JP6283535B2 - Culture container transport tray, cell culture apparatus equipped with the same, and transport apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a culture container transport tray for transporting a culture container in which cells to be cultured in a culture space are placed, a cell culture apparatus equipped with the same, and a transport apparatus.

In recent years, in a cell culture system including a cell manipulation chamber (isolator) in which a treatment person performs pretreatment via a glove or the like and a culture chamber (incubator) having a cell culture space, cells to be cultured in the culture chamber are placed. A transport tray for transporting the obtained culture container is used.
For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent the occurrence of problems such as dropping of the culture container, a removable adapter is attached to the outside of the culture container capable of storing the culture medium in which the specimen is charged, so that a robot or the like can be used. A configuration that facilitates handling of the culture vessel is disclosed.

JP 2005-333823 A

However, the conventional culture vessel adapter has the following problems.
That is, in the culture vessel adapter disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, before being transferred by an automatic machine such as a robot, pretreatment is performed on a vessel in which cells are put in a state where a hand is put in a glove provided in a treatment room. After performing the above, it is necessary to deliver the culture vessel to a predetermined position on the transport apparatus side by the hand of the operator.

However, it is difficult for the treatment person to accurately place the culture container at a predetermined position of the transport device by hand through the glove. If it is placed at a position deviated from the predetermined position, the liquid containing the cells placed in the culture container may spill or spill outside the container, or the transport robot may fail to transport. May occur.
An object of the present invention is to provide a culture container transport tray capable of accurately placing a culture container in which cells are placed from a cell operation chamber side to an incubator side at a predetermined position and a culture container transport tray. The object is to provide a cell culture device and a transport device.

  The culture container transport tray according to the first invention is equipped with a culture container in which cells treated in a clean operation space formed in the cell operation chamber are placed, and is cultured up to a culture shelf provided on the culture chamber side. A culture container transport tray that is delivered to a transport device that transports containers, and includes a main body portion and a locking portion. A main-body part has a mounting surface in which the culture container in which a cell is put is mounted. The locking part is locked in a groove provided on the conveying device side.

  Here, it is used in a cell culture system including a cell operation chamber having a clean operation space where a treatment person performs various processes via a glove and the like, and a culture chamber (incubator) having a cell culture space. A positioning latching portion is provided on a culture container transport tray for transporting a culture container in which cells processed in the chamber are placed.

Here, an isolator, a biohazard cabinet, etc. are contained in the cell operation chamber which has the clean operation space where a treatment person pre-processes. The cleaning operation space includes a sterilized or decontaminated space, a clean room with a high degree of cleanliness, and the like. The culture container includes, for example, a container such as a petri dish.
Thus, when placing the culture container transport tray by a human hand at a predetermined position of the transport device disposed downstream of the cell manipulation chamber, the locking portion is locked to the groove on the transport device side. By placing, the culture container transport tray on the transport device side can be easily positioned.

As a result, the liquid containing the cells placed in the culture container can be accurately placed at a predetermined position with respect to the transport device that transports the culture container containing the cells from the cell operation chamber side to the incubator side. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as spilling or spilling out of the container.
A culture container transport tray according to a second invention is the culture container transport tray according to the first invention, and further includes a gripping part gripped by a robot hand provided on the culture chamber side.

Here, a gripping part is provided that is gripped by a robot hand (automatic transfer device) provided on the culture chamber (incubator) side.
Here, the gripping part may be provided, for example, at the end of the main body part so as to be easily handled by the robot hand.
As a result, the robot hand can easily grip the culture vessel transport tray placed at a predetermined position with the locking portion being locked in the groove provided on the transfer device side.

The culture container transport tray according to the third invention is the culture container transport tray according to the second invention, and the locking part is provided in the vicinity of the grip part.
Here, the positioning locking portion is provided in the vicinity of the gripping portion gripped by the robot hand.
Thereby, the robot hand can grip and transport the vicinity of the locking portion provided for positioning, and therefore, the culture container transport tray placed at an accurate position by the positioning locking portion can be further removed. It can be gripped accurately. Further, by providing the locking portion on the grip side, it can be visually confirmed whether or not the locking portion is accurately locked in the groove portion on the conveying device side.

A culture container transport tray according to a fourth invention is a culture container transport tray according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein a positioning pin provided on the culture shelf is inserted into the main body portion. Has positioning holes.
Here, a positioning hole into which a positioning pin provided on the culture shelf is inserted is provided.
As a result, when the culture vessel transport tray is placed on the culture shelf, the culture vessel transport tray is more accurately placed at a predetermined position on the culture shelf by positioning through the positioning hole into which the positioning pin is inserted. can do.

A culture container transport tray according to a fifth invention is the culture container transport tray according to the fourth invention, further comprising a gripping part gripped by a robot hand provided on the culture chamber side. The positioning hole is disposed in the vicinity of the grip portion.
Here, a positioning hole into which a positioning pin provided on the culture shelf is inserted is provided in the vicinity of the above-described gripping portion.

Thereby, the robot hand can grasp and convey the vicinity of the positioning pin provided for positioning, and can be placed on the culture shelf, and the culture container transport tray placed at an accurate position by the positioning pin. Can be gripped more accurately.
A culture container transport tray according to a sixth invention is a culture container transport tray according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, and has a different shape for each type of culture container placed on the main body. It further includes a protruding portion formed with.

Here, the culture container transport tray has a protruding portion having a different shape for each type of culture container placed on the placement surface.
Here, the shape of the protruding portion is different depending on the type of culture vessel, the amount of protrusion is different, the presence or absence of the protrusion, the interval between the protruding portions, the shape of the protruding portions (arc shape, triangle, square, etc.) is different, etc. Is included.

