A micro-column box partition heating, heat insulation and rapid drop structure of an exhaled gas chromatograph
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202610887913.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-06-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-23
AI Technical Summary
[0006]本发明的目的在于提供一种呼出气色谱仪的微型柱箱分区加热、隔热稳温与快速回降结构，用于解决便携式或者小型呼出气色谱仪中柱箱温度梯度大、内部热串扰明显、检测过程中风冷扰动柱温以及检测完成后回降时间长的问题
[0010]与现有技术相比，本发明至少具有以下有益效果：第一，通过第一加热区和第二加热区的分区供热，降低色谱柱盘绕区不同热负荷侧之间的温度差；第二，通过热桥隔断区和隔热层减少相邻区域以及柱箱外壳方向的热串扰；第三，通过第一温度传感器和第二温度传感器分别反馈不同区域温度，使加热膜能够分区调节；第四，通过快速回降风道、风道门和导流风机，使检测稳温状态与快速回降状态在结构上相互隔离，避免检测时风冷扰动柱温，同时缩短检测后的回降时间；第五，通过控制接口接入柱箱控制电路，将温度检测、分区加热、风道开闭、导流风机和异常锁定形成闭环，提高呼出气色谱检测的保留时间稳定性和重复检测效率。
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of gas chromatography for exhaled breath detection technology, and more particularly to a micro column oven structure for exhaled breath chromatographs with zoned heating, thermal insulation and temperature stabilization, and rapid temperature recovery. Background Technology
[0002] Exhaled gas chromatography typically requires the separation of target components in an exhaled gas sample using a chromatographic column. The stability of the column's operating temperature directly affects retention time, peak shape, peak area, and the consistency of results across different batches. For portable or small exhaled gas chromatographs, the overall size is limited, and the column, injection valve assembly, detection end, control interface, and heat dissipation components are usually arranged in a small space. The column oven has a small heat capacity and rapid changes in heat dissipation boundaries, making it more susceptible to the effects of ambient temperature, heat loss on the injection side, heat dissipation on the outlet side, and internal airflow disturbances.
[0003] Existing small column ovens mostly use a single heating element or an integral heating chamber for temperature control, with few temperature sensing points, and typically rely on ordinary temperature control algorithms to maintain the set temperature. Although this method can make the average temperature of the column oven close to the target value, it is difficult to solve the problem of different temperature differences in different heat load areas inside the column oven, and it is also difficult to suppress thermal crosstalk between adjacent heating areas, the outer shell, and the heat dissipation side.
[0004] Furthermore, exhaled breath testing often requires continuous or short-interval repeated testing. If the column oven cools naturally after testing, the recovery time is relatively long; if it is continuously cooled by fan, the stable temperature environment of the column coil area will be disrupted during testing, causing column retention time drift. Therefore, relying solely on ordinary fan cooling or a single temperature control strategy is insufficient to simultaneously ensure stable temperature during testing and rapid recovery after testing.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need for a miniature column oven with zoned heating, thermal insulation and temperature stabilization, and rapid reflux structure for exhaled gas chromatographs. Through the structural coordination of a first heating zone, a second heating zone, a thermal bridge isolation zone, a thermal insulation layer, a rapid reflux air duct, an air duct door, and a guide fan, the internal temperature difference and thermal crosstalk of the column oven can be reduced, and the reflux time can be shortened after detection. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a micro column oven with partitioned heating, thermal insulation and temperature stabilization, and rapid temperature recovery structure for an exhaled gas chromatograph, which solves the problems of large column oven temperature gradient, significant internal thermal crosstalk, wind-cooling disturbance of column temperature during detection, and long temperature recovery time after detection in portable or small exhaled gas chromatographs.
[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a micro column oven with zoned heating, thermal insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid cooling structure, including a micro column oven shell, a column winding area, a first heating area, a second heating area, a thermal bridge isolation area, a thermal insulation layer, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, a heating film, a rapid cooling air duct, an air duct door, a guide fan, an exhaust port and a control interface.
