WO2018190293A1

WO2018190293A1 - Coupler

Info

Publication number: WO2018190293A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/014918
Authority: WO
Inventors: 崇史山田
Original assignee: ミズホ株式会社
Priority date: 2017-04-12
Filing date: 2018-04-09
Publication date: 2018-10-18
Also published as: JP2018175380A; JP6889907B2

Abstract

The present invention provides a coupler having a simple configuration and high productivity. The coupler is provided with: a body 10 having groove sections 5 capable of receiving two rods 2; elastic bodies 20, which are to be in contact with the peripheral surfaces of the rods 2, respectively, and are elastically deformable; and a fixing member 40, which fixes the rods 2 by elastically deforming the elastic bodies 20.

Description

Coupler

The present invention relates to a coupler used for spinal fixation treatment.

In the orthodontic treatment of the spine, the spine is fixed and treated. For example, a screw is implanted in a plurality of vertebrae, and a rod is attached to the screw to fix the spine for treatment.

In addition, this rod is usually arranged facing the spine portion to be fixed, and this pair of rods is arranged by bridging between the rods in order to prevent the rod from moving or to increase the rigidity of the rod. Then, a coupler for connecting the rods is attached (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The connector shown in Patent Document 1 includes a housing portion that houses a pair of rods in a body, and in this housing portion, an engagement member that engages with the rod is slidably held by a holding pin. Then, an external force is applied to the engaging member by a lock mechanism provided on the body, and the engaging member is slid to move to engage the engaging member with the rod to fix the rod.

Japanese Patent No. 4902539

By the way, since this type of coupler is arranged in the body, it is necessary to consider dropping of parts, etc., but when the engagement member is coupled by a holding pin or the like, as in the coupler shown in the cited document 1, There is a concern that the holding pin may fall off.

In general, since the coupler is small in size, it is desirable that the coupler has a simple structure and is manufactured with a low difficulty manufacturing process, and further, the installation operation is easy and the rod can be securely fixed. Is required.

Therefore, the present invention has been made with the above problem as an example of the problem, and provides a coupler with a simple configuration and high productivity.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following configuration. In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the drawings are given in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

That is, the connector (1A) according to claim 1 includes a body (10) having a groove (5) that can receive two rods (2), and an elastic body that is elastically deformable in contact with the peripheral surface of each rod. (20) and a fixing member (40) for elastically deforming the elastic body and fixing the rod.

The connector according to claim 2 is the connector according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body surrounds a fixed end (20A) fixed to the body and a part of the rod, and the body. And a free end (20B) disposed inside, wherein the free end is elastically deformed by contact with the fixing member.

The coupler according to claim 3 is the coupler according to claim 2, wherein the elastic body is provided on the left and right inside the body, and the fixing member is disposed between the elastic bodies, The free end side of the elastic body is held via an engagement mechanism provided between the fixing member and the elastic body.

The coupler according to claim 4 is the coupler according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a free end side tip of the elastic body is provided between the fixing member and the elastic body. A displacement mechanism for displacing toward the center of the groove is provided.

Further, the coupler according to claim 5 is the coupler according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fixing member displaces the elastic member and an initial position where the elastic member is not displaced. It is fixed to the body so as to be movable between fixed positions for fixing the rod.

であ Simple configuration with a small number of parts, and a highly difficult manufacturing process such as driving pins is not required, so productivity can be easily increased. In addition, the rod can be firmly and quickly fixed with a small number of operations.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the attachment state of a coupler. The structure of a coupler is shown, FIG. 2 (a) is a front view, FIG.2 (b) is a schematic diagram which shows an internal structure. It is a schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of a body. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of an elastic body. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of an external appearance of a fixing member. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of assembly of the coupler, and FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of operation when fixing the rod. .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, 1 A of couplers shown below are used, for example in order to connect between a pair of rods attached to a spine via a screw in spinal correction surgery.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coupler 1 A fixes a pair of rod-shaped members (hereinafter referred to as “

rods

2, 2”) arranged to extend substantially in parallel. It is arranged so as to span a part of the

rods

2 and 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coupler 1 A includes a body 10 having

grooves

5, 5 that can receive and accommodate the

rods

2, 2, and the circumference of each

rod

2, 2 in the

grooves

5, 5. An elastic body 20 that is in contact with the surface and can be elastically deformed by an external force, and a fixing member 40 that elastically deforms the elastic body 20 to fix the

rods

2 and 2 are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the body 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and the

grooves

5 and 5 are formed in the central portion as shown in FIG. It is formed on the left and right with reference to. The size and shape of the groove 5 is formed so as to have a substantially semicircular edge in accordance with the outer shape of the rod 2.

