Chromatograph, chromatographic apparatus, and control method for chromatograph

Abstract

This application provides a chromatograph, a chromatographic apparatus, and a control method for the chromatograph. The chromatograph includes: a housing, a heating mechanism, a chromatographic column, and a driving mechanism. A heating chamber is provided within the housing, and the chromatographic column is located within the heating chamber. The heating mechanism is used to heat the heating chamber within the housing. A movable door is provided on one side of the heating chamber within the housing. The driving mechanism includes a first drive motor located on the side of the movable door away from the heating chamber, and a scissor arm located between the first drive motor and the movable door. The first drive motor controls the extension and retraction of the scissor arm, causing the scissor arm to move the movable door within the housing, thereby changing the volume of the heating chamber. In this chromatograph, the volume of the heating chamber can be adaptively adjusted according to user needs, thereby achieving globally optimized application of the chromatograph.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of chemical component analysis technology, and in particular to chromatographs, chromatographic apparatuses, and methods for controlling chromatographs. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, gas chromatographs are widely used in food inspection, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, environmental protection, and scientific research. Gas chromatographs utilize gas chromatography to achieve qualitative and quantitative analysis of mixtures, featuring high separation efficiency, high selectivity, high sensitivity, simple operation, small sample volume, and fast analysis speed.

[0003] The column oven is an important component of a gas chromatograph. The analyte is heated and treated inside the oven before analysis, and the analytical results are significantly affected by the oven temperature. Typically, a column oven consists of a chamber, fan, heating wire, air inlet and outlet, and door. Once the oven's structure is designed, its maximum heat capacity is fixed, and consequently, its maximum heating rate is also determined.

[0004] However, existing column oven designs generally suffer from problems such as large structural volume, large heat capacity, slow column heating and cooling rates, and long heating times.

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, some related technologies employ a heating ring that matches the annular structure of the chromatographic column and is fixed within a sleeve. This creates an annular column chamber between the heating ring and the sleeve, reducing the volume and heat capacity of the column chamber and thus increasing the heating and cooling rates of the chromatographic column. However, this design can lead to uneven heating due to limited heating space and poor circulation in scenarios where high heating and cooling rates are not required, preventing it from achieving optimal application across the entire range. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide a chromatograph, a chromatographic apparatus, and a control method for the chromatograph, so as to achieve the global optimization of the chromatograph. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a chromatograph, including: a housing, a heating mechanism, a chromatographic column, and a driving mechanism;

[0008] The chamber is equipped with a heating chamber, and the chromatographic column is located inside the heating chamber;

[0009] The heating mechanism is used to heat the heating chamber inside the box;

[0010] A movable door is provided on one side of the heating cavity inside the box. The driving mechanism includes a first driving motor disposed on the side of the movable door away from the heating cavity, and a scissor arm disposed between the first driving motor and the movable door.

[0011] The first drive motor is used to control the movement of the scissor arm, so that the scissor arm drives the movable door to move within the housing, thereby changing the volume of the heating chamber.

[0012] Optionally, the scissor arm has a first arm and a second arm arranged in a cross configuration, with the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm connected to the movable door;

[0013] The first drive motor includes a first linear motor and a second linear motor. The first linear motor is connected to the second end of the first arm, and the second linear motor is connected to the second end of the second arm.

[0014] The first linear motor and the second linear motor are used to control the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm to move towards each other or away from each other, so that the scissor arm drives the movable door to move inside the box.

[0015] Optionally, the scissor arm has a first arm and a second arm arranged in a cross configuration; the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm are connected to the movable door;

[0016] The first drive motor includes a third linear motor, which is connected to the second end of the first arm;

[0017] The chromatograph also includes a slide rail disposed on the side of the movable door away from the heating chamber and extending along a first direction, wherein the second end of the second arm is slidably connected to the slide rail; the first direction is the direction of the line connecting the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm;

[0018] The third linear motor is used to control the second end of the first arm to move along the first direction, so as to drive the second end of the second arm to slide in the slide rail, thereby moving the movable door in the box.

[0019] Optionally, the housing has an outer door located on the side of the movable door away from the heating chamber, and the first drive motor is disposed inside the outer door.

[0020] Optionally, the movable door includes: a first door body, and a clamping strip surrounding the outer ring of the first door body and movably connected to the first door body;

[0021] The first door is provided with a pressing mechanism, which can apply a force away from the first door to the pressing strip, so that the pressing strip is pressed tightly against the inner wall of the box.

[0022] Optionally, the clamping mechanism includes: a first rotary motor disposed on the first door body, and a plurality of rotating blades connected to the first rotary motor;

[0023] The first rotary motor is used to control the rotary blade to rotate in a second direction, so that the rotary blade presses the clamping strip tightly against the inner wall of the housing, or to control the rotary blade to rotate in a third direction, so that the rotary blade relaxes the clamping strip; the second direction is clockwise and the third direction is counterclockwise, or the second direction is counterclockwise and the third direction is clockwise.

[0024] Optionally, the side of the clamping strip facing the inner wall of the box is wrapped with flexible thermal insulation material.

[0025] Optionally, the heating mechanism includes: a fan and a heating wire;

[0026] The chromatograph also includes a second rotary motor, the rotation shaft of which is at least partially located within the heating chamber, and the rotation shaft is connected to the fan;

[0027] The heating chamber is provided with a support frame located on the side of the fan away from the second rotating motor, and the heating wire is wound around the support frame.

[0028] Optionally, a guide plate is provided between the heating mechanism and the chromatographic column, and the guide plate has multiple ventilation holes.

