Incubator

Abstract

The present application provides an incubator, which includes a box body with a containing space; a heating circuit, including a bus switch and a heating element, the heating element is used to heat the containing space; an over-temperature protection circuit, including a processing circuit and a monitoring component, the processing circuit is coupled to the monitoring component and the bus switch, and controls the on and off of the bus switch according to the data detected by the monitoring component, thereby controlling the working state of the heating element. In the present application, the processing circuit can determine whether there is a component failure in the box according to the data collected by the monitoring component, and when there is a component failure, the bus switch is disconnected in time to stop the heating element from heating, so as to avoid the temperature of the incubator from being out of control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to experimental equipment, and in particular to an incubator. Background Art

[0002] Incubators are commonly used equipment in scientific experiments and clinics. They can provide a suitable environment for microorganisms, tissues, cells, and even small animals. Among them, the control of the temperature inside the incubator is very important. However, current incubators sometimes have the problem of temperature out of control.

[0003] In the prior art, by monitoring the temperature inside the box and performing over-temperature protection when the temperature inside the box is too high, this method often has a certain hysteresis. For example, the temperature inside the box needs to reach a preset temperature (taking 25±1 degrees Celsius as an example), and the over-temperature protection will only be activated when the temperature inside the box is detected to be greater than 26 degrees Celsius. At this time, heat will continue to dissipate and transfer into the box, causing the temperature inside the box to continue to rise and exceed 26 degrees Celsius. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present application provides an incubator, which includes a box body, a heating circuit and an over-temperature protection circuit, the box body has a accommodating space; the heating circuit includes a bus switch and a heating element, the heating element is used to heat the accommodating space; the over-temperature protection circuit includes a processing circuit and a monitoring component, the processing circuit couples the monitoring component and the bus switch, controls the on and off of the bus switch according to the data detected by the monitoring component, and then controls the working state of the heating element.

[0005] In the present application, the processing circuit can determine whether there is a component failure in the box based on the data collected by the monitoring component. When a component failure occurs, the bus switch is disconnected in time to stop the heating element from heating to avoid temperature out of control in the incubator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an incubator involved in one or more embodiments of the present application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a structure in which at least two temperature sensors involved in one or more embodiments of the present application are arranged adjacent to each other; Figure 3 A schematic block diagram of a part of the circuit of an incubator involved in one or more embodiments of the present application; Figure 4 This is a schematic block diagram of another portion of the circuit of the incubator involved in one or more embodiments of the present application.

[0007] Description of reference numerals: Incubator 10, Box body 100, containing chamber 101, circulating air duct 102, Heating circuit 200, bus switch 210, heating element 220, branch switch 230, temperature control switch 240, mechanical switch 250, Over-temperature protection circuit 300 , processing circuit 310 , monitoring component 320 , temperature sensor 321 , current detection element 322 , reset circuit 330 , voltage conversion circuit 400 , display screen 500 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and some embodiments. The following embodiments are mainly used to exemplarily illustrate the technical solution of the present application, and therefore cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0009] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by technicians in the technical field to which this application belongs; the terms used herein are mainly used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application; the terms "include", "have", "comprise" and other synonyms with the same or similar meanings in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned figure descriptions are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0010] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "first", "second", etc. are mainly used to distinguish different objects, and should not be understood as explicitly or implicitly indicating the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0011] In this article, the specific features, structures or characteristics described in any embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application or a combination of at least two embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments in this article or other embodiments outside this article.

[0012] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, technical terms used to indicate orientation or positional relationships, such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., are mainly used to facilitate the description of the embodiments of the present application and simplify the description, and are not considered to mean that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0013] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, technical terms such as "set", "install", "assemble", "connect", "connect", "fix" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. Taking connection as an example, it may include fixed connection, detachable connection or integral molding; it may also include at least one of mechanical connection and electrical connection; it may include direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium. A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application according to the specific circumstances.

[0014] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The incubator 10 may include a housing 100, a heating circuit 200 and an over-temperature protection circuit 300. The housing 100 has a containing space 101. The heating circuit 200 includes a bus switch 210 and a heating element 220. The heating element 220 is used to heat the containing space 101. The over-temperature protection circuit 300 includes a processing circuit 310 and a monitoring component 320. The monitoring component 320 collects data related to temperature, such as the temperature itself, and / or the current, voltage and working status of components in the temperature control circuit. The processing circuit 310 couples the monitoring component 320 and the bus switch 210, and controls the on and off of the bus switch 210 according to the data detected by the monitoring component 320, thereby controlling the working status of the heating element 220.