The two

groove portions

5 and 5 are formed so as to extend substantially parallel to the front-rear direction of the body 10, and an opening 6 for receiving the rod 2 is provided at the lower end surface of each

groove portion

5 and 5. The opening 6 is, for example, wider than its inner width and is formed slightly wider than the outer shape of the rod 2. The rod 2 is easily inserted into the groove portion 5 by the expanded opening 6 and is smoothly inserted into the groove portion 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the coupler 1 A, when the rod 2 is accommodated in the groove portion 5, the center portion of the body 10 is interposed between the

rods

2 and 2. Therefore, the positions of the

grooves

5 and 5 formed in the body 10 are appropriately designed according to the distance between the

rods

2 and 2, and the size of the groove 5 is appropriately designed according to the diameter of the rod 2. Moreover, the shape of the groove part 5 will not be specifically limited if the whole outer shape of the rod 2 can be accommodated in the groove part 5.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, a hole 11 in which the fixing member 40 is mounted and a cavity 15 in which the elastic body 20 is mounted are formed inside the body 10. The hole 11 is formed to extend vertically downward from the center of the upper end surface on the opposite side of the body 10 with respect to the groove 5, and the cavity 15 communicates with the hole 11 and crosses the body 10 in the horizontal direction. It is formed as follows. The hollow portion 15 includes a first space 16 formed along the inner periphery of the groove portion 5, and a second space 17 extending in a horizontal direction from the space 16 and penetrating through the left and right end faces. Have.

In addition,

tool insertion holes

12 and 12 into which a distal end portion of a first tool (not shown) used when gripping the body 10 can be inserted are formed on the left and right of the upper end surface of the body 10 in a substantially vertical direction. Yes. The first tool includes, for example, two tip portions that can be opened and closed, and inserts the two tip portions into the

tool insertion holes

12 and 12 to apply an external force in a direction in which the tip portions approach or separate from each other. It is possible to grasp or release the body 10 by performing the above.

In this embodiment, the tool insertion hole 12 communicates with the cavity 15 in consideration of manufacturability, but it is not necessary to communicate with the cavity 15 in particular.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the elastic body 20 includes a fixed end 20 A fixed to the body 10, and a free end 20 B that surrounds a part of the rod 2 and is disposed in the first space 16 of the body 10. The free end 20B is elastically deformed by contact with the fixing member 40.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the elastic body 20 is elastically deformable and surrounds at least half of the cross section of the rod 2, and protrudes to the outside of the holding portion 22. And a protrusion 24.

In this embodiment, since it is assumed that the rod 2 is fixed only by the holding portion 22, the holding portion 22 surrounds more than half of the cross section of the rod 2, but for example, holding When the rod 2 is fixed by a part of the portion 22 and the groove portion 5, it is not necessary to surround more than half of the cross section of the rod 2, and it is designed as appropriate.

The holding portion 22 includes an arm 25 formed to be curved so as to surround at least the periphery of the rod 2. The arm 25 is disposed in the first space 16 of the cavity portion 15 and is elastically deformed by an external force. The inner surface is in contact with the peripheral surface of the rod 2.

The protrusion 24 is inserted into the second space 17 of the cavity 15 and contacts over a certain contact area, and the elastic body 20 is held in the cavity 15 by the protrusion 24.

The elastic body 20 has a peripheral surface on the protruding portion 24 side fixed to the cavity portion 15 by surface contact, the proximal end side of the arm 25 including the protruding portion 24 functions as a fixed end 20A, and the distal end side of the arm 25 is a free end. It functions as 20B and is held by the body 10.

It should be noted that the arm 25 is designed with the material, thickness, and the like appropriately specified so that at least the distal end side of the arm 25 can be elastically deformed by an external force.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a wide groove 27 extending in the length direction is formed in the inner side surface central portion 25 a of the arm 25, and the rod 2 has both side surface side portions 25 b on the inner side surface of the

arm

25, 25b. As described above, the arm 25 can easily improve the sliding strength by increasing the pressing force to the rod 2 per unit area by reducing the contact area with the rod 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2B and 5, the fixing member 40 includes a head 41 that is fixed to the hole 11 of the body 10 and a shaft 43 that extends vertically downward from the head 41. . The shaft portion 43 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the head portion 41, and a protruding portion 45 protruding outward in the circumferential direction is provided at a tip portion thereof, and a tip (lower end) portion of the protruding portion 45 is directed toward the tip side. It is formed in a sharp conical shape.

