Bottle tray, bottle unit and cell culture system

Abstract

To provide a bottle tray that can stably transport additive ingredients and prevent contamination.SOLUTION: A bottle tray comprises: a mounting plate having a mounting surface on which the bottom of a bottle having a removable lid is placed; a side wall portion rising from the mounting plate to surround the bottle; a supported portion extending horizontally from the outer circumferential surface of the side wall portion; a horizontal plate portion provided on the lid portion and extending horizontally; and a lid attachment / detachment member having a lid fixing portion provided on the horizontal plate portion to fix the lid portion integrally with the horizontal plate portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a bottle tray, a bottle unit, and a cell culture system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a culture vessel set having recesses capable of holding a plurality of case-shaped culture vessels containing a culture solution. This culture vessel set is used in an automatic cell culture system for performing cell culture without human intervention.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when performing cell culture, components such as those that decrease due to cell metabolism during culture (trace components) may be added to the culture solution. When realizing this in an automatic cell culture system, it is necessary to transfer a bottle containing trace components to a dispensing device using a transfer device such as a robot hand. Further, it is required to avoid contamination of the components during the transfer process and improve the handleability at the dispensing device.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a bottle tray, a bottle unit, and a cell culture system that can stably transfer components for addition and suppress contamination.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the bottle tray according to the present disclosure includes a mounting plate having a mounting surface on which the bottom surface of a bottle having a detachable lid is placed, a side wall portion rising from the mounting plate so as to surround the bottle, a supported portion projecting horizontally from the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion, a horizontal plate portion provided on the lid and extending horizontally, and a lid detachable member having a lid fixing portion integrally provided on the lower surface of the plate portion and capable of gripping the lid.

[0007] The bottle unit according to the present disclosure includes the above bottle tray and the bottle placed on the mounting surface.

[0008] The cell culture system according to the present disclosure includes the above bottle unit, a stocker into which the bottle unit is carried, an incubator forming a culture area, a clean bench forming a liquid operation area where a dispensing device is provided, and a transport device for transporting the bottle unit across the stocker, the incubator, and the clean bench. The dispensing device has a cooling device on which the mounting plate of the bottle tray in the bottle unit is placed.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, the components for addition can be stably transferred and contamination can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the cell culture system 100 of the present embodiment is a system that performs cell culture with a flask unit F as a work as a processing unit. The flask unit F is equipped with a plurality (for example, two in the present embodiment) of flasks. A culture solution containing cells and a culture medium is accommodated in the flask.

[0012] <Cell culture system 100> As shown in FIG. 1, the cell culture system 100 has a first stocker 110 and a second stocker 120 as stockers, an incubator 130, a clean bench 140, and a pass box 150.

[0013] <First stocker 110> The stocker is a facility for storing a plurality of flask units F and other works. The area inside the stocker is a first storage area R1. A rack capable of storing a large number of works is provided in the storage area. An operator can access the rack from the outside through an opening / closing part (not shown).

[0014] <Second stocker 120> The second stocker 120 is provided adjacent to the first stocker 110. The area inside the second stocker 120 is a second storage area R2. A freezer / refrigerator 121 and a stage 122 are provided in the second storage area R2. The freezer / refrigerator 121 is configured to be able to switch between freezing and refrigerating articles. The freezer / refrigerator 121 can accommodate those that need to be frozen or refrigerated, such as seed cells introduced into the flask and antibodies extracted after culturing in the flask.

[0015] The stage 122 has a flat upper surface parallel to the horizontal plane. In this embodiment, a plurality of stages 122 are provided. The stage 122 is accessible to an operator, for example, through a window provided in the building of the second stocker 120. The bottle unit 1 as a workpiece is placed on the stage 122 by the operator.

[0016] <Incubator 130> The incubator 130 is a facility for growing cells in a culture solution. The area inside the incubator 130 is the culture area R3. The atmosphere in the culture area R3 is controlled at a temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration suitable for cell culture. In the culture area R3, for example, a shaking stage capable of simultaneously shaking a plurality of flask units F is provided.

[0017] <Clean bench 140> The clean bench 140 is a facility for performing various liquid operations and treatments on the flask unit F. The area inside the clean bench 140 is the liquid operation area R4. The liquid operation area R4 is a highly clean aseptic space (bio clean room).

