Insulating Cover for PCR Thermal Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing nucleic acid amplification technologies, particularly those using the PCR method, face challenges in maintaining uniform temperature control across multiple reaction containers, especially when installed in varying environmental temperatures, leading to inconsistencies in temperature accuracy and performance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a nucleic acid amplification/detection apparatus with a heat-insulating cover and fin cover structure, along with a heat source for internal temperature control, minimizes the influence of external environment temperatures, ensuring constant internal temperature and stable temperature performance across reaction containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a fan is used to control internal temperature by taking in outside air, then temperature control is achieved, but the internal temperature changes depending on environment temperature and wind may blow against reaction containers causing temperature variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a heat insulating cover as an intermediary between the external environment and the reaction containers. This cover blocks direct airflow from the fan to the containers while allowing thermal exchange through insulation, thereby mediating the temperature control process to eliminate both the cooling effect and the harmful wind exposure
Solution Approach 2:
The heat insulating cover acts as a protective shell that encloses the reaction containers. This shell structure provides thermal isolation from the external environment while maintaining the necessary thermal exchange for temperature control, protecting the containers from direct fan airflow and environmental temperature variations
2Productivity
If multiple reaction containers are processed in parallel under different test items, then productivity is improved, but uniform temperature control across all containers becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing individual temperature control mechanisms for each reaction container while enclosing them all in a single heat insulating cover. This allows each container to receive customized temperature control for different test items while the cover ensures uniform environmental conditions for all containers, resolving the conflict between parallel processing and temperature uniformity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration maintains consistent temperature accuracy and reduces temperature variations, allowing for precise temperature control without requiring external disturbance parameters in the control software, even in changing environments.
Implementation Method 1
a reaction container 13 containing a reaction solution, and a portion which directly or indirectly performs temperature control on the reaction container 13 are covered with a cover 2 and a fin cover 8, which have a heat insulating structure
Implementation Method 2
a heat source for controlling the internal temperature of an internal space covered with the cover 2 is included
Data Source
AI summary
When taking in outside air with a fan to control the temperature inside a covered portion where a specimen is installed, the internal temperature may change depending on an environment temperature to cause a difference in temperature control. The wind generated by the fan may blow against a reaction container depending on its loading position and it may influence the temperature control over individual specimens and lead to problems with temperature accuracy, temperature rise speed, and temperature drop speed. A reaction container avoiding these problems has a covered portion which performs temperature control on the reaction container and in which a cover and a fin cover have a heat insulating structure. A heat source is provided for controlling an internal temperature of an internal covered space. The internal temperature is kept constant and the influence of the environment temperature over the temperature control of the reaction container is minimized.