achieved breakthroughs in multiple dimensions in terms of cost control, resource utilization, flexibility of use and connection reliability. 4. The stepped circular opening of the culture bag forms a double-sealed structure after being fixed with the chuck, ensuring sterility and preventing leakage. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the culture bag and the cover plate of the culture tank; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cylindrical body and conical bottom structure of the culture bag; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the culture tank lid; Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the incubator lid; Figure 5 Perspective view of the incubator lid; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the annular magnet, the first locking protrusion, and the second locking protrusion of the culture bag; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of the culture bag and the concave magnet; Figure 8 Exploded view of the culture bag and culture vessel lid; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the culture bag and the chuck; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the chuck's structure; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal section of the chuck; Figure 12This is a structural schematic diagram of the first retaining ring, the first gasket, the second retaining ring, the second gasket, and the sealing ring; Figure 13 A schematic diagram of the first and second step openings of a culture bag; Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal section of a culture bag. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are intended to facilitate the understanding of the present invention and do not constitute any limitation thereof.

[0035] Example 1: A cell culture device like Figure 1-5 The diagram shows a cell culture apparatus, including a culture bag 1 and a culture jar. The culture jar includes a jar body (not shown) and a culture jar cover 2. The culture bag 1 includes a cylindrical bag body 3 and a conical bag bottom 4. The upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag body 3 is provided with at least two snap fasteners 5. The lower bottom surface of the culture jar cover 2 is provided with at least two notches 6, each notch connecting to a slot 7, allowing the snap fasteners 5 to enter. The shape and number of snap fasteners 5 match the shape and number of notches 6 and slots 7. In this embodiment, the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag body 3 is provided with four snap fasteners 5, which are L-shaped snap fasteners, and the lower bottom surface of the culture jar cover 2 is provided with four notches 6 and four slots 7 communicating with the notches 6. When the upper bottom surface of culture bag 1 is fixed to the lower bottom surface of culture tank cover 2, the notch 6 of culture tank cover 2 aligns with the buckle 5 of culture bag 1, and the buckle 5 enters below culture tank cover 2. Then, by rotating culture tank cover 2, the buckle 5 enters the slot 7 connecting the notch 6, forming a mechanical lock. Therefore, culture bag 1 can be used for cell culture within the sealed space of the culture tank. This device adopts the "notch alignment - rotation locking" operation logic, requiring no tools or complex twisting, allowing for quick connection and disassembly, significantly saving operation time, and is especially suitable for frequent bag-tank connection scenarios in cell culture. The mechanical interlocking structure of buckle 5 and slot 7 has strong anti-loosening ability, ensuring a stable connection even when culture bag 1 undergoes eccentric movement.

[0036] like Figure 6-7As shown, a protruding platform is provided on the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag 3, forming an annular convex edge 8. A boss is provided on the inner wall of the culture tank, and the annular convex edge 8 is placed on the boss, which provides a support platform for the culture bag 1. An annular magnet 9 is provided on the side wall of the cylindrical bag 3, and an electromagnet ring is provided inside the culture tank. The annular magnet 9 is magnetically attracted and fixed to the electromagnet ring after passing through the culture tank. The structure of the annular magnet 9, combined with the annular convex edge 8 provided on the cylindrical bag 3 of the culture bag 1, realizes the longitudinal flattening of the side wall of the culture bag 1. In this way, during the cell culture process, the side wall of the cylindrical bag 3 of the culture bag 1 is unfolded, and wrinkles are not easily formed when the culture bag 1 makes eccentric movements in the culture tank. Multiple first locking protrusions 10 are also evenly distributed on the side wall of the cylindrical bag 3, which can be magnetically attracted to the electromagnet points provided on the inner wall of the culture tank after being energized. The first locking protrusions 10 realize the lateral flattening of the side wall of the cylindrical bag 3. The magnetic attraction of the first locking protrusion 10 and the magnetic attraction of the ring magnet 9 form a double sidewall constraint, which greatly enhances the stability of the cylindrical bag 3 and prevents sidewall wrinkling compared to a single fixing method. A second locking protrusion 11 is provided on the outer side of the bottom of the conical bag bottom 4 to fix the concave magnet 12. The concave magnet 12 has a slot 13. Through the second locking protrusion 11 and the slot 13, the concave magnet 12 is fixed to the bottom of the concave bag bottom 4, and then magnetically attracted to the bottom of the culture tank. The connection between the second locking protrusion 11 and the concave magnet 12 is detachable, so the concave magnet 12 can be reused. This invention uses a second protrusion 11 and a concave magnet 12 to fix the bottom of the culture bag 1 to the culture tank. On the one hand, this makes the bag more stable during the culture process. Therefore, when the culture bag 1 is shaken, aerated, stirred, or the liquid flows in the culture tank, the bottom of the bag will not shift or swing, thus disrupting the stable environment for cell growth. On the other hand, the culture bag 1 is mostly made of flexible polymer. After its bottom is fixed to the culture tank, it will not rub or collide with the inner wall of the culture tank or the edge of the tray, avoiding the risk of mechanical scratches, bag breakage, and contamination. Furthermore, after the bottom of the culture bag 1 is fixed to the culture tank, the bottom of the bag will not shift randomly, which would cause inconsistencies in the culture conditions between different batches, thus meeting the standardization requirements of large-scale culture.

