A specimen digestion device and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a specimen digestion device, which belongs to the field of medical testing. It includes a sandwich cup processing device and a matching sandwich cup. The sandwich cup includes a cup body with an open rear end, a sampling port provided at the front end of the cup body, a piston ring that moves along its depth direction, a threaded area that is threadedly connected to the rear end of the cup body on the outer wall of the piston ring, a filter membrane portion provided at the front end of the piston ring, and a handle portion that can be separated from the rear end of the piston ring; the sandwich cup processing device includes a sliding portion that moves laterally, a vertically moving auxiliary rod provided at the lower end of the sliding portion, the lower end of the auxiliary rod being connected to the handle portion via a connecting portion, and a screwing mechanism for rotating the cup body provided below the auxiliary rod. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a specimen digestion device that can serve as a sample transfer tool and a sample digestion container, and utilizes the free movement of the piston to keep the pressure inside the container stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical detection, and in particular to a specimen digestion device and method. Background Art

[0002] When conducting clinical testing on samples, it is usually necessary to perform pretreatment such as digestion on the specimens to inactivate harmful pathogens in the samples and remove interfering substances. After the pretreatment is completed, the container is opened and the processed samples are taken out for subsequent filtration, staining, specimen preparation and other processes.

[0003] Containers used for pretreatment are generally either open or closed. If pretreatment is performed in an open container, harmful bioaerosols are easily generated during digestion, posing a significant biosafety risk. If pretreatment is performed in a closed container, the gases generated during the reaction will increase the pressure inside the container. When the container is opened, the high-pressure harmful gases inside will be rapidly ejected along with the harmful liquid, potentially posing a biosafety risk. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to address the above problems and provide a specimen digestion device that can serve as a sample transfer tool and a container for sample digestion, and utilizes the free movement of the piston to keep the pressure inside the container stable.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is a specimen digestion device: it includes a sandwich cup processing equipment and a matching sandwich cup, the sandwich cup includes a cup body with an open rear end, a sampling port is provided at the front end of the cup body, a piston ring that moves along its depth direction is provided in the cup body, a threaded area is provided on the outer wall of the piston ring that is threadedly connected to the rear end of the cup body, a filter membrane part is provided at the front end of the piston ring, and a handle part that can be separated from it is provided at the rear end of the piston ring. The handle part is used to draw the piston ring raw material sampling port, so that the sample can be drawn into the cup body; the sandwich cup processing equipment includes a sliding part that moves laterally, a vertically moving auxiliary rod is provided at the lower end of the sliding part, the lower end of the auxiliary rod is connected to the handle part through a connecting part, and a screwing mechanism for rotating the cup body is provided below the auxiliary rod.

[0006] The purpose of the above scheme is to draw the sample into the cup body, and at the same time the cup body acts as a pretreatment container to ensure that the pressure in the container remains stable during the pretreatment process; at the same time, after the pretreatment is completed, the sandwich cup is processed by the sandwich cup processing equipment so that the cup body can be used as a container for subsequent filtration, dyeing and other steps. While reducing the labor intensity of the operators, the number of testing consumables used can be reduced.

[0007] Furthermore, since the filter membrane part needs to be removed for preparation and testing after the specimen is prepared, a circle of grooves is provided along the axis of the front end of the piston ring, and the grooves are tightly matched with the outer wall of the filter membrane part, thereby facilitating the removal of the filter membrane part.

[0008] Furthermore, since negative pressure suction and other operations are required during dyeing and other operations, in order to avoid the handle from interfering with negative pressure and other operations, the rear end of the piston ring is provided with a stop edge extending inwardly thereof, and a notch is provided on the stop edge, and a baffle is provided on one side of the lower end of the notch; the handle portion includes a piston plate adapted to the inner circle of the piston ring and a handle provided on the piston plate, and a limit plate adapted to the notch is provided on the piston plate, so that when the handle portion needs to be removed, it is only necessary to rotate the piston plate so that the limit plate rotates to the notch, and the handle portion can be removed from the piston ring.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to quickly install the sandwich cup on the auxiliary rod, the connecting portion includes a hook and a hanging eye hole respectively disposed on the auxiliary rod and the handle.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to automatically remove the handle from the piston ring while tightening the piston ring on the cup body, the twisting mechanism includes a first twisting part and a second twisting part arranged at intervals along the moving direction of the sliding part, and the rotation directions of the cup body in the first twisting part and the second twisting part are opposite.

