Sampling Device

Abstract

This sampling device includes: a sampling unit (200) that collects a sample from a sewer system (900) located at a sampling location; a pretreatment unit (300) that performs prescribed pretreatment on the sample; a refrigerator (410) in which a sample container (350) containing the pretreated sample is stored and refrigerated; and a transfer unit (430) that transfers the sample container to the refrigerator. The present invention can reduce time and effort and costs associated with sampling from sewage, when collecting a sample from the sewage and performing examination as to whether there is an object to be detected, such as a pathogen, in the sample.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sampling device. [Background technology]

[0002] Sewage epidemiology is an academic field that attempts to understand trends in infectious disease outbreaks by measuring virus concentrations in sewage, including human urine and feces. Numerous findings from sewage epidemiology have been reported in the prevention of infections caused by norovirus and poliovirus, and it is also thought that they could be applied to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), whose spread has become increasingly serious in recent years.

[0003] By applying this type of sewage epidemiology, samples are taken from sewage discharged from facilities where many people stay, such as hospitals or nursing homes, and the samples are tested for the presence of infectious pathogens such as viruses, thereby identifying people who are infected or may be infected within the facility. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] By conducting such tests, it is possible to determine whether or not any of the residents are infected with infectious pathogens without having to conduct regular PCR tests on each of the residents, which is effective in preventing the occurrence of clusters (groups of infected people) within the facility.

[0005] However, to effectively prevent cluster outbreaks using these methods, it is necessary to regularly collect and test samples from sewage, which poses problems in terms of the effort and cost involved. For example, if a specialized contractor regularly visits a facility to collect sewage samples and transport them to a designated testing institution, high labor costs are incurred for collecting and transporting the samples. It is also possible for facility staff to collect samples from sewage and send them to the testing institution via courier, but this raises issues such as the risk of infection due to samples being handled by individuals without sufficient knowledge of pathogens, and the impact on the accuracy of test results due to improper handling of samples, such as improper temperature control.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its object is to reduce the effort and cost involved in collecting samples from sewage when collecting samples from sewage and testing the samples for the presence of target substances such as pathogens. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the sample collecting device according to the present invention is a sampling unit that collects samples from a sewerage facility located at a sampling site; a pre-treatment section that performs a predetermined pre-treatment on the sample; a refrigerator for refrigerating and storing the sample container containing the pretreated sample; a transfer unit that transfers the sample container to the refrigerator; It has the following characteristics.

[0008] In addition, the sewage inspection method according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, comprises: collecting a sample from a sewerage system located at a collection site; a step of subjecting the sample to a predetermined pretreatment at the collection site; refrigerating the sample after the pretreatment at the collection site; transporting the refrigerated sample from the collection site to a testing laboratory; an inspection step of inspecting whether or not a detection target substance is present in the sample at the inspection institution; It has the following characteristics. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The sample collection device and sewage inspection method of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration can reduce the effort and cost involved in collecting samples from sewage when collecting samples from sewage and inspecting whether or not the samples contain pathogens or other detection targets. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a sampling device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed at a sampling site. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the sample collecting device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit of the sample collecting device and parts controlled by the control unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the vicinity of the water collection port and the drainage port of the sample collection device. [Figure 5] 3 is a flowchart showing each step from sample collection to inspection of the sample in this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a first schematic diagram showing the operation of the collection unit in this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a second schematic diagram showing the operation of the collection unit in this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a third schematic diagram showing the operation of the collection unit in this embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a first schematic diagram showing the operation of a pre-processing unit in the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a second schematic diagram showing the operation of the pre-processing unit in this embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a sample collecting section in a sample collecting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram showing a state in which sewage is being absorbed by an absorber. [Figure 12]FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a sample squeezed out from an absorbent body is being collected in the sample collecting device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a sample collecting section in a sample collecting device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram showing a state in which sewage is being absorbed by an absorber. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an absorbent body retention tank and an absorbent body constricting section in a third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main body of the absorbent body retention tank. [Figure 16] 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 16. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a sample squeezed out from an absorbent body is being collected in the sample collecting device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the sampling section is being disinfected in the sampling device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a water sampling and drainage unit in a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a state in which a sampling device according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed at a sampling site, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the sampling device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control unit of the sample collecting device and parts controlled by the control unit.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, the sampling device according to this embodiment includes a housing 100, a sampling section 200, a pre-processing section 300, a refrigeration section 400, and a cleaning section 500. Although not shown in Fig. 2, the sampling device according to this embodiment further includes a control section 600 that controls the operation of each of the above sections (see Fig. 3).

[0013] The housing 100 is made of plastic or metal and has an openable and closable door 101 (see FIG. 1).

[0014] The sample collection section 200 includes a water sampling pipe 201, a sprinkler head 202, a first absorbent holder 210, a second absorbent holder 220, a first funnel section 230 arranged below the first absorbent holder 210, a second funnel section 240 arranged below the second absorbent holder 220, a third funnel section 260 arranged below the second funnel section 240, a pressing section 270 provided above the second absorbent holder 220, a first liquid supply pump 203, an absorbent holder drive mechanism 223 (see Figure 3), and a pressing section drive mechanism 274 (see Figure 3).

[0015] The water sampling pipe 201 is made of a vinyl hose, polyvinyl chloride pipe, or the like, and one end thereof is connected to the sprinkler head 202. The other end of the water sampling pipe 201 is led to the outside of the housing 100 via a through-hole provided in the side wall of the housing 100. A first liquid feed pump 203 is disposed midway along the water sampling pipe 201. A collection cup placement section 250, which is a space in which a sample collection cup 290 is disposed, is provided below the second funnel section 240, and a third funnel section 260 is provided below the collection cup placement section 250. The lower portions of the first funnel section 230 and the third funnel section 260 are connected to a first drainage pipe 309, which will be described later.

[0016] The first absorber holder 210 and the second absorber holder 220 both have a cup-like shape with an open top, and have a plurality of holes 211, 221 on their bottom surfaces that are large enough to prevent the absorber 280 from passing through. The peripheral portion of the upper end of the first absorber holder 210 and the peripheral portion of the upper end of the second absorber holder 220 are connected by a hinge 212, and the first absorber holder 210 can be rotated around the hinge 212 by an absorber holder drive mechanism 223 (see FIG. 3) that includes a motor and the like.

[0017] The pressing part 270 comprises a plate-shaped main body 271, a plurality of needles 272 provided on the underside of the main body 271, and a rod 273 connected to the upper surface of the main body 271, and by moving the rod 273 up and down using a pressing part drive mechanism 274 including a motor or the like, it is possible to move the main body 271 closer to or away from the second absorber holder 220. The entire needle 272, or a portion extending a predetermined length from its tip, has a smaller diameter than the holes 211, 221 provided on the bottom surfaces of the first absorber holder 210 and the second absorber holder 220, and is provided at a position where it can be inserted into the holes 211, 221 provided in the first absorber holder 210 and the second absorber holder.

[0018] In addition, provided near the sampling section 200 are a used absorbent body storage section 711 which is a container for storing the absorbent body 280 after use in the sampling section 200, an unused absorbent body storage section 712 which is a container for storing unused absorbent bodies 280, and an absorbent body transfer mechanism 713 (see FIG. 3). The absorbent body transfer mechanism 713 includes, for example, a robot hand, a rotating and extendable arm, and a motor for driving these, and transfers the absorbent body 280 from the first absorbent body holder 210 to the used absorbent body storage section 711, and also transfers the absorbent body 280 from the unused absorbent body storage section 712 to the first absorbent body holder 210.

[0019] The pre-treatment section 300 includes a collection cup moving mechanism 301 (see Figure 3), a first cartridge holding section 302, a drain bottle 304, an air intake pump 307, a liquid supply nozzle 311, a water supply section 313, a solvent supply section 314, a liquid supply nozzle driving mechanism 316 (see Figure 3), a cartridge transfer mechanism 310 (see Figure 3), a second cartridge holding section 321, a piston 323, and a piston driving mechanism 324 (see Figure 3).

[0020] The collection cup moving mechanism 301 includes, for example, a robot hand, a rotating and extendable arm, and a motor for driving them. The first cartridge holder 302 is a block-shaped structure with openings on its top and side surfaces, and a flow path is formed inside the first cartridge holder 302, connecting the openings on the top and side surfaces. The tip of a solid-phase cartridge 340 used for sample pretreatment is inserted into the opening on the top surface of the first cartridge holder 302, thereby holding the solid-phase cartridge 340 upright on the first cartridge holder 302 with the tip facing downward. Meanwhile, one end of a liquid suction pipe 303 is connected to an opening on the side surface of the first cartridge holder 302. The other end of the liquid suction pipe 303 passes through a sealing plug 305 attached to a drain bottle 304 and is positioned near the inner bottom surface of the drain bottle 304. An air intake pipe 306 is further inserted into the sealing plug 305, one end of which is disposed above the internal space of the drain bottle 304 and the other end of which is connected to an air intake pump 307. One end of a first drain pipe 309 is connected to the bottom of the drain bottle 304, and the other end of the first drain pipe 309 is led to the outside of the housing 100 via a through-hole provided in the side wall of the housing 100. A drain solenoid valve 308 is provided at the connection between the drain bottle 304 and the first drain pipe 309, which switches between a state in which the liquid in the drain bottle 304 is drained via the first drain pipe 309 and a state in which the liquid is not drained. The other end of the first drain pipe 309 is connected to a second drain pipe 102 and a common drain pipe 332 (described later) via a first switching valve 331, and a second liquid feed pump 333 is attached to the common drain pipe 332.

