An auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing rod into an outer tube in liquid nitrogen

Abstract

The utility model discloses an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen, and relates to the field of embryo freezing technology. The utility model comprises a liquid nitrogen tank and an outer sleeve support device. The liquid nitrogen tank is made of double-layer stainless steel with a heat-insulating material sandwiched in the middle. The liquid nitrogen tank is a rectangular container tank with one side open and the other five sides sealed, and the tank can contain liquid nitrogen. The outer sleeve support device is installed inside the liquid nitrogen tank. The outer sleeve support device consists of a support base, an outer sleeve guide groove, a main shaft, a counterweight, a counterweight connector, and positive and negative threaded rods. The utility model can temporarily fix the outer sleeve of an embryo freezing carrier rod that is easy to float in liquid nitrogen, and guide the embryo freezing carrier rod to align with the outer sleeve opening in liquid nitrogen through the guide groove, and accurately insert it into the outer sleeve, thereby improving work efficiency and the safety of embryo transfer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of embryo freezing, in particular to an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen. Background Art

[0002] Embryo freezing technology is an essential technical project for units that carry out human assisted reproductive technology. Every year in my country, nearly 1 million infertile patients use assisted reproductive technology to give birth to children, of which nearly 4 million embryos need to be frozen for preservation.

[0003] The current embryo freezing technology mainly involves balancing the embryo in freezing liquid, spotting the liquid containing the embryo (about 1-2ul) on a carrier straw, then directly immersing the carrier straw in liquid nitrogen for freezing. Subsequently, under the surface of liquid nitrogen, the carrier straw is inserted into an outer sleeve to protect the embryo and prevent the exposed carrier straw from being damaged by external forces during frozen storage.

[0004] On the one hand, in order to achieve the best cryopreservation effect, embryos need to be quickly frozen and thawed, so the carrier straw is thin and thin (usually the sample area of ​​the carrier straw is 1mm wide and 0.1mm thick). On the other hand, in order to save storage space in the liquid nitrogen tank, the carrier straw and the outer sleeve are required to be as thin as possible (usually the inner diameter of the sleeve is about 2mm). The sleeve is a cylindrical tube with an open end, which floats or sinks in liquid nitrogen. The carrier straw and the sleeve are both made of transparent materials. In this case, one hand must use tweezers to fix the outer sleeve under the liquid surface, and the other hand to hold the carrier straw. Insert the 1mm wide and 0.1mm thick carrier straw into the outer sleeve with an inner diameter of about 2mm in liquid nitrogen. Once a docking error occurs, the carrier straw is mistakenly believed to be aligned with the sleeve opening, and there is a risk of breaking the carrier straw when the carrier rod is inserted downward, causing significant losses to the patient.

[0005] The difficulties in sleeve operation are reflected in the following aspects: 1. When operating under the surface of liquid nitrogen, the carrier rod and the sleeve are both made of transparent materials. There is constant steam on the surface of liquid nitrogen, the vision is unclear, and it is difficult to align and plug in. 2. There is currently no device to fix the sleeve in liquid nitrogen. Usually, one hand clamps the outer sleeve with tweezers and immerses the outer sleeve completely under the surface of liquid nitrogen with the opening of the outer sleeve facing upward. The other hand immerses the carrier rod under the surface of liquid nitrogen and slowly aligns it with the opening of the outer sleeve under the surface of liquid nitrogen and inserts it. However, the operation is somewhat difficult. If it cannot be aligned and inserted quickly and smoothly, repeated attempts to align and insert are required. Both hands are on the surface of liquid nitrogen and are frozen by the fumigation of liquid nitrogen vapor. The sleeve operators often endure the pain of dry and cracked hands. This operating environment also increases the risk of errors in embryo freezing operations.

[0006] The defects of the existing embryo freezing carrier rod outer tube technology are:

[0007] The insertion of the embryo freezing rod into the sleeve must be completed under the surface of liquid nitrogen. The operator holds the embryo freezing rod and the outer sleeve in both hands and suspends them above the liquid nitrogen. The vision is unclear, and it is difficult to align and insert quickly and accurately. Repeated attempts at alignment and insertion are time-consuming. In addition, there is a risk of breaking the rod and damaging the embryo if the sleeve operation fails. The operator operates with bare hands at a very close distance to the liquid nitrogen surface for a long time, which is at risk of frostbite on both hands. Summary of the invention

[0008] The utility model aims to provide an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen, so as to solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0009] In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides the following technical solutions:

[0010] The invention discloses an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen, comprising a liquid nitrogen tank and an outer sleeve support device. The liquid nitrogen tank is made of double-layer stainless steel with a heat-insulating material sandwiched in the middle. The liquid nitrogen tank is a rectangular container tank with one side open and the other five sides sealed, and the tank can contain liquid nitrogen. The outer sleeve support device is installed inside the liquid nitrogen tank. The outer sleeve support device consists of a support base, an outer sleeve guide groove, a main shaft, a counterweight block, a counterweight block connector and positive and negative threaded rods.

