Incubation tray and incubation unit employing the same

Abstract

The present application provides an incubation tray, comprising: an incubation tray body, a reaction tray assembly, a lower temperature control assembly and a middle temperature control assembly. The incubation tray body has an incubation cavity; the reaction tray assembly is used for installing reaction cups and is arranged in the incubation cavity; the lower temperature control assembly is arranged in the incubation cavity and is located at the bottom of the incubation tray body and is used for controlling the overall temperature of the incubation cavity; the middle temperature control assembly is arranged in the incubation cavity and is located between the reaction tray assembly and the lower temperature control assembly, and the middle temperature control assembly is arranged adjacent to the lower part of the reaction tray assembly and is used for controlling the temperature of the reaction cups arranged in the reaction tray assembly. The present application also discloses an incubation unit using the incubation tray.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of detection equipment technology, specifically relating to an incubation tray and an incubation unit using the incubation tray. Background Technology

[0002] Chemiluminescent immunoassay is a rapidly developing non-radioactive immunoassay technique in recent years. Its principle is to amplify the signal of the sample using chemiluminescent substances and directly measure the immune binding process by means of its luminescence intensity. This method has become one of the important directions in immunological detection.

[0003] Currently, chemiluminescence immunoassay is generally performed using a photo-induced chemiluminescence detector. The detector has one or more incubation trays containing reaction cups required for the experiment. During use, the incubation tray is rotated at a certain angle so that the reaction cups are positioned at the sample and reagent aspiration ports, allowing the sample or reagent arms to aspirate the sample or reagent, and also at the detection port for the detection module to collect data.

[0004] Existing incubation tray heating modules use bottom heating, resulting in uneven temperature distribution within the incubation tray. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides an incubation tray with uniform and stable heating and an incubation unit using the incubation tray.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an incubation tray, comprising: an incubation tray body, a reaction tray assembly, a lower temperature control assembly, and a middle temperature control assembly. The incubation tray body has an incubation cavity; the reaction tray assembly is used to hold a reaction cup and is disposed within the incubation cavity; the lower temperature control assembly is disposed within the incubation cavity and located at the bottom of the incubation tray body, and is used to control the overall temperature of the incubation cavity; the middle temperature control assembly is disposed within the incubation cavity and located between the reaction tray assembly and the lower temperature control assembly, and is disposed adjacent to the lower part of the reaction tray assembly, and is used to control the temperature of the reaction cup disposed within the reaction tray assembly.

[0007] In one embodiment, the incubation tray further includes an upper temperature control component disposed above the reaction tray assembly, for isolating the incubation chamber from the external environment in terms of temperature.

[0008] In one embodiment, the incubation tray further includes an insulation layer disposed on the outside of the incubation tray body and covering the outer side of the incubation tray body; the incubation tray further includes a cover plate, and an insulation cover plate is disposed on top of the cover plate.

[0009] In one embodiment, the lower temperature control component includes a lower heating element and a lower heat sink (122). The lower heating element is fixed to the bottom plate of the incubation tray body, and the lower heat sink is pressed onto the lower heating element. The lower temperature control component also includes a lower temperature sensor and a lower over-temperature protector, which are connected to the lower heat sink.

[0010] In one embodiment, the intermediate temperature control component includes an intermediate heating element, which is connected and fixed to the bottom end of the reaction disk assembly; the intermediate temperature control component also includes an intermediate temperature sensor and an intermediate over-temperature protector, which are fixed to the reaction disk assembly.

[0011] In one embodiment, the heating element is supported and fixed to the base plate of the incubation tray body by multiple support columns.

[0012] In one embodiment, the reaction disk assembly includes a reaction disk and a circumferential guide ring. The upper surface of the reaction disk has multiple radial grooves extending radially therefrom. The circumferential guide ring includes multiple concentric rings. An annular guide groove is formed between adjacent concentric rings to allow the reaction cup to move circumferentially. The circumferential guide ring is embedded into the reaction disk from the bottom end of the reaction disk. The space where the radial grooves intersect with the guide grooves is used to set the reaction cup. The intermediate temperature sensor and the intermediate over-temperature protector are connected and fixed to the circumferential guide ring.

[0013] In one embodiment, on a projection plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the circumferential guide ring, the projection of the middle heating element covers the circumferential guide ring and matches the projection of the circumferential guide ring; the lower heating element is located on the inner side of the circumferential guide ring, preferably the outer edge of the lower heating element coincides with the inner edge of the middle heating element.

