WO2022060070A1

WO2022060070A1 - Sample collection stick

Info

Publication number: WO2022060070A1
Application number: PCT/KR2021/012559
Authority: WO
Inventors: 고창욱; 정중환; 김봉윤
Original assignee: (주)바이온라이프사이언스
Priority date: 2020-09-16
Filing date: 2021-09-15
Publication date: 2022-03-24

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sample collection stick. According to the present invention, the sample collection stick comprises a support part and a sample collection part, wherein the sample collection part includes a spiral-type screw blade and a hub, wherein since the hub is provided with an empty accommodating space capable of accommodating a sample on the side of a central axis in the length direction of the hub, a sampling amount of the sample collected from a subject can be increased, and the amount of the collected sample to be dissolved or dispersed in a reagent or a solution from the sample collection stick can be increased.

Description

sampling stick

The present invention relates to a sampling stick, and more particularly, by scraping saliva from the oral and nasal It relates to a sampling stick capable of taking a sample.

A microbiological test is a test that screens out whether a sample is contaminated with pathogens that can cause disease. In other words, when the cause of a disease is thought to be a microorganism, it is an examination performed to establish a diagnosis, treatment, and prevention method. The microbiological test is to determine whether the subject is contaminated with pathogens that can cause diseases, such as E. coli, typhoid bacillus, staphylococcus, and pseudomonas.

In general, samples are collected from the body of the subject for microbiological examination. The collected sample is tested for the presence of pathogens after it is mixed with a reagent or solution for testing.

When a sample is collected from a subject's saliva, body fluid, or body tissue, an instrument called a sample collection stick, brush, or swab is used. That is, the specimen is collected in the form of inserting the swab for sampling into the body of the subject, burying the specimen in the swab and withdrawing it.

In the case of the existing sample collection swabs, a circular collection part was formed at the end of the stick-shaped swabs. A fibrous layer formed by attaching small-sized microfibers to the collection part of the swab was provided. In this way, the sample is allowed to permeate into the fiber layer formed in the collecting part of the conventional swab, and the sample is collected by withdrawing the collecting part of the swab from the subject.

As described above, the specimen collection swabs conventionally used for specimen collection must be inserted into the oral and nasal passages of the inspected for a certain period of time to allow saliva, etc. to permeate the fibrous layer, thereby causing great inconvenience to the examinee. Above all, in the fiber layer provided in the swabs for sample collection, some fiber layers were separated from the collection part of the swabs and remained in the body of the subject. It is a medically serious problem that foreign substances such as fibrous layers remain in the body of the subject. In addition, there is a problem that the accuracy of the inspection is often lowered due to insufficient collection amount collected using the conventional swabs.

Therefore, a technique capable of solving such a problem has been desired.

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and it is possible to increase the amount of samples collected during sample collection, shorten the time required for sample collection, and configure the fiber layer of the conventional swabs. An object of the present invention is to provide a sampling stick that does not cause a problem that the fiber part is separated from the swabs.

A sample collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a rod or bar-shaped support having an arbitrary length; and a specimen collection unit located at the front end of the support unit to collect a specimen in contact with the body of the subject, wherein the specimen collection unit includes: a hub coupled to the front side of the support unit; and a screw blade disposed outside the hub to receive the support of the hub and formed in a spiral shape centered on a longitudinal central axis of the hub, wherein the hub is positioned on the longitudinal central axis of the hub from the hub. It may be characterized as having an empty accommodation space for accommodating a sample.

Here, the hub may include: a rear hub frame coupled to a front portion of the support; a front hub frame positioned to be spaced apart from the rear hub frame by a predetermined distance to the front side; and a plurality of pillars having a front end connected to the front hub frame and a rear end connected to the rear hub frame, wherein a hole is formed in the center of the front hub frame.

Here, each of the plurality of fillers may be further characterized in that they are spaced apart from neighboring fillers.

Furthermore, it may be further characterized in that a plurality of collecting grooves are formed on the outer edge of the front hub frame or the rear hub frame.

Furthermore, as another feature, at least some of the plurality of collecting grooves formed on the outer edge of the front hub frame or the rear hub frame are formed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis of the hub. You may.

Here, the hub may be made of a flexible or resilient material as another feature.

