Portable incubation system

Inventors: Shannon Leigh Duxbury (Sioux Center, IA); Matthew Bryan Huntingdon (Sioux Center, IA); Eric Martin Krug (Sioux Center, IA); Glenn Todd Colon-Bonet (Sioux Center, IA)

C12N5/562 A61B17/43 A61B17/435 C12N5/544

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12668782
App. No.: 19/209,445
Granted: Jun 30, 2026
Kind: B1

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Abstract

A portable incubation system comprising a container and a temperature management system disposed within the container. The container comprises a housing forming an outer wall of the container, an inner chamber assembly disposed within the housing, and a lid coupled to the housing and arranged to seal the inner chamber assembly when closed. The temperature management system comprises a heat sink in thermal communication with an ambient environment of the portable incubation system, a thermoelectric cooler coupled to the inner chamber assembly, and a water-based heat pipe comprises a first end coupled to the heat sink and a second end coupled to the thermoelectric cooler. The system comprises a control system configured to direct the temperature management system to regulate a temperature of the inner chamber assembly and power the portable incubation system.

Claims (23)

1 . A portable incubation system comprising:

a container comprising a housing forming an outer wall of the container and an inner chamber assembly disposed within the housing;

a temperature management system disposed within the housing comprising a heat sink assembly in thermal communication with an ambient environment of the portable incubation system, a thermoelectric cooler assembly coupled to the inner chamber assembly, and a water-based heat pipe extending between the heat sink assembly and the thermoelectric cooler assembly; and

a controller configured to direct the temperature management system to regulate a temperature of the inner chamber assembly based on an ambient temperature, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine a coefficient of performance (COP) of the thermoelectric cooler assembly based on a temperature differential between the inner chamber assembly and the ambient environment;

operate the temperature management system in a first heating mode when the COP is greater than 1, wherein the first heating mode utilizes both the thermoelectric cooler assembly and ambient heat transfer by way of the water-based heat pipe; and

operate the temperature management system in a second heating mode when the COP is less than 1, wherein the second heating mode utilizes the water-based heat pipe as thermal insulation between the thermoelectric cooler assembly and the ambient environment.

2 . A portable incubation system comprising:

a container comprising a housing forming an outer wall of the container and an inner chamber assembly disposed within the housing;

a controller configured to direct the temperature management system to regulate a temperature of the inner chamber assembly based on an ambient temperature; and

a control system comprising the controller and a plurality of temperature sensors disposed in the portable incubation system;

wherein:

the controller is configured to direct the temperature management system to regulate a temperature of the inner chamber assembly by operating at least one of the fan or the thermoelectric cooler;

the controller is configured to seamlessly transition between a cooling mode, a first heating mode, and a second heating mode based on continuous sensor feedback; and

the transition points between modes are determined by both an internal temperature of the inner chamber assembly relative to a predetermined threshold temperature and the ambient temperature relative to a coefficient of performance transition point.

3 . A portable incubation system comprising:

a container comprising a housing forming an outer wall of the container and an inner chamber assembly disposed within the housing;

a temperature management system disposed within the housing comprising: a heat sink assembly in thermal communication with an ambient environment of the portable incubation system; a thermoelectric cooler assembly coupled to the inner chamber assembly and comprising a thermoelectric cooler; a water-based heat pipe extending between the heat sink assembly and the thermoelectric cooler assembly, and a fan configured to direct ambient air over the heat sink assembly; and

a controller configured to direct the temperature management system to regulate a temperature of the inner chamber assembly based on an ambient temperature by operating at least one of the fan or the thermoelectric cooler, and wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a coefficient of performance (COP) of the thermoelectric cooler based on a difference in temperature across the water-based heat pipe;

operate the temperature management system in a first heating mode when the COP is greater than 1, wherein the first heating mode comprises operating both the thermoelectric cooler and the fan to transfer heat from the ambient environment by way of the water-based heat pipe; and

operate the temperature management system in a second heating mode when the COP is less than 1, wherein the second heating mode comprises operating the thermoelectric cooler and not operating the fan, utilizing the reduced heat transfer capability of the water-based heat pipe as thermal insulation.