JP4568775B2 - Connector structure with connection port member with bulkhead and communication lock connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention provides a connector used for connection for obtaining liquid communication through a partition wall, and in particular, obtains fluid communication through a partition wall provided in a connection port member of a medical container such as an infusion bag used in infusion therapy. The present invention relates to a connector structure of a lock connector provided with a lock mechanism for maintaining a connection state at the time and a connection port member with a partition wall .

  A plug is provided in a connection port member of a medical container such as an infusion bag used in infusion therapy, and in order to take out the liquid in the container, an infusion tube is connected to the medical container through the plug. There must be. Conventionally, a connector structure that connects a medical container and an infusion tube by providing a bottle needle at the tip of the infusion tube and puncturing the bottle needle into the stopper is used for such connection. In actual use, there may be a force that separates them from each other, so that the bottle needle is temporarily fixed to the container so that the connection is not disconnected during the infusion, and the connection state is maintained. (Lock mechanism) is used.

  As an example of such a locking mechanism, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector having clips extending from both side portions of the needle to the tip. After the needle is punctured into the plug body, a member on the plug body is sandwiched by a clip, thereby maintaining the state where the needle is punctured into the plug body.

Patent Document 2 discloses a connector in which a needle body is disposed in a cylindrical cover member, and an engagement portion composed of a pair of flexible tongue pieces is formed by providing a notch at the tip of the cylinder. ing. A claw projecting inward of the cylinder is formed at the tip of the tongue piece, and when the needle is punctured into the plug body, the pair of claws engage with the member on the plug body side, and the connection state is locked.
Japanese Patent Publication No.62-43697 JP 2001-245983 A

  Since the lock mechanism described in Patent Document 1 is used in a state where the clip is exposed and can be easily contacted, the clip may open due to accidental contact, and the holding may be released. The lock mechanism described in Patent Document 2 has a structure that widens the distance between the tip of the pair of tongue pieces, that is, the distance between the claws by deforming the cylindrical cover member when releasing the lock. Therefore, since the amount of deformation is not so large, if the gap between the claws in the locked state is too wide, the unlocking operation becomes difficult, and the gap between the claws is limited. As a result, the holding force due to locking tends to be insufficient. Moreover, it cannot be said that the unlocking operation is easy.

Accordingly, the present invention has good operability, with a locking mechanism for locking state is reliably maintained, and an object thereof is to provide a connector structure of the partition wall with connection port member and communicating Spoken lock connector.

The connector structure of the connection port member with a partition wall and the lock connector for communication according to the present invention includes a connection port member with a partition wall that is coupled to a communication target, a base end portion that can be connected to an infusion tube, and a distal end portion connected to the connection port member. And a locking connector including an insertable tube.
The connection port member includes a tubular throat portion and an end surface portion that is attached to the distal end portion of the throat portion and has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the distal end portion has a connecting hole having a diameter smaller than the lumen of the throat portion. And a partition wall that is held between the distal end of the throat and the end surface of the engagement portion and seals the lumen of the throat, and the engagement portion has a large diameter portion. A step portion is formed between the outer surface of the throat portion.
The lock connector includes a hood disposed so as to surround a distal end portion of the tubular body, and a pair of coupling portions in which one end is coupled to a central portion of the tubular body and the other end is coupled to a rear end portion of the hood. And a pair of notches formed at a position between the pair of coupling portions in the circumferential direction of the side wall of the hood, and one end at a position corresponding to the pair of notches in the central portion of the tubular body a support piece of a pair you orthogonal to the axis of the fixed the tubular body extends along the axial direction of the tubular body is arranged on a side of the tubular body, the tip engaging portions of the side and proximal wherein the operation portion side, and a central portion thereof a pair of supported by each coupled with the other end of the support piece locking lever, the locking portion of the lock lever, projecting inwardly at the tip And the outer surface of the cutout portion of the hood Are arranged such that the outer surface substantially flush with the over-de, between the front Kiyui engagement portion and the support piece, gap separation between each other are formed, with respect to the operation portion of the lock lever By applying a pressing force in a direction approaching the tube body, the pair of support pieces are flexibly deformed, and the interval between the locking claws of the pair of lock levers is widened. .
The step portion formed by the engagement portion is formed by an engagement claw in the lock lever in a state where the lock connector is attached to the distal end portion of the connection port member so that the distal end portion of the tubular body penetrates the partition wall. The connection state of the lock connector and the connection port member is maintained, and each side surface of the pair of lock levers abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the engagement portion of the connection port member.
In the connector structure configured as described above, preferably, the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion of the tubular body has a diameter equivalent to the diameter of the coupling hole provided in the engagement portion constituting the connection port member.
Preferably, the lock connector has a positioning portion disposed around the tube body in the hood in the vicinity of a joint portion between the tube body and the hood, and the positioning portion includes the connection port. When the engaging portion of the member enters the hood, the member has a function of contacting the end surface portion of the engaging portion and positioning the tubular body with respect to the connection port member.