[0014] In one embodiment, the incubation tray further includes a cover plate, and the upper heating element is disposed on the cover plate and located on the upper side of the cover plate. The shape and size of the upper heating element are the same as those of the cover plate. The upper temperature control assembly further includes an upper temperature sensor and an upper over-temperature protector, both of which are disposed on the cover plate.

[0015] On the other hand, embodiments of this application provide an incubation unit, including the incubation tray described above.

[0016] In this embodiment of the invention, the lower temperature control component controls the incubation chamber to be kept within a predetermined temperature range; the middle temperature control component precisely controls the temperature of the reaction cup containing the reaction liquid; through the dual protection of temperature control, the temperature in the incubation tray is uniform and stable, achieving the best reaction effect of the reaction liquid and higher accuracy of the detection results. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the incubation tray structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Explosion-proof diagram of the reaction disk assembly in the incubation tray;

[0020] Figure 3 To be set in Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-section of the reaction vessel inside the incubation dish;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the incubation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0023] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 This application provides an incubation tray 100, including an incubation tray body 13, a reaction tray assembly 15, a lower temperature control assembly 12, and a middle temperature control assembly 14. The incubation tray body 13 has an incubation cavity 133, and the reaction tray assembly 15, the lower temperature control assembly 12, and the middle temperature control assembly 14 are all disposed within the incubation cavity 133. The reaction tray assembly 15 is used to mount a reaction cup 20. The lower temperature control assembly 12 is disposed within the incubation cavity 133 and is located at the bottom of the incubation tray body 13, and is used to control the overall temperature of the incubation cavity 133. The middle temperature control assembly 14 is located between the reaction tray assembly 15 and the lower temperature control assembly 12, and is disposed adjacent to the lower part of the reaction tray assembly 15, and is used to control the temperature of the reaction cup 20 disposed within the reaction tray assembly 15.

[0024] In this embodiment, the lower temperature control component 12 controls the incubation chamber 133 to be kept within a predetermined temperature range, such as around 35 degrees Celsius; the middle temperature control component 14 precisely controls the temperature of the reaction cup 20 containing the reaction liquid; with the dual protection of temperature control, the temperature in the incubation tray 100 is uniform and stable, achieving the best reaction effect of the reaction liquid and higher accuracy of the detection results.

[0025] The incubation tray 100 also includes an upper temperature control component 16, which is also disposed within the incubation chamber 133 and located above the reaction tray assembly 15, for isolating the incubation chamber 133 from the external environment in terms of temperature. The incubation tray 100 also includes a thermal insulation layer 10, disposed on the outside of the incubation tray body 13 and covering the outer surface of the incubation tray body 13. The upper temperature control component 16 isolates the incubation chamber 133 from the external environment, preventing the external ambient temperature from affecting the incubation chamber 133; the thermal insulation layer 10 effectively insulates the incubation chamber 133.

[0026] The insulation layer 10 is a cylindrical shape with a certain wall thickness. In this embodiment, it is cylindrical. The insulation layer 10 can be made of opaque material with heat insulation properties, so as to achieve a good heat insulation effect while also blocking light and avoiding affecting the sample analysis results.

[0027] The lower temperature control assembly 12 includes a lower heating element 121, a lower heat sink 122, a lower temperature sensor 123, and a lower over-temperature protector 124. The lower heating element 121 is fixed inside the incubation tray body 13.

[0028] Specifically, the incubation tray body 13 includes a cylindrical side plate 131 and a bottom plate 132 connected to the bottom end of the cylindrical side plate 131, thereby defining the incubation cavity 133. The lower temperature control assembly 12 is disposed at the bottom of the incubation cavity 133. Specifically, the lower heating element 121 is disposed in the incubation cavity 133 and fixed to the bottom plate 132 of the incubation tray body 13, and the lower heat dissipation plate 122 is pressed onto the lower heating element 121 and fixed to the bottom plate 132. The lower heat dissipation plate 122 is used to evenly diffuse the heat generated by the lower heating plate 122 into the incubation cavity 133. The lower temperature sensor 123 and the lower over-temperature protector 124 are disposed inside the incubation chamber 133. In this embodiment, the lower temperature sensor 123 and the lower over-temperature protector 124 are connected to the lower heat sink 122. The lower temperature sensor 123 is used to sense the temperature of the incubation chamber 133 and transmit the sensed temperature signal to the external circuit, which can be displayed in real time through an external display device. The lower over-temperature protector 124 is connected to the switching circuit of the lower heating element 121. When the temperature sensed by the lower over-temperature protector 124 reaches or exceeds a threshold, it will cut off the circuit, that is, disconnect the heating circuit of the lower heating element 121, thereby preventing the temperature inside the incubation chamber 133 from being too high, which could lead to incubation failure or damage to other devices inside the incubation chamber 100.

