Multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler

Abstract

The present invention provides a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler, which relates to the field of medical device technology. The nasopharyngeal swab sampler includes: a flexible swab, a pulley reduction assembly, a multi-directional bending control joint and a plurality of control ropes; each bending degree of freedom of the multi-directional bending control joint is correspondingly provided with two control ropes; the pulley reduction assembly includes: a pillar, a pulley group; the pulley group includes: a fixed pulley, a movable pulley and a sliding bracket; the nasopharyngeal swab sampler controls the bending direction and angle of the flexible swab by bending the multi-directional bending control joint, and the operation is simple and convenient; the elastic sliding of the sliding bracket and the pillar plays a deceleration and buffering role. No matter how fast the multi-directional bending control joint bends, the flexible swab always bends smoothly and gently, effectively preventing nasal damage caused by misoperation; and the elastic sliding connection between the sliding bracket and the pillar keeps the control rope in a taut state at all times, ensuring the control stability of the nasopharyngeal swab sampler.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler. Background Art

[0002] In research on fixed-trajectory entry, the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), Singapore General Hospital (SGH), and Duke-NUS Medical School have collaborated to develop a robotic nasal swab collection system, SwabBot. The patient grasps the robot's handle and positions their nostrils on a disposable nosepiece. Pressing a button to activate the robot causes the nosepiece to move slightly upward to open the nostrils. The swab extends through the patient's nose and rotates to the back of the nasal cavity, a distance of approximately 10 cm. If the swab detects resistance as it penetrates the nasal cavity, it will retract the swab's adhesive, potentially resulting in inadequate collection. Individuals experiencing discomfort may also move their head away from the head restraint. The robotic sampling system's fixed trajectory places high demands on the patient's head posture. Any inadvertent movement could result in the swab being inserted into an unpredictable position. Due to the variability in the anatomy of the inferior nasal meatus, a single entry trajectory can also lead to insertion errors. Furthermore, the rigid front section of the swab cannot adapt to the inferior nasal environment, resulting in lower overall safety.

[0003] Brain Navi, a medical technology startup based in Taiwan, has developed a robot that uses a robotic arm to autonomously perform nasal swab sampling. The collection system features a head-fixing device. The robotic arm grasps the swab with a mechanical claw and uses facial recognition and positioning technology to control the trajectory of the swab's front end. However, the head still moves, and the robotic arm's force and motion sensing have certain errors, making safety difficult to guarantee. Due to differences in human physiological structure, entering the patient's nose requires a certain angle. Due to head movement, the front end of the swab could potentially enter the patient's inferior nasal cavity, causing damage to other tissues. The sampling robot also lacks the all-important pressure sensor. If the patient moves even slightly, the cotton swab could be pushed into other parts of the body, causing tissue damage. Furthermore, to improve sampling accuracy, the robotic arm takes a long time to retract, and sampling efficiency remains an issue.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design a nasopharyngeal swab sampler that can avoid the risk of collection damage and is convenient for patients to operate themselves. Through distributed, home-based collection solutions, the risk of infection can be reduced, the shortage of medical resources can be alleviated, and the overall regional sampling efficiency can be improved, so that a larger population can be tested as much as possible, thereby reducing the further spread and spread of the virus, in order to respond to the rebound of the epidemic and prevent future acute infectious diseases. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (1) Technical problems solved

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler, which solves the problem that the nasopharyngeal swab sampler lacks safety and is difficult to control.

[0007] (2) Technical solution

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0009] A multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler, comprising: a flexible swab at the front section, a pulley reduction assembly at the middle section, a multi-directional bending control joint at the end section, and a plurality of control ropes;

[0010] Two control ropes are provided for each bending degree of freedom of the multi-directional bending control joint;

[0011] The pulley reduction assembly includes: a support column;

[0012] The pillars are provided with pulley sets corresponding to the regulating ropes one by one;

[0013] The pulley assembly includes: a fixed pulley, a movable pulley and a sliding bracket; the fixed pulley is connected to the support shaft, the movable pulley is connected to the sliding bracket shaft, and the sliding bracket is elastically slidably connected to the support;

[0014] The end of the regulating rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending regulating joint, and the head end of the regulating rope is fixed to the head end of the flexible swab after being wound around the corresponding fixed pulley and movable pulley in sequence.

