Humidification system, incubator device, and humidification method for humidification system

Abstract

To provide a humidification system having further improved sanitation.SOLUTION: A humidification system comprises: a humidification mechanism including a first opening, a filling area to be filled with water supplied from the first opening and a second opening, from which water supplied more than maximum capacity of the filling area is drained and which is provided at a higher position than the first opening, and performing humidification using water filling the filling area; a first switching unit for switching a contact destination with a drainage destination of water between the second opening and the first opening; a pump for supplying / draining water to / from the humidification mechanism; and a control unit which controls operations of the first switching unit and the pump. When supplying water to the humidification mechanism, the pump is driven by the control unit in a state where a supply source of water is connected to the first opening and the first switching unit connects the second opening and the drainage destination and when draining water from the humidification mechanism, the pump is driven after the first switching unit connects the first opening and the drainage destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a humidification system, an incubator apparatus, and a humidification method for a humidification system. [Background technology]

[0002] A cell culture vessel (incubator) is a device that maintains constant air conditions such as temperature, humidity, and gas composition in order to culture cells. A cell culture vessel needs a humidification mechanism to maintain humidity suitable for cell culture. Patent Document 1 describes an incubator equipped with a reservoir for humidification. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-141143 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional configuration, there is a possibility that water may remain in the humidification mechanism for humidifying the inside of the incubator, which may lead to the proliferation of germs, and there is room for improvement in terms of hygiene.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a humidification system, an incubator device, and a humidification method for a humidification system with improved hygiene. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A humidification system according to some embodiments has a first opening, a filling area in which water supplied from the first opening is filled, and a second opening located at a higher position than the first opening, through which water supplied in excess of the maximum capacity of the filling area is discharged, and is equipped with a humidification mechanism that humidifies using the water filled in the filling area, a first switching unit that switches the connection of the water discharge destination between the second opening and the first opening, a pump for supplying and draining water to the humidification mechanism, and a control unit that controls the operation of the first switching unit and the pump, wherein when supplying water to the humidification mechanism, the control unit drives the pump with a water supply source connected to the first opening and the first switching unit connecting the second opening to the discharge destination, and when draining water from the humidification mechanism, the control unit drives the pump after the first switching unit connects the first opening to the discharge destination. In this way, the humidification system drives the pump to drain water while the first opening, which is located at a lower position than the second opening, is connected to the water discharge destination, thereby reducing the amount of water remaining inside the humidification mechanism after the drainage process and improving hygiene.

[0007] In one embodiment, the system further includes a second switching unit that switches the connection destination of the supply source between the first opening and the second opening, and the control unit may be configured such that when water is supplied to the humidification mechanism, the second switching unit connects the supply source to the first opening, and when water is drained from the humidification mechanism, the second switching unit connects the second opening to the supply source. In this way, the humidification system has a single path for the water supply source, the humidification mechanism, and the drain destination, and drives a pump to drain water from the humidification mechanism, so that drainage from the humidification mechanism and piping that constitute the humidification system can be effectively performed.

[0008] In one embodiment, the pump may be provided between the first switching unit and the discharge destination, and may be driven to perform a suction operation from the first switching unit. This can prevent water leakage caused by excessive pressure being applied to the inside of the flow path in the humidification system, which may result in breakage or damage to the piping. Even if water leakage does occur, the amount of water that flows out due to the leak can be limited to the water that is currently present in the humidification mechanism and the flow path in the humidification system.

[0009] In one embodiment, the humidification system further includes a first sensor that detects the presence or absence of water in a pipe connected to the first opening, and a second sensor that detects the presence or absence of water in a pipe connected to the second opening, and the control unit may stop driving the pump based on the detection result of the first sensor and the detection result of the second sensor. Therefore, the humidification system can automatically stop driving the pump.

[0010] In one embodiment, when supplying water to the humidification mechanism, the control unit may stop driving the pump in response to the first sensor and the second sensor detecting the presence of water after driving the pump. In this way, by stopping the driving of the pump in response to the first sensor and the second sensor detecting the presence of water, it is possible to stop the driving of the pump necessary for water supply at an appropriate timing.

[0011] In one embodiment, when draining water from the humidification mechanism, the control unit may stop driving the pump in response to the first sensor and the second sensor detecting the absence of water after driving the pump. In this way, by stopping the driving of the pump in response to the first sensor and the second sensor detecting the absence of water, the driving of the pump necessary for draining water can be stopped at an appropriate timing.

[0012] In one embodiment, the system further includes a container capable of holding water, the supply source and the discharge destination being connected, and the pump circulates the water held in the container through a pipe of the humidification system to supply and drain water to and from the humidification mechanism. In this way, by circulating water through the pipe of the humidification system to supply and drain water to and from the humidification mechanism, it is possible to make the container for holding water smaller.

[0013] In one embodiment, the incubator device may include the above-mentioned humidification system. With such an incubator device, the amount of water remaining inside the humidification mechanism after the wastewater treatment can be reduced, and hygiene can be improved.

