CN115637213A

CN115637213A - A hot lid device and PCR appearance for PCR appearance

Info

Publication number: CN115637213A
Application number: CN202211664149.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李帅; 姚克迪; 卢洪钰; 于振南; 谭玉坤
Original assignee: Rocgene Tecnology Co
Current assignee: Rocgene Tecnology Co
Priority date: 2022-12-23
Filing date: 2022-12-23
Publication date: 2023-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2042-12-23
Also published as: CN115637213B

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a hot cover device for a PCR instrument and the PCR instrument. The hot lid apparatus includes: a drive member including an output shaft; a heat cover assembly adapted to be driven to move in a transverse direction from an idle position to a working position during movement of the output shaft in a first rotational direction, and comprising: a hot lid top plate; and a thermal cover bottom panel arranged to move in a longitudinal direction relative to the thermal cover top panel; and a transmission assembly coupled between the output shaft and the thermal cover assembly and comprising: a link bracket coupled to the thermal cover assembly and adapted to move in a lateral direction from a first distal position to a proximal position; and a link pivotably coupled between the link bracket and the heat cover bottom plate to drive the heat cover bottom plate to move in the longitudinal direction from the raised position to the warming position. In this way, the structure, the cost and the volume of the PCR instrument can be obviously reduced while the control complexity of the PCR instrument is reduced, thereby being beneficial to the miniaturization of the PCR instrument.

Description

A hot lid device and PCR appearance for PCR appearance

Technical Field

Example embodiments of the present application relate generally to the field of PCR instruments, and in particular, to a thermal lid apparatus for a PCR instrument and a PCR instrument.

Background

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique for amplifying and amplifying specific DNA fragments, and can be regarded as special DNA replication in vitro, and the greatest characteristic of PCR is that it can greatly increase trace amount of DNA. PCR instruments are an extremely important tool in molecular biology research. It has been widely used by laboratories around the world for a wide variety of experimental applications such as molecular cloning, gene expression analysis, genotyping, sequencing and mutation.

The fluorescence detection device in a conventional PCR instrument generally includes a thermal cycling device and a thermal lid device. The thermal cycling device is used for supporting the sample and is used for performing temperature rise and temperature drop cycling treatment on the sample from the bottom, so that the amplification of the sample to be detected can be facilitated. The hot-cover device is equivalent to a cover, covers the top of the sample to be measured and has a certain constant temperature. The hot cover device can prevent on the one hand that the sample that awaits measuring from volatilizing in the intensification link, and on the other hand the constant temperature of hot cover device can prevent that the sample that awaits measuring from covering at the heat at the vapor that heats up in-process evaporation and condensing, comes the influence that prevents to cause the testing result from this. In order for the thermal cover device to perform its above-described function without affecting the placement of the sample, the thermal cover plate in the thermal cover device generally needs to be moved in both the lateral and longitudinal directions. To achieve the above two movements, the conventional thermal cover device generally employs two sets of driving mechanisms and matched transmission mechanisms. The two sets of power components and the matched transmission mechanism bring various problems of complex movement action, complex structure, high cost, large volume and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect of the present application, a thermal cover device for a PCR instrument is provided. The hot lid apparatus includes: a drive member including an output shaft; a heat cover assembly adapted to be driven to move in a transverse direction from an idle position to a working position during movement of the output shaft in a first rotational direction, and comprising: a hot lid top plate; and a thermal cover bottom plate arranged to be movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the thermal cover top plate; and a transmission assembly coupled between the output shaft and the heat sink assembly and comprising: a link bracket coupled to the heat cover assembly and adapted to move in a lateral direction from a first distant position to an approximated position during movement of the output shaft in a first rotational direction and after movement of the heat cover assembly to the working position; and a link pivotably coupled between the link bracket and the heat lid base plate to drive the heat lid base plate to move in a longitudinal direction from a raised position in which the heat lid base plate is spaced a predetermined distance from a sample cartridge in the PCR instrument to a warmed position in which the heat lid base plate abuts the sample cartridge during movement of the link bracket from the first spaced-apart position to the approximated position.

Through using the hot lid device for PCR appearance according to this application embodiment, can only use one set of drive assembly just can drive the hot lid bottom plate in the hot lid subassembly and move in horizontal direction and longitudinal direction two directions, show when having reduced the control complexity and reduced the structure, cost and the volume of PCR appearance to do benefit to the miniaturization of PCR appearance.

In some embodiments, the transmission assembly further comprises: a transmission belt; and a lead screw coupled to the output shaft via a drive belt, the lead screw further coupled to the link holder to move the link holder from a second distant position to an approaching position via a first distant position during movement of the output shaft in the first rotational direction, a predetermined distance being maintained between the link holder and the heat cover assembly between the second distant position and the first distant position.

In some embodiments, one of the hot lid top panel and the link bracket includes a slide bar and the other includes a slide bar aperture, and the slide bar is adapted to be inserted into the slide bar aperture to couple the link bracket to the hot lid top panel and allow relative movement between the link bracket and the hot lid top panel.

