KR101244409B1

KR101244409B1 - Sample Tube

Info

Publication number: KR101244409B1
Application number: KR1020100097208A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 이상일; 박래수; 박병규; 박찬석; 박길하
Original assignee: 주식회사 엠에이정보기술
Priority date: 2010-10-06
Filing date: 2010-10-06
Publication date: 2013-03-18
Also published as: KR20120035594A

Abstract

The present invention is to introduce an electronic tag for the sample tube used in the medical industry to enable efficient and integrated management of information related to the sample.
The sample tube of the present invention is characterized in that it is configured by installing an electronic tag stored in the sample information on one side of the tube body constituting the sample tube.

Description

Sample Tube

The present invention relates to a sample tube of the present invention. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sample tube in which an electronic tag is introduced into a sample tube used in the medical field and the like to efficiently and integrally manage information related to a sample.

The medical sector, which is recognized as the next growth engine, can be summarized as personalized medicine, linkage of biomedical industry, popularization of U-Health, globalization of medical service and the spread of consumerism. In particular, in order to solve the challenges of human life and prolonged life, attention is focused on the treatment of intractable diseases, the development of new drugs, and the development of bio-artificial organs. In order to proceed efficiently, they are closely connected with the biomedical industry and information technology. .

New drug development consists of a research phase, a preclinical / clinical / production process development phase, approval and certification of candidate clinically completed candidates, and production and marketing of approved new drugs. Among them, preclinical and clinical stages are used to verify the effects or side effects of new drugs, which require long periods of time, many samples, and high costs. In particular, the acquisition of customized human samples (cells) for medical research and clinical trials has become a significant factor in the duration and cost.

Recognizing the importance of the above-mentioned human samples (hereinafter referred to as "samples"), domestic medical institutions and research institutes have organized tissue banks in each university hospital since the early 1990s to store samples for various cases. Since numerous samples are managed manually, it is impossible to systematically manage or link medical information.

The sample management method in the conventional sample management system is as follows. A sample collected from a human body is placed in a sample container or a tube (hereinafter referred to as a "sample tube"), and then 50 to 100 sample tubes are usually stored in a predetermined tube case, and the tube case is stored at a low or cryogenic temperature. Keep at. At this time, in order to distinguish the stored sample from other samples, write the control number or symbol (hereinafter referred to as "symbol") on the sample tube directly on the surface of the sample tube, or write it on a label and attach it to the sample tube. These sample information are managed by a database via a symbol.

In particular, when the sample tube stored in the low temperature cold storage device or cryogenic freezing storage device is taken out to the outside, the surface of the sample tube is steamed or frosted. Therefore, the surface must be cleaned to check the sign. This process is not only complicated, but the sign is erased or the label is separated from the sample tube.

In addition, in order to take out a desired sample tube from a tube case containing a plurality of sample tubes, there was an inconvenience of having to take out the sample tube inside one by one.

In addition, since the marking on the sample tube and storing the information according to this mark on a computer are all performed manually, there is a problem that the information of the sample stored in the sample tube and the information of the computer do not match.

The present invention has been developed to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, to provide a sample tube having a sample information marker that can provide more accurate sample information by preventing the sample information is incorrectly input or the marker is damaged. It aims to do it.

Sample tube of the present invention for achieving the above object, there is a receiving space in which a plurality of sample tubes are aligned and accommodated, the bottom surface is stored in the tube case is formed with a through hole so that the lower end of the sample tube to be stored to the outside The sample tube includes a tube body provided at a lower end thereof with an accommodation space for accommodating a sample therein, an electronic tag storing information about a sample contained therein, and a lid installed to open and close the tube body. When received, the bottom surface is exposed to the outside through the through hole.

Many of these sample tubes are stored in one box (tube case), and the electronic tag installed in each sample tube is read by a tag reader while stored in the tube case. In the process of reading the electronic tags of each sample tube with the tag reader, it is preferable to keep the distance between the electronic tags of the adjacent sample tubes in order to prevent crosstalk of signals with neighboring electronic tags. Therefore, in the sample tube according to the present invention, it is preferable to install the electronic tag at the lower end of the tube body so that each sample tube (electronic tag mounted on the sample tube) is always at a constant distance when the sample tube is stored in the tube case. .

According to the present invention, the electronic tag is mounted on the tube body in various ways to prevent the electronic tag from being damaged by moisture or falling off from the tube during storage or use. For example, a method of directly embedding an electronic tag in the bottom of the tube body in the process of manufacturing the tube body, the electronic tag is mounted on the inside of the cap that can be attached to the bottom of the tube body and the cap is coupled to the bottom of the body To form a tag installation groove on the outer surface of the bottom of the tube body, there is a method of inserting an electronic tag. At this time, it is preferable to cover and heat seal the cover so that the electronic tag is not separated from the installation groove or the like, or to apply a sealing material such as a liquid epoxy resin.

