A constant temperature control device and method based on air bath

Abstract

A constant temperature control device and method based on an air bath relates to the field of constant temperature control and addresses the issues of uneven temperature, limited temperature control accuracy, and limited heating and cooling speeds that exist in existing constant temperature control devices in the field of nucleic acid amplification. The device comprises: a turbulent blower, a rectifier, a guide tube, a heating cartridge, a turbulent fan, and a servo motor. The turbulent blower is connected to the rectifier and mounted above the upper cover of the machine. The rectifier is connected to the guide tube; the guide tube is secured to the heating cartridge. The turbulent fan is mounted in conjunction with the base, and the servo motor is connected to the turbulent fan, which is driven by the servo motor. The heating cartridge is secured to the upper cover of the machine and positioned vertically above the microfluidic chip holder. The present invention utilizes an effective combination of centrifugal force and aerodynamics to mechanically control the temperature of the air bath, avoiding the problem of temperature unevenness. The present invention is also applicable to the field of constant temperature control in nucleic acid amplification experiments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of constant temperature control, and in particular to a constant temperature control device and method based on an air bath. Background Art

[0002] Nucleic acid amplification plays a vital role in numerous fields, including life science research, clinical diagnosis, and forensic identification, significantly promoting the development of related fields. The core of nucleic acid amplification technology is the specific amplification of DNA through precise temperature control. This process primarily involves three stages: high-temperature denaturation, low-temperature annealing, and thermostatic extension, each of which has strict temperature requirements. Although nucleic acid amplification technology is quite mature and temperature control systems are constantly improving, current nucleic acid amplification temperature control still suffers from issues such as uneven temperature, limited temperature control accuracy, and restrictions on temperature ramp rates.

[0003] When designing nucleic acid amplification equipment, it's crucial to consider that during the heating process, temperature variations can occur at different locations within the reaction vessel due to heat conduction limitations. For example, the temperature at the edge of a heating block can differ significantly from that at the center. This temperature nonuniformity can lead to inconsistent reaction progress at different locations, resulting in higher DNA amplification efficiency in some wells and lower efficiency in others, or even amplification failure. This not only affects the accuracy of experimental results but also complicates subsequent data collection and analysis.

[0004] After analyzing and comparing existing nucleic acid amplification methods, existing PCR temperature control systems and PCR detectors have been found. The PCR temperature control system includes a temperature control base, an electromagnetic heating device, and a liquid cooling device. The temperature control base forms an insertion space for PCR reaction tubes to be inserted and fitted. The electromagnetic heating device is installed on the temperature control base and is used to electromagnetically heat the temperature control base. The liquid cooling device includes a liquid cooling head, which is installed on the outer peripheral wall of the insertion space and forms a liquid cooling channel. The liquid cooling head has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet connected to the liquid cooling channel on opposite sides. The temperature control base can be directly heated by electromagnetic heating without heat transfer resistance and can be cooled by convection through contact with the coolant. However, this type of reaction tube will have uneven heating on the periphery and inside, and different heating and cooling speeds. This electromagnetic heating method cannot quickly and accurately reach the required temperature. The liquid cooling device is not easy to carry and transport, and is cumbersome to operate. The cooling speed is slow, and the liquid inlet and outlet may leak, affecting life safety. It is not conducive to promotion and application. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the problems existing in the prior art of constant temperature control devices in the field of nucleic acid amplification, such as uneven temperature, limited temperature control accuracy, and restrictions on temperature rise and fall speeds.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] Solution 1: The present invention proposes a constant temperature control device based on an air bath, the device comprising a turbulent blower, a rectifier, a guide pipe, a heating cylinder, a microfluidic chip carrier, a base, a turbulent fan, a servo motor, a sealing plate, an upper cover and a bracket;

[0008] The turbulent fan is connected to the rectifier, and the rectifier and the guide pipe are fixed by bolts and threads on the sealing plate; the guide pipe wraps the heating tube to achieve a fastening connection, the turbulent fan is installed on the base, the servo motor is directly connected to the turbulent fan, and the turbulent fan is driven to rotate by the servo motor, and the heating tube is vertically above the microfluidic chip carrier.

