Culture apparatus

• US 9,902,931 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tokumaru, Tomoyoshi, Kobayashi, Masahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Beisner, William H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henkel, Danielle B
• Application Number:
  US14/862,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20160010049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 4353031
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 29/24 Recirculation of gas
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/00 Means for regulation, monitoring, measurement or control, e.g. flow regulation controlling or regulating chemical, physical or physicochemical processes B01J19/0006; heating or cooling apparatus for laboratory use B01L7/00; electro optical investigation of individual particles, flow cytometers G01N15/14; automatic analysis G01N35/00; controlling or regulating in general G06N
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/14 Incubators; Climatic chambers per se B01L1/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/24 inside the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/34 of gas

Abstract

A culture apparatus is provided which can suppress condensation on walls of a culture space and the like to suppress adverse effects on a culture material. In the culture apparatus having a culture space formed in a heat insulating box main body, a humidification water reservoir for humidifying the culture space is disposed in the heat insulating box main body. A heat transfer condensation member in which a condensation portion at one end and a cooling portion at the other end are integrated is disposed such that the cooling portion is disposed outside the heat insulating box main body, while the condensation portion is disposed inside the culture space. The condensation portion is disposed so that condensed water on the surface thereof is led into the humidification water reservoir. The cooling portion has an electronic cooling element for cooling the cooling portion by the Peltier effect, to make moisture condensed on the condensation portion and a connection portion in the vicinity of thereof flow downward into the humidification water reservoir and repeatedly usable as humidification water.

Claims

1. A culture apparatus comprising:

a heat insulating box main body having a box shape and a culture space therein for culturing a sample;

a humidification water reservoir disposed at a bottom of the culture space, the humidification water reservoir storing humidification water to control humidity of the culture space;

a heater provided inside the heat insulating box main body for heating the humidification water reservoir;

a duct disposed in the culture space and at least along a wall of the heat insulating box main body;

a heat transfer condensation member penetrating the heat insulating box main body and having a condensation portion disposed inside the duct and a cooling portion disposed outside the heat insulating box main body; and

an electronic cooling element, based on Peltier effect, disposed on the cooling portion of the heat transfer condensation member for cooling the heat transfer condensation member,

wherein moisture condensed on a surface of the condensation portion by cooling by the electronic cooling element is led into the humidification water reservoir disposed beneath the condensation portion.

2. The culture apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a radiator for dissipating heat generated by the electronic cooling element,

wherein the electronic cooling element is provided on top of the cooling portion disposed outside the heat insulating box main body, and the radiator is provided on top of the cooling portion disposed outside the heat insulating box main body through the electronic cooling element.

3. The culture apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a first heat conductive member between the heat transfer condensation member and the electronic cooling element, and a second heat conductive member between the electronic cooling element and the radiator.

4. The culture apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the first heat conductive member and the second heat conductive member is a heat radiating grease or a heat conductive rubber sheet.

5. The culture apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first heat conductive member and the second heat conductive member are formed of the same material.

6. The culture apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating box main body has a box-shaped inner box for forming the culture space and a box-shaped outer box enclosing an outer periphery of the inner box, and

a portion of the heat transfer condensation member that is disposed between the inner box and the outer box is covered with a first heat insulating sealing member to prevent heat between the inner box and the outer box from being transmitted to the heat transfer condensation member.

7. The culture apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the heat insulating box main body includes a heat insulating material disposed between the outer box and the inner box and inside the outer box, an air layer is formed between the heat insulating material and the inner box, and the first heat insulating sealing member covers at least a portion of the heat transfer condensation member disposed in the air layer.

8. The culture apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a second heat insulating sealing member disposed between the heat transfer condensation member and the inner box to suppress heat conduction between the culture space and the air layer.

9. The culture apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a circulation blower for forcefully circulating gas of air in the culture space at least through the duct.

10. A culture apparatus comprising:

a heat insulating box main body having a box shape and a culture space therein for culturing a sample;

a humidification water reservoir disposed at a bottom of the culture space, the humidification water reservoir storing humidification water to control humidity of the culture space;

a heater provided inside the heat insulating box main body for heating the humidification water reservoir;

a duct disposed in the culture space and at least along a wall of the heat insulating box main body;

a heat transfer condensation member penetrating the heat insulating box main body and having a condensation portion disposed inside the duct and a cooling portion disposed outside the heat insulating box main body;

an electronic cooling element, based on Peltier effect, disposed on the cooling portion of the heat transfer condensation member for cooling the heat transfer condensation member; and

a controller configured to control, based at least on a temperature of the culture space and a humidity of the culture space, the electronic cooling element to cool the condensation portion to a temperature lower than the temperature of the culture space, a difference between the cooled condensation portion and the culture space being within a predetermined range,

wherein moisture condensed on a surface of the condensation portion by cooling by the electronic cooling element is led into the humidification water reservoir disposed beneath the condensation portion.