WO2021101334A1

WO2021101334A1 - Sample holder transferring apparatus used for thermal cycler

Info

Publication number: WO2021101334A1
Application number: PCT/KR2020/016519
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jin Won Kim; Jin Seok Noh; Dong Woo Kang; Soon Joo Hwang; Seung Min Baik; Sang Jong Park
Original assignee: Seegene, Inc.
Priority date: 2019-11-22
Filing date: 2020-11-20
Publication date: 2021-05-27
Also published as: KR20220091573A

Abstract

A sample holder transferring apparatus used in a thermal cycler of the present disclosure is provided that includes a sample holder housing in which a sample holder accommodating a sample or a sample reaction vessel is accommodated, a slide member, on which the sample holder housing is mounted, linearly moving in a sliding manner along a linear motion (LM) guide, a plurality of LM guides for providing a path allowing the sample holder housing to move linearly, a connecting member connecting the slide member to a driving assembly, and the driving assembly.

Description

SAMPLE HOLDER TRANSFERRING APPARATUS USED FOR THERMAL CYCLER

The present disclosure relates to sample holder transferring apparatuses used in a thermal cycler.

Polynucleotide chain reaction (PCR) is the most widely used nucleic acid amplification reaction, and includes repeated cycles of denaturation of double-stranded DNA, annealing of oligonucleotide primers to a DNA template, and primer extension by DNA polymerase (Mullis et al. U.S. Patent No. 4,683,195, Mullis et al. U.S. Patent No. 4,683,202, and Mullis et al. U.S. Patent No. 4,800,159, (1985) Science 230, 1350-1354). DNA denaturation is normally carried out at about 95°C, and annealing and primer extension are carried out at a temperature lower than 95°C, for example, within 55°C to 75°C. Accordingly, a thermal cycler performs a nucleic acid amplification reaction of samples contained in reaction vessels by repeating the process of raising and lowering a temperature of the reaction vessels included in a heat block.

In case of the thermal cycler, a plurality of reaction vessels loading biological samples are each disposed in a heat block.

The heat block is cased in the form of a drawer and pulled into, and out of, the thermal cycler, so that users can easily access the heat block, which is a sample loading area.

At this time, since the thermal cycler is in a state where the sample loading area is opened such that the heat block is exposed, therefore, users manually removes reaction vessels located in the heat block from the heat block or arranges them in the heat block so that samples can be prepared to be thermally circulated.

U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2019-0126281 discloses an automate system including an automated drawer with a sample block assembly capable of providing a user with access to a sample loading area.

In accordance with this publication, the sample block assembly is allowed to move linearly into and out of the system in a manner similar to a drawer using a motor.

To do this, a method is provided in which the motor provides rotational motion that can be converted to linear motion, and the conversion from the rotational motion to the linear motion can be accomplished through a coupling and one or more lead screws.

Referring to FIG. 40 of this publication, a sample block assembly 114 is mounted on a slide 510 and/or a block support 515, and a lead screw rotated by a motor 500 is located under the slide 510 and/or the block support 515. When the motor 500 is driven, since a coupling 505 disposed on the lead screw and causing the rotational motion of a shaft of the motor 500 to be converted to linear motion leads such linear motion to be transmitted to the slide 510 and/or the block support 515, the sample block assembly 114 mounted on the slide 510 and/or the block support 515 can linearly move inwardly or outwardly.

According to this publication, a structure is disclosed in which a nut linearly moving along a linear movement of the lead screw is connected to the slide 510 and/or the block support 515 when the lead screw located at a lower portion of the sample block assembly 114 is rotated by the motor driving, and thereby, the sample block assembly 114 can linearly move for allowing the sample block assembly 114 to be outwardly opened or inwardly closed.

In this structure, as shown in FIG. 42a, the locations of the motor and the lead screw are limited to center locations of the slide 510 and/or the block support 515, and thus, the sample block assembly 114 is needed to have a height corresponding to an area in where the lead screw located under the slide 510 and/or the block support 515 is disposed.

Due to this, the increasing of a height of the entire of the automate system, and the unstable support of the slide 510 and/or the block support 515 by only the lead screw rotating along a lead for the linear movement may lead the stability of operations of the sample block assembly 114 for being outwardly opened or inwardly closed to be lowered at the same time.

Further, when the lead screw is located under the slide 510 and/or the block support 515 on which the sample block assembly 114 is mounted, the center of gravity may be biased in one direction due to a weight of the sample block assembly 114, and thereby the center may be distorted. Thus, corresponding inward or outward linear movement may not be easily performed. In addition, the coupling of the lead screw performing rotational motion may be distorted due to the weight of the sample block assembly 114, or a balance between left and right sides of the sample block assembly114 may not be kept. In this situation, a sample may be contaminated, and an error in corresponding amplification reaction may occur.

Meanwhile, in the case of a thermal cycler that provides heat to a sample holder through a heat generating element, it is necessary to discharge heat generated from the heat generating element to the outside through a heat sink.

To do this, in a typical scheme, the thermal cycler cools such a heat sink using a cooling fan and then discharges hot air from the heat sink to the outside passing through a passage.

According to such a scheme, in order to increase the efficiency of the cooling fan, air from the outside is provided to the cooling fan. In this case, to provide the air from the outside to the cooling fan, it is desirable for an external inlet is formed in an area adjacent to an area in which the cooling fan is located.

In the case of the thermal cycler, it is desirable for several electrical and thermal components required for the amplification reaction to be stably disposed at suitable locations. Due to such a consideration, it is not easy to dispose the external inlet to be adjacent to the cooling fan in actual. Accordingly, it is required to provide air from the outside to the cooling fan instantly and dynamically by controlling air flow through the external inlet.

The inventors have set themselves the task of providing a system and an apparatus for enabling air to flow gently by convection without being stagnated in any one space inside of a thermal cycler while enabling the thermal cycler to move stably without vibrating or biasing to one side when a sample holder transferring apparatus linearly moves inwardly or outwardly.

Such task is achieved by providing a sample holder transferring apparatus capable of enhancing spatial usability inside of a thermal cycler and stability thereof while the sample holder transferring apparatus moves stably.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a sample holder transferring apparatus used in a thermal cycler is provided that includes a sample holder housing in which a sample holder for accommodating a sample or a sample reaction vessel is accommodated, a slide member, on which the sample holder housing is mounted, sliding along a linear motion (LM) guide, a plurality of LM guides for providing a path allowing the sample holder housing to move linearly, a driving assembly, and a connecting member connecting the slide member to the driving assembly.

In one embodiment, the driving assembly includes a motor rotating at a certain angle by an input voltage, a screw rotating by the driving of the motor, a linear movement member including a movement block and a movement rail that convert the rotational motion of the screw into linear motion, and a driving controller the driving of the motor by determining whether the movement block arrives at a predefined location.

