JP6450646B2 - Biological sampler - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a configuration of a biological sample collector, particularly a sampler used for analysis for analyzing components contained in a biological sample such as saliva and blood.

  Conventionally, a biological sample collection analyzer is used to analyze and measure components in various biological samples, and one of them is a saliva collection analyzer. Leave the absorbent cotton inside for a while, so that the saliva is fully immersed in the absorbent cotton and collect the saliva, then put the absorbent cotton into the syringe and squeeze it with a piston, and supply the filtered saliva to the analytical instrument And a method of analyzing components in saliva separated by using a centrifuge with absorbent cotton or the like containing saliva.

JP 2000-9728 A

By the way, the present applicant has proposed a biological sample collector for collecting a biological sample in a short time and easily as shown in FIG.
In FIG. 3, 1 is a stick-like body of the collector, 2 is an absorber, 3 is a flexible trumpet-shaped covering portion, 4 is a substrate, 5 is a flexible movable tube, The rear end side of the covering portion 3 is fixed to the distal end portion of the main body 1 with the rear portion covered with the covering portion 3. The substrate 4 is provided with a sensor unit for detecting the sample collected, and the movable tube 5 is movable on the outer periphery of the main body 1 while wrapping a part of the sampler to expose the absorber 2. It can be slid to the front side position which covers the absorber 2 from the retreat position which performs.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B show a configuration when the sample collected by the biological sampler is squeezed by the squeezing part (inspection part). As shown in FIG. The roller 8 is arrange | positioned in the position of predetermined spacing from the base 7 for insertion and arrangement | positioning. In this sample collector, first, the movable tube 5 is moved to the retracted position, and a sample (saliva etc.) is collected on the exposed absorber 2, and then the movable tube 5 is moved to the front position as shown in FIG. The sampler that has been moved is set on the table 7. Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), when the collector is pushed between the table 7 and the roller 8, the sample of the absorber 2 is squeezed, and this sample passes through the inside of the covering portion 3 and the sensor portion of the substrate 4 Will be supplied.

  However, in the above biological sample collector, there are cases where it is not possible to satisfactorily squeeze all of the samples collected in the absorber 2. That is, the movable tube 5 serves to send the sample of the absorbent body 2 into the covering portion 3 by being pressed and crushed by the roller 8, but at this time, a part of the sample is outside the covering portion 3 (movable tube). 5), the portion that is not sent to the covering portion 3 is not transported to the substrate 4 side.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a biological sample collector that can squeeze a biological sample collected in an absorber without leaking and efficiently transport it to a sensor unit. There is.

In order to achieve the above object, a biological sample collector according to the invention of claim 1 includes an absorber that absorbs the sample, a transport path for sending the sample of the absorber backward, and the absorber at the tip. A stick-shaped main body to be attached and a cylindrical member, and a flexible covering portion in which one end opening of the cylindrical member is communicated with the transport path, and the other end opening of the cylindrical covering portion are held, and A movable member that moves the covering portion between a state where the absorber is exposed and a state where the absorber is completely covered is provided.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a flexible movable tube that slides in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the main body is provided as the movable member, and the absorber is completely removed from a retracted position where the absorber is exposed. It moves to the front side position covered, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that a stopper for locking the movable tube at the front position is provided on the main body.
In the invention of claim 4, the movable tube is moved to the front side position to cover the absorber, and a load is applied from the distal end side of the movable tube using a roller, so that the distal end side of the covering portion is sealed. The sample of the absorber is sent to the sensor unit.

  According to said structure, a coating | coated part is made into the substantially cone-shaped cylindrical member made from thin elastic rubber, for example, the small opening of one end of this cylindrical member is connected to a transportation path, and the large opening of the other end is made into a movable tube, for example. When the movable tube is moved to the retracted position, the absorber is exposed so that the covering portion can be bent, and when the movable tube is moved to the front position, the bent covering portion extends. The absorber is completely covered. In this state, when a load is applied by a roller or the like, the sample collected in the absorber is sent to the sensor unit via the transport path without leaking out of the covering unit.

  Further, by making the movable tube locked at the front side position, it is possible to stably perform the squeezing operation by the roller load, and there is an advantage that the sample of the absorber can be squeezed well.

  According to the biological sample collector of the present invention, the inside of the covering portion surrounding the absorber can be sealed, and the biological sample collected by the absorber is squeezed without leaking outside the covering portion and efficiently transported to the sensor portion. It becomes possible to do.

