SAMPLE TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM

摘要

The system has a thermal unit and a control unit. The thermal unit has an insulation layer enclosing a space for biological or biochemical samples in a container such as a Linbro multiwell plate. The thermal unit has a series of windows above and below the container for viewing and backlighting the sample. The thermal unit has a conductive cage about the space to conduct thermal energy and even out the temperature in the space and has two thermal electric devices and fans abutting the cage out side the space to act as temperature sources. There is a temperature sensor in the space. The system is powered by a control unit that converts and regulates voltage and allows for the selection and viewing of a desired temperature and the viewing of the actual temperature in the space. The control unit has a controller that determines the difference between the actual and set temperature and a bridge that switches the polarity of the voltage to the thermal electric devices to allow for heating and cooling of the space to the desired temperature. The control unit can employ digital control with a dedicated microprocessor, or computer control to implement and track temperature sequences. The thermal unit may be disconnected from the control unit to allow the control unit to be used with different thermal units, or the control unit may power and control multiple thermal units at the same time. The thermal unit is dimensioned to fit within and is not integrated with a microscope. This allows the microscope to be used for other purposes while the thermal unit is in a temperature cycle without breaking the temperature cycle to place the thermal unit in the microscope for viewing, and later removing the thermal unit.