Biofilm scraping device

Abstract

This utility model relates to a biofilm scraping device, including a handle, a connector, an observation window, and a scraping structure. The handle is connected to the left end of the connector. Through the coordinated action of the positioning mechanism and the scraper structure, the operator can press the positioning rod to compress the return spring, thereby releasing the locking of the positioning rod with the current positioning hole. Subsequently, the scraper handle can be slid back and forth along the channel formed by the support frame and the support plate. By observing the clear scale value on the scraper handle, the scraping head can be adjusted to the required precise extension length. After releasing the positioning rod, under the elastic force of the return spring, the positioning rod will automatically and reliably engage with the corresponding positioning hole, achieving a secure lock. This mechanism completely solves the problem that traditional scraping tools cannot control the scraping thickness, making it possible to perform targeted and repeatable quantitative scraping of biofilms with different growth thicknesses, greatly improving the scientific nature, accuracy, and comparability of experimental data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of microbial experimental equipment technology, specifically a biofilm scraping device. Background Technology

[0002] In the fields of environmental microbiology, industrial microbiology, and medical research, the study of biofilms is of great importance. For example, studying biofilms formed by bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa is of great significance for understanding their drug resistance, pathogenic mechanisms, and developing control methods.

[0003] Currently, obtaining biofilm samples from the inner walls of biofilm reactors or pipes typically employs traditional methods, such as using sterile cotton swabs, cell scrapers, or surgical blades. These methods have significant drawbacks:

[0004] 1. Inaccurate quantification: Cotton swabs and scrapers are difficult to quantitatively scrape a specific area of ​​biofilm, resulting in poor experimental repeatability;

[0005] 2. Inconvenient operation: For tubular or curved reactors, traditional tools are difficult to effectively adhere to the inner wall, resulting in incomplete or uneven scraping;

[0006] 3. Sample loss: The scraped biofilm samples are prone to adhering to the tool surface during the transfer process, resulting in loss.

[0007] Therefore, there is an urgent need for biofilm scraping devices to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0008] The purpose of this application is to provide a biofilm scraping device.

[0009] Firstly, the biofilm scraping device provided in this application adopts the following technical solution: including a handle, a connector, an observation window, and a scraping structure;

[0010] The handle is connected to the left end of the connector, the top of the handle is provided with an observation window, and the left end of the handle is provided with a scraping structure.

[0011] The scraping structure includes a collection frame, a collection groove, a guide plate, a positioning mechanism, and a scraper structure. The collection frame is connected to the left end of the handle. A collection groove is provided on the top of the collection frame. The collection frame is fixed to the bottom of the guide plate. The guide plate is fixed to the bottom of the positioning mechanism. A scraper structure is embedded in the inner side of the positioning mechanism.

[0012] Preferably, the handle is hollow inside, forming a liquid channel. One end of the liquid channel is connected to the through hole at the right end of the sample collection frame, and the other end is connected to a connector, which is a Luer connector or a threaded interface, for connecting an external syringe or peristaltic pump.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, an integrated operation of scraping and collection is achieved. The scraped biofilm sample can be immediately drawn away directly through the liquid channel inside the handle using an external syringe or peristaltic pump, achieving closed-loop sample transfer.

[0014] Preferably, the positioning mechanism includes a support frame, a support plate, a positioning rod, a slide rod, and a return spring. The bottom of the support frame is fixed to the guide plate, and the support frame is fixed to the rear end of the support plate. The slide rod is slidably engaged with the bottom of the support plate and the rear end of the support frame, respectively. The slide rod passes through the middle of the return spring. The front end of the return spring is fixed to the support frame, and the rear end of the return spring is fixed to the slide rod. The bottom of the positioning rod is fixed to the slide rod, and the rear end of the positioning rod is inserted into the scraper structure.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, an adjustable and stable scraper fixing mechanism is provided. The operator can release the lock on the scraper structure by pressing the positioning rod, thereby easily adjusting the extension length of the scraping head.

[0016] Preferably, a channel is formed between the support frame and the support plate, and the scraper structure slides in conjunction with the inner side of the channel.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the channel provides precise guidance and stable support for the movement of the scraper structure, ensuring that the scraper can only move in a straight line in the predetermined direction during adjustment and operation.