[0015] In the present application, the processing circuit 310 can determine whether there is a component failure in the box 100 based on the data collected by the monitoring component 320. When a component failure occurs, the bus switch 210 is disconnected in time to stop the heating element 220 from heating to avoid temperature out of control in the incubator 10.

[0016] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the monitoring component 320 may include at least two temperature sensors 321. The processing circuit 310 is coupled to the at least two temperature sensors 321 and the bus switch 210. The at least two temperature sensors 321 are arranged in the box 100 for temperature detection. The processing circuit 310 is electrically connected to the at least two temperature sensors 321, respectively obtains the temperatures detected by the at least two temperature sensors 321, and determines whether to control the bus switch 210 to be disconnected according to the temperatures detected by the at least two temperature sensors 321.

[0017] The processing circuit 310 may include an MCU, which is used to obtain the temperatures detected by the two temperature sensors 321 and calculate the temperature difference. If the temperature difference is greater than a preset value, it is determined that some or all of the temperature sensors 321 are faulty, and then the bus switch 210 is controlled to be disconnected. The preset value may be 0, 0.3 degrees, 1 degree, 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees.

[0018] In the present application, the processing circuit 310 obtains the temperatures of the two temperature sensors 321 and compares them. When a large deviation occurs in the temperatures detected by the two temperature sensors 321, it means that at least one of the temperature sensors is faulty. Thus, the faulty temperature sensor 321 can be detected in time, thereby reducing the possibility of temperature out of control in the incubator 10.

[0019] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the incubator 10 may be a constant temperature incubator, a carbon dioxide incubator, a pet breeding box, a light incubator or an anaerobic incubator. The box body 100 may have a storage space 101 and a circulating air duct 102. The storage space 101 is used to accommodate a culture medium or a small animal. The circulating air duct 102 is connected to the storage space 101 so that the airflow inside the storage space 101 can flow back to the storage space 101 after circulating through the circulating air duct 102. A fan may be provided inside the circulating air duct 102. The gas in the storage space 101 can enter the circulating air duct 102 through the air inlet of the circulating air duct 102 under the action of the fan, and after flowing through the circulating air duct 102, it can enter the storage space 101 again through the air outlet of the circulating air duct 102. Due to the circulation of the airflow, the temperature inside the storage space 101 and the circulating air duct 102 can be made substantially the same.

[0020] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the temperature sensor 321 may be disposed in the circulating air duct 102. Although the temperatures inside the accommodation space 101 and the circulating air duct 102 are substantially the same, there may still be slight differences in the temperatures of different areas inside the accommodation space 101. In addition, due to the influence of resistance during circuit design, there may also be an error between the temperature value measured by the temperature sensor 321 and the actual temperature of the environment in which the temperature sensor 321 is located.

[0021] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the at least two temperature sensors 321 may include a standard temperature sensor and at least one reference temperature sensor. The processing circuit 310 may calculate the temperature difference after acquiring the temperatures detected by the at least two temperature sensors 321. If the temperature difference is less than a preset value, the temperature value measured by the standard temperature sensor is used as the measured temperature. Of course, in other embodiments, the measured temperature may also be the average of the temperature values ​​measured by the two temperature sensors, or any one of the temperature values ​​measured by the two temperature sensors.

[0022] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the processing circuit 310 may obtain a temperature compensation value corresponding to the measured temperature after obtaining the measured temperature, and the temperature compensation value is used to characterize the difference between the measured temperature and the actual temperature of a preset area in the accommodation space 101, and then calculate the actual temperature based on the measured temperature and the corresponding temperature compensation value. Among them, the preset area in the accommodation space 101 may be the central area, the bottom area or any desired area of ​​the accommodation space 101. Calculating the actual temperature based on the measured temperature and the corresponding temperature compensation value may include summing the measured temperature and the temperature compensation value to obtain the actual temperature. The temperature compensation value may change with the measured temperature, or it may be a fixed value.

[0023] The temperature compensation value can be obtained through preliminary experiments. The external temperature sensor 321 is placed in a preset area of ​​the accommodating space 101, and then the heating element 220 is controlled to heat. When the temperature sensor 321 obtains different measured temperatures, the actual temperature of the preset area corresponding to the external temperature sensor 321 is obtained, and the compensation value corresponding to the different measured temperatures can be obtained. For example, the external sensor is placed in the central area of ​​the accommodating space 101, and then heated, and the external sensor is heated to 30, 30.1, 30.2, 30.3, 30.4, and 30.5 respectively. At the same time, the temperature collected by the standard temperature sensor 321 is obtained, for example, 29.95, 30.06, 30.16, 30.27, 30.38, and 30.5. Then the temperature compensation values ​​of the standard temperature sensor and the external sensor at different temperatures can be obtained.