Thereby, it can prevent that the culture container in which the cell put on the culture container conveyance tray was put is accidentally conveyed to positions other than a desired culture shelf.
A culture container transport tray according to a seventh invention is the culture container transport tray according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, wherein the culture container transport tray is erected on the mounting surface of the main body, A plurality of container holding rods for holding the culture container placed thereon are further provided.

Here, a plurality of rod-shaped container holding rods are provided on the placement surface on which the culture container is placed.
Here, the container holding rod includes, for example, a columnar rod-like member provided in a plurality of positions in contact with a part of the outer peripheral surface of a substantially circular culture vessel in a plan view such as a petri dish.
Thereby, it can hold | maintain so that the culture container mounted on the mounting surface may not fall from a culture container conveyance tray.

The culture container transport tray according to the eighth invention is the culture container transport tray according to the seventh invention, and the culture container has a circular shape in plan view. The plurality of container holding rods are disposed at the four corners of the main body and at positions offset toward the center of the main body between the plurality of culture vessels placed on the main body.
Here, the container holding rods are respectively disposed at the four corners of the main body and at positions offset toward the center of the main body between the circular culture vessels in plan view.

Thereby, even when a circular culture container is placed in plan view, the culture container can be stably held on the culture container transport tray by sandwiching the culture container from the side.
A culture container transport tray according to a ninth aspect is the culture container transport tray according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein information relating to the type of culture container placed on the main body is wirelessly transmitted. The wireless tag attachment part to which the wireless tag transmitted via is attached is further provided.

Here, a wireless tag attaching portion for attaching a wireless tag for transmitting information on the type of the culture container is provided on the culture container transport tray.
Thereby, the kind of the culture container placed on the culture container transport tray can be accurately managed, and the culture container can be reliably transported to a desired shelf in the culture space.
A culture container transport tray according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the culture container transport tray according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, wherein the wireless tag mounting portion has a cutout portion for preventing communication failure.

Here, at least a part of the wireless tag mounting part is provided with a notch part in which a part of a metal frame or the like that is a factor that interferes with communication by the wireless tag is cut out.
Thereby, the culture container can be reliably transported to a desired shelf in the culture space by reliably performing communication using the wireless tag.
A transport apparatus according to an eleventh invention includes the culture container transport tray according to any one of the first to tenth inventions, and a groove part in which the locking part is locked.

Here, in the transport apparatus that transports the culture container to a predetermined position using the culture container transport tray described above, a groove portion is provided in which the latch portion on the culture container transport tray side is locked.
As a result, the culture container transport tray can be placed at a predetermined position with high accuracy simply by providing a groove at a predetermined position on the transport device side.
A cell culture apparatus according to a twelfth aspect includes the culture container transport tray according to the fourth or fifth aspect, and a culture shelf having a positioning pin inserted into the positioning hole.

Here, in the cell culture apparatus provided with the culture shelf on which the culture vessel transport tray described above is placed, a positioning pin to be inserted into the positioning hole on the culture container transport tray side is provided.
As a result, the culture container transport tray can be accurately placed at a predetermined position simply by erecting a positioning pin at a predetermined position on the culture shelf.
A transport apparatus according to a thirteenth aspect includes the culture container transport tray according to the sixth aspect, and a type detection unit that detects the type of the culture container by detecting the protruding portion.

Here, the type detection unit for detecting the protruding portion of the culture container transport tray having a different shape for each type of culture container is provided on the transport device side.
Here, the type detection unit includes, for example, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, and an image processing unit that reads the shape of the protrusion.
Thus, the type of the culture vessel placed on the placement surface of the culture vessel transport tray can be determined in a state where the culture vessel transport tray is delivered to the transport device. As a result, the culture vessel can be reliably conveyed to a desired shelf in the culture space.

  According to the culture container transport tray of the present invention, it is possible to accurately place the culture container in which cells are placed at a predetermined position with respect to the transport apparatus that transports the culture container from the cell operation chamber side to the incubator side.

The front view which shows the structure of the cell culture system containing the connection box which conveys a culture container using the conveyance tray which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the structure inside the incubator contained in the cell culture system of FIG. The perspective view which shows the structure inside the connection box contained in the cell culture system of FIG. (A), (b), (c) is the top view, side view, and front view which show the structure of the nail | claw member with which the front-end | tip of the conveyance part provided in the incubator of FIG. 2 is mounted | worn. (A) And (b) is a top view which shows the structure of the small and large conveyance tray in which a culture container is mounted. (A) And (b) is a side view which shows the structure of the small and large conveyance tray in which a culture container is mounted. (A) And (b) is a side view which shows the state which mounted the small and large conveyance tray in which a culture container is mounted on the mounting base in a connection box. (A), (b) is a perspective view which shows the structure of the mounting base provided in the connection box of FIG. (A), (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the tray detection part which discriminate | determines the classification of various containers (culture container conveyance tray). (A), (b) is a side view which shows the state which mounted the conveyance tray in the culture shelf provided in the incubator.

The connection box which conveys the culture container 11 into which the cell was put using the conveyance tray (culture container conveyance tray) 51,52 (refer FIG. 5 (a)-FIG.6 (b) etc.) which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The cell culture system 1 including the (conveying device) 4 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9B.
Note that the clean operation space that appears in the following description includes a sterilized or decontaminated space, a clean room with a high degree of cleanliness, and the like.

(Configuration of the entire cell culture system 1)
The cell culture system 1 according to the present embodiment is a system for culturing cells that have been pretreated in the clean operation space S1, and as shown in FIG. 1, an isolator (cell operation chamber) 2, an incubator 3, and The connection box 4 is provided.
(Isolator 2)
The isolator 2 is an example of a cell operation chamber, and forms a clean operation space S1 that is isolated from the outside air, as shown in FIG.

