Modular Incubator with Segmented Cells for Simultaneous Culture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing incubators are not capable of simultaneously accommodating cultures requiring different incubation conditions, such as cell regeneration, fertility treatment, and transplants, due to their fixed settings, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies in equipment usage.
Innovation Solution
A modular incubator design featuring interchangeable modules with adjustable temperature, humidity, and gas control, allowing multiple incubation processes to run simultaneously with different parameters using common sources of gases and a centralized control system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single fixed incubator is used for different cultures, then purchasing and management costs are reduced, but the incubator cannot simultaneously accommodate cultures requiring different incubation conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The incubator is divided into multiple independent modules, each capable of maintaining different incubation conditions. Each module contains its own temperature control, humidity control, and gas control systems, allowing simultaneous operation with different parameters for different cultures.
Solution Approach 2:
The incubator design allows a single device to perform multiple functions by housing different types of cultures in different modules. The system can simultaneously support cell regeneration, fertility treatment, and transplant cultures, each requiring specific incubation conditions, within one unified incubator structure.
2Reliability
If multiple separate incubators are used for different cultures, then each culture gets dedicated incubation conditions, but purchasing and management costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple incubation chambers that would traditionally require separate incubators are merged into a single unified system. The modules share common structural support, control system infrastructure, and spatial arrangement, reducing the total cost of equipment while maintaining the ability to provide dedicated incubation conditions for each culture type.
Solution Approach 2:
A single incubator device performs the function of multiple separate incubators by providing specialized incubation environments for different culture types within its modular structure, thereby eliminating the need to purchase and manage multiple separate devices.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single incubator is used for different cultures at different times, then equipment cost is reduced, but productivity and management efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The incubator is segmented into multiple independent modules that can operate simultaneously with different incubation parameters. This allows different cultures to be incubated at the same time rather than sequentially, significantly increasing productivity and management efficiency while keeping equipment costs lower than purchasing multiple separate incubators.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design enables continuous utilization of the incubator system by allowing multiple cultures to be incubated simultaneously without requiring shutdown or reconfiguration between different culture types, maximizing the productive use of the equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular incubator comprising a housing structure divided into cells and having several incubator modules, each of which can be housed, in a removable manner, in a relative cell and is provided with an incubation chamber to incubate microbiological or cellular cultures. Each cell has a first group of connectors and each incubator module has a second group of connectors, each of which can be coupled to a corresponding connector of the first group of connectors of the relative cell when the incubator module is housed in said cell. The first group of connectors has at least one pneumatic connector communicating with at least one source of aeriform substance, and the second group of connectors has a corresponding pneumatic connector communicating with the relative incubation chamber to allow the aeriform substance to be introduced into the incubation chamber.