Incubator with Air Curtain
AssigneeEmbrient, Inc.
InventorsRoyal Q. Le, Barry E. Rothenberg, Kyong-su Son
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An incubator for cell and tissue culture under controlled atmospheric conditions has a primary air flow control device that forms a primary, preferably laminar flow, air veil across an opening that allows access to the cells or tissue cultures disposed within the incubator. Preferably, most if not all of the air in the primary (laminar flow) air veil is recirculated, and a secondary air flow control device is used that forms a secondary, preferably laminar flow, air veil between the primary (laminar flow) air veil and a user of the incubator.
Claims20
A method of supplying gas to a controlled atmosphere incubator, comprising:
- compressing ambient air in an ambient air compressor, thereby producing compressed air, wherein the ambient air compressor is fluidly coupled to a gas mixing unit;
- extracting from the compressed air a nitrogen rich product and an oxygen rich product;
- feeding the nitrogen rich product and oxygen rich product to the gas mixing unit;
- feeding a CO2 product to the gas mixing unit, wherein the CO2 product is not extracted from the compressed air;
- feeding the nitrogen rich product, the oxygen rich product, and the CO2 product to the controlled atmosphere incubator via a conduit,
- wherein the controlled atmosphere incubator includes a gas sensor, wherein the gas sensor is electronically coupled to a control unit,
- wherein the control unit is configured to regulate flow and/or composition of the nitrogen rich product, the oxygen rich product, and/or the CO2 product from the gas mixing unit to the controlled atmosphere incubator in response to a signal from the first gas sensor, thereby maintaining a desired gas mix in the controlled atmosphere incubator.
A method of controlling an atmosphere within an incubator without a nitrogen tank and/or an oxygen tank, comprising:
- compressing ambient air in an ambient air compressor, thereby producing compressed air;
- separating the compressed air into (i) a nitrogen rich product and (ii) an oxygen rich compressed air;
- selectively feeding the nitrogen rich product and the oxygen rich compressed air to a gas mixing unit to thereby produce a desired gas composition, wherein the desired gas composition is based on a desired gas mix in the incubator,
- wherein selectively feeding comprises regulating flow and/or composition of the nitrogen rich product and/or the oxygen rich compressed air based on a real-time desired gas mix for the incubator;
- and
- feeding the desired gas composition to the incubator.
A controlled atmosphere incubator, comprising a gas supply unit that is configured to supply nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide to the incubator, wherein at least the nitrogen and the oxygen are isolated by the gas supply unit from ambient air.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.