Dynamic-pressure incubator

Abstract

Provided in the present application is a dynamic-pressure incubator. The dynamic-pressure incubator comprises: an incubator body, which provides a culture space and is provided with a pressure interface; and a pressure device, which comprises a driving mechanism and an expansion and retraction mechanism. The distance between a movable end of the expansion and retraction mechanism and the pressure interface provides a pressure-varying space, and the pressure-varying space is directly communicated with the pressure interface, so that the pressure-varying space is directly connected to the culture space. The driving mechanism is connected to the movable end of the expansion and retraction mechanism, and the expansion and retraction mechanism can be driven to move by the driving mechanism to change the distance between the movable end and the pressure interface, so as to change the volume of the pressure-varying space, thereby changing the pressure of the culture space.

Description

Dynamic pressure incubator Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a dynamic pressure incubator. Background Art

[0002] An incubator is a box device mainly used for cultivating microorganisms, plant and animal cells. It simulates the growth environment of microorganisms, tissues, cells, etc., provides stable temperature, humidity and gas concentration, and is widely used in cell and tissue culture and the reproduction and cultivation of certain special microorganisms.

[0003] Some prior art solutions propose providing a pressurized gas environment with an additional pressure above atmospheric pressure, and performing culture, such as stem cell culture, in the pressurized gas environment.

[0004] For example, in the patent document with publication number WO2022012608A1 and titled "Stem Cell Culture Method", a stem cell culture method is proposed, including the steps of culturing stem cells in a gas environment with additional pressure in addition to atmospheric pressure, and the additional pressure is 60 to 140 mmHg (similar to human blood pressure), for example, 70 to 120 mmHg, 75 to 115 mmHg, 80 to 110 mmHg, 85 to 100 mmHg or 90 to 95 mmHg.

[0005] For another example, in the patent document entitled “Incubator” with publication number WO2022012607A1, the incubator includes a housing and a pressure transformer, wherein the housing has a pressure transformer interface, and the pressure transformer is connected to the housing via the pressure transformer interface, and the pressure transformer is used to input fluctuating or constant air pressure into the housing. The pressure transformer may include a cylinder and a piston. However, the inventors found that if a higher pressure needs to be provided, the piston requires a matching large-diameter sealing ring, which results in large frictional resistance and low efficiency of the system. In addition, the frictional heat generated between the piston and the cylinder caused by the reciprocating motion of the piston will affect the stability of the temperature in the housing, and the volatilization of the grease or lubricating oil required by the piston will affect the gas environment of the culture. Therefore, for situations with higher pressures, the structure of the piston drive needs to be improved.

[0006] In addition, in some comparative schemes, the pressure of the pressure device is transmitted to the incubator through a pipeline. However, the inventors found that this scheme also has difficulty in achieving a higher culture pressure to meet the culture requirements. For example, it is impossible to achieve a pressure environment that simulates human blood pressure (human blood pressure is 60 to 140 mmHg, converted to kPa, that is, the normal systolic pressure is 12 kPa to 18.6 kPa, and the normal diastolic pressure is 8 kPa to 12 kPa). Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this application is to ensure that the temperature stability and gas environment of the incubator meet the culture requirements while meeting the culture pressure.

