Aquatic organism containment device

Abstract

To provide a compact aquatic organism storage device, the inside of which can be pressurized by manual operation, having portability, and capable of improving (treating) decompression disease of aquatic organisms temporarily stored in a container for transportation, etc., and improving a survival rate.SOLUTION: An aquatic organism storage device 10 includes a storage container 20 for storing aquatic organisms F along with water W, and a manual air pump 30 and a pressure relief valve 40 provided in the storage container 20, where the pressure relief valve 40 has an opening / closing operation handle allowing for adjustment of an opening amount by manual operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable underwater organism containment device having an organism containment chamber for containing underwater organisms together with water, and capable of being used for transporting underwater organisms while maintaining the inside of the organism containment chamber at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure.

Background Art

[0002] Deep-sea organisms such as deep-sea fish, crustaceans (marine crustaceans such as shrimp, crabs, isopods, etc.), mollusks (squid, octopus, shellfish, etc.), and jellyfish have recently attracted attention in many fields such as breeding, sampling for research, and live fish transportation for food. However, after deep-sea organisms are lifted from the deep sea onto a ship, they may be significantly damaged due to decompression sickness caused by the pressure difference with the inhabited sea area. In addition, even if deep-sea organisms lifted from the deep sea onto a ship do not suffer significant damage, they may experience physical deformations such as exophthalmos (in those with eyes such as fish, squid, octopus, etc.), local deformations such as local bulges of the body, and swelling of the entire abdomen due to decompression sickness. In view of this, a countermeasure is known in which a pressure water tank capable of maintaining a water pressure significantly higher than atmospheric pressure (for example, 2 MPa or more) is installed on a ship, and deep-sea organisms lifted from the deep sea are quickly accommodated in the pressure water tank and transported while alive. Even if deep-sea organisms lifted from the deep sea onto a ship have physical deformations due to decompression sickness, there are many cases where they can be transported alive by quickly accommodating them in a pressure water tank after being lifted and placing them under a water pressure significantly higher than atmospheric pressure.

[0003] However, conventional pressure water tanks generally include large-scale facilities such as water circulation devices and electric pressure pumps for maintaining water pressure, and have problems such as high cost and difficulty in installation on small ships. In view of this, there is also a proposal for a portable transport container that can be pressurized manually to achieve compactness and cost reduction with respect to conventional large-scale pressure water tanks (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-6547 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] Many deep-sea organisms with physical deformities caused by decompression sickness can have their symptoms improved by being placed in a container such as a pressure tank or a transport container and kept under a water pressure much higher than atmospheric pressure. However, even if the symptoms of decompression sickness are improved and cured in a deep-sea organism under the high pressure inside the container, the decompression sickness may recur when the container is opened and the organism is exposed to atmospheric pressure. Deep-sea organisms in which the symptoms of decompression sickness have not been improved under the high pressure inside the container, or deep-sea organisms in which the symptoms of decompression sickness have been improved but have not been cured may progress to decompression sickness and die when the container is opened and they are exposed to atmospheric pressure.

[0006] By the way, when aiming to keep deep-sea organisms alive in a container maintaining an internal pressure much higher than atmospheric pressure, it is necessary to ensure that the dissolved amount of air or oxygen in the water inside the container is sufficient to sustain the lives of the deep-sea organisms. However, since the deep-sea organisms contained in the container are placed in a situation different from their living environment, they become tense and their breathing speeds up. For this reason, the required oxygen amount per unit time naturally increases. The fact that the breathing of the deep-sea organisms in the container speeds up and, as a result, the required oxygen amount per unit time increases becomes even more prominent when the water temperature inside the container is higher than that of the deep sea where the water temperature is usually low. In the situation where there is no replenishment of dissolved oxygen in the water inside the container, the dissolved oxygen in the water inside the container gradually decreases due to the breathing of the deep-sea organisms.

[0007] However, for a transport container that can be internally pressurized manually, is compact, and has portability, there is currently no container that can maintain the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water inside the container at a level that can sustain the lives of deep-sea organisms and, moreover, can stably maintain a water pressure much higher than atmospheric pressure.

[0008] In Patent Document 1, regarding the transport containers (deep - sea organism water tanks) in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is described that the water inside is pressurized without mixing air into the sealed container (paragraphs 0038, 0044). The transport containers (deep - sea organism water tanks) in FIGS. 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1 cannot replenish the dissolved oxygen in the water inside the container. If the transport containers in FIGS. 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1 are pressurized with air remaining in the sealed container, as time passes after pressurization, the remaining air can dissolve in the water and increase the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water. However, as the air dissolves in the water, the internal pressure decreases. For this reason, the decrease in internal pressure causes a stagnation in the treatment of decompression sickness of deep - sea organisms contained in the container together with water. When the influence of the treatment stagnation is large, it leads to the death of the organisms.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to be able to pressurize the inside manually, be compact and portable, keep the dissolved oxygen concentration of the water in the container at a level that can maintain the life of aquatic organisms, and stably maintain a water pressure much higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, it is to provide an aquatic organism housing device that can improve the efficiency of improving (treating) decompression sickness of aquatic organisms temporarily housed in the container for purposes such as transportation and improve the survival rate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following aspects. [1] A portable aquatic organism housing device, comprising: a housing container that secures a biological housing chamber for housing aquatic organisms together with water; a manual air pump provided in the housing container and capable of pressing air outside the housing container into the biological housing chamber inside the housing container by manual operation; and a pressure relief valve provided in the housing container. The housing container has a bottomed cylindrical container body and a lid detachably provided at an upper opening on the side opposite to the bottom of the container body. The manual air pump and the pressure relief valve are provided on the lid of the housing container. The manual AirThe pump can repeatedly perform a manual operation of pressing air outside the storage container into the biological storage chamber inside the storage container with the lid provided at the upper opening of the container body, and the pressure relief valve is configured to be closed when the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber is less than the operating pressure and to be opened when the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber becomes equal to or greater than the operating pressure to release the gas inside the biological storage chamber to the outside of the storage container. Moreover, it includes an opening / closing operation handle for manually opening and closing, and the opening amount can be adjusted by manually operating the opening / closing operation handle. An underwater biological storage device. [2] A portable underwater biological storage device, comprising a storage container that secures a biological storage chamber for storing underwater organisms together with water, a manual air pump provided on the storage container and capable of pressing air outside the storage container into the biological storage chamber inside the storage container by manual operation, and a pressure relief valve provided on the storage container. The storage container has a bottomed cylindrical container body and a lid detachably provided at the upper opening on the side opposite to the bottom of the container body. The manual air pump and the pressure relief valve are provided on the lid of the storage container, and the manual Air The pump can repeatedly perform a manual operation of pressing air outside the storage container into the biological storage chamber inside the storage container with the lid provided at the upper opening of the container body, and the pressure relief valve is configured to be closed when the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber is less than the operating pressure and to be opened when the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber becomes equal to or greater than the operating pressure to release the gas inside the biological storage chamber to the outside of the storage container. Moreover, the pressure relief valve has a gas introduction member formed with a gas introduction hole for introducing the gas inside the biological storage chamber to a valve seat where the valve body of the pressure relief valve contacts and separates, and a branch hole extending from the middle part of the gas introduction hole, and a branch hole opening / closing member screwed to the outer surface of a protruding cylinder part formed on the gas introduction member to accommodate the protruding end part of the protruding cylinder part and cover the opening of the protruding end of the protruding cylinder part. The branch hole is formed in the gas introduction member including the entire inside of the protruding cylinder part, and the branch hole opening / closing member is the protruding cylinder part ofIt has a cylindrical side wall portion screwed to the outer surface and a back wall portion closing the entire one side in the axial direction of the cylindrical side wall portion in the inner region of the cylindrical side wall portion. A gas outlet hole penetrating the thickness of the cylindrical side wall portion is formed in the cylindrical side wall portion. The branch hole opening / closing member can open and close the opening of the branch hole which is the opening of the protruding end of the protruding end portion by a rotation operation for changing the screwing position with respect to the protruding cylinder portion, and can adjust the opening range which is the range located on the protruding end side opposite to the base end side of the protruding cylinder portion from the protruding cylinder portion of the gas outlet hole. An underwater organism housing device. [3] A portable underwater organism housing device, comprising: a housing container securing a biological housing chamber for housing underwater organisms together with water; a manual air pump provided in the housing container and capable of pressing air outside the housing container into the biological housing chamber in the housing container by manual operation; and a pressure relief valve provided in the housing container. The housing container has a bottomed cylindrical container body and a lid detachably provided at an upper opening portion on the side opposite to the bottom portion thereof. The manual air pump and the pressure relief valve are provided on the lid of the housing container. The manual AirThe pump is capable of repeatedly performing a manual operation of pressing air outside the storage container into the biological storage chamber in the storage container with the lid provided at the upper opening of the container body. The pressure relief valve is configured to be closed when the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber is less than the operating pressure and to be opened when the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber becomes equal to or greater than the operating pressure to discharge the gas in the biological storage chamber to the outside of the storage container. Moreover, the pressure relief valve includes a gas introduction member having a gas introduction hole for introducing the gas in the biological storage chamber to a valve seat where the valve body of the pressure relief valve comes into contact with and separates from, and a branch hole extending from an intermediate portion of the gas introduction hole, and a branch hole opening and closing member including a screw shaft screwed onto an inner peripheral surface of the branch hole, which is a surface facing the branch hole of the gas introduction member and into which the opening of the branch hole opening to the outer surface of the gas introduction member is inserted. The branch hole opening and closing member has an opening and closing member body formed with a head and the screw shaft protruding from the head, and a ring plate-shaped packing externally inserted on the screw shaft. The head is formed so as to be able to sandwich the packing between the entire circumference around the opening of the branch hole on the outer surface of the gas introduction member by screwing the screw shaft into the branch hole. An exhaust groove extending over the entire axial length of the screw shaft is formed on a side surface of the screw shaft. The branch hole opening and closing member can open and close the opening of the branch hole by a rotation operation for changing the screwing position with respect to the gas introduction member, and the length of a portion located in the branch hole of the gas outlet hole secured including the exhaust groove of the screw shaft portion between the screw shaft portion and the inner peripheral surface of the branch hole can be adjusted. An aquatic organism storage device. [4] The pressure relief valve includes a shaft retainer block fixed directly to the lid or via a fixed auxiliary member fixed to the lid, and provided to secure a portion located on the upper surface side opposite to the lower surface on the biological accommodation chamber side of the lid; a stem accommodated in a stem accommodation hole composed of a lid stem hole that penetrates the lid and opens to the lower surface and the upper surface, and a block stem hole that is formed through the shaft retainer block and communicates with the lid stem hole, and the stem penetrates the block stem hole; a ring plate-shaped packing fixed to the stem and disposed on the upper side opposite to the biological accommodation chamber side of the shaft retainer block; a biasing member disposed between a receiving projection protruding from a side surface of a portion of the stem extending from the block stem hole to the biological accommodation chamber side and the shaft retainer block, and elastically biasing the stem toward the biological accommodation chamber side; and an opening / closing operation handle provided at an upper end portion of the stem protruding upward from the shaft retainer block and located above the packing. An opening / closing movable body including the stem, the packing, and the opening / closing operation handle is provided movably in the axial direction of the block stem hole with respect to the shaft retainer block. The packing can switch the contact and separation with the block upper surface on the side opposite to the biological accommodation chamber side of the shaft retainer block by moving in the axial direction of the block stem hole with respect to the shaft retainer block, and can switch the opening and closing of the upper end opening of the stem accommodation hole opening to the block upper surface by the contact and separation with the block upper surface. [1] to The underwater biological accommodation device according to the description. [5] The fixing auxiliary member is a sleeve-shaped chamber member that is inserted into the lid body stem hole and fixed to the lid body while securing a portion that protrudes to the upper surface side of the lid body. The pressure relief valve includes the chamber member and a stem lower end packing provided at the lower end of the stem and protruding laterally of the stem over the entire circumference of the lower end of the stem. The stem lower end packing airtightly seals the lower end opening on the biological containment chamber side of the chamber member when the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber is in a state equivalent to atmospheric pressure. When the upward pressing force acting on the shaft retainer block by the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber exceeds the biasing force with which the biasing member elastically biases the stem and the stem is moved upward, the lower end opening of the chamber member can be switched from a sealed state to an open state, as described in [4]. The underwater biological containment device. [6] The opening / closing operation handle is a plate-shaped or rod-shaped protruding piece that secures an obtuse opening angle with respect to the stem and protrudes obliquely from the upper end of the stem with respect to the stem. The opening angle of the opening / closing operation handle with respect to the central axis of the stem is 110 to 160 degrees, as described in [4]. The underwater biological containment device. [7] The opening / closing operation handle of the pressure relief valve protrudes from the upper end of the stem to the side of the upper end of the stem. The pressure relief valve has a push-up ring member screwed to the side surface of the shaft retainer block. The push-up ring member is made movable up and down by a rotation operation that changes the screwing position with respect to the shaft retainer block, as described in [4]. The underwater biological containment device. [8] The manual air pump has a nipple for introducing a liquid or gas from outside the container into the manual air pump. The manual air pump can press the liquid or gas introduced through the nipple into the biological containment chamber by manual operation, as described in any one of [1] to [7]. The underwater biological containment device. [9] The manual air pump includes a cylindrical cylinder that is penetrated and fixed to the lid body by securing a lower protruding portion that protrudes from the lid body toward the biological accommodation chamber side and an upper protruding portion that protrudes from the lid body to the side opposite to the biological accommodation chamber, a piston provided movably in the axial direction of the cylinder within the cylinder, a piston rod provided with the piston at the tip inserted into the cylinder, a handle provided at the protruding end of the piston rod that protrudes out of the cylinder from the upper end opening of the cylinder that opens at the tip of the upper protruding portion of the cylinder, a discharge check valve provided at the lower end of the cylinder that is the tip of the lower protruding portion and permits gas discharge from inside the cylinder to outside the cylinder and blocks gas inflow from outside the cylinder into the cylinder, and a nipple provided at the upper end of the cylinder that is the tip of the upper protruding portion and communicated with an introduction side gas chamber that is a region on the upper end opening side from the piston in the cylinder. The air flowing into the introduction side gas chamber from the upper end opening of the cylinder is configured to be able to mix with oxygen flowing in from the nipple. The piston has an on-off valve structure that switches between communication and blocking between a discharge side gas chamber that is a region on the piston to discharge check valve side in the cylinder and an introduction side gas chamber that is a region on the piston to upper end opening side in the cylinder. The on-off valve structure is configured to be opened by an operation of moving the piston to the upper end opening side of the cylinder to communicate between the discharge side gas chamber and the introduction side gas chamber and to be closed by an operation of moving the piston to the lower end side of the cylinder to block between the discharge side gas chamber and the introduction side gas chamber, which is described in [8] of the underwater biological accommodation device.