[0015] Preferably, both ends of the sliding bracket are provided with sliders;

[0016] The pillars are provided with sliding grooves corresponding to the sliders one by one;

[0017] The slider is accommodated in the slide groove and slides freely along the slide groove. A spring is provided between the slider and the bottom of the slide groove.

[0018] Preferably, the flexible swab comprises: a skeleton tube which has been hollowed out radially with multiple degrees of freedom and filled with silica gel;

[0019] The filling silica gel is attached to the inside of the skeleton tube.

[0020] Preferably, the outer wall of the silicone filling in the skeleton tube is provided with a control channel corresponding one to one with the control rope, and the control rope is accommodated in the control channel.

[0021] Preferably, an endoscope is provided at the head end of the flexible swab, and an endoscope wire channel is opened in the flexible swab.

[0022] Preferably, the flexible swab outer shell is provided with a flexible sleeve, and the head end of the flexible sleeve is connected to the sampling cotton;

[0023] The outer bearing of the pulley reduction assembly is connected to a sampling housing, and the sampling housing is free to rotate along its central axis;

[0024] The sampling shell is spline-connected to the flexible sleeve.

[0025] Preferably, the multi-directional bending control joint includes a plurality of sub-joints, and adjacent sub-joints are rotationally connected via radially extending bending axes, and the bending axes in the multi-directional bending control joint extend in different directions.

[0026] Preferably, the two control ropes controlling the same bending degree of freedom are crossed and swapped at the boundary between the front section and the middle section.

[0027] (3) Beneficial effects

[0028] The present invention provides a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler. Compared with the existing technology, it has the following advantages:

[0029] In the present invention, the nasopharyngeal swab sampler includes: a flexible swab, a pulley reduction assembly, a multi-directional bending control joint and a plurality of control ropes; each bending degree of freedom of the multi-directional bending control joint is correspondingly provided with two control ropes; the pulley reduction assembly includes: a pillar; a pulley group corresponding to the control ropes is provided on the pillar; the pulley group includes: a fixed pulley, a movable pulley and a sliding bracket; the fixed pulley is connected to the pillar shaft, the movable pulley is connected to the sliding bracket shaft, and the sliding bracket is elastically slidably connected to the pillar; the end of the control rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending control joint, and the head of the control rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending control joint. The ends are wrapped around the corresponding fixed pulleys and movable pulleys in turn and then fixed to the head end of the flexible swab; the nasopharyngeal swab sampler controls the bending direction and angle of the flexible swab by bending the multi-directional bending control joint, and the operation is simple and convenient; the elastic sliding of the sliding bracket and the pillar plays a deceleration and buffering role. No matter how fast the multi-directional bending control joint bends, the flexible swab always bends smoothly and gently, effectively preventing nasal damage caused by misoperation; and the elastic sliding connection between the sliding bracket and the pillar makes the control rope always remain taut, ensuring the control stability of the nasopharyngeal swab sampler. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a nasopharyngeal swab sampler according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a nasopharyngeal swab sampler according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the skeleton tube in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] The embodiment of the present application solves the problem of difficulty in controlling the safety of nasopharyngeal swab samplers by providing a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler.

[0036] The technical solution in the embodiments of the present application is to solve the above technical problems, and the overall idea is as follows:

[0037] In the embodiment of the present invention, the nasopharyngeal swab sampler includes: a flexible swab, a pulley reduction assembly, a multi-directional bending control joint and a plurality of control ropes; each bending degree of freedom of the multi-directional bending control joint is correspondingly provided with two control ropes; the pulley reduction assembly includes: a pillar; a pulley group corresponding to the control rope is provided on the pillar; the pulley group includes: a fixed pulley, a movable pulley and a sliding bracket; the fixed pulley is connected to the pillar shaft, the movable pulley is connected to the sliding bracket shaft, and the sliding bracket is elastically slidably connected to the pillar; the end of the control rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending control joint, and the control rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending control joint. The head end is wrapped around the corresponding fixed pulley and movable pulley in sequence and then fixed to the head end of the flexible swab; the nasopharyngeal swab sampler controls the bending direction and angle of the flexible swab by bending the multi-directional bending control joint, and the operation is simple and convenient; the elastic sliding of the sliding bracket and the pillar plays a deceleration and buffering role. No matter how fast the multi-directional bending control joint bends, the flexible swab always bends smoothly and gently, effectively preventing nasal damage caused by misoperation; and the elastic sliding connection between the sliding bracket and the pillar makes the control rope always remain taut, ensuring the control stability of the nasopharyngeal swab sampler.