[0011] Furthermore, the first twisting part and the second twisting part both include conveyor belts disposed on both sides of the cup body. The conveyor belts on both sides are frictionally connected to the outer wall of the cup body. There is a speed difference between the conveyor belts on both sides, thereby achieving a continuous production effect.

[0012] Furthermore, since the auxiliary rod will exert an upward force when the sandwich cup is rotated by the drive of the first twisting part, in order to prevent the sandwich cup from being pulled out, resulting in the subsequent handle part being unable to be separated from the cup body, a limiting rail is provided above the first twisting part. When the cup body moves between the conveyor belts of the first twisting part, the limiting rail is located at the upper end of the cup body, and the limiting rail supports the upper end of the cup body to ensure that the cup body is located in the first twisting part. At the same time, the limiting rail can ensure that when the digested sandwich cups are processed, all the cup bodies are at the same height.

[0013] Furthermore, in order to ensure that the handle portion is advanced to achieve the predetermined effect of separating the handle portion from the piston ring, the sliding portion moves along the guide rail, and the guide rail is provided with an upwardly extending raised area at a portion corresponding to the second twisting portion.

[0014] Furthermore, in order to achieve the predetermined effect of automatically separating the handle portion from the piston ring while reducing the number of driving mechanisms, a receiving groove is provided at the lower end of the sliding portion, the upper end of the auxiliary rod extends into the receiving groove, and the upper end surface of the auxiliary rod is connected to the end surface of the receiving groove by a spring.

[0015] Furthermore, the sandwich cup processing equipment is provided with an anti-fall rail for holding the cup body to prevent the sandwich cup from falling due to loosening of the first twisting part or the second twisting part.

[0016] The method for performing sample digestion using the sample digestion device can reduce the use of test consumables and improve automation, and includes the following steps:

[0017] 1. Mix the sample with digestion solution or other pretreatment solution in a mixing container;

[0018] 2. Use a sandwich cup to extract the mixed sample, then place the sandwich cup on a shaking instrument or other equipment, and shake or rock the sandwich cup to allow the sample to react with the digestion solution or other pretreatment solution, thereby completing digestion or other pretreatment. After the sample extraction is completed, the sampling port of the sandwich cup is closed;

[0019] 3. Place the sandwich cup on the sandwich cup handling equipment so that the filter membrane is fixed on the cup body of the sandwich cup, and remove the handle from the sandwich cup;

[0020] 4. Use the sandwich cup to perform subsequent staining and other testing operations.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the cup body can serve as a container for pipetting and completing pretreatments such as digestion, saving losses; during the pretreatment process, the sample is in a closed constant pressure environment, thereby effectively preventing biological hazards caused by aerosol leakage, etc., and utilizing the characteristic that the piston part can move freely to reduce the risk of increased internal pressure in the cup body due to reaction.

[0022] 1. The sandwich cup processing equipment can automatically remove the handle from the sandwich cup, thereby reducing the workload of the inspection personnel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a side structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the side structure of the sandwich cup.

[0025] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sandwich cup from a top view.

[0026] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the piston plate assembly structure from a top view.

[0027] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first twisting part in a top view.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the twisting mechanism structure in Example 3 in a front view state.

[0029] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the sliding part and auxiliary rod assembly structure.

[0030] The text labels in the figure are as follows: 1. Interlayer cup processing equipment; 2. Interlayer cup; 101. Sliding part; 102. Auxiliary rod; 103. Hook; 104. First twisting part; 105. Second twisting part; 106. Conveyor belt; 107. Limiting rail; 108. Guide rail; 109. Raised area; 110. Storage groove; 111. Spring; 112. Anti-fall rail; 201. Cup body; 202. Sampling port; 203. Piston ring; 204. Filter membrane part; 205. Handle part; 206. Stop edge; 207. Notch; 208. Baffle; 209. Piston plate; 210. Handle; 211. Limiting plate; 212. Lifting ring hole; 3. Sealing part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description in this part is only exemplary and explanatory and should not have any limiting effect on the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] Example 1, as Figure 1-2 As shown, the specific structure of the present invention is a specimen digestion device, which includes a sandwich cup processing device 1 and a matching sandwich cup 2, wherein the sandwich cup 2 includes a cup body 201 with an open rear end, a sampling port 202 is provided at the front end of the cup body 201, and a sealing portion adapted thereto is provided at the sampling port 202, and the sealing portion 3 can adopt a rubber plug that is tightly matched with the sampling port 202, or a cover-like structure, which is fixed to the cup body 201 by means of threaded connection, snap fastening, tight fitting, etc., so as to realize the opening or closing of the sampling port 202.

