JP2022072365A - Conversion connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To connect a male connector and a female connector which include different lock mechanisms.SOLUTION: A conversion connector 1 includes a first female connector 10 at one end and a first male connector 20 at the other end. The first female connector 10 includes: a first female member 11 to which a second male member 801 of a second male connector 800 is inserted; and an engagement projection 16 to be engaged with an engagement pawl 816 of a second male connector 800. The first male connector 20 includes: a first male member 21 to be inserted to a second female member 901 of a second female connector 900; and a female screw 24 to be screwed onto a male screw 904 arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the second female member 901. The first female member 11 and the first male member 21 communicate with each other via a flow passage 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

The present invention relates to a conversion connector that allows a male connector and a female connector with different locking mechanisms to be connected.

Enteral nutrition is known as a method of administering a nutritional supplement, a liquid diet (generally referred to as "enteral nutritional supplement"), or a liquid substance containing a drug or the like to a patient who cannot take a meal by mouth. In enteral nutrition, a flexible tube (catheter) is inserted into the gastrointestinal tract (for example, stomach) from outside the body and placed in the patient. As the tube, a nasal tube inserted through the nose of a patient, a fistula tube inserted into the stomach through a hole (fistula) formed in the abdomen of the patient, and the like are known. The liquid is stored in a container. A connector consisting of a male connector and a female connector is used to form a series of flow paths through which the liquid material flows from the container to the tube placed in the patient.

In order to maintain the connection between the male connector and the female connector and prevent them from being unintentionally separated, the connector is often provided with a locking mechanism. For example, when pumping a highly viscous enteral nutritional supplement, the locking mechanism counteracts the pressure exerted on the enteral nutritional supplement. As the lock mechanism, a claw lock mechanism and a screw lock mechanism are known.

Patent Document 1 describes a connector having a claw lock mechanism. The connector consists of a male connector (referred to as "first connector" in Patent Document 1) attached to the port of a container in which a liquid material is stored, and a tube (for example, an extension tube connected to a fistula tube). It consists of a female connector attached to the upstream end (referred to as a "second connector" in Patent Document 1). The male connector has a cylindrical pedestal, and the engaging claws project outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the pedestal. The female connector includes an engaging protrusion (referred to as an "inwardly convex portion" in Patent Document 1) that can be engaged with the engaging claw. The engaging claws of the male connector and the engaging protrusions of the female connector form a claw lock mechanism.

Patent Document 2 (particularly, see FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6 of Patent Document 2) describes a connector having a screw lock mechanism. The connector consists of a male connector provided at the upstream end of a nasal tube (referred to as a "nasal catheter" in Patent Document 1) and a female connector provided at the tip of a syringe (injector). .. The male connector includes a male member (referred to as "male luer" in Patent Document 2) and an outer cylinder surrounding the male member. A female screw is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder. The female connector includes a cylindrical female member (referred to as an "insertion portion" in Patent Document 2). On the outer peripheral surface of the female member, a male screw that can be screwed with the female screw of the male connector is provided. The female screw and the male screw form a screw lock mechanism.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-180048 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-158656

The connector of Patent Document 1 and the connector of Patent Document 2 have different locking mechanisms. Therefore, it is not possible to connect the female connector provided with the screw lock mechanism of Patent Document 2 provided at the tip of the syringe to the male connector provided with the claw lock mechanism of Patent Document 1 attached to the port of the container. However, in the medical field, it may be desired to connect a male connector and a female connector having such different locking mechanisms to each other.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to connect a male connector and a female connector having different locking mechanisms.

The conversion connector of the present invention includes a first female connector that can be connected to the second female connector at one end and a first male connector that can be connected to the second female connector at the other end. The first female connector includes a first female member into which a second male member of the second male connector is inserted, and an engaging protrusion that engages with an engaging claw of the second male connector. The first male connector includes a first male member inserted into the second female member of the second female connector, and a female screw screwed into a male screw provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second female member. .. The first female member and the first male member communicate with each other via a flow path.