  According to this structure, when connecting, it is only necessary to press the connection port member and the connector of the connection partner to each other, and when releasing the connection, it is only necessary to pinch the operation part of the lock lever with a finger. Easy to operate. Moreover, since the lock lever is independent of the hood and is supported only by the support piece, it is possible to increase the amount of flexible deformation for displacing the locking claw at the tip of the locking portion. Easy. As a result, reliable engagement can be obtained. Furthermore, since the outer surface of the locking portion is substantially flush with the outer surface of the hood, the tip of the locking portion is deformed by accidental contact, and the possibility of disengagement is reduced.

(Embodiment 1)
The structure of the lock connector in Embodiment 1 of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 1, the lock connector has a tube 1 at the center. FIG. 1 shows only the base end portion 1a of the tube body 1, but as can be seen from the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 2, the tube body 1 further has a distal end portion 1b. An infusion tube (not shown) is connected to the base end portion 1a in use. For example, when the medical container and the infusion tube are communicated with each other, the distal end portion 1b is inserted through a slit of a partition wall (septum) provided in a connection port member such as a medical container.

  A substantially cylindrical hood 2 is arranged so as to surround the distal end portion 1b of the tubular body 1. The hood 2 is coupled to the axially central portion of the tubular body 1 on the base end side. The joint 3 between the hood 2 and the tube 1 is shown in the plan view of FIG. 3 or the front view of FIG. As clearly shown in FIG. 3, the hood 2 has a notch 2 a formed in a cylindrical side wall thereof. FIG. 2 shows an AA cross section in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in addition to the hood 2, support pieces 4 a, 4 b, 5 a, and 5 b are fixed to the central portion of the tube 1, and each extend in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the tube 1. Exist. In FIG. 4, the support pieces 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b are hatched for easy viewing. Reference numeral 6 denotes a lock lever. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, a pair of the lock levers 6 are arranged on the side portion of the tube body 1 and extend along the axial direction of the tube body 1. The central portion of the lock lever 6 is coupled to the tips of the support pieces 4 a, 4 b, 5 a, 5 b, thereby being supported at a predetermined position with respect to the tube body 1. The support pieces 4a and 4b support one lock lever 6 as a set, and the support pieces 5a and 5b support the other lock lever 6 as a set. Accordingly, a pair of support pieces is substantially provided corresponding to each lock lever 6.

  As for the lock lever 6, the front end side seen from the coupling | bond part with support piece 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b comprises the latching | locking part 6a, and the base end side comprises the operation part 6b. The locking portion 6a in the lock lever 6 has a locking claw 7 protruding inward at the tip thereof. The locking portion 6 a is disposed in the cutout portion 2 a of the hood 2, and the outer surface thereof is substantially flush with the outer surface of the hood 2 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Moreover, since the front end side of the cutout portion 2a is closed, the front end of the engaging portion 6a of the lock lever 6 is surrounded by the hood 2 in a plan view, and the possibility of receiving contact during use is reduced.

