Culture separation system and culture manufacturing system including same

Abstract

A culture separation system according to the present invention comprises: a holder configured to support a culture plate so that the culture plate overlaps a virtual support surface; an impactor configured to separate a culture from the culture plate, the impactor being positioned in a culture separation direction with respect to the support surface and configured to apply an impact to the culture plate; and a collection hopper positioned in the culture separation direction with respect to the impactor and configured to collect the culture.

Description

Culture separation system and culture production system including the same

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0095972, filed July 19, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] The present invention relates to a culture separation system and a culture production system including the same. More specifically, the invention relates to a culture separation system for easily separating a culture from a culture plate and a culture production system including the same.

[0005] Fermented foods are foods or beverages whose ingredients have been transformed through the growth of specific microorganisms and the action of enzymes. Beneficial bacteria, including lactic acid bacteria, are reported to transform the chemical components of food ingredients during the fermentation process, thereby increasing nutrient bioavailability, enhancing food safety as biological preservatives, and decomposing toxic substances and nutritional inhibitors, as well as producing physiologically active substances. Here, specific microorganisms can be obtained through culture. In this case, the specific microorganisms can be referred to as cultures.

[0006] To cultivate seeds, i.e., cultures such as cells and strains, it is necessary to maintain an appropriate culture environment. This culture environment can be determined by various factors such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and culture time. Such cultures can be grown on culture plates using a culture culture system.

[0007] To capture cultures placed on a culture plate, the cultures must be separated from the plate. Failure to effectively separate the cultures from the plate can result in poor yields, even if a large number of cultures are grown.

[0008] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a culture separation system capable of effectively separating a culture from a culture plate and a culture production system including the same.

[0009] The technical problems to be achieved in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0010] A culture separation system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a holder configured to support a culture plate so that the culture plate overlaps a virtual support surface, an impactor configured to separate a culture from the culture plate and positioned in a culture separation direction with respect to the support surface to apply an impact to the culture plate, and a collection hopper configured to collect the culture by positioning in a culture separation direction with respect to the impactor.

[0011] The direction of culture separation can be in the direction of gravity.

[0012] The impactor may be movable in the extension direction of the support surface.

[0013] The impactor may include a crushing roller configured to pressurize the culture plate.

[0014] The crushing roller may include a crushing projection that protrudes radially with respect to the rotation axis.

[0015] It may further include an anti-disengagement member positioned on the opposite side from which the impactor is positioned with respect to the support surface.

[0016] The impactor may be movable to a first position that is in contact with the culture plate and a second position that is further from the support surface than the first position.

[0017] The distance from the first position of the impactor to the second position may be greater than the thickness of the culture plate.

[0018] The impactor may include a vibration device configured to vibrate the culture plate.

[0019] The impactor may further include a support unit coupled to the impactor to support the impactor.

[0020] The support unit may include a support member that supports the impactor so that the impactor can rotate, and a pressing member that is configured to move the impactor by pressing the support member.

[0021] The support unit may further include an elastic member positioned between the support member and the pressure member to reduce the impact received by the impactor.

[0022] It may further include a rail device extending in the extension direction of the support surface to guide the movement of the impactor.

[0023] The impactor may further include a post-treatment device configured to inject air toward the support surface.

[0024] The impactor comprises a crushing roller configured to pressurize the culture plate, and a post-processing device can be mounted on the crushing roller.

[0025] A culture separation system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a holder configured to support a culture plate so that the culture plate overlaps a virtual support surface, an impactor configured to be positioned in a culture separation direction with respect to the support surface so as to impact the culture plate to separate the culture, and the impactor is movable in an extension direction of the support surface.

[0026] The impactor may further include a collection hopper positioned in the direction of culture separation.

[0027] The impactor may include a crushing roller configured to pressurize the culture plate.

[0028] The crushing roller may include a crushing projection that protrudes radially with respect to the rotation axis.

[0029] A culture production system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a culture culture system configured to culture a culture on a culture plate and a culture separation system configured to separate a culture cultured through the culture culture system from the culture plate, wherein the culture separation system includes a holder configured to support a culture plate so that the culture plate overlaps a virtual support surface, an impactor configured to separate a culture from the culture plate and positioned in a culture separation direction with respect to the support surface to apply an impact to the culture plate, and a collection hopper configured to collect the culture while positioned in a culture separation direction with respect to the impactor.

