Nucleic acid sampling throat swab automatic peeling device

Abstract

The application discloses a nucleic acid sampling throat swab automatic peeling device, and relates to the auxiliary field of nucleic acid detection. The device mainly comprises a power and transmission unit, a feeding area feeding unit, a swab dividing unit, a chamber cavity feeding unit, an ejection unit, a target swab sending-out and detection unit and a swab packaging and cutting unit. The feeding area is designed to be large enough to place dozens of swab plates, and a soft glass baffle is fixed at the discharge port of the feeding area to prevent multiple swab plates from being sent out at the same time. After single swab plates are divided one by one, the single swabs in the chamber cavity feeding area are sent to the discharge port of the ejection unit one by one, and the feeding position is sensed by two photoelectric sensors in the chamber cavity and fed back to the feeding transmission unit. The swab packaging and cutting unit is provided with an automatic scissors to cut the tail part of the outer packaging bag of the swab, and the target swab sending-out unit is provided with a perforated baffle to separate the swab from the packaging bag. The automatic peeling of the swab by the device can reduce the infection of nucleic acid sampling personnel and reduce the risk of cross infection with the sampled personnel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of nucleic acid testing assistance, specifically to an automatic pharyngeal swab removal device for nucleic acid sampling. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, swabs used for nucleic acid sampling are mainly made of medical-grade ABS plastic, which has the advantage of being less prone to damage during mechanized operations. Furthermore, as the initial step in nucleic acid sampling, the automation of repeated swab removal is highly feasible. Therefore, this invention focuses on the swab removal process in nucleic acid collection, aiming to quickly and accurately remove the swab from its packaging bag to facilitate subsequent nucleic acid sampling operations. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to improve the efficiency and accuracy of swab removal during nucleic acid collection and provides an automatic pharyngeal swab removal device for nucleic acid sampling to solve the problems mentioned in the background.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention mainly employs the following technical solutions: An automatic pharyngeal swab peeling device for nucleic acid sampling includes a power and transmission unit, a feeding unit in the feeding area, a swab segmentation unit, a chamber feeding unit, an ejection unit, a target swab delivery and detection unit, a swab packaging and cutting unit, a base, and a shell. The power and transmission unit uses a servo motor as the power source and transmits power between the rotating shafts through a belt. The feeding units in the feeding area feed the swabs by means of friction between the rubber wheels mounted on the rotating shaft and the swab packaging bags. The multi-swabs are separated by a height difference through an inclined baffle and a soft glass baffle. The bottom of the baffle has a height space slightly higher than that of a single swab, ensuring that a single swab can pass smoothly through the feeding area into the chamber while the multi-swabs cannot pass through. The swab segmentation unit achieves the cutting action of the blade through a cam mechanism; The ejection unit controls the slider to complete the ejection action along the guide post via an electric push rod; The target swab delivery and detection unit changes the feeding direction through the ejection unit, delivers the target swab through friction of the rubber wheel in the target area, and detects the position of the target swab through a photoelectric sensor. The swab packaging cutting unit uses a fourth servo motor to drive the movable block to move linearly, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the scissors and completing the cutting action of the swab packaging; subsequently, the remaining packaging of the swab is peeled off by the rubber wheel and the perforated baffle. When the device is working, the first servo motor operates, causing the feeding unit at its bottom to deliver the bottom plate-shaped swabs. Simultaneously, the camshaft rotates synchronously via a circular belt drive, causing a dedicated cam cutting blade to cut the plate-shaped swabs. After the swabs reach the designated position, the second servo motor operates, first delivering the swabs from the outlet, and then delivering the target swabs through the target swab delivery and detection unit and the swab packaging and cutting unit. After completion, the third servo motor operates, conveying the remaining swabs one by one to the outlet, completing the peeling and delivery of the entire plate of swabs.

[0005] The feeding unit in the feeding area is provided with space for dozens of swabs. The outlet baffle of the feeding unit in the feeding area is designed as an inclined baffle, and a soft glass baffle is fixed above the outlet to increase friction and ensure that one swab is discharged at a time. The first servo motor provides power to drive the rubber wheels on the first and second transmission shafts in the feeding area to rotate. The large friction force drives the plate-shaped swabs above into the swab segmentation unit.