[0018] Inside the clean bench 140, in addition to various facilities such as a filtration device, a sealing device, a waste liquid draining device, and a workpiece discharging device (not shown), a dispensing device 141 is provided. The flask unit F and the bottle unit 1 are carried into the dispensing device 141. Inside the dispensing device 141, a cooling device 142 is provided. The cooling device 142 has a heat sink with a flat upper surface parallel to the horizontal plane, and the bottle unit 1 is placed on the heat sink. Outside the clean bench 140, a medium supply device 145 capable of supplying a medium to the dispensing device 141 is provided.

[0019] Here, the clean bench 140 is arranged adjacent to the first stocker 110 and the second stocker 120. Inside the first stocker 110, a first stocker door 110a is provided that separates the first storage area R1 and the liquid operation area R4. When the first stocker door 110a is in the open state, the first storage area R1 and the liquid operation area R4 are in a communicating state, and workpieces can move back and forth between these areas. When the first stocker door 110a is in the closed state, the first storage area and the liquid operation area R4 are in a non-communicating state, and these areas are isolated.

[0020] Inside the second stocker 120, a second stocker door 120a is provided that separates the second storage area R2 and the liquid operation area R4. When the second stocker door 120a is in the open state, the second storage area R2 and the liquid operation area R4 are in a communicating state. When the second stocker door 120a is in the closed state, the second storage area R2 and the liquid operation area R4 are in a non-communicating state, and these areas are isolated.

[0021] <Passbox 150> The passbox 150 is provided between the incubator 130 and the clean bench 140 so as to be in contact with them. The passbox 150 has a second pass door 150b. When the first pass door 150a is in the open state, the culture area R3 and the area inside the passbox 150 are in a communicating state. When the second pass door 150b is in the open state, the liquid operation area R4 and the area inside the passbox 150 are in a communicating state. Therefore, by the opening and closing operations of these first pass door 150a and second pass door 150b, the state where the culture area R3 and the liquid operation area are isolated and the state where workpieces can move back and forth between these areas can be switched. Note that the first pass door 150a and the second pass door 150b are not in the open state at the same time. Thus, the culture area R3 and the liquid operation area R4 do not communicate with each other, and the atmosphere state of each area is maintained.

[0022] <Conveyor device> In each of the first storage area R1, the second storage area R2, the culture area R3, and the liquid operation area R4, for example, a transport robot movable in the horizontal direction is provided as a transport device. Thereby, the movement of the workpiece in each area is made possible. By the cooperation of the opening and closing of each door and the operation of the transport robot, the workpiece can move back and forth in each area. Further, particularly in the second storage area R2, in addition to the transport robot, a slider 123 as a transport device is provided. By sliding the slider 123 on which the workpiece is placed so as to pass through the open second stocker door 120a, the workpiece can move back and forth between these areas.

[0023] <Detailed Structure of Bottle Unit 1> Next, the detailed structure of the bottle unit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. The bottle unit 1 is composed of a bottle 2 and a bottle unit 1.

[0024] <Bottle 2> As shown in FIG. 3, the bottle 2 has a bottle body 3 and a lid portion 8. The bottle body 3 is made of plastic, glass, etc., and is capable of accommodating liquid therein. The bottle body 3 has a bottomed cylindrical shape centered on a first axis O1 extending in the vertical direction V. The bottle body 3 has a bottom parallel to the horizontal plane. The outer peripheral surface 5 of the bottle body 3 has a cylindrical shape extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface 4. At the upper end of the outer peripheral surface 5 of the bottle body 3, a shoulder portion 6 is provided which extends so as to reduce the diameter from the outer peripheral surface 5. At the center of the shoulder portion 6, a mouth portion 7 is provided which rises upward in a cylindrical shape from the inner peripheral edge of the mold portion. The mouth portion 7 has a cylindrical shape. The outer diameter of the mouth portion 7 is smaller than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the bottle body 3.

[0025] The lid portion 8 has a bottomed cylindrical shape centered on the first axis O1 and its upper end is closed. The lid portion 8 is externally fitted onto the mouth portion 7 of the bottle body 3 from above. The lid portion 8 is not screwed to the bottle 2 but is put on from above. Therefore, the lid portion 8 is detachable from the bottle 2 only by relative movement in the vertical direction. The outer diameter of the lid portion 8 is smaller than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 5 of the bottle body 3.

[0026] <Bottle tray 10> Two bottles 2 of the above-described configuration are mounted on a bottle tray 10 as a set. The bottle tray 10 is made of metal. The bottle tray 10 is preferably made of a metal that is lightweight and has a high thermal conductivity. The bottle tray 10 is made of, for example, aluminum. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the bottle tray 10 has a mounting plate 20, side wall portions 30, supported portions 40, lid placement portions 50, and lid attachment members.