The present invention solves the problem of misreading information of a sample due to damage of the identification means by using an electronic tag instead of an identification means such as a label that is easily damaged to identify a sample tube for storing a medical sample or the like. I can solve it.

In addition, by reading the electronic tag with a tag reader to organize and manage the sample information, not only can you manage the exact sample information corresponding to the sample stored in the sample tube, but also eliminate the hassle of inputting the sample information into the computer. It can work.

In addition, by managing the sample information by the computer system by the electronic tag, it is possible to quickly and accurately confirm the sample history and provide to the researcher, significantly reducing the period and cost of medical / bio research.

Figure 1a is a cross-sectional view of an example of a sample tube according to the present invention,
1b is a perspective view of an example of a sample tube according to the present invention;
2 is a partial cross-sectional exploded perspective view of another example of a sample tube according to the present invention;
3A and 3B are partial cross-sectional exploded perspective views of different examples of a sample tube according to the present invention;
4 is an exploded perspective view of another example of a sample tube according to the present invention;
5 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a sample tube storage container in which a sample tube is stored according to the present invention;

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. However, the drawings and the embodiments are only illustrative of the contents and scope of the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited or changed. In addition, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the present invention based on these examples.

The sample tube 1 according to the present invention is intended to more easily and accurately manage the sample stored therein, the tube main body 11 and the tube main body 11 is formed with a receiving space for receiving the sample, Consists of a lid 12 is opened and closed, the tube body 11 is characterized in that the electronic tag 2 is stored the information of the sample is installed.

The tube body 11 is a cylinder having a receiving space for storing the sample, it is preferable to visually check the sample stored therein, and made of a material that can withstand at cryogenic temperatures (below -80 ℃) It is good to lose. In addition, the tube body 11 may have a horizontal cross section, such as circular or oval, polygonal, and the size thereof may also be varied depending on the sample to be stored. In the open end of the tube body 11, the lid 12 is provided to be opened and closed.

The tube main body 11 according to the present invention is provided with an electronic tag 2 as a means for storing various types of information about a sample to be stored. The information stored in the electronic tag 2 may be a unique identification code consisting of numbers or letters or a history related to a sample. That is, all information related to the sample, such as the type of sample, the time of collection, the place of collection, the retention period can be stored.

When the electronic tag 2 is installed on the lid 12, when the lid 12 is changed, the electronic tag 2 may have different information from the sample stored in the tube body 11, thereby causing an error in the sample information. Therefore, the electronic tag 2 is preferably installed in the tube body 11 as shown in Figs. 1A and 1B.

As shown in FIG. 5, typically, the sample tubes 1 are stored / stored in a state in which a plurality of sample tubes 1 are arranged adjacent to each other. The tube case 10 is a box in which a receiving space is formed in which a plurality of sample tubes are aligned and accommodated therein, and a through hole 101 is formed to expose the lower end of the sample tube stored at the bottom thereof to the outside. Made of this excellent material, the electronic tag is installed on one side can be recorded information such as the type of sample stored in the tube case.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the tube body 11 provided on the side wall of the electronic tag 2 is accommodated in the tube case 10, the electronic tags 2 provided on the adjacent sample tubes 1 face each other. It happens. In this case, the distance between the electronic tags 2 is so close that interference may occur in the process of reading the electronic tag 2 with a tag reader. Therefore, when storing the sample tube (1) inside the tube case 10, the electronic tag (1) installed in each sample tube (1) should be kept facing only one direction, but the direction of the sample tube (1) It is a hassle to store in the direction.

Therefore, even if the sample tube 1 is optionally placed in the tube case 10, it is preferable that the distance between the electronic tags 2 installed in the neighboring sample tube 1 is preferably configured to be maintained. In the sample tube according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 2 and 4, the electronic tag 2 is provided at the bottom center of the tube body 11. As shown in the drawing, the antenna 22 was installed under the IC chip 21 constituting the electronic tag 2, and the sample was installed by placing the electronic tag 2 at the bottom center of the tube body 11. When the tubes 1 are arranged at regular intervals, the distance between the electronic tags 2 is also maintained to prevent signal interference with neighboring electronic tags.

There may be various methods of mounting the electronic tag 2 to the tube body 11. Some preferred examples thereof will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1A shows an example in which the electronic tag 2 is integrally embedded in the center of the bottom of the tube body 11. This configuration is made by injecting the electronic tag 2 and the tube body integrally in the process of manufacturing the tube body 11 of the sample tube, the electronic tag 2 is not exposed to the outside can be improved waterproof. However, the electronic tag 2 installed in this way is not only separated from the tube body 11 but also may be damaged by the high temperature applied during the injection process of the tube body 11.