According to the present invention, a second male connector provided with a claw lock mechanism and a second female connector provided with a screw lock mechanism can be connected via the conversion connector of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the first female connector side. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the first male connector side. FIG. 1C is a plan view of the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional perspective view of the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1E is a cross-sectional view of the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a method of using the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the second male connector. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the second male connector. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the second female connector. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the second female connector. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second male connector and the second female connector are connected via the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the second male connector and the second female connector are connected via the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the conversion connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the first female connector side. FIG. 7B is a plan view of the conversion connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional perspective view of the conversion connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a state in which the second male connector and the second female connector are connected via the conversion connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In one aspect of the conversion connector of the present invention, the inner peripheral surface of the first female member has the first female member and the second male member when the second male connector is connected to the first female connector. It may be configured to form a liquidtight seal between the two. Such an embodiment is advantageous for preventing the liquid substance from leaking to the outside world from between the first female member and the second male member.

In one aspect of the conversion connector of the present invention, the outer peripheral surface of the first male member may be provided with a tapered surface whose outer diameter decreases toward the tip of the first male member. According to such an embodiment, the second female member can be tapered and fitted to the first male member. This is advantageous in forming a liquidtight seal between the first male member and the second female member with a simple configuration.

The entire conversion connector may be integrally formed as one component. According to such an embodiment, it is possible to easily and inexpensively provide a conversion connector having a small size, high strength, and a simple structure.

The opening on the first female member side of the flow path may have a shape corresponding to the opening shape at the tip of the second male member. According to such an embodiment, a sudden change in the flow resistance of the liquid material between the opening of the second male member and the flow path of the conversion connector is reduced. This reduces the retention that occurs in the flow of the liquid and improves the liquid permeability.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to suitable embodiments. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. For convenience of explanation, each figure referred to in the following description is a simplified representation of the main members constituting the embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention may include any member not shown in each of the following figures. Further, within the scope of the present invention, each member shown in each of the following figures may be changed or omitted. The same or corresponding members are designated by the same reference numerals in different drawings. The description of such members is omitted in the subsequent embodiments, and the description of the preceding embodiments should be taken into consideration as appropriate.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the conversion connector 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the female connector 10 side. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the conversion connector 1 as viewed from the male connector 20 side. FIG. 1C is a plan view of the conversion connector 1. FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional perspective view of the conversion connector 1. FIG. 1E is a cross-sectional view of the conversion connector 1. The cross section of FIG. 1D is along the plane containing the line 1D-1D of FIG. 1C, and the cross section of FIG. 1E is along the plane containing the line 1E-1E of FIG. 1C. The cross section of FIG. 1D and the cross section of FIG. 1E are orthogonal to each other along the axis 1a (see FIG. 1E) of the conversion connector 1. For the convenience of the following explanation, the direction orthogonal to the axis 1a is referred to as "radial direction". In the radial direction, the side closer to the axis 1a is referred to as "inside", and the side away from the axis 1a is referred to as "outside". The direction of rotation around the axis 1a is called the "circumferential direction".

The conversion connector 1 includes a female connector 10 and a male connector 20 arranged coaxially, and a base 30 between the female connector 10 and the male connector.

The female connector (first female connector) 10 includes a female member (first female member) 11. The first female member 11 is a concave portion having a circular plan view shape concentric with the shaft 1a. The inner peripheral surface 12 of the first female member 11 includes a tapered surface (female tapered surface) whose inner diameter slightly increases toward the tip end 11a of the first female member 11. The flat surface 13 surrounds the first female member 11. The flat surface 13 extends along a plane perpendicular to the axis 1a. An annular groove 14 continuous in the circumferential direction is provided on the flat surface 13. The plan-view shape of the annular groove 14 (the shape seen along the shaft 1a) is a circle concentric with the shaft 1a. The annular groove 14 surrounds the first female member 11. The tip 11a of the first female member 11 is along a plane along which the flat surface 13 is aligned. In the present invention, the annular groove 14 can be omitted. In this case, the flat surface 13 extends outward in the radial direction from the open end (tip 11a) of the first female member 11.