[0027] <Mounting plate 20> The mounting plate 20 is a member on which the bottle 2 is mounted from above. The mounting plate 20 has a flat plate shape extending in the horizontal direction. The mounting plate 20 has a rectangular shape in plan view. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction (the direction in which a pair of long sides extend) of the mounting plate 20 in plan view is referred to as the first direction D1. The short-side direction (the direction in which a pair of short sides extend) of the mounting plate 20 in plan view is referred to as the second direction D2.

[0028] The upper surface of the mounting plate 20 is a mounting surface on which the bottom surface 4 of the bottle body 3 is mounted. A plurality (two in this embodiment) of the bottle bodies 3 are arranged at intervals in the first direction D1 in a region on one side of the second direction D2 on the mounting surface. In other words, the juxtaposition direction of the plurality of bottle bodies 3 coincides with the first direction D1.

[0029] <Side wall portions 30> The side wall portion 30 extends upward from the placement surface of the placement plate 20. The side wall portion 30 forms a cylindrical shape that surrounds a plurality of bottle bodies 3 from the outer peripheral side. The lower end of the side wall portion 30 is fixed to the placement surface over the entire circumference. The height of the upper end of the side wall portion 30 is the same over the entire circumference. The height of the upper end of the side wall portion 30 is lower than the height of the upper end of the lid portion 8 attached to the bottle body 3. The height of the upper end of the side wall portion 30 is higher than the height of the lower end of the mouth portion 7. The side wall portion 30 is composed of a pair of first wall plates 31 and a pair of second wall plates 32.

[0030] The pair of first wall plates 31 are each plate-shaped and extend in the vertical direction V and the first direction D1. The pair of first wall plates 31 are arranged to face each other in the second direction D2 on the placement surface. The pair of first wall plates 31 are arranged along the long side extending in the first direction D1 of the placement plate 20. The length of the first wall plate 31 in the first direction D1 is shorter than the length of the placement plate 20 in the first direction D1.

[0031] The pair of second wall plates 32 are each plate-shaped and extend in the vertical direction V and the second direction D2. The pair of second wall plates 32 are arranged to face each other in the first direction D1 on the placement surface. The pair of second wall plates 32 are arranged inward of the pair of short sides of the placement plate 20. They are arranged along the long side extending in the direction.

[0032] The side wall portion 30 composed of such a pair of first side walls and a pair of second side walls has a rectangular shape in plan view. Also, both ends of the placement plate 20 in the first direction D1 are exposed so as to protrude outward from the second wall surface.

[0033] <Supported portion 40> The supported portion 40 is a member provided so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface 5 of the side wall portion 30. The supported portion 40 is provided at an intermediate position between the lower end and the upper end of the side wall portion 30 so as to protrude on both sides in the first direction D1. That is, the supported portion 40 is provided so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface 5 of the pair of second wall surfaces in the first direction D1.

[0034] The pair of supported portions 40 has a rectangular shape extending with the vertical direction as the thickness direction, the first direction D1 as the short side direction, and the second direction D2 as the long side direction. The length of the pair of supported portions 40 in the second direction D2 is the same as the length of the side wall portion 30 in the second direction D2. The pair of supported portions 40 has the same shape as a pair of portions protruding from the side wall portion 30 on the mounting plate 20 in a plan view.

[0035] The lower surface of the supported portion 40 parallel to the horizontal plane is a support surface 41 against which the robot arm of the transfer robot abuts from below. At a pair of corner portions at the tip of each supported portion 40 (a pair of corner portions on the side away from the side wall portion 30), a transfer through-hole 42 is formed that penetrates in the vertical direction and opens downward from the support surface 41. Instead of the transfer through-hole 42, a hole as a recess opening downward from the support surface 41 of the supported portion 40 may be provided.

[0036] <Cover placement portion 50> The cover placement portion 50 is provided at a portion closer to the side opposite to the placement position of the bottle 2 in the second direction D2 at the upper end of the side wall portion 30 (the portion on the other side of the second direction D2). The cover placement portion 50 has a fixing plate 51 and a placement table 52. The fixing plate 51 is a member having a certain thickness and having a rectangular plate shape with the first direction D1 as the long side direction and the second direction D2 as the short side direction. The dimension of the fixing plate 51 in the long side direction is equivalent to the dimension of the side wall portion 30 in the first direction D1. The dimension of the fixing plate 51 in the short side direction is shorter than the dimension of the side wall portion 30 in the second direction D2.