[0030] The culture separation system according to the present invention includes an impactor positioned in a culture separation direction with respect to a support surface to separate the culture by impacting the culture plate, and a collection hopper positioned in a culture separation direction with respect to the impactor, thereby effectively separating the culture from the culture plate and capturing the culture.

[0031] The culture separation system according to the present invention can separate the culture with the help of gravity by setting the culture separation direction to the direction of gravity.

[0032] The culture separation system according to the present invention can apply impact to a necessary part of a culture plate by allowing the impactor to move.

[0033] The culture separation system according to the present invention further includes a detachment prevention member positioned on the opposite side to where the impactor is positioned, thereby preventing detachment of the culture plate despite the impact of the impactor.

[0034] The culture production system according to the present invention can achieve the aforementioned effects by including the aforementioned culture separation system.

[0035] The effects that can be obtained from the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description below.

[0036] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of a culture production system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the culture separation system illustrated in Figure 1.

[0038] Figure 3 is a front view of the culture separation system illustrated in Figure 2.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the culture plate before it is mounted on the impactor of the culture separation system illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a culture plate mounted on a configuration related to the impactor illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the impactor and the anti-disengagement device moved in the configuration related to the impactor illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0042] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the separation of cultures from a culture plate according to the movement of the impactor illustrated in Figure 6.

[0043] Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the configuration related to the impactor illustrated in Figure 4.

[0044] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a method for producing a culture using the culture production system illustrated in Figure 1.

[0045] Fig. 10 is a rear perspective view of a configuration related to an impactor according to a second embodiment.

[0046] Fig. 11 is a rear perspective view of a configuration related to an impactor according to a third embodiment.

[0047] Fig. 12 is a rear perspective view of a configuration related to an impactor according to the fourth embodiment.

[0048] Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited or restricted by the following examples.

[0049] In order to clearly explain the present invention, a detailed description of a part that is irrelevant to the description or a related known technology that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention has been omitted, and when adding reference signs to components of each drawing in this specification, the same or similar reference signs are attached to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

[0050] In addition, terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that conform to the technical idea of ​​the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term to explain his or her own invention in the best way.

[0051] It should be understood that the various embodiments and terms used in this document are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but rather to encompass various modifications, equivalents, or alternatives of the embodiments.

[0052] In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components.

[0053] The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0054] In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof.

[0055] The term "and / or" includes any combination of a plurality of related described elements or any one of a plurality of related described elements.

[0056] Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish one component from another and do not qualify the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0057] When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0058] The terms "include" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in this document, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0059] When a component is said to be “connected,” “coupled,” “supported,” or “in contact with” another component, this includes not only cases where the components are directly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact, but also cases where the components are indirectly connected, coupled, supported, or in contact through a third component.

[0060] When we say that a component is "on" another component, this includes not only cases where the component is in contact with the other component, but also cases where there is another component between the two components.

[0061] Meanwhile, the terms “upper and lower directions,” “lower side,” and “front and rear directions” used in the following description are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms.

[0062] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0063] Example 1

[0064] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of a culture production system (MS) according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 1, a culture production system (MS) according to a first embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0066] A culture production system (MS) may be provided to produce a culture (C). Here, the culture (C) may refer to, for example, bacteria or cells used in the fermentation of fermented foods, etc. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any object that can be grown through culture is understood to be a culture (C), and the principles of the present invention are applicable thereto. For reference, the culture (C) in the present disclosure may include a concept that includes an object called a "final product."

[0067] To illustrate the example of culture (C), we will assume and explain the case where culture (C) is used in fermented foods. In this case, fermented foods can refer to foods or beverages whose components have been transformed through the growth of specific microorganisms and the action of enzymes. Culture (C), especially beneficial bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria, can transform the chemical components that make up food raw materials during the fermentation process, thereby increasing the bioavailability of nutrients, enhancing food safety as a biological preservative, and producing physiologically active substances by decomposing toxic substances and nutritional inhibitors. Furthermore, if the fermented food is a substance that requires fermentation, such as gochujang or doenjang, culture (C) may be required to ferment these fermented foods.

[0068] A culture production system (MS) may include a culture culture system (CS) to cultivate a culture (C). The culture culture system (CS) can maintain an environment suitable for culturing the culture (C). The culture environment can be determined by various factors such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and culture time. The culture (C) is positioned on a culture plate (CP) (see Fig. 4) and can grow with the help of the culture environment. Here, despite its name, the culture plate (CP) is not limited to a plate shape, and the spirit of the present invention is applicable to any object capable of growing the culture (C).