In one embodiment, the driving assembly causes the slide member to move linearly along at least one LM guide through the linear movement member by being connected to the slide member via the connecting member.

In one embodiment, the slide member includes a pair of slides with a bar shape which are spaced apart from, and disposed parallel to, each other, and the sample holder housing is located in the front of the slide member.

In one embodiment, the slide member has a plate shape and an opening hole formed in a region in which a lower portion of the sample holder housing is located.

In one embodiment, the slide member linearly moves together, and/or integrally, with the sample holder housing along the at least one LM guide.

In one embodiment, the driving assembly is disposed in a side surface, or on a side, of the slide member.

In one embodiment, the connecting member is connected to at least one of the pair of slides.

In one embodiment, the connecting member is disposed to cross vertically in a direction in which the pair of slides moveat a predetermined angle in a range of 70-90º, and connects between the pair of slides. In one embodiment, the connecting member is disposed at a predetermined angle in a range of 70-90º relative to vertically in a direction in which the pair of slides move, and connects between the pair of slides.

In one embodiment, one portion of the connecting member is connected to the linear movement member in the driving assembly, and another portion, for example an opposite portion of the one portion, of the connecting member is connected to the slide member for causing the slide member to move in a direction in which the linear movement member moves.

In one embodiment, the connecting member prevents the slide member from being separated when the sample holder is drawn away.

In one embodiment, the plurality of LM guides are disposed parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction at a lower portion of the thermal cycler, and each of the LM guides includes an LM rail, and an LM block sliding along the LM rail through a ball bearing. The slide member is connected to the LM block and travels along the LM rail.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an effect is produced of enabling a thermal cycler to move stably without vibrating or biasing to one side when a sample holder transferring apparatus used in the thermal cycler linearly moves inwardly or outwardly.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, in allowing a cooling fan to cool a heat sink, an effect is produced of enabling air to flow gently by convection without being stagnated in any one space inside of a thermal cycler.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view illustrating a sample holder transferring apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a driving assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating a slide member with a bar shape according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating a slide member with a plate shape according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view illustrating a sample holder transferring apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. The embodiments are presented for the purpose of specifically discussing technical solutions of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure according to the technical idea and spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to such embodiments, and this principle will be apparent to any person skilled in the art.

A thermal cycler according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be used for various nucleic acid amplification reactions, for example, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), ligase chain reaction (LCR, see Wiedmann M et al., "Ligase chain reaction (LCR)- overview and applications." PCR Methods and Applications (1994 Feb); 3(4): S51-64), gap filling LCR (GLCR, see WO 90/01069, European Pat. No. 439182 and WO 93/00447), Q-beta replicase amplification (Q-beta, see Cahill P et al., Clin Chem., 37(9): 1482-5(1991), U.S. Pat. No. 5556751), strand displacement amplification (SDA, see G T Walker at al., Nucleic Acids Res. 20(7); 16911696 (1992), European Pat. No. 497272), nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA, see Compton, J. Nature 350(6313): 912 (1991)), Transcription-Mediated Amplification (TMA, see Hofmann WP et al., J Clin Virol. 32(4): 289-93 (2005); U.S. Pat. No. 5888779), or Rolling Circle Amplification (RCA, see Hutchison C.A. et all, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA. 102: 1733217336 (2005)).

In particular, the thermal cycler of the present disclosure can be usefully applied to a nucleic acid amplification reaction based on the polymerase chain reaction. Various nucleic acid amplification methods based on the polymerase chain reaction are known, for example, quantitative PCR, digital PCR, asymmetric PCR, reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), differential display PCR (DD-PCR), nested PCR, arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR), multiplex PCR, SNP genotyping PCR, and the like.

The term, "cycle" denotes a single complete execution of a repeated reaction when the reaction of a certain process is repeated, or the reaction is repeated at a certain time interval.

For example, in the case of the PCR, one cycle may denote a reaction including denaturation of a nucleic acid, hybridization or annealing of the nucleic acid and a primer, and extension of the primer. In this case, a change in a certain condition is represented as an increase in the number of repetitions of the reaction, and a single complete execution of the repetition of the reaction including the series of steps is set as one cycle.

A user's access to the thermal cycler (not shown) of the present disclosure allows a plurality of samples to be accommodated in a sample holder using a sample holder transferring apparatus.

The sample holder 110 is a component for directly accommodating a sample or for accommodating a reaction vessel containing a sample.

In one embodiment, in a case where the sample holder 110 directly accommodates a sample, the sample holder 110 may not be fixed in the apparatus, and may be attached to the apparatus when the apparatus is operated.

Herein, the expression "sample holder 110 may accommodate (or, can accommodate, accommodates etc.) a sample", or a similar expression to this may be used to generically indicate both a case where the sample holder 110 directly accommodates the sample and a case where the sample holder 110 accommodates a reaction vessel including the sample.

Heat may be provided to the sample holder 110 by a heat generating element, and transferred to a sample directly accommodated in the sample holder 110 or a sample accommodated in the reaction vessel.

The sample holder 110 accommodating the reaction vessel may have a block or plate shape. The sample holder 110 accommodating the reaction vessel may have a recess (e.g., a well) or a flat surface. The sample holder 110 accommodating the reaction vessel may have a structure capable of guiding a location of the reaction vessel or fixing the reaction vessel.

One or more samples may be accommodated in one sample holder 110.

A heat block is an exemplary sample holder 110 accommodating a reaction vessel. The heat block includes a plurality of wells or recesses, and reaction vessels may be accommodated in the wells or recesses.

The accommodation of reaction vessels in the sample holder 110 may denote a state in which the reaction vessels are located in a plurality of wells formed in the sample holder 110 or a location in which the reaction vessels are arranged in the sample holder 110.

The reaction vessel is used to accommodate a sample required to be analyzed, and various shapes of vessels, such as a tube, a vial, a strip with a plurality of single tubes, a plate with a plurality of tubes, microcard, chip, cuvette, or a cartridge.

The reaction vessel may be formed from a variety of materials, such as plastic, ceramic, glass, and metal.

The sample holder 110 directly accommodating a sample may have one of the various shapes. The sample holder 110 directly accommodating a sample may be formed from one of the various materials.

In one embodiment, the sample holder 110 may be formed from a material having thermal conductivity. When the sample holder 110 directly contact a sample or a reaction vessel, heat from the sample holder 110 may be transferred to the sample or a sample in the reaction vessel.

The sample holder 110 may be formed from metal such as aluminum, gold, silver, nickel, or copper, or plastic or ceramic.

In one embodiment, in the case of the block type of the sample holder 110, empty spaces formed between wells may be placed in order to reduce heat capacity.