[0037] The fixing plate 51 is integrally fixed to the side wall portion 30 so as to close the region on the other side of the second direction D2 in the upper end opening of the side wall portion 30. The region on one side of the first direction D1 in the upper end opening of the side wall portion 30 is open upward, and the upper part of the bottle 2 penetrates vertically.

[0038] The lid placement base 52 is provided on the fixed plate 51. A plurality (two in this embodiment) of lid placement bases 52 are provided at intervals in the first direction D1. The number of lid placement bases 52 is equal to the number of bottles 2. The lid placement base 52 is circular in plan view. The diameter of the lid placement base 52 in plan view is larger than the diameter of the lid portion 8. The upper surface of the lid placement base 52 is flat and parallel to the horizontal plane. The lower end of each lid portion 8 is placed on the upper surface of each lid placement base 52.

[0039] <Lid attachment / detachment member 60> The lid attachment / detachment member 60 is a member for facilitating the attachment and detachment of the lid to the bottle body 3. The lid attachment / detachment member 60 has a horizontal plate portion 61 and a lid fixing portion 63.

[0040] <Horizontal plate portion 61> The horizontal plate portion 61 has a certain thickness and is in the shape of a flat plate with the first direction D1 as the longitudinal direction and the second direction D2 as the short direction. The horizontal plate portion 61 is provided over a plurality of lid portions 8. The longitudinal dimension of the horizontal plate portion 61 is the same as the longitudinal dimension of the placement plate 20. The horizontal plate portion 61 is arranged in plan view so as to overlap the region not blocked by the fixed plate 51 at the upper end opening of the side wall portion 30.

[0041] In a state where the horizontal plate portion 61 is provided over a plurality of lid portions 8, the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 is located above the upper end of the side wall portion 30. Thereby, the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 and the upper end of the side wall portion 30 are arranged at an interval in the vertical direction. Therefore, the space inside the side wall portion 30 communicates with the outside through the interval.

[0042] Due to the horizontal plate portion 61 being arranged as described above, the lid placement portion 50 is provided at a horizontal position different from that of the lid attachment / detachment member 60. The lid placement portion 50 is provided on the other side of the second direction D2 of the lid attachment / detachment member 60.

[0043] At a pair of corner portions on one side in the second direction D2 of the horizontal plate portion 61, there are formed attachment / detachment through holes 62 that penetrate vertically and open downward. The pair of attachment / detachment through holes 62 are formed so as to correspond to the conveyance through holes 42 on one side in the second direction D2 of the supported portion 40 at positions that overlap in a plan view. The attachment / detachment through holes 62 and the conveyance through holes 42 in these corresponding relationships are formed around a second axis O2 that extends linearly in the vertical direction. Instead of the attachment / detachment through holes 62, a hole as a recess that opens downward from the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 may be provided.

[0044] <Lid fixing portion 63> The lid fixing portion 63 is provided on the horizontal plate portion 61. The lid fixing portion 63 integrally fixes the lid portion 8 of the bottle 2 to the horizontal plate portion 61. In the present embodiment, a pair of lid fixing portions 63 are provided on the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 at intervals in the first direction D1. As shown in FIG. 3, the lid fixing portion 63 has a ring shape centered on the first axis O1. The upper end of the lid fixing portion 63 that forms an annular shape is fixed to the horizontal plate portion 61 over the entire circumference. The inner diameter of the lid fixing portion 63 is set to an inner diameter that can be fitted to the outer peripheral surface 5 of the lid portion 8 of the bottle 2. By externally fitting the lid fixing portion 63 to the outer peripheral surface 5 of the lid portion 8, the lid portion 8 and the lid fixing portion 63 are integrated, and the lid portion 8 is fixed to the horizontal plate portion 61 via the lid fixing portion 63. In the state where the lid portion 8 is fixed by the lid fixing portion 63, the upper end of the lid portion 8 abuts against the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61.

[0045] Note that the lid fixing portion 63 is not limited to the configuration of being externally fitted to the lid portion 8 as described above. For example, it may have a configuration having claw portions that grip the lid portion 8 from the outer peripheral side of the lid portion 8. In addition, as long as it is a configuration that can integrally fix the lid portion 8 to the horizontal plate portion 61, other configurations may be adopted. A configuration may be adopted in which a recess into which the lid portion 8 fits is formed on the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61, and the lid portion 8 is fixed by externally fitting the recess to the lid portion 8. In addition, as the lid fixing portion 63, an adhesive may be used or a welded portion may be used.

