Blood sample storage device and method

Abstract

This invention provides a blood sample storage device and method, relating to the field of medical technology. It includes a refrigerator body with a refrigerator door, and a sample storage compartment and a sample transfer device within the refrigerator body. The sample storage compartment is used to hold blood samples. An expiration date determination component is provided on the sample storage compartment to determine whether the blood sample is within its expiration date. The refrigerator body also has a waste sample compartment, which is selectively connected to the interior of the refrigerator body. The sample transfer device is used to transfer expired blood samples from the sample storage compartment to the waste sample compartment. This invention can determine whether a blood sample is within its expiration date and transfer expired blood samples to the waste sample compartment for separate storage, avoiding the time-consuming, erroneous, or untimely manual cleaning methods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of medical technology, and specifically relates to a blood sample storage device and method. Background Technology

[0002] Blood samples contain a wealth of biological information, including various biological markers in blood cells, plasma, and serum. This information is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring a variety of diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, infections, and immune disorders. In clinical practice, doctors can use blood samples to determine a patient's blood type, blood sugar levels, kidney function, liver function, and white blood cell count, which is essential for developing treatment plans and monitoring disease progression.

[0003] Although modern hospitals utilize many advanced storage technologies, refrigerators remain a simple and effective way to store blood samples that need to be processed in the short term. This helps ensure the quality and usability of the samples for timely clinical analysis and diagnosis.

[0004] Refrigerators are typically used for short-term storage of blood samples, usually within days or weeks, because they provide a constant and appropriate low-temperature environment. This helps slow cell breakdown, maintain the stability of biomolecules in the sample, and reduce the growth of bacteria and microorganisms. These refrigerators can usually be set within different temperature ranges to meet the storage needs of different types of samples.

[0005] However, blood samples have a short shelf life and require regular manual inspection and cleaning when stored in a refrigerator, which presents some problems.

[0006] Manual sample cleaning requires human intervention and is susceptible to negligence by healthcare professionals or laboratory technicians, leading to expired samples being forgotten or not processed in a timely manner. This can affect patient diagnosis and treatment.

[0007] In addition, manually cleaning samples is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. Hospital and laboratory staff need to regularly check the samples in the refrigerator, find and remove expired samples. This consumes a significant amount of time and human resources. Sometimes, due to busy work environments or other factors, sample cleaning may be delayed, causing samples to remain in the refrigerator for too long, thus affecting their quality and usability.

[0008] Manually cleaning samples can introduce risks, especially when handling samples that may cause contamination. Handling expired biological samples may require additional precautions to mitigate potential risks.

[0009] During manual cleanup, there is a possibility of removing incorrect samples or mistakenly identifying valid samples as expired. This could lead to the loss of important data.

[0010] In summary, how to provide a blood sample storage device that can determine the expiration date of blood samples and transfer and store blood samples that have exceeded their expiration date is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a blood sample storage device and method that can determine whether a blood sample is within its expiration date and transfer expired blood samples to a waste sample container for separate storage.

[0012] This invention provides a blood sample storage device, including a refrigerator body, the refrigerator body including a refrigerator door, and a sample storage compartment and a sample transfer device disposed inside the refrigerator body;

[0013] The sample storage location is used to hold blood samples; the sample storage location is equipped with an expiration date determination component to determine whether the blood sample is within its expiration date.

[0014] The refrigerator body is equipped with a waste sample compartment; the waste sample compartment can selectively connect to the interior of the refrigerator body.

[0015] The sample transfer device is used to transfer expired blood samples from the sample storage location to the waste sample compartment.

[0016] Furthermore, the waste sample compartment is located on the handle of the refrigerator door, and at least one side of the waste sample compartment is designed to be openable and closable.

[0017] Furthermore, the waste sample container has a double-layer structure, including an inner shell for isolating and storing blood samples, and an outer shell fitted onto the inner shell, wherein a disinfection component is provided inside the inner shell.

[0018] Furthermore, the waste sample compartment is located between the handle and the refrigerator door.

[0019] Furthermore, the waste sample compartment is connected to the refrigerator door via a liftable compartment door.

[0020] Furthermore, the handle is located between the waste sample compartment and the refrigerator door.

[0021] Furthermore, the waste sample compartment includes a liftable rear wall, which is fixedly connected to a handle; the handle is liftably mounted on the refrigerator door.

[0022] Furthermore, the sample transfer device includes a robotic arm; the robotic arm is movably mounted on a robotic arm track; the robotic arm track includes a vertical axis track and a horizontal axis track, the horizontal axis track includes a first horizontal axis track and a second horizontal axis track; the first horizontal axis track is movably mounted on the vertical axis track and can move up and down along the vertical axis track; the vertical axis track is movably mounted on the second horizontal axis track and can move left and right along the second horizontal axis track.

