A hot air temperature control system and PCR amplification instrument

Abstract

The application discloses a hot air temperature control system and a PCR amplification instrument. The hot air temperature control system comprises a power device, a wind guide structure, a heating area, a cold air area, an air outlet area and an intelligent control module; the power device independently provides power for the heating area and the cold air area; the wind guide structure independently guides air for the heating area and the cold air area, and ensures that air pressure and air speed of each air duct are consistent through a sieve plate; the heating area independently heats each air duct, and the cold air area independently provides cold air for each air duct; the air outlet area is composed of a plurality of independent air ducts, is in communication with the heating area and the cold air area respectively, one air duct of the air outlet area corresponds to at least one PCR reaction area, and a temperature sensor is arranged at the outlet of each air duct; and the intelligent control module adjusts and controls the power device and a heating element according to information of the temperature sensor. The hot air temperature control system has the advantages that the temperature rising speed is fast, each air duct is independently controlled, the air speed is consistent, the temperature control accuracy and temperature uniformity of each PCR reaction area can be ensured, and the amplification efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of PCR amplification technology, and in particular to a hot air temperature control system and a PCR amplification instrument. Background Technology

[0002] Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique used to amplify target DNA fragments. A PCR amplification instrument, also known as a PCR amplification device, is a device used to perform PCR amplification of target DNA fragments. A PCR amplification instrument mainly consists of a reaction chamber, a temperature control system, and a control panel.

[0003] PCR amplification mainly involves cycles of denaturation, annealing, and extension, each with different temperature requirements. Therefore, the heating and cooling efficiency and temperature control accuracy of the temperature control system directly affect the length of the entire PCR amplification cycle and the amplification results.

[0004] Existing PCR amplification instruments primarily employ two types of temperature control systems: semiconductor-based systems and hot air-based systems. PCR amplification instruments based on semiconductor-based systems have a longer history and are more mature. Because semiconductor coolers (TECs) can both cool and heat, they are the solution adopted by most manufacturers; however, their drawbacks are also quite significant:

[0005] 1. TEC heats up slowly, with a heating rate of only 2-3℃ / s, which greatly increases the amplification cycle of the PCR instrument.

[0006] 2. High cost: PCR amplification instruments with semiconductor temperature control systems have high requirements for the performance of TEC chips. The cooling chips that can be used in PCR amplification instruments are expensive. In addition, multiple chips are usually required in actual use, resulting in a high overall cost.

[0007] 3. TEC heating mostly uses hard contact heating and metal heat conduction. In order to enable the temperature of the target material to change rapidly, the requirements for the carrier are higher, which further increases the cost of PCR amplification instrument.

[0008] Hot-air temperature-controlled PCR amplification systems overcome the limitations of traditional semiconductor PCR instruments in terms of heating and cooling speeds, significantly reducing production costs. They offer advantages such as low cost, rapid heating and cooling speeds, and high PCR vector compatibility. However, precise temperature control is difficult, and temperature uniformity is generally poor, especially between different reaction tubes, making precise temperature control challenging and limiting further improvements in heating and cooling speeds. This is one of the main reasons why hot-air PCR amplification systems have not yet become mainstream in the market.

[0009] In summary, improving the accuracy and uniformity of temperature control in hot air temperature control systems remains a key research focus in the field of PCR amplification technology. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The purpose of this application is to provide an improved hot air temperature control system and a PCR amplification instrument using the hot air temperature control system.

[0011] The following technical solution is adopted in this application:

[0012] One aspect of this application discloses a hot air temperature control system including a power unit, an air guide structure, a heating zone, a cooling zone, an air outlet area, and an intelligent control module. The power unit includes a first air source that operates independently, providing power to the heating zone and a second air source that provides power to the cooling zone. The air guide structure includes independent first and second air guide chambers. The inlet of the first air guide chamber is connected to the first air source through an independent pipe, and the outlet is a plurality of independent air ducts. A first screen plate is installed between the inlet and outlet of the first air guide chamber to ensure that the air pressure and wind speed in each air duct are consistent. The inlet of the second air guide chamber is connected to the second air source through an independent pipe, and the outlet is a plurality of independent air ducts, the number of which is the same as the number of air ducts at the outlet of the first air guide chamber. A second screen plate is installed between the inlet and outlet of the second air guide chamber to ensure that the air pressure and wind speed in each air duct are consistent. The heating zone consists of a plurality of independent air ducts, and the air ducts of the heating zone are connected to the first air source through an independent pipe. The air ducts at the outlet of the first air guide cavity are connected one-to-one, and each air duct in the heating zone is equipped with an individually controlled heating element; the cold air zone consists of several independent air ducts, and the air ducts in the cold air zone are connected one-to-one with the air ducts at the outlet of the second air guide cavity; the air outlet area consists of several independent air ducts, and the air ducts in the air outlet area are connected one-to-one with the air ducts in the heating zone, and at the same time, the air ducts in the air outlet area are also connected one-to-one with the air ducts in the cold air zone, that is, one air duct in the air outlet area is connected to one air duct in the heating zone and one air duct in the cold air zone respectively; one air duct in the air outlet area corresponds to at least one PCR reaction zone; each air duct outlet in the air outlet area is equipped with a temperature sensor to monitor the temperature of the air output from each air duct in the air outlet area; the intelligent control module includes a function to receive the monitoring information from the temperature sensors at the outlet of each air duct in the air outlet area and adjust the power unit and the heating elements in the air ducts of the heating zone accordingly.