The first female connector 10 further comprises a pair of engaging walls 15. The engaging wall 15 is arranged radially outside the flat surface 13 and extends from the flat surface 13 toward the tip end side (opposite side of the male connector 20) of the first female connector 10. The engaging wall 15 is along a cylindrical surface coaxial with the shaft 1a. The engaging protrusion 16 projects inward in the radial direction from the tip of the engaging wall 15. The engaging projection 16 extends substantially along the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 1E, the left end of the engaging projection 16 is open when viewed from the shaft 1a. The right end of the engaging projection 16 descends toward the flat surface 13 to form a stop end 18. The surface (lower surface) 16a of the engaging projection 16 facing the flat surface 13 includes three inclined surfaces having different inclinations. The pair of engaging walls 15 including the engaging projections 16 are symmetrical with respect to the axis 1a. The pair of engaging protrusions 16 constitutes a claw lock mechanism (see Patent Document 1).

The male connector (first male connector) 20 has a male member (first male member) 21 having a hollow cylindrical shape, and an outer cylinder 23 surrounding the first male member 21. The outer peripheral surface 22 of the first male member 21 includes a tapered surface (so-called male tapered surface) whose outer diameter decreases toward the tip of the first male member 21. The outer cylinder 23 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is arranged coaxially with the first male member 21 and radially separated from the first male member 21. A female screw 24 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 23 facing the first male member 21. The female screw 24 constitutes a screw lock mechanism (see Patent Document 2).

The flow path 31 penetrates the base 30 along the shaft 1a. The flow path 31 communicates the first female member 11 and the first male member 21. The cross-sectional shape of the flow path 31 along the plane perpendicular to the axis 1a is circular. The inner diameter of the flow path 31 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first female member 11. The opening diameter of the flow path 31 on the first female member 11 side is larger than the opening diameter of the flow path 31 at the tip of the first male member 21. The inner diameter (or cross-sectional area) of the flow path 31 changes in the axis 1a direction.

The outer surface of the base 30 includes a pair of gripping surfaces 33. Each gripping surface 33 is a substantially flat surface parallel to the shaft 1a. The pair of gripping surfaces 33 are arranged parallel to each other with the shaft 1a interposed therebetween. The pair of gripping surfaces 33 facilitates the operator to apply a rotational force around the shaft 1a to the conversion connector 1.

The material of the conversion connector 1 is not limited, but is preferably a hard material, for example, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyacetal, polyamide, hard polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, styrene ethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, butylene styrene. A resin material such as a block copolymer can be used. Considering that it is used for medical purposes and its durability, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene are preferable. It is preferable that the conversion connector 1 is integrally manufactured as a whole by injection molding a resin material.

How to use the conversion connector 1 will be described.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating how to use the conversion connector 1. The conversion connector 1 can be used to connect the second male connector 800 and the second female connector 900.

The second male connector 800 is attached to a port (not shown) of the container 890 that stores the liquid material. The container 890 is a laminated pack (also referred to as a pouch) formed by laminating a plurality of flexible sheets in a bag shape. In the container 890, a liquid substance (for example, an enteral nutritional supplement) to be administered to the patient in enteral nutrition is stored.

3A is a perspective view of the second male connector 800, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view of the second male connector 800. The second male connector 800 includes a pedestal 810 provided on the cap portion 830 and a second male member 801 provided on the pedestal 810. The cap portion 830, the pedestal 810, and the second male member 801 are arranged coaxially.

The cap portion 830 includes a cylindrical portion 831 having a hollow cylindrical shape. A female screw 832 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 831. The bottom plate 833 closes the opening on the distal end side of the cylindrical portion 831. The bottom plate 833 is a flat plate perpendicular to the axis of the cap portion 830.