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present application, a dynamic pressure incubator includes a box body, which provides a culture space and has a pressure interface; a pressure device includes a driving mechanism and a telescopic mechanism, the distance between the movable end of the telescopic mechanism and the pressure interface provides a variable pressure space, and the variable pressure space is directly connected to the pressure interface so that the variable pressure space is directly connected to the culture space; the driving mechanism is connected to the movable end of the telescopic mechanism, and the telescopic mechanism can be driven by the driving mechanism to move to change the distance between the movable end and the pressure interface, thereby changing the volume of the variable pressure space, thereby changing the pressure of the culture space.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the fixed end of the telescopic mechanism is fixed to the pressure interface, so that the internal space of the telescopic mechanism from the fixed end to the movable end provides the variable pressure space.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the pressure device also includes an outer shell, which is a rigid shell, one end of which is fixedly connected to the pressure interface, and the other end is connected to the fixed end of the telescopic mechanism, and the telescopic mechanism is arranged inside the outer shell.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the telescopic mechanism includes a telescopic sleeve, and the shape of the telescopic sleeve is selected from corrugated, spherical, and gourd-shaped; the material of the telescopic sleeve is selected from elastomeric materials, plastics, and metals.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the telescopic sleeve of the telescopic mechanism includes a telescopic sleeve body and a reinforcement ring.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the driving mechanism is selected from an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or a crankshaft-connecting rod mechanism; the output end of the driving mechanism is connected to the moving end of the telescopic mechanism; preferably, the electric cylinder includes a servo motor and a transmission mechanism, and the transmission mechanism connects the servo motor and the moving end of the telescopic mechanism to convert the rotation of the servo motor into the movement of the moving end of the telescopic mechanism.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the pressure device is fixedly connected to the box body; preferably, the pressure device is fixedly connected to the top of the box body; when the fixed end of the telescopic mechanism is fixed to the pressure interface, the lower end of the telescopic sleeve is the fixed end, which is fixedly connected to the box body; when the pressure device includes an outer shell, the lower end of the outer shell is fixedly connected to the box body, the upper end of the outer shell is connected to the upper end of the telescopic mechanism, and the driving mechanism is connected to the lower end of the telescopic mechanism, so that the distance between the telescopic mechanism and the pressure interface provides the pressure variable space.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the box body also includes a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a carbon dioxide gas concentration sensor, an oxygen concentration sensor and / or a gas pressure sensor, which is electrically connected to the control unit; preferably, the box body also includes an openable and closable air inlet and an openable and closable air outlet independent of the pressure interface, which are used for inputting or outputting one or more gases into or out of the dynamic pressure incubator; more preferably, the gas includes carbon dioxide, nitrogen and / or oxygen.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the dynamic pressure incubator comprises a multi-layer structure, including at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein the first layer defines the culture space, and the second layer is located outside the first layer.

[0017] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the pressure device provides periodic fluctuations of the pressure of the box body with a maximum value of 30 kPa; preferably, the pressure of the box body fluctuates periodically between 8 kPa and 20 kPa; more preferably, the pressure of the box body fluctuates periodically between 10 kPa and 15 kPa.

[0018] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the pressure of the box body fluctuates periodically between 1 kPa and 25 kPa; preferably, the pressure of the box body fluctuates periodically between 5 kPa and 15 kPa.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present application, a culture method using the dynamic pressure incubator described in the first aspect comprises the following steps:

[0020] S1. The culture object is placed in the culture space of the box;

[0021] S2. The culture space is closed, and the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, oxygen concentration and pressure within the culture space reach the set values;

[0022] S3. activating the pressure device, whereby the movable end of the telescopic mechanism is driven by the driving mechanism to move, thereby changing the size of the variable pressure space to provide periodic pressure fluctuations to the culture space, wherein the maximum value of the periodic pressure is 30 kPa, preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuations are between 8 kPa and 20 kPa, and more preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuations are between 10 kPa and 15 kPa;

[0023] S4. After the culture is completed, the pressure in the culture space is released and the cultured object can be taken out.

[0024] In one or more embodiments of the dynamic pressure incubator, the invention further comprises: a memory for storing instructions executable by a processor; and a processor for executing the instructions to implement the steps of the culture method of the second aspect that can be implemented by a computer program.

[0025] In one or more embodiments of the culture method, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 1 kPa-25 kPa; preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 5 kPa to 15 kPa.

[0026] According to a third aspect of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium has a computer program thereon, and the program is executed by a processor to implement the steps in the culture method described in the second aspect that can be implemented by the computer program.

[0027] Summary of the Figures

[0028] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0029] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the external structure of a dynamic pressure incubator according to the first embodiment.

[0030] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the dynamic pressure incubator according to the first embodiment.

[0031] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the dynamic pressure incubator of the second embodiment.