[0069] The culture (C) grown on the culture plate (CP) needs to be separated from the culture plate (CP) and collected at an appropriate time. To this end, the culture production system (MS) may include a culture separation system (SS) configured to separate the culture (C).

[0070] Since the culture separation system (SS) and the culture cultivation system (CS) may be separated, the culture preparation system (MS) may include a culture transfer system (TS) for transferring a culture plate (CP) from the culture cultivation system (CS) to the culture separation system (SS). Through the culture transfer system (TS), the culture plate (CP) can be transferred to the culture separation system (SS).

[0071] A culture plate (CP) may have a culture (C) positioned only on one side. The other side may not have a culture (C) positioned thereon. The culture production system (MS) may include a culture plate inversion device (RS) so that one side of the culture plate (CP) faces an impactor (200) of a culture separation system (SS) described later. If the culture (C) is positioned on both sides of the culture plate (CP), the culture plate inversion device (RS) may not be necessary. However, even when the culture (C) is positioned on both sides of the culture plate (CP), a culture plate inversion device (RS) may be provided that adjusts the position of the culture plate (CP) so that the side of the culture plate (CP) on which the culture (C) is positioned faces the impactor (200). Additionally, the culture plate inversion device (RS), despite its name, is understood in the present disclosure to mean inverting the culture plate (CP) or changing the position of the culture plate (CP).

[0072] A culture plate (CP) whose position has been changed in the culture plate inversion device (RS) can be separated and captured from the culture (C) in the culture separation system (SS).

[0073] The culture production system (MS) may include a culture storage system (SS) configured to store a culture (C) separated from the culture separation system (SS).

[0074] Even if a sufficient amount of culture (C) is produced in the culture culture system (CS) of the culture manufacturing system (MS), if the culture separation system (SS) fails to sufficiently separate the culture (C), the amount of culture (C) ultimately obtained may be insufficient. Hereinafter, a culture separation system (SS) capable of effectively separating the culture (C) will be described.

[0075] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the culture separation system (SS) illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of the culture separation system (SS) illustrated in Fig. 2.

[0076] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a culture separation system (SS) according to a first embodiment of the present invention is schematically described.

[0077] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the culture separation system (SS) may include a housing (10). As illustrated in FIG. 3, the culture separation system (SS) may include an impactor (200) configured to impact a culture plate (CP) inside the housing (10) to separate the culture (C). The housing (10) may accommodate the impactor (200) and the culture plate (CP). The housing (10) may cover (20) the periphery of the culture plate (CP), thereby preventing the culture (C) separated from the culture plate (CP) from scattering, and may guide the movement to the collection hopper (500) described below.

[0078] The culture separation system (SS) may include a collection hopper (500) located on one side of the culture plate (CP). The culture (C) separated from the culture plate (CP) may be collected in the collection hopper (500).

[0079] More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the impactor (200) may be configured to be positioned in the direction of separation of the culture (C), and as illustrated in FIG. 3, the collection hopper (500) may be positioned in the direction of separation of the culture (C) with respect to the impactor (200). Accordingly, the culture (C) may be effectively separated from the culture plate (CP) and the culture (C) may be effectively captured. More specifically, when the culture (C) is positioned only on one side of the culture plate (CP), the impactor may strike the culture plate (CP) adjacent to the side where the culture (C) is positioned. In this case, the culture (C) separated by the impactor may move from the culture plate (CP) toward the impactor (200). That is, the impactor (200) may be positioned in the direction of separation of the culture (C). Since the capture hopper (500) is positioned in the direction of separation of the culture (C) with respect to the impactor (200), the culture (C) can be naturally accommodated in the capture hopper (500) when it moves along the direction of movement.

[0080] At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the separation direction of the culture (C) may be in the direction of gravity. Accordingly, the culture (C) may be separated with the aid of gravity. Accordingly, the amount of the culture (C) separated from the culture plate (CP) may increase. Furthermore, the culture (C) may be more easily collected in the collection hopper (500) by gravity.

[0081] The culture separation system (SS) may include a cover (20) configured to open or close an opening formed in a housing (10). By opening the cover (20), a culture plate (CP) may be placed so as to be impacted by an impactor (200) inside the housing (10). Thereafter, the culture (C) may be separated from the culture plate (CP) while the cover (20) is closed. This allows movement of the culture plate (CP) inside the housing (10), and while separating the culture (C) from the culture plate (CP), the periphery of the culture plate (CP) may be sealed to prevent scattering of the culture (C). Furthermore, by preventing scattering of the culture (C), more cultures (C) may be captured.