[0006] The swab segmentation unit comprises a camshaft, a cam cutting blade, a spring, a sleeve, a spring fixing plate, and a cutting blade rotating shaft. The cam cutting blade is powered by a first servo motor, which is rigidly connected to a first drive shaft. The first transmission shaft is connected to the camshaft via a circular belt.

[0007] The feeding unit inside the chamber has two motion modes: lateral feeding and longitudinal feeding. The lateral feeding power is provided by the second servo motor and transmitted to the transmission shaft inside the chamber through the second drive shaft. The rubber wheels above the feeding platform provide assistance in the lateral feeding. The feeding unit inside the chamber is equipped with photoelectric sensors for position detection near the discharge port side plate: a first photoelectric sensor and a second photoelectric sensor. The lateral feeding power is provided by the third servo motor, which is rigidly connected to the third drive shaft and uses a belt to drive two sets of rubber wheels on the first and second transmission shafts of the lateral feeding to rotate. The rubber wheels are slightly higher than the feeding platform.

[0008] The rubber wheel inside the ejection unit moves up and down via a rocker-slider mechanism on both sides; the rocker-slider mechanism includes a slider, a rocker, and a connecting rod; the rocker-slider mechanism drives the slider to move up and down via an electric push rod, thereby causing the connecting rod to swing and drive the rubber wheel to move up and down; both sides of the rocker-slider mechanism have through holes reserved according to the movement trajectory of the connecting rod on the fixed plates.

[0009] The target swab delivery and detection unit, via the chamber feeding unit, uses a second servo motor to drive a second drive shaft and a chamber transmission shaft to deliver a single swab from the feeding port. After detection by a third photoelectric sensor below the discharge port, once the tail of the swab packaging reaches a designated position, the swab packaging cutting unit cuts open the tail. The second servo motor then continues to operate, delivering the swab towards the discharge port. The target swab delivery and detection unit has an opening baffle fixed outside the discharge port to assist in peeling off the swab packaging.

[0010] The swab packaging and cutting unit is characterized in that it consists of scissors, a fourth servo motor, a scissor limiting module, and a movable block. The linear movement of the movable block is provided by a screw and nut mechanism driven by the fourth servo motor. The movable block moves inward to close the scissors and moves outward to open the scissors.

[0011] The width of the opening of the baffle is smaller than the width of the outer packaging of the swab; the opening of the baffle is kept at a certain distance from the discharge port so that the peeled outer packaging of the swab can fall freely into the swab packaging collection groove below.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following characteristics and beneficial effects: 1. The feeding area has a large capacity and can accommodate multiple swabs (six swabs per plate). The feeding capacity is at least six times that of ordinary swab peeling machines.

[0013] 2. The pre-separation baffle can control the amount of swabs fed in before they enter the chamber. The baffle, made of soft glass, increases the friction between the baffle and each swab, which can better prevent multiple swabs from being fed into the chamber at the same time, thus preventing the machine from jamming later.

[0014] 3. The swab segmentation unit is designed to perform the cutting action through a cam mechanism. The cam shaft is connected to the drive shaft of the rubber wheel in the feeding area via a circular belt, eliminating the need for additional cutting power.

[0015] 4. After the swabs in the feeding area are fed laterally to the designated position in the chamber via rubber wheels, the electric push rod controls the slider to push the swabs upward along the guide column to complete the ejection action, sending the swabs from the transverse feeding area to the longitudinal feeding area. The area division can further reduce the interference between each link and avoid system malfunction.

[0016] 5. The swab packaging cutting unit is designed to confine the short scissor handle within a limiting module via a limiting shaft. The lateral movement of the fourth servo motor control module drives the short scissor handle to open and close, thus cutting the tail of the swab packaging. This transforms the complex scissor motion control into a more easily implemented linear displacement motion control module, improving the system's feasibility.

[0017] 6. In addition to carrying the swabs, the rubber wheels in the discharge area also have limiting grooves to ensure that the target swabs are delivered in the appropriate position.