[0046] <Operational effects> The bottle unit 1 with the above configuration is used, for example, to add trace components into a flask mounted on the flask unit F. Trace components such as antibiotics, glutamine, feed medium, diluent, etc. are pre-stored in the bottle 2 of the bottle unit 1. These trace components are the components required in the process of cell culture.

[0047] The two bottles 2 containing the above trace components are placed on the placement surface of the bottle tray 10. As described above, the lid portion 8 is integrally fixed to the horizontal plate portion 61 by the lid fixing portion 63. The bottle unit 1 configured in this way is placed on the stage 122 of the second stocker 120 by an operator.

[0048] After that, the transfer robot in the second stocker 120 moves the bottle unit 1 from the stage 122 onto the slide. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of gripping portions 161 of the robot hand 160 of the transfer robot lift the bottle unit 1 by scooping up the pair of supported portions 40 from below.

[0049] That is, the pair of gripping portions 161 of the robot hand 160 lift the bottle unit 1 by abutting against the support surfaces 41 of the corresponding supported portions 40 from below. At the same time, a pair of positioning protrusions 162 protruding upward from each gripping portion 161 of the robot hand 160 enter the transfer through holes 42 provided in pairs in each support portion from below. By positioning the robot hand 160 and the bottle unit 1 in this way, the bottle unit 1 is transferred while being supported at a fixed position of the robot hand 160.

[0050] Note that through holes are formed in other workpieces of the flask unit F other than the bottle unit 1 in the same arrangement relationship. Therefore, the robot hand 160 can transfer each workpiece while performing the same positioning for a plurality of workpieces.

[0051] The bottle unit 1 placed on the slider 123 is transferred in the clean room through the second stocker door 120a as the slider 123 slides. In the clean room, while the transfer robot supports the bottle unit 1 as described above, the bottle unit 1 is transferred into the dispensing device 141. Then, the bottle unit 1 is placed on the cooling device 142 in the dispensing device 141.

[0052] When the bottle unit 1 is placed on the cooling device 142, the mounting plate 20 and the side wall portion 30 connected to the mounting plate 20 are cooled. Thereby, the bottle 2 disposed inside the bottle unit 1 can be cooled.

[0053] Next, in the dispensing device 141, as shown in FIG. 4, the robot hand 160 lifts the longitudinal ends of the horizontal plate portion 61 from below. At this time, the positioning protrusions 162 at the tip ends of the pair of gripping portions 161 of the robot hand 160 enter the detachable through holes 62 from below. Thereby, while positioning the pair of gripping portions 161 and the horizontal plate portion 61, the horizontal plate portion 61 can be lifted upward.

[0054] When the horizontal plate portion 61 is lifted, the lid portion 8 integrated with the horizontal plate portion 61 via the lid fixing portion 63 is also removed from each bottle 2. Thereby, the opening of the mouth portion 7 of the bottle 2 is in an open state. Then, the robot hand 160 moves the lid detaching / attaching member 60 to the lid placing portion 50. That is, the robot hand 160 places the lid portion 8 integrated with the horizontal plate portion 61 of the lid detaching / attaching member 60 on each lid placing table 52. Thereby, the region on one side in the second direction D2 at the upper end of the side wall portion 30 is opened, and the bottle 2 can be accessed from the outside.

[0055] Thereafter, inside the dispensing device 141, a dispensing operation for transferring the trace components in the bottle body 3 to the flask is automatically performed. After the dispensing operation is completed, the lid attaching / detaching member 60 is returned to its original position by the robot hand 160, that is, the position where the lid portion 8 closes the mouth portion 7 of the bottle body 3. Thereafter, the bottle unit 1 is moved onto the stage 122 in the second stocker 120 along the reverse path of the movement to the dispensing device 141.

[0056] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the lid attaching / detaching member 60 can be easily attached and detached by the robot hand 160. That is, without using a dedicated device for lid attachment / detachment, the lid portion 8 can be attached and detached only by using the general-purpose robot hand 160. Thereby, while avoiding contamination during the conveyance of the bottle 2, the handleability of the lid portion 8 can be improved.

[0057] Further, since the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 and the upper end of the side wall portion 30 are vertically spaced apart, the side wall portion 30 and the horizontal plate portion 61 are thermally blocked. Therefore, when the bottle unit 1 is placed on the cooling device 142, it is possible to avoid the horizontal plate portion 61 from being directly cooled by the placement plate 20 and the side wall portion 30. The cooling state of the bottle 2 on the bottle tray 10 can be effectively maintained.