Here, at least one extraction groove is formed at an arbitrary depth on the outer edge of the screw blade, and the extraction groove is formed in a direction perpendicular to an arbitrary virtual plane including the longitudinal central axis of the hub, The screw blade or the hub may be made of a flexible or elastic material as another feature.

Furthermore, a protruding coupling jaw or coupling protrusion is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the support part so that the coupling can be made to be fixed to the lid of the sample container that accommodates the sample collection part inside, or the lid fastening groove is formed. It can also be used as a feature.

The specimen collection stick according to the present invention can reduce the manufacturing cost of the specimen collection stick because the flocking process required in the manufacturing process of the existing specimen collection swab is unnecessary, and there is no fiber layer in the specimen collection stick. As in the sample collection swabs, there is no room for the problem of the fiber layer falling off and remaining in the body of the subject, so it has the effect of increasing the safety of the test.

In addition, the sample collection stick according to the present invention increases the amount of sample collected from the body of the subject, and also reduces the time required for sample collection because the absorption time required for the sample to permeate into the fiber layer is unnecessary as in the conventional swabs. shortens it Therefore, the time required for sample collection can be shortened, the discomfort of the examinee can be reduced during sample collection, and the accuracy of the examination can be improved as the sample collection amount increases.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a sample collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a sample collection part in the sample collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a side view schematically showing the sample collection part in the sample collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a side view schematically showing the hub of the specimen collection unit in the specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a diagram schematically showing a cross-section of a specimen collection unit in a specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a side view schematically showing a filler and a screw blade in a sample collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a perspective view schematically showing a specimen collection stick according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view schematically showing a sample collection part in a sample collection stick according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a side view schematically showing a sample collection part in a sample collection stick according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can apply various transformations and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. The present embodiments are provided to explain the present invention in more detail to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the shape of each element shown in the drawings may be exaggerated in order to emphasize a clearer description, and in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof can be omitted.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used for the purpose of describing and understanding one component as distinct from another component.

Terms used in the present invention are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present invention, terms such as "comprises" or "have" are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in several different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The same reference numerals may be used for similar parts throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, a specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a specimen collection unit in a specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the present invention It is a side view schematically showing the sample collection unit in the sample collection stick according to the example.

1 to 3 , the specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a support part 200 and a specimen collection part 300 , and further may further include a handle part 100 .

First, the support 200 has an arbitrary length in the form of a rod or a bar. A specimen collection unit 300 is positioned on the front side of the support unit 200 and supports the specimen collection unit 300 . A handle part 100 is connected to the rear side of the support part 200 . The support unit 200 supports the sample collection unit 300 to enter the body of the subject.

It is also possible that the front side of the support unit 200 and the sample collection unit 300 are made of a single material such as a polymer material or an elastomer material. Alternatively, the support part 200 and the sample collection part 300 are made of different materials, and the support part 200 and the sample collection part 300 may be combined. Here, it is sufficiently possible that the sample collection unit 300 is fusion-molded on the front side of the support unit 200 .

The support unit 200 is sufficient as long as it can support the sample collection unit 300 so that the sample collection unit 300 enters the body of the subject and collects the sample, and is not limited to a specific shape.

In addition, it is preferable that the support part 200 is made of a polymer material having flexibility and elasticity so that it can be flexibly deformed according to the transmitted force and can return to its original shape.

On the other hand, when taking out the sample collection part 300 and the support part 200 of the sample collection stick 10 stored in the sample container (not shown) using a tool such as tweezers, wash the tweezers in advance and , After picking up the support part 200 of the sample collection stick 10 from the sample container with tweezers and taking it out, the sample collection part 300 and the support part 200 of the sample collection stick 10 are placed at the location intended by the examiner. The used tweezers should be cleaned again.

As described above, since the tweezers used in the process of withdrawing the sample collection stick 10 from the sample container must be washed every time, it also acts as a factor to reduce the efficiency of the sample inspection operation. Therefore, the following configuration may be provided so that the specimen collection unit 300 and the support unit 200 of the specimen collection stick 10 can be withdrawn from the specimen container without using tweezers.

That is, it is sufficiently possible that a coupling jaw or coupling protrusion 210 protruding from the outer surface is formed on the outer surface of the support 200 so that the coupling can be made to be fixed to the cover or lid of the specimen container.

