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US 12,422,311 B2Granted
Multi-zone temperature control device and multi-zone temperature control method
AssigneeDelta Electronics, Inc.
InventorsMing-Che Hsieh, Yu-Kai Kao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multi-zone temperature control device has multiple thermo-conductive reservoirs for accommodating a specimen, multiple temperature adjustment devices for adjusting temperatures of multiple adjustment blocks, a driving device, and a control device. The control device executes multiple temperature control procedures at the same time. During the execution of each temperature control procedure, the present disclosure makes the adjustment blocks contact and leave the thermo-conductive reservoirs in the same zone, such that the thermo-conductive reservoirs reach the target temperatures of the temperature control procedure sequentially.
Claims18
A multi-zone temperature control device, comprising:
- a receiver device comprising a plurality of thermo-conductive reservoirs, each of the thermo-conductive reservoirs configured to contain a test tube accommodating an individual specimen, wherein one of the thermo-conductive reservoirs belongs to a first zone and another one of the thermo-conductive reservoirs belongs to a second zone, wherein each of the thermo-conductive reservoirs has an opening disposed thereon;
- a plurality of temperature adjustment devices, configured to adjust temperatures of a plurality of adjustment blocks, and contact the thermo-conductive reservoir of the first zone through one of the adjustment blocks to adjust temperature of the thermo-conductive reservoir of the first zone and contact the thermo-conductive reservoir of the second zone through another one of the adjustment blocks to adjust temperature of the thermo-conductive reservoir of the second zone, wherein each of the adjustment blocks is controlled to insert into each corresponding one of the thermo-conductive reservoirs through the opening to simultaneously contact the thermo-conductive reservoir and the test tube disposed in the thermo-conductive reservoir;
- a driving device, configured to change a contact status between the one of the adjustment blocks and the thermo-conductive reservoir of the first zone and the another one of the adjustment blocks and the thermo-conductive reservoir of the second zone;
- and
- a control device, electrically connected with the driving device and the temperature adjustment devices, and configured to execute a first temperature control procedure to control one of the temperature adjustment devices to adjust temperature, and control the driving device to change the contact status between the one of the adjustment blocks and the thermo-conductive reservoir in the first zone to make the thermo-conductive reservoir in the first zone reach a plurality of target temperatures of the first temperature control procedure sequentially, and configured to execute a second temperature control procedure to control one of the temperature adjustment devices to adjust temperature, and control the driving device to change the contact status between the another one of the adjustment blocks and the thermo-conductive reservoir in the second zone to make the thermo-conductive reservoir in the second zone reach a plurality of target temperatures of the second temperature control procedure sequentially.
2 more elements
A multi-zone temperature control method, comprising steps of:
- a) executing a first temperature control procedure to control a first temperature adjustment device to adjust temperature of a first adjustment block, and control a driving device to adjust a first contact status between the first adjustment block and a first thermo-conductive reservoir to make the first thermo-conductive reservoir reach a plurality of target temperatures of the first temperature control procedure sequentially, wherein the first thermo-conductive reservoir contains a first test tube accommodating a first specimen and has a first opening disposed thereon, and the first adjustment block is controlled to insert into the first thermo-conductive reservoir through the first opening to simultaneously contact the first thermo-conductive reservoir and the first test tube disposed in the first thermo-conductive reservoir;
- and
- b) at a same time of executing the first temperature control procedure, executing a second temperature control procedure to control a second temperature adjustment device to adjust temperature of a second adjustment block, and control the driving device to adjust a second contact status between the second adjustment block and a second thermo-conductive reservoir to make the second thermo-conductive reservoir reach a plurality of target temperatures of the second temperature control procedure sequentially, wherein the second thermo-conductive reservoir contains a second test tube accommodating a second specimen and has a second opening disposed thereon, and the second adjustment block is controlled to insert into the second thermo-conductive reservoir through the second opening to simultaneously contact the second thermo-conductive reservoir and the second test tube disposed in the second thermo-conductive reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.