[0029] In this embodiment, the lower heating element 121 is an electric heating plate that generates heat when energized. Preferably, the lower heating element 121 is disc-shaped and concentric with the base plate 132. The lower heat sink 122 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity; in this embodiment, it can be an aluminum plate with a rough surface or multiple microstructures to increase the diffusion area and improve heat diffusion efficiency. In this embodiment, a fan can also be further provided on the surface of the lower heat sink 122 to more quickly diffuse the heat from the lower heat sink 122 to the incubation cavity 133.

[0030] The intermediate temperature control component 14 includes an intermediate heating element 141, an intermediate temperature sensor 142, and an intermediate over-temperature protector 143. The intermediate heating element 141 is supported and connected to the base plate 132 by multiple support columns 144. Specifically, one end of the support column 144 is fixed to the base plate 132, and the other end is connected to the intermediate heating element 141; in this embodiment, the support column 144 includes a support body 1441 and a first connecting end 1442 and a second connecting end 1443 connected to both ends of the support body 1441. The first connecting end 1442 is used to connect to the base plate 132. The connection can be a locating pin and a locating hole, such as the first connecting end 1442 being a locating pin and the base plate 132 having a matching locating hole, or the first connecting end 1442 being a locating hole and the base plate 132 having a locating pin. Preferably, the first connecting end 1442 is a stud, which cooperates with a screw hole structure on the base plate 132 for fixation. Of course, the first connecting end 1442 can also be a screw hole, which cooperates with a stud on the base plate 132 for fixation. In this embodiment, the second connecting end 1442 is a locating pin, which cooperates with a locating hole 145 on the heating element 141 for positioning and connection. In this embodiment, there are six support columns 144, evenly distributed along a circumferential direction centered on the center of the heating element 141, thus providing balanced and stable support for the heating element 141 above the base plate 132.

[0031] The incubation tray 100 further includes a reaction tray assembly 15, which includes a reaction turntable 151 and a circumferential guide ring 152. The upper surface 1510 of the reaction turntable 151 has a plurality of radial grooves 1511 extending radially therefrom, and the plurality of radial grooves 1511 penetrate the outer and inner sides of the reaction turntable 151 radially. In this embodiment, the plurality of radial grooves 1511 are distributed at equal angles along the circumference of the reaction turntable 151. The lower surface 1512 of the reaction turntable 151 has an annular receiving groove 1513. The annular receiving groove 1513 is concentric with the reaction turntable 151 and communicates with the radial grooves 1511. The annular receiving groove 1513 is used for embedding the circumferential guide ring 152 to receive the circumferential guide ring 152. An annular rotating connecting plate 1514 is provided on the inner side of the reaction turntable 151. The rotating connecting plate 1514 is used to connect with the central rotating shaft (not shown) so that the rotation of the central rotating shaft drives the reaction turntable 151 to rotate.

[0032] The circumferential guide ring 152 includes multiple concentric ring members 1521. An annular guide groove 1522 is formed between adjacent concentric ring members 1521 to allow the reaction cup 20 to move circumferentially. The multiple concentric ring members 1521 are connected and fixed by connecting ribs (not shown) arranged radially along their sides. The connecting ribs are located at the bottom of the multiple concentric ring members 1521. In this embodiment, the multiple concentric ring members 1521 have equal heights and their top and bottom ends are flush. The circumferential guide ring 152 is embedded in the annular receiving groove 1513, with its top end adjacent to the upper surface 1510 of 151. The spatial position where the radially extending radial groove 1511 intersects with the circumferentially extending guide groove 1522 is used to position the reaction cup 20. Figure 3 As shown, the reaction cup 20 includes a cup body 201 and a shoulder 202 formed on the upper part of the cup body 201 and protruding radially outward along the cup body 201. Generally, the shoulder 202 is a protruding structure around the cup body 201. The width of the shoulder 202, i.e., its diameter, is greater than the width of the radial groove 1511, while the width of the cup body 201 is less than the width of the radial groove 1511 and the guide groove 1522. Thus, the cup body 201 is received in the radial groove 1521 and the guide groove 1512, and the shoulder 202 is supported by the upper surface 1510 of the reaction turntable 151.