[0029] Optionally, the housing is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, and the chromatograph further includes: a first cover plate that can be opened and closed at the air inlet, and a second cover plate that can be opened and closed at the air outlet.

[0030] Secondly, this application provides a chromatographic apparatus, including a processing module and a chromatograph as described above, wherein the processor is configured to perform the following method during operation:

[0031] The heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating chamber, as well as the given temperature difference and heating time, are obtained.

[0032] Based on the thermal energy calculation formula, the target volume of the heating cavity is determined according to the heat transfer rate, the temperature difference, and the heating time.

[0033] The first drive motor controls the movement of the scissor arm, causing the scissor arm to move the movable door within the housing, so that the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

[0034] Optionally, the processing module is specifically used for:

[0035] Obtain the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid within the given heating chamber;

[0036] Based on the flow velocity and the convective heat transfer calculation formula, the convective heat transfer coefficient in the heating cavity is determined according to the flow velocity.

[0037] Based on Newton's law of cooling, the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating cavity is determined according to the convective heat transfer coefficient.

[0038] Thirdly, this application provides a method for controlling a chromatograph, applicable to any of the foregoing chromatographs, the method comprising:

[0039] The heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating chamber, as well as the given temperature difference and heating time, are obtained.

[0040] Based on the thermal energy calculation formula, the target volume of the heating cavity is determined according to the heat transfer rate, the temperature difference, and the heating time.

[0041] The first drive motor controls the movement of the scissor arm, causing the scissor arm to move the movable door within the housing, so that the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

[0042] Optionally, obtaining the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism relative to the heating cavity includes:

[0043] Obtain the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid within the given heating chamber;

[0044] Based on the flow velocity and the convective heat transfer calculation formula, the convective heat transfer coefficient in the heating cavity is determined according to the flow velocity.

[0045] Based on Newton's law of cooling, the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating cavity is determined according to the convective heat transfer coefficient.

[0046] Beneficial effects of the embodiments in this application:

[0047] The chromatograph, chromatographic apparatus, and control method for the chromatograph provided in this application embodiment have a movable door on one side of the heating chamber. A first drive motor is located on the side of the movable door away from the heating chamber, and a scissor arm is provided between the first drive motor and the movable door. The first drive motor can control the extension and retraction of the scissor arm, causing the scissor arm to move the movable door within the chamber, thereby changing the volume of the heating chamber. When performing sample component detection based on the chromatograph provided in this application, the volume of the heating chamber can be dynamically adjusted according to the user's actual needs. This allows for increasing the upper limit of the heating rate by increasing the volume of the heating chamber when a high heating rate is required, or adjusting the heating chamber volume to the most reasonable value while considering heating uniformity when the heating rate requirement is not high. This enables optimal application of the chromatograph across its entire range.

[0048] Of course, implementing any product or method of this application does not necessarily require achieving all of the advantages described above at the same time. Attached Figure Description

[0049] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application 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 this application. For those skilled in the art, other embodiments can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0050] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chromatograph provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the adjustment state of the scissor arm inside the chromatograph;

[0052] Figure 3 Another schematic diagram of the structure of the chromatograph provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0053] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the adjustment state of the scissor arm inside the chromatograph;

[0054] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of an active door provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the operating status of the rotating blades inside the central movable door;

[0056] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the process for adjusting the volume of the heating chamber inside the chromatograph provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 8A schematic diagram of the process for obtaining the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism for the heating cavity, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the heating process for a chromatograph provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0059] Figure label:

[0060] 1-Box body, 2-Heating mechanism, 3-Chromatographic column, 4-Drive mechanism, 5-Heating chamber, 6-Moving door, 7-Outer box door, 8-Injector, 9-Detector;

[0061] 41-Scissors arm, 42-First drive motor; 411-First arm, 412-Second arm, 421-First linear motor, 422-Second linear motor, 423-Third linear motor, 424-Slide rail;

[0062] 61-First door body, 62-Pressure mechanism, 63-Pressure bar; 621-First rotary motor, 622-Rotating blade;

[0063] 21-Fan, 22-Heating wire, 23-Second rotary motor, 24-Support frame, 25-Air guide plate;

[0064] 11-Air inlet, 12-Air outlet, 13-First cover plate, 14-Second cover plate. Detailed Implementation

[0065] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0066] For ease of understanding, the terms and nouns that will be used in one or more embodiments of this application will be explained first:

[0067] Gas chromatograph: an instrument that uses chromatographic separation and detection techniques to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis on complex mixtures of multiple components.

[0068] Column oven: An important component of a gas chromatograph. The analyte needs to be heated and treated inside the column oven before analysis; the effectiveness of this treatment is greatly influenced by the temperature inside the column oven.

[0069] Heat capacity: The ratio of the heat exchanged between a system and its environment to the resulting temperature change is called the heat capacity of the system.

[0070] In the analysis of compound components using gas chromatography, a crucial step is the heating process of the column oven. Those skilled in the art will understand that the heating elements used to heat the column oven have a limited maximum heating power. Furthermore, the larger the volume of the column oven, the more heat is required to achieve a specific temperature difference within it, resulting in a smaller heat capacity and therefore a lower maximum heating rate. In other words, the maximum achievable heating rate of a column oven is negatively correlated with its volume.

[0071] In view of this, this application provides a volume-adjustable chromatograph, allowing users to adaptively adjust its heat capacity according to application requirements, thereby adjusting its volume to the most reasonable size and achieving optimal application of the chromatograph across its entire range. Specifically, the chromatograph provided in the embodiments of this application refers to a gas chromatograph.