On the inside of the cover or lid (not shown) of the sample container (not shown), a fixing groove or a fitting jaw (not shown) may be provided so that the support part 200 of the sample collection stick 10 can be fixed to the sample container cover. can It may be coupled to a fixing groove or a fitting jaw provided on the inside of the cover of the sample container to engage or fit the coupling jaw or coupling protrusion 210 of the support part.

In this way, since the support part 200 can be fixed to the lid or cover of the sample container, if the lid or cover of the sample container is opened without using a tool such as tweezers, the support part 200 together with the lid or cover of the sample container is inspected. Since it can take out easily from a container, it is preferable.

In FIG. 1, as an exemplary form of such a coupling protrusion or coupling protrusion 210, the coupling protrusion or coupling protrusion 210 formed along the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the support unit 200 and having a ring-like shape is shown. As shown in FIG. 1 , it is also preferable that one or a plurality of coupling jaws or coupling protrusions formed in a ring-like shape are provided on the outer surface of the support unit 200 .

If the support 200 can be coupled to the cover of the specimen container as described above, it is preferable because the convenience of use can be increased.

as I mentioned before. The handle part 100 is positioned on the rear side of the support part 200 . That is, the rear end of the support part 200 is connected to the handle part 100 .

The handle part 100 is connected to the rear end of the support part 200 and has a predetermined length so as to be gripped by the examiner's hand or finger.

As referenced in the drawings, the handle portion 100 has the form of a rod or bar having a certain length. The handle 100 is gripped by the examiner's hand or finger. The examiner can control the entry or insertion of the sample collection unit 300 into the body of the subject by using the handle unit 100 .

Accordingly, under the control of the examiner using the handle 100 , the sample collection unit 300 may enter or be inserted into the body through the oral cavity or nasal cavity of the examinee.

As shown in the drawings, between the rear end of the handle portion 100 and the support portion 200, it is preferable that a segmental groove 120 such as a segmental joint capable of distinguishing the handle portion 100 and the support portion 200 is provided. Do. That is, it is preferable that a segmentation groove 120 is provided between the handle portion and the support portion so that the handle portion 100 and the support portion 200 can be separated.

When the sample collection unit 300 is withdrawn from the body of the subject according to the intention of the examiner who is the user, the sample collection unit 300 and the support unit 200 are accommodated in the sample container.

Here, since there is no need to accommodate the handle portion 100 in the specimen container, it is preferable to separate the handle portion 100 from the support portion 200 . Accordingly, as shown in the drawings, a segmental joint or segmented groove 120 is provided between the support 200 and the handle 100 so that the support 200 and the handle 100 can be separated according to the needs of the examiner. It is preferable to have

After the support part 200 and the handle part 100 are segmented, the support part 200 may be coupled to the cover of the specimen container as described above. A protruding coupling jaw or coupling protrusion 210 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the support so that it can be fixedly coupled to the cover or lid of the sample container that accommodates the sample collection unit inside, or a cover coupling groove is formed. it is preferable

The sample collection unit 300 is a part that is inserted or entered into the body of a subject to make contact with the sample, and is a part where the sample is collected. The sample collection unit 300 is located at the front end of the support unit 200 to collect or collect a sample in contact with the body of the subject.

The sample collection unit 300 includes a hub 310 and a screw blade 320 .

Here, further reference will be made to FIG. 4 .

4 is a side view schematically showing the hub of the specimen collection unit in the specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, FIG. 4 shows the hub 310 except for the screw blade 320 in the sample collection unit for convenience of explanation and understanding.

Referring further to FIG. 4 , the hub 310 is coupled to the front side of the support 200 . It is preferable that the hub 310 and the support part 200 are coupled so that the longitudinal central axis of the hub and the longitudinal central axis of the support part 200 coincide. The hub 310 is coupled or formed with the support 200 in such a way that a front portion of the support 200 is inserted into the hub 310 . And the screw blade 320 disposed on the outside of the hub 310 is supported. More specifically, the screw blade 3130 is disposed on the pillar 3130 of the hub 310 .

In addition, the screw blade 320 is disposed on the outside of the hub 310 to receive the support of the hub 310 , and is formed in a spiral shape centered on the longitudinal central axis of the hub.

As such, the screw blade 320 formed in a spiral shape is disposed on the outside of the hub 310, that is, on the filler 3130 of the hub 310, so that the contacted sample can be buried or held and withdrawn from the body of the subject.