[0013] It should be noted that this application uses heating elements to heat the air, allowing the ambient temperature of the PCR reaction zone to quickly reach the expected temperature, which has the advantage of rapid heating. Furthermore, the temperature of each PCR reaction zone is controlled independently, which can effectively ensure the accuracy and uniformity of temperature control in each PCR reaction zone, greatly improving amplification efficiency while improving heating uniformity. In the hot air temperature control system of this application, the temperature of each PCR reaction zone is controlled independently, and the wind speed is kept relatively consistent. In one implementation of this application, the wind speed error of each air outlet in each air duct area does not exceed 0.1 m / s.

[0014] In one implementation of this application, the power unit is always a fan.

[0015] In one implementation of this application, the first air power source is a plurality of independently operating fans, used to independently control different heating zones or different air ducts in the heating zones; the second air power source is a plurality of independently operating fans, used to independently control different cold air zones or different air ducts in the cold air zones.

[0016] It should be noted that in a typical PCR amplification instrument, a heating zone is designed with 8-10 air ducts, all controlled by a single fan. However, for some special high-throughput assays, multiple heating zones can be designed, each using a different fan; or, if the heating zone has even more air ducts, each duct can be controlled by a separate fan. As for the cooling zone, its design corresponds to the heating zone, with one cooling zone per heating zone and one cooling zone air duct per heating zone air duct, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0017] In one implementation of this application, the heating element in the heating zone air duct is a heating wire.

[0018] In one implementation of this application, the air ducts of the heating zone are separated by flame-retardant and heat-insulating materials.

[0019] In one implementation of this application, the flame-retardant and heat-insulating material is mica.

[0020] It should be noted that, for example, in one implementation of this application, mica plates of different shapes are assembled around the heating wire to form a mica plate module, so that the various air ducts do not interfere with each other and have the functions of flame retardant and heat insulation.

[0021] In one implementation of this application, each air outlet in the air outlet area is further equipped with a wind speed sensor to monitor the speed of the wind output from each air outlet area; the intelligent control module also includes a function to receive monitoring information from the wind speed sensors at the outlets of each air outlet area, and to adjust the power unit and the heating element in the heating zone air outlet according to the wind speed and temperature of each air outlet.

[0022] In one implementation of this application, each air duct in the cold air zone is equipped with an individually controlled refrigeration unit, enabling the cold air zone to provide cold air below room temperature, thereby improving the cooling speed and circulation efficiency.

[0023] In one implementation of this application, the refrigeration unit is a semiconductor refrigeration chip or a refrigeration compressor.

[0024] Another aspect of this application discloses a PCR amplification instrument employing the hot air temperature control system of this application.

[0025] It should be noted that the PCR amplification instrument of this application, due to the adoption of the hot air temperature control system of this application, has advantages such as rapid heating and cooling, low production cost, and high PCR vector compatibility; furthermore, it has high temperature control accuracy and good temperature uniformity, which greatly improves the stability, reproducibility, and amplification efficiency of PCR amplification. It can be understood that the key to the PCR amplification instrument of this application lies in the adoption of the hot air temperature control system of this application. As for other components of the PCR amplification instrument, such as the reaction chamber and control panel, existing technologies can be referenced. For real-time fluorescence PCR, this also includes the optical system, which can also be referenced from existing technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows:

[0027] The hot air temperature control system of this application has a fast heating speed, independent control of each air duct, and relatively consistent air speed, which can effectively ensure the temperature control accuracy and temperature uniformity of each PCR reaction zone, thereby improving the amplification efficiency while improving the heating uniformity. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the hot air temperature control system in the embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembled hot air temperature control system in the embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a side view of the assembled hot air temperature control system in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only for further illustration of the present application and should not be construed as limiting the present application.