[0014] In some embodiments, a humidification method for a humidification system includes a humidification mechanism having a first opening, a filling area in which water supplied from the first opening is filled, and a second opening located at a higher position than the first opening, through which water supplied in excess of the maximum capacity of the filling area is discharged, the humidification method including: a humidification mechanism that humidifies using the water filled in the filling area; a first switching unit that switches the connection of the water discharge destination between the second opening and the first opening; a pump for supplying and draining water to the humidification mechanism; and a control unit that controls the operation of the first switching unit, the control unit including the steps of: when supplying water to the humidification mechanism, driving the pump in a state in which a water supply source is connected to the first opening and the first switching unit connects the second opening to the discharge destination; and when draining water from the humidification mechanism, driving the pump after the first switching unit connects the first opening to the discharge destination. In this way, the humidification method of the humidification system drives the pump to drain water while the first opening, which is located at a lower position than the second opening, is connected to the water discharge destination, thereby reducing the amount of water remaining inside the humidification mechanism after the drainage process and improving hygiene. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, improved hygiene can be achieved in the humidification system and incubator device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a humidification system according to a comparative example. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example of a humidification system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a three-way valve is switched in the humidification system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example of an incubator device incorporating the humidification system of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram showing the principle of humidification by the hollow member of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a processing unit included in the humidification system of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of a procedure of a process executed by the humidification system. [Figure 8] 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of a procedure of a process executed by the humidification system. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example of a humidification system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a three-way valve is switched in the humidification system of FIG. 9. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of a procedure of a process executed by the humidification system. [Figure 12] 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of a procedure of a process executed by the humidification system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] <Comparative Example> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a humidification system 9 according to a comparative example. The humidification system 9 according to the comparative example is a system that humidifies the inside of an incubator. In Fig. 1, the humidification system 9 according to the comparative example includes a humidification mechanism 90, a water supply bottle 91, a pump 92, pipes 93 and 94, and a drain bottle 95. In the humidification system 9, the water supply bottle 91, the humidification mechanism 90, and the drain bottle 95 are connected to each other via pipes 93 and 94.

[0018] Water supply bottle 91 is a container that stores water W1 used for humidification. Pump 92 is a device that sends water W1 from water supply bottle 91 to humidification mechanism 90 via piping 93. In the example of Fig. 1, pump 92 is disposed upstream of humidification mechanism 90, and pumps water toward humidification mechanism 90. Pipe 93 that supplies water to humidification mechanism 90 is connected to an opening 931 provided at a low position in the vertical direction of humidification mechanism 90.

[0019] The humidification mechanism 90 is a device that humidifies the inside of the incubator with water supplied from a water supply bottle 91 by a pump 92. The inside of the humidification mechanism 90 is filled with water supplied from an opening 931. The water supplied from the opening 931 is used for humidification of the humidification mechanism 90. Water supplied in excess of the maximum capacity of the inside of the humidification mechanism 90 is discharged to a drain bottle 95 via a pipe 94 connected to an opening 941 provided at a position higher than the opening 931. The drain bottle 95 is a container that stores water W2 discharged from the humidification mechanism 90.

[0020] In the humidification system 9 according to the comparative example, the direction in which water flows in the humidification mechanism 90 is the same whether water is supplied to the humidification mechanism 90 or drained. If the pump 92 is continued to be driven without water being supplied from the water supply bottle 91, water is drained from the humidification mechanism 90 to the pipe 94. On the other hand, the opening 941 at which the pipe 94 connects to the humidification mechanism 90 is provided at a higher position than the opening 931 at which the pipe 93 connects to the humidification mechanism 90. Therefore, when there is no water inside the pipe 93 at the upstream stage of the humidification mechanism 90 during the drainage operation, there is no water to send water inside the humidification mechanism 90 to the pipe 94 at the downstream stage. If the pump 92 is continued to be driven in this state, only air bubbles are discharged inside the humidification mechanism 90 toward the pipe 94 at the downstream stage, and water remains inside the humidification mechanism 90. Therefore, in the humidification system 9 according to the comparative example, water may remain in the humidification mechanism 90 for humidifying the inside of the incubator, which may lead to the proliferation of germs, and there is room for improvement in terms of hygiene.

[0021] In the humidification system 9 according to the comparative example, the pump 92 is disposed in front of the humidification mechanism 90, and pumps the water W1 in the water bottle 91 toward the humidification mechanism 90. Therefore, if a malfunction occurs in the tubes constituting the piping 93 and their connections, water may leak from those parts. Thus, in the humidification system 9 according to the comparative example, there is a risk of water leakage within the device.

[0022] The configuration according to the present disclosure improves these problems.

[0023] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, parts having the same configuration or function are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, duplicated descriptions of the same parts may be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0024] (First embodiment) The humidification system 1 (1a, 1b) according to this embodiment reduces the amount of water remaining inside the humidification mechanism 10 and improves hygiene by switching the water flow path between when water is supplied to the humidification mechanism 10 and when water is drained from the humidification mechanism 10. Furthermore, the humidification system 1 (1a, 1b) according to this embodiment is provided with a pump 20 at the rear of the humidification mechanism 10 to suck in water and air, thereby reducing the risk of water leakage due to breakage or damage to piping, etc.