First, the hub 310 of the sample collection unit 300 will be described in more detail as follows.

4, the hub 310 of the sampling unit 300 includes a rear hub frame 3120, a front hub frame 3110, and a plurality of pillars 3130.

The front hub frame 3110 corresponds to a front portion of the hub 310 , and is a part constituting the hub 310 together with the rear hub frame 3120 and the pillar 3130 .

The front hub frame 3110 is positioned to be spaced apart from the front side by a predetermined distance with respect to the rear hub frame 3120 coupled to the front portion of the support unit 200 .

It is also preferable that a hole 3115 is formed in the center of the front hub frame 3110. A hole 3115 formed in the center of the front hub frame 3110 communicates with an accommodating space 3150 to be described later.

The rear hub frame 3120 is coupled to a front portion of the support 200 . The rear hub frame 3120 corresponds to a rear portion of the hub 310 , and is a part constituting the hub 310 together with the front hub frame 3110 and the pillar 3130 . The rear hub frame 3120 is positioned rearwardly spaced apart from the front hub frame 3110 by a predetermined interval.

The rear hub frame 3120 may also have a hole formed in the center like the front hub frame 3120 . The rear hub frame 3120 may be coupled to the support 200 in such a way that a front portion of the support 200 is inserted inside the hole formed in the center of the rear hub frame 3120 .

As described above, since the rear hub frame 3120 is coupled to the support part 200 , the hub 310 may be supported by the support part 200 .

The pillar 3130 has a front end connected to the front hub frame 3110 and a rear end connected to the rear hub frame 3120 . A plurality of pillars 3130 are disposed between the front hub frame 3110 and the rear hub frame 3120 .

In addition, each of the plurality of pillars 3130 is preferably spaced apart from the neighboring pillars 3130 by a predetermined interval. The plurality of pillars 3130 may be disposed between the front hub frame 3110 and the rear hub frame 3120 in the form of rotational or axial symmetry with respect to the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the hub 310 .

An empty accommodating space 3150 is provided on the longitudinal central axis of the hub 310 connecting the center of the front hub frame 3110 and the center of the rear hub frame 3120 in the hub 310 .

A sample to be collected may be accommodated in an empty accommodating space 3150 provided inside the hub 310 . That is, since there is a gap between the plurality of fillers 3130 , the sample may be introduced into the receiving space 3150 provided inside the hub 310 from the outside of the hub 310 and be accommodated.

Therefore, the specimen collection stick 10 according to the present invention can collect a larger amount of specimen than the conventional specimen collection stick without the receiving space 3150 of the hub 310 .

On the outer edge of the front hub frame 3110 or the rear hub frame 3120, a plurality of

collection grooves

3113, 3114, 3123, 3124 capable of receiving a sample and collecting a sample are sufficiently formed, and this is also preferable. .

When the plurality of collecting

grooves

3113, 3114, 3123, 3124 are formed on the outer rim of the front hub frame 3110 or the rear hub frame 3120, the outer rim of the front hub frame 3110 or the rear hub frame 3120 At least some of the plurality of collecting grooves (3113, 3114, 3123, 3124) formed in the collecting groove (3113, 3114, 3123, 3124) is perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis of the hub 310 or the support unit 200 It is preferably formed in the direction.

In other words, the collecting

grooves

3113, 3114, 3123, and 3124 formed on the outer rim of the front hub frame 3110 or the rear hub frame 3120 are formed on an arbitrary virtual plane including the longitudinal central axis of the hub. It is preferably formed in a vertical direction.

Here, the plurality of collecting

grooves

3113, 3114, 3123, 3124 formed on the outer edge of the front hub frame 3110 or the rear hub frame 3120 may be formed in a symmetrical arrangement with respect to an arbitrary virtual plane. .

In addition, the plurality of collecting

grooves

3113 , 3114 , 3123 , 3124 formed on the outer rim of the front hub frame 3110 or the rear hub frame 3120 may be formed at any depth or any width. For example, the depth or width of the neighboring collecting grooves (3113, 3114, 3123, 3124) may be formed to be the same as each other, and the depth or width of the neighboring collecting grooves (3113, 3114, 3123, 3124) are mutually different. It may be formed differently.

The hub 310 is preferably made of a flexible or resilient material. That is, it can be formed of a polymer material or an elastomer material having flexibility and elasticity.