  By applying a pressing force in the direction approaching the tube 1 to the operation portion 6b of the lock lever 6, that is, a force so as to sandwich the operation portions 6b of the pair of lock levers 6 shown in FIG. The support pieces 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b are flexibly deformed. As a result, the lock lever 6 rotates about the vicinity of the joint with the support pieces 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b, and the distance between the pair of locking claws 7 increases.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a positioning portion 8 is provided in the vicinity of the coupling portion between the tubular body 1 and the hood 2. The positioning portion 8 is arranged in a cross shape around the tube 1 in the hood 2, and when a member around the portion where the tube 1 is to be inserted in the connection port member to be connected enters the hood 2. The contact port member has a function of abutting and positioning. Thereby, it can suppress that the insertion state of the tubular body 1 fluctuates, and a stable connection state can be obtained.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a grip portion 2 b is formed on the base end side of the hood 2 by partially deforming the cylindrical surface to be flat. The grip portion 2b is provided to increase the ease of operation by gripping and operating this portion when performing a connector connection operation.

  Each of the above elements is preferably configured as an integrated member. The material is required to have a degree of hardness necessary for the puncture operation and elasticity (flexibility) necessary for the connection / disconnection operation. For example, polycarbonate, polypropylene and the like are suitable.

  The operation of the lock connector configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 shown in each figure is a connection port member, such as a medical container, to which the connector is connected. A front view of the connection port member 10 is shown in FIG. The connection port member 10 is coupled to a container main body 11 (only a part is shown) such as a medical container, and is attached to a tubular throat 12 fixed to the container main body 11 and the tip of the throat 12. It consists of a cylindrical engaging portion 13. The engaging part 13 has a connecting hole 13a at the tip, and the rear part is a large-diameter part 13b. Thereby, a step portion is formed at the boundary between the throat portion 12 and the engaging portion 13. The throat portion 12 and the engaging portion 13 have a communicating lumen, and open to the outside through a connecting hole 13a. The connecting hole 13a is sealed by a septum 14. The septum 14 is sandwiched between the tip of the throat 12 and the inner surface of the engaging portion 13. The septum 14 has a slit in the center, and the tip of the tube 1 of the connector can be inserted.

  When connecting the connector to the connection port member 10, the two are opposed to each other as shown in FIG. 5, and the engaging portion 13 of the connection port member 10 is operated to be inserted into the hood 2 of the connector. As a result, the distal end portion 1b of the tube 1 of the connector faces the connecting hole 13a of the connection port member 10, breaks the slit of the septum 14, and is inserted into the lumen of the connection port member 10. The state in which the tube 1 is fully inserted is shown in FIGS. In this state, the locking claw 7 provided on the locking portion 6a of the lock lever 6 gets over the large diameter portion 13b of the connection port member 10, and the locking claw 7 and the rear end of the large diameter portion 13b are engaged. Match. Thereby, the connection state is locked. At that time, the tip of the engaging portion 13 comes into contact with the positioning portion 8. Thereby, the engaging part 13 will be in the state clamped between the positioning part 8 and the latching claw 7, and can obtain the stable connection state.

  When releasing the connection, each operation portion 6b of the pair of lock levers 6 is grasped with a finger and pinched. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the distance between the pair of locking claws 7 is separated, and the engagement with the large-diameter portion 13 b of the connection port member 10 is released.

  According to the above configuration and operation, when connecting, it is only necessary to perform an operation of pressing the connection port member 10 and the connector to each other, which is extremely simple.

  When releasing the connection, it is only necessary to pinch the operation unit 6b with a finger. The lock lever 6 is independent of the hood 2 and is supported only by the support pieces 4a, 4b, 5a and 5b. Therefore, it is easy to increase the amount of flexible deformation for displacing the locking claw 7 at the tip of the locking portion 6a. As a result, a sufficient amount of deformation for engagement with the large-diameter portion 13b can be ensured and reliable engagement can be obtained.