[0082] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration related to the impactor (200) of the culture separation system (SS) shown in FIG. 2 before the culture plate (CP) is mounted. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration related to the impactor (200) shown in FIG. 4 with the culture plate (CP) mounted. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration related to the impactor (200) shown in FIG. 5 with the impactor (200) and the separation prevention device moved. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration related to the impactor (200) shown in FIG. 6 with the culture (C) being separated from the culture plate (CP). FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of a configuration related to the impactor (200) shown in FIG. 4.

[0083] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 8, the configuration and operation of a culture separation system (SS) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. These are drawings illustrating the process of separating a culture (C) from a culture plate (CP) as it progresses from FIG. 4 to FIG. 7.

[0084] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the culture plate (CP) can be moved to be mounted on the culture separation system (SS). At this time, the culture (C) may be positioned on the lower side of the culture plate (CP) based on Fig. 4, and the culture (C) may not be provided on the upper side of the culture plate (CP). Of course, as explained above, the culture (C) may be positioned on both sides of the culture plate (CP), but in the following description, it is assumed that the culture (C) is positioned on only one side of the culture plate (CP).

[0085] A culture separation system (SS) may include a holder (100) configured to be mounted with a culture plate (CP). The holder (100) may be configured to support the culture plate (CP) so that the culture plate (CP) overlaps a virtual support surface (100A). Here, overlapping the virtual support surface (100A) may mean that the virtual support surface (100A) penetrates the culture plate (CP). As illustrated in FIG. 4, the culture plate (CP) may be positioned such that the extension direction of the culture plate (CP) and the extension direction of the virtual support surface (100A) are parallel, or the culture plate (CP) may be positioned at a predetermined angle with respect to the virtual support surface (100A). The virtual support surface (100A) may be understood as a conceptual representation for explaining the movement of the impactor (200) described below. Furthermore, the virtual support surface (100A) is referred to as support surface (100A) hereinafter for convenience of explanation.

[0086] As illustrated in FIG. 5, when the culture plate (CP) is mounted on the holder (100), the side of the culture plate (CP) where the culture (C) is positioned may be positioned toward the direction of gravity. Alternatively, even if the side of the culture plate (CP) where the culture (C) is positioned is not positioned toward the direction of gravity, it may be positioned toward the impactor (200) and / or the collection hopper (500) described later. However, in the following description, for the convenience of explanation, it is assumed and described that the side of the culture plate (CP) where the culture (C) is positioned is positioned toward the direction of gravity.

[0087] At this time, the holder (100) may be positioned to correspond to the corner of the culture plate (CP) when the culture plate (CP) is positioned at a position where the holder (100) is mounted, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. More specifically, the holder (100) may be positioned to support the corner of the culture plate (CP). In the present disclosure, the shape of the culture plate (CP) is assumed to be a square plate shape and described, so the holder (100) may support the four corners of the culture plate (CP). In particular, the holder (100) may support the culture plate (CP) at the lower corner of the culture plate (CP). However, it is considered that the spirit of the present invention is also applied when the holder (100) is supported at the upper side of the culture plate (CP).

[0088] The holder (100) may include a concave portion that accommodates a corner of the culture plate (CP). The concave portion of the holder (100) may support the culture plate (CP) from the lower side thereof. The holder (100) may include a protruding portion extending from the concave portion to support an edge adjacent to a corner of the culture plate (CP). Through this, movement of the culture plate (CP) from the lower side can be prevented, and movement in the forward, backward, left, and right directions can be prevented. In other words, the culture plate (CP) may be fixed by the holder (100).

[0089] For reference, the holder (100) may have a material of plastic or metal, and the holder (100) may be formed by injection molding or casting using a mold.

[0090] A culture separation system (SS) is configured to separate a culture (C) from a culture plate (CP), and may include an impactor (200) positioned in a direction of separation of the culture (C) with respect to a support surface (100A) and configured to apply an impact to the culture plate (CP). The impactor (200) may have a predetermined configuration capable of applying an impact. More specific embodiments that the impactor (200) may include will be introduced in the following description with reference to the drawings.

[0091] In order for the impactor (200) to separate the culture (C) from the culture plate (CP), it needs to be positioned adjacent to the side of the culture plate (CP) where the culture (C) is located. Applying an impact to the culture plate (CP) may include not only a physical impact but also an indirect impact.