As mentioned above, the sample collection unit 300 includes a screw blade 320 formed in the form of a screw thread rotating about the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the support unit 200 or the hub 310 .

That is, the sample collection unit 300 includes a screw blade 320 that is spirally formed so that the contacted sample can be buried or held and withdrawn from the body of the examinee.

The screw blade 320 is coupled or formed on the outside of the hub 310 to receive the support of the hub 310 . That is, it can be said that the pillar 3130 of the hub 310 supports the screw blade 320 coupled to the pillar 3130 of the hub 310 .

Here, the screw blade 320 will be described with further reference to FIG. 5 .

5, as mentioned above, the sample collection unit 300 includes a screw blade 320 formed in a spiral shape centered on the longitudinal central axis of the support unit 200 or the hub 310. .

That is, the sample collection unit 300 includes a screw blade 320 formed in a spiral shape so that the contacted sample can be buried or held and withdrawn from the body of the examinee.

It can be said that the screw blade 320 is formed on the outside of the hub 310 with the hub 310 as the center. More specifically, the screw blade 320 is coupled to the pillar 3130 of the hub 310 and the screw blade 320 is supported by the pillar 3130 .

The hub 310 supporting the screw blade 320 is coupled to a portion of the front side of the support 200 . Accordingly, the hub 310 supports the screw blade 320 while being supported by the support 200 . As such, when the screw blade 320 is provided in the sample collecting unit 300 , the surface area in contact with the sample in the sample collecting unit 300 is increased. Therefore, the amount of sample to be collected is increased.

In the screw blade 320 having a spiral shape, the outer edge may be referred to as a pitch. An arbitrary pitch portion of the screw blade 320 is called a first pitch, and the next pitch is the second pitch when one rotation is made by 360 degrees around the longitudinal central axis of the hub 310 at this first pitch. As a portion between the first pitch and the second pitch, a gap portion, which is a portion in which the pillar 3130 of the hub 310 is exposed to the outside, is provided. Even in this gap portion, contact with the sample is made in the body of the subject, and the sample is held in the gap portion so that it can be withdrawn from the body of the subject.

Simply put, the sample may be held by being buried in a portion between the screw blade and the filler 3130 of the hub, and may be withdrawn from the body of the subject.

Each of the screw blades 320 has flexibility and elasticity. Accordingly, each of the plurality of screw blades 320 comes into contact with body tissues in the body of the subject. As the examiner performs a movement to whip or scrape the sample collection unit 300 in the body of the examinee through the handle portion 100, the screw blade 320 comes into contact with the body tissue part with the sample and sweeps it away as if scraping, and as a result, the sample is buried in the surface of the screw blade 320 or held in the gap between both pitches of the screw blades 320 adjacent to each other.

That is, in a state in which the sample collection unit 300 is inserted into the body of the subject, the sample is buried on the surface of the screw blade 320 or the sample is collected by holding the sample at the interval between the pitches adjacent to each other in the screw blade 320 . When the unit 300 is withdrawn from the body of the subject, the sample remains in the specimen collection unit 300 .

In this way, the gap portion between the adjacent pitches of the sampling blade 320 may be referred to as a sampling space or a sampling interval.

Accordingly, the specimen in contact with the screw blade 320 or the hub 310 in the specimen collection unit 300 may maintain a state held by the screw blade 320 or a state in which the specimen is buried.

In addition, at least one collecting groove (323, 324) is formed at an arbitrary depth on the outer edge of the screw blade (320) as referenced in the drawings. And it is preferable that these collecting

grooves

323 and 324 are formed in a direction perpendicular to an arbitrary virtual plane IP including the longitudinal central axis of the hub.

At least some of the at least one collection groove 323 may be formed in a direction perpendicular to the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the hub 310 or the support part 200 .

Here, at least a portion of the at least one or more sampling grooves 323 may be formed in a direction in which

adjacent sampling grooves

323 and 324 are parallel to each other, that is, in a direction parallel to each other within a certain error range. In other words, the longitudinal directions of the collecting

grooves

323 and 324 formed adjacent to each other may be parallel to each other.

For reference, in FIG. 5 , reference numeral 321 denotes a portion between the sampling

grooves

323 and 324 adjacent to each other as a portion in which the

sampling grooves

323 and 324 are not formed in the screw blade 320 .

