Liquid sample inspection device
The liquid sample inspection device addresses the balance of cost and complexity in conventional systems by using a rotatable lid structure for simple, residue-free sample addition and automatic inspection, enhancing accuracy and efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025001259U
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-22
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-02
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-04-22
AI Technical Summary
Conventional liquid sample inspection devices face challenges in balancing cost and performance, with open systems being cumbersome and skill-dependent, and closed systems being complex and costly, while both suffer from liquid residue and uneven distribution issues affecting inspection accuracy.
A liquid sample inspection device with a flow guide cover and main body container, featuring a rotatable lid structure, accumulation and diversion grooves, and snap connections, allowing simple sample addition and automatic inspection by inverting the device, reducing residue and enhancing liquid distribution.
The device simplifies operation, reduces residue, and ensures accurate inspection by enabling automatic sample distribution and multiple analyte testing with minimal manual intervention, improving efficiency and reducing contamination risks.
Smart Images
Figure 0003251836000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of liquid inspection, and specifically relates to a liquid sample inspection device and a flow guiding cover.
Background Art
[0002] In the field of point-of-care testing in clinical settings, the convenience and reliability of liquid sample inspection devices directly affect the inspection efficiency and accuracy. Conventional devices are mainly divided into two types. One type is an open inspection system that relies on manual operation and requires accurate addition of samples using a pipette. The operation steps are cumbersome and are easily affected by the skills of the operator. The other type is a closed system that employs automated sample addition, which can reduce human interference. However, it depends on complex systems such as a thin film puncture mechanism and a precision hydraulic control module, has a high manufacturing cost, is difficult to maintain, and is not easily adaptable to diverse inspection scenarios. Especially for inspection processes that require multiple liquid exchanges, conventional devices often cause contamination due to liquid residue or errors in inspection results.
[0003] Regarding the above problems, conventional improvement methods mainly focus on simplifying the operation process or optimizing liquid control. For example, some devices can reduce the operation process by sealing the reagent in advance, but still rely on complex lid-opening units or disposable sealing components, making it difficult to balance cost and performance. Other technologies attempt to replace pressure control by adopting gravity-driven methods. However, due to design defects in the liquid flow guiding structure, problems such as uneven liquid distribution and large residual amounts are likely to occur, affecting the inspection sensitivity.
Summary of the Invention
[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid sample inspection device. The present invention provides a liquid sample inspection device, which includes a flow guide cover, a main body container, and inspection components. A decomposition chamber and an inspection chamber are provided in parallel inside the main body container. The inspection components are installed in the inspection chamber. The flow guide cover is movably connected to the opening of the main body container. An accumulation groove and a flow guide groove are provided inside the flow guide cover. The sample addition area of the inspection components is located in the accumulation groove. The inspection chamber communicates with the flow guide groove. With the opening of the flow guide cover facing upward, the lowest part of the bottom surface of the flow guide groove communicates with the accumulation groove.
[0005] Preferably, the flow guide cover is rotatably connected to the opening of the main body container.
[0006] Preferably, a hinge seat structure is installed at the top of the outer wall of the main body container. The hinge seat structure is provided with an arc-shaped concave groove having an opening on the side and both ends being open. A hinge shaft is installed on the flow guide cover. The hinge shaft is fitted into the arc-shaped concave groove of the hinge seat structure to form a rotational connection.
[0007] Preferably, snap structures that fit with each other are provided between the inner side of the flow guide cover and the opening of the main body container.
[0008] Preferably, an insertion piece fixing point protruding outward is provided at the top of the side wall of the inspection chamber of the main body container. The inspection components inserted into the inspection chamber are positioned by the insertion piece fixing points.
[0009] Preferably, liquid level limit ribs are installed on both sides of the accumulation groove. An excess liquid storage chamber is provided between the opposite side surfaces of the two liquid level limit ribs and the inner wall of the flow guide cover.
[0010] Preferably, the bottom surface of the flow guide groove presents an arc-shaped structure that is recessed inward in the length direction and the width direction.
[0011] Preferably, the liquid sample inspection device further includes a sampling component. The sampling component includes a grip rod, a sampling head, and a color development block. The grip rod has a concave groove structure for further fixing the sampling head. The sampling head covers the opening of the concave groove structure. The color development block is installed in the concave groove structure and contacts the sampling head.
[0012] Preferably, a buffer solution storage tube is attached to the decomposition chamber. The opening of the buffer solution storage tube is sealed by a sealing film. A storage tube fixing point protruding outward is provided at the top of the side wall of the decomposition chamber of the main body container. The buffer solution storage tube inserted into the inspection chamber is positioned by the storage tube fixing point.
[0013] Preferably, a protruding rib is provided at the bottom of the inner wall of the buffer solution storage tube.