[0072] See Figure 1 The chromatograph provided in this application includes: a housing 1, a heating mechanism 2, a chromatographic column 3, and a driving mechanism 4.

[0073] A heating chamber 5 is provided inside the housing 1, and the chromatographic column 3 is located inside the heating chamber 5;

[0074] Heating mechanism 2 is used to heat the heating chamber 5 inside the housing 1;

[0075] A movable door 6 is provided on one side of the heating chamber 5 inside the housing 1. The drive mechanism 4 includes: a first drive motor 42 disposed on the side of the movable door 6 away from the heating chamber 5, and a scissor arm 41 disposed between the first drive motor 42 and the movable door 6.

[0076] The scissor arm 41 is movable. Therefore, by controlling the movement of the scissor arm 41 through the first drive motor 42, the scissor arm 41 can drive the movable door 6 to move inside the housing 1 during the movement, thereby adjusting the volume of the heating chamber 5.

[0077] The chromatograph provided in this application embodiment has a movable door on one side of the heating chamber. A first drive motor is located on the side of the movable door away from the heating chamber, and a scissor arm is provided between the first drive motor and the movable door. The first drive motor can control the extension and retraction of the scissor arm, causing the scissor arm to move the movable door within the chamber, thereby changing the volume of the heating chamber. When performing sample component detection based on this chromatograph, the volume of the heating chamber can be dynamically adjusted according to the user's actual needs. This allows for increasing the upper limit of the heating rate by increasing the volume of the heating chamber when a high heating rate is required, or adjusting the heating chamber volume to the most reasonable value while considering heating uniformity when the heating rate requirement is not high. This enables optimal application of the chromatograph across its entire range.

[0078] In one example, the chromatographic column 3 can be used in conjunction with an injector 8 and a detector 9. The injector 8 and detector 9 can be mounted on the housing 1. The chromatographic column 3 has an inlet end and an outlet end; its inlet end is connected to the injection end of the injector 8, and its outlet end is connected to the detection end of the detector 9. In practical applications, the injector 8 injects the sample to be detected into the inlet end of the chromatographic column 3. Because different components in the sample have different partition coefficients between the stationary phase and the mobile phase, each component moves along the chromatographic column 3 at different speeds and ultimately elutes from the column 3 at different times, entering the detector 9. The detector 9 then outputs the detection results for the sample components.

[0079] Since the chromatographic column 3 is located within the heating chamber 5, the separation effect of each component in the sample within the column 3 is largely affected by the temperature within the heating chamber 5. Specifically, component analysis methods based on gas chromatography are divided into two categories: isothermal methods and temperature-programmed methods. In the isothermal method, the heating chamber 5 is first heated to the target temperature by the heating mechanism 2 and then maintained at an isothermal state before the sample is injected into the gas column oven, where the sample components are separated under this isothermal condition. In the temperature-programmed method, the heating chamber 5 is first heated to the initial temperature by the heating mechanism 2 before the sample is injected, allowing the earlier chromatographic peaks to achieve better separation. Then, the heating chamber 5 is further heated to a higher temperature and maintained at this higher temperature for a period of time, thereby shifting the later chromatographic peaks forward and shortening the analysis time.

[0080] It is evident that in chromatographic analysis based on temperature-programmed methods, the heating rate of heating chamber 5 has a crucial impact on the sample analysis results. If users can adaptively adjust the volume of heating chamber 5 within the chromatograph, thereby expanding its heat capacity and the corresponding upper limit of the maximum heating rate, it will help meet users' performance requirements for the chromatograph in different scenarios.

[0081] In the chromatograph provided in this application embodiment, since a movable door is provided on one side of the heating chamber inside the chamber, the volume of the heating chamber is specifically defined by the position of the movable door. Therefore, in practical application of the chromatograph provided in this application embodiment, the ideal volume of the heating chamber inside the chromatograph can be calculated first according to the user's actual requirements for the heating rate. Then, the volume of the heating chamber is adjusted by driving the movable door to move inside the chamber through a drive structure, so that the adjusted volume of the heating chamber reaches the calculated ideal volume.

[0082] for Figure 1In the illustrated chromatograph, the movable door 6 is specifically located on one side of the heating chamber 5 in the D1 direction and can move along either the D1 or D2 direction. Therefore, when it is necessary to adjust the volume of the heating chamber 5, the movable door 6 can be moved along the D1 direction by the drive mechanism 4 to increase the volume of the heating chamber 5, or the movable door 6 can be moved along the D2 direction by the drive mechanism 4 to decrease the volume of the heating chamber 5, until the volume of the heating chamber 5 reaches the calculated optimal volume.

[0083] For example, the target volume of the heating chamber can be calculated based on the heating method parameters provided by the user, and the movable door 6 can be controlled to move within the housing 1 according to the target volume, so that the volume of the heating chamber 5 reaches the calculated target volume. The specific execution method for determining the target volume of the heating chamber will be described in detail in the chromatographic column device embodiment later, and will not be elaborated here.

[0084] In practical implementation, the movement of the scissor arm 41 can be controlled by a linear motor. The linear motion provided by the sliding end of the linear motor is converted into the movement of the scissor arm 41, so that the scissor arm 41 drives the movable door 6 to move within the heating chamber 5 during its movement. To achieve this, the linear motor can be arranged in a dual-motor configuration or a single-motor configuration with a slide rail. The two configurations are described below.

