JPH0616557Y2 - Incubator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a liquid supply pipe for adding a liquid such as a culture solution to a culture tank in a cell culture device.

(Prior Art) In order to add a liquid such as a fresh medium to a culture tank, the liquid supply pipe has a tip cut in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction or an oblique direction as shown in FIG. The one having the tip shape as shown in FIG. 3 is used. The tips of these liquid supply pipes are positioned above the liquid surface of the culture solution in the culture tank or used while being immersed in the culture solution.

FIG. 4 shows a cell culture device to which the present invention is applied. To explain the cell culture device in general with reference to this figure, the culture solution 3 in the culture tank 1 passes through a culture solution recovery tube 5. Is collected by the pump 6a and the fresh medium 9 is supplied to the culture tank 1 by the pump 6b. The liquid level of the culture solution 3 in the culture tank 1 is detected by the level sensor 12, and the pump 6b is controlled so that the culture solution 3 always has a constant amount.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the case of the cell culture apparatus as shown in FIG. 4, fresh liquid that easily foams from above the liquid surface of the culture liquid 3 using the liquid supply pipe shown in FIG. 2 or 3. When the medium 9 is supplied, bubbles in the culture medium 3 cause the level sensor 12 to malfunction and the culture medium 3
May not be constant and may adversely affect cell culture.

Further, when the tip of the liquid supply pipe shown in FIG. 2 or 3 is dipped in the culture medium 3 to supply the fresh medium 9, the culture tank 1
The culture solution 3 inside flows back through the liquid supply pipe, the cells are mixed in the fresh medium 9, and the cells grow in the fresh medium tank 8, so that the culture in the medium tank 1 cannot be performed normally. Sometimes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid supply pipe capable of preventing the culture solution from being bubbled or flowing back into a fresh medium when used in a cell culture device, for example.

(Means for Solving Problems) In the culture device of the present invention, a level for accommodating the culture liquid, immersing the tip of the collecting tube of the culture liquid collecting device, and detecting the liquid level of the contained culture liquid. In a culture tank equipped with a sensor,
A liquid supply pipe for supplying fresh medium from a fresh medium supply device is provided so as to keep the liquid level in the culture tank constant according to the detection value of the level sensor, and the tip of the liquid supply pipe is formed in a gutter shape. The trough-shaped portion is immersed in the culture liquid, and the tubular portion of the liquid supply pipe is positioned so as to be above the liquid surface of the culture liquid.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a liquid supply pipe used in one embodiment.

Reference numeral 11 is a liquid supply pipe, and a base end portion 11a to which a pump or the like is connected has a cylindrical shape, and a front end portion 1 which is immersed in the culture solution 3
1b has a gutter shape. The liquid supply pipe 11 may be formed, for example, by cutting a cylinder having an appropriate thickness at a portion 11c diagonally in the front end direction halfway, and then cutting it from the end to an end along the axial direction.

Since the liquid supply pipe 11 is used in a cell culture apparatus for steam sterilization, for example, at 120 to 130 ° C, 1.1 kg / cm.
It must be a material that can be treated at an atmospheric pressure of ² , and as such a material, for example, stainless steel or polytetrafluoroethylene can be used.

FIG. 4 shows a cell culture device of one embodiment. Reference numeral 1 is a culture tank in which a culture solution 3 is stored. The medium is 10 FCS
% Added RPMI. The culture medium 3 contains mouse / mouse hybridoma as cells. The tip of the culture solution recovery pipe 5 is immersed in the culture solution 3, and a pump 6a is connected to the culture solution recovery tube 5 to the culture solution recovery tank 7.
Is recovered. 10 is the recovered culture solution.

The trough-shaped portion 11b at the tip of the liquid supply pipe 11 is immersed in the culture liquid 3, and the tubular portion 11a is positioned so as to be above the liquid surface of the culture liquid 3. The liquid supply pipe 11 is used for pumping the fresh medium 9 from the fresh medium tank 8 by the pump 6b.
Supply to.

The culture tank 1 is provided with a level sensor 12. Thirteen
Is a level controller, which inputs the detection signal of the level sensor 12 to control the pump 6b, and supplies the fresh medium 9 from the fresh medium tank 8 so that the amount of the culture solution 3 in the culture tank 1 becomes constant.

The culture tank 1 is covered with a lid 2, and the liquid supply pipe 11, the level sensor 12, and the culture liquid recovery pipe 5 are attached to the lid 2.

A stirring blade 4 is suspended by the lid 2, and a magnetic metal piece is embedded in the stirring blade 4. A stirring blade 4 is rotated by a magnetic stirring device (not shown) provided at the bottom of the culture tank 1 to stir the culture solution 3.

In the present embodiment, when the culture solution 3 is collected from the culture solution collection pipe 5 by the pump 6a and the liquid level of the culture solution 3 is lowered, the pump from the level sensor 12 causes the pump 6b to be operated by the level controller 13 to produce a fresh medium. 9 is supplied to the culture tank 1 through the liquid supply pipe 11. When the supplied fresh medium 9 moves from the tubular portion 11a to the trough portion 11b, it flows into the culture solution 3 along the trough portion 11b.
Therefore, bubbles do not occur on the upper surface of the culture solution 3, and the level sensor 1
2 did not malfunction, and the culture solution 3 did not flow back into the fresh medium 9 and could be cultured for a long time.

(Effect of the Invention) In the culture device of the present invention, since the part to be immersed in the culture solution to be added is gutter-shaped at the tip of the liquid supply pipe,
It is possible to prevent foaming of the culture solution in the culture layer and prevent the culture solution from flowing back into the fresh medium.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a liquid supply pipe used in one embodiment, FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial perspective views showing a tip portion of a conventional liquid supply pipe, and FIG. 4 is a cell of one embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing a culture device. 3 ... Culture liquid, 11 ... Liquid supply pipe, 11a ... Tubular part, 11b ... Gutter-shaped part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A culture tank containing a culture solution, the tip of a collecting tube of a culture solution collecting device being immersed, and a level sensor for detecting the liquid level of the contained culture solution provided in a culture tank. A liquid supply pipe for supplying fresh medium from a fresh medium supply device is provided so as to keep the liquid level in the culture tank constant according to the detected value, and the tip of the liquid supply pipe is formed in a gutter shape. The culture device, wherein the tubular portion is immersed in the culture solution, and the tubular portion of the liquid supply pipe is positioned so as to be located above the liquid surface of the culture solution.