In one embodiment, a plurality of wells in the sample holder 110 may be arranged regularly. For example, the plurality of wells may be arranged in a matrix with columns and rows. The wells may be arranged in various patterns, such as 16-wells arranged in 4 x 4, 24-wells arranged in 6 x 4, 32-wells arranged in 4 x 8, 60-wells arranged in 5 x 12, 90-wells arranged in 5 x 18, 96-wells arranged in 8 x 12, or the like, and among these examples, 16-wells, 32-wells, and 96-wells may be primarily used. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

A shape, a size, or the like of the wells may be determined to be suitable for reaction vessels accommodated to the wells.

In one embodiment, the number of wells formed in the sample holder 110 may be 500 or less, 400 or less, 300 or less, 200 or less, 100 or less, or 50 or less.

In one embodiment, the number of wells formed in the sample holder 110 may be 4 or more, 8 or more, 10 or more, 20 or more, 30 or more, or 40 or more.

The sample holder transferring apparatus 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a sample holder housing 120 in which the sample holder 110 is accommodated, and be configured to have a type of a drawer so that it can be pulled into, and out of, a space of the thermal cycler.

The sample holder housing may further include a heat generating element, a heat sink 124, and a cooling fan 125 for circulating a sample in the sample holder through a series of temperatures based on the control of the thermal cycler, and the sample holder holding the sample may be opened from, or closed into, the thermal cycler according to whether the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 is pulled in or pulled out.

In one embodiment, as the sample holder 110 is pulled into, or out of, the thermal cycler, the sample holder 110 may be opened from, or closed into, the thermal cycler. In one embodiment, as the sample holder housing 120 including the sample holder 110 is pulled into, or out of, the thermal cycler, the sample holder housing 120 may be opened from, or closed into, the thermal cycler. In one embodiment, as the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 including the sample holder housing 120 including the sample holder 110 is pulled into, or out of, the inner or outer space of the thermal cycler, the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 may be opened from, or closed into, the thermal cycler.

As the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 is pulled out of the thermal cycler, when the sample holder 110 is in an opened location, the sample holder 100 may be used to load a sample.

Further, as the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 is pulled into the thermal cycler, when the sample holder 110 is in a closed location, a sample loaded in the sample holder 100 may thermally circulated.

The sample holder transferring apparatus 100 may include the sample holder housing 120, a slide member (130, 135), a linear motion (LM) guide (140, a connecting member 150, and a driving assembly 160.

The sample holder housing 120 has an opened upper portion, has a hexahedral shape with front, rear, left and right sides and a lower surface, and has an inner space surrounded by the side surfaces and the lower surface. The lower surface of the sample holder housing 120 forms an opening, and the sample holder 110 can be accommodated through the opened upper portion by opening an upper portion of the sample holder housing 120 instead of forming an upper surface opposite the lower surface thereof.. One or more components for thermally processing the sample holder 110, such as a heat generating element, a heat sink, and the like, may be further located under the sample holder 110.

At this time, the sample holder housing 120 may accommodate the sample holder 110 at the opened upper portion in the form of allowing the sample holder 110 to be attached to a sample holder accommodation unit 112. The sample holder 110 may be accommodated in a frame of the sample holder accommodation unit 112 with opened upper and lower portions.

Hereinafter, discussions will be conducted on an embodiment in which the sample holder 110 attached to the sample holder accommodation unit 112 is accommodated in the sample holder housing 120.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a sample holder housing 120 is mounted on a slide member (130, 135), and the slide member (130, 135) linearly moves along at least one LM guide 140 in a sliding manner.

The sample holder housing 120 may be mounted on an upper surface of the slide member (130, 135) so that the sample holder housing 120 and the

slide member

130 and 135 can move together along the at least one LM guide 140.

The mounting of the sample holder housing 120 may be performed by a mounting member so that both ends of a lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 attached to an upper portion (e.g., both ends of the upper portion) of the slide member (130, 135) can be firmly attached to the slide member (130, 135) when the sample holder housing 120 is mounted on the upper surface of the slide member (130, 135). In this case, the both ends of the lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 covers all or at least a part of the upper portion of the corresponding slide member (130, 135).

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the sample holder housing 120 may be mounted on the slide member (130, 135) in a manner of forming one or more holes in each of the slide member (130, 135) and the sample holder housing 120 for mounting the sample holder housing 120 on the slide member (130, 135), and then, coupling the sample holder housing 120 and the slide member (130, 135) using a screw through the holes, or the sample holder housing 120 may be mounted on the slide member (130, 135) in a manner of bonding them using an adhesive.

In another manner other than the screw-used coupling manner or the adhesive-used bonding manner, the sample holder housing 120 and the slide member (130, 135) may be formed integrally without being separated. In addition, the sample holder housing 120 may be mounted on the slide member (130, 135) in various manners; thus, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

Like this, the slide member (130, 135) on which the sample holder housing 120 is mounted linearly moves along the at least one LM guide 140 in a sliding manner.

In one embodiment, the slide member (130, 135) linearly moves along the LM guide 140 by being connected with an LM block 144.

As shown in FIG. 1, the slide member (130, 135) may linearly reciprocate along a linear axis of the LM guide 140.

The LM guide 140 provides a path for allowing the sample holder housing 120 to move linearly, and a plurality of LM guides may be provided. In one embodiment, the plurality of LM guides 140 are disposed parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction at a lower portion of the thermal cycler.

The LM guide 140 may include an LM rail 142 and an LM block 144.

The LM rail 142 is formed to extend in the longitudinal direction and has a linear shape.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the LM rail 142 is fixedly installed at an upper portion of, or on, an element forming a bottom of the thermal cycler. A support surface for supporting the LM rail 142 may be formed at a lower portion of, or beneath, the element forming the bottom of the thermal cycler. The LM rail 142 whose both ends are fixed on the support surface is a linear shaft serving as a rail, and may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a hexagonal cross section. The LM rail 142 may be made from a light metal such as aluminum alloy or the like, and may be formed by extrusion molding. Since the LM rail 142 has the hexagonal cross section, an outer surface of the LM rail 142 is divided into six pats in the circumferential direction.

The LM block 144 is mounted on an upper portion of, or on, the LM rail 142, and the LM block 144 is installed by being coupled with the LM rail 142 so that the LM block 144 can move along the LM rail 142 in a sliding manner.

The LM block 144 may be located in one of both ends, or both ends, of the LM rail 142, or be moveably located at a predetermined location. The LM block 144 may be coupled to a side surface of the LM rail 142 from an upper portion of the LM rail 142 at a corresponding location.

The LM block 144 performs forward and backward movements along the LM rail 142 in the longitudinal direction using the circular motion of an inner ball by the driving assembly 160.

