Mass spectrometer

Abstract

The utility model provides a mass spectrometer which comprises a rack, and the rack is provided with a plurality of containing spaces arranged in the height direction of the rack and a vacuum cavity arranged side by side with the containing space on the bottommost layer. The flight time mass analyzer is fixed outside the rack; the vacuumizing module is at least positioned in the accommodating space at the bottommost layer and is used for vacuumizing the vacuum cavity; the shell wraps the rack and the flight time mass analyzer, and a display screen is integrated on the shell; a module assembly is further included, the module assembly at least comprises an industrial mainboard, and the industrial mainboard is located in one containing space; the industrial mainboard is used for converting signals collected by the time-of-flight mass analyzer into atlases and displaying the atlases on the display screen. The industrial mainboard for processing the signals acquired by the time-of-flight mass analyzer and the display screen are integrated on the mass spectrometer, so that a work station does not need to be additionally established to process and detect data, the integration level of the mass spectrometer is improved, and the occupied space of the mass spectrometer is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of biological detection technology, and in particular to a mass spectrometer. Background Art

[0002] Time-of-flight mass spectrometry system is a new type of soft ionization biological mass spectrometry developed in recent years. It is very simple and efficient both in theory and design. The instrument mainly consists of two parts: matrix-assisted laser desorption / ionization ion source (MALDI) and time-of-flight mass analyzer (TOF). The principle of MALDI is to use laser to irradiate the co-crystallized film formed by the sample and the matrix, and the matrix absorbs energy from the laser and transfers it to the biomolecules, transferring protons to the biomolecules or obtaining protons from the biomolecules, thereby ionizing the biomolecules. The principle of TOF is that ions are accelerated through the flight channel under the action of the electric field, and are detected according to the different flight times reaching the detector, that is, the mass-to-charge ratio (M / Z) of the ions is proportional to the flight time of the ions, thereby analyzing the sample, and by comparing with the standard spectrum information in the database, the corresponding spectrum is screened and determined, and then the identification results are obtained, thereby realizing the identification of different bacterial genera and species. MALDI-TOF has the characteristics of high sensitivity, high accuracy and high resolution, providing a powerful analytical testing method for fields such as life sciences and has become a powerful tool for detection and identification. Utility Model Content

[0003] The present application provides a mass spectrometer, which reduces the size of the mass spectrometer.

[0004] The present application provides a mass spectrometer, which includes: a frame, the frame having a plurality of accommodating spaces arranged along the height direction of the frame; and a vacuum chamber arranged side by side with the bottom accommodating space;

[0005] A time-of-flight mass analyzer, wherein the length direction of the time-of-flight mass analyzer is along the height direction of the frame, and the time-of-flight mass analyzer is fixed outside the frame and communicated with the vacuum chamber;

[0006] A vacuum pumping module, located at least in the bottommost accommodating space and connected to the vacuum cavity to evacuate the vacuum cavity;

[0007] A shell, wrapping the frame and the time-of-flight mass analyzer; wherein the shell is integrated with a display screen;

[0008] The module assembly includes at least an industrial motherboard, which is located in one of the accommodation spaces. The industrial motherboard is signal-connected to the time-of-flight mass analyzer and is used to convert the signals collected by the time-of-flight mass analyzer into spectra and display them on the display screen.

[0009] In the above technical solution, by integrating the industrial motherboard for processing the signals collected by the time-of-flight mass analyzer and the display screen for displaying the detection results within the rack and on the housing of the mass spectrometer, there is no need to additionally establish a workstation or a computer host to process and detect data, which improves the integration degree of the mass spectrometer and thus reduces the occupied space.

[0010] In a specific feasible implementation, the module assembly further includes an acquisition card; wherein, the acquisition card is connected to the detector of the time-of-flight mass analyzer and is used to convert the analog signals collected by the detector into digital signals and then send them to the industrial motherboard;

[0011] The acquisition card and the industrial motherboard are arranged side by side in the top accommodation space among the multiple accommodation spaces.

[0012] In a specific feasible implementation, the height of the flight tube of the time-of-flight mass analyzer is between 0.4 m and 0.6 m.

[0013] In a specific feasible implementation, the vacuum pumping module includes a molecular pump and a backing pump; wherein,

[0014] The inlet of the molecular pump is communicated with the vacuum chamber, and the outlet of the molecular pump is communicated with the backing pump;

[0015] The molecular pump is located in the bottommost accommodation space, and the backing pump is located in the second bottommost accommodation space among the multiple accommodation spaces.