In some embodiments, the transmission assembly further comprises a spring sleeved on the sliding rod to keep a predetermined distance from the hot cover assembly when the connecting rod support is between the second distant position and the first distant position.

In some embodiments, the transmission assembly further comprises: a guide rail arranged in a transverse direction; and a riser fixedly coupled to the hot lid assembly and including a slider coupled to the rail.

In some embodiments, the transmission assembly further comprises: a front stop block disposed at the first end of the rail and adapted to block the riser after the hot lid assembly is moved to the operating position; and a rear stop block disposed near a second end of the rail opposite the first end and adapted to block the riser after the hot lid assembly is moved to the idle position.

In some embodiments, the riser comprises: a notched slot extending in a longitudinal direction, and the link includes: a drive end rotatably coupled to the link bracket; a driven end rotatably coupled to the thermal cover bottom plate; and a sliding wheel coupled to the driven end and at least partially received in the cutaway slot and adapted to move in the cutaway slot.

In some embodiments, the thermal cover base plate comprises: a plurality of light holes, and the thermal cover top plate comprises: a plurality of optical axes adapted to be inserted into and moved within respective ones of the plurality of light holes to allow relative movement between the top and bottom thermal cover plates.

In some embodiments, the thermal cover device further comprises: the mounting bracket includes: mounting a bottom plate; and a mounting frame disposed on the mounting base plate and adapted to dispose at least one of the guide rail, the front stopper, and the rear stopper.

In some embodiments, the thermal cover device further comprises: a sensor disposed on the mounting base plate and adapted to detect a position of the thermal cover assembly.

In some embodiments, the thermal cover device further comprises: a warehouse board; and a carriage plate moving assembly coupled between the link bracket and the carriage plate to drive the carriage plate to move from the open position to the shielding position during movement of the link bracket from the first distal position to the proximal position.

In some embodiments, the deck moving assembly comprises: a link mounting plate fixedly coupled to the link bracket; at least one interposer fixedly coupled to the bulkhead; and at least one tie rod assembly disposed at least partially in the thermal head plate and between the link mounting plate and the adapter plate.

In some embodiments, the tie rod assembly comprises: a first pull rod, a first end of the first pull rod rotatably coupled to the link mounting plate; a second pull rod, a first end of the second pull rod being rotatably coupled to the adapter sheet; and a third tie bar, a first end of the third tie bar rotatably coupled to the hot top plate, a second end rotatably coupled to a second end of the second tie bar, and wherein the second end of the first tie bar is coupled to the third tie bar.

In some embodiments, the thermal cover device further comprises: and the sealing ring is arranged on one side of the heat cover bottom plate facing the sample box to provide sealing for the sample box when the heat cover bottom plate is in the warming position.

According to a second aspect of the present application, a PCR instrument is provided. The PCR instrument comprises the thermal cover device of the first aspect hereinbefore.

Drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of various embodiments of the present application will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like or similar reference characters designate like or similar elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic structural view of a thermal lid apparatus for a PCR instrument according to one embodiment of the present application, with the thermal lid assembly in a rest position;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic structural view of a thermal lid apparatus for a PCR instrument according to one embodiment of the present application, with the thermal lid assembly in an operating position and the thermal lid base plate in a raised position;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a thermal lid apparatus for a PCR instrument according to an embodiment of the present application with a thermal lid base plate in a warming position;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic side view of a thermal lid apparatus for a PCR instrument with a tray in an open position according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic side view of a thermal lid apparatus for a PCR instrument according to one embodiment of the present application with the cartridge plate in a shielding position;

FIGS. 6 and 7 show schematic top views of a thermal lid apparatus for a PCR instrument according to an embodiment of the present application, in which the cartridge plate is hidden to facilitate showing a specific structure of the cartridge plate moving assembly;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic structural view of a thermal cover device for a PCR instrument according to an embodiment of the present application, as viewed from the bottom.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the preferred embodiments of the present application have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

The term "include" and variations thereof as used herein is meant to be inclusive in an open-ended manner, i.e., "including but not limited to". Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "or" means "and/or". The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "one example embodiment" and "one embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment". The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like may refer to different or the same objects.

The PCR instrument utilizes the PCR technology to realize the purposes of nucleic acid detection, molecular cloning, gene expression analysis, genotyping, sequencing, mutation and the like through specific DNA fragment amplification. As mentioned hereinbefore, in the amplification stage, stable and reliable control of the denaturation temperature, the renaturation (annealing) temperature, the extension temperature and the action time and the number of cycles is required. Too high or uneven temperature and insufficient action time can have great influence on the experimental result.

A PCR instrument with a fluorescence signal acquisition system and a computer analysis and processing system added on the basis of a common PCR instrument is called as a fluorescence quantitative PCR instrument. The PCR amplification principle is the same as that of common PCR instrument, and the primer added during PCR amplification is labeled with isotope, fluorescein, etc. and is used together with the specific template combination for amplification.