The clean operation space S1 is maintained at a certain level of cleanliness or higher by circulating clean air that has flowed in through the HEPA filters installed above and below the isolator 2 from above to below.
The cleanliness is generally represented by an index called cleanliness grade. It is said that it is necessary to ensure grade A in the isolator 2 used for processing cultured cells.
(I) Grade A: This is a local area where work that needs to prevent the risk of contamination of products at a high level is performed.
(Ii) Grade B: A multi-purpose area where operations that require prevention of contamination risks at a relatively high level are performed.
(Iii) Grades C and D: Areas where work with a relatively high risk of product contamination is performed.

See below for the definition of each grade.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)
Environmental monitoring method for aseptic pharmaceutical manufacturing area (http://www.pmda.go.jp/public/pubcome_201012/file/028-1012.pdf)
A pass box 20 is provided between the isolator 2 and the external space. Various items are carried into the pass box 20 from the outside through the open / close door 2a while maintaining the cleanliness of the cleaning operation space S1 in the isolator 2.

Specifically, the pass box 20 includes an internal door (not shown), an aeration fan, and an aeration filter. The internal door and the open / close door 2a cannot be opened simultaneously.
When various articles are carried into the pass box 20, the open / close door 2a is opened and various articles are carried in. Then, when the open / close door 2a is closed, clean air flows in through the aeration filter by the operation of the aeration fan. The inside of the pass box 20 and the surfaces of various articles are cleaned. Thereafter, the internal door is opened, various articles are carried into the isolator 2 through the globes 22a and 22b, and the internal door is closed.

The open / close door 21 has a handle 21a, and the user opens and closes the open / close door 21 with the handle 21a.
Specifically, in the cleaning operation space S <b> 1 in the isolator 2, various processes such as seeding of a medium, medium exchange, and passage of cells cultured in the incubator 3 are performed.
The periphery of the isolator 2 has a grade C or D cleanliness. And the circumference | surroundings of the isolator 2 are managed so that it may become 20-25 degreeC and low humidity in general, in order to prevent a human operation | work and bacteria reproduction. The cleaning operation space S1 in the isolator 2 is also sealed with respect to the surrounding space, but has substantially the same temperature and humidity.

The process performed in the isolator 2 is performed using a tool or container that has been previously sterilized. As described above, these tools, containers, etc. are carried into the isolator 2 through the pass box 20 while maintaining the cleanliness of the cleaning operation space S1.
Further, in the isolator 2, after the pretreatment of the cells is performed by the operator, as shown in FIG. 3, the isolator 2 is moved to a predetermined position of the transport mechanism 42 provided in the connection box 4 via the gloves 22a and 22b. Then, the transfer trays 51 and 52 on which the culture vessels and the like are placed by hand are placed.

In the present embodiment, the position where the treatment person manually places the culture trays 51 and 52 on which the culture vessels and the like are placed via the globe 22b or the like is on the mounting table 42b of the transport mechanism 42 shown in FIG. It is. The configuration inside the connection box 4 to which the transfer trays 51 and 52 on which the culture vessels and the like are placed will be described in detail later.
(Incubator 3)
As shown in FIG. 1, the incubator 3 is inserted into the culture vessel placed on the transport trays 51 and 52 from the isolator 2 via the connection box 4 via the opening 3 a (see FIG. 2). A culture space S2 for culturing the received cells is formed inside. For example, in the case of a human cell, the temperature of the culture space S2 in the incubator 3 is a temperature (about 37 ° C.) higher than the clean operation space S1 in the isolator 2 in order to promote cell culture. And it is managed to be high humidity.

The incubator 3 includes culture shelves 31a and 31b and a transport mechanism 32 as shown in FIG.
The culture shelves 31a and 31b are shelves on which the transport trays 51 and 52 holding the culture vessels 11 and 12 (see FIG. 5B, FIG. 6B, etc.) are placed, and are shown in FIG. Thus, when viewed from the front, a plurality of the incubators 3 are arranged along the left side and the right side.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, a large transport tray 52 is disposed on the culture shelf 31a provided on the left side in the incubator 3, and a small transport tray 51 is disposed on the culture shelf 31b provided on the right side. The
As shown in FIG. 2, the culture shelf 31a is attached to the side surface opposite to the side surface on which the opening 3a through which various containers and the like are transported from the connection box 4 side is formed, and extends along the vertical direction. A plurality are provided.

The culture shelf 31b is a shelf having a smaller mounting area than the culture shelf 31a, and as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of culture shelves 31b are provided above and below the opening 3a on the side surface where the opening 3a is formed.
The culture shelves 31a and 31b have positioning pins 72f and 72f to be inserted into positioning holes 51e and 51e of the transport trays 51 and 52, respectively, which will be described later, on the near side where the transport trays 51 and 52 are carried (see FIG. 10 (a) and FIG. 10 (b)).

  As described above, in the culture shelves 31a and 31b, the configuration can be simplified by positioning the transport trays 51 and 52 using only the positioning pins 72f and 72f. Furthermore, since no wall is provided in front of the culture shelves 31a and 31b, when the transport trays 51 and 52 are transported by the transport mechanism 32, the positioning pins 72f. Since it can be carried in and out by lifting it by the height of 72f, it is not necessary to secure the upper and lower clearances of the culture shelves 31a and 31b more than necessary.