[0009] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment is provided, wherein the device further comprises a baffle, which is trapezoidal in shape and mounted on the upper side of the rectifier, and the baffle is connected to the rectifier by welding.

[0010] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment is provided, wherein the device further comprises a rectifying plate, which is in the shape of an airfoil-shaped double-blade fan blade and is used to adjust the form of the wind blown out by the turbulent fan, and four rectifying plates form a rectifying body.

[0011] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment is provided, in which the device also includes a hot film wind speed sensor, two hot film wind speed sensors are provided on the rectifier, and four hot film wind speed sensors are provided on the base, which are used to detect the air flow rate after the turbulent flow fan is input into the rectifier and the remaining air flow rate after passing through the guide pipe and the heating cylinder and reaching the bottom.

[0012] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment is provided, wherein the device also includes a carrier pressure ring bracket and a microfluidic chip sealing cover. The microfluidic chip sealing cover is located below the upper cover, installed on the microfluidic chip carrier, and connected to the microfluidic chip sealing cover using a flange structure.

[0013] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment is provided, wherein the device further comprises a toothed sealing ring, wherein the outer edge of the base and the upper cover are connected to the toothed sealing ring by a coupling, wherein the toothed sealing ring is in the shape of a toothed hollow ring with a thickness of 8 mm, and the microfluidic chip carrier is rotated by a coupling.

[0014] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment is provided, wherein the heating tube comprises a heating wire and a heating wire skeleton, wherein the heating wire skeleton is a cross-shaped skeleton, and the heating wire is wound around the outer surface of the heating wire skeleton.

[0015] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment is provided, wherein the turbulent fan is a nine-blade right-angled fan centrifugal cooling fan.

[0016] Furthermore, a preferred embodiment is provided, in which the surface of the base is also provided with a four-way optical system and four T-type thermocouple temperature sensors, the four T-type thermocouple temperature sensors are 90 degrees apart, and the four thermal film wind speed sensors arranged on the base are simultaneously interspersed between the T-type thermocouple temperature sensors and the four-way optical system.

[0017] Solution 2: A control method for an air bath-based constant temperature control device, the control method being implemented based on the air bath-based constant temperature control device described in any one of Solution 1, the control method being implemented using a nucleic acid amplification experiment, the control method comprising the following steps:

[0018] Step 1: Install the prepared mixed reagent and sample on the microfluidic chip carrier between the turbulent fan and the heating cylinder;

[0019] Step 2: Start the device and use the door status detection sensor to detect whether the upper cover is tightly closed. If not, an alarm is issued. Step 3 is performed until the upper cover is tightly closed. The irregular wind blown out by the turbulent fan enters the rectifier, and after being sorted by the four rectifier plates and baffles in the rectifier, regular wind is output. If irregular wind appears behind the rectifier plate, it is returned to the rectifier plate through the baffle plate and re-filtered until the wind passing through the rectifier plate is regular wind, and the baffle plate guides it to the guide pipe connection.

[0020] Step 3: The heating wire in the heating cylinder is rapidly heated to the temperature required in the detection chamber, and the regular air entering from the guide tube is passed through the heating cylinder; the heating wire in the heating cylinder changes temperature according to the temperature requirement in the nucleic acid detection chamber, with 120 temperature cycles as one cycle. When the heating wire lights up red, it is in a heating state; when the brightness of the heating wire decreases, it is in a cooling state;

[0021] Step 4: The hot film wind speed sensor installed above the base detects whether the temperature transmitted from the heating cylinder meets the nucleic acid amplification temperature;

[0022] If the condition is met, the servo motor drives the turbulence fan to rotate stably, so that the hot air flowing out of the heating cylinder is blown to the entire device and surrounds the surface of the microfluidic chip, so that the reaction is sufficient;

[0023] If it does not meet the requirements, the servo motor controls the rotation of the turbulence fan. If the hot film wind speed sensor detects that the air flow is too small, the speed is increased to 0.5 times the air flow of the turbulence fan and the temperature of the heating tube is increased by 10 degrees above the normal temperature. If the hot film wind speed sensor detects that the air flow is too large, the speed is increased to 0.6 times the air flow of the turbulence fan and the temperature of the heating tube is increased by 3 degrees above the normal temperature.