[0011] As a further solution of the utility model: the bracket base is a semi-roof slope-like structure with two identical right-angled triangle metal brackets arranged in parallel on the side, and the three corners corresponding to the two triangular brackets are welded with steel bars to form a semi-roof slope. Several limit rings are symmetrically raised on the hypotenuses of the two right-angled triangles, and the main shaft can be movably installed in two symmetrical limit rings on the same horizontal plane; according to the length of the outer sleeve in actual work, the main shaft can move up and down in the limit rings at different positions, and the position of the counterweight block is preliminarily adjusted, and several outer sleeve guide grooves are evenly and parallelly arranged left and right along the semi-roof slope of the outer sleeve bracket, and the position of the main shaft movably installed in the limit ring is higher than the outer sleeve guide groove and is located on the upper layer of the outer sleeve guide groove.

[0012] As a further solution of the utility model: the outer sleeve guide groove is a groove with a minor arc cross section, which is divided into an upper guide groove and a lower guide groove, and the front-to-back drop of the upper and lower guide grooves is about 0.2 mm.

[0013] As a further solution of the utility model: the counterweight block is sleeved on the cylindrical main shaft through a counterweight block connector. The main shaft is a cylindrical metal rod that can be movably placed in parallel in the limiting rings on both sides, and several counterweight block connectors are sleeved on the main shaft; the front edge of the counterweight block is an upward arc shape, and the rear edge of the counterweight block is a downward arc-shaped support plate used to support the bottom of the outer sleeve. The shape and size of the counterweight block can be selected according to different outer sleeves. Different models of counterweight blocks are selected.

[0014] As a further solution of the utility model: the counterweight block is a rectangular metal block, a hinge is vertically welded on the surface of the counterweight block, one end of the positive and negative threaded rod is welded to the other half of the hinge, and the other end of the positive and negative threaded rod is connected to the counterweight block connector through the hinge.

[0015] As a further solution of the utility model: the counterweight block and the counterweight block connector are connected by a positive and negative threaded screw, which is a commercial component and can be connected to the counterweight block and the counterweight block connector by hinges at both ends of the positive and negative threaded screw respectively. The positive and negative threaded screw can be rotated to adjust the distance from the counterweight block to the main shaft, and the distance of the counterweight block can be finely adjusted according to the length of the outer sleeve of different brands, so that the length from the upper edge of the lower guide groove to the bottom of the arc-shaped support plate is equal to the length of the outer sleeve, so that the outer sleeve is fixedly clamped between the upper guide groove and the downward arc-shaped support plate of the counterweight block.

[0016] As a further solution of the utility model: the counterweight connector is a square metal component with a hole in the middle. The main shaft can pass through the hole and be connected to the main shaft through the hole. The counterweight can be easily lifted at any time, and the outer sleeve can be inserted into the outer sleeve guide groove, and then the counterweight can be used to press the outer sleeve to prevent floating.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the utility model are:

[0018] By setting a roof slope structure with a 45-degree inclination angle for the outer tube support device and upper and lower guide grooves evenly arranged on the left and right of the roof slope structure, the position of the counterweight block is adjusted by a nut so that the outer tube support plate of the counterweight block just supports the bottom of the outer tube, so that the outer tube is fixedly placed in the lower guide groove. In this way, when liquid nitrogen immerses the lower guide groove and the outer tube, the outer tube is pressed into the lower guide groove by the counterweight block to prevent floating, and the amount of liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen tank is controlled so that the upper guide groove is still exposed on the liquid nitrogen surface. The operator can guide according to the position of the upper guide groove, and can accurately insert the carrier rod into the outer tube along the direction of the upper guide groove. At the same time, the bottom of the outer tube is supported by the outer tube support plate of the counterweight block, and the operator can forcefully insert the carrier rod into the outer tube and press it tightly. The work efficiency is improved, the freezing damage of liquid nitrogen vapor to the hands is reduced, and the damage to the embryo caused by operating errors is also reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a liquid nitrogen tank of an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to the utility model.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a side view of the upper and lower guide grooves of an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of commercial forward and reverse screw rods of an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to the utility model.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a counterweight connector of an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the front counterweight and the connector of an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the rear counterweight and the connector of an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to the present invention.

