JP2022073931A - Conversion connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To connect two female connectors which include different lock mechanisms.SOLUTION: A conversion connector 1 includes a first male connector 10 at one end and a second male connector 20 at the other end. The first male connector 10 includes: a first male member 11 to be inserted to a first female member 801 of a first female connector 800; and a female screw 14 to be screwed onto a male screw 804 arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the first female member 801. The second male connector 20 includes: a second male member 21 to be inserted to a second female member 901 of a second female connector 900; and an engagement pawl 26 to be engaged with an engagement projection 906 of the second female connector 900. The first male member 11 and the second 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 two female connectors 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 screw lock mechanism and a claw lock mechanism are known.

Patent Document 1 (particularly, see FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6 of Patent Document 1) 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 1) 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 1). 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.

Patent Document 2 describes a connector having a claw lock mechanism. The connector consists of a male connector (referred to as "first connector" in Patent Document 2) 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 2). 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 2) 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.

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

The connector of Patent Document 1 and the connector of Patent Document 2 have different locking mechanisms. Therefore, the female connector provided with the screw lock mechanism of Patent Document 1 provided in the syringe is provided with the female connector provided with the claw lock mechanism of Patent Document 2 provided at the upstream end of the tube (for example, an extension tube connected to the fistula tube). It cannot be connected to a connector. However, in enteral nutrition, for example, a syringe injection method using a syringe as an injector for pumping a liquid substance may be performed. In such cases, it is desirable to connect two female connectors with different locking mechanisms to each other.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to connect two female connectors with different locking mechanisms.

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

According to the present invention, the first female connector provided with the screw lock mechanism and the second female connector provided with the claw 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 male 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 second male connector side. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional perspective 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 first female connector. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the first female connector. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the second female connector. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the second female connector. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional perspective view of the second female connector. FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view of the second female connector. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the first female 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 first female connector and the second female connector are connected via the conversion connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 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 view showing a state in which the first female connector and the second female connector are connected via the conversion connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the conversion connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9B is a bottom view of the conversion connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of another conversion connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

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 first 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 first female member with a simple configuration.

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

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 diameter of the flow path at the tip of the second male member may be larger than the opening diameter of the flow path at the tip of the first male member. The cross-sectional area of the flow path may change smoothly between the first male member and the second male member. According to such an embodiment, the retention of liquid matter in the flow path of the conversion connector is reduced, and the liquid permeability is improved.

In one aspect of the conversion connector of the present invention described above, a protrusion may be provided on the inner peripheral surface of the flow path. Such an embodiment is advantageous in preventing erroneous puncture in which the puncture needle, which should not be inserted originally, is accidentally and deeply inserted into the flow path from the second male member.

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.

In the present invention, the "axis" of a member (eg, conversion connector, male connector, female connector, male member, female member) means the central axis of the member. The "axis" passes through the center of the circle contained in the member and / or coincides with the central axis of the cylinder or cone (taper) contained in the member. Some of the drawings cited in the description below omit the illustration of axes for the sake of simplicity.

(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 first male connector 10 side. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the conversion connector 1 as viewed from the second male connector 20 side. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional perspective view of the conversion connector 1. In FIG. 1C, the alternate long and short dash line 1a is the axis 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 first male connector 10 and a second male connector 20 arranged coaxially.

The first male connector 10 has a first male member 11 having a hollow cylindrical shape, and an outer cylinder 13 surrounding the first male member 11. The outer peripheral surface 12 of the first male member 11 includes a tapered surface (so-called male tapered surface) whose outer diameter decreases toward the tip of the first male member 11. The outer cylinder 13 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is arranged coaxially with the first male member 11 and radially separated from the first male member 11. A female screw 14 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 13 facing the first male member 11. The female screw 14 constitutes a screw lock mechanism (see Patent Document 1).

The second male connector 20 includes a pedestal 25 and a second male member 21 provided on the pedestal 25.

