JP7024483B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to connectors, and more particularly to connectors that can be used for tube feeding therapy and the like.

In tube feeding therapy, a tube is connected to a container (pouch) for tube feeding to inject the nutrition into the patient's body. Normally, the pouch is provided with a male connector, and a female connector provided on the tube is connected.

In the case of tube feeding therapy, the female connector is generally formed of an elastic body such as rubber. When the male connector is inserted into the female connector of the elastic body, the female connector is elastically deformed to some extent, so that the connection strength that cannot be easily removed can be obtained. Further, since the difference in the shape of the male connector can be absorbed to some extent, it can be connected to various pouches.

However, if an unexpectedly large force is applied to the connection between the male connector and the female connector, such as when the patient pulls the tube, the connection between the male connector and the female connector is inadvertently disconnected and the nutrient is discharged. There is a risk of problems such as. Therefore, a connector with a lock having a locking means for locking the connection between the male connector and the female connector by a claw-shaped portion or the like has been studied (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2015-43840

However, in the case of a female connector having a conventional locking means, there is a problem that it is difficult to tell whether or not the connector is locked. In the case of a tube feeding connector, even if it is not locked, it is difficult to determine whether it is locked because it is connected with a certain strength only by the elastic force of the female connector. Further, since the shape of the male connector is slightly different depending on the pouch manufacturer and the position where the claw-shaped portion is engaged changes, it is difficult to determine whether or not the male connector is locked depending on the position and angle of the claw-shaped portion.

One aspect of the enteral nutritionally locked connector of the present disclosure comprises a tubular connection that accepts the tubular protrusion of the male connector and a lock that is attached to the connection and locks the connection to the male connector. The lock portion has a body portion mounted on the connection portion and a pair of handle portions provided on opposite sides of the body portion, and the handle portion has a plate-shaped portion extending in the axial direction and a plate-shaped portion. A connecting portion provided in the central portion in the axial direction of the portion to connect the plate-shaped portion to the body portion, and a connecting portion provided on the base end side of the plate-shaped portion to engage with a part of the male connector, and the male connector is connected to the connection portion. It has an engaging portion that prevents separation from the portion, and the engaging portion includes a window portion provided through the main surface of the plate-shaped portion at a position separated from the base end of the plate-shaped portion. It has a base end portion provided on the base end side of the window portion.

According to one aspect of the connector with lock, the engaging portion has a window portion, and the window portion visually indicates whether or not the locked portion is engaged with the male connector from the outside. When the engaging portion engages with a part of the male connector, the part of the male connector can be visually recognized from the window portion. This makes it possible to easily visually determine whether or not the lock portion is engaged with the male connector.

In one aspect of the connector with a lock, the base end surface of the base end portion can be an inclined surface whose inner side is located closer to the tip side than the outer side. By doing so, when a part of the male connector comes into contact with the end face of the plate-shaped portion, the plate-shaped portion is naturally pushed outward. Therefore, the user only needs to bring the lock part and a part of the male connector close to each other in a state where the window part and a part of the male connector inserted into the window part are aligned with each other in the axial direction of the female connector. , You can easily insert a part of the male connector into the window.

In one aspect of a connector with a lock, the engaging portions are provided on both sides of the proximal end and have a pair of engaging claws protruding inward, the engaging claws having the proximal end surface as an inclined surface. can. By doing so, it is possible to achieve both strong fixing and improvement of operability.

In one aspect of the locked connector, the engaging portions have a boundary provided between each engaging claw and the proximal end, the boundaries being spaced apart from each other towards the center of the plate. Can be an inclined surface so as to be narrow. With such a configuration, it is easy to insert a part of the male connector into the pair of boundary portions, and it is possible to guide the part of the male connector to a predetermined position.

In one aspect of the connector with a lock, the lock portion may have a movable range limiting portion that is provided on the tip end side of the connecting portion of the plate-shaped portion and protrudes inward. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the connection portion from being bent beyond a predetermined angle and the handle portion from being irreversible. The connector with a lock of the present disclosure may be configured to have no window portion, and even in such a case, various effects are exhibited.

