CN216630892U - Temperature control device applied to micro-fluidic chip and sample analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

A temperature control device applied to a microfluidic chip and a sample analyzer comprise a box body, a heating assembly and a control unit. The box body is internally provided with an accommodating cavity for accommodating the microfluidic chip, and the heating assembly is arranged on the box body and used for heating the inner cavity wall of the accommodating cavity. The control unit is electrically connected with the heating assembly and controls the working state of the heating assembly. At least partial area of the inner cavity wall of the containing cavity is provided with a concave-convex surface so as to improve the contact area between the inner cavity wall and the air in the containing cavity. Therefore, when the heating component generates heat, the heat energy on the inner cavity wall can be more quickly transferred to the air in the accommodating cavity, the temperature in the accommodating cavity is improved, and the preheating time of the sample analyzer is shortened.

Description

Temperature control device applied to micro-fluidic chip and sample analyzer

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of medical equipment, in particular to a temperature control device applied to a micro-fluidic chip.

Background

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is a subdivision of the field of in vitro diagnostics, and by virtue of its characteristics of small instrument size, rapid testing, and simple operation, it is widely used in the fields of clinical examination, personal health management, disease prevention and monitoring, etc.

The biochemical real-time detection can adopt a centrifugal micro-fluidic technology, and a sample cavity, a diluent cavity, a sample quantitative cavity, a diluent quantitative cavity, a sample mixing cavity, a colorimetric cavity, a quality control cavity, a waste liquid cavity and a liquid path micro-channel are integrated on a micro-fluidic chip (or called a detection disc); the processes of sample separation, sample quantification, diluent quantification, sample and diluent mixing, sample reaction, optical detection and the like in the biochemical analysis process are all realized based on the centrifugal motion of the microfluidic chip; reagents required in the biochemical analysis process are pre-packaged in a colorimetric cavity of the microfluidic chip in a freeze-dried pellet form.

Temperature has a large influence on the reaction rate of biochemical reagents, such as: many reaction processes need enzyme participation, and according to the theory of coenzyme Q10, the chemical reaction speed is increased by 1 time when the temperature is increased by 10 ℃; typically, the reagent reactions are set to run at approximately constant temperature (37. + -. 0.2 ℃ C.); therefore, a high-precision temperature control system is a key technology for ensuring the accuracy and repeatability of biochemical analysis results.

In the existing instant diagnosis biochemical analyzer, a temperature control device is provided for a microfluidic chip, the temperature control device is provided with a constant temperature cavity, the microfluidic chip can be arranged in the constant temperature cavity, and the whole process of biochemical analysis is carried out in the constant temperature cavity.

However, because the heat capacity of the air in the temperature control device is small and the temperature rise is slow, the biochemical analyzer needs a long time to complete the startup preheating, so that the temperature in the constant temperature cavity reaches the requirement. Moreover, the air in the temperature control device and the micro-fluidic chip are subjected to convective heat transfer, and the heat transfer coefficient is small. Before the microfluidic chip is placed in a biochemical analyzer, the microfluidic chip is basically refrigerated and stored, and the time for heating the microfluidic chip from a low-temperature state to a set reaction temperature is further prolonged.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The application provides a be applied to micro-fluidic chip's temperature control device and sample analysis appearance to reach the purpose that the holding intracavity is heated up more fast in the temperature control device.

In one embodiment, the present application provides a temperature control device applied to a microfluidic chip, including:

the micro-fluidic chip comprises a box body, wherein an accommodating cavity for accommodating the micro-fluidic chip is formed in the box body, and at least part of area of the inner cavity wall of the accommodating cavity is provided with a concave-convex surface so as to improve the contact area between the inner cavity wall and the air in the accommodating cavity;

the heating assembly is arranged on the box body and used for heating the inner cavity wall of the box body;

and the control unit is electrically connected with the heating assembly and controls the working state of the heating assembly.

In one embodiment, the box body comprises a top wall, a bottom wall and a side wall connected between the top wall and the bottom wall, and at least the inner cavity walls of the top wall and the side wall are provided with the concave-convex undulating surface.

In one embodiment, the non-chip contact areas on the inner cavity walls of the top, bottom and side walls each form the relief surface.

In one embodiment, the relief surface is formed by a plurality of protrusions.