The pedestal 25 includes a circular bottom surface 27 and an outer peripheral wall 28 extending from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface 27 toward the first male connector 10. The bottom surface 27 is a flat surface perpendicular to the axis 1a. The outer peripheral wall 28 has a cylindrical shape having a diameter larger than that of the outer cylinder 13. A pair of engaging claws 26 project outward from the outer peripheral wall 28 in the radial direction. The engaging claw 26 extends along the circumferential direction. The surface 26a on the first male connector 10 side of the engaging claw 26 is configured by combining three inclined surfaces having different inclinations. The surface of the engaging claw 26 opposite to the surface 26a constitutes a plane common to the bottom surface 27. The pair of engaging claws 26 are symmetrical with respect to the axis 1a. The pair of engaging claws 26 constitutes a claw locking mechanism (see Patent Document 2).

The second male member 21 projects from the bottom surface 27 of the pedestal 25. The second male member 21 has a hollow cylindrical shape having a diameter smaller than that of the pedestal 25. The second male member 21 has an outer peripheral surface 22 which is a substantially cylindrical surface as a whole. More specifically, the outer peripheral surface 22 is provided with a large diameter portion 23 having the maximum outer diameter at a position substantially intermediate in the axial direction of the second male member 21. The outer peripheral surface 22 has tapered surfaces on each of the tip end side and the base end side (pedestal 25 side) of the second male member 21 with respect to the large diameter portion 23, whose outer diameter decreases as the distance from the large diameter portion 23 increases. It is provided.

The flow path 31 penetrates the conversion connector 1 along the shaft 1a. The flow path 31 penetrates the first male member 11 and opens at the tip of the first male member 11. Further, the flow path 31 penetrates the second male member 21 and opens at the tip of the second male member 21. The flow path 31 communicates the first male member 11 and the second male member 21. The cross-sectional shape of the flow path 31 along the plane perpendicular to the axis 1a is circular. The outer diameter of the second male member 21 is larger than the outer diameter of the first male member 11. Correspondingly, the inner diameter of the flow path 31 in the second male member 21 is larger than the inner diameter of the flow path 31 in the first male member 11. At the portion 31a between the first male member 11 and the second male member 21, the inner diameter (or cross-sectional area) of the flow path 31 is larger on the second male member 21 side than on the first male member 11 side. It changes like a staircase.

The outer peripheral wall 28 extends toward the first male connector 10 side so as to surround the outer cylinder 13. A pair of gripping surfaces 29 are provided on the outer peripheral wall 28. Each gripping surface 29 is a substantially flat surface parallel to the shaft 1a. The pair of gripping surfaces 29 are arranged parallel to each other with the shaft 1a interposed therebetween. The pair of gripping surfaces 29 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 first female connector 800 and the second female connector 900.

The first female connector 800 is provided at the tip of the outer cylinder 812 of the syringe (injector) 810. A plunger 816 is removably inserted into an opening (not shown) at the end opposite to the first female connector 800 of the outer cylinder 812. In the syringe 810, a liquid substance (for example, an enteral nutritional supplement) to be administered to the patient in enteral nutrition is stored.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the first female connector 800. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the first female connector 800.

The first female connector 800 includes a first female member 801. The first female member 801 has a hollow cylindrical shape communicating with the lumen of the outer cylinder 812. The inner peripheral surface 802 of the first female member 801 includes a tapered surface (female tapered surface) whose inner diameter increases toward the tip of the first female member 801. A male screw 804 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first female member 801. The male screw 804 constitutes a screw lock mechanism (see Patent Document 1). The outer cylinder 812 including the first female connector 800 is made of a hard material (resin, glass, etc.).

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the second female connector 900. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the second female connector 900. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional perspective view of the second female connector 900. FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view of the second female connector 900. The cross section of FIG. 4C is along the plane containing the 4C-4C line of FIG. 4B, and the cross section of FIG. 4D is along the plane containing the 4D-4D line of FIG. 4B. The cross section of FIG. 4C and the cross section of FIG. 4D are orthogonal to each other along the axis 900a (see FIG. 4D) of the second female connector 900.