[0008] The column winding area is housed within the miniature column oven shell. A first heating zone and a second heating zone are separately located on different heat load sides of the column winding area, with heating films corresponding to the first and second heating zones respectively. A first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor are used to detect the temperature of their respective heating zones or adjacent locations within the column winding area. A thermal bridge isolation zone is located between the first and second heating zones or between adjacent heat conduction paths, and a heat insulation layer is located between the miniature column oven shell and the column winding area.
[0009] The rapid return air duct is connected to the heat dissipation side of the miniature column box shell. The air duct door is located inside the rapid return air duct, and the guide fan is connected to the rapid return air duct and the exhaust port. The control interface is electrically connected to the first temperature sensor, the second temperature sensor, the heating film, the air duct door, and the guide fan, and is used to connect to the column box control circuit. This allows the miniature column box to close the air duct door and control the first and second heating zones to provide heat in zoned heating and insulation stabilization states. In rapid return mode, the air duct door is opened and the guide fan is driven to form a return airflow that is discharged through the rapid return air duct and the exhaust port.
[0010] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: First, by providing zoned heating in the first and second heating zones, the temperature difference between different heat load sides of the column winding area is reduced; second, thermal crosstalk between adjacent areas and the column oven shell is reduced by the thermal bridge isolation zone and the insulation layer; third, the heating film can be zonedly adjusted by feeding back the temperatures of different areas through the first and second temperature sensors; fourth, the detection steady-temperature state and the rapid cooling state are structurally isolated from each other by the rapid cooling air duct, air duct door, and guide fan, avoiding wind-cooling disturbance to the column temperature during detection and shortening the cooling time after detection; fifth, by connecting to the column oven control circuit through the control interface, temperature detection, zoned heating, air duct opening and closing, guide fan, and abnormal locking are formed into a closed loop, improving the retention time stability and repeatability efficiency of exhaled gas chromatography detection. Attached Figure Description
[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the miniature column box according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the micro cylindrical box structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the zoned heating and heat insulation temperature stabilization state according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the rapid descent state in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the temperature control and rapid temperature recovery control in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0016] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0017] In one embodiment, the exhaled gas chromatograph's micro-column box includes a micro-column box shell 1, a column winding area 2, a first heating area 3, a second heating area 4, a thermal bridge isolation area 5, a heat insulation layer 6, a first temperature sensor 7, a second temperature sensor 8, a heating film 9, a rapid return air duct 10, an air duct door 11, a guide fan 12, an exhaust port 13, and a control interface 14.
[0018] The miniature column oven housing 1 forms the mounting base and external protective structure of the miniature column oven. The column coiling area 2 is located inside the miniature column oven housing 1 and accommodates the coiled column body or column fixing components. The first heating zone 3 and the second heating zone 4 are partitioned on different heat load sides of the column coiling area 2, and can be located on opposite sides of the column coiling area 2, or adjacent areas on the injection and outlet sides, respectively.
[0019] A thermal bridge isolation zone 5 is disposed between the first heating zone 3 and the second heating zone 4, or between adjacent heat conduction paths. The thermal bridge isolation zone 5 may include a thermal insulation gap, a low thermal conductivity connector, a thermal insulation pad, a thermal insulation partition, or a thermal break fixing seat, used to reduce non-target heat conduction pathways between the first heating zone 3, the second heating zone 4, and the column winding zone 2. A thermal insulation layer 6 is arranged along the inner side of the micro-column housing 1, forming, together with the thermal bridge isolation zone 5, the thermal insulation boundary of the column winding zone 2, thereby reducing heat diffusion from the column housing to the housing and adjacent components.
