JP5681053B2 - Exhalation collection container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exhalation collection container for collecting exhalation from a subject and holding the collected exhalation sample until it is analyzed by an exhalation analyzer or the like.

  In diagnosing diseases, checking health conditions, testing related to drinking, etc., it is often done to collect the exhaled breath of a subject and analyze the components contained in the exhaled breath. A bag-like breath collection container is used which is made of a laminated sheet such as a plastic film and aluminum foil, and expands when breath is blown and seals and holds a breath sample inside (see Patent Document 1).

  By the way, when the subject inhales the exhalation into the exhalation collection container, first inhale deeply and then inhale the exhalation into the exhalation collection container. In view of this, in Patent Document 1, a resistive element such as a filter that generates a predetermined blowing resistance when inhaling the breath is provided in the breathing port of the breath collection container, and the subject breathes in the breath. At this time, a technique has been proposed in which abdominal breathing is caused by the blowing resistance to prevent the outside air sucked by deep breathing from being directly blown into the breath collection container.

JP-A-9-215675

  However, in an exhalation collection container that causes such insufflation resistance, even if healthy adults can inhale exhalation without problems, patients with illness, elderly people with poor physical fitness, and vital capacity There is a problem that a small child who is not sufficient cannot blow a sufficient amount of exhaled air into the container against the blowing resistance.

  Therefore, the present invention can be used reliably even by a person with a weak inspiring force, and enables accurate measurement of an expiration sample by preventing the outside air taken by the subject from taking a deep breath as it is. An object is to provide a breath collection container.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and an exhalation collection container according to the present invention has a mouth portion at the upper end, and closes the lower end at the bottom portion to form a breath containing space inside. A ceiling wall that covers the upper end opening of the mouth portion of the container body and a peripheral wall that hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of the ceiling wall and surrounds the mouth portion, and has a through-hole that connects to the accommodation space in the ceiling wall And a base cap formed on the back surface of the top wall of the base cap, and a pipe that communicates with the through-hole and whose tip is directed to the bottom of the container body. Forming an opening for exhausting the gas pushed out of the accommodation space by the inflow through the through-hole and the pipe, and the accommodation space exceeds the through-opening and the opening for exhausting the gas. Cat It is characterized in that it is closable by covering with flops.

  In the exhalation collection container of the present invention, an exhaust valve that prevents the introduction of outside air into the accommodation space, while opening the opening as the exhalation is blown to discharge the gas in the accommodation space. Preferably, the apparatus has a nozzle main body communicating with the through-hole, and the exhaled air blown from the blow-in opening through the inlet passage extending from the blow-in opening at the tip of the nozzle main body to the through-opening into the accommodation space. It is more preferable to include a nozzle member that guides and an intake valve that is disposed in the inlet passage and opens only when exhalation is blown.

  In the breath collection container of the present invention, the exhaust valve and the intake valve are integrally formed through a connecting body provided between the base cap and the nozzle member. It is preferable.

  In the exhalation-collecting container of the present invention, for example, when exhalation is blown after taking a deep breath, the exhaled breath is guided to the vicinity of the bottom in the accommodation space by a pipe after passing through the through hole. The air or gas existing in advance in the housing space is pushed up from below by the exhaled air introduced by the pipe, and is discharged to the outside through the opening. Thereby, the gas previously accommodated in the accommodation space is replaced with the exhaled breath, and the expiration is collected in the accommodation space.

  Therefore, according to the breath collection container of the present invention, since the breath sample is collected by replacing the gas in the housing space of the container body, even a person with a weak blowing force can easily inhale, and the subject Even if breathing is blown after taking a deep breath, it is possible to prevent the outside air sucked by the deep breath (exhaled breath that is highly likely not to contain the component to be examined) from being collected as it is. In addition, since the exhaled breath was once guided to the bottom of the container body by the pipe and then replaced with the gas in the accommodation space, the exhaled breath was not immediately discharged through the opening, and more A breath sample can be reliably collected.