[0016] In a specific feasible implementation, the module assembly further includes a vacuum control module, and the vacuum control module includes a vacuum gauge and a solenoid valve; wherein, the vacuum gauge is used to detect the vacuum degree of the vacuum chamber;

[0017] The solenoid valve is arranged on the communication pipeline between the backing pump and the molecular pump and is used to control the on-off of the pipeline;

[0018] The solenoid valve and the molecular pump are arranged side by side in the bottommost accommodation space.

[0019] In a specific feasible implementation, the module assembly further includes a laser, a sample introduction module and an ion source module; wherein,

[0020] The sample introduction module is located in the vacuum chamber and is used to carry a sample plate;

[0021] The laser is suspended outside the frame and arranged side by side with the time-of-flight mass analyzer; wherein, the laser is used to irradiate the sample plate carried by the sample introduction module;

[0022] The ion source module is connected to the vacuum chamber and is used to provide an accelerating electric field for the ions generated by the laser irradiating the sample plate;

[0023] The vacuum gauge is arranged side by side with the ion source module and is located on the side of the ion source close to the accommodation space.

[0024] In a specific feasible implementation, the module assembly further includes a power input conversion module and a high-voltage control module; wherein,

[0025] The power input conversion module is used to supply power to the time-of-flight mass analyzer, the vacuum pumping module, the industrial main board, the vacuum control module, the laser and the sample introduction module; and when the module assembly includes a data acquisition card, the power input conversion module also supplies power to the data acquisition card;

[0026] The high-voltage control module is used to provide high-voltage pulses to the ion source module;

[0027] The power input conversion module and the high-voltage control module are connected and arranged side by side in the middle-layer accommodation space of the plurality of accommodation spaces, and the middle-layer accommodation space is located above the sub-bottom-layer accommodation space.

[0028] In a specific feasible implementation, the module assembly further includes a main control module, and the main control module is separately arranged in the sub-top accommodation space of the plurality of accommodation spaces;

[0029] The main control module is signal-connected to the industrial main board and is used to control the vacuum pumping module, the vacuum control module, the high-voltage control module, the laser and the sample introduction module to perform the mass spectrometer detection work according to the control signal of the industrial main board.

[0030] In a specific feasible implementation, the module assembly further includes a face recognition module and / or a gesture recognition module; when the module assembly includes a face recognition module, the face recognition module is arranged on the housing and is used to identify the operator; when the module assembly includes a gesture recognition module, the gesture recognition module is arranged on the housing and is used to identify gesture actions.

[0031] In a specific feasible implementation, the display screen is a touch screen.

[0032] In a specific feasible implementation, a fan is further included, and the fan is arranged on the frame and is used to ventilate inside and outside the frame. Description of the Drawings

[0033] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 2 Side view of the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the cooperation between the display screen and the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiment of the present application. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0036] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] It should be noted that unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in one or more embodiments of this specification should have the ordinary meanings understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar terms used in one or more embodiments of this specification do not denote any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. The terms such as "including" or "comprising" mean that the elements or objects appearing before this term cover the elements or objects listed after this term and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. The terms such as "connected" or "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The terms such as "upper", "lower", "left" and "right" are only used to represent relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0038] To facilitate the understanding of the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiment of the present application, its application scenario is first described. MALDI-TOF has been used to study many of the most cutting-edge hot issues in the world, and it is an irreplaceable powerful tool in the fields of gene and genomics, protein and proteomics, biochemistry, medicine, virology, etc., such as peptide and protein analysis, bacterial analysis, fragmentation research of drugs, and virus detection. Especially in the analysis of biological macromolecules with high throughput and fast analysis speed requirements, MALDI-TOF has become a relatively important analysis method that can be achieved.

[0039] When detecting the substances on the sample plate, it is necessary to irradiate the sample plate with a laser to excite ions, and the ions are then accelerated and fly under the action of the electric field applied by the ion source module. The accelerated ions fly in the flight tube and are detected according to the different flight times to reach the detector, that is, the mass-to-charge ratio (M / Z) of the ions is proportional to the flight time of the ions, so as to analyze the sample.

[0040] However, the existing mass spectrometers on the current market are relatively large in size. And since it is necessary to additionally establish a workstation or a computer mainframe including a main unit and a display to process and display the data detected by the mass spectrometer, this places certain restrictions on the laboratory site. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a mass spectrometer to reduce the volume of the mass spectrometer and the space it occupies.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 , Figure 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiments of the present application. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the display screen and the frame. The mass spectrometer provided by the embodiments of the present application is a mass spectrometer integrated with a workstation or a computer mainframe. Specifically, the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiments of the present application includes an industrial motherboard 260 and a display screen 600. Among them, the industrial motherboard 260 has the data processing ability of a workstation or a computer mainframe, and the display screen 600 is connected to the industrial motherboard 260 and is used to display the processing results. The following details the specific structure of the mass spectrometer with reference to specific drawings.