[0092] At this time, as described above, the culture separation system (SS) may include a collection hopper (500) configured to capture the culture (C) by being positioned in the culture (C) separation direction with respect to the impactor (200). In other words, this may mean that when the culture plate (CP) is mounted on the holder (100), the culture plate (CP) impactor (200) collection hoppers (500) are sequentially arranged with respect to the culture (C) separation direction. Through this, as described above, the separation of the culture (C) can be facilitated, and the capture of the separated culture (C) can be facilitated.

[0093] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the impactor (200) may include a crushing roller (210) configured to pressurize a culture plate (CP). The crushing roller (210) may have a substantially cylindrical shape. Furthermore, the crushing roller (210) may rotate. The crushing roller (210) may rotate to apply a physical impact to the culture plate (CP).

[0094] Additionally, the culture separation system (SS) may include a roller motor (900) to generate driving force for rotation of the crushing roller (210). The roller motor (900) may be coupled to a support unit (400) described below.

[0095] The crushing roller (210) may include a crushing projection (211) that protrudes radially with respect to the rotation axis. Accordingly, the crushing roller (210) may apply a stronger impact to the culture plate (CP), thereby facilitating the separation of the culture (C) from the culture plate (CP). Since the crushing roller (210) is an embodiment of the impactor (200), the description of the impactor (200) below may be applied to the crushing roller (210).

[0096] For reference, the crushing roller (210) may have a material of plastic or metal, and the crushing roller (210) may be formed by injection or casting.

[0097] The culture separation system (SS) may further include a separation prevention member (300) positioned on the opposite side of the support surface (100A) where the impactor (200) is positioned. In other words, with reference to FIG. 4, the separation prevention member (300) may be positioned on the opposite side of the support surface (100A) where the crushing roller (210) is positioned. The separation prevention member (300) may prevent the culture plate (CP) from being separated despite the impact of the impactor (200). In particular, since the impactor (200) may be positioned in the direction of separation of the culture (C) with respect to the culture plate (CP), the culture plate (CP) may impact the culture plate (CP) in a direction opposite to the direction of separation of the culture (C) with respect to the impactor (200). At this time, the detachment prevention member (300) can support the culture plate (CP) in the opposite direction to the separation direction of the culture (C) of the culture plate (CP), thereby preventing detachment of the culture plate (CP) from the holder (100).

[0098] The detachment prevention member (300) may have any configuration that can prevent detachment of the culture plate (CP), but specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 4, it may have a cylindrical shape. By having the detachment prevention member (300) have a cylindrical shape, as described below, when moving together with the impactor (200), detachment of the culture plate (CP) from the holder (100) due to the movement can be prevented.

[0099] For reference, the detachment prevention member (300) may have a material of plastic or metal, and the detachment prevention member (300) may be formed by injection or casting.

[0100] In particular, the detachment prevention member (300) may be positioned on the upper side of the impactor (200), as illustrated in FIG. 4. The culture plate (CP) may be moved through the space between the detachment prevention member (300) and the impactor (200) and mounted on the holder (100). In this case, the distance between the detachment prevention member (300) and the impactor (200) may be greater than the thickness of the culture plate (CP).

[0101] As illustrated in FIG. 5, after the culture plate (CP) is mounted on the holder (100), the anti-separation member (300) or the impactor (200) can be moved toward the culture plate (CP). In particular, the impactor (200) can be moved to a first position where it can come into contact with the culture plate (CP) and a second position that is further away from the support surface (100A) than the first position. Accordingly, the impactor (200) can be moved from the second position to the first position after the culture plate (CP) is mounted on the holder (100). At this time, the distance from the first position of the impactor (200) to the second position can be greater than the thickness of the culture plate (CP). Accordingly, the culture plate (CP) can be easily mounted on the holder (100). In particular, when the distance that the impactor (200) moves from the first position to the second position is greater than the thickness of the culture plate (CP), the culture plate (CP) can be mounted on the holder (100) without movement of the separation prevention member (300). Accordingly, there is no need to provide a separate configuration to implement the vertical movement of the separation prevention member (300), and the complexity of the configuration related to the separation prevention member (300) can be reduced, thereby increasing the durability of the overall culture separation system (SS). For reference, the impactor (200) can be moved from the first position to the second position in a linear motion. However, despite this explanation, the idea of ​​the present invention is considered to be applied even when the movement of the impactor (200) from the first position to the second position is a curved motion.