[0033] The intermediate heating element 141 is annular and fixed to the bottom end of the reaction disk assembly 15. In this embodiment, it is the bottom end of the circumferential guide ring 152. That is, the circumferential guide ring 152 is fixed to the intermediate heating element 141. The heat emitted by the intermediate heating element 141 is dissipated into the guide groove 1522 and the radial slide groove 1511 to control the temperature in the guide groove 1522 at a predetermined temperature, such as around 35 degrees Celsius. Since the cup body 202 is housed in the guide groove 1522 and the radial slide groove 1511, the intermediate heating element 141 can heat the reaction cup 20, thereby heating the liquid inside the reaction cup 20. The intermediate temperature sensor 142 and the intermediate over-temperature protector 143 are connected and fixed to the reaction plate assembly 15. In this embodiment, the intermediate temperature sensor 142 is a circumferential guide ring 152. The intermediate temperature sensor 142 is used to sense the temperature of the guide groove 1522 and the radial slide 1511, and transmits the sensed temperature signal to the external circuit, which can be displayed in real time through an external display device. The intermediate over-temperature protector 143 is connected to the switching circuit of the intermediate heating element 121. When the temperature sensed by the intermediate over-temperature protector 143 reaches or exceeds a threshold, it will cut off the circuit, that is, disconnect the heating circuit of the intermediate heating element 141, thereby preventing the temperature in the guide groove 1522 and the radial slide 1511, i.e. the heating temperature of the reaction cup 20, from being too high, which would lead to incubation failure.

[0034] The upper temperature control assembly 16 includes an upper heating element 161, an upper temperature sensor 162, and an upper over-temperature protector 163. The incubation tray 100 also includes a cover plate 17. The upper heating element 161 is disposed on the cover plate 17 and located on the side of the cover plate 17 away from the circumferential guide ring 151 of the reaction tray. The upper temperature sensor 162 and the upper over-temperature protector 163 are both disposed on the cover plate 17.

[0035] The upper heating element 161 is also an electric heating element. When powered on, it generates heat, which is then transferred to the cover plate 17. The cover plate 17 transfers the heat to the upper space of the incubation chamber 133, thereby isolating the incubation chamber 133 from the outside environment and preventing abnormal external temperatures from affecting the incubation chamber 133. In this embodiment, the cover plate 17 is made of aluminum, which has a high thermal conductivity and can effectively conduct heat. The upper heating element 161 has the same shape and size as the cover plate 17, allowing it to adhere well to the cover plate 17 and ensuring better heat transfer to the cover plate 17.

[0036] In this embodiment, on the projection plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the circumferential guide ring 152, the projection of the middle heating element 141 covers and matches the projection of the circumferential guide ring 152; the lower heating element 121 is located inside the annular shape of the circumferential guide ring 152, preferably with its outer edge coinciding with the inner edge of the middle heating element 141. The lower heating element 121 is also annular in shape, with its inner annular side used for the central rotating shaft to pass through.

[0037] It is understood that an insulation cover plate (not shown) can also be provided above the cover plate 17. The outer contour shape of the insulation cover plate can be the same as the outer contour shape of the cover plate 17, thereby achieving top insulation of the incubation tray 100. The combined structure of the insulation layer 10 and the insulation cover plate constitutes the complete insulation structure of the incubation tray 100.

[0038] In this embodiment, the lower temperature control component 12 controls the incubation chamber 133 to be within a predetermined temperature range, the middle temperature control component 14 precisely controls the temperature of the reaction cup 20 containing the reaction liquid, and the upper temperature control component 16 isolates the incubation chamber 133 from the external environment temperature. In addition, the insulation layer 10 ensures that the reaction cup 20 in the incubation chamber not only precisely controls the reaction temperature but also effectively maintains the overall temperature of the internal environment of the incubation chamber 133 and isolates it from the influence of the external environment temperature. This results in a uniform and stable temperature within the incubation tray 100, achieving the best reaction effect of the reaction liquid and higher accuracy of the detection results.

[0039] Please see Figure 4 The second embodiment of the present invention provides an incubation unit 200, including an incubation tray 100 and a central rotating shaft 30 as described in the first embodiment. The rotating connecting plate 1514 of the reaction tray 151 is connected to the central rotating shaft 30 via a rotating adapter 40. The rotating adapter 40 is an annular plate structure connected to the inner side of the rotating adapter plate 1514, and is fixedly connected to the central rotating shaft 30. The central rotating shaft 30 rotates around its central axis under the drive of a drive motor 50, and the reaction tray 151 rotates around the central axis of the central rotating shaft 30 under the drive of the central rotating shaft 30. Multiple reaction cups 20 containing samples and reagents are located within the reaction tray assembly 15 and rotate along with the rotation of the reaction tray 151. It should be noted that this embodiment is for clearer description of the incubation unit 200. Figure 4 The structural drawings of the upper temperature control component 16 and the cover plate 17 are omitted.