[0042] Continuing to refer to Figure 1 , the main structure of the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiments of the present application includes a frame 100, a time-of-flight mass analyzer 300, a vacuum pumping module 210, a housing 700, and a module assembly. Among them, the frame 100 serves as the support structure of the entire device and can be used to support the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300, the vacuum pumping module 210, the housing 700, and the module assembly. The vacuum pumping module 210 is used to achieve a vacuum environment during the detection of the sample plate, and the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 is used to provide a flight space for the ions excited on the sample plate and detect the ions. The module assembly is each electronic device for the mass spectrometer to achieve detection. It should be understood that the module assembly provided by the embodiments of the present application includes not only each module required to achieve the detection of the mass spectrometer but also the industrial motherboard 260 used to achieve the functions of a workstation or a computer mainframe. The housing 700 serves as the appearance protection device of the entire device and can wrap the above-mentioned time-of-flight mass analyzer, vacuum pumping module 210, and module assembly. In addition, a display screen 600 is also integrated on the housing 700 to display the data results processed by the industrial motherboard 260 through the display screen 600.

[0043] Refer to together Figure 1 and Figure 2, the frame 100 has a plurality of accommodation spaces 110 and a vacuum chamber 120. Among them, the plurality of accommodation spaces 110 are arranged along the height direction of the frame 100. In the embodiment of the present application, the number of accommodation spaces 110 can be 5. Exemplarily, according to the height of the frame 100, the plurality of accommodation spaces 110 are respectively named the bottommost accommodation space 111, the second bottommost accommodation space 112, the middle accommodation space 113, the second topmost accommodation space 114, and the topmost accommodation space 110. To accommodate the functional modules of the mass spectrometer through the 5 accommodation spaces 110, and the functional modules are used to implement the module components for the mass spectrometer to detect the sample plate. Of course, the number of accommodation spaces 110 is not limited to the above 5, and other numbers of accommodation spaces 110 can also be adopted. In the embodiment of the present application, the case of 5 accommodation spaces 110 is taken as an example for illustration.

[0044] The vacuum chamber 120 is used to carry the sample plate so that the sample plate is not contaminated in a vacuum environment. When specifically arranging the vacuum chamber 120, the vacuum chamber 120 is placed side by side with the bottommost accommodation space 111, so that the entire frame 100 forms an L-shaped structure. Specifically, a sample introduction module 290 is provided in the vacuum chamber 120. The sample introduction module 290 is used to carry the sample plate, and the sample introduction module 290 can send the sample plate to the position irradiated by the laser 400 along the sample introduction direction. When the sample plate needs to be replaced, the sample plate can be transported by the movement of the sample introduction module 290.

[0045] When evacuating the vacuum chamber 120, it can be realized by the vacuum pumping module 210. The vacuum pumping module 210 is at least located in the bottommost accommodation space 111 and is connected to the vacuum chamber 120 to evacuate the vacuum chamber 120. When arranging the vacuum pumping module 210 in a side-by-side manner with the vacuum chamber 120, the path between the vacuum pumping module 210 and the vacuum chamber 120 can be reduced, that is, the length of the pipeline can be reduced, thereby improving the efficiency of vacuum pumping. It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the vacuum pumping module 210 is at least located in the bottommost accommodation space 110 means that the vacuum pumping module 210 is located inside the frame 100 and can be located in one of the accommodation spaces 110 or two accommodation spaces 110. Among them, when the vacuum pumping module 210 is located in one accommodation space 110, it can be located in the bottommost accommodation space 111; when the vacuum pumping module 210 is located in two accommodation spaces 110, the vacuum pumping module 210 is located in the bottommost accommodation space 111 and the second bottommost accommodation space 112. However, no matter which of the above methods is adopted, the vacuum pumping module 210 can be integrated in the frame 100, thereby reducing the space occupied by the mass spectrometer.

[0046] Continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2When the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 is arranged, the length direction of the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 is along the height direction of the rack 100, and the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 is fixed outside the rack 100, so as to use the concave space of the L-shaped structure formed by the rack 100 to carry the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300. In addition, the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 is connected with the vacuum chamber 120, so that the flight tube 320 of the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 is connected with the vacuum chamber 120, and the ions in the vacuum chamber 120 can directly enter the flight tube 320 to fly after being accelerated. The detector 310 of the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 is located at one end of the flight tube 320 away from the vacuum chamber 120, and the ions can be detected by the detector 310 when they fly from the flight tube 320 to the detector 310.