[0025] 2 and 3 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of an example of a humidification system 1a according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The humidification system 1a is a system for humidifying the inside of an incubator 60. The relationship between the incubator 60 and the humidification mechanism 10 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the humidification system 1a includes the humidification mechanism 10, pipes 11 to 18, a pump 20, a water supply bottle 21, a drainage bottle 22, three-way valves 23 and 24, and a processing unit 100. The humidification system 1a according to this embodiment changes the water flow path by switching the three-way valves 23 and 24 between a case where water is supplied to the humidification mechanism 10 and a case where water is drained from the humidification mechanism 10. The three-way valves 23 and 24 are valves having inlets and outlets for fluid in three directions, and are used to switch the flow direction of the fluid. In this embodiment, the three-way valves 23 and 24 are configured by electromagnetic valves, and switch the connection relationship of the pipes 11 to 18 based on the control of a control unit 101 (see FIG. 6) included in the processing unit 100, which will be described later. FIG. 2 shows the connection relationship of the three-way valves 23, 24 when water is supplied to the humidification mechanism 10. FIG. 3 shows the connection relationship of the three-way valves 23, 24 when water is drained from the humidification mechanism 10. The three-way valves 23, 24 are not limited to those having solenoid valves, and the connection relationship may be switched by other methods including manual switching. The humidification system 1a includes a pump 20 in the piping 17 in the rear stage of the humidification mechanism 10. The pump 20 is a device that sucks water from the piping 17 connected in the front stage and discharges the sucked water to a drain bottle 22 connected in the rear stage. The pump 20 supplies and drains water to and from the humidification mechanism 10. The processing unit 100 is a device that controls the operation of each component of the humidification system 1a including the pump 20 and the three-way valves 23, 24.

[0026] 2, when water is supplied to the humidification mechanism 10, the pipes 11 and 12 are connected by a three-way valve 23 serving as a second switching unit, and the pipes 16 and 17 are connected by a three-way valve 24 serving as a first switching unit. Therefore, the water supply bottle 21 and the front stage of the humidification mechanism 10 are connected via the pipes 11-13, and the rear stage of the humidification mechanism 10 and the drain bottle 22 are connected via the pipes 15-17. The water supply bottle 21, which serves as a water supply source, is a container that stores water W1 used for humidification.

[0027] In this configuration, when the pump 20 is driven, negative pressure is generated in the pipes 11-13, the humidification mechanism 10, and the pipes 15-17 located upstream of the pump 20. As a result, water W1 in the water supply bottle 21 is drawn into the upstream of the humidification mechanism 10 via the pipe 11, the three-way valve 23, and the pipes 12 and 13. The pipe 13 that supplies water to the humidification mechanism 10 is connected to an opening 131 serving as a first opening provided at a low position in the vertical direction upstream of the humidification mechanism 10.

[0028] The humidification mechanism 10 is a device that humidifies the inside of the incubator 60 using water supplied from the water supply bottle 21 by driving the pump 20. The humidification mechanism 10 has a filling area 31 (see FIG. 4) in which water supplied from an opening 131 is filled. The water filled in the filling area 31 is used for humidification of the humidification mechanism 10. As the pump 20 is driven, the filling area 31 of the humidification mechanism 10 is filled with water from the lower part in sequence, and air is discharged from an opening 151 as a second opening provided at a position higher than the opening 131 to the piping 15. When water is further supplied and exceeds the maximum capacity of the filling area 31, the water supplied in excess of the maximum capacity is discharged from the opening 151 to the piping 15. As the pump 20 is driven, air and water are discharged to the drain bottle 22 via the piping 15, 16, the three-way valve 24, and the piping 17 connected to the higher position of the humidification mechanism 10. The drain bottle 22, which is the destination of the water, is a container that stores the water W2 discharged from the humidification mechanism 10. Note that the water supply bottle 21 and the drain bottle 22 are not completely sealed, and may have an air hole that allows air to flow in and out of the bottle to the outside.

[0029] 3, when draining water from the humidification mechanism 10, pipes 11 and 14 are connected by a three-way valve 23, and pipes 17 and 18 are connected by a three-way valve 24. Therefore, the water supply bottle 21 and the rear stage of the humidification mechanism 10 are connected via pipes 11, 14, and 15, and the front stage of the humidification mechanism 10 and the drain bottle 22 are connected via pipes 13, 17, and 18.

[0030] When the pump 20 is driven in this connection relationship, negative pressure is created in the pipes 11, 14, and 15, the humidification mechanism 10, and the pipes 13, 18, and 17 located upstream of the pump 20. As a result, air is drawn from the water bottle 21 through the pipe 11, the three-way valve 23, and the pipes 14 and 15 into the downstream of the humidification mechanism 10. As described above, the pipe 15 is connected to the opening 151 provided at a high vertical position in the downstream of the humidification mechanism 10.

[0031] When air is drawn in from opening 151 provided at a high position in the rear stage of humidification mechanism 10, water is successively replaced with air from the higher parts to the lower parts in filling region 31 inside humidification mechanism 10. Furthermore, when air is filled, water is discharged from opening 131 provided at a lower position than opening 151 into piping 13, and air fills the humidification mechanism 10. The air and water discharged from piping 13 pass through piping 18, three-way valve 24, piping 17, and pump 20, and are filled into drain bottle 22. In this way, in humidification system 1a, the power for moving air and water is provided by the suction force generated by pump 20.

[0032] The humidification system 1a has piping such that, during water supply, water enters through opening 131 provided at a lower position relative to the humidification mechanism 10, and is drained through opening 151 provided at a higher position than opening 131. During drainage, the humidification system 1a changes the connection direction of the humidification mechanism 10 by switching the three-way valves 23 and 24. As a result, the humidification system 1a has piping such that, during drainage, air enters through opening 151 provided at a higher position in the humidification mechanism 10, and water and air are discharged through opening 131 provided at a lower position than opening 151.