The pedestal 810 projects from the bottom plate 833. The pedestal 810 has a hollow cylindrical shape having a smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion 831. The top plate 813 closes the opening on the distal end side of the pedestal 810. The top plate 813 is a flat plate perpendicular to the axis of the pedestal 810. A pair of engaging claws 816 project outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral edge of the tip of the pedestal 810. The engaging claw 816 extends along the circumferential direction (direction of rotation about the axis of the pedestal 810). The engaging claw 816 is axially separated from the bottom plate 833. The surface 816a of the engaging claw 816 facing the bottom plate 833 is configured by combining three inclined surfaces having different inclinations. The surface of the engaging claw 816 opposite to the bottom plate 833 constitutes a plane common to the top plate 813. The pair of engaging claws 816 are symmetrical with respect to the axis of the pedestal 810. The pair of engaging claws 816 constitutes a claw locking mechanism (see Patent Document 1).

The second male member 801 projects from the top plate 813 of the pedestal 810. The second male member 801 has a hollow cylindrical shape having a diameter smaller than that of the pedestal 810. A shielding plate 804 having an opening 805 is provided at the tip of the second male member 801. The opening 805 has a substantially cross shape composed of a circle 805a concentric with the second male member 801 and four notches (slits) 805b extending radially outward from the circle 805a. The shielding plate 804 partially closes the opening at the tip of the second male member 801. The shielding plate 804 in which the opening 805 is formed is provided to prevent an puncture needle having a sharp tip from being accidentally inserted into the second male member 801. The second male member 801 has an outer peripheral surface 802 which is a substantially cylindrical surface as a whole. More specifically, the outer peripheral surface 802 includes a large diameter portion 803 having a maximum outer diameter at a position substantially intermediate in the axial direction of the second male member 801. The outer peripheral surface 802 has tapered surfaces on each of the tip end side and the base end side (pedestal 810 side) of the second male member 801 with respect to the large diameter portion 803, whose outer diameter decreases as the distance from the large diameter portion 803 increases. It is provided.

The cap portion 830, the pedestal 810, and the second male member 801 communicate with each other. The female screw 832 of the cap portion 830 is screwed into a male screw (not shown) provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical port of the container 890. The liquid material in the container 890 flows out through the opening 805 of the second male member 801.

The material of the second male connector 800 is not limited, but can be selected from the resin materials of the conversion connector 1 described above. It is preferable that the second male connector 800 is integrally manufactured as a single component by injection molding a resin material.

Returning to FIG. 2, the second female connector 900 is provided at the tip of the outer cylinder 912 of the syringe (injector) 910. A plunger 916 is removably inserted into an opening (not shown) at the end opposite to the second female connector 900 of the outer cylinder 912. Prior to connecting the second female connector 900 to the second male connector 800 via the conversion connector 1, the syringe 910 is empty.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the second female connector 900. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the second female connector 900.

The second female connector 900 includes a second female member 901. The second female member 901 has a hollow cylindrical shape communicating with the lumen of the outer cylinder 912. The inner peripheral surface 902 of the second female member 901 includes a tapered surface (female tapered surface) whose inner diameter increases toward the tip of the second female member 901. A male screw 904 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second female member 901. The male screw 904 constitutes a screw lock mechanism (see Patent Document 2). The outer cylinder 912 including the second female connector 900 is made of a hard material (resin, glass, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 2, the conversion connector 1 is arranged between the second male connector 800 and the second female connector 900 and can be used to connect them. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second male connector 800 and the second female connector 900 are connected via the conversion connector 1. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG. In FIG. 6, the container 890 is not shown in order to simplify the drawing. The first female connector 10 of the conversion connector 1 is connected to the second male connector 800, and the first male connector 20 of the conversion connector 1 is connected to the second female connector 900.