The LM block 144 may be formed in a hexagonal cylindrical shape in cross section, and have a length shorter than the LM rail 142 as the LM block 144 performs forward and backward movements along the LM rail 142. A length of the LM block 144 on the LM rail 142 may be adjusted depending on a movable distance at which the sample holder housing 120 can be pulled into, or out of, the thermal cycler.

The connecting member 150 connects the slide member (130, 135) to the driving assembly 160. The connecting member 150 may be located at a location at which a passage between the slide member (130, 135) and the driving assembly 160 extends.

The connecting member 150 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a coupling member, such as a screw groove, to connect the slide member (130, 135) and the driving assembly 160.

The slide member (130, 135) and the driving assembly 160 connected to each other by the connecting member 150 may also include the coupling member to be connected to the connecting member 150. The coupling member may include an adhesive, as well as the screw groove, and an adhesive tape, an adhesive sheet, or an adhesive may be used as the adhesive.

Meanwhile, in another manner other than the screw-used coupling manner or the adhesive-used bonding manner, the connecting member 150 for connecting the slide member (130, 135) and the driving assembly 160 may be integrally formed by extrusion molding without a separate coupling member. In addition, the slide member (130, 135) and the driving assembly 160 may be connected to each other in various manners; thus, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

The connecting member 150 according to embodiments of the present disclosure does not substantially contribute to corresponding driving force, and indeed, does not have any driving element. As the connecting member 150 whose one portion (e.g., one side) is connected to the driving assembly 160 transmits driving force generated from the driving assembly 160 to the slide member (130, 135) connected to another portion (e.g., the other side) of the connecting member 150, the connecting member 150 can contribute to the movements of the slide member (130, 135) forward/backward or leftward/rightward.

As the driving assembly 160 substantially drives the slide member (130, 135) via the connecting member 150, the driving assembly 160 substantially contributes to pull the sample holder housing 120 into, or out of, the thermal cycler.

That is, the driving assembly is connected to the slide member (130, 135) via the connecting member 150, and causes the slide member (130, 135) to move linearly along the LM guide 140 through a linear movement member including a moving block 166 and a moving rail 169 described below.

As shown In FIG. 1, the driving assembly 160 is located on a side (e.g., a side surface) of the slide member (130, 135) on which the sample holder housing 120 is mounted on the LM guide 140.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1, the driving assembly 160 is disposed parallel to one of a pair of

slides

130 and 135 of the slide member.

In one embodiment, the driving assembly 160 is disposed in the outside of an internal space defined by the pair of

slides

130 and 135 having a bar shape. The outside of the internal space may denote a side (e.g., a side surface) of the slide member (130, 135).

In this case, since the driving assembly 160 is independently disposed, comparing with a structure in which the slide member (130, 135) of the present disclosure is located under an element for causing the sample holder housing 120 to move linearly, and/or under the LM guide, and/or under the sample holder housing, and is disposed to support them, such an arrangement of the driving assembly 160 allows a height of an associated thermal cycler to be lowered, and can lead not only a structure of the thermal cycler to be lightened, but a potential risk associated with a height of the sample holder to be reduced or prevented.

In this case, in FIG. 1, a location of the driving assembly 160 is not limited to left and right side surfaces of any one of the slides of the slide member. The driving assembly 160 may be located in both sides (e.g., both side surfaces) of the slide member, for example, respective inner or outer side surfaces of corresponding two slides, inner and outer side surfaces of a corresponding slide, or the like, according to various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the driving assembly 160 according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the driving assembly 160 includes a motor 162, a screw 164, a moving block 166, a moving rail 169, a coupling 168, and a driving controller (not shown).

The motor 162 may be a DC motor, an AC motor, or any motor suitable for performing linear or rotational motion normally used in the art, such as a stepping motor.

The motor 162 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is, for example, an electric motor rotating at a certain angle by an input voltage of a pulse type, and continually rotates by a series of input pulse trains. This motor 162 may include a stator, a rotor rotating by the stator, and a shaft integrally coupled with the rotor.

The motor 162 may include a motor rotation angle sensor (not shown) as a sensing unit for detecting a rotational angular velocity when the motor 162 rotates. A detected rotational angular velocity is transmitted to the driving controller. The motor rotation angle sensor may be implemented using a motor location sensor known in the art, and as described above, the motor rotation angle sensor may be implemented by being built into the motor 162 as described above, or may be implemented separately from the motor 162.

The driving assembly 160 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can drive the motor 162 by applying a value of a pulse to the stator of the motor 162 and thereby causing the rotor to rotate.

The screw 164 can rotate by the driving of the motor 162. In one embodiment, the screw 164 may include a lead screw, a ball screw, or the like.

Herein, the ball screw is used as an example of the screw 164 to discuss embodiments of the present disclosure; however, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, one or more of various types of screws are selectively used.

A ball nut (not shown) is formed along a lead of such a screw 164. The ball nut can move forward/backward or leftward/rightward by the rotation of the screw 164. A through hole (not shown) through which the screw 164 is inserted is formed in the ball nut, and the ball nut is coupled to the screw 164 through the through hole. The ball nut 165 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is located in the moving block 166.

The moving block 166 converts the rotational motion of the screw 164 to linear motion and can move along the moving rail 169 with the accuracy of operation.

The moving block 166 enables the slide member (130, 135) to move along the LM rail 142 of the LM guide 140 by transmitting the driving force of the driving assembly 160 to the slide member (130, 135) via the slide member (130, 135) and the driving assembly 160.

In the present disclosure, a linear reciprocating motion converted from the rotation motion of the screw 164 by the moving block 166 in which the ball nut is inserted leads the slide member (130, 135) connected to the moving block 166 via the connecting member 150 to perform a linear reciprocating motion.

The moving block 166 is used considering that it is not easy to determine a location accurately over the lead of the screw by only the ball nut linearly moving on the screw 164 that rotates, and considering a stable coupling without shaking with the connecting member 150 transmitting driving force to the slide member (130, 135).

A size of the moving block 166 may depend on the connecting member 150 connected to an upper portion of, or over, the moving block 166.

In performing such linear reciprocating motion along the moving rail 169 in a space of the driving assembly 160, the moving block 166 further include a roller 167 supporting the linear reciprocating motion on the moving rail 169, and the roller 167 may be attached to an inner wall of a lower portion of the moving block 166 so that the roller 167 can move along the axis of the moving rail 169. The moving block 166 is guided by the moving rail 169 through the roller 167 so that the moving block 166 can reciprocate on the moving rail 169 having a linear axis shape.

The roller 167 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a ball bearing to smoothly move on the moving rail 169.

The moving rail 169 is formed to extend in the longitudinal direction and has a linear shape.