[10] The underwater biological accommodation device further includes a coolant built-in body configured such that a coolant is accommodated in a container that is a case or a bag, and the coolant built-in body is removably accommodated in the biological accommodation chamber, which is described in any one of [1] to [9].

[11] The container body of the storage container has a partition wall that divides the inner region of the container body into the biological storage chamber and the coolant storage chamber below the biological storage chamber, and a lower opening / closing wall that opens and closes the opening of the coolant storage chamber formed in the container body. The lower opening / closing wall can be switched between a fixed state in which the opening of the coolant storage chamber is closed with respect to the main body of the container body, which is a part of the container body other than the lower opening / closing wall, and a fixed-release state. The underwater biological storage device according to any one of [1] to

[10] .

[12] The underwater biological storage device according to any one of [1] to

[11] , further comprising a pressure gauge provided on the lid body for measuring and displaying the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber.

[13] The underwater biological storage device according to any one of [1] to

[12] , further comprising a cylindrical heat insulation cover for removably storing and covering the storage container.

[0011] The underwater biological storage device according to the present invention can be widely applied to the storage of underwater organisms moved from underwater to above water. The underwater organisms are not limited to marine organisms and may be those living in lakes, marshes, etc. The underwater biological storage device according to the present invention can be suitably used for the storage of underwater organisms moved from deep waters (for example, waters with a depth of 200 m or more) such as deep-sea organisms and the treatment of decompression sickness.

[0012] In the description of the underwater biological storage device according to the present invention, "atmospheric pressure" refers to the atmospheric pressure at the location where the operation of putting an underwater organism into the biological storage chamber of the underwater biological storage device according to the present invention is performed. The location where the operation of putting an underwater organism into the biological storage chamber of the underwater biological storage device is performed is, for example, on a ship at sea. However, it may also be on a ship floating on a lake in a highland, etc. "Atmospheric pressure" is affected by factors such as the altitude and air temperature of the location where the operation of putting an underwater organism into the biological storage chamber of the underwater biological storage device is performed.

[0013] The underwater organism containment device according to the present invention has a configuration in which a manual air pump capable of injecting air into a biological containment chamber in a containment container that contains underwater organisms together with water, and is a portable device with a simple structure that can be pressurized manually inside the biological containment chamber of the containment container, and is easy to miniaturize and lightweight. Further, in the underwater organism containment device of the present invention, when the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber exceeds the opening operating pressure of the pressure relief valve provided in the containment container, the gas in the biological containment chamber is released from the pressure relief valve to the outside of the device. As a result, it is possible to avoid the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber from becoming excessive, and prevent damage, rupture, etc. of the containment container.

[0014] In terms of avoiding excessive internal pressure in the biological containment chamber by releasing the gas in the biological containment chamber from the pressure relief valve to the outside of the device, when the upper opening of the container body containing water and underwater organisms is closed by a lid, air is also contained in the containment container, and it is preferable that the contained air exists in a layered manner in contact with the entire lower surface of the lid above the water in the containment container. The pressure relief valve does not assume the discharge of water in the biological containment chamber to the outside of the underwater organism containment device. When the air contained in the containment container exists in a layered manner in contact with the entire lower surface of the lid above the water in the containment container, the release of the gas in the biological containment chamber from the pressure relief valve to the outside of the underwater organism containment device when the internal pressure in the biological containment chamber becomes excessive can be smoothly realized.

[0015] The underwater organism containment device according to the present invention pressurizes air into the organism containment chamber of the containment vessel by a manual air pump to pressurize the inside of the organism containment chamber to a desired pressure significantly higher than the atmospheric pressure (pressurization operation during containment). After that, when the internal pressure of the organism containment chamber decreases due to dissolution of air in the water in the organism containment chamber, temperature change, etc., the manual air pump is operated again to pressurize air into the organism containment chamber (additional pressurization operation), whereby the internal pressure of the organism containment chamber can be easily increased to a desired pressure significantly higher than the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the underwater organism containment device according to the present invention prevents the dissolved oxygen in the water from becoming insufficient by dissolving the air contained in the containment vessel into the water in the containment vessel, and can easily keep the internal pressure of the organism containment chamber (including the water pressure of the water in the organism containment chamber) near a desired pressure significantly higher than the atmospheric pressure. The ability to keep the internal pressure of the organism containment chamber (including the water pressure of the water in the organism containment chamber) near a desired pressure significantly higher than the atmospheric pressure effectively contributes to the promotion of the treatment of decompression sickness of the underwater organisms contained in the organism containment chamber of the containment vessel.

[0016] The additional pressurization operation performed by operating the manual air pump after the pressurization operation during containment can be carried out, for example, at a timing, number of operations (amount of air to be pressurized) determined from the volume of the organism containment chamber, the elapsed time after completion of the pressurization operation during containment, the outside air temperature around the underwater organism containment device, etc. However, it is preferably carried out by adopting an underwater organism containment device having a pressure gauge that measures and displays the pressure inside the organism containment chamber, and determining the necessity by visually checking the pressure value displayed by the pressure gauge. The additional pressurization operation performed by visually checking the pressure value displayed by the pressure gauge does not necessarily cause exhaust from the pressure relief valve, and can be carried out without excess or deficiency so that the required pressure is ensured inside the organism containment chamber.

[0017] Also, in the organism containment chamber, ammonia and carbon dioxide are released from the underwater organisms into the water in the organism containment chamber. Aquatic organisms that perform gill respiration dissolve ammonia and carbon dioxide generated in their bodies in water through their gills and discharge them outside the body. Ammonia and carbon dioxide have an adverse effect on the survival of underwater organisms. Therefore, part or all of the water in the organism containment chamber is exchanged as necessary.

[0018] In terms of enabling partial or total replacement of the water in the biological containment chamber, it is more preferable for the underwater biological containment device according to the present invention to adopt a manual air pump having a nipple for introducing liquid or gas into the manual air pump as in the invention of [8]. The underwater biological containment device according to the present invention employs a device that can supply water from the manual air pump to the biological containment chamber by the introduction pressure of the water introduced into the manual air pump from the nipple of the manual air pump or by the operation of the manual air pump. Further, the pressure relief valve of the underwater biological containment device according to the present invention employs a device that can discharge not only the gas in the biological containment chamber but also the water in the biological containment chamber to the outside of the device. With such a configuration, the underwater biological containment device according to the present invention, for example, in a state where the containment container of the underwater biological containment device, the air intake port of the manual air pump, and the nipple are submerged in the water stored in the aquarium, manually operates the manual air pump to press water from the manual air pump into the biological containment chamber to increase the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber, and then tilts the containment container taken out of the aquarium into the atmosphere and manually opens the pressure relief valve (it may be a manual rotation operation of the branch hole opening / closing member) to discharge a part of the water in the biological containment chamber from the pressure relief valve. The drainage operation may be repeated. The drainage operation is performed so that the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber does not drop too much. Further, after the completion of the drainage operation, the manual air pump may be manually operated in the atmosphere to press air from the manual air pump into the biological containment chamber to increase the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber that has decreased due to the drainage operation.

[0019] In addition, for the aquatic organism containment device according to the present invention, the water in the organism containment chamber is discharged easily from the pressure relief valve by tilting the pressure containment container, and in the atmosphere, the water introduced into the manual air pump from the nipple is supplied from the manual air pump to the organism containment chamber, and the drainage of the water in the organism containment chamber from the pressure relief valve are continued in parallel to replace part or all of the water in the organism containment chamber. The manual air pump is configured to be able to discharge the water introduced from the nipple only to the organism containment chamber, and to prevent water from discharging or leaking from other than the discharge port that discharges water or air to the organism containment chamber side. The supply of the water introduced from the nipple into the manual air pump to the organism containment chamber is, for example, a manual operation of the manual air pump, but a manual air pump configured such that the water pumped into the manual air pump from a power pump such as an electric pump or a hydraulic pump can be supplied to the organism containment chamber without operating the manual air pump, and the water can be supplied from the manual air pump to the organism containment chamber by the water supply pressure from the power pump.

[0020] As far as the inventor knows, there has been no containment device that can be pressurized internally by manual operation, is compact and portable, can maintain the dissolved oxygen concentration of the water in the container at a level that can sustain the life of aquatic organisms, and can stably maintain a water pressure much higher than atmospheric pressure, and as a result, can efficiently improve (treat) the decompression sickness of aquatic organisms temporarily contained in the containment container for purposes such as transportation.

