Temperature control system

Abstract

For heating or cooling a sample contained in a vessel portion through a heat transfer member held in contact with the vessel portion, there is used the vessel portion, which has a part formed of an elastic member, expands and contracts for injection and discharge of the sample, is closed other than a connecting port with a channel connected to the vessel, and expands and contracts for injection and discharge of the sample. The vessel portion expands correspondingly to the injection when the sample is injected through an inflow path serving as the channel into the vessel portion contracting in a non-contacting state with the heat transfer member. A predetermined amount of sample is injected into the vessel portion so as to expand the vessel portion, and the vessel portion comes into contact with the heat transfer member. The vessel portion is heated or cooled through the heat transfer member.

1 . A microchip comprising a vessel portion containing a sample therein,
 the microchip being installed in a device, which comprises a temperature control means comprising a heat transfer member for heating or cooling the sample contained in the vessel portion, so as to heat or cool the sample, wherein:   a bonded portion and an unbonded portion are provided between the first elastic plate and the second elastic plate, which are laminated with each other, so that the unbonded portion is set as the vessel portion and an inflow path;   the vessel portion expands correspondingly to inflow of the sample; and   when the vessel portion expands by being injected therein the sample of a predetermined amount in a state in which the vessel portion is installed in the device, the vessel portion comes into contact with the heat transfer member.   
     
     
         2 . A microchip according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the unbonded portion is set as the vessel portion, the inflow path, and an outflow path; and   when the vessel portion containing the sample therein is applied with a pressure from an outside, the sample is discharged through the outflow path from the vessel portion.   
     
     
         3 . A microchip according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a third elastic plate and a fourth elastic plate, which are laminated with each other, and at least one of which is an elastic plate different from the first elastic plate and the second elastic plate;   a bonded portion and an unbonded portion between the third elastic plate and the fourth elastic plate; and   a shutter channel provided in the unbonded portion, the shutter channel intersecting, when the inflow path or the outflow path is projected to a plane assumed between the third elastic plate and the fourth elastic plate, with the inflow path or the outflow path projected to the assumed plane,   wherein the shutter channel expands by a pressure medium injected therein from an outside so as to close the inflow path or the outflow path at the intersecting portion, to thereby control a flow of the sample in the inflow path or the outflow path.   
     
     
         4 . A microchip according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a closed channel provided in the unbonded portion between the third elastic plate and the fourth elastic plate, the closed channel intersecting with at least one of the inflow path and the outflow path projected to the assumed plane; and   a channel which connects the vessel portion with the closed channel,   wherein, correspondingly to the injection of the sample into the vessel portion, the intersecting portion of the closed channel expands and presses the inflow path or the outflow path intersecting with the closed channel.   
     
     
         5 . A microchip according to  claim 1 , further comprising a heat insulating member, which covers at least a part of the heat transfer member. 
     
     
         6 . A microchip according to  claim 1 , further comprising a fifth elastic plate laminated on a side of the heat transfer member from the elastic plate, which comes into contact with the heat transfer member when the vessel portion expands of the first elastic plate and the second elastic plate, wherein:
 the heat transfer member comprises, on a surface which comes into contact with the vessel portion, the recessed portion; and   the fifth elastic plate is deformed by being pushed by the expanding vessel portion so that at least a part of the deformed fifth elastic plate is received in the recessed portion.   
     
     
         7 . A microchip according to  claim 1 , wherein the vessel portion has a permeability to an electromagnetic wave of at least a certain frequency.