[0033] As described above, in the humidification system 1a, when draining water from the humidification mechanism 10, the upstream of the opening 131 of the humidification mechanism 10 and the drain bottle 22 are connected via the pipes 13, 17, and 18. Therefore, by driving the pump 20, water is sucked from a higher position to a lower position inside the humidification mechanism 10 and guided to the drain bottle 22, so that it is possible to reduce the amount of water remaining in the humidification mechanism 10. In addition, the humidification system 1a performs supply and drainage to and from the humidification mechanism 10 by driving the pump 20 provided at the downstream of the humidification mechanism 10 to apply negative pressure. Therefore, according to the humidification system 1a, it is possible to prevent the pipes 11 to 17 from being broken or damaged due to an unexpected event such as excessive pressure being applied inside the pipes 11 to 17, causing water leakage. In addition, if the pipes from the water supply bottle 21 to the pump 20 are broken or damaged for some reason, the pump 20 will suck air from that portion, and the supply of new water from the water supply bottle 21 will be stopped. Therefore, even if a water leak occurs, the amount of water that flows out due to the leak can be limited to the water that is currently present in the humidification mechanism 10 and the pipes 11-17.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example of an incubator device 80 including the humidification system 1 (1a, 1b) of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of a horizontal cross-sectional view of the incubator device 80 viewed vertically from above. In FIG. 4, the incubator device 80 includes an incubator 60 and a humidification mechanism 10. The incubator 60 contains a culture vessel 70 by a wall portion 62. An object to be cultured is placed in the culture vessel 70. The object to be cultured is, for example, a cell, a fungus, or a microorganism. The cell is, for example, an animal cell or a plant cell. The culture vessel 70 is, for example, a well plate having a plate shape extending in the horizontal direction.

[0035] The inside of the incubator 60 is placed in an air environment different from that outside the incubator 60. The environment is an environment suitable for culturing the culture subject, and is specified by, for example, humidity, temperature, and CO2 (carbon dioxide) concentration. The incubator 60 may be configured to have a lid so that it can be opened and closed.

[0036] The humidification mechanism 10 is provided outside the incubator 60, and supplies humidified gas (humidified gas) into the incubator 60. The size of the humidification mechanism 10 can be designed independently of the incubator 60 and the culture vessel 70. For example, the humidification mechanism 10 may be made smaller in size without depending on the size of the culture vessel 70.

[0037] The humidification mechanism 10 includes a filling area 31, a hollow member 50, and a wall portion 32. The filling area 31 is an area filled with water W3, and is defined by the wall portion 32. The water W3 is water for humidification that is outside the incubator 60, and is supplied into the filling area 31 through the opening 131 from the piping 13 by driving the pump 20 described above. In the example of FIG. 4, the filling area 31 is an area outside the hollow member 50 defined by the wall portion 32.

[0038] The hollow member 50 includes a member 51 and a hollow portion 52. The hollow member 50 is formed in a hollow shape by the member 51 so as to have the hollow portion 52. The member 51 defines the side surface (which may be a side wall) of the hollow member 50. The hollow portion 52 is a portion surrounded by the member 51 and is a gap. The hollow member 50 is provided so that the member 51 contacts the filling region 31. The hollow member 50 is, for example, a hollow fiber. In this case, the member 51 may be a membrane configured to pass water molecules of the water W3. Such a membrane is also called a semipermeable membrane. In addition to hollow fibers, various members formed in a hollow shape to pass water molecules may be used as the hollow member 50.

[0039] The pipes 13 and 15 provide a water flow path. In FIG. 4, the water flow is shown diagrammatically by black arrows. The pipe 13 supplies water to the filling area 31 of the humidifying mechanism 10 through the opening 131. The pipe 15 discharges the water W3 from the filling area 31. Excess water in the water W3 supplied by the pipe 13 is discharged to the pipe 15 through the opening 151. In the example of FIG. 4, the humidifying mechanism 10 is provided outside the incubator 60, so that there is no effect on the environment in the incubator 60 (such as changes in temperature and humidity) due to the supply of water to the filling area 31 and the discharge of water from the filling area 31. As described above, the position where the humidifying mechanism 10 is connected to the pipe 15 is provided at a position vertically higher than the position where the humidifying mechanism 10 is connected to the pipe 13.

[0040] The air supply tube 41 and the exhaust tube 55 provide a flow path for gas. The gas is, for example, air to which carbon dioxide (CO2) has been added. Due to the activity of the culture subject, such as cells, in the culture vessel 70, the culture solution in the culture vessel 70 tends to become acidic. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has the effect of keeping the culture solution in the culture vessel 70 neutral. In FIG. 4, the flow of gas is shown diagrammatically by white arrows. The air supply tube 41 takes in gas into the humidification mechanism 10. The taken-in gas is humidified by the hollow member 50, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. The exhaust tube 55 supplies the humidified gas into the incubator 60.

[0041] The hollow member 50 is connected between the air supply tube 41 and the exhaust tube 55 so that the hollow portion 52 communicates with the air supply tube 41 and the exhaust tube 55. The gas passes through the air supply tube 41, the hollow portion 52 of the hollow member 50, and the exhaust tube 55 in this order, and is supplied into the incubator 60. The gas is humidified when passing through the hollow portion 52 of the hollow member 50.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the principle of humidification by the hollow member 50 of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 shows a schematic enlarged view of the hollow member 50 and a part of the filling region 31. The member 51 of the hollow member 50 has a plurality of micropores 51a. The micropores 51a allow water molecules of the water W3 to pass through while not allowing molecules larger than the water molecules to pass through. The water molecules of the water W3 enter the hollow portion 52 from the filling region 31 through the micropores 51a and humidify the gas passing through the hollow portion 52. This produces a humidified gas.