[0102] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the impactor (200) may be movable in the extension direction of the support surface (100A). As illustrated in FIG. 5, after the impactor (200) and the detachment prevention member (300) come into contact with the culture plate (CP), the impactor (200) moves and can impact the culture plate (CP). In particular, when the impactor (200) includes a crushing roller (210), the crushing roller (210) rotates and impacts a portion of the culture plate (CP), moves, and can impact another portion of the culture plate (CP). Accordingly, impact can be applied to a necessary portion of the culture plate (CP). However, despite this explanation, the idea of ​​the present invention can also be applied to a case where the impactor (200) is stationary while the culture plate (CP) moves and impacts each portion of the culture plate (CP). However, if the culture plate (CP) is larger than the impactor (200), space is required for movement of the culture plate (CP), and accordingly, the size of the housing (10) that accommodates the culture plate (CP) may increase. An increase in the size of the housing (10) may mean an increase in the volume of the culture separation system (SS), which may mean that a large space is required to provide the culture separation system (SS). In other words, if there is movement of the impactor (200) rather than movement of the culture plate (CP), the culture separation system (SS) can be designed more space-efficiently.

[0103] As mentioned above, the separation prevention member (300) can be moved together with the impactor (200) as the impactor (200) moves. The separation prevention member (300) can support the culture plate (CP) on the opposite side of the culture (C) separation direction with respect to the culture plate (CP) as the impactor (200) moves, thereby preventing the culture plate (CP) from being separated from the holder (100).

[0104] At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the culture separation system (SS) may further include a support unit (400) coupled with the impactor (200) to support the impactor (200). The impactor (200) needs to be supported while being moved. Furthermore, when the impactor (200) includes a crushing roller (210), the crushing roller (210) can be rotated and moved, and thus the crushing roller (210) can be rotatably coupled to the support unit (400). The support unit (400) may have any configuration that supports the impactor (200). In more detail, an embodiment of the support unit (400) will be described below.

[0105] The support unit (400) may include a support member (410) that supports the impactor (200) so that the impactor (200) can rotate. The support member (410) may be rotatably coupled to the impactor (200) and the detachment prevention member (300). The support member (410) may extend in the vertical direction, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The support members (410) may be provided as a pair to be coupled to both ends of each component in order to stably support the impactor (200) or the detachment prevention member (300).

[0106] The support unit (400) may include a pressing member (420) configured to move the impactor (200) by pressing the support member (410). Since the support member (410) itself does not have a separate power-generating configuration, the pressing member (420) may be provided to move the support member (410). The pressing member (420) may produce or receive power to move the support member (410). Furthermore, since the support member (410) already has a structure that is rotatably coupled to the impactor (200), etc., if it is provided with a structure for movement again, it may have a complex configuration. Since a complex configuration decreases durability and increases the difficulty of production, the pressing member (420) may be provided as a separate configuration from the support member (410) to prevent this. The pressing member (420) may include a configuration such as a motor or a hydraulic cylinder. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 6, it may have a cylindrical shape.

[0107] Furthermore, the pressure member (420) may be configured to move the support member (410) by pressing the support member (410), or the pressure member (420) itself may be movable and coupled with the support member (410) so that the support member (410) moves together with the pressure member (420).

[0108] The support unit (400) may further include an elastic member (430) positioned between the support member (410) and the pressure member (420) to reduce the impact received by the impactor (200). The elastic member (430) may be a spring as illustrated in FIG. 6, or may be a damper, etc. While motion is transmitted from the pressure member (420) to the support member (410), the pressure member (420) may apply an impact to the support member (410). The impact applied to the support member (410) may be transmitted to the impactor (200), and the impact applied to the impactor (200) may cause the impactor (200) to break or become misaligned, thereby preventing the impactor (200) from properly applying an impact to the culture plate (CP). The elastic member (430) can prevent this, thereby increasing the durability of the support member (410) and / or the impactor (200).

[0109] The culture separation system (SS) may further include a rail device (440) extending in the extension direction of the support surface (100A) to guide the movement of the impactor (200). More specifically, the rail device (440) may guide the movement of the support unit (400) to guide the movement of the impactor (200). As described above, the pressure member (420) may be moved to cause the movement of the support member (410). This movement of the pressure member (420) may be parallel to the movement direction of the impactor (200). In particular, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the impactor (200) may be moved in the forward-backward direction, and the pressure member (420) may be moved in the forward-backward direction to achieve this. The rail device (440) may be provided to guide the movement direction of the pressure member (420). The rail device (440) may be any configuration that guides the movement of the pressure member (420). For example, it may include a configuration similar to a train track, or a configuration for opening and closing a desk drawer may be referred to as the rail device (440). However, one embodiment of the rail device (440) in the present disclosure may be as follows with reference to the drawings.