[0024] Step 5: Use the servo motor to adjust the speed of the turbulence fan and the temperature of the heating wire in the heating tube to achieve constant temperature control of the air bath.

[0025] The present invention is beneficial in that:

[0026] The present invention discloses an air bath-based constant temperature control device and control method that utilizes a combination of centrifugal force and aerodynamics to mechanically control the air bath temperature, thereby preventing temperature unevenness and achieving rapid and precise temperature increases and decreases. The device offers advantages such as temperature uniformity, rapid temperature increases and decreases, ease of operation, safety, and low cost.

[0027] The present invention is also applicable to the field of constant temperature control in nucleic acid amplification experiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is an appearance diagram of a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to embodiment 1.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to the first embodiment.

[0030] Figure 3 This is an axial cross-sectional view of a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to the first embodiment.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a side view of a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to embodiment 1.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a top view of a turbulent fan and a rectifier in a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to embodiment 1.

[0033] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of a turbulent fan and a rectifier in a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to the first embodiment.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a side sectional view of a turbulent blower and a rectifier in a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to the first embodiment.

[0035] Figure 8 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a turbulent fan and a rectifier in a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to the first embodiment.

[0036] Figure 9 This is a structural schematic diagram of a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to embodiment 1.

[0037] Among them, there are turbulent fan 1, rectifier 2, upper cover 3, door status detection sensor 4, guide tube 5, microfluidic chip sealing cover 6, upper bracket 7, toothed sealing ring 8, heating tube 9, carrier pressure ring bracket 10, microfluidic chip carrier 11, base 12, middle bracket 13, pillar 14, lower bracket 15, anti-wear buckle 16, support plate 17, servo motor 18, T-type thermocouple temperature sensor 19, turbulent fan 20, bracket 21, limit spring 22, and sealing plate 23. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the implementation methods of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the implementation methods of this application will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the drawings in the implementation methods of this application. Obviously, the described implementation methods are only part of the implementation methods of this application, not all of the implementation methods.