[0018] 7. A baffle plate with an opening fixed on the outside of the outlet of the target swab delivery and detection unit controls the width of the opening to be smaller than the width of the swab packaging. This can block the remaining packaging of the swab during the transport of the swab, easily achieving the function of separating the swab and the packaging.

[0019] 8. During the operation of this device, the swab head does not come into direct contact with any structure in the device, ensuring that the sample is not contaminated by the environment. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the swab removal device provided by the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the pre-separation baffle in the swab peeling device.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the segmentation unit in the swab removal device.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the ejection mechanism in the swab removal device.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the packaging cutting unit in the swab peeling device.

[0025] In the diagram: 100, feeding area; 110, inclined baffle; 120, soft glass baffle; 200, side plate; 310, second drive shaft of feeding area; 320, first drive shaft of feeding area; 330, first servo motor; 340, first drive shaft; 350, camshaft; 360, cam cutting blade; 370, spring; 380, sleeve; 390, spring fixing plate; 3100, first driven shaft; 400, handle; 510, base; 520, swab packaging collection tank; 610, first photoelectric sensor; 620, second photoelectric sensor; 700, chamber; 710, slider; 720, guide post; 730, electric... Push rod; 740, guide sleeve; 750, support plate; 760, third servo motor; 770, third drive shaft; 780, first drive shaft of transverse transmission plane; 790, second drive shaft of transverse transmission plane; 7100, movable rod; 7110, rubber wheel; 7120, rocker arm; 7130, connecting rod; 810, internal drive shaft of chamber; 820, second drive shaft; 830, fourth servo motor; 840, scissor limit module; 850, movable block; 860, scissors; 870, third photoelectric sensor; 880, opening baffle; 890, second driven shaft; 8100, rubber wheel; 8110, second servo motor. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To more clearly demonstrate the technical features and advantages of this application, the following detailed description of this application will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "first," "second," "third," "fourth," "lateral," "longitudinal," "inner," and "outer" in this application are based on the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the accompanying drawings and are only used to make the description of this application clearer. They do not mean that the device or component must have a definite orientation limitation and therefore cannot be used as a limitation on this application.

[0027] like Figure 1-5 As shown, the automatic pharyngeal swab peeling device for nucleic acid sampling provided by the present invention mainly includes a power and transmission unit, a feeding unit in the feeding area, a swab segmentation unit, a chamber feeding unit, an ejection unit, a target swab delivery and detection unit, and a swab packaging and cutting unit. Wherein: The first drive shaft 340 rotates via the first servo motor 330. The first drive shaft 320 in the loading area and the first drive shaft 340, as well as the second drive shaft 310 in the loading area and the first drive shaft 320 in the loading area, are all connected by a circular belt drive. Therefore, the rotation of the first drive shaft 340 will sequentially drive the rotation of the first drive shaft 320 and the second drive shaft 310 in the loading area.

[0028] In some embodiments, multiple swabs (six swabs per plate) are placed into the feeding area 100. After being separated by position by the pre-separation baffle 110 and the soft glass baffle 120, the bottom row of swabs is sent to the swab splitting unit through the gap under the plate under the friction drive of the first drive shaft 320 and the second drive shaft 310 in the feeding area.

[0029] Furthermore, the first drive shaft 340 and the cam shaft 350 are driven by a circular belt, and the cam cutting blade 360 ​​is in direct contact with the cam shaft 350 to form a cam mechanism. The tail of the blade is connected to the spring fixing plate 390 by a spring 370, and the blade tip is fixed on the first driven shaft 3100 and can rotate around the shaft.

[0030] In some embodiments, the rotation of the camshaft 350 drives the cutter to complete its rotational motion around the first driven shaft 3100. The single-plate swab is repeatedly cut and separated by the cutter in the gap between the first drive shaft 340 and the first driven shaft 3100 before entering the chamber. At this time, the second drive shaft 700 starts working via the second servo motor 8110. Additionally, the second drive shaft 820 is connected to the chamber's internal drive shaft 810 via a belt drive. When the swab tip is delivered to the chamber's internal limit baffle 8120 by the chamber's internal drive shaft 810, the first servo motor 330 stops working.