The transport mechanism 32 is, for example, an articulated robot, and receives the culture containers transported from the connection box 4 side together with the transport trays 51 and 52 and transports them to a desired position. The transport mechanism 32 includes a transport section 32a, a claw member 32b, an attachment section 32c, and a guide rail 32d.
The transport unit 32a is a robot arm that can move along the vertical direction and is driven by six axes. As shown in FIG. 2, the culture container is transported from the connection box 4 side through the opening 3a. Are transported to the culture shelves 31a and 31b. Moreover, the conveyance part 32a has the claw member 32b for grasping and conveying the conveyance trays 51 and 52 in the hand part of a robot arm, as shown to Fig.4 (a)-FIG.4 (c). .

As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the claw member 32b has a main body portion 32ba, a projection portion 32bb, and a connection portion 32bc.
As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the main body portion 32ba is a substantially U-shaped planar member in plan view, and is connected to the conveying portion 32a via the connection portion 32bc.
The protrusion 32bb is a member that is inserted from below into the holes formed in the grips 51c and 52c of the various trays (conveying trays 51 and 52) described above, and is shown in FIGS. 4 (b) and 4 (c). As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 32ba protrudes upward from the upper surface of the substantially U-shaped tip.

As a result, the transport trays 51 and 52 in the incubator 3 are transported in a state where the two protruding portions 32bb and 32bb are inserted and supported from below into the holes of the grip portions 51c and 52c of the transport trays 51 and 52. .
As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the connection portion 32bc is a substantially columnar member, and is attached to the hand portion of the robot arm of the transfer portion 32a. The transfer portion 32a and the claw member 32b are connected to the connection portion 32bc. And

As shown in FIG. 2, the attachment portion 32c is a member for attaching the conveyance portion 32a as a robot arm to the side surface of the incubator 3 (the side surface disposed on the front surface shown in FIG. 2), and is attached to the guide rail 32d. Along the vertical direction.
The insertion portion 32ca is a portion protruding from the surface of the attachment portion 32c, and as shown in FIG. 2, is inserted into the guide rail 32d and is guided in the vertical direction to the guide rail 32d.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail 32d is a guide groove formed along the vertical direction, and moves in a state where the insertion portion 32ca of the attachment portion 32c to which the conveyance portion 32a is attached is inserted. The transport unit 32a as a robot arm can be moved along the vertical direction. Note that a description of the mechanism for moving the transport unit 32a in the vertical direction is omitted.

(Connection box 4)
The connection box 4 is provided between the isolator 2 and the incubator 3 in order to deliver articles such as culture containers into which cells have been introduced and various tools. Moreover, the connection box 4 is installed between the isolator 2 and the incubator 3 as shown in FIG.

Specifically, the connection box 4 maintains the sterilized state of the transport trays 51 and 52 on which the culture container 11 and the like in which the cells pretreated in the cleaning operation space S1 of the isolator 2 are placed are placed. In addition, a transport mechanism 42 (see FIG. 3) for delivering the culture space S2 of the incubator 3 is provided.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B and the like, a cylindrical container having one end opened like a petri dish is used as the culture container 11, but the container has another shape. It may be.

The transport mechanism 42 is a mechanism for delivering various articles transported between the isolator 2 and the incubator 3 in the connection box 4, and transport trays 51 and 52 (FIG. 5 ( a) to FIG. 6B). The transport mechanism 42 has a mounting table 42b that can rotate around a rotating shaft 42a.
Thereby, the mounting table 42b can be brought closer to the isolator 2 side or the incubator 3 side by rotating the mounting table 42b around the rotation shaft 42a in the vicinity of the opening 4b or the opening 4c. Therefore, for example, in the isolator 2, the work of placing the transport tray 52 and the like on which the culture vessel 11 containing the cells is placed on the placing table 42b by hand through the globe 22b is facilitated.

Further, in a state where the transfer trays 51 and 52 are delivered from the isolator 2 side, as shown in FIG. 8A, a front wall portion 42c is provided at the end portion on the isolator 2 side of the mounting table 42b. It has been. In addition, side walls 42d and 42d are provided at both ends of the mounting table 42b in the width direction of the mounting surface.
As shown in FIG. 8B, positioning pins 42f and 42f may be provided at both ends in the width direction on the mounting surface of the mounting table 42b and at positions close to the front wall portion 42c. .

The front wall portion 42c is a surface formed as a front surface when viewed from the isolator 2 side when the transport trays 51 and 52 are transferred from the isolator 2 side to the transport mechanism 42 by the hand of the operator. As shown in FIG. 4, the groove portions 42ca and 42ca are provided.
The groove portions 42ca and 42ca are portions notched in a concave shape (for example, U-shape) from the upper side with respect to the front wall portion 42c, and locking portions 51d and 52d of the transfer trays 51 and 52 described later are locked. Is done. Thus, when the transport trays 51 and 52 are transferred from the isolator 2 side to the mounting table 42b of the transport mechanism 42, the transport trays 51 and 52 are accurately placed in a state of being aligned with a predetermined position on the mounting table 42d. Moreover, since positioning is performed by fitting the groove portions 42ca and 42ca and the locking portions 51d and 52d, it can be easily visually confirmed whether or not it is placed accurately as viewed from the operator.

The side wall portions 42d and 42d are surfaces formed as side walls provided at both ends in the short side direction along the longitudinal direction of the mounting table 42b, and as shown in FIG. 42e.
The notch portion 42e is formed at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the side wall portions 42d and 42d, and is provided so that communication of the wireless tag 62 described later is not obstructed by the side wall portions 42d and 42d.