[0043] The larger the surface area of ​​the hollow member 50 (the area of ​​the member 51), the easier it is to obtain a humidifying function. If the hollow member 50 has a small cross-sectional area, such as a hollow fiber, the ratio of the surface area to the volume of the hollow member 50 becomes very large. By using such a hollow member 50, a sufficient humidifying function can be obtained even with a small volume. In this way, by using a hollow member 50 with a small cross-sectional area, the humidifying mechanism 10 can be made compact. Also, while FIG. 4 shows a simplified shape of the hollow member 50, the hollow member 50 may have a shape that increases the surface area with the water W3 in the filling region 31, for example.

[0044] Liquid water does not directly enter the hollow portion 52 of the hollow member 50 from the filling region 31. Therefore, the risk of water leakage inside the incubator 60 can be suppressed.

[0045] Returning to FIG. 4, the exhaust tube 55 extends from the humidification mechanism 10 to the incubator 60. The exhaust tube 55 passes through the corresponding wall portions 32, 62 of the humidification mechanism 10 and the incubator 60, respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the wall portion 32 and the wall portion 62 are adjacent to each other facing each other. This minimizes the distance from the humidification mechanism 10 to the incubator 60. The wall portion 62 of the incubator 60 has a hole 42a through which the exhaust tube 55 is inserted. The wall portion 32 of the humidification mechanism 10 has a hole 32a through which the exhaust tube 55 is inserted. The hole 32a and the hole 42a communicate with each other to form a connecting hole 40. The exhaust tube 55 that passes through such a connecting hole 40 can supply humidified gas into the incubator 60 in the shortest distance. Since the incubator 60 and the humidification mechanism 10 are arranged in a concentrated manner, the incubator device 80 can also be made compact.

[0046] The pipe 13, the air supply tube 41, and the pipe 15 extend from a portion of the wall 32 of the humidification mechanism 10 other than the portion adjacent to the wall 62, for example, in a direction opposite to the incubator 60. The wall 32 has openings 131, 151 corresponding to the pipes 13, 15, and a hole 32a corresponding to the air supply tube 41. The water supply bottle 21, the drainage bottle 22, the pump 20, and the like described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 are disposed at the ends of the pipes 13 and 15 on the side opposite to the humidification mechanism 10. The end of the air supply tube 41 on the side opposite to the humidification mechanism 10 may be open, or a pump for sending out air may be disposed at the end of the air supply tube 41.

[0047] The water W3 stored in the humidification mechanism 10 decreases as the gas in the hollow member 50 is humidified. Therefore, while the humidification mechanism 10 is performing humidification, the humidification system 1 may drive the pump 20 at regular intervals to supply water W1 from the water bottle 21 to the humidification mechanism 10.

[0048] Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the processing unit 100 included in the humidification system 1a of Fig. 2. The processing unit 100 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, and an operation receiving unit 103.

[0049] The control unit 101 is communicatively connected to each component of the humidification system 1a and controls the operation of each component. For example, the control unit 101 controls the operation of the pump 20 and the three-way valves 23 and 24. The control unit 101 includes one or more processors. In one embodiment, the "processor" is a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The functions of the humidification system 1a may be realized by executing a program that can be used to function the humidification system 1a according to this embodiment, in the processor included in the control unit 101.

[0050] The storage unit 102 includes any storage module including a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a read-only memory (ROM), and an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). The storage unit 102 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, and a cache memory. The storage unit 102 stores any information used in the operation of the humidification system 1a or obtained as a result of the operation of the humidification system 1a. For example, the storage unit 102 may store various information including a system program, an operation control program for the pump 20 and the three-way valves 23, 24, and operation information input via the operation reception unit 103.

[0051] The operation reception unit 103 includes, for example, one or more input interfaces that receive an input operation from a user and acquire input information based on the user's operation. For example, the operation reception unit 103 is, but is not limited to, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, or the like.

[0052] The processing unit 100 can be configured, for example, by an embedded system, but is not limited to this, and may be realized, for example, by a general-purpose information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet, or a smartphone.

[0053] 7 and 8 are sequence charts showing an example of the procedure of the process executed by the humidification system 1a. FIG. 7 shows the procedure of supplying water to the humidification mechanism 10, and FIG. 8 shows the procedure of draining water from the humidification mechanism 10. The operation described with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 corresponds to an example of the humidification method according to the present embodiment. The operation of each step in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 is executed based on the control of the control unit 101 of the processing unit 100. Both FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show the relationship between the "command" input to the control unit 101 and the "operation" performed in response thereto as time passes from the top to the bottom of the page. As a premise for the following operation, the connection relationship of the three-way valves 23 and 24 is set so that the three-way valve 23 connects the pipes 11 and 12, and the three-way valve 24 connects the pipes 16 and 17, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0054] 7, the control unit 101 inputs a command to "supply water." The command to "supply water" may be input in response to an operation from the user via the operation receiving unit 103, for example.

[0055] In response to the input of the "supply water" command in step S1, the control unit 101 transmits a command to the pump 20 to start operation in step S2. In response to this, in step S3, the operation of the pump 20 is turned "ON" and the pump 20 starts a suction operation. By this operation, the water W1 in the water supply bottle 21 is supplied to the humidification mechanism 10.

[0056] Thereafter, in step S4, the control unit 101 inputs a "stop" command. The "stop" command may be input, for example, in response to an operation from the user via the operation receiving unit 103. For example, when the user recognizes that a sufficient amount of water has been distributed within the humidification mechanism 10, the user inputs the "stop" command.

