Aseptic manipulation system and object-introducing method for aseptic manipulation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789480-B2
Application number	US-201514978139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Dec 25, 2014
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

An aseptic manipulation system comprises first and second operation chambers, an aseptic manipulation chamber, and a control unit. The control unit controls the ventilation of the first operation chamber for more than a first specified number of times, after an object is introduced into the first operation chamber, and ventilates the second operation chamber for more than a second specified number of times that is greater than the first specified number of times, after the object is transferred into the second operation chamber from the first chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aseptic manipulation system, comprising:
an aseptic manipulation chamber, an air pressure of which is positive compared to an ambient pressure, so that interior of the aseptic manipulation chamber is kept in an aseptic condition;
a series of decontamination chambers provided for removing microbes adhering to an object prior to the object being introduced into the aseptic manipulation chamber, the decontamination chambers including:
a first operation chamber provided with an inlet portion that can be closed,
a second operation chamber connected to the first operation chamber and the aseptic manipulation chamber, a connecting portion to the aseptic manipulation chamber being provided with an outlet portion that can be closed,
a communication portion configured to facilitate communication between the first chamber and the second chamber, the communication portion being able to open and close,
an inlet portion door configured to open and close the inlet portion,
an outlet portion door configured to open and close the outlet portion, and
a communication portion door configured to open and close the communication portion;

a first ventilation mechanism configured to ventilate interior of the first operation chamber, and to adjust an air pressure present in the interior of the first operation chamber by increasing or decreasing volume of air supplied to or discharged from the first operation chamber;
a second ventilation mechanism configured to ventilate interior of the second operation chamber, and to adjust an air pressure present in the interior of the second operation chamber by increasing or decreasing volume of air supplied to or discharged from the second operation chamber; and
a computer that is configured to monitor open-closed states of each of the inlet portion door, the outlet portion door, and the communication portion door, and is configured to control operations of the first ventilation mechanism and the second ventilation mechanism,
wherein
the computer is configured to ventilate the interior of the first operation chamber with the first ventilation mechanism for more than a first specified number of times after an object is introduced into the first operation chamber from an outside environment and the inlet portion is closed while the communication portion is closed, and to ventilate the interior of the second operation chamber with the second ventilation mechanism for more than a second specified number of times, which is greater than the first specified number of times, after the object is transferred into the second operation chamber from the first chamber and the communication portion is closed while the outlet portion is closed,
the computer is configured to control the air pressures in the first and second operation chambers to be positive compared to the ambient pressure and less than the air pressure present in the interior of the aseptic manipulation chamber, and
each of the aseptic manipulation chamber and the decontamination chambers is provided with gloves installed therein, the gloves being accessible from an exterior of each of the aseptic manipulation chamber and the decontamination chambers.

2. The aseptic manipulation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a locking mechanism configured to maintain the closed states of each of the inlet portion door, the outlet portion door, and the communication portion door, wherein
the computer is configured to control an operation of the locking mechanism to maintain the closed states of the inlet portion door and the communication portion door while ventilating the first operation chamber, and to maintain the closed states of the communication portion door and the outlet portion door while ventilating the second operation chamber.

3. The aseptic manipulation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a decontamination gas supply device controlled by the computer to supply decontamination gas to the first operation chamber, wherein
the computer is configured to operate in a ventilation mode in which the first operation chamber, into which the object is introduced from the outside environment, is ventilated for more than the first specified number of times, and the second operation chamber, into which the object is transferred from the first operation chamber, is ventilated for more than the second specified number of times that is greater than the first specified number of times; and

in a decontamination mode in which the decontamination gas supply device supplies decontamination gas into the first operation chamber, into which the object is introduced from the outside environment, to decontaminate the object and the first operation chamber, and the first ventilation mechanism and the second ventilation mechanism ventilate the first operation chamber and the second operation chamber after the object is transferred from the operation chamber to the second operation chamber.

4. A method for introducing an object into an aseptic manipulation system comprising:
an aseptic manipulation chamber, the air pressure of which is positive compared to the ambient pressure, so that interior of the aseptic manipulation chamber is kept in an aseptic condition;
a series of decontamination chambers provided for removing microbes adhering to an object prior to the object being introduced into the aseptic manipulation chamber, the decontamination chambers including:
a first operation chamber provided with an inlet portion that can be closed,
a second operation chamber connected to the first operation chamber and the aseptic manipulation chamber, a connecting portion to the aseptic manipulation chamber being provided with an outlet portion that can be closed, and
a communication portion configured to facilitate communication between the first chamber and the second chamber, the communication portion being able to open and close;

a first ventilation mechanism configured to ventilate interior of the first operation chamber, and to adjust an air pressure present in the interior of the first operation chamber by increasing or decreasing volume of air supplied to or discharged from the first operation chamber; and
a second ventilation mechanism configured to ventilate interior of the second operation chamber, and to adjust an air pressure present in the interior of the second operation chamber by increasing or decreasing volume of air supplied to or discharged from the second operation chamber;
the method comprising:
opening the inlet portion while the communication portion is closed and ventilating the first operation chamber with the first ventilation mechanism for more than a first specified number of times after introducing the object into the first operation chamber from an outside environment and closing the inlet portion;
opening the communication portion while closing the outlet portion, and ventilating the second operation chamber with the second ventilation mechanism for more than a second specified number of times that is greater than the first specified number of times after transferring the object from the first operation chamber to the second operation chamber and closing the communication portion;
decontaminating the object in at least one of the first operation chamber and the second operation chamber being ventilated; and
opening the outlet portion to transfer the object from the second operation chamber to the aseptic manipulation chamber,
wherein
the air pressures in the first and second operation chambers are maintained to be positive compared to the ambient pressure and less than the air pressure present in the interior of the aseptic manipulation chamber, and
each of the aseptic manipulation chamber and the decontamination chambers is provided with gloves installed therein, the gloves being a

Assignees

• Shibuya Corp

Inventors

• FUNAZUKA Takuya
• Shomura Masaharu

Classifications

• B01L2300/048

  enabling gas exchange, e.g. vents · CPC title

• B01L2200/141

  Preventing contamination, tampering · CPC title

• A61L2/208

  Hydrogen peroxide · CPC title

• B01L2200/145

  Detecting door closure · CPC title

• A61L2202/122

  Chambers for sterilisation · CPC title