[0039] Implementation method 1, see Figures 1 to 9Describe this embodiment. This embodiment describes a constant temperature control device based on an air bath, which includes: a turbulent fan 1, a rectifier 2, an upper cover 3, a door status detection sensor 4, a guide tube 5, a microfluidic chip sealing cover 6, an upper bracket 7, a toothed sealing ring 8, a heating tube 9, a carrier pressure ring bracket 10, a microfluidic chip carrier 11, a base 12, a middle bracket 13, a pillar 14, a lower bracket 15, an anti-wear buckle 16, a support plate 17, a servo motor 18, a T-type thermocouple temperature sensor 19, a turbulent fan 20, a bracket 21, a limit spring 22, and a sealing plate 23; the turbulent fan 1 and the rectifier 2 rely on the clamping structure on the rectifier 2, and the turbulent fan 1 and the rectifier 2 are tightly connected by four screws. Calculation and measurement show that the diameter of the air outlet of the turbulent fan 1 is 1 mm smaller than the diameter of the air inlet of the rectifier 2. The rectifier 2 is located above the upper cover 3. The air outlet of the rectifier 2 and the air inlet of the guide pipe 5 are connected with two large screws. The screws pass through the guide pipe 5 and are connected to the threads of the sealing plate 23 with the rectifier 2. The connection port between the guide pipe 5 and the rectifier 2 and the upper cover 3 are respectively connected to the upper and lower sides of the sealing plate 23 by gluing, which ensures the thermal insulation of the entire machine. A limit spring 22 is set between the upper cover 3 and the upper bracket 7, the purpose of which is to connect the entire machine and limit the position of the upper cover 3. It can also prevent people from forgetting to close the upper cover 3. The upper cover 3 can automatically close slowly. The door status detection sensor 4 is installed on the front side of the upper cover 3, the purpose of which is to facilitate the machine to check whether the upper cover is closed and sealed. The front of the upper cover 3 and the door status detection sensor 4 are connected by bolts. The microfluidic chip sealing cover 6 is located below the upper cover 3 and is installed on the microfluidic chip carrier 11. It adopts a flange structure. The microfluidic chip sealing cover 6 is used to ensure the sealing characteristics of the nucleic acid amplification chamber, better protect the constant temperature in the nucleic acid amplification chamber, and prevent other external light influences. A hot air hole is opened in the middle of the microfluidic chip sealing cover 6. The hot air hole is annular and has a radius similar to that of the heating tube 9. The heating tube 9 passes through the hot air hole in the middle of the microfluidic chip sealing cover 6. The carrier pressure ring bracket 10 is installed on the inner ring of the microfluidic chip carrier 11. The inner ring is perpendicular to the microfluidic chip carrier 11, and the diameter of the inner ring is consistent with the microfluidic chip sealing cover. The microfluidic chip carrier 11 and the pressure ring bracket 10 are connected by flanges to form a whole. The whole presents a hollow cylindrical structure. The outer edge of the microfluidic chip carrier 11 is sealed, and the bottom is in the shape of 6 fan-shaped heat dissipation holes, which facilitates the turbulent fan 20 to evenly blow the hot air in the heating tube 9 to the surrounding of the microfluidic chip, and is conducive to rapid heating and cooling. The microfluidic chip carrier 11 is installed above the base 12, and the calculated distance is 32mm.The outer edge of the connection between the base 12 and the upper cover 3 is connected to the toothed sealing ring 8 by a coupling. The toothed sealing ring 8 is a toothed hollow ring with a thickness of 8 mm. The microfluidic chip carrier 11 can be rotated by an external coupling, which facilitates the observation of the reaction process of the microfluidic chip by external optical instruments and plays a role in heat preservation and sealing. The turbulence fan 20 is installed 3 mm above the base 12. The servo motor 18 is directly connected to the turbulence fan 20. The servo motor 18 controls the speed of the turbulence fan 20 by the rotational speed to control the temperature in the nucleic acid reaction chamber and the speed of heating and cooling. The base 12 is stacked and mounted on the middle bracket 13. The bottom plane of the base 12 is designed with four optical systems on the same circumference. The outer diameter of the optical system is on the same circumference as the detection chamber on the microfluidic chip, which is convenient for observing fluorescence imaging during nucleic acid amplification. The base 12 is also designed with four T-type thermocouple temperature sensors 19 and four hot film wind speed sensors, which are connected by a flange structure. The T-type thermocouple temperature sensors 19 are 90 degrees apart and interspersed between the optical systems. The four hot film wind speed sensors are also interspersed between the optical systems. The four hot film wind speed sensors are connected to the base in the form of welding and are on the same horizontal plane. They are vertically distributed on the surface of the base 12. The 90-degree installation is to better measure the temperature changes in the nucleic acid detection chamber, to avoid the temperature in the nucleic acid detection chamber being too high or too low, resulting in uneven temperature in the chamber, and the temperature not meeting the standard seriously, resulting in the burning of the heating wire and the servo motor 18. The design of the surface of the middle bracket 13 is consistent with the shape and size of the base 12. The front side of the base 12 is screwed to the two pillars 14, and the rear side is screwed to the two support plates 17. The support plates 17 are designed with multiple hollow rectangles to facilitate the installation and commissioning of machine wiring and other components. The bottoms of the pillars 14 and support plates 17 are connected to the lower bracket 15 via screws. The bottom of the lower bracket 15 is installed with six anti-wear buckles to prevent wear and stabilize the machine during transportation.