[0037] like Figure 7 , 9 As shown, the culture bag 1 is also equipped with a chuck 14, which is fixed to the culture bag 1 by a multi-stage spiral. The multi-stage spiral fixation between the chuck 14 and the culture bag 1 achieves a detachable connection. The chuck 14 can be reused while ensuring sterility and sealing; simply replacing the low-cost culture bag 1 allows for continued use in the next round of cell culture. The culture bag 1 comes in various sizes (e.g., 1L, 5L, 20L, etc.), but the opening specifications for fixing different sizes of culture bags 1 to the chuck 14 are uniform. That is, the same chuck 14 can be fixed to culture bags 1 of different sizes, improving flexibility.

[0038] like Figure 7-12 As shown, a first retaining ring 15 and a first washer 16 are provided on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the chuck 14. A first external thread 17 is provided on the outer side of the first retaining ring 15, and the first washer 16 is located below the first retaining ring 15. A second retaining ring 18 and a second washer 19 are provided on the lower surface of the chuck 14. A second external thread 20 is provided on the outer side of the second retaining ring 18. The inner ring of the second washer 19 is fixed to the second retaining ring 18 by a sealing ring 21.

[0039] like Figure 13-14 As shown, the opening of the culture bag 1 includes a first stepped opening 22 and a second stepped opening 23. The diameter of the second stepped opening 23 is smaller than that of the first stepped opening 22, and the first stepped opening 22 and the second stepped opening 23 form a stepped circular opening. A first internal thread 24 is provided on the inner side of the steps of the first stepped opening 22, and a second internal thread 25 is provided on the inner side of the steps of the second stepped opening 23.

[0040] like Figure 10-14 As shown, when the chuck 14 and culture bag 1 are fixed, the first external thread 17 engages with the first internal thread 24 to form a first sealing structure. The first gasket 16 enhances the sealing performance of the first sealing structure, preventing gas and liquid leakage. The second external thread 20 engages with the second internal thread 25 to form a second sealing structure. The second gasket 19 and sealing ring 21 enhance the sealing performance of this sealing structure, preventing gas and liquid leakage. The pitch of the second internal thread 25 is smaller than the pitch of the first internal thread 24, and the pitch of the second external thread 20 is smaller than the pitch of the first external thread 17. Therefore, the second sealing structure formed by the second internal thread 25 and the second external thread 20 has better sealing performance than the first sealing structure formed by the first internal thread 24 and the first external thread 17, further reducing the risk of leakage and fully meeting the aseptic environment requirements of cell culture.

[0041] The stepped circular opening of the culture bag 1, once fixed to the chuck 14, forms a double-sealing structure as described above, ensuring sterility and preventing leakage. Even if one of the two sealing structures is damaged, the other can still maintain the overall airtightness of the cell culture bag.

[0042] Therefore, this utility model has achieved breakthroughs in multiple dimensions in terms of cost control, resource utilization, usage flexibility, and connection reliability.

[0043] While the present invention has been disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention; therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A cell culture device, characterized in that, The invention includes a culture bag and a culture tank cover. The culture bag includes a cylindrical bag body and a conical bag bottom. The upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag body is provided with at least two buckles. The lower bottom surface of the culture tank cover is provided with at least two notches, each notch connecting to a slot. The buckles first enter the notches, and by rotating the culture tank cover, the notches enter the slots to fix the culture bag and the culture tank cover.

2. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The shape and number of the buckles match the shape and number of the notches and slots.

3. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The top surface of the cylindrical bag is provided with a protruding surface, forming an annular convex edge; the side wall of the cylindrical bag is provided with an annular magnet.

4. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The cylindrical bag body has a first locking protrusion on its side wall, and the conical bag bottom has a second locking protrusion on its outer bottom surface. The second locking protrusion can fix a concave magnet.

5. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The culture bag also includes a chuck, which is fixed to the culture bag by a multi-stage spiral and is detachable.

6. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The upper surface of the chuck is provided with a first fixing ring and a first washer on its outer periphery. The first fixing ring is provided with a first external thread on its outer side, and the first washer is located below the first fixing ring.

7. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The lower surface of the chuck is provided with a second fixing ring and a second washer, and the outer side of the second fixing ring is provided with a second external thread.

8. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The inner ring of the second gasket is fixed to the second retaining ring by a sealing ring.

9. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The culture bag is provided with an opening, which includes a first stepped opening and a second stepped opening. The diameter of the second stepped opening is smaller than that of the first stepped opening, and the first stepped opening and the second stepped opening form a stepped circular opening.

10. The cell culture apparatus as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The first stepped opening has a first internal thread on the inner side of the step, and the second stepped opening has a second internal thread on the inner side of the step; when the chuck and the culture bag are fixed, the first external thread engages with the first internal thread, and the second external thread engages with the second internal thread.

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