Normally, the transport trays 51 and 52 can be positioned only by engaging the locking portions 51d and 52d and the groove portions 42ca and 42ca, and the workability is good (see FIG. 8A). However, when it is necessary to increase the position accuracy of the placement place, a positioning pin may be further provided (see FIG. 8B).
The positioning pin 42f is a cylindrical member protruding vertically upward from a position close to the front wall portion 42c on the mounting surface of the mounting table 42b, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b). When the transport trays 51 and 52 are placed on the mounting table 42b, the transport trays 51 and 52 are inserted into the positioning holes 51e and 52e provided in the transport trays 51 and 52, respectively. As a result, the transport trays 51 and 52 use the engagement of the positioning pins 42f and the positioning holes 51e and 52e in addition to the engagement of the locking portions 51d and 52d and the groove portion 42ca. The transport trays 51 and 52 can be placed at more accurate positions with respect to the mounting table 42b.

The connection box 4 is transported at a stage before delivery to the incubator 3 with respect to the transport trays 51 and 52 on which the culture containers received by hand from the operator who have been pretreated on the isolator 2 side are placed. A tray detection unit (type detection unit) 50 (see FIGS. 9A and 9B) for determining the type of the trays 51 and 52 is provided.
As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the tray detection unit 50 is attached to the transport mechanism 42 and includes three sensor units SW1 to SW3. The type determination using the two sensor units SW1 to SW3 of the tray detection unit 50 will be described in detail later.

(Transport tray 51, 52)
Here, in this embodiment, two types of culture vessels 11 and 12 are used as the culture vessels conveyed from the isolator 2 to the incubator 3. These two types of culture containers are transported on different transport trays 51 and 52, respectively.
Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), a transport tray 51 for transporting a substantially rectangular culture container in plan view, and a substantially circular shape in plan view. A transport tray 52 for transporting a plurality of culture vessels 11 is used.

  The culture container transported by the transport tray 51 includes a well plate 12 having a plurality of depressions (holes) 12a into which cells are placed, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 6 (a). . On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B, a large culture container transported by the transport tray 52 includes a cylindrical culture container 11 (for example, a petri dish (a glass flat plate) having an open top surface). )) Etc. are included.

Moreover, as a thing put into a culture container, the humidification water etc. for humidifying not only the cell cultured in culture | cultivation space S2 but the culture | cultivation space S2 may be sufficient.
(Transport tray 51)
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 6A, the transport tray 51 includes a main body 51a, a connecting part 51b, a gripping part 51c, a locking part 51d, a positioning hole 51e, and a wireless tag attaching part 51f. have.

The main body 51a has a mounting surface on which the culture container (well plate 12) is placed. The main body 51a is formed by a substantially rectangular frame portion in plan view, and has an opening portion inside thereof.
The protrusions 51aa and 51ab protrude inward from positions facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the transport tray 51 inside the frame portion of the main body 51a. And protrusion part 51aa, 51ab is detected by sensor part SW1-SW3 mentioned later.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9A, the transport tray 51 is detected by the sensor units SW1 and SW2 among the sensor units SW1 to SW3.
The connection part 51b is a part which connects the main-body part 51a and the holding part 51c, Comprising: As shown to Fig.6 (a), it is a flat plate part arrange | positioned along a substantially vertical direction. And the latching | locking part 51d is provided in the surface on the opposite side to the side in which the culture container is mounted in the connection part 51b.

The gripping part 51c is a part gripped by the robot arm (conveying mechanism 32) on the incubator 3 side, and is connected to the main body part 51a via the connecting part 51b. As shown in FIG. 6A, the grip portion 51 c is a flat plate portion that is disposed along a substantially horizontal direction.
The grip 51c has two cylindrical portions 51ca and 51ca provided in the flat plate portion, and insertion holes 51cb and 51cb formed at the centers of the cylindrical portions 51ca and 51ca.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the cylindrical portions 51ca and 51ca are resinous cylindrical members in which through holes (insertion holes 51cb and 51cb) are formed in the center portion, and both ends in the width direction of the grip portion 51c. It is being fixed to the through-hole formed in.
In the insertion holes 51cb and 51cb, a claw member 32b (see FIG. 4 (a) to FIG. 4 (c) and the like) attached to the operation-side tip of the robot arm (conveying mechanism 32) is inserted from below. As a result, after the transfer tray 51 is transferred from the connection box 4 to the incubator 3 side, the gripping portion 51c is gripped by the robot arm (transport mechanism 32) and transported to a desired position in the incubator 3.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (a) and FIG. 6 (a), two locking portions 51d and 51d are provided so as to protrude from the surface of the connecting portion 51b opposite to the side on which the culture vessel is placed. And has a substantially T-shaped configuration composed of a narrow portion and a wide portion in a cross-sectional view. The locking portions 51d and 51d are provided directly below and in the vicinity of the grip portions 51c and 51c. Further, when the transport tray 51 is placed on the placement table 42b of the conveyance mechanism 42 provided in the connection box 4, the locking portions 51d and 51d are arranged on the placement table 42b side as shown in FIG. A narrow portion is inserted into and locked in the groove portions 42ca and 42ca provided in the.

Thereby, the conveyance tray 51 can be positioned in the width direction and the longitudinal direction with respect to the mounting table 42b.
Here, the two locking portions 51d and 51d are provided so as to protrude from the surface of the connecting portion 51b opposite to the side on which the culture vessels 11 and 12 are placed. Therefore, if the transport tray 51 is to be placed at a position shifted in the longitudinal direction with respect to the placing table 42b, the wide width portions of the locking portions 51d and 51d come into contact with the front wall portion 42c. It cannot be placed without shifting. Thereby, since incorrect mounting can be prevented, detection in sensor part SW1-SW3 can be performed more reliably.