As mentioned hereinbefore, in order to ensure efficient amplification of the sample and reliability of the detection, PCR instruments typically include a thermal cover device. The hot lid device corresponds to a lid covering and closing the top of a sample kit (also called sample cartridge) for containing a sample in an amplification and/or detection environment. The hot cover device can generate constant temperature (for example, about 100 ℃) during operation so as to prevent the sample to be detected from volatilizing in the temperature rising process, and simultaneously prevent the sample to be detected from condensing on the hot cover in the temperature rising process to influence the experimental result.

To facilitate sample handling, the thermal cover plate in the thermal cover device is typically removed from the working position either during sample placement or after amplification and detection are complete. The movement of the hot deck out of or into the working position typically requires movement in two directions, namely a lateral direction (e.g., horizontal) and a longitudinal direction (e.g., vertical). Movement in both directions typically requires two sets of drive mechanisms to achieve. For example, during the movement of the thermal cover plate into the working position, the thermal cover plate is typically driven by the first drive mechanism to move in a lateral direction above the working position. At this point, the hot lid plate is still a distance from the top of the cartridge. Next, a second drive mechanism is required to further drive the thermal cover plate in the longitudinal direction, thereby moving the thermal cover plate to the working position and abutting and closing the sample cartridge. The process of moving the hot cover plate out of the working position is also similar.

As can be seen from the above description, in order to achieve the thermal capping function of the thermal capping device while not affecting the sample taking and placing, the conventional scheme generally employs two sets of driving mechanisms to drive the thermal capping plate to move, so that the movement is complex, and the complexity of the control mechanism and the control method is increased. In addition, the two sets of driving mechanisms also need matched transmission mechanisms, installation and fixing mechanisms and the like, so that the structure of the PCR instrument is complex, the cost and the volume of the PCR instrument are increased, and the PCR instrument cannot be suitable for scenes or equipment of the PCR instrument which needs compact volume. For example, to increase throughput, some conventional solutions employ a PCR fluid workstation to process the sample. A liquid workstation is an instrument device that centrally processes samples to be measured. The liquid workstation is provided with a plurality of working sites, and each working site is used for placing a PCR instrument. Because the space of each working site is limited, the volume of the corresponding PCR instrument is limited, and the PCR instrument with too large volume cannot be applied to the liquid working station.

Embodiments of the present application provide a thermal lid apparatus 100 for a PCR instrument that addresses, or at least partially addresses, the above-mentioned problems, or other potential problems, with conventional PCR instruments. With the thermal cover device 100 implemented according to the present application, the movement of the component (i.e., a thermal cover bottom plate, which will be mentioned below) having a heating function in the thermal cover assembly 102 in the thermal cover device 100 in both the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction can be realized by one set of driving components 101, so that the structure of the PCR instrument is significantly simplified, the cost and the volume of the PCR instrument are reduced, and the miniaturization of the PCR instrument is facilitated.

The hot lid apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a thermal cover device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, in general, a thermal cover device 100 implemented in accordance with the present application includes a drive component 101, a thermal cover assembly 102, and a transmission assembly 103. The drive member 101 may comprise, for example, a stepper motor, which includes an output shaft. The output shaft is movable about its axis in a first rotational direction (e.g., clockwise) and an opposite second rotational direction (e.g., counterclockwise) driven by a drive mechanism in the drive member 101. As mentioned hereinbefore, the thermal cover device 100 according to the embodiment of the present application only needs one set of driving means 101 to drive the movement of the thermal cover bottom plate of the thermal cover assembly 102 in the transverse direction H and the longitudinal direction V. In general, the transverse direction H may refer to a horizontal direction, and the longitudinal direction V may refer to a vertical direction.