[0023] Furthermore, the sample storage location includes a sample slot for fixing waste liquid samples; an expiration date determination component is provided on the sample slot, the expiration date determination component includes a timer and a determiner; the timer is used to time the storage time of the waste liquid sample placed in the sample slot; the determiner is used to receive the data from the timer and compare it with a preset threshold to determine whether the blood sample is within its expiration date; if not, the expiration date determination component triggers the aforementioned sample transfer device to transfer the blood sample.

[0024] The present invention provides a blood sample storage method implemented by the blood sample storage device as described in any one of the above-mentioned methods, comprising the following steps: placing a blood sample in a sample storage position;

[0025] The system tracks the storage time of waste liquid samples in the sample storage location and determines whether the blood sample is still within its expiration date. If not, it triggers a waste liquid transfer operation to transfer the expired blood sample to the waste sample compartment.

[0026] By adopting the above technical solution, this invention, as an example, has the following advantages and positive effects compared with the prior art:

[0027] The expiration date determination component identifies whether a blood sample is within its expiration date, and a sample transfer device transfers expired blood samples to a waste sample container for separate storage. This avoids the problem of expired samples being forgotten or not disposed of in a timely manner, and also prevents human error in mistakenly disposing of blood samples within their expiration date, thus facilitating timely diagnosis and treatment for patients.

[0028] The waste sample compartment can be selectively connected to the interior of the refrigerator, which facilitates the transfer of blood samples by the sample transfer device, while also preventing expired blood samples from contaminating the blood samples stored inside the refrigerator when the connection is broken.

[0029] The waste sample compartment is located on the refrigerator door handle, making it easy for users to see and clean when using the blood storage device.

[0030] The dual-structure design of the waste sample container helps ensure that expired blood samples remain isolated from the external environment and other samples, reducing the risk of cross-contamination and infection. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the blood sample storage device provided by the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sample storage location provided by the present invention.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the sample transfer device provided by the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the blood sample storage device provided by the present invention, which is another embodiment.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the waste sample bin provided by the present invention, which is another embodiment.

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0037] Blood sample storage device 100;

[0038] Refrigerator body 200, sample storage position 210, first card slot 211, second card slot 212;

[0039] Waste sample chamber 300, outer shell 310, inner shell 320, door 330, rear wall 340;

[0040] Sample transfer device 400, first horizontal axis track 410, second horizontal axis track 420, vertical axis track 430;

[0041] Handle 500. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The technical solutions disclosed in this invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0043] Techniques and methods known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques and methods should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0044] This invention provides a blood sample storage device 100, such as... Figure 1As shown, the refrigerator includes a refrigerator body 200, which includes a refrigerator door and a sample storage compartment 210 inside the refrigerator body 200.

[0045] The sample storage position 210 is used to accommodate blood samples. As a typical embodiment, as shown in the figure, the sample storage position 210 includes a sample slot for securing waste liquid samples. The sample slot includes a first slot 211 and a second slot 212 arranged symmetrically opposite each other. A cavity matching the rear end of the blood sample is formed on one side of the first slot 211 and the second slot 212, so that the rear end of the blood sample can be secured after insertion, thereby fixing the blood sample.

[0046] The sample slot is equipped with a sensing component, which includes a timer and an expiration date detector.

[0047] To determine whether there is a blood sample occupying the sample slot, appropriate sensing components can be installed inside the sample slot.

[0048] As an example, not a limitation, such as Figure 2 As shown, pressure sensors (not shown in the figure) are provided on the contact surfaces of the first card slot 211 and the second card slot 212 with the blood sample. When there is a blood sample in the sample slot, the blood sample will apply pressure to the contact surfaces of the first card slot 211 and the second card slot 212. When the pressure sensor detects the pressure, it can be determined that there is a blood sample occupying the sample slot.

[0049] Alternatively, an infrared emitter (not shown in the diagram) can be placed below the sample well. When no blood sample is placed in the well, the infrared light can pass through the openings in the well without being blocked. Conversely, if no blood sample is placed in the well, the infrared light will be blocked by the bottom of the blood sample, indicating that a blood sample is present and occupying space.

[0050] As blood samples are placed into the sample slots, a timer tracks the storage time of the blood samples within the slots. The timer is associated with each sample slot to ensure that the storage time of each sample is tracked.

[0051] The system has a preset standard storage time range, which is the expiration date of blood samples. This time range is determined according to the needs and regulations of hospitals or laboratories, and users can set it according to their own needs. The determiner receives data from the timer and compares it with the preset threshold, i.e., the preset standard storage time range for blood samples, to determine whether the blood sample is within its expiration date.

[0052] If the blood sample is determined to be outside its expiration date, the expiration date determination component triggers the aforementioned sample transfer device to transfer the blood sample.