[0021] A liquid supply nozzle 311 is disposed above the first cartridge holder 302, and the base end of the liquid supply nozzle 311 is connected to a water supply unit 313 and a solvent supply unit 314 via a first liquid supply pipe 312. The water supply unit 313 and the solvent supply unit 314 each include a tank for storing liquid and a liquid supply mechanism including a syringe pump or the like for sending a predetermined amount of liquid from the tank to the first liquid supply pipe 312. The tank of the water supply unit 313 stores water (e.g., pure water or distilled water), and the tank of the solvent supply unit 314 stores an elution solvent for eluting the detection target adsorbed to the solid phase 341 (e.g., a polymer) in the solid phase cartridge 340. A second switching valve 315 is provided on the first liquid supply pipe 312 for selectively connecting either the water supply unit 313 or the solvent supply unit 314 to the liquid supply nozzle 311.

[0022] A second cartridge holding section 321 capable of holding a solid-phase cartridge 340 with its tip facing downward is provided near the first cartridge holding section 302. In addition, a cartridge transfer mechanism 310 (see FIG. 3) equipped with a robot hand, a rotating and extendable arm, and a motor for driving them is provided between the first cartridge holding section 302 and the second cartridge holding section 321. A piston 323 is provided above the second cartridge holding section 321, and the piston 323 is connected to a piston drive mechanism 324 (see FIG. 3) equipped with a motor, etc. Below the second cartridge holding section 321, a sample container placement section 322 is provided, which is a space in which a sample container 350 is placed.

[0023] In addition, near the pre-treatment unit 300, there are provided a used cartridge storage unit 714, which is a container for storing solid phase cartridges 340 after use in the pre-treatment unit 300, and an unused cartridge storage unit 715, which is a container for storing unused solid phase cartridges 340.

[0024] The refrigeration section 400 is provided with a refrigerator 410, a refrigerator door opening / closing mechanism 412 (see FIG. 3) equipped with a motor and the like for opening and closing the refrigerator door (hereinafter referred to as refrigerator door 411), a sample container holder 420 arranged inside the refrigerator 410, a holder rotation mechanism 423 (see FIG. 3), and a sample container transfer mechanism 430 (see FIG. 3). The sample container holder 420 is a cylindrical structure having a plurality of recesses 421 on its upper surface that can accommodate sample containers 350, and is configured to be rotatable about a central axis extending vertically by a holder rotation mechanism 423 equipped with a motor and the like. The sample container transfer mechanism 430 is a mechanism that transfers sample containers 350 from the sample container placement section 322 to the recesses 421 of the sample container holder 420, and is equipped with, for example, a robot hand, a rotating and extendable arm, a motor for driving them, and the like.

[0025] The cleaning unit 500 includes a cleaning nozzle 501 attached to the ceiling surface of the housing 100, a cleaning nozzle rotation mechanism 502, a disinfectant supply unit 503 and a rinse liquid supply unit 504 for supplying disinfectant or rinse liquid to the cleaning nozzle 501, and a second drain pipe 102 for discharging the disinfectant and rinse liquid sprayed into the housing 100 to the outside. The cleaning nozzle 501 is configured to spray liquid in multiple directions from directly to directly below, and to rotate about a central axis extending vertically by the cleaning nozzle rotation mechanism 502 equipped with a motor or the like. The cleaning nozzle 501 is connected to the disinfectant supply unit 503 and the rinse liquid supply unit 504 via a second liquid supply pipe 505. The disinfectant supply unit 503 and the rinse liquid supply unit 504 each include a tank for storing liquid and a liquid supply mechanism consisting of a pump or the like for sending the liquid in the tank to the second liquid supply pipe 505. On the second liquid supply pipe 505, a third switching valve 506 is provided for selectively connecting either the disinfectant liquid supply part 503 or the rinse liquid supply part 504 to the cleaning nozzle 501.

[0026] The ends of the water sampling pipe 201 and the common drain pipe 332, which are led outside the housing 100, are inserted into a sewerage system 900 installed at a predetermined sampling location. The sampling location may be, for example, within or near the premises of a facility to be inspected. The facility to be inspected may be, for example, a nursing home, hospital, school, company, or other facility where the main occupants (employees, residents, users, etc.) can be identified. However, the facility is not limited to this and may also be, for example, a commercial facility or an apartment building. The sewerage system 900 into which the ends of the water sampling pipe 201 and the common drain pipe 332 are inserted may be a facility that allows access to sewage from above ground on the route from the facility to the public sewer pipe, such as a sewage manhole. Alternatively, a predetermined area may be inspected instead of a predetermined facility. In this case, the predetermined sampling location is a point where sewage discharged from the predetermined area is collected. Examples of such sampling locations include a manhole or a sewage treatment plant in a city.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the water sampling pipe 201 and the common drain pipe 332 are fixed along a single rod 801, and the tip of the water sampling pipe 201 (i.e., the water sampling port) and the tip of the common drain pipe 332 (i.e., the drain port) are bent near the bottom end of the rod 801 so that they face in opposite directions, perpendicular to the rod 801. A metal pipe, for example, can be suitably used as the rod 801, but this is not limiting; a plastic or wooden rod can also be used. The water sampling pipe 201 and the common drain pipe 332 are positioned so that the water sampling port faces upstream of the sewage flow and the drain port faces downstream of the sewage flow. This prevents liquid discharged from the drain port from flowing into the sampling port. As shown in FIG. 4 , a hollow water sampling cup 802 with numerous small holes 803 formed therein, each smaller in diameter than the water sampling opening, is attached to the end of the water sampling pipe 201. A metal grid 804 is erected on the water sampling cup 802 so as to be perpendicular to the surface on which the small holes 803 are formed. For example, a commercially available wire net (also called a mesh panel) can be used as this grid 804. Providing this grid 804 prevents toilet paper and other waste flowing through the sewage from covering the water sampling cup 802. Providing this water sampling cup 802 also prevents debris (garbage) larger than the small holes 803 from entering the water sampling pipe 201. Note that the grid 804 and water sampling cup 802 do not necessarily need to be provided on the water sampling opening. Alternatively, only either the grid 804 or the water sampling cup 802 may be provided.

[0028] A lid 910 made of plastic or metal is attached to the sewerage equipment 900 into which the water sampling pipe 201 and the common drain pipe 332 are inserted. A through-hole 911 is formed in the lid 910 for inserting the water sampling pipe 201, the common drain pipe 332, and the rod 801. The housing 100 is placed on the ground near the sewerage equipment 900. Between the sewerage equipment 900 and the housing 100, the water sampling pipe 201 and the common drain pipe 332 are placed so as to run along the ground surface, and the water sampling pipe 201 and the common drain pipe 332 are covered with a commercially available cable protector 912 made of rubber or the like.

[0029] The control unit 600 controls the operation of each of the above-mentioned units, and is configured by a computer such as a microcomputer housed in the housing 100. Although not shown in Fig. 2, the refrigerator 410, the drainage solenoid valve 308, the first switching valve 331, the second switching valve 315, and the third switching valve 506 are also controlled by the control unit 600.

[0030] A sewage inspection method using the sampling device according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0031] First, the installer installs the sample collection device of this embodiment at the collection site, and then inserts the tips of the water collection pipe 201 and the common drainage pipe 332 (i.e., the water collection inlet and drainage outlet) into the sewerage equipment 900. Then, the power switch (not shown) attached to the control unit 600 is turned on to start the control unit 600.

[0032] [Step 1: Pumping up sewage and supplying it to the absorber] The computer constituting the control unit 600 stores the number of samples to be collected, the period for each sample collection (e.g., the time period during which samples are collected during the day), the flow rate during sample collection (i.e., the flow rate of the first liquid feed pump 203), and other information that has been set in advance by the installer or the like. After the control unit 600 is started, the first liquid feed pump 203 is started under the control of the control unit 600 when the timing for starting the first sample collection arrives. As a result, sewage is pumped into the water sampling pipe 201 and sprayed in a shower-like manner from the sprinkler head 202 (see the left side of FIG. 6). A portion of the sewage sprayed from the sprinkler head 202 is absorbed by the absorber 280 housed in the first absorber holder 210. Here, absorbent cotton can be suitably used as the absorber 280, but a sponge, a sea sponge, or the like can also be used instead. A remaining portion of the sewage sprayed from sprinkler head 202 passes through absorber 280 and falls into first funnel section 230 via holes 211 formed in the bottom surface of first absorber holder 210. In addition, a portion of the solid matter contained in the sewage, such as feces, is unable to enter absorber 280 and remains attached to the upper surface of absorber 280.

[0033] Furthermore, the control unit 600 starts the second liquid feed pump 333 simultaneously with the start of the first liquid feed pump 203 (or after a predetermined time has elapsed). At this point, the first drain pipe 309 and the common drain pipe 332 are connected by the first switching valve 331, and the sewage that has fallen into the first funnel section 230 is returned to the sewerage facility 900 via the first drain pipe 309, the first switching valve 331, and the common drain pipe 332.