The fixing member 40 is inserted into the hole portion 11 of the body 10, the shaft portion 43 is brought into contact with the elastic body 20 to deform the holding portion 22, and the rod 2 is crimped by the deformed holding portion 22. The rod 2 accommodated in the groove part 5 is fixed.

A screw groove (male screw) 41a that can be screwed with a screw groove (female screw) (not shown) formed in the hole 11 is formed in the head 41, and is screwed and fixed by turning the head 41 in a predetermined direction. The member 40 can move in the hole 11 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the vertical direction and is fixed to the hole 11.

The fixing member 40 only needs to be able to move between an initial position where the elastic body 20 is not deformed and a fixed position where the elastic body 20 is deformed and the rod is fixed, and a system other than a screw type is employed as in this embodiment. It doesn't matter.

Further, the upper end surface of the head 41 is formed with a fitting portion 42 to be fitted with a second tool (not shown) used when the fixing member 40 is attached to the body 10. The second tool includes, for example, a tip portion having a shape that matches the fitting portion 42, and attaches the tip portion to the fitting portion 42 and performs a predetermined rotation operation, thereby lowering the fixing member 40 vertically. The shaft portion 43 can be brought into contact with the elastic body 20 by moving in the direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, two engagement mechanisms are provided between the fixing member 40 and the elastic body 20, and the first engagement mechanism is configured to drop the elastic body 20 from the groove portion 5. The second engagement mechanism deforms the elastic body 20 to the rod 5 side.

The first engagement mechanism includes a groove 50 formed on the base end (head 41) side of the shaft portion 43 of the fixing member 40, and a first protrusion 52 formed on the distal end side of the elastic body 20. The elastic body 20 is held in the hollow portion 15 by engaging the first protrusion 52 with the groove 50.

The first protrusion 52 is formed so as to protrude inside the hole portion 11, and the first engagement mechanism is configured to engage the first protrusion 52 with the groove 50 by the downward movement of the fixing member 40. By holding the distal end side of the elastic body 20 by the groove 50 and holding the distal end side and the proximal end side of the elastic body 20, the elastic body 20 is prevented from dropping from the opening 6 of the groove portion 5 of the body 10.

The groove 50 includes two side walls 50 b formed by the lower end surface of the head portion 41 and the upper end surface of the protrusion 45 provided at the tip end portion of the shaft portion 43, and a bottom wall 50 a formed by the peripheral surface of the shaft portion 43. The first protrusion 52 is arranged so as to be movable along the bottom wall 50a, and its movement is prevented by the step formed by the side wall 50b.

The lower end surface of the first protrusion 52 and the upper end surface of the protrusion 45 are formed substantially horizontally, and the first protrusions 52 do not easily get over the step of the groove 50 because the horizontal surfaces overlap each other. Thus, the distal end portion of the elastic body 20 is released from the fixing member 40, and the elastic body 20 is prevented from dropping from the groove portion 5 of the body 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the top surface on the distal end side of the elastic body 20 that comes into contact with the distal end portion of the fixing member 40 has an inclined surface that inclines downward toward the fixing member 40 side. The front end surface of 43 has an inclined surface formed in a conical shape so that the fixing member 40 can easily move downward, and the first protrusion 52 can be easily engaged with the groove 50. Can do.

The length of the groove 50 in the vertical direction is appropriately designed according to the amount of movement of the first protrusion 52 that moves due to elastic deformation of the arm 25, and is longer than the length of the first protrusion 52 in the vertical direction.

The second engagement mechanism (displacement mechanism of the present application) includes a distal end portion of the shaft portion 43 of the fixing member 40 and a second protrusion 54 formed at the distal end of the arm 25. The second protrusion 54 is formed so as to protrude inside the hole portion 11, and the second engagement mechanism causes the tip end portion of the shaft portion 43 to contact the second protrusion 54 by the downward movement of the fixing member 40. By applying an axial force to the second protrusion 54, the tip of the arm 25 is elastically deformed, and the arm 25 is pressed against the rod 5 to fix the rod 5.

The tip end portion of the shaft portion 43 has an inclined surface defined at a predetermined angle, and the upper end surface (contact surface) of the second protrusion 54 that contacts the inclined surface also has an inclined surface at the tip portion of the shaft portion 43. And substantially the same inclined surface. The inclination angles of these inclined surfaces are preferably designed so that the axial force generated by the downward movement of the fixing member 40 is transmitted in the central axis direction of the rod 5 (the central direction of the groove portion 5).