[0032] Example

[0033] In this example, the hot air temperature control system, such as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the system includes a power unit 1, an air guide structure 2, a heating zone 3, a cooling zone 4, an air outlet area 5, and an intelligent control module. The power unit 1 includes a first air source 11 that independently powers the heating zone 3 and a second air source 12 that powers the cooling zone 4. In this example, both the first air source 11 and the second air source 12 are fans. The air guide structure 2 includes an independent first air guide cavity 21 and a second air guide cavity 22. The inlet of the first air guide cavity 21 is connected to the first air source 11 through an independent pipe, and the outlet is several independent air ducts. An air guide is installed between the inlet and outlet of the first air guide cavity 21. The first sieve plate 211 is installed to ensure consistent air pressure and velocity in each air duct. This example specifically designs 10 independent air ducts, corresponding to the subsequent 10 independent PCR reaction zones. The inlet of the second air guide cavity 22 is connected to the second air power source 12 via an independent pipe, and its outlet consists of several independent air ducts, the same number as the air ducts at the outlet of the first air guide cavity 21. The second sieve plate 221 is installed between the inlet and outlet of the second air guide cavity 22 to ensure consistent air pressure and velocity in each air duct. The heating zone 3 consists of several independent air ducts, and the air ducts in the heating zone 3 correspond one-to-one with and are connected to the air ducts at the outlet of the first air guide cavity 21. In this example, the heating zone also has 10 air ducts, and each air duct in heating zone 3 is equipped with an individually controlled heating element; the cold air zone 4 consists of several independent air ducts, and the air ducts in cold air zone 4 correspond one-to-one with and are connected to the air ducts at the outlet of the second air guide cavity 22, that is, the number of air ducts in the cold air zone in this example is also 10; the air outlet area 5 consists of several independent air ducts, and the air ducts in air outlet area 5 correspond one-to-one with and are connected to the air ducts in heating zone 3. At the same time, the air ducts in air outlet area 5 also correspond one-to-one with and are connected to the air ducts in cold air zone 4, that is, the number of air ducts in air outlet area 5 is also 10, and one air duct in air outlet area 5... Each air duct is connected to one air duct in the heating zone 3 and one air duct in the cooling zone 4, respectively. Each air duct in the air outlet area 5 corresponds to at least one PCR reaction zone, specifically one PCR reaction zone in this example. That is, each of the 10 air ducts independently controls the temperature of the 10 PCR reaction tubes. Each air duct outlet in the air outlet area 5 is equipped with a temperature sensor, i.e., a temperature control probe, to monitor the temperature of the air output from each air duct in the air outlet area 5. The intelligent control module includes a module for receiving monitoring information from the temperature sensors at the outlets of each air duct in the air outlet area 5 and adjusting the power unit 1 and the heating elements in the air ducts of the heating zone 3 accordingly.

[0034] In this example, the heating element in the air duct of heating zone 3 is a heating wire. The air ducts in heating zone 3 are separated by flame-retardant and heat-insulating material, which is mica. Specifically, in this example, mica plates of different shapes are assembled around the heating wire to form a mica plate module, so that the various channels do not interfere with each other and have the function of flame retardant and heat insulation.

[0035] In a further improvement of this example, each air outlet of the air outlet area 5 is also equipped with a wind speed sensor to monitor the speed of the wind output from each air outlet of the air outlet area 5; the intelligent control module also includes a function to receive the monitoring information from the wind speed sensors at the outlets of each air outlet of the air outlet area 5, and to adjust the power unit 1 and the heating elements in the air outlet of the heating zone 3 according to the wind speed and temperature of each air outlet.

[0036] Furthermore, to achieve rapid cooling, each air duct in the cold air zone 4 is equipped with an individually controlled refrigeration unit, enabling the cold air zone to provide cool air below room temperature, thereby increasing the cooling speed and circulation efficiency. In this example, the refrigeration unit is a thermoelectric cooler or a refrigeration compressor.

[0037] The hot air temperature control system in this example features a multi-channel independent cooling and heating structure. Air flows from the heating source in a near-linear direction, resulting in relatively low air resistance. A sieve plate creates a static pressure zone, ensuring consistent airflow velocity across different holes. Ultimately, the air flows through the heating or cooling zones to the outlet. This structure makes the system both fully functional and compact. Since the PCR instrument primarily utilizes the heating stage, a non-combustible mica board module is added as a heating wire support. Through structural design, this module forms a two-layer heat-insulating and flame-retardant structure, significantly enhancing safety. Independent channel control ensures that each channel operates independently from the power source, allowing for more diverse control methods and application scenarios. Furthermore, the addition of multiple sensors improves software-level security and better monitors module operation.

[0038] Therefore, the hot air temperature control system in this example has the following advantages:

[0039] 1. Improved performance and controllability: Individual channels can be controlled independently, ensuring consistent airflow across all ports and more precise temperature control, which greatly improves amplification efficiency. If consumables for different channels have different temperature requirements, they can also be controlled individually.