According to the connector with a lock of the present disclosure, it can be easily visually determined whether or not the connector is locked.

It is a perspective view which shows the lock part of the connector with a lock which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the lock part of FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner. It is a top view which shows the lock part of FIG. 1 enlarged. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the state which connected the male connector to the connector with a lock which concerns on one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the state which connected the male connector to the connector with a lock which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the lock part of FIG. It is a front view which shows the state which pressed the pressing part of the lock part of FIG.

In the present disclosure, the proximal end side means the pouch side, and the distal end side means the patient side. For example, FIG. 1 is shown so that the proximal end side is on the upper side and the distal end side is on the lower side. Further, the direction connecting the base end side and the tip end side is called the height direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the lock portion 101 of the present embodiment is a part of a female connector with a lock connected to male connectors 200A, 200B, etc. provided in a tube feeding container (pouch) or the like. The male connectors 200A and 200B are fitted onto the connecting portion 102 that receives the tubular convex portion 221 and attached to the connecting portion 102.

The lock portion 101 has a tubular body portion 111 that is externally fitted to the connection portion 102, and a pair of handle portions 112 that are provided on opposite sides of the body portion 111 with the body portion 111 interposed therebetween. The handle portion 112 is provided at a plate-shaped portion 121 arranged at a distance from the side surface of the body portion 111 and a central portion in the height direction of the plate-shaped portion 121, and connects the plate-shaped portion 121 with the body portion 111. It has a connecting portion 122 and an engaging portion 123 that is provided on the base end side of the plate-shaped portion 121 and engages with a part of the male connector so as to be disengageable.

The engaging portion 123 has a window portion 152, which is an opening provided through the main surface of the plate-shaped portion 121 at a position separated from the base end of the plate-shaped portion 121, and a proximal end side of the window portion 152. It has a base end portion 156 provided in the base end portion 156 and a pair of engaging claws 157 provided on both sides of the base end portion 156 in the width direction and protruding toward the body portion 111 side (inside).

At least a part of the proximal end surface of the proximal end portion 156 is an inclined surface whose inner side is located on the distal end side rather than the outer side. By making such an inclined surface, the tubular convex portion 221 is inserted into the connecting portion 102, and the hook-shaped portion 211 of the male connector 200A and the flange-shaped portion 212 of the male connector 200B come into contact with the proximal end surface of the proximal end portion 156. Then, the plate-shaped portion 121 is naturally pushed outward. As a result, the hook-shaped portion 211 and the flange-shaped portion 212 easily get over the base end portion 156 and easily move to the window portion 152 side. The hook-shaped portion 211 and the flange-shaped portion 212 are located in the window portion 152, and at the same time, hit the peripheral portion of the plate-shaped portion of the window portion 152, and a lock sound is generated. The user can determine that the accurate positioning of the handle portion and the male connector has been completed by visual inspection or lock sound.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hook-shaped portion 211 of the male connector 200A and the end portion of the flange-shaped portion 212 of the male connector 200B are inserted into the window portion 152 and engage with the engaging portion 123. As described above, the connector with lock of the present embodiment can be locked without manually operating the handle portion 112.

When the hook-shaped portion 211 of the male connector 200A is inserted into the window portion 152, the insertion can be visually recognized by the window portion 152. Further, even if the member is not completely inserted into the window portion 152 such as the flange-shaped portion 212 of the male connector 200B, it can be visually recognized that the member is located at the position of the window portion 152. Therefore, it can be easily visually determined whether or not the engaging portion 123 is engaged with the male connectors 200A and 200B. It should be noted that it may be possible to visually determine whether or not the male connector is engaged by the color or shape of the portion visible from the window portion of the male connector, and the engaging portion 123 of the window portion 152 is engaged with the male connectors 200A and 200B. It functions as a sign function to indicate whether or not it is used.