The heat cover assembly 102 includes a heat cover top plate 1021 and the aforementioned heat cover bottom plate 1022. According to an embodiment of the present application, the thermal cover top plate 1021 and the thermal cover bottom plate 1022 of the thermal cover assembly 102 may move together in the transverse direction H, i.e., there is no relative movement between the two in the transverse direction H. The lid base 1022 can be moved relative to the lid top 1021 in the longitudinal direction V, i.e. there is a relative movement between the two in the longitudinal direction V. A heating plate and associated circuitry for generating a constant temperature, etc. may be included on the thermal cover base plate 1022. The transmission assembly 103 is coupled between the output shaft of the drive component 101 and the thermal cover assembly 102, and includes a link holder 1031 and a link 1032. The link bracket 1031 is coupled to the thermal cover assembly 102, and the link 1032 is pivotably coupled between the link bracket 1031 and the thermal cover bottom plate 1022. How the movement of the hot lid assembly 102 is achieved by the driving part 101 and the transmission assembly 103 will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 3.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the thermal lid assembly 102 in a rest position, in which the position of the PCR instrument where the sample cartridge is placed is substantially unobstructed, and the user can conveniently access the sample cartridge. Fig. 2 shows the schematic view of the thermal cover assembly 102 in the working position, in which the thermal cover base plate 1022 is also in the uppermost position in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter referred to as the raised position), in which the thermal cover assembly 102 is positioned above, but not yet in contact with, the sample cartridge containing the sample to be tested. Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of the thermal cover base plate 1022 in the thermal cover assembly 102 in a lowermost position in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter referred to as a warming position), where the thermal cover base plate 1022 abuts the top of the sample cartridge, thereby enabling the heating plate in the thermal cover base plate 1022 to thermostatically heat the sample and the top. In the same rotational direction (e.g., the first rotational direction) of the output shaft of the driving part 101, the heat cover assembly 102 can move from the idle position shown in fig. 1 to the working position shown in fig. 2 by the transmission of the link holder 1031. The hot lid assembly 102 stops moving in the transverse direction H after reaching the operating position. Further, during movement of the heat cover assembly 102 from the idle position to the working position, the link bracket 1031 moves synchronously with the heat cover assembly 102. Specific schemes for implementing the above-described movement process of the heat cover assembly 102 and the link holder 1031 will be further described below.

The output shaft of the drive member 101 does not stop rotating after the heat cover assembly 102 reaches the operating position shown in fig. 2, and continues to rotate in the first rotational direction. With continued rotation of the output shaft of the drive component 101 in the first rotational direction, the link holder 1031 will move from the first spaced-apart position shown in fig. 2 in the transverse direction H toward the heat cover assembly 102 to the proximate position shown in fig. 3 as the heat cover assembly 102 has stopped further movement in the transverse direction H. During movement of the link bracket 1031 from the first away position to the proximate position, the heat cover bottom plate 1022 in the heat cover assembly 102 moves in the longitudinal direction V from the raised position shown in fig. 2 to the warming position shown in fig. 3 under the action of the link 1032.

In correspondence with the above process, after amplification is completed, the link holder 1031 can be driven to move from the close position shown in fig. 3 to the first distant position shown in fig. 2 only by driving the output shaft to move in the second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction. During this time, the linkage 1032 will move the thermal cover base plate 1022 from the warming position to the raised position. As the output shaft rotates further in the second rotational direction, the heat cover assembly 102 is moved from the working position shown in fig. 2 to the idle position shown in fig. 1 by the link 1032.

As can be seen from fig. 1 to 3 and the above description, the movement of the thermal cover assembly 102 and the thermal cover bottom plate 1022 in the thermal cover assembly 102 can be realized by a set of driving components 101. That is, controlling the movement of the thermal cover assembly 102 from the rest position to the working position and the movement of the thermal cover base plate 1022 therein from the raised position to the warming position simply requires controlling the output shaft of the driving member 101 to rotate in the same direction (i.e., the first rotational direction), during which no stopping or reversing operations are required. Similarly, to control the movement of the thermal cover base plate 1022 from the warming position to the raised position, and the movement of the thermal cover assembly 102 from the working position to the rest position, it is only necessary to control the output shaft of the driving member 101 to move all the way in the second rotational direction. In this way, the complexity of controlling the hot lid assembly can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, the reduction of the required drive components 101 and associated transmission components makes the structure of the thermal cover device 100 simpler, less costly and more compact, enabling use in liquid workstations.

In some embodiments, the thermal cover device 100 may further include a mounting bracket 105. The drive assembly 101, the drive assembly 103, and the hot lid assembly 102 may be mounted in a PCR instrument or a workstation of a liquid workstation via a mounting bracket 105. The mounting frame 105 may include a mounting base 1051 and a mounting frame 1052. The mounting frame 1052 is arranged on the mounting base plate 1051 and comprises a frame structure formed by transverse and longitudinal ribs. In some embodiments, the drive component 101 may be mounted on the mounting base 1051, making the structure more robust.

In some embodiments, the drive assembly 103 may include a drive belt 1033 and a lead screw 1034. A drive belt 1033 is coupled between the lead screw 1034 and the output shaft of the drive member 101. In some embodiments, the drive belt 1033 can include a timing belt. Correspondingly, the end of the screw 1034 and the end of the output shaft of the drive part 101 may be provided with a transmission wheel capable of meshing with a timing belt. In this way, it is possible to avoid the influence on the reliability of the heat cover device 100 due to the transmission slip. Furthermore, the use of a belt drive can improve the flexibility and reliability of the overall thermal cover device 100.

Of course, it should be understood that the above-described example of transmission between the screw 1034 and the output shaft of the drive member 101 by means of the transmission belt 1033 is intended to be illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Any suitable transmission is possible, provided that it is ensured that the screw 1034 and the output shaft of the drive member 101 are in transmission with a distance therebetween. For example, in some alternative embodiments, a gear box or the like may be used to transmit power between the screw 1034 and the output shaft of the driving member 101.