[0032] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the dynamic pressure incubator according to the second embodiment.

[0033] FIG5 is a schematic block diagram of the structure of a dynamic pressure incubator according to an embodiment.

[0034] FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of a culture method according to an embodiment.

[0035] Preferred embodiments of the present invention

[0036] The following discloses a variety of different implementation methods or examples of the subject technical solutions. To simplify the disclosure, specific examples of the various elements and arrangements are described below. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. For example, a first feature described later in the specification is formed above or on a second feature, which may include an implementation method in which the first and second features are formed in a directly connected manner, or an implementation method in which an additional feature is formed between the first and second features, so that the first and second features may not be directly connected. In addition, the disclosures may repeat the figure marks and / or letters in different examples. This repetition is for brevity and clarity and does not in itself represent the relationship between the various implementation methods and / or structures to be discussed. Further, when a first element is described in a manner connected to or combined with a second element, the description includes an implementation method in which the first and second elements are directly connected or combined with each other, and also includes an implementation method in which one or more other intervening elements are added to indirectly connect or combine the first and second elements.

[0037] It will be appreciated that the following uses a flow chart to illustrate the steps performed by the culture method according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that, depending on the actual situation, the preceding or following steps may not necessarily be performed in exact order. Other steps may also be added to these processes, or one or more steps may be removed from these processes.

[0038] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 , a dynamic pressure incubator 100 includes a pressure device 1 and a housing 2. The dynamic pressure incubator 100 is suitable for culturing standard T25, T75, and T300 cell culture flasks, cell factories, and multi-well culture plates. The internal chamber is typically sterilized before use using methods such as UV irradiation, 140° dry heat sterilization, ethylene oxide, and hydrogen peroxide.

[0039] The housing 2 provides a culture space 21 for cell culture and a pressure interface 22 directly connected to the pressure device 1 . The pressure interface 22 receives the fluctuating pressure or constant pressure output by the pressure device to the culture space 21 .

[0040] Preferably, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the specific structure of the housing 2 can be a cube / rectangular parallelepiped structure formed by welding multiple plates, and the material can be stainless steel. An air duct can be arranged inside the housing 2 to promote air circulation within the culture space 21 to improve the uniformity of the gas in the culture space 21. A fan and a high-efficiency filter can also be installed in the air duct to filter and clean the gas. Preferably, the housing 2 includes a multi-layer structure, for example, including at least a first layer and a second layer, the first layer defining the culture space 21, and the second layer located outside the first layer. For example, in a two-layer structure, the inner layer defines the culture space 21, and the inner layer door can be controlled by a solenoid valve, while the outer layer serves to insulate and protect the culture space. After the housing 2 is closed, the outer door of the outer layer and the inner door of the inner layer must be opened in sequence before the culture objects in the culture space 21 can be placed or removed. The multi-layer structure can be sealed using an inflatable seal, for example, the inner door of the inner layer and / or the outer door of the outer layer use an inflatable seal to seal the culture space 21.

[0041] Referring to FIG5 , in some embodiments, the housing 2 may further include a temperature sensor 23, a humidity sensor 24, a carbon dioxide gas concentration sensor 25, an oxygen concentration sensor 26, and a gas pressure sensor 27 for electrical connection to the control unit. It is understood that the above sensor description is merely an introduction to the function, and may be a distributed setting, or multiple functions may be integrated into a single sensor. Correspondingly, the housing 2 may further include an openable and closable air inlet and an openable and closable air outlet independent of the pressure interface 22, for inputting or outputting one or more gases into or out of the dynamic pressure incubator, for example, the gases include carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen, so as to maintain the gas environment in the culture space 21 during the culture process to meet the requirements, for example, to meet the temperature of 37°, the carbon dioxide concentration of 5%, and the oxygen concentration of 3%. The specific adjustment method may be that the data sensed and collected by the carbon dioxide gas concentration sensor 25 and the oxygen concentration sensor 26 are transmitted to the processor 31 of the control unit 3, and the processor 31 judges and outputs a control signal to the gas source according to the sensed data to instruct the delivery of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or oxygen so that the gas environment meets the requirements. Similarly, the data sensed by the temperature sensor 23, humidity sensor 24, and gas pressure sensor 27 are transmitted to the processor 31 of the control unit 3. The processor 31 judges and outputs control signals to the temperature change device (such as a heater), humidity source (such as a humidifying tank), and pressure source (i.e., pressure device 1) based on the sensed data, so that the temperature, humidity, and pressure meet the culture requirements.