[0040] In this embodiment, the incubation unit 200 adopts the incubation tray 100 of the first embodiment. The reaction cup 20 rotates with the reaction turntable 151. During the incubation of the sample and reagent in the reaction cup 20, the lower temperature control component 12 controls the incubation chamber 133 to be controlled within a predetermined temperature range. The middle temperature control component 14 performs precise temperature control on the reaction cup 20 containing the reaction liquid. The upper temperature control component 16 isolates the incubation chamber 133 from the external ambient temperature. With the addition of the insulation layer 10, the temperature in the incubation tray 100 can be effectively guaranteed to be uniform and stable, achieving the best reaction effect of the reaction liquid and higher accuracy of the detection results.

[0041] In the accompanying drawings of this embodiment, the same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components. In the description of this invention, it should be understood that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, they are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms describing positional relationships in the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting this patent. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An incubation tray (100), comprising: The incubation tray body (13) has an incubation cavity (133); The reaction plate assembly (15) is used to mount the reaction cup (20) and is disposed inside the incubation chamber (133); The lower temperature control component (12) is located inside the incubation chamber (133) and at the bottom of the incubation tray body, and is used to control the overall temperature of the incubation chamber (133); The intermediate temperature control component (14) is disposed in the incubation chamber (133) and located between the reaction plate assembly (15) and the lower temperature control component (12), and the intermediate temperature control component (14) is disposed adjacent to the lower part of the reaction plate assembly (15) for controlling the temperature of the reaction cup (20) disposed in the reaction plate assembly (15); The upper temperature control component (16) is located above the reaction plate component (15) and is used to isolate the incubation chamber (133) from the external environment in terms of temperature.

2. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The incubation tray (100) also includes an insulation layer (10), which is disposed on the outside of the incubation tray body (13) and covers the outer surface of the incubation tray body (13).

3. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The incubation tray (100) also includes a cover plate (17), and an insulation cover plate is provided on the top of the cover plate (17).

4. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The lower temperature control component (12) includes a lower heating element (121) and a lower heat sink (122). The lower heating element (121) is fixed to the bottom plate (132) of the incubation tray body (13), and the lower heat sink (122) is pressed onto the lower heating element (121).

5. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The lower temperature control assembly (12) also includes a lower temperature sensor (123) and a lower over-temperature protector (124), which are connected to the lower heat sink (122).

6. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The medium temperature control component (14) includes a medium heating element (141), which is connected and fixed to the bottom end of the reaction disk component (15).

7. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The medium temperature control component (14) also includes a medium temperature sensor (142) and a medium over-temperature protector (143), which are fixed to the reaction plate assembly (15).

8. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The heating element (141) is supported and fixed to the base plate (132) of the incubation tray body (13) by multiple support columns (144).

9. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The reaction disk assembly (15) includes a reaction disk (151) and a circumferential guide ring (152). The upper surface of the reaction disk (151) is provided with a plurality of radial grooves (1511) extending radially therein. The circumferential guide ring (152) includes a plurality of concentric ring parts (1521). An annular guide groove (1522) is formed between adjacent concentric ring parts (1521) to allow the reaction cup (20) to move circumferentially. The circumferential guide ring (152) is embedded into the reaction disk (151) from the bottom end of the reaction disk (151). The spatial position where the radial grooves (1511) and the guide grooves (1522) intersect is used to set the reaction cup (20). The intermediate temperature sensor (142) and the intermediate over-temperature protector (143) are connected and fixed to the circumferential guide ring (152).

10. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 9, characterized in that, On the projection plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the circumferential guide ring (152), the projection of the middle heating element (141) covers the circumferential guide ring (152) and matches the projection of the circumferential guide ring (152); the lower heating element (121) is located on the inner side of the circumferential guide ring (152).

11. The incubation tray (100) as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that, The outer edge of the lower heating element (121) coincides with the inner edge of the middle heating element (141).

12. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The upper temperature control component (16) includes an upper heating element (161), which is disposed on the cover plate (17) and located on the upper side of the cover plate (17). The shape and size of the upper heating element (161) are the same as those of the cover plate (17).

13. The incubation tray (100) as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The upper temperature control component (16) also includes an upper temperature sensor (162) and an upper over-temperature protector (163), both of which are mounted on the cover plate (17).

14. An incubation unit (200) comprising an incubation tray (100) as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

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