The connection between the conversion connector 1 and the second male connector 800 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the first female connector 10 of the conversion connector 1 and the second male connector 800 are coaxially opposed to each other. The direction connecting the pair of engaging protrusions 16 (see FIG. 1A) of the first female connector 10 and the direction connecting the pair of engaging claws 816 (see FIG. 3A) of the second male connector 800 are made substantially orthogonal to each other. In this state, the conversion connector 1 is brought closer to the second male connector 800. The pedestal 810 of the second male connector 800 is inserted between the pair of engaging walls 15 of the first female connector 10. The conversion connector 1 and the second male connector 800 are rotated in opposite directions to each other. With respect to the second male connector 800 until one end of the engaging claw 816 (see FIG. 3A) of the second male connector 800 abuts on the stop end 18 (see FIGS. 1A, 1D, 1E) of the first female connector 10. And rotate the conversion connector 1. Thus, the conversion connector 1 and the second male connector 800 are connected (see FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 6, the second male member 801 of the second male connector 800 is inserted into the first female member 11 of the first female connector 10. The large diameter portion 803 (see FIG. 3A) of the second male member 801 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface (female tapered surface) 12 (see FIGS. 1A, 1D, 1E) of the first female member 11 and is sandwiched between the two. A liquidtight seal is formed. The flat surface 13 of the first female connector 10 and the tip end 11a (see FIGS. 1A, 1D, 1E) of the first female member 11 abut against the top plate 813 (see FIG. 3A) of the pedestal 810 of the second male connector 800. ing. The engaging claw 816 of the second male connector 800 is axially engaged with the engaging projection 16 of the first female connector 10. The three inclined surfaces (see FIG. 1E) provided on the surface 16a of the engaging protrusion 16 are fitted with the three inclined surfaces (see FIG. 3A) provided on the surface 816a of the engaging claw 816. This is advantageous for maintaining the engaged state (locked state) between the engaging claw 816 and the engaging protrusion 16.

The connection between the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the first male connector 20 of the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are coaxially opposed to each other. In this state, the conversion connector 1 is brought close to the second female connector 900. The first male member 21 (see FIG. 1B) of the first male connector 20 is inserted into the second female member 901 (see FIG. 4A) of the second female connector 900. The second female member 901 is inserted into the gap (see FIG. 1B) between the first male member 21 of the first male connector 20 and the outer cylinder 23. The conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are rotated in opposite directions to each other. The male screw 904 (see FIG. 4A) of the second female connector 900 is screwed into the female screw 24 (see FIG. 1B) of the first male connector 20. Thus, the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are connected (see FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral surface (male tapered surface) 22 (see FIGS. 1B and 1E) of the first male member 21 is the inner peripheral surface (female tapered surface) 902 of the second female member 901 (FIG. 4A). , See FIG. 4B). The diameter and the taper angle of the male tapered surface 22 and the female tapered surface 902 are the same. Therefore, the male tapered surface 22 is tapered and fitted to the female tapered surface 902, and a liquidtight seal is formed between the two. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the male screw 904 (see FIG. 4A) of the second female connector 900 is screwed into the female screw 24 (see FIGS. 1B, 1D, 1E) of the first male connector 20. There is.

Thus, the second male connector 800, the conversion connector 1, and the second female connector 900 are coaxially connected in order (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The second male connector 800 (second male member 801) and the second female connector 900 (second female member 901) are communicated with each other via the flow path 31 of the conversion connector 1.

The conversion connector 1 can be separated from the second male connector 800 by performing an operation opposite to the above connection operation. That is, the conversion connector 1 is rotated with respect to the second male connector 800 in the direction opposite to the above to disengage the engaging projection 16 with the engaging claw 816. After that, the conversion connector 1 and the second male connector 800 are pulled in opposite directions to each other.

Separation of the conversion connector 1 from the second female connector 900 is also possible by performing an operation opposite to the above connection operation. That is, the conversion connector 1 is rotated with respect to the second female connector 900 in the direction opposite to the above, and the male screw 904 is unscrewed with respect to the female screw 24. After that, the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are pulled in opposite directions to each other.

The first female connector 10 of the conversion connector 1 can be repeatedly connected to and separated from the second male connector 800. Further, the first male connector 20 of the conversion connector 1 can be repeatedly connected to and separated from the second female connector 900.