[0042] Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the structure of the pressure device 1 includes a driving mechanism 12 and a telescopic mechanism 13. The distance between the mobile end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13 and the pressure interface 22 provides a variable pressure space 14, and the variable pressure space 14 is directly connected to the pressure interface 22, so that the variable pressure space 14 is directly connected to the culture space 21. The direct connection and direct connection here refer to direct connection between the two, excluding structures that are indirectly connected through intermediate components such as pipes. The driving mechanism 12 is connected to the mobile end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13, and the telescopic mechanism 13 can be driven by the driving mechanism 12 to move, so as to change the distance between the mobile end 131 and the pressure interface 22, thereby changing the volume of the variable pressure space 14, and thus changing the pressure of the culture space 21.

[0043] The distance between the movable end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13 and the pressure interface 22 provides a structure for providing the pressure variable space 14. For example, the telescopic mechanism 13 itself can directly provide the pressure variable space 14 (a first embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2), or the telescopic mechanism 13 and the housing 11 can jointly form the pressure variable space 14 (a second embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4). The details will be described later.

[0044] The beneficial effect of the above embodiment is that it ensures that the temperature stability of the incubator and the gas environment meet the requirements of the culture on the basis of meeting the culture pressure. Specifically, the variable pressure space 14 is directly connected to the pressure interface 22, and the telescopic mechanism 13 can be driven by the driving mechanism 12 to move and change the volume of the variable pressure space 14 directly connected to the pressure interface 22. First, the telescopic mechanism 13 changes the volume of the directly connected variable pressure space 14, that is, the size of the space providing pressure, by its own telescopic mechanism, rather than relying on the movement of the piston in the cylinder to change the volume and provide pressure as in the patent W02022012607A1 introduced in the background technology. Therefore, there is no need to provide grease or lubricating oil, which avoids the impact of the volatilization of grease or lubricating oil on the gas environment in the incubator, and also avoids the friction heat between the piston and the cylinder affecting the stability and uniformity of the temperature in the incubator. In addition, the inventors found that the above structure can also provide stable and reliable high pressure, with the maximum pressure reaching 30kPa. It can also simulate the pressure environment changes of mammalian blood pressure. For example, the normal blood pressure of the human body fluctuates between 120 / 80mmHg (16 / 10.66kPa), and the normal blood pressure of a giraffe is 220 / 180mmHg (30 / 24kPa), which makes the incubator have a wide range of applications.