[0034] [Step 2: Inverting the absorber and collecting samples] After the first liquid supply pump 203 is started, when a predetermined collection period (for example, several hours to several days) has elapsed, the control unit 600 stops the first liquid supply pump 203 and causes the absorbent body holder drive mechanism 223 to rotate the first absorbent body holder 210 about the hinge 212 (see the right side of FIG. 6 ). As a result, as shown on the left side of FIG. 7 , the first absorbent body holder 210 is turned upside down and placed over the second absorbent body holder 220. Next, under the control of the control unit 600, the pressing unit drive mechanism 274 lowers the pressing unit 270. As a result, the needle 272 provided on the pressing unit 270 comes into contact with the absorbent body 280 in the first absorbent body holder 210 through the hole 211 provided in the bottom surface of the first absorbent body holder 210, and the absorbent body 280 is pushed downward and falls into the second absorbent body holder 220 (see the right side of FIG. 7 ). As a result, the absorber 280 is turned upside down, and the above-mentioned solid content adheres to the underside of the absorber 280. Thereafter, the pressing unit 270 is retracted upward by the pressing unit drive mechanism 274, and the first absorber holder 210 is rotated around the hinge 212, thereby returning the first absorber holder 210 to its original position (above the first funnel portion 230) (see the left side of FIG. 8).

[0035] Thereafter, the pressing part 270 is lowered again, and the main body 271 of the pressing part 270 presses the absorber 280 from above, thereby squeezing out the sewage absorbed in the absorber 280 (see the right side of FIG. 8). The squeezed sewage, together with the solid matter adhering to the lower surface of the absorber 280, passes through the hole 221 formed in the bottom surface of the second absorber holder 220 and falls into the second funnel part 240. Note that the needle 272 provided on the pressing part 270 passes through the hole 221 provided in the bottom surface of the second absorber holder 220, and therefore there is no interference between the needle 272 and the bottom surface of the second absorber holder 220 when pressing the absorber 280. A sample collection cup 290 capable of holding a specified amount of liquid is placed in the collection cup placement section 250 located below the second funnel section 240, and the sewage and solids that fall into the second funnel section 240 are collected in this sample collection cup 290. At this time, the liquid that overflows from the sample collection cup 290 falls into the third funnel section 260 and is returned to the sewerage equipment 900 via the first drain pipe 309.

[0036] [Step 3: Sample pretreatment] When the collection of the sewage and solids (hereinafter referred to as the sample) into the sample collection cup 290 is completed, the second liquid pump 333 is stopped under the control of the control unit 600, and then the sample is pretreated by the pretreatment unit 300. For the pretreatment, a cartridge (solid phase cartridge 340) filled with a solid phase 341 for adsorbing the detection target (i.e., pathogens or chemicals in the sewage) is used. For example, when the detection target is a virus, a solid phase made of a polymer having hydrophobic groups is used as the solid phase 341. For example, an HLB solid phase (hydrophilic lipophilic balanced solid phase) can be suitably used as such a solid phase, but the solid phase is not limited to this, and an appropriate solid phase can be used depending on the detection target.

[0037] Before the sample is passed through the solid phase cartridge 340, water is passed through the solid phase cartridge 340 to activate the solid phase 341. Specifically, the control unit 600 connects the liquid supply nozzle 311 to the water supply unit 313 using the second switching valve 315, and moves the liquid supply nozzle 311 to above the solid phase cartridge 340 held on the first cartridge holder 302 using the liquid supply nozzle drive mechanism 316. In this state, the control unit 600 controls the liquid supply mechanism of the water supply unit 313 to send water from the water supply unit 313 to the first liquid supply pipe 312. This supplies a predetermined amount of water into the solid phase cartridge 340. Thereafter, the control unit 600 starts the suction pump 307, which discharges air from the drain bottle 304 to the outside via the suction pipe 306, thereby reducing the pressure inside the drain bottle 304. As a result, the water in the solid phase cartridge 340 is sucked into the drain bottle 304 via the flow path in the first cartridge holding portion 302 and the liquid suction pipe 303 .

[0038] Next, the control unit 600 controls the collection cup moving mechanism 301 to move the sample collection cup 290 placed in the collection cup placement unit 250 of the sample collecting unit 200 above the solid phase cartridge 340 held in the first cartridge holding unit 302, and then tilts the sample collection cup 290 to pour the sample in the sample collection cup 290 into the solid phase cartridge 340 (see the left side of Figure 9). Thereafter, the suction pump 307 is driven again to aspirate the sample in the solid phase cartridge 340 (see the right side of Figure 9). This causes the sample to pass through the solid phase 341, and in the process, the detection target substance in the sample is adsorbed to the solid phase 341. Meanwhile, some of the impurities in the sample flow out of the solid phase cartridge 340 without being adsorbed to the solid phase 341 and are collected in the drain bottle 304. The impurities are powders or fine particles, or chemical substances or viruses other than the target substance, and such impurities may inhibit the detection of the target substance in a subsequent test (for example, virus detection by PCR, etc.). In the sample collection device according to this embodiment, the impurities can be separated from the target substance in the process of adsorbing the target substance to solid phase 341 (and in the process of eluting the target substance from solid phase 341, which will be described later), and therefore, improvement in the final detection accuracy of the target substance can be expected.

[0039] Next, water is again flowed through the solid phase cartridge 340 using the same procedure as above to wash away impurities in the solid phase 341. Thereafter, the control unit 600 controls the second switching valve 315 to connect the liquid supply nozzle 311 and the solvent supply unit 314, and then causes the solvent supply unit 314 to deliver a predetermined amount of elution solvent. This causes the elution solvent to be ejected from the liquid supply nozzle 311 into the solid phase cartridge 340 (see the left side of FIG. 10 ). Next, the control unit 600 controls the cartridge transfer mechanism 310 to move the solid phase cartridge 340 from the first cartridge holder 302 to the second cartridge holder 321. Then, the piston 323 is lowered by the piston drive mechanism 324 to pressurize the inside of the solid phase cartridge 340 (see the right side of FIG. 10 ). This causes the elution solvent in the solid phase cartridge 340 to pass through the solid phase 341, and in the process, the target substance to be detected adsorbed to the solid phase 341 is eluted from the solid phase cartridge 340. At this time, the eluate from the solid phase cartridge 340 (i.e., the pretreated sample) is contained in the sample container 350 placed in the sample container placement section 322. The amount of elution solvent used in this step is smaller than the amount of sample poured from the sample collection cup 290 into the solid phase cartridge 340 (for example, about 1 / 100 to 1 / 20 of the amount of the sample). As a result, the pretreated sample contains the detection target substance at a higher concentration than the sample before pretreatment. Note that impurities not eluted by the elution solvent in this step remain adsorbed to the solid phase 341 in the solid phase cartridge 340.

[0040] When the target substance to be detected is a virus, it is desirable to use an organic solvent such as an alcohol solvent as the elution solvent. Examples of suitable alcohol solvents include isopropanol, ethanol, and methanol. It is known that viruses are destroyed when reacted with organic solvents such as alcohol. However, the present inventors have discovered through extensive research that even when viruses adsorbed to the solid phase 341 are eluted with an organic solvent, the viral nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) necessary for virus detection by PCR or other methods, as described below, can be eluted without being destroyed. Furthermore, during the above-described pretreatment (i.e., sample concentration by solid-phase extraction), it is expected that at least a portion of the viruses contained in the sample will be detoxified by the organic solvent, thereby reducing the risk of infection for workers during subsequent sample collection, transportation, and testing. In this embodiment, viruses to be detected include enveloped viruses such as coronaviruses (e.g., novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)) and influenza viruses, but are not limited thereto. For example, non-enveloped viruses such as noroviruses and polioviruses may also be used as the target substance to be detected.

[0041] Here, the same type of liquid (i.e., water supplied from the water supply unit 313) is used in both the step of activating the solid phase 341 and the step of washing away impurities from the solid phase 341, but different liquids may be used in both steps. In this case, a liquid that elutes the impurities but does not elute the substance to be detected is used in the step of washing away the impurities from the solid phase 341. Furthermore, in the step of activating the solid phase 341, in addition to the water supplied from the water supply unit 313, a solvent supplied from the solvent supply unit 314 may be flowed into the solid phase cartridge 340.

[0042] Through the above process, the liquid contained in the drain bottle 304 is returned to the sewerage equipment 900 via the first drain pipe 309 and the common drain pipe 332 by the control unit 600 opening the drainage solenoid valve 308 and operating the second liquid supply pump 333 at a predetermined timing.

[0043] Step 4: Refrigerate the sample Next, the control unit 600 controls the refrigerator door opening / closing mechanism 412 to open the refrigerator door 411, and controls the holder rotating mechanism 423 to rotate the sample container holder 420 so that one of the recesses 421 (one not holding a sample container 350) of the sample container holder 420 is located at a standby position near the refrigerator door 411. The control unit 600 further controls the sample container transfer mechanism 430 to move the sample container 350 from the sample container placement unit 322 to above the standby position, and then lowers the sample container 350 to place the sample container 350 in the recess 421. Thereafter, the refrigerator door opening / closing mechanism 412 closes the refrigerator door 411. Because the inside of the refrigerator 410 is maintained at a temperature (e.g., 4°C) lower than the outside air, storing the sample container 350 in the refrigerator 410 can prevent denaturation or deterioration of the detection target substance (e.g., virus or bacteria) in the sample due to high temperature.