[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows. The present invention adopts a lid-opening structure, and the operation of adding a liquid sample to the buffer solution is relatively simple. And after the present invention closes the flow guide cover, the sample inspection can be automatically performed only by reversing the whole liquid sample inspection device. In addition, since the present invention can attach a plurality of different reagent strips, the inspection of a plurality of different analytes in the liquid sample can be realized at one time.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0015]
Figure 1
Figure 2
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Figure 10
Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention
[0016] Hereinafter, the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the liquid sample inspection device includes a main body container 1, a flow guide cover 2, an inspection component 3, a buffer liquid storage tube 4, and a sampling component 5. The flow guide cover 2 is attached to the top opening of the main body container 1. The liquid sample inspection device has two operating states. That is, an upright state used for sample collection and an inverted state used for inspection. The flow guide cover 2 is located above the main body container 1 in the upright state. The flow guide cover 2 is located below the main body container 1 in the inverted state.
[0017] As shown in Fig. 3, the sampling component 5 includes a grip rod 5-1, a sampling head 5-2, and a color-developing block 5-3. The sampling head 5-2 is fixed to the end of the grip rod 5-1. The grip rod 5-1 is provided with a concave groove structure at the end connected to the sampling head 5-2. The color-developing block 5-3 is attached to the concave groove structure. The color-developing block 5-3 is in contact with the sampling head 5-2. The opening of the concave groove structure is completely shielded by the sampling head 5-2. A transparent material is used for the entire grip rod 5-1 or the portion where the color-developing block 5-3 is attached. The color-developing block 5-3 is made of a material that changes color when absorbing liquid, and the absorption state of the liquid by the sampling head can be confirmed by its color-changing function. When the sample of the sampling head is completely absorbed, the liquid sample flows to the color-developing block 5-3. The color-developing block 5-3 changes color, indicating that the sampling is completed at this point.
[0018] As shown in Fig. 4, inside the main body container 1, a cylindrical decomposition chamber 1-1 and a rectangular parallelepiped inspection chamber 1-2 are provided. An opening is provided at one end of the main body container 1 (referred to as the open end), and the other end (referred to as the closed end) is hermetically sealed. At the top of the side wall of the decomposition chamber 1-1 of the main body container 1, a storage tube fixing point 1-3 protruding outward is provided. The buffer solution storage tube 4 is inserted into the inspection chamber 1-2 and positioned by the storage tube fixing point 1-3, so that the buffer solution storage tube 4 maintains a stable position in the main body container 1. The buffer solution storage tube 4 stores the buffer solution. The buffer solution storage tube 4 is provided with an opening at the end near the open end of the main body container 1 and is sealed by a sealing film 4-1.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection component 3 includes an inspection insert piece 3-1, a reagent strip 3-2, and a label layer 3-3. A plurality of elongated mounting grooves are formed in the inspection insert piece 3-1, and the reagent strip 3-2 is mounted in each elongated mounting groove. An insert fixing point 1-4 protruding outward is provided at the top of the side wall of the inspection chamber 1-2 of the main body container 1. The inspection insert piece 3-1 is inserted into the inspection chamber 1-2 and positioned by the insert fixing point 1-4 so that the inspection component 3 is stably positioned in the main body container 1. Observation windows corresponding to the inspection area positions on each reagent strip 3-2 are provided in the label layer 3-3 respectively, facilitating the user to observe the inspection results. The direction from the sample addition area of the reagent strip 3-2 to the inspection area is consistent with the direction from the open end to the closed end of the main body container 1.
[0020] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a hinge seat structure is integrally formed at the top of the outer wall of the main body container 1. The hinge structure is provided with an arc-shaped concave groove 1-5 having an opening on the side and open at both ends. The longitudinal section of the inner wall of the arc-shaped concave groove 1-5 is a major arc with a central angle greater than 180°. The hinge structure is located on the side where the inspection chamber 1-2 is separated from the decomposition chamber 1-1. Thus, after the main body container 1 is opened, the buffer liquid storage tube 4 is more fully exposed, facilitating the decomposition operation for the user. The diversion cover 2 is integrally formed with a hinge shaft 2-3 with the middle part suspended and both ends fixed. The hinge shaft 2-3 is fitted into the arc-shaped concave groove 1-5 of the hinge seat structure to rotationally connect the diversion cover 2 to the opening of the main body container 1, forming a flap-type opening and closing structure. A snap structure that fits with each other is provided between the inner side of the diversion cover 2 and the opening of the main body container 1, and the diversion cover 2 has a certain locking force when the main body container 1 is opened.