[0033] The cup body 201 is provided with a piston ring 203 that moves along its depth direction, and the outer wall of the piston ring 203 is provided with a threaded area that is threadedly connected to the rear end of the cup body. In this embodiment, the threaded area is provided at the lower part of the outer wall of the piston ring 203, and the threaded area is an internal thread. The upper part of the outer wall of the piston ring 203 is provided as a sealing area that fits tightly with the inner wall of the cup body 201, and the front end of the piston ring 203 is provided with a filter membrane part 204. The filter membrane part 204 includes a mounting ring and a filter membrane that are coaxial from outside to inside. The filter membrane can adopt the microporous filter membrane used in publication number CN106226896B or other sampling membranes that can intercept cells, bacteria, etc. The rear end of the piston ring 203 is provided with a handle part 205 that can be separated therefrom; the filter membrane part 204 can be installed on the piston ring 203 by gluing, threading, etc. In this embodiment, the front end of the piston ring 203 is provided with a circle of grooves along its axis, and the grooves are tightly matched with the outer wall of the filter membrane part 204.

[0034] The sandwich cup processing device 1 includes a sliding part 101 that moves laterally. Figure 1 The arrow in the figure indicates the moving direction of the sliding part 101. The lower end of the sliding part 101 is provided with a vertically moving auxiliary rod 102. The lower end of the auxiliary rod 102 is connected to the handle part 205 through a connecting part. A twisting mechanism for rotating the cup body 201 is provided below the auxiliary rod 102.

[0035] The method for performing sample digestion using the sample digestion device is as follows: first, the blocking portion is removed from the sampling port 202 , and then the piston ring 203 is pushed to the side of the sampling port 202 .

[0036] After the collected sample is mixed with the pretreatment liquid, the sampling port 202 is sunk below the liquid surface, and the piston ring 203 is pulled toward the far end of the sampling port 202, so that the mixed sample enters the cup body 201 from the sampling port 202. The pretreatment liquid is selected according to the test item. In this embodiment, digestive fluid is used as an example, and the sample can be body fluids such as human saliva or other samples.

[0037] After the sampling is completed, the sampling port 202 is closed, and then the sandwich cup 2 is placed on a device such as an oscillating instrument to oscillate or shake the sandwich cup 2 to complete the digestion and other pre-treatment liquid reactions of the sample.

[0038] The sandwich cup 2 is then placed on the secondary rod 102 of the sandwich cup handling device 1 with the sampling port 202 facing downward. The sliding portion 101 drives the sandwich cup 2 toward the twisting mechanism. After the sandwich cup 2 passes through the twisting mechanism, the filter membrane portion 204 is fixed to the cup body 201, and the handle portion 205 is removed from the cup body 201. This completes the digestion of the specimen. The sandwich cup 2 can then be used for operations such as cell or bacterial staining as disclosed in Patent Publication No. CN102042924B.

[0039] Example 2, as Figure 2-4 As shown, other structures and digestion methods of this embodiment can refer to Example 1, but in this embodiment, in order to quickly remove the handle part 205 from the piston ring 203, the rear end of the piston ring 203 is provided with a stop edge 206 extending toward the inner side thereof, and a notch 207 is provided on the stop edge 206, and a baffle 208 is provided on one side of the lower end of the notch 207; the handle part 205 includes a piston plate 209 adapted to the inner circle of the piston ring 203 and a handle 210 provided on the piston plate. After the handle part 205 is installed, the handle 210 extends toward the distal end of the sampling port 202, and the piston plate 209 is provided with a limiting plate 211 adapted to the notch 207.