In some embodiments, the moving rail 169 is fixedly installed on a bottom surface in a space of the driving assembly 160. A support surface for supporting the moving rail 169 may be located at a lower portion of, or beneath, the bottom surface. The moving rail 169 may be a linear shaft serving as a rail, and both ends of the moving rail 169 may be fixed on the support surface. The moving rail 169 may be formed in a cylindrical shape having a hexagonal cross section, made from a light metal such as aluminum alloy or the like, and formed by extrusion molding.

The coupling 168 aligns a rotation shaft of the motor 162 and a rotation shaft of the screw 164.

The coupling 168 couples the shafts of the motor 162 and the screw 164 to transmit the power of the motor 162 to the screw 164.

The driving controller (not shown) serves as a power providing source providing power for allowing the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 to operate and substantially controls the sample holder transferring apparatus 100.

The sample holder transferring apparatus 100 may be a type of a drawer. The sample holder transferring apparatus 100 allows a sample holder 110 capable of containing a biological sample to be inserted into a sample loading area when pulled out of the thermal cycler, and when a sample is loaded in the inserted sample holder 110, closes the sample holder 110 into the thermal cycler in order to process the sample thermally. That is, to load the sample, the sample holder 110 is needed to be opened from the thermal cycler, and to process the loaded sample thermally, is needed to be closed into the thermal cycler.

The driving controller may control the closing and opening of the sample holder housing 120 by controlling the number of rotations and the rotation direction of the motor 162.

When a signal for opening or closing the sample holder housing 120 is input to the thermal cycler, the driving controller may rotate the sample holder housing 120 by generating a current value to rotate the motor in a forward or reverse direction according to whether the sample holder housing 120 is in a opened state or a closed state based on information detected by a location sensor of the sample holder housing 120.

For example, when a signal for opening or closing the sample holder 110 is input to the thermal cycler, the motor 162 rotates by a current generated by a voltage applied to the motor 162 for the closing or opening of the sample holder housing 120, and the closing or opening of the sample holder housing 120 can be controlled while the moving block 166 linearly moves along the moving rail 169 as the screw 164 rotates by the rotation of the motor 162.

Here, the opening of the sample holder housing 120 demotes a state in which the sample holder housing 120 operates while the motor 162 rotates in the forward direction or a state in which the sample holder housing 120 reaches a specific location or a opened location, and the closing of the sample holder housing 120 denotes a state in which the sample holder housing 120 operates while the motor 162 rotates in the reverse direction or a state in which the sample holder housing 120 reaches a specific location or a closed location.

At this time, the opened or closed location of the sample holder housing 120 may be set in advance, and in this case, when the sample holder housing 120 reaches a preset specific location, the driving controller is required to stop the motor 162 continually rotating.

To do this, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, to stop the rotation of the motor, a stopper (not shown) or a sensor may be further located at a forward edge or end and a backward edge or end of the moving rail 169 on which the moving block 166 moves. Alternatively, when it is determined that a torque equal to or greater than a preset torque value is applied by measuring the load of the motor at the specific location, the rotation of the motor 162 may be stopped through a difference in a reference value or a preset value and a value by measuring a current at the specific location.

Further, the driving controller according to embodiments of the present disclosure may control the sample holder housing 120 so that the sample holder housing 120 can move by only a preset specific distance, as well as an opened or closed location. For example, by measuring the number of rotations of the motor 162, when the number of measured rotations of the motor 162 reaches a specific number of rotations, the driving controller can stop the rotation of the motor 162. In this case, since a corresponding moving distance can be controlled according to the number of rotations of the motor 162 in forward or reverse direction, and a function of pausing may be implemented in a state where the sample holder housing 120 is pulled in or pulled out, therefore, a state of the sample holder housing 120 can be easily checked, and the closing or opening of the sample holder housing 120 can be carefully determined.

Such operation of the driving controller may be implemented by being interfaced with a computer system programmed to accurately control a rotation direction and a rotation speed of the motor 162.

Meanwhile, in another embodiment, a driving assembly 160 may have a different shape from the driving assembly 160 illustrated in FIGs. 1 and 2, and in this case, a motor may not be disposed to be parallel to the screw and disposed on the screw. In this case, a pulley may be used to transmit the rotation of the motor to a screw. To apply the rotation of the motor in an upper location to a screw in a lower location, the rotation motion of the motor can be transmitted to the screw by connecting a first pulley with a rotor of the motor, connecting a second pulley with the screw, and connecting belts with the respective first and second pulleys. The rotation of the motor and the screw may be synchronized by aligning rotation shafts of the first and second pulleys using the belts.

FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating a slide member (130, 135) according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 3a and 3b are top views illustrating the slide member (130, 135) in which different connecting members 150 according to embodiments of the present disclosure are connected to a pair of

slides

130 and 135 of the slide member with a bar shape according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGs. 3a and 3b, the slide member has a pair of

slides

130 and 135 with a bar shape, and the

slides

130 and 135 are spaced apart from, and arranged parallel to, each other.

The sample holder housing 120 is located at a front portion of the slide member (130, 135).

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as the sample holder housing 120 is mounted on the slide member (130, 135) and the slide member (130, 135) linearly moves along the LM guide 140 in a sliding manner, the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 contributes to the opening and closing of the sample holder 110 accommodated in the sample holder housing 120.

As the slide member (130, 135) according to embodiments of the present disclosure has a shape of a long bar, and the pair of slides 130 and135 included in the slide member are spaced apart from, and disposed parallel to, each other, thus, an opened space may be naturally formed between the two

slides

130 and 135. A heat dissipation space may be formed through this opened space.

The sample holder housing 120 may further include a heat generating element, a heat sink 124 and a cooling fan 125 which are located under the sample holder 110 and used for controlling a temperature of the sample holder 110.

The sample holder housing 120 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may have an opened lower portion, and the heat sink 124 and the cooling fan 125 may be located in a partial area of the opened lower portion.

The sample holder housing 120 can discharge air from the cooling fan 125 through a specific passage and the opened lower portion.

In the case of the thermal cycler that provides heat to the sample holder through a heat generating element, it is necessary to discharge heat generated from a heat generating element to the outside through a heat sink 124.

To do this, the thermal cycler generally cools the heat sink 124 through a cooling fan 125 rotating by being connected to a motor, and then discharge hot air from the heat sink 124 to the outside through a passage.

As compared with such a typical manner, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, by forming one or more opening holes in a region in which the cooling fan 125 is located in the sample holder housing 120 and under this and by disposing a pair of

slides

130 and 135 with a bar shape included in the slide member on which the sample holder housing 120 is mounted to be spaced apart from each other, a configuration for discharging hot air can be additionally formed through an additional portion in addition to a passage through which hot air is discharged. The opening holes may be formed at a lower portion, or on a lower surface, of the sample holder housing 120.