  Moreover, since the locking portion 6a is completely surrounded by the hood 2 and the outer surface is substantially flush with the outer surface of the hood 2, the tip of the locking portion 6a may be deformed by accidental contact. Lower. Therefore, the occurrence of accidents that disengage is reduced.

  Further, since the distal end portion 1b of the tube body 1 is housed in the hood 2, the distal end portion 1b can be protected from contamination due to contact, and the contact portion with the infusion solution can be kept clean.

  11 and 12 show a modification of the lock lever 6. In this example, the operation portion 6 b of the lock lever 6 has a stopper portion 9 extending toward the other lock lever 6. The tip of the stopper portion 9 of one lock lever 6 faces the other. When the connection of the connector is released, when the operation portions 6b come close to each other by the pressing force, the tips of the stopper portions 9 come into contact with each other so that the mutual distance between the operation portions 6b does not become smaller than a predetermined range. Limited.

(Embodiment 2)
The lock connector in Embodiment 2 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. The feature of this connector is that it has a positioning portion having an annular structure instead of the positioning portion 8 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, one end of support pieces 15 a and 15 b extending in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the tube body 1 is coupled to the central portion of the tube body 1. The lock lever 6 is supported on the other ends of the support pieces 15a and 15b. The coupling portions 16a and 16b are provided so as to form the same plane as the support pieces 15a and 15b, and couple the tube body 1 and the hood 2. The support pieces 15a, 15b and the coupling portions 16a, 16b are separated by a support piece gap portion 17, whereby the support pieces 15a, 15b can be flexibly deformed.

  An annular positioning portion 18 is formed on the peripheral portions of the support pieces 15a and 15b and the coupling portions 16a and 16b. As shown in FIG. 14, the annular positioning portion 18 forms a step with respect to the central portion of the support pieces 15a and 15b. Although not shown, the same applies to the annular positioning portion 18 formed in the coupling portions 16a and 16b.

  In the case of the positioning portion 8 in the first embodiment, the connection port member is supported at four points, whereas according to the annular positioning portion 18, the outer peripheral portion of the engagement portion of the connection port member extends over substantially the entire circumference. Can be supported. Thereby, the wobbling of the insertion state of the tube body 1 is suppressed, and a stable connection state can be obtained.

(Embodiment 3)
The lock connector according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 15 that are also referred to in the description of the second embodiment. A feature of the connector of the present embodiment is that the width of the gap of the support piece gap 17 shown in FIG. 13 is set in a range of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm. Similarly, the width of the gap formed between the hood 2 and the locking portion 6a of the lock lever 6 in the notch 2b shown in FIG. 15 is also set in the range of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm. .

  The advantages of limiting the width of the gap in this way are as follows. When the lock connector and the connection port member are joined or detached from each other, the pipe body 1 is performed while expanding the slit of the septum of the connection port member, so that liquid leaks from the medical container provided with the connection port member. There is. The leaked liquid may leak outside through the gaps. Therefore, if the width of each gap is set as described above, an effect of suppressing the liquid from passing through the gap due to the action of the surface tension of the liquid in the gap can be obtained. As a result, even if the liquid in the medical container leaks at the portion where the tube 1 penetrates the septum, the liquid is held in the hood 2 and can be prevented from leaking outside the connector, and the surrounding environment is kept clean. be able to.

  If the width of the gap is set to be narrower than 0.05 mm, it is difficult to manufacture and it is not practical. If it is set wider than 0.5 mm, the effect of suppressing the passage of the liquid through the gap by the action of the surface tension cannot be sufficiently obtained.

  The configuration of the present embodiment can also be applied to the case where the support pieces 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b as shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment are provided. In short, the gap formed between the support pieces 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b shown in FIG. 4 and the gap formed between the support pieces 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b and other portions are described above. By setting the width within this range, the effect of suppressing liquid leakage can be obtained.