[0040] The process of disassembling and assembling the handle and piston ring is as follows: the lower end surface of the baffle 208 is higher than the upper end surface of the limit plate 211. After aligning the limit plate 211 with the notch 207, the handle 205 is rotated so that the limit plate 211 rotates below the stop edge 206. At this point, the installation of the handle 205 is completed. After the installation is completed, the piston plate 209 is coaxially arranged with the filter membrane 204, and the piston plate 209 fits the filter membrane. The outer diameter of the piston plate 209 is larger than the outer diameter of the filter membrane on the filter membrane 204. To remove the handle 205, just rotate the piston plate 209 so that the limit plate 211 moves to the notch 207, and then lift the handle 205 toward the far end of the sampling port 202.

[0041] Example 3, as Figure 1-7 As shown, other structures and digestion methods of this embodiment can refer to Example 1, but the structure of the sandwich cup is selected from Example 2. In this embodiment, the connecting part includes a hook 103 and a ring hole 212 respectively disposed on the auxiliary rod 102 and the handle 210.

[0042] The twisting mechanism includes a first twisting portion 104 and a second twisting portion 105 spaced apart along the moving direction of the sliding portion 101; the first twisting portion 104 and the second twisting portion 105 both include conveyor belts 106 disposed on both sides of the cup body 201, and the conveyor belts 106 can be made of rubber or other flexible materials with a rough surface. The conveyor belts 106 are wound around and arranged on the transmission shafts, and at least one transmission shaft is connected to the motor. Its structure is similar to a vertical belt conveyor, and the conveyor belts 106 are in a tensioned state. In order to ensure that the cup body 201 enters between the conveyor belts 106, the inner side of the conveyor belts 106 on the first twisting portion 104 and the second twisting portion 105 is closer to the inner side of the conveyor belts 106 than to the inner side of the conveyor belts 106. A guiding slope is set in the material direction, and the conveyor belts 106 on both sides are frictionally connected with the outer wall of the cup body 201. The moving speed of the conveyor belt 106 on one side of the first twisting part 104 is greater than the moving speed of the conveyor belt 106 on the other side, and the moving speed of the conveyor belt 106 on the second twisting part 105 is just opposite to the moving speed of the conveyor belt 106 on the first twisting part 104, that is, the conveyor belt 106 with a slower moving speed of the second twisting part 105 is located on the same side as the conveyor belt 106 with a faster moving speed of the first twisting part 104, so that the rotation directions of the cup body 201 in the first twisting part 104 and the second twisting part 105 are opposite, and the cup body 201 can also move synchronously with the sliding part 101.

[0043] A limiting rail 107 is provided above the first twisting portion 104 , and the limiting rail 107 extends upward on one side of the material incoming direction to form a guide surface.

[0044] The sliding part 101 moves along the guide rail 108, and a roller can be provided at the connection between the sliding part 101 and the guide rail 108. The guide rail 108 is provided with an upwardly extending raised area 109 at the corresponding part of the second twisting part 105. The sliding part 101 can be driven by traction ropes, chains, etc., or by a rodless cylinder installed on the guide rail 108. The guide rail 108 can be set to a ring shape to facilitate continuous detection.

[0045] The lower end of the sliding portion 101 is provided with a receiving groove 110 , the upper end of the auxiliary rod 102 extends into the receiving groove 110 , and the upper end surface of the auxiliary rod 102 is connected to the end surface of the receiving groove 110 via a spring 111 .

[0046] The sandwich cup processing equipment 1 is provided with an anti-fall rail 112 for supporting the cup body 201 .

[0047] During specific operation: hang the eyelet hole 212 on the hook 103, so that the cup body is driven to move toward the side of the first twisting part 104 through the sliding part 101. During the movement, the cup body 201 together with the piston ring 203 moves to the bottom of the limit rail 107. At this time, the auxiliary rod 102 moves downward, and the spring 111 is in a stretched state, so that the piston ring 203 moves toward the far end of the sampling port 202.