[0031] In some embodiments, when the first photoelectric sensor 610 and the second photoelectric sensor 620 detect the presence of the rightmost swab, the electric push rod 730 drives the slider 710 to move downward along the guide post 720. The downward movement of the slider 710 drives the movable rod 7100 to move downward via a rocker-slider mechanism until the rubber wheel 7110 of the movable rod 7100 contacts the swab packaging surface. The swab, driven by friction between the drive shaft 810 and the rubber wheel 7110 within the chamber, passes through the gap in the limiting baffle 880 within the chamber and through the second driven shaft 890 to reach the swab packaging and cutting unit.

[0032] Furthermore, initially, the scissors are in the open state. The second servo motor 8110 drives the second drive shaft 820. Once the third photoelectric sensor detects that the swab package has reached the designated position, the movable block 850 within the swab package cutting unit slides inward along the guide rail under the action of the fourth servo motor 830. The scissor blades thus complete the closing action, and the package is successfully cut off and falls into the packaging collection slot 520. Immediately afterwards, the movable block 850 within the swab package cutting unit slides outward again along the guide rail under the action of the fourth servo motor 830, and the scissors complete the opening action to allow the swab to move further forward.

[0033] In some embodiments, the packaged swab continues to move forward under the friction of the rubber wheels 8100 on the second drive shaft 820 and the second driven shaft 890. After the swab package comes into contact with the opening baffle 880, it is blocked, and the swab continues to be sent out. After the swab is removed, the remaining swab package falls into the packaging collection tank 520, completing one rightmost swab peeling process.

[0034] In some embodiments, when the first photoelectric sensor 610 and the second photoelectric sensor 620 do not detect the presence of the rightmost swab, the slider 710 moves upward along the guide post 720 under the drive of the electric push rod 730, sending the remaining individual swabs from the transverse transmission plane to the longitudinal transmission plane. At this time, the third drive shaft 770 rotates under the drive of the third servo motor 760, and the third drive shaft 770 drives the first transmission shaft 780 and the second transmission shaft 790 of the transverse transmission plane to rotate simultaneously via a belt. Under the friction of the rubber wheels on the first transmission shaft 780 and the second transmission shaft 790 of the transverse transmission plane, another swab is sent to the rightmost end. When the first photoelectric sensor 610 and the second photoelectric sensor 620 detect its presence, the above-mentioned packaging and cutting operation is repeated.

[0035] Furthermore, after all the swabs in the chamber have completed the packaging and detachment process, the first servo motor 340 re-enters the working state. The bottom plate of swabs in the feeding area is separated by the pre-separation baffle 110 and the soft glass baffle 120 and enters the working area. The above process is repeated until all swabs have completed the packaging and detachment process.