[0045] Referring to Figures 1 to 2, in the first embodiment of the dynamic pressure incubator 100, the telescopic sleeve 130 of the telescopic mechanism 13 itself provides a variable pressure space 14, the fixed end 132 of the telescopic mechanism 13 is fixed to the pressure interface 22 (that is, fixed to the box body 2), and the movable end 131 is connected to the driving mechanism 12, so that the internal space 133 of the telescopic mechanism 13 from the fixed end 132 to the movable end 131 provides a variable pressure space 14, and the driving mechanism 12 can drive the movable end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13 to move closer to or away from the fixed end 132 to change the volume of the variable pressure space 14. In the first embodiment, the internal space 133 of the telescopic mechanism 13 is the space directly connected to the pressure device 1 and the pressure interface 22. According to the principle of the ideal gas state equation, since the internal space 133 is directly connected to the culture space 21 through the pressure interface 22, when the volume of the internal space 133 decreases, the total volume of the culture space 21 and the internal space 133 decreases, that is, the pressure within the culture space 21 and the internal space 133 increases. When the volume of the internal space 133 increases, the total volume of the culture space 21 and the internal space 133 increases, and the pressure therein decreases. Therefore, by driving the telescopic mechanism 13 to extend and retract, the culture space 21 can be provided with a fluctuating pressure. The form of the fluctuating pressure can be flexibly adjusted according to actual culture needs, including but not limited to periodic fluctuations such as square waves, sawtooth waves, sinusoidal waves, or quasi-sinusoidal variations. It will be understood that when the drive mechanism 12 drives the telescopic mechanism 13 to move to a fixed position, a constant pressure is provided to the culture space 21. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pressure device 1 can be fixedly connected to the housing 2; preferably, the pressure device 1 is fixedly connected to the top of the housing 2. In the first embodiment, the upper end of the telescopic sleeve 130 is the movable end 131, which is fixedly connected to the drive mechanism 12, and the lower end is the fixed end 132, which is fixedly connected to the housing 2 via the connecting flange 134 and the seal, so that the variable pressure space 14 (i.e., the internal space 133) is directly connected to the pressure interface 22. The inside and outside of the telescopic mechanism 13 here mean that the inside refers to the scope of the telescopic mechanism 13 itself, such as the part inside the telescopic sleeve 130, and the outside refers to the part outside the telescopic sleeve 130.

[0046] Referring to Figures 3 and 4 , in the second embodiment of the dynamic pressure incubator 100, it further includes a shell 11, which is a non-retractable rigid shell. One end 111 of the shell 11 is fixedly connected to the pressure interface 22, and the other end 112 is connected to the fixed end 132 of the telescopic mechanism 13. The telescopic mechanism 13 is arranged inside the space defined by the shell 11. In this way, a structure is formed in which the telescopic mechanism 13 and the shell 11 jointly define a variable pressure space 14. Specifically, the driving mechanism 12 can extend into the interior of the telescopic mechanism 13 and connect with the movable end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13, so that the distance 135 between the movable end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13 and one end of the shell 11 located outside the telescopic mechanism 13 (i.e., the pressure interface 22) provides a variable pressure space 14. The driving mechanism 12 can drive the movable end 131 to move closer to or farther away from the pressure interface 22 located outside the movable end 131 to change the volume of the variable pressure space 14. The principle is that, according to the principle of the ideal gas state equation, since the radial gap between the telescopic mechanism 13 and the inner wall of the shell 11 can be regarded as constant, the two do not need to be in contact. What determines the output pressure is the distance between the moving end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13 and the one end 111 of the shell 11. When the driving mechanism 12 drives the moving end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13 close to the one end 111 of the shell 11, the distance 135 decreases, and the variable pressure space 14 decreases, that is, the provided pressure increases. When the driving mechanism 12 drives the telescopic mechanism 13 to move away from the above-mentioned one end, the distance 135 increases, that is, the variable pressure space 14 increases, that is, the provided pressure decreases. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the lower end of the shell 1 is fixedly connected to the pressure interface 22 of the box body 2 through a connecting flange and a seal, and the upper end is connected to the upper end of the telescopic mechanism 13. The driving mechanism 12 can extend into the interior of the telescopic mechanism 13 and be connected to the lower end (i.e., the moving end 131) of the telescopic mechanism 13. When the lower end of the telescopic mechanism 13 moves close to the pressure interface 22, the output pressure is large, and when the lower end of the telescopic mechanism 13 moves away from the pressure interface 22, the output pressure is small.

[0047] It can be understood that, compared with the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the pressure regulation efficiency of the dynamic pressure incubator of the second embodiment is higher. The principle is that, since the driving mechanism 12 of the second embodiment extends into the interior of the telescopic mechanism 13 to drive its movable end 132, the driving stroke of the driving mechanism 12 is accommodated by the space of the telescopic mechanism 13, so the volume change ratio of the second embodiment is larger. The telescopic mechanism is arranged in the outer shell, which can reduce the heat exchange between the telescopic mechanism and the outside and improve the temperature stability of the culture space 21 inside the incubator. In the first embodiment, the driving mechanism 12 provides a driving stroke on the outside, that is, the dimension in the height direction is the driving stroke of the driving rod mechanism plus the dimension of the telescopic mechanism. Therefore, the structure of the second embodiment is more compact. However, since the telescopic sleeve 130 of the telescopic mechanism 13 has its own variable pressure space 14, the first embodiment has fewer components and does not require an additional outer shell, which is low in cost.