[0047] When arranging the module components, the module components at least include an industrial motherboard 260, which is used to realize the functions of a workstation or a computer host, such as the storage of relevant data of the mass spectrometer database, the processing of the flight time mass analyzer acquisition signal, the identification and analysis of the object to be tested, the processing of relevant video signals, the connection of the display screen and some external devices such as USB flash drives, code scanning devices, mice, keyboards and other components; or it has the function of accessing the Internet or a local area network to transmit data. The industrial motherboard 260 is connected to the flight time mass analyzer 300 signal, and is used to convert the signal collected by the flight time mass analyzer 300 into a spectrum and display it on the display screen 600. When the industrial motherboard 260 is specifically set, it is integrated in the rack 100. Specifically located in a storage space in the rack 100. Exemplarily, when the industrial motherboard 260 is integrated in the storage space 110 in the rack 100, the industrial motherboard 260 and the vacuum module 210 are located in different storage spaces in the rack 100 to reduce the impact of the vibration generated by the vacuum module 210 during operation on the industrial motherboard 260. From the above description, it can be seen that when the mass spectrometer provided in the embodiment of the present application integrates the industrial mainboard 260 into the accommodating space 110 and the display screen 600 into the housing 700, there is no need to set up an additional workstation or computer host, which improves the integration and reduces the space required for layout.

[0048] It should be understood that the module components provided in the embodiment of the present application may include, in addition to the above-mentioned industrial mainboard 260, other modules for realizing mass spectrometer detection work, such as a power input conversion module 240, a high-voltage control module 230, a vacuum control module, an injection module 290, a laser 400, an ion source module 280, etc.

[0049] When specifically setting the industrial main board 260, when the vacuum pumping module 210 is only located in the bottommost accommodation space 111, the industrial main board 260 can be arranged in the accommodation spaces 110 other than the bottommost accommodation space 111, such as the second bottommost accommodation space 112, the middle accommodation space 113, the second topmost accommodation space 114, the topmost accommodation space 110 and other different accommodation spaces 110. When the vacuum pumping module 210 is arranged in the bottommost accommodation space 111 and the second bottommost accommodation space 112, the industrial main board 260 can be located in the accommodation spaces 110 of other layers. Thus, the industrial main board 260 and the vacuum pumping module 210 are in different layers, improving the working environment of the industrial main board 260. It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, only the arrangement position of the industrial main board 260 is improved, and its functions and applicable software are exactly the same as those of the main board in a workstation or a computer host. The embodiments of the present application do not involve the improvement of the application software.

[0050] As an optional solution, the industrial main board 260 is located in the topmost accommodation space 115 among the multiple accommodation spaces 110. When adopting this solution, the industrial main board 260 is adjacent to the detector 310 of the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300, so that signals can be transmitted to the industrial main board 260 through a shorter path.

[0051] As an optional solution, the module component provided in the embodiments of the present application further includes an acquisition card 270. The acquisition card 270 is connected to the detector 310 of the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 and is used to convert the analog signal collected by the detector 310 into a digital signal and then send it to the industrial main board 260, and the industrial main board 260 can continue to further process the signal to form a mass spectrometry map on the software interface.

[0052] When arranging, the acquisition card 270 and the industrial main board 260 are arranged side by side in the topmost accommodation space 110 among the multiple accommodation spaces 110. So that the acquisition card 270 and the industrial main board 260 are adjacent to the detector 310 of the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300, and connection can be achieved with a shorter circuit. At the same time, placing the industrial main board 260 and the acquisition card 270 on a separate layer can also ensure their electromagnetic environment and ensure the stable operation of the industrial main board 260 and the acquisition card 270.

[0053] As an implementable solution, the rack 100 further includes a fan 500, which is arranged on the rack 100 and used for ventilation inside and outside the rack 100. Exemplarily, the fan 500 is arranged on the top layer of the rack 100. When arranging the industrial main board 260 and the acquisition card 270 on the top of the rack 100, it is also beneficial to dissipate heat from the industrial main board 260 and the acquisition card 270 and improve their working environment. Of course, the number of fans 500 is not limited to the above one. Fans 500 can also be arranged on both sides of the rack 100 to increase the speed of air exchange inside and outside the rack 100 and improve the heat dissipation effect on each module inside the rack 100.

[0054] In an alternative solution, the height of the flight tube 320 of the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 is between 0.4 m and 0.6 m. Exemplarily, the height of the flight tube 320 can be any height between 0.4 m and 0.6 m, such as 0.4 m, 0.45 m, 0.5 m, 0.55 m, 0.6 m, etc. When using the flight tube 320 with this height, the ion source module 280 can be used to increase the speed of ions, so that the detection of ions can be realized in the flight tube 320 within this length. Compared with the length of the flight tube 320 being more than 0.75 m in the prior art, the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiment of the present application reduces the length of the flight tube 320, and thus reduces the size of the mass spectrometer.