[0021] Regarding aquatic organisms in which the symptoms of decompression sickness have healed or, even if not healed, have improved under high pressure in the container, when the container is opened and exposed to atmospheric pressure, it is considered that the rapid decompression associated with the opening of the container has a great influence on the recurrence or progression of decompression sickness. It is known that the decompression sickness of deep-sea organisms pulled up from the deep sea onto a ship is mainly caused by the nitrogen dissolved in their bodies being vaporized by decompression, which damages tissues. It is also considered that for aquatic organisms undergoing decompression sickness treatment in a container, the nitrogen in their bodies is vaporized by the rapid decompression after the container is opened, resulting in the recurrence or progression of decompression sickness.

[0022] The underwater organism containment device according to the present invention can efficiently promote the treatment of decompression sickness in underwater organisms contained in the containment container. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the recurrence and progression of decompression sickness after the containment container is opened, and it is possible to increase the survival rate of aquatic organisms. In addition, the underwater organism containment device according to the present invention has a configuration for slowly reducing the pressure in the organism containment chamber by manual operation of the pressure relief valve. The underwater organism containment device according to the present invention slowly reduces the pressure in the organism containment chamber after promoting the treatment of decompression sickness in the underwater organisms contained in the containment container and before opening the containment container. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the recurrence and progression of decompression sickness in the underwater organisms after the containment container is opened, and it is possible to increase the survival rate of aquatic organisms.

[0023] Many underwater organisms that inhabit waters with a large depth (water depth), such as deep-sea organisms, have adaptability that allows them to continue living even when the water pressure is close to atmospheric pressure. However, they are not easily adaptable to sudden changes in water pressure. Regarding sudden decompression, decompression sickness is likely to occur. When the decompression of the environment of aquatic organisms progresses slowly, there are many cases where the onset of decompression sickness is not observed. Although further verification of the mechanism is required according to the type of aquatic organisms, etc., when the decompression of the environment of aquatic organisms progresses slowly, nitrogen is continuously transported by the blood flow in the organism, preventing the formation of nitrogen bubbles of a size that would damage living tissue in the body, and it is considered that the onset of decompression sickness is prevented.

[0024] The pressure relief valve of the underwater organism containment device according to the present invention has the following configuration. The pressure relief valve of the underwater organism containment device according to the invention of [1] can adjust the opening amount by manual operation of the opening / closing operation handle. The pressure relief valve of the underwater organism containment device according to the invention of [2] has a gas introduction member formed with a gas introduction hole for introducing the gas in the organism containment chamber to a valve seat where the valve body of the pressure relief valve contacts and separates, and a branch hole extending from a middle portion of the gas introduction hole, and a cap-shaped branch hole opening and closing member including a cylindrical side wall portion screwed to the outer surface of a protruding cylinder portion formed on the gas introduction member, and capable of opening and closing an opening portion of the branch hole that opens at the tip of the protruding cylinder portion by a rotational operation. The opening range, which is the range where the gas outlet hole formed in the branch hole opening and closing member is located on the protruding cylinder portion tip side from the protruding cylinder portion of the gas introduction member, can be adjusted by a manual rotational operation of the branch hole opening and closing member. The pressure relief valve of the underwater organism containment device according to the invention of [3] has a gas introduction member formed with a gas introduction hole for introducing the gas in the organism containment chamber to a valve seat where the valve body of the pressure relief valve contacts and separates, and a branch hole extending from a middle portion of the gas introduction hole, and a branch hole opening and closing member including a screw shaft screwed to the inner surface of the branch hole of the gas introduction member and a head portion where the screw shaft protrudes. The opening portion of the branch hole that opens to the gas introduction member can be opened and closed by a manual rotational operation of the branch hole opening and closing member, and the length of the portion located in the branch hole of the gas outlet hole secured including the exhaust groove of the screw shaft portion between the screw shaft portion and the inner surface of the branch hole can be adjusted. The underwater organism containment device according to the invention of [1] can slowly decompress the pressure in the organism containment chamber by manually operating the opening and closing operation handle of the pressure relief valve. The underwater organism containment device according to the inventions of [2] and [3] can adjust the pressure loss of the gas discharged from the gas outlet hole to the outside of the valve by manually rotating the branch hole opening and closing member of the pressure relief valve, and can slowly decompress the pressure in the organism containment chamber. Note that the pressure relief valve of the underwater organism containment device according to the inventions of [2] and [3] can adopt either a configuration having an opening and closing operation handle for manually separating the valve body from the valve seat or a configuration not having an opening and closing operation handle for manually separating the valve body from the valve seat.

[0025] Incidentally, when deep-sea organisms are contained with water under pressure in a sealed container, the air dissolved in the water in the container dissolves into the organisms through respiration. In the living body, oxygen is used for the metabolism of the living body and is discharged as carbon dioxide or the like, while nitrogen in the air is not used in the living body and remains in the living body in the state of gas molecules. When the environment around the organism is rapidly depressurized due to the opening of the sealed container or the like, the nitrogen in the state of gas molecules rapidly undergoes gasification, leading to the onset of decompression sickness.

[0026] In contrast, the present inventor has found that by supplying air with an increased oxygen partial pressure from a manual air pump to the organism accommodation chamber and causing the organism in the water to take in oxygen with a high partial pressure into its body through an improvement in the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water, the discharge of nitrogen from the living body can be promoted. More specifically, as in the invention of [8], a manual air pump having a nipple is adopted, and a configuration in which oxygen from an oxygen supply device is introduced into the manual air pump through the nipple is considered. It is more preferable for the underwater organism accommodation device according to the present invention to adopt a manual air pump having a nipple as in the invention of [8]. In the underwater organism accommodation device that adopts a manual air pump having a nipple as in the invention of [8], the oxygen supplied from the oxygen supply device into the manual air pump through the nipple can be pressure-fed from the manual air pump to the organism accommodation chamber by manual operation of the manual air pump. According to the underwater organism accommodation device of the invention of [8], while treating the decompression sickness of the underwater organisms contained in the accommodation container, high partial pressure oxygen is taken into the bodies of the underwater organisms to promote the discharge of nitrogen from the living body. By slowly decompressing the pressure in the organism accommodation chamber before opening the accommodation container, although it seems to depend on the type of underwater organisms and the like, it is possible to more reliably prevent the recurrence and progression of decompression sickness of the underwater organisms after opening the accommodation container, and there are many cases where it contributes to an improvement in the survival rate of the underwater organisms after opening the accommodation container. In the underwater organism accommodation device according to the present invention, the configuration of [8] is not essential. However, by including the configuration of [8], the underwater organism accommodation device according to the present invention can more reliably prevent the recurrence and progression of decompression sickness of the underwater organisms after opening the accommodation container, and can achieve an improvement in the survival rate of the underwater organisms after opening the accommodation container.

[0027] In the aquatic organism containment device according to the invention of [8], by continuously injecting air with a high oxygen concentration from a manual air pump into the organism containment chamber while air (an air layer) exists over the entire water surface in the containment container, the oxygen concentration of the air above the water surface in the organism containment chamber can be gradually increased. Here, if the pressure in the organism containment chamber is increased by injecting air from the manual air pump into the organism containment chamber and gas in the organism containment chamber is released outside the device through the pressure relief valve, the replacement of the air in the organism containment chamber with the air injected from the manual air pump can be promoted. As a result, compared with the case where no gas is released outside the device through the pressure relief valve by injecting air from the manual air pump into the organism containment chamber, the oxygen concentration of the air in the organism containment chamber can be efficiently increased in a short time. Note that it is not always necessary to increase the pressure in the organism containment chamber by injecting air with a high oxygen concentration from the manual air pump into the organism containment chamber and cause the gas in the organism containment chamber to be released outside the device through the pressure relief valve, and it can be performed as necessary.

[0028] The inventor attempted to treat a deep-sea fish (deep-sea organism) with a body deformation caused by decompression sickness using a prototype device of the aquatic organism containment device according to the present invention (specifically, the aquatic organism containment device according to the invention of [1]). As a result, it was confirmed that it is possible to treat a deep-sea fish with a body deformation caused by decompression sickness. As a specific example, a deep-sea fish, the cherry snapper, was placed in the organism containment chamber of the aquatic organism containment device, and the internal pressure of the organism containment chamber of 0.2 to 0.25 MPa was maintained for 3 hours. As a result, an improvement effect was confirmed in the protrusion of the eyeballs, the protrusion of the internal organs, and abnormal swimming. In addition, a significant difference in the survival rate was obtained between those damaged by decompression sickness and those without damage. In addition to the above, it was also confirmed that it is possible to treat the body deformation caused by decompression sickness for multiple types of deep-sea fish.

Advantages of the Invention

[0029] According to the underwater organism containment device of the present invention, it is a container that can be pressurized internally by manual operation, is compact and portable, and can maintain the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water inside the container at a level that can sustain the life of deep-sea organisms, and can stably maintain a water pressure significantly higher than atmospheric pressure. As a result, it is possible to efficiently improve (treat) the decompression sickness of the underwater organisms contained in the container.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] [Figure 1] It is an overall front view showing an underwater organism containment device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a front cross-sectional view showing the structure of the underwater organism containment device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the manual air pump of the underwater organism containment device of FIG. 1, where (a) shows the piston rising operation and (b) shows the piston descending operation. [Figure 4] It is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the pressure relief valve in the manual air pump. [Figure 5] It is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of a pressure relief valve including a chamber member, where (a) shows the closed state and (b) shows the open state. [Figure 6] It is a partial cross-sectional view showing a pressure relief valve having a chamber member and a shaft retainer block including a screwed projection screwed into the upper opening of the chamber member. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view showing a pressure relief valve having a gas introduction member between the chamber member and the shaft retainer block, and a gas outlet hole formed in a branch hole opening / closing member that opens and closes an opening on the side opposite to the gas introduction hole of the branch hole extending from the gas introduction hole of the gas introduction member. [Figure 8] It is a view showing an enlarged branch hole opening / closing member of FIG. 7, where (a) is a front cross-sectional view and (b) is a front view. [Figure 9] It is a cross-sectional view showing a pressure relief valve having a gas introduction member between the chamber member and the shaft retainer block, and an exhaust groove formed in a branch hole opening / closing member including a threaded shaft portion screwed into an opening on the side opposite to the gas introduction hole of the branch hole extending from the gas introduction hole of the gas introduction member. [Figure 10] It is a figure which expands and shows the branch hole opening and closing member of FIG. 9, (a) is a front view, and (b) is a figure which shows the structure seen from the tip side of the screw shaft part. [Figure 11] It is a front cross-sectional view which shows the structure in which a movable push-up ring is provided in the pressure relief valve of FIG. 4. [Figure 12] It is a partial front cross-sectional view which shows an example of the pressure relief valve which adopted the opening and closing movable body which has the valve body of a breathable porous ceramic material. [Figure 13] It is a plan view which looked at the pressure relief valve of FIG. 12 from the opening and closing operation handle side. [Figure 14] It is an exploded front view which shows an example of the coolant built-in body. [Figure 15] It is a front cross-sectional view which shows an example of the container main body in which the recessed part which accommodates a coolant built-in body removably is formed in the bottom part. [Figure 16] It is a front cross-sectional view which shows an example of the container main body of the structure in which the coolant storage chamber is provided via the partition wall below the biological storage chamber. [Figure 17] It is a figure which shows an example of the lower opening and closing wall which opens and closes the opening part of the coolant storage chamber of FIG. 16, and is a bottom view which shows the state which looked at the lower opening and closing wall in the state which blocked up the opening part of the coolant storage chamber of the lower end part of the container main body from the bottom face side of the storage container. [Figure 18] It is a front cross-sectional view which shows the structure in which the lower opening and closing wall which opens and closes the opening part of the coolant storage chamber of FIG. 16 is pivotally attached to the lower end part of the container main body. [Figure 19] It is a bottom view which shows the state which looked at the lower opening and closing wall of the container main body of FIG. 18 from the bottom face side of the storage container. [Figure 20] It is an overall front view which shows the underwater biological storage apparatus which has the cylindrical transparent wall part in the trunk part of the container main body. [Figure 21] It is an overall front view which shows the underwater biological storage apparatus which has the cylindrical heat insulating cover which accommodates a storage container removably.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. Note that the dimensional ratios in each figure are exaggerated for the purpose of explanation and do not necessarily match the actual dimensional ratios. Also, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications can be made and implemented within the scope of the gist thereof.