[0058] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the supported portion 40 for transferring the bottle unit 1 and the horizontal plate portion 61 for attaching and detaching the lid portion 8 have the same configuration when viewed from the transfer robot. That is, the supported portion 40 and the horizontal plate portion 61 have the same contour in plan view, and further, through holes are formed at the same position in plan view. Therefore, the robot arm of the transfer robot can perform the transfer of the bottle unit 1 and the attachment and detachment of the lid portion 8 by the lid attaching / detaching member 60 with the same operation. Therefore, the handleability of the bottle tray 10 can be further improved.

[0059] In addition, since a plurality of lid fixing portions 63 are provided on one horizontal plate portion 61, the correspondence relationship between each bottle 2 and each lid portion 8 can be maintained. Therefore, it is possible to avoid misplacing the lid portions 8 within the same bottle unit 1.

[0060] Furthermore, the bottle tray 10 is provided with a lid placement portion 50, and the lid portion 8 removed from the bottle body 3 is directly placed on the lid placement portion 50 within the same bottle unit 1. Therefore, it is possible to avoid misplacing the lid portions 8 between a plurality of bottle units 1.

[0061] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The lid attaching / detaching member 60 of the bottle unit 1 in the second embodiment is different from that in the first embodiment in that it further includes an engaging portion 70.

[0062] That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of engaging portions 70 are provided on the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 so as to sandwich a pair of lid fixing portions 63 from both sides in the first direction D1. The engaging portions 70 are provided integrally with the horizontal plate portion 61 and project downward from the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61. The distance between the surfaces of the pair of engaging portions 70 facing each other in the first direction D1 is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the distance between the outer surfaces of the pair of second wall plates 32. Thereby, the engaging portions 70 are each capable of abutting against the outer surface of the second wall plate 32. The pair of engaging portions 70 are capable of abutting against the second wall plate 32 only at a part of the second direction D2.

[0063] Incidentally, the pair of engaging portions 70 may be provided at intervals in the second direction D2 so as to be respectively abutted against the outer surface of the first wall surface. Also, the engaging portion 70 does not necessarily have to be a pair, and only one engaging portion 70 may be provided and may be abutted against the outer surface of the side wall portion 30. Further, the engaging portion 70 may be abutted against the inner surface of the side wall portion 30. Both of the pair of engaging portions 70 may be abutted against the inner surface of the side wall portion 30, or one of the pair of engaging portions 70 may be abutted against the outer surface of the side wall portion 30 and the other engaging portion 70 may be abutted against the inner surface of the side wall portion 30.

[0064] In the second embodiment, by providing the engaging portion 70, it is possible to avoid the posture of the lid attaching / detaching member 60 from changing due to the inertial force during the conveyance of the bottle unit 1 or the lid attaching / detaching member 60 from dropping. Therefore, the closed state of the mouth portion 7 can be maintained, and contamination during conveyance can be further prevented.

[0065] Also, since the engaging portion 70 is configured to only abut against the outer surface or the inner surface of the side wall portion 30, the engaging portion 70 does not interfere when moving the lid attaching / detaching member 60. That is, even if the engaging portion 70 exists, the vertical movement of the lid attaching / detaching member 60 can be performed smoothly. Furthermore, since the engaging portion 70 is configured to abut against only a part of the circumferential direction of the side wall portion 30, cooling of the horizontal plate portion 61 by the side wall portion 30 can be suppressed. Therefore, the cooling state of the bottle 2 can be maintained more effectively.

[0066] <Other Embodiments> As described above, each embodiment of the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure are also included.

[0067] For example, the lid placement portion 50 described in the embodiment does not necessarily need to be provided. That is, the opening at the upper end of the side wall portion 30 may be in an open state over the entire area. In this case, for example, an integrated body of the lid portion 8 and the lid attaching / detaching member 60 may be placed in a space provided in the dispensing device 141.

[0068] A configuration may be adopted in which the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 is in contact with the upper end of the side wall portion 30. In this case, the stability of the lid attaching / detaching member 60 can be improved.

[0069] The conveyance through-hole 42 and the attachment / detachment through-hole 62 do not necessarily need to be provided. Further, even when these conveyance through-hole 42 and attachment / detachment through-hole 62 are provided, their horizontal positions may be displaced from each other. The bottle unit 1 may be configured to carry not only two bottles 2 but also a configuration that carries only a single bottle 2 or a configuration that carries three or more bottles 2.