[0055] Continue to refer to Figure 1 The module assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application may further include a laser 400, a sample introduction module 290 and an ion source module 280; wherein, the sample introduction module 290 is located in the vacuum chamber 120 and is used to carry the sample plate to realize the sample introduction and sample replacement of the sample plate, so that the mass spectrometer can detect different sample plates. In addition, the ion source module 280 is communicated with the vacuum chamber 120 and is used to complete the desorption of the sample to provide an acceleration electric field for the ions generated by laser irradiation of the sample plate. When specifically arranged, the ion source module 280 is arranged above the vacuum chamber (taking the height direction of the rack 100 as the reference direction) and above the sample introduction module 290, so that the ions generated by laser irradiation of the laser 400 can be accelerated by the ion source module 280. The flight tube 320 is communicated with the ion source module 280, so that the accelerated ions can directly enter the flight tube 320 for flight.

[0056] As an alternative solution, the module assembly may further include a visual system module for observing the moving position of the sample plate, so that the main control module 250 of the mass spectrometer can control the sampling module 290 according to the visual system module to ensure that the sample plate can be moved to the required position. When arranging the visual system, the sampling module 290, and the ion source module 280, they are located inside the vacuum chamber 120 or communicate with the vacuum chamber 120 to be integrated into an integral structure. It should be understood that the above-mentioned main control module 250 controlling the sampling module 290 according to the visual system module is a conventional control method in the mass spectrometer. The embodiments of the present application only relate to the layout of the devices and do not improve the software and control of the mass spectrometer, and the software and control currently applied in the mass spectrometer can be used to implement them.

[0057] As an alternative solution, the module assembly may further include a barcode scanning module, which is placed directly above the sample plate and embedded inside the housing 700 to obtain the barcode information of the sample plate and transmit it to the main control module 250 for information entry. It should be understood that the barcode scanning module transmitting the information to the main control module 250 for information entry is a conventional information entry method.

[0058] When arranging the laser 400, the laser 400 is suspended outside the frame 100 and arranged side by side with the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 to utilize the recessed space in front of the frame 100 to accommodate the laser 400. When arranged in this way, the space around the flight tube 320 is utilized, improving the integration effect of the devices and thus reducing the volume of the mass spectrometer.

[0059] In a specific example, the sampling module 290 provided in the embodiments of the present application is a one-dimensional sampling module. That is, the sampling module 290 can only move back and forth along the sampling direction. Correspondingly, the target points on the sample plate are also arranged in a single row to match the moving direction of the sampling module 290. It should be understood that when using a one-dimensional sampling module, its positioning in the plane (the plane perpendicular to the height direction of the mass spectrometer) in the direction perpendicular to the sampling direction can be limited by the assembly and positioning of the one-dimensional sampling module. When using a one-dimensional sampling module, since its volume is small, the volume of the corresponding vacuum chamber 120 can also be reduced, thereby reducing the difficulty of the vacuum pumping module 210 in pumping vacuum.

[0060] In a specific example, the one-dimensional sampling module includes a driving motor, a lead screw transmission assembly, and a carrier plate; wherein, the lead screw transmission assembly includes a sliding block slidably engaged with the vacuum chamber 120 and a lead screw threadedly connected to the sliding block. Among them, the carrier plate is detachably and fixedly connected to the sliding block and is used to carry the sample plate; and the driving motor is used to drive the lead screw to rotate to drive the carrier plate to slide along the sampling direction.