[0026] In the figure: 1-liquid nitrogen tank, 2-outer tube support device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The technical solution of this patent is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific implementation methods.

[0028] See also Figure 1-7 , an auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen, comprising a liquid nitrogen tank 1 and an outer sleeve support device 2.

[0029] The liquid nitrogen tank 1 is made of double-layer stainless steel with a heat-insulating material sandwiched in the middle. The liquid nitrogen tank 1 is a rectangular container tank with one open side and the other five sealed sides, and the tank can contain liquid nitrogen.

[0030] The outer tube support device 2 is installed inside the liquid nitrogen tank 1, and the outer tube support device 2 is composed of a support base, an outer tube guide groove, a main shaft, a counterweight block, a counterweight block connector and positive and negative threaded rods.

[0031] The bracket base is a semi-roof slope-like structure with two identical right-angled triangle metal brackets arranged in parallel on the side, and the three corners corresponding to the two triangular brackets are welded with steel bars to form a semi-roof slope. Several limit rings are symmetrically raised on the hypotenuses of the two right-angled triangles, and the main shaft can be movably installed in two symmetrical limit rings on the same horizontal plane; according to the length of the outer sleeve in actual work, the main shaft can move up and down in the limit rings at different positions, and the position of the counterweight block is preliminarily adjusted, and several outer sleeve guide grooves are evenly and parallelly arranged left and right along the semi-roof slope of the outer sleeve bracket, and the position of the main shaft movably installed in the limit ring is higher than the outer sleeve guide groove and is located on the upper layer of the outer sleeve guide groove.

[0032] The outer sleeve guide groove is a groove with a cross section of a minor arc (less than a semicircle), which is divided into an upper guide groove and a lower guide groove, and the front-to-back drop of the upper and lower guide grooves is about 0.2 mm.

[0033] The counterweight block is sleeved on the cylindrical main shaft through a counterweight block connector. The main shaft is a cylindrical metal rod that can be movably placed in parallel in the limiting rings on both sides. Several counterweight block connectors are sleeved on the main shaft.

[0034] The front edge of the counterweight block is an upward arc shape, and the rear edge of the counterweight block is a downward arc-shaped support plate used to support the bottom of the outer sleeve. The shape and size of the counterweight block can be selected according to different types of counterweight blocks of different outer sleeves.

[0035] The counterweight block is a rectangular metal block, a hinge is vertically welded on the surface of the counterweight block, one end of the positive and negative threaded rod is welded to the other half of the hinge, and the other end of the positive and negative threaded rod is connected to the counterweight block connector through the hinge.

[0036] The counterweight block and the counterweight block connector are connected by a positive and negative threaded screw, which is a commercial component and can be connected to the counterweight block and the counterweight block connector by hinges at both ends of the positive and negative threaded screw respectively. The positive and negative threaded screw can be rotated to adjust the distance from the counterweight block to the main shaft, and the distance of the counterweight block can be finely adjusted according to the length of the outer sleeve of different brands, so that the length from the upper edge of the lower guide groove to the bottom of the arc-shaped support plate is equal to the length of the outer sleeve, so that the outer sleeve is fixedly clamped between the upper guide groove and the downward arc-shaped support plate of the counterweight block.

[0037] The counterweight connector is a square metal component with a hole in the middle. The main shaft can pass through the hole and be connected to the main shaft through the hole. The counterweight can be easily lifted at any time, and the outer sleeve can be inserted into the outer sleeve guide groove, and then the counterweight can be used to press the outer sleeve to prevent floating.

[0038] During operation, the position of the counterweight is adjusted according to the length of the outer tube, so that the length from the upper edge of the lower guide groove to the bottom of the arc-shaped support plate is equal to the length of the outer tube, and the outer tube is just clamped between the lower guide groove and the arc-shaped support plate of the counterweight; the outer tube support device is placed in the liquid nitrogen tank, and liquid nitrogen is injected into the liquid nitrogen tank. The liquid nitrogen depth immerses the lower guide groove of the outer tube support device by about 1 cm, but the upper guide groove is still exposed outside the liquid nitrogen; the upper guide groove is about 0.2 mm higher than the lower guide groove. When the outer tube is clamped in the lower guide groove, the slope of the upper guide groove and the inner wall of the outer tube are in the same plane or slightly higher. When the carrier rod moves downward along the upper guide groove, it is just aligned with the opening of the outer tube. Under the liquid nitrogen surface, there is no need to observe and aim with the naked eye, so that the carrier rod can be inserted into the outer tube simply, quickly and accurately, saving time, improving work efficiency and the safety of loading embryos.