The second female connector 900 includes a second female member 901. The second female member 901 is a concave portion having a circular plan view shape concentric with the shaft 900a. The inner peripheral surface 902 of the second female member 901 includes a tapered surface (female tapered surface) whose inner diameter is slightly larger toward the tip 901a of the second female member 901. A flat surface 903 surrounds the second female member 901. The flat surface 903 extends along a plane perpendicular to the axis 900a. The flat surface 903 is provided with an annular groove 904 continuous in the circumferential direction (direction of rotation around the shaft 900a). The plan-view shape of the annular groove 904 (the shape seen along the shaft 900a) is a circle concentric with the shaft 900a. The annular groove 904 surrounds the second female member 901. The tip 901a of the second female member 901 is along a plane along which the flat surface 903 follows. In the present invention, the annular groove 904 can be omitted. In this case, the flat surface 903 extends outward in the radial direction from the open end (tip 901a) of the second female member 901.

The second female connector 900 further comprises a pair of engaging walls 905. The engagement wall 905 is arranged radially outside the flat surface 903, and extends from the flat surface 903 toward the tip end side (the side opposite to the connection cylinder 921) of the second female connector 900. The engagement wall 905 is along a cylindrical surface coaxial with the shaft 900a. The engagement protrusion 906 projects inward in the radial direction from the tip of the engagement wall 905. The engagement protrusion 906 extends substantially along the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 4D, the left end of the engagement projection 906 is open when viewed from the shaft 900a. The right end of the engagement projection 906 descends toward the flat surface 903 to form a stop end 908. The surface (lower surface) 906a of the engagement projection 906 facing the flat surface 903 includes three inclined surfaces having different inclinations. The pair of engaging walls 905 including the engaging projections 906 are symmetrical with respect to the axis 900a. The pair of engaging protrusions 906 constitutes a claw lock mechanism (see Patent Document 2).

The second female connector 900 further includes a connecting cylinder 921 at an end opposite to the second female member 901. The connecting cylinder 921 has a hollow cylindrical shape coaxial with the shaft 900a.

The flow path 931 penetrates the second female connector 900 along the shaft 900a. The cross-sectional shape of the flow path 931 along the plane perpendicular to the axis 900a is circular. The flow path 931 communicates the second female member 901 with the connection cylinder 921. The connection tube 921 is inserted into a flexible hollow tube 909 and fixed to the tube 909 with an adhesive or the like. The second female member 901 communicates with the tube 909 via the flow path 931. The tube 909 may be a nasal tube inserted through the patient's nasal cavity into the stomach or esophagus. Alternatively, the tube 909 may be a tube (extension tube) connected to a nasal tube or a fistula tube.

The outer surface of the second female connector 900 includes a pair of gripping surfaces 933 between the second female member 901 and the connecting cylinder 921. Each gripping surface 933 is a substantially flat surface parallel to the shaft 900a. The pair of gripping surfaces 933 are arranged parallel to each other with the shaft 900a interposed therebetween. The pair of gripping surfaces 933 facilitates the operator to apply a rotational force around the shaft 900a to the second female connector 900.

The material of the second female connector 900 is not limited, but can be selected from the resin materials of the conversion connector 1 described above. It is preferable that the second female connector 900 is integrally manufactured as a single component by injection molding a resin material.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conversion connector 1 is arranged between the first female 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 first female 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. The first male connector 10 of the conversion connector 1 is connected to the first female connector 800, and the second male connector 20 of the conversion connector 1 is connected to the second male female connector 900.

The connection between the conversion connector 1 and the first female connector 800 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the first male connector 10 of the conversion connector 1 and the first female connector 800 are coaxially opposed to each other. In this state, the conversion connector 1 is brought closer to the first female connector 800. The first male member 11 (see FIG. 1A) of the first male connector 10 is inserted into the first female member 801 (see FIG. 3A) of the first female connector 800. The first female member 801 is inserted into the gap (see FIG. 1A) between the first male member 11 of the first male connector 10 and the outer cylinder 13. The conversion connector 1 and the first female connector 800 are rotated in opposite directions to each other. The male screw 804 (see FIG. 4A) of the first female connector 800 is screwed into the female screw 14 (see FIG. 1A) of the first male connector 10. Thus, the conversion connector 1 and the first female connector 800 are connected (see FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral surface (male tapered surface) 12 (see FIG. 1A) of the first male member 11 becomes the inner peripheral surface (female tapered surface) 802 (see FIG. 3A) of the first female member 801. It is fitted. The diameter and the taper angle of the male tapered surface 12 and the female tapered surface 802 are the same. Therefore, the male tapered surface 12 is tapered and fitted to the female tapered surface 802, and a liquidtight seal is formed between the two. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the male screw 804 (see FIG. 4A) of the first female connector 800 is screwed into the female screw 14 (see FIG. 1A) of the first male connector 10.