The structure of the biological sample collector which concerns on the Example of this invention is shown, A figure (A) is a side view (partial cross section) when an absorber is exposed, and a figure (B) is a side surface when an absorber is covered. It is a (part cross section) figure. It is a side view which shows a state when the biological sample collector of an Example is squeezed with a roller. It is a side view which shows a state when this sampler is inserted in the throttle part by the structure of the biological sample collector and the throttle part proposed previously.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a biological sample collector (saliva collector) of an embodiment applied to a saliva analyzer. In FIG. 1, 10 is a stick-shaped main body of the biological sample collector, and 11 is a main body. Reference numeral 10 is a support on the tip side, 12 is an absorbent body made of absorbent cotton, 13 is a covering portion, 14 is a transport pipe (hollow tube, capillary tube) that holds the absorbent body 12 and sends a sample from the covering portion 13, 15 A substrate 16 having a reagent, a sensor unit, and the like, 16 is a flexible (silicone resin or the like) movable tube that slides on the outer periphery of the main body 10.

  The covering part 13 is made of a soft thin elastic rubber conical cylindrical member (trumpet member). One end small opening 12a of the cylindrical member is attached to the outside of the transport pipe 14, and the transport pipe 14 is supported together. It is supported by the body 11. On the other hand, the large opening at the other end (opening larger than the small opening at one end) of the covering portion (tubular member) 13 is attached to the distal end opening of the movable tube 16 on the outer periphery of the main body 10. 1 is slid in the axial direction (longitudinal direction), and when it is in the retracted position as shown in FIG. 1 (A), it protects the substrate 15 having the sensor portion from entering unnecessary substances from the outside. As shown in (B), the covering portion 13 moves to a front position that completely covers the absorber 12.

  Further, a projection 18 projecting outward from the main body is provided on the upper side of the substrate 15, and this projection 18 is disposed at the tip of the spring-like piece, so that a movable tube as shown in FIG. When the movable tube 16 moves back to the inside and moves to the front side, it projects to the outer periphery of the main body 10 as shown in FIG. 1B and functions as a stopper that stops the movable tube 16 from retreating.

  The embodiment has the above-described configuration. First, as shown in FIG. 1A, the movable tube 16 is set in the retracted position, and the sample (saliva) is collected in the absorber 12 with the covering portion 13 folded outward. To do. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), the movable tube 16 is moved to the front side and inserted into the throttle portion in a state where the absorber 12 is wrapped by the spread covering portion 13.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the sample is squeezed by the squeezing part (inspection part) of the analyzer, and a roller 8 is arranged in this squeezing part at a predetermined interval from the table 7. When the biological sample collector in the state of FIG. 1 (B) is inserted into the throttle part and pushed between the base 7 and the roller 8, the movable tube 16 and the covering part 13 are first crushed by the roller 8, The distal end side of the elastic rubber covering portion 13 is in close contact. Next, the roller 8 crushes the absorber 12 so that the sample collected in the absorber 12 is squeezed without waste, and the sample passes through the transport tube 14 and is sent to the sensor unit on the substrate 15. At this time, since the movable tube 16 is firmly locked by the protrusion 18, the squeezing operation by the roller load is stably performed.

  In this way, in the embodiment, the entire absorbent body 12 is covered with the covering portion 13 that spreads to the tip, and when a load is applied by the roller 8, the tip of the covering portion 13 is in close contact to create a sealed state. The sample absorbed by the absorber 12 can be reliably squeezed and supplied to the sensor unit as in a pump action without leaking outside. In addition, the said coating | coated part 13 becomes easy to make a sealing state at the time of roller load by making it from the rubber | gum which is soft and elastic.

In the above embodiment, the covering portion 13 is attached to the movable tube 16, but instead of this movable tube 16, a movable member made of a short annular shape or a simple rod-like member is used as the other end large opening of the covering portion 13. The covering portion 13 may be folded or widened by attachment and the movable member.
Moreover, although the example of the saliva collector which collects saliva was demonstrated, this invention is applicable not only to saliva but the collector and analyzer which collect | recover biological samples, such as blood.

1,10 ... Stick-shaped body, 2,12 ... Absorber,
3, 13 ... Covering part, 4, 15 ... Substrate having sensor part,
5, 16 ... movable tube, 7 ... stand,
8 ... Roller, 11 ... Support,
13a: a small opening at one end, 13b: a large opening at the other end,
14 ... transport pipe, 18 ... projection (stopper).

Claims (4)

An absorber that absorbs the sample;
A transport path for sending the sample of the absorber backward,
A stick-like body that attaches this absorber to the tip;
A flexible covering portion made of a cylindrical member and having one end opening of the cylindrical member communicated with the transportation path;
A biological sample collector comprising: a movable member that holds the other end opening of the cylindrical covering portion and moves the covering portion between a state where the absorber is exposed and a state where the absorber is completely covered.   As the movable member, a flexible movable tube that slides in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the main body is provided, and the movable tube is moved from a retracted position where the absorber is exposed to a front position where the absorber is completely covered. The biological sample collector according to claim 1, wherein: The biological sample collector according to claim 2 , wherein a stopper for locking the movable tube at the front position is provided on the main body. The movable tube is moved to a front side position to cover the absorber, and a load is applied from the distal end side of the movable tube using a roller, so that the distal end side of the covering portion is hermetically sealed, and the sample of the absorber is sensored. The biological sample collector according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the biological sample collector is sent to a section.

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