In one embodiment, the ratio A of the height to the thickness of the protrusions is more than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 5, and the ratio B of the thickness of the protrusions to the distance between the protrusions is as follows: 1/2 is less than or equal to B is less than or equal to 3/4.

In one embodiment, the ratio of the height to the thickness of the protrusions, a, is 4, and the ratio of the thickness of the protrusions to the spacing between the protrusions, B, is 2/3.

In one embodiment, the protrusions are evenly distributed among them.

In one embodiment, in the case, the difference between the distance between two opposite inner cavity walls in the same direction and the length of the microfluidic chip in the same direction is less than or equal to 2 mm.

In one embodiment, the heating assembly comprises an electrothermal film attached to the box body.

In one embodiment, the box body is a flat structure and comprises a top wall, a bottom wall and a side wall connected between the top wall and the bottom wall, the areas of the top wall and the bottom wall are larger than those of the side wall, and at least the heating components are arranged on the top wall and the bottom wall.

In one embodiment, the heating device further comprises a heat insulation piece, the heat insulation piece wraps the heating assembly and the outer side of the box body, and the heat insulation piece at least covers the area where the heating assembly is located so as to isolate the heating assembly from the external environment.

In one embodiment, the temperature detection device further comprises an inner cavity temperature sensor, wherein the inner cavity temperature sensor is arranged in the accommodating cavity and used for detecting the temperature in the accommodating cavity, and the inner cavity temperature sensor is electrically connected with the control unit.

In one embodiment, the temperature control device further comprises an ambient temperature sensor, wherein the ambient temperature sensor is arranged on the outer side of the box body and used for detecting the ambient temperature around the box body, and the ambient temperature sensor is electrically connected with the control unit.

In one embodiment, the box body is of an integrally formed structure or formed by splicing and combining, and the area, at least provided with the heating assembly, on the box body is made of heat conducting materials.

In one embodiment, the wall thickness of the cartridge body is less than or equal to 1.8 mm.

In view of the above, in one embodiment, the present application provides a sample analyzer applied to a microfluidic chip, including a temperature control device as described in any one of the above.

The temperature control device according to the above embodiment includes a box, a heating assembly, and a control unit. The box body is internally provided with an accommodating cavity for accommodating the microfluidic chip, and the heating assembly is arranged on the box body and used for heating the inner cavity wall of the accommodating cavity. The control unit is electrically connected with the heating assembly and controls the working state of the heating assembly. At least partial area of the inner cavity wall of the containing cavity is provided with a concave-convex surface so as to improve the contact area between the inner cavity wall and the air in the containing cavity. Therefore, when the heating component generates heat, the heat energy on the inner cavity wall can be more quickly transferred to the air in the accommodating cavity, the temperature in the accommodating cavity is improved, and the preheating time of the sample analyzer is shortened.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a temperature control device during installation into a microfluidic chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature control device incorporated into a microfluidic chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature control device having thermal insulation according to one embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. Wherein like elements in different embodiments are numbered with like associated elements. In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some of the features may be omitted or replaced with other elements, materials, methods in different instances. In some instances, certain operations related to the present application have not been shown or described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the core of the present application from excessive description, and it is not necessary for those skilled in the art to describe these operations in detail, so that they may be fully understood from the description in the specification and the general knowledge in the art.

Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification may be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. Also, the various steps or actions in the method descriptions may be transposed or transposed in order, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the various sequences in the specification and drawings are for the purpose of describing certain embodiments only and are not intended to imply a required sequence unless otherwise indicated where such sequence must be followed.

The numbering of the components as such, e.g., "first", "second", etc., is used herein only to distinguish the objects as described, and does not have any sequential or technical meaning. The term "connected" and "coupled" when used in this application, unless otherwise indicated, includes both direct and indirect connections (couplings).

The present embodiment provides a temperature control apparatus applied to a micro-fluidic chip, which can provide an environment meeting the temperature requirement of biochemical analysis for the micro-fluidic chip (or called a detection disc) in a point-of-care testing (POCT) technology, so as to help complete the point-of-care testing.

Referring to fig. 1-2, in one embodiment, the temperature control device 10 includes a box 100, a heating element 200, and a control unit (not shown).