Among the collecting

grooves

323 and 324 formed in a direction perpendicular to an arbitrary virtual plane IP including the longitudinal central axis of the hub 310, the depth direction of the collecting groove 323 or the center line of the collecting groove 323 The collecting groove 323 passing through the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the hub 310 may be referred to as the first collecting groove 323 .

In addition, the first collecting groove 323 adjacent to the collecting groove 324 or the collecting groove 324 in the depth direction or the center line of the collecting groove 324 does not intersect the longitudinal central axis of the hub 310 in the collecting groove. (324) may be referred to as a second collection groove (324).

The depth of the first collecting groove 323 and the depth of the second collecting groove 324 are formed to have an arbitrary depth. Accordingly, the depth of the first sampling groove 323 and the depth of the second sampling groove 324 may be the same or different from each other. The depth of the first collection groove 323 and the depth of the second collection groove 324 may be preset as needed and formed on the outer edge of the screw blade 320 .

In addition, the width GW1 of the first collecting groove 323 and the width GW2 of the second collecting groove 324 may be formed to have any size. The width GW1 of the first collecting groove 323 and the width GW2 of the second collecting groove 324 may be the same size or different sizes. This is to set the size of the width (GW1, GW2) according to the design needs to form the collecting groove (323, 324).

In addition, the specimen may be accommodated and held in at least one or

more collection grooves

323 and 324 formed on the outer edge of the screw blade 320 .

As described above, even when at least one or

more collection grooves

323 and 324 are formed in the screw blade 320, the amount of sample collected from the body of the subject is increased as described above. It is preferable that the first collecting groove 323 or the second collecting groove 324 is formed on the outer edge of the screw blade 320 .

As described above, a form in which at least one or more collecting

grooves

323 and 324 are formed in the screw blade 320 is also possible, and this can also be said to be a preferred form.

As such, in the specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention, the amount of specimen collected by the screw blade 320 included in the specimen collection unit 300 is relatively larger than that of the conventional specimen collection swabs.

Therefore, it is possible to increase the amount of sample collected from the subject, and it is possible to increase the amount of the collected sample dissolved or dispersed from the sample collection stick into a reagent or solution.

The thickness of the screw blade 320 is preferably constant from one end of the screw blade 320 connected to the pillar 3130 of the hub 310 to the other end that is the outer edge of the screw blade 320, FIG. It is also desirable to have a form in which the thickness is reduced in some parts as referenced in .

6 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating a side cross-section of a portion of a hub and a screw blade of a specimen collection unit in a specimen collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, it is a conceptual diagram showing a surface including a point on the outer edge of the screw blade 320 and the longitudinal central axis of the hub 310 as a side cross-section.

In FIG. 6 , one side of the screw blade 320 is connected to the hub 310 . Here, the outer edge of the screw blade 320 becomes the other end of the screw blade 320 . It is also possible that the screw blade 320 is formed in a form in which the thicknesses T0 and TE are reduced toward the other side in at least some sections LD2 of the sections of the longitudinal length L0.

Here, reference numeral T0 denotes the thickness T0 at the point where the thickness starts to decrease toward the other side in at least a partial section LD2 among the sections of the longitudinal length L0 in the screw blade 320 , TE represents the thickness TE at the other end of the screw blade 320 .

This means that it is preferable that the thickness is reduced from T0 to TE in at least some sections LD2 of the section of the longitudinal length L0. In other words, it is also preferable that the thickness is formed to be tapered.

As such, the screw blade 320 is preferably formed in a form in which the lateral width WD is reduced or the thicknesses T0 and TE are reduced toward the other side in at least some sections LD of the section of the longitudinal length L0. Do.

The thickness of the screw blade 320 is preferably in the range of 0.1 mm to 1 mm, more preferably in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm.

In addition, the screw blade 320 may be formed of a polymer material or elastomer having flexibility and elasticity.

As such, when the screw blade 320 is formed in a shape that decreases in thickness toward the outer edge, that is, the other end, the outer edge portion of the screw blade 320 flexibly bends and returns to the original shape to hold the contacted sample. It is preferable because it can

As such, the spiral screw blade 320 centered on the hub 310 can maintain a state held between the screw blades 320 while suppressing contact or omission of a buried sample, so that the sample collection amount is conventionally can be increased compared to In addition, the

collection grooves

323 and 324 formed on the outer side of the screw blade 320 can also maintain a state held in the

collection grooves

323 and 324 while suppressing the omission of contact or buried specimens, so the amount of specimen collection is increased. .