To ensure the reliability of the connection between the lead screw 1034 and the output shaft of the drive component 101, in some embodiments, the thermal cover device 100 may further include a post 104. As shown in fig. 1-3, the posts 104 may be disposed on a mounting base 1051. In some embodiments, the end of the output shaft of the drive member 101 may be coupled to a corresponding location of the column 104 by a bearing or the like. Similarly, the end of the screw 1034 may also be coupled to the corresponding location of the column 104 through a bearing or the like to ensure the reliability and strength of the screw 1034. Of course, in some alternative embodiments, the output shaft of the drive member 101 and/or the end of the lead screw 1034 may also not be coupled to the post 104, but rather may be adjacent to the post 104. The post 104 and the mounting frame 1052 may be secured together by suitable structural fasteners to further improve the strength and reliability of the structure.

The link holder 1031 includes a lead screw housing coupled to a lead screw 1034. As the screw 1034 rotates under the action of the output shaft of the driving part 101, the screw housing can move on the screw 1034 along the screw 1034, thereby moving the connecting rod holder 1031. A through hole may be included in the heat cover assembly 102 at a suitable location for the screw 1034 to pass through, so as to avoid interference between the heat cover assembly 102 and the screw 1034 during the movement.

As mentioned above, during the process of moving the heat cover assembly 102 from the rest position shown in fig. 1 to the working position shown in fig. 2, the distance between the link holder 1031 and the heat cover assembly 102 remains substantially unchanged, i.e., the link holder 1031 also moves with the heat cover assembly 102 from the second remote position shown in fig. 1 to the first remote position shown in fig. 2.

In order to maintain the link holder 1031 at a predetermined distance from the heat cover top plate 1021 during movement of the link holder 1031 from the second remote position shown in fig. 1 to the first remote position shown in fig. 2, in some embodiments, the transmission assembly 103 may further include a spring 1036. A spring 1036 is disposed between the thermal cover top plate 1021 and the link bracket 1031. During the movement of the link holder 1031 from the second remote position shown in fig. 1 to the first remote position shown in fig. 2, the spring 1036 can provide sufficient elastic force to push the heat cover top plate 1021 together with the entire heat cover assembly 102 to move from the rest position to the working position, and maintain a predetermined distance between the heat cover top plate 1021 and the link holder 1031.

To ensure smooth movement of the hot lid assembly 102 in the lateral direction H, in some embodiments, the drive assembly 103 can further include a guide rail 1037 and a riser 1038. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the guide rails 1037 may be arranged on the lateral ribs of the mounting frame 1052 in the lateral direction H. The riser 1038 is fixedly coupled to the hot lid assembly 102, such as a hot lid top plate 1021 that may be coupled to the hot lid assembly 102. The riser 1038 can include a slider coupled to the rail 1037. During the movement of the heat cover assembly 102 in the rest position and the working position, the slider slides on the guide rails 1037 in the transverse direction H, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the movement of the heat cover assembly 102 in the transverse direction H.

To prevent further movement of the thermal cover assembly 102 after the thermal cover assembly 102 is moved to the operating position, the transmission assembly 103 may include a front stop 1039. A front stop 1039 can be disposed at one end (hereinafter referred to as a first end) of the rail 1037 and can block further movement of the riser 1038 and thus the thermal cap assembly 102 when the thermal cap assembly 102 is moved to the operating position. Similarly, to prevent further movement of the heat cover assembly 102 after the heat cover assembly 102 moves from the working position to the rest position, the transmission assembly 103 may further include a rear stop block 1040. A rear stop 1040 may be provided near a second end of the rail 1037 opposite the first end to prevent further movement of the heat cover assembly 102 when moved to the rest position.

In some embodiments, the thermal cover device 100 may also include a sensor 106, for example, disposed at a suitable location of the mounting base 1051, for detecting the position of the thermal cover assembly 102. In some embodiments, the sensor 106 may detect the position of the thermal cap assembly 102 by being triggered when the thermal cap assembly 102 is moved to a predetermined position. For example, in some embodiments, the sensor 106 may be triggered to generate a trigger signal when the thermal cover assembly 102 is moved to the idle position, thereby enabling the control unit to stop driving of the driving part 101 according to the trigger signal. For example, in some embodiments, the sensor 106 can include an electro-optical switch and can include an interference bar 1046 or interference bar at the riser 1038 or other suitable location of the hot lid assembly 102 that can interfere with the electro-optical switch. The interference bar 1046 is capable of moving synchronously with the hot lid assembly 102. When the thermal lid assembly 102 is moved to the rest position, the interference bar 1046 can trigger the photoelectric switch to generate a trigger signal.

Of course, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments with respect to sensor 106 including an opto-electronic switch are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Any other suitable sensor 106 is possible as long as it is capable of providing a trigger signal when the hot lid assembly 102 is moved to the idle position. For example, in some embodiments, the sensor 106 may also include a hall element, a microswitch, or the like.