[0048] Then the cup body 201 enters between the two conveyor belts 106 of the first twisting part 104. At this time, due to the speed difference between the conveyor belts 106 on both sides and the handle part 205 being fixed on the hook 103, the cup body 201 and the handle part 205 produce relative rotation during the synchronous movement. When the threaded area on the outer wall of the piston ring 203 contacts the thread on the inner wall of the cup body, the limiting plate 211 is blocked by the baffle 208, so that the piston plate 209 cannot continue to rotate, so that the piston ring 203 is threadedly connected to the cup body 201.

[0049] When the cup body 201 enters between the two conveyor belts 106 of the second twisting part 105, the cup body 201 rotates in the opposite direction. At this time, the limit plate 211 loses the restriction of the baffle 208, so that the limit plate 211 rotates to the notch 207. Under the traction of the spring 111 and the action of the raised area 109, the piston plate 209 and the piston ring 203 are automatically separated.

[0050] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprises", "includes" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements that are inherent to such process, method, article or apparatus.

[0051] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core ideas. The above is only a preferred implementation method of the present invention. It should be pointed out that due to the limitations of textual expression, there are objectively infinite specific structures. For ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present invention, they can make several improvements, modifications or changes, and can also combine the above technical features in an appropriate manner; these improvements, modifications, changes or combinations, or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution to other occasions without improvement, should be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A specimen digestion device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a sandwich cup processing device (1) and a matching sandwich cup (2), wherein the sandwich cup (2) comprises a cup body (201) with an open rear end, a sampling port (202) provided at the front end of the cup body (201), a piston ring (203) movable along the depth direction thereof provided in the cup body (201), a threaded area provided on the outer wall of the piston ring (203) threadedly connected to the rear end of the cup body, a filter membrane portion (204) provided at the front end of the piston ring (203), a handle portion (205) detachable therefrom provided at the rear end of the piston ring (203), a stop edge (206) extending inwardly thereof provided at the rear end of the piston ring (203), and a stop edge (206) provided on the stop edge (206). There is a notch (207), and a baffle (208) is provided on one side of the lower end of the notch (207); the handle part (205) includes a piston plate (209) adapted to the inner circle of the piston ring (203) and a handle (210) provided on the piston plate, and the piston plate (209) is provided with a limit plate (211) adapted to the notch (207); the sandwich cup processing equipment includes a sliding part (101) that moves laterally, and a vertically moving auxiliary rod (102) is provided at the lower end of the sliding part (101), and the lower end of the auxiliary rod (102) is connected to the handle part (205) through a connecting part, and a twisting mechanism for rotating the cup body (201) is provided below the auxiliary rod (102).

2. A specimen digestion device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end of the piston ring (203) is provided with a circle of clamping grooves along its axis, and the clamping grooves are tightly fitted with the outer wall of the filter membrane portion (204).

3. A specimen digestion device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting portion comprises a hook (103) and a hanging eye (212) respectively disposed on the auxiliary rod (102) and the handle (210).

4. A specimen digestion device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The twisting mechanism comprises a first twisting portion (104) and a second twisting portion (105) spaced apart along the moving direction of the sliding portion (101); the cup body (201) rotates in opposite directions in the first twisting portion (104) and the second twisting portion (105).

5. A specimen digestion device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first twisting portion (104) and the second twisting portion (105) both include conveyor belts (106) disposed on both sides of the cup body (201). The conveyor belts (106) on both sides are frictionally connected to the outer wall of the cup body (201), and there is a speed difference between the conveyor belts (106) on both sides.

6. A specimen digestion device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A limit rail (107) is provided above the first twisting portion (104), and when the cup body (201) moves between the conveyor belts (106) of the first twisting portion (104), the limit rail (107) is located at the upper end of the cup body (201).

7. The specimen digestion device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sliding portion (101) moves along the guide rail (108), and the guide rail (108) is provided with an upwardly extending raised area (109) at a portion corresponding to the second twisting portion (105).

8. A specimen digestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The lower end of the sliding portion (101) is provided with a receiving groove (110), the upper end of the auxiliary rod (102) extends into the receiving groove (110), and the upper end surface of the auxiliary rod (102) is connected to the end surface of the receiving groove (110) via a spring (111).

9. A specimen digestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The sandwich cup processing equipment (1) is provided with an anti-fall rail (112) for supporting the cup body (201).

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