The size of the screw blade 320 is preferably molded and manufactured to a size set according to the site to be inserted into the body of the examinee, such as the nasal cavity, oral cavity, anus, or cervix. And the sample collection unit 300 including the screw blade 320 and the hub 310 may be formed of a polymer material or elastomer having flexibility and elasticity.

For reference, the following modified embodiments are also sufficiently possible.

7 is a perspective view schematically showing a specimen collection stick according to a modified embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing a specimen collection part in the specimen collection stick according to a modified embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a side view schematically showing a portion of a specimen collection unit in a specimen collection stick according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.

7 to 9 , the specimen collection stick according to a modified embodiment of the present invention includes a support part 200 and a specimen collection part 300 , and further may further include a handle part 100 . Here, the parts for the support 200 and the handle 100 are the same as those described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 , and thus may be substituted for those described above.

The sample collection unit 300 includes a hub 310 and a screw blade 320 .

The hub 310 is coupled to the front side of the support 200 . It is preferable that the hub 310 and the support part 200 be coupled so that the central axis of the longitudinal direction of the hub 310 and the central axis of the longitudinal direction of the support part 200 coincide. The hub 310 is coupled or formed with the support 200 in such a way that a front portion of the support 200 is inserted into the hub 310 . And the screw blade 320 disposed on the outer circumferential surface as the outside of the hub 310 is supported.

In addition, the screw blade 320 is disposed on the outer circumferential surface as the outside of the hub 310 to receive the support of the hub 310 , and is formed in a spiral shape centered on the longitudinal central axis of the hub.

The screw blade 320 formed in the spiral shape is disposed on the outside of the hub 310 , that is, on the outer peripheral surface of the hub 310 so that the contacted sample can be buried or held and withdrawn from the body of the subject.

And, it is preferable that the hub 310 is made of a material having flexibility or elasticity. That is, it can be formed of a polymer material or an elastomer material having flexibility and elasticity.

The hub 310 may have the shape of a rod having a circular cross-section as shown in the drawings, but is not limited thereto.

It can be said that the screw blade 320 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the hub 310 with the hub 310 as the center. The screw blade 320 thus formed is supported by the hub 310 .

In the screw blade 320 having a spiral shape, the outer edge may be referred to as a pitch. An arbitrary pitch portion of the screw blade 320 is called a first pitch, and the next pitch is the second pitch when one rotation is made by 360 degrees about the longitudinal central axis of the hub 310 at this first pitch. As a portion between the first pitch and the second pitch, a gap portion, which is a portion in which the outer circumferential surface of the hub 310 is exposed to the outside, is provided. Even in this gap portion, contact with the sample is made in the body of the subject, and the sample is held in the gap portion so that it can be withdrawn from the body of the subject.

Simply put, the sample can be held by being buried in the portion between the screw blade and the outer circumferential surface of the hub, and can be withdrawn from the body of the subject.

Therefore, the sample in contact with the screw blade 320 or the hub 310 in the sample collection unit 300 may maintain a state held by the screw blade 320 or a state in which the sample is buried.

In addition, at least one collecting groove (323, 324) is formed at an arbitrary depth on the outer edge of the screw blade (320) as referenced in the drawings.

The

extraction grooves

323 and 324 are preferably formed in a direction perpendicular to an arbitrary virtual plane including the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the hub. Since the description of the collecting

grooves

323 and 324 is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 5 above, it may be replaced with the bar described above. In addition, since the description of the thickness of the screw blade 320 is the same as that described above with reference to FIG. 6 , this may also be substituted for the above description.

On the other hand, for reference, on the outer edge of the screw blade formed in a spiral shape, it is preferable that a plurality of yaws (凹) and iron (凸) corresponding to the extraction groove are alternately formed. In other words, it can be said that it is preferable that a plurality of collecting grooves are formed on the outer edge of the screw blade. Here, the shape of the unevenness or the shape of the collecting groove may have various shapes and is not limited to a specific shape.

As described above, if a plurality of sampling grooves or irregularities are formed on the screw blade, the surface area of the outer edge of the screw blade increases, which helps to increase the amount of sample collected.