[0061] In addition, the vacuum pumping module 210 can achieve the efficiency of pumping the vacuum chamber 120 with a relatively low power. On the premise that the power of the vacuum pumping module 210 is reduced, its volume can also be reduced. In a specific example, the vacuum pumping module 210 includes a molecular pump 212 and a backing pump 211. Among them, the inlet of the molecular pump 212 is connected to the vacuum chamber 120, and the outlet of the molecular pump 212 is connected to the backing pump 211. Specifically, when in use, the molecular pump 212 is used to pump the vacuum chamber 120, and the backing pump 211 is used to reduce the pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of the molecular pump 212 to ensure the normal operation of the molecular pump 212. When the power of the vacuum pumping module 210 is reduced, the volumes of the corresponding molecular pump 212 and backing pump 211 can both be reduced. Thus, both the molecular pump 212 and the backing pump 211 can be integrated into the frame 100. Exemplarily, the molecular pump 212 is located in the bottommost accommodation space 111, so that the molecular pump 212 is closer to the vacuum chamber 120 and can be connected to the vacuum chamber 120 through a shorter pipeline, and at the same time, the reaction speed during vacuum pumping can also be increased. The backing pump 211 is located in the sub-bottommost accommodation space 112 of the plurality of accommodation spaces 110, so that the backing pump 211 and the molecular pump 212 are arranged in adjacent accommodation cavities. In addition, even though the volumes of the molecular pump 212 and the backing pump 211 can be miniaturized, they are still relatively large compared to the modules in the module components of the mass spectrometer. Therefore, the backing pump 211 and the molecular pump 212 are arranged in different accommodation spaces 110 to reasonably layout the space within the frame 100, avoid congestion between the backing pump 211 and the molecular pump 212, and at the same time facilitate the connection between the two and achieve vacuum pumping with a shorter path.

[0062] Since the ions need the vacuum state of the vacuum chamber 120 to reach a certain threshold (such as 5.0*10 -6 mbar), we place the molecular pump 212 in the bottommost accommodation space 111 and the backing pump 211 in the sub-bottommost accommodation space 112, so that the backing pump 211 and the analysis pump are located directly behind the vacuum chamber, ensuring the shortest straight-line distance of the gas pipeline and ensuring that the backing pump 211 cooperates with the molecular pump 212 to reach the vacuum state of 5.0*10 -6 mbar in the shortest pipeline.

[0063] The module assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes a vacuum control module, which is used to control the vacuum pumping module 210 to pump the vacuum chamber 120. Specifically, the vacuum control module includes a vacuum gauge 222 and a solenoid valve 221. Among them, the vacuum gauge 222 is used to detect the vacuum degree of the vacuum chamber 120; and the solenoid valve 221 is used to control the on-off of the fore pump 211 and the molecular pump 212 with the vacuum chamber 120. Exemplarily, the solenoid valve 221 is arranged in the connecting pipeline between the fore pump 211 and the molecular pump 212 and is used to control the on-off of the pipeline, and the solenoid valve 221 and the molecular pump 212 are arranged side by side in the bottommost accommodation space 111. By arranging the solenoid valve 221 and the molecular pump 212 side by side, the bottommost space is reasonably utilized, the density of device arrangement is increased, and thus the volume of the mass spectrometer is reduced. At the same time, the solenoid valve 221 is placed in the middle of the shortest path where the fore pump 211 and the molecular pump 212 are connected to the accommodation space 110 to ensure the shortest path control and feedback.

[0064] When arranging the vacuum, the vacuum gauge 222 and the ion source module 280 are arranged side by side and located on the side of the ion source close to the accommodation space 110. Specifically, the vacuum gauge 222 is located above the sample introduction module 290 and is placed parallel to the rear of the ion source module 280 (towards the accommodation space 110). In this way, not only the space behind the ion source module 280 is saved, but also the shortest vacuum state feedback line can be ensured, and more accurate and timely feedback can be obtained, achieving the optimal solution of maximizing the use of space.

[0065] When the mass spectrometer is working, it needs to be powered by an external power supply. Therefore, the module assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes a power input conversion module 240 and a high-voltage control module 230; among them, the power input conversion module 240 is used to supply electrical energy to the mass spectrometer, and the high-voltage control module 230 is used to supply high-voltage pulses to the ion source module 280. Specifically, the power input conversion module 240 is connected to an external power supply, and the high-voltage control module 230 is used to be connected to the power input conversion module 240 to supply the required high-voltage pulses to the ion source through voltage transformation.

[0066] Specifically, since the whole machine needs to be powered by an external AC-DC (power input conversion module 240), the power input conversion module 240 is placed in the middle layer accommodation space 113. The power input conversion module 240 located in the middle layer accommodation space 113 can take into account each power consumption port and ensure the shortest output line. Exemplarily, the power input module can supply power to electronic devices such as a time-of-flight mass analyzer 300, a vacuum pumping module 210, an industrial main board 260, a data acquisition card 270, a vacuum control module, a laser 400, the data acquisition card 270, and a sample introduction module 290. The vacuum pumping module 210, the vacuum control module, and the sample introduction module 290 are located below the power input conversion module 240, while the industrial main board 260 and the data acquisition card 270 are located above the power input conversion module 240. Arranging the power input conversion module 240 in the middle position facilitates the layout of the lines. Additionally, when the module assembly further includes other electronic devices, they can also be powered by the power input conversion module 240, such as a visual system module, a fan 500, etc.