The cartridge 100 has a receiving chamber 110 for receiving the microfluidic chip 20 therein. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, an opening is provided at one end of the cartridge 100 for accessing the microfluidic chip 20. The cartridge 100 may optionally be designed to be closed or semi-closed. The receiving chamber 110 is shaped to match the microfluidic chip 20, for example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 1-2, the cartridge 100 has a flat structure to accommodate the generally disk-shaped microfluidic chip 20. The box 100 includes a top wall 131, a bottom wall 132, and a side wall 133 connected between the top wall 131 and the bottom wall 132, the top wall 131 and the bottom wall 132 having a larger area than the side wall 133. Of course, in other embodiments, the cartridge 100 may take other shapes, and is not limited to the shape shown in fig. 1 and 2.

The heating element 200 is disposed on the box 100 and is used for heating the inner cavity wall of the box 100, so as to raise the temperature in the accommodating cavity 110. The control unit is electrically connected to the heating element 200 to control the operating state of the heating element 200. The control unit is used for receiving and sending commands, processing data and the like, and can be a main control unit of the sample analyzer or a sub-control unit designed for the temperature control device 10. The heating assembly 200 has a structure capable of generating heat energy, for example, the heating assembly 200 may include an electrothermal film, for example, in an embodiment, the electrothermal film may be a metal electrothermal film, a graphene electrothermal film or other electrothermal films, and the thermal conductivity of graphene is higher than that of a metal electrothermal film. The electric heating film may be attached (including adhered, covered, inlaid, embedded, etc.) to the case 100. In addition, the heating assembly 200 may be replaced by other structures that can generate heat under the control of the control unit, and is not limited to the form of the electric heating film.

In order to improve the heat exchange efficiency between the inner cavity wall and the air in the accommodating cavity 110, please refer to fig. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, at least a partial region of the inner cavity wall of the accommodating cavity 110 has a concave-convex surface, and the concave-convex surface enlarges the surface area of the inner cavity wall, thereby increasing the contact area between the inner cavity wall and the air in the accommodating cavity 110, improving the heat exchange efficiency between the inner cavity wall and the air in the accommodating cavity 110, and enabling the temperature in the accommodating cavity 110 to rise more rapidly.

The undulating surface may be provided at any position of the inner chamber wall of the case 100. In one embodiment, for faster temperature rise, the box 100 has concave-convex surfaces on at least the inner cavity walls of the top wall 131 and the side walls 133. After the microfluidic chip 20 is loaded into the accommodating chamber 110, as shown in fig. 2, the top wall 131 and the side wall 133 form a gap with the microfluidic chip 20, and the concave-convex surfaces are arranged on the inner cavity walls of the top wall 131 and the side wall 133, so that the temperatures above and in the side area of the microfluidic chip 20 can be raised more rapidly, and thus the microfluidic chip 20 is heated uniformly and the temperature is raised more rapidly.

As shown in fig. 2, in some embodiments, a gap may be formed between the bottom wall 132 and the microfluidic chip 20, and in this case, the bottom wall 132 may also have a rugged surface, so as to more rapidly increase the temperature of the area below the microfluidic chip 20. Of course, in some embodiments, the bottom wall 132 and the microfluidic chip 20 may also be in a direct contact relationship, so that heat transfer is directly achieved by means of heat conduction, and at this time, the bottom wall 132 may not be provided with a concave-convex surface, but heat conduction is performed in a manner of being attached to the outer wall of the microfluidic chip 20 as much as possible.

Further, only a part of the inner cavity wall may have a surface having projections and depressions, or all of the inner cavity wall may have a surface having projections and depressions. Referring to fig. 2, in an embodiment, the non-chip contact areas on the inner cavity walls of the top wall 131, the bottom wall 132 and the side walls 133 form a concave-convex surface, so as to increase the contact area between the inner cavity walls and air as much as possible and maximize the heat transfer efficiency. The non-chip contact area refers to an area on the inner cavity wall that is not in direct contact with the microfluidic chip 20.

The rugged surface refers to a surface of the inner cavity wall having an uneven rugged shape, which can be realized in any feasible manner, for example, in fig. 2, the rugged surface is formed by several protrusions 120 (fins). Of course, the protrusion 120 may be replaced by other shapes, such as a convex hull, instead of the shape shown in fig. 2.