[0070] <Appendix> The bottle tray 10, the bottle unit 1, and the cell culture system 100 described in each embodiment are understood as follows, for example.

[0071] (1) The bottle tray 10 according to the first aspect includes a placement plate 20 having a placement surface on which the bottom surface 4 of the bottle 2 having a detachable lid portion 8 is placed, a side wall portion 30 that rises from the placement plate 20 so as to surround the bottle 2, a supported portion 40 that projects horizontally from the outer peripheral surface 5 of the side wall portion 30, a horizontal plate portion 61 provided on the lid portion 8 and extending horizontally, and a lid fixing portion 63 provided on the lower surface of the plate portion and fixing the lid portion 8, and a lid attaching / detaching member 60.

[0072] According to such a configuration, for example, the supported portion 40 supported by a conveying device such as the robot hand 160 is located above the placement surface. Therefore, the bottle unit 1 can be supported and conveyed above the center of gravity of the bottle tray 10. Thus, the bottle tray 10 can be conveyed stably. Also, by transferring the lid attachment / detachment member 60 with the robot hand 160, the lid 8 can be attached to and detached from the bottle body 3. As a result, while avoiding contamination during conveyance, by attaching, detaching, and lifting the lid 8, the lid 8 can be easily removed from the bottle body 3. Thereby, the handleability of the lid 8 can be improved while avoiding contamination during conveyance.

[0073] (2) In the bottle tray 10 according to the second aspect, the upper end of the side wall portion 30 is located above the supported portion 40, and the upper end of the side wall portion 30 and the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 are arranged at an interval in the vertical direction. This is the bottle tray 10 of (1).

[0074] Thereby, the side wall portion 30 and the horizontal plate portion 61 can be thermally blocked. Therefore, for example, when the placement plate 20 is cooled by the cooling device 142, it is possible to avoid the horizontal plate portion 61 being directly cooled by the placement plate 20 and the side wall portion 30. Thereby, the cooling state of the bottle 2 on the bottle tray 10 can be effectively maintained.

[0075] (3) In the bottle tray 10 according to the third aspect, the horizontal plate portion 61 protrudes to the outer peripheral side of the side wall portion 30 with respect to the side wall portion 30. This is the bottle tray 10 of (1) or (2).

[0076] As a result, since the horizontal plate portion 61 protrudes to the outer peripheral side of the side wall portion 30 with respect to the side wall portion 30, even when the horizontal plate portion 61 falls off from above the lid 8, it is possible to suppress the horizontal plate portion 61 from falling from the bottle tray 10.

[0077] (4) In the bottle tray 10 according to the fourth aspect, the horizontal plate portion 61 has a hole that opens downward. This is the bottle tray 10 of (1) or (2).

[0078] The positioning protrusion of the robot hand 160 is inserted into the hole of the horizontal plate portion 61 from below. Then, the lid 8 can also be attached and detached using the robot hand 160 during conveyance.

[0079] (5) The bottle tray 10 according to the fifth aspect is the bottle tray 10 described in (4), wherein the supported portion 40 has a hole that opens downward, and the hole in the horizontal plate portion 61 and the through hole in the supported portion 40 are arranged at the same horizontal position.

[0080] Regardless of whether the positioning protrusion of the robot hand 160 is inserted into the hole in the horizontal plate portion 61 or the hole in the supported portion 40, the same setting can be adopted for the horizontal position of the robot hand 160. Therefore, the setting of the robot hand 160 can be simplified.

[0081] (6) The bottle tray 10 according to the sixth aspect is the bottle tray 10 described in (1) or (2), wherein the supported portion 40 has a hole that opens downward.

[0082] By inserting the positioning protrusion of the robot hand 160 into the hole in the supported portion 40 from below, the bottle tray 10 can be transported at a fixed position of the robot hand 160.

[0083] (7) The bottle tray 10 according to the seventh aspect is the bottle tray 10 described in any one of (1) to (6), wherein the bottom surfaces 4 of a plurality of the bottles 2 are placed on the placement surface, and a plurality of lid fixing portions 63 corresponding to the plurality of the bottles 2 are provided on the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61.

[0084] Thereby, the transportation of a plurality of bottles 2 and the attachment and detachment of the lid portions 8 can be easily performed. Also, contamination between these bottles 2 can be avoided.