[0024] Optionally, at least two temperature sensors 321 have the same specifications. Optionally, at least two temperature sensors 321 are arranged adjacent to each other. In this case, the negative impact of the error in the specifications of the two temperature sensors 321 and / or the error in the setting position on the measured temperature can be reduced. Further, at least two temperature sensors 321 can be arranged in the protective housing 150. The material of the protective housing 150 can be aluminum. In this case, the temperatures of the two temperature sensors 321 can be effectively controlled to be approximately the same.

[0025] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the monitoring component 320 further includes a current detection element 322 for detecting the current passing through the bus switch 210. The processing circuit 310 couples the current detection element 322 and the bus switch 210 to obtain the bus current and determine whether to control the bus switch 210 to disconnect based on the bus current. The current detection element 322 may be a current transformer.

[0026] The processing circuit 310 can obtain the actual current obtained by the current detection element 322 and obtain the theoretical current flowing through the bus switch 210. If the current difference between the actual current and the theoretical current exceeds a preset current value, it is determined that the current flowing through the bus switch 210 is abnormal.

[0027] For example, when the heating element 220 is turned off, it is determined whether the current flowing through the bus switch 210 is 0. If the current flowing through the bus switch 210 is not 0, it means that there is a fault. Therefore, the heating element 220 can be forcibly turned off by disconnecting the bus switch 210 to prevent the temperature from continuing to rise and causing the temperature to get out of control. Therefore, this method can not only timely determine whether there is a fault that the heating element 220 cannot be turned off, but also perform corresponding protection actions before the temperature of the accommodating space 101 gets out of control.

[0028] Of course, even when the heating element 220 is not turned off, the current detection element 322 can detect whether there is a failure that the heating element 220 cannot be turned off (described later).

[0029] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the number of the heating elements 220 is at least two, and at least two heating elements 220 are arranged in parallel. The heating circuit 200 further includes a branch switch 230 coupled to the processing circuit 310, the branch switch 230 corresponds to the heating element 220 one by one, and is connected in series with the corresponding heating element 220 to individually control the working state of the corresponding heating element 220 under the control of the processing circuit 310.

[0030] Normally, the bus switch 210 is always in the on state, and the opening and closing of the heating element 220 is mainly controlled by the branch switch 230. The heating element 220 can be a heating film. The number of heating films can be 4, 5, 6, 8 or 10. That is, the processing circuit 310 controls the heating element 220 to heat or stop heating through the branch switch 230. By controlling the state of each corresponding branch switch 230, a specific number of heating elements 220 can be controlled to be in the heating state, and then the heating efficiency can be controlled.

[0031] In this embodiment, when all heating elements 220 need to be turned off, the processing circuit 310 controls all branch switches 230 to be disconnected. If the processing circuit 310 determines that the current flowing through the bus switch 210 is not zero, it is determined that there is a branch switch 230 failure, and the bus switch 210 is disconnected.

[0032] Of course, the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to the process of the temperature rising of the accommodation space 101. For example, when four heating films are turned on, the corresponding theoretical current is 4A, and the actual current detected by the current transformer is 5A, it means that one heating film may be turned on by mistake. In this case, the heating power will change, which may be detrimental to the thermal management of the accommodation space 101. Therefore, in this case, corresponding actions can also be taken, such as disconnecting the bus switch 210 or issuing an alarm.

[0033] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the number of bus switches 210 is two, and the two bus switches 210 are arranged in series. The processing circuit 310 can simultaneously turn on and off the two bus switches 210. That is, the processing circuit 310 can output a signal to control the two bus switches 210 to be disconnected or turned on at the same time. In this case, the processing circuit 310 can reliably control the heating element 220 to stop heating. Even if one of the two bus switches 210 fails and cannot be turned off smoothly, as long as the other switch can be used normally, the heating element 220 can be powered off.

[0034] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the bus switch 210 includes a relay, and the processing circuit 310 controls the on and off of the relay through a driving circuit. Of course, the bus switch 210 may also include devices such as thyristors, MOS tubes, analog switches, and triodes. Optionally, the branch switch 230 includes a thyristor. Similarly, the branch switch 230 may also be a MOS tube, an analog switch, a triode, and other devices.