It is sectional drawing of the breath collection container of one Embodiment according to this invention. (A) is sectional drawing which expands and shows the upper part of the breath collection container of FIG. 1, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the AA line in FIG. 2 (a). FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of exhalation when exhalation is blown in the exhalation collection container of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing of the breath collection container of other embodiment according to this invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of exhalation when exhalation is blown in the exhalation collection container of FIG. 4. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the upper part of the breath collection container of further another embodiment according to this invention.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an exhalation collection container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The exhalation collection container 1 collects exhalation from a subject, and the collected exhalation sample is collected by an exhalation analyzer or the like (not shown). A container main body 3 that is held inside until analysis is performed, and has a mouth portion 3a at the upper end and is closed at the lower end by the bottom portion 3b to form a breathing accommodation space M inside. The top wall 5 that covers the upper end opening of the mouth 3a of the container body 3 and the peripheral wall 7 that hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall 5 and surrounds the mouth 3a. A base cap 11 formed with a through hole 9 to be connected, and the tip of the base cap 11 communicates with the through hole 9 on the back surface of the top wall 5 (the surface facing the accommodation space M of the container body 3). A pipe 13 directed to the bottom 3b of the container body 3 is suspended. Together, those obtained by forming an opening 14 for discharging the gas pushed out of the accommodation space M by exhalation flowing through the through hole 9 and the pipe 13 to the top panel wall 5.

  More specifically, in the breath collection container 1 of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the container body 3 has a body 3c having a circular cross section, a lower end of the body 3c, and a convex shape toward the inside of the container body 3. The bottom portion 3b and the shoulder portion 3d that is connected to the upper end of the trunk portion 3c and stands up the mouth portion 3a are defined by the trunk portion 3c, the bottom portion 3b, and the shoulder portion 3d. Various gases such as exhaled breath introduced through a nozzle member 15 described later are accommodated in the accommodating space M. In addition, in the storage space M of the container body 3, air may be stored in advance, or various gases such as an inert gas may be filled as necessary.

  Here, the container body 3 is a circular bottle in which the cross-sectional shape of the body portion 3c is circular, but is not limited thereto, and a square bottle in which the cross-sectional shape of the body portion 3c is rectangular may be adopted. The container body 3 is made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate and has shape retention and self-supporting properties. However, the material of the container body 3 is not limited to this, and may be manufactured from various known materials. In order to prevent the deterioration, a barrier layer (not shown) may be provided on the container body 3. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 17 denotes a screw that is formed on the outer wall of the mouth portion 3 a of the container body 3 and fits with a screw 19 described later of the base cap 11 to hold the base cap 11. The base cap 11 may be attached to and held in the mouth portion 3a through such engaging means (not shown).

  The base cap 11 is attached to the mouth 3a of the container body 3 and introduces exhaled breath into the accommodation space M of the container body 3. As shown in FIG. It has an inner cylindrical wall 21 erected so as to surround the through hole 9, and an outer cylindrical wall 23 erected on the outer side (radially outer side) of the inner cylindrical wall 21. In addition, the base cap 11 is provided on the lower surface of the top wall 5 so as to surround the through hole 9 and to hold the pipe 13 in a suspended manner, and to the outside of the holding wall 25 (outside in the radial direction). And an inner ring 27 fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the mouth 3a. Instead of the annular holding wall 25, a plurality of claw portions may be formed on the lower surface of the top wall 5 to hold the upper end portion of the pipe 13 (not shown).

  In addition, at least one of the apertures 14 penetrating the top wall 5 is formed between the inner cylindrical wall 21 and the inner ring 27 of the top wall 5, and a part thereof is formed on the outer cylindrical wall 23. A notch 23a is formed for discharging the gas discharged from the opening 14 toward the outside.

  In addition, regarding the base cap 11, reference numeral 19 is a screw formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 7 and screwed into the screw 17 of the mouth portion 3 a, and reference numeral 29 indicates a radially outward direction from the lower end of the peripheral wall 7. A flange that extends and abuts a lower end of an overcap 31 described later.