Further, since a distance at which slides of the slide member with such a shape are spaced apart from each other may be easily adjusted, when manufacturing the sample holder transferring apparatus 100, a selection range for designing a sample holder and a sample holder housing accommodating the sample holder may be wider, and advantages of light weight and reduced cost may be provided.

For convenience of description, the slide member having two

slides

130 and 135 is illustrated In the drawings; however, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, according to various embodiments, a slide member having one slide, or a slide member having three or more slides may be used according to design configurations.

When a slide member has one slide, the slide of this slide member may have a shape different from a bar shape, or may have a width at which the center of gravity of a sample holder housing 120 mounted on the slide member is considered when the slide has the bar shape, and in this case, the slide member may be located on one of side surfaces of the sample holder housing 120. When a slide member has three or more slides, additional heat dissipation of a corresponding sample holder housing 120 can be provided by distances at which the slides are spaced apart from one another, like that of the slide member having one slide, such a slide member may have a width at which the center of gravity of a sample holder housing 120 mounted on the slide member is considered, and may be located on one of side surfaces of the sample holder housing 120.

A connecting member 150 having a bar shape extending lengthwise as shown in FIG. 3a may be connected to this type of the slide member. That is, the connecting member may be connected to three or more slides of the slide member. In another embodiment, as shown in IFG. 3b, the connecting member 150 may be connected to only one slide 130 of slides of the slide member. Embodiments of various shapes of connecting members 150 will be discussed in detail below.

FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating a slide member 130 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 4a and 4b are top views illustrating the slide member 130 in which different connecting members 150 according to embodiments of the present disclosure are connected to the slide member 130 with a plate shape according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, when the slide member 130 has a plate shape, since an opened space formed between a pair of slides of a slide member having a bar shape and spaced apart from each other is closed in this plat-shaped slide member 130, to provide such a space, one or more separate opening holes 137 may be formed as illustrated in FIGs. 4a and 4b.

In this case, an opening hole in a region in which a lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 is located and the opening hole 137 of the slide member 130 having the plate shape are connected to each other to form a passage. Here, the lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 denotes a region in which the cooling fan 125 is located and an opened hole area formed under this.

Like this, in a structure in which an opening hole 136 of the lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 and the opening hole 137 of the slide member are connected to each other to form a passage, the performance of the cooling fan can be efficiently maximized. This is because airflow may be smoothly guided without being disturbed through a passage formed by the opening hole 136 and the opening hole 137 of the slide member which are connected to each other.

A thermal cycler in such a structure may further include an external inlet at a lower portion of the thermal cycler, and in this case, the external inlet may be connected to the opening holes 136 and 137 to form a passage.

The external inlet serves to provide external air into, or discharge air from, the thermal cycler, and by providing external air to the opening hole 136 of the lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 and the opening hole 137 of the slide member, it is possible to enable air to flow more smoothly in a structure in which the opening hole 136 and the opening hole 137 of the slide member are connected to each other to form a passage. Thus, the performance of the cooling fan 125 may be maximized. This is because an eddy current can be suppressed by external air additionally provided to the cooling fan 125 through the external inlet, in addition cool air provided by the cooling fan itself 125. The external inlet may be located to be aligned with the opening hole in a region in which the lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 is located and the opening hole of the slide member, and thereby, connected to these opening holes to form a passage, or may be disposed to be adjacent to each other without being aligned with these opening holes.

Further, in this type of slide member, since the sample holder housing 120 is mounted on the slide member, and the plate shape is maintained at a rear portion opposite to a front portion where the opening hole is formed, stability can be secured as the center of gravity is offset, and therefore, a stable coupling state with the sample holder housing 120 can be maintained.

A heat generating element and a heat sink 124 are arranged under the sample holder 110 located on the sample holder housing 120 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, and thus, a lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 corresponding to a lower portion of the heat sink 124 may be closed according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. That is, a region in which the cooling fan 125 is located and a region of the opening hole 123 formed under this may be closed.

In this case, as shown in FIG, 5, the cooling fan 125 for cooling the heat sink 124 may be disposed at a front portion of the sample holder housing 120.

The cooling of the sample holder 110 may be achieved by allowing the cooling fan 125 to cool the heat sink 124 thermally connected to the sample holder 110 rather than allowing the cooling fan 125 to cool the sample holder 110 directly. Since a lower portion of the heat sink 124 in the structure shown in FIG. 5 is closed, in this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling fan 125 for cooling the heat sink 124 may be placed in front of the heat sink 124 to provide cool air to the heat sink 124. In this case, when a lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 is closed, it is desirable for the cooling fan 125 to be located in front of the heat sink 124 to cool the heat sink 124 directly; however, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such a specific location. In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooling fan 125 may be located on opposing side surfaces, e.g., left and right side surfaces.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the cooling fan 125 is disposed at a front portion of the sample holder housing 120, a path of air flow is different from that in FIG. 1.

The path of airflow denotes an area or passage through which air passes.

In the structure of FIG. 1, since the cooling fan 125 is located at a lower portion of the sample holder housing 120, airflow may be formed from the lower portion to an upper portion of the sample holder housing 120, that is, from the cooling fan 125 to the heat sink 124 located on the cooling fan 125. When an external inlet is additionally disposed at a lower portion of the sample holder housing 120, airflow may be formed from the external inlet to the heat sink 124, and cool air reaching the heat sink 124 may be discharged in a direction of a pin of the heat sink 124. For example, the direction of the pin of the heat sink may head an outlet through which air can be discharged.

In the structure of FIG. 5, since the cooling fan 125 is located at the front portion of the sample holder housing 120, the cooling fan 125 may provide cool air in front of the heat sink 124 to the heat sink 124, and the cool air reaching the heat sink 124 is discharged in the pin direction of the heat sink 124, that is, toward the rear of the heat sink 124. Accordingly, corresponding airflow is formed form the front to the rear of the sample holder housing 120. At this time, when an external inlet is disposed at a lower portion of the sample holder housing 120, since external air is introduced into an area in which the cooling fan 125 is disposed as the cooling fan 125 disposed at the front portion of the sample holder housing 120 operates, external air may not be provided to the cooling fan 125 in a straight line from the bottom to the top, and may be bent in a partial area toward the front of the sample holder housing 120 in which the cooling fan 125 is disposed, from the external inlet up to the opening hole 136 at the lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 after passing through the slide member (130, 135), or up to the opening hole 136 at the lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 after passing through the slide member (130, 135), as shown in FIG. 1 (the lower portion of the sample holder housing 120 is closed). Like this, external air provided to the cooling fan 125 is discharged in a direction in which at least one heat dissipation pin formed in the heat sink 124 to cool the heat sink 124 is arranged, and then exits through an outlet of the thermal cycler.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the slide member (130, 135) is disposed on airflow.