[0032] Regarding the underwater biological containment device according to one embodiment of the present invention, it will be described with the upper side being up and the lower side being down in FIGS. 1 to 7, FIG. 9, FIGS. 11 to 12, FIGS. 14 to 16, FIG. 18, FIG. 20, and FIG. 21. FIG. 1 is an overall front view showing the underwater biological containment device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view showing the structure of the underwater biological containment device 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the underwater biological containment device 10 of the first embodiment includes a containment container 20 that contains underwater organisms F together with water W, a manual air pump 30 and a pressure relief valve 40 provided in the containment container 20, and a pressure gauge P provided in the containment container 20.

[0033] <Containment container> As shown in FIG. 2, the containment container 20 has a bottomed cylindrical container body 22 and a lid 23 detachably provided at the upper opening 22a on the side opposite to the bottom of the container body 22. The container body 22 and the lid 23 may be formed of a metal with excellent corrosion resistance such as stainless steel. However, various materials can be adopted as long as the materials for forming the container body 22 and the lid 23 have sufficient corrosion resistance.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the container body 22 of the containment container 20 has a cylindrical (specifically, cylindrical) body portion 22b and a bottom portion 22c that closes the entire end on one side in the axial direction of the inner region of the body portion 22b. The upper opening 22a of the container body 22 is formed on the side opposite to the bottom portion 22c in the axial direction of the body portion 22b. The container body 22 is a one-sided bottomed cylindrical shape with only one side in the axial direction of the body portion 22b closed and the other side open (the upper opening 22a is formed). The bottom 22c of the container body 22 is plate-shaped, and forms a storage container bottom surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the body portion 22b on the side opposite to the inner region of the container body 22. The aquatic organism storage device 10 is used in a direction in which a lid body 23 attached to the container body 22 by placing the storage container bottom surface on a placement surface and closing the upper opening 22a is located at the upper end of the container body 22.

[0035] In FIG. 2, the lid body 23 is formed in a disk shape. The lid body 23 has a disk-shaped lid body main body 23d that is screwed to the inner peripheral surface of the upper opening, which is the surface facing the circular upper opening 22a of the container body 22, to close the upper opening 22a, and a flange portion 23e that is formed to protrude over the entire circumference of the side surface of the lid body main body 23d. The lid body 23 can be screwed into the upper opening 22a of the container body 22 and the flange portion 23e can be brought into contact with the upper end of the container body 22 to be tightened and fixed to the container body 22. The lid body 23 in a state where the upper opening 22a of the container body 22 is closed and tightened and fixed to the container body 22 can be removed from the container body 22 by a rotation operation in the direction opposite to the tightening direction. The lid body 23 is detachable from the container body 22 by a rotation operation. In this specification, in FIG. 2, the surface of the lid body 23 on the side of the biological storage chamber 21 is treated as the lower surface 23b, and the surface opposite to the lower surface 23b is treated as the upper surface 23a.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the biological storage chamber 21 of the storage container 20 refers to the entire inner region of the storage container 20 in a state where the upper opening 22a of the container body 22 is closed by the lid body 23. The storage container 20 in a state where the upper opening 22a of the container body 22 is closed by the lid body 23 screwed to the container body 22 (assembled state) is a container having pressure resistance, airtightness, and watertightness capable of maintaining the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber 21 at a state significantly higher than the atmospheric pressure under the assumption that the regions corresponding to the pressure gauge P, the manual air pump 30, and the pressure relief valve 40 are sealed.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, transparent transparent wall portions 22d that enable observation inside the biological storage chamber 21 from the outside of the container body 22 are provided at a plurality of locations on the body portion 22b of the container body 22. The transparent wall portion 22d is formed of a transparent member such as glass or acrylic resin. As shown in FIG. 20, the transparent wall portion 22d of the body portion 22b of the container body 22 may be cylindrical over the entire portion between both axial ends of the body portion 22b. The storage container 20 having the transparent wall portion 22d in the body portion 22b of the container body 22 allows the state of the aquatic organism F in the biological storage chamber 21 to be observed from the outside of the container.

[0038] <Manual air pump> The manual air pump 30 shown in FIG. 2 and the like can press the air A outside the storage container 20 into the biological storage chamber 21 inside the storage container 20 by manual operation. The manual air pump 30 shown in FIG. 2 includes a cylindrical cylinder 31 that is fixedly penetrated through the lid body 23 and extends in the vertical direction, a piston 32 provided in the cylinder 31, a piston rod 33 provided with the piston 32 at the tip inserted into the cylinder 31, and a handle 34 provided at the protruding end of the piston rod 33 protruding upward from the upper end of the cylinder 31. Further, the manual air pump 30 shown in FIG. 2 also has a discharge check valve 35 provided at the lower end of the cylinder 31 and a nipple 36 provided at the upper end of the cylinder 31.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 31 is provided with a lower protruding portion protruding from the lid body 23 toward the biological storage chamber 21 side and an upper protruding portion protruding upward opposite to the biological storage chamber 21. The piston 32 is provided in the cylinder 31 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the cylinder 31. The piston 32 is slidable on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 and can be moved in the axial direction of the cylinder 31 while sliding on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 with respect to the cylinder 31. The piston 32 is provided at the tip of the piston rod 33 inserted into the cylinder 31. Note that the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 refers to the inner peripheral side surface (inner surface) of a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical cylinder 31.

[0040] The handle 34 is provided at the protruding end of the piston rod 33 that protrudes out of the cylinder 31 from the upper end opening 31a of the cylinder 31 that opens at the tip of the upper protruding part of the cylinder 31. The handle 34 is formed to protrude from the protruding end of the piston rod 33 toward the side of the protruding end.

[0041] The piston 32, the piston rod 33, and the handle 34 constitute a press-fitting operation member 37 for press-fitting the gas in the cylinder 31 into the biological storage chamber 21 by manual operation in the axial direction of the cylinder 31 with respect to the cylinder 31. Hereinafter, in FIG. 2, the region above the piston 32 (on the side of the upper end opening 31a) in the cylinder 31 is also referred to as the introduction-side gas chamber, and the region below the piston 32 (on the side of the discharge part check valve 35) is also referred to as the discharge-side gas chamber.

[0042] The piston 32 has an on-off valve structure for switching the communication and blocking between the discharge-side gas chamber and the introduction-side gas chamber. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and (b), the piston 32 has a tip-fixed part 32f fixed to the tip of the piston rod 33, and a movable ring 32d loosely inserted between an upper flange 32b and a lower flange 32c protruding from the tip-fixed part 32f. The tip-fixed part 32f is fixed to the tip of the piston rod 33 and is provided coaxially with the piston rod 33 so as to extend the piston rod 33 on the tip side of the piston rod 33. The tip-fixed part 32f has a rod-shaped fixed trunk part 32a and flange-shaped upper and lower flanges 32b and 32c respectively protruding from the entire circumference of the side surface of the fixed trunk part 32a. The upper flange 32b and the lower flange 32c are formed to be spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the piston rod 33.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and (b), the movable ring 32d is a ring-shaped member having an outer diameter that matches the inner diameter of the cylinder 31. The movable ring 32d is movable in the axial direction of the cylinder 31 while sliding on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 with respect to the cylinder 31. The movable ring 32d is inserted over the fixed stem portion 32a of the tip fixing component 32f and is provided between the upper flange 32b and the lower flange 32c. The inner diameter of the movable ring 32d is significantly larger than the outer diameter of the fixed stem portion 32a. A gap of a size that allows the tip of the movable ring 32d to float in the axial direction of the piston rod 33 with respect to the tip fixing component 32f is secured between the upper flange 32b and the lower flange 32c of the tip fixing component 32f. The movable ring 32d is provided between the upper flange 32b and the lower flange 32c so as to be movable (floatable) in the axial direction of the piston rod 33 with respect to the tip fixing component 32f.

[0044] The upper flange 32b and the lower flange 32c are formed in a ring plate shape perpendicular to the axis of the piston rod 33. The upper flange 32b and the lower flange 32c have an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder 31, and a gap that allows air to flow can be secured between them and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31. The outer periphery of the upper flange 32b forms a continuous circumference over the entire circumferential direction around the axis of the piston rod 33. Vent recesses 32e that are recessed from the outer periphery of the lower flange 32c are formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral portion of the lower flange 32c.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the outer diameters of the upper flange 32b and the lower flange 32c are larger than the inner diameter of the movable ring 32d. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3(b), when the movable ring 32d abuts so as to overlap the outer peripheral portion of the upper flange 32b, the communication and air flow through the gap between the outer peripheral portion of the upper flange 32b and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 between the regions above and below the upper flange 32b in the cylinder 31 are blocked by the movable ring 32d.

[0046] The movable ring 32d and the upper flange 32b form an on-off valve structure that switches the opening and closing of the gap between the outer peripheral portion of the upper flange 32b and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 by switching the contact and separation of the movable ring 32d with respect to the outer peripheral portion of the upper flange 32b by a manual operation of moving the press-fitting operation member 37 in the axial direction of the cylinder 31 with respect to the cylinder 31. In the cylinder 31, the gas chamber on the discharge side and the gas chamber on the introduction side are, in detail, such that the upper side from the lower surface of the upper flange 32b where the movable ring 32d contacts and separates is the introduction side gas chamber, and the lower side from the lower surface of the upper flange 32b is the discharge side gas chamber.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the movable ring 32d is a ring member with a circular cross-section that is continuous. As shown in FIG. 3(a), when the movable ring 32d is arranged so as to overlap the outer peripheral portion of the lower flange 32c, it is in line contact with the outer peripheral portion of the lower flange 32c, and it does not completely block the opening on the side facing the upper flange 32b of the ventilation recess 32e of the lower flange 32c so that air flow is impossible. Even when the movable ring 32d is arranged so as to overlap the outer peripheral portion of the lower flange 32c, the air flowability of the ventilation recess 32e in the cylinder 31, which allows air to pass through the ventilation recess 32e vertically, is maintained.

[0048] Note that the air-permeable gap between the upper flange 32b and the lower flange 32c and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 also allows the flow of water (including seawater). Also, the movable ring 32d is When the ventilation recess 32e of the lower flange 32c is arranged so as to overlap the outer peripheral portion of the lower flange 32c, in addition to allowing air flow in the vertical direction, water flow in the vertical direction of the ventilation recess 32e is also possible.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3(a), and 3(b), the discharge check valve 35 is provided at the lower end of the cylinder 31, which is the tip of the lower protruding portion of the cylinder 31. The discharge check valve 35 permits gas discharge from inside the cylinder 31 to outside the cylinder 31 and blocks gas inflow from outside the cylinder 31 to inside the cylinder 31. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), a lower end wall portion 31b that closes the lower end of the cylinder 31 is provided at the lower end of the cylinder 31. An air discharge hole 31c is formed in the lower end wall portion 31b so as to penetrate the thickness of the lower end wall portion 31b and communicate the inner region of the cylinder 31 (specifically, the discharge side gas chamber) with the biological accommodation chamber 21 around the lower end of the cylinder 31.