[0057] In response to the input of the "stop" command in step S4, the control unit 101 transmits a command to stop operation to the pump 20 in step S5. In response to this, in step S6, the operation of the pump 20 is turned "OFF" and the pump 20 stops the suction operation. With this operation, the supply of water to the humidification mechanism 10 is stopped.

[0058] On the other hand, the operation of draining water from the humidification mechanism 10 is shown in Fig. 8. In step S11 in Fig. 8, the control unit 101 inputs a "drain" command. The "drain" command may be input in response to an operation from the user via the operation receiving unit 103, for example.

[0059] In response to the input of the "drain" command in step S11, the control unit 101 transmits commands to the three-way valves 23, 24 to switch the connection relationship, and transmits a command to the pump 20 to start operation in step S12. In response to this, in step S13, the three-way valve 23 connects the pipes 11, 14, and the three-way valve 24 connects the pipes 17, 18. Furthermore, in step S14, the operation of the pump 20 is turned "ON", and the pump 20 starts a suction operation. This operation causes the water W3 in the humidification mechanism 10 to be drained into the drain bottle 22 via the upstream pipes 13, 18, the three-way valve 24, and the pipe 17.

[0060] Thereafter, in step S15, the control unit 101 inputs a "stop" command. The "stop" command may be input, for example, in response to an operation from the user via the operation receiving unit 103. For example, when the user recognizes that a sufficient amount of water has been discharged from within the humidification mechanism 10, the user inputs the "stop" command.

[0061] In response to the input of the "stop" command in step S15, the control unit 101 transmits a command to the pump 20 to stop operation in step S16. In response to this, in step S17, the operation of the pump 20 is turned "OFF" and the pump 20 stops the suction operation. With this operation, the discharge of water from the humidification mechanism 10 is stopped.

[0062] As described above, the humidification system 1a includes the humidification mechanism 10, the three-way valve 24, the pump 20, and the control unit 101. The humidification mechanism 10 includes the opening 131, the filling area 31 in which water supplied from the opening 131 is filled, and the opening 151, which is provided at a position higher than the opening 131 and into which water supplied in excess of the maximum capacity of the filling area 31 is discharged. The humidification mechanism 10 humidifies the inside of the incubator 60 using the water filled in the filling area 31. The three-way valve 24 switches the connection destination of the drainage bottle 22 between the opening 151 and the opening 131. The pump 20 supplies and drains water to and from the humidification mechanism 10. The control unit 101 controls the operation of the three-way valve 24 and the pump 20. When supplying water to the humidification mechanism 10, the control unit 101 drives the pump 20 in a state in which the water supply bottle 21 is connected to the opening 131 and the three-way valve 24 connects the opening 151 and the drainage bottle 22. On the other hand, when draining water from the humidification mechanism 10, the control unit 101 drives the pump 20 after the three-way valve 24 connects the opening 131 to the drain bottle 22. In this manner, the humidification system 1a drives the pump 20 to drain water in a state in which the opening 131, which is located at a lower position than the opening 151, is connected to the drain bottle 22. Therefore, the humidification system 1a can reduce the amount of water remaining inside the humidification mechanism 10 after drainage processing, and can improve hygiene.

[0063] The humidification system 1a further includes a three-way valve 23 that switches the connection destination of the water supply bottle 21 between the opening 131 and the opening 151. When supplying water to the humidification mechanism 10, the control unit 101 controls the three-way valve 23 to connect the water supply bottle 21 to the opening 131, and when draining water from the humidification mechanism 10, the control unit 101 controls the three-way valve 23 to connect the opening 151 to the water supply bottle 21. In this way, the humidification system 1a has the water supply bottle 21, the humidification mechanism 10, and the drain bottle 22 form a single path, and then drives the pump 20 to drain water from the humidification mechanism 10, so that drainage from the humidification mechanism 10 and the piping that constitutes the humidification system 1a can be effectively performed.

[0064] In the humidification system 1a, the pump 20 is provided between the three-way valve 24 and the drain bottle 22, and moves the water in the piping by performing a suction operation from the front stage to the rear stage. This prevents the piping 11-17 from being damaged or broken due to excessive pressure being applied to the inside of the piping 11-17 constituting the humidification system 1a, causing leakage. Even if leakage does occur, the amount of water that flows out due to the leakage can be limited to the water currently present in the humidification mechanism 10 and the piping 11-17.

[0065] Second embodiment In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the control unit 101 stops the operation of the pump 20 in response to a user operation during water supply and drainage. However, the operation of the pump 20 may be automatically stopped depending on the presence or absence of water in the pipes 11 to 17. In this embodiment, a configuration example will be described in which sensors for detecting the presence or absence of water are provided upstream and downstream of the humidification mechanism 10, and the control unit 101 automatically stops the pump 20 depending on the presence or absence of water detected by the sensors. Hereinafter, configurations common to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description will be omitted.

[0066] 9 and 10 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of an example of a humidification system 1b according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The humidification system 1b includes a water supply sensor 25 and a drainage sensor 26 in addition to the configuration of the humidification system 1a described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The water supply sensor 25 as a first sensor detects the presence or absence of water in the pipe 11 provided in the front stage of the humidification mechanism 10. That is, the water supply sensor 25 detects the presence or absence of water in the pipe connected to the opening 131. The drainage sensor 26 as a second sensor detects the presence or absence of water in the pipe 17 provided in the rear stage of the humidification mechanism 10. That is, the drainage sensor 26 detects the presence or absence of water in the pipe connected to the opening 151. The water supply sensor 25 and the drainage sensor 26 may, for example, irradiate light to the pipes 11 and 17, receive light that has passed through the pipes 11 and 17, and detect the presence or absence of water based on the fact that the characteristics of the received light differ depending on the presence or absence of water in the pipes 11 and 17. The operating principle of the water supply sensor 25 and the drain sensor 26 may be any as long as it can detect the presence or absence of water, and is not limited to that utilizing the difference in light transmission characteristics between water and air. Fig. 9 shows the connection relationship of the three-way valves 23, 24 when water is supplied to the humidification mechanism 10. Fig. 10 shows the connection relationship of the three-way valves 23, 24 when draining water from the humidification mechanism 10.