In the concave-convex part of the screw blade, the specimen may be held in the concave collecting groove formed concavely. Here, it can be said that the sample is held by the viscosity of the sample, the elasticity of the flexible screw blade, and the increase of the surface area where the sample and the screw blade come into contact.

As a specific example in which a plurality of yaws and irons corresponding to the extraction grooves are alternately formed, a shape such as a square wave may be formed on the outer edge of the screw blade.

It is sufficiently possible and also preferable that the outer edge portion of the screw blade, that is, the outer edge portion is formed in the form of a sine wave in which a concave portion and a convex portion alternately appear in the form of a curve.

As described above, in the sample collection stick according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the sample to be collected can be accommodated in the receiving space provided in the hub of the sample collection unit, the amount of sample to be collected is relatively compared to the conventional swab for sample collection. is further increased with

In addition, since the spiral screw blade can maintain a state held between the screw blades while suppressing the omission of contact or buried samples, the sample collection amount can be further increased compared to the prior art. In addition, the collection groove formed on the outer side of the screw blade can also maintain the holding state in the collection groove while suppressing the omission of contact or buried specimens, thereby increasing the amount of specimens collected.

And, since there is no fiber layer, when the sample collection unit is immersed in the fixing solution, the samples held or accommodated in the sample collection unit can be easily dispersed into the fixing solution, thereby increasing the amount of sample in the fixing solution.

As such, the sample collection stick according to the present invention does not require the flocking process required in the manufacturing process of the existing sample collection swab, so it can reduce the manufacturing cost of the sample collection stick. It has the advantage that there is no room for the problem of the fibrous layer falling off and remaining in the body of the subject as in the sample collection swab.

In addition, the sample collection stick according to the present invention can increase the amount of samples collected from the subject compared to the conventional swabs, and the amount of the collected samples dissolved or dispersed from the sample collection stick into a reagent or solution can be increased. There is an advantage in that the accuracy of the test can be improved as the amount of sample collected increases.

In addition, the sample collection stick according to the present invention can shorten the time required for sample collection, and can reduce the discomfort of the subject during sample collection. In addition, since the sample collection unit inserted into the oral cavity or nasal cavity of the subject is formed of a flexible and elastic polymer or elastomer material, there is an advantage in that user discomfort can be reduced.

As described above, the detailed description of the present invention has been made by the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, but since the above-described embodiments have only been described with reference to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the present invention It should not be construed as being limited only to the embodiments, and the scope of the present invention should be understood as the following claims and their equivalents.

100: handle part

200: support

300: sample collection unit

310: hub

320: screw blade

Claims

rods or bars of any length; and

and a sample collection unit located at the front end of the support unit to collect a sample in contact with the body of the subject;

The sample collection unit,

a hub coupled to the front side of the support; and

and a screw blade disposed outside the hub to receive the support of the hub and formed in a spiral shape centered on the longitudinal central axis of the hub; and

In the hub, an empty receiving space for accommodating the sample is provided on the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the hub.
The method of claim 1,

The hub is

a rear hub frame coupled to a front portion of the support;

a front hub frame positioned to be spaced apart from the rear hub frame by a predetermined distance to the front side; and

a plurality of pillars having a front end connected to the front hub frame and a rear end connected to the rear hub frame;

A specimen collection stick, characterized in that a hole is formed in the center of the front hub frame.
3. The method of claim 2,

A sample collection stick, characterized in that a plurality of collection grooves are formed on the outer edge of the front hub frame or the rear hub frame.
4. The method of claim 3,

At least some of the collecting grooves of the plurality of collecting grooves formed on the outer edge of the front hub frame or the rear hub frame,

A specimen collection stick, characterized in that it is formed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis of the hub.
The method of claim 1,

The hub is a sample collection stick, characterized in that made of a flexible or elastic material.
The method of claim 1,

At least one extraction groove is formed at an arbitrary depth on the outer edge of the screw blade,

The collection groove is

It is formed in a direction perpendicular to an arbitrary virtual plane including the longitudinal central axis of the hub,

The screw blade or the hub is a specimen collection stick, characterized in that made of a flexible or elastic material.
7. The method of claim 6,

A protruding coupling jaw or coupling protrusion is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the support so as to be fixed to the lid of the sample container accommodating the sample collection part inside, or a cap fastening groove is formed. sample collection stick.