  As described above, the breath collection container 1 is held by the holding wall 25 of the base cap 11, and the pipe 13 for guiding the breath passing through the through-hole 9 of the base cap 11 to the bottom 3 b of the container body 3. have. In this example, the pipe 13 has the same inner diameter as the opening diameter of the through hole 9 of the base cap 11, but is not limited to this, and the inner diameter may be smaller than the opening diameter of the through hole 9.

  Note that the breath collection container 1 of this embodiment further includes a nozzle member 15 attached to the upper portion of the base cap 11. The nozzle member 15 has an upper end as a blow-in port for exhalation and communicates with the through-opening hole 9 so as to connect to the through-opening 9 from the blow-in port (passage through which the exhaled breath is conducted to the accommodation space M) Pa. And a mounting portion 35 that stands up and is mounted on the outer cylinder wall 23 of the base cap 11, and is formed in cooperation with the base cap 11. And a mounting portion 35 that forms an outlet passage (passage that discharges gas in the accommodation space M in response to the inhalation of exhalation) Pb that reaches the outside through the notch 23a.

  Specifically, the mounting portion 35 hangs from the lower end of the nozzle main body portion 33 toward the radially outer side and the edge of the upper surface wall 37, and is attached to the outer cylindrical wall 23 of the base cap 11 from the outside. An outer fitting wall 39 to be fitted, and an inner fitting wall 41 that hangs down from the upper surface wall 37 on the radially inner side of the outer fitting wall 39 and fits to the outer cylindrical wall 23 of the base cap 11 from the inside. ing. A predetermined gap g is formed between the lower end of the outer fitting wall 39 and the top wall 5 of the base cap 11 to allow the gas discharged from the opening 14 and the notch 23a to pass therethrough. Further, the nozzle member 15 hangs down from the lower surface of the upper surface wall 37 at a position between the nozzle body 33 and the inner fitting wall 41, more specifically, at a position corresponding to the opening 14 of the base cap 11. Between the inner cylindrical wall 21 of the base cap 11, there is an annular hanging wall 45 that holds a connecting body 43 described later. The connecting body 43 has a function of sealing between the inner cylindrical wall 21 of the base cap 11 and the hanging wall 45 of the nozzle member 15.

  The exhalation collection container 1 of this embodiment is further disposed in the outlet passage Pb and prevents the introduction (reverse flow) of the outside air into the accommodation space M, while opening the opening 14 as an exhaust port as the exhalation is blown. And an exhaust valve 47 for discharging the gas in the accommodation space M. Here, the exhaust valve 47 has an annular shape surrounding the lower part of the coupling body 43 over the entire circumference, and is cantilevered by the coupling body 43 at one end (radially inner end) and at the other end (radial outer end). Becomes a free end, and normally closes the outlet passage Pb (opening 14), while the other end serves as a check valve that opens the opening 14 when the pressure in the accommodation space M increases due to the blowing of exhalation. It functions.

  The exhalation collection container 1 of this embodiment is further provided with an intake valve 49 that is disposed in the entrance passage Pa and opens only when exhalation is blown. Here, the intake valve 49 is a one-point support valve integrally connected to the upper portion of the coupling body 43 at one location (see the XX cross section in FIG. 1), and normally closes the lower end opening of the nozzle body 33. It functions as a check valve that is opened by the pressure during exhalation. The intake valve 49 is not limited to a one-point support valve, and may be, for example, a three-point support valve. Alternatively, the intake valve 49 may be a separate body from the connecting body 43 and the intake valve 49 may be biased upward to form a valve seat (nozzle A spring member to be seated on the peripheral edge of the lower end opening of the main body 33 may be provided to function as a check valve.

  The breath collection container 1 of this embodiment further includes an overcap 31 that covers the entire nozzle member 15 and the base cap 11. The overcap 31 includes a top wall 51 that faces the upper end opening of the nozzle body 33 and an outer peripheral wall 53 that hangs down from the periphery of the top wall 51 and has a lower end that abuts against the flange 29 of the base cap 11. The top wall 51 is formed with a seal ring 55 that hangs down from the lower wall and is fitted into the upper end opening of the nozzle body 33. In this example, the outer peripheral wall 53 also has a function of holding the inner space of the overcap 31 in an airtight manner by pressing against the outer surface of the lower end of the peripheral wall of the base cap 11. It should be noted that the lower end of the outer peripheral wall 53 may not be in contact with the flange 29 of the base cap 11.