[0044] [Step 5: Removal of used absorbent and cartridge] Next, the absorbent 280 in the first absorbent holder 210 is transferred to the used absorbent storage section 711 by the absorbent transfer mechanism 713, and further, the solid phase cartridge 340 on the second cartridge holding section 321 is transferred to the used cartridge storage section 714 by the cartridge transfer mechanism 310.

[0045] [Step 6: Cleaning the inside of the housing] Subsequently, under the control of the control unit 600, the inside of the housing 100 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 500. Specifically, the cleaning nozzle 501 and the disinfectant supply unit 503 are connected by the third switching valve 506, and a disinfectant (e.g., hypochlorous acid water) stored in a tank of the disinfectant supply unit 503 is supplied to the second liquid supply pipe 505 by a liquid supply mechanism provided in the disinfectant supply unit 503. This causes the disinfectant to be sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 501. Furthermore, at this time, the cleaning nozzle 501 is rotated by the cleaning nozzle rotation mechanism 502, so that the disinfectant can be sprayed evenly inside the housing 100. The inner bottom surface of the housing 100 has an inclined shape, and the disinfectant sprayed onto the housing 100 and reaching the inner bottom surface flows along the inclination into the second drainage pipe 102. The disinfectant that has flowed into the second drain pipe 102 is drawn into the common drain pipe 332 by the action of the second liquid feed pump 333 and is discharged into the sewerage facility 900.

[0046] When a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of spraying the disinfectant, third switching valve 506 is switched under the control of control unit 600, and rinse liquid supply unit 504 is connected to cleaning nozzle 501. Furthermore, a liquid supply mechanism provided in rinse liquid supply unit 504 is operated under the control of control unit 600, and a rinse liquid (e.g., tap water) stored in a tank of rinse liquid supply unit 504 is sprayed from cleaning nozzle 501 for a predetermined time, instead of the disinfectant. At this time, the rinse liquid sprayed into housing 100 also flows into second drain pipe 102, similar to the disinfectant, and is discharged to sewerage equipment 900 via common drain pipe 332.

[0047] Here, the disinfectant and rinse liquid that flow into the second drain pipe 102 are discharged to the sewage facility 900 via the common drain pipe 332, but instead, a drain tank may be provided inside or outside the housing 100, and the disinfectant and rinse liquid discharged from the second drain pipe 102 may be stored in the drain tank.

[0048] [Step 7: Install new absorber and cartridge] When cleaning of the inside of the housing 100 is completed as described above, the absorbent transfer mechanism 713 transfers the unused absorbent 280 from the unused absorbent storage section 712 and sets it in the first absorbent holder 210, and furthermore, the cartridge transfer mechanism 310 transfers the unused solid phase cartridge 340 from the unused cartridge storage section 715 and sets it on the first cartridge holding section 302.

[0049] [Step 8: Determine if all sampling is complete] Next, the control unit 600 determines whether or not the preset number of times of sampling has been completed. If it is determined in step 8 that the preset number of times of sampling has been completed, the process proceeds to step 10, which will be described later.

[0050] [Step 9: Wait until the next collection timing] On the other hand, if it is determined in step 8 that the preset number of sample collections has not been completed, the process waits until the timing to start the next sample collection. After that, the process returns to step 1, and steps 1 to 9 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step 8 that the preset number of sample collections has been completed.

[0051] [Step 10: Collection and shipping of sample containers] Once the predetermined number of sample collections have been completed, a collection person (e.g., a staff member at the facility being inspected) opens the door 101 of the housing 100 and the refrigerator door 411 at a predetermined timing to collect all of the sample containers 350 stored in the refrigerator 410. The collected sample containers are then shipped to a predetermined testing institution using, for example, a refrigerated delivery service provided by a general delivery company. Here, a refrigerated delivery service is a service that delivers packages using vehicles and equipment equipped with refrigeration functions.

[0052] [Step 11: Inspection of the sample] The sample container 350 delivered to the designated testing institution is opened by a testing staff member at the testing institution, and the sample in the sample container 350 is subjected to the designated testing. If the test target is bacteria, fungi, or a DNA virus, the sample is subjected to DNA extraction, followed by DNA amplification and detection using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers specific to the target bacteria, fungi, or virus. If the test target is an RNA virus, the sample is subjected to RNA extraction, followed by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) with primers specific to the target virus to synthesize complementary DNA (cDNA) to the RNA, and then amplify and detect the DNA. Existing reagent kits can be used for the DNA extraction, RNA extraction, PCR, and RT-PCR. Detection of PCR or RT-PCR amplification products can be performed using the traditional method of electrophoresing the amplification products and checking the presence and intensity of bands. However, real-time PCR, which has become widely used in recent years, is preferable. Real-time PCR is a method for measuring DNA concentration by detecting in real time the fluorescent signal generated by the interaction between the amplified DNA fragment and a reagent, and can timely quantify the amplified product by PCR or RT-PCR. When the test object is a chemical substance, mass spectrometry is performed as the predetermined test, and the presence or absence of the test object in the sample is determined based on the mass spectrum obtained by the mass spectrometry.

[0053] As described above, with the sample collection device according to this embodiment, sample collection, pretreatment, and refrigeration are performed automatically at the collection site. This eliminates the need for a specialist to periodically visit the collection site to collect samples, thereby reducing the effort and cost associated with sample collection. Furthermore, the sample can be concentrated by the pretreatment, thereby reducing the volume of the sample transported to the testing facility and reducing transportation costs. Furthermore, with the sample collection device according to this embodiment, the absorbent 280 and solid-phase cartridge 340 are automatically replaced each time sample collection and pretreatment are completed, thereby reducing the effort required for replacement and avoiding the risk of infection to workers who touch the used absorbent 280 and solid-phase cartridge 340. Furthermore, by inverting the absorbent 280 as described above before collecting a sample, sewage that has soaked into the absorbent 280 and solid matter, such as feces, adhering to the absorbent 280 can be collected together.

[0054] Although specific examples of the form for carrying out the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications are permitted within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0055] For example, in the above embodiment, a plurality of needles 272 is provided on the underside of the pressing unit 270 for applying pressure to the absorbent body 280, but such needles 272 are not necessarily provided. Alternatively, the pressing unit 270 may not be provided, and a predetermined elution liquid (for example, an alkaline elution liquid) may be passed through the absorbent body 280 to elute the sample held in the absorbent body 280 and collect it in the sample collection cup 290. In this case, the absorbent body 280 may be made of absorbent cotton, sponge, sea sponge, or the like, as described above, or a water-absorbent polymer or the like.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first absorbent holder 210 and the second absorbent holder 220 are connected to each other by a hinge 212, but the sample collection section 200 in this embodiment need only be configured to be able to squeeze out (or elute) the sample held in the absorbent 280 after turning the absorbent 280 upside down, and does not necessarily need to be equipped with the hinge 212 as described above.

[0057] Furthermore, the sample collecting device according to the present invention may not invert the absorber 280 as described above. In this case, the second absorber holder 220, the second funnel portion 240, and the absorber holder drive mechanism 223 are not provided, and the collection cup placement portion 250 and the third funnel portion 260 are provided below the first funnel portion 230.

[0058] The pumped sewage may also be allowed to flow into the solid phase cartridge 340 without being absorbed by the absorbent 280. In this case, the sewage pumped through the water sampling pipe 201 may be allowed to flow directly into the solid phase cartridge 340, or the pumped sewage may be temporarily collected in the sample collection cup 290 and then poured from the sample collection cup 290 into the solid phase cartridge 340.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pretreatment unit 300 concentrates the sample by solid-phase extraction. However, instead of this, a component that inactivates pathogens may be added to the sample (without performing solid-phase extraction). In this case, the pretreatment unit 300 may be equipped with a mechanism that transfers the sample collected in the sample collection cup 290 to a sample container 350 (having a larger capacity than the sample collection cup 290) and then adds a component that inactivates pathogens to the sample container 350. Here, an organic solvent may be used as the component that inactivates pathogens, and in particular, an alcohol solvent such as isopropanol, ethanol, or methanol may be preferably used.

[0060] Furthermore, when the pathogen to be detected is a bacterium or a fungus, instead of the above-described solid-phase extraction, the sample may be added to a culture medium for growing the bacterium or fungus to be detected in the pretreatment unit 300. In this case, the pretreatment unit 300 may be equipped with, for example, a mechanism for collecting a predetermined amount of sample from the sample collection cup 290 and adding it to a sample container 350 that already contains the culture medium. In this case, the sample and culture medium in the sample container 350 correspond to the pretreated sample in the present invention.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the absorbent and solid phase cartridge are automatically replaced, but these replacement operations may be performed manually by a user (for example, a staff member at the facility being inspected). Alternatively, only the removal of the used absorbent 280 and solid phase cartridge 340 (i.e., transfer to the used absorbent storage section 711 and used cartridge storage section 714) may be performed automatically on the device side, and new absorbent and solid phase cartridge may be manually installed by the user.