The connection between the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the second male connector 20 of the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are coaxially opposed to each other. The direction connecting the pair of engaging claws 26 (see FIG. 1B) of the second male connector 20 and the direction connecting the pair of engaging protrusions 906 (see FIG. 4A) of the second female connector 900 are made substantially orthogonal to each other. In this state, the conversion connector 1 is brought close to the second female connector 900. The pedestal 25 of the second male connector 20 is inserted between the pair of engaging walls 905 of the second female connector 900. The conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are rotated in opposite directions to each other. With respect to the second female connector 900 until one end of the engaging claw 26 (see FIG. 1A) of the second male connector 20 abuts on the stop end 908 (see FIGS. 4A, 4C, 4D) of the second female connector 900. And rotate the conversion connector 1. Thus, the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are connected (see FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 6, the second male member 21 of the second male connector 20 is inserted into the second female member 901 of the second female connector 900. The large diameter portion 23 (see FIGS. 1B and 1C) of the second male member 21 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface (female tapered surface) 902 (see FIGS. 4A and 4C) of the second female member 901, and is sandwiched between the two. A liquidtight seal is formed. The flat surface 903 of the second female connector 900 and the tip 901a (see FIG. 4A) of the second female portion 901 are in contact with the bottom surface 27 (see FIG. 1B) of the pedestal 25 of the second male connector 20. The engaging claw 26 of the second male connector 20 is axially engaged with the engaging projection 906 of the second female connector 900. The three inclined surfaces (see FIG. 1A) provided on the surface 26a of the engaging claw 26 are fitted with the three inclined surfaces (see FIG. 4D) provided on the surface 906a of the engaging projection 906. This is advantageous for maintaining the engaged state (locked state) between the engaging claw 26 and the engaging protrusion 906.

Thus, the first female connector 800, the conversion connector 1, and the second female connector 900 are coaxially connected in order (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The first female connector 800 (first female 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 first female connector 800 by performing an operation opposite to the above connection operation. That is, the first Mesconek 800 is rotated with respect to the conversion connector 1 in the direction opposite to the above to release the screwing of the male screw 804 with the female screw 14. After that, the conversion connector 1 and the first female 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 first female connector 900 in the direction opposite to the above to release the engagement of the engaging claw 26 with the engaging projection 906. After that, the conversion connector 1 and the second female connector 900 are pulled in opposite directions to each other.

The first male connector 10 of the conversion connector 1 can be repeatedly connected to and separated from the first female connector 800. Further, the second 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 male connector 10 that can be repeatedly connected to and separated from the first female connector 800 at one end, and is repeatedly connected to and separated from the second female connector 900 at the other end. The second male connector 20 is provided.

The first male connector 10 includes a first male member 11 inserted into the first female member 801 of the first female connector 800. The first male connector 10 includes a female screw 14 that can be screwed into the male screw 804 of the second female connector 800. The first male connector 10 provided with the first male member 11 and the female screw 14 is compatible with a male connector (not shown) with a screw lock mechanism that can be connected to the first female connector 800. Therefore, the first male connector 10 and the first female connector 800 can be connected with a connection strength equivalent to that of a connector provided with a screw lock mechanism (Patent Document 1). This is advantageous in preventing the conversion connector 1 from unintentionally separating from the first female connector 800.

The second male connector 20 includes a second male member 21 that is inserted into the second female member 901 of the second female connector 900. The second male connector 20 further includes an engaging claw 26 that can be engaged with the engaging projection 906 of the second female connector 900. The second male connector 20 with the second male member 21 and the engaging claw 26 is compatible with a male connector (not shown) with a claw lock mechanism that can be connected to and separated from the second female connector 900. have. Therefore, the second 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 claw 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 male member 11 and the second male member 21 communicate with each other via the flow path 31. Therefore, the first female connector 800 and the second female connector 900 can be connected and communicated with each other via the conversion connector 1.

