Modular sterile chamber

Abstract

A modular sterile chamber includes at least two chambers, each chamber having a sealed space. Adjacent chambers are respectively provided with a first connecting door and a second connecting door, as well as a first alignment and a second alignment structure, connecting the sealed spaces. The first connecting door has a first outer wall surface, and the second connecting door has a second outer wall surface. The two chambers are locked together through the first and second alignment structures, with the first and second outer wall surfaces facing each other and completely fitted together, allowing the first and second connecting doors to open simultaneously, thus connecting the sealed spaces of the two adjacent chambers. Accordingly, each chamber can be used independently or in combination to meet different application requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a sterile cavity, and more particularly to a modular sterile cavity that can be used independently. Prior Technology

[0002] Aseptic isolation operating devices, such as Taiwan Patent No. M621381, include a control cabinet, a reagent container, a pneumatic processing cabinet, and a preparation table forming a sterile preparation space. The reagent container is located on the left side of the preparation table, and a mobile culture device is located on the right side of the preparation table. The sterile preparation space of the preparation table is for the operator to prepare reagents or process samples. The operator performs operations within the sterile preparation space by extending at least one application sleeve into the sterile preparation space.

[0003] In this conventional equipment, the reagent container and the preparation table are designed as a single unit. Once separated, the environment is not sealed, and therefore it cannot be used independently. Consequently, whenever the reagents in the container need to be added or replenished, it must wait until the work in the aseptic preparation space is completed, which is quite time-consuming.

[0004] Furthermore, in conventional mobile culture equipment, when the preparation table is connected, the aseptic preparation space is connected to the outside space. As a result, outside air can enter the aseptic preparation space and disrupt the aseptic environment. External bacteria may contaminate the reagents or samples. In order to avoid reducing reliability, the sterilization frequency must be increased, which increases the cost of the process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to disclose a modular sterile cavity that can be used independently and in a sterile environment without the entry of outside air.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this invention discloses a modular sterile chamber, comprising at least two serially connected housings, a first alignment connection structure, a second alignment connection structure, and at least two cathode locks. Each housing has a sealed space, and adjacent housings are respectively provided with a first connecting door and a second connecting door communicating with the sealed space. The first connecting door has a first outer wall surface, and the second connecting door has a second outer wall surface matching the first outer wall surface. The first alignment connection structure has two first protruding ribs, which are disposed on the housing and located on both sides of the first connecting door. Each first protruding rib is provided with at least one pair of alignment guide wheels, which are located on the first protruding rib. The second alignment connection structure has two second protruding ribs, which are disposed on the housing and located on both sides of the second connecting door. The positions of the two first protruding ribs and the two second protruding ribs correspond to each other and can be aligned and engaged. The at least two cathode locks each have a latch and a lock body, which are respectively disposed on the contact surfaces of the two first ribs and the two second ribs. Each of the first ribs is aligned and engaged with the second rib through the at least one pair of alignment guide wheels, and is locked by inserting the latch into the lock body, so that the two housing locks are engaged together, and the first outer wall surface and the second outer wall surface are face to face and completely fitted together, so that the first connecting door and the second connecting door can be opened together, so that the sealed spaces of the two adjacent housings are connected.

[0007] In summary, the enclosures of this invention each have independent sealed spaces, allowing them to be used independently. When two adjacent enclosures are used together, the first outer wall surface and the second outer wall surface are aligned face-to-face and fully fitted, and the first connecting door and the second connecting door are fixed together so that they can be opened together. Therefore, when the sealed spaces of two adjacent enclosures are connected, outside air will not enter or come into contact with the sterile environment of the sealed space, thus eliminating the problem of contamination by external bacteria. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention. Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the box body of the present invention. Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the box body of the present invention. Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of the box connection of the present invention. Figure 2D is a schematic diagram of the box connection of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of wireless transmission according to the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the internal space partitioning structure of the present invention. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the implementation and use of the present invention. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0009] The detailed description and technical content of this invention are now explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0010] Please refer to Figures 1, 2A, 2B and 4. This invention discloses a combined sterile chamber, including at least two serially connected housings 10, a first alignment connection structure 20, a second alignment connection structure 30, at least two cathode locks 40, multiple experimental devices 50 and at least one wireless connection device 60.

[0011] Each enclosure 10 has a sealed space 11, and at least one enclosure 10 is provided for housing at least one experimental device 50 and a wireless connection device 60 within the sealed space 11. The wireless connection device 60 is connected to the experimental device 50 within the enclosure 10, and the wireless connection device 60 allows the operator to independently remotely control and monitor the experimental device 50 via a remote operating device 70 (as shown in Figure 4). The remote operating device 70 can be any of a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer, etc.