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the first embodiment), the absorber 280 that has absorbed sewage is pressed from above by the pressing unit 270 to squeeze the sewage out of the absorber 280. However, instead, the absorber 280 may be sandwiched between two rollers to squeeze the sewage. An embodiment of a sample collector according to the present invention having such a configuration (hereinafter referred to as the second embodiment) will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIGS. 11 and 12 are diagrams showing the configuration of the sample collector (corresponding to the sample collector 200 in the first embodiment) in the sample collector according to this embodiment. Note that the configuration of the sample collector according to this embodiment, other than the sample collector, is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here. Furthermore, in FIGS. 11 and 12, components that are the same as or correspond to those shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 are designated by reference numerals with the same last three digits, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0063] The sampling unit in this embodiment includes an absorbent retention tank 1901 in which the absorbent 1280 is stored, an absorbent squeezing section 1902 (corresponding to the absorbent pressurizing section in this invention) provided on the upper part of the absorbent retention tank 1901, and a used absorbent receiving section 1903 in which the absorbent 1280 squeezed by the absorbent squeezing section 1902 is stored. In addition, in the sampling unit of this embodiment, the end (outlet end) of the water sampling pipe 1201 is disposed directly above the absorbent retention tank 1901. Note that, for convenience of drawing, the water sampling pipe 1201 is not shown in FIG. 12.

[0064] The absorbent body retention tank 1901 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above, and a rotation shaft 1904 parallel to one side is attached to the side. A retention tank drive mechanism 1905 (not shown in FIG. 11 ) is attached to the side opposite to the one side (hereinafter referred to as the opposing side), and the absorbent body retention tank 1901 can be rotated and tilted around the rotation shaft 1904 by lifting the opposing side with the retention tank drive mechanism 1905. Note that in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 , a cable 1906 is attached to the opposing side, and the absorbent body retention tank 1901 is rotated by winding up the cable 1906 with a motor (not shown) provided in the retention tank drive mechanism 1905. However, the configuration of the retention tank drive mechanism 1905 is not limited to this, and for example, the retention tank drive mechanism 1905 may be configured to push up the opposing side of the absorbent body retention tank 1901 from below.

[0065] A drain port 1907, which is a circular or polygonal opening, is formed on the bottom surface near the one side (the side closest to the pivot shaft 1904) of the absorber retention tank 1901, and this drain port 1907 communicates with a tubular retention tank drain pipe 1908 connected to the bottom of the absorber retention tank 1901. The sample collection unit in this embodiment further includes a drain valve 1909 for opening and closing this drain port 1907. The drain valve 1909 includes a tubular portion 1910 whose cross section has substantially the same shape and dimensions as the drain port 1907, and a cylindrical (or polygonal) excess water inlet portion 1911 connected to the upper end of the tubular portion 1910. The excess water inlet portion 1911 has a hollow structure. The outer diameter of surplus water inlet section 1911 (if surplus water inlet section 1911 is a polygonal prism, the diameter of its circumscribing circle) is desirably larger than the diameter of tubular section 1910, but is not limited to this. The internal space of surplus water inlet section 1911 communicates with the interior of tubular section 1910, and surplus water inlets 1912, which are multiple openings that communicate with the internal space, are formed on the circumferential surface of surplus water inlet section 1911. This drain valve 1909 can be moved up and down by a drain valve drive mechanism 1913 that includes a motor, a rotary-to-linear conversion mechanism, etc. When drain valve 1909 is lowered and tubular section 1910 is inserted into drain port 1907, drain port 1907 is closed, and when drain valve 1909 is raised and tubular section 1910 is pulled out of drain port 1907, drain port 1907 is opened.

[0066] An L-shaped pipe 1914 is disposed below the absorber retention tank 1901, with one end facing upward and the other end facing sideways. The one end of the L-shaped pipe 1914 is connected to the lower end of the retention tank drain pipe 1908 via a flexible pipe 1915, and the other end of the L-shaped pipe 1914 is connected to one end of a lateral extension pipe 1917, which is a straight pipe extending sideways, via a rotary joint 1916. A first outlet pipe 1918 extending in a direction approximately perpendicular to the extension direction of the lateral extension pipe 1917 is connected to the other end of the lateral extension pipe 1917, and a second outlet pipe 1919 extending parallel to and in the opposite direction to the first outlet pipe 1918 is connected to an intermediate portion of the lateral extension pipe 1917. A funnel section 1920 is provided below the lateral extension tube 1917 and directly below the position where the first outlet tube 1918 is connected. A lower part of the funnel section 1920 is connected to a drainage tube 1309 (corresponding to the first drainage tube 309 in the first embodiment) that extends to the outside of the housing of the sample collection device according to this embodiment (corresponding to the housing 100 in the first embodiment). In addition, a collection container placement section 1250, which is a space where a collection container 1290 is placed, is provided below the lateral extension tube 1917 and directly below the position where the second outlet tube 1919 is connected. A drain pipe drive mechanism 1921 equipped with a motor or the like is attached to the lateral extension pipe 1917, and by rotating the lateral extension pipe 1917 around its axis using the drain pipe drive mechanism 1921, it is possible to switch between a state in which the first outlet pipe 1918 faces downward and the second outlet pipe 1919 faces upward (see FIG. 11; hereinafter referred to as the "drainage position") and a state in which the first outlet pipe 1918 faces upward and the second outlet pipe 1919 faces downward (see FIG. 12; hereinafter referred to as the "recovery position"). In this embodiment, the rotary joint 1916, the lateral extension pipe 1917, the first outlet pipe 1918, the second outlet pipe 1919, and the drain pipe drive mechanism 1921 correspond to the flow path switching unit in the present invention.

[0067] The absorber squeezing section 1902 includes two rollers 1922 having a length greater than the width of the absorber 1280, and a roller drive mechanism 1923 (not shown in FIG. 12) for rotating these rollers 1922. The two rollers 1922 are arranged parallel to each other with a gap of about 0.1 mm to several millimeters (for example, 0.3 mm to 2 mm, preferably 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm), and by rotating the rollers 1922 in opposite directions with one end of the absorber 1280 sandwiched in this gap, the absorber 1280 can be fed sequentially from one end to the other between the rollers 1922 and clamped.

[0068] The above-mentioned holding tank drive mechanism 1905, drain valve drive mechanism 1913, drain pipe drive mechanism 1921, and roller drive mechanism 1923 are all controlled by a control unit (not shown) (corresponding to the control unit 600 in the first embodiment).

[0069] In the sample collection unit of this embodiment, when sewage is absorbed into the absorber 1280, the absorber retention tank 1901 is placed horizontally, the drain outlet 1907 is closed by the drain valve 1909, and the absorber 1280 is set in the absorber retention tank 1901. At this time, one end of the absorber 1280 is clamped between two rollers 1922 of the absorber squeezing section 1902. Furthermore, the lateral extension tube 1917 is set in the drainage position described above. In this state, when sewage is pumped up from the sewerage facility by the first liquid supply pump 1203 and discharged from the end of the water sampling pipe 1201, the sewage accumulates in the absorber retention tank 1901. However, sewage that exceeds a predetermined water level flows into the surplus water inlet 1911 from the surplus water inlet 1912 provided in the drain valve 1909, passes through the tubular portion 1910, and is discharged from the absorber retention tank 1901, so the sewage in the absorber retention tank 1901 does not exceed the predetermined water level. Note that the sewage discharged from the absorber retention tank 1901 at this time passes through the retention tank drain pipe 1908, flexible pipe 1915, L-shaped pipe 1914, lateral extension pipe 1917, and first outlet pipe 1918, is discharged into the funnel portion 1920, and is returned to the sewerage facility through the drain pipe 1309 and a common drain pipe (not shown, corresponding to the common drain pipe 332 in the first embodiment).

[0070] Thereafter, when a predetermined collection period has elapsed, the first liquid feed pump 1203 is stopped to terminate the supply of sewage to the absorbent retention tank 1901. Next, as shown in Figure 12, the drain valve 1909 is raised to open the drain outlet 1907, and the absorbent retention tank 1901 is tilted to drain the sewage accumulated in the absorbent retention tank 1901. Thereafter, the lateral extension pipe 1917 is set to the above-mentioned collection position, and the roller 1922 of the absorbent squeezing section 1902 is rotated. As a result, the absorbent 1280 is sent from the absorbent retention tank 1901 to the used absorbent receiving section 1903, and the sewage absorbed in the absorbent 1280 is squeezed out into the absorbent retention tank 1901. The sewage squeezed into the absorber retention tank 1901 passes through a drain outlet 1907, a retention tank drain pipe 1908, a flexible pipe 1915, an L-shaped pipe 1914, a lateral extension pipe 1917, and a second outlet pipe 1919 and is collected in a collection container 1290. The sewage (i.e., the sample) collected in the collection container 1290 undergoes a predetermined pretreatment in a pretreatment unit (not shown, corresponding to the pretreatment unit 300 in the first embodiment), is stored in a refrigeration unit (not shown, corresponding to the refrigeration unit 400 in the first embodiment), and is then subjected to testing. Note that the procedures for the pretreatment and subsequent treatments are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0071] In this embodiment, the end of the water sampling pipe 1201 is disposed above the absorber retention tank 1901, and sewage is discharged from above the absorber retention tank 1901 and supplied to the absorber 1280. Alternatively, the end of the water sampling pipe 1201 may be connected to the bottom or lower side of the absorber retention tank 1901, and sewage may be supplied into the absorber retention tank 1901 from its lower part. In this embodiment, the drain valve 1909 closes the drain outlet 1907 to store sewage in the absorber retention tank 1901, thereby enabling the sewage to be absorbed evenly over a wide area of ​​the absorber 1280. However, the sample collection unit does not necessarily have to have such a drain valve 1909. An embodiment having such a configuration (referred to as a third embodiment) will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 19 .

