Robot-Assisted Closed Cell Production With Double-Sided Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cell production systems face challenges in ensuring biological and physical safety while operating in normal controlled areas, require continuous operation without human intervention, and are not suited for mass production due to varying product levels and complex manual operations.

Innovation Solution

A cell production system with a robot-assisted, double-sided closed cell production device structure that allows safe and efficient operation in normal controlled areas, featuring a hazardous area side and a safe area side, enabling parallel task execution and maintenance from separate sides, and utilizing a shuttle or line-type configuration for increased efficiency and safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a cleanroom is used for creating iPS cells to ensure biological safety, then contamination risk is reduced, but operational costs and maintenance expenses increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebiological safetyVSAvoidoperational cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The cell production device is divided into separate isolated chambers (culturing chamber, observation chamber, manipulation chamber) that can be independently sealed and sterilized. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high biological safety in critical areas while operating in a normal controlled environment, eliminating the need for expensive cleanroom facilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A robot serves as an intermediary between the external controlled environment and the internal sterile environment of the cell production device. The robot performs all manipulations through sealed interfaces, preventing contamination while allowing the device to operate outside cleanroom conditions, thereby reducing operational costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If manual operations are used for cell production to maintain flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but productivity and consistency deteriorate due to human error and limited availability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational flexibilityVSAvoidproduction efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates automated robots that perform cell manipulation, observation, and transfer operations independently. The device can autonomously execute production protocols with consistent precision, eliminating human error while maintaining operational flexibility through programmable control. This automation significantly improves productivity without sacrificing adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If humans directly operate in the cell production area to perform manipulations, then ease of operation is improved, but physical safety and biological contamination risk worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational convenienceVSAvoidcontamination risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The robot acts as an intermediary that performs all operations inside the sealed cell production device. Operators interact with the system through external control interfaces without entering the sterile environment. This eliminates biological contamination risk while maintaining ease of operation through user-friendly control systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The potentially harmful element (human operators) is extracted from the sterile cell production environment. All manipulations are performed by robots through sealed interfaces, removing the source of contamination while operators can still conveniently control the system from outside the sterile area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Device complexity

If a single-sided cell production device structure is used to simplify design, then device complexity is reduced, but maintenance difficulty and operational safety worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural simplicityVSAvoidmaintenance accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The cell production device features a dual-sided structure with distinct functional chambers on each side. This segmentation allows independent access to different components from either side, facilitating easier maintenance and repair without requiring complete disassembly. The modular design maintains relatively simple individual components while improving overall maintainability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The device utilizes a bidirectional structure where maintenance and operations can access different sides independently. This dimensional approach allows simultaneous or separate access to various components, improving maintenance efficiency without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS20250327008A1Cell production system

Publication Date: 2025.10.23 FANUC LTD

AI summary

This cell production system is provided with: a robot that assists cell production; and a plurality of closed system cell production devices which are affected by the robot in a one-to-many manner, wherein the closed system cell production devices are each provided with a double-sided structure of a dangerous region side affected by the robot and a safe region side on the reverse side of the dangerous region side.