[0012] In this embodiment, the plurality of experimental devices 50 are selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen peroxide sterilization device 50A, an electron microscope 50B, a centrifuge 50C, and a fan device 50D. The hydrogen peroxide sterilization device 50A provides hydrogen peroxide into the sealed space 11 for sterilization. The electron microscope 50B is used for microscopic operations. The fan device 50D blows clean laminar air to maintain a sterile and dust-free environment. Additionally, each housing 10 is provided with a set of casters 51 for easy movement of the housing 10.

[0013] In this embodiment, the at least two connected boxes 10 are actually three, namely an incubator 10A, a main chamber 10B, and a material box 10C. The centrifuge 50C is installed in the sealed space 11 of the main chamber 10, and the centrifuge 50C is used for purification operations.

[0014] Please refer to Figures 1 and 4. The enclosure 10 has a central control panel 80. Preferably, the central control panel 80 is located in the material box 10C. The central control panel 80 is connected to the wireless connection device 60 and is used to control the operation of the plurality of experimental devices 50 in the enclosure 10, namely, the hydrogen peroxide sterilizer 50A, the electron microscope 50B, the centrifuge 50C, and the fan device 50D. The enclosure 10 may also have an information display panel 81. Preferably, the information display panel 81 is located in the incubator 10A and is connected to the wireless connection device 60. The information display panel 81 is used to display the operating status of the plurality of experimental devices 50 in the enclosure 10, namely, the operating status of the hydrogen peroxide sterilizer 50A, the electron microscope 50B, the centrifuge 50C, and the fan device 50D. More specifically, it can be used to display the image of the electron microscope 50B. Accordingly, operators can wirelessly connect to the wireless connection device 60 via the remote operating device 70 to remotely control the central control panel 80, thereby controlling the operation of the hydrogen peroxide disinfection device 50A, electron microscope 50B, centrifuge 50C, and fan device 50D. They can also remotely obtain information displayed on the information display panel 81 to understand the operational status of the hydrogen peroxide disinfection device 50A, electron microscope 50B, centrifuge 50C, and fan device 50D.

[0015] Please also refer to Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D. Two adjacent enclosures 10 are each provided with a first connecting door 12 and a second connecting door 13, which respectively connect to the sealed space 11 (as shown in Figure 2C). The first connecting door 12 has a first outer wall surface 121, and the second connecting door 13 has a second outer wall surface 131, which matches the first outer wall surface 121.

[0016] The first alignment and connection structure 20 has two first protruding ribs 21, which are disposed on the housing 10 and located on both sides of the first connecting door 12. Each first protruding rib 21 is provided with at least one pair of alignment guide wheels 22, which are located on the first protruding rib 21. When there are multiple alignment guide wheels 22, the multiple alignment guide wheels 22 are evenly distributed on the first protruding rib 21 (as shown in Figure 2A). An elastic element (not shown) is provided between the at least one pair of alignment guide wheels 22 and the first protruding rib 21. The elastic element allows the at least one pair of alignment guide wheels 22 to protrude slightly beyond the first protruding rib 21, and after the two first protruding ribs 21 and the two second protruding ribs 31 are aligned and engaged, they retract into the first protruding rib 21. The second alignment and connection structure 30 has two second protruding ribs 31, which are disposed on the housing 10 and located on both sides of the second connecting door 13. The positions of the two first protruding ribs 21 and the two second protruding ribs 31 correspond to each other and can be aligned and connected.

[0017] In one embodiment, each of the two first protruding ribs 21 may be provided with at least one sensor 23, which is used to sense whether it contacts the corresponding housing 10 to ensure that the alignment and engagement are successfully completed. Furthermore, a ball bearing 32 is provided on a sliding contact surface 311 of the second protruding rib 31 that slides against the first protruding rib 21. The ball bearing 32 can assist in making the relative sliding of the two first protruding ribs 21 and the two second protruding ribs 31 smoother, allowing for a smoother movement to the predetermined position during alignment and engagement.

[0018] The space between the two first protruding ribs 21 and the two second protruding ribs 31 is for at least two cathode locks 40. Each of the at least two cathode locks 40 has a latch 41 and a lock body 42, which are respectively disposed on the contact surfaces of the two first protruding ribs 21 and the two second protruding ribs 31. Each first protruding rib 21 is aligned and engaged with the second protruding rib 31 through at least one pair of alignment guide wheels 22, and is locked by inserting the latch 41 into the lock body 42, so that the two housings 10 are locked together, and the first outer wall surface 121 and the second outer wall surface 131 are face to face and completely fitted together (as shown in Figure 2C), so that the first connecting door 12 and the second connecting door 13 can be opened together (as shown in Figure 2D), so that the sealed spaces 11 of the two adjacent housings 10 are connected.