  When collecting the exhalation of the subject using the exhalation collection container 1 having such a configuration, first, the overcap 31 is removed and, for example, after taking a deep breath, the exhalation is blown up by holding the tip of the nozzle body 33. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the intake valve 49 in the inlet passage is opened by the pressure of the exhalation, and the inhaled exhalation passes through the through-hole 9 and is then near the bottom 3 b in the accommodation space M by the pipe 13. Led up to. The air or gas previously existing in the accommodation space M is pushed up from below by the exhaled air introduced by the pipe 13, and passes through the opening 14 opened by the pressure increase due to the introduced exhaled air. It is discharged to the outside through Pb. Thereby, the gas previously stored in the storage space M is replaced with the exhaled breath, and the expiration is collected in the storage space M.

  Therefore, according to the breath collection container 1 of this embodiment, since the breath sample is collected by replacing the gas in the storage space M of the container body 3, even a person with a weak blowing force can easily blow in. In addition, even if the subject breathes in after taking a deep breath, it is possible to prevent the outside air sucked by the deep breath (exhaled breath that is not likely to contain the test target component) from being collected as it is. Moreover, since the blown breath is once guided to the bottom 3b of the container body 3 by the pipe 13 and then replaced with the gas in the accommodation space M, the blown breath is not immediately discharged through the opening 14. In this way, a breath sample can be collected more reliably.

  In addition, according to the breath collection container 1 of this embodiment, while preventing the introduction of outside air into the accommodation space M, the exhaust that opens the opening 14 and discharges the gas in the accommodation space M as the breath is blown. Since the valve 47 is provided, the collected exhalation can be confined in the accommodation space M, that is, after the exhalation is blown in, until the accommodation space M is tightly sealed with the overcap 31 or the like. Thus, the exhaled breath can be prevented from leaking outside through the opening 14.

  Further, according to the exhalation collection container 1 of this embodiment, in addition to the exhaust valve 47, the intake valve 49 which is disposed in the inlet passage and is opened only when exhalation is blown is provided, so that the collected exhalation can be more reliably obtained. It can be confined in the storage space.

  Furthermore, according to the breath collection container 1 of this embodiment, the exhaust valve 47 and the intake valve 49 are integrally formed via the connecting body 43 provided between the base cap 11 and the nozzle member 15. In addition, the intake valve 49 and the exhaust valve 47 can be easily assembled to the nozzle member 15 and the base cap 11, and the number of parts can be reduced. In addition, the connecting body 43 is disposed between the inner cylinder wall 21 and the hanging wall 45 in an airtight manner so that the inlet passage Pa and the outlet passage Pb that are adjacent to each other in the radial direction with the connecting body 43 therebetween are blocked. Thus, it is possible to more reliably replace the preexisting gas with the gas existing in the internal space.

  Moreover, according to the breath collection container 1 of this embodiment, since the overcap 31 configured as described above is provided, the inner space in the overcap 31 connected to the outlet passage Pb can be kept airtight. Even when an impact is applied to the container body 3 during transportation of the container, it is possible to reliably prevent the breath sample in the storage space M from leaking outside.

  Next, a breath collection container 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the element similar to the element demonstrated with reference to FIGS. 1-3, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the exhalation collection container 1 of this embodiment, first, the pipe 13 is made thinner than the pipe 13 of the exhalation collection container 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. Is intended. That is, by reducing the diameter of the pipe 13 in this way, the flow rate of the exhaled breath that has been blown can be increased by passing through the pipe 13, so even if the length of the pipe 13 is shortened (in the illustrated example, the pipe 13 The lower end of the main body 3 is generally positioned at the upper end of the shoulder of the container body 3.) The inhaled breath can be guided to the bottom 3b of the container body 3.