[0067] The high-voltage control module 230 mainly provides an efficient high-voltage pulse for the instrument to provide sufficient kinetic energy for ion flight. Therefore, the high-voltage control module 230 is placed in the middle layer accommodation space 113 to be connected to the high-voltage electrode plate in the ion source module 280 through a high-voltage wire harness.

[0068] When the power input conversion module 240 and the high-voltage control module 230 are connected and arranged side by side in the middle layer accommodation space 113 of the plurality of accommodation spaces 110, the space of the middle layer accommodation space 113 is fully utilized, improving the integration degree. Additionally, the power input conversion module 240 and the high-voltage control module 230 can be connected by shorter lines. At the same time, when they are integrated above the sub-bottom layer accommodation space 112, their positions are roughly flush with the height of the ion source module 280 on the vacuum cavity 120, facilitating the connection between the high-voltage control module 230 and the ion source module 280. As an optional solution, when specifically arranging the power input conversion module 240, the power input conversion module 240 is located on the side of the high-voltage control module 230 away from the ion source module 280, so that the high-voltage control module 230 is closer to the ion source module 280, reducing the connecting lines.

[0069] The mass spectrometer provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes a main control module 250, which is signal-connected to the industrial main board 260 and is used to control the vacuum pumping module 210, the vacuum control module, the high-voltage control module 230, the laser 400 and the sample injection module 290 to perform mass spectrometer detection work according to the control signal of the industrial main board 260. It should be understood that the function of the main control module 250 provided by the embodiment of the present application is the same as that of the control board in the mass spectrometer in the prior art, and both are used to realize the work of each module during the detection of the mass spectrometer. Exemplarily, for example, controlling the vacuum pumping module 210 and the vacuum control module to pump the vacuum chamber 120, controlling the sample injection mechanism to move the sample plate to the position irradiated by the laser 400, controlling the laser 400 to irradiate the sample plate, and controlling the high-voltage control module 230 and the ion source module 280 to provide the electric field force required for ions. Of course, other modules can also be controlled in the same control manner as in the prior art. In the embodiment of the present application, only the layout of the main control module 250 is involved, and the improvement of its circuit and software functions is not involved.

[0070] When arranging the main control module 250, the main control module 250 is separately arranged in the secondary top accommodation space 110 of the plurality of accommodation spaces 110; that is, the main control module 250 is located below the industrial main board 260. Since each module (except the acquisition card 270 and the industrial main board 260) in the mass spectrometer needs to be processed and communicated through the main control module 250 to complete the hardware control, therefore, to ensure the integrity of the signal of the main control module 250, the main control module 250 is placed separately to reduce the risk of its signal being interfered.

[0071] In addition, since the main control module 250 is located below the industrial main board 260 and is relatively close to the top fan 500, it can also improve the heat dissipation effect of the fan 500 on the main control module 250 and ensure the stability of its work.

[0072] As an optional solution, the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiments of the present application further includes a face recognition module and / or a gesture recognition module; when the module assembly includes a face recognition module, the face recognition module is disposed on the housing 700 and is used to recognize the operator. The industrial main board 260 is connected to the face recognition module and performs information entry or permission discrimination (allow operation or prohibit operation) according to the face information of the operator recognized by the face recognition module. When the module assembly includes a gesture recognition module, the gesture recognition module is disposed on the housing and is used to recognize gesture actions. The industrial main board 260 is connected to the gesture recognition module and performs information entry or instrument instruction discrimination (such as target entry and exit actions, vacuum pumping actions, instrument calibration actions, and identification actions, etc.) according to the gesture information of the operator recognized by the gesture recognition module (such as waving here and / or waving direction). It should be understood that it is a conventional technical field for the industrial main board 260 to make a judgment according to the recognition information of the face recognition module, and the present application does not involve software improvement of the industrial main board 260.

[0073] When specifically setting the display screen 600, the display screen 600 provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a touch screen, and the operator can directly operate on the display screen 600 without additionally setting an input port, thereby improving the integration of the entire mass spectrometer and reducing the occupied space thereof.

[0074] It can be seen from the above description that by integrating the industrial main board 260 for processing the signals collected by the time-of-flight mass analyzer 300 and the display screen 600 for displaying the detection results in the frame 100 of the mass spectrometer and on the housing 700, there is no need to additionally establish a workstation or a computer host to process and detect the data, which improves the integration of the mass spectrometer and further reduces the occupied space thereof.

