KR102538610B1 - Supplementary Devices for Obtaining Samples of Bacteria or Virus - Google Patents

Abstract

The rod fixing device 100 for fixing the sample collection rod according to the present invention includes: a rod fixing part; a detecting unit 30 for detecting pressure or force applied to the bar 20 provided to slide the bar fixing unit 10 by a predetermined distance; It includes an elastic member 40 for applying an elastic force to the rod 20.

Description

Supplementary Devices for Obtaining Samples of Bacteria or Virus}

The present invention relates to an auxiliary device for collecting a pathogen or virus sample, and more particularly, to an auxiliary device for collecting a sample from a person's nasal cavity or throat to diagnose an infectious disease.

To diagnose COVID-19, which was discovered in late 2019 and has since caused a worldwide pandemic, a sample must be taken by inserting a sampling device into the nasal cavity or throat.

The act of collecting samples is carried out by medical staff, and as the number of suspected infections increases, medical staff become overworked and the possibility of infection among medical staff increases during the sample collection process. In addition, in remote areas where there are not many people living, there is also a problem that suspected infected people have to travel far to the place where the sample is collected.

In addition, if the medical staff's skill level is low, the subject may experience extreme pain during the sample collection process, and the fatigue of the medical staff may increase due to wearing protective clothing, or the sample collection waiting time may increase due to the need for time for disinfection.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device capable of automatically collecting a sample without relying on a medical staff by overcoming the limitations and eliminating the disadvantages of the prior art, and in particular, a sample that can be usefully used for a robot-type sample collection device It is intended to provide a collection assisting device.

A bar fixing device for fixing a sample collection bar according to the present invention includes: a bar fixing unit; a detection unit for detecting pressure or force applied to the bar provided to allow the bar to slide by a predetermined distance to the bar fixing unit; and an elastic member for applying an elastic force to the rod.
According to the present invention, a nose fixing device attached to the nose for sample collection includes a base portion; An extension part extending from the base part at a predetermined angle toward the nasal cavity and provided with a hole through which a specimen collection rod can pass.
The bar fixing unit includes a body portion in which a bar through hole is formed; It may include a rod holder coupled to the body and including a path for holding the rod so that the rod can slide by a predetermined distance.
The sensing portion may be arranged to sense a pressure or force transmitted from the downstream end of the rod held in the path.
The inside of the extension may be funnel-shaped.
The outer side of the extension may be shaped to follow the inner shape of the nose.
According to the present invention, the mouth fixing device connected to the mouth for sample collection includes a mouth fixing portion provided with a base and a hole through which a sample collection rod passes, extending from the base toward the mouth. The inner space between the base and the mouth fixture is inclined at a predetermined angle.

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According to the present invention, when the rod 20 reaches the sample collection point during the sample collection process, the rod 20 is not further advanced toward the nasal cavity or throat, so that the pain of the examinee can be remarkably alleviated. In addition, by forming the inside of the nose fixing device 200 in a funnel shape and giving an inclination to the inside of the mouth fixing device 400, the operating error tolerance range of the sample collection drive unit 330 can be widened, and the degree of freedom in design is also increased.

1 is a block diagram of a sampling device in which the sampling assisting device of the present invention is used.
2 is a view showing an example of a device for collecting a sample using the sample collection assist device according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view showing the internal configuration of the booth of the sampling device of FIG. 2;
Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the bar fixing device of the present invention.
5 is a side view of the nose fixing device of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the nose fixation device of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the mouth fixation device of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this specification, only the minimum components required for the description of the present invention are described, and components not related to the essence of the present invention are not mentioned. And it should not be interpreted as an exclusive meaning that includes only the mentioned components, but should be interpreted as a non-exclusive meaning that may include other components not mentioned.

1 is a block diagram of a sample sampling device in which the sample collection assist device according to the present invention is used.

The sample collection device includes a rod movement manipulator 320, a sample collection driver 330, a rod fixing device 100, and a control unit 340. The rod movement manipulator 320 and the sampling drive unit 330 operate under the control of the control unit 340, and the rod fixing device 100 moves according to the operation of the sampling drive unit 330. The control unit 340 that controls the rod movement manipulator 320 and the specimen collection driving unit 330 may be configured as one controller or may be configured as separate controllers.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of the sample collection device of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 3 illustrates the rod movement manipulator 320 and the sample collection drive unit 330 in the booth 310 of the sample collection device. The sample collection device is disposed in the booth 310, and a rod movement manipulator 320 and a sample collection driving unit 330 are provided in the booth 310.

The rod movement manipulator 320 may be configured as a robot arm, and the specimen collection driving unit 330 may be configured as a Stewart platform.