[0020] The heating film 9 is attached to or adjacent to the heat-conducting surface of the first heating zone 3 and the second heating zone 4. The first temperature sensor 7 and the second temperature sensor 8 are respectively located at the temperature representative position of the corresponding heating zone or at the temperature feedback position near the column winding area 2. The control interface 14 is used to connect to the column oven control circuit. The temperature signals of the first temperature sensor 7 and the second temperature sensor 8 are input to the column oven control circuit through the control interface 14, and the column oven control circuit then adjusts the heating power of the corresponding heating film 9 through the control interface 14.
[0021] In zoned heating and temperature-stabilized insulation mode, the air duct door 11 is closed or the rapid return air duct 10 is isolated, and the guide fan 12 stops working or is in a standby state that does not disturb the column oven temperature. At this time, the column oven control circuit obtains feedback from the first temperature sensor 7 and the second temperature sensor 8 through the control interface 14, and controls the heating of the first heating zone 3 and the second heating zone 4 respectively. Thermal crosstalk is reduced through the thermal bridge isolation zone 5 and the insulation layer 6, so that the column winding zone 2 maintains a stable temperature.
[0022] In the rapid descent state, the column oven control circuit receives the descent command via control interface 14, lowers or stops the output of heating film 9, controls the air duct door 11 to open, and drives the guide fan 12 to operate. The descent airflow generated by the guide fan 12 flows along the rapid descent air duct 10 and is discharged through the exhaust port 13, causing the miniature column oven to rapidly drop to the target descent temperature. Because the air duct door 11 is closed in the zoned heating and insulation temperature stabilization state, the rapid descent air duct 10 will not continuously disturb the temperature of the column winding zone 2 during the detection process.
[0023] The column box control circuit can receive a descent command, output duct door control signals and guide fan control signals via control interface 14, and use the detection of the target descent temperature by at least one of the first temperature sensor 7 and the second temperature sensor 8 as a condition for shutting down the guide fan 12 and closing the duct door 11. The column box control circuit can also output an abnormality lockout signal via control interface 14 when the first temperature sensor 7 or the second temperature sensor 8 malfunctions, the temperature of any heating zone exceeds a preset upper limit, the duct door 11 is not in position, the guide fan 12 malfunctions, or the descent time exceeds a preset upper limit.
[0024] The temperature control and rapid temperature drop control process includes: after startup, reading the temperature signals of the first temperature sensor 7 and the second temperature sensor 8; determining whether the set column box temperature has been reached; if the set column box temperature has not been reached, adjusting the heating power of the first heating zone 3 and the second heating zone 4 respectively; after reaching the set column box temperature, entering a stable temperature hold state; after receiving the temperature drop command, opening the air duct door 11 and the guide fan 12; cooling through the rapid temperature drop air duct 10; continuing temperature drop if the temperature has not dropped to the target temperature drop; and closing the guide fan 12 and the air duct door 11 when the temperature drops to the target temperature drop and ending the process.
[0025] Through the above structure, the present invention does not simply rely on temperature acquisition and ordinary temperature control algorithms. Instead, through the structural cooperation of the first heating zone 3, the second heating zone 4, the thermal bridge isolation zone 5, the heat insulation layer 6, the heating film 9, the rapid return air duct 10, the air duct door 11, the guide fan 12, the exhaust port 13, and the control interface 14, the micro column oven maintains a stable temperature during detection and rapidly returns to normal temperature after detection, thereby reducing the impact of internal thermal crosstalk of the small exhaled gas chromatograph on the detection results.