(Embodiment 4)
The lock connector in Embodiment 4 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. The basic structure of this lock connector is the same as that shown in FIGS. The difference is that the support piece gap 17 is filled with the elastomer 19 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the notch 2b is filled with the elastomer 20 as well.

  As described above, the feature of the lock connector in the present embodiment is that the gap between the peripheral end surface of the notch portion and the peripheral end surface of the lock lever locking portion on the side wall of the hood, and the support piece and the hood The gap formed between the inner surface of the side wall is filled with a thermoplastic elastomer and sealed. When a gap is formed in the support piece itself, the gap is also filled with the elastomer.

  In the same manner as in the third embodiment, by filling the elastomer, even when the lock connector and the connection port member are joined or detached from each other, even if the liquid in the medical container leaks at the portion where the tube penetrates the septum, the connector Liquid leakage to the outside can be suppressed. In addition, if the thermoplastic elastomer is filled in at least one kind of the above-mentioned gaps, a corresponding effect can be obtained, so that not all the gaps need to be filled with the elastomer.

  Further, if the notch 2b is completely sealed, the operation of the lock lever 6 may be hindered. In such a case, it may be as shown in FIGS. 19 (a) to 19 (d). FIGS. 19A to 19D are partial cross-sectional views schematically showing an end surface portion of the engaging portion 6a of the hood 2 and the lock lever 6 located in the notch portion 2b.

  FIG. 19A shows a structure in which the elastomer 20 is joined to the end face of the locking portion 6a and the elastomer 20 is not joined to the end face of the hood 2 but is in contact therewith. On the contrary, the elastomer 20 may be joined to the end surface of the hood 2 and the elastomer 20 may be in contact with the end surface of the locking portion 6a. Joining means a state in which the elastomer 20 is fixed to the end face of the hood 2 or the locking portion 6a by two-color molding or insert molding. The abutment simply means a state of contact.

  FIG. 19B shows a structure in which the elastomers 20 are joined to both end faces of the locking part 6a and the hood 2 and the respective elastomers 20 are in contact with each other at the intermediate part.

    19 (c) and 19 (d) respectively show a gap between the end face of the hood 2 or the locking portion 6a and the elastomer 20 and the opposing portion of each elastomer 20 in the structure of FIGS. 19 (a) and 19 (b). The structure provided is shown. These gaps are set to a width in the range of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm.

  19A to 19D, liquid leakage can be prevented while ensuring the degree of freedom of operation of the lock lever 6.

Moreover, it can also be set as a structure as shown to Fig.20 (a) or (b). FIG. 20A shows a structure in which the support piece gap 17 (not shown) is completely sealed by the elastomer 21, and the notch 2b is sealed about half of the base end side. Thereby, it is possible to substantially suppress liquid leakage while ensuring the degree of freedom of operation of the lock lever 6. FIG. 20B shows a structure for facilitating manufacture.
By covering the base end side half of the hood 2 with the elastomer 22 as a whole, each gap is sealed as in the structure of FIG.

  The lock connector of the present invention can be applied to connection with a mixed injection port having a septum with a slit in addition to connection with a connection port member of a medical container.

  In the above-described embodiment, the communication lock connector based on the connection with the connection port member having the partition wall with slits is shown. This structure is particularly advantageous in terms of improving the operability during puncturing when using an insertion end structure that does not have a sharp tip to prevent erroneous puncturing. On the other hand, the structure of the communication lock connector of the present invention is also applicable to a connector used when a slit is not provided in a partition wall. In that case, the partition wall may be made thin to facilitate breakage, or the distal end portion 1b of the tube body 1 may be sharpened.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the lock connector for communication with the connection port member with a partition provided with the lock mechanism with favorable operativity and a locked state reliably can be provided.