[0019] In one embodiment, the larger sealed space 11 is selected as the working space. If the spaces are of equal size, one is selected according to the needs. The first connecting door 12 and the second connecting door 13 open together toward the working space. That is, the opening directions of the first connecting door 12 and the second connecting door 13 are opposite to their respective housings 10, so they can open together toward the working space.

[0020] Since the first outer wall surface 121 and the second outer wall surface 131, which are exposed to the outside air, are face to face and completely fitted together, when the first connecting door 12 and the second connecting door 13 are opened together, the first outer wall surface 121 and the second outer wall surface 131 will not be exposed in the sealed space 11. Therefore, the sterile environment of the sealed space 11 will not be damaged, and there is no need to perform sterilization again.

[0021] Please also refer to Figure 3. The at least one enclosure 10 can be modularly designed, meaning the number of incubators 10A, main chambers 10B, and material boxes 10C can be freely selected and connected in series according to actual needs. In another embodiment, there are four enclosures 10 connected in series: one enclosure 10 is an incubator 10A, two enclosures 10 are main chambers 10B, and one enclosure 10 is a material box 10C. The presence of two main chambers 10B increases the operating space and quantity to meet specific usage requirements.

[0022] Please refer to Figures 5 and 6. The box 10 has an opening 14, a door 15, a plurality of support frames 16 and at least one partition plate 17. The opening 14 communicates with the sealed space 11, the door 15 closes the opening 14, and the sealed space 11 has two side walls 111 adjacent to the opening 14.

[0023] The plurality of support frames 16 are correspondingly disposed on the two side walls 111. Preferably, the plurality of support frames 16 are disposed at equal intervals on the two side walls 111. The plurality of support frames 16 located on different side walls 111 are arranged in pairs to form a support structure 161, and there is a gap height 162 between adjacent two support structures 161.

[0024] The at least one partition tray 17 is selectively disposed on one of the plurality of support structures 161 according to the size of the at least one specimen box 90, forming an independent pull-out drawer structure, which allows for easy insertion or removal of the at least one specimen box 90. The at least one partition tray 17 divides the sealed space 11 into at least one partition space 112, which is suitable for storing the at least one specimen box 90, allowing the at least one specimen box 90 to be classified and stored separately.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. When the box 10 needs to store a specimen box 90A with a larger height (compare with the specimen box 90 in Figure 6), a smaller number of the at least one partition plate 17 can be selected and the at least one partition plate 17 can be placed on the support frame 16 in a suitable position. At this time, the accommodating space 11 can be divided into a larger and more suitable partition space 112A to accommodate the specimen box 90A with a larger height.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of this invention. When the box 10 needs to store a specimen box 90B with a larger width (compared to specimen box 90A in Figure 7), the partition space 112A divided by the accommodating space 11 can also be used to store the specimen box 90B with a larger width.

[0027] Therefore, the present invention provides a sterile isolation operating device that can be used independently, and has the following characteristics:

[0028] 1. Each of the at least two boxes has an independent sealed space, so they can be used independently. When two adjacent boxes are used together, the first outer wall surface that comes into contact with the outside air is face to face and completely adheres to the second outer wall surface. Therefore, outside air will not enter or come into contact with the sterile environment of the sealed space, and there is no problem of contamination by external bacteria.

[0029] 2. The at least two chambers are modularly designed, allowing for flexible selection of the number of incubators, main chambers, and material boxes, which can be connected in series according to actual needs to meet different application requirements.

[0030] 3. Each of these boxes is equipped with a hydrogen peroxide sterilization device, allowing cell samples, culture media, and other specimens to be sterilized before being placed inside the box, thus reducing the waiting time required for pre-sterilization.

[0031] 4. Each of the boxes is equipped with a set of rollers, which facilitates the movement of the box and meets the needs of modular assembly and disassembly.

[0032] 5. The design of having corresponding positions and matching shapes for the at least one positioning hole and the at least one positioning post, and the at least one positioning hole and the at least one positioning post being conical, can assist the first connecting door and the second connecting door in automatic positioning.

[0033] 6. The first and second connecting structures are joined together by matching the shape of the recess and the protrusion, which is quite intuitive to operate and has a foolproof effect.

[0034] 7. The enclosure is equipped with a wireless connection device, which allows operators to wirelessly connect to the remote control device to independently control and monitor multiple experimental devices to perform specific tasks. This meets the needs of remote operation and allows for remote monitoring of the operation status of multiple experimental devices, thereby improving the operator's work efficiency.

[0035] 8. By placing at least one partition plate on different support structures, the accommodating space is divided into partition spaces of different sizes, thereby accommodating specimen boxes of different sizes and increasing the versatility of the box.

[0036] 9. The at least one partition tray can be extracted independently, and the at least one specimen box can be classified and stored separately, making it convenient to insert or remove the at least one specimen box.

[0037] 10. The at least one specimen box is stored separately in different compartments, which can reduce the possibility of other specimen boxes being contaminated when the specimen box fails and bacteria are leaked.