Claims
1. A micro-column oven structure for a breath gas chromatograph, comprising a micro-column oven shell, a column winding area, a first heating zone, a second heating zone, a thermal bridge isolation zone, a heat insulation layer, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, a heating film, a rapid reflux air duct, an air duct door, a guide fan, an exhaust port, and a control interface, characterized in that, The column winding area is disposed within the micro-column housing. The first heating zone and the second heating zone are separately disposed on different heat load sides of the column winding area. The heating films are respectively disposed corresponding to the first heating zone and the second heating zone. The first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are respectively used to detect the temperature of the corresponding heating zone or adjacent positions of the column winding area. The thermal bridge isolation zone is disposed between the first heating zone and the second heating zone or between adjacent heat conduction paths. The heat insulation layer is disposed between the micro-column housing and the column winding area. The rapid return air duct is connected to the heat dissipation side of the micro column box shell. The air duct door is located inside the rapid return air duct. The guide fan is connected to the rapid return air duct and the exhaust port. The control interface is electrically connected to the first temperature sensor, the second temperature sensor, the heating film, the air duct door, and the guide fan, and is used to connect to the column box control circuit. This allows the micro column box to close the air duct door and control the first heating zone and the second heating zone to provide heat in zoned heating and heat insulation and temperature stabilization states. In the rapid return state, the air duct door is opened and the guide fan is driven to form a return airflow that is discharged through the rapid return air duct and the exhaust port.
2. The micro-column box partitioned heating, heat insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid recovery structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first heating zone and the second heating zone are located on opposite sides of the column winding area or in adjacent areas of the injection side and the outlet side, respectively. The control interface is used to connect to the column oven control circuit. The column oven control circuit adjusts the heating power of the corresponding heating membranes through the control interface according to the temperature signals of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.
3. The micro-column box partitioned heating, heat insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid recovery structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thermal bridge isolation zone includes at least one of the following: thermal insulation gap, low thermal conductivity connector, thermal insulation pad, thermal insulation partition, or thermal bridge fixing seat, used to reduce non-target thermal conduction pathways between the first heating zone, the second heating zone, and the column winding zone.
4. The micro-column box partitioned heating, heat insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid recovery structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulation layer is arranged along the inner side of the micro column oven shell and together with the thermal bridge isolation area, forms the insulation boundary of the column winding area to reduce the diffusion of heat from the column oven to the shell and adjacent components.
5. The micro-column box partitioned heating, heat insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid recovery structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating film is attached to or disposed adjacent to the heat-conducting surfaces of the first heating zone and the second heating zone. The first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are respectively disposed at the temperature representative position of the corresponding heating zone or at the temperature feedback position near the column winding area.
6. The micro-column box partitioned heating, heat insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid recovery structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rapid return air duct is closed or isolated by the air duct door under zoned heating and heat insulation temperature stabilization conditions, and the guide fan stops working or is in a standby state that does not disturb the column box temperature.
7. The micro-column box partitioned heating, heat insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid recovery structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the rapid descent state, the duct is opened by the duct door, and the guide fan drives the external or column box heat dissipation side airflow to flow along the rapid descent duct and be discharged through the exhaust port.
8. The micro-column box partitioned heating, heat insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid recovery structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control interface is used to connect to the column box control circuit, and receive the return command, output the duct door control signal and the guide fan control signal through the column box control circuit, and use the detection of the target return temperature by at least one of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor as the condition for shutting down the guide fan and closing the duct door.
9. The micro-column box partitioned heating, heat insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid recovery structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control interface is also used to connect to the column box control circuit, and outputs an abnormality lock signal through the column box control circuit when the first temperature sensor or the second temperature sensor is abnormal, the temperature of any heating zone exceeds the preset upper limit, the air duct door is not in place, the guide fan is abnormal, or the return time exceeds the preset upper limit.
10. A method for temperature control of an exhaled gas chromatography column oven using the micro-column oven partitioned heating, thermal insulation and temperature stabilization and rapid temperature drop structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, include: After startup, the temperature signals from the first and second temperature sensors are read; it is determined whether the set column box temperature has been reached; if the set column box temperature has not been reached, the heating power of the first and second heating zones is adjusted respectively; after the set column box temperature is reached, the temperature is stabilized; upon receiving a temperature drop command, the air duct door and the guide fan are opened to cool down the temperature through the rapid temperature drop air duct; if the temperature has not dropped to the target temperature drop, the temperature drop continues; when the temperature drops to the target temperature drop, the guide fan and the air duct door are turned off, and the current temperature control and rapid temperature drop process ends.