[0040] 2. Enhanced safety: Each channel is independently controlled by a temperature control probe, which can monitor the temperature changes and power source speed in real time to ensure stable operation. In case of abnormal conditions, the software will cut off the power in time. On the hardware side, the heating source is surrounded by a mica board module, which can play a good role in heat insulation and flame retardancy. Even if the heating source is dry-burning, it will not cause the module to burn.

[0041] It is understandable that the power source of the hot air temperature control system in this example can be provided in various forms, not limited to a fan; the positions of the heating and cooling zones can be interchanged, or designed in other positional relationships; the hot air temperature control system in this example has one heating zone and one cooling zone, and multiple heating and cooling zones can be added by adding air guides. The application scenario can be that different heating zones heat different temperatures, and the cooling zones cool different temperatures; the structure designed in this example has 10 channels, and the number of channels can be added or reduced according to needs; the air outlet structure can be adjusted according to the shape and size of the application consumables (such as PCR tubes).

[0042] The above description, in conjunction with specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of this application and should not be construed as limiting the specific implementation of this application to these descriptions. Those skilled in the art to which this application pertains can make several simple deductions or substitutions without departing from the concept of this application.

Claims

1. A hot air temperature control system, characterized in that: It includes a power unit (1), an air guide structure (2), a heating zone (3), a cold air zone (4), an air outlet area (5), and an intelligent control module; The power unit (1) includes a first aerodynamic source (11) that operates independently to provide power to the heating zone (3) and a second aerodynamic source (12) that provides power to the cold air zone (4); The air guiding structure (2) includes an independent first air guiding cavity (21) and a second air guiding cavity (22); The inlet of the first air guide cavity (21) is connected to the first air power source (11) through an independent pipe, and the outlet is a number of independent air ducts. A first screen plate (211) is installed between the inlet and outlet of the first air guide cavity (21) so that the air pressure and wind speed in each air duct are consistent. The inlet of the second air guide cavity (22) is connected to the second air power source (12) through an independent pipe, and the outlet is a number of independent air ducts, the number of which is the same as the air ducts at the outlet of the first air guide cavity (21). A second screen plate (221) is installed between the inlet and outlet of the second air guide cavity (22) so that the air pressure and wind speed in each air duct are the same. The heating zone (3) consists of several independent air ducts. The air ducts of the heating zone (3) correspond one-to-one with the air ducts at the outlet of the first air guide cavity (21) and are connected. Each air duct of the heating zone (3) is equipped with a separately controlled heating element. The cold air zone (4) is composed of several independent air ducts, and the air ducts of the cold air zone (4) correspond one-to-one with and are connected to the air ducts at the outlet of the second air guide cavity (22); The air outlet area (5) is composed of several independent air ducts. The air ducts of the air outlet area (5) correspond one-to-one with the air ducts of the heating zone (3) and are connected. At the same time, the air ducts of the air outlet area (5) also correspond one-to-one with the air ducts of the cold air zone (4) and are connected. That is, one air duct of the air outlet area (5) is connected to one air duct of the heating zone (3) and one air duct of the cold air zone (4); one air duct of the air outlet area (5) corresponds to at least one PCR reaction zone. Temperature sensors are installed at the outlets of each air duct in the air outlet area (5) to monitor the temperature of the air output from each air duct in the air outlet area (5). The intelligent control module includes a function to receive monitoring information from temperature sensors at the outlets of each air duct in the air outlet area (5) and adjust the power unit (1) and heating elements in the air duct of the heating zone (3) accordingly.

2. The hot air temperature control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power units (1) mentioned above are all fans.

3. The hot air temperature control system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first aerodynamic source (11) consists of several independently operating fans, used to independently control different heating zones (3) or different air ducts of the heating zone (3); The second aerodynamic source (12) consists of several independently operating fans, used to independently control different cold air zones (4) or different air ducts in the cold air zone (4).

4. The hot air temperature control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating element in the air duct of the heating zone (3) is a heating wire.

5. The hot air temperature control system according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each air duct in the heating zone (3) is separated by flame-retardant and heat-insulating material.

6. The hot air temperature control system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flame-retardant and heat-insulating material is mica.

7. The hot air temperature control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each air outlet of the air outlet area (5) is also equipped with a wind speed sensor to monitor the wind speed output by each air outlet area (5). The intelligent control module also includes a function to receive monitoring information from the wind speed sensors at the outlet of each air duct in the air outlet area (5) and to adjust the power unit (1) and the heating element in the air duct of the heating zone (3) according to the wind speed and temperature of each air duct.

8. The hot air temperature control system according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that: Each air duct in the cold air zone (4) is equipped with a separately controlled refrigeration unit, enabling the cold air zone to provide cold air below room temperature, thereby increasing the cooling speed and improving the circulation efficiency.

9. The hot air temperature control system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The refrigeration unit is a semiconductor refrigeration chip or a refrigeration compressor.

10. A PCR amplification instrument employing the hot air temperature control system according to any one of claims 1-9.

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