[0021] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an accumulation groove 2-1 and a diversion groove 2-2 are provided in the diversion cover 2. The accumulation groove is aligned with the inspection component 3. The sample addition area of each reagent strip 3-2 is located in the accumulation groove 2-1. The diversion groove 2-2 is aligned with the buffer storage tube 4. In the inverted state, the bottom surface of the diversion groove 2-2 gradually becomes lower along the direction from the buffer storage tube 4 to the inspection component 3. The lowest part of the bottom surface of the diversion groove 2-2 communicates with the accumulation groove 2-1.
[0022] The diversion groove 2-2 adopts a double-arc design. Specifically, it is as follows. The bottom surface of the diversion groove 2-2 presents an arc-shaped structure that is concave inward in both the length direction and the width direction. The arc-shaped structure that is concave inward in the length direction of the diversion groove 2-2 helps to further improve the diversion effect of the liquid sample in the diversion groove 2-2, and the liquid sample can flow quickly and sufficiently to the sample addition area of the reagent strip 3-2. The arc-shaped structure that is concave inward in the width direction of the diversion groove 2-2 collects the remaining sample liquid, promotes the flow of the remaining sample liquid to the sample addition area of the reagent strip 3-2, and can further reduce or eliminate the residue of the liquid sample.
[0023] Under this structure, the sample liquid in the buffer storage tube 4 flows into the diversion groove 2-2 by gravity, and then flows along the diversion groove 2-2 to the accumulation groove 2-1, contacts the inspection component 3, and realizes the inspection.
[0024] In some embodiments, liquid level limit ribs 2-4 are installed on both sides of the accumulation groove 2-1. The two liquid level limit ribs 2-4 are used to limit the height of the liquid at the bottom of the diversion groove 2-2. An excess liquid storage chamber is provided between the opposite sides of the two liquid level limit ribs 2-4 and the inner wall of the diversion cover 2. The excess liquid sample also flows from the liquid level limit ribs 2-4 to the excess liquid storage chamber.
[0025] In some embodiments, support ribs 2-5 are provided on the outer surface of the diversion cover 2. The support ribs 2-5 enable the diversion cover 2 to be stably installed on a horizontal tabletop when the entire liquid sample device is inverted.
[0026] In some embodiments, a hydrophobic layer is provided on both the inner wall of the buffer solution storage tube 4 and the flow guiding groove 2-2, thereby making it difficult for the sample solution to remain and reducing the wear of the container.
[0027] In some embodiments, the main body container 1 is entirely transparent, or only the side wall where the hinge seat is installed is transparent and no observation window is provided, making it easy for the user to observe the test results of the reagent strip 3-2. At the same time, the risk of sample leakage after the liquid sample inspection device is used can be reduced.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 7, the operating principle of the present invention is as follows. Sampling stage: After collecting the sample with the sampling head 5-2 of the sampling component 5, open the flow guiding cover 2, peel off the sealing film 4-1 of the buffer solution storage tube 4, insert the sampling head 5-2 into the buffer solution storage tube 4, and mix the sample with the buffer solution. Then, cover the flow guiding cover 2. Inspection stage: When the entire liquid sample inspection device is turned upside down to an inverted state, the sample solution (the mixed solution of the sample and the buffer solution) in the buffer solution storage tube 4 naturally flows downstream, enters the flow guiding groove 2-2, and finally flows until it contacts the addition area of each reagent strip 3-2. After the chromatography of the reagent strip 3-2 is completed, observe the test results on the side wall of the main body container 1.
[0029] Embodiment 2 A liquid sample inspection device, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that no coloring block 5-3 is provided on the sampling head 5-2, and as shown in FIG. 9, a protruding rib 4-2 is provided at the bottom of the inner wall of the buffer solution storage tube 4. The working principle of this embodiment is shown in Figure 9. In this embodiment, after the sampling head 5-2 is inserted into the buffer storage tube 4, the sampling head 5-2 is rubbed, so that the sampling head 5-2 and the protruding rib 4-2 in the buffer storage tube 4 rub against each other, which promotes the sample on the sampling head 5-2 to be fully dissolved in the buffer solution, and after several times of rubbing and moving, the excess part of the extension rod of the sampling head 5-2 is cut off, and the sampling head 5-2 is completely dropped into the buffer storage tube 4.
[0030] EMBODIMENT 3 This embodiment is a liquid sample testing device, and the difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the connection type of the flow guide cover 2 and the main container 1 is different. In this embodiment, the flow guide cover 2 and the main container 1 are integrally molded to form a continuous flap box structure. The connection between the flow guide cover 2 and the main container 1 is a hinge part that can be folded and deformed. Other configurations in this embodiment are similar to those in the first embodiment.