[0072] 13, 17, and 18 are schematic diagrams showing the configuration of a sample collection section (corresponding to the sample collection section 200 in the first embodiment) in a sample collection device according to this embodiment. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an absorbent body retention tank 2901 and an absorbent body squeezing section 2902 provided in the sample collection section. FIG. 15 is a view of the main body section 2930 of the absorbent body retention tank 2901 as seen from above, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 15. Hereinafter, front, back, left, and right are defined with the left in FIG. 15 being the front and the top in FIG. 15 being the right. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a water sampling / drainage unit 2931 (described later) in this embodiment. Note that in this embodiment, the configuration other than the sample collection section and the water sampling / drainage unit 2931 is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be illustrated or described here. In addition, in FIGS. 13 to 19, components that are the same as or correspond to those shown in FIGS. 1 to 12 are designated by reference numerals with the same last three digits, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0073] As in the second embodiment, the sampling unit in this embodiment includes an absorbent retention tank 2901 in which an absorbent 2280 is stored, an absorbent squeezing unit 2902 (corresponding to the absorbent pressurizing unit in the present invention) provided above the absorbent retention tank 2901, and a used absorbent receiving unit 2903 in which the absorbent 2280 squeezed by the absorbent squeezing unit 2902 is stored. However, while the absorbent squeezing unit 1902 in the second embodiment clamps and presses the absorbent 1280 pulled up from the absorbent retention tank 1901 and sends it to the used absorbent receiving unit 1903 located to the side of the absorbent retention tank 1901 (to the right in FIG. 11), the absorbent squeezing unit 2902 in this embodiment clamps and presses the absorbent 2280 pulled up from the absorbent retention tank 2901 and sends it to the used absorbent receiving unit 2903 located above the absorbent retention tank 2901. In this embodiment, a lid 2932 is placed over the upper opening of the absorbent retention tank 2901, covering a portion of the upper opening, and a used absorbent receiving section 2903 is placed on top of the lid 2932 (the lid 2932 is not shown in FIGS. 14 to 16). The absorbent retention tank 2901 in this embodiment has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above, similar to the second embodiment, and can be tilted by rotating around a rotation axis 2904 using a retention tank drive mechanism 2905 (see FIG. 17; not shown in FIGS. 13 and 18).

[0074] A drain outlet 2907 is provided at the bottom of the side surface (referred to as the first side surface 2933) of the absorber retention tank 2901 that is close to the rotation axis 2904, and the drain outlet 2907 is connected to a lateral extension pipe 2917 via a flexible pipe 2915, an L-shaped pipe 2914, and a rotary joint 2916. The configuration of the lateral extension pipe 2917 is the same as that of the second embodiment, and by rotating the lateral extension pipe 2917 around its axis using a drain pipe drive mechanism 2921, it is possible to switch between a state in which the sewage flowing out of the absorber retention tank 2901 is discharged from a first outlet pipe 2918 to the funnel portion 2920 (the above-mentioned drainage position) and a state in which the sewage is discharged from a second outlet pipe 2919 to a collection container 2290 arranged in the collection container placement section 2250 (the above-mentioned collection position). In this embodiment, the rotary joint 2916, the lateral extension pipe 2917, the first outlet pipe 2918, the second outlet pipe 2919, and the drain pipe drive mechanism 2921 correspond to the flow path switching unit in the present invention.

[0075] A pair of left and right disinfectant supply ports 2935 are provided at the top of the side (referred to as the second side 2934) opposite the first side 2933 of the absorber retention tank 2901. The disinfectant supply ports 2935 are connected to a disinfectant supply pipe 2937 via a flexible piping 2936. A disinfectant supply pump 2938 is provided to the disinfectant supply pipe 2937, and the pump 2938 sucks disinfectant (e.g., hypochlorous acid water) from a predetermined tank or the like, and supplies the disinfectant into the absorber retention tank 2901 via the disinfectant supply pipe 2937, the piping 2936, and the disinfectant supply ports 2935. Although a pipe 2936 and a disinfectant supply pipe 2937 are connected to the pair of disinfectant supply ports 2935, for convenience of drawing, only one disinfectant supply port 2935, a pipe 2936, a disinfectant supply pipe 2937, and a disinfectant supply pump 2938 are shown in Figures 13, 17, and 18.

[0076] A sewage supply port 2941 is provided at the bottom of each of the remaining two side surfaces (referred to as a third side surface 2939 and a fourth side surface 2940) of the absorber retention tank 2901 (however, for convenience of drawing, the sewage supply port 2941 is placed at the bottom of the absorber retention tank 2901 in Figures 13, 17, and 18). The sample collection device according to this embodiment has two water sampling pipes 2201, each of which is equipped with a sewage transfer pump 2203 for pumping sewage from the sewerage facility. One end of each water sampling pipe 2201 is connected to a water sampling / drainage unit 2931 (described below) arranged in the sewerage facility, and the other end is connected to the sewage supply port 2941 of the absorber retention tank 2901. However, for convenience of drawing, in FIGS. 13, 17, and 18, only one sewage supply port 2941, one water sampling pipe 2201, and one sewage transfer pump 2203 are shown.

[0077] The configuration of the absorbent body retention tank 2901 in this embodiment will be described in detail below. As shown in Fig. 14, the absorbent body retention tank 2901 in this embodiment includes a main body 2930 and a perforated plate 2942. A substantially U-shaped cable attachment member 2943 is fixed to the lower rear part of the main body 2930, for example, by screwing, and the lower end of a cable 2906 used to tilt the absorbent body retention tank 2901 by the retention tank drive mechanism 2905 is fixed to a cable attachment hole 2944 provided in this cable attachment member 2943. As shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the main body 2930 includes a concave absorbent body accommodating section 2945 provided in the center, and a pair of primary water storage sections 2946 provided on the left and right sides thereof. Each primary water storage section 2946 is a slit-shaped recess extending in the front-rear direction, and the main body section 2930 and each primary water storage section 2946 are separated by a partition wall 2947 extending in the front-rear direction. The height of the partition wall 2947 is lower than the height of the peripheral wall of the main body section 2930, and a plurality of protrusions 2948 are provided at predetermined intervals on the upper end surface of the partition wall 2947. The perforated plate 2942 is a flat plate about several mm thick and provided with a large number of circular (or polygonal) small holes 2949 and rectangular cutout portions 2950 for passing the absorber 2280, and is fitted into the upper opening of the absorber accommodating section 2945. Note that the perforated plate 2942 is not limited to such a flat plate having a large number of small holes 2949 formed therein, and a net formed of fibers woven in a lattice pattern may also be used (in this case, the mesh of the net corresponds to the small holes 2949). The size of the small holes 2949 formed in the perforated plate 2942 (the diameter if the small holes are circular, or the diameter of the circumscribed circle if the small holes are polygonal) is, for example, 3 mm to 10 mm (more preferably 5 mm to 9 mm). Small holes 2949 of different sizes may be mixed. Convex portions 2951 for supporting the perforated plate 2942 from below are provided at the four corners of the absorber-accommodating section 2945, and when the perforated plate 2942 is fitted into the upper opening, the upper surface of the perforated plate 2942 and the upper end surface of the partition wall 2947 are configured to be flush with each other. As shown in FIG. 16 , the bottom surface of the primary water storage section 2946 is tapered toward the center in the front-to-rear direction, and a sewage supply port 2941 is opened on the side surface near the bottom of the primary water storage section 2946.A rectangular parallelepiped block-shaped protrusion 2952 is provided on the front surface of the absorber retention tank 2901 (i.e., the outside of the first side surface 2933), and the drain port 2907 is formed to penetrate this block-shaped protrusion 2952 in the front-rear direction. The block-shaped protrusion 2952 is also provided with a through-hole 2953 extending in the left-right direction, and the above-mentioned rotation shaft 2904 is inserted into this through-hole 2953. An absorber blocking portion 2954, which is a protrusion to prevent the drain port 2907 from being blocked by the absorber 2280, is provided on the inner bottom surface near the drain port 2907 of the absorber accommodation portion 2945.

[0078] In this embodiment, the roller drive mechanism 2923 (see Figures 13 and 14; omitted in Figures 17 and 18), the drain pipe drive mechanism 2921, the holding tank drive mechanism 2905, the sewage liquid transfer pump 2203, and the disinfectant supply pump 2938 are also controlled by a control unit (equivalent to the control unit 600 in the first embodiment) not shown.