[0039] By setting a roof slope structure with an outer tube support device at a 45-degree inclination angle, and upper and lower guide grooves evenly arranged on the left and right of the roof slope structure, the position of the counterweight block is adjusted by using a nut so that the outer tube support plate of the counterweight block just supports the bottom of the outer tube, so that the outer tube is fixedly placed in the lower guide groove. In this way, when liquid nitrogen submerges the lower guide groove and the outer tube, the counterweight block is used to press the outer tube into the lower guide groove to prevent floating, and the amount of liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen tank is controlled so that the upper guide groove is still exposed on the liquid nitrogen surface. The operator can guide according to the position of the upper guide groove and accurately insert the carrier rod into the outer tube along the direction guided by the upper guide groove. At the same time, the bottom of the outer tube is supported by the outer tube support plate of the counterweight block. The operator can forcefully insert the carrier rod into the outer tube and press it hard to tighten it, thereby improving work efficiency, reducing freezing damage to the hands caused by liquid nitrogen vapor, and reducing damage to the embryos caused by operating errors.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by specific circumstances.

[0041] The above describes in detail the preferred implementation of this patent, but this patent is not limited to the above implementation. Various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of ordinary technicians in this field without departing from the purpose of this patent.

Claims

1. An auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing carrier rod into an outer tube in liquid nitrogen, comprising a liquid nitrogen tank (1) and an outer tube support device (2), characterized in that: The liquid nitrogen tank (1) is made of double-layer stainless steel with a heat-insulating material sandwiched in the middle. The liquid nitrogen tank (1) is a rectangular container tank with one side open and the other five sides sealed, and the tank can contain liquid nitrogen. The outer tube support device (2) is installed inside the liquid nitrogen tank (1). The outer tube support device (2) consists of a support base, an outer tube guide groove, a main shaft, a counterweight block, a counterweight block connector and positive and negative threaded rods.

2. An auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bracket base is a semi-roof slope-like structure with two identical right-angled triangle metal brackets arranged in parallel on the side, and the three corners corresponding to the two triangular brackets are welded with steel bars. Several limit rings are symmetrically raised on the hypotenuses of the two right-angled triangles, and the main shaft can be movably installed in two symmetrical limit rings on the same horizontal plane; according to the length of the outer sleeve in actual work, the main shaft can move up and down in the limit rings at different positions, and the position of the counterweight block is preliminarily adjusted, and several outer sleeve guide grooves are evenly and parallelly arranged left and right along the semi-roof slope of the outer sleeve bracket, and the position of the main shaft movably installed in the limit ring is higher than the outer sleeve guide groove and is located on the upper layer of the outer sleeve guide groove.

3. An auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer sleeve guide groove is a groove with a minor arc cross section, which is divided into an upper guide groove and a lower guide groove, and the front-to-back drop of the upper and lower guide grooves is about 0.2 mm.

4. The auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The counterweight is sleeved on the cylindrical main shaft through a counterweight connector. The main shaft is a cylindrical metal rod that can be movably placed in parallel in the limiting rings on both sides. Several counterweight connectors are sleeved on the main shaft. The front edge of the counterweight is an upward arc, and the rear edge of the counterweight is a downward arc-shaped support plate used to support the bottom of the outer sleeve. The shape and size of the counterweight can be selected according to different outer sleeves.

5. The auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to claim 4, characterized in that: The counterweight block is a rectangular metal block, a hinge is vertically welded on the surface of the counterweight block, one end of the positive and negative threaded rod is welded to the other half of the hinge, and the other end of the positive and negative threaded rod is connected to the counterweight block connector through the hinge.

6. The auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to claim 4, characterized in that: The counterweight block and the counterweight block connector are connected by a positive and negative threaded screw, which is a commercial component and can be connected to the counterweight block and the counterweight block connector by hinges at both ends of the positive and negative threaded screw respectively. The positive and negative threaded screw can be rotated to adjust the distance from the counterweight block to the main shaft, and the distance of the counterweight block can be finely adjusted according to the length of the outer sleeve of different brands, so that the length from the upper edge of the lower guide groove to the bottom of the arc-shaped support plate is equal to the length of the outer sleeve, so that the outer sleeve is fixedly clamped between the upper guide groove and the downward arc-shaped support plate of the counterweight block.

7. The auxiliary device for inserting an embryo freezing rod into an outer sleeve in liquid nitrogen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The counterweight connector is a square metal component with a hole in the middle. The main shaft can pass through the hole and be connected to the main shaft through the hole. The counterweight can be easily lifted at any time, and the outer sleeve can be inserted into the outer sleeve guide groove, and then the counterweight can be used to press the outer sleeve to prevent floating.

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