[0085] Figure 1 The arrangement of the two motors is shown. Figure 1 In the schematic structure, the scissor arm 41 has a first arm 411 and a second arm 412 that are arranged in a cross configuration, and the first end of the first arm 411 and the first end of the second arm 412 are connected to the movable door 6.

[0086] The first drive motor 42 includes a first linear motor 421 and a second linear motor 422. The first linear motor 421 is connected to the second end of the first arm 411, and the second linear motor 422 is connected to the second end of the second arm 412.

[0087] Specifically, a first mounting point for connecting the first arm 411 and a second mounting point for connecting the second arm 412 can be provided on the movable door 6, such that the first end of the first arm 411 is rotatably connected to the first mounting point, and the first end of the second arm 412 is rotatably connected to the second mounting point. Both the first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 have a movable end that can move along a linear direction. The second end of the first arm 411 is rotatably connected to the movable end of the first linear motor 421, and the second end of the second arm 412 is rotatably connected to the movable end of the second linear motor 422.

[0088] The first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 are used to control the second end of the first arm 411 and the second end of the second arm 412 to move towards each other or away from each other, so that the scissor arm 41 drives the movable door 6 to move inside the box 1.

[0089] Figure 2 It shows in Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic of the process by which the scissor arm 41 is extended and retracted via a first linear motor 421 and a second linear motor 422 in a chromatograph. Figure 1 In the schematic structure, the moving end of the first linear motor 421 and the moving end of the second linear motor 422 can both move along the D3 or D4 direction. When the scissor arm 41 is in the position... Figure 2 In the state shown in (a), the second end of the first arm 411 is moved along the D4 direction by the first linear motor 421, and the second end of the first arm 411 is moved along the D3 direction by the second linear motor 422, so that the scissor arm 41 can be extended to... Figure 2 As shown in (b), during the extension process, the scissor arm 41 drives the movable door 6 to move along the D2 direction, and the volume of the heating chamber 5 decreases; similarly, when the scissor arm 41 is in the state shown in (b), the volume of the movable door 6 decreases. Figure 2 In the state shown in (b), by controlling the second end of the first arm 411 to move along the D3 direction via the first linear motor 421 and controlling the second end of the second arm 412 to move along the D3 direction via the second linear motor 422, the scissor arm 41 can be retracted to... Figure 2 In the state shown in (a), the scissor arm 41 moves the movable door 6 along the D1 direction during the contraction process, and the volume of the heating chamber 5 increases.

[0090] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 can be symmetrically arranged along axis L1, where L1 is the axis of symmetry of the space within the heating cavity 5 along direction D1. When the first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 are symmetrically arranged, by controlling the second ends of the first arm 411 and the second arm 412 to move towards each other by the first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 by moving them the same distance, the scissor arm 41 can drive the interactive door to move along direction D2; by controlling the second ends of the first arm 411 and the second arm 412 to move away from each other by the first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 by moving them the same distance, the scissor arm 41 can drive the interactive door to move along direction D1.

[0091] exist Figure 2In the illustrated chromatograph, the housing 1 also has an outer door 7 located on the side of the movable door 6 away from the heating chamber 5, and the first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 are disposed inside the outer door 7. Specifically, compared to directly fixing the first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 in the space inside the movable door 6 of the housing 1 away from the heating chamber 5, by disposing of the first drive motor 42 inside the outer door 7, it is helpful to reduce the impact of the operation of the first linear motor 421 and the second linear motor 422 on other components inside the chromatograph, thereby improving the overall performance of the chromatograph.

[0092] Figure 3 The arrangement scheme of a single motor plus a slide rail is shown. Figure 3 In the schematic structure, the scissor arm 41 has a first arm 411 and a second arm 412 arranged in a cross configuration, and the first end of the first arm 411 and the first end of the second arm 412 are connected to the movable door 6.

[0093] The first drive motor 42 includes a third linear motor 423, which is connected to the second end of the first arm 411.

[0094] The chromatographic column 3 oven also includes a slide rail 424 located on the side of the movable door 6 away from the heating chamber 5 and extending along the first direction, with the second end of the second arm 412 slidably connected to the slide rail 424.

[0095] The first direction is the direction of the line connecting the second end of the first arm 411 and the second end of the second arm 412, which can be specifically understood as the D3 direction or the D4 direction shown in the figure.

[0096] and Figure 1 The structure is similar to that of the first arm 411, and the first end of the second arm 412 are rotatably connected to the mounting point on the movable door 6. The third linear motor 423 has a movable end that can move along the D3 or D4 direction, and the second end of the first arm 411 is rotatably connected to this movable end. The second end of the second arm 412 is slidably connected to the slide rail 424 and can slide within the slide rail 424 along the D3 or D4 direction.

[0097] The third linear motor 423 is used to control the second end of the first arm 411 to move along the first direction, so as to drive the second end of the second arm 412 to slide within the slide rail 424, thereby causing the movable door 6 to move within the housing 1. Specifically, in order to ensure that the second arm 412 of the scissor arm 41 can move with the movement of the first arm 411, the first arm 411 and the second arm 412 can be connected at their intersection point O.