The tip surface of the engaging claw 157 protruding inward comes into contact with, for example, the surface on the base end side of the flange-shaped portion 212 of the male connector 200B. Therefore, even a male connector 200B or the like that does not have a portion deeply inserted into the window portion 152 can be locked so that the connection is not released by simply pulling it.

As shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 3, engaging claws 157 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction when the engaging portion 123 is viewed from the base end side, that is, portions corresponding to both ends in the width direction of the plate-shaped portion 121. , A base end portion 156 is provided between them. The engaging claw 157 projects inward from the base end portion 156. Further, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 2, the window portion 152 is provided between the pair of engaging claws 157.

Since the amount of protrusion of the base end portion 156 inward is small, a member having a shape like the hook-shaped portion 211 shown in FIG. 4 abuts the engaging portion 123 from the base end side to the base end portion 156 to the outside. It becomes easy to open it and engage it with the window portion 152. Further, in the member having a shape like the flange-shaped portion 212 shown in FIG. 5, the contact area is increased by the engaging claw 157, so that the engaging strength can be increased. Further, by reducing the inward protrusion of the base end portion 156, there is an advantage that the lock can be released without opening the engaging portion 123 to the outside.

As shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 3, the boundary portion 159 of each engaging portion 157 with the proximal end portion 156 is inclined so as to spread toward the proximal end portion 156 side (at the central portion of the plate-shaped portion 211). It can be an inclined surface (inclined so that the distance between them becomes narrower). By providing such a boundary portion 159, a part of the male connector inserted into the window portion 152 is guided by the boundary portion 159 to a position where it can be easily inserted into the window portion 152, so that the locking operation becomes easy.

Further, the base end portion 156 can have a shape extending outward from the engaging claw 157. By expanding the base end portion 156 to the outside, the portion inserted into the window portion 152 of the male connectors 200A and 200B can be prevented from protruding outside the base end portion 156. As a result, the hook-shaped portion 211, the flange-shaped portion 212, or the like can easily push the base end portion 156 outward. It is also possible to secure the strength of the base end portion 156.

In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the engaging claw 157 projects laterally from the plate-shaped portion 121. By doing so, it is possible to increase the contact area between the tip surface of the engaging claw 157 and the surface on the base end side of the flange-shaped portion 212, and even improve the engaging strength. However, the engaging claw 157 does not have to protrude laterally from the plate-shaped portion 121.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the engaging claws 157 are provided at both end portions of the engaging portion 123 is shown, but the engaging claws 157 may or may not be provided as needed. Even when the engaging claw 157 is provided, the boundary portion 159 with the base end portion 156 does not have to be an inclined surface. Further, it is not necessary to extend the base end portion 156 to the outside.

The base end surface of the window portion 152 is a surface having a smaller angle than the inclined surface formed on the base end surface of the base end portion 156, and is a flat surface without inclination in the present embodiment. When the base end surface of the window portion 152 is a flat surface in this way, a part of the male connector inserted into the window portion 152 and the base end surface of the window portion 152 come into surface contact with each other, so that the lock can be prevented from being released. .. Further, in the present embodiment, the tip surface of the engaging claw 157 is a flat surface. Therefore, even when the width of the flange-shaped portion 212 is wider than the width of the engaging claw 157, the engaging claw 157 can be easily engaged with the flange-shaped portion 212.