In the slide members according to embodiments of the present disclosure, each of a space formed by a pair of

slides

130 and 135 of the slide member having a bar shape and spaced apart from each other, as one embodiment, or an opening hole 137 formed in the slide member having a plate shape, as another embodiment, provides a path of airflow so that the performance of the cooling fan 125 can be maximized, and the flow of air can be smooth by suppressing eddy currents inside of the thermal cycler.

Through the space formed by the spaced slides 130 and 135 and an opened space by the opening hole 137, air inside of the thermal cycler is caused to be convected without being stagnant in any one space and to flow smoothly. When the opened space is closed, corresponding airflow may be blocked in the closed space, and thereby, an eddy current may occur, and in this case, there may occur a problem with temperature control in the thermal cycler required to perform the heating and the cooling of the sample holder 110 rapidly and repeatedly.

The space formed by the spaced slides 130 and 135 and the opened space by the opening hole 137 may be connected with an external inlet according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

The external inlet may be located at a lower portion of the thermal cycler according to embodiments of the present disclosure, and serves as a suction port through which external air is introduced into the thermal cycler. In an embodiment, a plurality of air holes may be perforated in the thermal cycler. The external inlet causes external air from the outside to be introduced, and the air entering the external inlet is introduced into an area where the cooling fan is disposed by the cooling fan 125.

At this time, since an air flow path of external air from the external inlet to the cooling fan 125 expands into the space formed by the pair of

slides

130 and 135 of the slide member having the bar shape and spaced apart from each other or the opening hole 137 formed in the slide member having the plate shape, and expands toward the cooling fan 125, the external air may be caused to rapidly diffuse toward the cooling fan 125.

Accordingly, as compared with a structure in which the space formed by the spaced slides 130 and 135 and the opened space by the opening hole 137 are closed, in the present disclosure, a greater amount of external air by an area in which the slide member is opened may be introduced into the thermal cycler through the slide member including an opened space, and the external air may be provided more dynamically. As a result, the performance of the cooling fan 125 may be rapidly optimized.

In addition, in the structure in which the space formed by the spaced slides 130 and 135 and the opened space by the opening hole 137 are closed, an amount of external air entering the external inlet may be blocked by an area in which the path of airflow is closed due to such closed structure. In this case, the extent of convection inside of the thermal cycler may be lowered due to the blocked path, and thus, there may occur a problem that airflow is stagnant. This is because in such a closed structure, a distance at which external air entering the external inlet travels becomes shortened.

While in such a closed structure, introduced external air may hit a closed element or bent, e.g., at a right angle due to the closed element, and thus, may be introduced into the cooling fan 125, in the present disclosure, since a distance at which external air entering the external inlet travels becomes lengthened through the slide member including the opened space, and the space formed by the spaced slides 130 and 135 and the opened space by the opening hole 137 in the slide member according to embodiments of the present disclosure is connected to the external inlet, a corresponding cross-sectional area through which the external air flows may be gently changed through these opened spaces, and thus, the air may flow smoothly.

The sample holder housing 120 may be located at a front portion of the slide member that may have various shapes.

The slide member (130, 135) linearly moves along the LM guide 140 together with the sample holder housing 120.

The slide member (130, 135) may be manufactured integrally with the sample holder housing (120) or may be manufactured detachably from the sample holder housing (120).

Meanwhile, as described above, the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes the sample holder housing 120, the slide member 130, the LM guide 140, the connecting member 150 and the driving assembly 160. The sample holder housing 120 pulled into, or pulled out of, an internal or external space of the thermal cycler may have a drawer type and be covered with a case formed from a material with heat dissipation, insulation, and the like.

When the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 moves forward, the sample holder housing 120 is opened from the thermal cycler, and when the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 moves backward, the sample holder housing 120 is closed inside of the thermal cycler.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as the sample holder housing 120 accommodating the sample holder accommodation unit 112 on which the sample holder 110 is accommodated and mounted on the slide member (130, 135) linearly moves in a sliding manner along the LM guide 140 based on the driving force of the driving assembly 160, the sample holder housing 120 is pulled into, or pulled out of, an internal or external space of the thermal cycler, and allows a user to access the sample holder for loading a sample and the thermal processing of the sample to be achieved.

At this time, since the slide member itself (130, 135) linearly moving along the LM guide 140 does not has a driving force, an element for transmitting the driving force of the driving assembly 160 to the slide member (130, 135) is required in order for the slide member (130, 135) on which the sample holder housing 120 is mounted to linearly move along the LM guide 140.

To do this, as shown in FIG. 1, as the connecting member 150 according to embodiments of the present disclosure connects between the slide member (130, 135) and the moving block 166 of the driving assembly 160, the linear movement of the moving block 166 linearly moving on the moving rail 169 can be applied to the slide member (130, 135).

Like this, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGs. 1 to 4, the connecting member 150 is independently disposed on the slide member (130, 135) and the driving assembly 160.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the slide member (130, 135) may have one or more slides with a bar shape extending lengthwise.

As shown in FIG. 3a, such a connecting member 150 extends from the moving block 166 of the driving assembly 160 and is connected to both of a pairs of

slides

130 and 135. Since such a connecting member 150 extends from the moving block 166 located on a side surface toward the slide member (130, 135) has a structure disposed to cross the pair of slides of the slide member　　at a predetermined angle, and connects between the pair of slides or at a predetermined angle　relative to　a direction in which　　the slide member including the pair of slides moves, and　connects between the pair of slides and the connecting member 150 may form a lattice structure. In other words, the connecting member 150 is disposed　to cross　the pair of slides　at a predetermined angle in　a range of 90º±30º, 90º±20º, 90º±10º, 90º±5º, 90º±4º, 90º±3º, 90º±2º, 90º±1º, and connects between the pair of slides or the connecting member 150 is disposed at a predetermined angle in　a range of 90º±30º, 90º±20º, 90º±10º, 90º±5º, 90º±4º, 90º±3º, 90º±2º, 90º±1º relative to　a direction in which the pair of slides move, and connects between the pair of slides. In one embodiment, substantially the connecting member 150 is disposed of 90º relative to a direction in which the pair of slides move, and connects between the pair of slides. In one embodiment the connecting member 150 is disposed　to cross　the slide member 130 has a plate shape at a predetermined angle in　a range of 90º±30º, 90º±20º, 90º±10º, 90º±5º, 90º±4º, 90º±3º, 90º±2º, 90º±1º, or the connecting member 150 is disposed at a predetermined angle in　a range of 90º±30º, 90º±20º, 90º±10º, 90º±5º, 90º±4º, 90º±3º, 90º±2º, 90º±1º relative to　a direction in which the slide member 130 has a plate shape move. In one embodiment, substantially the connecting member 150 is disposed of 90º relative to a direction in which the slide member 130 has a plate shape move.