After the heat cover assembly 102 moves to the working position, the vertical plate 1038 and the heat cover assembly 102 cannot move further in the transverse direction H due to the blocking of the front stopper 1039. At this time, the output shaft of the driving member 101 also rotates in the first rotational direction and drives the lead screw 1034 to move. The rotational movement of the lead screw 1034 continues to move the lead screw housing and the link holder 1031, thereby moving the link holder 1031 from the first distal position to the proximal position.

To ensure smooth movement of the link holder 1031 relative to the heat cover assembly 102, in some embodiments, the heat cover assembly 102 and the link holder 1031 may be structurally coupled by a slide bar and slide bar aperture 1035. For example, in some embodiments, one of the thermal cover top plate 1021 and the link bracket 1031 in the thermal cover assembly 102 may comprise a slide bar while the other comprises a slide bar aperture 1035. For example, the heat cover top plate 1021 may include a slide bar and the link bracket 1031 includes a slide bar aperture 1035, or the link bracket 1031 may include a slide bar and the heat cover top plate 1021 may include a slide bar aperture 1035. The slide bar may be inserted into the slide bar hole 1035 to allow relative movement between the thermal cover top 1021 and the link 1032. In some embodiments, a spring 1036 disposed between the link holder 1031 and the thermal cover top 1021 may be sleeved over the slide bar. The spring 1036 can be at least partially positioned in the slide bar aperture 1035. During movement of the link bracket 1031 from the first distal position to the proximal position, the spring 1036 is compressed and may be fully seated in the slide bar aperture 1035.

During movement of the link bracket 1031 from the first away position to the proximate position, the link 1032 drives the heat cover bottom plate 1022 to move from the raised position to the warming position. To facilitate smooth actuation of the thermal cover bottom plate 1022, in some embodiments, a cutaway slot 1041 can be included on the riser 1038. The relief slots 1041 extend in the longitudinal direction V. Correspondingly, the link 1032 may include a drive end rotatably coupled to the link bracket 1031 and a driven end rotatably coupled to the thermal cover bottom plate 1022. On the driven end, the link 1032 may also include a sliding wheel 1042. The sliding wheel 1042 is at least partially disposed in the cutaway slot 1041 and is movable in the cutaway slot 1041 during movement of the link bracket 1031 in the first away and proximate positions to convert movement of the link bracket 1031 in the transverse direction H into movement of the sliding wheel 1042 along the cutaway slot 1041 in the longitudinal direction V, thereby moving the thermal cover base plate 1022 between the raised and warmed positions.

To further ensure the smoothness of the relative movement of the thermal cover top plate 1021 and the thermal cover bottom plate 1022, in some embodiments, the thermal cover bottom plate 1022 can also include a plurality of light holes 1023. Correspondingly, the thermal cover top plate 1021 may include a plurality of optical axes 1024, the plurality of optical axes 1024 being received in the corresponding optical holes 1023, and the walls of the optical holes 1023 being movable relative to the corresponding optical axes 1024 to thereby allow the thermal cover bottom plate 1022 to move along the optical axes 1024 between the raised position and the warming position, thereby ensuring reliability and smoothness of the relative movement therebetween.

To reduce the effect of the external environment on the sample during amplification of the sample, in some embodiments, the thermal cover device 100 may further include a cartridge plate 107. The cartridge plate 107 can isolate the sample from the external environment during sample amplification. The cartridge panel 107 may have an inverted U-shaped three-sided structure, i.e., including a top wall and two side walls. Fig. 4 and 5 show side views of the thermal cover apparatus 100 showing one side wall of the silo plate 107. The sidewall of the plenum 107 is located outside the riser 1038 and can cover the riser 1038. The top wall of the plenum 107 is topped with a top of a thermal cover top 1021. The bin plate 107 may be integrally formed by stamping.

The shutter 107 is movable between an open position and a shielded position, which may be accomplished by the shutter movement assembly 108. During the movement of the link holder 1031 from the first remote position to the close position, the tray 107 can be moved from the open position shown in fig. 4 to the shielding position shown in fig. 5 by the tray moving assembly 108. An example structure and movement of the deck moving assembly 108 will be described below with reference to fig. 6 and 7.

In some embodiments, the deck moving assembly 108 may include a link mounting plate 1081, at least one adaptor plate 1082, and at least one tie rod assembly. One end of the link mounting plate 1081 is fixedly coupled to the link holder 1031, and is movable with the movement of the link holder 1031. The other ends of the link mounting plates 1081 are respectively rotatably coupled to at least one drawbar assembly. In the examples shown in fig. 6 and 7, it is respectively shown that the deck plate moving assembly 108 includes two adapter pieces 1082 and corresponding two lever assemblies symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the moving direction of the deck plate 107. In this way, the movement of the deck 107 can be made more smooth. It should be understood that the manner in which fig. 6 and 7 are illustrated is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. In alternative embodiments, the number of adaptor pieces 1082 and tie rod assemblies may be one each. Hereinafter, the concepts of the present application will be described mainly by taking the examples shown in fig. 6 and fig. 7 as examples, which are similar to other cases and will not be described in detail separately below.