[0050] The discharge part check valve 35 shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) is a plate-shaped rubber piece. The discharge part check valve 35 has its central part in the plane direction fixed to the lower end wall part 31b and is provided on the lower surface (the surface on the lower side of the cylinder 31) of the lower end wall part 31b. The lower surface of the lower end wall part 31b is the lower surface of the lower end part of the cylinder 31. When there is no external force acting and when the piston 32 ascends as shown in FIG. 3(a), the discharge part check valve 35 is in close contact with the lower surface of the lower end part of the cylinder 31 to close the air discharge hole 31c. As shown in FIG. 3(b), when the piston 32 descends and the piston 32 presses the air in the discharge side gas chamber, which is the region on the discharge part check valve 35 side from the piston 32 in the cylinder 31, the discharge part check valve 35 is pushed open by the air pressure in the discharge side gas chamber. As a result, the air in the discharge side gas chamber is discharged from the air discharge hole 31c to the biological accommodation chamber 21 around the lower end part of the cylinder 31.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, the nipple 36 is provided by protruding from the side surface of the upper protruding part of the cylinder 31 and fixing it to the upper end part of the cylinder 31. The nipple 36 penetrates through the side wall part of the upper protruding part of the cylinder 31 and has a part protruding outward from the side wall part of the upper protruding part and a part protruding inward into the cylinder 31 from the side wall part of the upper protruding part. The press-fitting operation member 37 can be raised to a position where the upper flange 32b of the piston 32 abuts against the part protruding inward into the cylinder 31 of the nipple 36 with respect to the cylinder 31. The part protruding inward into the cylinder 31 of the nipple 36 is located in the introduction side gas chamber in the cylinder 31.

[0052] In the introduction side gas chamber of the cylinder 31, gas such as air or liquid such as water can be introduced from the outside of the aquatic biological accommodation device 10 (also referred to as "outside the device" in this specification) through the nipple 36. As shown in FIG. 2, the manual air pump 30 can introduce the oxygen supplied by the oxygen supply device or the water pressure-fed and supplied by the water supply device into the introduction side gas chamber through the tube 91 connected to the part (outer protruding part) protruding from the side surface of the cylinder 31 of the nipple 36. The manual air pump 30 can also directly connect a spray can - type portable oxygen cylinder (oxygen supply device) to the outer protrusion of the nipple 36, and introduce oxygen from the oxygen cylinder into the introduction - side gas chamber. The outer protrusion of the nipple 36 of the manual air pump 30 shown in Fig. 2 has no connection such as a tube 91 and is in an open - to - the - atmosphere state.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 3(a), when the manual air pump 30 raises the piston 32 in the cylinder 31 by operating the press - in operation member 37, the outer periphery of the lower flange 32c abuts against the movable ring 32d, and the movable ring 32d is in a separated state from the outer periphery of the upper flange 32b, and the gap between the outer periphery of the upper flange 32b and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 is opened. Then, when the operation of raising the press - in operation member 37 with respect to the cylinder 31 is continued, the air in the introduction - side gas chamber in the cylinder 31 moves to the discharge - side gas chamber through the gap between the outer periphery of the upper flange 32b of the piston 32 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31. The air that moves to the discharge - side gas chamber through the gap between the outer periphery of the upper flange 32b of the piston 32 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 also flows into the region below the lower flange 32c in the cylinder 31 through the ventilation recess 32e of the lower flange 32c.

[0054] After the manual air pump 30 raises the piston 32 in the cylinder 31 to the upper part of the cylinder 31 by operating the press - in operation member 37, when the press - in operation member 37 is pushed downward, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the outer periphery of the upper flange 32b of the piston 32 abuts against the movable ring 32 d and the movable ring 32 dThe gap between the outer periphery of the upper flange 32b of the piston 32 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 31 is closed, and the gas movement between the discharge side gas chamber and the introduction side gas chamber is blocked. Then, as the piston 32 descends by the pressing operation of the press-fitting operation member 37, the air in the discharge side gas chamber is pressed, and the discharge check valve 35 that had closed the air discharge hole 31c by the pressure in the discharge side gas chamber and the lower end wall portion 31b of the cylinder 31 are pushed open, and by opening the air discharge hole 31c, the air in the discharge side gas chamber can be discharged from the air discharge hole 31c into the biological containment chamber 21. As a result, the manual air pump 30 can achieve the press-fitting of the air (specifically, the air in the cylinder 31) in the manual air pump 30 into the biological containment chamber 21.

[0055] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the manual air pump 30 can introduce the air outside the device into the introduction side gas chamber through the nipple 36 and the upper end opening 31a of the cylinder 31 as the piston 32 descends by the pressing operation of the press-fitting operation member 37. The manual air pump 30 can repeatedly perform the press-fitting of the air (specifically, the air in the cylinder 31) in the manual air pump 30 into the biological containment chamber 21 by vertically moving the press-fitting operation member 37 with respect to the cylinder 31.

[0056] <Pressure relief valve> FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the pressure relief valve 40 in the manual air pump 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure relief valve 40 includes a shaft retainer block 41 fixed to the lid body 23 and provided to secure a portion located on the upper surface 23a side of the lid body 23, and an opening / closing movable body 42 including a stem 43 inserted into a stem accommodation hole 40a secured by penetrating the lid body 23 and the shaft retainer block 41 and communicating with the biological containment chamber 21, and is provided so as to be movable in the axial direction of the stem accommodation hole 40a.

[0057] The stem accommodation hole 40a shown in FIG. 4 is composed of a lid body stem hole 23c that penetrates the lid body 23 and opens to the lower surface 23b and the upper surface 23a, and a block stem hole 41a that is formed to penetrate the shaft retainer block 41 and communicates with the lid body stem hole 23c. The stem accommodation hole 40a (specifically, the block stem hole 41a) opens to the upper surface 41b of the shaft pressing block 41 (also referred to as the "block upper surface" in this specification).

[0058] The movable body 42 for opening and closing shown in FIG. 4 includes a stem 43 inserted into the stem accommodation hole 40a and penetrating the block stem hole 41a, a ring plate-shaped packing 44 fixed to the stem 43 and disposed on the upper side opposite to the biological accommodation chamber 21 side of the shaft pressing block 41, a receiving projection 45 protruding from the side surface of the portion of the stem 43 extending from the block stem hole 41a to the biological accommodation chamber 21 side, a biasing member 46 disposed between the receiving projection 45 and the shaft pressing block 41 and elastically biasing the stem 43 toward the biological accommodation chamber 21 side, and an opening and closing operation handle 47 provided at the upper end of the stem 43.

[0059] Specifically, the biasing member 46 is a coil spring externally inserted into the stem 43. The opening and closing operation handle 47 is provided at the upper end of the stem 43 protruding upward from the shaft pressing block 41 and located above the packing 44. The opening and closing operation handle 47 shown in FIG. 4 is formed in a disc shape protruding laterally from the entire circumference of the upper end of the stem 43 so as to easily move the opening and closing movable body 42 up and down with respect to the storage container 20 manually. The opening and closing operation handle 47 is detachably fixed to the upper end of the stem 43 by fixing means such as manual fixing release operations such as screwing and screwing.

[0060] The packing 44 can switch the contact and separation with the block upper surface 41b on the side opposite to the biological accommodation chamber 21 side of the shaft pressing block 41 by the movement of the block stem hole 41a in the axial direction of the shaft pressing block 41 of the opening and closing movable body 42, and can switch the opening and closing of the upper end opening of the stem accommodation hole 40a opening to the block upper surface 41b by the contact and separation with the block upper surface 41b. As shown in FIG. 4, a clearance is secured around the stem 43 in the stem accommodation hole 40a. The internal pressure of the biological accommodation chamber 21 acts on the packing 44 in a state where it is in contact with the block upper surface 41b and closes the upper end opening of the stem accommodation hole 40a as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4.

[0061] When the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber 21 is less than the operating pressure, the pressure relief valve 40 in Fig. 4 maintains the state where the packing 44 closes (blocks) the upper end opening of the stem housing hole 40a. When the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber 21 becomes equal to or greater than the operating pressure, the pressure relief valve 40 in the closed state causes the opening and closing movable body 42 to rise relative to the shaft holding block 41, the packing 44 separates upward from the upper surface 41b of the block, the upper end opening of the stem housing hole 40a is opened, and the gas in the biological containment chamber 21 is discharged outside the containment vessel 20. The operating pressure refers to the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber 21 that causes the opening and closing movable body 42 to rise relative to the shaft holding block 41 against the elastic biasing force of the biasing member 46.

[0062] Also, the pressure relief valve 40 in Fig. 4 can move the opening and closing movable body 42 up and down relative to the shaft holding block 41 by manually operating the opening and closing operation handle 47 of the opening and closing movable body 42. The pressure relief valve 40 can adjust the pressure relief valve opening amount (relief valve opening amount) corresponding to the separation distance of the packing 44 upward from the upper surface 41b of the block by manually operating the opening and closing operation handle 47 of the opening and closing movable body 42. of The pressure relief valve 40 can adjust the pressure relief valve opening amount (relief valve opening amount) corresponding to the separation distance of the packing 44 upward from the upper surface 41b of the block.

[0063] The coolant built-in body 60 shown in Fig. 2 is formed by housing ice (coolant) in a box-shaped container made of a metal with excellent thermal conductivity such as stainless steel or aluminum. As shown in Fig. 14, for example, the coolant built-in body 60 can adopt a box-shaped container composed of a lower container 61 and a lid 62 detachably attached to the lower container 61. In view of the possibility that the ice accommodated in the openable and closable box-shaped container melts and flows out from the box-shaped container into the biological containment chamber 21, when the aquatic organism accommodated in the containment vessel 20 is a marine organism such as a deep-sea organism, it is preferable to adopt ice made by freezing seawater.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable to prevent the coolant built-in body 60 containing ice from floating up from the bottom 22c by using, for example, a band 63 attached to the bottom 22c of the container body 22 of the storage container 20. The band 63 is preferably one that can freely restrain and remove the coolant built-in body 60 by engagement with a buckle or the like. The coolant built-in body 60 can also use, for example, water stored inside and frozen in a refrigerator. The coolant built-in body 60 can also adopt a configuration in which there is only one water inlet through which water can be injected and discharged.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 15, the coolant built-in body 60 may be housed in a recess 22 formed in the bottom 22c of the container body 22 to ensure the positional stability in the storage container 20 due to the swaying of the ship or the like. e In FIG. 15, a configuration is illustrated in which a fixing portion 64 for fixing one end of a band 63 for preventing the coolant built-in body 60 from floating up from the bottom 22c to the bottom 22c of the container body 22 and a winding portion 65 for winding the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the band 63 are provided at the bottom 22c of the container body 22. Further, the band 63 in FIG. 15 is provided with a fixing restraint 66 capable of switching between fixing and releasing the fixing of a part of its longitudinal direction. The band 63 in FIG. 15 can also be used for the band 63 in FIG. 2.

[0066] The coolant built-in body may be, for example, a flexible bag formed of a film or the like and containing ice or a cold insulating agent. Further, the coolant built-in body containing ice or a cold insulating agent in a flexible bag may be used in a state of floating on the water stored together with the aquatic organism F in the storage container 20.