The rod fixing device 100 is held by the sample collection drive unit 330 and moves to a point where a sample can be collected according to the driving of the sample collection drive unit 330, collects a sample, and retreats. The rod 20 is a medium capable of collecting a sample and may be, for example, a cotton swab. By the driving of the specimen collection driver 330, the rod 20 advances out of the sampling hole 350 of the booth 310, enters the nasal cavity or throat of the subject, collects a sample, and then retreats back into the booth 310. do. The inside of the booth 310 may be maintained as a negative pressure chamber by a negative pressure device.

The rod 20 is supplied to the rod holding device 100 of the sample collection driving unit 330 by the rod movement manipulator 320, and after the sample collection is completed, the rod movement manipulator 320 moves the rod holding device 100 Grab the rod 20 and transfer it to a container for storing the sample collection rod.

The driving method of the rod movement manipulator 320 and the specimen collection driving unit 330 can be designed according to the present invention by applying a known kinematic mechanism, and such a design can be designed by those skilled in the art. It should be understood that this is possible without great difficulty.

4 is an exploded perspective view of the bar fixing device 100 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the bar fixing device 100 of the present invention includes a body portion 11 in which a bar through hole 111 through which a bar 20 can pass is formed, and a bar holding portion 12 ), a detection unit 30, an elastic member 40, an elastic member auxiliary device 50, and a closing case 60.

The rod holder 12 may be inserted into the body 11 and includes a path 112 for holding the rod 20 so that the rod 20 can slide by a predetermined distance. The path 112 may be a through path penetrating the rod holder 12 . The rod holding portion 12 and the body portion 11 may be integrally formed.

The detecting unit 30 may be provided on the downstream side of the rod holding unit 12 . In this specification, "upstream side" and "downstream side" are determined based on the direction in which the rod 20 moved by the rod movement manipulator 320 is inserted into the rod fixing device 100 and moves.

The detection unit 30 may be a sensor that detects pressure or force applied to the rod 20 at a downstream end of the rod 20 inserted into and held by the rod holding portion 12 . The detecting unit 30 may be provided so as to come into contact with the downstream end of the rod 20 inserted into the rod holder 12 .

The elastic member 40 applies an elastic force to the rod 30 inserted into the rod holder 12 through the elastic member auxiliary device 50 .

5 is a side view of the nose fixing device 200 of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the nose fixing device 200.

The nose fixing device 200 of the present invention includes a base part 210 and an extension part 220. The extension part 220 extends from the base part 210 at a predetermined angle toward the nasal cavity, and includes a hole 230 through which the specimen collection rod 20 can pass. The nose fixing device 200 may be inserted into the inside of the subject's nose from below in the direction shown in FIG. 5 . The sample collection rod 20 approaching the nasal cavity of the subject by the sample collection driver 330 enters the base portion 210 side.

The inner side of the extension part 220 may take the shape of a funnel. In such a shape, it is advantageous to widen the tolerance for error when controlling the position of the rod 20 entering the base part 210. The outside of the extension 220 may be shaped to follow the inside shape of the nose to facilitate insertion into the inside of the nose.

7 shows a cross-sectional side view of the mouth fixation device 400 of the present invention.

The mouth fixing device 400 includes a base portion 410 and a mouth fixing portion 420 extending from the base portion 410 toward the mouth of the subject. A hole 430 through which the sample collection rod 20 can pass is formed in the mouth fixing part 420 . The inner side connected from the base part 410 to the hole 430 is formed to have a predetermined inclination so that the specimen collection rod 20 can easily enter the hole 430. The mouth fixing device 400 may be inserted into the collecting unit 350 .

When collecting a sample, the examinee bites the mouth fixing part 420 inserted into the collecting part 350 with his/her mouth.

The sample collection rod 20 passes through the hole 430 through the base portion 410 by the sample collection drive unit 330, enters the throat of the subject, collects a sample, and retreats.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described.

First, a set of rods (a test tube and a rod; the rod is at least one of a nasal sample collection and a throat sample collection) and a nose fixing device 200 are provided to the subject.

The rod 20 is placed in the rod support inside the boot 310, and the test tube is also placed in a designated place.

The nose fixing device 200 is inserted into the sample part 350 and the extension part 220 of the nose fixing device 200 is inserted into the subject's nose.

The rod movement manipulator 320 catches the sample collection rod 20 and supplies it to the rod fixing device 100 provided in the sample collection driver 330 . The rod 20 enters the rod through-hole 111 of the body 11 and moves along the path 112 of the rod holding part 12 to be fixed. The downstream end of the rod 20 may be arranged so that the detection unit 30 can detect pressure or force applied to the rod 20 .