[0098] Figure 4 It shows in Figure 3 The diagram shows a schematic of the process by which the scissor arm 41 is extended and retracted via a third linear motor 423 in the chromatograph. Figure 3 In the schematic structure, when the scissor arm 41 is in Figure 4 In the state shown in (a), the second end of the first arm 411 moves along the D4 direction controlled by the third linear motor 423, and the second end of the second arm 412 can move along the D3 direction within the slide rail 424, so that the scissor arm 41 can extend to Figure 4 As shown in (b), during the extension process, the scissor arm 41 drives the movable door 6 to move along the D2 direction, and the volume of the heating chamber 5 decreases; similarly, when the scissor arm 41 is in the state shown in (b), the volume of the movable door 6 decreases. Figure 4 In the state shown in (b), the second end of the first arm 411 moves along the D3 direction controlled by the third linear motor 423, and the second end of the second arm 412 can move along the D4 direction within the slide rail 424, so that the scissor arm 41 can retract to Figure 4 In the state shown in (a), the scissor arm 41 drives the movable door 6 to move along the D1 direction during the contraction process, and the volume of the heating chamber 5 increases.

[0099] and Figure 1 Similarly, when using a single motor plus slide rail 424 arrangement, the third linear motor 423 can be specifically installed inside the outer door 7, and its effect can be referred to the description above.

[0100] To facilitate the adjustment of the position of the movable door 6 within the housing 1, and to ensure a proper seal for the heating chamber 5 after the position of the movable door 6 is adjusted, this application embodiment provides a special design for the structure of the movable door 6, specifically as follows: Figure 5 As shown. Figure 5 Specifically, it can be understood as along Figure 1 The specific structure of the movable door 6 when viewed from perspective A.

[0101] See Figure 5 The movable door 6 includes: a first door body 61, and a clamping strip 63 that surrounds the outer ring of the first door body 61 and is movably connected to the first door body 61;

[0102] A pressing mechanism 62 is provided on the first door body 61. The pressing mechanism 62 can apply a force away from the first door body 61 to the pressing strip 63, so that the pressing strip 63 is pressed tightly against the inner wall of the box body 1.

[0103] The clamping strip 63 is movably connected to the first door body 61, which can be understood as the clamping strip 63 having a certain amount of mobility in the direction away from the center of the first door body 61. Figure 5 Taking the schematic structure as an example, the first door body 61 is rectangular, and therefore specifically includes four clamping strips 63, each clamping strip 63 being movably connected to one rectangular side of the first door body 61. For example, the clamping strips 63 can be made of metal.

[0104] In practical applications, after adjusting the position of the movable door 6, the clamping mechanism 62 applies a force away from the first door body 61 to the clamping strip 63, so that the clamping strip 63 is pressed tightly against the inner wall of the housing 1, thereby achieving a sealing effect on the heating chamber 5. When it is necessary to adjust the position of the movable door 6, the force applied by the clamping mechanism 62 to the clamping strip 63 is released, so that the first door body 61 can move along the D1 or D2 direction under the drive of the scissor arm 41.

[0105] For example, to ensure the sealing effect of the heating chamber 5, a flexible heat insulation material, such as a soft heat insulation fiber material, can be wrapped around the side of the clamping strip 63 facing the inner wall of the housing 1. Thus, when the clamping strip 63 is pressed tightly against the inner wall of the housing 1, the flexible heat insulation material can fill the gap between the clamping strip 63 and the inner wall of the housing 1, ensuring the sealing effect of the heating chamber 5.

[0106] exist Figure 5 In the schematic structure, the clamping mechanism 62 includes: a first rotary motor 621 disposed on the first door body 61, and a plurality of rotating blades 622 connected to the first rotary motor 621.

[0107] The first rotary motor 621 controls the rotary blade 622 to rotate in the second direction, so that the rotary blade 622 presses the clamping strip 63 tightly against the inner wall of the housing 1, or controls the rotary blade 622 to rotate in the third direction, so that the rotary blade 622 relaxes the clamping strip 63. Depending on the arrangement of the rotary blade 622, the actual adjustment method may be that the second direction is clockwise and the third direction is counterclockwise, or the second direction is counterclockwise and the third direction is clockwise.

[0108] Figure 6 It shows Figure 3 The diagram shows the rotating blade 622 inside the movable door 6 in different states. When the rotating blade 622 is in... Figure 6 In the state shown in (a), the first rotary motor 621 controls the rotating blade 622 to rotate counterclockwise, causing the rotating blade 622 to enter... Figure 6 In the state shown in (b), the rotating blade 622 can press the clamping strip 63 tightly against the inner wall of the housing 1, thereby sealing the heating chamber 5; when the rotating blade 622 is in Figure 6 In the state shown in (b), the first rotary motor 621 controls the rotating blade 622 to rotate clockwise, causing the rotating blade 622 to enter... Figure 6 As shown in (a), the clamping bar 63 can be loosened so that the position of the movable door 6 can be adjusted later.

[0109] For example, in order to avoid the heating process in the heating chamber 5 from affecting the performance of the first rotary motor 621 and the rotary blade 622, the first rotary motor 621 and the rotary blade 622 can be specifically set on the side of the first door 61 away from the heating chamber 5.

[0110] In practical applications, the design of the clamping mechanism 62 is not limited to... Figure 5 and Figure 6 The diagram illustrates that it is sufficient to enable the clamping and releasing of the clamping strip 63.

[0111] exist Figure 1 and Figure 3 In the chromatographic column 3 oven shown, the heating mechanism 2 specifically includes a fan 21 and a heating wire 22.

[0112] The chromatographic column 3 oven also includes a second rotary motor 23, the rotation shaft of which is at least partially located inside the heating chamber 5, and the drive shaft is connected to the fan 21. A support frame 24 is provided inside the heating chamber 5 on the side of the fan 21 away from the second rotary motor 23, and the heating wire 22 is wound around the support frame 24.