[0079] In the sample collection unit according to this embodiment, when sewage is absorbed into the absorber 2280, first, the absorber 2280 is set in the absorber accommodation section 2945 of the absorber retention tank 2901 with the absorber retention tank 2901 in a horizontal position, and then a perforated plate 2942 is attached to the upper opening of the absorber accommodation section 2945. At this time, one end of the absorber 2280 is pulled out above the perforated plate 2942 through a notch 2950 provided in the perforated plate 2942 and is held between the two rollers 2922 of the absorber squeezing section 2902. Next, as shown in FIG. 13 , with the lateral extension tube 2917 in the above-mentioned drainage position, the sewage is pumped into the water sampling pipe 2201 by the sewage transfer pump 2203, and the sewage is supplied to the primary water storage section 2946 from sewage supply ports 2941 provided on the left and right sides of the absorber retention tank 2901. As described above, because the bottom surface of the primary water storage section 2946 is tapered, as the sewage level in the primary water storage section 2946 rises, the surface of the sewage expands in the front-to-rear direction. Then, when the water surface exceeds the height of the upper end surface of the partition wall 2947, the sewage flows onto the perforated plate 2942 from the left and right sides of the perforated plate 2942. The sewage that flows onto the perforated plate 2942 does not immediately pass through the small holes 2949 of the perforated plate 2942, but is held within the small holes 2949 by surface tension. As a result, the small holes 2949 on the perforated plate 2942 are successively blocked, and when a certain amount of sewage accumulates on the perforated plate 2942, the sewage passes through each small hole 2949 due to its own weight. The sewage that passes through the small holes 2949 falls onto the absorber 2280 disposed below the perforated plate 2942 and is absorbed by the absorber 2280. In this embodiment, the drain outlet 2907 of the absorber retention tank 2901 is always open, so that sewage that has not been completely absorbed by the absorber 2280 is immediately discharged without accumulating in the absorber accommodation section 2945, and is discharged into the funnel section 2920 via the flexible piping 2915, the L-shaped piping 2914, the lateral extension pipe 2917, and the first outlet pipe 2918, and is returned to the sewerage facility through the drain pipe 2309 and the common drain pipe 2332 (see Figure 19).As described above, the absorber retention tank 2901 in this embodiment is configured such that the sewage surface is extended in the front-to-rear direction in the primary water storage section 2946, the sewage flows onto the perforated plate 2942 from the left and right sides of the perforated plate 2942, and the sewage is spread over almost the entire area of ​​the perforated plate 2942 before dropping through each small hole 2949.Therefore, the sewage can be absorbed evenly over a wide area of ​​the absorber 2280 without having to store the sewage in the absorber accommodating section 2945.

[0080] Thereafter, when a predetermined collection period has elapsed, the sewage feed pump 2203 is stopped to terminate the supply of sewage to the absorbent retention tank 2901. Next, as shown in FIG. 17 , the absorbent retention tank 2901 is tilted, the lateral extension tube 2917 is set to the above-mentioned collection position, and the roller 2922 of the absorbent squeezing section 2902 is rotated. As a result, the absorbent 2280 is drawn from the absorbent retention tank 2901 to the used absorbent receiving section 2903, and the sewage absorbed in the absorbent 2280 is squeezed into the absorbent storage section 2945 and stored in the collection container 2290 via the drain port 2907, the flexible pipe 2915, the L-shaped pipe 2914, the lateral extension tube 2917, and the second outlet pipe 2919. The subsequent treatment of the sewage (i.e., the sample) stored in the collection container is the same as in the second embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0081] In the sample collecting device according to this embodiment, after a sample is collected in the collection container 2290, a disinfectant is supplied to the absorbent body retention tank 2901, thereby disinfecting the absorbent body retention tank 2901 and the interior of various pipes provided in the sample collecting unit. The procedure for this will be described with reference to FIG. 18 . First, the collection container 2290 is moved from the collection container placement unit 2250 to a pre-treatment unit (not shown) (corresponding to the pre-treatment unit 300 in the first embodiment), and then a predetermined waste liquid container 2955 is placed in the collection container placement unit 2250. Then, with the lateral extension tube 2917 remaining in the collection position, the disinfectant supply pump 2938 is operated to supply disinfectant from the disinfectant supply port 2935 into the absorbent body retention tank 2901. The disinfectant flows into the primary water storage unit 2946 and the absorbent body accommodating unit 2945, thereby disinfecting the primary water storage unit 2946 and the absorbent body accommodating unit 2945. At this time, the disinfectant solution flowing into the absorber-accommodating section 2945 is discharged into the waste liquid container 2955 via the drain outlet 2907, the flexible piping 2915, the L-shaped piping 2914, the lateral extension tube 2917, and the second outlet tube 2919. This disinfects the drain outlet 2907, the flexible piping 2915, the L-shaped piping 2914, the lateral extension tube 2917, and the second outlet tube 2919. Meanwhile, the disinfectant solution flowing into the primary water storage section 2946 is discharged to the sewerage equipment via the sewage supply port 2941 and the water sampling pipe 2201 by changing the direction of delivery by the sewage supply pump 2203 to the opposite direction from that when sewage is supplied (for example, by using a tube pump as the sewage supply pump 2203 and rotating the tube pump in the opposite direction from that when sewage is supplied). This disinfects the insides of the sewage supply port 2941 and the water sampling pipe 2201.

[0082] In this embodiment, the ends of the two water sampling pipes 2201 and the end of the common drain pipe 2332 are connected to a water sampling / drainage unit 2931 (corresponding to the water sampling unit in this invention) as shown in Fig. 19. This water sampling / drainage unit 2931 is installed by fitting into an inverted manhole, a type of sewerage facility, that is, a sewage manhole with a groove (invert) having a substantially semicircular cross section on its bottom surface, and is equipped with a hollow water sampling section 2956 and a tubular drainage section 2957. The water sampling section 2956 has a shape (typically semicylindrical) obtained by cutting a cylinder along a plane parallel to its axis. A rectangular region (hereinafter referred to as the upper plate 2958) that is part of the wall surface corresponding to the plane (this will be referred to as the upper surface of the water sampling section 2956) has many small holes 2959 throughout almost its entire area, and the internal space 2960 of the water sampling section 2956 is in communication with the outside via each of the small holes 2959. The diameter of each small hole 2959 is preferably approximately the same as the inner diameter of the water sampling pipe 2201 (for example, approximately 7 to 9 mm) or smaller. Furthermore, the upper plate 2958 (corresponding to the filter in this invention) is detachable from the remaining portion of the water sampling section 2956 (hereinafter referred to as the main body section 2965). Note that the upper plate 2958 is not limited to such a flat plate having many small holes 2959 formed therein, and a net made of fibers woven in a lattice pattern may also be used (in this case, the mesh of the net corresponds to the small holes 2959). Of the wall surfaces located at both ends of the axial direction of main body portion 2965, one wall surface is perpendicular to the axial direction of main body portion 2965 (hereinafter, this wall surface will be referred to as vertical wall 2961), and the other end surface is inclined so that its outer surface faces upward (hereinafter, this inclined wall surface will be referred to as inclined wall 2962). Hereinafter, the side of water sampling / discharge unit 2931 where inclined wall 2962 is located will be defined as the front, the side where vertical wall 2961 is located will be defined as the rear, and the side where upper panel 2958 is located will be defined as the top. The angle formed between the axial direction of main body portion 2965 and inclined wall 2962 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 20° to 70°, and preferably 30° to 60°. Furthermore, on the upper surface of the water sampling part 2956, other than the upper surface plate 2958, two tubular water sampling pipe attachment parts 2963 are erected, to which the tip ends of the two water sampling pipes 2201 are attached.The internal spaces of these water sampling pipe attachment portions 2963 communicate with the internal space 2960 of the water sampling portion 2956. The drainage portion 2957 is formed integrally with the upper surface plate 2958 of the water sampling portion 2956, and extends in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the main body portion 2965 of the water sampling portion 2956 (i.e., the front-to-rear direction). Of both ends of the drainage portion 2957, one end closer to the inclined wall 2962 (i.e., the front end) is bent upward, and its upper end serves as a common drainage pipe attachment portion 2964 to which the common drainage pipe 2332 is attached. Furthermore, the other end (i.e., the rear end) of the drainage portion 2957 protrudes from the rear end of the water sampling portion 2956 by several millimeters to several centimeters (for example, 5 mm to 5 cm, more preferably 1 cm to 3 cm).

[0083] This water sampling / discharge unit 2931 is installed in the groove of the inverted manhole with the inclined wall 2962 of the water sampling section 2956 facing the sewage flow (shown by the open arrow in FIG. 19 ). The sewage flowing through the groove runs up onto the upper surface of the water sampling section 2956 along the inclined wall 2962 and flows into the internal space of the water sampling section 2956 through small holes 2959 formed in the upper surface plate 2958. Then, by the action of the sewage transfer pump 2203 (see FIG. 13 ), the sewage in the water sampling section 2956 is pumped into each of the two water sampling pipes 2201 via the two water sampling pipe attachment sections 2963. As described above, the diameter of the small holes 2959 formed in the water sampling section 2956 is approximately the same as or smaller than the inner diameter of the water sampling pipe 2201, thereby preventing solids too large to pass through the water sampling pipe 2201 from entering the water sampling section 2956. On the other hand, the liquid that has flowed through the common drain pipe 2332 (i.e., the sewage that has not been absorbed by the absorber 2280 in the sampling section) enters the drain section 2957 via the common drain pipe mounting section 2964 and is discharged from the rear end of the drain section 2957 into the groove of the inverted manhole. As described above, the rear end of the drain section 2957 protrudes rearward from the water sampling section 2956 (i.e., downstream of the sewage flow in the groove), so that the waste liquid discharged from the drain section 2957 can be prevented from flowing into the small hole 2959 of the water sampling section 2956.

[0084] 19, one of the two wall surfaces located in front and behind the main body 2965 of the water sampling unit 2956 is the vertical wall 2961, and the other is the inclined wall 2962, but depending on the shape and dimensions of the installation location, both of the two wall surfaces may be the vertical walls 2961. Also, the inclined wall 2962 or the vertical wall 2961 located in front of the water sampling unit 2956 may be provided with a small hole 2959 similar to that provided in the top plate 2958.