[0040] The interior of the heating tube 9 includes a heating wire and a heating wire skeleton, which provide a heat source for heating the nucleic acid amplification instrument. In this embodiment, the heating wire is surrounded by the outside of the heating wire skeleton, and the heating wire skeleton is a cross-type heating coil, the material of which is mica sheet, and the heating wire material includes but is not limited to Cr20Ni80 alloy electric heating wire. The turbulence fan 20 is a nine-blade right-angle fan centrifugal cooling fan, and the fan material includes but is not limited to polyetheretherketone (PEEK), which is resistant to high temperatures up to 300 degrees and has good insulation and wear resistance. The hot air blown out from the heating tube 9 quickly flows to the turbulence fan 20 on the base 12. Driven by the servo motor 18, the turbulence fan 20 quickly gathers the hot air near the nucleic acid detection chamber, causing the nucleic acid detection chamber to heat up rapidly, and the temperature in the nucleic acid detection chamber is synchronously adjusted by changing the rotation speed of the turbulence fan 20 and the heating temperature of the heating tube 9. Calculations show that the optimal dimensions for the turbulent fan 20 are an outer radius of 25.07mm, an inner radius of 24.07mm, a blade height of 21.66mm, and a base 12 radius of 74mm. The cylindrical connection between the guide tube 5 and the heating cylinder 9 is a flange structure. The irregular air output by the turbulent fan 1 is processed by the rectifier 2, which then outputs regular air. Among them, the interior of the rectifier 2 is composed of four rectifier plates, one baffle and two hot film wind speed sensors. The double leaves of the rectifier plate are at an angle of 180 degrees, the fan blade height is 32.47mm, and it is located 60mm from the interface between the rectifier 2 and the turbulent fan 1. The rectifier 2 is rectangular and its four sides are fixed with a rectifier plate by bolts with a length of 29.3mm. The rectifier plate material includes but is not limited to polyetheretherketone (PEEK), which is resistant to high temperatures up to 300 degrees and has good insulation and wear resistance. The baffle is made of stainless steel wire mesh, which is resistant to high temperatures and can better filter stray wind and tailwind. It is trapezoidal in shape and installed on the upper side of the inside of the rectifier.The rectifier blades are fixed at an angle of 270 degrees. When the machine is started, the four rectifiers cooperate with each other to organize the chaotic wind into regular wind. If the turbulent fan 1 blows too fast or passes through the rectifier and runs out of chaotic wind, it will pass through the baffle and return to the rectifier to be reorganized. The regular wind is guided by the baffle into the guide pipe 5. Two hot film wind speed sensors are located, one on the rear side of the baffle and one at the air outlet; the hot film wind speed sensor located at the rear side of the baffle is installed behind the baffle of the rectifier 2 and is connected by bolts perpendicular to the upper plane of the rectifier 2. The hot film wind speed sensor at the air outlet is installed in the form of bolts, and the inclination angle is 125 degrees. Measuring the angle is most consistent with the detection accuracy, and is more conducive to detecting the wind flow after passing through the rectifier 2, ensuring that the wind flow reached by the turbulence fan 20 during the transmission process meets the requirements of the nucleic acid detection chamber, and avoiding excessive or too small wind flow. If the wind flow is too large, the turbulence fan 20 and the wind in the heating tube 9 will form a nest of wind, so that the turbulence fan 20 cannot rotate, causing the servo motor 18 to burn out, and seriously causing the heating wire to continue to heat and burn. If the turbulent flow fan 1 outputs too little wind force, the wind flow reaching the turbulence fan 20 is too small, and the wind flow output in the heating tube 9 is too small, resulting in uneven temperature in the nucleic acid detection chamber and substandard temperature.