As described above, the conversion connector 1 is provided with a first female connector 10 that can be repeatedly connected to and separated from the second male connector 800 at one end, and is repeatedly connected to and separated from the second female connector 900 at the other end. It is provided with a first male connector 20 capable of

The first female connector 10 includes a first female member 11 into which the second male member 801 of the second male connector 800 is inserted. The first female connector 10 further includes an engaging protrusion 16 that can be engaged with the engaging claw 816 of the second male connector 800. The first female connector 10 provided with the first female member 11 and the engaging protrusion 16 is compatible with a female connector (not shown) with a claw lock mechanism that can be connected to and separated from the second male connector 800. have. Therefore, the first female connector 10 and the second male connector 800 can be connected with a connection strength equivalent to that of a connector provided with a claw lock mechanism (Patent Document 1). This is advantageous in preventing the conversion connector 1 from unintentionally separating from the second male connector 800.

The first male connector 20 includes a first male member 21 that is inserted into the second female member 901 of the second female connector 900. The first male connector 20 includes a female screw 24 that can be screwed into the male screw 904 of the second female connector 900. The first male connector 20 provided with the first male member 21 and the female screw 24 is compatible with a male connector (not shown) with a screw lock mechanism that can be connected to the second female connector 900. Therefore, the first male connector 20 and the second female connector 900 can be connected with a connection strength equivalent to that of a connector provided with a screw lock mechanism (Patent Document 2). This is advantageous in preventing the conversion connector 1 from unintentionally separating from the second female connector 900.

The first female member 11 and the first male member 21 communicate with each other via a flow path 31. Therefore, the second male connector 800 and the second female connector 900 can be connected and communicated with each other via the conversion connector 1.

In enteral nutrition, a liquid substance (for example, an enteral nutritional supplement) to be administered to a patient may be provided, for example, in a state of being stored in a container 890 (FIG. 2). However, the second male connector 800 provided in the container 890 cannot be connected to the male connector provided at the upstream end of the nasal tube (see FIGS. 5A and 5B of Patent Document 2). In addition, it may be necessary to accurately weigh only a portion of the liquid in the container 890 and administer it to the patient. In such cases, a syringe may be used. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, an empty syringe 910 is connected to the container 890 via the conversion connector 1. Then, a part of the liquid material in the container 890 is moved to the syringe 910. The syringe 910 is then connected to a male connector provided on the nasal tube to administer the liquid in the syringe 910 to the patient. In the state of FIG. 5, in order to move the liquid material from the container 890 to the syringe 910, the container 890 is compressed or the plunger 916 is pulled out from the outer cylinder 912. At this time, positive pressure or negative pressure acts on the liquid material. Even in such a case, both the connection between the second male connector 800 and the conversion connector 1 and the connection between the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are reliably maintained.

As described above, in the conversion connector 1 of the first embodiment, the second male connector 800 provided with the claw lock mechanism and the second female connector 900 provided with the screw lock mechanism are used while the respective locking mechanisms are effectively functioning. Allows you to connect.

There is no limitation on whether the connection between the conversion connector 1 and the second male connector 800 or the connection between the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 is performed first. When the conversion connector 1 is connected to the second male connector 800 first, the conversion connector 1 functions as an adapter that converts the male connector 800 with the claw lock mechanism into the male connector 20 with the screw lock mechanism. Further, when the conversion connector 1 is connected to the second female connector 900 first, the conversion connector 1 functions as an adapter for converting the female connector 900 with the screw lock mechanism to the female connector 10 with the claw lock mechanism. In this way, the conversion connector 1 makes it possible to connect the male connector 800 and the female connector 900 having different locking mechanisms, which cannot be normally connected to each other.