[0038] In order to better understand the above technical solution, the above technical solution will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0039] Example:

[0040] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2As shown, the present invention provides a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler, which includes: a flexible swab 10 at the front section, a pulley reduction assembly 20 at the middle section, a multi-directional bending control joint 30 at the end section, and a plurality of control ropes;

[0041] Each bending degree of freedom of the multi-directional bending control joint 30 is correspondingly provided with two control ropes;

[0042] The pulley reduction assembly 20 includes: a support column 21;

[0043] The pillar 21 is provided with a pulley group corresponding to the regulating rope one by one;

[0044] The pulley assembly includes a fixed pulley 22, a movable pulley 23 and a sliding bracket 24; the fixed pulley 22 is connected to the shaft of the support 21, the movable pulley 23 is connected to the shaft of the sliding bracket 24, and the sliding bracket 24 is elastically slidably connected to the support 21;

[0045] The end of the regulating rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending regulating joint 30 , and the head end of the regulating rope is fixed to the head end of the flexible swab 10 after being wound around the corresponding fixed pulley 22 and movable pulley 23 in sequence.

[0046] The nasopharyngeal swab sampler controls the bending direction and angle of the flexible swab 10 by bending the multi-directional bending control joint 30, and the operation is simple and convenient; the elastic sliding of the sliding bracket 24 and the pillar 21 plays a deceleration and buffering role. No matter how fast the multi-directional bending control joint 30 bends, the bending speed of the flexible swab 10 is always smooth and gentle, effectively preventing nasal damage caused by misoperation; and the elastic sliding connection between the sliding bracket 24 and the pillar 21 enables the control rope to always remain taut, ensuring the control stability of the nasopharyngeal swab sampler.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, sliders 25 are provided at both ends of the sliding bracket 24;

[0048] The pillar 21 is provided with a sliding groove corresponding to the slider 25;

[0049] The slider 25 is accommodated in the slide groove and slides freely along the slide groove. A spring is provided between the slider 25 and the bottom of the slide groove to realize the elastic sliding connection between the sliding bracket 24 and the support 21.

[0050] like Figures 1-3 As shown, the flexible swab 10 comprises: a skeleton tube 11 which is hollowed out radially with multiple degrees of freedom and filled with silica gel;

[0051] The filling silica gel is attached to the skeleton tube 11, so that the flexible swab 10 can more easily undergo multi-directional controllable elastic deformation in the human nasal cavity and is less likely to break accidentally.

[0052] The skeleton tube 11 is made of nickel-titanium alloy.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the outer wall of the silicone filled in the skeleton tube 11 is provided with a control channel 12 corresponding to the control rope one by one, and the control rope is accommodated in the control channel 12.

[0054] An endoscope is provided at the head end of the flexible swab 10 , and an endoscope wire channel is opened in the flexible swab 10 to facilitate the lead-out of the endoscope wire.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, the flexible swab 10 is covered with a flexible sleeve 13, and the head end of the flexible sleeve 13 is connected to the sampling cotton;

[0056] The outer bearing of the pulley reduction assembly 20 is connected to a sampling housing 26, and the sampling housing 26 is free to rotate along its axis;

[0057] The sampling shell 26 is spline-connected to the flexible sleeve 13 , so that rotating the sampling shell 26 can drive the flexible sleeve 13 to rotate and drive the sampling cotton to rotate, so that the sampling cotton can fully contact the cavity liquid.

[0058] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 As shown, the multi-directional bending control joint 30 includes several sub-joints, and adjacent sub-joints are rotationally connected through radially extending bending axes. The bending axes in the multi-directional bending control joint 30 extend in different directions, thereby realizing the multi-directional bending function of the multi-directional bending control joint 30.