[0067] 11 and 12 are sequence charts showing an example of the procedure of the process executed by the humidification system 1b. FIG. 11 shows the procedure of supplying water to the humidification mechanism 10, and FIG. 12 shows the procedure of draining water from the humidification mechanism 10. The operation described with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 corresponds to an example of the humidification method according to the present embodiment. The operation of each step in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 is executed based on the control of the control unit 101 of the processing unit 100. Both FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show the relationship between the "command" input to the control unit 101 and the "operation" performed in response thereto as time passes from the top to the bottom of the page. As a premise for the following operation, the connection relationship of the three-way valves 23 and 24 is set so that the three-way valve 23 connects the pipes 11 and 12, and the three-way valve 24 connects the pipes 16 and 17, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0068] 11, the control unit 101 inputs a command to "supply water." This process is similar to, for example, step S1 in FIG.

[0069] In response to the input of the command to "supply water" in step S21, the control unit 101 transmits a command to the pump 20 to start operation in step S22. In response to this, in step S23, the operation of the pump 20 is turned "ON" and the pump 20 starts a suction operation. By this operation, the water W1 in the water supply bottle 21 is supplied to the humidification mechanism 10.

[0070] Thereafter, in step S24, when both the water supply sensor 25 and the drain sensor 26 detect water ("water supply sensor ON" and "drain sensor ON"), the control unit 101 in step S25 sends a command to the pump 20 to stop operation. In response, in step S26, the operation of the pump 20 becomes "OFF" and the pump 20 stops its suction operation. With this operation, the supply of water to the humidification mechanism 10 is stopped.

[0071] On the other hand, the operation of draining water from the humidification mechanism 10 is shown in Fig. 12. In step S31 in Fig. 12, the control unit 101 inputs a "drain" command. The "drain" command may be input in response to an operation from the user via the operation receiving unit 103, for example.

[0072] In response to the input of the "drain" command in step S31, the control unit 101 transmits commands to the three-way valves 23, 24 to switch the connection relationship, and transmits a command to the pump 20 to start operation in step S32. In response to this, in step S33, the three-way valve 23 connects the pipes 11, 14, and the three-way valve 24 connects the pipes 17, 18. Furthermore, in step S34, the operation of the pump 20 is turned "ON", and the pump 20 starts a suction operation. This operation causes the water W3 in the humidification mechanism 10 to be drained into the drain bottle 22 via the upstream pipes 13, 18, the three-way valve 24, and the pipe 17.

[0073] Thereafter, in step S35, when both the water supply sensor 25 and the drain sensor 26 detect that there is no water ("water supply sensor OFF" and "drain sensor OFF"), the control unit 101 in step S36 sends a command to the pump 20 to stop operation. In response to this, in step S37, the operation of the pump 20 becomes "OFF" and the pump 20 stops its suction operation. This operation stops the discharge of water from the humidification mechanism 10.

[0074] As described above, the humidification system 1b according to the present embodiment further includes the water supply sensor 25 and the drain sensor 26 that detect the presence or absence of water in the pipes connected to the openings 131, 151, in addition to the configuration of the humidification system 1a according to the first embodiment. Then, the control unit 101 stops the operation of the pump 20 based on the detection results of the water supply sensor 25 and the detection results of the drain sensor 26. Therefore, according to the humidification system 1b, the operation of the pump 20 can be automatically stopped.

[0075] Furthermore, when supplying water to the humidification mechanism 10, the control unit 101 stops driving the pump 20 in response to the water supply sensor 25 and the drain sensor 26 detecting the presence of water after driving the pump 20. As described above, when supplying water, the water is supplied from the opening 131, and if the water is supplied beyond the maximum capacity of the filling area 31 of the humidification mechanism 10, the water exceeding the maximum capacity is discharged from the opening 151. Therefore, when supplying water, both the water supply sensor 25 and the drain sensor 26 detect the presence of water when the humidification mechanism 10 is filled with water and no more water needs to be supplied. Therefore, by stopping the driving of the pump 20 in response to the water supply sensor 25 and the drain sensor 26 detecting the presence of water, the driving of the pump 20 required for water supply can be stopped at an appropriate timing.

[0076] Furthermore, when draining water from the humidification mechanism 10, the control unit 101 stops driving the pump 20 in response to the water supply sensor 25 and the water drain sensor 26 detecting the absence of water after driving the pump 20. As described above, the water is drained from the humidification mechanism 10 through the opening 131 that is provided at a lower position than the opening 151. Therefore, when water is not present inside the humidification mechanism 10, both the water supply sensor 25 and the water drain sensor 26 detect the absence of water during drainage. Therefore, by stopping the driving of the pump 20 in response to the water supply sensor 25 and the water drain sensor 26 detecting the absence of water, the driving of the pump 20 required for drainage can be stopped at an appropriate timing.