Many liquids (eg, enteral nutritional supplements) administered to patients in enteral nutrition are highly viscous. When administering this liquid to a patient, it is necessary to pump the liquid. Syringes may be used to pump the liquid. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the syringe 810 containing the liquid material is connected to the second female connector 900 via the conversion connector 1. The plunger 916 can be pushed into the outer cylinder 913 and the liquid material in the syringe 810 can be administered to the patient via the first female connector 800, the conversion connector 1, the second female connector 900, and the tube 909 in this order.

Further, after enteral nutrition, it is desirable to wash the liquid matter (for example, enteral nutritional supplement) remaining in the second female connector 900 and the tube 909. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the syringe 810 containing the cleaning liquid (for example, lukewarm water, water, tea, diluted vinegar water, etc.) is connected to the second female connector 900 via the conversion connector 1. The plunger 916 can be pushed into the outer cylinder 913 to wash away the residual liquid matter into the patient's body together with the cleaning liquid.

In these operations, both the connection between the first female 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, the conversion connector 1 of the first embodiment has the first female connector 800 provided with the screw lock mechanism and the second female connector 900 provided with the claw lock mechanism, 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 first female 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 first female connector 800 first, the conversion connector 1 functions as an adapter for converting the female connector 800 with the screw lock mechanism to the male connector 20 with the claw 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 claw lock mechanism to the male connector 10 with the screw lock mechanism. In this way, the conversion connector 1 makes it possible to connect two female connectors 800, 900 having different locking mechanisms, which cannot be normally connected to each other.

A male tapered surface is provided on the outer peripheral surface 12 (see FIG. 1A) of the first male member 11 of the first male connector 10 of the conversion connector 1. Therefore, with a simple configuration, a liquidtight seal can be formed between the outer peripheral surface 12 of the first male member 11 and the inner peripheral surface 802 (see FIG. 3B) of the first female member 801. The liquidtight seal prevents the liquid material from leaking to the outside world through between the first male member 11 and the first female member 801.

When the second male connector 20 of the conversion connector 1 is connected to the second female connector 900, the outer peripheral surface 22 of the second male member 21 (particularly the large diameter portion 23, see FIG. 1B) and the inner peripheral surface of the second female member 901. A liquidtight seal is formed with 902 (see FIG. 4A). The liquidtight seal prevents the liquid material from leaking to the outside world through between the second male member 21 and the second female member 901. Since the outer peripheral surface 22 of the second male member 21 includes the large diameter portion 23, a liquidtight seal can be formed with a simple configuration. However, in the present invention, the outer peripheral surface 22 of the second male member 21 does not need to have the large diameter portion 23, for example, the outer peripheral surface 22 has an outer diameter that becomes smaller toward the tip of the second male member 21. It may be a tapered surface (male tapered surface). Even in this case, it is possible to taper fit the outer peripheral surface 22 to the inner peripheral surface 902 to form a liquidtight seal between the two.

In the first embodiment, in the screw lock mechanism, the male screw 804 is screwed into the female screw 14 when the first female connector 800 is rotated clockwise with respect to the conversion connector 1 when viewed from the first female connector 800 side. It is configured as follows. The claw lock mechanism is configured so that the engaging claw 26 engages with the engaging protrusion 906 when the conversion connector 1 is rotated clockwise with respect to the second female connector 900 when viewed from the conversion connector 1 side. ing. That is, the rotation directions for locking and unlocking are the same for the screw lock mechanism and the claw lock mechanism. Therefore, for example, the first female connector 800 (or the outer cylinder 812) and the second female connector 900 are picked up by different hands, and the first female connector 800 is the second female connector when viewed from the first female connector 800 side. By rotating the 900 in the clockwise direction, both the screw lock mechanism and the claw lock mechanism can be simultaneously transferred to the locked state.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the conversion connector 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The conversion connector 2 of the second embodiment is different from the conversion connector 1 of the first embodiment with respect to the flow path 31. That is, in the first embodiment, the portion 31a (FIG. 1C, FIG. (See FIG. 6) existed. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the portion 31b in which the cross-sectional area (or inner diameter) of the flow path 31 smoothly changes between the first male member 11 and the second male member 21 instead of the portion 31a. Is provided.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first female connector 800 and the second female connector 900 are connected via the conversion connector 2. The liquid material flows in the flow path 31 from the first male member 11 toward the second male member 21. Since the cross-sectional area of the flow path 31 changes smoothly between the first male member 11 and the second male member 21, the retention of liquid matter in the flow path 31 is reduced, and the liquid permeability is improved. do.