[0110] The rail device (440) may have a groove formed to accommodate a portion of the pressure member (420). The groove may extend in the direction of movement of the impactor (200), i.e., in the forward-backward direction. While the pressure member (420) moves in the forward-backward direction, the rail device (440) may support the pressure member (420) in the left-right direction, thereby limiting the movement of the pressure member (420) in the left-right direction. The rail device (440) may have a closed end of the groove in the forward-backward direction to limit the impactor (200) from moving beyond the end of the culture plate (CP). Furthermore, the rail device (440) may be provided with a pipe penetrating the pressure member (420) to guide the pressure member (420) so that the pressure member (420) moves in the extension direction of the pipe.

[0111] As previously illustrated in FIG. 5, after the detachment prevention member (300) and / or the impactor (200) are brought into contact with the culture plate (CP), as illustrated in FIG. 6, the impactor (200) and the detachment prevention member (300) can be moved in the extension direction of the culture plate (CP). Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the culture (C) can be separated from the culture plate (CP) in the culture (C) separation direction. At this time, the impactor (200) and the detachment prevention member (300) can be repeatedly moved in the forward and backward direction multiple times until the culture (C) is completely separated from the culture plate (CP).

[0112] The steps for separating the culture (C) by the culture separation system (SS) above are summarized as follows.

[0113] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a method for producing a culture (C) using the culture production system (MS) illustrated in Figure 1.

[0114] Referring to FIG. 9, a method for producing a culture (C) according to the first embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0115] First, a culturing step (S100) of culturing a culture (C) on a culture plate (CP) may be performed first. The culturing step (S100) may be omitted, and a preparation step of preparing a culture plate (CP) on which a culture (C) is cultured may be performed first.

[0116] After the culture step (S100), a support step (S200) of supporting the culture plate (CP) on a holder (100) may be performed. At this time, it may be preferable for the culture plate (CP) to face the impactor (200) as described above.

[0117] After the support step (S200), a culture (C) separation step (S300) can be performed to separate the culture (C) from the culture plate (CP) using an impactor (200).

[0118] A capturing step (S400) of capturing the separated culture (C) may be performed after or simultaneously with the culture (C) separation step (S300).

[0119] Such step movements can be done manually or automatically.

[0120] Below, embodiments different from the first embodiment are described. Commonalities with the first embodiment will be omitted as much as possible, and the other embodiments will be described focusing on differences. In other words, it should be clear that any details not described in the other embodiments can be supplemented by the first embodiment.

[0121] Second Example

[0122] Fig. 10 is a rear perspective view of a configuration related to an impactor (200) according to the second embodiment.

[0123] Referring to FIG. 10, an impactor (200) according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0124] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the impactor (200) includes a post-processing device (220).

[0125] The impactor (200) may further include a post-processing device (220) configured to inject air toward the support surface (100A). The post-processing device (220) may inject high-pressure air toward the culture plate (CP). Through this, residual culture (C) can be removed from the culture plate (CP) and the culture plate (CP) can be cleaned.

[0126] As illustrated in Fig. 10, a post-processing device (220) may be mounted on a crushing roller (210). Accordingly, while the crushing roller (210) moves, air may be sprayed from the post-processing device (220) to help separate the culture (C) from the culture plate (CP).

[0127] Furthermore, even after the separation of the culture (C) from the culture plate (CP) by the crushing roller (210) is completed, the separation of the culture (C) from the culture plate (CP) can be performed using the post-processing device (220).

[0128] The post-processing device (220) is configured to be movable, so that air can be sprayed to a desired part of the culture plate (CP).

[0129] The post-processing device (220) may be a device that sprays air as described above, but may also be configured to emit heat or radiate ultraviolet and / or infrared rays to raise the temperature of the culture plate (CP) to facilitate separation of the culture (C) from the culture plate (CP). The post-processing device (220) may be configured to have a different effect on the culture plate (CP) than the grinding roller (210).

[0130] Third Example

[0131] Fig. 11 is a rear perspective view of a configuration related to an impactor (200) according to the third embodiment.

[0132] The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the impactor (200) includes a vibration device (230).

[0133] The impactor (200) may include a vibration device (230) configured to vibrate the culture plate (CP). The vibration device (230) may generate vibrations by ultrasonic waves and / or a motor. The vibration device (230) may vibrate the culture plate (CP) by contacting the culture plate (CP) or transmitting vibrations thereto, thereby facilitating the detachment of the culture (C).