[0041] When the arriving air flow detected by the hot film wind speed sensor in the rectifier 2 and the air flow detected in the base 12 are 1.5 to 1 cubic meter per second, it meets the normal air flow transmission of the machine. If the hot film wind speed sensor in the rectifier 2 detects that the air flow is too large, the turbulence fan 1 reduces the horsepower while the spoiler fan 20 is driven by the servo motor 18 to increase the speed. The increased speed is 1.45 times the air flow of the turbulence fan 1 and the temperature of the heating tube 9 is increased by 5 degrees above the normal temperature; if the hot film wind speed sensor in the rectifier 2 detects that the air flow is too small, the turbulence fan 1 increases the horsepower while the spoiler fan 20 is driven by the servo motor 18 to reduce the speed. The reduced speed is 0.85 times the air flow of the turbulence fan 1 and the temperature of the heating tube 9 is increased by 8 degrees above the normal temperature. If the hot film wind speed sensor in the base 12 detects that the airflow is too low, the turbulence fan 1 increases its horsepower while the turbulence fan 20, driven by the servo motor 18, increases its speed until the turbulence fan 1 is 0.5 times the airflow shortfall and the heater cartridge 9 is heated to 10 degrees Celsius above the normal temperature. If the hot film wind speed sensor in the base 12 detects that the airflow is too high, the turbulence fan 1 decreases its horsepower while the turbulence fan 20, driven by the servo motor 18, increases its speed until the turbulence fan 1 is 0.6 times the airflow shortfall and the heater cartridge 9 is heated to 3 degrees Celsius above the normal temperature. The hot film wind speed sensor is designed to monitor the temperature within the nucleic acid amplification chamber, ensuring that the airflow achieves a uniform temperature throughout the chamber and a rapid and stable temperature rise and fall rate, thereby preventing air traps between the heater cartridge 9 and the turbulence fan 20 or burning out the heating wire within the heater cartridge 9 or the servo motor 18. The above values are obtained through calculation and actual measurement, but are not limited to these values. If the size of the rectifier 2, the number and size of the rectifier plate, the baffle, etc. are changed, or the number of blades of the spoiler fan 20, the blade height, etc. are changed, these values will change.

[0042] Embodiment 2: A method for using a constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0043] Step 1. Sample and reagent preparation: Prepare samples for nucleic acid testing of respiratory diseases and ensure that the collection process complies with the specifications. At the same time, prepare the matching nucleic acid amplification reagents, including primer probe mixture (about 10-15μL), enzyme mixture (about 5-10μL), and mix with the extracted nucleic acid sample (about 5-10μL) according to the requirements of the reagent instructions. The mixing process must strictly follow the relevant experimental specifications and be operated in a biosafety cabinet to avoid contamination. After the end, start installing samples and reagents, and carefully install the prepared mixed reagents and samples on the microfluidic chip carrier between the turbulent fan and the heating cylinder. Pay attention to the accurate placement to avoid shaking or deviation affecting the experimental results. Close the sealing cover, ensure that the sealing cover is tightly closed, and close the top cover.

[0044] Step 2. After preparing the reagents, start the device. The door status detection sensor detects whether the upper cover is closed tightly. If not, an alarm will be issued until the upper cover is tight, and the next step will be carried out. After the upper cover is tight, the turbulent fan blows out chaotic wind. The irregular wind blown out by the turbulent fan enters the rectifier, passes through the four rectifier plates and baffles in the rectifier, and is sorted out to output regular wind. If irregular wind appears behind the rectifier plate, it will be returned to the rectifier plate through the baffle plate for re-filtration until the wind passing through the rectifier plate is regular wind, and the baffle plate guides it to the guide pipe connection. While outputting regular wind, the hot film wind speed sensor detects the regular wind flow behind the baffle plate and the regular wind flow about to enter the guide pipe to ensure that the wind flow is within the specified range.

[0045] Step 3: The heating filament in the heating tube rapidly heats up to the required temperature within the detection chamber. Regular air entering through the guide tube passes through the heating tube, and the output air is regular hot air at a constant temperature. The heating filament in the heating tube changes temperature according to the required temperature within the nucleic acid detection chamber. A cycle consists of 120 temperature cycles. When the heating filament illuminates red, it is heating up; when the brightness of the heating filament decreases, it is cooling down. The air flowing out of the heating tube is directly above the turbulence fan.

[0046] Step 4: The hot film wind speed sensor installed above the base detects whether the temperature transmitted from the heating cylinder meets the nucleic acid amplification temperature.