[0077] The humidification system 1b may be configured to automatically stop the pump 20 in response to the water supply bottle 21 running out of water during the operation of supplying water to the humidification mechanism 10. For example, if the water supply bottle 21 runs out of water during the operation of supplying water to the humidification mechanism 10, the water supply sensor 25 will detect the absence of water. Thus, the control unit 101 may stop driving the pump 20 in response to the water supply sensor 25 detecting the absence of water during the operation of supplying water to the humidification mechanism 10. In this way, the humidification system 1b can automatically stop driving the pump 20 in response to the water supply bottle 21 being unable to supply water.

[0078] In the humidification systems 1a and 1b illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 9, and 10, the water supply bottle 21 and the drainage bottle 22 are provided as separate containers, but the water supply bottle 21 and the drainage bottle 22 may be realized by the same container. As described above, in the humidification system 1 according to this embodiment, the hollow member 50 serves as a filter for water used for humidifying the incubator 60. In this regard, the humidification system 1 may realize the water supply bottle 21 and the drainage bottle 22 by one container, and circulate the water in the piping of the humidification system 1. That is, the humidification system 1 may include a container capable of containing water, to which a water supply source and a water discharge destination are connected, and the pump 92 may supply and drain the water to and from the humidification mechanism 10 by circulating the water contained in the container in the piping of the humidification system 1. As a result, the humidification system 1 makes it possible to conduct experiments in the incubator 60 in a humidified state for long periods of time, as long as a container large enough to hold the water required for humidification is provided, without the need for large containers for the water supply bottle 21 and the water drain bottle 22.

[0079] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, multiple blocks shown in the block diagram may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Multiple steps shown in the sequence chart may be executed in parallel or in a different order depending on the processing capacity of the device executing each step, or as necessary, instead of being executed in chronological order according to the description. Other modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1,1a,1b Humidification system 10 Humidification mechanism 11~18 Piping 131,151 Opening 100 Processing section 101 Control section 102 Storage section 103 Operation reception section 20 Pump 21 Water Bottle 22 Drainage bottle 23,24 Three-way valve 25,26 Sensors 31 Filling area 32 Wall 32a hole 40 Connection hole 41 Air supply tube 42a hole 50 Hollow member 51 Materials 51a Micropore 52 Hollow part 55 Exhaust tube 60 Incubator 62 Wall 70 Culture vessel 80 Incubator equipment 9. Humidification System 90 Humidification mechanism 91 Water Bottle 92 Pump 93,94 Piping 931,941 Opening 95 Drainage Bottle W1,W2,W3 Water

Claims

1. a humidification mechanism including: a first opening, a filling region filled with water supplied from the first opening, a second opening provided at a position higher than the first opening, and a hollow member including a hollow portion through which air to be humidified passes, the hollow portion being provided so as to be in contact with the filling region, the humidification mechanism using the water filled in the filling region to humidify the air passing through the hollow portion; a first switching unit that switches a connection destination of a water discharge destination between the second opening and the first opening; a pump for supplying and discharging water to and from the humidification mechanism; A control unit that controls the first switching unit and the operation of the pump; Equipped with The control unit is When supplying water to the humidification mechanism, the pump is driven in a state in which a water supply source is connected to the first opening and the first switching unit connects the second opening to the discharge destination; When draining water from the humidification mechanism, the first switching unit connects the first opening and the drain destination, and then drives the pump. Humidification system.

2. a second switching unit that switches a connection destination of the supply source between the first opening and the second opening, the supply source is a water bottle capable of containing water; The control unit is When water is supplied to the humidification mechanism, the second switching unit connects the supply source and the first opening, When draining water from the humidification mechanism, the second switching unit connects the second opening and the supply source. The humidification system of claim 1 .

3. The humidification system has one pump, The pump is provided between the first switching unit and the discharge destination, and is driven to perform a suction operation from the first switching unit. The humidification system of claim 2.

4. a first sensor for detecting the presence or absence of water in a piping connected to the first opening; a second sensor for detecting the presence or absence of water in a piping connected to the second opening; Further comprising: the control unit stops driving the pump based on a detection result of the first sensor and a detection result of the second sensor; The control unit is when supplying water to the humidification mechanism, stopping the operation of the pump in response to the first sensor and the second sensor detecting the presence of water after driving the pump; when draining water from the humidification mechanism, stopping the operation of the pump in response to the first sensor and the second sensor detecting the absence of water after driving the pump; Execute at least one of the following: A humidification system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The apparatus further includes a container capable of containing water, the container being connected to the supply source and the discharge destination; The pump circulates the water contained in the container through a pipe of the humidification system to supply and drain water to and from the humidification mechanism. A humidification system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. An incubator device comprising a humidification system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. a humidification mechanism including: a first opening, a filling region filled with water supplied from the first opening, a second opening provided at a position higher than the first opening, and a hollow member including a hollow portion through which air to be humidified passes, the hollow portion being provided so as to be in contact with the filling region, the humidification mechanism using the water filled in the filling region to humidify the air passing through the hollow portion; a first switching unit that switches a connection destination of a water discharge destination between the second opening and the first opening; a pump for supplying and discharging water to and from the humidification mechanism; A control unit that controls an operation of the first switching unit; A method for humidifying a humidification system comprising: The control unit: a step of driving the pump in a state where a water supply source is connected to the first opening and the first switching unit connects the second opening and the discharge destination when supplying water to the humidification mechanism; When draining water from the humidification mechanism, the first switching unit connects the first opening and the drain destination, and then drives the pump; A humidification method for a humidification system comprising:

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