In the present invention, "the cross-sectional area of the flow path 31 changes smoothly" means that the inner surface defining the flow path 31 does not have a portion along the surface perpendicular to the axis 1a, which is preferable. Means that, in the cross section along the surface including the axis 1a, the inner surface defining the flow path 31 is represented by a continuous curve.

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.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the conversion connector 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9B is a bottom view of the conversion connector 3 as viewed from the second male connector 20 side. The conversion connector 3 is different from the conversion connector 1 of the first embodiment in that four protrusions 33 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 31.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the four protrusions 33 (only the two protrusions 33 are visible in FIG. 9A) project radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 31. The protrusion 33 is provided in the flow path 31 in the first male member 11 having a relatively small diameter, and more specifically in the base end portion (second male member 21 side end) of the first male member 11. .. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9B, when viewed from the second male connector 20 side, the opening of the flow path 31 in the first male member 11 on the second male member 21 side has a substantially cross shape. The substantially cross-shaped opening accidentally inserts a puncture needle that should not be inserted deeply from the second male member 21 into the flow path 31 in the first male member 11 (hereinafter referred to as "erroneous puncture"). It is advantageous to prevent. For example, in a state before the conversion connector 3 is connected to the first female connector 800 (see FIG. 2) and the second female connector 900 (see FIG. 2) is connected to the second male connector 20 of the conversion connector 3. An operator may attempt to erroneously connect the puncture needle to the second male member 21 of the second male connector 20. The puncture needle has a sharp tip whose outer diameter decreases toward the tip so that a rubber stopper such as a vial can be punctured. When the puncture needle is inserted into the second male member 21, in many cases, the tip of the puncture needle abuts on the protrusion 33, so that the insertion of the puncture needle into the flow path 31 in the first male member 11 is prevented. Even if the tip of the puncture needle is inserted into the gap between the protrusions 33, the puncture needle is sandwiched between the protrusions 33, so that the deep insertion of the puncture needle into the flow path 31 in the first male member 11 is prevented. .. The operator can easily notice that the puncture needle is punctured because the puncture needle cannot be connected to the second male member 21 deeply and stably. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the puncture needle is connected to the second male member 21 to form an erroneous flow path for the liquid material flowing from the syringe 810.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of another conversion connector 4 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The conversion connector 4 is provided with four protrusions 33 (only two protrusions 33 can be seen in FIG. 10) on the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 31 of the conversion connector 2 of the second embodiment, similarly to the conversion connector 3. .. Like the conversion connector 3, the conversion connector 4 also prevents puncture needles that should not be inserted originally from the second male member 21 into the flow path 31 in the first male member 11 by mistake. It is advantageous to do.

In the conversion connectors 3 and 4, four protrusions 33 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 31 so that the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 31 along the plane perpendicular to the axis of the conversion connector is substantially cross-shaped. However, in the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 31 for preventing erroneous puncture of the second male member 21 is not limited to a substantially cross shape, but is a substantially polygonal shape (a substantially square, a substantially rectangular shape, a substantially triangular shape, etc.). It may have any shape such as a star shape, an elliptical shape, and a circular shape. Generally, when viewed from the second male member 21 side along the axis of the conversion connector, if a protrusion protruding inward in the radial direction from the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 31 is provided, the puncture needle is erroneously punctured. Can be prevented. The shape, number, arrangement, etc. of the protrusions are arbitrary. For example, in the third embodiment, the number of protrusions 33 may be three or five or more. It is preferable that the plurality of protrusions are arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to the axis of the conversion connector. A part or all of the plurality of protrusions may be connected through the shaft of the conversion connector. For example, the four protrusions 33 may extend to the axis of the conversion connector and be connected to each other to form a substantially cross-shaped protrusion as a whole.