[0075] In addition, compared with the existing mass spectrometers, the mass spectrometer provided by the embodiments of the present application is an electromechanical and optoelectronic integrated instrument, the host and the display are built inside the main body of the mass spectrometer, the height of the flight tube 320 of the time-of-flight mass analyzer is reduced, the internal functional modules are integrated and arranged, the overall appearance size of the instrument is reduced, the weight of the whole machine is reduced, the assembly steps are reduced, making it smaller in size, lighter in weight, with the optimal space utilization rate, more convenient to operate, more convenient and concise to assemble, faster in vacuum pumping speed, higher in integration, and integrated as a whole.

[0076] One or more embodiments of this specification are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of this specification shall be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A mass spectrometer, characterized in that include: A rack, wherein the rack has a plurality of accommodating spaces arranged along a height direction of the rack; and a vacuum chamber arranged side by side with the bottommost containing space; A time-of-flight mass analyzer, wherein the length direction of the time-of-flight mass analyzer is along the height direction of the frame, and the time-of-flight mass analyzer is fixed outside the frame and communicated with the vacuum chamber; A vacuum pumping module, located at least in the bottommost accommodating space and connected to the vacuum cavity to evacuate the vacuum cavity; A shell, wrapping the frame and the time-of-flight mass analyzer; wherein the shell is integrated with a display screen; The module assembly at least includes an industrial mainboard, which is located in one of the accommodating spaces. The industrial mainboard is connected to the time-of-flight mass analyzer signal and is used to convert the signal collected by the time-of-flight mass analyzer into a graph to be displayed on the display screen.

2. The mass spectrometer according to claim 1, characterized in that The module assembly also includes an acquisition card; wherein the acquisition card is connected to the detector of the time-of-flight mass analyzer and is used to convert the analog signal collected by the detector into a digital signal and then transmit it to the industrial mainboard; The acquisition card and the industrial mainboard are arranged side by side in a top accommodating space among the plurality of accommodating spaces.

3. The mass spectrometer according to claim 2, characterized in that The height of the flight tube of the time-of-flight mass analyzer is between 0.4m and 0.6m.

4. The mass spectrometer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The vacuum pump module includes a molecular pump and a front pump; wherein, The air inlet of the molecular pump is communicated with the vacuum chamber, and the exhaust port of the molecular pump is communicated with the front pump; The molecular pump is located in the bottom-most storage space, and the front-stage pump is located in the second-bottom-most storage space of the plurality of storage spaces.

5. The mass spectrometer according to claim 4, characterized in that The module assembly further includes a vacuum control module, and the vacuum control module includes a vacuum gauge and a solenoid valve; wherein the vacuum gauge is used to detect the vacuum degree of the vacuum chamber; The solenoid valve is arranged in the connecting pipeline between the front stage pump and the molecular pump, and is used to control the on-off of the pipeline; The solenoid valve and the molecular pump are arranged side by side in the bottom accommodating space.

6. The mass spectrometer according to claim 5, characterized in that The module assembly also includes a laser, an injection module and an ion source module; wherein, The sample injection module is located in the vacuum chamber and is used to carry a sample plate; The laser is suspended outside the rack and arranged side by side with the time-of-flight mass analyzer; wherein the laser is used to irradiate the sample plate carried by the injection module; The ion source module is connected to the vacuum chamber and is used to provide an accelerating electric field for ions generated by laser irradiation of the sample plate; The vacuum gauge is arranged side by side with the ion source module and is located at a side of the ion source close to the containing space.

7. The mass spectrometer according to claim 6, characterized in that The module assembly also includes a power input conversion module and a high voltage control module; wherein, The power input conversion module is used to supply power to the time-of-flight mass analyzer, the vacuum module, the industrial mainboard, the vacuum control module, the laser and the sampling module; and when the module assembly includes an acquisition card, the power input conversion module also supplies power to the acquisition card; The high voltage control module is used to provide high voltage pulses to the ion source module; The power input conversion module is connected to the high voltage control module and is arranged side by side in a middle layer accommodation space of the plurality of accommodation spaces, and the middle layer accommodation space is located above the second bottom layer accommodation space.

8. The mass spectrometer according to claim 7, characterized in that The module assembly further comprises a main control module, and the main control module is separately arranged in the secondary top accommodation space of the plurality of accommodation spaces; The main control module is connected to the industrial mainboard signal, and is used to control the vacuum module, the vacuum control module, the high-voltage control module, the laser and the sampling module according to the control signal of the industrial mainboard to perform the mass spectrometer detection work.

9. The mass spectrometer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The module assembly also includes a face recognition module and / or a gesture recognition module: When the module assembly includes a face recognition module, the face recognition module is arranged on the housing and is used to identify the operator; When the module assembly includes a gesture recognition module, the gesture recognition module is disposed on the housing to recognize gesture actions.

10. The mass spectrometer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The display screen is a touch screen.

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