[0035] Optionally, the heating circuit 200 further includes a temperature control switch 240 connected in series with the bus switch 210. The temperature control switch 240 can be used to disconnect when the temperature in the accommodating space 101 exceeds a predetermined temperature, so as to play a role of over-temperature protection.

[0036] Optionally, the monitoring component 320 further includes a reset circuit 330, the processing circuit 310 is coupled to the bus switch 210 and the reset circuit 330, and when the processing circuit 310 is abnormal, the reset circuit 330 controls the bus switch 210 to be disconnected. The reset circuit 330 may also be referred to as a reset IC, which may be coupled to the processing circuit 310. The processing circuit 310 may output different signals to the reset IC in different states, so that the reset IC can determine whether the processing circuit 310 is abnormal according to the signal output by the processing circuit 310, and further control the bus switch 210. For example, the processing circuit 310 may send a square wave signal with a frequency of 1 Hz to the reset IC in a normal working state, and output other signals in an abnormal state. When the reset IC does not receive the above-mentioned 1 Hz square wave signal, the bus switch 210 is controlled to be disconnected.

[0037] Component failure in the incubator 10 is often the main cause of abnormal temperature in the accommodating space. Component failure in the incubator will cause the processing circuit to be unable to accurately control the rise and maintenance of temperature, and even unable to accurately obtain the temperature value in the box, which is prone to overheating. In the present application, the processing circuit determines whether there is a component failure in the box based on the data collected by the monitoring components closely related to temperature (temperature sensor, current detection element, reset circuit for monitoring the working status of MCU). When there is a component failure, the bus switch is disconnected in time to stop the heating element from heating, so as to avoid the temperature of the incubator from being out of control as soon as possible. Optionally, the incubator 10 also includes a mechanical switch 250 and a power input interface (not shown in the figure), and the mechanical switch 250 is arranged between the heating element 220 and the power input interface for user operation. Among them, the mechanical switch 250 can be a boat-type switch so that the user can manually cut off the power according to needs. The power input interface can be a charging plug, a power adapter or a charging port (such as a USB port).

[0038] Alternatively, see Figure 4 The incubator 10 further includes a voltage conversion circuit 400, which is connected to the mechanical switch 250 and is used to supply power to at least one of the processing circuit 310, the heating circuit 200, and the monitoring component 320. The voltage conversion circuit 400 may include at least one of a DC-DC circuit and an AC-DC circuit.

[0039] Optionally, the incubator 10 further includes a display screen 500, which is electrically connected to the processing circuit 310. The display screen 500 can be used to display interactive data. The interactive data can include at least one of the actual temperature of a preset area in the accommodating space 101 and alarm information.

[0040] The alarm information may include at least one of the prompt information such as abnormal heating system, abnormal current, abnormal processing circuit 310, failure of temperature sensor 321, etc. The alarm information is intended to provide prompt information to the user, so the alarm information can be replaced with other information sufficient for the user to understand, and of course the same technical effect can be achieved.

[0041] For example, the processing circuit 310 is coupled to the current detection element 322 to obtain the actual current detected by it and obtain the theoretical current flowing through the bus switch 210. If the current difference between the actual current and the theoretical current exceeds the preset current value, the current is judged to be abnormal, and an alarm message, such as current abnormality, is displayed on the display screen 500.

[0042] For another example, the processing circuit 310 is coupled to at least two temperature sensors 321, obtains the temperatures detected by the two temperature sensors 321, and calculates the temperature difference. If the temperature difference is greater than a preset value, it is determined that some or all of the temperature sensors 321 are faulty, and then an alarm message, such as a temperature sensor 321 failure, is displayed on the display screen 500.

[0043] The display screen 500 may be a touch screen, so that the user can input instructions. For example, the user can input a target temperature through the touch screen. The processing circuit 310 is coupled to the touch screen to obtain the target temperature. The processing circuit 310 then controls the heating element 220 to heat through the branch switch 230, and monitors the actual temperature of the preset area in the accommodating space 101 through at least two temperature sensors 321 until the actual temperature of the preset area in the accommodating space 101 is equal to the target temperature.

[0044] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the incubator 10 is a carbon dioxide incubator 10. The carbon dioxide incubator 10 includes: a box 100, two temperature sensors 321, an MCU, a reset IC, a heating film, a current transformer, a display screen 500 and other photoelectric alarms. The number of heating films is 8, and the 8 heating films are connected in parallel, and each heating film is also individually connected in series with a thyristor. The thyristor is coupled to the MCU to be individually turned on and off under the control of the MCU. In addition, the 8 heating films are connected in parallel and in series with two relays and a temperature control switch 240. The MCU can control the on and off of the two relays through a drive circuit. The MCU is arranged in the box 100, electrically connected to the two temperature sensors 321, and obtains the temperatures detected by at least two temperature sensors 321 respectively. The two temperature sensors 321 have the same specifications and are arranged adjacent to each other. For example, the two temperature sensors 321 are PT100 temperature sensors or PT1000 temperature sensors.