[0059] The two control ropes controlling the same bending freedom are cross-changed at the boundary between the front section and the middle section, so that the multi-directional bending control joint 30 is consistent with the bending direction of the flexible swab 10, so that the bending direction of the flexible swab 10 is consistent with the operator's operating intention. Figure 1 Easy to control.

[0060] In summary, compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0061] In the embodiment of the present invention, the nasopharyngeal swab sampler includes: a flexible swab, a pulley reduction assembly, a multi-directional bending control joint and a plurality of control ropes; each bending degree of freedom of the multi-directional bending control joint is correspondingly provided with two control ropes; the pulley reduction assembly includes: a pillar; a pulley group corresponding to the control rope is provided on the pillar; the pulley group includes: a fixed pulley, a movable pulley and a sliding bracket; the fixed pulley is connected to the pillar shaft, the movable pulley is connected to the sliding bracket shaft, and the sliding bracket is elastically slidably connected to the pillar; the end of the control rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending control joint, and the control rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending control joint. The head end is wrapped around the corresponding fixed pulley and movable pulley in sequence and then fixed to the head end of the flexible swab; the nasopharyngeal swab sampler controls the bending direction and angle of the flexible swab by bending the multi-directional bending control joint, and the operation is simple and convenient; the elastic sliding of the sliding bracket and the pillar plays a deceleration and buffering role. No matter how fast the multi-directional bending control joint bends, the flexible swab always bends smoothly and gently, effectively preventing nasal damage caused by misoperation; and the elastic sliding connection between the sliding bracket and the pillar makes the control rope always remain taut, ensuring the control stability of the nasopharyngeal swab sampler.

[0062] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0063] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler, characterized in that: The nasopharyngeal swab sampler comprises: a flexible swab (10) at the front section, a pulley reduction assembly (20) at the middle section, a multi-directional bending control joint (30) at the end section, and a plurality of control ropes; Each bending degree of freedom of the multi-directional bending control joint (30) is correspondingly provided with two control ropes; The pulley reduction assembly (20) comprises: a support column (21); The pillar (21) is provided with a pulley group corresponding to the regulating rope one by one; The pulley assembly comprises: a fixed pulley (22), a movable pulley (23) and a sliding bracket (24); the fixed pulley (22) is connected to the rotation shaft of the support (21), the movable pulley (23) is connected to the rotation shaft of the sliding bracket (24), and the sliding bracket (24) is elastically slidably connected to the support (21); The end of the regulating rope is fixed to the end of the multi-directional bending regulating joint (30), and the head end of the regulating rope is sequentially wound around the corresponding fixed pulley (22) and the movable pulley (23) and then fixed to the head end of the flexible swab (10); The flexible swab (10) comprises: a skeleton tube (11) which has been hollowed out radially with multiple degrees of freedom and filled with silica gel; The filling silica gel is attached to the skeleton tube (11); The flexible swab (10) is provided with a flexible sleeve (13) on its outer cover, and the head end of the flexible sleeve (13) is connected to the sampling cotton; The outer bearing of the pulley reduction assembly (20) is connected to a sampling shell (26), and the sampling shell (26) is free to rotate along its axis; The sampling shell (26) is spline-connected to the flexible sleeve (13).

2. The multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler according to claim 1, characterized in that: Slide blocks (25) are provided at both ends of the sliding bracket (24); The pillar (21) is provided with a sliding groove corresponding to the slider (25) one by one; The slider (25) is accommodated in the slide groove and slides freely along the slide groove. A spring is provided between the slider (25) and the bottom of the slide groove.

3. The multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall of the silica gel filled in the skeleton tube (11) is provided with a regulating channel (12) corresponding to the regulating rope one by one, and the regulating rope is accommodated in the regulating channel (12).

4. The multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler according to claim 1, characterized in that: An endoscope is provided at the head end of the flexible swab (10), and an endoscope wire channel is provided in the flexible swab (10).

5. The multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-directional bending regulating joint (30) comprises a plurality of sub-joints, and adjacent sub-joints are rotationally connected via radially extending bending axes, and the bending axes in the multi-directional bending regulating joint (30) extend in different directions.

6. The multi-degree-of-freedom flexible nasopharyngeal swab sampler according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The two control ropes controlling the same bending degree of freedom cross and swap positions at the boundary between the front section and the middle section.

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