[0067] The aquatic organism storage device 10 according to the present invention has a configuration in which a manual air pump 30 capable of injecting air A into the organism storage chamber 21 in the storage container 20 is provided in the storage container 20 for storing the aquatic organism F together with water W. It is a portable device with a simple structure that can be pressurized manually inside the organism storage chamber 21 of the storage container 20 and is easy to miniaturize and lightweight. In addition, when the internal pressure of the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 of the aquatic organism containment device 10 of the present invention exceeds the opening operation pressure of the pressure relief valve 40 provided in the containment container 20, the gas in the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 is released from the pressure relief valve 40 to the outside of the device. As a result, it is possible to avoid an excessive internal pressure in the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 and prevent damage, rupture, etc. of the containment container 20.

[0068] In terms of avoiding an excessive internal pressure in the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 by releasing the gas in the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 from the pressure relief valve 40 to the outside of the device, when the upper opening of the container body containing water and the aquatic organism F is closed by the lid body 23, air is also contained in the containment container 20, and it is preferable that the contained air exists in a layer in contact with the entire lower surface of the lid body 23 above the water in the containment container 20. The pressure relief valve 40 does not assume the discharge of water in the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 of the aquatic organism containment device 10 to the outside. When the air contained in the containment container 20 exists in a layer in contact with the entire lower surface of the lid body 23 above the water in the containment container 20, the release of the gas in the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 from the pressure relief valve 40 to the outside of the aquatic organism containment device 10 when the internal pressure of the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 becomes excessive can be smoothly realized.

[0069] The aquatic organism containment device 10 pressurizes the air A into the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 of the containment container 20 by a manual air pump 30 to a desired pressure much higher than the atmospheric pressure (pressurization operation during accommodation). After that, when the internal pressure of the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 decreases due to the dissolution of air in the water in the aquatic organism containment chamber 21, temperature changes, etc., the manual air pump 30 is operated again to press air into the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 (additional pressuring operation), so that the internal pressure of the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 can be easily increased to a desired pressure much larger than the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the aquatic organism containment device 10 prevents the dissolved oxygen in the water from being insufficient by dissolving the air contained in the containment container 20 into the water in the containment container 20, and can also easily keep the internal pressure of the aquatic organism containment chamber 21 (including the water pressure of the water in the aquatic organism containment chamber 21) near a desired pressure much higher than the atmospheric pressure. Maintaining the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber 21 (including the water pressure of the water in the biological containment chamber 21) near a desired pressure significantly higher than atmospheric pressure effectively contributes to promoting the treatment of decompression sickness in the aquatic organism F contained in the biological containment chamber 21 of the containment vessel 20.

[0070] The additional pressure injection operation performed by operating the manual air pump 30 after the pressurization operation during accommodation can be carried out, for example, at a timing, number of operations (amount of air to be injected) determined from the volume of the biological containment chamber 21, the elapsed time after completion of the pressurization operation during accommodation, the outside air temperature around the aquatic organism containment device 10, etc. However, it is preferably carried out by adopting the aquatic organism containment device 10 having a pressure gauge P for measuring and displaying the pressure in the biological containment chamber 21, and judging the necessity by visually checking the pressure value displayed by the pressure gauge P. The additional pressure injection operation carried out by visually checking the pressure value displayed by the pressure gauge P does not necessarily cause exhaust from the pressure relief valve 40, and it is possible to carry out it without excess or deficiency so that the necessary pressure is secured in the biological containment chamber 21.

[0071] Also, in the biological containment chamber 21, ammonia and carbon dioxide are released from the aquatic organism F into the water in the biological containment chamber 21. Aquatic organisms that perform gill respiration dissolve ammonia and carbon dioxide generated in the body in water through the gills and discharge them outside the body. Ammonia and carbon dioxide have an adverse effect on the survival of the aquatic organism F. Therefore, part or all of the water in the biological containment chamber 21 is exchanged as necessary.

[0072] The aquatic organism containment device 10 shown in FIG. 2 can supply water from the nipple 36 of the manual air pump 30 to the biological containment chamber 21 by the introduction pressure of the water W introduced into the manual air pump 30 from the nipple 36 into the manual air pump 30 or by operating the manual air pump 30. Further, the pressure relief valve 40 of the aquatic organism containment device 10 can discharge not only the gas in the biological containment chamber 21 but also the water in the biological containment chamber 21 outside the device. Note that it is preferable that a check valve is provided at the upper end opening 31a of the cylinder 21 of the manual air pump 30 shown in FIG. 2, which permits the inflow of air A from outside the device into the cylinder 21 and blocks the outflow of fluids such as air and water from the cylinder 21 to the outside of the device. Also, when the inflow of air into the cylinder 21 from the upper end opening 31a of the cylinder 21 is unnecessary, the upper end opening 31a may be provided with an O-ring or the like to block the passage of fluids.

[0073] With such a configuration, the aquatic organism housing device 10 can, for example, perform an underwater water supply operation in which water is forced from the manual air pump 30 into the organism housing chamber 21 by manually operating the manual air pump 30 with the housing container 20 of the aquatic organism housing device 10, the air intake port of the manual air pump 30, and the nipple 36 submerged in the water stored in the aquarium, thereby increasing the internal pressure of the organism housing chamber 21. Subsequently, the housing container 20 taken out of the aquarium into the atmosphere is tilted, and the pressure relief valve 40 is manually opened (it may be a manual rotation operation of the branch hole opening / closing member), and a drainage operation in which a part of the water in the organism housing chamber 21 is discharged from the pressure relief valve 40 may be repeated. The drainage operation is performed so that the internal pressure of the organism housing chamber 21 does not drop too much. Also, after the completion of the drainage operation, the manual air pump 30 may be manually operated in the atmosphere to force air from the manual air pump 30 into the organism housing chamber 21, thereby increasing the internal pressure of the organism housing chamber 21 that has decreased due to the drainage operation.

[0074] In addition, the aquatic organism containment device 10 tilts the pressure containment container 20 so that the water in the organism containment chamber 21 can be easily discharged from the pressure relief valve 40. In the atmosphere, the water introduced into the manual air pump 30 from the nipple 36 is supplied from the manual air pump 30 to the organism containment chamber 21, and the water in the organism containment chamber 21 is drained from the pressure relief valve 40. It is also possible to continuously replace part or all of the water in the organism containment chamber 21 in parallel. The manual air pump 30 is configured to be able to discharge the water introduced into it from the nipple 36 only to the organism containment chamber 21, and to prevent water from being discharged or leaking from any other part than the discharge port that discharges water or air to the organism containment chamber 21 side. The supply of the water introduced into the manual air pump 30 from the nipple 36 to the organism containment chamber 21 is, for example, a manual operation of the manual air pump 30. However, a manual air pump 30 configured such that water pumped into the manual air pump 30 from a power pump such as an electric pump or a hydraulic pump can be supplied to the organism containment chamber 21 without operating the manual air pump 30 can be adopted, and it is also possible to supply water from the manual air pump 30 to the organism containment chamber 21 by the water supply pressure from the power pump.

[0075] Since the aquatic organism containment device 10 can efficiently promote the treatment of decompression sickness of the aquatic organism F contained in the containment container 20, it is possible to reduce the recurrence and progression of decompression sickness after the containment container 20 is opened, and to increase the survival rate of aquatic organisms. In addition, the aquatic organism containment device 10 has a configuration for slowly reducing the pressure in the organism containment chamber 21 by manual operation of the pressure relief valve 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure relief valve 40 of the aquatic organism containment device 10 can adjust the opening amount by manual operation of the opening / closing operation handle 47. After the aquatic organism containment device 10 promotes the treatment of decompression sickness of the aquatic organism F contained in the containment container 20, by slowly reducing the pressure in the organism containment chamber 21 before opening the containment container 20, it is possible to reduce the recurrence and progression of decompression sickness of the aquatic organism F after the containment container 20 is opened, and to increase the survival rate of aquatic organisms.

[0076] As shown in Fig. 2, the aquatic organism housing device 10 employs a manual air pump 30 having a nipple 36, and oxygen from an oxygen supply device can be introduced into the manual air pump 30 (specifically, into the cylinder 31) through the nipple 36. Then, the aquatic organism housing device 10 can press the oxygen supplied from the oxygen supply device into the manual air pump 30 through the nipple 36 from the manual air pump 30 into the organism housing chamber 21 by manual operation of the manual air pump 30. The aquatic organism housing device 10 supplies air with an increased oxygen partial pressure from the manual air pump 30 to the organism housing chamber 21, and by taking in oxygen with a high partial pressure into the body of the aquatic organism F through an improvement in the dissolved oxygen concentration in water, the discharge of nitrogen from the living body can be promoted.

[0077] According to the aquatic organism housing device 10, while promoting the treatment of decompression sickness of the aquatic organism F housed in the housing container 20, high partial pressure oxygen is taken into the body of the aquatic organism F to promote the discharge of nitrogen from the living body, and by slowly decompressing the pressure in the organism housing chamber 21 before opening the housing container 20, the recurrence and progression of decompression sickness of the aquatic organism F after opening the housing container 20 can be more reliably prevented. As a result, it is also possible to improve the survival rate of the aquatic organism F after opening the housing container 20.

[0078] The aquatic organism housing device 10 can gradually increase the oxygen concentration of the air above the water surface in the organism housing chamber 21 by continuously pressing air with a high oxygen concentration from the manual air pump 30 into the organism housing chamber 21 in a state where air (air layer) exists over the entire water surface in the housing container 20. Here, if the pressure in the organism housing chamber 21 is increased by pressing air from the manual air pump 30 into the organism housing chamber 21 and gas is released from the pressure relief valve 40 outside the device from the organism housing chamber 21, the replacement of the air in the organism housing chamber 21 with the air pressed in from the manual air pump 30 can be promoted. As a result, compared to the case where gas is not released from the pressure relief valve 40 outside the device by pressing air from the manual air pump 30 into the organism housing chamber 21, the oxygen concentration of the air in the organism housing chamber 21 can be efficiently increased in a short time.

[0079] The movable body 50 for opening and closing the pressure relief valve 40A shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) employs an opening and closing operation handle 51 which is a plate-like or rod-like protruding piece that forms an obtuse opening angle with respect to the stem 43 and protrudes inclined from the upper end of the stem 43, instead of the disc-shaped opening and closing operation handle 47 perpendicular to the stem 43 as compared with the movable body 42 for opening and closing shown in FIG. 4. The opening angle of the opening and closing operation handle 51 with respect to the central axis of the stem 43 is 110 to 160 degrees. By pushing up the opening and closing operation handle 51 with the fingertip, it is easy to finely adjust the amount of upward push of the packing 44 of the movable body 50 for opening and closing manually. 9 The amount of upward push against the upper surface of the block 4 can be easily finely adjusted.

[0080] The movable body 50 for opening and closing the pressure relief valve 40A shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) also has a stem lower end packing 50a provided at the lower end portion of the stem 43 and protruding laterally of the stem 43 over the entire circumference of the lower end portion of the stem 43. The pressure relief valve 40A shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) has a sleeve-shaped chamber member 48 inserted into the lid body stem hole 23c and fixed to the lid body 23 while securing a portion protruding to the upper surface 23a side of the lid body 23, and a shaft pressing block 49 screwed and provided on the side surface of the upper protruding cylinder portion 48b of the chamber member 48 protruding on the lid body 23.

[0081] The shaft pressing block 49 is formed in a cap shape having a side wall portion 49a screwed to the side surface of the upper protruding cylinder portion 48b of the chamber member 48 and an upper wall portion 49b formed to close the upper end of the inner region of the cylindrical side wall portion 49a. The stem 43 of the movable body 50 for opening and closing is inserted through a block stem hole 49c formed through the central portion of the upper wall portion 49b of the shaft pressing block 49 with a clearance. The receiving projection portion 45 and the biasing member 46 of the movable body 50 for opening and closing are housed in the lower body portion 48a from the upper protruding cylinder portion 48b of the chamber member 48, and the biasing member 46 is provided between the receiving projection portion 45 and the upper wall portion 49b of the shaft pressing block 49.