[0085] (8) The bottle tray 10 according to the eighth aspect is the bottle tray 10 described in any one of (1) to (7), and includes a lid placement portion 50 provided at the upper end of the side wall portion 30 at a horizontal position different from that of the lid attachment / detachment member 60, on which the lower end of the lid portion 8 held by the lid attachment / detachment member 60 is placed.

[0086] This makes it possible to avoid misplacing the lid portion 8 with respect to other bottle trays 10.

[0087] (9) The bottle tray 10 according to the ninth aspect is the bottle tray 10 according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the lid attaching / detaching member 60 has an engaging portion 70 that protrudes from the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 61 and can contact a part of the circumferential direction of the side wall portion 30.

[0088] This makes it possible to prevent the lid attaching / detaching member 60 from accidentally coming off during the conveyance of the bottle tray 10.

[0089] (10) The bottle unit 1 according to the tenth aspect includes the bottle tray 10 according to any one of (1) to (9) and the bottle 2 placed on the placement surface.

[0090] (11) The cell culture system 100 according to the eleventh aspect includes the bottle unit 1 described in (10), a stocker into which the bottle unit 1 is carried, an incubator 130 that forms a culture area R3, a clean bench 140 that forms a liquid operation area R4 provided with a dispensing device 141, and a conveyance device that conveys the bottle unit 1 between the stocker and the clean bench 140. The dispensing device 141 has a cooling device 142 on which the placement plate 20 of the bottle tray 10 in the bottle unit 1 is placed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0091] 1 Bottle unit 2 Bottle 3 Bottle body 4 Bottom surface 5 Outer peripheral surface 6 Shoulder 7 Mouth portion 8 Lid portion 10 Bottle tray 20 Placement plate 30 Side wall portion 31 First wall plate 32 Second wall plate 40 Supported portion 41 Support surface 42 Through-hole for conveyance 50 Cover placement part 51 Fixed plate 52 Cover placement table 60 Cover attachment / detachment member 61 Horizontal plate part 62 Through-hole for attachment / detachment 63 Cover fixing part 70 Engaging part 100 Cell culture system 110 First stocker 110a First stocker door 120 Second stocker 120a Second stocker door 121 Refrigerator / freezer 122 Stage 123 Slider 130 Incubator 140 Clean bench 141 Dispensing device 142 Cooling device 143 Cover placement stage 145 Medium supply device 150 Pass box 150a First pass door 150b Second pass door 160 Robot hand 161 Gripping part 162 Positioning protrusion F Flask unit R1 First storage area R2 Second storage area R3 Culture area R4 Liquid operation area D1 First direction D2 Second direction V Vertical direction O1 First axis O2 Second axis F Flask unit

Claims

1. A mounting plate having a mounting surface on which the bottom surface of a bottle having a detachable lid is placed, A side wall portion rising from the mounting plate so as to surround the bottle, A supported portion projecting horizontally from the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion, A lid detachable member provided on the lid and having a horizontal plate portion extending horizontally and a lid fixing portion provided on the horizontal plate portion for fixing the lid integrally with the horizontal plate portion, A bottle tray comprising:

2. The upper end of the side wall portion is located above the supported portion, The bottle tray according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of the side wall portion and the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction.

3. The bottle tray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the horizontal plate portion projects outward from the outer peripheral side of the side wall portion beyond the side wall portion.

4. The bottle tray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the horizontal plate portion has a hole opening downward.

5. The supported portion has a hole opening downward, The bottle tray according to claim 4, wherein the hole in the horizontal plate portion and the through hole in the supported portion are arranged at the same horizontal position.

6. The bottle tray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the supported portion has a hole opening downward.

7. On the mounting surface, the bottom surfaces of a plurality of the bottles are placed, The bottle tray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the lid fixing portions are provided on the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion corresponding to the plurality of the bottles.

8. The bottle tray according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a lid placement portion provided at the upper end of the side wall portion at a horizontal position different from that of the lid detachable member, on which the lower end of the lid fixed to the lid detachable member is placed.

9. The bottle tray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lid detachable member has an engaging portion protruding from the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion and capable of contacting a part of the circumferential direction of the side wall portion.

10. The bottle tray according to claim 1 or 2, The bottle placed on the mounting surface, A bottle unit comprising:

11. The bottle unit according to claim 10, A stocker into which the bottle unit is carried, An incubator forming a culture area, A clean bench forming a liquid operation area provided with a dispensing device, A transport device for transporting the bottle unit between the stocker and the clean bench, Comprising: The dispensing device is a cell culture system having a cooling device on which the placement plate of the bottle tray in the bottle unit is placed.

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