[0048] Preferably, with reference to FIG2 and FIG4 , in some embodiments, the shape of the telescopic sleeve of the telescopic mechanism 13 includes a corrugated telescopic sleeve. The beneficial effect of this is that the pressure change output can be achieved through the expansion and contraction amount of each wave node, which is easy to control. However, this is not limiting. For example, it can also be a spherical or gourd-shaped shape. The material of the telescopic sleeve can be selected from elastomeric materials, plastics, metals, etc.; the elastomeric materials include thermosetting elastomers (such as rubber, silicone, etc.) and thermoplastic elastomers. Preferably, the telescopic sleeve 130 includes a telescopic sleeve body 1301 and a reinforcement ring 1302. For example, for a corrugated telescopic sleeve, the reinforcement ring 1302 can be set at the position of the wave node, and further improve the service life and reliability of the telescopic mechanism 13.

[0049] With reference to Figures 1 to 4 , in some embodiments, the drive mechanism 12 can be configured as an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or a crankshaft-connecting rod mechanism. The output end of the drive mechanism 12 is connected to the movable end of the telescopic mechanism 13 to drive the telescopic mechanism 13 to move and output a predetermined pressure. For example, the electric cylinder shown in the figures can include a servo motor 121 and a transmission mechanism 122 . The transmission mechanism 122 connects the servo motor 121 to the movable end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13 to convert the rotation of the servo motor 121 into movement of the movable end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13. For example, the electric cylinder can be an electric push rod or a parallel electric cylinder. The electric push rod can directly drive the movement of the movable end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13, but this is not limiting.

[0050] As shown in FIG5 , the pressure output by the pressure device 1 can be controlled by a control unit 3. The control unit 3 generally includes a processor 31 and a memory 32. The memory 32 is used to store instructions executable by the processor 31. The processor 31 is used to execute the instructions to achieve, for example, the aforementioned control of the drive mechanism 12 of the pressure device 1 to control the output pressure, and to control parameters such as the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and oxygen concentration within the culture space 21 to meet culture requirements. It should be noted that FIG5 is merely for the purpose of clearly illustrating the control relationship and does not imply an indirect connection between the pressure device 1 and the housing 2 via piping. As described above, the two are directly connected. That is, the space that changes in size due to the movement of the telescopic device 13 directly communicates with the culture space 21 of the housing 2, thereby outputting pressure to the culture space 21.

[0051] As shown in FIG6 , as described above, the present application further provides a culture method, using the culture device 100 described in the above embodiment, the culture method includes the following steps:

[0052] S1. The culture object is placed in the culture space 21 of the box 2;

[0053] For example, the outer door and inner door of the box 2 can be opened in sequence, and the culture vessels can be placed into the box 2. Generally, care should be taken to arrange the vessels in a dispersed manner to prevent stacking and obstruction of air flow in the box 2. For the inner door with an electromagnetic lock, the specific operation method is to press and hold the electromagnetic lock switch of the inner door, and the electromagnetic lock cylinder on the inner door will be retracted. The inner door is pushed to a position parallel to the door frame, and the electromagnetic lock cylinder is released. The internal sensor detects the position of the lock cylinder and the system determines whether it is closed. Then, the outer door (i.e., the insulation door) is closed.

[0054] S2. The culture space 21 is closed, and the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, oxygen concentration and pressure in the culture space 21 reach the set values.