  In addition, the breath collection container 1 of this embodiment discharges the gas discharged from the opening 14 toward the outside on the upper wall 37 of the nozzle member 15 instead of the notch 23a shown in FIGS. A discharge hole 60 is provided. By doing so, the housing space M can be sealed without extending the outer peripheral wall 53 of the overcap 31 to the peripheral wall 7 of the base cap 11 as shown in the figure, so that the container can be made compact. In addition, the material can be reduced. Specifically, a cylindrical wall 62 having a low height is erected from the upper surface wall 37 of the nozzle member 15, and the lower end portion of the outer peripheral wall 53 of the overcap 31 is airtightly fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 62. The inner space of the overcap 31 is kept airtight by forming an annular protrusion 33a that presses against the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 53 of the overcap 31 on the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle body 33.

  FIG. 5 shows the exhaled air and the gas flow in the container body 3 when the exhaled air is blown in the exhalation collection container 1 of FIG. As shown in this figure, when exhalation is blown from the upper end opening of the nozzle body 33, the exhaled breath is accelerated through the inlet passage Pa and the pipe 13 and then guided to the vicinity of the bottom 3b in the accommodation space M. The gas in the accommodation space M is pushed upward by this exhalation, and is discharged to the outside through the opening 14 and the exhaust hole 60.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated examples, the present invention can be appropriately changed and improved within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, the pipe is different from the base cap. Although formed as a body, a pipe 13 ′ surrounding the through hole 9 may be formed integrally with the top wall 5 of the base cap 11 as in the example shown in FIG. 6. In the above embodiment, the base cap 11 and the nozzle body 33 are described as separate bodies. However, the inner cylindrical wall of the base cap may be extended upward from the illustrated example to form a nozzle (not shown). . Further, the exhaust valve and the intake valve may be omitted, or only one of the exhaust valve and the intake valve may be provided.

  Thus, according to the present invention, an exhaled breath that can be used reliably even by a person with a weak inspiratory force and that can accurately measure an exhaled sample by preventing the outside air taken by the subject from taking a deep breath as it is. It became possible to provide a collection container.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Breath collection container 3 Container main body 3a Mouth part 3b Bottom part 3c Body part 3d Shoulder part 5 Top wall 7 Peripheral wall 9 Through-hole 11 Base cap 13, 13 'Pipe 14 Open hole 15 Nozzle member 17, 19 Screw 21 Inner cylinder wall 23 Outer cylinder wall 23a Notch portion 25 Holding wall 27 Inner ring 29 Flange 31 Overcap 33 Nozzle body portion 35 Mounting portion 37 Upper surface wall 39 Outer fitting wall 41 Inner fitting wall 43 Connecting body 45 Drooping wall 47 Exhaust valve 49 Intake valve 51 Top wall 53 Outer peripheral wall 55 Seal ring 60 Exhaust hole 62 Cylindrical wall

Claims (4)

A container main body having a mouth at the upper end and closing the lower end at the bottom to form an accommodation space for exhalation inside;
A ceiling wall that covers the upper end opening of the mouth portion of the container body and a peripheral wall that hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of the ceiling wall and surrounds the mouth portion, and has a through-hole connected to the accommodation space in the ceiling wall. And a base cap
On the back surface of the top wall of the base cap, a pipe that communicates with the through hole and whose tip is directed to the bottom of the container body is suspended, and the through wall and the pipe are passed through the top wall. Forming an opening for discharging the gas pushed out of the accommodation space by the inflowing exhalation ;
The breath collection container , wherein the housing space can be sealed by covering the through hole and the hole for discharging the gas with an overcap .   The exhalation collection container according to claim 1, further comprising an exhaust valve that prevents the introduction of outside air into the accommodation space, and opens the opening to discharge the gas in the accommodation space as the exhalation is blown. A nozzle member that communicates with the through-hole, and a nozzle member that guides the exhaled air that is blown from the blowing port through the inlet passage from the blowing port at the tip of the nozzle body to the through-hole to the accommodation space;
The exhalation-collecting container according to claim 2, further comprising: an inhalation valve disposed in the inlet passage and opened only when exhalation is blown.   The exhalation collection container according to claim 3, wherein the exhaust valve and the intake valve are integrally formed through a connecting body provided between the base cap and the nozzle member.

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