[0113] When it is necessary to heat the heating chamber 5, the heating wire 22 is controlled to generate heat, and the first rotary motor 621 is turned on. The first rotary motor 621 drives the fan 21 to rotate, and the fan 21 blows hot air to the chromatographic column 3 to achieve the purpose of heating the chromatographic column 3.

[0114] To further improve the performance of the chromatograph, in Figure 1 and Figure 3 In the illustrated chromatograph, a guide vane 25 is installed between the heating mechanism 2 and the chromatographic column, and the guide vane 25 has multiple ventilation holes. Specifically, for Figure 1 and Figure 3 In the case of the chromatographic column 3 shown in the diagram, by reasonably incorporating ventilation holes on the air guide plate 25, the heat generated by the heating wire 22 can be blown more evenly to one side of the chromatographic column 3 by the fan 21, thereby achieving uniform heating and helping to ensure the separation effect of the sample within the chromatographic column 3.

[0115] Furthermore, in Figure 1 and Figure 3 In the illustrated chromatograph, the housing 1 is also provided with an air inlet 11 and an air outlet 12. The chromatograph also includes a first cover plate 13 that can be opened and closed at the air inlet 11, and a second cover plate 14 that can be opened and closed at the air outlet 12.

[0116] When performing sample component detection using a chromatograph, the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 12 can be sealed by the first cover plate 13 and the second cover plate 14 to prevent hot air leakage from the heating chamber 5. After the detection is completed, the first cover plate 13 and the second cover plate 14 can be opened, and the hot air inside the heating chamber 5 can be quickly discharged from the air outlet 12 under the action of the fan 21, thereby achieving rapid cooling of the heating chamber 5.

[0117] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this application also provide a chromatography apparatus, which includes a processing module and a chromatograph as provided in any of the foregoing embodiments of this application. The processing module can be integrated into the chromatography apparatus, or it can be an additional processor connected to the chromatograph.

[0118] The aforementioned processing module can calculate the target volume based on user-provided parameters and, by transmitting a control signal to the first drive motor of the chromatograph, instruct the first drive motor to adjust the position of the movable door within the heating chamber by controlling the extension and retraction of the scissor arm, thereby adjusting the volume of the heating chamber to the target volume. Specifically, this processing module is used to execute during runtime... Figure 7 The following method is illustrated:

[0119] Step S101: Obtain the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating chamber, as well as the given temperature difference and heating time.

[0120] The heat transfer rate refers to the amount of heat passing through the heat transfer surface per unit time, denoted as . .for Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the context of the chromatograph illustrated in the diagram, it can be specifically understood as the heat transfer rate by which the fan 21 transfers the heat generated by heating the heating wire 22 to one side of the chromatographic column 3.

[0121] The temperature difference during heating refers to the difference between the initial temperature and the final temperature during the heating process of the heating chamber, denoted as . The heating time refers to the duration required to heat the heating chamber, denoted as . .

[0122] In practical applications, the heat transfer rate can be determined based on the actual property information of the heating mechanism, while the temperature difference and heating time can be given by the user.

[0123] Step S102: Based on the heat energy calculation formula, determine the target volume of the heating cavity according to the heat transfer rate, temperature difference, and heating time.

[0124] The specific formula for calculating thermal energy is as follows:

[0125] ①

[0126] in, To achieve heating chamber The heat required for the temperature to rise, The specific heat capacity of air at constant pressure. To determine the mass of the air inside the heating chamber, air density, This represents the volume of the heating chamber.

[0127] In actual thermodynamic systems, and They are directly proportional, therefore, they can be combined , and The relationship between them can be derived from equation ① above. , , and The relationships between them can be determined based on the information known in step S101. , and Based on this association, the corresponding The size is used to determine the target volume.

[0128] As an example, in practical applications, numerical fitting can be used to determine... , and The relationships between them.

[0129] Step S103: Control the movement of the scissor arm by the first drive motor, so that the scissor arm drives the movable door to move inside the box, so that the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

[0130] After the target volume is determined, the processing module can send a control command to the first drive motor, which controls the extension and retraction of the scissor arm, so that the movable door moves inside the box to change the volume of the heating chamber until the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

[0131] Regarding this application Figure 1 and Figure 3 For the chromatograph provided, since the heating chamber is a rectangular cuboid, its volume can be specifically expressed as follows: , This can be understood as the heating chamber being in Figure 1 The height in the D3 direction, This can be understood as the width of the heating cavity in the direction perpendicular to D3 and D1. This can be understood as the heating chamber being in Figure 1 The length in the D1 direction is shown. and Once the chromatograph design is complete, it is then fixed. This is related to the specific location of the movable door within the enclosure. Therefore, after calculating the target volume, the processing module can, based on known... and right Perform calculations, based on the calculated... The guide motor directs the movable door to move a certain distance. The extension and retraction of the scissor arm, controlled by the first drive motor, moves the movable door within the heating chamber, adjusting it to the appropriate position so that the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

[0132] For example, for Figure 1 and Figure 3 For the chromatograph provided, a correspondence between the heating chamber volume and the position of the linear motor moving end can be pre-established based on the actual structure of the chromatograph (or a correspondence between the heating chamber length l and the position of the linear motor moving end). This allows the processing module to determine the required position of the linear motor moving end based on this correspondence after obtaining the target volume, and to issue control commands to the linear motor accordingly.

[0133] As can be seen, the chromatography apparatus provided in this application embodiment can dynamically adjust the volume of the heating chamber inside the chromatograph according to the parameters input by the user, which helps to meet the need for the chromatograph to extend the heating rate when performing programmed temperature rise, thereby helping to expand the boundaries of user applications and improve the upper limit of system performance.