The transport tray 51 of the present embodiment is configured so that after the pretreatment of the cells in the isolator 2 is completed, the culture container (well plate 12 or the like) in which the cells are placed is placed and the treatment box is handed to the connection box 4 side. The transfer mechanism 42 is placed on a mounting table 42b.
At this time, if the culture vessel for culturing the cells is tilted or vibrated, there is a possibility that problems such as spilling or spilling of the liquid containing the cells may occur. For this reason, it is important to handle the culture container accurately until it is conveyed to the culture shelves 31a and 31b provided in the incubator 3.

  In particular, in the cell culture system 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the transport tray 51 toward the connection box 4 disposed on the left side as viewed from the treatment person with the hand in the glove 22 b of the isolator 2. When handing over, the operation is led by the left hand. For this reason, since it is an operation | work which uses the hand which is not a dominant hand for the majority of treatment persons, it is not easy to place the transport tray 51 accurately at a predetermined position of the mounting table 42b.

In the transport tray 51 of the present embodiment, as described above, when placed on the mounting table 42b, the mounting table 42b is located at a position where the locking portions 51d and 51d are visible to the treatment person on the isolator 2 side. Are engaged with the groove portions 42ca and 42ca.
Thereby, the conveyance tray 51 can be correctly mounted in the predetermined position on the mounting base 42b by using the latching | locking parts 51d and 51d. Therefore, the culture vessel placed on the transport tray 51 can be accurately placed at a predetermined position without being tilted.

  The positioning holes 51e and 51e are respectively formed at positions on both sides of the mounting surface of the main body 51a in the width direction and close to the gripping portion 51c, and penetrate the mounting surface. Further, when the transport tray 51 is placed on the culture shelves 31a and 31b, the positioning holes 51e and 51e are provided with positioning pins 72f and 52f provided on the culture shelves 31a and 31b, as shown in FIG. 72f is inserted.

  In the transport tray 51 of the present embodiment, as described above, when the transfer tray 51 is placed on the placement table 42b, the engagement between the locking portions 51d and 51d and the groove portions 42ca and 42ca is applied to the culture shelves 31a and 31b. When placed, the engagement between the positioning pins 72f and 72f and the positioning holes 51e and 51e is used. When more accurate positioning is performed, positioning pins 42f and 42f may be provided on the mounting table 42b and used together with positioning by the locking portions 51d and 51d (see FIG. 8B).

Thereby, the conveyance tray 51 can be more accurately placed at a predetermined position on the placement table 42b and the culture shelves 31a and 31b.
The wireless tag attaching portion 51f is a wireless tag (RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification)) that provides various types of information such as the type of cells placed in the culture vessel (well plate 12) and the date carried into the incubator 3 via wireless communication. ) 62 is attached. The wireless tag attachment portion 51f has a cutout portion 51fa in which a part of the side wall portion of the main body portion 51a is cut out.

The cutout portion 51fa is a concave portion provided so that the side wall portion of the main body portion 51a does not interfere with communication of the wireless tag 62, and most of the wireless tag 62 is exposed when viewed from the side. Is formed.
Thereby, for example, when the transport tray 51 passes in front of a reader (not shown), it is possible to reliably acquire information on cells and the like transmitted from the wireless tag 62.

(Transport tray 52)
The transport tray 52 is a tray on which a culture container 11 such as a petri dish is placed as a culture container into which cells are placed. As shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B, the main body 52a and the connecting part 52b, a holding part 52c, a locking part 52d, a positioning hole 52e, and a wireless tag attaching part 52f.

The main body 52a is a portion on which the culture vessel 11 is placed, and has an opening on the inside, and is formed by a substantially rectangular frame portion in plan view. Further, the main body 52a has a particularly long dimension in the longitudinal direction and a slightly longer dimension in the width direction than the main body 51a of the transport tray 51 shown in FIG.
The protrusions 52aa and 52ab protrude inward from positions facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the transport tray 52 inside the frame portion of the main body 52a. And protrusion part 52aa, 52ab is detected by sensor part SW1-SW3 mentioned later.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9B, the transport tray 52 is detected by the sensor units SW1 and SW3 among the sensor units SW1 to SW3. For example, proximity switches can be used for the sensor units SW1 to SW3.
As for protrusion part 52aa, 52ab, the main-body part 52a is longer than the main-body part 51a of the conveyance tray 51 in a longitudinal direction. Therefore, the protrusions 52aa and 52ab are arranged so that the interval is larger than the protrusions 51aa and 51ab of the transport tray 51 shown in FIG.

  Thereby, when the transport trays 51 and 52 are placed on the placing table 42b, the sensor portions SW1 to SW3 that detect the protruding portions 51aa and 51ab and the protruding portions 52aa and 52ab are different. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9B, only the sensor units SW1 and SW3 among the sensor units SW1 to SW3 are detected. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine which of the transport trays 51 and 52 is placed.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the tray detection unit 50 including the plurality of sensor units SW1 to SW3 is provided in order to determine the type of the culture container (transport trays 51 and 52).
Thereby, as described above, it is possible to detect that any of the transport trays 51 and 52 is placed on the transport mechanism 42 by the sensor unit SW1 being in the detection state. Further, it is possible to determine which transport trays 51 and 52 are placed according to the detection states of the sensor units SW2 and SW3.

In this embodiment, as a method for determining the type of the culture container (transport trays 51 and 52), the difference in the shape of the bottom surface of the container and the case where the detection sensor is used have been described as an example. If it is the structure which can discriminate | determine, it can implement similarly.
As a discrimination method, for example, a method of detecting the shape of a container using optical means such as transmitted light, or a culture specimen management system using an RFID and its non-contact reader or a barcode and a barcode reader system There is a method to determine in cooperation with.