In some embodiments, the end of the link mounting plate 1081 coupled to the lever assembly may be fork-shaped with two branches, and the two branches are respectively coupled to the lever assembly, so as to make the movement of the carriage plate moving assembly 108 more stable. The interposer 1082 is fixedly coupled to the bulkhead 107, e.g., to a top wall of the bulkhead 107. During the movement of the link mounting plate 1081 with the link holder 1031 between the first away position and the close position, the adaptor piece 1082 and the compartment plate 107 fixedly coupled thereto can move between the open position and the shielding position under the driving of the lever assembly.

In some embodiments, each tie rod assembly can include three tie rods, namely, a first tie rod 1083, a second tie rod 1084, and a third tie rod 1085. The first tie bar 1083 is coupled at a first end to the link mounting plate 1081 and at a second end to the third tie bar 1085. For example, in the example shown in fig. 6 and 7, the second end of the first link 1083 is coupled to a predetermined position between both ends of the third link 1085, i.e., the second end of the first link 1083 is coupled to a predetermined position in the middle of the third link 1085. In some alternative embodiments, the second end of the first tie rod 1083 may also be coupled to other locations of the third tie rod 1085, for example, to the second end of the third tie rod 1085 as will be discussed below. A first end of the second lever 1084 is rotatably coupled to the adaptor plate 1082. A first end of the third lever 1085 is rotatably coupled to the thermal cover top plate 1021. A second end of the third pull rod 1085 is rotatably coupled to a second end of the second pull rod 1084. In this way, during the movement of the link holder 1031 from the first away position to the close position, the link mounting plate 1081 drives the adaptor piece 1082 and the compartment plate 107 fixedly coupled thereto to move from the open position to the shielding position by the lever assembly.

Specifically, assume that the hot lid assembly 102 has been moved from the rest position to the working position as shown in fig. 6 by the driving of the driving part 101. At this point, the link holder 1031 is in the first, distal position, and the tray 107 is now in the open position. As the output shaft of the driving part 101 continues to rotate, the link holder 1031 moves from the first distant position to the proximate position, thereby moving the link mounting plate 1081 toward the lever assembly and finally to the position shown in fig. 7, so that the compartment plate 107 can move from the open position to the shielding position. The reverse movement of the link holder 1031 is also similar.

In some embodiments, the tie rod assembly may be located within the thermal cover top plate 1021, making the structure more compact. A receiving groove may be included in the heat cover top plate 1021, which can be used to receive a tie rod assembly. The structure of holding tank is set up suitably for pull rod assembly can not interfere with the lateral wall of holding tank in the motion process while, and the lateral wall of holding tank can also provide certain guide effect. For example, the walls of the receiving slot may be provided with lateral guides adjacent the first end of the second tie bar 1084 to facilitate movement of the adaptor piece 1082 in the lateral direction H.

In some embodiments, to ensure reliable contact and sealing of the thermal lid base plate 1022 with the sample cartridge in the warmed position, the thermal lid apparatus 100 may further comprise a sealing ring 109, as shown in fig. 8. The sealing ring 109 is disposed on the side of the heat cover bottom plate 1022 facing the sample cartridge and is disposed around the sample, thereby enabling a seal to be provided to the sample cartridge when the heat cover bottom plate 1022 is in the warming position, further facilitating precise control of the temperature, and thus facilitating increased effectiveness of amplification.

Another aspect of the present application also provides a PCR instrument. The PCR instrument includes, among other necessary components, the thermal cover device 100 described above. By using the thermal cap apparatus 100, since the thermal cap assembly 102 can be driven to move in two directions (i.e., the transverse direction H and the longitudinal direction V) by using one set of the driving part 101, it is possible to make the structure of the PCR instrument simpler, more compact, and less costly.

Having described embodiments of the present application, the foregoing description is intended to be exemplary, not exhaustive, and not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or improvements made to the technology in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A thermal cover device for a PCR instrument, comprising:

a drive member (101) comprising an output shaft;

a hot lid assembly (102) adapted to be driven to move in a transverse direction (H) from an idle position to a working position during movement of the output shaft in a first rotational direction, and comprising:

a thermal cover top plate (1021); and

a thermal cover bottom panel (1022) arranged to be movable in a longitudinal direction (V) relative to the thermal cover top panel (1021); and

a transmission assembly (103) coupled between the output shaft and the thermal cover assembly (102) and comprising:

a link holder (1031) coupled to the thermal cover assembly (102) and adapted to move in the transverse direction (H) from a first distant position to an proximate position during movement of the output shaft in the first rotational direction and after movement of the thermal cover assembly (102) to the operational position; and

a link (1032) pivotably coupled between the link bracket (1031) and the heat cover floor (1022) to drive the heat cover floor (1022) to move in the longitudinal direction (V) from a raised position in which the heat cover floor (1022) is spaced a predetermined distance from a sample cartridge in the PCR instrument to a warmed position in which the heat cover floor (1022) abuts the sample cartridge during movement of the link bracket (1031) from the first distal position to the proximal position.