[0053] As one typical implementation, the sample transfer device 400 includes a robotic arm. The robotic arm is an automated device used to grasp, move, and place samples. It typically has multiple joints, enabling it to move in multiple directions, such as up and down, forward and backward, left and right, and rotation. These movement capabilities allow the robotic arm to operate precisely in three-dimensional space.

[0054] The robotic arm is movably mounted on a robotic arm track, allowing it to move within the refrigerator body during sample processing, thereby approaching each sample slot and performing a grasping operation on the blood sample.

[0055] The robotic arm track includes a vertical axis track 430 and a horizontal axis track.

[0056] The vertical axis track is set perpendicular to the ground, allowing the robotic arm to move vertically. The robotic arm can slide up and down along the vertical axis track to perform vertical grasping and placement operations on the refrigerator body 200.

[0057] like Figure 3 As shown, the horizontal axis track includes a first horizontal axis track 410 and a second horizontal axis track 420; the first horizontal axis track 410 is movably mounted on the vertical axis track and can move up and down along the vertical axis track. The robotic arm can move from the vertical axis track to the first horizontal axis track 410 connected to the vertical axis track. By moving the first horizontal axis track 410 up and down, the height of the robotic arm within the refrigerator body 200 is changed, thereby enabling the robotic arm to grasp and place blood samples in sample slots at different heights.

[0058] The robotic arm moves left and right on the first horizontal axis track 410 to grasp and place blood samples in the same row of sample slots at the same height.

[0059] The vertical axis track is movably mounted on the second horizontal axis track 420 and can move left and right along the second horizontal axis track 420, allowing the robot to move left and right in the horizontal direction.

[0060] After the robotic arm picks up the blood sample, it performs the operation of transferring it to the waste sample bin 300.

[0061] As shown in the figure, a waste sample compartment 300 is provided on the refrigerator body 200; the waste sample compartment 300 can be selectively connected to the interior of the refrigerator body 200.

[0062] When the robotic arm performs the transfer operation, the waste sample compartment 300 is connected to the refrigerator body 200. The robotic arm can directly place the blood sample into the waste sample compartment 300 to complete the transfer operation.

[0063] Preferably, the waste sample compartment 300 is located on the handle 500 of the refrigerator door. With this configuration, the user can notice the waste sample compartment 300 while opening the refrigerator door using the handle 500, and thus discard the blood sample inside the waste sample compartment 300.

[0064] In one implementation, such as Figure 1 As shown, the waste sample compartment 300 is located between the handle 500 and the refrigerator door.

[0065] The waste sample compartment 300 is connected to the refrigerator door via a liftable door 330. When the door 330 is open, the waste sample compartment 300 is connected to the interior of the refrigerator body 200. By moving a robotic arm close to the waste sample compartment 300 via a mechanical track, the captured blood sample is placed inside the waste sample compartment 300. Afterward, the door 330 is closed, and the waste sample compartment 300 is no longer connected to the interior of the refrigerator body 200.

[0066] In another implementation, such as Figure 4 As shown, the handle 500 is disposed between the waste sample compartment 300 and the refrigerator door. The waste sample compartment 300 includes a liftable rear wall 340, typically located at the back of the waste sample compartment 300. The rear wall 340 is fixedly connected to the handle 500, allowing the handle 500 to move synchronously with the rear wall 340 of the waste sample compartment 300. The handle 500 is liftably mounted on the refrigerator door. The manner in which the handle 500 moves on the refrigerator door is illustrative and not limiting; it can be achieved by providing slide rails and corresponding sliders on the refrigerator door and the handle 500.

[0067] The rear wall 340 and handle 500 move upward synchronously, and the waste sample compartment 300 is connected to the interior of the refrigerator body 200. After the blood sample is placed in the waste sample compartment 300, the rear wall 340 drives the handle 500 to move downward synchronously, and the waste sample compartment 300 is not connected to the interior of the refrigerator body 200.

[0068] Handling expired biological samples may require additional precautions to reduce potential risks, especially when handling potentially contaminated blood samples.

[0069] Optionally, the waste sample chamber 300 can also be equipped with a sample slot that can hold and fix blood samples, and the robotic arm puts the blood samples into the sample slot.

[0070] The waste sample chamber 300 has at least one side that is designed to be openable.

[0071] For example, the upward-facing side can be designed to be openable, allowing users to access the interior of the waste sample compartment 300 by opening the top cover.

[0072] Other sides can also be made to be openable.

[0073] In another implementation, alternatively, such as Figure 5 As shown, the waste sample container 300 has a double-layer structure, including an inner shell 320 for isolating and storing blood samples, and an outer shell 310 fitted onto the inner shell 320. A disinfection assembly is installed inside the inner shell. This double-layer structure helps ensure that expired blood samples remain isolated from the external environment and other samples, reducing the risk of cross-contamination and infection.