As shown in FIG. 6, the handle portion 112 may be provided with a movable range limiting portion 113 which is provided on the tip side of the connecting portion 122 of the plate-shaped portion 121 and protrudes inward. As shown in FIG. 7, when the tip end side of the plate-shaped portion 121 is pressed inward, the movable range limiting portion 113 abuts on the body portion 111, so that the movement of the plate-shaped portion 121 is restricted. By providing the movable range limiting portion 113, when the tip end side of the plate-shaped portion 121 is pressed inward, the connecting portion 122 bends, an excessive load is applied to the connecting portion 122, and the connecting portion is whitened, discolored, or damaged. It is possible to prevent the situation where it cannot be restored. The movable range limiting portion 113 may have any configuration as long as the movable range of the plate-shaped portion 121 can be limited, and may be, for example, a flexible piece protruding inward from the plate-shaped portion 121. Further, it can be provided not on the handle portion 112 side but on the body portion 111 side, in which case the movable limiting portion extends from the body portion to the handle side. By forming the movable range limiting portion 113 into a rib shape extending from the connecting portion toward the tip end side of the handle, the strength of the connecting portion can be improved and phenomena such as whitening can be less likely to occur. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the movable range limiting portion 113 has a crossover angle of 25 degrees formed by the virtual extension lines of the plate-shaped portions when the base end side of the plate-shaped portion 121 of the handle portion 112 is most opened. It is preferable to make the following. With such a configuration, the elastic force of the connecting portion 122 is reduced, and the state in which the tip end side of the plate-shaped portion 121 is pressed inward returns to the state before the tip end side of the plate-shaped portion 121 is pressed inward. It is possible to reduce the situation where it disappears. In the present embodiment, the crossover angle of each plate-shaped portion in the state of FIG. 7 is set to 20 degrees.

In the present embodiment, the plate-shaped portion 121 has a shape in which the portion on the tip end side of the connecting portion 122, which is the pressing portion, expands outward on the tip end side, and is further provided with a curved portion 126 that is largely bent outward at the tip end. .. With such a shape, it becomes easy for a finger to get on the pressing portion, and the operation becomes easy. However, the plate-shaped portion 121 may have any configuration as long as it can be opened and closed with the connecting portion 122 as a fulcrum.

In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 122 is a flexible plate-shaped member that connects the body portion 111 and the plate-shaped portion 121. However, any configuration may be used as long as the engaging portion 123 can be expanded outward by pressing the pressing portion of the plate-shaped portion 121.

In the present embodiment, a guard portion 115 projecting from the body portion 111 to the base end side is provided in a portion of the body portion 111 where the handle portion 112 is not provided. Since the guard portion 115 interferes with the hook-shaped portion 211 of the male connector 200A and the flange-shaped portion 212 of the male connector 200B, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation such as inserting the male connector in a direction in which the lock is not applied. Further, in the present embodiment, when the hook-shaped portion 211 or the flange-shaped portion 212 is engaged with the engaging portion 123, the entire female connector is twisted to the left or right to forcibly release the hook. The shaped portion 211 or the flange-shaped portion 212 abuts on the inclined side surface of the guard portion 115, and guides the male connector and the female connector in the direction of separation. The force in the left-right twist direction is naturally converted into the force in the axial direction, which assists the separation between the male connector and the female connector. The width of the guard portion 115, the height of protrusion from the body portion 111, and the like can be designed according to the shape of the male connector to be connected. Further, the guard portion 115 may or may not be provided as needed.

In the present embodiment, a flat plate-shaped grip portion 116 is provided in a portion of the body portion 111 where the handle portion 112 is not provided. By providing the grip portion 116, it is possible to grip the handle portion 112 and apply a large force when connecting the connector to prevent erroneous operation such as breaking the handle portion 112. The grip portion 116 may have a shape in which both upper and lower ends are bulged and the central portion is recessed so that the grip portion 116 can be easily gripped by a finger. In addition, a display that shows the operating direction of the connector can be provided in this portion.

The lock portion 101 is not particularly limited, but can be formed of a relatively hard resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyacetal, polyvinyl chloride, and polycarbonate. Further, from the viewpoint of strength, it is preferable to integrally mold the entire body including the body portion 111 and the handle portion 112.