[0047] If the condition is met, the servo motor drives the turbulence fan to rotate stably, so that the hot air flowing out of the heating cylinder is blown to the entire device and surrounds the surface of the microfluidic chip, so that the reaction is sufficient;

[0048] If the air flow rate is not met, the servo motor will control the rotation of the turbulence fan. If the hot film wind speed sensor detects that the air flow rate is too low, the turbulence fan will increase its horsepower and the servo motor will drive the turbulence fan to increase its speed. The speed will increase to 0.5 times the air flow rate of the turbulence fan and the temperature of the heating tube will rise by 10 degrees above the normal temperature. If the hot film wind speed sensor detects that the air flow rate is too high, the turbulence fan will reduce its horsepower and the servo motor will drive the turbulence fan to increase its speed. The speed will increase to 0.6 times the air flow rate of the turbulence fan and the temperature of the heating tube will rise by 3 degrees above the normal temperature.

[0049] Step 5. When the temperature in the nucleic acid amplification chamber meets the requirements and is balanced, the servo motor drives the turbulence fan to rotate stably, so that the hot air flowing out of the heating cylinder is blown to the surrounding of the entire nucleic acid amplification device and various parts of the surface of the microfluidic chip, so that the nucleic acid amplification reaction can proceed fully.

[0050] Step 6: Based on the specific requirements of the nucleic acid amplification experiment, the servo motor adjusts the speed of the turbulence fan and the temperature of the heating filament in the heating cartridge to achieve precise temperature adjustment and ensure that the nucleic acid amplification chamber reaches the desired experimental temperature. During this adjustment process, the four-way optical system and four T-type thermocouple temperature sensors, designed uniformly on the base surface, can be used to observe and test changes within the nucleic acid amplification chamber in real time, providing a basis for temperature adjustment and ensuring a uniform nucleic acid amplification reaction.

[0051] Step 7. After the nucleic acid amplification experiment is complete, turn off the power to the instrument. Carefully remove the sample from the carrier and properly dispose of the sample and experimental waste according to laboratory regulations. For example, waste from virus testing must be sterilized by autoclave or disinfected with a dedicated chemical disinfectant according to medical waste disposal procedures before further disposal. Afterwards, clean and maintain the nucleic acid amplifier for future use.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present disclosure may be combined or coupled in various ways, even if such a combination or coupling is not explicitly described in the present disclosure. It is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art may still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0053] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art may make additional changes and modifications to these embodiments once they are aware of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is intended to include such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A control method for a constant temperature control device based on an air bath, the device comprising a turbulent blower (1), a rectifier (2), a guide pipe (5), a heating cylinder (9), a microfluidic chip carrier (11), a base (12), a turbulent fan (20), a servo motor (18), a sealing plate (23), an upper cover (3) and a bracket (21); The turbulent fan (1) is connected to the rectifier (2), and the rectifier (2) and the guide tube (5) are fixed by bolts and threads on the sealing plate (23); the guide tube (5) wraps the heating tube (9) to achieve a fastening connection, the turbulent fan (20) is installed on the base (12), the servo motor (18) is directly connected to the turbulent fan (20), and the turbulent fan (20) is driven by the servo motor (18) to rotate, and the heating tube (9) is vertically located directly above the microfluidic chip carrier (11); It is characterized by: The control method comprises the following steps: Step 1: Install the prepared mixed reagent and sample on the microfluidic chip carrier (11) between the turbulence fan (20) and the heating cylinder (9); Step 2, start the device, use the door status detection sensor (4) to detect whether the upper cover (3) is tightly closed, and if not, issue an alarm until the upper cover (3) is tightly closed, and then proceed to step 3; the irregular wind blown out of the turbulent fan (1) enters the rectifier (2), and after being sorted by the four rectifier plates and baffles in the rectifier (2), regular wind is output. If irregular wind appears behind the rectifier plate, it is returned to the rectifier plate through the baffle plate and re-filtered until the wind passing through the rectifier plate is regular wind, and the baffle plate guides it to the connection of the guide pipe (5); Step 3: The heating wire in the heating cylinder (9) is heated rapidly to the temperature required in the detection chamber, and the regular wind entering from the guide tube (5) passes through the heating cylinder (9); the heating wire in the heating cylinder (9) changes temperature according to the temperature requirement in the nucleic acid detection chamber, with 120 temperature cycles as one cycle. When the heating wire lights up and appears red, it is in a heating state; when the brightness of the heating wire decreases, it is in a cooling state; Step 4: The hot film wind speed sensor installed above the base (12) detects whether the temperature transmitted from the heating cylinder (9) meets the nucleic acid amplification temperature; If the conditions are met, the servo motor (18) drives the turbulence fan (20) to rotate stably, so that the hot air flowing out of the heating cylinder (9) is blown to the entire device surrounding the surface of the microfluidic chip, so that the reaction is sufficient; If it does not meet the requirements, the servo motor (18) controls the turbulence fan (20) to rotate, and the hot film wind speed sensor detects that the air flow is too small, and the speed is increased to 0.5 times the air flow of the turbulence fan (1) and the temperature of the heating tube (9) is increased by 10 degrees above the normal temperature; if the hot film wind speed sensor detects that the air flow is too large, the speed is increased to 0.6 times the air flow of the turbulence fan (1) and the temperature of the heating tube (9) is increased by 3 degrees above the normal temperature; Step 5: The rotation speed of the turbulence fan (20) is adjusted by the servo motor (18), and the temperature of the heating wire in the heating cylinder (9) is adjusted at the same time to complete the constant temperature control of the air bath.