[0074] Sample movement and storage are completed within a sealed inner and outer casing 320, which helps prevent sample contamination from the outside environment. Simultaneously, the operation of the robotic arm reduces the opportunity for operators to come into contact with waste samples, lowering the risk of infection and contamination.

[0075] In this embodiment, the backs of both the inner and outer shells facing the refrigerator door are designed to be height-adjustable. Specifically, this can be achieved as follows: the robotic arm approaches the waste sample compartment 300, the backs of the outer and inner shells open simultaneously, the robotic arm extends into the inner shell, and a blood sample is placed inside. Then, the robotic arm moves away from the waste sample compartment, and the backs of both the outer and inner shells move downwards to close. Alternatively, the back of the outer shell can move downwards to close first, isolating the waste sample compartment from the refrigerator body, and then the back of the inner shell can be closed.

[0076] By first isolating the waste sample compartment 300 from the refrigerator body 200, and then closing the inner shell, double isolation is achieved. This means that even if the inner shell is not completely sealed or has a problem, the blood sample will still not come into contact with the refrigerator environment, reducing the potential risk of contamination.

[0077] With the waste sample container 300 isolated from the refrigerator interior, a disinfection component (not shown in the figure) is installed inside the inner shell to disinfect the blood samples inside the inner shell, reducing the possibility of contamination and infection caused by the blood samples.

[0078] Optionally, the inner shell of the waste sample chamber can be made transparent, and a transparent viewing window (not shown in the figure) can be provided on the outer shell so that the condition of the inner shell can be seen through the viewing window without knocking down the waste sample chamber.

[0079] The present invention also provides a blood sample storage method implemented by the blood sample storage device 100 as described in any one of the above, comprising the following steps: placing a blood sample on the sample storage position 210.

[0080] The storage time of the waste liquid sample in the sample storage position 210 is timed, and it is determined whether the blood sample is still within the validity period; if not, the waste liquid transfer operation is triggered to transfer the blood sample that has exceeded the validity period to the waste sample container 300.

[0081] Within the scope of this disclosure, terms such as “comprising” should be interpreted by default as inclusive or open-ended, rather than exclusive or closed, unless expressly defined as such. All technical, scientific, or other terms shall be interpreted as understood by one of those skilled in the art, unless defined as such. Public terms found in dictionaries should not be interpreted in an overly idealistic or impractical manner in the context of the relevant technical documentation, unless expressly defined as such in this disclosure.

[0082] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0083] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A blood sample storage device, comprising a refrigerator body, the refrigerator body including a refrigerator door, characterized in that: The refrigerator body is equipped with a sample storage compartment and a sample transfer device; The sample storage location is used to hold blood samples; the sample storage location is equipped with an expiration date determination component to determine whether the blood sample is within its expiration date. The refrigerator body is equipped with a waste sample compartment; the waste sample compartment can be selectively connected to the interior of the refrigerator body. The sample transfer device is used to transfer expired blood samples from the sample storage location to the waste sample compartment; The waste sample compartment is located between the handle and the refrigerator door; The waste sample compartment is connected to the refrigerator door via a liftable door. When the door is open, the waste sample compartment is connected to the interior of the refrigerator body. The robotic arm is brought close to the waste sample compartment via a mechanical track, and the blood sample is placed inside the waste sample compartment. Then the door is closed, and the waste sample compartment is no longer connected to the interior of the refrigerator body.

2. The blood sample storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample transfer device includes a robotic arm; the robotic arm is movably mounted on a robotic arm track; the robotic arm track includes a vertical axis track and a horizontal axis track, the horizontal axis track includes a first horizontal axis track and a second horizontal axis track; the first horizontal axis track is movably mounted on the vertical axis track and can move up and down along the vertical axis track; the vertical axis track is movably mounted on the second horizontal axis track and can move left and right along the second horizontal axis track.

3. The blood sample storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample storage location includes a sample slot for fixing waste liquid samples; the sample slot is equipped with an expiration date determination component, which includes a timer and a determiner; the timer is used to time the storage time of the waste liquid samples placed in the sample slot; the determiner is used to receive the data from the timer and compare it with a preset threshold to determine whether the blood sample is within its expiration date; if not, the expiration date determination component triggers the aforementioned sample transfer device to transfer the blood sample.

4. A method for storing blood samples using a blood sample storage device as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that... The steps include: placing the blood sample in the sample storage location; The system tracks the storage time of waste liquid samples in the sample storage location and determines whether the blood sample is still within its expiration date. If not, it triggers a waste liquid transfer operation to transfer the expired blood sample to the waste sample compartment.

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