When the conversion connector 1 is connected to the second male connector 800, the inner peripheral surface 12 of the first female member 11 (see FIGS. 1A, 1D, 1E) and the outer peripheral surface 802 of the second male member 801 (particularly the large diameter portion). 803, see FIG. 3A) to form a liquidtight seal. The liquidtight seal prevents the liquid material from leaking to the outside world through between the first female member 11 and the second male member 801. Since the inner peripheral surface 12 of the first female member 11 includes a female tapered surface, a liquid-tight seal can be formed with a simple configuration. However, in the present invention, the inner peripheral surface 12 of the first female member 11 does not need to have a female tapered surface, for example, even if the inner peripheral surface 12 is a cylindrical surface whose inner diameter is constant in the axis 1a direction. good. Even in this case, it is possible to form a liquid-tight seal between the inner peripheral surface 12 and the large-diameter portion 803 of the outer peripheral surface 802. Alternatively, the outer peripheral surface 802 of the second male member 801 may be provided with a male tapered surface, and the male tapered surface may be tapered and fitted with the female tapered surface 12 of the first female member 11 to form a liquidt seal.

A male tapered surface is provided on the outer peripheral surface 22 (see FIGS. 1B and 1E) of the first male member 21 of the first male connector 20 of the conversion connector 1. Therefore, with a simple configuration, a liquidtight seal can be formed between the outer peripheral surface 22 of the first male member 21 and the inner peripheral surface 902 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B) of the second female member 901. .. The liquidtight seal prevents the liquid material from leaking to the outside world through between the first male member 21 and the second female member 901.

In the first embodiment, in the claw lock mechanism, when the second male connector 800 is rotated clockwise with respect to the conversion connector 1 when viewed from the second male connector 800 side, the engaging claw 816 has the engaging projection 16. It is configured to engage with. The screw lock mechanism is configured such that the female screw 24 is screwed into the male screw 904 when the conversion connector 1 is rotated clockwise with respect to the second female connector 900 when viewed from the conversion connector 1 side. That is, the rotation directions for locking and unlocking are the same for the claw lock mechanism and the screw lock mechanism. Therefore, for example, the second male connector 800 and the second female connector 900 (or the outer cylinder 912) are picked up by different hands, and the second male connector 800 is the second female connector when viewed from the second male connector 800 side. By rotating the 900 in the clockwise direction, both the claw lock mechanism and the screw lock mechanism can be simultaneously transferred to the locked state.

In the first embodiment, the stepped surface 31a is provided in the flow path 31, so that the inner diameter of the flow path 31 is such that the portion on the first female member 11 side with respect to the stepped surface 31a is the first male member. It is larger than the part on the 21 side. The step surface 31a is a plane perpendicular to the axis 1a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of the stepped surface 31a, the flow path 31 may be provided with a tapered surface in which the inner diameter of the flow path 31 smoothly changes from the first female member 11 side to the first male member 21 side. Further, the inner diameter of the flow path 31 may be substantially constant in the axis 1a direction.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the conversion connector 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a plan view of the conversion connector 2. FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional perspective view of the conversion connector 2 along the plane including the line 7C-7C of FIG. 7B. The conversion connector 2 of the second embodiment is different from the conversion connector 1 of the first embodiment in terms of the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 231. That is, as shown in FIG. 7B, the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 231 is composed of a circle 232a concentric with the axis of the conversion connector 2 and four notches 232b extending radially outward from the circle 232a. It has a substantially cross-shaped shape. The flow path 231 corresponds to the flow path 31 of the first embodiment provided with four notches 232b (four grooves 232b extending along the shaft 1a). The notch 232b extends from the opening of the flow path 231 on the first female member 11 side to the stepped surface 31a.

The opening on the side of the first female member 11 of the flow path 231 has a shape (substantially cross-shaped) corresponding to the shape (substantially cross-shaped) of the opening 805 of the second male member 801 of the second male connector 800. As shown in FIG. 8, when the conversion connector 2 is connected to the second male connector 800 (that is, when the engaging claw 816 is engaged with the engaging protrusion 16), the four cuts of the flow path 231 are cut. The notch 232b coincides with the four notches 805b (see FIG. 3A) of the opening 805 in the circumferential direction. Further, the difference between the area of the opening 805 and the opening area of the flow path 231 on the first female member 11 side is smaller than that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a sudden change in the flow resistance of the liquid material between the opening 805 of the second male member 801 and the flow path 231 is reduced. This reduces the retention that occurs in the flow of the liquid and improves the liquid permeability.