[0082] As shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the stem lower end packing 50a is removably inserted into a lower end opening 48c that opens at the lower end of the chamber member 48, and opens and closes the lower end opening 48c by insertion and removal. As shown in FIG. 5(a), when the packing 44 of the opening / closing movable body 50 overlaps the upper surface of the block on the upper wall portion 49 upper surface of the shaft retainer block 49 and closes the upper end opening of the block stem hole 49c that opens on the upper surface of the block, the stem lower end packing 50a is inserted into the lower end opening 48c of the chamber member 48 to close the lower end opening 48c, and in addition to the packing 44, it plays a role in reliably maintaining the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber 21. Further, the stem lower end packing 50a that closes the lower end opening 48c also plays a role in preventing air outside the device exceeding the packing 44 from flowing into the biological containment chamber 21.

[0083] The pressure relief valve 40B shown in FIG. 6 employs a chamber member 52 in which the upper protruding cylinder portion 48b of the chamber member 48 in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) is omitted. The chamber member 52 has a screwing wall portion 5 into which a screwing protrusion 53b of a shaft retainer block 53 is screwed and inserted at an upper opening. 2a The shaft retainer block 53 has a block body 53a that can abut on the periphery of the upper opening of the chamber member 52 and a screwing protrusion 53b that protrudes from the block body 53a, and is detachably attached to the chamber member 52 by screwing. The stem 43 of the opening / closing movable body 50 is inserted through a block stem hole 53c formed through the block body 53a and the screwing protrusion 53b of the shaft retainer block 53 with a clearance. The receiving protrusion 45 and the biasing member 46 of the opening / closing movable body 50 are accommodated in the body portion 48a of the chamber member 52, and the biasing member 46 is provided between the receiving protrusion 45 and the protruding end of the screwing protrusion 53b of the shaft retainer block 53.

[0084] The pressure relief valve 40C shown in Fig. 7 has, with respect to the pressure relief valve 40B shown in Fig. 6, the chamber members 48 of Figs. 5(a) and (b) adopted in place of the chamber member 52 of Fig. 6, a gas introduction member 54 in which a gas introduction hole 54d for introducing the gas in the biological containment chamber 21 from the chamber member 48 into the block stem hole 53c of the shaft retainer block 53 is formed to penetrate, a branch hole opening / closing member 55 that opens and closes an opening on the side opposite to the gas introduction hole 54d of the branch hole 54c formed to extend from the middle part of the gas introduction hole 54d in the gas introduction member 54, and an opening / closing movable body 50.

[0085] As shown in Fig. 7, the gas introduction member 54 has an introduction member main body 54a in which a gas introduction hole 54d is formed to penetrate, and a protruding cylinder part 54b formed to protrude from the side surface of the introduction member main body 54a. In Fig. 7, the introduction member main body 54a is formed in a cylindrical shape, but the specific shape of the introduction member main body 54a can be changed as appropriate. The gas introduction member 54 is provided between the chamber member 48 with the upper protruding cylinder part 48b screwed to the inner circumference of one end part of the gas introduction hole 54d and the shaft retainer block 53 with the screwed protrusion part 53b screwed to the inner circumference of one end part of the gas introduction hole 54d.

[0086] As shown in Fig. 7, the branch hole 54c of the gas introduction member 54 is formed to include the entire inside of the protruding cylinder part 54b. The end on the side opposite to the gas introduction hole 54d of the branch hole 54c is opened at the protruding end of the protruding cylinder part 54b. The branch hole opening / closing member 55 has a cylindrical side wall part 55a screwed to the side surface of the protruding cylinder part 54b protruding from the gas introduction member 54, and a back wall part 55b that closes the entire one end in the axial direction of the cylindrical side wall part 55a in the inner region of the cylindrical side wall part 55a, and is formed in a cap shape that covers the opening of the branch hole 54c at the protruding end of the protruding cylinder part 54b. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8(a), the branch hole opening / closing member 55 also has a packing 55d provided inside the cylindrical side wall part 55a so as to overlap the back wall part 55b.

[0087] As shown in Figs. 7, 8(a), and (b), in the cylindrical side wall part 55a of the branch hole opening / closing member 55, the cylindrical side wall part 55a of A gas outlet hole 55c that penetrates the thickness is formed. The gas outlet hole 55c in the figure example is a long hole extending in the axial direction of the cylindrical side wall portion 55a, but the gas outlet hole 55c can adopt various shapes such as a perfect circle and a rectangle. In Fig. 7, the branch hole opening / closing member 55 can open and close the opening of the branch hole 54c by changing the screwing position with respect to the protruding cylinder portion 54b by a manual rotation operation. Moreover, the branch hole opening / closing member 55 can adjust the opening range, which is the range located on the protruding end side of the protruding cylinder portion 54b from the protruding cylinder portion 54b of the gas introduction member 54 of the gas outlet hole 55c, by changing the screwing position with respect to the protruding cylinder portion 54b by a manual rotation operation, and can finely adjust the pressure loss and flow rate of the gas flowing out from the gas outlet hole 55c to the outside of the device.

[0088] The pressure relief valve 40D shown in Fig. 9 is 7 for the pressure relief valve 40C in the figure, which adopts a branch hole opening / closing member 56 including a screw shaft portion 56a screwed to the inner peripheral surface of the opening of the branch hole 54c of the gas introduction member 54 instead of the cap-shaped branch hole opening / closing member 55. The branch hole opening / closing member 56 has a screw shaft portion 56a, a head portion 56b from which the screw shaft portion 56a protrudes, and a ring plate-shaped packing 56c screwed to the screw shaft portion 56a. As shown in Figs. 9, 10(a), and 10(b), an exhaust groove 56d extending in the axial direction of the screw shaft portion 56a is formed on the side surface of the screw shaft portion 56a.

[0089] The branch hole opening / closing member 56 can open and close the opening of the branch hole 54c by changing the screwing position with respect to the gas introduction member 54 in the axial direction of the opening axis of the branch hole 54c that opens to the gas introduction member 54 by a manual rotation operation. Also, the branch hole opening / closing member 56 can adjust the length of the portion located in the branch hole 54c of the gas outlet hole secured including the exhaust groove 56d of the screw shaft portion 56a between the screw shaft portion 56a and the inner side surface of the branch hole 54c by a manual rotation operation, and can finely adjust the pressure loss and flow rate of the gas flowing out from the gas outlet hole to the outside of the device.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 11, the pressure relief valve 40 in FIG. 4 may have a push-up ring member 57 that is screwed onto the side surface of the shaft retainer block 41 and can push up the opening / closing operation handle 47 by changing the screwing position with respect to the shaft retainer block 41 upward. The push-up ring member 57 can move the opening / closing operation handle 47 up and down by a rotation operation that changes the screwing position with respect to the shaft retainer block 41, and can finely adjust the vertical position of the packing 44.

[0091] The pressure relief valve 40E shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 has a bearing block upper surface where the packing 44 of the opening / closing movable body 42 comes into contact with and separates from, and a lower valve seat forming member 58 that forms a lower valve seat below the block upper surface, inside the bearing block 41. block stem hole 41a It employs a configuration in which an opening / closing movable body 50 is provided with a breathable porous ceramic material 59 that comes into contact with and separates from the lower valve seat from below on the opening / closing movable body 42. Also, in this pressure relief valve 40E, it is possible to keep the porous ceramic material 59 in contact with the lower valve seat by a leaf spring S that is inserted between the opening / closing operation handle 47 and can be inserted and removed between the opening / closing operation handle 47 and the lid body 23, and continue slow exhaust and depressurization from the biological accommodation chamber 21.

[0092] As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the container body 22 of the storage container 20 may have a partition wall 25 that partitions the inner region of the container body 22 into a biological accommodation chamber 21 and a coolant accommodation chamber I below the biological accommodation chamber 21, and a lower opening / closing wall 26 that opens and closes the opening of the coolant accommodation chamber I formed in the container body 22. Coolant such as ice can be directly put into or exchanged in the coolant accommodation chamber I. The partition wall 25 can preferably use an aluminum plate in terms of good thermal conductivity.

[0093] In FIG. 16, the lower opening / closing wall 26 is provided at the lower end of the body portion 22b of the container body 22 so as to be able to open and close the opening of the coolant accommodation chamber I inside. The lower opening / closing wall 26 can be switched between a fixed state in which the opening of the coolant accommodation chamber I is blocked and fixed to the main body of the container body 22, which is a part other than the lower opening / closing wall 26 of the container body 22, and a fixed release state. The lower opening / closing wall 26 has a movable locking piece 27 that can be switched between engaging with and disengaging from the lower end of the body portion 22b of the container body 22 by manual operation. By engaging and disengaging the movable locking piece 27 with and from the lower end of the body portion 22b, it is possible to switch between a fixed state and an unlocked state with respect to the lower end of the body portion 22b.

[0094] The lower opening / closing wall 26 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 is detachable inside the lower end of the body portion 22b. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the lower opening / closing wall 26 may be pivotally attached to the lower end of the body portion 22b via a hinge 28.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 21, the aquatic organism housing device may have a cylindrical heat-insulating cover C that removably houses and covers the housing container 20. The cylindrical heat-insulating cover C is a flexible cylindrical cover whose inner surface is lined with aluminum foil or an aluminum vapor-deposited film, and suppresses the temperature rise of the aquatic organism housing device on a ship where it is likely to be exposed to direct sunlight and become hot. The cylindrical heat-insulating cover C shown in FIG. 21 has a pair of side sheets C1, C2 extending upward from the bottom sheet, and by manually operating the fastening movable body CM to engage the fastener halves CF provided on each of the side sheets C1, C2 and closing them, the entire housing container 20 can be housed. The engaged fastener halves CF can be disengaged by manually operating the fastening movable body CM to open the space between the pair of side sheets C1, C2.

Explanation of Signs

[0096] 10… Aquatic organism containment device, 20… Containment container, 21… Organism containment chamber, 22… Container body, 22a… Upper opening, 22b… Barrel part, 22c… Bottom part, 22d… Transparent wall part, 22e… Recess, 23… Cover body, 23a… Upper surface, 23b… Lower surface, 23c… Cover body stem hole, 23d… Cover body main body, 23e… Flange part, 30… Manual air pump, 31… Cylinder, 31a… Upper end opening, 31b… Lower end wall part, 31c… Air discharge hole, 32… Piston, 32a… Fixed stem part, 32b… Upper flange, 32c… Lower flange, 32e… Vent recess, 32f… Tip fixing part, 33… Piston rod, 34… Handle, 35… Discharge part check valve, 36… Nipple, 37… Pressing operation member, 40, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E… Pressure relief valve, 40a… Stem accommodation hole, 41… Axle pressing block, 41a… Block stem hole, 41b… Block upper surface, 42… Opening / closing movable body, 43… Stem, 44… Packing, 45… Receiving projection, 46… Biasing member (coil spring), 47… Opening / closing operation handle, 48… Chamber member, 48a… Barrel part, 48b… Upper protruding cylinder part, 49… Axle pressing block, 49a… Side wall part, 49b… Upper wall part, 49c… Block stem hole, 50… Opening / closing movable body, 50a… Stem lower end packing, 51… Opening / closing operation handle, 53… Axle pressing block, 53a… Block main body, 53b… Screwing projection, 53c… Block stem hole, 54… Gas introduction member, 54a… Introduction member main body, 54b… Protruding cylinder part, 54c… Branch hole, 54d… Gas introduction hole, 55… Branch hole opening / closing member, 55a… Cylindrical side wall part, 55b… Back wall part, 55c… Gas outlet hole, 55d… Packing, 56… Branch hole opening / closing member, 56a… Threaded shaft part, 56b… Head part, 56c… Packing, 56d… Exhaust groove, 60… Cooling material built-in body, A… Air, C… Cylindrical heat insulation cover, F… Aquatic organism, I… Cooling material containment chamber, P… Pressure gauge, W… Water.