[0134] In one embodiment of this application, the process by which the processing module obtains the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism relative to the heating cavity specifically includes: Figure 8 The following detailed steps are shown:

[0135] Step S201: Obtain the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid in the given heating chamber.

[0136] The process of heat exchange between the heating mechanism and one side of the chromatographic column can be approximated as a convective heat transfer process. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid. To be confirmed.

[0137] Specifically, when users provide the required temperature parameters for the chromatograph, they typically specify the fan speed. It shows a positive correlation with, therefore, specifically based on... Determine .

[0138] Step S202: Based on the convective heat transfer calculation formula, determine the convective heat transfer coefficient in the heating chamber according to the flow velocity.

[0139] The process of heat exchange between the heating mechanism and one side of the chromatographic column can be approximated by a forced convection model. By combining the convective heat transfer equations in the corresponding model with those provided by the user, the convective heat transfer coefficient can be calculated.

[0140] For example, the heating mechanism for the chromatographic column can be approximated as a simplified model of fluid flowing across a circular tube under forced convection. The convective heat transfer calculation formula under this model includes:

[0141] ②

[0142] ③

[0143] ④

[0144] ⑤

[0145] in, The Nusselt number is a physical number that represents the intensity of convective heat transfer and is also the ratio of the thermal resistance of the laminar sublayer to the convective heat transfer resistance. The Reynolds number is a dimensionless number that can be used to characterize fluid flow. The Prandtl number indicates the relationship between the temperature boundary layer and the flow boundary layer, reflecting the influence of fluid physical properties on the convective heat transfer process.

[0146] In equations ③ to ⑤ above The convective heat transfer coefficient of the fluid; Let be the geometric characteristic length of the heat transfer surface, for Figure 1 For the chromatograph shown, specifically the total length of the heating wire 22; The thermal conductivity of the fluid; The density of the fluid; Let be the diameter of the circular pipe through which the fluid flows. Figure 1 For the chromatograph shown, specifically the diameter (i.e., the cross-sectional diameter) of the heating wire 22. The viscosity of the fluid; This is the isobaric specific heat capacity of the fluid.

[0147] In the above formula ② and All are constants and can be calculated according to equation ④. Then, look up the table to determine its value; refer to relevant technical documentation for details.

[0148] Based on equations ② to ⑤ above, the flow velocity can be obtained. With convective heat transfer coefficient The relationship between them This allows the flow rate obtained in step S201 to be combined with the flow rate obtained in the previous step. The convective heat transfer coefficient is calculated from this correlation. .

[0149] Step S203: Based on Newton's law of cooling, determine the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism for the heating cavity according to the convective heat transfer coefficient.

[0150] Based on Newton's law of cooling, we know that:

[0151] ⑥

[0152] in, For the surface area of ​​the heating device, Figure 1 For the chromatograph shown, the specific parameters can be obtained based on the heating wire parameters; This is the difference between the highest temperature on the surface of the heating wire and the set average ambient temperature.

[0153] Combined with the results obtained in step S202 From equation ⑥, the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid can be obtained. Corresponding heat transfer rate To determine the heat transfer rate Then, the target volume of the heating cavity can be calculated according to the description in step S102 above.

[0154] The following is combined Figure 9 The overall process of heating the chromatograph using the chromatographic apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application is described, including:

[0155] Step S301: The user / client sends method parameters to the device.

[0156] Here, the client can be understood as the client used by the user to instruct the chromatograph to work, and the device can be understood as the processor of the chromatograph.

[0157] For example, the method parameters sent by the user may include the chromatograph temperature curve, method configuration, runtime, fan speed, etc.

[0158] Step S302: The device parses the user method parameters and calculates the temperature rise parameters.

[0159] For example, the device can determine parameters such as the starting temperature, ending temperature, and maximum heating rate of the heating method specified by the user by parsing the instructions sent by the user.

[0160] Step S303: Calculate the target volume of the heating cavity under the user-configured parameters according to the convection heat transfer calculation formula.

[0161] Refer to the previous descriptions of steps S101-S102 and S201-S203.

[0162] Step S304: Adjust the specific position of the movable door so that the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

[0163] Step S305: Based on the determined system parameters, initialize the control program by matching the optimal program temperature control parameters; use the optimal parameters to perform program temperature increase and other operations to complete the operation of the temperature increase method indicated by the user.

[0164] That is, based on the heating parameters obtained in step S302, the control parameters for programmed temperature rise are determined, and temperature control is performed using these control parameters. For details, please refer to relevant technical documents.

[0165] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a method for controlling a chromatograph, used to control the chromatograph provided in any of the foregoing embodiments, the method comprising:

[0166] Step S401: Obtain the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating chamber, as well as the given temperature difference and heating time.

[0167] Step S402: Based on the heat energy calculation formula, determine the target volume of the heating cavity according to the heat transfer rate, temperature difference, and heating time.

[0168] Step S403: Control the movement of the scissor arm by the first drive motor, so that the scissor arm drives the movable door to move inside the box, so that the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

[0169] The steps S401-S403 described above are the same as steps S101-S103 in the previous text. For details, please refer to the description in the previous text.

[0170] The chromatograph control method provided in this application can dynamically adjust the volume of the heating chamber inside the chromatograph according to the parameters input by the user. This helps to meet the need for expanding the heating rate when the chromatograph is performing programmed temperature rise, thereby helping to expand the boundaries of user applications and improve the upper limit of system performance.