In the second embodiment, a tapered surface in which the inner diameter of the flow path 231 (inner diameter at a portion other than the notch 232b) smoothly changes from the first female member 11 side to the first male member 21 side instead of the stepped surface 31a. May be provided in the flow path 231.

In the second embodiment, the notch 232b is provided only in the portion of the flow path 231 on the first female member 11 side of the stepped surface 31a, which has a relatively large inner diameter. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the step surface 31a is omitted, and the opening at the end on the side of the first female member 11 of the flow path 231 has a shape (substantially cross-shaped) corresponding to the shape of the opening 805 of the second male member 801. The opening at the tip of the first male member 21 of the above has a circular shape, and the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 231 may change smoothly between the openings at both ends thereof. This is advantageous for improving the liquid permeability in the flow path 231.

The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the above. The description of the first embodiment is appropriately applied to the second embodiment.

The above embodiments 1 and 2 are merely examples. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments 1 and 2, and can be appropriately modified.

The first female member and the first male member may be brought close to each other in the axial direction of the conversion connector to shorten or substantially eliminate the flow path between the first female member and the first male member. Shortening the flow path is advantageous for improving the liquid permeability between the first female member and the first male member.

The conversion connectors 1 and 2 of the above-described first and second embodiments are integrally formed as one component as a whole, but the conversion connector of the present invention is configured by combining a plurality of separately manufactured components. You may. For example, the first female connector 10 and the first male connector 20 may be manufactured separately as separate parts, and these may be connected by a flexible hollow tube. In this case, the tube constitutes a flow path that allows the first female member 11 and the first male member 21 to communicate with each other.

The container to which the second male connector 800 is mounted is not limited to the laminated pack 890, and may be, for example, a container made of a hard material that does not substantially deform. Further, the second male connector 800 may be attached to a member other than the container, for example, a syringe, a liquid feed pump for delivering a liquid material, a flexible tube, or the like. The configuration of the cap portion 830 may be appropriately changed depending on the member to which the second male connector 800 is mounted.

The second female connector 900 may be provided on a member other than the syringe (for example, a flexible tube).

The conversion connector of the present invention can be used in enteral nutrition to form a flow path for transferring a liquid substance to be administered to a patient. Further, in any field other than enteral nutrition, the conversion connector of the present invention can be utilized to form a channel.

The field of application of the present invention is not limited, and is widely used when connecting a second male connector provided with a claw lock mechanism and a second female connector provided with a screw lock mechanism, which cannot be connected originally. Can be done. In particular, the present invention can be preferably used in the medical field, especially in enteral nutrition.

1, 2 Conversion connector 10 1st female connector 11 1st female member 12 Inner peripheral surface of 1st female member 16 Engagement protrusion 20 1st male connector 21 1st male member 22 Outer peripheral surface of 1st male member 24 Female screw 31 , 231 Flow path 800 2nd male connector 801 2nd male member 816 Engagement claw 900 2nd female connector 901 2nd female member 904 Male screw

Claims (5)

A conversion connector having a first female connector that can be connected to a second male connector at one end and a first male connector that can be connected to a second female connector at the other end.
The first female connector includes a first female member into which a second male member of the second male connector is inserted, and an engaging protrusion that engages with an engaging claw of the second male connector.
The first male connector includes a first male member inserted into the second female member of the second female connector, and a female screw screwed into a male screw provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second female member. ,
A conversion connector characterized in that the first female member and the first male member communicate with each other via a flow path. The inner peripheral surface of the first female member is such that a liquidtight seal is formed between the first female member and the second male member when the second male connector is connected to the first female connector. The conversion connector according to claim 1, which is configured in 1. The conversion connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the first male member is provided with a tapered surface whose outer diameter becomes smaller toward the tip of the first male member. The conversion connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the entire conversion connector is integrally formed as one component. The conversion connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the opening on the first female member side of the flow path has a shape corresponding to the opening shape at the tip of the second male member.

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