Claims

1. A portable aquatic organism containment device, comprising: a containment container that secures a biological containment chamber for containing aquatic organisms together with water; a manual air pump provided in the containment container and capable of manually pressing air outside the containment container into the biological containment chamber inside the containment container; and a pressure relief valve provided in the containment container, wherein the containment container has a bottomed cylindrical container body and a lid detachably provided at an upper opening on the side opposite to the bottom of the container body, wherein the manual air pump and the pressure relief valve are provided on the lid of the containment container, wherein the manual air pump can repeatedly perform a manual operation of pressing air outside the containment container into the biological containment chamber inside the containment container with the lid provided at the upper opening of the container body, wherein the pressure relief valve is configured to be closed when the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber is less than the operating pressure and to be opened when the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber becomes equal to or greater than the operating pressure to release the gas inside the biological containment chamber to the outside of the containment container, and further includes an opening / closing operation handle for manually performing an opening / closing operation, and the opening amount can be adjusted by manually operating the opening / closing operation handle. An aquatic organism containment device.

2. A portable aquatic organism containment device, comprising: a containment container that secures a biological containment chamber for containing aquatic organisms together with water; a manual air pump provided in the containment container and capable of manually pressing air outside the containment container into the biological containment chamber inside the containment container; and a pressure relief valve provided in the containment container, wherein the containment container has a bottomed cylindrical container body and a lid detachably provided at an upper opening on the side opposite to the bottom of the container body, wherein the manual air pump and the pressure relief valve are provided on the lid of the containment container, wherein the manual air pump can repeatedly perform a manual operation of pressing air outside the containment container into the biological containment chamber inside the containment container with the lid provided at the upper opening of the container body, wherein the pressure relief valve is configured to be closed when the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber is less than the operating pressure and to be opened when the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber becomes equal to or greater than the operating pressure to release the gas inside the biological containment chamber to the outside of the containment container, Moreover, the pressure relief valve has a gas introduction member formed with a gas introduction hole for introducing the gas in the living organism accommodation chamber to a valve seat where the valve body of the pressure relief valve makes contact with and separates from, and a branch hole extending from an intermediate portion of the gas introduction hole, and a branch hole opening / closing member screwed to an outer surface of a protruding cylinder portion formed on the gas introduction member, for accommodating a protruding end portion of the protruding cylinder portion and covering an opening of the protruding end of the protruding cylinder portion. The branch hole is formed in the gas introduction member including the entire inside of the protruding cylinder portion. The branch hole opening / closing member has a cylindrical side wall portion screwed to the outer surface of the protruding cylinder portion, and a back wall portion closing one entire side in the axial direction of the cylindrical side wall portion in an inner region of the cylindrical side wall portion. A gas outlet hole penetrating through the thickness of the cylindrical side wall portion is formed in the cylindrical side wall portion. The branch hole opening / closing member can open and close an opening of the branch hole which is an opening of the protruding end of the protruding end portion by a rotation operation for changing a screwing position with respect to the protruding cylinder portion, and can adjust an opening range which is a range where the gas outlet hole is located on a protruding end side opposite to a base end side of the protruding cylinder portion from the protruding cylinder portion. An aquatic organism accommodation device is provided.

3. A portable aquatic organism accommodation device, comprising: a storage container securing a living organism accommodation chamber for accommodating an aquatic organism together with water; a manual air pump provided in the storage container and capable of manually pressing air outside the storage container into the living organism accommodation chamber in the storage container by a manual operation; and a pressure relief valve provided in the storage container. The storage container has a bottomed cylindrical container body, and a lid detachably provided at an upper opening of the container body opposite to its bottom portion. The manual air pump and the pressure relief valve are provided on the lid of the storage container. The manual air pump can repeatedly perform a manual operation of pressing air outside the storage container into the living organism accommodation chamber in the storage container in a state where the lid is provided at the upper opening of the container body. The pressure relief valve is configured to be closed when an internal pressure of the living organism accommodation chamber is less than an operating pressure, and to be opened when the internal pressure of the living organism accommodation chamber becomes equal to or higher than the operating pressure, so as to release the gas in the living organism accommodation chamber to the outside of the storage container. Moreover, the pressure relief valve has a gas introduction member formed with a gas introduction hole for introducing the gas in the biological containment chamber to a valve seat with which the valve body of the pressure relief valve comes into contact and separates, and a branch hole extending from an intermediate portion of the gas introduction hole, and a branch hole opening / closing member including a screw shaft screwed to an inner peripheral surface of the branch hole, which is a surface facing the branch hole of the gas introduction member and inserted into an opening of the branch hole opening to the outer surface of the gas introduction member. The branch hole opening / closing member has an opening / closing member main body formed with a head and the screw shaft protruding from the head, and a ring plate-shaped packing externally inserted into the screw shaft. The head is formed such that the packing can be sandwiched between the head and the entire circumference around the opening of the branch hole on the outer surface of the gas introduction member by screwing the screw shaft into the branch hole. An exhaust groove extending over the entire axial length of the screw shaft is formed on a side surface of the screw shaft. The branch hole opening / closing member can open and close the opening of the branch hole by a rotation operation for changing a screwing position with respect to the gas introduction member, and the length of a portion of the gas outlet hole, which is secured including the exhaust groove of the screw shaft portion and located in the branch hole, between the screw shaft portion and the inner peripheral surface of the branch hole can be adjusted. The aquatic organism containment device is thus configured. Claim 4 The pressure relief valve is provided by securing a shaft retainer block that is fixed directly to the lid or via a fixed auxiliary member fixed to the lid and is located on the upper surface side opposite to the lower surface on the biological accommodation chamber side of the lid, and a stem accommodation hole formed by a lid stem hole that penetrates the lid and opens to the lower surface and the upper surface, and a block stem hole that penetrates the shaft retainer block and communicates with the lid stem hole. A stem that penetrates the block stem hole is inserted into the stem accommodation hole, a ring plate-shaped packing fixed to the stem and disposed on the upper side opposite to the biological accommodation chamber side of the shaft retainer block, and a receiving projection protruding from the side surface of the portion of the stem extending from the block stem hole to the biological accommodation chamber side and an urging member that elastically urges the stem toward the biological accommodation chamber side disposed between the shaft retainer block, and an opening / closing operation handle provided at the upper end of the stem that protrudes upward from the shaft retainer block and is located above the packing. An opening / closing movable body including the stem, the packing, and the opening / closing operation handle is provided so as to be movable in the axial direction of the block stem hole with respect to the shaft retainer block. The aquatic organism accommodation device according to claim 1, wherein the packing can switch the contact and separation with the block upper surface on the side opposite to the biological accommodation chamber side of the shaft retainer block by the movement of the opening / closing movable body in the axial direction of the block stem hole with respect to the shaft retainer block, and can switch the opening and closing of the upper end opening of the stem accommodation hole that opens to the block upper surface by the contact and separation with the block upper surface.

5. The fixed auxiliary member is a sleeve-shaped chamber member that is inserted into the lid stem hole and secured to the lid by securing a portion that protrudes to the upper surface side of the lid. The pressure relief valve includes the chamber member and a stem lower end packing provided at the lower end of the stem and protruding laterally of the stem over the entire circumference of the lower end of the stem. The stem lower end packing airtightly seals the lower end opening on the biological containment chamber side of the chamber member when the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure. When the upward pressing force acting on the shaft pressing block by the internal pressure of the biological containment chamber exceeds the biasing force by which the biasing member elastically biases the stem and the stem is moved upward, the lower end opening of the chamber member can be switched from a sealed state to an open state. The aquatic biological containment device according to claim 4.

6. The opening / closing operation handle is a plate-like or rod-like protruding piece that forms an obtuse opening angle with respect to the stem and protrudes obliquely from the upper end of the stem with respect to the stem. The opening angle of the opening / closing operation handle with respect to the central axis of the stem is 110 to 160 degrees. The aquatic biological containment device according to claim 4.

7. The opening / closing operation handle of the pressure relief valve is formed to protrude from the upper end of the stem to the side of the upper end of the stem. The pressure relief valve has a push-up ring member screwed to the side surface of the shaft pressing block. The push-up ring member is configured to be able to move the opening / closing operation handle up and down by a rotational operation that changes the screwing position with respect to the shaft pressing block. The aquatic biological containment device according to claim 4.

8. The manual air pump has a nipple for introducing a liquid or gas from outside the containment container into the manual air pump. The manual air pump is capable of press-fitting the liquid or gas introduced through the nipple into the biological containment chamber by manual operation. The aquatic biological containment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. The manual air pump includes a cylindrical cylinder that is penetrated and fixed to the lid body by ensuring a lower protruding portion that protrudes from the lid body toward the biological accommodation chamber side and an upper protruding portion that protrudes from the lid body to the side opposite to the biological accommodation chamber, a piston provided movably in the axial direction of the cylinder within the cylinder, a piston rod provided with the piston at a tip portion inserted into the cylinder, a handle provided at a protruding end portion of the piston rod that protrudes out of the cylinder from an upper end opening of the cylinder that opens at a tip of the upper protruding portion of the cylinder, a discharge check valve provided at a lower end portion of the cylinder that is a tip portion of the lower protruding portion and permits gas discharge from the inside of the cylinder to the outside of the cylinder and blocks gas inflow from the outside of the cylinder to the inside of the cylinder, and a nipple provided at an upper end portion of the cylinder that is a tip portion of the upper protruding portion and communicated with an introduction side gas chamber that is a region on the upper end opening side from the piston in the cylinder. The air flowing into the introduction side gas chamber from the upper end opening of the cylinder is configured to be able to mix with oxygen flowing in from the nipple. The piston has an on-off valve structure that switches between communication and cutoff between a discharge side gas chamber that is a region on the discharge check valve side from the piston in the cylinder and an introduction side gas chamber that is a region on the upper end opening side from the piston in the cylinder. The on-off valve structure is configured to be opened by an operation of moving the piston toward the upper end opening of the cylinder to communicate between the discharge side gas chamber and the introduction side gas chamber and to be closed by an operation of moving the piston toward the lower end portion of the cylinder to cut off between the discharge side gas chamber and the introduction side gas chamber. The aquatic biological accommodation device according to claim 8.

10. The aquatic biological accommodation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 further includes a coolant built-in body in which the coolant is accommodated in a container that is a case or a bag, and the coolant built-in body is removably accommodated in the biological accommodation chamber.

11. The container body of the storage container has a partition wall that divides the inner region of the container body into the biological storage chamber and the coolant storage chamber below the biological storage chamber, and a lower opening / closing wall that opens and closes the opening of the coolant storage chamber formed in the container body. The lower opening / closing wall is capable of switching between a fixed state in which the opening of the coolant storage chamber is closed with respect to the main body of the container, which is a portion of the container body other than the lower opening / closing wall, and a fixed-release state. The aquatic organism storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

12. The aquatic organism storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pressure gauge provided on the lid body for measuring and displaying the internal pressure of the biological storage chamber.

13. The aquatic organism storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a cylindrical heat insulating cover that removably houses and covers the storage container.

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