[0018] Preferably, the scraper structure includes a handle, a scraping head, positioning holes, and scale values. The handle is fixed to the right end of the scraping head. The front end of the handle is provided with a protrusion, and the handle slides in cooperation with the inner side of the front end of the positioning mechanism. Positioning holes are equidistantly opened at the front end of the handle, and scale values ​​are correspondingly provided at the lower end of the positioning holes.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, precise and quantifiable adjustment of the scraping depth is achieved. By inserting the positioning rod into different positioning holes, the extension of the scraping head relative to the guide plate can be precisely controlled.

[0020] Preferably, the scraping head is made of elastic medical-grade silicone, and its front end is formed with a scraping blade for scraping biofilm.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, the scraper head made of elastic material can adapt well to the inner wall surface of pipes, reactors and other materials with different curvatures, ensuring that the scraper blade can fit tightly and achieve thorough and uniform scraping.

[0022] Preferably, the cross-section of the scraper is wedge-shaped, used to closely fit the reactor surface and scrape.

[0023] By adopting the above technical solution, the wedge design makes it easier for the scraper to cut into the interface between the biofilm and the substrate, and completes the scraping with less resistance, thus improving the scraping efficiency.

[0024] In summary, this application includes at least the following beneficial technical effects of the biofilm scraping device:

[0025] 1. Through the coordinated action of the positioning mechanism and the scraper structure, the operator can press the positioning rod to compress the return spring, thereby releasing the locking between the positioning rod and the current positioning hole. Subsequently, the scraper handle can be slid back and forth along the channel formed by the support frame and the support plate. By observing the clear scale value on the scraper handle, the scraping head can be adjusted to the required precise extension length. After releasing the positioning rod, under the elastic force of the return spring, the positioning rod will automatically and reliably engage in the corresponding positioning hole, achieving a secure lock. This mechanism completely solves the problem of traditional scraping tools being unable to control the scraping thickness, making it possible to perform targeted and repeatable quantitative scraping of biofilms with different growth thicknesses, greatly improving the scientific nature, accuracy, and comparability of experimental data.

[0026] 2. The scraped biofilm is pushed into the collection slot of the collection frame by the scraping head for temporary storage; then, by connecting an external syringe or peristaltic pump through the connector, the sample can be directly and completely aspirated through the liquid channel inside the handle using negative pressure; the entire process is completed in a nearly closed system, which effectively avoids microbial contamination and aerosol diffusion that may be caused by the sample being exposed to air, and also minimizes the adhesion loss of the sample during the transfer process, ensuring the originality and recovery rate of the sample. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the scraping structure of this utility model;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the positioning mechanism of this utility model;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a front view structural diagram of the positioning mechanism of this utility model;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the scraper structure of this utility model.

[0032] In the diagram: Handle-1, Connector-2, Observation Window-3, Scraping Structure-4, Collection Frame-41, Collection Groove-42, Guide Plate-43, Positioning Mechanism-44, Scraper Structure-45, Support Frame-441, Support Plate-442, Positioning Rod-443, Slide Rod-444, Return Spring-445, Blade Handle-451, Scraping Head-452, Positioning Hole-453, Scale Value-454. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1 - Appendix Figure 5 This application will be described in further detail below.

[0034] Example 1: Biofilm scraping device, refer to Figure 1 The device includes a handle 1, a connector 2, an observation window 3, and a scraping structure 4. The handle 1 is connected to the left end of the connector 2. The top of the handle 1 is provided with an observation window 3, and the left end of the handle 1 is provided with a scraping structure 4. The scraping structure 4 includes a collection frame 41, a collection groove 42, a guide plate 43, a positioning mechanism 44, and a scraper structure 45. The collection frame 41 is connected to the left end of the handle 1. The top of the collection frame 41 is provided with a collection groove 42. The collection frame 41 is fixed to the bottom of the guide plate 43. The guide plate 43 is fixed to the bottom of the positioning mechanism 44. The scraper structure 45 is embedded in the inner side of the positioning mechanism 44.