[0038] 10: Box 10A: Incubator 10B: Main Cabin 10C: Material Box 11: Sealed space 111: Sidewall 112, 112A: Separated Spaces 12: First Link 121: First outer wall surface 13: Second Link 131: Second outer wall surface 14: Opening 15: Box door 16: Support frame 161: Supporting Structure 162: Spacing Height 17: Divider 20: First alignment structure 21: First protruding rib 22: Alignment guide wheel 23: Sensor 30: Second anti-cohesion structure 31: Second rib 311: Sliding contact surface 32: Ball bearing 40: Cathode Lock 41: Locking tongue 42: Lock body 50: Experimental equipment 50A: Hydrogen peroxide sterilization device 50B: Electron Microscope 50C: Centrifuge 50D: Fan Equipment 51: Roller Set 60: Wireless connection device 70: Remote operating device 80: Central Control Panel 81: Information Display Board 90, 90A, 90B: Specimen boxes

Claims

1. A modular sterile chamber, comprising: at least two serially connected boxes, each box having a sealed space, and adjacent boxes respectively having a first connecting door and a second connecting door communicating with the sealed space, the first connecting door having a first outer wall surface, and the second connecting door having a second outer wall surface matching the first outer wall surface; a first alignment and connection structure having two first protruding ribs, the two first protruding ribs being disposed on the box and located on both sides of the first connecting door, and each first protruding rib having at least one pair of alignment guide wheels, the at least one pair of alignment guide wheels being located on the first protruding rib; A second alignment and connection structure, the second alignment and connection structure having two second protruding ribs, the two second protruding ribs being disposed on the housing and located on both sides of the second connecting door, and the positions of the two first protruding ribs and the two second protruding ribs corresponding to each other and capable of alignment and engagement; and at least two cathode locks, the at least two cathode locks each having a locking tongue and a locking body, and being disposed on the contact surfaces of the two first protruding ribs and the two second protruding ribs respectively, and each first protruding rib being aligned and engaged with the second protruding rib through the at least one pair of alignment guide wheels, and being locked by inserting the locking tongue into the locking body, so that the two housings are locked together, and the first outer wall surface and the second outer wall surface are face to face and completely fitted together, so that the first connecting door and the second connecting door can be opened together, so that the sealed spaces of the two adjacent housings are connected.

2. The combined sterile chamber as described in claim 1, wherein each of the two first ribs is provided with at least one sensor for sensing whether it is in contact with the corresponding chamber.

3. The combined sterile cavity as described in claim 1, wherein the second rib is provided with a ball bearing on a sliding contact surface that slides in contact with the first rib.

4. The modular sterile chamber as described in claim 1, wherein each chamber is provided with a hydrogen peroxide sterilization device.

5. The modular sterile chamber as described in claim 1, wherein each chamber is provided for housing an electron microscope.

6. The modular sterile chamber as described in claim 1, wherein each chamber is provided with a fan device.

7. The modular sterile chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein each chamber has a set of rollers for carrying the chamber to move.

8. The combined sterile chamber as described in claim 1, wherein the at least two interconnected chambers are three in total, namely an incubator, a main chamber, and a material box.

9. The combined sterile chamber as described in claim 8, wherein a centrifuge is disposed within the sealed space of the main chamber.

10. The combined sterile chamber as described in claim 1, wherein the at least two interconnected chambers are four in total, one of which is an incubator, two of which are main chambers, and one of which is a material box.

11. The modular sterile chamber as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of experimental devices and at least one wireless connection device, wherein at least one chamber is provided for housing at least one experimental device and one wireless connection device, the wireless connection device being connected to the experimental device within the chamber, and the wireless connection device being provided for an operator to independently remotely control and monitor the experimental device via a remote operating device.

12. The modular sterile chamber as claimed in claim 11, wherein the chamber has a central control panel connected to the wireless connection device, and the central control panel is for controlling the plurality of experimental devices of the chamber.

13. The modular sterile chamber as claimed in claim 11, wherein the chamber has an information display panel connected to the wireless connection device, and the information display panel is for displaying the operating status of the plurality of experimental devices in the chamber.

14. The combined sterile chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chamber has an opening communicating with the sealed space, a door closing the opening, a plurality of support frames and at least one partition plate, the sealed space has two side walls adjacent to the opening, the plurality of support frames are correspondingly disposed on the two side walls, and the plurality of support frames located on different side walls are arranged in pairs to form a support structure, and there is a height gap between two adjacent support structures, and the at least one partition plate is selectively disposed on one of the plurality of support structures and divides the sealed space into at least one partition space.

15. The combined sterile cavity as described in claim 14, wherein the plurality of support frames are disposed at equal intervals on the two side walls.

Images