[0134] In particular, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the vibration device (230) may be coupled to the holder (100) and configured to come into contact with the culture plate (CP) when the culture plate (CP) is mounted on the holder (100).

[0135] Example 4

[0136] Fig. 12 is a rear perspective view of a configuration related to an impactor (200) according to the fourth embodiment.

[0137] Referring to FIG. 12, an impactor (200) according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0138] The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the impactor (200) includes a suction device (240).

[0139] The impactor (200) may include a suction device (240) configured to suck air within the housing (10). The suction device (240) may, in particular, suck air located in a path toward the collection hopper (500), thereby causing the air to flow toward the collection hopper (500). Accordingly, the culture (C) separated from the culture plate (CP) may be moved toward the collection hopper (500).

[0140] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the embodiments described above may be combined with other embodiments. Alternatively, combinations between embodiments may be considered possible, unless one embodiment is explicitly restricted from being combined with another embodiment. Combinations of one embodiment with another embodiment are deemed to be disclosed in this document.

[0141] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various embodiments are possible within the scope equivalent to the technical idea of ​​the present invention and the patent claims to be described below by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Claims

1. A holder configured to support a culture plate so that the culture plate overlaps a virtual support surface; An impactor configured to separate a culture from the culture plate, positioned in the direction of culture separation with respect to the support surface, and configured to apply an impact to the culture plate; and A culture separation system comprising a collection hopper positioned in the culture separation direction with respect to the impactor and configured to collect the culture.

2. In paragraph 1, A culture separation system in which the above culture separation direction is in the direction of gravity.

3. In paragraph 1, The above impactor is a culture separation system that can move in the extension direction of the above support surface.

4. In paragraph 1, A culture separation system comprising a crushing roller configured to pressurize the culture plate.

5. In paragraph 4, A culture separation system in which the above crushing roller includes a crushing projection protruding radially with respect to a rotation axis.

6. In paragraph 1, A culture separation system further comprising a detachment prevention member positioned on the opposite side of the impactor with respect to the support surface.

7. In paragraph 1, The above impactor, a first position contactable with the culture plate; and A culture separation system movable to a second position spaced apart from the support surface from the first position.

8. In paragraph 7, A culture separation system in which the distance from the first position of the impactor to the second position is greater than the thickness of the culture plate.

9. In paragraph 1, A culture separation system, wherein the impactor comprises a vibration device configured to vibrate the culture plate.

10. In paragraph 1, A culture separation system further comprising a support unit coupled to the impactor to support the impactor.

11. In paragraph 10, The above support unit, A support member that supports the impactor so that the impactor can rotate; and A culture separation system comprising a pressing member configured to move the impactor by pressing the support member.

12. In paragraph 11, A culture separation system wherein the support unit further includes an elastic member positioned between the support member and the pressure member to reduce the impact received by the impactor.

13. In paragraph 10, A culture separation system further comprising a rail device extending in the extension direction of the support surface to guide movement of the impactor.

14. In paragraph 1, A culture separation system, wherein the impactor further comprises a post-treatment device configured to inject air toward the support surface.

15. In paragraph 14, The impactor comprises a crushing roller configured to pressurize the culture plate, The above post-processing device is a culture separation system mounted on the above crushing roller.

16. A holder configured to support the culture plate so that the culture plate overlaps a virtual support surface; An impactor is configured to be positioned in the direction of culture separation with respect to the support surface to separate the culture by impacting the culture plate, The above impactor is a culture separation system that can move in the extension direction of the above support surface.

17. In paragraph 16, A culture separation system further comprising a collection hopper positioned in the culture separation direction with respect to the impactor.

18. In paragraph 16, A culture separation system comprising a crushing roller configured to pressurize the culture plate.

19. In paragraph 18, A culture separation system in which the above crushing roller includes a crushing projection protruding radially with respect to a rotation axis.

20. A culture culture system configured to culture a culture on a culture plate; and A culture separation system configured to separate a culture cultured through the above culture culture system from a culture plate, The above culture separation system is, A holder configured to support the culture plate so that the culture plate overlaps a virtual support surface; An impactor configured to separate a culture from the culture plate, positioned in the direction of culture separation with respect to the support surface, and configured to apply an impact to the culture plate; and A culture production system comprising a collection hopper positioned in the culture separation direction with respect to the impactor and configured to collect the culture.

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