2. The constant temperature control device based on air bath according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device further comprises a baffle, which is in a trapezoidal shape and is mounted on the upper side of the rectifier (2), and the baffle is connected to the rectifier (2) by welding.

3. The constant temperature control device based on air bath according to claim 1, characterized in that The device further comprises a rectifying plate, which is in the shape of an airfoil-shaped double-blade fan and is used to adjust the form of the wind blown out by the turbulent fan (1). Four rectifying plates form a rectifying body.

4. The constant temperature control device based on air bath according to claim 1, characterized in that The device also includes a hot film wind speed sensor, two hot film wind speed sensors are provided on the rectifier (2), and four hot film wind speed sensors are provided on the base (12), for detecting the wind flow rate after the turbulent fan (1) inputs the rectifier (2) and the wind flow rate remaining at the bottom after passing through the guide pipe (5) and the heating cylinder (9).

5. The constant temperature control device based on air bath according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device further comprises a carrier pressure ring support (10) and a microfluidic chip sealing cover (6). The microfluidic chip sealing cover (6) is located below the upper cover (3), mounted on the microfluidic chip carrier (11), and connected to the microfluidic chip sealing cover (6) using a flange structure.

6. The constant temperature control device based on air bath according to claim 1, characterized in that The device also includes a toothed sealing ring (8), and the outer edge of the connection between the base (12) and the upper cover (3) is connected to the toothed sealing ring (8) by a coupling. The toothed sealing ring (8) is in the shape of a toothed hollow ring with a thickness of 8 mm, and the microfluidic chip carrier (11) is rotated by the coupling.

7. The constant temperature control device based on air bath according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating tube (9) comprises a heating wire and a heating wire skeleton, wherein the heating wire skeleton is a cross-shaped skeleton, and the heating wire is wound around the outer surface of the heating wire skeleton.

8. The constant temperature control device based on an air bath according to claim 1, characterized in that: The turbulent fan (20) is a nine-blade right-angled centrifugal cooling fan.

9. The constant temperature control device based on air bath according to claim 4, characterized in that: The surface of the base (12) is also provided with a four-way optical system and four T-type thermocouple temperature sensors (19), wherein the four T-type thermocouple temperature sensors (19) are 90 degrees apart, and the four hot film wind speed sensors provided on the base (12) are simultaneously interspersed between the T-type thermocouple temperature sensors and the four-way optical system.

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