The protrusions 120 may be identical or different in shape and size. The height and thickness of each projection 120 can also be designed to be the same or different. The spacing between the protrusions 120 may also be uniform or non-uniform. For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the protrusions 120 are uniformly distributed, that is, the distance between adjacent protrusions 120 in at least one plane is uniform, so that the temperature equalization of each region in the accommodating cavity 110 can be ensured, and the uniform heating of the microfluidic chip 20 is facilitated.

Further, considering that the height, thickness and spacing of the protrusions 120 are important factors affecting the heat exchange efficiency, the embodiment, through repeated experiments and analysis, designs the ratio a of the height to the thickness of the protrusions 120 to be 3 ≦ a ≦ 5, and designs the ratio B of the thickness of the protrusions 120 to the spacing between the protrusions 120 to be: 1/2 is less than or equal to B is less than or equal to 3/4. Within this range, the box 100 can not only maintain sufficient compactness, but also achieve efficient heat transfer with the air in the accommodating cavity 110. In particular, when the ratio a of the height to the thickness of the protrusions 120 is 4 and the ratio B of the thickness of the protrusions 120 to the interval between the protrusions 120 is 2/3, the heat transfer is higher and the compactness is better.

Further, referring to fig. 2, in an embodiment, a difference between a distance between two opposite inner cavity walls in the same direction and a length of the corresponding microfluidic chip 20 in the same direction in the cartridge 100 is less than or equal to 2 mm. The same direction is, for example, the up-down direction, the left-right direction or the front-back direction, wherein as shown in fig. 1, the end of the cartridge 100 for inserting the microfluidic chip 20 is the front, the opposite direction is the back, the left-right direction is the left-right direction in the state of the cartridge 100 shown in fig. 1, and the up-down direction is the vertical direction shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 2, when the microfluidic chip 20 is inserted into the cartridge 100, the minimum gap distance between each side of the microfluidic chip 20 and the inner cavity wall can be controlled within a range of less than or equal to 1 mm, so that the space between the microfluidic chip 20 and the cartridge 100 becomes smaller, and the smaller the space, the faster the temperature of the air therein rises, which is more beneficial to the rapid heating of the microfluidic chip 20. And the smaller space is also beneficial to the more compact appearance and volume of the box body 100 and the miniaturization.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in view of the fact that the top wall 131 and the bottom wall 132 of the box 100 have a larger area than the side wall 133, in one embodiment, at least the top wall 131 and the bottom wall 132 are provided with the heating elements 200. The area of the top wall 131 and the bottom wall 132 is more favorable for arranging more heating assemblies 200, and the heating efficiency is improved. Of course, if necessary, a heating unit 200 may be provided on the side wall 133 to improve heating efficiency.

Further, in order to reduce the heat dissipation, especially the heat dissipation on the heating element 200, referring to fig. 3, an embodiment further includes a heat insulation member 400, the heat insulation member 400 is wrapped on the outside of the heating element 200 and the box 100, and the heat insulation member 400 at least covers the area where the heating element 200 is located to isolate it from the external environment, so as to reduce the heat dissipation. The thermal insulation member 400 may also cover the regions of the case 100 where the heating assembly 200 is not disposed, to prevent heat from being emitted from these regions to the external environment. The thermal insulation member 400 may be made of a conventional thermal insulation material and structure, for example, thermal insulation cotton, etc.

Further, in order to more accurately know and control the temperature in the accommodating chamber 110, in an embodiment, referring to fig. 2, an intra-chamber temperature sensor 300 is further included, the intra-chamber temperature sensor 300 is disposed in the accommodating chamber 110 and is used for detecting the temperature in the accommodating chamber 110, and the intra-chamber temperature sensor 300 is electrically connected to the control unit. The control unit has a temperature control circuit, and the temperature sensor 300 in the chamber can collect the temperature of the air in the accommodating chamber 110 and feed back the signal to the temperature control circuit for processing. The intracavity temperature sensor 300 may be of any type capable of directly or indirectly sensing temperature, for example, in one embodiment, the intracavity temperature sensor 300 may be a platinum resistor temperature sensor based on an approximate linear relationship between the resistance of the platinum resistor and the temperature.