Figure 2 is mounted on the inside of the fixed cap (3) which is detachably installed on the lower end of the electronic tag (2). As such, the fixing cap 3 is detachably installed at the lower end of the tube body 11 so that the electronic tag 2 can be easily removed from the tube body 11 so that the electronic tag 2 can be easily replaced when the electronic tag 2 is damaged. There is an advantage to this.

3A and 3B show another electronic tag 2 installation structure. As shown, the tag mounting groove 11a is formed on the outer surface of the lower end of the tube body 11, and the electronic tag 2 is installed in the tag mounting groove 11a. In this case, in order to prevent the electronic tag 2 from being separated from the installation groove 11a, it is preferable to install the cover 4 as shown in FIG. 3A or to apply the sealant 5 as shown in FIG. 3B.

When the cover 4 is installed, the cover 4 is inserted into the installation groove 11a to be fused, and when the sealant 5 is applied, the sealant 5 can cover the electronic tag 2 sufficiently. Apply to the extent and cure. As the sealant 5, a resin having a property of curing when exposed to air, such as a liquid epoxy resin, may be used.

In the sample tube 1 according to the present invention as described above, RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) may be used as the electronic tag (2). Usually, the RFID is composed of an IC chip 21 on which various kinds of information are recorded, and an antenna 22 for transmitting and receiving information with the outside. That is, the information transmitted through the antenna can be read by a reading means (hereinafter, referred to as a "tag reader"), and the sample information stored in the electronic tag 2 itself or the sample information corresponding thereto is separately a computer equipment such as a computer. (Hereinafter referred to as " computer ").

For example, a medical sample management system can be constructed by utilizing the sample tube 1 according to the present invention. That is, a sample recognizer including a sample tube 1 according to the present invention, a tag reader for recognizing an electronic tag installed on the sample tube 1, and store and manage information of the electronic tag recognized by the sample recognizer. It is possible to build a system including a sample information management device.

At this time, the sample recognizer is a means for detecting the electronic tag installed in each sample tube and reading the sample information stored in the sample tube in which the electronic tag is installed. Preferred sample recognizer is composed of one or more tag readers installed inside the main body of the box-shaped opening is formed on one side. Of course, the sample recognizer may be connected to a separate computer to be managed computationally, or may have an additional display means independently.

In addition, the sample information management device constituting the medical sample management system is preferably provided with a database for storing the sample information, as well as a program for managing the sample. The sample management program inputs and outputs the information of the stored sample tube or tube case and the samples stored in them, manages the access of the sample, and manages information about the environment of the cryogenic tank in which the sample is stored.

The present invention can be applied not only to the medical field, but also to the aerospace, defense, agricultural and marine products frozen distribution, natural resource development. If the sample has a medical history, the sample can be used as a material for medical research to obtain a history and history of the human sample. In other words, the site of human sample, sickness, medication record, and various test results are very clinically important factors and must be grasped to have value as a research sample for customized treatment.

In addition, it can be expected to have a ripple effect to similar industries by combining it with a special environment called cryogenic temperature.

By removing human cryogenic samples from cryogenic devices (-80 ℃ or less) and recognizing them within seconds, it is easy to manage the samples. It can be applied to. Moreover, the period and cost of medical / bio research can be drastically reduced. New therapies and new drug development require long research periods with significant capital and cost. Especially in the clinical field, obtaining customized samples for many test materials and specific diseases is very important in terms of time and cost. Therefore, when the present invention is utilized nationwide, it will provide a breakthrough biography in obtaining samples required for research by sharing human sample information stored in medical institutions or research institutes, and thus will play a significant role in reducing the economics and duration of the research.

1: Sample tube
11: tube body 11a: tag mounting groove 12: lid
2: Electronic Tag
21: IC chip 22: antenna
3: fixing cap 4: cover 5: sealing material
10: tube case
101: through hole

Claims

There is a receiving space that is arranged to accommodate a plurality of sample tubes, the bottom surface of the sample tube is stored in the tube case is formed in the through-hole so that the lower end of the stored sample tube to the outside,
It consists of a tube body installed at the bottom of the receiving space therein and a sample space therein, an electronic tag storing information about the sample contained therein, and a lid installed to open and close the tube body,
Sample tube, characterized in that the bottom surface is exposed to the outside through the through hole when accommodated in the tube case.

The method of claim 1,
The electronic tag is a sample tube, characterized in that installed in the lower center of the tube body.

The method of claim 1,
The electronic tag is a sample tube, characterized in that embedded in the bottom of the tube body.

The method of claim 1,
The electronic tag is a sample tube, characterized in that installed in the removable cap on the lower end of the tube body.

The method of claim 1,
The electronic tag is inserted into the tag installation groove formed on the outer surface of the lower end of the tube body sample tube, characterized in that the cover is fused or filled with a sealing material.

The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An antenna constituting the electronic tag is formed toward the bottom of the IC chip.