The side view which shows the lock connector for communication with the connection port member with a partition in Embodiment 1 of this invention Cross section of the lock connector Top view of the lock connector Front view of the lock connector The side view which shows the state just before connecting the lock connector with connection port members, such as a medical container Front view of connection port member in FIG. Side view showing a state where the lock connector is connected to a connection port member such as a medical container Cross section of FIG. Side view showing the state when the lock connector is released Sectional view of FIG. The side view which shows the example which deform | transformed a part of lock connector of FIG. Rear view of the lock connector of FIG. The front view which shows the lock connector for communication with the connection port member with a partition in Embodiment 2 and 3 Cross section of the lock connector Top view of the lock connector The front view which shows the lock connector for communication with the connection port member with a partition in Embodiment 4 Cross section of the lock connector Top view of the lock connector The fragmentary sectional view which shows typically the principal part in the modification of the lock connector A plan view schematically showing another modification of the lock connector

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tube 1a Base end part 1b Tip part 2 Hood 2a Notch part 3 Coupling part 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b Support piece 6 Lock lever 6a Locking part 6b Operation part 7 Locking claw 8 Positioning part 9 Stopper part 10 Connection Mouth member 11 Container body 12 Throat portion 13 Engagement portion 13a Connection hole 13b Large diameter portion 14 Septum 15a, 15b Support piece 16a, 16b Joint portion 17 Support piece gap portion 18 Annular positioning portion 19, 20, 21, 22 Elastomer

Claims (3)

A partition wall comprising a connection port member with a partition wall coupled to a communication target, and a lock connector configured to include a tube body having a proximal end portion connectable to an infusion tube and a distal end portion insertable into the connection port member. In the connector structure of the connection port member with communication lock connector,
The connection port member includes a tubular throat portion and an end surface portion that is attached to the distal end portion of the throat portion and has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the distal end portion has a connecting hole having a diameter smaller than the lumen of the throat portion. And a partition wall that is held between the distal end of the throat and the end surface of the engagement portion and seals the lumen of the throat, and the engagement portion has a large diameter portion. Forming a step between the outer surface of the throat and
The lock connector includes a hood disposed so as to surround a distal end portion of the tubular body, and a pair of coupling portions in which one end is coupled to a central portion of the tubular body and the other end is coupled to a rear end portion of the hood. And a pair of notches formed at a position between the pair of coupling portions in the circumferential direction of the side wall of the hood, and one end at a position corresponding to the pair of notches in the central portion of the tubular body a support piece of a pair you orthogonal to the axis of the fixed the tubular body extends along the axial direction of the tubular body is arranged on a side of the tubular body, the tip engaging portions of the side and proximal wherein the operation portion side, and a pair of lock levers whose central portion is supported by combining each other end of the support piece,
The locking portion of the lock lever has a locking claw protruding inward at the tip thereof, and the outer surface thereof is substantially flush with the outer surface of the hood in the notch portion of the hood. Placed in
Between the front Kiyui engagement portion and the support piece, gap separation between each other are formed,
By applying a pressing force in a direction approaching the tubular body to the operation portion in the lock lever, the pair of support pieces are flexibly deformed, and the locking claws in the pair of lock levers Configured to increase the distance between each other,
The step portion formed by the engagement portion is formed by an engagement claw in the lock lever in a state where the lock connector is attached to the distal end portion of the connection port member so that the distal end portion of the tubular body penetrates the partition wall. The connection state of the lock connector and the connection port member is maintained, and each side surface of the pair of lock levers abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the engagement portion of the connection port member. A connector structure of a connection port member with a partition and a lock connector for communication.   2. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral surface of a distal end portion of the tubular body has a diameter equivalent to a diameter of the connection hole provided in the engagement portion constituting the connection port member.   The lock connector has a positioning portion disposed around the tube body in the hood in the vicinity of the coupling portion between the tube body and the hood, and the positioning portion is engaged with the connection port member. 3. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein when the portion enters the hood, the connector structure has a function of contacting the end surface portion of the engaging portion and positioning the tubular body with respect to the connection port member.

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