[0055] For example, the temperature, carbon dioxide concentration, oxygen concentration, minimum dynamic pressure, and maximum dynamic pressure values ​​are set, and the set values ​​are verified to be within the device's allowable range. For example, the following data settings may be used: temperature 37°, carbon dioxide concentration 5%, and oxygen concentration 3%. For example, to simulate human blood pressure, the minimum dynamic pressure value may be 10kPa, and the maximum dynamic pressure value may be 15kPa. Specifically, by clicking the start button, the control unit 3 of the incubator 100 automatically completes a self-test and returns the electric cylinder to zero. The control unit 3 automatically configures the gas concentration within the chamber 2 through an inflation and deflation process, stopping inflation when the set value is reached.

[0056] S3. The pressure device 1 is activated, and the movable end 131 of the telescopic mechanism 13 is driven by the driving mechanism 12 to move, thereby changing the size of the pressure-changing space 14 to provide periodic pressure fluctuations to the culture space. As described above, the maximum periodic pressure fluctuation in the culture space 21 is 30 kPa. Preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 1 kPa-25 kPa, more preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 5 kPa-15 kPa, even more preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 8 kPa-20 kPa, and most preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 10 kPa-15 kPa.

[0057] For example, the electric cylinder starts operating, and the drive mechanism 12 compresses the rubber expansion sleeve 130 downward from its highest position. The air in the rubber expansion sleeve 130 is squeezed into the housing 2, causing the pressure inside the housing 2 to increase, and vice versa. The pressure in the culture vessel changes with the pressure inside the housing 2, which is then transmitted to the biological tissue in the culture vessel. The biological tissue senses the pressure change, which can affect its vital activities.

[0058] S4. After the culture is completed, the pressure in the culture space 21 is released and the cultured object can be taken out.

[0059] Specifically, at the end of the operation, the control unit 3 stops the operation of the electric cylinder and the gas supply, releases the pressure in the box 2 through the deflation program, and relieves the pressure on the inflatable sealing ring of the inner door to release the seal. The culture personnel presses the inner door electromagnetic lock switch to open the inner door and take out the culture vessel.

[0060] It can be understood that during the culture process before S4, the box body 2 remains sealed, and parameters such as the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide gas concentration, oxygen concentration and gas pressure variation range inside the box body 2 can be set by the user.

[0061] According to another aspect of the application, the present application also provides a computer-readable medium.

[0062] The computer-readable medium provided herein has computer instructions thereon. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the program can be executed by the processor to implement the steps performed by the program in the culture method described in the above embodiment.

[0063] It should be noted that the aforementioned memory, processor, and database are not limited to a specific memory, processor, or database. For example, in some cases, both the memory and the processor may have a distributed structure. For example, the memory and processor may be located in an incubator and a backend cloud, respectively, and the incubator and the backend cloud jointly implement the aforementioned culture method. Furthermore, in embodiments employing a distributed structure, the specific execution terminal of each step may be adjusted according to actual conditions, and the specific implementation scheme of each step in a specific terminal should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0064] Another aspect of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the cultivation method described in the above embodiment are implemented. Please refer to the above description for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0065] In addition, it is understandable that the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be in the form of a system, that is, it includes multiple computer-readable storage sub-media, so as to jointly implement the steps of the culture method described above through multiple computer-readable storage media.

[0066] The steps of the methods described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and storage medium may reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0067] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software as a computer program product, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Any connection is also properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0068] Although the present application is disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, this is not intended to limit the present application. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent variations, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present application without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present application shall fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. Dynamic pressure incubator, characterized in that, Comprising: A box body, providing a culture space and having a pressure interface; A pressure device, including a driving mechanism and a telescopic mechanism, the distance between the mobile end of the telescopic mechanism and the pressure interface provides a variable-pressure space, the variable-pressure space is directly communicated with the pressure interface, so that the variable-pressure space is directly connected to the culture space; the driving mechanism is connected to the mobile end of the telescopic mechanism, and the telescopic mechanism can be driven by the driving mechanism to move, so as to change the distance between the mobile end and the pressure interface, and further change the volume of the variable-pressure space, thereby changing the pressure of the culture space.

2. The dynamic pressure incubator according to claim 1, wherein The fixed end of the telescopic mechanism is fixed to the pressure interface, so that the internal space of the telescopic mechanism itself from the fixed end to the mobile end provides the variable-pressure space.