When the rod 20 is fixed to the rod fixing device 100, the rod movement manipulator 320 is retracted, and the specimen collection driving unit 330 is driven in a predetermined direction to pass through the sampling unit 40 of the booth 310 and pass through the specimen collection unit 40. Proceed to the nose fixing device 200 attached to the nose of the patient. As described above, the nose fixing device 200 can be inserted into the sampling part 40, and the subject can insert the extension part 220 of the nose fixing device 200 caught on the collecting part 40 into the inside of the nose. there is.

By the drive of the specimen collection driving unit 330, the rod 20 passes through the sampling unit 40, enters the base 210 of the nose fixing device 200, passes through the hole 230, and advances to the nasal cavity of the subject. Before reaching the sample collection point, the pressure or force applied to the rod 20 is not great, but when the upstream end of the rod 20 reaches the sample collection point, the pressure or force increases rapidly. The pressure or force detected by the detection unit 30 is transmitted to the control unit 340, and when a rapid increase in pressure or force is detected, the specimen collection driving unit 330 is controlled to stop further advancement of the rod 20. In that state, the control unit 340 controls the sample collection drive unit 330 to rotate the rod 20 so that the rod 20 is buried with the sample, and then the controller 340 controls the sample collection drive unit 330 to The rod 20 is retracted into the boot 310.

The rod movement manipulator 320 moves towards the rod 20 retracted into the booth 310, grabs the rod 20, and moves the rod 20 to a receiving point for receiving the rod 20 with the specimen. The rod moving manipulator 320 may perform an operation of cutting the rod 20 before moving the rod 20 with the sample to the test tube or in a state in which the rod 20 is put into the test tube.

After confirming that the rod 20 from which the sample was collected is present in the test tube, the examinee closes the lid of the test tube and submits it to the inspector, or the inspector checks and collects the test tube.

When the sample is collected from the back of the throat through the oral cavity, the sample collection rod 20 is placed on the base 410 while the subject bites the mouth fixing part 420 of the mouth fixing device 400 inserted into the collecting part 350. ), and then passes through the inner side with a gradient and comes out through the hole 430 of the mouth fixing part 420 and advances toward the throat of the subject.

Similar to taking a sample through the nasal cavity, when the sample reaches the throat where the sample is taken, the pressure or force applied to the rod 20 increases rapidly. When such an increase is detected, the controller 340 controls the sample collection drive unit 330. Thus, the further forward movement is stopped, and the sample collection driving unit 330 is controlled in the direction of rotating the rod 20 so that the rod 20 is covered with the sample. Subsequently, the control unit 340 controls the specimen collection driving unit 330 to retreat the rod 20 into the booth 310 . The control unit 340 controls the rod movement manipulator 310 to grab the rod 20 with the sample and move the rod 20 to a test tube accommodating the rod 20 with the sample. The rod movement manipulator 320 may perform an operation of cutting the rod 20 before or while putting the rod 20 with the specimen in the test tube.

After confirming that the rod 20 from which the sample was collected is present in the test tube, the examinee closes the lid of the test tube and submits it to the inspector, or the inspector checks and collects the test tube.

According to the present invention, when the rod 20 reaches the sample collection point during the sample collection process, the rod 20 is not further advanced toward the nasal cavity or throat, so that the pain of the examinee can be remarkably alleviated. In addition, the inside of the nose fixing device 200 is funnel-shaped to follow the inner shape of the nose and the inside of the mouth fixing device 400 is sloped so that the sample collection driver 330 can have a wide operating error tolerance range. There is also an effect of increasing the degree of freedom.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the scope of the present invention is determined by the claims described below and should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments and / or drawings. And it should be clearly understood that improvements, changes and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art of the invention described in the claims are also included in the scope of the present invention.

11: body part 12: rod holding part
20: rod 30: detection unit
40: elastic member 50: elastic member auxiliary device
100: rod fixing device 200: nose fixing device
320: rod movement manipulator 330: sample collection driving unit
340: control unit 400: mouth fixing device

Claims (6)

delete to be inserted into the nose for sample collection In the nose fixing device,
A base portion in which an entry opening for a sample collection rod is formed at the proximal end;
It extends from the base part at a predetermined angle toward the nasal cavity, and an exit opening through which a sample collection rod comes out is formed at the distal end, and is inserted into the nose. Including an extension,
A passage extending from the entry opening to the exit opening is provided on the inside of the extension, and the outside of the extension follows the shape of the inside of the nose,
The passage is in the form of a funnel that slopes upward at an angle toward the nasal cavity from the entry opening to the exit opening and narrows towards the exit opening.
nose fixture.
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