[0036] The workflow of the present invention has been described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the above exemplary description. For those skilled in the art, modifications, substitutions or variations can be made to the embodiments of the present invention. Any application of the technical solutions and conceptual methods of the present invention without innovative improvement or direct appropriation of the technical solutions and conceptual methods of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic pharyngeal swab peeling device for nucleic acid sampling, comprising a power and transmission unit, a feeding unit in the feeding area, a swab segmentation unit, a chamber feeding unit, an ejection unit, a target swab delivery and detection unit, a swab packaging and cutting unit, a base, and a shell; characterized in that: The power and transmission unit uses a servo motor as the power source and transmits power between the rotating axes through a belt. The feeding units in the feeding area feed the swabs by friction between the rubber wheels mounted on the rotating shaft and the swab packaging bags. The multi-panel swabs are separated by a tilting baffle and a soft glass baffle. The bottom of the baffle has a height space slightly higher than that of a single-panel swab, ensuring that a single-panel swab can pass smoothly through the feeding area into the chamber while the multi-panel swabs cannot. The swab segmentation unit achieves the cutting action of the blade through a cam mechanism; The ejection unit controls the slider to complete the ejection action along the guide post through an electric push rod, and the second rubber wheel in the ejection unit moves up and down through the rocker slider mechanism on both sides. The target swab delivery and detection unit changes the feeding direction through the ejection unit, delivers the target swab through friction of the rubber wheel in the target area, and detects the position of the target swab through a photoelectric sensor; The feeding unit inside the chamber has two motion modes: lateral feeding and longitudinal feeding. The longitudinal feeding power is provided by the second servo motor, which is transmitted to the transmission shaft inside the chamber through the second drive shaft. The second rubber wheel above the feeding platform provides assistance in the longitudinal feeding. The feeding unit inside the chamber is equipped with a photoelectric sensor for position detection near the discharge port side plate. The photoelectric sensor includes a first photoelectric sensor and a second photoelectric sensor. The lateral feeding power is provided by the third servo motor, which is rigidly connected to the third drive shaft. The belt drives the two sets of third rubber wheels on the first and second transmission shafts of the lateral feeding to rotate. The third rubber wheels are slightly higher than the feeding platform. When the first and second photoelectric sensors do not detect the presence of the rightmost swab, the slider moves upward along the guide post under the drive of the electric push rod, sending the remaining individual swabs from the lateral transmission plane to the longitudinal transmission plane. The swab packaging cutting unit uses a fourth servo motor to drive the movable block in a linear motion to control the opening and closing of the scissors, thus completing the cutting action of the swab packaging; the swab is then peeled off the remaining packaging by the first rubber wheel and the perforated baffle. When the device is working, the first servo motor operates, causing the feeding unit at its bottom to deliver the bottom plate-shaped swabs. Simultaneously, the camshaft rotates synchronously via a belt drive, causing a dedicated cam cutting blade to cut the plate-shaped swabs. After the swabs reach the designated position, the second servo motor operates, first delivering the swabs from the outlet. The target swab delivery and detection unit has an opening baffle fixed outside the outlet to assist in peeling off the swab packaging. When the swab packaging comes into contact with the opening baffle, it is blocked. After detection by the third photoelectric sensor below the outlet, when the tail of the swab packaging reaches the designated position from the outlet, the swab packaging cutting unit cuts open the tail of the swab packaging. The second servo motor continues to operate, driving the second drive shaft and the internal transmission shaft to deliver individual swabs from the feeding port. After completion, the third servo motor operates, conveying the remaining swabs one by one to the outlet, completing the peeling and delivery of the entire plate of swabs.

2. The automatic pharyngeal swab peeling device for nucleic acid sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding unit in the feeding area is equipped with space for dozens of swabs. The outlet baffle of the feeding unit in the feeding area is designed as an inclined baffle, and a soft glass baffle is fixed above the outlet to increase friction, so as to ensure that one swab is discharged at a time. The first servo motor provides power to drive the rubber wheels on the first and second transmission shafts in the feeding area to rotate. The large friction force drives the plate-shaped swabs above into the swab dividing unit.

3. The automatic pharyngeal swab peeling device for nucleic acid sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swab segmentation unit includes: a camshaft, a cam cutter, a spring, a sleeve, a spring fixing plate, and a cutter shaft; the working power of the cam cutter is provided by a first servo motor, the first servo motor is rigidly connected to the first drive shaft, and the first drive shaft is connected to the camshaft via a circular belt.

4. The automatic pharyngeal swab peeling device for nucleic acid sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rocker-slider mechanism includes a slider, a rocker, a connecting rod, and a movable rod. The rocker-slider mechanism drives the slider to move up and down through an electric push rod, thereby causing the connecting rod to swing and drive the second rubber wheel to move up and down. Both sides of the rocker-slider mechanism have through holes reserved according to the movement trajectory of the connecting rod on the fixed plates.

5. The automatic pharyngeal swab peeling device for nucleic acid sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swab packaging and cutting unit consists of scissors, a fourth servo motor, a scissor limit module, and a movable block. The linear movement of the movable block is provided by a lead screw and nut mechanism driven by the fourth servo motor. When the movable block moves inward, it closes the scissors; when it moves outward, it opens the scissors.

6. The automatic pharyngeal swab peeling device for nucleic acid sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the opening of the baffle is smaller than the width of the outer packaging of the swab; the baffle is kept at a certain distance from the discharge port so that the peeled outer packaging of the swab can fall freely into the swab packaging collection trough below.

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