The protrusion may be an annular protrusion continuous in the circumferential direction. In this case, the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 31 at the position where the protrusion is provided may be circular or elliptical. Even in this case, the annular protrusion protruding inward in the radial direction from the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 31 can prevent erroneous puncture of the puncture needle. However, if an annular protrusion continuous in the circumferential direction is provided in the flow path so that the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 31 at the position where the protrusion is provided becomes a single circular shape, the flow path area becomes smaller. The flow resistance of the liquid material flowing through the flow path increases. Therefore, it is preferable that the protrusions are provided so that the cross-sectional shape of the flow path 31 at the position where the protrusions are provided is non-circular.

The position of the protrusion in the axial direction of the conversion connector is not limited to the base end of the first male member 11 as in the conversion connectors 3 and 4. The protrusion for preventing erroneous puncture of the puncture needle can be arranged at an arbitrary position in the axial direction as long as it is in the flow path 31. However, when the cross-sectional area of the flow path 31 is larger in the second male member 21 than in the first male member 11 as in the third embodiment, if the protrusion is arranged in the flow path 31 in the second male member 21 It is necessary to increase the amount of protrusion of the protrusion from the inner peripheral surface of the flow path 31. The protrusion having a large protrusion amount increases the retention of the liquid material in the flow path 31, and deteriorates the liquid permeability. Therefore, in general, a protrusion may be provided in the first male member 11 having a relatively small inner diameter and at a position as close as possible to the second male member 21, that is, at the base end of the first male member 11. preferable.

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

The above embodiments 1 to 3 are merely examples. The present invention is not limited to the above-described first to third embodiments, and can be appropriately modified.

The conversion connectors 1 to 4 of the above embodiments 1 to 3 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 parts. You may. For example, the first female connector 10 and the second female 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 for communicating the first female member 11 and the second female member 21.

In the above embodiments 1 to 3, the first female connector 800 is provided at the tip of the syringe 810, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first female connector 800 may be provided at the end of the flexible tube.

The tube 909 provided with the second female connector 900 may be a nasal tube, a fistula tube, or an extension tube connected to these, or may be any other tube. The second female connector 900 may be provided on a member other than the tube 909. In this case, the configurations of the connecting cylinder 921 and the gripping surface 933 can be changed as appropriate.

The conversion connector of the present invention can be used to form a flow path of a liquid substance to be administered to a patient in enteral nutrition such as a nasal method using a nasal tube and a fistula method using a fistula tube. 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 first female connector provided with a screw lock mechanism and a second female connector provided with a claw 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, 3, 4 Conversion connector 10 1st male connector 11 1st male member 12 Outer peripheral surface of 1st male member 14 Female screw 20 2nd male connector 21 2nd male member 22 Outer peripheral surface 26 of 2nd male member Joint claw 31 Flow path 33 Protrusion 800 1st female connector 801 1st female member 804 Male screw 900 2nd female connector 901 2nd female member 906 Engagement protrusion

Claims (6)

A conversion connector having a first male connector that can be connected to the first female connector at one end and a second male connector that can be connected to the second female connector at the other end.
The first male connector includes a first male member inserted into the first female member of the first female connector, and a female screw screwed into a male screw provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first female member. ,
The second male connector includes a second male member inserted into the second female member of the second female connector and an engaging claw that engages with an engaging protrusion of the second female connector.
A conversion connector characterized in that the first male member and the second male member communicate with each other via a flow path. The conversion connector according to claim 1, 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 outer peripheral surface of the second male member is provided so that a liquidtight seal is formed between the second male member and the second female member when the second male connector is connected to the second female connector. The conversion connector according to claim 1 or 2, which is configured. The conversion connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the entire conversion connector is integrally formed as one component. The opening diameter of the flow path at the tip of the second male member is larger than the opening diameter of the flow path at the tip of the first male member.
The conversion connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cross-sectional area of the flow path smoothly changes between the first male member and the second male member. The conversion connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the flow path.

Images