Movable Cell Incubator Airtight Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cultivating autologous cells in a sterile environment is challenging due to the high cost and accessibility issues of large aseptic culture rooms, making it difficult for patients to receive timely cell cultivation services.

Innovation Solution

A compact, movable cell incubator with an electric control unit, including a microprocessor, peristaltic pump module, and CO2 supply module, that automatically cultivates cells at designated times and quantities, maintaining aseptic conditions through airtight compartments and precise temperature control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a large aseptic culture room is established to cultivate cells in a sterile environment, then cell cultivation reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecell cultivation reliabilityVSAvoidculture room complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the cell cultivation system into separate functional modules: a portable incubator unit for cell cultivation, a refrigeration unit for media storage, and a control unit. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently and reduces the complexity of maintaining a large aseptic culture room while ensuring reliable sterile cultivation conditions in the portable unit.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the essential cell cultivation function from the large aseptic culture room environment and encapsulates it within a self-contained portable incubator. The incubator includes integrated sterilization, temperature control, and humidity control systems that replicate the sterile environment functions previously requiring a large dedicated facility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If a large culture room is established to maintain sterile conditions, then cell cultivation reliability is improved, but accessibility and response time deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesterile environment maintenanceVSAvoidpatient accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The portable incubator is designed as a universal device that can be deployed in multiple locations including hospitals, clinics, and even patient homes. It integrates multiple functions (sterilization, temperature control, humidity control, CO2 supply) into a single unit, making it adaptable to various settings and significantly improving patient accessibility while maintaining reliable sterile conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The incubator is designed to be mobile and dynamically deployable rather than fixed in a large culture room. It can be quickly transported to different locations and set up rapidly, enabling timely cell cultivation services closer to patients while maintaining the same level of sterile environment reliability as fixed large facilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If manual cell cultivation processes are used, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and precision deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecell cultivation efficiencyVSAvoidautomatic control system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The portable incubator incorporates automatic control systems that enable self-service operation. The microprocessor-based controller automatically monitors and adjusts temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels without requiring manual intervention. The peristaltic pump automatically supplies cell culture media at precise rates, and the ultrasonic sterilization system automatically sterilizes the environment, significantly improving productivity while the integrated design keeps the overall system manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The incubator includes feedback control mechanisms where sensors continuously monitor environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration) and fluid flow rates, and the microprocessor adjusts system operations based on this feedback to maintain optimal cultivation conditions. This automated feedback loop improves cultivation precision and productivity while reducing the need for manual monitoring and adjustment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables efficient and timely cell cultivation in a sterile environment, reducing costs and improving accessibility by providing a portable solution for maintaining optimal cell culture conditions.

Implementation Method 1

a heating module for controlling a temperature of the culture room

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 2

a cooling module configured to supply cold source to the refrigeration room

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCooling: Cooling

Implementation Method 3

The peristaltic pump module is aseptically connected between the cell culture media and the at least one cell culture bag by way of multiple conveying tubes

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPeristalsis: Peristalsis

Data Source

PatentEP3584305B1Movable cell incubator
Publication Date: 2021.07.28 LIU LUN KUANG
  • EP3584305B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3584305B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3584305B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A movable cell incubator contains: a body (10), a first lid (20), a second lid (30), and an electric control unit (40). The body (10) includes a first internal space (11), a refrigeration room (12), and an airtight culture room (13). The first lid (20) airtightly covers the culture room (13), the second lid (30) airtightly covers the refrigeration room (12), and the electric control unit (40) includes a microprocessor (41), a power module (42), a digital/analog conversion module (43) defined between the microprocessor (41) and the power module (42), a heating module (44) for controlling a temperature of the culture room (13), a cooling module (45) for supplying cold source to the refrigeration room (12), a peristaltic pump module (46), a flow sensing module (48), a CO2 detective supply module (47) for supplying CO2 to the culture room (13), and a setting display module (480) exposing and fixed on the first lid (20), wherein the peristaltic pump module (46) is aseptically connected between a cell culture media (140) and at least one cell culture bag (110) by using multiple conveying tubes (120).