[0171] In one embodiment of this application, the process of obtaining the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism relative to the heating cavity includes the following refined steps:

[0172] Step S501: Obtain the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid in the given heating chamber.

[0173] Step S502: Based on the convective heat transfer calculation formula, determine the convective heat transfer coefficient in the heating chamber according to the flow velocity;

[0174] Step S503: Based on Newton's law of cooling, determine the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism for the heating cavity according to the convective heat transfer coefficient.

[0175] The steps S501-S503 described above are the same as steps S201-S203 in the previous text. For details, please refer to the description in the previous text.

[0176] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0177] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a related manner. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments.

[0178] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application are included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A chromatograph, characterized in that, include: Chamber, heating mechanism, chromatographic column and drive mechanism; The chamber is equipped with a heating chamber, and the chromatographic column is located inside the heating chamber; The heating mechanism is used to heat the heating chamber inside the box; A movable door is provided on one side of the heating cavity inside the box. The driving mechanism includes a first driving motor disposed on the side of the movable door away from the heating cavity, and a scissor arm disposed between the first driving motor and the movable door. The first drive motor is used to control the movement of the scissor arm, so that the scissor arm drives the movable door to move within the housing, thereby changing the volume of the heating chamber.

2. The chromatograph according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scissor arm has a first arm and a second arm arranged in a cross configuration, and the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm are connected to the movable door. The first drive motor includes a first linear motor and a second linear motor. The first linear motor is connected to the second end of the first arm, and the second linear motor is connected to the second end of the second arm. The first linear motor and the second linear motor are used to control the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm to move towards each other or away from each other, so that the scissor arm drives the movable door to move inside the box.

3. The chromatograph according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scissor arm has a first arm and a second arm arranged in a cross configuration; the first end of the first arm and the first end of the second arm are connected to the movable door. The first drive motor includes a third linear motor, which is connected to the second end of the first arm; The chromatograph also includes a slide rail disposed on the side of the movable door away from the heating chamber and extending along a first direction, wherein the second end of the second arm is slidably connected to the slide rail; the first direction is the direction of the line connecting the second end of the first arm and the second end of the second arm; The third linear motor is used to control the second end of the first arm to move along the first direction, so as to drive the second end of the second arm to slide in the slide rail, thereby moving the movable door in the box.

4. The chromatograph according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The housing has an outer door located on the side of the movable door away from the heating chamber, and the first drive motor is located inside the outer door.

5. The chromatograph according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The movable door includes: a first door body, and a clamping strip that surrounds the outer ring of the first door body and is movably connected to the first door body; The first door is provided with a pressing mechanism, which can apply a force away from the first door to the pressing strip, so that the pressing strip is pressed tightly against the inner wall of the box.

6. The chromatograph according to claim 5, characterized in that, The clamping mechanism includes: a first rotary motor mounted on the first door body, and a plurality of rotating blades connected to the first rotary motor; The first rotary motor is used to control the rotary blade to rotate in a second direction, so that the rotary blade presses the clamping strip tightly against the inner wall of the housing, or to control the rotary blade to rotate in a third direction, so that the rotary blade relaxes the clamping strip; the second direction is clockwise and the third direction is counterclockwise, or the second direction is counterclockwise and the third direction is clockwise.

7. The chromatograph according to claim 5, characterized in that, The side of the clamping strip facing the inner wall of the box is wrapped with flexible thermal insulation material.

8. The chromatograph according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating mechanism includes: a fan and a heating wire; The chromatograph also includes a second rotary motor, the rotation shaft of which is at least partially located within the heating chamber, and the rotation shaft is connected to the fan; The heating chamber is provided with a support frame located on the side of the fan away from the second rotating motor, and the heating wire is wound around the support frame.

9. The chromatograph according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that, A guide plate is provided between the heating mechanism and the chromatographic column, and the guide plate has multiple ventilation holes.

10. The chromatograph according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that, The housing is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet. The chromatograph also includes a first cover plate that can be opened and closed at the air inlet and a second cover plate that can be opened and closed at the air outlet.

11. A chromatographic apparatus, characterized in that, The system includes a processing module and a chromatograph as described in any one of claims 1-10, wherein the processing module is configured to perform the following method during operation: The heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating chamber, as well as the given temperature difference and heating time, are obtained. Based on the thermal energy calculation formula, the target volume of the heating cavity is determined according to the heat transfer rate, the temperature difference, and the heating time. The first drive motor controls the movement of the scissor arm, causing the scissor arm to move the movable door within the housing, so that the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, The processing module is specifically used for: Obtain the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid within the given heating chamber; Based on the convective heat transfer calculation formula, the convective heat transfer coefficient in the heating chamber is determined according to the flow velocity. Based on Newton's law of cooling, the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating cavity is determined according to the convective heat transfer coefficient.

13. A method for controlling a chromatograph, characterized in that, The method, applied to the chromatograph as described in any one of claims 1-10, comprises: The heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating chamber, as well as the given temperature difference and heating time, are obtained. Based on the thermal energy calculation formula, the target volume of the heating cavity is determined according to the heat transfer rate, the temperature difference, and the heating time. The first drive motor controls the movement of the scissor arm, causing the scissor arm to move the movable door within the housing, so that the volume of the heating chamber reaches the target volume.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism with respect to the heating cavity includes: Obtain the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid within the given heating chamber; Based on the convective heat transfer calculation formula, the convective heat transfer coefficient in the heating chamber is determined according to the flow velocity. Based on Newton's law of cooling, the heat transfer rate of the heating mechanism to the heating cavity is determined according to the convective heat transfer coefficient.

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