Temperature Control for PCR Thermocyclers Based on Peltier-Effect Thermoelectric

Abstract

In thermal cycling of polymerase chain reaction, the process recipe is characterized by high ramp rates and short temperature holds. In order to reduce the time taken to complete a standard PCR protocol, a model-based hybrid control configuration is designed to rapidly track the thermal cycling recipe. The hybrid control configuration consists of feedforward, feedback and Bang-Bang actions, of which, the feedforward control is a model predictive control action and improves the dynamic performance of temperature tracking significantly. The model of the thermocycler is identified with step response data at different operating regions. Experimental results demonstrate that the hybrid control strategy performs better than the conventional PID controller both in setpoint response and in steady-state performance of temperature control, so that the accuracy and efficiency of PCR are improved accordingly.