The connecting portion 102 may be fitted inside the lock portion 101, and the tubular convex portions 221 of the male connectors 200A and 200B may be inserted into the tubular concave portions and connected. The connecting portion 102 can be tubular with a female luer taper that gradually decreases in diameter toward the tip side. A tube can be connected to the tip end side of the connecting portion 102. The connection portion 102 and the tube can be connected by fusion or adhesion, or can be integrally molded. It is preferable that the connecting portion 102 and the locking portion 101 do not rotate relative to each other in the radial direction by joining or locking with protrusions. A flange portion extending toward the outer peripheral side can be provided at the base end portion of the connecting portion 102. Further, a flange or a protrusion can be provided on the tip end side of the connecting portion 102. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the connecting portion 102 from falling off from the locking portion 101. The locking portion 101 may be movable in the axial direction with respect to the female connector without providing a flange or a protrusion on the tip end side of the connecting portion 102.

The material for forming the connection portion 102 is not particularly limited, but an elastic material that is softer than the lock portion 101 and the male connectors 200A and 200B is desirable. For example, in addition to natural rubber and synthetic rubber, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyurethane resin, and An ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer or the like can be used.

The male connector for connecting the locked connector of the present embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it is a male connector provided in a pouch for tube feeding or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the hook-shaped portion 211 can be connected to the male connector 200A having the hook-shaped portion 211 protruding toward the tip side from the fixing portion 201 attached to the pouch. In FIG. 4, a pair of hook-shaped portions 211 are provided on opposite sides of the tubular convex portion 221. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, it can be connected to the male connector 200B provided with the flange-shaped portion 212 so as to surround the tubular convex portion 221 at a distance from the fixing portion 202. In FIG. 5, the flange-shaped portion 212 has an elliptical shape or an oval shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and the longitudinal direction of the flange-shaped portion 212 coincides with the direction connecting the two handle portions 112. Not limited to such a male connector, it can be connected to various male connectors.

The material of the male connector is not particularly limited, and can be formed of a relatively hard resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyacetal, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate.

The connector with a lock of the present disclosure can easily visually determine whether or not it is locked, and is useful as a connector used for tube feeding and the like.

101 Lock 102 Connection 111 Body 112 Handle 113 Movable range limiting 115 Guard 116 Grip 121 Plate-like 122 Connecting 123 Engaging 126 Curved 152 Window 156 Base end 157 Engaging claw 159 Boundary Part 200A Male connector 200B Male connector 201 Fixing part 202 Fixing part 211 Hook-shaped part 212 Collar-shaped part 221 Tubular convex part

Claims (5)

A tubular connection that accepts the tubular protrusion of the male connector,
It is equipped with a lock portion that is attached to the connection portion and locks the connection with the male connector.
The lock portion has a body portion mounted on the connection portion and a pair of handle portions provided on opposite sides of the body portion.
The handle portion is provided at an axially extending plate-shaped portion, an axially central portion of the plate-shaped portion, a connecting portion for connecting the plate-shaped portion to the body portion, and a base end side of the plate-shaped portion. At a position separated from the base end of the plate-shaped portion with the engaging portion provided in the above, which engages with the engaged portion provided in the male connector and prevents the male connector from separating from the connecting portion. It has a window portion provided through the main surface of the plate-shaped portion and in which the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion can be visually recognized .
The engaging portion is a connector with a lock provided on the proximal end side of the window portion and having a tip surface that abuts on the proximal end surface of the engaged portion. The connector with a lock according to claim 1, wherein the base end surface of the engaging portion is an inclined surface whose inner side is located on the tip side rather than the outer side. The engaging portion has a proximal end portion provided on the proximal end side of the window portion and a pair of engaging claws provided on both sides of the proximal end portion and protruding inward.
The connector with a lock according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engaging claw has an inclined surface as a base end surface. The engaging portion has a boundary portion provided between each of the engaging claws and the base end portion.
The connector with a lock according to claim 3, wherein the boundary portion is an inclined surface inclined so that the distance between the plate-shaped portions is narrowed toward the central portion. The lock according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lock portion is provided on the distal end side of the plate-shaped portion with respect to the connecting portion and has a movable range limiting portion protruding inward. Attached connector.

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