3. The dynamic pressure incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that The pressure device further includes a housing, the housing is a rigid shell, one end of the housing is fixedly connected to the pressure interface, the other end is connected to the fixed end of the telescopic mechanism, and the telescopic mechanism is arranged inside the housing.

4. The dynamic pressure incubator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The telescopic mechanism includes a telescopic sleeve, and the shape of the telescopic sleeve is selected from corrugated, spherical, and gourd-shaped; the material of the telescopic sleeve is selected from elastomeric materials, plastics, and metals.

5. The dynamic pressure incubator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The telescopic sleeve of the telescopic mechanism includes a telescopic sleeve body and a reinforcing ring.

6. The dynamic pressure incubator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The driving mechanism is selected from an electric cylinder, a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or a crank connecting rod mechanism; the output end of the driving mechanism is connected to the mobile end of the telescopic mechanism; Preferably, the electric cylinder includes a servo motor and a transmission mechanism, and the transmission mechanism is connected to the servo motor and the mobile end of the telescopic mechanism to convert the rotation of the servo motor into the movement of the mobile end of the telescopic mechanism.

7. The dynamic pressure incubator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The pressure device is fixedly connected to the box body; Preferably, the pressure device is fixedly connected above the box body; when the fixed end of the telescopic mechanism is fixed to the pressure interface, the lower end of the telescopic sleeve is the fixed end and is fixedly connected to the box body; when the pressure device includes a housing, the lower end of the housing is fixedly connected to the box body, the upper end of the housing is connected to the upper end of the telescopic mechanism, and the driving mechanism is connected to the lower end of the telescopic mechanism, so that the distance between the telescopic mechanism and the pressure interface provides the variable-pressure space.

8. The dynamic pressure incubator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The box body further includes a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a carbon dioxide gas concentration sensor, an oxygen concentration sensor, and / or a gas pressure sensor, which are used to be electrically connected to a control unit; Preferably, the box body further includes an openable and closable air inlet and an openable and closable air outlet independent of the pressure interface, which are used to input or output one or more gases to the dynamic pressure incubator; More preferably, the gas includes carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and / or oxygen.

9. The dynamic pressure incubator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The dynamic pressure incubator includes a multi-layer structure, at least including a first layer and a second layer, the first layer defines the culture space, and the second layer is located outside the first layer.

10. The hydrodynamic culture incubator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The maximum value of the pressure provided by the pressure device for the box body is a periodic fluctuation of 30 kPa; Preferably, the pressure of the box body periodically fluctuates between 8 kPa and 20 kPa; More preferably, the pressure of the box body periodically fluctuates between 10 kPa and 15 kPa.

11. The dynamic pressure incubator according to claim 10, wherein, The pressure of the box body fluctuates periodically between 1 kPa and 25 kPa; Preferably, the pressure of the box body fluctuates periodically between 5 kPa and 15 kPa.

12. A cultivation method, using the dynamic pressure incubator according to any one of claims 1-11, comprising the following steps: S1. Place the cultivation object in the cultivation space of the box body; S2. Seal the cultivation space, and the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, oxygen concentration and pressure in the cultivation space reach the set values; S3. Start the pressure device, the mobile end of the telescopic mechanism is driven by the driving mechanism to move, changing the size of the variable pressure space, so as to provide periodic pressure fluctuations to the cultivation space, the maximum value of the periodic pressure is 30 kPa, preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 8 kPa - 20 kPa, more preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 10 kPa - 15 kPa; S4. After the cultivation is completed, the pressure of the cultivation space is relieved, and the cultivation object can be taken out.

13. The cultivation method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The periodic pressure fluctuation is 1 kPa - 25 kPa; preferably, the periodic pressure fluctuation is 5 kPa to 15 kPa.

14. The dynamic pressure incubator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, It further includes: A memory for storing instructions executable by a processor; A processor for executing the instructions to implement the steps of the cultivation method according to claim 12 that can be realized by a computer program.

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