[0045] During normal operation, the control logic of the MCU includes: obtaining the preset temperature input by the user through the display screen, controlling the thyristor to conduct, so that the heating film is heated. In addition, the MCU also obtains the temperature of the two temperature sensors, and determines whether the difference between the temperatures detected by the two temperature sensors is within the preset range. If the judgment result is no, the relay is controlled to be disconnected, and / or an alarm message is issued through a photoelectric alarm, and / or an alarm message is output through the display screen. In addition, the MCU also obtains the current flowing through the relay. If the difference between the current and the actual current exceeds the preset current value, the relay is controlled to be disconnected, and / or an alarm message is issued through a photoelectric alarm, and / or an alarm message is output through the display screen. The reset IC is coupled to the drive circuit of the relay and the MCU, and outputs a low level when the MCU inputs a 1HZ square wave signal to it, so that the two relays remain in the on state. When the MCU outputs an abnormal signal, a high level is output to control the two relays to be disconnected.

[0046] In addition, the incubator 10 further includes a rocker switch, an AC power input interface, and a voltage conversion circuit 400. The voltage conversion circuit 400 is used to supply power to the processing circuit 310, the reset IC, and the two temperature sensors 321.

[0047] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are mainly used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and should not be understood as limiting the present application; the above embodiments exemplarily illustrate the present application in detail and specifically, and ordinary technicians in this field can modify the technical solutions recorded in the above embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein; and these modifications or replacements cannot make the corresponding technical solutions and the technical solutions of the present application constitute different inventions, and therefore should all be included in the scope of the claims and specification of the present application. In particular, in the absence of structural conflicts or combination obstacles, the various technical features mentioned in each embodiment can be combined in any way, and the technical solutions formed by these combinations should still not be considered to be out of the scope of the technical solutions of the present application in essence.

Claims

1. An incubator, characterized in that include: A box body having a containing space; A heating circuit, comprising a bus switch and a heating element, wherein the heating element is used to heat the accommodating space; The over-temperature protection circuit includes a processing circuit and a monitoring component. The processing circuit is coupled to the monitoring component and the bus switch, and controls the on and off of the bus switch according to data detected by the monitoring component, thereby controlling the working state of the heating element.

2. The incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring component includes at least two temperature sensors, and the processing circuit is coupled to the at least two temperature sensors and the bus switch, respectively acquiring the temperatures detected by the at least two temperature sensors, and determining whether to control the bus switch to be disconnected based on the temperatures detected by the at least two temperature sensors.

3. The incubator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The at least two temperature sensors have the same specifications; and / or, The at least two temperature sensors are arranged adjacent to each other.

4. The incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring component includes a current detection element, which is used to detect the current passing through the bus switch. The processing circuit is coupled to the current detection element and the bus switch, and determines whether to control the bus current to be disconnected based on the bus current detected by the current detection element.

5. The incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring component further includes a reset circuit. The processing circuit is coupled to the reset circuit and the bus switch and is used to control the bus switch to be disconnected when the processing circuit is abnormal.

6. The incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the heating elements is at least two, and at least two heating elements are arranged in parallel; The heating circuit also includes a branch switch coupled to the processing circuit. The branch switch corresponds to the heating element one by one and is connected in series with the corresponding heating element to control the working state of the corresponding heating element respectively under the control of the processing circuit.

7. The incubator according to claim 6, characterized in that: The number of the bus switches is two, and the two bus switches are arranged in series; and / or, The bus switch includes a relay, and the processing circuit controls the on and off of the relay; and / or, The branch switch includes a thyristor; and / or, The heating circuit also includes a temperature control switch connected in series with the bus switch.

8. The incubator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The incubator also includes a mechanical switch and a power input interface, wherein the mechanical switch is disposed between the heating element and the power input interface for operation.

9. The incubator according to claim 8, characterized in that: The incubator also includes a voltage conversion circuit connected to the mechanical switch for supplying power to at least one of the processing circuit, the heating circuit, and the monitoring component.

10. The incubator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The incubator also includes a display screen, which is electrically connected to the processing circuit.

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