Therefore, the distal end portion of the arm 25 is displaced in the central axis direction of the rod 5, and the axial force generated by the fixing member 40 is transmitted to the distal end portion of the arm 25 and is crimped to the rod 2.

Next, the assembly method of the coupler 1A will be described in detail.

First, when attaching the elastic body 20 to the body 10, the protrusion 24 is inserted into the second space 17 from the opening 6 formed in the body 10, and the elastic body 20 is rotated around the base end side as a fulcrum. Then, the holding part 22 is arranged in the first space 16.

Next, a second tool (not shown) is attached to the fitting portion 42 of the fixing member 40 and operated by the user, and the fixing member 40 is inserted through the hole portion 11 as shown in FIG. The tip of the shaft 43 is brought into contact with the first projection 52 to elastically deform the tip of the elastic body 20, and the tip of the shaft 43 gets over the first projection 52, and the first The fixing member 40 is moved downward until the protrusion 52 is disposed in the groove 50.

As a result, the elastic body 20 is inserted into the second space 17 at the proximal end side and fixed to the body 10, and the first protrusion 52 on the distal end side is disposed in the groove 50 to be engaged with the fixing member 40 and held. Therefore, the elastic body 20 is prevented from dropping from the opening 6.

Next, a method for fixing the rod 2 by the coupler 1A will be described in detail.

First, a first tool (not shown) is operated by the user, the tip portion of the first tool is inserted into the tool insertion hole 12, the body 10 is gripped, and the groove portion is formed at a predetermined position of the rod 2. The rod 2 is inserted into 5 and the body 10 is arranged.

Next, a second tool (not shown) is attached to the fitting portion 42 of the fixing member 40 and rotated by the user. When the fixing member 40 is moved downward from the initial position to the fixing position, as shown in FIG. 6B, the tip end portion of the shaft portion 43 contacts the second protrusion 54, and the fixing member 40 further moves downward. The holding part 22 is deformed by being pushed into. In this way, the coupler 1A according to the present embodiment transmits the axial force applied to the fixing member 40 to the distal end portion of the arm 25, thereby deforming the distal end portion of the arm 25 and crimping the arm 25 to the rod 2. The rod 2 is fixed by this.

As described above, the coupler 1A of the present embodiment is elastically deformable by contacting the body 10 having the

grooves

5 and 5 that can receive the two

rods

2 and 2 and the peripheral surfaces of the

rods

2 and 2. An elastic body 20 and a fixing member 40 that elastically deforms the elastic body 20 and fixes the

rods

2 and 2 in the

groove portions

5 and 5 are provided.

As described above, the coupler 1A has a simple configuration with a small number of parts, and does not require a highly difficult manufacturing process such as driving in pins, so that productivity can be easily increased. Further, the rod 2 can be firmly and quickly fixed with a small number of operations.

In the above embodiment, the protrusion 45 provided at the tip of the shaft portion 43 of the fixing member 40 is an example, and the holding portion 22 of the elastic body 20 is deformed to press the holding portion 22 to the rod 2. If possible, the form can be changed as appropriate.

Further, in this embodiment, the rod 2 is fixed only by the holding part 22, but the tip part of the holding part 22 is deformed and the rod 2 is pressed and fixed to a part of the groove 5. It doesn't matter. In this case, the holding part 22 does not need to cover more than 1/2 of the periphery of the rod 2, and the length thereof is appropriately set.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A ... Connector 10 ... Body 20 ... Elastic body 20A ... Fixed end 20B ... Free end 25 ... Arm 40 ... Fixing

member

50, 52 ...

Engagement mechanism

45, 54 ... Displacement mechanism

Claims

A body having a groove capable of receiving two rods;
An elastic body in contact with the circumferential surface of each rod and capable of elastic deformation;
A fixing member that elastically deforms the elastic body and fixes the rod;
It is equipped with the connector characterized by the above-mentioned.
The elastic body has a fixed end (20A) fixed to the body, and a free end (20B) that surrounds a part of the rod and is disposed inside the body. The coupler according to claim 1, wherein the coupler is elastically deformed by contact with the fixing member.
The elastic body is provided on the left and right inside the body, the fixing member is disposed between the elastic bodies, and the free end side of the elastic body is provided between the fixing member and the elastic body. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the connector is held via a coupling mechanism.
The displacement mechanism which displaces the free end side tip part of the elastic body to the center side of the groove part is provided between the fixed member and the elastic body. The coupler described.
The fixed member is fixed to the body so as to be movable between an initial position where the elastic member is not displaced and a fixed position where the elastic member is displaced and the rod is fixed. The coupler according to one item.