[0085] Furthermore, in the sample collecting device according to the first or second embodiment, the water sampling cup 802 as shown in Fig. 4 may be replaced with the water sampling / drainage unit 2931 as described above. In this case, the sample collecting device according to the first or second embodiment may be provided with two sets of water sampling pipes 1201, 2201 and first liquid feed pumps 1203 or sewage liquid feed pumps 2203, or the water sampling / drainage unit 2931 may have only one water sampling pipe attachment portion 2963.

[0086] [Aspect] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above-described exemplary embodiments are examples of the following aspects.

[0087] (Item 1) A sample collection device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a sampling unit that collects samples from a sewerage facility located at a sampling site; a pre-treatment section that performs a predetermined pre-treatment on the sample; a refrigerator for refrigerating and storing the sample container containing the pretreated sample; a transfer unit that transfers the sample container to the refrigerator; It has the following characteristics.

[0088] According to the sampling device of paragraph 1, samples are automatically collected at the collection site, eliminating the need for a specialist to regularly visit the site to collect samples, thereby reducing the effort and cost involved in sample collection. Furthermore, by pre-treating the collected samples, the effort and time required to perform a specified test on the samples can be reduced. Furthermore, since the pre-treated samples are automatically refrigerated, deterioration of the samples due to high temperatures can be prevented.

[0089] (2) The sampling device according to paragraph 2 is the sampling device according to paragraph 1, The pretreatment section concentrates the target substance in the sample by solid-phase extraction.

[0090] According to the sample collecting device of the second aspect, the sample can be concentrated, so that the volume of the sample to be transported to the testing institution can be reduced, thereby reducing transportation costs.

[0091] (3) The sampling device according to paragraph 3 is the sampling device according to paragraph 1, The pretreatment section adds a component to the sample that inactivates pathogens.

[0092] The sample collection device according to paragraph 3 can reduce the risk of infection for workers when collecting samples from a refrigerator and transporting them to a testing institution for testing.

[0093] (4) The sampling device according to paragraph 4 is the sampling device according to paragraph 3, The component that inactivates the pathogens is alcohol.

[0094] According to the sample collecting device of the fourth aspect, pathogens in a sample can be effectively inactivated without decomposing the nucleic acids contained in the pathogens.

[0095] (5) The sampling device according to paragraph 5 is the sampling device according to paragraph 1, The pretreatment section adds the sample to a predetermined medium.

[0096] According to the sample collection device of paragraph 5, pathogens contained in the sample can be cultured and grown in a culture medium, thereby increasing the sensitivity of detecting the pathogens in subsequent tests.

[0097] (Item 6) The sampling device according to item 6 is a sampling device according to any one of items 1 to 5, The sample collection section collects the sample by pumping sewage from the sewerage facility for a predetermined collection period, passing the sewage through an absorbent, and then discharging the components in the sewage that have been absorbed by the absorbent from the absorbent.

[0098] According to the sample collection device of paragraph 6, samples can be collected from sewage over a predetermined collection period, so that even if the concentration of the substance to be detected in the sewage changes over time, samples suitable for testing whether the substance to be detected is present in the sewage can be collected.

[0099] (7) The sampling device according to paragraph 7 is the sampling device according to paragraph 6, The sample collection section applies pressure to the absorbent body to squeeze out the components in the sewage that have been absorbed by the absorbent body.

[0100] According to the sample collecting device of the seventh aspect, the components in the sewage absorbed by the absorbent can be easily eluted in a short time.

[0101] (Item 8) A method for inspecting sewage according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: collecting a sample from a sewerage system located at a collection site; a step of subjecting the sample to a predetermined pretreatment at the collection site; refrigerating the sample after the pretreatment at the collection site; transporting the refrigerated sample from the collection site to a testing laboratory; an inspection step of inspecting whether or not a detection target substance is present in the sample at the inspection institution; It has the following characteristics.

[0102] According to the sewage testing method of paragraph 8, by collecting, pretreating, and refrigerating samples at the sampling site, workers do not need to visit the sampling site frequently, which reduces the effort and cost involved in sampling. Furthermore, by pretreating the samples at the sampling site, the effort and time required for testing at the testing institution can be saved.

[0103] (Item 9) The sampling device according to item 9 is an absorbent body holding tank for accommodating an absorbent body; a sewage supply unit that pumps up sewage from a sewage facility located in a collection area over a predetermined collection period and supplies the sewage to an absorber retention tank; an absorbent body pressurizing unit that squeezes out the sewage absorbed in the absorbent body by pressing the absorbent body after the collection period has elapsed; a sample collection unit that collects the sewage squeezed out by the absorbent pressurizing unit into a predetermined container as a sample; It has the following characteristics.

[0104] (10) The sampling device according to paragraph 10 is the sampling device according to paragraph 9, The absorbent holding tank holds a perforated plate, which has a large number of small holes that can hold the sewage by surface tension, approximately horizontally at the upper opening of the concave absorbent storage section in which the absorbent is stored, and supplies the sewage supplied from the sewage supply section to the upper surface of the perforated plate.

[0105] (Section 11) The sampling device according to paragraph 11 is the sampling device according to paragraph 10, The upper opening of the absorber accommodating section and the perforated plate are rectangular, The absorber holding tank further has a primary water storage section that is concave and has a rectangular upper opening for temporarily storing the sewage supplied from the sewage supply section, one side of the upper opening facing one side of the upper opening of the absorber accommodating section, and the sewage supplied from the sewage supply section and overflowing from the upper opening of the primary water storage section is supplied onto the perforated plate from the one side of the upper opening of the absorber accommodating section.

[0106] (Item 12) The sampling device according to item 12 is a sampling device according to any one of items 9 to 11, the absorbent body retention tank has a drain outlet for discharging liquid from the absorbent body retention tank, The sample recovery unit is equipped with a flow path switching unit that switches the flow path so that while the sewage is being supplied from the sewage supply unit to the absorbent holding tank, the liquid discharged from the drain outlet flows down a flow path leading to the sewage equipment, and while the sewage is being squeezed out of the absorbent by the absorbent pressurizing unit, the liquid discharged from the drain outlet flows down a flow path leading to the specified container.

[0107] (Item 13) The sampling device according to item 13 is a sampling device according to any one of items 9 to 12, The sewage supply unit has a water sampling unit disposed within the sewage facility, The water sampling unit has a hollow main body and a water sampling pipe connection part to which a water sampling pipe is connected for sending the sewage taken into the internal space of the main body to the absorber retention tank, The main body has a filter on a surface that is parallel to the flow direction of the sewage within the sewage facility when installed in the sewage facility, and the sewage flows into the internal space through a number of small holes provided in the filter. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 100…Case 102...Second drainage pipe 200...Sampling section 201…Water sampling pipe 202...Watering head 203...First liquid delivery pump 210...First absorber holder 220...Second absorber holder 223...Absorbent holder drive mechanism 230…1st funnel part 240…Second funnel part 260...Third funnel part 270...Pressing part 274...Pressing unit drive mechanism 280...Absorbent 290...Sample collection cup 300...Pre-processing section 301...Collection cup moving mechanism 302...First cartridge holding section 304...Drain bottle 307...suction pump 309...First drainage pipe 310...Cartridge transfer mechanism 311...Liquid supply nozzle 313...Water supply section 314...Solvent supply section 316... Liquid supply nozzle drive mechanism 321...second cartridge holding section 323...Piston 324...Piston drive mechanism 332...Common drain pipe 333...Second liquid delivery pump 340...Solid phase cartridge 350...Sample container 400...refrigerated section 410...Refrigerator 411...Refrigerator door 412...Refrigerator door opening / closing mechanism 420...Sample container holder 430...Sample container transfer mechanism 500...Cleaning section 501...Cleaning nozzle 503...Disinfectant supply section 504...Rinse liquid supply unit 600...Control unit 900...Sewage facilities

Claims

1. a sampling unit that collects samples from a sewerage facility located at a sampling site; a pre-treatment section that performs a predetermined pre-treatment on the sample; a refrigerator for refrigerating and storing the sample container containing the pretreated sample; a transfer unit that transfers the sample container to the refrigerator; A sample collection device having:

2. 2. The sample collecting device according to claim 1, wherein the pretreatment section concentrates the substance to be detected in the sample by solid-phase extraction.

3. 10. The sample collection device of claim 1, wherein the pretreatment section adds a component to the sample that inactivates pathogens.

4. 4. The sample collection device of claim 3, wherein the pathogen-inactivating component is alcohol.

5. 2. The sample collecting device according to claim 1, wherein the pretreatment section adds the sample to a predetermined culture medium.

6. The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the sampling section collects the sample by pumping sewage from the sewerage facility for a predetermined collection period, passing the sewage through an absorbent, and then discharging the components in the sewage absorbed by the absorbent from the absorbent.

7. 7. The sampling device according to claim 6, wherein the sample collection section applies pressure to the absorbent body to squeeze out the components in the sewage absorbed by the absorbent body.

8. collecting a sample from a sewerage system located at a collection site; a step of subjecting the sample to a predetermined pretreatment at the collection site; refrigerating the sample after the pretreatment at the collection site; transporting the refrigerated sample from the collection site to a testing laboratory; an inspection step of inspecting whether or not a detection target substance is present in the sample at the inspection institution; A method for inspecting sewage.

Images