The connection part 52b is a part which connects the main-body part 52a and the holding part 52c, Comprising: As shown in FIG.6 (b), it is a flat plate part arrange | positioned along a substantially vertical direction. And the latching | locking part 52d is provided in the surface on the opposite side to the side in which the culture container is mounted in the connection part 52b.
The grip portion 52c has the same size and shape as the grip portion 51c of the transport tray 51 shown in FIG. The gripping part 52c is a part that is gripped by the robot arm (conveying mechanism 32) on the incubator 3 side, and is connected to the main body part 52a via the connecting part 52b. As shown in FIG. 6B, the grip portion 52 c is a flat plate portion that is disposed along a substantially horizontal direction.

Similarly to the gripping portion 51c, the gripping portion 52c has two cylindrical portions 52ca and 52ca provided in the flat plate portion, and insertion holes 52cb and 52cb formed at the centers of the cylindrical portions 52ca and 52ca. Yes.
As shown in FIG. 6B, the cylindrical portions 52ca and 52ca are resinous cylindrical members in which through holes (insertion holes 52cb and 52cb) are formed in the center portion, and both ends of the grip portion 52c in the width direction. It is being fixed to the through-hole formed in.

  In the insertion holes 52cb and 52cb, a claw member 32b (see FIG. 4 (a) to FIG. 4 (c), etc.) attached to the operation side tip of the robot arm (conveyance mechanism 32) is inserted from below. As a result, after the transfer tray 52 is transferred from the connection box 4 to the incubator 3 side, the grip portion 52 c is gripped by the robot arm (transport mechanism 32) and transported to a desired position in the incubator 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 (b) and 6 (b), there are two locking portions 52d and 52d so as to protrude from the surface of the connecting portion 52b opposite to the side on which the culture vessel 11 is placed. It is provided, and has a substantially T-shape formed by a narrow portion and a wide portion in a cross-sectional view. The locking portions 52d and 52d are provided directly below and in the vicinity of the gripping portions 52c and 52c. Further, when the transport tray 52 is placed on the placement base 42b of the transport mechanism 42 provided in the connection box 4, the locking portions 52d and 52d are placed on the side of the placement base 42b as shown in FIG. A narrow portion is inserted into and locked in the groove portions 42ca and 42ca provided in the.

Thereby, the conveyance tray 51 can be positioned in the width direction and the longitudinal direction with respect to the mounting table 42b.
Here, the two locking portions 52d and 52d are provided so as to protrude from the surface of the connecting portion 52b opposite to the side on which the culture vessels 11 and 12 are placed. Therefore, if the transport tray 52 is to be placed at a position shifted in the longitudinal direction with respect to the placement table 42b, the wide portions of the locking portions 52d and 52d come into contact with the front wall portion 42c. It cannot be placed without shifting. Thereby, since incorrect mounting can be prevented, detection in sensor part SW1-SW3 can be performed more reliably.

The transport tray 52 of the present embodiment is configured so that the pretreatment of the cells in the isolator 2 is completed and the culture container 11 containing the cells is placed on the transport tray 42 of the connection box 4 side by the operator. It is placed on the mounting table 42b.
And as above-mentioned, when the conveyance tray 52 is mounted on the mounting base 42b, in the position which the latching | locking parts 52d and 52d can visually recognize from the treatment person by the side of the isolator 2, the groove part 42ca of the mounting base 42b. , 42ca.

Thereby, the conveyance tray 52 can be correctly mounted in the predetermined position on the mounting base 42b by using the latching | locking parts 52d and 52d. Therefore, similarly to the transport tray 51, the culture container placed on the transport tray 52 can be accurately placed at a predetermined position without being tilted.
The positioning holes 52e and 52e are formed at both ends in the width direction on the mounting surface of the main body 52a and at positions close to the gripping portion 52c, and penetrate the mounting surface. The positioning holes 52e and 52e are formed by positioning pins 72f and 72f provided on the mounting table 42b as shown in FIG. 10B when the transport tray 52 is mounted on the culture shelves 31a and 31b. Inserted.

  In the transport tray 52 of the present embodiment, as described above, when placed on the mounting table 42b, the engagement between the locking portions 52d and 52d and the groove portions 42ca and 42ca is engaged with the culture shelves 31a and 31b. When placed, the engagement between the positioning pins 72f and 72f and the positioning holes 52e and 52e is used. When performing more accurate positioning, positioning pins 42f and 42f may be provided on the mounting table 42b and used together with positioning by the locking portions 52d and 52d.

Thereby, the transport tray 52 can be more accurately placed at a predetermined position on the placement table 42b and the culture shelves 31a and 31b.
The wireless tag attaching unit 52f is a wireless tag (RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification)) that provides various types of information such as the type of cells placed in the culture vessel 11 and the date when the culture vessel 11 is carried into the incubator 3 via wireless communication. ) 62 is attached. The wireless tag attachment portion 52f is fixed to an end portion in the width direction of the main body portion 52a.

  Here, the main body portion 52a on which the culture vessel 11 such as a petri dish is placed is not provided with a side wall portion unlike the main body portion 51a of the transport tray 51 described above. As a result, since there is no member covering the side surface of the wireless tag 62 in the transport tray 52, information on cells and the like transmitted from the wireless tag 62 when the transport tray 52 passes in front of a reader (not shown) is displayed. It can be acquired with certainty.

  Further, the locking portions 52d and 52d have a distance from the side surface (the lower side of the drawing in FIG. 5B) of the transport tray 52 on the wireless tag mounting side, so that the wireless tag mounting of the transport tray 51 of the locking portions 51d and 51d It is comprised so that it may become the same as the distance from the side surface (drawing lower side in Fig.5 (a)). As a result, when the transport trays 51 and 52 having different width dimensions are positioned on the mounting table 42b by the groove portions 42ca and 42ca, the distance between the wireless tag 62 and a reader (not shown) can be made the same, and more reliably. Information sent from the wireless tag 62 can be acquired.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B, six container holding rods 61a to 61f are erected on the mounting surface of the main body 52a of the transport tray 52.
The container holding rods 61a to 61d are fixed to the four corners of the mounting surface of the main body 52a by screws inserted from the top of the head. The container holding rods 61e and 61f are provided at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction on the mounting surface of the main body 52a, and are located inwardly in the width direction and offset toward the center.