[0035] In some embodiments, the handle 1 is hollow inside, forming a liquid channel. One end of the liquid channel is connected to the through hole at the right end of the sample collection frame 41, and the other end is connected to a connector 2, which is a Luer connector or a threaded interface, for connecting an external syringe or peristaltic pump, thus realizing an integrated operation of scraping and collection. The scraped biofilm sample can be immediately drawn away directly through the liquid channel inside the handle 1 by the external syringe or peristaltic pump using negative pressure, achieving closed-loop sample transfer. This effectively avoids contamination caused by sample exposure to air in traditional methods, as well as sample loss during multiple transfers between containers, greatly improving the accuracy and ease of operation of the experiment.

[0036] In this application, the positioning mechanism 44 includes a support frame 441, a support plate 442, a positioning rod 443, a slide rod 444, and a return spring 445. The bottom of the support frame 441 is fixed to the guide plate 43, and the support frame 441 is fixed to the rear end of the support plate 442. The slide rod 444 slides in cooperation with the bottom of the support plate 442 and the rear end of the support frame 441, respectively. The slide rod 444 passes through the middle of the return spring 445. The front end of the return spring 445 is fixed to the support frame 441, and the rear end of the return spring 445 is fixed to the slide rod 444. The bottom of the positioning rod 443 is fixed to the slide rod 444, and the rear end of the positioning rod 443 is inserted into the scraper structure 45, providing an adjustable and stable scraper fixing mechanism. The operator can release the lock on the scraper structure 45 by pressing the positioning rod 443, thereby easily adjusting the extension length of the scraping head 452. The reset spring 445 ensures that the positioning rod 44 automatically resets and securely locks the scraper structure 45 after adjustment, preventing the scraping effect from being affected by the scraper retraction during the scraping process, thus ensuring the stability and reliability of operation. A channel is formed between the support frame 441 and the support plate 442, and the scraper structure 45 slides in cooperation with the inner side of the channel. This channel provides precise guidance and stable support for the movement of the scraper structure 45, ensuring that the scraper can only move in a straight line in the predetermined direction during adjustment and operation, without deflection or shaking, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the scraping process and the uniformity of the scraped thickness.

[0037] It should be noted that the scraper structure 45 includes a handle 451, a scraping head 452, positioning holes 453, and scale values ​​454. The handle 451 is fixed to the right end of the scraping head 452. The front end of the handle 451 has a protrusion, and the handle 451 slides in conjunction with the inner front end of the positioning mechanism 44. Positioning holes 453 are equidistantly provided at the front end of the handle 451, and scale values ​​454 are correspondingly provided at the lower end of the positioning holes 453, realizing precise and quantifiable adjustment of the scraping depth. By inserting the positioning rod 443 into different positioning holes, the extension amount of the scraping head relative to the guide plate 43 can be precisely controlled. With the scale value 454, the operator can directly and accurately set the scraping thickness, enabling targeted scraping of biofilms of different thicknesses and ensuring consistent scraping conditions across multiple experiments. This greatly improves experimental repeatability and data comparability. The scraping head 452 is made of elastic medical-grade silicone, with a scraping blade formed at its tip for scraping biofilms. The elastic material of the scraping head can adapt well to the inner wall surfaces of pipes, reactors, and other surfaces with different curvatures, ensuring that the scraping blade fits tightly and achieves thorough and uniform scraping. At the same time, it avoids scratches on the reactor surface that may be caused by hard materials. The cross-section of the scraping blade is wedge-shaped, which is used to fit tightly to the reactor surface for scraping. The wedge design makes it easier for the scraping blade to cut into the interface between the biofilm and the substrate, completing the scraping with less resistance, improving scraping efficiency, and effectively guiding and collecting the scraped biofilm into the collection tank, reducing sample splashing or residue.

[0038] The implementation principle of this application embodiment is as follows:

[0039] First, the scraping depth is preset according to the estimated thickness of the target biofilm or the requirements of the experimental protocol. The operator presses the positioning rod 443 backward with their finger. The positioning rod compresses the reset spring 445 through the slide rod 444, storing energy. At this time, the front end of the positioning rod 443 exits from the current positioning hole 453 of the scraper structure 45. Then, the handle 451 is slid forward or backward. The handle moves smoothly in the channel formed by the support frame 441 and the support plate 442, driving the scraping head 452 at its front end to extend or retract synchronously. The operator observes the scale value 454 on the handle 451. When the extension of the scraping head 452 relative to the front edge of the guide plate 43 reaches the predetermined value, the positioning rod 443 is released. At this time, the reset spring 445 releases its elastic force, pushing the slide rod 444 and the positioning rod 443 to reset. The end of the positioning rod 443 automatically engages in the corresponding positioning hole 453 under the action of the spring force, firmly locking the scraper structure 45 and completing the precise setting of the scraping depth.