[0031] EMBODIMENT 4 This embodiment is a liquid sample testing device, and the difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the connection type between the flow guide cover 2 and the main container 1 is different. In this embodiment, the flow guide cover 2 and the main container 1 are fitted together by a plug-in type. Other configurations in this embodiment are similar to those in the first embodiment.
[0032] EMBODIMENT 5 This is a liquid sample testing device. The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that in this embodiment, there is no buffer storage tube 4. The decomposition chamber 1-1 and the testing chamber 1-2 are separated by a separator. The working principle of this embodiment is shown in Figure 10. In the use of this embodiment, the decomposed liquid sample is added to the decomposition chamber 1-1, and when it is necessary to start testing, the whole liquid sample testing device is turned over, and the liquid sample in the decomposition chamber 1-1 is brought into contact with the sample adding area of the testing component 3. Other configurations in this embodiment are similar to those in the first embodiment.
Description of Symbols
[0033] 1 Main body container 1-1 Disassembly chamber 1-2 Inspection chamber 1-3 Storage tube fixing point 1-4 Insert piece fixing point 1-5 Arc concave groove 2 Deflector cover 2-1 Integrated groove 2-2 Deflection groove 2-3 Hinge shaft 2-4 Liquid level limit rib 2-5 Support rib 3 Inspection component 3-1 Inspection insert 3-2 Reagent strip 3-3 Label layer 4 Buffer storage tube 4-1 Sealing film 4-2 Protruding rib 5 Sampling component 5-1 Gripping rod 5-2 Sampling head 5-3 Color development block
Claims
1. A liquid sample testing device comprising a main container (1) and a testing component (3), Further, a flow guide cover (2) is provided, and a decomposition chamber (1-1) and an inspection chamber (1-2) are provided in parallel inside the main container (1), and the inspection component (3) is attached inside the inspection chamber (1-2), The liquid sample testing device is characterized in that the flow-directing cover (2) is movably connected to the opening of the main container (1), an accumulation groove (2-1) and a flow-directing groove (2-2) are provided on the inside of the flow-directing cover (2), the sample addition area of the testing component (3) is located within the accumulation groove (2-1), the testing chamber (1-2) is aligned with the flow-directing groove (2-2), and when the opening of the flow-directing cover (2) faces upward, the lowest part of the bottom surface of the flow-directing groove (2-2) communicates with the accumulation groove (2-1).
2. 2. The liquid sample testing device according to claim 1, wherein the flow guide cover (2) is rotatably connected to the opening of the main container (1).
3. The liquid sample testing device according to claim 2, characterized in that a hinge seat structure is installed on the top of the outer wall of the main container (1), the hinge seat structure is provided with an arc-shaped groove (1-5) having an opening on the side and open at both ends, a hinge shaft (2-3) is installed on the flow guide cover (2), and the hinge shaft (2-3) is fitted into the arc-shaped groove (1-5) of the hinge seat structure to form a rotational connection.
4. 3. The liquid sample testing device according to claim 2, wherein an inner side of the flow guide cover (2) and the opening of the main container (1) are provided with a snap structure that fits together.
5. The liquid sample testing device of claim 1, characterized in that an outwardly protruding insert fixing point (1-4) is provided at the top of the side wall of the test chamber (1-2) of the main container (1), and the test component (3) inserted into the test chamber (1-2) is positioned by the insert fixing point (1-4).
6. The liquid sample testing device of claim 1, characterized in that a liquid level limiting rib (2-4) is installed on both sides of the accumulation groove (2-1), and an excess liquid storage chamber is provided between the opposite sides of the two liquid level limiting ribs (2-4) and the inner wall of the flow guide cover (2).
7. 2. The liquid sample testing device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the flow guiding groove (2-2) has an inwardly concave arc structure in both the length direction and the width direction.
8. a sampling component (5), The liquid sample testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sampling component (5) comprises a gripping rod (5-1), a sampling head (5-2) and a coloring block (5-3), the gripping rod (5-1) opens a groove structure to further fix the sampling head (5-2), the sampling head (5-2) covers the opening of the groove structure, and the coloring block (5-3) is mounted in the groove structure and contacts the sampling head (5-2).
9. The liquid sample inspection device of claim 1, characterized in that a buffer solution storage tube (4) is attached to the decomposition chamber (1-1), the opening of the buffer solution storage tube (4) is sealed by a sealing film (4-1), a storage tube fixing point (1-3) protruding outward is provided at the top of the side wall of the decomposition chamber (1-1) of the main container (1), and the buffer solution storage tube (4) inserted into the inspection chamber (1-2) is positioned by the storage tube fixing point (1-3).
10. The liquid sample testing device according to claim 9, characterized in that the bottom of the inner wall of the buffer solution storage tube (4) is provided with a protruding rib (4-2).