Further, when the disc is replaced, the accommodating chamber 110 is opened, and the temperature inside the chamber is easily changed by the environmental influence, which affects the biochemical reaction. Therefore, in an embodiment, an environment temperature sensor (not shown) is further included, the environment temperature sensor is disposed outside the box 100 and is used for detecting the environment temperature around the box 100, and the environment temperature sensor is electrically connected to the control unit and transmits the detected environment temperature detected by the environment temperature sensor to the control unit.

Specifically, under the condition that the accommodating chamber 110 is opened and the heating assembly 200 does not work, the temperature inside the accommodating chamber 110 will eventually reach the same temperature as the ambient temperature. After the environment temperature sensor is added, the temperature control system can feed back a plurality of channels, the control unit can comprehensively judge according to the environment temperature and the cavity temperature, and in the process of replacing the micro-fluidic chip 20 and opening the accommodating cavity 110, whether the heating assembly 200 needs to work or not is judged to adjust the temperature in the accommodating cavity 110.

Further, referring to fig. 1-3, in an embodiment, the box 100 is an integrally formed structure or assembled, and at least the area of the box 100 where the heating element 200 is disposed is made of a heat conductive material.

For example, in one embodiment, the cartridge 100 is extruded from a metal (copper or aluminum alloy) having a high thermal conductivity. When the case 100 is a separate structure, the portion (such as the sidewall 133 shown in fig. 1 and 2) where the heating element 200 is not disposed may be made of plastic.

Further, in one embodiment, the entire wall thickness of the cartridge 100 (including the protrusion 120) may be made to be at a maximum near or not thicker than the wall thickness of the thermostatic chamber typically used for the microfluidic chip 20. For example, in one embodiment, the cartridge 100 has a wall thickness of less than or equal to 1.8 mm. By matching with the 120V surface of the concave-convex wall of the upper inner cavity, the heat convection efficiency between the cavity wall of the accommodating cavity 110 and air can be improved on the premise of not increasing the power of the heating assembly 200.

On the other hand, an embodiment also provides a sample analyzer applied to the microfluidic chip 20, which is an apparatus for implementing sample analysis by point of care (POCT) technology. The sample analyzer includes a temperature control device 10 as described in any of the above embodiments to provide a constant temperature environment to the microfluidic chip 20.

The present invention has been described in terms of specific examples, which are provided to aid in understanding the utility model and are not intended to be limiting. For a person skilled in the art to which the utility model pertains, several simple deductions, modifications or substitutions may be made according to the idea of the utility model.

Claims (11)

1. A temperature control device applied to a microfluidic chip is characterized by comprising:

the micro-fluidic chip comprises a box body, wherein an accommodating cavity for accommodating the micro-fluidic chip is formed in the box body, and at least part of area of the inner cavity wall of the accommodating cavity is provided with a concave-convex surface so as to improve the contact area between the inner cavity wall and the air in the accommodating cavity;

the heating assembly is arranged on the box body and used for heating the inner cavity wall of the box body;

and the control unit is electrically connected with the heating assembly and controls the working state of the heating assembly.

2. The temperature control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, and a side wall connected between the top wall and the bottom wall, at least the inner chamber walls of the top wall and the side wall having the relief surface.

3. The temperature control device of claim 2, wherein the non-chip contact areas on the inner cavity walls of the top, bottom and side walls each form the relief surface.

4. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein the relief surface is formed by a plurality of protrusions.

5. The temperature control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the protrusions are evenly distributed therebetween.

6. The temperature control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating assembly comprises an electro-thermal film attached to the case.

7. The temperature control apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thermal insulation member, wherein the thermal insulation member is wrapped around the heating assembly and the box, and the thermal insulation member covers at least an area where the heating assembly is located to isolate the heating assembly from an external environment.

8. The temperature control device according to claim 1, further comprising an intra-cavity temperature sensor, wherein the intra-cavity temperature sensor is disposed in the accommodating cavity and used for detecting the temperature in the accommodating cavity, and the intra-cavity temperature sensor is electrically connected to the control unit.

9. The temperature control device according to claim 1, further comprising an ambient temperature sensor disposed outside the case for detecting an ambient temperature around the case, the ambient temperature sensor being electrically connected to the control unit.

10. The temperature control device of claim 1, wherein the box body is of an integrally formed structure or assembled by splicing, and at least the area of the box body, where the heating component is arranged, is made of a heat conducting material.

11. A sample analyzer for use in a microfluidic chip, comprising a temperature control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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