2. The hot lid device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission assembly (103) further comprises:

a drive belt (1033); and

a lead screw (1034) coupled to the output shaft via the drive belt (1033), the lead screw (1034) further coupled to the link holder (1031) to move the link holder (1031) from a second distant position to the proximate position via the first distant position during movement of the output shaft in the first rotational direction, a predetermined distance being maintained between the link holder (1031) and the heat cover assembly (102) between the second distant position and the first distant position.

3. The heat cover device according to claim 2, wherein one of the heat cover top plate (1021) and the link holder (1031) comprises a slide bar, the other comprises a slide bar hole (1035), and

the slide bar is adapted to be inserted into the slide bar hole (1035) to couple the link holder (1031) to the thermal cover top (1021) and allow relative movement between the link holder (1031) and the thermal cover top (1021).

4. The hot lid arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the transmission assembly (103) further comprises a spring (1036), the spring (1036) being arranged to fit over the slide bar such that the link holder (1031) is maintained at the predetermined distance from the hot lid assembly (102) when being between the second remote position and the first remote position.

5. The hot lid device according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the transmission assembly (103) further comprises:

-a guide rail (1037) arranged along the transverse direction (H); and

a riser (1038) fixedly coupled to the hot lid assembly (102) and including a slider coupled to the rail (1037).

6. The hot lid device according to claim 5, wherein the transmission assembly (103) further comprises:

a front stop (1039) disposed at a first end of the rail (1037) and adapted to block the riser (1038) after the hot lid assembly (102) is moved to the operating position; and

a rear stop block (1040) arranged in proximity of a second end of the rail (1037) opposite the first end and adapted to block the riser (1038) after the hot cap assembly (102) is moved to the rest position.

7. The hot-cover device according to claim 5, characterized in that said riser (1038) comprises:

a notched groove (1041) extending in the longitudinal direction (V) and

the link (1032) includes:

a drive end rotatably coupled to the link holder (1031);

a driven end rotatably coupled to the thermal cover bottom plate (1022); and

a sliding wheel (1042) coupled to the driven end and at least partially received in the cutaway slot (1041) and adapted to move in the cutaway slot (1041).

8. The hot lid device according to any one of claims 1-4, 6 and 7, wherein the hot lid base plate (1022) comprises a plurality of light holes (1023), and wherein

The thermal cover top plate (1021) comprises:

a plurality of optical axes (1024) adapted to be inserted into and move within respective ones (1023) of the plurality of optical apertures (1023) to allow relative movement between the thermal cover top plate (1021) and the thermal cover bottom plate (1022).

9. The hot lid arrangement according to claim 6, further comprising a mounting frame (105), the mounting frame (105) comprising:

a mounting base plate (1051); and

a mounting frame (1052) arranged on the mounting base plate (1051) and adapted to arrange at least one of the guide rail (1037), the front stopper (1039), and the rear stopper (1040).

10. The hot lid apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, 6, 7 and 9, further comprising:

a sensor (106) disposed on the mounting baseplate (1051) and adapted to detect a position of the thermal cover assembly (102).

11. The hot lid apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, 6, 7 and 9, further comprising:

a bin plate (107); and

a tray moving assembly (108) coupled between the link bracket (1031) and the tray (107) to drive the tray (107) to move from an open position to a shielding position during movement of the link bracket (1031) from the first away position to the proximate position.

12. The hot lid apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the bulkhead moving assembly (108) comprises:

a link mounting plate (1081) fixedly coupled to the link holder (1031);

at least one interposer (1082) fixedly coupled to the cartridge plate (107); and

at least one tie rod assembly disposed at least partially in the heat cover top plate (1021) and between the link mounting plate (1081) and the adaptor plate (1082).

13. The thermal cover device according to claim 12, wherein said tie rod assembly comprises:

a first tie rod (1083), a first end of the first tie rod (1083) rotatably coupled to the link mounting plate (1081);

a second tie bar (1084), a first end of the second tie bar (1084) rotatably coupled to the adaptor sheet (1082); and

a third tie bar (1085), the first end of the third tie bar (1085) rotatably coupled to the hot cover top plate (1021), the second end rotatably coupled to the second end of the second tie bar (1084), and

wherein a second end of the first tie rod (1083) is coupled to the third tie rod (1085).

14. The hot lid apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 12 and 13, further comprising:

a sealing ring (109) arranged on a side of the thermal cover floor (1022) facing the sample cartridge to provide a seal for the sample cartridge when the thermal cover floor (1022) is in the warmed position.

15. A PCR instrument comprising a thermal cover device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.