When the sample holder 110 is pulled out, the connecting member 150 having such a structure may prevent the slide member (130, 135) from being separated from the LM guide 140.

When the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 is pulled out of the thermal cycler, the sample holder can be opened to be exposed. The sample holder 110 may include a plurality of wells, and each well accommodates a reaction vessel. The accommodation of the reaction vessels in the sample holder may denote a state in which the reaction vessels are located in the plurality of wells formed in the sample holder 110.

The thermal cycler for analyzing a biological sample allows a user to access the reaction vessels for accommodating a plurality of samples in the sample holder in a state where the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 is pulled out. At this time, since a front portion of the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 in which the sample holder 110 is located is in a state where it is pulled out, such a front portion can be affected by gravity and a sag phenomenon may occur, when compared with a backward portion of the sample holder transferring apparatus 100. Further, in order for a user to put a sample into, or take it out of, a reaction vessel, the user is needed to access the sample holder 100, and remove the reaction vessel from the sample holder 110 or put it at a specific location of the sample holder 110. In this process that is manually performed, the sample holder 100 may be pressed or vibrated by the user, and in this situation, there may occur a severe problem that biological samples accommodated in the sample holder 110 are contaminated.

Accordingly, the sample holder housing 120 in which the sample holder 100 is accommodated is required to be firmly fixed to the slide member (130, 135), and the slide member (130, 135) is required to be fixed not to be separated from the LM guide 140.

Due to this, a front portion of the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 which is exposed to the outside is required to be aligned with a corresponding rear portion thereof. This is because it is possible to prevent a phenomenon in which the front portion of the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 in which the sample holder 110 is located is lowered or sagged due to a weight of the sample holder itself 110 or the sample holder housing itself 120, or gravity, if the front portion is kept in a horizontal position with a closed rear portion (opposite to the front portion) even when the sample holder 110 is opened.

In the present disclosure, when the sample holder transferring apparatus 100 is pulled out, the connection member 150 may be used to prevent various interferences that hinder such alignment.

As shown in FIG. 3, since the connecting member (130, 135) according to embodiments of the present disclosure has a structure disposed vertically to a direction in which the slide member having the pairs of

slides

130 and 135 moves, the slide member may be prevented from being separated from the LM guide 140.

Further, since the connecting member 150 is connected to both of the pairs of

slides

130 and 135 with a bar shape, the slide member (130, 135) can be supported so that it can linearly move on the LM guide more stably.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 3B, the connecting member 150 may be connected to any one of the pairs of

slides

130 and 135 of the slide member with the bar shape.

Like this, the connecting member 150 may be connected to at least one of the pairs of

slides

130 and 135 of the slide member with the bar shape.

As shown in FIG. 3b, when the connecting member 150 is connected to any one of the pairs of

slides

130 and 135 of the slide member with the bar shape, it is possible to utilize a space corresponding to a distance at which the pairs of

slides

130 and 135 are spaced apart from each other, and it is possible to reduce a size and a weight of the slide member as the connecting member 150 is connected to any one of the pairs of

slides

130 and 135.

As shown in FIG. 1, such a connecting member 150 may be connected to an adjacent slide member 130 when the driving assembly 160 is located on a side surface, or at a side portion, of the sample holder housing 120 and the slide member (130, 135), and may be connected to at least one of the pair of

slides

130 and 135 when the driving assembly 160 is located between the sample holder housing 120 and the slide member having the pair of

slides

130 and 135.

The connecting member 150 may have a shape that can be connected to any one of the pairs of

slides

130 and 135 of the slide member with the bar shape or a shape that extends to be connected to an adjacent slide; however, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, in even the case of a slide member having a plate shape, the connecting member may have a shape that can be connected to any one of opposing side surfaces, e.g., left and right side surfaces, of the slide member having the plate shape, as in FIG. 4b, or a shape that can extend to be connected to the both side surfaces, as shown in FIG. 4a.

Like this, one side of the connecting member 150 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be connected to a linear movement member (a moving block 166 and a moving rail 169) of the driving assembly 160, and the other side of the connecting member 150 may be connected to the slide member (130, 135) for enabling the slide member (130, 135) to move in a direction in which the linear movement member moves.

Such a connecting member 150 does not substantially contribute to driving force, and just contributes to enabling the

slide member

130 and 135 to move forward/backward or leftward/rightward by transmitting driving force generated from the driving assembly 160.

As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been discussed in detail, and the foregoing discussions are merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. Thus, it is apparent that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be construed based on the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS]

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0151525, filed on November 22, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

A sample holder transferring apparatus used in a thermal cycler comprising:

a sample holder housing in which a sample holder accommodating a sample or a sample reaction vessel is accommodated;

a slide member sliding along a linear motion (LM) guide, the sample holder housing mounted on the slide member;

a plurality of LM guides providing a linear movement path of the sample holder housing;

a driving assembly; and

a connecting member connecting the slide member to the driving assembly.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving assembly comprising:

a motor rotating at a predetermined angle by an input voltage;

a screw rotating by power of the motor;

a linear movement member including a moving block converting rotational motion of the screw to linear motion and a moving rail; and

a driving controller controlling driving of the motor by determining whether the moving block reaches a predetermined location.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving assembly causes the slide member to move linearly along at least one LM guide of the plurality of LM guides through the linear movement member by being connected to the slide member via the connecting member.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slide member includes a pair of slides having a bar shape, and spaced apart from, and arranged parallel to, each other, and the sample holder housing is located at a front portion of the slide member.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slide member has a plate shape, and at least one opening hole is formed in an area of the slide member in which a lower portion of the sample holder housing is located.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to any of claims 4 to 5, wherein the slide member linearly moves together and integrally with the sample holder housing along at least one LM guide of the plurality of LM guides.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving assembly is disposed on a side of the slide member.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the connecting member is connected to at least one of the pair of slides of the slide member.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the connecting member is disposed to cross the pair of slides of the slide member at a predetermined angle, and connects between the pair of slides.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one side of the connecting member is connected to a linear movement member of the driving assembly, and the other side of the connecting member is connected to the slide member for causing the slide member to move in a direction in which the linear movement member moves.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the sample holder is pulled out, the connecting member prevents the slide member from being separated from at least one of the plurality of LM guides.
The sample holder transferring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of LM guides is arranged parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction at a lower portion of the thermal cycler,

wherein each of the plurality of LM guides comprising:

an LM rail; and

an LM block sliding through a ball bearing on the LM rail, and

wherein the slide member is connected to the LM block and travels along the LM rail.