  Thereby, in the transfer tray 52, the outer peripheral portions of the two culture vessels 11 placed on the placement surface are respectively divided into four vessel holding rods 61a, 61b, 61e, 61f and vessel holding rods 61c, 61d, It can be held by 61e and 61f. In the present embodiment, an example in which two culture containers 11 are placed on the transport tray 52 has been described. However, two or more culture containers 11 can be held.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of invention.
(A)
In the above embodiment, an example in which a well plate is used as a culture container transported by the transport tray 51 and a petri dish is used as a culture container transported by the transport tray 52 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the culture container transported by various transport trays may be the reverse of the above, or another type of culture container. Alternatively, the number of culture containers conveyed by the conveyance tray may be one or plural.
(B)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the tray detection unit 50 that determines the type of the culture container (conveyance tray) is provided in the connection box 4 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, a tray detection unit may be provided in an incubator that receives containers from a connection box.
In this case, a container detector may be provided at the tip of the robot arm (conveying mechanism 32) shown in FIG.
As a result, when receiving the container in the incubator, it is possible to determine the type of the received container, thereby preventing erroneous transfer of the culture container containing the cells to a place other than the desired shelf. The same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

(C)
In the said embodiment, the cell culture system 1 containing the isolator 2, the incubator 3, and the connection box 4 was mentioned as an example, and was demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, when the installation environment of the cell culture system is the above grade A or B, a cell culture system provided with a biohazard cabinet (cell operation chamber) may be used instead of the isolator.

  In this case, if the environment in which the cell culture system is installed is grade C or D, it is necessary to use an isolator, but if the environment is grade B, a biohazard cabinet can be used.

  The culture container transport tray of the present invention has an effect that the culture container in which cells are placed can be accurately placed at a predetermined position with respect to a transport apparatus that transports the culture container from the cell operation chamber side to the incubator side. Therefore, the present invention can be widely applied to a transport tray for transporting various articles.

1 Cell culture system 2 Isolator (cell operation chamber)
2a Open / close door 3 Incubator 3a Opening 4 Connection box 4a-4c Opening 11 Culture vessel 12 Well plate 12a Dimple (hole)
20 Pass box 21 Open / close door 21a Handle 22a, 22b Globe 31a, 31b Culture shelf 32 Transport mechanism 32a Transport portion 32b Claw member 32ba Main body portion 32bb Projection portion 32bc Connection portion 32ca Insertion portion 32ca Insertion portion 32d Guide rail 41 Open / close door 42 Transport mechanism (Transport device)
42a Rotating shaft 42b Mounting table 42c Front wall portion 42ca Groove portion 42d Side wall portion 42e Notch portion 42f Positioning pin (mounting table side)
50 Tray detection unit (type detection unit)
51 Transport tray (culture container transport tray)
51a Main body 51aa, 51ab Protruding part 51b Connecting part 51c Gripping part 51ca Cylindrical part 51cb Insertion hole 51d Locking part 51e Positioning hole 51f Wireless tag attaching part 51fa Notch part 52 Carrying tray (culture container carrying tray)
52a Main body portion 52b Connecting portion 52aa, 52ab Protruding portion 52c Holding portion 52ca Cylindrical portion 52cb Insertion hole 52d Locking portion 52e Positioning hole 52f Radio tag attaching portion 61a to 61f Container holding rod 62 Radio tag 72f
S1 Clean operation space S2 Culture space SW1-SW3 Sensor unit

Claims (10)

A culture vessel in which cells treated in a clean operation space formed in the cell manipulation chamber is placed, and the culture is delivered to a transport device that transports the culture vessel to a culture shelf provided on the culture chamber side. A container transport tray,
A main body culture vessel the cells are placed to have the positioning holes and the mounting surface to be mounted,
A culture vessel transporting tray includes a,
A culture shelf having a positioning pin inserted into the positioning hole;
A cell culture apparatus comprising: The culture container transport tray further includes a gripping part gripped by a robot hand provided on the culture chamber side,
The cell culture device according to claim 1. The culture container transport tray further includes a locking portion that is locked to a groove provided on the transport device side,
The locking part is provided in the vicinity of the grip part,
The cell culture device according to claim 2. The culture container transport tray further includes a protrusion formed with a different shape for each type of the culture container placed on the main body.
The cell culture device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The culture container transport tray is further provided on the placement surface of the main body part, and further includes a plurality of container holding rods for holding the culture container placed on the main body part. ,
The cell culture device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The culture vessel has a circular shape in plan view,
The plurality of container holding rods are arranged at the four corners of the main body portion and at positions offset toward the center of the main body portion between the plurality of culture vessels placed on the main body portion. Yes,
The cell culture device according to claim 5 . The culture container transport tray further includes a wireless tag attachment part to which a wireless tag that transmits information on the type of the culture container placed on the main body part is wirelessly attached.
The cell culture device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The wireless tag mounting portion has a cutout portion for preventing communication failure.
The cell culture device according to claim 7 . A cell culture device according to claim 3;
The transport device having a groove portion in which the locking portion is locked ;
A cell culture system . A cell culture device according to claim 4;
The transport device having a type detection unit that detects the protrusion and determines the type of the culture container ;
A cell culture system .

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