[0040] Place the scraping part of the device on the biofilm growth surface, ensuring the bottom surface of the guide plate 43 is smoothly in contact with the surface to be scraped. Maintain this posture and smoothly push the handle 1 forward along the surface. The wedge-shaped scraping blade at the front end of the scraping head 452, locked at a set depth, will cut into and scrape off the biofilm of the corresponding thickness. The scraped biofilm, pushed by the scraping head 452 and guided by the guide plate 43, is smoothly introduced into and temporarily stored in the collection groove 42 of the collection frame 41. After the scraping operation is completed, connect a sterile syringe or peristaltic pump tubing to the connector 2 at the end of the handle 1. Pull back the syringe piston or start the peristaltic pump to generate negative pressure. This negative pressure is transmitted to the collection frame 41 through the liquid channel inside the handle 1. Under the action of negative pressure, the biofilm sample temporarily stored in the collection groove 42 is sucked into the liquid channel through the through hole on the collection frame. The operator can visually confirm whether the sample has been completely aspirated through the observation window 3. The sample is finally completely transferred into the syringe or collection tube, thus completing a complete, efficient, and pollution-free sampling process.

[0041] The embodiments described in this specific implementation are preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Identical components are represented by the same reference numerals. Therefore, all equivalent changes made to the structure, shape, and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A biofilm scraping device, characterized in that: Includes a handle (1), a connector (2), an observation window (3), and a scraping structure (4); The handle (1) is connected to the left end of the connector (2), and an observation window (3) is provided on the top of the handle (1). A scraping structure (4) is provided on the left end of the handle (1). The scraping structure (4) includes a collection frame (41), a collection groove (42), a guide plate (43), a positioning mechanism (44), and a scraper structure (45). The collection frame (41) is connected to the left end of the handle (1). The collection groove (42) is provided on the top of the collection frame (41). The collection frame (41) is fixed to the bottom of the guide plate (43). The guide plate (43) is fixed to the bottom of the positioning mechanism (44). The scraper structure (45) is embedded in the inner side of the positioning mechanism (44).

2. The biofilm scraping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The handle (1) is hollow inside, forming a liquid channel. One end of the liquid channel is connected to the right end through hole of the collection frame (41), and the other end is connected to a connector (2).

3. The biofilm scraping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning mechanism (44) includes a support frame (441), a support plate (442), a positioning rod (443), a slide rod (444), and a return spring (445). The bottom of the support frame (441) is fixed to the guide plate (43), and the support frame (441) is fixed to the rear end of the support plate (442). The slide rod (444) is slidably engaged with the bottom of the support plate (442) and the rear end of the support frame (441), respectively. The slide rod (444) passes through the middle of the return spring (445). The front end of the return spring (445) is fixed to the support frame (441), and the rear end of the return spring (445) is fixed to the slide rod (444). The bottom of the positioning rod (443) is fixed to the slide rod (444), and the rear end of the positioning rod (443) is inserted into the scraper structure (45).

4. The biofilm scraping device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A channel is formed between the support frame (441) and the support plate (442), and the scraper structure (45) slides in cooperation with the inner side of the channel.

5. The biofilm scraping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The scraper structure (45) includes a handle (451), a scraping head (452), a positioning hole (453), and a scale value (454). The handle (451) is fixed to the right end of the scraping head (452). The front end of the handle (451) is provided with a protrusion, and the handle (451) slides in cooperation with the inner side of the front end of the positioning mechanism (44). The front end of the handle (451) is provided with positioning holes (453) at equal intervals, and the lower end of the positioning hole (453) is provided with a scale value (454).

6. The biofilm scraping device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The scraping head (452) is made of elastic medical-grade silicone, and its front end is formed with a scraping blade for scraping biofilm.

7. The biofilm scraping device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The cross-section of the scraper is wedge-shaped, used to closely adhere to the reactor surface and scrape.

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